"I’ll lend you my horse, Edmund."

"It’s alright. You don’t need to do that. I’ll go by passenger carriage," Edmund answered.

That night, Edmund finished explaining everything to them.

He said goodbye to Sebastian and Nisya, while Sebastian walked with Edmund to the front door.

When the door opened, both of them stopped briefly after seeing Leonor arrive in the front yard of the house.

A smile appeared on her lips as she greeted Edmund warmly.

"Hello, Sir Edmund," Leonor greeted.

Edmund narrowed his eyes slightly. From the expression Leonor showed, there was a high chance she knew nothing about what had happened at the Aschwin Mansion.

He was relieved. That meant Leonor truly did not know, so she would not feel guilty.

"What are you doing at my house?" Leonor asked casually.

"Just having a simple discussion with Nisya and Sebastian," Edmund replied while walking closer to her.

"Do you want to come with me, Leonor?" Edmund asked.

"Where?"

"To Ulrich City. We’re going to meet Sera," Edmund answered.

Leonor smiled and nodded. She wanted to go with Edmund, even though Denise and the others were still in Archester.

After Leonor agreed, Edmund turned back toward Sebastian and Nisya.

He bid them farewell, asking them to remain careful and coordinate with each other if anything happened.

"Don’t worry, Edmund. I’ll protect it well," Sebastian said.

Edmund and Leonor began walking together along the city’s main road, leaving Nisya’s house.

Several city residents noticed Edmund that night, and many of them expressed their sadness toward him.

However, Edmund tried acting as normal as possible. He did not want Leonor becoming suspicious and questioning him about it.

If that happened, Edmund would have no choice but to tell her everything honestly.

They arrived at the larger main road and saw a passenger carriage parked near the southern gate of Archester City.

Seeing the two of them stop there immediately made Leonor curious. Normally, they always traveled to Ulrich using the special carriage belonging to the Aschwin Family.

"Why aren’t we using your carriage, Sir Edmund?" Leonor asked in confusion.

"That carriage... is being borrowed right now."

"Oh, I understand."

One of the carriage drivers turned to the side and was shocked to realize the man greeting him was Edmund, Edmund Aschwin himself.

"S-Sir Edmund?" the man asked nervously.

Edmund reached into his pocket and handed the driver a single gold coin. "Can you take me to Ulrich right now?"

"O-Of course."

The carriage driver hurriedly opened the passenger carriage door and invited Edmund and Leonor inside.

Edmund had clearly given him one gold coin under the condition that he would transport only Edmund and Leonor, without any other passengers.

The man understood and obeyed immediately. After all, receiving one gold coin just to take Edmund to Ulrich City was more than worth it.

Once Edmund and Leonor were seated, the passenger carriage began moving away from Archester City.

Edmund quietly peeked through the carriage window, sadness visible on his face as he watched the city gates pass by, the Aschwin noble banner still waving above the walls.

I don’t know when I’ll be able to return to this city again, but I hope that time won’t come too late.

"This is my first time riding in a carriage like this. The seats feel rough and hard," Leonor complained.

"I’m sorry, Leonor. You’ll have something better later," Edmund answered.

Leonor sensed something unusual. Edmund’s gaze felt strange, unlike his usual self.

However, she still did not understand what Edmund was truly feeling.

In her opinion, it was not the right time to ask. Leonor would ask him when the moment felt appropriate.

The passenger carriage continued moving nonstop. Its speed was much slower because it was pulled by only a single horse, unlike the Aschwin Family carriage that used four high-quality horses.

A trip that usually took one hour now stretched into nearly two hours.

Edmund clearly understood Leonor’s complaints. His backside ached whenever the wooden wheels struck holes in the road.

Leonor could not sleep comfortably either. She still disliked the passenger carriage.

Edmund and Leonor spent the trip talking about many things.

Leonor did not ask much about Edmund’s condition because she remained unaware of the truth.

Edmund took advantage of that situation and kept asking Leonor about her plans once she became an academy student.

Leonor talked endlessly about her dreams and hopes.

However, the thing she wanted most was to become the strongest mage like Sera, behave like a proper human, and become someone Edmund could be proud of.

Hearing that made Edmund clench his fists tightly. He never expected Leonor to hold such desires.

It caused Edmund to think of a wild idea, something no one would ever imagine.

After two hours of travel, they finally arrived in Ulrich City one hour before midnight. Edmund and Leonor stepped out of the carriage.

"Thank you," Edmund said to the carriage driver.

"Take care of yourself, Sir Edmund."

The man drove the carriage away, returning toward Archester.

The incident at the Aschwin Mansion had likely already spread throughout Ulrich City as well.

Fortunately for them, the main roads of Ulrich looked quiet and nearly empty that night.

"YAAWWNN!"

Edmund turned and saw Leonor’s eyes growing heavy with exhaustion. Sleepiness had clearly overtaken both her body and mind.

"I’m sleepy."

"You can sleep at Sera’s house later," Edmund answered.

The two of them walked together until they arrived directly in front of Sera’s residence.

Edmund stared ahead and noticed the house looked unusually quiet, as though no one was there.

"Sir Edmund?" one of the guards at Sera’s residence asked.

"Can you tell Lady Sera that I’m here to visit?" Edmund asked.

"There’s no need. Lady Sera already told us you would come, so you may enter directly," the guard replied.

So she already knows about the news?

Edmund nodded in understanding. Leonor walked beside him as they approached the front door of Sera’s residence. Edmund raised his hand and knocked softly.

Three knocks echoed through the residence before the door opened. Sera herself appeared, seeing Edmund and Leonor standing there.

Sera had intentionally stayed awake because she was certain Edmund would come today.

A wide smile spread across her face. Both her hands rested on her hips while her eyes remained fixed on Edmund.

"What a difficult day, Edmund," Sera said softly, clearly already aware of everything.

"It seems I don’t need to explain it all."

"I knew this day would eventually come. But I never expected it to happen this quickly," Sera admitted.

"Come inside. Bring Leonor in to rest. You still need to explain everything to me."

"Of course."