Chapter 52.1

It's Old Rose Castle once again!

What is it about this place that repeatedly draws events towards it?

As someone who has roamed this world for centuries, Kevin is well aware of the significance of Old Rose Castle. It used to be the site of a small city-state that thrived in a lush environment, with beautiful green fields and an abundance of apricot-colored wild roses. The castle itself was surrounded by these romantic blooms.

However, the city-state did not survive for long and was completely destroyed within a hundred years. There are various legends surrounding its demise, but the most widely accepted one is that the arrival of the mirage black wind caused chaos and destruction.

It is said that people were driven to madness by hallucinations and unwittingly killed each other. The castle became a scene of horror, with even the king being crucified amidst the apricot rose bushes. The mirage black wind was accompanied by strong winds and sandstorms that covered the sky.

The rise of a city-state can take many years, but its fall can happen swiftly. Soon, Old Rose Castle was enveloped in a sea of sand, with only the ruins remaining.

Despite the castle's notoriety, few people dare to venture to the actual location to witness it with their own eyes, except for a select group of adventurous souls who have a penchant for exploration. They risk encountering mirages, the black wind, and the peril of getting lost in the desert.

Occasionally, caravans passing through the mirage would redirect their course to catch a glimpse of the old castle, but most leave disappointed as there is very little left to see.

Kevin, like most individuals, has never set foot in Old Rose Castle. He has no curiosity for the place, as he has an inherent dislike for the desert, which always evokes a sense of desolate loneliness. It is this aversion that influenced his hallucination-induced mirage black wind experience, where he witnessed the dusk-like atmosphere once again.

Furthermore, even if curiosity piqued him, he remains ignorant of the way. It is not so much that he is indifferent to navigation, but rather, he is too lazy to commit routes to memory. He believes that it is necessary to know the way, but only for significant destinations such as the tomb of God Phae.

After all, one cannot simply lose their own grave. For most other places, however, he sees no reason to bother with directions and sticks to his principle of going wherever he pleases. It seems to be a common characteristic among gods of old.

They reside in different places and embark on wanderings when they have no pressing matters at hand.

Yes, they engage in pall travel. They never make fixed plans to visit a particular place, as they might set out to find the God of Dionysus but end up stumbling upon the God of Cupid instead.

Kevin self-deprecatingly admits that he often finds himself in unexpected situations, hence his preference for spontaneous journeys.

In summary, someone like Kevin who decides to visit Old Rose Castle is unlikely to return within a few years.

However, now he feels compelled to go. There are matters concerning Phae that he believes can only be addressed at Old Rose Castle. The closer he gets to the castle, the stronger a mysterious emotion tugs at his heart, causing him to suspect it may be linked to Melo.

Even though the age of the gods has long passed, and the tomb of the gods has been established for many years, he harbors doubts that Melo has truly vanished. If Melo intends to act, ordinary individuals would be powerless to stop it. Thus, he feels a sense of obligation to go.

"Which way is Old Rose Castle? We don't have any compasses or navigation tools on us. We can only rely on you to find the route," Kevin inwardly expresses his thoughts, a rare occurrence for him.

Patting the pouch at his waist, he states, "We came here in a hurry and only brought ourselves."

Wood hesitates for a moment before asking, "We... we? Where are we?"

Oswald remains silent, while Kevin lets out an exclamation. He pats Sirius on the head and casually explains, "Don't be fooled by its non-human appearance; it's surprisingly intelligent. I consider it almost as good as a human in terms of brainpower."

Oswald keeps silent: ...

Wood suddenly comprehends and refrains from further inquiries. Instead, he retrieves a brass compass from his chest pocket. Opening its lid with a click, he observes the delicate little pointer spinning frantically, as if it had just been wound up.

"While the pointer is still spinning, I have a hunch that Old Rose Castle is not far from here. If my intuition is correct..." Nick can no longer contain himself and sets up an awning nearby to mark his spot.

The soldiers in the army, as if by some miracle, echoed their agreement. "Yes, I feel it too," they said.

A young soldier, standing close to Kevin, murmured in a puzzled manner, "I feel it too, over there. It's strange, I usually have no sense of direction, but my intuition might actually be right."

His fellow soldier elbowed him and whispered, "Hey, do you feel a bit anxious?"

At first, Kevin paid little attention to their conversation, his focus fixed on the pointer in Wood's hand, waiting for it to slow down and eventually come to a stop. But upon hearing the soldiers' discussion, he couldn't help but glance their way.

The two soldiers, unaware of Kevin's attention, continued whispering. "Do you feel anxious as well?" one asked. "I thought it was just a lingering aftereffect of the hallucinations from earlier, or maybe it's just thirst..."

"What do you mean, anxious?" Kevin suddenly interjected, his tone casual as if a commanding officer casually inquired about the interest of his young soldiers.

The two soldiers instinctively straightened their posture and solemnly replied, "No, Your Excellency Commander. We simply want to reach Old Rose Castle as soon as possible."

After a moment's consideration, they realized their words sounded nonsensical and quickly added, "After all, the sooner we investigate, the sooner we will find peace of mind."

Kevin observed them for a moment, then scanned the rest of the soldiers. He was about to ask more questions when Wood called out, "Your Excellency! The pointer has stopped!"