The Redwater City
A place which lacks the nobles’ estates and the royal palace of the Capital. However, despite the lack of grandeur and the academic environment of the Capital City, it has its own unique functions and history.
Divided by a small town, the city’s western border is just several miles away from the Capital’s eastern border.
The first thing that a newcomer learns after entering this city is its one main function: the birthplace of soldiers, and the location where many of the kingdom’s future talented knights are found.
The Crucible. This is one of the establishments that the Royal family uses to discover talents and then nurture the ones who hold noteworthy potential to become the future pillars of the kingdom.
Through the tasks and mission system, this establishment invites beginners to enter its ecosystem for a decided amount of income.
To keep the swordsmen growing, it provides training equipment and the proper environment for their growth.
However, be it the city or the Crucible, both are limited to being the talent source for the Capital and the Royal family.
This is the point where swordsmen who have reached Level 3 and 4 in their sword skills and abilities, respectively the Entry-Level and the Bachelor Swordsman, start asking about the next step in their journey of swordsmanship.
Most of them settle down into the posts of guards and knights after reaching these levels. To them, this is by far the best option they have.
And honestly? That’s what almost every person born with the status of a commoner thinks. Whether it is a matter of talent, money, or resources, the journey forward becomes increasingly difficult on this path.
But not everyone thinks the same.
There are those who rebel against their own thinking, their own fates, and their narrowed worldview.
Moving beyond their meager status, these people dream of standing up to their idols, breaking the cycles of normality their predecessors created, standing beside the powerful, and many other things.
Though, the main bottleneck they face is the transition into the kind of life where they can invest their energy and attention into their growth.
The Silverfang Citadel is the place which provides them the very opportunity they seek.
Established near the center of the Capital City, this academy houses the future of the kingdom, not just metaphorically but literally.
...
The paper screeches under his hand as he draws another line under the note he just wrote.
An empty plate with a few remnants of chicken bones rests on the table beside his notebook. A curious gaze has been lingering on him for several minutes now. The gaze belongs to no one but Clara.
She observes him silently, hands tucked under her chin. When the wait finally becomes unbearable, she breaks the silence.
"Is it done? It shouldn’t take this long to plan your journey. What are you writing exactly?"
His hand pauses at her words, and he rests the quill down before looking up at her.
"Well... I wasn’t just thinking about the journey, really. I was calculating the debt and also figuring out what I will do after getting there."
A frown appears on his face for a second as he asks, "You really don’t want to come with me?"
Clara straightens up slightly in her seat and shakes her head without any hesitation. A brief moment of thoughtfulness crosses her face before she smiles.
"No. I don’t want to enter the Capital yet. It won’t end well for you."
"..."
He stares at her, trying to figure out the implication, but his instincts tell him that she might be right about her decision.
Is it something related to her powers? Or her... family?
The system’s message about her family is still fresh in his mind. And according to her description given by the system, it wouldn’t be a surprise if her ’famous’ family is present in the Capital.
Thinking better of the trouble of bringing her with him, he nods once and goes back to organizing his plan one final time.
Though, there is still something he finds himself curious about. Without looking up, he addresses her, his quill moving, albeit faster, as if to hide his curiosity.
"By the way... in the bathroom, the sword... I mean, I was just bathing recently and ended up crashing down your clothes..."
Her eyebrow raises imperceptibly, followed by a knowing smile on her lips. She doesn’t answer immediately, making him stay with his tension for longer. Then, with a soft, alluring hum, she murmurs.
"Ah... about that sword. What about it?"
Then, her voice lowers further.
"Or... did you see someone peeking on it?"
Zane stiffens visibly at her words, suddenly feeling regretful about saying that to her.
Did she see me or something?
The suspicion whirls inside him. Maybe she stalked him somehow, or probably she just guessed it right now?
His troubled look seems to amuse her even more, though instead of probing anymore, she reaches over the table and taps his hand once.
"Anyways, that is my personal sword. It was made for me by my family."
"Your family..."
He nods slowly, the pieces falling together in his mind.
Okay, it’s her family. If I have to live this life properly, then I have to investigate her family too in the future.
As the evening deepens into the night, and then night into another morning, Zane stands at the doorway of his house.
With a fully packed bag and a set of casual clothes over his body, he checks over his things one last time before letting out a large puff of air to boost his confidence.
"Okay, I am prepared!"
Clara appears a moment later in front of him, a normal but real sword gripped loosely in her hand. Leaning forward toward him, she ties the scabbard around his waist and then slides the sword into it smoothly.
"Hm... your sword is prepared too. You were definitely going to forget it."
"..."
...
After a long goodbye hug, he sets his eyes on the path and starts moving along it.
Leaving her and the small life that he created in this city over the span of several days, he feels a bit reluctant and sad about it, but he knows that if he wants to really enjoy this freely, then he has to finish the problems that are surrounding him first.
The main destination that he has set as his main priority is the Silverfang Citadel, obviously. He has to figure out the current condition of that academy first. Then who knows, maybe he will be able to learn in that academy too.
The last line isn’t something he is confident about yet, considering he doesn’t know a shit about almost anything here.
Brushing the difficult thoughts aside, he makes leaving the current city he is in right now the first part of his plan.
According to the small amount of research he did during the preparations, leaving this city requires a legal document, especially if someone wants to enter the Capital after leaving this border.
The legal document must be able to confirm the identity of that person and also some basic but important details about the person.
He plans to show his identity badge from his workplace and his admission letter for the academy, if necessary, to the city gate guards for verification.
He cannot possibly show off his loan details to the guards... right?
Thinking of the loan, the memory of him giving the loan paper to Clara flickers through his mind. Fortunately, she agreed to visit the credit house on his behalf and pay his debt for exactly three months.
As he leaves the familiar path of the area he was living in, a moment of determination appears in his gaze as he clenches his fist tightly.
"I will definitely return successful in less than three months!"
The words of his vow vanish behind him in the air as he steps into his first real journey since coming into this world.
...
"We aren’t beggars. If you want to just reach the city border, then this will do. But, if you want to go beyond that..."
The carriage driver returns his pouch, shaking his head with an apologetic smile, but still firm in his decision.
Zane takes the pouch back, looking at it with a betrayed look. Then, he sweeps his gaze toward the other carriages, but they are most likely charging the same price.
He sighs once. In all his enthusiasm about reaching the Capital, he forgot how much is charged for transport here.
Now what...? Should I just take the carriage to reach the borders and then take another carriage from there to the Capital? But, the charges will probably be even higher at the border...
Even though he might not have been a topper during his school time, he has a gist of how the market works.
Just as he ponders about giving more money and emptying his pockets, a man with a wide smile and sparkling eyes approaches him.
Hm...? This man was standing beside that strange-looking carriage earlier. Why is he coming here...?
The man stops a metre away from him and clasps his hands before gesturing behind him toward that strange carriage. Then he grins at Zane.
"Hello... My name is Richard. That carriage you see there...? It is mine. Looks good, right? I know that."
Seeing that Zane doesn’t look impressed yet, he coughs once and lowers his grin by an inch.
"So, I just saw you arguing with that man about money... I can bring you in my carriage for the same amount you were offering to him earlier."
"Just... I have a small situation there."