Sundance and Eclipse trotted faster now. The goal? Reach a checkpoint farther than the nobles'.
Vael didn't have anything against them personally—but still.
It was people like them who controlled the world. Who orchestrated wars.
It was people like them who had ordered the burning of Vael's village, the execution of Kiera's family, and her transformation into an experiment.
It'd be… awkward.
As night began to fall, they had covered a lot of ground. With their mounts exhausted, they stopped at a safe house not far from the city.
While seated near the fire, the group started talking.
"What will we do once we're there, in the capital?" asked Ash. "The entrance exam isn't scheduled for another few weeks, right?"
"That's true," answered Kiera. "Any plans, Vael?"
"We'll rest, explore, and prepare," he explained. "Since I have my Spatial Pocket ability, I'll give you the ring, by the way."
"Okay, thanks."
"Kiera and I will be training—mainly mana control rather than swordplay. We're reaching the third stage before the exam," Vael declared.
They had both been on the edge of a breakthrough for a while now—ever since the fight with the Legionnaires.
They were due for an upgrade.
And for that, since they no longer had life-threatening fights to push them past their limits, they needed mana cores.
"As for you, Ash, what do you want to do?" asked Kiera.
Ash hesitated for a moment, then answered:
"I don't care what I do… a-as long as I'm with you two," she said, wearing a worried expression.
Vael and Kiera exchanged a glance.
"Don't worry," said Vael. "We're not leaving you behind."
"Yeah," added Kiera. "Why would we have brought you all this way just to leave you to fend for yourself? You're one of us now, Ash."
With a newfound sense of hope, Ash nodded, comforted by the thought that her friends wouldn't abandon her.
On that note, they all went to sleep. There was no longer a need for a night watch—these roads were patrolled.
There wouldn't be anything dangerous here, especially not this close to the capital.
And so, they slept soundly.