Elijah didn’t like the look of the upper-class district. Not the buildings themselves, of course. They were well-made, with sculptures and complex geometric patterns lining each of them. A grand symphony of design, remade just this decade to fit the more optimistic views on life.
A grand tale that didn’t fit the people he walked beside. Or close by, at this point, since any who looked at them made sure they were at a distance. None of them were scared of him since most he saw were easily taller and stronger than him. A good diet from an early age helped make that a reality.
No, they just saw him as inferior, wanting nothing to do with him. It was subtle at the edge of the upper districts, just a few confused glances sent his way as he continued past the expensive restaurants. When he got halfway, the muttering and comments began, the people taking a distance as he continued on.
Then came the guards who were wary as well, half a step away from confronting him about walking around where he shouldn’t be. His blandly colored and mildly tattered clothes weren’t the usual around here, after all. He was likely the only one within a hundred meters wearing anything brown, everybody else sticking to the popular colors of the rainbow. If the outfits didn’t look to be screaming out, they weren’t welcome.
And that opinion ran the same with the people who wore them.
In some way, he was proud of making it to the castle gate without showing his distaste.
“Sorry, old man, but might you be lost?” a guard instantly came up to ask, as he stopped right in front of the inner-city wall. It wasn’t as tall as the main one around Kulvik, and certainly not as thick, but it still worked as a grand separator to stop others from sneaking into the castle. “The monthly veteran’s meeting is next week if that’s what you’re here for.”
“Never served,” Elijah replied, searching through his satchel for a second before fishing out the bronze emblem. The bored look on the guard’s face instantly changed at that, inspecting it without a word. “I’m here to see a Vera Newell on the topic of possible employment. Do you want to see the documents regarding that as well or—”
“Oh, uh, no, sir. This is more than fine,” the guard quickly assured him, handing back the bronze emblem before shouting for one of the others who’d been standing around to come over. “Escort this man to the top Royal Garden.”
There was more than one garden exclusively for the Royals? Elijah should’ve guessed, with how utterly massive the castle was.
And that only became more obvious as he was led through the gate and into the main welcoming area. There was a miniature lake of sorts on both sides of the road, with tall and thin trees every ten meters to reduce the wind.
If he had to say, as he stood at the entrance before the grand stairs into the castle, it looked to be easily fifty meters tall, with the tallest spire in the center sitting above everything else by some ten-twenty meters. It was hard to tell at those heights.
“Sir,” the guard said, reminding him that he was being escorted somewhere. Following him up the nine-long steps into the entry hall, which could easily fit hundreds by itself, Elijah was greeted by a long line of massive paintings. Each seemed to depict one battlefield or another, with the names of them listed right below.
Elijah didn’t miss the one for Kulvik who sat right above him. It showed the former Queen in all her glory, dragons of flame soaring through the sky. A beautiful depiction, though he didn’t think many had the privilege of seeing it.
He didn’t need a reminder that time to follow, already moving again before the guard could finish with his cough.
They moved into a small hallway, still lined with various paintings that weren’t of much importance, until Elijah found himself facing another set of stairs. Looking up through the middle, he grimaced.
“It is 186 steps, sir,” the guard supplied, only making it worse. “Holding the railing helps.”
“I dearly hope it will,” Elijah replied, as he followed the guard up the spiral staircase. They passed by several floors, but it was only at the second to last that they stopped and continued.
Looking out of the windows they passed by, Elijah was able to look at most of the city. It was a great view, though he assumed it would be prettier once the night came around and allowed the light to shine upwards.
“Here we are, sir,” the guard stopped suddenly, as they reached the end of the hallway. The door was right ahead, but the young man leading the way showed no intention of opening it. “Nobody but the royals, their direct servants, and those directly invited are allowed to enter, sir. If you go inside and follow the path, there should be no problems.”
The guard hurriedly excused themself after relaying the message, returning to the spiral staircase and walking down the 186 steps once again. That left Elijah standing alone in front of the door, with nobody around to watch him.
Not that it stopped him from feeling the presence of another, though he ignored it as he opened the door and went into the garden.
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The temperature increased by a few degrees as he did. Though there was no roof above his head, Elijah was able to see the blue sky without any issues, it was as if the heat was trapped in the area regardless. Not enough to become uncomfortable, but enough to grant the various plants around him their ideal growing conditions.
A set of Lunaria Blossoms, a well-off Firebloom, and… is that Dreamshade?
He hadn’t seen those since before he enlisted, and even then they’d been weaker and barely able to grow. Here they were strong, massive, and looking ready to be harvested whenever anybody had the time.
If Elijah could have just a few flowers from the Dreamshade, he would be able to make so many sleep aids…
Following the word of advice the guard had given him, he continued down the path. There were small sections dividing many of the useful plants into groups. It was mainly divided into their various functions in medicine, then their differences to make sure that the plants got as much sunlight as they needed for ideal growth, and finally grouping together everything else on the other side of the garden.
Past the Phoenixfruit trees, with its red and glowing fruits that Elijah noted he would need to take a look at later if he had the chance, there was little that could be seen as having a higher usefulness in alchemical concoctions.
Instead of berries, fruits, and herbs, he found himself surrounded by flowers of all kinds and varieties. The Sunfire Daisies, Dawn Roses, and the Elderglow Tulips were among the most prevalent in both their quantity and presence. Though all three had no uses for anything other than recreational concoctions, he had to admit they were quite beautiful.
He didn’t allow himself to enjoy the sight for long, though, as he could see an area enclosed by bushes ahead, which included a small curve in the road to stop anybody looking inside from a distance.
A good design, though the silence as he walked closer was a little unnerving. The faint rustle of leaves, as a mild wind allowed the different plants to shift in place, left the air as he closed in on the new area.
The reason for it was felt as he walked inside, a wave of magic washing over him.
“Enjoying the garden, are we?” Vera asked from the table in the encircled area. There weren’t as many flowers inside, but Elijah supposed that was a necessity to limit the amount of people walking inside. “Please excuse the quietness, by the way. I usually don’t have it activated, but I thought you would be more comfortable with it on.”
“When nature becomes quiet, it’s nearly always a bad omen of some sort,” Elijah replied, sitting down on the other side of the table. He noted Harper, the Princess’ assistant, had appeared next to Vera the second he’d looked away. “So you’re being more blatant about the ability to be invisible now?”
“I was told you caught on within a minute of her being inside your house,” Vera explained, the other woman staying silent as she brought out the contract that had been discussed previously. “A great achievement, by the way. You and your friend are one of the first to catch her in the act.”
“I’m flattered,” he said dryly. Seeing that they were in a very giving mood, he opened his satchel and brought out a small tea box. “30 prepared packets of the tea that you asked for.”
“Oh, perfect!” the princess said, accepting the box with a smile. “Harper, would you mind bringing three cups along with some hot water? I’m sure Alin will want to taste this as well.”
Alin.
The Earth Mage and one of the closest friends to the king. Elijah hadn’t expected to hear that more would be joining them, though he supposed that was a given.
“If you do end up accepting the position, we… do still need permission from two others for you to be officially granted the role of Royal Healer,” Vera explained when Harper disappeared from view to fulfill the request. “One of them would be Alin, who should be here in a few minutes, and the other is my older brother, Prince Philip. I’ve said good things about you to both of them, but they’ll need to meet you before they can accept my promises.”
Promises?
“What exactly have you told them?” Elijah asked, glancing at the table as a yellow light briefly appeared on it between them.
“It’s a warning for when somebody enters the garden,” she supplied before he could ask. “And I’ve told them what I thought could convince them to accept you without too many questions. The main points I’ve given them both would be your efforts in helping others during the recent Dungeon Break, your minor gifts for Biomancy, and your dealings with the Dungeon Guard as their supplier for healing pastes for cuts and burns.”
“Expand on the last one,” he asked. The first was already known, the second couldn’t be avoided if Alin Oathbreaker himself met Elijah anyway, but the third… just how much did they know?
“You’ve been the one causing headaches for my brother for the past several months, by selling high-quality kits to the Dungeon Guard for an eighth of the normal costs for such things,” Vera said, almost imperceptibly narrowing her eyes. “If you either turn down the offer for the position, or you get rejected by Alin or my brother, expect to get an offer from him about supplying for the Royal Guard as well. He’s been wanting to get into contact with whoever had helped the ones at the Dungeon, but their leader has been forgetful in revealing your identity. Not that it matters, since we figured it out anyway.”
Whenever he got the chance, he needed to send a thanks to Olivia for that. Elijah hadn’t expected her to stall the royals themselves about revealing who he was. He hadn’t even heard about it, which hinted at her expecting to do the trick indefinitely.
“On that topic, however, I would prefer knowing whether or not you want this position,” she added, a red light appearing on the table. It was brighter this time, making him think that whoever had entered the garden was getting close. It certainly seemed that way, as Vera sped up her spiel. “Temporary or not doesn’t matter. I just need a yes or a no so I know how to play this.”
…
The silence was purely to stress the princess a little, Elijah having already made a decision on the matter. While he and Aleksi hadn’t been able to have a proper conversation about accepting the offer, it’d been implied that the choice sat in his hands.
And he wouldn’t mind the benefits, with his magical abilities having been revealed.
“Yes,” he said a second before the red light went out and he could hear steps coming from the entrance he’d arrived from minutes ago.