As Cale and Athanasia made their way towards the Rock Tower, the sun beat down on them with intense heat. Cale covered his hand to shield his face from the sun, but he noticed that Athanasia didn't seem affected by the heat at all.
Curious, he cast a gaze at Athanasia, who returned a questioning look. Cale asked, "Aren't you affected by the sun's heat?"
Athanasia shook her head and replied, "No, I'm not. I'm using my magic to prevent the sun's hot rays from bothering me. Would you like me to cast the spell on you as well?"
Cale nodded gratefully and said, "I would love that, thanks."
Athanasia smiled warmly and said, "No problem, I love to help."
As they continued their walk, Cale's gaze shifted sideways.
and he noticed Taylor, the eldest son of the Marquis Stan family, and Cage, the priestess, walking in the distance. Athanasia followed his gaze and saw the two as well.
As Taylor and Cage disappeared from their sight, Hans approached Cale and whispered, "Young Master Cale, I saw the eldest son of the Marquis Stan family just now."
Cale was taken aback by this information and asked, "How do you know him?"
Hans replied with a smug grin, "HUHU, all the information on the nobles is inside my head, of course. The wheelchair that the main was in had the red snake Marquis crest on it, so I knew right away."
Cale couldn't help but acknowledge Hans's competence despite his initial incompetence, saying, "You're quite competent despite being incompetent."
Hans responded with a cheeky chuckle, "Heh, so what do you plan on doing?"
Cale firmly stated, "Ignore them."
Athanasia, on the other hand, was excited to see Cage and Taylor again and thought, "I like Taylor more than Venion. I'm looking forward to seeing Venion's face at the capital meeting. Hehe, I know that Cale will give Taylor a clue on how to heal his legs. I'm looking forward to it."
As they arrived at the Rock Tower, Athanasia felt a bit disappointed. "It's not as impressive as I imagined it would be," she sighed.
On, the silver kitten, added, "I somehow feel disappointed too."
Hong, the red kitten, chimed in, "Yeah, it's not as pretty as I thought."
Cale glanced at Athanasia, who seemed dissatisfied as well. However, his attention was diverted when Choi Han, unexpectedly, walked toward the Rock Tower.
Cale wondered, "What The is he going to make a wish for?"
Choi Han made his wish, and then he turned his head to look at Cale and Athanasia. He addressed them, saying, "Cale-nim, Athanasia-nim."
Cale replied, "What?"
Athanasia responded, "Hm?"
Choi Han continued, "There's something I wish to ask you and report."
Athanasia anticipated the question and thought, "I already know what Choi Han's report is. It's about the fox and the dragon, isn't it? I felt their mana earlier."
Cale had a bad feeling about this, but he asked Choi Han to proceed with his question.
Choi Han stated, "Aren't you two going to make a wish, Cale-nim, Athanasia-nim?"
Cale spoke, "Ah, I don't make wishes."
Choi Han replied, "Why is that?"
Cale said, "Since it'll cause me to have expectations. It's more comfortable to live life without expectations."
Athanasia spoke up, "As Cale said, simply making a wish without any corresponding effort or action is like hoping for something to magically happen without any real involvement on our part. In reality, achieving goals and dreams requires proactive steps, hard work, and dedication."
Hans, in agreement, touched Cale's shoulder and said, "You're quite right, Young Master Cale and Lady Athanasia. There's no such thing as dreams or hope in this world."
Cale suggested, "Stop talking and just do more sightseeing."
Hans acknowledged with a respectful nod, "Yes, sir."
After Hans, On, and Hong left, Choi Han made his report, confirming Cale's suspicions. The dragon and fox had indeed entered the city. Cale instructed Choi Han to pretend not to notice them, and the latter agreed.
Cale observed his surroundings, fully aware that the dragon and fox were still following them. Athanasia couldn't help but giggle at Cale's expressions, finding them amusing
The next day, in Cale's room, Athanasia spoke, "Are you going to take another ancient power?"
Cale replied, "Yes, and you're not going."
Athanasia retorted, "I didn't even say anything..."
Cale, with a stoic face, responded, "And I know you're gonna ask that."
Athanasia didn't speak for a moment and thought, "Am I that predictable?"
She sighed and said, "Fine, but be careful, Cale," her tone now filled with worry.
Cale smiled reassuringly and said, "I will." He then kissed Athanasia's hand, causing her to blush a little and look away.
Cale smiled at Athanasia's face and said, "I will go now."
Athanasia turned her gaze to Cale and said goodbye while waving her hand.
After Cale left the room, Athanasia, who was sitting on the bed while reading
suddenly felt a strong mana, a familiar mana to be exact. Athanasia thought, "It can't be right?"
She stood up and walked to where she felt the familiar mana. As she opened the door,
there stood a light yellow fox. Athanasia thought for a moment, "Wait, why is the fox following me instead of Cale?" She shrugged it off as she stared at the fox.
Both Athanasia and the fox stared at each other for a moment. Athanasia thought, "Is this a staring contest? This is awkward..."
The fox spoke up, breaking the silence, "Um, hey..."
Athanasia replied, "Hello," with a smile.
The fox nervously said, "Um... can I follow you?"
Athanasia was shocked when she heard that. "Wait, why me but not Cale?" she asked.
The fox stared at Athanasia for a moment and said, "I want to follow you, and I feel more comfortable with you. You're the one who first came to save me... and the dragon will follow the human," the fox explained.
Athanasia hesitated to answer, but the fox gave her a pleading look with its puppy eyes. She sighed and said, "Okay, fine, but I will ask Cale later about this."
The fox was happy when it heard that and wagged its tail. Athanasia smiled at the sight.
Then Athanasia asked, "Oh, do you have a name?"
The fox replied, "No, I don't have one," while shaking its head.
Athanasia thought for a moment
and suggested, "How about Zephyr Valiant? It represents bravery and a spirit as free and refreshing as the wind."
The fox's eyes lit up with approval. "I like that name," it said proudly, "from now on, I will be Zephyr Valiant."
Athanasia smiled at the response and said, "I'm glad you like it."
Zephyr floated closer to Athanasia, and she noticed a surge of strong mana. "So, it's you. You also know magic," Athanasia remarked.
Zephyr grinned and replied, "Yes, I can use other magic that requires high mana."
Athanasia was surprised; she hadn't expected that the fox could wield high-level magic. Curious, she asked, "Are you strong like the dragon?"
Zephyr shook its head, "No, but in magic, I am a little superior to dragons since I'm a Ninetails."
Athanasia was dumbfounded. "Wait, wait, Ninetails? You're saying you're a Ninetails? I didn't even know that Ninetails exist!" she said with a shock tone.
Zephyr chuckled, "Well, I'm the last one left, so not many know about us."
Athanasia sighed, still processing the revelation, and then said, "I see."
Zephyr approached Athanasia and hopped onto her shoulder, comfortably settling down.
Athanasia smiled, petting Zephyr gently. She then asked, "How old are you?"
Zephyr replied with excitement, "I'm 5 years old!"
After spending some time together, they returned to the room. Athanasia saw Hong and On, her adorable kittens, and smiled.
"Hong, On," Athanasia called them over.
The red kitten, Hong, asked, "Are we gonna get a younger brother?"
The silver kitten, On, added with excitement, "Are we?"
Athanasia laughed at their reactions and said, "Yes, you are. His name is Zephyr Valiant."
Zephyr floated down to the ground, facing Hong and On. "Nice to meet you," he said proudly.
Athanasia continued, "Zephyr, this is your older brother, Hong."
Hong greeted Zephyr with a friendly smile, "Nice to meet you."
Athanasia then introduced, "And this is your older sister, On."
On chimed in, "Nice to meet you, little brother."
Zephyr wagged its tail happily and said, "Nice to meet you both," proudly acknowledging his new family members.
Later on, Hong, On, and Zephyr began playing together, forming a cute and heartwarming scene that made Athanasia smile
Back To Cale
After obtaining the second ancient power, Cale gazed at the black dragon
Cale inquired about the yellow fox, "Where is the yellow fox?"
The black dragon replied, "We separated a while ago," still avoiding eye contact with Cale.
Cale pressed on, "Do you want to follow me?"
The black dragon scoffed, "You're so weak that you need protecting, but I don't like humans!"
With that, the black dragon used invisible magic and disappeared from Cale's sight. Cale couldn't help but think, "What a fickle kid."
After That.
Returning to his room, Cale found Athanasia engrossed in a book. He smiled at the sight of her, but she noticed that his clothes were dirty.
"Um, Cale, are you okay? Your clothes are quite dirty," Athanasia inquired.
Cale shook his head and assured her, "I'm fine. I'll go take a shower for a moment."
Athanasia nodded in understanding, "Alright, take your time. Oh, and congratulations on obtaining the second ancient power."
Cale turned his head to face her and smiled, saying, "Thank you."
After the shower, Cale sat beside Athanasia on the bed.
"Hey, Cale," Athanasia started, "do you perhaps remember the fox we saved that night?"
Cale had a bad feeling about this but replied, "Yeah, I remember."
Athanasia continued, "Well, this morning, when you left, I was reading a book, and I felt a familiar mana. I checked it out, and it was indeed the fox."
Cale remained silent, processing the information.
Athanasia went on, "The fox wanted to follow me, and I accepted. I just wanted to tell you and see if you agree with it."
Cale thought for a moment, remembering what the black dragon had said earlier. He sighed and finally said, "Fine."
Athanasia smiled gratefully and kissed Cale's cheek as a sign of appreciation.
Cale blushed a little at Athanasia's affectionate gesture.
Athanasia called out to the fox, who was still invisible, and the fox appeared before them.
Athanasia smiled and said, "I've named him Zephyr Valian."
The fox proudly spoke up, "I am Zephyr Valian."
Cale just sighed, accepting the new addition to their group.
Athanasia was delighted that Cale agreed and said, "Thank you, Cale."
Cale replied, "Yeah, yeah, it's fine."
Under the night sky, Taylor and Cage stood outside, contemplating their next move. Cage spoke up, mentioning the message from the god.
"He said the decision is ours to make, but don't break it if we want to live a peaceful life," Cage shared with a thoughtful expression.
Taylor's curiosity was piqued when Cage noticed a stone with a paper on top. Cage informed Taylor that there was an envelope underneath the rock tower. It seemed that the letter might hold the reason for the stacked rock tower.
"I don't sense anything dangerous coming from it," Cage added, looking at Taylor. "What do you want to do?"
Taylor smiled mischievously and said, "Break it."
Cage proceeded to break the rock, revealing an envelope hidden beneath. He handed the envelope to Taylor, and she quickly opened it to read its contents.
The letter contained astonishing news: the crown prince possessed an ancient power known as the "Star of Healing." It was a power that could heal any type of injury but could only be used once. The prince was seeking to trade this valuable power for a method to secure the second and third princes' positions in line for the throne.
Taylor's eyes widened with surprise, realizing the significance of this revelation. "HA! It's definitely something that could be a turning point for us," he exclaimed.
Determined to seize this opportunity, Taylor spoke decisively, "We need to make haste so we can match the timing of the royal event."
Cage nodded in agreement, "Got it. Let's get going then."
As they prepared to leave, Hong and On,, were watching them closely.
Hong, the red kitten, spoke up, "Noona, can we go home now?"
On, the silver kitten, agreed, "Mm! Since we did our job, let's go and eat our midnight snack."
Excitedly, both Hong and On chimed in unison, "Yay, midnight snack!