Chapter 9: Chapter: 9 Somthing is watching

“Princess, we will be spending the night here,” announced a knight in service to the royal family.

He bowed with practiced grace, his voice carrying the steady authority of one accustomed to command.

This was Elfrod,the man personally chosen as Princess Charlotte’s escort knight.

Their journey had brought them to Agarta, one of the prominent commercial cities under the rule of Zenithara .

Renowned for its thriving trade, the city bustled with energy.

Merchants called out their wares in lively tones, their stalls lined with fabrics, spices, and trinkets from distant lands.

The clatter of cart wheels mingled with the rhythm of footsteps over cobblestones.

Children’s laughter rang through the air, their playful shouts weaving seamlessly into the tapestry of everyday life.

“Book the rooms and make sure mine and Vivian’s are connected,” Charlotte ordered as she stepped down from the carriage.

“Understood.” Elfrod bowed respectfully and strode toward the inn’s stout oaken door.

Vivian followed more slowly, his boots scraping the cobbles. He said nothing; his face was a map of inward focus.

Around them the inn hummed with the ordinary life of Agarta, the murmur of patrons, the clink of tankards, the snap of a hearth fire, but he felt none of it.

A prickle ran along his skin, an invisible line of attention tracing his spine.

’What is this feeling?’ he wondered, fighting to pin it down.

It was as if eyes had settled on him from some empty place, following without source.

Since they’d crossed the main estate boundary that sensation had grown heavier, like a shadow that knew his name. Someone watching every step… but who?

“They aren’t the black shadows of our family either,” Vivian muttered, more to himself than to anyone else.

’They’re someone whose stealth is at its peak, maybe using an artifact.’ He tightened his grip on the cloak at his shoulder and called softly to Charlotte.

She turned, smile steady but eyes bright with the same alertness that had settled over him. “Yes?”

“Do you feel… something odd? Like someone watching?” His voice dropped to a whisper; the question hung between them like a tremor.

Charlotte’s smile faded into a contemplative hum. “Hm … .so you’ve noticed it, too.” She tilted her head, scanning the faces in the market as if she might peer through the crowd with will alone.

“It started after we left the estate. A spy with special stealth techniques, or an artifact, either way, they’re not ordinary. That’s why they haven’t been found.”

Charlotte glanced around as naturally as she could and smiled. “Whoever it is, they’re very thorough. The knights won’t feel anything, they don’t have the kind of special intuition we have, so they won’t notice. But if the spy suspects we know, they’ll retreat. So act like you didn’t notice anything.”

“Alright,” Vivian agreed. Then he looked up at the darkening sky, the sun setting . “Shall we go inside?”

“Alright,” Charlotte replied with a smile. Together they walked toward the inn, where the knights stood on guard.

“Princess, we will camp outside to remain on watch. I’ve booked two rooms so you may rest,” Elfrod said as he returned from inside, bowing deeply.

“Yes, good work,” Charlotte answered.

Vivian couldn’t help but notice the change in her tone. With him and his family, she was always kind, but with the knights her voice turned cold and arrogant.

It puzzled him, yet he knew it wasn’t wrong. Children of the royal family were taught from childhood to maintain their hierarchy by behaving this way, so it was natural for her to show some arrogance.

****

In his room, Vivian sat cross-legged, quietly cultivating.

His faint, steady breathing filled the silence as he drew mana from the air into his body. The cycle repeated again and again until, at last, he opened his eyes and exhaled deeply. “Haa…”

“Fourth star, huh?” he muttered to himself.

When he had transmigrated into this body, it was already at the 4th star, a rare feat in this world. Only the protagonist of The Order of Love had reached the same stage at Vivian’s age.

And unlike others, Vivian couldn’t cultivate freely. His illness limited him to barely an hour of practice each day, far less than normal.

Yet, even with that restriction, he had reached the 4th star. Proof of his talent. If not for his illness, he might have already advanced to the level of Swordmaster, the 6th star.

“But I think I can increase my cultivation time now. My body has gotten better since I unlocked the Immunity stat. If I can raise it even further, I’ll be able to grow faster, and maybe even ease this illness.”

A faint smile tugged at his lips before fading. “If my body wasn’t so weak, I could’ve had the chance to become the strongest… but of course, heaven had to nerf me with this sickness.”

“But so what?” Vivian stood up on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

He tried to lift his hands but suddenly remembered what happened that day and then he glanced at the door; when he saw it was locked, he let out a breath of relief and raised his hands.

“Nothing can stop me from achieving eternal life, neither heaven nor earth, nothing.” His laugh was sharp, half-crazy and was filled with exaggeration.

“I will endure every hardship.” He muttered the words, picked up a pillow with his left hand like he was carrying someone, and began pacing around the bed with an exaggerated expression.

“My gaze is as hard as a monolith. Only perseverance remains in my heart.”

“This is my—Vivian D. Zenithara’s—insignificant character.”

“Vivian’s perseverance.”

He laughed, a wild, foolish laugh, like someone who thinks he’s the cleverest. After a few more seconds he stopped and flashed a satisfied grin.

“I always wanted to do that,” he said, soft now. “But I couldn’t before, because my rotting body wouldn’t even let me lift my lower half.”

“Sigh…” Vivian leaned back, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “When I first read that novel, I was so motivated I swore I’d achieve eternal life. But then I read another one… where the MC became immortal and suffered for all eternity. After that, I gave up on chasing eternal life.”

He shook his head, chuckling softly. “Oh well… but that first novel was truly peak. I haven’t read anything else that reached its level.”

“And in this world, there are only romance novels… which I don’t even like. So really, there’s nothing worth reading here.”

With that thought, he let out a quiet sigh, bringing his musings to a close.

Just as he was about to step outside to call Charlotte for dinner, three sharp knocks sounded against the door.

Knock, knock, knock

“Hm?” He rose from his seat with a thoughtful hum, then slowly made his way toward the door.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep