Crossover
Chapter 7: Falmus and its Six Kingdoms
Rosanna came out from the kitchen, holding a tray with a kettle and a bunch of ceramic cups. Beside her was Rosalie, who held a big bowl of biscuits, trying to stop her mouth from salivating.
“I’ll go get the spare chairs. Kuro, please sit comfortably on the wooden couch,” Bryer arranged the table in front of the wooden couch and grabbed the tray from Rosanna, placing it on the table with the big bowl of biscuits. She patted Rosalie’s head and told her, “Go on, eat.”
Without any reserve, Rosalie tried to grab a bunch of biscuits with her hands but was stopped by her mother, who was sternly looking at her.
Rosanna scoffed, "Is that the correct manner of eating?"
Rosalie stiffened and put back some of the biscuits she had on her hands dejectedly, "Sorry..."
Rosanna gave her daughter a loving smile and stroked her soft hair, "Go on, eat slowly." Rosalie gave a cheerful hum in response and began to eat.
Kuro sat on the couch and accepted the Xenophil's kindness. After a short while, Bryer came back with the stools and gave it to others, while Rosanna started to put tea on the cups.
“I guess it should be time for formal introductions. My name is Rosanna Xenophil, and I am Bryer’s wife, and you should know Rosalie,” Rosanna pointed at Rosalie, who enjoyed eating her biscuits.
“My name is Bryer Xenophil; I am Rosanna’s husband and father to Rosalie, though she is not our biological daughter. But I guess my wife told you about it?” Bryer ate a mouthful of biscuits and drank tea at the same time.
“Mn, she did, and I am really thankful to your daughter for saving my life. My name is Kuro Takamichi, and this is my cat, Crescent. We are travelers from the other continent. But if you are going to ask me how I got through the barrier, I am afraid that I don’t also know the answer; that goes the same for what happened to me these past few days.”
“A memory loss, huh? But, if I must say so, these clothes are really intricate and beautiful,” The woman with short curly hair, a little bit similar to Rosanna, asked Kuro as she inspected his blue suit uniform.
“Mn… my aunt specially tailored most of my clothes back at home.” He was not lying about this. Most of his clothes were specially tailored by his aunt Myrene and bought from Glowford Fashion.
“Then your aunt must be very talented! Oh! How rude of me! My name is Sierra, and I am Rosanna’s half-sister. By the way, where did you get that bracelet made out of precious gems?” Sierra’s eyes sparkled; she was really eager to know where it came from.
Kuro chuckled, “I had that bracelet inside my pocket before I even came here.”
‘Actually, it belongs to a lioness who would definitely murder me the moment she figured out that the bracelet she told me to keep is now gone,’ Kuro nervously gulped.
“My name is Froy; I am Sierra’s husband and a friend of Bryer’s. Don’t take this question the wrong way, but I am curious about how you didn’t even notice that you passed through the barrier of this continent.”
Kuro sighed and bowed his head a little, “Sorry, I don’t really know. I was escaping from my home for some personal reason. There were also the sea creatures that occasionally attacked my boat, so I don’t really have the leisure to examine my surroundings.” After hearing Kuro’s answer, he didn’t ask any further since he noticed the grief laced with Kuro’s voice.
'I feel a little bit guilty for lying to these people...'
“My name is Albert, and she is my wife, Grenda,” the man with scars on his body spoke and pointed at the woman who had a neck-long brown hair.
There is only one person who had not introduced himself yet. It was the white long-haired man who was elegantly sipping his cup of tea, “Maximillian, pleasure to meet you.” He remained indifferent and calm.
“Forgive his attitude; he’s just like that all the time,” Bryer quickly interjected to avoid misunderstandings.
Kuro didn't mind at all. “I see…” He sipped his tea and became surprised with its refined taste.
“What’s with this tea? It’s so relaxing and tastes great!” Kuro sipped once more and was truly amazed with its gentle yet unique taste.
Rosanna laughed and poured Kuro’s cup another serving and noticed that the kettle had its last drop. “The tea was brewed from Halcyone lzeaves. It doesn’t emit an aromatic fragrance, but it is very famous for its unique and satisfying taste!”
Kuro couldn’t help but savor the taste every time he drank the tea, each sip can calm and soothe one’s soul. But, after that, he realized something.
Kuro placed the cup on the table. “A tea of this caliber should be extremely pricey, am I correct?”
Rosanna smiled, not baffled by Kuro’s words, and continued to explain. “Indeed, Halcyone leaves are really expensive; however, you don’t have to worry about that since hunters can also find these precious leaves in the depths of Lazurias, Qaiser, and Almenach Forests!”
Froy interjected with a hint of pride and pain as well. “You see, the four of us are all hunters; it is where we get our daily income. Just enough to barely pay the taxes, rent, and food.”
Kuro instantly became interested, “So that is the case. Then can I trouble you to lead the way where these precious leaves could be found? I’d like to have a relaxing tea to sip as I travel. I'll pay you, of course.”
“Are you sure? It's gonna be dangerous. Perhaps, I should lead the way?” Bryer was worried of Kuro getting lost in the forest by himself. He wanted to tell him that he could just wait for the leaves at their house, but he felt that Kuro will not comply with it.
"I can handle it. Don't worry. I’d would like to have a chance to hunt alone as well, for I need to find a way to gather some income.” Kuro noticed that his cup of tea was now empty and placed it above the table; he wanted to ask for some more, but he was very shy to ask for a third.
Rosanna got worried, “Are you sure? I know that you are very strong, but the creatures inside the forest are something that shouldn’t be belittled. Perhaps, let Bryer accompany you.”
“Don’t worry about that; if I were able to defeat those sea creatures by the sea, then I think I am up for the creatures inside the forest,” Kuro confidently replied, but this didn’t ease the couple’s worry at all.
Kuro smiled at Bryer and changed the topic, “Moreover, I really lack knowledge about this continent which I came to. If it isn’t a hassle, can I bother you to tell me the specifics?”
Bryer sighed in defeat; Kuro was sure stubborn, and he knew that the journey toward getting Halcyone leaves will not be forgotten. Rosanna excused herself and got back in the kitchen to brew more tea together with Rosalie, who munched a few biscuits on her mouth.
“This is going to be a lengthy story.”
Kuro stroked Crescent’s fur, who was peacefully sleeping on his lap. “No problem, I am a good listener.”
Then Bryer started explaining the geographical details of the land they were in.
“This is the continent of Falmas; it has six kingdoms. Each kingdom has a forest under its jurisdiction.
The Lazurias Kingdom is known for being neutral and peaceful. The law and order in this kingdom are very organized. Lazurias Forest is the safest place to venture for hunters. In the day, there are only a few weak to average species of beasts, while the strong ones only lurk at night.
The Brumund Kingdom is known for its rocky and sandy terrain. Just a few plants can be found in their forest; most are strange stone-like structures lying around. Nevertheless, this kingdom is rich in minerals like copper, iron, and also precious gems. Due to this, it became the mining center of the continent.”
Next is the Qaiser Kingdom. The Qaiser Forest is mostly covered with trees and various medicinal plants. They even have non-hostile beasts whose bodies contain medicinal properties. This kingdom is the center of healing plants, animals, and miraculous medicines.
The Almenach Kingdom is the center of knowledge in this continent. There are quite a few beasts that live in the Almenach Forest, so various schools are located here. Another thing, a huge portion of the kingdom’s forest consists of edible plants; this is a perfect place to find a bunch of Halcyone leaves.
The Prometheus Kingdom is known for its flourishing commerce. Since Almenach Kingdom lacks meat to eat for beasts are quite rare in their forest, the Prometheus Kingdom trades their meat for edible plants, since their forest produces a lot of poisonous plants and beasts are rampant.
Last is the Trinity Kingdom, whose land is near the ocean. They are blessed with an abundant amount of seafood and other edible sea beasts. Trinity Forest is quite average, but this forest is the perfect place where delicious mushrooms and root crops grow.
Well, that’s all the basic information about the continent. Here a map for a visual.” Bryer handed Kuro a yellowish rolled paper, which seemed to be the map.
Kuro accepted the map and was very intrigued with all the information he received in one listening, especially the part where Bryer mentioned all those delicious edible foods. He tried to convince himself that this was not the right time to be greedy with food.
“Ahem.” Albert coughed and caught the attention of everyone.
“That’s just the basic information that will show you the geographical details of Falmus continent. Bryer haven’t told you the dangers that lurk inside those forests.”
Kuro curiously tilted and blinked a couple of times, like a person who seemed to be confused. But deep inside, he didn’t have to hear it from Albert, for he knew what he was pertaining to.
‘Dragons.’
-End of Chapter 7-
