Quijour, 21st Day of Aestas or if my calculation is right, it’s the 7th of August in our calendar. Currently we are on the road to Sanctiacob with a travelling merchant from Teorann, along the way we encountered many hindrances here and there like lurking forest bandits or feral familiars that lost his/her senses, it wasn’t hindering us much, but it does reinforce my appreciation on how easy we, Luther, Henry and me, have it back in our world when travelling long distances.

While lazing around inside the travelling merchant’s roofed wagon with Anne, Áron, and Luther, Henry gave us a heads up in the front with the merchant that we were have arrived, we then gathered to the front, opening the cloth and saw the city itself, Sanctiacob, the city of saints. Áron had visited the city about two or three decades ago and the nickname for the city wasn’t an exaggeration, it was truly the city of saints as many saints in this world were born, raised, and even buried in the city’s tombs, the city has one huge cathedral in the center where it’s named after the saint that the city is named after, Saint Iacobus, and many more churches that has tombs for the saints that the churches were named after.

As we parted ways with the travelling merchant in front of the city’s gate, us four headed straight to the local inn to book a room for all five of us, while Henry went to one of the blacksmith shops, located near the center of the city, to have his longsword fixed. While he was there in the crowded and bustling center of town, trying to find a blacksmith whose customer quota is not to large, he spotted a young man in his 20s, Henry said that he was wearing the usual blacksmith apparel, white tunic that was drenched with his sweat, covered with a brown leather apron in the front and a dark grey hose that’s tattered at the lower part of the hose, he was also wearing scarlet red hooded scarf which covered his face, when Henry told me about this his first thought was that the guy was either ugly or just shy, none of them was right, but I didn’t blame Henry when he realized why he was covering his face.

When Henry commissioned this somewhat mysterious young blacksmith to fix his longsword, he noticed something was up, people from the surrounding began to disperse from him and the man, the other blacksmiths in this corner of workshops retreated back inside with the products their working on. Henry said he was a bit anxious of what’s going to happen and as the man finishes polishing Henry’s sword, a swarm of guards came flocking at them, they all cornered Henry and the man where everything makes sense when one of the guards, Henry presumes to be the captain due to him being a bit more older, was wearing scale armor while the other guards wore chainmail or just gambeson, talk directly to the mysterious blacksmith.

“Your Grace… it’s time for you to return!” His voice was gentle but has a bit of a stern and a punch at the end, from what Henry recounted to me.

“Ughh… fine…” The man stood up from his post and unveiled himself.

He was Antonio de Herrero, first son of King Juan I of Sanctiacob, crown prince and the heir to the Kingdom of Sanctiacob, and Lady Aurora’s ex fiancée.

Henry’s mind was a bit overwhelmed at the sight, as he saw a prince, a crown prince! Working on something beneath him, but when Henry was invited to a dinner by this Kingdom’s prince in his castle, it became much more sense when he explained his own family’s name, they were once just a common blacksmith family.

“But that is in the past ANTONIO! Yes, our family came from dirt, but we are no longer dirt anymore, we are a diamond in a rough when the first King of Neustria picked our ancestor to lead victory in Sanctiacob!” King Juan I, said angrily at his son.

“So, then we should forget our roots?! I am fine and am glad that we are what we are now! But to let the knowledge that our ancestors have accumulated on metals over the ages to waste? Just… because we’re royalty?” Antonio said in a confused and exasperated tone.

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“YES!” the King shouted. “We are chosen to be the leader of this land, this city, this KINGDOM! The things that our ancestors have done can be relegated to others in this realm, and what we, YOU especially, should be doing is learning to be a good or… by Lux I hope, a great leader for this realm!”

From what Henry recounted, it didn’t only end there, they still argued more and more about the nature of what their family should be and what their duties should be, it was… a bit uncomfortable but yet… familiar Henry said, but in the end it somehow reach to the point of them asking him, as the leader of the party of heroes, on what the duties and natures of their family should be.

“I… don’t know about that guys…” Henry now fully uncomfortable, said.

“C’mon you are Lux’s angel after all! Your words are the closes thing to providence’s own!” Antonio insisted.

“Ehh… damn it, fine…” Henry can’t take the pressure, broke and share his piece of mind. “Here’s what I think, firstly your father, the king, has good points on the duties you should focused on, be a good, nay, a great ruler for this kingdom, for this realm!” Henry then directed his head towards the King. “But your highness is still in the wrong as well, just because it’s in the past, doesn’t mean it’s erased, it is a part of what your family is, I mean I get it if you don’t want to participate in your ancestors old craft, but if your son wants it, then you should let him!” Henry stopped for a moment, because it’s tiring him to speak his mind this long. “But in the end… I don’t know really, I am maybe our lords angel, but it’s still up to you both, just… don’t let it be something that ruined your relationship!”

Both of them were silent, hearing something to what they think is a kin to Lux’s words sent them in a deep introspection of one another, but both of them are still humans, what they think, what they believe, what they fight for, is something that can’t be broken so easily even if god’s word is in play, I mean just look at the Jews, in their stories god’s been telling them to do A, but there’s always a few that do B, it really is just human nature…

And it’s shown when after that day, where we were about to left the town and continue our journey to Cotier, Antonio out of nowhere, right after Henry told us about him and his family drama, showed up in front of our room’s door.

“Can I join your party?” Antonio, all fully geared up with a bag full of supplies and some of his blacksmith tools beside him, asked.

It was… surprising for sure and our group reaction was a mix bag, Henry was both confused at what to answer and scared that we’re going to be hunted by this kingdom because of this, Luther was a tad bit concern but like Anne, they like the term ‘the more the merrier’, Áron on the other hand was silent but I could tell from that smooth elven face of his that he was against it fully, but he kept his mouth shut because in the end it’s Henry’s call, while me… it would be nice because I could learn more about this world considering he is a prince, a crown prince that is certainly have been taught many things about this world, but… I do share the same concern that Henry pose, it would be a pain in the ass if we’re going to be chased to the ends of the earth… or actually Lumenter in this case.

“I… don’t know Antonio, you’re the crown prince of this kingdom for god sake!” Henry stated his concern.

“I know… but… I can’t take it anymore from that old buffoon, every single day in that castle has always been a bore, until I found out what my family used to be, and even then, he has to take that away from me, I just… please let me join you! I am good with many arsenals, combat wise and maintenance wise! I can be a great resource for your party!” Antonio pleaded.

I wasn’t really swayed by his words, the drawback from him joining us outweighs the benefits he proposed, but… for Henry, there was something that he saw that made it worth it, I asked him of course and he said that he saw himself in him, he saw the sick and repressed him in Antonio, I… couldn’t really argue back, even if it was purely subjective, but… since the first year of college, I know for a fact that his calls are going to bore great fruits for us, especially since he recruited two great people and now great friends.

Yeah… I’ll trust him again on this one!

With that settled we quickly geared and packed up because Antonio said that the guards will be searching for him and place a lockdown on the city any time soon, we quickly walk out of the inn where the situation was thankfully still as usual, no guards searching around the premise.

As we passed the gate’s guards went as far from Sanctiacob, I saw Antonio, he stopped in this sunny but somewhat temperate day, not far away from me and the gate.

“You know if you still have doubts about this, you can still go back! It might not be adventurous like what me and my party have, but… it’s stable, it’s predictable, and it’s safe first and foremost!” I tried to sway him to stay in his old life.

“Yeah… but… when I set foot out of this gate, without the guards, without the knights, especially without father… I feel somewhat alive, it’s like I am finally breathing! I…” As I saw that face, that face of life, I right away knew that my swaying was wrong…

Henry really do know how to make good calls… haha…

I then grabbed his arm and pulled him off from his old life and introduce him to his new life.