Free Web NovelChapter 44: A Road, A Dream, and A Terrible Decision
The room remained quiet long after the survivor finished speaking.
Not because anyone expected more answers.
Because nobody liked the answers they already had.
The estate.
The ballroom.
The dancers.
The journal.
The hidden door.
Every piece somehow made the picture worse instead of clearer.
The chief eventually exhaled through his nose and rolled the map shut.
The sound felt strangely final.
"We’re done for tonight."
Nobody argued.
Even Seraphina.
A rare event.
The survivor looked moments away from collapsing.
The healer looked moments away from throwing everyone out herself.
Neither outcome encouraged further discussion.
Chairs scraped softly against the floor.
People stood.
Thoughts remained behind.
Rowan didn’t move.
The others noticed.
Nobody mentioned it.
The young woman paused near the door and studied him for a second before quietly leaving.
Daren lingered.
Then left too.
The chief gave Rowan a look that contained more concern than authority.
Then he followed the others.
One by one, the room emptied.
Until only four people remained.
Rowan.
Seraphina.
Kael.
And the survivor.
The lantern’s flame danced softly.
Outside, the village had grown quieter.
Inside, Rowan still stared at nothing.
The survivor finally spoke.
"You’ve already decided."
Rowan looked up.
The statement wasn’t a question.
That made it worse.
After a long moment, Rowan answered honestly.
"I don’t know."
The survivor laughed weakly.
"You do."
His gaze shifted toward the ceiling.
"I made the same face."
Rowan’s expression tightened.
The survivor continued.
"The face people make after they hear a warning and start planning how to ignore it."
Nobody laughed.
Because nobody could deny it.
Rowan looked away.
The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable.
It was familiar.
The silence of somebody losing an argument against themselves.
Eventually, Kael spoke.
"You should sleep."
A simple sentence.
A reasonable sentence.
The survivor smiled faintly.
"So should all of you."
Another reasonable sentence.
One that nobody intended to follow.
The group finally left.
Cool night air greeted them outside.
The village square was nearly empty now.
Most homes had gone dark.
Only the occasional lantern still glowed.
The bear immediately stood up when Seraphina appeared.
Several disappointed children groaned.
One little boy pointed accusingly.
"He likes her more."
The bear looked completely unapologetic.
Seraphina placed both hands on her hips.
"As he should."
The child looked offended.
The bear looked proud.
Kael continued walking.
Experience had taught him that becoming involved in bear politics never ended well.
The group reached the inn shortly afterward.
The building was small.
Warm.
And infinitely less cursed than an abandoned estate.
A quality Kael appreciated.
The innkeeper barely glanced up when they entered.
Travelers came and went.
Mysterious conversations apparently did not interest him.
A wise man.
The group climbed the stairs.
Halfway up, Rowan stopped.
The others turned. freёwebnovel.com
For a second it looked like he wanted to say something.
Instead he simply nodded.
Then continued toward his room.
The door closed behind him.
Quietly.
Daren watched it.
Then sighed.
"He’s going."
Kael nodded.
"Probably."
Seraphina leaned against the hallway wall.
"Definitely."
Daren pointed immediately.
"See?"
Kael looked at her.
"Why do you sound impressed?"
"Because he’s making terrible decisions for emotional reasons."
A pause.
"I respect the commitment."
Daren stared.
Kael stared.
Seraphina seemed genuinely confused by their reactions.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Daren rubbed his face.
"I miss when my biggest concern was getting robbed."
The group eventually separated for the night.
Or at least attempted to.
Unfortunately, sleep refused to cooperate.
Because while the others wrestled with thoughts of missing merchants and forgotten estates—
Seraphina was fighting a completely different battle.
Money.
The most terrifying enemy of all.
She rolled over in bed.
Then rolled again.
Then sat up.
A terrible sign.
Moonlight filtered through the window.
The room was quiet.
Kael occupied the second bed.
Or appeared to.
Without warning—
"Go to sleep."
Seraphina jumped.
"I thought you were asleep."
"I was."
"Then how are you talking?"
Kael didn’t even open his eyes.
"Because you’ve changed position eleven times."
"That’s an exaggeration."
"It was fourteen."
A pause.
"Why are you awake?"
Seraphina hesitated.
An unusual occurrence.
Then she looked toward the window.
Toward the distant road leading out of the village.
Toward the kingdom waiting beyond.
And finally admitted:
"We’re broke."
Kael opened one eye.
At last.
The true villain revealed itself.
"We’re not broke."
"We’re nearly broke."
"That’s different."
"It really isn’t."
She flopped backward dramatically.
The mattress protested.
"So many dreams."
Kael immediately became suspicious.
"What dreams?"
"My future fashion empire."
A dangerous topic.
"The magnificent headquarters."
"Oh no."
"The loyal employees."
"Please stop."
"The mountain of gold."
Kael sat up.
Not because he wanted to.
Because experience had taught him that allowing Seraphina unlimited imagination after midnight was dangerous.
"Seraphina."
"What?"
"If you sleep."
"I don’t like where this is going."
"If you sleep."
"Still don’t like it."
"We reach the kingdom faster."
A direct hit.
She narrowed her eyes.
"You weaponize my dreams."
"It works."
"It shouldn’t."
"It does."
Seraphina stared at him.
Kael stared back.
Eventually—
Very eventually—
She lay down again.
Defeated.
Not by logic.
By financial ambition.
The most reliable weakness she possessed.
Several seconds passed.
Then:
"Kael."
"No."
"I haven’t asked anything yet."
"You were about to."
A fair point.
Another pause followed.
Then a smaller voice emerged from the darkness.
"Do you think I can actually do it?"
Kael blinked.
The question surprised him.
Because it wasn’t dramatic.
Or chaotic.
Or ridiculous.
It was honest.
For a moment, Seraphina sounded less like a villainess.
Less like a troublemaker.
Less like a walking disaster.
And more like a girl carrying a dream she wasn’t entirely sure she deserved.
Kael’s answer came immediately.
Not because he had prepared it.
Because he never needed to.
"Yes."
The room became quiet again.
Not heavy.
Not awkward.
Just quiet.
And for once—
Seraphina didn’t have another joke.
Outside, the night continued.
The village slept.
The estate remained where it had always been.
Waiting.
Rowan sat awake in his own room.
A folded map rested on the table beside him.
His uncle’s old compass lay next to it.
Neither seemed willing to let him rest.
Sleep never arrived.
At least not for Rowan.
The map remained spread across the table.
The compass remained beside it.
Neither moved.
Yet both felt heavier than iron.
The small inn room seemed smaller than usual tonight.
Too many thoughts.
Too many possibilities.
Too many unanswered questions.
His uncle had spent years teaching him how to survive on the road.
How to negotiate.
How to recognize lies.
How to avoid unnecessary risks.
Which made the situation deeply irritating.
Because if his uncle were here—
He would absolutely tell Rowan not to go.
And Rowan knew it.
That was the problem.
The rational choice was obvious.
The intelligent choice was obvious.
The safe choice was obvious.
Unfortunately, family had a habit of making obvious choices difficult.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
Rowan immediately folded the map.
"Come in."
The door opened.
Daren entered.
No jokes.
No complaints.
No dramatic entrance.
Which immediately made Rowan suspicious.
Daren quietly sat down across from him.
For several moments neither spoke.
Then Daren tossed something onto the table.
A small leather pouch.
Rowan frowned.
"What is this?"
"Money."
"Why?"
"Because you’re terrible at planning."
A pause.
"And because I know exactly what you’re thinking."
Rowan stared.
Then slowly pushed the pouch back.
"No."
Daren pushed it forward again.
"Yes."
"I’m not taking it."
"You are."
"I’m not."
"You are."
The argument continued for approximately ten seconds before both realized neither was winning.
A proud tradition of friendship.
Daren eventually sighed.
"Fine."
He leaned back in his chair.
"But answer one question honestly."
Rowan nodded.
"If your uncle were sitting here right now..."
Daren paused.
"...what would he tell you to do?"
The question landed harder than expected.
Because Rowan already knew the answer.
Immediately.
Without hesitation.
Without doubt.
Stay alive.
The realization hurt.
Daren saw it happen.
Saw the answer arrive.
Saw the conflict.
Then nodded quietly.
"Exactly."
The room fell silent again.
Not awkward.
Not hostile.
Just honest.
Eventually Daren stood.
Before leaving, he stopped beside the door.
"If you decide to go anyway..."
Rowan looked up.
"...don’t do it alone."
Then he left.
The door closed.
And for the first time all night—
Rowan smiled.
Only slightly.
But genuinely.
Meanwhile—
Downstairs—
Seraphina had somehow acquired food.
Nobody knew how.
Not even Kael.
One moment she had gone to sleep.
The next she was sitting in the common room eating pie.
At midnight.
Like a criminal.
Kael dropped into the chair opposite her.
"Why."
A powerful opening statement.
Seraphina pointed at the pie.
"Hunger."
"It’s midnight."
"The pie doesn’t seem bothered."
A fair point.
An annoying point.
The worst kind.
Kael rubbed his eyes.
"I thought you were sleeping."
"I was."
"You cannot sleep and eat pie simultaneously."
"You lack imagination."
The innkeeper watched from behind the counter.
After observing them for an entire evening, he’d reached one conclusion.
The silver-haired girl was responsible for every problem in the group.
The black-haired boy was responsible for preventing most of them.
A balanced ecosystem.
Seraphina took another bite.
Then froze.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Kael immediately noticed.
And immediately regretted noticing.
"What."
She pointed.
Toward a notice board near the entrance.
Covered in papers.
Requests.
Jobs.
Deliveries.
Escort missions.
Typical adventurer work.
One particular notice had caught her attention.
The reward was written in large letters.
Very large letters.
Large enough for Seraphina to notice from across the room.
A terrible design decision.
Her eyes locked onto the number.
Then widened.
Kael followed her gaze.
Read the notice.
Closed his eyes.
And sighed.
Because fate clearly hated him.
The notice wasn’t about ancient mysteries.
Or hidden estates.
Or cursed noble families.
No.
It was much worse.
It was simple.
A monster hunting request.
High reward.
Immediate payment.
And the moment Seraphina looked back at him—
He knew.
Absolutely knew.
That tomorrow’s plans had just died.
Not because of danger.
Not because of mystery.
Because of money.
And money was the one thing capable of defeating every argument he possessed.
The next morning arrived far too quickly.
Sunlight slipped through the inn windows.
Travelers moved downstairs.
Merchants prepared wagons.
The smell of breakfast drifted through the building.
Unfortunately—
Seraphina was already awake.
Which immediately reduced the quality of Kael’s morning.
She stood in front of the request board.
Studying it.
Not dramatically.
Not suspiciously.
Actually studying it.
The monster request remained pinned near the center.
Large reward.
Immediate payment.
Several monster sightings along a forest route leading toward the kingdom.
Simple.
Direct.
Profitable.
Everything Seraphina currently wanted.
Kael approached quietly.
Then stopped.
Because something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Not dangerous wrong.
Seraphina wrong.
The unusual kind.
She noticed him.
"Good morning."
Kael narrowed his eyes.
That was strike one.
She sounded normal.
Suspicious.
"Morning."
Strike two appeared immediately.
No dramatic announcement.
No speech.
No scheme.
No disaster.
Just breakfast.
Kael became deeply concerned.
By the time they left the village several hours later, his concern had only grown.
The group consisted of:
Seraphina.
Kael.
Rowan.
Daren.
And the bear.
The bear was not officially invited.
The bear disagreed.
Nobody possessed enough energy to argue.
The road curved through rolling hills.
Trees swayed gently.
Birds crossed the bright sky.
For almost an hour—
Nothing exploded.
Nothing happened.
Nothing went wrong.
Kael finally reached his limit.
"Seraphina."
"Hm?"
"Why are you acting normal?"
She blinked.
"What an incredibly rude thing to say."
"You know exactly what I mean."
Unfortunately she did.
Kael crossed his arms.
"There is a mysterious estate."
"Yes."
"There are missing people."
"Correct."
"There is an erased noble family."
"Mm."
"There may be ancient secrets."
"Probably."
Kael pointed dramatically.
"Why are you not chasing any of that?"
A fair question.
An extremely fair question.
Daren immediately slowed his horse.
Rowan glanced over too.
Because honestly—
Everyone wanted the answer.
Seraphina remained silent for a few moments.
Then she looked toward the distant road ahead.
Toward the kingdom.
Toward opportunities.
Toward her future.
When she finally spoke, her voice carried less humor than usual.
"Because I know myself."
Nobody expected that answer.
Least of all Kael.
She continued.
"If I start following that mystery, I won’t stop."
The group grew quieter.
Not because the answer was shocking.
Because it was true.
Painfully true.
Seraphina smiled weakly.
"One clue becomes another clue."
"Then another."
"Then another."
"Then suddenly I’m sleeping inside a haunted mansion and arguing with ghosts."
Daren nodded immediately.
"That sounds exactly like something you’d do."
"See?"
She pointed at him.
"Exactly."
Kael stared.
Then realized something.
She wasn’t avoiding the mystery because she wasn’t interested.
She was avoiding it because she was interested.
Too interested.
And she knew it.
That realization surprised him.
Seraphina stretched her arms behind her head.
"I have a dream now."
The words felt different this time.
More serious.
Less dramatic.
"I spent years forgetting it."
Her eyes drifted toward the horizon.
"I’m not letting some creepy estate steal my attention immediately."
Kael didn’t answer.
For a rare moment—
He actually felt proud.
Naturally, Seraphina ruined it.
Three minutes later.
Without warning.
She began singing.
Loudly.
Terribly.
A song from her previous life.
A ridiculous song.
One she barely remembered.
"Money, money, where are you?"
The road fell silent.
The song continued.
"I looked in my pockets and found only air—"
Daren almost choked.
The bear tilted its head.
Rowan looked genuinely confused.
Seraphina kept going.
Completely committed.
"Dreams cost money, clothes cost money—"
A pause.
Then she pointed dramatically at the forest.
"Monsters! Please donate generously!"
Daren lost the battle.
He laughed.
Actually laughed.
Hard enough to nearly fall from his horse.
The bear made a strange sound that suspiciously resembled approval.
Even Rowan’s mouth twitched.
The first genuine reaction they’d seen from him all morning.
Kael stared at the sky.
Wondering how fate had connected him to this person.
The song somehow became worse.
"I need a shop!"
She pointed upward.
"I need a sign!"
Then toward the road.
"I need a rich noble who has terrible fashion sense!"
Daren laughed even harder.
The road suddenly felt lighter.
Not because the problems had disappeared.
They hadn’t.
The estate still existed.
The mystery still waited.
Rowan’s uncle was still missing.
But for a few minutes—
People smiled.
And somehow Seraphina managed it without even trying.
Which might have been the most dangerous talent she possessed.
Several hours later—
The forest finally appeared.
Dense.
Quiet.
Ancient.
The exact location listed on the request.
The laughter slowly faded.
Conversations died down.
Even Seraphina stopped singing.
Because something felt off.
Not supernatural.
Not mysterious.
Different.
Kael noticed it first.
The absence.
The forest was too quiet.
No birds.
No insects.
No movement.
Nothing.
Rowan’s hand slowly moved toward his weapon.
Daren frowned.
The bear stopped walking.
Then growled.
A low sound.
Deep.
Warning.
Everyone immediately became alert.
Because the bear had been relaxed all morning.
Now it wasn’t.
And animals noticed things before people did.
A branch cracked somewhere deeper in the trees.
Once.
Then again.
Then silence returned.
Seraphina narrowed her eyes.
Not excited.
Focused.
The monster hunt had finally begun.
