After a few minutes, Aric asked for the chief to come in.
“My Lord, Lady Isolde, Young Lady Evelina, and Young Lord Rowan.” The chief said, lowering his head.
“Chief, how are you this morning? Is everything ready for my departure?” Asked Aric.
“Yes, sir. I went to the stables early in the morning and everything was ready.”
“Perfect, Evelina is going with me this time, so ask the maids for extra amazing foods to eat on the way. We’ll leave in 2 hours.”
“Yes, sir. I also need to discuss another matter with you, my lord.” Said the chief.
“Please speak.”
“Is there a way we can discuss this privately, sir?”
From the posture of the chief, Lady Isolde knew something was troubling their guard.
“There are no secrets here. If something is troubling you, share it with us, and we will take care of it.” Said Isolde, as Aric confirmed with his head.
Realizing there was no way out, the chief’s skin went pale, as if a ghost had scared him to his soul.
“I need… To update the report… the report after the ritual, my lord.”
He didn’t even realize he was speaking inward and with his voice trembling.
“Update the report? Speak properly, chief. What happened?”
The man standing before his lords coughed, trying to find the words that would infuriate Lady Isolde the least.
“The fact is, one of the kids had unexpected growth in the last weeks.”
“Stop wasting our time, SPEAK!” Said Rowan, hitting the table with his fork on the left hand.
“Rowan, manners. You are a noble. Now, chief, go on.” Said Isolde.
“Ok, my Lady. I came to report that one child was able to develop one confirmed skill and one unknown other. He learned Physical Improvement Beginner. It is one of the initial tasks of any soldier in the army or cadet at the Royal Academy. The second skill or more is unknown. Combining them and their levels, he got a status bonus of +2 strg, +4 dex, and +4 agi.”
“Amazing! Was it the kid with the speed blessing? He looked promising!” Asked Aric in a celebratory mood.
The chief continued looking back and forth between the Lord and Lady Isolde.
“No sir... It was Bryn, my Lord. He was the one who unlocked the skills.”
Evelina couldn’t help but laugh at the news. She knew her mother and brother hated the faun. She couldn’t help herself and taunted her brother.
“Hey Rowan! If not for your blessing’s bonus, you would have fewer stats than the faun! Hahah”
Aric knew how sensitive the topic was. He now regretted his decision not to listen to the Chief in private. While thinking of what to say, his mind got interrupted by a burst of killing intent radiated from Rowan towards his sister.
“I want to see how great you are, oh mighty sister. To say something like that to me!!! You must be ready to face the consequences!!!” Said Rowan as he jumped over the table, going after his sister's head.
The room went in slow motion as the kid was in the air. His sister was preparing herself for his strike.
Aric looked at Isolde and the Chief, checking if anyone would intervene.
“Do not worry. He may have strength because of his blessings, but she is much more skilled than him. It will be an interesting experience for him. He must realize he will need dedication to explore his blessing's powers.” Said Isolde.
“If you say so… If he goes overboard, stop him, chief.”
“Yes, my lord.”
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Without Rowan and Evelina realizing it, time went back to normal.
Rowan used his momentum forward to kick Evelina, aiming at her face.
She blocked while sidestepping and moving her body in an angular motion, not to absorb the entire hit.
Realizing that Rowan was stronger than her, she decided to close the distance. Arriving in a split second, she punched at her brother. He was still finding his footing after the sideways kick over the table. The punches came unnoticed.
Rowan had never felt so much disgust and rage in his life. First, his sister had compared him to a lower species. Specifically, the faun he had tormented for a whole year. There was no way that the faun would be more powerful than he!
Second, he decides to teach her a lesson. She displayed good movement speed, precision, and an icy personality. Even colder than their mother.
The punches were enough for him to fall to the ground. As he fell, she charged a kick to the back of his head with all her strength. But at the last second, the chief stepped between the two and stopped the situation from worsening.
“Good job, Evelina. A Lady needs to know how to defend herself. Rowan, you must learn that you must be more than your blessing. Now, both of you, to your rooms.” Ordered Isolde.
“Thank you, chief. We’ll talk later. I must speak with Isolde about this situation.” Said Aric as she handled the situation with their children.
“Yes, sir.” Said the chief. As he left, the room was quiet. Aric was having a hard time believing what happened. When he heard the name Bryn, he expected Isolde to complain. Instead, he got Evelina to display behaviors not suited for a lady. Rowan allowed anger to cloud his judgment and attacked his sister, the opposite of a Royal Knight.
Isolde approached him with her face cold as ice. He could almost taste her resentment.
“As you can see, Aric, your fauns are dividing us. Again. Even if, as a joke, Evelina compared your son with a faun... Rowan, whose blessing and future allowed her to get close to Adrian and you to become friends with an Earl... With a measly faun!!!" Said Isolde as she passed behind the sitting down Aric.
“Evelina’s action was absurd. You’ll speak to her about this. I’ll speak with Rowan about him attacking his sister. The fauns are not the problem, Isolde. Your anger got passed down to Rowan.” Aric answered.
“How dare you blame our children. Or are you blaming me for what happened? No one should get compared with those damn creatures.” Isolde said. Her arm reached for the table over Aric’s shoulder.
“Enough. While I’m gone, I’ll order the chief to take good care of the fauns. You are not to mistreat them in any way. We can learn his method of unlocking skills and improve the farm…” Said Aric, evading his wife as he got up to leave.
“There are things much more important than the farm, Aric.”
“I said ENOUGH!” he glanced back at her, hitting the table with his fists. The table trembled as he continued.
“You are not to harm the fauns while I’m away, Isolde. I want you to promise me that you will not jeopardize our harvest and a good servant.”
“I promise you that neither I nor the guards are going to touch a hair on the faun’s fur…” she said.
“Good.”
The goodbyes were fast and cold. Aric left the mansion together with Evelina and many guards towards Lumiur.
As they left, the Farm was again under Lady Isolde’s rule.
In the first week, everything stayed the same. Sylas, Freya, and Bryn got their rabbits, worked in the fields, and cared for the animals. Bryn focused his training on the new skill, Parkour.
The rate of improvement was fantastic, and the feeling he got from it was addictive. It didn’t take long to comprehend the difference in mobility. Before, he had one on almost every status, and now he has five times as much on dexterity and agility.
In the second week, many servants were told there would be another city caravan. This time, Lady Isolde had asked the guards and servants to accompany her to the great market of the west.
Bryn got excited when he heard the news. Going into a big city would reveal much information he could still not acquire on the farm. If he wanted to devise a plan for the future, comprehending society's rules was a must.
Many families were also going when the fauns arrived at the guard's meeting point. Bryn recognized the kids from the Ceremony in Stellawood.
It wasn’t long before the chief told everyone the plan. Bryn noticed the man’s life went from good to worse in the past few weeks. His eyes were heavy, his skin pale and weak. It felt like he hadn't slept in days.
“Everyone, today we leave for the city of Valenhaven. The trip will take around 8 hours, so do not ask the guards if we are almost there yet. The Lady will be with us; do not bother her either. We'll go in a few moments.” Said the chief.
When Freya and Sylas heard the city's name, both exchanged a look that their son could read into.
“Mom, Dad, have you ever gone to this city? Is it a big city?” asked Bryn.
“No, son. We have not gone there. But the city’s reputation is known to many.” Freya answered.
“It is the city where a noble can get anything.” Sylas complimented.
“My logical brain tells me that it couldn’t be that bad. Earth had incredible cities with such nicknames. But knowing this crazy place I ended up, I’m sure they will surprise me.”
“It doesn’t sound that bad…” Bryn said
“Don’t worry, son…” Sylas placed his hand on Bryn’s head.
“It is time! All servants go to the caravans.” said the chief, pointing towards the carts.
The trip went on without problems. The roads were well taken care of. From Bryn's trips, the region was either very safe or well-policed. He hadn’t heard of any accidents, thugs, or bandits groups. This time, the caravan went to the southeast. The vegetation didn’t change much during their travels.
Soon, they started to see small camping sites. All filled with men, women, and children. Even though there were families, it was impossible to relate to the reality on the farm. On every tent, one could see swords, armor, and shields. Weapons of every kind could be seen from the caravan.
“I’m guessing this is a military city! I’m finally going to see a big city in this world! Do they look stunning as old Paris should?” Bryn thought.
His prayers were answered. Soon, they were able to see the city walls. It was much bigger than Stellawood. At least eight or ten times as big. There were people everywhere. The closer you got to the city, the fewer the campsites were, and a massive line formed at the gate.
Like Stellawood, Valenhaven had a checkpoint at the entrance. The difference lay in the proportions. Many more guards were armed to the teeth at the city entrance. You could barely see their eyes under the armor. Two guards were on each side, all holding spears and a sword on their waist. It took the caravan an hour in line to get checked.
After the check, the caravan crossed the first wall. Crossing the checkpoint, Bryn looked up and tried to check the citadel’s height. The wall must be 5 meters high and at least 3 meters wide. This was a city prepared for the worst.
The more they entered the city, the livelier it was. The streets were bustling with warriors clad in various armor. Some sharpen their weapons, and others engage in exalted conversations about their following contracts. The air was thick with the scent of metal and leather.
The buildings were a mix of sturdy stone structures and wood. Banners of various groups hang from the buildings, displaying their sigils and titles. The background noises in the area were the clang of metal on metal. Blacksmiths worked their furnaces, catering to the ever-present demand for armor and weapons.
After many such buildings, Bryn was able to see a huge castle. The castle had a shield with a sword and a dagger, and staff crossed behind it, forming a sigil. The drawing was placed perfectly in the middle of some letters Bryn couldn’t understand.
“Hey, guard sir, what is that building over there?” Bryn asked.
“That is the Guild Hall.” the guard answered.
“What does it do?”
“You have many questions today, hmm... Usually, it provides adventurers with guild requests. Here in Valenhaven, it controls both the adventurer's trade and the mercenaries.”
“Interesting, that should be why they have so many armed people around…” Bryn pondered out loud.
“Yes. Now shut up; we are almost there.” the guard said.