"Ah, I can go home." after days of waiting for the festival to end. Wren finally sighed in contentment as she inhaled the fresh air before boarding the carriage.
however, she felt an odd foreboding sense as she doesn't receive any more letters from anyone on the Duchy. She thought that she may have been disowned because of it.
However, she did received a letter from Aria. Informing her that her family will go back to their fief. It is unfortunate since Wren bought her a gift and she can't give it to her in person.
She also indicated that Patrice is at home resting with his sons, and by sons she meant, Laxus and Lexus. Again, Wren felt extremely cold at the thought of the devilish twin. Caesar and the twins were once again left the Academy earlier for Winter break. It led to the Headmasters' silent cry as they left.
"Aw, you're really leaving," Ceisia said behind Wren after deciding to see her off.
Still she felt lonely as her siblings rarely at home as both of them decided to stay at the academy while studying, "Wren remember the trainings you got"
Wren grimaced at his Uncle's words. She never thought that the Duke would see her off, even Alef was surprised by this and the thought of her training with the Duke is not what she wants to keep in her mind.
"meh, I will miss their desserts," says Boaife while waiting for Wren.
Boaife on the other hand doesn't have any intention of moving if it were not Wren's instant nagging. The spirit spent her days lazing and eating to her heart's content.
"Be safe, Wren. We will visit North when we have spare time. Do give our regards to the Duke"
"I hope this finishes sooner," The Duke has a lot of work to be done that he hasn't had time to rest and visit Carina and niece. He wants to see them but given the situation, it wouldn't be the best.
After the festival ended and the on-going investigation of the attack in the plaza. It made them busy; the duchess took over the internal affairs within their territory, meanwhile the Duke is busy going in and out to track them and also to give report to the emperor.
"Goodbye Wren" Ceisia then waved her hands at Wren.
"Thank You Uncle and Aunt. I had fun."
The training is harsh but she got the hang of it and eventually her spiritual core is fixed as Boaife looks into her core after the incident during the 4th day of the festival. Boaife made sure that Wren listened to her well. Because of her mana berserk that it made her spiritual core all tangled up.
Another reason is that she ordered Boaife through a temporary contract while in an unconscious state.
'I can't properly use my mana!'
She was angry that time. It is said that the mana stability of contracted spirits are connected to their master's stability. Good thing that she doesn't need to use magic while following the Duchess.
or else... she's useless.
"Young Miss, shall we depart?" A young knight came beside the carriage and Wren answered, "Yes, Let's go Cervi"
Cervi is the name of the young knight that the Duke assigned to her as an escort knight. They bid farewell once again before the carriage runs.
It hasn't been long since their travel started but Wren already feels tired because of Boaife's nagging. For a while now they are travelling in the woods and there is nothing to see. That dismayed the Phoenix because she was stuck in her human form inside the Carriage.
"I told you that it will be much easier for us to fly"
she pouted once more after seeing Wren remained quiet and repeated the same thing, "phew, if only we flew we will be there in no time"
For everyone knowledge, After Wren experienced riding on Boaife she felt like the grim reaper is coming at her because of how fast she is and the stunts she performed while she's on the back.
"booo."
"..."
once again, she ignored Boaife's pointless antics. It is possible that the spirit is bored because of how long she's stuck inside the carriage. She can't even fly outside because of the knights that were with them
"..." unbeknownst to Wren's knowledge that Boaife has slightly experienced dizziness with her stomach turning upside down as she covered her mouth. It is when she suddenly gurgled that alerted Wren with wide eyes as she knocked loudly on the window.
"bleeegh..." however she already vomited inside the carriage.
They had to stop at a nearby inn while Boaife's car sickness is worsened as they step out. How could a Phoenix have car sickness?
"you will be fine, Boaife" Wren said as she patted Boaife's back.
"if there is something that you need my lady just called us," one maid said before leaving the room.
But, Wren has a thin smile on her face as she stares at Cervi who was inside the room with his blank and nonchalant face.
---------------------------------------------------
This knight... we are not blinking, but with that face, I might lose. Damn it. He wasn't mentioned in the novel, but he is also handsome that my heart starts to pound.
"...?"
I must be looking weird in his eyes. However, there is no way I wouldn't stare at him! For a knight he is too eye catching!
What a shame. He's older than me but just like they say, Age doesn't matter.
His looks are completely my taste. Champagne-colored hair that covers most of his eyes that has the same color of his hair, sleepy yet looks kind of innocent, but his gaze that looks sharp when you stare at it. It adds to his charisma and then there is his mole under those thin lips— YES!
does anyone not notice this human? I am surprised that he isn't bombarded yet with love letters.
"hey, stop it. You are making my head ache."
between the men I met so far, He ranks 2nd, as for my relatives rank 1st. We can't overlook Zairon and Asterion, but Asterion is on par with this guy and Zairon is third. Why? Because he looks angry all the time.
Just what does this author think when she created such faces?
"Young Miss, is there anything you want to say?"
"Yes... Yes?" goodness, I finally come to senses after he called me. I did not realize that I stared for too long. How embarrassing.
"It's nothing, Sir..."
"just Cervi is fine, my lady"
I shut my mouth tight. Even the voice– "will you quit it?!"
Boaife spoiled my fun as she pops suddenly in my head. tsk, I looked at Cervi, it looks like he got what I meant as he lowered his head and left the room.
"Young Miss, we shouldn't go far away" The maids advised while I'm picking flowers.
why do these bad luck shower me all at once? Our carriage wheels suddenly broke. The reason why we are in the middle of a forest and I chose to pick flowers to spare time.
"my lady, you should wait inside the carriage." I pouted at Cervi
He knows fully well how bored I am inside the carriage left with nothing to do and he asks me this.
"what are you going to do with those flowers?" Boaife asked me while watching me pluck the beautiful flowers on the soil.
"a bouquet." I said and they all look at me with such curious eyes except with Cervi who was looking around.
I cannot say that this is for Cervi. I just want to give him a simple gift— the maids start to shout then Cervi unsheathed his sword as he ran towards me.
It felt weird, at that moment, in my place a shadow had fallen as I turned around to see some big looking guys with cubs on their hands and they had foul looking faces. I think this is where a novel bandits take place.
I bet they wanted to get everything we had in our possession or...
"a noble kid." his smug face tells me that he has some plans for me. Yes, that might be it. Kidnapping.
"Boaife, hellfire," as soon as I let an order for my fire spirit.
the man was soon on the air and was trapped in a sphere of fire.
"wh-- ahhh!" he shouts up there, then something rustling from the bushes.
"look out!" Cervi's voice rang as he pushed me over. That man wasn't the only one. Many people came out from the bushes and soon the place became a battleground.
"Wren, they are bandits"
"I can see that."
see how unlucky I am. Goodness, I wonder if this month is my unlucky month.
"My lady, Move to the carriage." both Cervi and the maids are pulling me towards the carriage.
those bandits can be easily disposed of, but Boaife is having fun tormenting them. She kept throwing fire balls towards them and they desperately avoiding it.
"damn it! Where is this fire coming from?!"
"someone do something about this!"
most of them shouted and scanned the area until it landed on me. This kind of gives the feeling that they are going to target me after they see me. Like how they finally realized everything by hunch which is correct.
"that brat must be the one behind this!"
and I hit the right button. Cervi clicked his tongue as he pointed it to the bandits, "come close and you will meet your end."
"cheeky brat"
"kyaah! Young Miss!" a fast whistling sound, I am sure that it is an arrow coming at me,
"..." I stared at it when a rune appeared beneath me.
a red liquid splat in my face before the fire envelops me in my spot. Those champagne-colored hair flutters as the red liquid touches it.
"..."
what an actual fxxk! I mean why would he go dive into that arrow?!
is he stupid?
"you are the stupid one." I glared at Boaife through the flames as she interrupted me once again.
"that kid is your knight, whether he knows you are capable of protecting yourself or not. His only duty is to follow and protect you."
wow, this is the first time Boaife says something with sense.
"I can tell that you have rude remarks about me," she sounded annoyed and somehow I could see the face she's making.
now that I remember it, I am inside of a novel and he is a knight.
"ooh... right" I feel sorry that I called him an idiot. It was just a spurt of bewilderment, and the time I really forgot about where I am.
"..."
---------------------------------------------------
Outside Wren's red barrier, there stood the young knight with an arrow struck on his shoulder.
"...huff" Cervi breathed heavily as he pulled it fast, the blood drips as his vest soaked with his blood.
He instinctively moves forward and let himself get shot again. The bandits are busy looting the belongings inside the carriages. Most of the knights are unconscious.
Cervi raised his sword, his eyes glowed, followed by him disappearing, then suddenly he popped behind the man. Cutting him up then he moves to another person.
They were surprised to see that the injured knight had the power to move like that.
Boaife who saw it, landed down and knocked all of the remaining bandits. After all, she just saw something amusing. It might not be bad to share her master to someone. Besides it isn't what she's looking for.
"You are no ordinary knight." she said as she examined him and crossed her arms
Cervi on the other hand looks down as he calms his breathing. His hair coverning his eyes so Boaife couldn't tell what he was thinking.
"you smell like the wind," she inhaled and was sure of it. This one is like her. A spirit. Spirits can distinguish someone by their smell. As for this one, he's attribute was air. He blended himself with the winds earlier while defeating the bandits.
"I'm a knight and an air-spirit."
It is not unusual that there are some spirits who decide to live alongside humans specially if they were born with a humanoid body. Some want to interact with humans and some spirits just want to observe them.
"..." both of the spirits became quiet.Cervi starts to bandage himself. He didn't have any healing abilities like Boaife.
"since when are you living with humans?"
"3 years," he answered and looked at Boaife, "I followed the Duke because he said he will give me money. The next thing I knew I was being trained as a knight in his estate"
she looked at Cervi who has remained serious despite how he looked ridiculous in his story.
she even remembered Wren calling him stupid and she may be right. Who in their right mind would continue training being knight after what he experienced and besides just because of money?
Cervi noticed Boaife's surprise and at the same time he knows what she was thinking. This happens everytime sometime asks him how he ends up being a knight of Aurea.
"I have nothing to do so I became a knight."
with that even Boaife is even more surprised, yes, this is a natural reaction for Cervi.
'this is the most ridiculous reason I heard from a spirit' she thought and urged not to say it out loud.
"well then, do you want to form a contract with me?"
The two spirits who haven't noticed that Wren is sitting beside them. It is evident in Boaife's face as her surprise. Wren is beaming with happiness as she stares at Cervi.
She must have a different reason as to why she wants to form a contract with the air spirit and Boaife was right. Because in Wren's mind, she just cannot lose such a pretty face in her grasp.
Cervi also stared at her which made Boaife to cover her face.
"don't listen to her"
"alright" he said with no hesitation at all and it made Boaife lost for words. Wren is happy as she suddenly beams and starts to chant the ancient language.
The fire spirit has no more energy to keep up with these two as she leans over to the tree to support herself.
"Cervi," the air spirit looks at Wren with questions showing on his hidden eyes. Wren noticed this as to why she answered it quickly, "It must be hard for you to suddenly change name. Besides that name suits you "
she thought that Cervi might miss his old name if she rename him. Beside the knight has many people who know him, it will be weird if he suddenly changes his name.
another fact, she feels guilty calling him an idiot.
"Young Miss! The carriage is fixed." a knight informed her and she followed them to the carriage.
"they really are relatives." he mumbled and thought of the Duke of Aurea and Wren while staring at his hand with a small drawn leaf on it.