"It's already dark," Alfie muttered, staring at the barely visible path ahead. "It's going to be difficult to see where we're going."
"Stop whining and get on the horse," Rebekah snapped. "We can't waste any more time. You're practically the center of attention now. Both the Shinras and the Darkside Spirits are after you."
"Alright, alright. You're starting to sound like Master," Alfie replied with a smirk as he climbed onto Lucy's horse.
Rebekah settled in behind him, and they rode off into the night.
After a brief silence, Rebekah spoke, her voice tinged with unease.
"You know... we're still inside the capital, yet not a single Shinra has come after you. Don't you find that strange? Master said your Renshi aura could be sensed across the entire kingdom."
Alfie frowned.
"Now that you mention it, you're right. We've passed several Shinras on patrol, but none of them even looked at me as though I were a threat." He tightened his grip on the reins. "We need to find Master and ask her about this."
"Exactly. So ride faster, Alfie. I've got a strange feeling about this."
"You can count on me."
They soon reached the outskirts of town, near the cliff and the dense forest beyond. After dismounting, they hurried into the old house.
"You're back, huh?" Lucy greeted them calmly. "We need to move. I just took out eighteen Beta Darkside Spirits that came from the forest. Nothing too serious."
"That's actually part of the problem," Rebekah began.
Lucy raised a hand, cutting her off.
"Save it for the road. Mount up. We're not staying here any longer."
Alfie dashed into the back room, grabbed clean clothes from his backpack, and hurried to his father's site. He remembered his mother's instructions about the silver sword.
"There you are..."
He reached beneath a shelf and carefully pulled out the sheathed blade.
"It's beautiful," he murmured, admiring it.
"Alfie. Let's move," Lucy called from outside.
"Coming."
Alfie rushed out, clutching the sword.
Lucy glanced at the weapon and raised an eyebrow.
"Nice. Your dad forged that for you, didn't he?"
"No time for chit-chat, Master," Alfie replied, climbing onto the horse.
"A simple 'yes' would've been enough, you brat," Lucy muttered with a smirk.
With everyone aboard, they galloped toward the forest trail.
As the dense woods swallowed them, Rebekah turned toward Lucy.
"Why are we taking this route? Wouldn't the main road out of the kingdom be safer?"
"We need to avoid the Shinras," Lucy answered flatly. "We can deal with Darkside Spirits without much trouble. But if we raise a hand against a Shinra, we're finished."
"That's exactly what I wanted to ask you about, Master," Rebekah said. "Ever since Alfie awakened his Renshi, we've only encountered Darkside Spirits. The Shinras in this kingdom haven't made a single move against him. Why?"
Lucy remained silent for a moment before answering.
"You're sharper than you look. Honestly, I was more concerned about the Shinras than the Darkside Spirits. That's one of the reasons I arranged Alfie's trial. I wanted to see whether they'd make a move against him while I was separated from him."
She paused, her expression growing serious.
"But nothing happened. And that silence can only mean one thing. The Kingdom Icon may have been disabled."
"Kingdom Icon?" Alfie asked, blinking in confusion. "What's that?"
Lucy sighed.
"Let me explain it in a way your tiny brain can understand. A long time ago, the most powerful mages among the Shinras created something called the Kingdom Icon. It's a massive Renshi circle hidden beneath every kingdom, designed to detect and monitor individuals with exceptionally powerful innate Renshi."
She glanced at him.
"This allowed kingdoms to identify potential threats and protect themselves from foreign enemies."
"So, it's basically a Renshi alarm system?" Alfie asked.
"Exactly," Lucy replied. "Whenever someone with an intense Renshi aura enters a kingdom, the Icon sends a signal to the Shinras. But if someone tampers with it, they become blind to whatever enters their territory."
"Then why would anyone shut it down?" Rebekah asked.
"Only Special Darkside Knights possess the ability to disable it," Lucy explained grimly. "I suspect the one ruling this kingdom is responsible. He must have deactivated the Icon to let Alfie pass through undetected."
"So the Shinras think everything is fine because they haven't sensed anything?" Alfie asked.
"Now you're getting it," Lucy said with a nod. "This is a setup. And whatever they're planning, I don't know yet."
Alfie lowered his gaze to the sword resting beside him.
"I can't believe all of this is happening just because of my Renshi..."
"It's not just your Renshi, Alfie," Lucy said firmly. "It's the potential you could develop in the future. You'll become a key player in something much bigger as time goes on. I just have a good feeling about you."
Alfie and Rebekah exchanged surprised glances.
"We'll be ready," Rebekah said quietly.
"You'd better be," Lucy replied, her voice turning serious. "Because from here on out, things are only going to get worse."