The decision, delivered without the slightest hint of doubt from Kylen's mouth, successfully rendered Vian completely speechless. He stared straight into the pair of blue eyes before him.
There was no longer any hesitation, no more fear of the future, and no longer the burden of royal demands. The bluish-white-haired youth's gaze was truly sharp and clear, as if he was entirely ready if he had to lose everything tomorrow to fight for his love.
Seeing that steely resolve, Vian let out a long sigh, crumbling all forms of his worries. A faint, sincere smile slowly etched itself onto his face.
"In that case, I will never ask you about it again." Vian replied, his tone now softening, fully giving his blessing and support as a friend to Kylen. He fell silent for a moment, then asked again in a slightly teasing tone. "But, if someday I miss you and wish to visit you in the Vedegra territory, will I be allowed to enter?"
Hearing that question, the tension on Kylen's face instantly melted. He scoffed softly and smiled widely.
"Of course you will be allowed!" Kylen answered quickly and without the slightest hesitation. "How could I possibly refuse a visit from my most talkative childhood friend like you, stupid Vian."
The two of them chuckled softly in the morning silence inside the carriage, letting their bond of friendship temporarily muffle the worries about the future awaiting them at the end of their journey.
Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers away from the position of Kylen's carriage heading toward the Flamort Kingdom, a horse-drawn carriage bearing the Holy Kingdom's crest sped through a dirt road surrounded by lush trees.
The carriage carried a group that was on a long journey toward the Holy Kingdom of Galdius.
Inside the carriage cabin, Elenora sat in silence, leaning against the window glass. Around her, her four academy teammates occupied their respective seats. Among them were Daniella Virgil, Esterias Rowan, Victor Azzazzel, and Alexius Pulpper.
The atmosphere inside the cabin was highly silent.
Elenora stared blankly at the scenery of trees moving backward outside the carriage window. However, her mind was occupied with matters far more crucial.
For days during that journey, her brain endlessly thought about one thing: her brother's safety.
The fact that she and her brother were being targeted for assassination by the higher-ups of her own kingdom increasingly made the golden-haired woman's chest tight with anxiety.
However, amidst her storm of anxiety, the memory of a calm voice replayed in her head. The words Arvin had spoken to her while they were walking toward the arena at the Victoriaz academy acted as a steel anchor holding her sanity together from shattering into pieces.
"Elenora!" Arvin called out, his words ringing back crystal clear in the woman's mind. "When you arrive at your kingdom later, act normally. Keep your mouth shut tight, and never say anything about the powers of the two of you to anyone!"
Elenora unconsciously gripped the edge of her dress slowly.
"Always stay close to your brother!" Arvin's subsequent words still echoed strongly, providing a strange sense of security in her heart. "After all my business in the Flamort Kingdom is finished, I will definitely come there to pick you and your brother up!"
The golden-haired woman slowly closed her eyes. In the midst of her worries, she could only choose to trust Arvin, who was the sole key to her and her brother's safety.
He is indeed going to be my husband in the future. Elenora thought, her chest fluttering with a strange, fleeting sense of impatience.
However, in an instant, a feeling of curiosity once again raged within her mind.
But, is that really possible? she thought again, her forehead furrowing slightly. Is it possible that one of Arvin's spouses can truly change someone's gender permanently with such ease?
"Princess..."
The soft yet trembling call instantly shattered Elenora's daydream into pieces. She blinked, clearing her head, and immediately turned toward the seat across from her.
"What is it? Why did you call me, Daniella?" Elenora asked in her usual flat tone, masking her anxiety.
Daniella seemed to swallow hard. The woman's face looked a little pale.
"Princess... what do you think about that red-haired youth who could not die even though his head was severed?" she asked in a low voice implying horror. The memory of the fight in the arena still haunted her.
"You mean Ordion Vedegra?" Elenora replied calmly.
Daniella immediately responded with a quick nod.
"I understand your fear, Daniella. I too was deeply shocked and could not believe my own eyes when I learned that he is an immortal human entity who cannot die." Elenora answered honestly.
"If even one of them cannot be killed, I am certain all of them will definitely be monitored very strictly by the church and our kingdom once we arrive there later." Alexius Pulpper chimed in suddenly, interrupting the conversation.
The youth adjusted his glasses with a very serious facial expression. "That terrifying regenerative power is highly unnatural and dangerous. They will certainly be considered a real threat to the Holy Kingdom if we ever clash with the Vedegra family in the future."
Hearing Alexius's analysis, Elenora instead let out a soft sigh. She stared intently at her teammate sitting in front of her.
"If you all think that Ordion's immortality is the only greatest threat, then your focus is entirely wrong, Alexius." Elenora replied, issuing a warning, her voice sounding cold and making the atmosphere inside the carriage even tenser. "He is not the one you should be worried about the most!"
"What do you mean, Princess?" asked Esterias Rowan, who had been silent all this time, now leaning forward out of curiosity.
"Try to remember carefully!" Elenora answered. "Did you not hear it yourselves when Ordion clearly admitted that he still could not defeat Allen and Alrain?"
Instantly, Alexius, Daniella, Esterias, and Victor Azzazzel fell stiffly silent. Their breaths seemed caught in their throats. They had been too fixated on the crazy visual of Ordion's severed head and had completely missed the crucial information regarding Arvin's other spouses.
Seeing her teammates now turning pale upon realizing that reality, Elenora leaned back into her seat.
"As long as the church or our kingdom does not act foolishly by picking a fight to disturb Arvin's peace," Elenora continued again in a more relaxed tone, "I am absolutely certain everything will be fine. There will be no threat whatsoever."
"But, what is your reason for being so certain, Princess?" Victor Azzazzel chimed in suddenly, still feeling skeptical that people with such terrifying powers like them could just be left alone.
Elenora looked at Victor beside her. "You remember, right? You saw for yourself Arvin's fierce reaction when those medics tried to heal the unconscious Allen's wounds without permission in the special participants' stands?"
Victor Azzazzel nodded slowly. He still remembered that tense incident very well.
"Does that incident not already prove his mindset?" Elenora stated casually, yet with firm emphasis on every word. "From my observations and assessment during my interactions with him, Arvin holds no ambition for power whatsoever. He purely just wants to live a calm, comfortable, and peaceful life together with all the spouses he loves. That man will only act aggressively if it concerns the safety of his family."
"So..." the woman continued again. "...we do not need to worry excessively. For now, the principle is simple. It's better not to look for trouble if we do not want trouble coming our way."
The quite lengthy and highly logical explanation from the princess was finally met with nods of understanding by the four of them. However, regardless of Elenora's reasonable argument, deep down in their hearts, a feeling of worry and apprehension remained clinging like a dark shadow.
To them, the existence of Arvin Vedegra and his spouses was a worldly anomaly that perhaps someday could truly destroy the entire continent.
While her four teammates were busy digesting their own fear, Elenora once again cast her gaze out the window. The previous conversation did not change her main focus at all.
Elenora continued to think about the safety of her younger brother, who was currently in a highly unsafe place. Her heart kept hoping, earnestly looking forward to Arvin's arrival to keep his promise and quickly pick the two of them up.
Her desire to be able to live their new lives in a place far from the threat of death that continuously haunted her mind, now grown into an immensely massive hope.