"We're off!" Nicolas stood up from the coachman's seat with one fist raised high in the air.
Out of the three travelers, Nicolas was by far the most excited. Through his eyes, he viewed the trip as a hero's epic journey. He could feel his heart race at the thought of facing the unknown and smiled at the thought of what he'll become by the end of the trip.
"Boy, do you not know the right time for theatrics?" Sebastian scolded. "If your hand leaves the barrier, you'll be sent flying."
The ground lizard raced down the forest path, a magical barrier surrounded the carriage, shielding its passengers from the violent winds generated by their incredible speed. Sticking any limb beyond the barrier could result in serious injury.
Nicolas shot Sebastian a glare "Oh, right. You're here too…"
He had hoped deep down the butler would take a separate path from the blacksmith and his apprentice.
"—But here I am, disappointing all your hopes and expectations," Sebastian replied with a smug smile.
Nicolas covered his ears. "Stop reading my mind!"
"I didn't need to. Your face said it all." Sebastian sighed, "Here I was concerned for your safety and yet, this is how you treat me? Maybe I should have let you stick your hand out the barrier. Seeing you flying would have been an amusing sight to see."
Nicolas Scoffed, "As if a measly wind could take out a legend such as myself."
Sebastian raised an eyebrow, "Oh, is that so?"
"Well, of course. I bet if I raise my hand out the barrier, nothing would happen to me."
"--Then do it."
"Eh?"
"Go on, don't be shy, raise your hand out the barrier. Let's see this untouchable power you speak of."
Sebastian smirked watching Nicolas amuse the thought of actually going through with his statement. He was a prideful young man. When someone dares to confront his ideals, he always felt the need to prove them wrong.
Nicolas slowly raised his hand. His fingers were inches away from crossing the barrier, but just as he was about to touch it, he retracted his hand, "Ugh, fine. You win this round."
The butler laughed, "Not so high and mighty now, huh?"
"I didn't get to have breakfast this morning. So I'm not in the proper condition to show you is all."
Sebastian scoffed, "Yeah, keep telling yourself that."
Nicolas couldn't understand what was it about Sebastian that infuriated him so much. Maybe it was because he was constantly against everything Nicolas said or that he belittled him as nothing more than a child. He wondered why his master would agree to go with someone like that on a trip, but he thought his master must have had a good reason for it.
"Speaking of, he's been quieter than usual." he muttered to himself.
Nicolas slid back into the carriage through the coachman's window, seeking the presence of his master.
William, however, was preoccupied. He was looking through their supplies, ensuring it would last them until the next village. He'd recalled trips similar to this one, but with poor planning. Specifically, from his merchant days.
I don't want to go through that experience again.
"Master, is everything alright? I've been left with that evil butler for so long, I was starting to go crazy."
William didn't look up. "That's his specialty. Just ignore him."
Nicolas peeked at the things William was observing. "Whatcha working on?"
"Double checking everything we have. You wouldn't want to go hungry until the next village, would you?"
"It's good to have someone like you around, Master. One who keeps my stomach full." Nicolas grinned and patted his belly.
William smirked, "You only eat if you earn it."
"What?!"
"Yeah, you'll be helping me with the gear and the cooking."
Nicolas pointed at Sebastian. "What about him?"
"He's our bodyguard, remember?"
"Fine…" The young man said defeatedly. He then spotted familiar items in the pile. "You brought the daggers I made? I thought you were just messing with me."
"If I were messing with you, I would've made you forge a hundred of them. We really needed it. You never know what we'll face out there. By the way, have you ever used a sword before?"
Nicolas puffed out his chest and scratched his nose proudly. "Of course I—"
"--No, you haven't. You tend to scratch your nose when you lie."
Nicolas quickly covered his nose, "I wish for you and that guy to stop reading me so easily."
William chuckled. "If you've never used a weapon, just say so. I'll teach you."
"Master, you don't strike me as a swordsman."
"Well, I'm not, but I've picked up a few tricks back when I was staying at the capital. When being a blacksmith, It's important to understand how weapons should feel and its intended role." William handed him one of the daggers. "Start with one of your own creations."
Nicolas grimaced. "A dagger? I was kinda thinking of a sword."
"Some of the deadliest assassins in the world use daggers."
"I want to be a hero, not an assassin. How hard can it be to swing a sword?"
"Very hard," William said firmly. "We'll train with one when we make the first stop. For now, use the dagger. It'll be easier to handle and you'll understand its practicality for future crafting."
"Alright…" Nicolas muttered, inspecting his reflection in the blade with mild disappointment.
"Cheer up," William said, patting his head. "Just like smithing, weapon mastery takes time. You're a fast learner, you'll get there."
Nicolas smiled brightly. "Right!"
"Everyone," said Sebastian through the window, "we've reached our first stop."
"Already? Well, it seems like your training will start sooner than we thought."
Nicolas stepped outside excitedly, "Eh? Why did we stop here? It's the middle of nowhere."
Sebastian raised a brow. "To eat, obviously. Aren't you hungry? You said you didn't have breakfast this morning."
"Yeah, but I thought we would stop somewhere, I don't know, with a nice view."
"We're inside the Lost forest. There is nothing nice about it."
"We'll have better sights to see once we're out of the forest." William said as he stepped out the carriage. "Look at that, the mountain is in clear view. We might be out the forest sooner than I thought. Good thing you got us a lizard. We wouldn't have gotten this far so quickly with horses."
"Don't misjudge the horses, mister William. They have their own charm."
Originally, William had expected to travel by horse, so he was very skeptical about Sebastian's optimistic timeline. A ground lizard is faster, more terrain-savvy. They had made considerable progress through the massive Lost forest.
Sebastian tossed the lizard some fruit and gave it a few appreciative pats, "We're closing in on the fog. Let's hope this rumor you mentioned is true."
"After last night, I'm certain of it. We'll be getting in contact with someone from the Drakon tribe soon enough."
"The Drakon tribe... Mister William, you sure tend to get involved with some important people."
"That's my unfortunate luck."
Nicolas had come back with wood for the fire and had cooked a meal for the trio. They all took a moment to rest and digest the food.
"You have an interesting way of cooking Nicolas. I've never seen something like this. Where did you learn to cook?"
"I'm pretty sure I learned it from a book. It's good isn't it? Now would be the perfect time to praise me."
"Can you stay silent and eat." Sebastian said.
"You're such a downer, four-eyes." Nicolas grumbled under his breath.
"Four-eyes?" A dark aura flared around Sebastian. "I see… I wouldn't sleep too soundly tonight if I were you."
William raised a brow. "I wear glasses sometimes. Does that make me 'four-eyes' too?"
"Not at all, Master! On you, they look cool and refined. On him, they make him look like a four-eyes."
William clapped his hand, "Oh. That makes sense."
"No, it doesn't!" Sebastian snapped. "I don't even need these glasses! They're... to rest my eyes."
"Sounds like you need them," William said with a shrug.
Sebastian sighed. "My eyes allow me to track movement far beyond what normal eyes can see, but the strain is intense, so I wear glasses when I'm not using the ability."
"It still sounds like you need them, but that power sounds amazing!"
Sebastian smirked. "I didn't always wear glasses. My lady gifted them to me after I started working with the Reinsfields, so I can make better use of my ability. Boy, that is the reason—hey! Are you even listening?!"
The two men turned toward Nicolas, who had suddenly gone quiet. He wasn't eating or paying attention to the two men. His face was fixated on something. William followed his line of sight to the Dragon's mountain.
"Hey, are you alright?" William asked.
"I'm fine," Nicolas responded, "Why wouldn't I be?"
"You went quiet there for a bit. It's not like you."
"I did?" Nicolas said giving it some thought, but he shrugged it off.
Sebastian stared at Nicolas, "You know boy, there's not much that I know about you."
"It's not like I need to tell you anything, four-eyes."
Sebastians eyes narrowed, "That is true... I just find it odd that despite living with your master, now is when he finds out you can make a meal for not one, but three people."
The young man's eyes widened. He almost choked on his food before clearing his throat, "I'm just naturally good at picking up things. I saw people make the meal. I thought I'd give it a try."
"Interesting." Sebastian turned to William, "Then, could I assume you know everything about this incredible talent of his?"
"I have noticed he's a fast learner." William responded.
"I see... So, who were the people making this interesting meal? Were they from where you come from? Speaking of which, where do you come from? What family do you belong to or--"
"--That's enough Sebastian. Let's enjoy the meal."
The butler's eyebrows furrowed, "My, I just wanted to get to know my little companion, is all."
"You can do that another time. I promised him we would train after this. Right, Nicolas."
The young man seemed confused with what was happening, but he followed his masters cue to end the conversation, "Uh, right..."
"I would like for us to finish our meals quickly so we can do a few rounds before we leave."
"I see, very well. Another time then..." Sebastian took the last bite of his plate and left to wait at the carriage, "Let me know when you're ready to go."
William didn't know what sparked Sebastian's interrogation, but he was sure to find out.
"Excuse me, Nicolas. I'll be right back."