After traveling with little to no conversations being had, Lee was glad that they were arriving at their stopping point.

When they were trying to figure out who was going to drive the wagon, he was told that the closest settlement was a village named Breye. It was supposedly just a small farming village, but he was told that they would have a place to rest and decide where to go from there.

As they started nearing Breye, Lee noticed that sections of the ever-flowing tall grassy plains started to make their way into farmland. As he looked out the back flap of their wagon, he watched as farmers tilled open fields and inspected their crops.

This was the first time Lee had seen an actual farm since his arrival. The farms the Dark Elves used were nowhere to be seen. He thought that perhaps they were on another layer of Neldam, sort of like how they kept the children down below for their safety, but he didn’t know for sure.

The plants being grown in the first field were unfamiliar to him; they looked like a form of lettuce or cabbage, but they were a reddish-orange. A man was bent down on one knee, inspecting one of the vegetables as they passed.

Not long after, a large orchard appeared. Two children were playing through the lanes of trees, a young boy and a young girl. He could see them laughing and chasing one another.

After spending what felt like every waking moment in danger, the sight of playing children was something he could appreciate. They didn’t run into a single monster on their travels so far, and he hoped that would be a continuing trend.

Looking around the wagon, almost everyone else seemed a little disinterested in their visit to Breye. The only exception was Jeremy, who seemed slightly nervous. Lee assumed he would be the only noble in the area and would have to do noble-like things. But what did he know?

As they grew ever closer to the village, they started to pass some buildings. Lee didn’t really have any expectations of what the architecture would be like, so he was pleasantly surprised to see very well-built homes. They were half-timbered homes, similar to the old style he saw in pictures of Germany.

For now, the buildings were an uncommon sight, most likely the homes of the farmers or those who wished for some privacy. They were spread out very far away from one another.

The only building that was different from the rest was a dilapidated stone brick watchtower-like structure. It was well off the main road, with only a shoddy cobblestone path leading up to the vine-covered iron gate which encircled the structure. It was an eerie sight as the sun was beginning to set, and the orange-red sky made the structure look similar to a haunted house.

Up at the top of the watchtower, there were wooden framed windows with dark tinted glass covered in vines and moss. There was a light shining from within, and Lee could have sworn for a second that he saw a silhouette move away from the glass pane.

Jeremy coughed randomly from behind Lee, which caused him to jump in fright. Jeremy ignored it and spoke in a very respectful tone of voice.

“The village head will most likely appear to welcome us as guests. I’ll have to talk with him about getting a place to stay. Was there anything you wanted to do tonight?”

Lee thought for a moment and realized that he should at least inform the village leader that he was a healer. If someone desperately needed him now, he would go ahead and heal them. But, if there weren’t any immediate need, he wouldn’t say no to some rest and relaxation.

“I’ll heal those who need emergency medical attention tonight. You can let the village leader know that I’m willing to do that for free.”

Jeremy’s eyes widened slightly for just a moment but quickly reverted back to normal.

“That would be a good gift. There most likely won't be any need for your services as accidents are uncommon.” After a moment of indecision, Jeremy asked about some specifics. “Are you capable of healing broken bones?”

At first, Lee was mildly insulted by the insinuation that Jeremy thought perhaps he couldn’t do that. That quickly fell to the wayside as Lee remembered that nobody around him knew what he was capable of. He gave Jeremy a wry smile and shook his finger back and forth as he replied.

“You’ll be pretty surprised once you see what I can do. Was my expert-tier glacial magic not good enough for a demonstration?”

That caused Jeremy to pale, and he even attempted to give a slight bow. Lee quickly stopped that by grabbing his shoulder, causing Jeremy to tense up. He felt terrible about how they all reacted once they realized he could probably kill them all if they were standing anywhere near him. Just guessing from the level of Wall Commander Timberson; they most likely were in the single digits. They might not have a class at all.

Stolen story; please report.

“Ease up, Jeremy. As I have said before and am saying again. Treat me like an average person. Unless you call commoners peons?”

Jeremy gave a forced smile at the attempted joke. Lee sighed as Kooco chirped from the front.

“We have arrived! Rest will do us well! Very well!”

The wagon slowed and rolled to a stop. Lee hopped out the back and started to stretch a bit, sore from sitting on wood for several hours. Everybody followed after him except for Kendri. Lee looked back at his passed-out form lying in the corner of the wagon. Lee jumped back into the wagon and simply held his hand on Kindri’s shoulder.

After about ten seconds, Lee shook him about. His eyes shot open as he jerked awake—Looking around confused. He immediately pulled a Meriah and panicked, reaching for the bottle that was no longer near him. The bottle that Lee had just put into his Hidden Cache.

Lee smiled at him.

“Wakey wakey! We have arrived!”

Lee turned around and exited the wagon again. Jeremy, Meriah, and Belgrate looked on in shock at the now completely sober Kendri. Lee ignored them and looked around the village.

It was large for a village, not that Lee had any frame of reference, really. The village probably held a few hundred people at best. There were empty wooden stalls out in front of half-timbered buildings along the main dirt road, which continued on straight through to the other side of the village and carried on. There were some people out and about, carrying baskets of goods and looking at their group with curiosity.

One woman saw them and turned around in a hurry. Lee was a little worried about that reaction, but Jeremy was unfazed.

“She’s probably getting the village head. We should wait here until he arrives.”

He was correct, as an older gentleman soon arrived to greet them. He wore a tan cloth shirt and black woolen pants. Simple attire for sure, but they were clean and suited him nicely. He appeared to be in his fifties, but he was in shape. He had a gray beard, short salt-and-pepper hair, and a friendly smile.

“Welcome to Breye. I’m Robert, village head. To whom do I have the pleasure of greeting?”

Lee let Jeremy take the reins for the conversation, as he was definitely more suited to the role.

“Jeremy Blight, son of Jeremiah Blight, Lord of felispar. Squadron sixteen of The Wall Vanguard of Thexis. We require a place to rest.”

He gestured to Lee and continued on.

“We have with us a notable healer who is willing to heal those who require it. Are there any current medical emergencies?”

Robert, the village head, looked at Lee with hope, which quickly turned into a frown. Lee mentally noted that down.

“We don’t have anybody with injuries, no. A place to rest is easily managed. How long are you staying?”

Instead of Jeremy answering right away, he looked to Lee. Lee didn’t really have a plan on where to go, as he didn’t really know anywhere in Thexis. He just gave a timeline instead.

“A few days. It might be longer, it might be shorter. I’m unsure.”

Jeremy nodded, then walked alongside Robert as they wandered off, talking quietly in conversation.

Kooco jumped out of the back of the wagon and flew her way onto Lee’s head. She bent down and looked into his eyes from upside down.

“Friend Lee Barnes! Teach me your magic!”

Lee glanced upwards, unable to tilt his head back, and looked at her with a raised brow.

“Can you cast magic? Do you have Light and Earth affinities?”

She sadly chirped at that question.

“Kooco has Earth and Wind.”

Lee attempted to pat her head, which was very awkwardly done as she was on top of his.

“That’s okay. Maybe I can teach you some of my Earth or Wind spells? You can also teach me some of yours?”

Kooco nodded as Lee caught the confused look of Belgrate. Lee translated their conversation, causing Belgrate to become interested in joining the conversation. He hastily stuttered out.

“Ca… Can I learn magic?”

“Do you have the skill, Mana Sense?”

He shook his head, no, but Lee could see the want in his eyes.

Lee raised his hand and summoned one of his favorite objects. His mana infused fur pelt. Those around on the street, and those in his company jerked in surprise as it appeared out of thin air. Lee held it out for Belgrate to grab, and he saw the moment when Belgrate identified it as his eyes widened in surprise.

“Hold onto it and try to sense the mana contained within. If you get the Mana Sense skill, you can cast magic. At least, that’s what I’ve been told.”

Belgrade leaned on the back of the wagon as he stared with focus into the fur, running his hands through it as he did so.

Kooco took this moment to fly off his head and onto Meriah’s. Lee looked at her, and she sheepishly looked away.

“Do you also want to see if you can learn magic?”

She shook her head no as she replied.

“I was tested before I joined the army. I couldn’t get the skill.”

Thinking about it, the kingdom's army would have probably tested many of their recruits. Lee saw what a high-level mage could do, and if he was a part of any government, finding those who could cast magic was a thing he would definitely do.

Jeremy came back at this time with two young boys in tow and started a speech.

“I’ve gotten us lodgings and have discussed your healing with Robert. Follow me and we’ll rest up.”

The group followed Jeremy as the two younger boys led the horses and wagon off down the street.