The Alchemists

London and Rune, who were accustomed to using automatic pistols, chose the simplest weapons to have more freedom in their movement. They each chose to ride a brown and gray stallion.

They also learned to ride and shoot together with Aleksis since childhood, taught by Lauriel. Rune very rarely used weapons, but London was still diligently practicing his shots once a month in the shooting range so as not to lose his skills.

Terry, who was never interested in weapons, only watched in awe at his two younger siblings who looked very manly on their horses. He clapped happily and encouraged them to kill at least one deer each.

Kai, Takeshi, and Rosalien already had their favorite horses in the stable because they often came to Targu Mures. All three looked very attractive with a casual appearance, wearing leather jackets and riding shoes.

Rosalien's weapon of choice was a small handgun that she slipped inside her boot and a long ceramic knife she put in the saddle of her horse. The girl looked very good at controlling her horse. Her aloof face seemed to smile thinly as she greeted her horse with a gentle whisper before climbing onto it.

Kai and Takeshi's weapon of choice was each a rifle that was harder to use but could shoot targets in the longer range.

"Where is Mischa?" Alaric asked as he helped Aleksis climb their horse's saddle. He would share the horse with Aleksis, so he chose the biggest and strongest horse in the stable.

Hearing Alaric's question, Jadeith who was saddling his horse raised his face and looked back, then pointed at Mischa who was walking toward them with an anxious face. "He was on the phone earlier. Maybe it's important."

Mischa walked hurriedly toward them, his handsome face this time was filled with anxiety.

"I'm sorry. I had to go home to Bucharest. My girlfriend was admitted to the hospital ..." he said in a sorry voice. "Just now, her mother called me. Lisa was short of breath and was immediately taken to the ICU. The doctors didn't know what happened to her."

Everyone was surprised and worried. This was certainly a misfortune that no one expected. Alaric nodded and immediately told Mischa to leave.

"Go. Be with your girl and make sure she gets the best medical treatment."

"Thank you, Sir."

Mischa excused himself in a hurry and immediately left the castle for the airport.

After Mischa left and they finished preparing for hunting, the hunters were immediately divided into 2 groups. They would work together to separate their targeted herds from the larger group, and later they could kill them.

"We will meet in an hour, and the group that gets the most game will be the winner," Alaric said, signaling that his group should move westward.

"Hey ... I didn't know this hunt was a competition," London said in amazement as he stomped his horse's reins toward the east. Aleksis just laughed at that. She knew Alaric was just joking. For some reason, lately, Alaric had become warmer and even started to make jokes.

She liked her husband, who was quiet and always looked cold on the surface. But now, seeing another side of Alaric's personality that she had never seen before, Aleksis felt she also liked this version of Alaric.

The man was very similar to his father. Lauriel, who was cold and reclusive, also began to change to become a warmer and softer person several years ago because Altair and Vega came into his life.

The two kids were the reason Lauriel started getting used to smiling. Maybe that's what Alaric experienced, thought Aleksis with a happy heart.

Among the hunters, only Aleksis shared a horse with her husband, and they worked very well together. As soon as their entourage saw a herd of deer gathered in the middle of the forest, Aleksis who was very skilled in controlling horses, spurred their horse to chase the herd who tried to escape quickly.

Without difficulty, she made it through various bushes, crossing narrow and steep paths to approach a big stag who was about to escape by crossing the river.

When she felt they were in a good range, she stopped suddenly, and Alaric quickly shot the large stag right between his eyes. It was an instant kill and the animal died without feeling pain.

"Good shot," Aleksis said, looking back and smiling sweetly. Alaric hugged her waist and praised his wife.

"My wife is a very skilled rider, so of course I can shoot game well."

Alaric got off the horse and put a tracker on the body of the deer they just killed so that later his staff could collect the game they got. After that, he climbed back on their horse and the two continued to chase the rest of their group. Their entourage had moved forward following the other herd that had run quickly to disappear farther into the woods.

On the way, they saw several deers who had also been killed by Rune, Takeshi, and Jadeith. It was a sign that the other group members were all also getting some game. When Aleksis and Alaric regrouped with their entourage, they calculated that 9 deers had been killed.

"I think that's enough. We've killed a number of deers that will reduce the potential for further breeding. We better go home and let my staff take care of the deer. They will immediately send them to the butcher to be distributed to the local community." Alaric called his father to return to the meeting point and count the results of each group. "Father, we're done here. Let's meet again at the castle."

"Very well. We have also cleared the East. We have killed 12 deers," Lauriel answered. "Wait for me to mark them for a while. After that, we will return to the castle."

"Okay." Alaric turned to his group members and shrugged. "They killed 12 deers. We lost."

He didn't mind losing to his father, of course. It was not easy to kill animals that could run very fast and were very familiar with the terrain of the forest where they live. Killing nine in an hour was quite impressive.

"Let's go home."

They rode casually back to the castle. The scenery on either side looked beautiful. The leaves had changed color to yellow and orange. As they passed, some leaves fell like rain falling slowly, making the afternoon in autumn scenery look dramatic.

"I like riding here. The place is beautiful," Aleksis commented as they were almost out of the woods. "You chose a perfect place to build a house."

"I know. Our kids will enjoy growing up here," Alaric replied.

When he first built this castle seventy years ago by following the model of a castle in Austria that he liked, he had never imagined he would make this place a home for his family, a warm family consisting of the woman he loved and their four children.

Initially, he chose Targu Mures because this was where his mother died and was buried, so he felt a connection with this region. Now, after hearing that Aleksis really liked this place, Alaric decided inwardly to spend more time in this castle.

He would teach his children to care for nature and go on adventures. He really could not wait to see Ireland and Scotland grow up and they can go on adventures together.

Ah ... he would love to do it with Altair and Vega too.

Gosh .. he really missed his children.