Leaving the city was a lot easier than entering it. Instead of lining up in the queues and waiting for the crowd in front of him to be checked out first, all Mike had to endure was slow speed while passing the gate.
When his carriage finally emerged from dim depths of the gateway, a young merchant finally saw how the once beautiful fields behind the city deteriorated. Vast expanses of unattended farmlands scared passersby with loads of rotting corn, wheat, and other cereals.
Without an experienced hand to tend the fields, ripe harvest laid wasted in the open. According to overheard rumours from the Inn, the city government tried to harvest as much of it as possible, but after initial failures, they simply gave it up.
There were not enough hands to finish the task! Kingdom drafted most of the farmers, merchants had their jobs and nobles... Who could even think about sending them into mundane labour?!
This problem occurred all over the Altarcia, with the situation worsening with every step east taken. Some might be misjudge that the closer one gets to the capital, the better the situation should be. In the end, drafting and organising the soldiers was a lot easier in the Kingdom core than forcing military prescription in the sparse population from western colonisers!
"Don't you miss them already? There is no one to play cards with!"
Xyenna complained while leisurely stretching her back. No matter what kind of movement she made, she paid her utmost attention to keep her sleeping spot from deforming. With the lack of previous goods on the carriage, she had to settle on sleeping at the grain and flour bags. Who would've guessed that such a successful and mystical merchant as Mike would give her such hardships!
Not bothering to even look at his lone companion, Mike turned himself down. There was no point in engaging in the small talk right now. They just left the city and had two to three day's long journey ahead of them. If they use up all the topics to discuss at the very beginning of this voyage, how would they pass the time later on?
"Come on! Don't leave me hanging here! I'm bored!"
Unsettled by lack of the response, the girl sent a hateful glare towards the back of her employer. While she was getting paid for protecting him, events back in the city made her realise that it actually could've been just a farce.
He stopped her actions several times! The inexperienced eye could amount it to just pure luck, but the grace of fortune couldn't stop veterans at her level! That could've happened if it was Verkel's blessing, but everyone knew what kind of gift Mike possessed!
Every time she was thinking about it, Xyenna couldn't help but feel tricked. It was clear that he acted as if he wasn't skilled in real brawls, but his efficiency in stopping her belied his actions! Just thinking about it made her humour worsen a bit.
"Anyway, would you mind explaining one thing? Why did you even bother to employ me? From what I saw, it's not like you need any help in defending yourself!"
Maybe because of his lack of any response, maybe because of her boredom, she unconsciously blurted out this question. After realising that her thoughts got the better of her and finally left her mouth, she comically covered her lips and blushed a bit.
While there was nothing wrong with asking this question in theory, what if Mike didn't know his potential beforehand? What if he chose to get rid of her now? Where could she find someone who would pay her for just lazing and whining around?!
"You are a capable fighter. I might be one as well, but my gift isn't related to brawls at all. I would lack the edge over true warriors. And let's be honest, fighting is just a last resort, deterrence is what I needed. Most of the petty criminals wouldn't hesitate to attack lone merchant, but will stop in their tracks if put against swordmistress like you."
Unable to put himself into a half-asleep state due to Xyenna's constant nagging, Mike finally gave up on his idea and answered truthfully. From the lack of movement of his body, Xyenna understood that he wasn't bothered by any dangerous ideas. Still, irked by his response, she couldn't help but ask.
"Is it worth it? For the wage I'm promised, you could easily rent some dangerous-looking guards! Wouldn't they fill the role a lot better than me?"
At this point, Mike sighed deeply and put the reins on the couch. They were on the straight road, so horse would just follow the tract even without Mike in control.
After resting his back against the wooden wall of the carriage, he turned to the girl lying at the trunk.
"And what would I discuss with them? How would I pass my time with that kind of people? If someone is looking dangerous, he must've been through enough shit to attain his look. Those people won't enjoy talking like we can. And to be honest... You are young enough to still be open-minded. How would the events in the city end if my guard were to succeed in starting the fight? What would happen if he clashed with Horien, not to speak about guards? Would he keep following me on the seemingly stupid journey to Uveno?"
"What are you trying to imply! Are you happy with a guard unable to step in when this stuff happened back then?"
Somehow unhappy about his explanation, Xyenna asked with an annoyed voice. Mike's words sounded both as if he was disregarding and complimenting her at the same time. Plagued by doubt about his actions and curiosity about his background, she couldn't come to terms with her emotions resulting in a slightly aggressive response.
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"Don't say it like that. If you were to bypass me and start a fight, Nulifier would arrive after the start of the bloodbath. And you can guess what would happen in that case."
Mike responded with passive voice. He could easily understand the reasons behind Xyen anxiety, but to tell the truth, she was far more important that what she believed.
In case of a fight, typical warriors like Horien or even Veil were easy to judge and guide towards a specific outcome. Kill the enemies in front, move up to the commander, get rid of his head, go away in the shine of the setting sun in glory. But what if the opponent knew what he could expect from them?
"I can't even count how many times have I heard about great merchants or caravan owners losing their entire wealth or even life due to their guard's straightforwardness. Compared to them, you are someone with whom I can reason with and use more efficiently."
Mike honestly explained his point of view. While it might be a little rude and cold, he believed that putting it that way would let his companion see her value in a new light.
"So you think I'm that easy to control? That's what are you trying to say? How old are you to even think like that!"
In the line of his expectations, Xyenna instantly fired up and even stood up. While her anger wasn't something that Mike was fond of, he noticed that her previous anxiety disappeared completely.
"If I'm not wrong about the dates, then I should be crossing to the twenty-second year of my life somewhere around now. Though I'm sure you are the younger one, kid!
Mike couldn't help but stick his tongue at his companion with a small grin. For some reason, this action pushed Xyenna back to her usual lying position, seemingly washing her anger away.
"Happy birthday then, old man!"
Unable to think out any better response, all she could do was hit him with the same weapon he used against her.
*****
Dorian woke up as late as usual. Just one look through the window was enough to sap his living energy. It took him almost an hour to stop bustling in the bed and finally start dressing up.
While he was donning his fancy officer's suit, his eyes unconsciously wandered toward the reflection tower. This enormous structure was the biggest pride of the Dariedic order capital. Despite being already a few hundred years old, to this day it stood alone on the architectural peak of the civilised world, impossible to be recreated anywhere else.
If one were to trust centuries-old rumours, this building was a leftover heritage left by the eastern tribes before the collapse of their own society. It was a wonder that despite being half millennia old, it still served its duty as the clock tower for the whole city.
The tower itself was just a typical stone turret. What made this building special, was an intricate mechanism at the very top. It was based on sun clock carved in marble and covered by the circular 'hat' of mirrors embroidered in stone, conical shape.
Thanks to the height of the tower, as long as other buildings didn't obstruct one's view, one could look at those mirrors to see the position of the shadow on the clock plate.
Aa the said shadow started to get dangerously close to the point when Dorian's work would start, he fastened his belt and buttoned up his cape and finally left his room.
Despite being a high officer of the Dariedic order, brotherhood laws still forced him to live in the army quarters, even if he was already rich enough to easily afford a comfy place near the reflection tower.
Just as he would step through the doors, his hand unconsciously wandered to the side and grabbed small pendant from the shelf. While it was made of pure gold, it was made up with such fine craftsmanship that at first glance, one could think it can be snapped with just a little effort.
At first, when Dorien got his hands of this small treasure, he was really worried about breaking it, but some time later, it saved his life! Just by wearing it around his neck, the pike that was aimed for his heart in one of the battles in the past, broke up upon contact with the medallion!
Since that time, the officer tried to break this thing innumerable times, just to get to know what kind of wondrous material it was made of. In the end, no matter how hard he tried or how crafty he got, the medallion always stayed as it was before.
Unable to either break or profit from it, he treated this small piece of gold as nothing more than a pendant. After all, compared to jewellery available on the local market, it was far superior!
After just a short walk, Dorien arrived at the officer's building on the city outskirts. The closer one got to the east, the less sunlight seeped through the massive walls of the fortress. This structure served as a main line of the defence against various wild tribes of the east, barring them from the civilised world.
Consisting of three layers of walls enclosing the valley exit and massive castle hidden behind them, a fortress was erected at first by the Alcartian pioneers who later became overlords of the surrounding areas. Controlling this vital choke point between east and west brought them insane wealth and gained them whole continent worth of the enemies. Later on, they made first layer of the trenches, separating two parts of the continent before total divide.
This symbol of overcoming their wild origins served as a great propaganda point, allowing said pioneers to further legitimise their claims over the vast grasslands. Even after political schism that divided the area between militarised order on the border and Kings realm on the west, they cherished those three walls as important national symbol for whole of Altarcia.
On the other hand, barbaric tribes that were kept behind the walls always saw the wall as a cage of sorts, that closed their way to the rich lands of the west. Tales told by the adventurous raiders endlessly irked their greed, resulting in the rivers of blood seeping into the earth under the fortifications.
When Dorien finally arrived at the newest third wall, a ceremony was already closing. As the acting officer of the next watch change, he proudly stepped in after just a short wait and passed the golden torch from the veteran duo to the pair of newly appointed guards.
Donned in the ceremonial suits, a pair of youths kneeled on the one knee while accepting the symbol of the order. It stayed in their hands only for a short while, only to be passed on to the ceremony-master on the side. From now on, those two youths were no longer simple recruits; they became a part of the Order!
For them, it was a grand day filled with fanfares and meaning. For Dorien on the other hand, it was just another day in the work. Immensely tired from all the hard work he had done, he swiftly left the walls, hurrying to the city behind the fortress. A big caravan was supposed to visit the market today! Who knew what kind of great goods awaited there!
It was a pity though. Even if years of comfortable job made him lazy, Dorien was still a veteran. To reach through the ranks from one of the many foot soldiers all the way to the peak of commoner ranks required a lot of achievements! If only he stayed a little longer to accompany the newly appointed and inexperienced guards, he might spot some irregular shadow on the nearby trees. If he were there, if he were incredibly lucky to look into the specific spot at the specific time… He might've noticed something. There was simply no chance that newcomer's untrained eyes could reach that far!