It would take at least two weeks for Victor and the rest of the Blue Rose officers and soldiers to travel from their current camp to the capital city. And that's on a good day. They also have to take into account potential issues they will face along the way. While Victor enjoyed riding his trusty spotted black horse, Maya, at this point, he missed the roads, cars, and, most of all, airplanes from his second life on Earth. The distance between their camp to the capital would be reached via airplane in a few hours or three days at most if you were in a car and the roads were flat and full of asphalt. But in this case, the trip requires riding your horse all day which makes your butt sore if you are not used to it and have to camp on the ground to rest while keeping an eye out on hostiles. Occasionally they have to ride into town for supplies and stay in an inn if necessary.
Victor could not believe that a flying broomstick or any other contraption was not made in a magical life in Asteria. What's the point of magic if he can't fly? And why does it have to be a broomstick? Why not a vacuum cleaner? Wait. Do vacuums exist in this world? Should he make one? Is it possible to make one? His train of thought is going nowhere.
Before they left, he also informed the General and the rest of the officers about the dissolution of the Blue Rose. Most of them did not like the idea especially knowing the possibility of harm from nobles who probably wanted to slice them in half just to figure out how they were able to become magic users (Victor didn't want them to be blindsided, so he told them the dangers they would face of their return). Because most are commoners, they don't have the power or resources to defend and protect themselves from powerful people who mean to harm them.
General Aster thought they should stick together, and he even thought of combining his forces with his family name. However, that is unrealistic. The Aster family did not have legal permission to have their army after their nobility was almost revoked by the former emperor, and there was no way the Aster family could support and feed over five hundred soldiers. So, the Blue Rose march to the capital with uncertainty in their hearts and their minds.
Victor had a plan and was considering absorbing the army into his territory instead. But he has to get the rewards and recognition first to get it. He does not want to get their hopes up and let them down if he fails, so he decides to keep it quiet for now. His rebirth has already changed the trajectory of the future, so he will have to prepare for those deviations.
During their trip, Victor further assessed his magic, skills, and especially his home inside his space. He made sure to explore it at night because the last time he explored it in daylight, he was almost left behind (because when he enters his space, the location does not follow the movement, so he comes out on the same location he entered) and a frantic Rufus was not a very pretty sight to see.
He still can't believe this house is in his space. All the pictures of his family made him miss them very much. His loving parents and grandparents. His brothers, David, Richard, and Chet, and his sisters, Pauline, Carolyn, and Bessy. He also missed his niece and two nephews, who are now the owners of his assets and his business. That construction business of his has become an international brand under his nephew, Alister. He was so proud of that boy. But in this life, they are now people in his memories and pictures on the walls of his house. It almost felt like they were just a dream - a very long dream. He sometimes wishes he has a loving relationship with his current parents, but he knows it is impossible. There is no point in hoping and dwelling on things that won't happen.
Exploring his dimensional space for the past few nights made him discover many things. The first is that the items stored in the space remain in the same condition as they were when you placed them. This is a very big deal because Victor can store loads of food in here without worrying it would rot or perish through time, and the fact that most dimensional spaces in Astoria cannot stop perishables from rotting in real life, this was a godsend.
The other thing is that his space seems almost unlimited. He tried to store multiple large items like the wagons during his experiments, and there seemed to be more space left. He made sure to return those wagons before the camp found out. Does this mean he can store as many as he wants? He is going to figure this out a little more. He does, however, cannot store animals and people in his space. He once placed a rat inside, and it died. Didn't even last long, just under a minute of suffocation.
But what Victor loved the most in his space was his house. Even though he still wondered how he was able to get his house in this space, he was still thankful. He can reminisce with the memories of his second family and most of all, there is electricity and water in the house, and it doesn't seem to be running out. He even tried the toilet, and it worked. He still does not know where his waste went since there doesn't seem to be anything under the house (aside from the basement), but he finally got a functioning toilet! No more doing his business in the forest or a pail with its contents just thrown out just literally outside his tent! The lack of hygiene scared him when he came back. No wonder disease and sickness are very common in this age of Claes.
He even managed to cook a good meal and take a bath, but he was a little worried when he came out all fresh and clean in a group who has not seen a shower in days. So, he tried to be less obvious. The internet was the highlight of Victor's time. Getting access to all those information was great! The only catch is that all the information present on his computer is fixed on the timeline of his death. He could gain access to information and content before his death, but future information about Earth was a no-go. So, he can't view what happened to his family using his social media after his death.
Wait.
Victor remembered reading one of those "isekai" or transmigration stories he was obsessed with when he was a teenager Jeffrey. All he remembers was that story was pretty nice, slow, and more about cooking, and there was this big white wolf. But that main character has the gift to be able to buy stuff online and bring it to another world? Can that happen as well? No harm in finding out.
Victor went to a known eCommerce website and tried to order, and he found out he could! The amount in the account is equal to the total cash he has present as Prince Victor, and he doesn't have to wait days. The order will arrive immediately. However, there is one thing he noticed. While Victor could order any product he wanted, he couldn't take most of them out. Any items that use materials not present in Asteria were not allowed to leave his house at all, even if it was a simple ballpoint pen with a plastic casing or a shirt made of synthetic materials. He was able to buy pairs of cotton underwear which Victor is thankful for because Astoria does not seem to believe in underwear, and luckily cotton exists in this world. Ever since he came back, he has had to walk around in his trousers without them. It was scary and a miracle he did not get into an accident. How in the world was he able to walk comfortably in his first life? He can never know. There are some items he can get out, such as shampoo in a plastic bottle. However, when he took them out of his space, they became shampoo inside either a glass jar or a clay pot and once that happened, it remained that way when he put it back in the space.
Overall, Victor has to admit that this is an amazing discovery and a blessing. He is not questioning anymore about the where and how. The only thing he is grateful for is that he could use these blessings, yes, he called them blessings now, to the optimal level to achieve his goals of a peaceful and happy life with Julian and everyone he cared about.
"I'm close," Victor said as he looked at the night sky of Asteria and saw the two moons shine brightly in the starry summer sky. "Just a little more, and I will see Julian."
*****
The journey to the capital was calm. There wasn't any danger or ambush that happened along the way, although some towns they encountered wondered why such an army was passing through, looking so exhausted. When they arrived in the capital territory, the army couldn't just waltz into the city. There are over 500 people in the Blue Rose, so only a few people can go. Those who will go are the general, some officers and soldiers, and the prince. While the others will be assigned to order and deliver food and other resources needed by the army as they wait for the dissolution.
So, the Blue Rose decides to stay at their barracks – the barracks the capital gave to them but have not been used in years since they are always getting mission after mission limiting their exposure to the capital and noble society as much as possible. When they arrived in the barracks, it was in disarray (not surprising), and there were some squatters in the area who ran when they saw the sight of them. To be honest, the General would not have minded if they stayed. This barracks is going to be left unused when they dissolve anyway. Those people were homeless, after all, and Claes is not very kind towards the homeless.
Even then, they don't have to live in such a filthy place. Those squatters did not take care of the barracks very well, leaving the rest of them to clean it up. The general, his nephew, the prince, and his butler, along with 20 people, three officers, and 17 requested soldiers, are going to the capital tomorrow. The capital is close, just a few hours' ride left, but they can't go to the city in full gear. If all of the soldiers were to go with them, the capital would view it as an attempted coup, and they will all be killed.
General Aster is leaving Silas (his second in command) and some of the other officers in charge of the barracks. Because the capital is close, they now have access to better food and resources that they should order to be delivered to the barracks, and someone should manage them when they are away. Hopefully, it will go so well since most people probably did not know where their barracks were located.
Silas is the Blue Rose army's second in command. He is a tall man with olive skin and wears an eyepatch on his left eye. He also has scars around his body and his face. He was already like that when he arrived at the camp so many years ago, so nobody knows where he got the scars and why he covers his left eye as he never really shared it, and nobody pushed him for it. Normally, in Claes, people with scars like that are often discriminated against, but in The Blue Rose, scars were the norm, and nobody cared whether they had it or not. Regardless, he is a very quiet man, and he treated them fine, so people have no complaints.
As for Rufus, he has been very busy making preparations for the capital. He traveled to the capital first along with two of the soldiers, set appointments at the palace, and bought and rented various items for their meeting with the nobles and the emperor. He rented a carriage as well, and he made sure it was high-end. Because the prince has no backing, he can't easily borrow a carriage from the palace with the royal insignia. He just hoped the guards wouldn't stop and search them. Those are usually reserved for the visitors to the palace, such as merchants and (although rare) foreign nobles. Some nobles find it humiliating to go through with it since a past empress did that to a powerful Duke's family because she was envious of their power and wanted to flaunt that the royal family was more powerful (that did not go so well for her).
Rufus was also the person who educated the soldiers who would go with them to the palace about proper posture, etiquette, and behavior when they were there. Unlike their merry band of men in the Blue Rose, who is more forgiving of their rowdy behavior, the palace is not that environment. One wrong move can get them killed or all of them killed. It's a test of their awareness and their teamwork.
Even though Rufus is the butler of the third prince, the soldiers have a lot of respect for the man. Because of his skills, he was assigned administrative duties such as managing the finances of the army and making sure they had enough money or resource to eat and take care of themselves, which was not very easy thanks to the lack of funds. But he was the one who set the schedules for hunts to get food and managed to stretch out their food for longer.
Once everything was set, Rufus went to the prince's room – the one assigned to him in the barracks – carrying a tray of food for him. He has prepared his clothes and a bath in the bathing area. He has to be meticulous. This is the first time since his banishment that the prince will return to the palace, and Rufus has to admit that the prince has every right to be angry at the emperor for everything. But that doesn't mean he will allow the prince to not look his best. Let those nobles cry at the sight of the prince's beauty. Rufus thinks very highly of his young master.
"Your Highness, I have heated some water in the kitchens; it will be rea-" Rufus paused.
…
"YOUR HIGHNESS?!" Rufus almost dropped the tray. Who is this gorgeous man standing before him?
It is his highness! But why – why does he look so different?
Prince Victor looked so dignified and clean. He is standing in the room in front of the window with an open book in one hand and his other hand on his hips. His wispy stubble is gone, and the prince cuts his hair short. Short! It is so short that there is barely any hair left that clings to his neck. How is it possible to get that hair so short and cut so cleanly? Also, the prince looked like he had bathed, and his clothing looked clean. Cleaner than the last time he did the laundry (despite the lack of detergent in the barracks). "How do I look, Rufus?" the prince smiled.
"You look – you look so handsome, your highness." Rufus stammered, also feeling a little proud.
"Thank you."
"Did – did you already take a bath, your highness?" Rufus asked.
"Yes."
"Where? I didn't see you in the bathing house." Rufus asked, looking a bit perturbed. "There were so many people in there earlier." As it is rare for them to take a bath when on the go, the soldiers have taken advantage of having a fixed place to bathe.
"I, uh, took a bath in the river." The prince answered, looking a little guilty.
"Were you alone?"
"Uh…"
"Your Highness! You can't go bathe in the river alone! You must have someone with you! What if you drown!" Rufus scolded the young prince.
"As you can see, I am fine."
Rufus sighed. "Still, your highness, you cannot just go anywhere without telling us where you are. You are a prince. If you go missing, we will be in trouble."
"I see. I am sorry, Rufus." The prince said apologetically with his arms up trying to calm down the doting butler.
Rufus paused and looked at the prince's outfit. The trousers look clean, and the boots are shiny. When did he make the shoes shine? Rufus was the one who cleaned those shoes. "I haven't seen this shirt, your highness." Rufus pointed at the prince's white shirt. It was very white and clean and looked like it had not been touched by the elements. It also looked very different. Not so "flowy."
"It's a shirt that I have kept in my space," Victor said.
"I am surprised it has remained this pristine," Rufus said, as the item should have at least rotted in the space by now (but he doesn't know the prince's space can stop the time of the stored items). Rufus even turned towards the cloak lying on the chair.
"This cloak looks clean!" Rufus looked astonished. The black cloak is old, and Rufus has cleaned this one multiple times to remove the mud and other impurities unsuccessfully. The prince does not have a lot of clothes, and most of them are related to the army, not his status as nobility. After all, they can't purchase more revered clothes for the prince in the middle of battle. It's not like he is attending any balls and/or parties. Luckily the dark color of the cloak made it difficult for dirt to be noticeable. Rufus just made sure that they were clean enough. However, the cloak looks cleaner than usual, and the cloth feels softer.
"Is this the same cloak I prepared, your highness?" Rufus asked in disbelief.
"Yes." The prince answered. "Thank you for preparing them. You have done a nice job."
"I see." The man still looks doubtful but decides to forget about it. "Please eat your highness, as we prepare the carriage. It is almost time for the departure."
"Thank you, Rufus. Make sure not to forget to eat as well."
"Of course, thank you, your highness." Rufus left the room.
Victor sighed. He felt guilty lying to Rufus since he worked hard in cleaning the clothes, but Victor wanted to make a better impression on the emperor in the palace, so he decided to deck himself up. He shaved and even used clippers to cut his hair in a regulation cut, his favorite cut in his second life as Jeffrey. He used gels to keep the hair look shiny, in place, and neat. He even used the washer and some fabric softener to remove the dirt on his clothes that was not removed on the first wash. However, he couldn't wear sneakers in Astoria, so he cleaned the boots with a shoe shiner. He was surprised it worked well. He was in the army in his second life. Shining shoes was not a new task for him.
Victor did not like the shirts in Claes. They were too open in the middle, and the sleeves were so flowy and loose. It reminded him of those movies about Shakespeare. They were also easy to rip off if need be. No wonder some women find them sexy here in Claes. But the shirt even has laces at the end of the sleeves. Laces! Ugh. They were so itchy. So, he opted for a cotton button-down long-sleeve white shirt with wooden buttons. It looked well with his outfit. Besides, with the cloak, he highly doubts it will be noticed.
After he finished his breakfast, Victor set out to the carriage. Rufus helps with the cloak over his shoulders and pins it together with a large silver rose brooch with a sapphire in the middle of it. The general and Jason are on the first carriage with Victor and Rufus, the second one is the three officers who will accompany them, and the rest will ride to the capital on horses and serve as the guards around the carriages.
Victor glanced in the direction of the capital. This is it. This is where it all starts.