Stepping past several groups of people surrounding their campfires, I slowly made my way towards a side of the city wall where no one was camping.
As I did not have a tent or any bedding, I simply leaned back on the wall, and began thinking.
I noticed from looking at all the artifacts and magic cards that people are using in this campsite that this continents knowledge of magic is still basic. Well, six hundred years is short in the study of magic. Most developing continents take at least a thousand years before they get to a level where they can be considered to be a third grade continent.
Anyways, my number one goal should be becoming a magister. That’s the minimum requirement to make a teleportation tower to return back to Lyras Continent, my home. Then I’ll go find that bastard Dosen and smash his fucking face in after asking Yuki for an army or two. Knowing her, she’ll definitely let me borrow them.
First, I need to figure out where I stand with my cultivation and if Faven had any family or friends. I’ll make them think that Faven went on journey or something so that they don’t worry too much. That’s the least I can do for him.
Closing my eyes, I began to sense the inside of his body for a mana core, which usually formed around the right side of the chest.
Level three mage? This is going to take a while. Better to start sooner than later.
Taking a lotus position, I slowly began to expand my senses. In my mind ’s eye, I was able to see tiny balls of lights floating around the air.
The mana in the air is thin. If it’s like this all over this continent, it explains the slow pace of cultivation here. Whatever. Focus. Imagine sucking in the mana and letting it flow into the body. Let it flow to where the mana core is, then rotate it while compressed to make the mana core as round and smooth as possible.
As I was cultivating his mana core, several people in the campsite felt the sudden change in the air.
“The mana in the air is disappearing fast!”
“What’s going on? I’ve never seen mana disappearing so fast before.”
Everyone began looking around but was unable to find the source as I had made sure to make the mana flow in such a way to make sure no one can pinpoint where the mana was going using a simple technique called Chaotic Mana Absorption that was taught to every soldier.
While the soldiers were trying to recover mana, it was easy for enemies to find them through the flow of mana. However, by utilizing this technique, it caused the mana flow to become erratic which made it hard for enemies to pinpoint where the recovering soldiers were, which essentially bought them time.
I was able to absorb most of the mana in the surrounding area in only several minutes.
The mana really is too thin. If I want to be able to cultivate faster, then I’ll need to make a magic card that absorbs mana as I move around. But first, some rest.
Unable to hold back my exhaustion any longer, I laid down, stared at the night sky, and drifted to sleep.
-Early in the Morning-
I, who had been sleeping peacefully was violently woken up.
“Ugh! What the!” I curled up into a fetal position.
I forced open my heavy eye lids to see another kick flying towards me.
I tried to roll in the other direction only to be blocked by the city wall, allowing the kick to land on my back.
Ignoring the pain I quickly jumped up.
“Stop! What in the underworld are you doing!” I yelled as I quickly took a defensive stance.
Standing in front of me was a young girl with long bright red hair and eyes. I would have said that she was almost as cute and Yuki if not as cute if she had not start punching at me, forcing me to block fist after fist.
“WHERE. HAVE. YOU. BEEN. FAVEN?!” she screamed each word while throwing a punch.
“Huh? Did I know you?” I asked confused as I ducked another punch that was about to land square on my face.
Hearing that the girl froze.
“You. What? Hey. Tell me your joking. Your joking right?” The girl’s eyes started turning teary.
“Eh? Er. Sorry, but I really don’t remember anything,” I shrugged, “The last thing I remember is nearly drowning in a river last night.”
“No way,” The girl slumped to her knees and started bawling, “You. You jerk! I spend all day and night looking for you and you don’t even remember me anymore! Waa~~h! I hate you! You should’ve drowned! You’re a bastard.! You. . . You. . “
She went on for several minutes, making less sense with every insult she could think of. By the time she started saying something about Faven being a womanizer a crowd had started to gather.
Starting to feel awkward, I kneeled beside her, “Hey girl. Sorry that I don’t remember you but can you stop. People are starting to stare you know.”
She slowly quieted down and mumbled out something.
“What?” I asked her.
“Only if you carry me back home!” she looked up at me fiercely with a red face.
“. . . Okay?” I said slowly.
“Really?” She asked with her eyes sparking, “You always said no before!”
“Yes yes really.” I turned around so my back was facing her, “Hurry up and get on.”
She quickly jumped on, nearly knocking me forward.
“Alright,” I asked, “Where’s your house?”
“Inside the city,” she points towards the wall.
“Inside the city? You know the gates are closed right?”
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“No more questions! Just go!” She pouted.
The last thing I wanted was her to make another scene, so I began walking towards the city gates.
“By the way, do you really not remember anything Faven?” she quietly asks.
“Hmm? Nothing but my name. Why? Were you really a really important person to me? You don’t look similar to me so maybe a close friend?” I ask.
“Close friend,” she mumbles.
“What was that?”
“Yes! I was your close friend! So you better be nice to me!” She quickly answers.
For some reason I didn’t feel as though she was being completely honest, but I just shrugged and kept walking.
When I finally reached the city gates I saw the same guard he saw at night by the window.
“Hi there again. Is the gate open now?” I called out to the guard.
I noticed that the guard had his eyes wide open in shock. However the guard was not looking at me, but the girl on my back.
“L-l-l-l-lady Flara! Where were you?! The whole city is looking for you right now!” The guard shouted.
“You’re the city lord’s daughter?” I asked the girl shocked! Turning my head to look at her I saw that she was wearing some very plain clothes. Did the guard get the wrong person?
“Teehee.” She simply tried to make a cute face and smiled.
“Hold on kid!” The guard called out to me, “I’ll open the gates for you right now.
As the gates slowly creaked open I hurriedly tried to get her down as it would be embarrassing to be seen holding the city lord’s daughter like this when I didn’t even know Faven’s social status in this city, but she clung on tight and refused to let go.
“Hey! Let go! Do you think it’s alright for the city lord’s daughter to be carried around like this?” Vereth said.
“No! You promised to carry me all the way home! So keep your promise!” Her grip on my neck tightened suffocating me so I stopped trying to pry her off. Damn this weak body.
When the gates finally open a squad of guards rushed out and surrounded me, or well the girl.
“Eh? L-lady Flara! Why are you on his back?! Please get off of that boy! Your father would be furious if he saw you right now!” A female guard tried to persuade her.
“He’s already pissed off,” one of the guards mumbled.
“No! Faven promised to carry me back home so buzz off!” Flara told the guards.
“Faven? As in the trash of the Veritis Clan Faven?” The female guard took a step back in shock.
“Trash? You’re the trash! You’re entire family is trash!” Flara yelled angrily.
“I-I’m sorry Lady Flara! Please don’t be angry with me!” The guard bowed in apology then turned to face me, “Then if you would follow me young master Faven.”
She quickly turned away and began rapidly walking towards a large castle that stood in the center of the city.
As we were walking along the streets surrounded by guards, I noticed that everyone passing by suddenly stopped and stared with their jaws dropping to the floor.
Seeing this and thinking about how the guards reacted, I was guessing that perhaps Flara usually did not act this way in public.
And there was also the guards saying that I was trash. It sounded like something that was well known. Did Faven do something that deserved that title?
As went continued our way to the castle Flara was talking to me, telling me about times that Faven and her and spent together.
“When we first met when we were little, you saved me from a horned rabbit. Do you remember? There was also that time when we pulled a prank on the general, dumping water on him. Do you remember that?”
She continued to tell me about the past we shared in hopes that I would remember something.
After an hour of walking, with some breaks in between, as I was getting exhausted from carrying Flara while she refused to get off, we arrived finally arrived at the castle gates where several people wearing silver armor, knights, were waiting with a middle aged man standing in the midst of them.
Seeing how he was standing and his extravagant clothing, I was guessing that he was Flara’s father, the city lord, and he did NOT look happy.
“Flara! Where have you been!” the city lord repeated the exact words Flara has said to me when she found me.
Flara finally climbed down from my back, allowing me to fall on my behind and finally take a proper rest.
“I was looking for Faven because YOU wouldn’t lend me soldiers to help find him!” She crossed her arm and glared at her father.
“That boy is trash! He’s only a third level mage when all the other noble children at his age are fifth level mages! You shouldn’t lower yourself to be with him!” The city lord also crossed his arms and glared at his daughter.
“I choose who I want to be with! Not you! So lay off dad!”
The city lord had veins bulging on his forehead.
“Hey guys!” I held up a hand after finally catching my breathe, “Sorry to interrupt you father daughter quarrel, but can I leave. I have some stuff I want to do.”
“”NO!”” The father daughter turned to me and shouted.
“Just asking,” I mumbled while thinking of how this father daughter pair is like reflection of each other.
After yelling back and forth for several minutes a guard walks over to the city lord and whispers something into his ears.
“Hmph. I’ll leave this alone for now. Faven follow me, your family is waiting for you inside.” The city lord turns around and walks away.
As I follow behind the city lord, I turn around to see Flara following me.
“Aren’t you leaving?” I ask her.
“No, there is something I need to be there for.” She rolls her eyes and continues following.
Seriously, I couldn’t understand the old Faven’s relationship with this girl. When she says that she’s his close friend, she didn’t sound too sure about that. But she acts like she’s much closer than a close friend. Which one is it really? I wish she was like Yuki and made it clear.
After following the City Lord into the castle, we finally arrive in a large room where several people were waiting.
As soon as I took a step into the room someone tackled me from the side.
“Oh Faven! Where were you for the last few days,” I turned my head to see beautiful women hugging me.
“Are you my mother?” I was able to see the resemblance between her face and the one I had seen in the reflection in from the river.
“What?” she pushed me to arm’s length to take a good look at my face, “You don’t remember me? I’m your mother! The one who gave birth to you!”
I gave a wry smile, “Sorry but I lost my memories last night. The last thing I remember is drowning in a river.”
I was apologizing a lot this morning.
She was first shocked then turned to face a the bearded man who was wearing a silver armor, similar to the ones outside, but more elaborate.
“See Vincent! I told you not to pressure our son so much! Look at what he ended up doing to himself! He drowned himself! DROWNED! What kind of father are you?” She screeched at the man.
He face hardened as he replied, “He will become the future leader of the Veritis Clan! Of course I have to be harsh on him! If I wasn’t . . .”
“SHUT UP! Clan this. Future leader that! Can’t you just let him be and just be a good father dammit!” My mother screeched at him.
Wow my new mother was completely walking all over my new father.
“*cough* If you would please set aside your personal disputes until later.” The city lord interrupted.
“Ah! Yes. My apologies city lord,” my mother and father apologized.
I rolled my eyes as I remembered how he had done pretty much the same things with his daughter only a few minutes ago.
“I called all of you here today because I needed opinions,” the city lord had a serious face.
“Right now as you all know, the news about my daughter being able to create the longevity pill spread through my Floating Cloud City and is making its way to the other cities.”
“Yes,” a bald man who was dressed in a silver armor spoke, “We’ll be pressured into selling the information of what she did to successfully create it.”
“Yes. But there is one problem here.” The city lord places a hand on his forehead and closes his eyes.
“My daughter is refusing to tell how she did it unless we meet her demand.”
Everyone turns to Flara.
“And what is it that Lady Flara wants?” The bald man asks.
“Just one thing,” Flara smiles, but for some reason it did not feel very friendly, “I want my arranged marriage to Gold Heart city lord’s son, Jeron, cancelled.”
A gasp ran through the halls.
The bald man spoke first, “Lady Flara. That’s impossible. The marriage with the Gleizberg family was meant to tie our two cities together! If we were to cancel the marriage, then there no telling what the Gleizberg family will do!”
A fat man in a white robed joined in, “Please rethink this Lady Flara. Jeron is a genius in his generation just like you, and I heard that he was quiet a good looking fellow. He’s a far better match for you than this trash who was stuck as a level three mage for that past two years.”
“Shut it fatty! You think I haven’t heard of how Jeron goes around sleeping with every damn pretty girl he can get his slimy hands on. And you know nothing of Faven so don’t you dare call him trash!”
The fat man’s face turned purple with rage.
“Enough.” The city lord sighed. “As you can see this is our current situation. I would appreciate it if everyone could help come up with solutions by tomorrow. Dismissed.”
The city lord walked out of the room with Flara following behind.
“Son,” Hearing my mother’s voice I turned to her, “Let’s go home.”
She took my hand and led me out the castle with my father following behind us.