60. Imperial Capital, Ava
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"Milady, we should tell the elders of the Holy Temple what happened in Naya. Those monks dared to be rude to you, I'm sure Elder Castel will not stand for this insult." 

The maid beside Lucia said indignantly. She stared at the lady's veil of straight brown hair, and sad amber eyes. Though they did not stay long in the monastery as planned, they shouldn't be turned down so harshly as well, especially with Lady Lucia's position. 

Lucia remained silent. She continues to bite her thumbnail ignoring the maid raising objections on her behalf. As it happened, she was in a better mood despite being driven by the grumpy monk. She was not one to waste any more precious time staying in there when they are obviously being disliked. What's important is that since entering the chamber, she felt a change in her mana. 

The carriages are travelling at high-speed thanks to the better road conditions. They intended to continue to do so without stopping and regardless of who else was on the road. The plan was disrupted when they cut through Thorn's convoy that was forced to stop to give way and avoid other pedestrians from getting smashed.

Captain James was startled by the collision but then his temper came up as he recognized who was blocking them. 

"Make way for the diviner's convoy." a small soldier hurried up to inform the people in front. 

Fatty Lam turned around to reply to the little guy, his amiable round face taut with worry. "No can do. The congestion is caused by an emergency." 

Captain Eidloth would have none of their excuses and frowned. He whipped his horse forward and stopped. "If it isn't the famous Thorns," he sneered, getting off and walking near Clayton who was instructing people to clear the path. "Once Lattice Kingdom's finest now reduced to a commoner."

Clayton recognized who came but ignored him.

"Did it ever occur to you, Rozenberg, that you are no longer in the position to raise soldiers? So what are you still loitering about here occupying a public road?"

A blatant insult like that could not even provoke Clayton but he'd be a fool not to rise to the occasion, "Did it ever occur to you, Captain Eidloth, that you are still in no position to speak to me?"

"Is there something wrong with what I said?" He taunted arrogantly. 

Clayton took a silk scroll from the saddlebag and tossed it at him unceremoniously. At the sight of the familiar-looking scroll and the gold tassels hanging on it, Captain James felt his heart jump for some reason. A bad premonition began to form. 

"Is that proof enough for you?" 

It was a royal edict! Captain James broke into a cold sweat. Issued by His Majesty, it states that he gives full authority to Clayton Rozenberg to mobilize the LeGivre soldiers of Arpeggio for a welcoming ceremony and request his newly formed mercenary team, the Thorns to escort the delegates of the island kingdom of Ma-i to the imperial capital safely.  

Since when did he have such authority?! Furthermore… his eyes subconsciously went to the row of ordinary-looking carriages. The delegates from Ma-i are in there! 

He stepped back unknowingly. The rumour about this tribe has spread far and wide. Then, realizing his foolish action, he clenched his fist. No wonder there was no noise from the imperial knights until now. It appears that His Majesty had long planned to use Clayton Rozenberg! With his name alone, even when he lost his nobility, his contributions to the battlefield are enough to snuff out any fear. 

Captain James turned his gaze to the white luxurious carriage. Lady Lucia told him that Thorns is nothing but a mere mercenary group now and has no political connections whatsoever but after seeing the edict, his whole person turned cold. She has no reason to lie to him. Did Lady Lucia make a mistake?

"Ah, furies!" Lucia's distressed shout distracted him. 

Clayton urged his horse to the side, it was then that Captain James noticed that the Thorns had their swords drawn and had moved into a protective formation. 

"What the hell is going on?!"

"Can't you see? We have company." Beck who sprouted out of nowhere said heartily. 

Captain James froze for a second thinking that the young man's face seemed a little familiar. But where could he have seen him? Aside from servants, there were no commoners around him. 

Knoll followed with a roar. "Clench you asses, lads. We have demons to kill!" 

"You're mad…" a knight stepped back shivering at the sight of flying monsters above. "You, how could you possibly fight those things?" 

"Fighting is our job," Johann jumped, tossing his daggers to and fro like a toy, he then sized up the knight with pity. "Of course, we'll find a way to have it done."  

Inside Ayan's carriage, the fairies came out. 

"There are too many of those filthy things," Blue wrinkled her nose. "The air has turned foul." 

"Fight, fight, fight!" Red's eyes sparkled. "Can I go and help Ayan?" 

Old White cleared his throat. The little ones were bored out of their skin with nothing else to do inside the fairy ring except cultivate the land and tend to the plants. Truth be told, even his old bones sought the same excitement. It's just that he was too embarrassed to ask their lady and master. 

"Coco," Ayan turned to the eldest of all fairies. "You may lead your brothers outside to help out. Also, find out the reason why the furies suddenly came out."

Coco looked as if he was asked to pull his tooth out. As reluctant as he was to lead the fairies out, he obeyed anyway. 

Milk, who was resting on Ayan's lap, flipped and turned restless. He let out an aggrieved cry, it was the bad energy brought by the miasma that made it hard for him to breathe. "It's alright, it will be gone soon." He heard Ayan say gently.

It wasn't until mama's warm hands soothe him that his agitation settled. 

Ayan looked outside, not the least bit worried knowing her husband and the rest can handle the situation well enough.

The Thorns fighting a score of gigantic flying monsters is a sight to behold but it was not for the fainthearted. They attack with nimble movements, slicing the wings and tails leaving a trail of blood and dismembered parts. Their swords stabbed the enemy's body without remorse, not even a hint of timidity. The knights from Captain James' troops could only assist in killing furies that had fallen on the ground and anxiously stand from afar as Thorns demolished them. 

"You there!" Beck pointed at the knight shivering on the side, "go and make sure the civilians do not get caught! It's the least you could do." 

"A-Aye!" The knight turned on his heel and obeyed as told, completely forgetting the difference in status. Had it been any other time, he would have scoffed at the mercenary issuing orders at him. 

The painted warriors of Ma-i also came to fight. What other choice is there? Monsters are no strange occurrence to them, their island has suffered annual attacks from these things not only destroying villages and crops but killing their families. Helping the Thorns, they ploughed the enemy with the same brutality until none was left. When the fighting was finished, the sky gradually returned to normal, taking away the haze from the outburst of miasma. Plenty of monsters died and the fairies who came out to assist quietly retreated hiding their merits. 

The travellers who were nearly caught were grateful for the timely help but there are still those who suffered. The cries from the infected called everyone's attention. 

"Milady, please save my child!" A woman rushed out from the side of the road towards Lucia's carriage. Lying in her arms is a boy covered with dark purple blight. 

Ayan heard the ruckus and couldn't help but peek from the window. 

As one came out, another followed and then a crowd. Lucia, who was frightened by the attack still hasn't recovered, seeing a huge number of people coming towards her she shrunk deeper into her seat covering her head. 

"Yes, the diviner is here. Help us!" 

"No, no, go away! I can't do it. My body is still weak and there's too many of you!" 

At this moment someone knocked on the side and whispered, "Milady, stay calm. The situation is a bit problematic but I will get you out of here." 

"Captain…" Lucia sobbed pitifully. "I'm afraid... I want to return to the temple right away." 

"Don't be. I'm here." 

Captain James quickly mounted his horse and signalled his knights to depart as soon as possible. The mother holding the weak child was nearby and happen to hear everything, she felt sick down to her soul. They plan to abandon them. She raised her eyes towards the pristine white carriage hoping to see the gentle lady change her mind. 

"Captain, hurry up. They are getting closer. I don't want to stay here." 

"As you wish, milady." 

After seeing a gap, they hastily whipped their horses and led Lucia's carriage out of the encirclement. The mother's whole body shivered, this was not the decision she expected Lady Lucia to make! The hopeful eyes of the people dimmed watching their exalted diviner's entourage receding rapidly in a distance. And they left them in such a hurry. Why? The mother holding a dying child fell on the hot road and cried hard. 

"Ah, Arius, my child!"

"The diviner—" 

The same happened to those who have their friends and families infected. For a long while, loud cries covered the road leading towards the imperial capital. 

"Give him to me." For what seemed to be a hopeless situation, suddenly, a soft voice rang above the mother's head. 

Plated by a layer of golden sun, the lady's hair seemed to awaken like flames. It burst in a strong and vibrant colour, piercing her through and searing all her fears inside. She stretched her white hands and took the barely breathing boy in her arms. The mother tightened her hold instinctively and raised her guard. "N-No." 

"I will not hurt him." The lady said.  

The mother's hand shook, still reluctant to let go but the lady's gentle voice assured her that she would not harm her son. Carefully putting him into the lady's arm, the mother waited in both pain and anxiety as she slowly held the child's tiny hand suffusing it with mellow warmth. 

"Mana!" Someone exclaimed. 

"It's mana. Holy mana!" 

The golden particles poured freely from the lady's hand amidst the frantic cries and exclamation of surprise. Gradually, the noise died down until no one disrupted her in that solemn moment. The lady remained unperturbed, the amount of power she manifested did not seem to surprise nor affect her, she continued to deliver mana slowly but steadily until it wrapped the boy's whole body lifting him off her hold and delivering him back to his mother's embrace. When the silent crowd thought it was over, the particles of light did not stop there. It moved as if it was a live scattering into different directions enveloping everyone. 

While waiting with bated breaths, the dark blight that had stained the ground returned to its former vitality and the severe pain on the infected bodies began to ebb, finally disappearing. 

"Mother," a tiny voice called. 

The mother hugging her son choked on her sobs, her tears fell like rain seeing him open his eyes. "A-Arius, my Arius!" She burst into another bout of tears, this time with both gratitude and joy. 

The mother looked up wanting to thank her benefactor only to find that the lady had gone far away. What she saw were just a remnant of bright red hair and a beautiful silhouette. 

Her tears stopped at once. "Lady… Y-Yuliana?" 

 

The signs of contamination became prominent as the convoy moved westward. The travelling group stopped at an inn in Bayberry to meet His Highness troops of the 1st Order. Beck frequented this little town several times when he was outside of the city for a short rest, he'd been here enough to know that it's prosperous and safer than most. 

However, not everyone appreciates his recommendation. 

After solving the provisions of the army, he came back to Naya to know the situation of the delegates of Ma-i. Without the identity of the crown prince, he was free to move and observe but it was also because of this that he had the misfortune of rubbing shoulders with the guards of the second princess Mara. 

As stubborn as the second princess was, she disliked being restricted especially when she was reminded not to wander around and ignored the warning. Not long after leaving the monastery, they passed a prairie filled with newly blossomed flowers, Princess Mara ordered for their convoy to stop. Just a few minutes passed after Beck talked to them their group returned looking utterly embarrassed. The story goes back to the mysterious attack of furies not long ago. It appears that the princess found a small shrine in the middle of the fields. Curious, she touched the enchantment made of small pebbles and inadvertently broke the formation. Seeing them rush back like frightened rats, Beck surmised that they must have done something to be guilty about and sure enough a disaster occurred. A black fog emerged from the broken shrine and rapidly gathered miasma in the form of clouds. 

Beck turned to them with obvious anger in his eyes. Princess Mara thought that the lowly let mercenary must be blaming them and unwittingly began to resent him. Now, at Beck's recommendation to stop for a rest, she began to throw tantrums insisting she did not want to stay at such an unnamed and decrepit place. 

"Bayberry is under one of the crown prince estates, no other places near the imperial capital can compare to here when it comes to commerce and attraction." A knight under Beck remarked coldly. 

How dare this woman put on airs? Although they were told to cast away their prejudice and treat their visitors with hospitality, the unreasonable behaviour shown by this so-called princess already gave a bad impression to most of the knights. 

The chieftain saw that his daughter had not ceased making trouble since the beginning of the journey and felt more embarrassed and apologetic to their escorts. 

"His Highness?" Mara perked up changing her earlier sullen mood the same as flipping a page. She looked around and found many eyes watching her. "I was told His Highness will soon join our convoy before entering the imperial capital but I could not see his troops anywhere. Will he be arriving here perchance?" 

"No." The knight responded coldly and proceeded with his job to usher them all to a private room for a short rest. 

All preparations are set. There were no problems anywhere and Beck returned to his troops to resume his identity. On the Rozenberg's side, two cloaked individuals knocked on the lord and lady's room.

"I have returned, milord." The man under the wide hood turned out to be Kanon. Clayton's second in command who was gone for a few weeks for a secret mission.

"Good," Clayton replied briefly. Satisfied with the result. 

"Also," for the first time, Kanon appeared to be troubled. 

"Speak." 

"I deeply apologize for the abrupt change of plans. There was no other way but to bring her with me." He gestured for the figure standing near him. The person took off the cumbersome hood. "My lord and lady, may I introduce to you, the priestess of Ma-i, Diwa." 

The lady beside him was slender with exotic brown colouring and had the most intriguing ruby eyes that happen to be looking at Ayan. 

  

A procession of ten large carriages and a mighty escort of knights entered the imperial capital during the highest peak of the sun. Out of so many people coming within the majestic walls of Ava, you can bet a hundred percent that among this group is a very important guest. 

The road leading to the Royal Palaces had been cleared in the early hours of the day to ensure a smooth transition from the city gates towards the palace grounds. What's odd was the unprecedented number of people who came, it appears that almost all of Ava turned out to see the delegates from Ma-i arrive. The freemen who always loved to see excitement, merchants and gentry with their mounting curiosity with regards to another race and of course the noblemen. The elite class who heard firsthand they are about to usher in people from the island kingdom.  

This was the first time the empire welcomed foreigners who were rumoured to indulge in dark arts. The crowd is at a fever pitch despite the fact that they have a huge prejudice with the tribal people not so long ago. It was the Crown Prince and Clayton Rozenberg's presence that put an end to doubts and misgivings the Asturians were feeling, everyone was probably thinking that they wouldn't be making any dangerous move with their highness and the young commander acting as deterrence. 

Thorns made a name for themselves in the city of Arpeggio, a dark horse among mercenary groups. Although occupations like adventurers and mercenaries are considered rough unflattering professions compared to knighthood, the strongest individuals are often found on this side of the business. And when danger comes, any kingdom is sure to count on these talents. 

"It's Commander Rozenberg!"

"Commander, I witnessed how you fought and captured the northwestern fort of Lusca."

"Oh, that war with the barbarians of the eastern highland is another remarkable tale as well!"

"Really?" A gentleman who also came for the procession was attracted by the story.

"As you know, the barbarian's castles are hard to breach. They are built on cliffs, made of tall stone ramparts and towers extend to several meters high. Lattice had been fighting with them for ten years with little success. But Clayton Rozenberg, with his team of only twenty, managed to infiltrate their keep, opened their gates and let his father's troops in." 

A middle-aged uncle nodded, "Aye, that was Lattice's first victory against them, the king threw a lavish banquet to praise the Rozenberg House." 

This was also the first time that Ayan heard and felt the full impact of her husband's overwhelming prestige. The people were in high spirits the moment the young commander came into view.

"Daddy is a great hero!" Carmine exclaimed, poking his head out of the carriage. 

Raven also watched the crowd avidly but he was more vigilant in keeping his twin from completely toppling out. 

"Yes, he is." Ayan echoed helplessly while holding the belts of their trousers to avoid accidents. The children were too excited; she was infected by their happiness. 

Clayton's relaxed and offhanded nature when he was with family, which she couldn't blame him for, did not diminish his authority. But it almost made her forget that he is a mighty and stern lord, someone who had experienced blood on the battlefield. Riding a handsome horse amongst the sea of eager gazes, Ayan could not help but think of their life back in the Kingdom of Lattice.

Once he was idolized like this. Clayton sacrificed his youth to guard the land which he thought was worthy of his protection, he and his ancestors defended them when they were most vulnerable and brought them the security they have today, however, in the end, what he got in return was scorn when he was at his lowest. And here in the faraway Empire of Asturia is where he got his redemption. The irony made Ayan's chest burn and her eyes stung. Despite not speaking about it, she knew that Clayton had long harboured loneliness and disappointment from the cold treatment he received. 

Clayton rode closer to their carriage and looked through the window. 

"I'm sorry, this must be too taxing for you and the children." He said, his eyes looking at them gently. "We are arriving home shortly."

Ayan told him they are fine. She was more worried about him with all the work escorting the Ma-i delegates. Shortly after, Prince Reginald also found time to ride closer to them and occupied the other side.

"How do you find Ava, milady?" 

"Magnificent," Ayan replied. 

"Much more than Salvia?" The capital city of Lattice. 

She smiled brightly. "Much, much more." 

"I'm glad it suits the lady's preference."

The outlandish display served its purpose by dampening people's apprehension. There was nothing to be afraid of about these distant tribal people. For all they know, the story about them drinking blood, worshipping demons and whatnot were all just made up. Old rumours easily fade when topped with a much enticing new one, and this procession is simply one of the many that will become an after-dinner highlight.

Goodness I try to be less mouthy as possible but every time I make a review of my work I feel the details were too thin and tasteless. In your opinion, is the style mouthy or  bland?

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