An island!
One part of the island was covered in greenery, while there was a long beach on the other. Boats and ships smaller than theirs were docked on the harbors, and an advance party had been sent before their approach in order for the knights to check the area before they arrived.
After the ship lowered its anchor and the advance party gave a cue, Drayce helped Seren down the wooden gangway. The town chief was there to greet them, but the group merely passed themselves off as wealthy nobles working for the royal family of Megaris in order to not cause trouble for the residents and other travelers. After all, if they were to learn that royalty had come, Seren wouldn’t be able to enjoy the atmosphere of the port town.
As she looked around, she found the place much more rowdier than the pier in Blackhelm. There were merchants and their ships, fishermen and their boats, sailors as well as adventurers and mercenaries milling about the docks. It was very lively.
However, what Seren liked the most was the fact that people merely threw curious glances their way before returning to whatever they were doing.
“Is it fine for us to stay here?” she asked. “This won’t delay our trip, will it?”
“This is part of our schedule so don’t worry. Unless one is in a hurry, traveling by ship without stopovers is not good for anyone. We have to restock some supplies as well as let the sailors rest. Moreover, since the ship had faced a storm, there will be some repair work to be done,” he explained.
“Then how long are we staying here?”
“For a day. We will leave tomorrow morning.”
As they conversed, the couple walked together followed by their retinue. Their stay was arranged in the best inn within Port Hope, which was close to the shore, and they were also given the room at the highest floor from where they have the perfect view of the sea.
After having a simple meal and changing into more comfortable clothes, they decided to stroll around the market, bringing only a single knight, Slayer, and one lady-in-waiting, Xena, with them.
As they walked among the crowd, Drayce suddenly felt something and halted in his tracks.
Seren stopped as well and looked at her husband who had his brows creased as if he was searching something among that crowd.
“Dray, what happened?” she asked.
Drayce didn’t answer her as his sharp gaze tried to search each and every corner of the street.
‘Such a strong power and the power of darkness at that? I had never felt the power of that attribute before, other than mine. Who could this be?’
Seren didn’t disturb him and simply followed his line of sight. ‘Something feels strange here. Is it why Dray has stopped? What kind of power is this? Is there another supernatural being in this place?’
Drayce’s gaze stopped at a certain figure turning towards the corner of a small alley, that person in question walking swiftly. He sensed that the power of darkness was coming from that figure.
pAn,da n<0,>v,e1 “Wait here with Slayer,” Drayce ordered in a hurry and hurried to follow that figure. ‘If I can sense that person’s powers, that means that person can sense mine as well. That explains why that person is running away.’
He quickly reached the corner of the alley where that person disappeared, but as he reached another intersection, he found it empty. ‘Where did that person run off to?”
Fortunately, Drayce could still sense that dark energy lingering in the air, but he had to move fast as the traces of that dark power were disappearing quickly.
‘Is this place not safe for Seren? I should return by her side…but I think it is more efficient to confirm the identity of the owner of this dark energy.’
Drayce focused for a while, and as soon as he caught the trail, he followed the leftover traces into another alley.
He then disappeared out of thin air, only to appear in front of the mysterious figure, almost causing them to crash into each other.
Drayce’s gaze observed the person standing in front of him who looked baffled.
It was difficult to guess if the person was a man or a woman. Height-wise, the person could be a tall woman or a short man, their body more on the slender side, and the person was clad in a tight robe and pants, the kind of clothes men wear. The person’s head was even wrapped with multiple layers of fabric, a particular manner of dressing favored by males in the southern region of Megaris.
Because everything about this person was covered in cloth from head to toe, they looked far too suspicious to be ignored. Only a pair of hazel eyes were visible under their headwrap, and at this moment, those eyes were shaking in fear as they stared at Drayce.
“Who are you?” Drayce asked, but the person took a step back. Drayce warned, “Do not try to run away.”
The person froze in place, but their eyes wandered around as if to find a chance to escape.
Just then, Drayce’s ears caught something, and he heard familiar voices letting out cries a few streets away.
“Your Majesty!”
“Are you hurt?”
Those were Slayer’s and Xena’s voices, and Drayce could not ignore what he heard. Wherever he would go, as long as she was within the range of his powers, his attention would always follow Seren’s movements.
Taking advantage of his distraction, the person in front of him began to flee. Drayce flashed by that person’s side, but the person was slippery and was able to somehow twist their body in a nimble manner, and was able to escape his hold. He aimed to grab that person’s shoulder, but that person dodged and his hand was only able to grab the cloth wrapped around his head like a turban.
A woman!
The mysterious figure was a young woman with messy long reddish blond hair, but before he could see her full face, she covered it partially with her hand before jumping over a wall of a nearby building. She moved so quickly and agilely, her movements were on par with the most elite royal knights.
Drayce didn’t follow her as for now he needed to go back to Seren and he was sure he would catch this young woman sooner or later. ‘Such a strong dark energy… Well, as long as she poses no harm to Seren, there is no need for me to pry into a stranger’s life.’
Drayce hurried back to Seren, worried about what happened to her in the span of minutes he was gone. When he reached her side, he was relieved to discover it was nothing serious—just random children playing and running haphazardly in the crowd and bumped into her.
After they returned to the inn to rest some time later, Drayce’s mind could not help but wonder about that mysterious young woman with dark powers.
‘She looks young, possibly in her early twenties, but then again appearance does not equate age for supernatural beings. But for someone with such strong powers to be in a faraway place like this, I wonder what you are up to, Black Witch?’