The next morning, the air in the stables was heavy and tangible. As he entered, Paul breathed in deeply, a crooked smile curling his lips.

“The morning perfume. Hay, manure, and mule ambition. At least it’s an honest smell.”

Hilda wrinkled her nose, but there was a hint of agreement in her voice as she sidestepped a mud puddle.

“It’s preferable to stale beer and the sweat of a hundred men in a tavern. I suppose it’s an improvement.”

They found their client next to a sturdy cart with thick, iron-reinforced wheels, pulled by two mules that seemed as solid and stubborn as the rocks the man was loading into it. Master Theron was a walking contradiction. He was short, barely reaching Paul’s shoulder, but he had the energy of a man twice his size. He had a straight back, a white beard so neat and trimmed it looked like it was woven from silver thread, and piercing blue eyes that shone with an insatiable curiosity from behind small, round glasses. He was supervising two stablehands who were struggling to load several heavy wooden crates, each sealed and marked with intricate symbols.

“Ah, ‘The Rose and the Sword’!” Theron exclaimed upon seeing them, his voice surprisingly loud, cutting through the dull noise of the stable. “A rather poetic name for a pair of mercenaries. I hope your skill with steel is as refined as your prose. My geological specimens are irreplaceable and, frankly, more fragile than they appear.”

Paul stepped forward, a lazy smile already settled on his face. He stopped beside one of the crates and knocked on it with his knuckles. The sound was dull and heavy.

“Don’t you worry, old man. We’ll protect your talking rocks as if they were our own family jewels,” he replied with his usual brazenness. “Though, I must admit, my family’s jewels are usually lighter. And probably less boring.”

Theron let out a dry laugh, a sound like stones grinding together.

“An honest man. I like that. Most escorts I hire try to impress me with false bows and empty promises. You, at least, are a transparent scoundrel.”

Hilda, however, ignored Paul’s chatter. She stepped forward, her gray eyes fixed on the tools hanging from Theron’s leather belt: a small hammer with a sharp pick, a collection of chisels, and a brass-framed magnifying glass.

“Are you a geologist, Master Theron?” she asked, her voice clear and precise. “Those tools… they’re for analyzing the composition and stratification of rocks, if I’m not mistaken. I’ve read about the unique crystal formations near Creston in a tome on mineralogy from Asura. It mentioned veins of smoky quartz found only in this region.”

Theron’s eyes lit up, his interest shifting in an instant from Paul’s arrogance to Hilda’s intelligence. He took off his glasses, wiped them with a handkerchief, and put them back on, as if to see her more clearly.

“By the bones of the ancients…” he murmured. “An adventurer with a knowledge of science. Fascinating. This journey is going to be infinitely more interesting than I thought. Yes, young lady. Those quartz formations are precisely one of my objectives.”

He turned to them, rubbing his hands with renewed energy.

“Get on, get on. Make yourselves comfortable on the driver’s seat. Time is the one resource we can’t get back, and the sun is already high.”

The first day of the journey became a lecture on the move. They had barely left the walls of Lutoa behind when Theron revealed himself to be a tireless conversationalist. His world was the very ground they walked on, a library of earth and stone that he read with fluency.

“See that mountain in the distance?” he said mid-morning, pointing with the handle of his whip to a sharp, solitary peak. “They call it ‘The Dragon’s Tooth.’ Local legend says it’s not a mountain, but the fossilized skull of the ancient Earth Dragon, Tiamat. Geologically, of course, that’s nonsense. It’s an igneous granite formation that emerged from tectonic pressure…”

Paul interrupted, but his voice was a low murmur, meant only for Hilda.

“Hilda, look at that ridge on the right. The grove is too dense. It’s a perfect blind spot. If someone wanted to set an ambush, it would be from there.”

She didn’t turn her head, but her shoulders tensed almost imperceptibly, and her hand rested more firmly on the hilt of her sword.

“I’ll keep it in mind. If anything moves, I’ll raise a wall in that direction.”

Theron, lost in his own narrative, didn’t notice the exchange.

“…but the legend is more romantic, don’t you think?! People have always liked to give dramatic names to things they don’t understand.”

Hilda, once again engrossed, leaned forward.

“I read about the Ancient Dragons in the Chronicle of Aeons. Do you think they really existed, Master Theron?”

“Oh, they certainly existed!” the scholar affirmed. “Their bones are the proof! Which brings me to another legend, one much more interesting for adventurers like you. They say that in the heart of the Demon Continent, in the ruins of a nameless city of the First Human Race, lies a sealed library. And inside, a tome of ancient magic is kept. A book that doesn’t teach spells, but teaches how to create magic.”

Hilda’s eyes went wide.

“Create magic? Is that even possible?”

“Probably not,” Theron laughed. “It’s a scholar’s dream. But imagine it. The power to write the very laws of physics. Ah, if I were thirty years younger, I’d assemble an expedition myself.”

The conversation continued, and Theron observed the dynamic between his two escorts. The way Paul’s shoulders were always angled toward Hilda, how she passed him the waterskin without him having to ask.

“You complement each other well,” he said suddenly. “Impulsive strength and calm intellect. A classic and, often, successful combination.”

Paul and Hilda exchanged a glance, a light blush coloring her cheeks.

As night fell, they found a safe clearing to make camp. The fire crackled, casting dancing shadows. Theron was examining a rock with a magnifying glass, while Hilda tried to read by the firelight. Paul, for his part, was fighting a losing battle with his own hair. A rebellious lock kept falling into his eyes as he tried to stir the stew. He blew it away in frustration for the fifth time.

“Your hair is a disaster, Paul,” Hilda said, finally putting down her book. “You look like a scarecrow that lost a fight with a berry bush.”

“It’s the adventurer’s style,” he retorted. “Aerodynamic and low-maintenance.”

“It’s a calamity. It’s distracting. I can’t concentrate when I have to look at that mess. Sit down. I’m going to fix it.”

Paul froze with the ladle halfway to the pot.

“Are you going to cut my hair?” he asked, delighted by her bossy attitude.

“Yes.”

“With what? Your sword?”

“Don’t be an idiot,” she said with a mischievous smile. “I’ll use the dagger from your belt. Now sit on that log before I change my mind.”

Defeated, Paul sat. Theron watched from the other side of the fire, chuckling to himself. Hilda took the dagger, her touch surprisingly steady.

“Stay still. If you move and I cut off an ear, it’ll be your fault.”

“All my trust is in you, my personal hairdresser.”

The scene was incredibly intimate. She stood behind him, her body close to his. Her fingers, soft and careful, brushed his hair back. He felt the cold dagger near his neck, but he felt no fear, only absolute trust. The only sounds were the crackling of the fire and the soft scrape of the blade cutting through hair.

“Almost there…” she murmured, concentrating.

“Almost what? A perfect disaster?”

“Almost decent. Now the back.”

When she finished, she handed him a piece of polished metal they used as a mirror. Paul looked at himself. His expression went from delight to disbelief, and then to pure, comedic horror.

“Hilda… What… what is this? By the gods, it looks like you tried to shave me with a rock! I think I’m missing a piece of my ear!”

He frantically felt his left ear.

“Ah, no, false alarm. It’s just a hack job the size of my fist.”

He stared at his horrified reflection for another second, and then burst out laughing.

“I look like a bird’s nest! The monsters will die of laughter before I can even kill them!”

“It’s… rustic,” she said, blushing but proud. “It gives you character.”

“It makes me look like an idiot,” he corrected, but he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. “Thanks. I like it.”

As they prepared for bed, the conversation returned to magic.

“Your interest in earth magic is fascinating, Miss Hilda,” Theron said. “Most noble mages look down on it.”

“I feel like… it calls to me,” she admitted.

“Then I have good news for you,” the scholar said, his eyes gleaming. “An old friend of mine lives in Creston. A collector named Lorne. He has one of the best private libraries on the subject. Basic and intermediate level books, some very rare. If you’re truly interested, you should visit him. Tell him Theron sent you; maybe he’ll give you a good price.”

The news filled Hilda with a new excitement. A clear objective.

“We will, Master Theron. Thank you so much.”

They climbed into their new two-person sleeping bag. It was spacious, but they were still deliciously close. They lay in silence for a moment, listening to the sounds of the night. A cricket chirped nearby, and the wind whispered through the leaves of the trees.

“Do you hear that?” Hilda whispered.

“The cricket. It’s probably looking for a mate,” Paul replied, his voice already heavy with sleep.

“No, the silence,” she corrected. “In the castle, it was never silent. There was always the sound of a guard’s footsteps, the murmur of servants. This… this is different. It’s a silence that’s full of life.”

Paul pulled her a little closer.

“A terrible haircut and a new goal,” he whispered. “Not bad for a day’s work.”

“Shut up. Your hair looks charming,” she lied, snuggling against him.

They fell asleep under a blanket of stars, dreaming of magic books and promising futures.