Chapter 304 - Epilogue - Years Down The Lane III

"Have you seen Keitaro?" Touma, the second prince of Aurora Kingdom, asked Haruto.

Haruto was the son of Feena and Hideyoshi. And among the children of squad zero, it was these three who are of the same age.

"You do know your cousin, despite becoming popular after his change back in first year. He'd rather stay away from everyone than watch people ogle over him," Haruto replied with a shrug.

Both of them were also shock back then, after the weekend they actually didn't knew it was him. He had a haircut and a change in glasses. Even his weapon have changed.

What shock them the most was the fact that he was very good at using the bow and arrow. They watched his first training and even the teachers were left speechless.

After getting home, they talked about it excitedly to their parents but their parents have one reaction.

"Oh, so someone actually inherited Eureka's archery skills. She was the top if we are not mistaken."

With that they found out that Keitaro's mother was actually the teacher of Theo and Nana.

They already revere the two of them, who would have thought that the teacher was actually close by. What made them even more jealous was that they couldn't witness it themselves.

And now two years have passed and they are on their last year of academy. Almost everyone are getting ready for the trials to become knights.

"He must be in the library then."

After these the two of them walked towards the library.

And in one corner, they saw him sitting by the window with a book at hand. He was seriously reading and seemed like he has no care of the world.

His once thin stature have changed after the two years that his mother and father trained him. He wasn't buffed with muscle but still he looks firm.

He had this mature aura around him and would sometimes look like a scholar instead of an upcoming knight.

Touma and Haruto have matured as well but they already had good body back then. So their change was not as visible as Keitaro.

It was not that Eureka and Raven left him to fend himself before training him. But because he was so stressed over his incapabilities and his love of reading that training was not entirely in his mind.

The bullying have actually reached his parents that they decided to focus on his well being. Even the change in weapon was because of this.

"Say, the trials are just around the corner, why are you reading here instead of training?" Touma asked as he pulled the book away from Keitaro's hands.

"You're here?" he seemed to have only noticed them by then.

"No were not."

"I don't feel like going for the trial at all," was his reply as he looked outside the window.

Down below was a courtyard where some students are busy training their own weapons.

In fact even if he didn't train, his natural adeptness to archery was more than enough for him to land on a very good squad.

"What do you mean by that?" Haruto and Touma looked at each otehr before asking.

"I want to go on an adventure. We have talked about this in the past and my parents were not against it back then. But back then it was only in a passing that I said it."

He looked back at the two of them and his imperial topaz eyes were shining, there was also an upward curve on his lips, "But now, as I kept reading and kept studying the geographical maps of our land. I have the strong desire to explore more."

Seeing his excited look, they exchanged another look.

"Then why don't you go?"

"There are still so many things to consider. One of which was getting permission from the king, the place I wanted to explore was a place none of us have dared to venture to."

"Shall we go then? And talk to father now?"

Touma's eyes twinkled upon hearing that it was a place not one have dared to venture to. Even Haruto have a look of excitement.

These three were a natural on their weapons that is why at some point in time, they lost interest on just being within a squad of the kingdom.

They started yearning for more. Something more adventurous, something more exciting than just guarding and patrolling.

"Why are you the excited ones?" Keitaro squinted his eyes as he asked the two of them.

Without replying, the two of them pulled him out of the academy and they went straight to the castle.

They then waited for a bit for Rino to finish one of his meetings and just in time, among them was Hideyoshi and Raven.

"What are the three of you doing here?" Rino asked.

"Father, we have a request to make," Touma stepped up and started speaking.

"Is it urgent? You came here when you should still be in training."

"It is, we need to get your permission in order to start the preparation immediately."

Touma was the second prince, the first prince was more than a year older than Kazuma. Raven and Eureka's first child.

That is why compared to his brother, Shota, he was much more free.

"I suddenly have a bad feeling about this," Raven couldn't help but say towards the other two.

"The idea came from me, but I didn't say it for the two of them to join me," Keitaro understood that Raven knew what they were about to say.

"What is going on Raven?" Rino questioned upon hearing the exchange between the two of them.

"I think the children should be the ones to explain this," Raven was not against it.

"We want to go on an adventure," Touma started.

He then went ahead and explained the points Keitaro have said a while ago.

"And where would you be going then?" Rino asked after listening to his son's words but this time he was looking at Keitaro knowing that the idea came from him.

"Across the ocean."

His voice was filled with eagerness and excitement as his eyes looked like it was already looking out to the vast sea.

Even Raven was shock upon hearing this, what he thought was that it was just across the land. After all even with the four kingdoms, the land was still too big that not everything was explored.

"You can't be serious," Hideyoshi couldn't help but to say.

Haruto was his eldest child, the younger one was a daughter at the age of thirteen.

"We are serious, we grew up listening to the stories of aunt Eureka's adventures. And as we spent time together, Keitaro have explained so many things to us," Haruto replied.

Despite it seemingly like they just go with the flow around Keitaro, they were actually listening attentively to all his explanations.

"No, I can't agree to this. We have indeed went to the sea to hunt some sea foods. But not once did any of the people went farther where they could no longer be seen from the land," Rino instantly rejected.

"Father, you have to understand. This is not just simply words from some youngsters. This is a dream," Touma explained.

When he heard that it was across the ocean, his blood boiled and really wanted to go with Keitaro.

"No is a no, it's too dangerous," Rino still rejected.

He was not only referring to his son but to the three of them as a whole.

Seeing as the king was rejecting it, Keitaro couldn't help but look at his father.

Raven remained silent, even he found it too dangerous for no one have tried it before.

"You won't even know if you'll find another land out there," Rino added seeing as the youngsters looked like they were wronged.

They then heard a chuckle from the door of the main hall.

"Why not let them go?"

All six of them looked back and saw Eureka standing there leaning on the door frame.

"Eureka," Raven furrowed his brows upon hearing her approving of their plans.

The three fathers were looking at her as if what she said was outrageous but the three young men looked at her as if they found their savior.

"What? It became a dream to this young ones. No to be more precise, it was the dream of your own son and he just somehow got some support," Eureka started walking towards them.

"Auntie," Touma and Haruto complained after hearing her words.

"Eureka, you do understand how dangerous it was," Rino said seriously.

"Indeed brother, it would be dangerous but if I was not focused on maintaining the peacefulness of this land. I would have went to that adventure myself when I returned back then."

The three men were shocked upon listening to this.

"You were always going around, you still planned such a thing back then?" Hideyoshi couldn't help but ask.

"Still they are too young," Rino still complained.

"They're 18, after this year they could be considered knights. Back then when it was still chaotic, those of their age were already betting their lives on the battlefield."