There wasn't anything left. In the blink of an eye, everything was gone. The interior of the carriage, which had been cramped and piled high with their hard-won supplies from Vaishali, was now barren. Only Marcus, Ronan, and Kenny remained standing near the carriage, looking utterly bewildered.
But the three men weren't looking at the empty space where their items had been. Their eyes were locked on Lucan and the others behind him.
Lucan, more than satisfied, brushed his hands together lightly. "Now there isn't any problem, right? There is much more space now," he stated, his voice calm and matter-of-fact, as if he had merely tidied up a messy room and not performed a miracle.
He didn't wait for their stunned replies. He simply walked forward and sat inside the now-vast emptiness of the carriage.
It was only then that the others' eyes followed him inside, and the shock truly registered. But the ones who were most deeply affected were the five siblings.
Their mouths were agape, their minds struggling to process the impossible act they had just witnessed.
Lucan was already seated. Marcus, Ronan, and Kenny, who had some prior understanding that Lucan was capable of such things, simply climbed in after him without a word, settling quietly into the spacious interior.
Now only Kaela and her siblings were left outside, still frozen in place. Lucan looked at them, a slight impatience in his gaze. "Will you come inside or not? There is not much time left before sunset. Don't just stand there gawking."
Kaela, hearing his tone, snapped out of her daze instantly. She scrambled up and into the carriage, moving quickly to sit on the bench beside Lucan.
Chetak, the horse of Lucan, snorted up front, where Marcus and Ronan took their positions and marcus handled the reins.
Kenny sat directly opposite Lucan. Kaela, now seated, gestured urgently to her siblings still standing outside. "Well? Are you coming?"
Prompted by their sister, they finally moved. The two younger brothers and Leo climbed up and sat beside Kenny, squeezing onto the side, while Alicia, her face pale with a mixture of fear and awe, slipped beside her sister, pressing close to Kaela for comfort.
With everyone finally inside, Marcus gave a low click of his tongue and pulled the reins.
Chetak began to walk, his powerful legs quickly building from a slow plod to a steady, ground-eating pace. Inside the carriage, a heavy, contemplative silence descended, lasting for several long minutes as the forest began to blur past the open sides.
It was Kenny, never one who was for prolonged silence and he finally spoke up, his easy-going voice cutting through the quiet. "Lord, will we be doing this trip every now and then? I mean, now that we have Chetak and can make the journey to Vaishali, we can get many more items. There will be better opportunities for our Elysian."
Lucan, who had been staring out at the passing trees, turned his head. He thought for a moment, considering the future of his fledgling territory. "Yes, Kenny, we will," he confirmed. "But for the items we need to buy, we require money for it . I don't think we currently have a steady way to earn it." He then shifted his gaze towards the front. "And Marcus, when we got a steady way to earn money or when i say that we need to get items, you will be the one to go with Elias every time to purchase what we need for the land until, i get a perfect person for just this work." Marcus glanced back over his shoulder and gave a firm, acknowledging nod.
Then Ronan, who had been quietly calculating, spoke up. "Lord, the money you gave us is still with us. The price of the tools and the other items wasn't as high as we'd budgeted for. We have saved about one hundred and seven gold coins and six silver coins." He held out a small, heavy leather pouch. "Here, Lord."
Lucan merely waved his hand in the same dismissive gesture he had used before, and the pouch vanished from Ronan's grasp. Marcus, having seen this before, didn't react, but the others jolted as if struck. Leo, Jack, Johney, and Alicia stared at Lucan with undisguised reverence, as if he were some kind of deity made flesh.
Kaela, however, was not struck with reverence but with an intense, burning curiosity. Losing all patience, she reached out and took one of Lucan's hands, folding it between both of her own and pulling it towards her chest. "Master!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide and pleading. "How did you do that? Can I learn it? Please, Master, I want to learn this too!"
Lucan felt the unfamiliar warmth of her hands around his and a slight discomfort at the sudden contact, but he did not pull away. He looked down at her eager face. "Kaela, I will teach you this as well," he said, his tone patient but firm. "But don't you think you are moving too fast? We haven't even started your lessons for you to become perfect in the 1st Circle, and already you want to learn a high-level spatial spell?"
Hearing this, Kaela's face fell for a second, a flicker of disappointment crossing her features. But it was quickly replaced by a bright, determined smile because his promise was clear—she would eventually learn it. Satisfied with that future, she beamed and didn't let go of his hand, holding onto it as if it were a lifeline.
Amidst all of this, a notification only he could see appeared in the corner of Lucan's vision. He focused on it inwardly.
[+5 New Members]
[+25 LP]
Kenny, who had been watching the entire exchange with amusement, chuckled softly into his hand. He then turned to his side, deciding to break the tension for the others. He looked at Leo, who was roughly his own age. "What's your name, my lord's disciple's brother?" he asked, his tone playful and a little roundabout. Before Leo could protest the long title, Kenny grinned. "My name is Kenny Silan. You can just call me Kenny."
Kenny, who had been watching the entire exchange with amusement, chuckled softly into his hand. He then turned to his side, deciding to break the tension for the others. He looked at Leo, who was roughly his own age. "What's your name, my lord's disciple's brother?" he asked, his tone playful and a little roundabout. Before Leo could protest the long title, Kenny grinned. "My name is Kenny Silan. You can just call me Kenny."
Leo eyed him, his voice guarded and not entirely friendly. "My name is Leo." He then pointed to the boy sitting right next to him. "He is my younger brother, Jack." His finger moved to indicate the next boy. "And the other one is Johney." Finally, he gestured toward the girl sitting beside Kaela, who seemed to be trying to make herself smaller. "She is Alicia. She is a shy girl, so don't just go and talk to her or else she will be surprised and run right out of the carriage."
Kenny's smile softened into something more understanding. "Oh... Okay, I will probably not do that, Leo," he said, giving a respectful nod of consent to Leo's protective warning.
A moment of comfortable silence passed between them, filled only by the sound of Chetak's heavy footfalls and the creak of the carriage. Then Kenny's eyes, sharp and observant, glanced at the way Leo carried himself, the subtle posture of someone who has handled a weapon. "So, Leo," Kenny began, his voice casual. "Do you like swords?" He said and looked directly at Leo.
Leo, who had just been relaxing slightly, jolted as if he'd been poked with a needle. His eyes widened in pure shock. "How did you know that? I did not say to anyone about it at all!"
Jack, who had been listening intently, saw a perfect opportunity to tease his big brother and instantly piped up. "Brother Kenny, Leo bro really likes swords! When he sleeps, he always has his practice sword with him!" Johney,not wanting to be left out, nodded vigorously. "Yes, Kenny bro, he always has it on him. He says a knight must always be ready!"
The entire carriage erupted into gentle laughter—from Marcus and Ronan up front to Alicia, who hid her smile behind her hand. Even Lucan allowed a small smirk to touch his lips. Leo flushed red, but Kenny just clapped him on the shoulder good-naturedly. The ice was thoroughly broken, and Leo and Kenny quickly fell into their own world, talking about swords and training techniques as if they were the only two people present.
Lucan watched them all, his hand still held firmly in Kaela's. Content with the scene, he thought, 'Status'
A screen materialized in front of lucan.
[Territory Lord System]
[Territory Name: Elysian (State)]
[Tier (1): Hamlet-Holder]
[Owned Land: 3,200 acres]
[Population: 17 ]
[Vitality Rating: Low]
[Threat Level: Low]
[Moral Presence: Better]
[Current Points]
[LP (Land Points): 89]
[CP (Crafting Points): 765]
The numbers had gone up. The morale was better. Things were, slowly but surely, progressing. He dismissed the screen and looked down at the person beside him. The excitement of the day had finally caught up with Kaela; she had fallen asleep, her head resting gently on his shoulder. Not wanting to disturb her, Lucan sat still. The gentle rocking of the carriage and the low murmur of conversation began to lull him as well. His eyelids grew heavy, closing and opening for a few seconds at a time before finally staying shut. His head found support against the carriage wall, and he drifted into a light nap.
***
Some time later, two voices, one young and one a bit older, cut through his sleep.
"Lord,wake up."
"Master,wake up."
Lucan's eyes fluttered open. Kaela was still beside him, now awake and still holding his hand. Leo and his siblings were looking at him, their expressions a mix of impatience and something else he couldn't place. Kenny was watching him, chuckling every few seconds. Ronan and Marcus were pointedly looking forward, not turning around.
Lucan looked outside. They were not at the Nors' settlement yet, but the road was deeply familiar. They were on the final approach to Elysian, though they hadn't quite reached the border.
"Lord," Kenny said, his voice hinting at his earlier amusement. "We will be reaching our Elysian shortly."
Lucan looked at all of them: five new members, the goods in his inventory and a big step toward their future.
Leo, who had been sitting quietly in his own world, hadn't spoken to Lucan. So, Lucan, looking at him, said, "Leo, if you like swords, then I can give you a real sword, a really good sword."
Leo, who heard this, was instantly pulled out of his thoughts. When it came to swords, he couldn't control himself. "Will you really give me a sword? I want an iron sword."
When Leo said this, everyone's eyes were on him. He, who had not been talking to anyone other than Kenny, had just spoken a few words.
It showed that when a person truly loves something, they forget who they are and will do anything to obtain it.
Lucan heard him and said, "In Elysian, we have two blacksmiths, and now we have the tools that can make weapons. So you can just request that they make you a sword. You can tell them I said it was okay."
"Okay, Lord Lucan," Leo said, and he was now back in his own world.
Then Lucan looked at the two brothers next to Leo. He said to them, "You like books. I will try to get you books from somewhere, but for now, can you be with Alian and Lyra, who are there in Elysian? They also like books."
Lucan now looked to the side where Alicia was next to Kaela. He said to her, "Alicia, you can talk to Lyra. She is also a girl and a really good one. You can be her friend in no time."
"Yes, sir," they all said in unison. Kaela's siblings were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't realize they had already crossed the fence and were now inside Elysian, a place they had been talking about reaching.
Marcus crossed the fence and brought Chetak to a stop right in front of everyone who was gathered there: Nors, Evan, Elara, Cedric, and many others.