"That's the rumor, though I know it's at least partly true. I know one woman who was in, let's just say, a dubious relationship with her."
Kailen contemplated the new information, he wasn't conceited enough to believe he's perfect enough to transcend sexual preference. His mind drew a blank on her motivations, it seemed Celia knew a fair bit about her and the Oxford family and it was a perfect opportunity for him to learn more.
"And what about the Oxford family? What can you tell me about them?"
"Well, where do we start? Their family holds a large influence over the military in Nictra, the current patriarch is Harold Oxford. He is a powerful General in the army that commands a large proportion of the military, his wife is possibly more impressive as a strong cultivator who served in the army. The two together hold massive sway over the military and hence the entire nation."
Celia had an especially respectful attitude when the wife of Harold was mentioned, Kailen seemed to note. Acquainting himself with knowledge of the family beforehand would undoubtedly be a good idea, so he asked further on the wife of Harold and possibly Lana's mother.
"I noticed your tone of respect toward the Madam of the family, could you tell me more about her."
"Of course, Dyanne Oxford is an especially famous figure in Nictra. She entered the army young and flew through the ranks, it's said she's one of the most powerful cultivators in the country."
Kailen couldn't help but become excited at the prospect of meeting her, though he wasn't sure how she'd react to her daughter's relationship with an ex-slave.
"Are there any other families I should be aware of?"
"Of course there is the Royal Family that overrule the nation, though their position is constantly under strain from the three families together with the two main sects residing within the nation."
Kailen released an exhausted sigh at the possibility of being dragged into the political battles between the families, though being prepared never hurt.
"And what influence do these other families have?"
"Well, they all have some influence in court. Though the royal family still holds the final say, the families can often pressure them if things turn for the worse. The Maynard family is a fairly new power, the queen descended from there after all. And finally is the Daycart family, which is where my foster mother is from."
The revelation surprised Kailen, though he knew she was from a powerful family he didn't expect them to be political opponents of Lana's family. Kailen frowned as he thought of the possible future repercussions of their relationship.
Clearly seeing Kailen's thoughts Celia laughed before waving a hand dismissively.
"You don't have to worry, I'm only an adopted daughter and have no real say in family matters."
"So, what sphere of influence do the Daycart family effect?"
"Mostly the economic sector, the Daycart family controls the majority of foreign trade contracts. Both transport and production of goods. The Maynards' also have a part here while not to the extent of the Daycarts'."
Their chat continued for a while longer until Kailen decided to excuse himself and meet the bodyguards of the convoy. He would mostly be relying on them for the time being until his injuries recovered after all.
Kailen discovered them standing together chatting, three large fierce-looking men. They were all wearing matching chain armor with a red tunic over the top, one had a large ax on his back while the other two had swords.
"Afternoon lads, I'm Kailen. I'll be in your care for the next few weeks."
The three men turned to at him, they were all taller than him by a good few inches plus Kailen's fairly slender build couldn't be compared to themselves. Coupled with his handsome looks and fairly slender build they couldn't help but assume he was some playboy or noble traveling with their client. Coupled with his fairly scrunched over shoulders caused by his injury he looked fairly weak.
"Afternoon sir, I'm Ran, and this is Guy and Dean. Are you acquainted with Lady Celia?"
"Yes, I am. So are you from Lanza or were you just there for work?"
"All three of us are from Nictra, we normally take this kind of work on the route to Lanza regularly."
"So you guys have traveled through the Dassar Desert many times right?"
The Dassar Desert was a place he'd heard of numerous times now within Lanza so his curiosity was still strong, especially the beasts he's heard so much about.
"Yes, though it's normally completely safe. Though we have also heard some other guards mention the beasts living there we have never seen them ourselves."
"That so... if nobody has seen them, how come they're so infamous?"
"Surely you've heard of the events that happened there eighty years ago? It's famous throughout the continent and is the reason the tundra is so feared."
Kailen hadn't heard of such a tale, his life had been fairly sheltered in the orphanage and also he didn't learn much as a servant. Growing up within the country of Cassar also didn't help as he soon discovered.
"Hm? No, I haven't."
The three men looked at him weirdly, more sure of their impression of him as a useless playboy or servant. The event was famous within the continent, even the children knew about it.
"Well, it happened when the Cassar bastards tried to invade with a massive force of one hundred thousand men the-"
The man named Guy, who was slightly shorter than Ran and had a black scruffy beard with matching hair interrupted and took over the explanation.
"Then as they were crossing the desert they were attacked by incredible monsters, in the shape of huge tigers with fur black as night. According to the stories, there were thousands of the beasts that attacked as a pack, most unusual for big cats."
This Guy fellow obviously had a strong passion for the story as he explained it vigorously.
"The tigers massacred most of the army, leaving the bastards to scurry back to where they came."
The tale fascinated Kailen as he wished to see such a grand event first hand, though from the story he came to learn of the past of conflict between the two nations. From the border town of Lanza, while tensions did seem to be high it was mostly civil. He wondered how such a drastic change occurred after all the tale didn't happen too long ago.
"It was also rumored that strange tribal men were present in the faraway reaches of the battlefield and overlooked the entire thing, though these stories often get exaggerated through the years. Who knows how accurate it is."
The man named Dean spoke of the rumours, as he explained the possible fabrication Guy next to him seemed to take offense.
"The beasts are the guardians of Nictra. Of course, it was true!"