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Evangeline
"The joy of carriage travels, yay," said Lily in a sarcastic tone as soon as we reached our first stop. It was only the second day into our journey, and she was already finding the bumpy ride challenging.
We had a long week of travel ahead of us to reach the capital and thankfully, the roads of the kingdom seemed quite safe, and us being guarded by only four soldiers was apparently enough.
"Aye, you ladies are lucky" the coachman remarked after hearing Lily complain. "Ordinary folks like us can't afford to travel on these fancy roads 'cause of the high tolls. We're stuck with the dirt or unofficial paths. But you've got it smooth. No bandits, no monsters, no broken wheels."
Lily, clearly unimpressed, turned towards me for support. But to be honest, I was just glad to be traveling in a carriage, so I simply shrugged.
My lack of assistance made her let out a "Mhpf" before she went back to the carriage likely to sulk.
Meanwhile, the coachman struck up a conversation with me. "The guards received some orders 'pparently, you should talk to em before they go back to patrollin' the perimeter" he said.
Taking his suggestion, I approached the guards. They were amid a lively discussion.
"No, Bruce, you're the one who should be explainin' things to the ladies. I'm no good at talkin' to nobles and even worse if it's 'bout a pointy ear," one guard said. "Luke is right, she looks like those asshats scholars we escorted last year. Bunch of snobs I'm tellin' ya. It's your duty as lieutenant to handle these matters," another chimed in.
Just as Bruce was about to respond, he noticed me and quickly whacked his soldiers on their helmets with the pummel of his dagger.
"Oof The fuck was that for fu-" said one of the guards but before he could speak more, Bruce addressed me" Apologies, milady. My mens meant no disrespect; they're just a bit rough around the edges".
One guard looked like he wanted to protest but fell silent when he turned around and saw me, the other was getting as pale as paper.
"It's fine, just speak freely. I don't mind," I reassured them in a laid-back manner.
This immediately broke the tension, with one guard even bursting into laughter. "An elf that doesn't put on airs or speak in riddles? Must be dreamin'," joked one of them. The other started looking at me like I was some kind of alien.
Turning away from the guards, I focused on Bruce. "The coachman mentioned that you had something to tell me." I inquired.
"Oh yeah, we've received royal orders last stop. They look official, straight from the guild. Apparently, we will only escort you to the capital's gates. From there, the royal guards will take over, escorting you and the lady to the academy," he explained.
Sceptical, I requested to see the orders. He immediately handed me a beautifully crafted scroll with gold embroidery while saying " I assure you that's standard procedure. All students headed to the royal academy we escorted in the past went through this. Something about protection in the capital, where mercenaries like us can't always ensure your safety without possibly causing offense,".
The document was adorned with gold ink, mana-infused text, and bore a signature and a seal featuring a crown, indicating its official nature.
I went to share this with Lily, knocking on the locked carriage door. "Lily, can you look at this document? It's about the royal academy."
Her response was muffled and grumpy, demanding an apology for my earlier lack of solidarity.
Playing along with her petulance, and to avoid losing my time on something so childish, I offered a simple apology. Satisfied, she opened the door, still acting like some tsundere but did nonetheless examine the document.
After Lily had a moment to review the scroll, she looked up, puzzled. "So, what's the problem? This looks legitimate to me."
Seeing my confused expression, she elaborated, "This document follows all the official markings and rules. If someone managed to forge this, they'd be skilled enough to easily embezzle public funds from any entity under the crown. I seriously doubt anyone capable of pulling off such feats would bother to go that far to abduct a baron's daughter from the countryside like me if that's what you've been worried about”.
Since her logic was sound, I informed Bruce we would proceed as planned. I was still a bit surprised that Lily had awareness of kidnapping when most of the time I've spent with her, she seemed completely clueless about those. "W-what? Why are you looking at me like that? Father told me about all the dangerous stuff outside of home before we departed! Ah hah! I bet you thought of something mean, didn't you?" said Lily in a reproachful tone.
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Time flew by quickly, and before we knew it, we were nearing the capital. The distant towers, once barely visible through the sparse forest, were now visible in all their glory. As the trees thinned out, the sight before us was breathtaking.
The colossal walls of the capital, adorned with intricate sculptures and decorations, stretched farther than the eye could see. Atop these walls, dozens of towers stood tall, some bare, while others were crowned with gleaming crystals. As we drew closer, the tiny dots in the sky turned into griffons, patrolling the sky above.
The entrance of the city was bustling. An immense queue formed in front of the gates, neatly divided into four lines. As we approached, a knight atop an armoured giant lizard made his way to us.
"Halt. State your rank and reason for visit," he commanded. Surrounding us, four more knights on horseback observed the scene, their hands resting on ornately decorated rifles.
Our bodyguards quickly presented an emblem and a scroll, engaging in a brief exchange with the knight. With a nod, he directed us to the shortest of the four lines, shouting, "Clear, line 1."
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Our coachman wasted no time, steering our carriage towards the indicated line. The walls loomed even larger as we neared, towering over us at a staggering height. The sign for our line read, "Line 1 - Noble mage - High priority - Drivers, be quick and disciplined or face punishment."
Another swift exchange at the gate, and we were handed two golden medallions through the carriage window. "Miladys, these are your entry and exit passes. Keep them safe, preferably in your Dimensional ring or another secure place," the gate guard advised before excusing himself. The carriage sped through the tunnel cutting through the wall, emerging into the city after about twenty seconds. 'the walls sure are thick' I thought.
Upon emerging from the tunnel, we executed a sharp right turn, halting before a group of six formidable knights. Their extravagant attire loudly proclaimed their affiliation with the royal guard, mixing elegance with unmistakable readiness for battle. Parked behind them were two carriages: the first, a rather ordinary wooden cargo type carriage pulled by two horses; the second, a stark contrast, boasted heavy armour as if prepared for warfare, drawn by two bull-like golems.
The guards swiftly instructed the maids to transfer our luggage and pets to the standard carriage, while courteously inviting us to board the armoured vehicle. At my questioning look towards them while I pointed to the two doebbits, one of the guards gestured for me to inspect the regular carriage. Inside, I found two cushions, bowls of water, and carrots prepared for my pets. Comforted by this, I left the doebbits in their care and joined Lily in our designated carriage.
As we moved past the guards, they saluted with a proud "Glory to Verdentia! Glory to the future mages!" and then assumed their protective formation around us. Two guards secured themselves to the sides, their feet on small platforms for stability, another stationed himself atop the carriage, and the lead guard took the reins. Without waiting for the second carriage, we embarked at a quick pace. The guard on the roof navigated us through the capital's lively streets, his shouts parting the crowds. The city bustled around us, a maze of buildings ranging from four to seven stories high.
I saw passing a lot of interesting vitrines full of clothes, weapons, jewelleries and strange trinkets. They were certainly something I planned to check on later, but I was searching for one important thing: bakeries. They had chocolate shops, candy shops, bagel shops and restaurants of all sorts but no bakeries on the main road.
As we transitioned from the dense, lively streets of the capital into the more serene noble quarters, the environment around us shifted dramatically. Elegant mansion’s with quaint gardens hinted at our arrival in the noble district. The subtle odour of sweat, piss and smoke was replaced by the one of flowers. The anticipation of reaching the academy grew, especially as we passed a golden gate and buildings reminiscent of French Haussmannian architecture came into view.
As we navigated through academy grounds, I noticed many individuals around my age leisurely wandering around. Yet, intriguingly, our carriage bypassed the area that seemed unmistakably like a residential district. Instead, we came to a halt outside what appeared to be barracks, where the royal guards dismounted and were replaced by a humanoid golem that swiftly took control of the reins. Merely a minute later, we entered a tunnel and emerged into what resembled a circular arena.
The ground was blanketed with sand, and several reinforced carriages were stationed in the center, each filled with nobles who looked around bewilderedly from the windows of their carriage. Despite my efforts, the doors remained securely locked, Lily, seeing this, started to get a bit stressed. After an agonizing wait, a series of clicks signalled the unlocking of the carriage doors, and a wave of confused passengers spilled out. Some immediately attempted to find an escape by taking to the air, but they were promptly thwarted by invisible barriers, like flies hitting a window.
It was in this tumultuous atmosphere that a shrill voice pierced the air, attracting everyone's attention "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?! I REQUEST AN EXPLANATION, BY ROYAL ORDERS. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" The source of the commotion was a red-faced teenager, his indignation amplified by the support of a clique of aristocrats that accompanied him.
Curiosity piqued, I turned to Lily for insight. "Who is he?" I whispered, pointing at the irate youth.
With a cautionary nudge, Lily advised, "That's the third prince. Be careful not to draw his attention. This guy always brings troubles."
Before the buffoon of a royal could continue his tantrum, a fireball appeared in the sky, aimed directly at him. A swiftly conjured mana shield by his entourage neutralized the attack. Before anyone could sigh of relief and attempt to figure out what was going on, the air filled with a barrage of spells ranging from ice, fire, water, and wind. It was chaos, most people started running around like headless chicken and others used the carriages as shield.
In the midst of the chaos, protecting Lily and myself became my top priority. I took Lily's hand, intending to return to the safety of our carriage. However, before we could reach it, portals suddenly appeared along the arena walls, releasing a horde of masked figures. Their identical attire made them seem like an eerie, unified force as they began to either conjure spells or advance towards us.
A commanding voice cut through the chaos, rallying us. "WE NEED TO ASSEMBLE, EVERYONE, TO ME," declared a young man in bluish armour, exuding an aura of authority. Remarkably, he wielded a massive sword, 'where he got it from was a mystery, but meh who cares' I thought, since his readiness for combat was unmistakable. Meanwhile, the third prince called out from afar, his voice lacking the same drive: "MY SUBJECTS, COME FULFILL YOUR DUTY AND PROTECT THE CROWN." Swiftly, the crowd divided into two factions. The prince's followers quickly moved behind the "big sword guy's" group, using them like a shield against the oncoming hostiles while the other groups reinforced their position.
I made my way toward the "big sword guy's" group, drawn by his proximity and apparent reliability. As we navigated past hastily constructed earth barriers, the temporary leader issued a command: "Fire!" His order triggered a barrage of spells toward the attackers. Although the spectacle of a rain of spells was visually striking, the efficacy of each varied significantly; most fizzled upon impact, while only a few managed to strike with some force or incapacitate their targets. Interestingly, there were no bodies left behind; those struck by what seemed to be lethal magic vanished into ethereal motes without a trace. On the other hand, non-lethal spells caused visible harm to the young nobles, who, unaccustomed to physical pain, dramatically collapsed, wailing and screaming for help, reminiscent of football players exaggerating injuries on Earth.
Observing the minimal damage required to immobilize the young aristocrats, and with the number of "fallen" (aka drama queens) nobles rising, I opted to do what I was good at : healing. Accompanied by Lily, who calmed the teens down while I attended to their injuries, we moved through the battlefield. Our actions caught the attention of two earth mages who decided to give us cover with their earth shields.
The morale within our impromptu battalion soared, thanks in part to our efforts and those of other healers who joined in. Seeing their peers quickly tended to, the young combatants found renewed vigor to confront the attackers.
As I moved about, I occasionally caught glimpses of the third prince and his entourage. They seemed primarily focused on observing the chaos from afar and ensuring their own safety.
After a tense standoff that saw neither side gaining the upper hand, a horn sounded, which made the mysterious foes retreat to their portals, leaving behind a coliseum filled with confusion youths.
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Suddenly, the perimeter of the arena blurred, what was once empty stages were filled with an applauding audience. An elderly man with a unpractically long white beard descended from the sky, "Greetings to our new juniors, who have successfully passed the welcome committee ceremony!" he proclaimed, his voice rich with enthusiasm as it carried over the cheers. The students who had fallen during the battle reappeared through small portals, a lot of them bewildered by the sudden change.
"First, let's thank the second year's fight club for participating in the organisation of this year’s newcomers' baptism!" exclaimed the old man. Multiple screens materialized mid-air, each showing the 'mysterious attackers,' now unmasked and bowing to the audience.
"This year's betting odds were set at one out of ten in favor of the junior standing their ground! With over a hundred thousand Verdant Merits on the line, congratulations are in order for the winners who definitely won big today! The Merits will be distributed in the coming two days," echoed another feminine voice across the arena that sounded like those sports commentators.
"Yes indeed, Layla, with the spectacle now concluded, we kindly ask everyone to exit the coliseum before the cleaning teams arrive. Glory to Prometheus!" the bearded man announced. "Glory to Prometheus!" the crowd echoed in response, before beginning to disperse.
As for us, we found ourselves guided towards the exit by individuals in grey robes. The air was buzzing with excitement; conversations sparked among many, with the "big sword guy”, now unarmed, being the center of attention and receiving accolades from most students. In contrast, the prince watched him, his expression a complex mix of annoyance and jealousy.
'It seems this is their unique way of welcoming new students...' I mused internally. Lily, appearing somewhat detached, simply followed along with the crowd, her thoughts elsewhere. The grey-robed guides eventually led us to a vast, stationary portal, which transported us to a well-furnished conference room. The setup was inviting, with comfortable cushioned chairs and tables, attended by maids holding trays of refreshments and snacks. The elderly man we had seen earlier was already at the podium, his gaze sweeping over the room as we settled into our seats. With everyone comfortably seated, snacks and beverages at hand, he began his speech.