What does His Highness want from a blind man?
Thought Aldrin who was riding his horse in the streets of North Pine Town.
While trying to guess Alaricâs motive, he found himself in front of an inn.
This should be the place.
He jumped off his horse and entered the establishment.
"Oh my! What a rare visitor! Please come in!" Greeted the proprietress, a middle-aged woman in her forties.
Aldrin was dressed in his guardâs uniform which carried the emblem of House Silversword so the proprietress enthusiastically entertained him.
Aldrin was already used to this kind of enthusiasm from the townspeople so he wasnât flustered.
He didnât beat around the bush and directly asked what he came for.
"Is there a blind man among your guests?"
Hearing this, the proprietress hesitated for a moment. "Uhm..."
Aldrin noticed her hesitation, so he immediately explained, "You have nothing to worry about. I am just running an errand for His Highness."
When he mentioned that it was related to Alaric, the proprietress was taken aback.
"Oh! You should have told me sooner." She grinned.
"There is only one blind person in my inn and itâs that man over there." She pointed to the corner of the dining hall where a lone person was eating his meal.
Aldrin thanked her and approached the person she had pointed out.
"Are you, Sir Caecus?" He asked while looking at the manâs side profile.
He had short black hair. The right side of his face had a burn scar and his neck had two stab scars.
Looking down, Aldrin observed the manâs arms. It was also covered in scars of different shapes and sizes.
His palms have thick calluses too. That is not something that one would have from simply doing hard labor.
Is he a swordsman?
Aldrin narrowed his eyes.
He tried to sense the manâs aura, but no matter how hard he tried, he felt no trace of mana from him.
Suddenly, Caecus stood up and turned around to face him.
"You must be the person sent by my lord." He spoke in a voice devoid of emotion.
Aldrin finally got a clearer look at the manâs eyes. It was all white, but strangely enough, he felt as if his entire being had been scrutinized.
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
This guy is an expert! One who is much stronger than me!
Forcefully calming his nerves, Aldrin nodded. "Thatâs right. His Highness sent me to pick you up."
"I see. Lead the way." Caecus indifferently responded.
"Follow me." Aldrin gestured for him to follow before he walked out of the inn.
When they stepped out of the establishment, Aldrin realized that he hadnât brought an extra horse.
"I only brought one horse with me. If you donât mind, you can sit behind me."
Caecus shook his head. "That wonât be necessary. Just lead the way. I will follow you."
Aldrin raised an eyebrow. Although his horse was only a Fatal-grade monster, its running speed was faster than most Elite Knights.
Is he a Transcendent Knight?
A thought came to his mind and it made him a bit fearful of Caecus.
"Alright." He didnât force Caecus to sit behind him.
He jumped onto his horse and turned his head.
"Are you ready?"
Caecus nodded calmly.
After getting his response, Aldrin squeezed his legs and urged his horse to move.
They were still on the busy road so he didnât make his horse move faster to avoid accidents. He only urged his horse to go at full speed when they went past the public streets.
To his amazement, Caecus was able to match his mountâs speed without breaking a sweat.
This confirmed his suspicions about Caecusâs strength.
He is indeed a Transcendent Knight!
But how can he see me when he is blind?
Aldrin was becoming more and more curious about this mysterious blind warrior. He wondered who this person was and why Alaric was looking for him.
Soon, they entered the estate. The guards had already been made aware that he would bring someone with him so no one stopped them from going in.
A moment later, they stopped in front of the main mansion.
Aldrin jumped off his horse and beckoned to Caecus. "His Highness is waiting for you in his study. I will take you there."
Caecus didnât say anything and just followed him quietly.
On their way to Alaricâs study, they encountered a few servants who sent them curious looks.
The warriors stationed inside the mansion eyed Caecus with a deep frown.
"Sir Aldrin, who is this person?" A middle-aged warrior came to stop them. It was Arthur, one of Alaricâs most trusted confidants.
Aldrin cupped his fists to greet him.
"This is Sir Caecus. His Highness sent me to pick him up from the town."
Arthur furrowed eyebrows eased up upon hearing this. "So this is the person that His Highness has mentioned. I apologize for my discourtesy."
"Please..." The middle-aged Elite Knight made a âthis wayâ gesture.
"Itâs alright. You donât need to apologize, Sir Arthur." Aldrin nodded and smiled faintly.
He respected this man. Other than his unwavering loyalty, he was also one of the strongest Elite Knights in the household. His strength was only beneath that of Fredrinnâs and Henryâs.
After speaking with Arthur, Aldrin brought Caecus to the upper floors.
They passed by a few more guards, but this time, no one came to stop them.
A few minutes later, they finally arrived in front of Alaricâs study.
"His Highness is inside. I can only take you here." Aldrin stared deeply at the blind warrior.
Caecus nodded, walked past him, and entered the room.
Looking at the closed door, Aldrin smiled bitterly while shaking his head.
What a cold fellow...
Now that his task was done, he didnât linger and left.
Meanwhile, Caecus had already found Alaric.
The latter was seated behind his desk, reading a book about the history of Harune.
Seeing him, Caecus bowed his head deeply. "Greetings, my lord."
Alaric put down the book he was reading and gestured for him to sit on the chair adjacent to his desk.
"How was your task?"