[Travel Initiated: Sylvandar to Elaryndal]

[Distance: Four days by imperial road]

[Transport Provided: Royal caravan, tournament tradition]

[Intelligence Note: The prince has not been seen publicly since the quarterfinal. Palace healers confirm shoulder surgery performed. Recovery timeline: Classified.]

[Miria’s Feed to the Prince: Active. He currently believes Kane is traveling with two women and a minimal guard. He does not know about Rutheus.]

The royal caravan assigned to his group felt exceptionally comfortable by barbarian standards, but it was absurd compared to any standard.

Three enclosed wooden carriages featured plush, cushioned seats and silk curtains.

A dedicated supply wagon rolled smoothly behind them, carrying fresh food, fine wine, and clean water.

Six elven escort guards rode alongside the wagons on sleek white horses.

They maintained a strict professional distance while pointedly refusing to make eye contact with their foreign guests.

Instead of sitting inside the luxurious carriages, Kane chose to ride a borrowed stallion out in the open air.

He refused the enclosed space purely on instinct.

A lifetime of gaming taught him that closed wooden boxes on a lonely road usually resulted in a deadly ambush.

Riding outside gave him a clear view of the horizon and a quick path to his weapons. He kept Mjoldr strapped securely to his back, following Rutheus’s earlier advice to keep the glowing crimson weapon visible at all times.

The journey between Sylvandar and Elaryndal provided Kane with his very first look at the elven empire outside a crowded city environment.

The imperial road cut smoothly through a highly managed forest, and it became obvious very quickly that magic shaped every single living thing in sight.

Trees arched perfectly over the path to form a natural, seamless canopy.

It mirrored the living architecture of the border city but operated on a sprawling continental scale.

Faint, glowing runes were inlaid directly into the smooth paving stones beneath their horses’ hooves.

These enchantments repelled bad weather and regulated the temperature, proving that five hundred years of royal investment remained visible in every single maintained mile of the kingdom.

Thora decided to walk the entire first day rather than riding in the carriage. Her magical anklets constantly picked up the forest’s ambient energy signatures, allowing her to catalog the empire’s vast magical infrastructure as they traveled.

She kept pace with Kane’s horse easily, her eyes scanning the surrounding woods with analytical focus.

By evening, she finally shared her findings over a quick meal of roasted meat and flatbread.

"The forest itself is a sprawling defense system," Thora reported, pointing a piece of bread toward the silent tree line.

"There are watchers hidden in the branches, but they aren’t regular soldiers or scouts. It feels like something much older because the wood itself is actually aware of us passing through its territory."

Kane filed this valuable information away for future tactical use.

"Can you tell them apart from regular trees?"

"I can figure it out, but only once I know exactly what I am feeling for," Thora answered, taking a bite of her food.

"The magical frequency is very subtle. Just give me another day to map it properly."

Grieselda chose to ride on a mare right beside Kane on the second day of their journey.

She looked at the managed forest differently from everyone else in the group. Rather than assessing the woods for tactical weaknesses, she read the environment on a deeply personal level.

Her golden eyes traced the woven branches, recognizing the specific magic shaping the ancient timber.

She reached out and pointed a pale finger toward the glowing runes on the road, then tapped her temple twice.

[System Translation]

[This is the queen’s work.]

Kane looked over at her, genuinely surprised she was initiating a conversation at all.

"The trees?"

Grieselda gestured broadly to the enchanted road and the towering canopy above them.

She crossed her wrists in an X pattern before placing a hand firmly over her heart, letting the system carry her meaning.

[All of it]

[I knew her long before she built any of this empire. She was very different back then.]

Kane waited patiently, hoping she would elaborate on her rare burst of communication.

Learning about the elven ruler from someone who actually existed eight centuries ago was an invaluable advantage.

After a long, thoughtful pause, Grieselda looked down at her leather reins.

She hugged her pale arms tightly across her chest, mimicking a deep shiver, and gave a slow nod.

[She was afraid]

[She was terrified of what we were, and she feared what we could eventually become.]

She didn’t offer any more gestures after that revelation, and Kane decided not to push her for more details.

The silence stretched back out between them, filled only by the rhythmic clopping of the horses.

’The queen sealed Grieselda away because she feared the fallen angels,’ Kane mused, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

’Which means this entire empire is built on top of a very old, very deep paranoia.’

That was an important lore in this game.

The royal caravan finally stopped at an imperial waystation on the third evening.

It was a fortified stone building offering basic accommodations and fresh water for traveling nobles.

The six elven escort guards immediately claimed the comfortable inside rooms for themselves, leaving the outdoor grounds empty.

Kane and his group decided to camp outside near the wagons, which suited everyone much better anyway.

Sleeping under the open stars felt far more natural to the Bloodfang warriors than resting inside a stuffy elven barrack.

They built a roaring fire that night to ward off the evening chill.

Kane sat near the crackling flames with Thora, Sira, Kessa, and Rutheus, while Brak and the vanguard warriors shared a skin of wine a few feet away.

The conversation eventually turned toward their destination, focusing on what Elaryndal would actually look like when they arrived tomorrow.

Kessa had visited the capital once before during her younger days, so she described it with the specific sensory detail of someone who experienced it as an unwanted beastwoman rather than an honored royal guest.

"There is a smell of old magic that sits in the air just like weather," Kessa explained, staring into the campfire.

"The architecture grows upward rather than outward, so the oldest buildings are always the tallest ones in any district. You can see the queen’s central palace from every single point in the city because it was built first, and everything else was arranged carefully around it."

Brak leaned forward, wiping a stray drop of wine from his chin.

"And what about the women?" he asked with his usual complete lack of subtlety.

Everyone around the fire stopped talking and looked directly at the warrior. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Sira rolled her eyes and picked up a small pebble, tossing it lightly at his head.

"It’s for research," Brak added defensively, shrugging his broad shoulders as he dodged the pebble.

The night was lively.

Every mile forward brought Kane one step closer to the woman who built an empire out of terror.