Cale and his group finally headed to their next destination as soon as everything that Cale needed to do had been done including sending the message to Talyor Stan.
Everything was the same as the previous timeline except the voice of ancient powers inside Cale's mind and his hands that 24/7 covered with gloves.
Thankfully, the Annual Rings of Life power isn't as bad as the Memories of the Past. The living things' rings of life only come out when Cale wants to see it. It is easier to control.
"We will camp here," the vice captain, Hilsman announced when he saw the day was getting darker.
Cale nodded his head and shifted his eyes towards the road. Just after he did that, he then saw a shabby carriage that was moving towards them.
He smirked.
'Finally, they came. Let's just follow everything like in the previous timeline,' Cale mentally made a note inside his mind as he walked towards Hans.
•••••
As soon as Cale arrived in the capital while was helping Talyor and Cage, he hung the wind chimes that he bought on the window. The kittens and Raon happily looked at it while was listening to its sound every time the wind blows it slowly.
"How relaxing."
Cale slowly closed his eyes while enjoying the peaceful moment with his children.
"Yes, it is."
"So peaceful nya!"
"Really peaceful!"
However, that peaceful moment didn't last long, Cale then heard someone was knocking his door. It didn't sound urgent unlike the last timeline where Lock was on the edge of using his berserk transformation but still, Cale decided to open the door.
"Choi Han?"
Cale looked at Choi Han in disbelief when he saw how Lock and Rosalyn were calmly standing beside him.
Isn't they supposed to be panicking right now since Lock will be transforming anytime soon?
But why Lock isn't in pain at all?
"Cale-nim."
Choi Han excitedly called for Cale before moving toward him then holding his hand. If he had a tail right now, it sure was wagging.
Regardless of Choi Han's excitement, Cale's eyes were on Lock and Rosalyn that was awkwardly looking at him then Choi Han.
"Cale-nim, I'm back."
Cale broke his gaze that was on Lock and Rosalyn to look at Choi Han. He was squishing Cale's hand too tight until it was hurting him. Cale almost hissed by the pain but managed to hold back his voice.
Seeing that Choi Han still smiled innocently, Cale knew that Choi Han didn't mean to hurt him.
'He must forget to control his strength.'
Cale just shook his head then patted the hand that was holding his slowly.
"Welcome back," Cale replied to Choi Han's greeting earlier before his eyes went towards Lock and Rosalyn again.
".....Who?"
Cale pretended to not know the two people that were standing in front of him.
"Ahh! They are my friends. I meet them when I went to do the task that you gave me. They were hurt so that's why I brought them with me."
Choi Han spoke as he was telling the truth, so smooth and didn't even shutter. Well, most of it was the truth anyway but Cale was still impressed since Choi Han's acting skill was improving.
'With his acting skill is getting better, everything will be easier.'
Cale could not help but to smile faintly.
"Is that so..."
Cale then looked at Hans who was standing behind Lock and Rosalyn. He also looks as awkward as the two people in front of him.
"Then Hans."
"Yes, Sir!"
"Go prepare rooms for them. Treat them as important guests since they are Choi Han's friends."
"Yes, young master but..."
"But?"
Cale frowned when seeing Hans' hesitation to continue speaking.
"Sir Lock had his siblings together with him. Most of them were also hurt."
"Sir Lock?"
Again, Cale pretended not to know who it was.
"...That's my name.. young master-nim and the person next to me is Rosalyn," Lock said as he lifted his hand a little then looked at Rosalyn.
Cale's stoic expression softened when seeing that the shy Lock didn't even change.
Oh, only God of Death knows how hard Cale was holding back from patting the Wolf's head and telling him that everything will be okay.
Of course, Cale's feeling was not noticeable, however for the people who had spent more time with Cale, they can tell the difference right away. They could see the affection in Cale's eyes clearly.
Choi Han just smiled softly as he looked at Cale's expression while Hans was frowning. The passionate expression of his young master was really unfamiliar for him.
"I see, then treat them well too. We cannot leave the injured alone."
Lock's expression immediately brighten as soon as he heard what Cale had said.
"Thank you, young master-nim. You are really kind just what Choi Han had said."
Cale looked at Choi Han who still smiling innocently while holding his hand then shook his head a little.
"You are my knights' friends, of course, I need to treat you well. Hans, bring them to their room. They must be tired."
Hans who still had a frown on his face slowly nodded his head then lead Lock and Rosalyn to their room.
Before turning their back completely towards Cale, Rosalyn had her eyes on Cale's hand that was in Choi Han's.
She frowned.
For some reason, she had a bad feeling after seeing Choi Han and his liege interactions.
After the presence of the three people disappeared, Cale looked at Choi Han who still smiling innocently towards him.
"I did it."
Without an order, Choi Han started to open his mouth to explain things to Cale.
"Did what?" Cale confusedly asked.
"I saved the Blue Wolf Village. Not all the adults died, only some of them. Also, the village isn't completely destroyed. With some little repair, it already safe to live in."
Cale raised his brows. No wonder Choi Han is so happy.
"That's means when the Blue Wolf village is fully repaired, the Wolfs can live there so there is only us in Harris Village. You and me."
'Huh?'
For some reason, the words that just come out from Choi Han's mouth don't sit right for Cale.
"Also, if we are able to find a new home for the Tiger tribe, they don't have to live in the Forest of Darkness, then our time together will not be disturbed. Don't you think it a great idea, Cale-nim?"
Choi Han looked so excited as he told Cale about his plan made Cale a little bit guilty to deny it. Hearing it really made Cale uncomfortable, nevertheless, he still nodded his head agreeing with Choi Han.
"Yes, it is."
Cale without knowing Choi Han's wide grin, replied to his question.
"It will be just us."
Cale subconsciously made a promise.
•••••
After hearing all the explanations about the Blue Wolf Village, Choi Han finally exited from Cale's room leaving Cale and the kids only.
Cale found out that Lock went berserk after seeing his guardian die killed by the blood-crazy mage, Redika.
Luckily, Choi Han managed to handle both Lock's berserk transformation and the secret organization at the same time. Choi Han killed all the secret organizations including Redika and at the same time protected Lock from harming himself also everyone near him while he was in his first time using a berserk transformation.
'This will be a huge changed.'
Cale sighed.
Redika's death is something that never crossed Cale's mind.
Looks like this timeline will never be the same as the previous one. One of his people might not end up with him. Thinking about it makes Cale's heart start to beat abnormal.
What if White Star remembered the previous timeline and this incident caused him to confirm that he remembered too?
'Fuck!'
Cale mentally cursed since the children were with him.
If White Star remembered, Cale was sure he will send every army that he had to attack him after this and if he don't White Star's next move will hard for him to predict.
Cale sighed.
He really wanted to scold Choi Han for changing the event but things already happened, he cannot do anything about it.
"Human, are you okay? Things are going on differently this time, will it still be okay?"
Raon who was no longer invisible landed on the table near Cale then looked concernedly at him.
Cale nodded his head, however, the little frown on his forehead still did not disappear.
"It will be okay. We managed to went through all of these hardships on the previous timeline so there's no way in this timeline we can't."
Cale calmy said those words while patting Raon's head even though his inside was like a jungle.
Before planning on his next step, he needed to clean up his messy head first.
•••••
"You killed Redika!"
Not even saying his greeting, a person who suddenly teleported inside Choi Han's bedroom yelled at him who was laying on the bed leisurely.
"Are you crazy?! What if something suddenly went wrong?!"
Choi Han looked at the person emotionlessly then rolled his eyes without being bothered to lift his body as the person in front of him is not an important person.
"He will hurt Cale."
"I know but what if White Star will send a stronger mage to replace Redika? Think about it, Choi Han! What if he sends the half-blooded dragon?!"
Still, without looking at the person, Choi Han sighed.
"I am way more stronger than before."
"I know but a sudden change can awake Cale, Choi Han. Remember that."
"You don't have to remind me something so obvious...."
Choi Han slowly lifted his body then looked at the person who was standing near him. His eyes darkened as soon as they made eye contact.
"....Alberu."
Alberu narrowed his dark eyes as he looked at Choi Han who just now calling him by his name.
"How disrespectful," Alberu emptily chuckled.
"We are not fully complete the dream. If you make a little mistake, things can go wrong. I didn't want to through all the 400 years without Cale again, Choi Han."
Alberu sighed as he swiped his hair back after seeing Choi Han's uncaring expression.
"40 years.... Looks like your tongue can lie now. I would be happy if I only spent 40 years without Cale but instead, it's 400 years. The difference was large, Choi Han."
Choi Han sighed as he stood up from his bed. He stretched his body then walk towards the desk that was in his small room ignoring the scowl on Alberu's face.
"400 years were enough to perfect my acting," he said as he opened the drawer then took something from inside.
When he already grabbed the thing, he throws it towards Alberu and Alberu easily caught it.
It was a small jar filled with red liquid.
"The last fragment?" Alberu asked.
"Yes, it's Dragon's blood. Before I went to pick up Lock and Rosalyn, I went to the eastern continent to check on 'the dog'. I never thought that I will encounter another dragon that was not fated to meet Cale...."
"So what did you do?"
"Of course, I killed it and took its heart."
"You ate the heart?"
Alberu frowned as he asked Choi Han that question. The image of a human eating dragon's heart popped inside his mind.
Oh god, it was so disgusting.
"No, Are you crazy? Eruhaben will notice it right away if I eat dragon's heart and that will make Cale hate me if he knows it."
"But you ate it before."
"That before the time was twisted."
"So what did you do with the heart?"
"I forced the dog to eat it."
Alberu laughed after hearing that.
"You are the cruellest person I know."
"Thank you."
Choi Han proudly take that as a compliment and Alberu could not shake his head seeing it.
"Well, anyway are you sure the last fragments that we need is this?" Alberu said as he tossed the jar up and catches it again multiple times.
Choi Han shrugged.
"But it said something red and from great beings. Of course, it's dragon's blood."
Alberu looked at the jar of red liquid in his hand then clenched it tight but not enough to break it.
"With this, we can complete the dream," he said with a wide smile on his face.
However, his smile soon disappeared as he looked at Choi Han.
"Raon remembered. Don't you think it will be bothersome?"
Choi Han shook his head.
"I think it's good since he's there protecting Cale. Also, it seems like he only had his 40 years memories so I think it will be okay."
Alberu frowned. However, if he thinks about it deeply, what Choi Han said was true. He exhaustedly sighed.
'Raon is not a threat,' he thought before turning his back towards Choi Han then teleporting away.
Choi Han who just watched Alberu disappear sighed before going back to his bed to take a quick nap.
•••••
As expected, the bombs that Cale and his group found were different from the previous timeline. They found 8 bombs around the plaza and the bombs were stronger than before.
If the bombs around the plaza were already 8, Cale was sure that the bombs that were installed on the citizens were more than it was supposed to be. Knowing it makes Cale feels anxious. He wondered if 10 minutes were enough for them to get rid of the bombs.
'Should he find a new mana disturbance that better than what he rents at Billos?'
Cale shook his head, trying to make his thoughts about unnecessary things disappear. If he wanted to find a new mana disturbance, it will be hard since he already ran out of time. All he needs now was to put his faith in his group to get rid of the bombs in 10 minutes.
Choi Han himself said that he can handle all the bombs in less than 10 minutes, so his worry was unneeded.
"Young master-nim, the carriage is ready."
Cale looked at Hans who was standing in front of the door of his room to take him to the carriage. Today was the day where he needs to attend the banquet in Place of Joy. For these past few days, everything was according to his plan.
Rosalyn asked about Raon and Lock's wishes. Only one thing that he messed up. It was his meeting with Odeus, Billos' uncle. Since the blue Wolf siblings immediately teleport to his residence together with Lock and Rosalyn, they didn't stay inside his inn.
"I need to do something so that I could meet him," Cale murmured under his breath.
His meeting with Billos' blood-related uncle isn't so important, but still, Cale needed him for Raon's revenge and money for the cheapskate. Also, Flynn's family is somehow related to hunters. Maybe by getting close to him, Cale could collect one of two information about hunters.
Cale entered the carriage together with the invisible Raon. The kittens wanted to follow him but Cale didn't let him since they need to prepare for the plaza terror. Even if they follow him, they are unable to enter the palace since the uninvited guest was unwelcome and perhaps will be chased away.
"Human, when are we going to get your water ancient power?"
Raon who was no longer invisible when the carriage's door already closed tight, looked at Cale with his big blue curious eyes as he asked.
"Tonight," Cale answered shortly.
The water ancient power will be the most troublesome and hardest ancient power he needed to gain. In the previous timeline, he almost died just to get this ancient power. However now, Cale worried nothing, he already had the water ancient power so everything will be easy.
As soon as Cale arrived in front of the gate of the Palace of Joy, Ron helped him open the door.
Just like in the previous timeline, all eyes were on him but Cale just ignored it as he wait for the other northeastern nobles to arrive.
Cale sighed exhaustedly.
Just thinking about the event that will happen to him after this already makes him feel tired.
“Young master Cale.”
'Speak of the devil.'
Cale rolled his eyes before turning his head to look at Neo Tolz.
Neo had a warm and friendly smile on his face, as he spoke in a quiet voice that only Cale could hear.
“What is a terrible trash like you doing coming to the palace?”
'Still the same.'
Cale mentally sighed for the nth time.
His mind was already tired of thinking about the bombs but now he had to deal with this dog that leash was held by Venion?
What a good day....
Luckily, he didn't have to face Venion after this since Venion didn't stop his carriage to meet Cale when they were in Tolz Territory. So Cale and Venion didn't become acquaintances.
Also, there's no way for Venion who held high his pride as the son of a marquis will suddenly greet the son of a lowly count, not to mention the trash, not even a glance he will spare.
He just needs to be patience with the asshole in front of him now.
“What? Do you want to throw a bottle at me? Or do you want to hit me? Go ahead and try.”
'Yes, indeed an asshole.'
Even though he already experienced this once, it was still annoying. The smugness on his face that was like he was looking at a worm makes Cale want to slap his face hard just like he slapped White Star.
However, instead of doing what was inside his mind, Cale just continued looking down at him. He didn't want to join Neo's childish game so he rather being quiet than fight back.
At that moment, Cale’s gaze turned to a new carriage that just arrived.
'Finally, my saviour had arrived,' Cale exhaled in relief after knowing that he finally can get rid of Venion's dog in front of him.
Bang!
The carriage door burst open as soon as the carriage stopped, and Eric Wheelsman got out of the carriage. Gilbert and Amiru were inside the carriage as well.
“Hyung-nim.”
Cale called for Eric who was rushing towards them after seeing the situation.
Cale’s sincere voice that called out to him, as well as the cold gaze in Cale’s eyes, told Eric everything he needed to know.
‘Get rid of him.’
The eyes of the calmly standing Cale were giving that message to Eric.