The winter sun seemed even more desolate than in other seasons.
Traversing through the woods, the originally dark brown earth had been covered by white snow. Fortunately, the snow was not too deep, and the horse beneath him, though panting heavily, still pressed on.
The slender pine needles around occasionally had snow slide off, falling onto the horse, where it was quickly melted away by the heat from its body.
Colin led the way on horseback and did not hurry to converse with Delaisi and the others, as his main goal was to get as far away as possible.
Renee and her sisters rode a horse closely by his side, followed by the procession of the Holy Flame Royal Family.
Snap.
Colin took out a metal pocket watch gifted by the Yili Kingdom from his chest and opened it.
It was already after five in the afternoon.
The sun began to slope westward, and its light gradually grew weaker.
"Esteemed Wizard,"
Suddenly, Delaisi spurred his horse forward, speaking to him in a low voice with caution.
"What is it?" Colin turned his head to look.
Delaisi squeezed out a smile and asked, "Wizard, may I know where we are heading now?"
"The Lanshan Kingdom," Colin answered without hesitation.
He had already thought everything through.
Although his promise was only to deliver a letter, the current crisis that the Holy Flame Kingdom faced was almost tantamount to annihilation.
And only a few individuals of the Holy Flame Royal Family, like Delaisi here, remained...
So, partly to ensure he wouldn't violate the contract he had signed with Erica, and partly out of old friendship,
he planned to take the remaining few of the Holy Flame Royal Family to the Lanshan Kingdom to settle them properly.
The reason it was en route was because their current direction of travel was towards the Wizard Alliance, and the Lanshan Kingdom was the first kingdom on the route he had planned.
He had essentially fulfilled the promise to Erica, and it was time to start his plan—to join a new School in the Wizard Alliance.
However... he harbored some inner concerns.
The Wizard Alliance was still very foreign to him.
How to join one of those Schools was a headache-inducing problem.
After all, in this world, regardless of the School, there was a preference to nurture members from a young age to ensure a solid and reliable foundation in basic knowledge, which also fostered a sense of belonging to the School.
It was very difficult for an outsider to become an official member of any School.
"The Lanshan Kingdom..." Delaisi nodded, "I understand, Wizard."
Colin watched him, paused, and then continued,
"I am Erica Saint Flame's classmate, and I've come to the Holy Flame Kingdom to deliver a letter to you and her mother on her behalf."
He took out a brown letter sealed with red and blue intertwined flame wax from his Storage Ring and handed it to Delaisi.
He had intended to wait until the sun set and they had found a suitable location to make camp before bringing up the matter with Delaisi and the others.
But, since Delaisi had broached the subject now, it seemed fitting to explain his purpose at this moment.
Delaisi froze, unconsciously taking the letter in his hand. The black horse beneath him also slowed down gradually.
"Erica..." he murmured voicelessly, as that long-unheard name awakened faded memories in his mind.
It reminded him of his once most cherished daughter... and the woman he still dreamt about—Queen Daisy.
After a while, he regained his composure.
"What is it, Your Majesty?"
"What did the Wizard say? Where are we heading now?"
Polly, who had caught up from behind, asked in confusion, seeing his demeanor.
The conversation between Delaisi and Colin hadn't been loud, and she had not caught the details.
Delaisi glanced at her, shook his head without responding, and pulled on the reins to urge his horse to continue forward.
Polly frowned as she watched his retreating figure.
A moment later, Delaisi rode back to Colin's side.
"Sir... How is Erica now?" he asked in a low voice with a hint of joy. After a pause, he asked with confusion,
"Why hasn't she come back in person..."
As he spoke, he seemed to realize something.
Delaisi's complexion suddenly turned ugly; the fleeting joy that had arisen in his heart from the news of Erica rapidly faded.
"I'm sorry, Erica has died," Colin said steadily, watching him.
Such news was bound to reach Delaisi sooner or later. There was no point in hesitating or trying to cover it up.
"..." Delaisi raised his head to scrutinize Colin's expression. His lips moved silently, then he lowered his gaze and murmured,
"So she's already gone..."
As the then King of the Holy Flame Kingdom, he had anticipated such an outcome when he agreed to the Wizard's proposal.
Death was not uncommon to him.
But he hadn't developed a heart of stone...
Erica, his once most beloved daughter.
Had she really died without him ever seeing her grown-up endearing appearance?
Delaisi's horse, lacking direction, began to slow down once more.
Colin slowed down as well, then asked,
"Is Erica's mother no longer with us?"
Erica had described her mother, Queen Daisy's, appearance to him, but the woman beside Delaisi now did not match the description.
And in his thorough search of the Palace, he too had not found anyone who fit the description...
"Queen Daisy... indeed, she has died."
Delaisi snapped back to reality, replying solemnly.
"Hmm," Colin nodded, and though he had expected this, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.