"You wouldn’t know though," Ragna said with a shrug and a little laugh.
Vacuse’s smile twitched and his hand raised almost consciously before his brain caught up. ’...calm down Vacuse! You can’t just keep punching everyone...’ he thought furiously to himself.
Before he could do anything more, Ragna opened the door even wider. "Come inside... I don’t know which you are! You red eyes people are a lot!"
Vacuse entered the richly furnished carriage. He sat down across from Lord Ragna and shrugged. "Even I didn’t know how many of us are there."
"What a peculiar family," Ragna said. His eyes didn’t leave Vacuse. "You said you were ambushed by some bandits? But this forest has been relatively free of their kind for a while now. Are you sure of your claims?"
The Captain of the Bone Riders, and Ragna’s personal guard, climbed into the carriage and closed the door. His eyes immediately locked on Vacuse and didn’t leave him as the carriage began to move.
"Of course. After all, I’m sure with your sense of smell you should be able to tell the blood from my wounds."
Valka replied coldly. "Lord Ragna, he is indeed wounded. He smells like blood but also of smoke and ashes, a combination that’s common with explosives. Also, he’s not wounded enough for someone ambushed by bandits."
Ragna nodded and played with his chin, a slight frown on his face. "You are right. So tell me, son of Vorrakyn, how did you escape? You are not even a Soulbearer yet you escaped barely unscathed."
Vacuse shrugged. He had no intention of explaining himself to those two. Instead, he bluntly replied, "This is Vorrakyn family’s business. There will be no outside interference."
Lord Ragna leaned back in his seat and waved his hand. "Eh, so what? Do you represent the Vorrakyn family? After all, the family has a lot of heirs, and since the death of Zephyr, it’s open to anyone."
Vacuse’s eyes narrowed. His voice was accompanied by a chill. "Anyone? There is nobody worthy of being heir in the family except....."
Suddenly, he stopped and frowned, and it only deepened when he saw the smile on Ragna’s face. ’...fucking bastard just led me by the nose to start speaking about myself!...’
Vacuse took a deep breath. ’....right... this is not something I’m that good at... I’m more of a blunt guy... but still... politics... I must play it since everything can’t be solved by brute force...’
"Except who? Yourself? It’s good to meet you, Vacuse Vorrakyn," Ragna laughed softly.
Vacuse didn’t reply. He watched Ragna quietly, his eyes calm, the madness and impulsiveness wiped away. "So you know who I am?"
Ragna shrugged. "I did not, but you confirmed it. I heard that at first, there is only one potential heir to the Dragon seat. The one that killed the former heir. The kin killer!"
Vacuse raised his brows. "The kin killer?"
When did he get such a name?
"Yes, you don’t know? That’s what they call you in the West now. Although the Vorrakyn’s rites are known to be bloody and brutal, nobody has ever seen a bastard go for the throat of the main son before."
Vacuse nodded, his expression still carefree. "It’s a well-deserved name. But something struck me as odd. What do you mean, there is another potential heir?"
Lord Ragna’s smile turned sly. "Ah! It seems being in this outpost throughout has totally cut off your connection to the outside. A lot has changed, I guess."
They stopped speaking then, and silence settled between them.
Vacuse leaned back in his seat.
With his knowledge of the future, he had thought he really didn’t need much information, as he already knew what would happen in his immediate area.
But there was one thing he had forgotten. How his actions affect the said future.
He killed Zephyr and showed himself as the most reasonable and rightful to be the heir. But he almost forgot what his actions would cause.
’...how did Drenvar react to what I did? And the other vultures of the West... ah... it seems things won’t be as simple as I imagined... already someone tried to kill me...’
Immediately, his eyes went to Ragna. ’...isn’t it suspicious that assassin tried to kill me and I met them as well?...’
But Vacuse didn’t pursue the line of thought. The Warbines didn’t have anything to gain by killing him. In fact, they should be avoiding war between themselves.
Vacuse sighed softly to himself.
His scarlet eyes flashed with restrained excitement. ’....so this is what it means to walk the path to power... people will naturally want to pull you down..!’
The carriage and the guards continued for the whole day, and even deep into the night. They ran until they crossed the wilderness and into the West.
The border between the Vorrakyn and the wilderness was marked by the total clearing of trees and plant life. It was as if the place was a wilderness before they reached the rolling green hills and the tallest hill where a fortress was built.
The Standpoint Fortress.
It is the seat of the High Commander of the wilderness border, and their job is to be the first line of defense against the Orc and the point of attack whenever the Vorrakyn want to launch an attack.
It was one of the most impenetrable fortresses.
Even before the carriage went far, they were stopped and checked by different patrols and roadblocks. But with his diplomatic documents and Vacuse’s red eyes, they were let through.
"You don’t seem like you like the sight of the fortress," Vacuse pointed out when he saw Ragna’s troubled look as he watched the fortress in the distance.
It was the second time they would be speaking after the first time they met.
Ragna covered it with a laugh. "Of course. That fortress is a thorn on our side!"
They traveled for two more days after that, coming into the different territories of the Vorrakyn’s vassals before they finally made their way to the capital, Kragthar.
Vacuse was home. To the Dragon’s Seat.
Thank you for reading guys.
I am recommending an extra book to you— Talentless Extra Of The Legendary Hero Academy