No one talked about what happened in the throne room or what kind of person the King was. I couldn’t say that I was surprised that the ruler of this advanced kingdom was bathed in blood and lust. It was understood by the others as soon as Edwin stormed out of the throne room in a rush. Though, I only presumed that everyone else was already aware of this fact. Their relationship.

Part of me wondered if the prince polished the armor to make up for the vile nature of his Father. This human body was young, too young to see the brutalities of life. It was a possibility, as my mind was left to draw its own conclusions on the trip back. Still, I stayed unfazed by the human king’s habits. After all, this was my version of normalcy. Only the fates knew of the monstrosities that my father devised throughout my childhood.

There were horrors that I doubted the human books could begin to cover. It was best for it to remain that way. Currently, Florence was falling to my own bloodline’s offensive attacks. Not to mention the possible carnage left by the angelic race. The King knew light magic, which meant that I would need to be careful in the future.

The carriage ride back to the estate had been completed in a heavy silence. No explanations, nothing. Edwin jumped out of the carriage, as soon as we touched ground on the estate.

“We’ll leave at dusk to avoid attention,” Serlon quickly announced to the us, before catching up to the prince, who was already to the door of the estate.

If we were to leave for Leton tonight, it would mean that all the paperwork for the week would need to be completed before departure. Edwin was rushing to finish that.

I assumed that if the King didn’t kill his own son, the amount of paperwork would.

“Everyone should pack. Visit the potions if you need to. But we’ll regroup in an hour,” Eran commanded the others, who entered the estate to sort their equipment out.

Eran walked over, putting his hand on my shoulder.

“Crown Prince Edwin may act immature sometimes, but he has a lot on his shoulders,” he said, “I think he wanted to show you that today. Normally it’s me escorting him. But it seems like the prince has taken a liking to you. It’s not a bad thing.”

“Not a bad thing? We have different versions of good then,” I scoffed, “He may act like a fool, but he’s still Crown Prince. I acknowledge that.”

Eran sighed, walking alongside with me towards the open doors of the estate, “You know insulting the royal family is punishable.”

I’d like to see them try. Those humans.

“I could say worse,” I shrugged, eyeing the unfamiliar guards that bowed upon our arrival, “If the troop leaves for Leton, then who guards the estate in our absence?”

“Our troop directly follows Crown Prince Edwin. The estate is just a house, so it has its own security. We just tend to overlook it when his Highness is in residence” He explained, turning the corridor towards the barracks, “We’ll do the same when the prince is crowned for imperial rule.”

I suppose that made sense. It was a frugal loyalty that barely existed in Hellion. Even though the Morningstar bloodline held its own notoriety, this did not stop the endless amounts of challenges from our own troops. It was decided by the constant struggle to remain the strongest. This was something that I lost when I was left injured in battle.

“What’s Leton like?” I asked, following Eran into the barracks, where Trent was busy packing a small bag.

To this question, Trent threw a covered knife towards me. I catch it on instinct staring down at the crested leather covering on the sliver blade, “Change out of the armor and throw on casual coverings. Make sure to strap this to your belt. The road to Leton is harsh and covered in small demon herds.”

It was probably the same low levelled demons from the woods. Lower hell dogs, imps, and creatures along those classifications. They weren’t under my father’s rule if they were this far out. Demons like that were no better then wild animals, willing to attack anything that presented a meal to them.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

This would become annoying.

Eran peeled off the heavy armor, throwing the steel garments on his cot, “Trent’s right. Leton is a thriving marketplace kingdom bordering the West. But their crime rates are some of the highest in the territory due to their secluded location. It makes trade routes scarce to get to them.”

I nodded, slipping past the two guards to unbuckle my armor. The polish had worn off at this point, “And the voyage time?”

“Two days if we move nonstop. Three if we stop. And four if we run into trouble.” Eran rattled off, already throwing on a training shirt, and grabbing a thin leather chest plate from under the bed.

Trent threw on something similar, only packing tunics that we used for training. After shoving the heavier plated armor in the storage under the cot, I pulled out the chest filled with similar garments, and slipped into the same thing.

I laced up the leather garment, peering back up to Eran, who held another bag towards me, “These are commoner clothes that we’ll wear for the rest of our visit to Leton. You may want to pick up some potions from the potion branch before we leave.”

Potions? I hadn’t seen Jamie since the Hell dog attack in the woods. As much as I hated to admit it, I was curious to how he was. The downside was facing that lunatic potion master.

“Understood,” I sighed, bringing the bag over my shoulder, and walking past the others.

“Meet us in front of the estate after.” Trent called out. I raised my hand before heading for the potion department.

Estate servants frantically bustled around, stressed. They paid no attention to me, as I swerved to avoid them on multiple occasions. Their minds must have gone on overdrive from the short notice. Humans often got overwhelmed from the smallest things. It was in their nature, no matter how advanced they got. I wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

I made my way up the stairs and towards the chemical scent of the potion room. I could probably find my way from the suffocating smell of roots and brews. Potions held a unique scent. Quite different from blood, food, or even entities. Approaching the familiar corridor, I strolled into the smelly room. Unfortunately, I was instantly greeted by the potion head who rose from his stand.

“Guard Asta! The Dragon Troop’s youngling!” He cheered, raising the attention of all the workers that were brewing potions, “How can we help you today?”

Jamie rose to his seat, a scroll in his hand, as he made his way over behind the strange human.

“I was told to pick up some potions for Leton,” I dodged the potion head’s attempt for an embrace, earning a snicker from Jamie.

The older human cleared his throat, “Ah yes. We were told of that. Come! Sit!” He walked over patting to a stool beside his workplace, “They’re almost done.”

“I’d rather wait here,” I expressed, trying to dismiss the strange man, “Besides, I came to catch up with Jamie.” I pointed to Jamie, who stood with his arms crossed behind the master.

“I’ll just sit with you then,” The potion master grabbed the same stool, placing it besides Jamie’s work desk, “Come! We don’t have long.”

Jamie and I traded looks before sighing. I trudged over to one of the stools, placing my bag on the floor beside me. Collectively, we both tried to ignore the star-eyed man, leaning over the table next to us. But it felt like a hole was being burned into the side of my head.

“…How have you been, Asta?” Jamie did his best to dismiss his supervisor, picking up a pen to finish the scroll that he had been working on.

“Fine. I haven’t seen you seen you since the attack,” I peered around the room, my eyes landing on a newer looking human, taking inventory. So. They replaced the former worker quickly. Suddenly it dawned on me that I never heard anything about it.

“We’ve adjusted already. No problems.” The potion master chimed in, seemingly knowing what I was thinking, “Were you worried about that, Guard Asta?”

“…I suppose not,” I surmised, looking back to notice Jamie’s troubled expression. Did Jamie know?

I glared at the old human, who only shook his head. So, Jamie didn’t know? Hm.

“You’re going to Leton?” Jamie asked, through his concentration towards his notes.

“That’s the plan,” I responded, “You should know that already.”

“You see... my pupil here, Jamie, is from Leton,” The potion master cheered, skipping to the point.

The pen in Jamie’s hand slammed onto the wooden table. He clenched his jaw, sending a nasty look to his supervisor, before sighing, “That’s correct. My family lives in Leton. Not like that’s important. You’ll be there on official business anyway.”

“It’s on negotiations.” I clarified, “It seems like we’re going under the radar anyway.” I pointed to my shabby attire.

“Probably the best,” Jamie admitted, “It’s not the best place for nobility to be showing off.”

“Then I’m not sure how someone as incapable as you managed,” I scoffed.

“I managed quite well. Excuse you.” Jamie rolled his eyes, handing over the scroll to the potion master, “That’s the last record that you told me to document.”

The older human grabbed the paper, opening the contents before smirking, “As always, you’ve done a fantastic job. Why don’t you grab the bag of potions from the back for Guard Asta?”

Jamie nodded, standing up from his seat, and disappearing into a side door in the room.

“The potions have been done, haven’t they?” I grumbled, my temper flaring at the shit-eating smile from the older human.

He shrugged, fanning innocence, “Perhaps. Say Guard Asta, where are you from anyway?” The man leaned closer towards my directing, his eyes never leaving mine.

“Me? Where are you from?” I dodged the question with a scowl.

“A small village in the south called Priaryr.” He responsed.

“Then I’m from there.” I answered blankly, ignoring his confused expression.

“Are you lying?” The potion master raised his eyebrow, not buying my obvious sarcastic tone.

“Yes,” I admitted.

Jamie reentered, holding a leather satchel that clanged as he moved. He set it on the bag in front of me with a huff, “It’s a little heavy, but it’ll cover a week’s stay if needed.”

I nodded, standing up from the stool, and throwing the satchel over my other shoulder, “It’s fine. It’ll probably be loaded in the back compartment of the carriage anyway.”

Of course, it wasn’t heavy to me. I reached down, picking up the other bag, “The rest of the troop will be waiting for me. I’ll head off now.”

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” Jamie called over, leaning against one of the shelves, “Be careful in Leton.”

I nodded, walking towards the door. With a clang and a huff, the potion master threw a leather covered vial. Before I noticed, I was already holding the potion in my outstretch hand.

“Aren’t these fragile? You shouldn’t be throwing glass, old man.” I turned around, staring down at the red vial.

“You caught it, didn’t you?” The potion master contradicted my leer, shrugging to himself, “I made extra. It’s for you.”

“What is it?” I questioned, shoving it into one of the pockets on my belt. Whatever it was, potions were useful for the most part. I couldn’t refute him much.

“It’s a mana potion.” The potion master returned to his seat, waving, “Use it well, Guard Asta.”

“…Right.”