A week had gone by in the blink of an eye, and Naell had spent most of his time either in the library, or accompanying Lily and the young owl to play. All his preparations were done by his attendants as his little sister would not leave his sight.
The morning was mellow as they stood at the gates of the Beryldot household. They were now patiently waiting for the two Owls, as they went ahead to prepare their nest inside the carriage.
Naell's thoughts by then were filled with fond memories, all from the months he had spent with his family.
"Brother, don't go..." insisted Lily who was crying and grabbing his arm. It really was an emotional parting, as it was time for him to study in the capital.
"You know I have to, dear sister."
"Then, let me come with you."
Naell then kneeled down to comfort his sniffling sister. He then calmly said,
"Dear sister, if you go with me, who will take care of our parents, and even our household?"
*sniff*
Naell then added on, now slightly grinning as he knew he was winning their battle.
"Can you do that?"
"Hmmmph! Sometimes you are being unfair Brother."
"Hahaha"
Wiping the tears from her cheeks, Lily called out to him once more, holding up a hand as she lifted her pinky.
"Send me many letters brother..."
"It's a promise." Naell replied, holding his end of the bargain with a pinky swear.
Seeing the warm and loving interaction of Naell and the pouting Lily, was a cute sight to behold. Fharom, Lilia, and Sebastian, could only hide their feelings of gloom beneath their cozy smiles.
"Naell, take care of yourself out there."
"Thank you, Mom."
"Son, you can always write to us if you are in need of money. It would bring shame to our family if you somehow went hungry. We are nobles afterall."
"Do not worry, Father. Besides, I have your recommendation letter with me."
"HAHAHA ! With Andrea and my signature alone, you won't even be needing Fha--- Baron's signa---" But before Drew could even finish, an annoyed Fharom immediately cut him off.
"Why are you even here, Drew?"
"To see Naell off, why?"
Fharom could only sigh. Seeing the lovey-dovey couple who were both busy, but still went to see Naell off, was heartwarming. Yet, because he was quite a tsundere, he wouldn't show it off.
"Still--- Sensei, Father, Uncle and Auntie, thank you for the signatures." Naell as he stood up, bowed down to them. He was really glad to have those signatures as it would help him skip some procedures in the Adventurer's guild.
Naell's plan was to work and independently earn some money, as he did not want to burden his family. Nonetheless, his father would still send his monthly allowance.
"Nell, just give them that letter okay? If that old fart is there or anyone messes with you, I'll go to the capital myself!"
"..."
Naell could only wryly smile at Andrea's words. He remembered how Andrew and his group in the novel became celebrities, all after having brought the signatures of his two well-known parents to the Adventurer's Guild.
"Yeah! Me and my wife will---"
*cough*
"---HAHAHA ! I mean take care, Naell."
"Hahaha yeahhh, take care, Nell."
Fharom smiled with approval. He was glad with how Sebastian could silence the lovey-dovey couple.
Sebastian then turned towards his student as he said warmly,
"Naell, as your teacher, I'm very proud of you. Please accept my gift to help you in your travels."
Sebastian with a [ poof ] gave Naell a weapon: a staff carved out of dark elven wood. It had a simple yet elegant design with the intricate markings of elven language. Naell held the weapon in his hand in awe as he spoke.
''This... Thank you, Sensei."
There are three primary weapons that mages use; a Wand for amplifying one's mana, a Cane for controlling elemental magic, (which is useful for mages like Sebastian, who has inferior wind magic) and a Staff to lessen the burden of magic from one's body. Of course, there are mages who do use unconventional weapons or none at all.
"And here's ours!" Pridefully handed the blaring Drew.
Almost in an instant Naell felt a hint of relief, as he held onto the unusually bright ornament.
What Drew and Andrea gave was a bracelet of white-gold rings, chained together forming what was better known as 7 days.
"Thank you, Uncle, Auntie."
"Nell, I hope that'll help you, as it can lessen the burden on your body when using high-level magic."
"Ahhh, that's why... I'll treasure it well, Auntie."
Andrea and Drew were pleased upon seeing that Naell liked their gift. Yet their glee was cut short by Fharom's interruption, as he then held out his gift.
"And this is ours, Son."
As Naell opened the small box, he was greeted by the slight glow of a ring.
"Father, Mother, and dear sister... Thank you so much."
Naell was quite happy with all he had received, especially the spatial ring his family had given him.
He recalled what he knew of the Spatial accessories. Based on the novel, they were advanced storage systems that could give a separate space inside the user's chosen accessory.
Naell once more eyed the items he now possessed. He could not help but feel that all of their gifts were chosen out of care. After that, the young master became more determined to live his slacker life with them--- his family, comfortable as well.
As they heard the gallops of horses, they saw the carriage slowly closing approaching them.
While it was not that extravagant, it easily gave the impression of a noble's carriage. Not to mention, both doors of the umber-colored wooden carriage were etched with the snow crystal sigil of the Beryldot household.
As the door opened, two owls emerged from the carriage, immediately flying towards the group. Soon, a young man was hurriedly walking behind them.
"HOOT! Hey, don't cry, Lily! I'll be with your brother, so he is well protected." Said the young owl while puffing his fluffy feathered chest.
After the initial meet up, Athena and his son were welcomed warmly by the Beryldot's household.
At first, Naell was really displeased by the young owl's attitude. Yet little by little, it went from unpleasant, to him feeling he had a feisty cat that with all the attitude, still had to be loved.
Not to mention, Naell understood how powerful and helpful the owls were, as after having a portion of his magic sealed, the heavy burden he once felt was gone.
"Thank you, Owly." Lily hugged the little owl that all of a sudden, went silent. When Fharom introduced the two owls to his family, Lily went ahead and called the young owl as Owly. Little by little, the young miss and the young owl became the best of friends.
"..."
In truth, Owly wasn't pleased with the name, but since he was not strong enough to name himself, he thought it wasn't a bad idea to be named by someone else.
Fharom approached the fluttering Athena as he politely asked,
"Will you be staying in the capital, Lady Athena?"
"Hoot, I probably will not, as I'll be travelling east afterwards."
"Then I hope the carriage is to your liking."
"Hoot, it is. Thank you for your hospitality and for accepting my request, Baron."
Fharom, Athena, and Sebastian were in deep thought as they were gazing at one another. They could not help but recall the conversation they had.
"We believe that the demons are trying to resurface to the world, Hoot."
"That's impossible... but if that's the case then we should unite and elimin---"
"Baron, at the moment, we cannot trust everyone. Rest assured, as one of the 12, I'll make sure to prevent this catastrophe, Hoot."
"May Aurora guide you, Lady Athena."
"May Magi lead your way, Baron."
A small built man with kempt black hair, stood straight and bowed to them. Sebastian then approached the man and spoke,
"Serve them well, Mr. Lebrut."
"I will do my best, Sire."
Butler Lebrut was assigned to accompany Naell and Owly to the capital, and like Sebastian, he wore a standard butler attire matching his brown seemingly hardworking eyes.
"I'll be in your care, Mr. Leb."
"Ah! Same as well, Young master!"
Mr. Lebrut had known Naell for 5 years, yet even though he had changed, the young butler was still afraid of him.
"Shall we go now, Young master?" Lieutenant Estra was the leading knight that was tasked to guide the carriage. Two knights would also go with them to the capital, with one being the coachman.
"Still Naell, why don't you just go to Arigare and apply there for your adventurer's card? I heard rumors that the tests are more difficult in the capital." Asked Lilia who knew it was more practical, as she also knew that the capital was brimming with applicants.
"That's--- There is no need Mom, as it is my dream to apply in the capital. That will not stop me from accomplishing it!" Naell could only fake his excitement, as he couldn't say how much he truly feared the Dukedom of Arigare.
Naell was truly disappointed when he learned that the guild's application could only be processed in the big city. That was why the Beryldot's guild could only give missions and house a few expeditions.
"You wouldn't know Lila~, but it is always a dream of a future adventurer to apply in the capital!" Andrea was the one who explained how absurd it was, yet she couldn't deny how even they were like that in the past.
"Oh! I guess it is like drinking tea from our favorite place, no matter how far it is, we still go there."
"Hehehe, that's right~"
When Lilia and Andrea were together like that, the residents of Beryldot often found themselves soothed from the beauty of the two.
On the other hand, Fharom and Drew's get-togethers, (like at the moment) were often disastrous, as it always was with childish bickering at best.
"By the way, son." Fharom quickly dismissed his nagging friend's words as he handed out a different letter to Naell.
Naell noticed that the letter was formally prepared to be sent out to a Marquis, but what made it surprising was the question of why.
To: Marquis Metero W. Star
Naell knew of the Star family. They were a well-known power in the capital, having produced multiple widely known high ranking adventurers.
Fharom misinterpreted Naell's confused face as an expression of complication.
"I know... Even I am not fond of them. But neither Lilia nor I have any relatives, while you do... And I'm sure Alicia would have wanted to at least have her son be acquainted with her relatives."
"..."
Naell then realized the slacker life he wanted to have, was still so far from his reach.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
https://www.patreon.com/nezothecat
https://twitter.com/NeZotheCat