Chapter 25: The Law of Travel (I) - Manhwa chapter 19

“Hello, this is Louis.

We imagine you were quite surprised by our sudden disappearance. However, partings are inevitable when fates intertwine. We must now embark on our own journey.

From the bottom of our hearts, we truly appreciate all your kindness and generosity. May you find solace from the sorrow of losing your son soon, and please do not grieve too much for our departure. Soon, new connections will come knocking at your door.

-Louis et al.”

P.S.: Please bestow as much love upon the new life as you have shown us.”

Madam Brannon’s surprise grew as she read through the letter. The neat and proper handwriting alone was impressive, but the content didn’t seem to be written by a child. She had always known Louis to be different from his peers, but this exceeded her expectations.

He is such a bright boy…

She also realized why they left.

I’m sure he understood our situation…

Despite his young age, Louis possessed keen insight beyond anyone else. As mentioned in the letter, it seemed apparent that Louis knew of their loss and how much love they poured on him because of it.

“Oh dear… This is all my fault.” She felt remorseful for what had transpired due to her own greed and couldn’t help but feel sorry for their children who had fled in the dead of night because of it. On the other hand, she was deeply touched by Louis’s letter meant to comfort her.

A bittersweet smile graced her face as she clutched the note tightly against her chest. “Thank you…”

However, there was one thing she didn’t quite understand.

A new life?

She wasn’t sure what Louis meant by his last line, but it didn’t take long for its significance to hit her.

“My congratulations to you both.”

“Oh…!”

The grand duchess looked bewildered at the priest’s words of celebration.

“Darling!” Seeing her husband ecstatic finally helped it sink in for her that she was indeed pregnant.

At that moment, she recalled the contents of a letter left by one of the children several weeks ago.

“Ohhh!” She felt stunned.

So they did know… They knew all along!

The “new life” mentioned in the letter referred to their child. As everything fell into place, she was overwhelmed with emotion.

Her husband embraced her tightly as tears streamed down her face from within his arms.

“Ohhh… Those children… They seemed to know… So… So that’s why…”

“My love…”

The grand duke had also read Louis’s letter and understood exactly why his wife was crying so bitterly.

As he held her tightly, he thought,

Thank you.

He didn’t know how their children discovered she was pregnant, but he felt nothing but gratitude for this miracle—a new life blossoming where three others had departed. It felt like a gift left behind by their children.

“It seems those children were angels sent from God.”

“Yes…I suppose so.” The couple shed tears of joy.

It was the first happy occasion for the grand duke’s family in quite some time. Overjoyed, he opened his pantry and distributed bread made from grain sprinkled with Fin’s elixir to all the people in his territory.

Several months later…

“Waaaaah!” A baby boy’s loud wails echoed throughout the castle.

“Waah!”

Multiple births occurred around the same time within and outside the castle walls, making this year’s birthrate at the grand duke’s estate the highest ever recorded. Louis had gifted them these blessings as thanks for their kindness, and they blossomed unexpectedly due to someone’s small mistake.

Meanwhile, Louis and his group had sown seeds of love throughout the grand duke’s castle before making their escape. They now leisurely trudged through the snowdrifts.

“Hmm…” Louis pondered as he watched the twins happily skipping ahead.

We wasted too much time at the grand duke’s castle.

Their already tight schedule was further shortened due to unforeseen circumstances.

From here on out, we need to move quickly.

Louis rubbed his chin with his tiny hand.

It’ll take ten years even if nothing else happens. Who knows when another unexpected situation like this will arise…?

Any more unanticipated incidents would only prolong their journey home.

First, I need information.

Modes of transportation, distances, ways to cross continents—Louis needed tons of intel, but there was no immediate way to obtain it.

“Eee-ha-ha-ha!”

“No fair! Go away!”

As Louis pondered his predicament, he heard the carefree voices of the twins. He let out a big sigh.

“Oh boy… This unplanned nanny job is aging me rapidly…” The words of a weary old man emerged from cute, plump lips.

His eyes turned gloomy.

I have to be stuck with these two for ten years?

The horrifying thought made him shudder.

Soon, his determination flared as he clenched his fists tightly.

Absolutely not! I might have a heart attack before we even reach home at this rate!

For both his mental health and longevity, returning swiftly was non-negotiable.

As Louis walked with heavy sighs, Khan and Kani scampered to join him, spinning around his arms excitedly.

“Louis, Louis! This trip is amazing!”

“It’s super fun!”

“Let’s do it again, again!”

“Every day!”

”…”

Due to their hatchling nature, these children were usually confined indoors. Unlike Louis, who preferred staying at home for survival reasons, the twins found being cooped up frustrating.

Louis frowned at his overly excited children.

”…Even without this, we’ll be traveling for ten exhausting years.”

“Why not make it one hundred years instead?”

“Yes! One hundred!”

“Quiet down, you two.” Louis sighed deeply as they continued to chatter loudly.

“Louis…stay strong!” Fin clenched both fists and cheered him on.

Just then, Kani leaned close to Louis.

“Louie, Louie, where’s the monster?”

“I’ve told you once…”

“That’s right! In books, there should always be a monster in situations like this!”

“It’s fine if there isn’t.”

“I-I’m confident I can catch any monster!”

“I don’t need to catch it.”

“But I’m sure I can do better than Kani!”

“No, I can definitely outdo Khan!”

“Oh for… Fine, do as you please.” Louis shook his head at their bickering and muttered under his breath, “What kind of monster would dare approach with three dragons reeking of magic around?”

“Smell?”

“You mean our smell?”

“No, that’s…”

Back when dragons ruled supreme, they instilled fear in all monsters on earth, which led to monsters instinctively avoiding them ever since. Louis considered trying to explain this to Khan and Kani but quickly gave up.

“Yes… Smells everywhere.”

Khan and Kani sniffed each other’s heads, muttering, “But we don’t smell anything,” while cocking their small heads curiously.

But Louis didn’t dwell on it for long; worrying was a luxury he couldn’t afford. The twins soon perked up and gathered around him with sparkling eyes.

“Louis, Louis, what about bandits?”

“That’s right, that’s right! What about them instead of monsters?”

“I only said to say their name once…”

Monsters, bandits. Louis had a pretty good guess as to which book his siblings were reading.

“I don’t know.” Despite his response, Louis chuckled.

I mean, regardless of the fantasy genre, travelers usually encounter at least one monster or bandit.

It was a common trope in fantasy stories.

The twins looked crestfallen at Louis’s admission.

“There’s something Louis doesn’t know…”

“Louis… We’re disappointed.”

Feeling indignant under their incredulous gazes, Louis bristled.

“You think I know everything?”

“But…you always knew everything until now…”

“That’s right…”

Louis clicked his tongue and gestured around them. “With this much visibility, how could they ambush us? If there was at least some snow to hide in—instead, we’re completely exposed with nowhere to take cover! They’d have to fall from the sky or burst out of th—”

Right on cue…

Fwump.

Thirty white figures suddenly emerged from the ground, surrounding Louis’s group.

Klang-klang-klang!

“…What the hell?” Louis sounded incredulous as he watched the men draw their swords.

The bandits had literally sprung up out of nowhere.

The twins were ecstatically shouting.

“They’ve appeared!”

“It’s the bandits!”

“They came out of the ground!”

“Mole bandits!”

Louis shook his head at their squeals.

Haah… I let my guard down.

He had assumed they were safe since no monsters approached them. Normally, he would’ve detected their presence nearby immediately.

I need to keep using perception from now on.

This incident served as a wake-up call for Louis, who often took things too lightly. After some self-reflection, he surveyed the bandits surrounding them.

“Huh?” He cocked his head, puzzled by something.

The bandits had drawn their swords but seemed hesitant. Realizing what was going through their minds, Louis chuckled and spoke up.

“Excuse me.”

“…”

“You’re feeling quite uneasy right now, aren’t you?”

“Grrr!” The leader of the group scowled.

He smacked the head of Robber #2 next to him.

“What the hell, you moron!”

“I-I know, right?”

“We brought thirty men here… And we have to target these kids?! What now?!”

Robber #2 sheepishly scratched the back of his neck at Robber #1’s scolding.

“W-well, based on their clothes, they seem like rich brats. Maybe we should take them hostage and extort some money from their families?”

“Hmm…” Robber #1 pondered over Robber #2’s suggestion.

As Louis watched the two bicker, his grin widened even more.

Amateurs.

For robbers, they were clumsy and poorly armed, not to mention severely lacking in combat skills. Even without wielding Louis’s sword, Louis was confident he could easily defeat them by himself.

While Louis was contemplating this, Bandit #1 nodded after consulting with his subordinate.

“Fine. It’s better than going at them empty-handed.”

“You see? What’re you waiting for, boys?! Go tie them up!” At Bandit #2’s command, thirty bandits rushed forward as one.

Louis raised his hand and shouted, “Wait!”

The thirty bandits froze in their tracks.

Louis stared boldly at them. “Excuse me…”

“What do you want, kid?”

“Don’t you find something strange about this situation?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it seems odd that three kids would wander around such a dangerous place without any protection, don’t you think? If I were you, I’d be feeling uneasy right now.”

Bandit #1 looked slightly taken aback by Louis’s relaxed demeanor, which made Louis grin mischievously.