I sat in the red room with the queen, two princesses, an elven attendant and my friend from Earth. We discussed the countryside of Acone. The possible dangers I might face, places I might find friendly and areas I should avoid. The queen had access to incident reports from knights across Acone so she was quite knowledgeable despite growing up in the elven nation of Eynlune.

The queen acted like she was reporting on the nation. Describing areas and cities. Lands to avoid and places to seek refuge.

Laeanna seemed to be attempting a positive spin on the situation. Pointing out towns her servants told her about and the kindness of some Aconian citizens. Which I couldn’t help but question.

Bella had very little to add. She was gloomily listening to the conversation. Adding the occasional suggestion and bit of worry regarding routes which monsters or bandit-prone areas.

Alea focused on my possible encounters with monsters. How I should battle certain monsters and how I might survive on my own.

“You might want to become an adventurer,” Alea suggested. “They can make pretty good money.”

“You want him to be fighting monsters!” Bella joined the conversation. “That’s really dangerous, right? With only a slight blessing from Ulla and no affinities. He could get really hurt. How could you even suggest that?”

I actually might have two affinities now…well it’s probably not worth correcting her.

“That’s true,” Alea said. “But adventurers often group together. He would have people watching his back and besides he bested me, Wichard and a bunch of knights in combat. I think Elliot can handle himself.”

“But that was due to his ability to see mana and your reliance on physical mana during the fights,” the queen pointed out. “That won’t necessarily translate to fighting monsters.”

That’s true, who knows how monsters utilize their physical mana. They might not use it at all. Then my ability to perceive mana would be basically useless against them. I hadn’t thought of that.

“What if we sent someone to accompany Elliot,” Arba finally spoke. “I imagine there may be some who would be willing to volunteer. He has clearly made a positive impression on some.”

“I doubt we could get permission for that,” the queen said. “Philip would certainly have a problem with such a thing. Although I like the idea.”

“Perhaps someone could simply decide to take up being an adventurer as well?” Alea suggested.

“Well the knights are bound by contract,” said queen Holly. “They couldn’t even if they wanted.”

I think this was enough.

“I really appreciate all of this,” I said. “but I think that at the end of the day I will just have to leave. On my own. Your descriptions of Acone have been very helpful and I cannot express how much it means to me that you have put so much thought into my safety. I think I will first head to Granger as your majesty suggests and perhaps move toward Eynlune. I would be very interested to see the land of the elves.”

“Really?” Laeanna said almost amazed.

“I cannot guarantee a pleasant encounter,” Arba stated. “There are still many elves who remember the human invasions.”

Invasions? Sir Aborisey didn’t mention there being any actual invasions, just the threat of them. Then was my plan to visit the nation of elves a non-starter? That was a real shame. I wanted to see how real elves built their homes. Were they in magnificent structures, grown into the trees or something else? Something the fantasies of Earth hadn’t imagined.

As I imagined the possible structures of the elven nation, my stomach gave a loud and obvious growl. I still hadn’t eaten anything.

“Oh my,” the queen laughed.

“I’m sorry your majesty,” I said unsure of how rude a growling stomach might appear. “I have been quite hungry since I woke this morning.”

“Then the mana absorption spell took a lot out of you,” Laeanna stated. “I know the first thing I wanted to do when you woke me was eat.”

“Then we shall have a meal,” the queen said. “Arba please have a meal prepared and brought to the sitting room.”

“Yes, your majesty,” Arba stated moving to the door.

He returned some time later with several servants and an assortment of platters. A series of tables were repositioned as the food covered platters were presented. There were breads, meats, salads, and fruits. It was a royal assortment. Not as extravagant as the banquet we had, but an enormous amount of food nonetheless. My stomach was ready to consume as much as I could. After all, not only was I incredibly hungry, but this might be my last good meal for a long time.

I waited until the queen and princesses began to collect food for their plates. Then I joined them, filling my plate to the brim. I feared I would look like a pig, but I was so hungry and the food looked so good.

Thanking the queen, I dug right in. It was as delicious as you would expect an extravagant meal presented to the queen would be. The breads were fluffy and flavorful. The fruits and vegetables were fresh. The meat was perfectly cooked and seasoned.

I tried to savor the meal as best I could, but still ended up eating quite fast.

We sat, discussed, ate and discussed some more through two bells. I was quickly running out of time.

After the meal another knock at the door. This time it was Sir Aborisey and Adekin.

“Have you made your decision?” Sir Aborisey asked.

“We aren’t pressuring you as members of the council,” Adekin quickly added. “Just curious.”

“Yes,” I said, informing him that I was choosing banishment from Kaland.

He and Adekin began describing safe route and places for me to go, just as the queen and Laeanna had done. Unlike Alea, they recommended avoiding monsters, telling me to instead find a nice town or city and try to settle down.

That might have been good advice, but I was not likely to follow it. At least not at first. My curiosity about Praecantio was just too great. Still I appreciated the concern.

Our conversation turned to the preparations I should make before leaving. The equipment which would be necessary for me to purchase, the weapons best suited for general travel, etc.

“I recommend two weapons,” Adekin told me. “A polearm of some kind and a longsword side-arm. Especially if you are going to be trekking across Acone.”

“You should also try to find a caravan or group to travel with,” Sir Aborisey stated. “There is safety in numbers.”

“Just watch out,” Adekin added. “As you know not everyone is trustworthy. Be careful on whom you choose to rely.”

These two really seemed concerned over my wellbeing. It was really quite nice. Perhaps I misjudged Sir Aborisey. ‘I’m sorry,’ I thought in his direction. Just in case.

Another bell tolled as we continued our discussion. Just one more to go.