With Thomas and Cecily finally leading the way, Allen gets to begin his tour of the great city of London.
The area in which they toured was the market district of London, where citizens and visitors alike can walk around the densely populated area buying all sorts of things such as food, clothes, items, accessories, weapons, and armor. The market district was a very large portion of the city of London, aside from the port district and the housing districts.
Most of the sellers within the market district owned small to fairly decent sized market stalls very close to the main roads throughout the district where they could be up close and personal to anyone walking by, and having a higher chance of getting peoples' attention to buy their products.
Higher-end stores and market shops had their own buildings run by several merchants where they could more easily import or produce their goods, which then they could easily sell within the building. Several market stalls were small branches out of those buildings in an attempt to sell their goods in many different places within the market district.
"Aw man, there are so many things here I wanna buy!," Thomas enthusiastically said as his eyes darted around.
"But, you don't have the money to buy them," Cecily laughed.
"You don't have to keep reminding me!," Thomas exclaimed.
The trio were currently looking at the various items that the merchants were currently selling. Mostly just some of the regular items.
"Hey Thomas, aren't there magical items too, right?," Allen asked, remembering his first time here before he took the entrance exam.
Thomas turned around to look back at Allen. "Of course there is! We are saving the best for last!," he grinned as they kept walking and browsing around.
They even approached some food stalls, which Thomas kept drooling over but Cecily had to keep pushing him to move forward before he made any moves that could result in them getting into trouble.
Before they could continue forward, Allen heard a sudden shuffling of people running around. Curious, he and others around him looked to see what was going on.
"After him!," A voice came from the crowd.
He suddenly saw a few of the magical knights apprehend what looked like a middle aged man.
"I'm not a fire mage! I swear!," the man yelled in pure fear.
Allen could only look in horror upon the scene as the magical knights carried him away. No one else around him did anything besides watch the scene unfold upon them. What could anyone do, anyway?
"Kill the fire mage!"
"We don't want you here!"
A few of the spectators nearby began to scream insults and threats to the fire mage. With fire magic being banned, you still had many who wanted to keep it that way.
Allen suddenly felt a hand fall on his shoulder. He turned around to see Thomas.
"Don't worry about it Allen. This is something that happens a lot here in London," he said while not taking his eyes off the scene in front of them. "Let's just keep moving, okay?"
"Y-yeah," Allen managed to respond.
As Thomas and Cecily began to keep walking, and the other spectators began to get back to what they were doing for the day, Allen couldn't help but stand there for a moment feeling guilty. He lifted his right hand, still covered by his singular glove he always wears. He looked at it briefly, knowing there's nothing he can do about his fire magic besides hide it. Regardless of the fact he did not choose to have fire magic, he must still live with it, and make sure no one else finds out about it. After a few moments, he caught up with Thomas and Cecily.
They finally made their way towards the magic section of the shops. This is the area Allen had been waiting for.
"Alright we're finally here!," Thomas exclaimed enthusiastically.
"I've been waiting for this!," Allen said, excited. He was waiting to see what sort of magical items they had to offer.
There were quite a few stalls in the magic section of the market stalls. Mostly you saw mages, magical knights, and even a few other academy students shopping in the area. A few non-mages were seen browsing just to see what mages had to offer.
"Let's see what they are selling currently!," Thomas exclaimed, as he quickly paced his eyes around at all the stalls. Allen and Cecily had to quicken their pace to follow Thomas as he began moving towards the first stall.
The first stall had a few onlookers and shoppers, but not too many. Allen, Thomas and Cecily were easily able to get closer and start browsing what the shopkeeper was selling.
Allen had been wondering what exactly magical artifacts were. He had heard a little bit about them from William during his training, and even saw a glimpse of them when he was making his way to the academy for his entrance exam, but he had yet to see them up close before.
He looked and noticed what the shopkeeper was selling. They seemed to be an assortment of rings. There were maybe about ten in total on the stand, but Allen could tell they probably sold for a decent price. Definitely more than the lunch Thomas wanted.
"Interested in buying?," the shopkeeper asked in a quiet voice, his face not visible with the hood he was wearing.
"What do these magical artifacts do?," Thomas asked.
"They can increase your elemental magical power," the shopkeeper said just loud enough for all three of them to hear.
Thomas' eyes began to almost sparkle as he looked at all the rings. Cecily had to slightly hold him back so Thomas wouldn't touch them and possibly damage them.
Allen looked at each of the rings. Each of them were silver in color, but all had a gem on top. Four of the rings had a brown gem, three of the rings had a blue gem, and the last of the three rings had a gray gem. Allen assumed that each of the colors corresponded with the element they boosted. Brown for earth, blue for water, and gray for air. Allen wondered if he equipped an air-boosting ring, his air magical power could increase.
"How much are they?," Allen asked the shopkeeper as Thomas drooled, looking at the rings.
The shopkeeper pointed to the sign to the left of them with his thumb. Allen looked at the sign and for a second died inside. This had to be at least 100x fold how much Thomas' lunch would've been if Thomas could afford it.
Thomas had just noticed the pricing of the rings too and then fell down in defeat. "Why is everything here so overpriced?," he cried in defeat. Cecily just giggled as she helped him up once more.
"Well it doesn't hurt to look," Allen tried to reassure Thomas. "Maybe someday we can afford them once we become magical knights"
"Yeah, you're right," Thomas responded with a grin on his face, although Allen could tell he was still upset he couldn't buy the rings. "There's still plenty of stalls to check out still, so why don't we continue?"
They proceeded to walk around to view the other stalls on display. Allen noticed most of the magical artifacts were some sort of equipable item such as a ring, bracelet, or a necklace. They all in some way improved your use of elemental magic such as faster casting, improved stability, increased your power, faster regeneration of mana speeds, or even some of them increased your mana overall but those were the most expensive.
Allen was interested if there were any magical artifacts that were weapons. He didn't seem to see any until he found a stall near the main part of the area. It was a rather larger stall compared to the rest and was a bit more crowded with onlookers and potential buyers. He began to approach closer, with Thomas and Cecily on his heels following him, as they were also curious.
The trio managed to squeeze in to see what was causing all the commotion. It seemed this stall was one of the more expensive ones too. The stall glittered with all sorts of shiny elemental artifacts, so shiny they basically screamed "wallet destroyer". There was no way any of the three of them could afford these, even if they put all their money together - which wasn't a lot.
The stand had several shopkeepers to keep it active and running. They even had a few magical knights protecting the stand, which also helped signify how much these artifacts cost. The main shopkeeper in the center of the stall had a very warm smile, yet also had the face of a focused and intelligent merchant. You could tell he knew what he was doing, and he was doing it well. Who knows how much money they can rack in?
The trio managed to squeeze in closer to hear what the shopkeeper was saying.
"Air, water, or earth, we have the right elemental artifact for you! Reynold Enterprises has something for everyone!," the shopkeeper raised his voice for anyone nearby to hear.
The other two shopkeepers around were basically doing the same thing. If anyone tried to get too close without the shopkeepers permission, the magical knights protecting the stand would stop them.
Just as the trio managed to get closer, the shopkeeper noticed the three. His eyes landed on Allen, and then to his sword that was sheathed on his waist. He had a curious look on his face which turned into interest.
"You over there," the shopkeeper pointed at Allen. "Come here a second"
Allen just realized that the shopkeeper was pointing at him. He looked over to Thomas and Cecily, who just motioned him to follow along and see what the shopkeeper wanted.
As Allen got closer to the stand, the shopkeeper walked over to greet him. "Welcome to our grand market stand! I assume you are an academy student by the outfit you are wearing?," he asked.
"Yeah that's correct. Did you need something from me?," Allen asked. "I don't have enough to buy what you are selling, I am here just to view them"
"Oh, don't worry about that. I am actually curious about the sword you have sheathed on your waist," he pointed to Allen's sword. "Is it by chance a weapon type magical artifact?"
Allen looked down at his sword. "Oh no, it's not a magical artifact or anything. It's just a sword my mentor gave me at the end of my training, that's all"
"I see. Not many mages carry around weapons, so I was curious if it was a magical artifact. Could you by chance show me the blade?," he asked. "I would just like to see it"
"Sure, I don't see an issue," Allen said as he began to unsheathe his sword. As he unsheathed his sword, the magical knights watching over the market stand noticed and began to move in, possibly perceiving Allen as a potential threat. But before they could continue, the shopkeeper put his hand up to motion to them that there was no action necessary. They promptly went back to where they were before.
Allen lifted up the blade so the shopkeeper could easily see it. The shopkeeper's eyes seemed to glitter with interest at the sword. Allen's sword began to reflect the sunlight coming from the sky, and the four sided star in the center of the hilt began to almost shine as he held it up for the shopkeeper to see. This began to also catch the attention of some of the people nearby, and even Thomas and Cecily began to admire Allen's sword.
"Wow, what an amazing sword," the shopkeeper said, unable to take his eyes off of it. "Are you sure this isn't a magical artifact? It seems to have an elemental gemstone in the center of the hilt"
"No, I don't think so. As far as I am aware, this is a regular sword," Allen said as he began to sheath his sword. If Allen recalls correctly, when William gave him the blade he didn't mention it was a magical artifact. All he said was once his mother's sword and nothing more.
"May I buy the blade from you then?," he asked. "I'm sure we have more than enough for however much you'd like to sell it to us; Reynold Enterprises is quite a large company I can assure you. I've yet to see such a magnificent sword such as that before, and I am almost sure our boss Reynold would be interested in seeing this blade firsthand"
"No, I'm sorry. I am not interested in selling or giving away this sword," Allen shook his head.
"Ah, that's a shame," the shopkeeper looked a bit disappointed. "Well if you change your mind, you can find us here almost everyday. Or, just look for any Reynold Enterprises market stand and they can lead me to you"
"Got it," Allen replied, just before he walked back to Thomas and Cecily.
"He wanted to buy your sword?," Thomas asked, puzzled.
"I guess so. Not sure why he'd really want it. As far as I am aware, it's not a magical artifact or anything," Allen responded.
"Where did you get the sword in the first place?," Thomas asked. "I don't recall if you've told me"
"My mentor gave it to me after the end of my training. Apparently it was once my mother's," Allen explained.
"You say that as if you aren't fully sure if it was your mother's," Cecily said as the three looked at Allen's sword.
"Well the truth is, I don't know who my real parents are. The parents I have now back in my hometown are my adopted parents. I've been trying to rack my brain to figure out who they could be and where they could be if they're still alive," Allen explained.
"I'm sorry to hear that, that must be difficult," Thomas said, being sympathetic. Cecily tried to reassure Allen too.
"Don't worry, it's nothing to feel sorry for. I love my parents, even if we aren't related by blood. I have just been curious as to who my real parents are. My family back home has no ability to use elemental magic whatsoever, so it was fairly obvious. I got my air magic from my parents, so I am curious as to who they are or who they were," Allen explained.
"Ah, I see," Thomas said while he was thinking.
"It's starting to get late, I think we should start heading back," Cecily told them as she realized it's getting close to sunset. The three will get into trouble if they aren't back at the academy before dark. Who knows what the staff may do to punish them?
"Good idea," Thomas said as he was leading them back towards the academy. "Wait, where is the academy again?". Allen and Cecily proceeded to laugh once more at Thomas' daily stupidity.
"Cmon, we'll show you the way back," Allen said as Cecily and he began to walk back to the academy. They still found themselves giggling as Thomas kept making comments about losing his way there.
As they made their way back, they could see the academy not too far from where they were walking. They followed the path that would lead them to the academy while making jokes and laughing (some of it was teasing Thomas). Just as they were about to get to the gates and the sun began to set, a familiar face was there at the gate.
"Allen Fleming, we meet again!," the student mischievously grinned.
"I'm sorry, who are you again?," Allen asked, pretending not to know him.
"Who am I, you ask?," the boy said, stunned. "Why, I happen to be Char-"
"Oh yeah, it's Blondie," Allen said, snapping his fingers.
"Blon-"
"Hey, how's it going, Blondie?," Thomas asked while the three began to giggle.
"How dare you! I am a proud Rivertide, and you should not insult me in that way," Charles said, still stunned that they kept calling him that nickname.
"So, what did you want Charles?," Allen asked.
"I-," Charles began to say, forgetting what he was originally going to tell Allen for a moment. "Oh that's right, we need to have our next duel that I am obviously going to win!"
"Sure…," Allen pretended to agree. Thomas just raised his eyebrow at Charles while Allen and Charles were talking.
"Anyways, I heard that you are going to have a duel with my older brother Nathaniel. You are going to taste defeat real hard!," Charles said as he was laughing.
The trio just proceeded to shudder at the thought. Just thinking about Nathaniel either pissed them off or in Cecily's case, generated fear. Nathaniel is by far one of the worst people Allen has ever come across.
"God, I can't believe I am breathing the same air as you," Cecily proceeded to look at Charles in pure disgust.
For a moment, Allen, Thomas, and even Charles had to process what Cecily just said. What came out of her mouth was the least likely thing they all expected her to say. Then Allen and Thomas proceeded to laugh so hard that Thomas fell on his knees and Allen almost did the same. Cecily for a moment looked proud she had just come up with that. Charles just looked at Cecily in a pure "what" face for what felt like forever.
Once they all calmed down a bit, they began to notice the sunset was almost done.
"Uh, I think we need to get back inside now," Thomas noted, pointing towards the sunset which was almost gone.
"Good idea," Allen said and he and Cecily nodded their heads in agreement.
"Well, I will see you later Allen! The next time we meet won't be so easy for you!," Charles shouted as he ran back into the gates, as even he doesn't want to get into trouble. The three just shook their heads as Charles scrambled off.
"Lets head back to our dorms," Allen said as they began heading to the academy gate. They began to move quicker just in case, so they wouldn't get into trouble either.
Once they got Cecily back to her dorm, Allen and Thomas began walking over to the boys dorm.
"Crap, I just realized we have class tomorrow!," Thomas said as he began to loath the work they'll have to do tomorrow.
"Maybe we can get some training in after class. I definitely need to train before my upcoming duel," Allen said as he sighed. He wanted to beat Nathaniel, but he wasn't fully looking forward to it, despite it being his first duel.
"Yeah of course!," Thomas said, grinning. "I'll see you later, Al!".
Allen waved him goodbye as Thomas went back to his room. Allen made a mental note that either tomorrow or sometime next week he'll need to pay William a visit in order to ask him for any advice for his upcoming duel. The duel, for better or for worse, will be a milestone in the path of becoming a magical knight.