As the moon hung high in the night sky, Hikaru approached the Aristocratic Checkpoint donning his new attire adorned with the added royal family insignia. The guards not only didn’t stop him, but also salute him when he was passing the East Aristocratic Checkpoint, which made him salute them back. He then set his course towards Fujimoto residence, guided by the distant glow of light crystals illuminating the streets.
At the gate of the Fujimoto residence, Hikaru informed the guards of his desire to report to the prince, mentioning that the prince was expecting him. After a brief wait, one of the guards escorted him to a library within the residence, where Prince Clay was engrossed in a book. The guard left him there and resumed his duty, while Hikaru stood patiently, afraid to disturb the prince.
Clay suddenly closed the book he was reading and asked him: “So, Hikaru, tell me how the meeting went?”
Upon hearing the prince's question, Hikaru greeted him respectfully before delving into a detailed account of the meeting. He recounted the entire incident involving the Nightwing Harpies, along with his conversation with Kaito.
After hearing Hikaru's report, Clay remarked: “Interesting. You made the right decision! It seems we'll have to wait for him to reach out. So, what's your plan to keep busy while we wait?” Clay asked.
“I plan to tackle a couple of adventure missions to earn some coin, Your Highness!” Hikaru replied with determination.
Clay paused, considering. “Hmm, sounds risky. How about I lend you one of my subordinates? After all, you've proven to be quite valuable to me!”
As Clay's offer settled in, Hikaru couldn't help but wonder: ‘Is the prince genuinely concerned about my well-being, or does he intend to use his subordinate to keep tabs on me because he doesn’t trust me?’
“You are too kind, Your Highness, but I’m afraid I can't provide her with suitable accommodation at the moment. I’m currently staying in a one-bedroom hotel room not far from the East Aristocratic Checkpoint,” Hikaru responded with gratitude.
“Don’t worry, I’ll also arrange lodging for you in the second ring,” Clay offered. “How does that sound?”
“But what if Kaito were to discover that my lodging was provided by Your Highness? Or there was your highness subordinate in my lodging? After all, he mentioned that he would contact me," Hikaru asked.
“You don’t need to worry, he won’t! You’re thinking too much.” Clay said.
"Then I will gladly accept your offer, Your Highness. Thank you for the consideration," Hikaru replied while bowing to him.
"Lydia," Clay called, his hand extending in a beckoning gesture toward one of his subordinates in the room. The figure, draped in a sleek black cape with a hood drawn up, approached with a determined stride.
Responding to the prince's beckoning gesture, Lydia gracefully approached and bowed. “At your service,"
Lydia was a battle-hardened warrior in her early thirties. As a frostfolk, she possessed an angular facial structure with high cheekbones, piercing blue eyes that mirrored the icy depths of her homeland, and a cascade of dark hair framing her face.
Clay then introduced Lydia to Hikaru: “Hikaru this person is Lydia, she was one of my trusted subordinates. If you want to contact me, you can do so through her.”
Hikaru extended a respectful nod towards Lydia, acknowledging her presence. “Nice to meet you, Lydia,” he said with a friendly smile.
Lydia's expression remained impassive as she acknowledged Hikaru’s greeting with a brief nod. “Likewise,” she replied curtly with a distant tone.
Clay leaned in to whisper some instructions to Lydia before turning to Hikaru. “Now you two can head out. Lydia will show you to your new accommodation.”
After Clay dismissed them, they made their way out of the library. Lydia hoisted a massive backpack onto her shoulders, already bulging with her belongings, and placed them in a carriage that had been prepared for their journey. Together, they embarked towards their new accommodation. Along the way, Lydia took the opportunity to outline the rules and regulations of their cooperation to Hikaru.
"Hikaru, from now on, I need you to keep me informed about everything you do," Lydia stated firmly. "Once we reach our accommodation, you'll have 3 days to move out from the hotel to our new lodging. Understood?"
Hikaru's mind raced with disbelief. ‘What!? We haven’t even arrived yet and you're already giving orders. Looks like you're really here to keep tabs on me!’ he thought to himself.
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"But I thought your role was to protect me. Why are you suddenly ordering me around?" Hikaru questioned.
Lydia sighed, her expression softening slightly. "Yes, I was assigned to protect you, but the prince didn't specify that I should act solely as your bodyguard. He left the means of protection to my own discretion."
Not long after, the carriage arrived at a bakery shop called the Purple Walnut. They alighted from the carriage, and Lydia proceeded to knock on the door. A person named Loyd inside peered through the sliding peephole and welcomed them inside. Loyd was a frostfolk with an average height and medium build. He had an oval-shaped face with short, brown hair, and a slightly crooked nose.
The house where Hikaru would be staying was a modest two-story building, with the first floor reserved as a bakery shop and the second story serving as living quarters. There were three bedrooms on the second story: one for Hikaru, one for Lydia, and the last one for Loyd, the gentleman who welcomed them at the door. The house's architecture was pretty unique, with the stairs located way back in the kitchen.
Hikaru surveyed his new bedroom while Lydia settled her belongings in her own bedroom. Next, Lydia called Hikaru to their cozy living room upstairs, where Loyd awaited them in one of the plush armchairs. With a composed demeanor, Lydia introduced Loyd to Hikaru. She emphasized that Loyd was among Clay’s most trusted subordinates, indicating that he was someone Hikaru could rely on.
“Hello there, Hikaru! I’m Loyd. Prince Clay briefed me about your situation. If there’s anything you need during your stay here, feel free to ask,” Loyd said warmly.
“Thank you, Loyd. I appreciate your help. I’ll be sure to let you know if I need anything,” Hikaru replied with a nod and a warm smile.
“Loyd manages Purple Walnut as a cover, but he’s actually a highly skilled mage. If you have any questions about magic, feel free to ask him. Oh, and before I forget, I need to assess your combat capability before I allow you to go on adventures! So tomorrow morning, I’ll be waiting for you downstairs,” Lydia added.
“Where do you plan on taking me Lydia?” Hikaru asked.
“You'll find out tomorrow!” Lydia replied cryptically, her tone leaving no room for further argument. “Loyd will also be providing breakfast, lunch, and dinner for us during our stay. So be sure you're on time or you'll miss out on the meals.”
After engaging in conversation for a while, Hikaru excused himself and retired to his bedroom. There, he spent some time in meditation, replenishing his mana reserves before finally settling into bed for the night.
#*#*#*#
Catching the first light of the morning, Hikaru rose from his slumber and joined Loyd and Lydia for a hearty breakfast. After they finished their meal, Loyd opened the shop for business while Hikaru, dressed in his adventuring gear, followed Lydia to be assessed. Together, they ventured two blocks away to a nearby Training Hall.
Similar to other kingdoms, Bailey collaborate with the Adventure Guild to establish training halls within their kingdom. These halls offered all kind of training services for both warriors and mages, enticing them to settle in the kingdom and become citizens. Some of these facilities are free for adventurers of a certain rank, while low-rank adventurers need to pay to use them.
As Lydia and Hikaru reached the entrance of the training hall, they flashed their Adventure Guild Cards to the attendant, who promptly waved them in after a quick check. Once inside, Lydia presented her guild card to the receptionist, indicating her C-rank adventurer status. This allowed her to book a 100-square-meter training ground for their training session, free of charge.
‘Wow, I had no idea the Adventure Guild offered these kinds of facilities,’ Hikaru mused to himself on their way to the training ground.
As they stepped onto the training ground, Lydia instructed Hikaru to begin the sparring session and to attack her using any techniques at his disposal.
‘I just need to impress her enough so that she'll allow me to undertake adventure missions,’ Hikaru thought to himself.
Hikaru activated [Phoenix Wings], using them to ascend gracefully into the air. Peering down at Lydia, he asked: “May I unleash a fireball spell?”
“Suit yourself.” Lydia replied casually, her demeanor unwavering.
Hikaru began casting [Fireball: Mini] and aimed it at Lydia. He controlled his casting duration to last about 3 seconds and adjusted the inner magic diagram to reduce the fireball's potency. Lydia effortlessly dodged the first fireball, as Hikaru persisted to continue launching [Fireball: Mini] every 3 seconds. Yet, each of his feigned attempts failed to find its target.
After Hikaru unleashed his fifth [Fireball: Mini], Lydia gracefully sidestepped the fiery projectile with a fluid movement. In response, she swiftly launched a [Flying Slash] attack with her sword, aiming directly at Hikaru. To her surprise, he effortlessly evaded her strike with a nimble maneuver, his reflexes sharper than she anticipated. She called for a timeout, prompting Hikaru to land on the ground and deactivated his [Phoenix Wings].
“You're clearly not giving it your all in this fight; I can tell. I've been through countless battles, so don't underestimate me, kid. Let me guess—you think your Prodigy talent makes you so special. Being a Prodigy will only hinder you if it isn't properly utilized!” Lydia exclaimed.
‘It seems Lydia believes that my high attributes stem from a Prodigy talent rather than being a human lord. It’s better if she believes this misconception rather than knowing the origin of my power,’ Hikaru mused silently.
Prodigy is a rare talent that enables its possessor to accelerate their training progress, achieving double the results with the same effort compared to someone lacking this talent. However, like other talents, Prodigy occupies 3 Vose of Soul Space, thereby decreasing the number of special skills the possessor can master. Additionally, unlike being an orby of higher variants, which automatically confers higher base attributes, Prodigy solely accelerates one’s progress.
“Sorry,” Hikaru apologized. “During my time with Kaito, I learned the importance of concealing my true abilities. It was necessary to prevent him from being wary of me, so it became a habit.”
“Don't worry about it,” Lydia reassured. “But let's avoid doing it again since you won’t progress otherwise.”
Hikaru nodded in understanding as Lydia continued: “I know your clan loves their long-range attacks and flying tricks. It’s impressive in the open, but it’s a whole different story in tight spaces like buildings or dungeons.”
“So, I recommend you learn martial arts with me during your stay. It’ll help you defend yourself from Kaito’s subordinates when you’re in confined spaces. What do you think? And don’t even think about going on adventure missions alone; I forbid you!” Lydia declared.
‘Looks like she’s searching for any excuse to prevent me from going on adventure missions,’ Hikaru mused. ‘But let's just wait and see how it plays out.’
“I will gladly accept your offer, Lydia. Thank you!” Hikaru bowed gratefully.
Lydia then began to teach Hikaru about some common military skills. Despite his prior training, Lydia's approach felt more personal and hands-on. With her direct guidance, Hikaru could immediately put theory into practice, refining his techniques through hands-on experience. After approximately two hours, they finished their first training session together. Lydia needed to leave as she had other matters to attend to, so Hikaru was forced to stop his training abruptly.