The Story of the Wind Wanderer
Desert Expedition, Cancel #146

Altezza looked speechless with both eyes wide open like a shocked person. A very painful feeling at once made him much more agitated than the previous nights. The black-haired man really looked like a person in shock. That certainly made his comrades who were sitting in the first-floor restaurant of the inn confused.

"You ... are you okay, Altezza?" asked Aaron who was sitting right next to Altezza, patting and holding the right shoulder of the black-robed man.

Blinked a few times, split from his reverie. Altezza nodded, smiled slightly and immediately said, "i'm fine, what's wrong?"

Alaia who was sitting opposite him spoke, "you finally look like a person in shock."

"So what was your decision about our conversation last night?" eugene asked, directly shifting the subject.

Alaia and Aaron immediately looked at the blond man with a confused look, as well as being curious. The two of them did not know anything about the last night conversation Eugene had with Altezza in his room, because indeed Eugene himself had not spoken to them about it.

Altezza looked pensive, creating a quiet situation on his desk at this time. The atmosphere of the crowded restaurant seemed to be muffled and heard by him who was returning to the conflict of confusion that was on his mind.

The group of travelers were still sitting around in the first-floor restaurant of the inn, even though they had already checked out from the rooms they had rented. On this sunny morning, they seemed to be waiting for news or news from the adventurous guild that happened to be his office was only two blocks away from the inn. Not only them, but there are many travelers who are restrained and waiting for certainty in the restaurant.

"Sorry, my friends." Altezza began to speak slowly, then smiled slightly, looking one by one at the faces of his friends, before he continued to say his decision, "I cannot continue the journey with you, I cannot continue, I have to get back to Zephyra."

Of course, it could not be hidden anymore the faces of the three friends who looked disappointed and sad to hear Altezza's decision, not least Alaia. The gray-haired girl looked fixedly at the figure of Altezza sitting opposite her with two teary eyes.

"Why?" tanya Alaia, became the first person to directly respond to Altezza's decision.

Altezza was speechless, confused in stringing up the right words for his reason. Eugene, who already knows more about the problems Altezza is facing, said, "Altezza seems to have problems in his hometown, and that makes him have to go home soon," he told Alaia and Aaron.

"If so, what can I do?" Aaron spoke, turned and smiled slightly at Altezza next to him, "of course we are sad about the news and your decision, but we understand and appreciate it, Altezza" he continued.

"Thank you" said Altezza, smiling at his friends.

Not long after, a brave soldier suddenly entered the restaurant with a paper roll in his left hand. The presence of the soldier immediately attracted the attention of anyone who was there, including Altezza and his friends who happened to position their table not far from the entrance.

The soldier immediately took the opportunity to speak after everything was silent, waiting for him to speak.

"I am the envoy of the Adventurers Union of Neverley at once from the Kingdom of Neverley, and here I bring important news to you travelers!" said the soldier, firmly with the intonation of speech that sounds quite high. He immediately opened the scroll he was carrying, and then read out a few sentences written in it.

"The Kingdom of Neverley announces unequivocally that there will be no desert expedition from this morning until the next notice through the union. We, the government also firmly ask you travelers from all over the country to return to your respective countries immediately. If anyone violates, then we the kingdom has the right to crack down and impose sanctions of any kind to violators, even the death penalty."

All the average person who was a wanderer or adventurer in the room could only fall silent as the soldier read out a letter he was carrying. News or news that is read is certainly very controversial, especially in the penalty section for violators who sound that the news or news delivered is very, very serious.

Finished delivering the news, the soldier again left, leaving many questions for all the travelers who filled the restaurant, including Altezza and his friends.

"No desert expedition?" eugene muttered in confusion after hearing the notice.

"His punishment also sounds very serious" Alaia timpal said with the same expression as Eugene and Aaron, shocked and confused by what they had just heard.

"Neverley's kingdom was very serious in the notice just now, does this have anything to do with the contents of the letter from his mother and Bianca ...?" inner Altezza, folding both of his arms over his chest, and inclined to look down with a blank stare.

 "Yes, how else? It's better to obey the notice just now, and go back to the Middle Continent" Aaron said, looking one by one at the face of his friend.

Eugene seemed to smile, looked at Altezza and said, "we plan to return to the Middle Continent, who knows you're interested in joining our journey?"

Altezza chuckled at what Eugene said. He recalled the moment when he first met the blonde, and he offered to take a trip together.

"I'd be lying if I said 'no'" Altezza replied, smiling at Eugene and his two friends.

The look on Alaia's face, which initially looked sad and disappointed, quickly turned into a cheerful one when she heard the decision that Altezza had just made, "this will be fun!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

"Well, it's time to pack up, because the journey from the capital back to Beladon City is quite time-consuming" said Aaron, smiling.