Chapter 52.2

"Oh? Where are we headed, then?" For now, Kevin put aside his inquiries and walked briskly over to Wood, glancing at the compass in his hand.

Wood had already taken out a rolled-up map from his belongings and used the compass's direction to pinpoint their location.

After a brief moment, Wood raised his hand and pointed. "That way," he declared.

Coincidentally, he pointed in the exact same direction that Nick and most of the soldiers had intuitively mentioned earlier.

With the direction decided, everyone wasted no time and swiftly mounted their vultures. Kevin wordlessly climbed onto Sirius' back.

Nick glanced in Kevin's direction and shouted, "Your Excellency, shouldn't you put the reins on your horse? It's dangerous to ride too fast without them! We have a spare—you should use it."

Kevin rubbed Sirius' furry neck and replied, "It's alright. If it dares to throw me off, I'll have wolf meat for dinner tonight."

Oswald: "..."

Nick retrieved a set of reins and was about to continue persuading Kevin when he noticed the imposing figure of Sirius striding confidently ahead.

Nick: "..."

To be honest, being stared at by the transparent eyes of such a fierce creature was an uncomfortable experience. No matter how brave someone might be, they couldn't help but feel a shiver down their spine. Nick froze in place, not daring to make any sudden movements.

Sirius looked at him coldly for a moment, then forcefully bit the reins that Nick was holding, turning his head to toss them towards Kevin on his back. The message was clear: Put these on me!

Nick: "..."

Kevin: "..."

Both of them were momentarily stunned. Nick, initially frightened, had thought for a moment that his hand was about to be bitten by Sirius.

Oswald and Kevin, on the other hand, shared a mutual characteristic—they were both inherently proud. Putting a rope around the neck of such a majestic creature seemed a bit absurd to them.

Who would have thought that Sirius would show a rare moment of conscience, only for it to go unappreciated by Kevin.

Oswald tossed the reins to Kevin and moved a bit further away, whispering in a low voice, "Just put them on properly."

Are you sure?" Kevin asked in a voice that only Oswald could hear. "The majestic emperor puts on the reins? How interesting..."

Oswald's face flushed with anger. "What a mess! Don't talk nonsense!" he snapped. "You will suffer if you fall."

Kevin smirked. "I'm not afraid of falling," he said. "But I am afraid of you."

Oswald's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean," Kevin said, "that you're a loose cannon. You're unpredictable."

Oswald took a step towards Kevin, his fists clenched. "You dare to say that to me?" he growled.

"I dare," Kevin said. "And I'll say it again: You're unpredictable."

Oswald's face was contorted with rage. "Fine," he said through gritted teeth. "But you will do as I say."

Kevin nodded. "I will," he said. "But only because I have to."

Kevin, uncharacteristically, didn't continue teasing and instead turned the reins over Oswald's body, avoiding the neck area that would make the creature uncomfortable.

Kevin finished the set without a word, grabbing the reins with one hand and patting Sirius on the face. "Okay, let's go," he said.

He turned to Wood and Nick, who were watching him in surprise. "I'll clear the way, and you guys will follow," he said.

"Eh?" Wood asked, confused.

"Just trust me," Kevin said.

Before they could ask any more questions, Sirius flapped his wings and took off into the sky.

Kevin held on tightly to the reins, feeling the wind in his hair and the sun on his face.

Wood and the others realized the difference in speed, quickly grabbed the Vulture's belly, and galloped away.

The Vulture's hooves thundered against the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust as it raced away from Kevin and Oswald. Wood and the others clung to its belly for dear life, their faces contorted with fear.

Oswald kept a tight grip on the reins, trying to control the Vulture's speed. But Kevin kept urging him to go faster, regardless of the others.

"Why are you so eager to shake them off?" Oswald finally asked, his voice laced with suspicion.

As Sirius flew through the air, Kevin thought about what lay ahead.

Kevin hesitated for a moment, then said, "There's something wrong with Old Rose Castle. I need to go and take a look."

Oswald's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" he asked.

When the Priestly Academy first mentioned Old Rose Castle, Kevin did not believe that it was a bait. However, he had always thought that the bait was only aimed at a certain group of people, such as himself and Oswald, who represented the Golden Lion Kingdom.

But now, he felt that the bait had a wide range of influence, and even ordinary soldiers seemed to be affected by it, being led there.

Why was this so?

In the sky full of sand and dust, the visibility was not very good. Even if they were looking down from the sky, their field of vision was very limited.

But after flying for a long time, Kevin still saw the outline of a tall tower in the distance through the wind and smoke.

He knew that this was Old Rose Castle.

He took a deep breath and urged Sirius on.

As Kevin drew closer to Old Rose Castle, he scanned the horizon for any signs of danger. But what he saw at the foot of the castle made his brows furrow in confusion.

There, in the shadow of the castle, was a dark mass. At first, it looked like a shadow cast by the castle itself. But as Kevin drew closer, he could see that it was not a shadow at all. It was a crowd of people.

The crowd was so dense that it was impossible to see individual faces.

Kevin's heart sank. He knew that this was not good.

What was going on?