They arrive at the courtyard where the Duchess is waiting for them.
"My lady." Feng Huan is out of breath from all his running as he gets there, the sweat from his forehead is dripping like crazy, walking through the uneven roads and the zigzag alleyways following the pair that led him here.
"Waldo, good, you're here. Sit!" The Duchess is sitting, a languid expression etched on her face, her fingers tapping impatiently on the wooden chair, and her eyes scanning her surroundings. Her eyebrows twitch as she watches the couple approach her side.
He does what she says, and soon a maidservant comes forth with tea. "Thank you." she says simply, her eyebrows drooping in a bored expression. She sips her tea slowly and continues watching the scene unfolding in front of her.
As per usual, they sit quietly in silence. The room feels empty without their usual chatter filling the space. The silence doesn't last very long though.
"Well…"
Feng Huan is too afraid to speak up first, and it seems like it is the same with the rest of the people. Feng Huan notices the woman in red twiddle her fingers, the man in black simply looks away from the group as if he's not involved at all. At least the both of them are beside the Duchess' seat, not in front!
"Well?? Where is the Minutes man!" The Duchess' fingers turn white around the handle of her porcelain, the colour draining from her face as she slams the table loudly causing everyone else in the room to jump in response.
The woman in red flinches under her gaze and immediately shuts her mouth. After a few moments a man in grey robes finally appears, stumbling over his own feet as he attempts to quickly reach the venue.
"My liege! My apologies my lady!!" the man shouts as he bows down before the Duchess who's currently sitting on her chair with her legs crossed. Finding a comfortable way to sit, she places her cup down on the little table in front of her.
"This courtyard is really quaint, and it seems to be in perfect condition." she remarks.
"Of course my liege! It is my most humble honour to be here. Please allow me to help you find anything that you require!" The grey robed servant exclaims enthusiastically.
The Duchess nods. "That would be wonderful." She smiles, her smile is gentle and warm, "Do you have any children?"
"Answer my question." The Duchess orders.
The man looks startled for a moment before answering, "... No. My lady."
She chuckles, her hands clasping together, "Won't it be nice if you could get children in the future?" her smile widens as a faint blush creeps up on her face, her eyes reflect the illuminating light in the serene courtyard.
"Yes, my lady." The man responds humbly.
Feng Huan and everybody else look at each other in confusion.
"So you won't be able to have children?" The Duchess asks with her hands resting gently on the edge of her porcelain cup.
"No, my lady."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm dedicated to this job, and as stipulated, I am not allowed to have any."
"The church is treating you too harshly! Tell you what, I could recommend you to another job, where you can have the pretty family you've always wanted!" the Duchess suggests excitedly.
"My lady, I cannot take such a position-."
"Where you can have the pretty family you've always wanted." the Duchess repeats herself.
"That is correct, my lady, but-"
"No, no! That is too easy!" She laughs. "Take the offer! We'll give you a place here. You can have a home right here in this town!" she claps her hand.
"It's settled."
The man in grey robes is escorted by a guard.
"Be sure to go to the address on your own!" was the Duchess' last words to the man as he disappeared to another area.
"So! Let's begin." The Duchess tosses a notebook to Feng Huan, who catches it.
There's a pen inside the book as well.
"What's this?" He questions.
The Duchess gives him a look and he is quick to open up the book.
"So, tell me what you see." the Duchess takes a sip.
"... Um…" He glances through some more entries and his eyes widen in shock. There's a lot of drawings and doodles in there!
"What is this?" The words come out in a whisper.
The Duchess gives him an amused look. "Do you not understand our language?"
Feng Huan is taken aback, staring blankly at the page he's holding in his hands. Is… is she teasing him? How can she tease him in their language?! His head shoots up as he stares straight into the Duchess' face, which is now showing hints of amusement.
"I can't have an illiterate diplomat." she says a slight laugh evident in her voice.
"But-" He pauses, trying to think of how to explain himself to her. His mind races as he frantically tries to find an excuse. Why did that damn angel erase most of his previous memories!
"Diplomat?" he asks after a brief pause. His sweat has already dried on his body, the bright orange sun is rising to the centre of the sky, and it lets out a cool breeze. The air tastes like fresh spring water in this weather, the wind carries the smell of flowers.
Birds chirp in the distance and birdsong echoes in his ears. The scenery before him is so vibrant, yet he feels cold despite being standing in the middle of it. This place is… wrong, somehow.
"Oh dear," he shakes his head, bringing his attention back to the real world. "I apologise, my lady. I didn't mean to intrude upon your time."
"You're fine!" the woman waves her hand. A small smile tugs at her lips.
"You'll learn somehow. Once you go to Melissaeum." she says. "We need you to be able to communicate effectively with those people, especially those from different cultures. Our Duchy needs ambassadors. And the best diplomats are scholars. You need to know how to read others, write down facts and figures on paper and make sense of them. They may be simple, or they may even be complex. Now, I'm sending you there to keep our interests in Generalia. My aides will go with you."
…
Without much of a warning or much of a foreword, Feng Huan is escorted by the woman in red and the man in black. The Duchess doesn't even look at him as he's pulled out of the courtyard.
'Generalia? What's that?' His mind is full of confused thoughts, he wants answers, but at the same time he doesn't dare to ask because it'll cause his heart to beat faster, his palms to sweat more, and his whole body to become clammy.
He already pissed off the Duchess once, he doesn't want to do it again. If his memory serves him right, he should not bother or even think of going against those more powerful than him, he should learn how to join them.
Maybe that is the purpose he was given when he was put in this world.
He had never thought of it being something he might one day achieve, but after the past couple of days everything starts to change, he suddenly becomes conscious of the fact, and he has been feeling unsettled ever since.
He finds himself outside of the gates of the courtyard.
"Why do you look so winded?"
Feng Huan turns around and is greeted by the serious face of Danica. Her brown hair falls softly against the sides of her face while her bright eyes stare deeply into his.
"Danica." His throat closes at the sight of her.
"Shhh, Waldo."
Her soft tone almost sends shivers up Feng Huan's spine, he wants to pull her close and let her scent wash over him. "You mustn't run around."
He nods as he swallows, his throat dry due to nervousness, "Right."
They both remain quiet.
"It's time to go to your assignment." The man in black appears from behind the both of them. Her expression is unreadable. "Don't worry about your clothes, I will provide you with some new ones later. But, first things first."
…
[Entry 1]
I have gotten out of my hometown with the Bundeswehr passing through the place. The people of my town bid farewell to their brave youngbloods pulling up their shields and swords, taking up arms to Defend our country.
As I stood on the streets watching from afar, I felt something deep within my soul shift, and I felt a strange emotion swell inside of me. It was as if the people from the town looked at us, and saw us as one and not just as a group of young soldiers.
The townsfolk bowed their heads, you can see the pain in some of their faces, they look like they've been through a lot, over the rations and the little raids that reach all the way here.
Those young men who have lost so many comrades, have lost friends, lovers, wives, parents… They all cry for us. And for us, we cry for them.
My wife stands tall beside me, her name is Zwei.
Her face shows signs of fatigue, but it's normal for most soldiers. In the army you live and breathe battles, sometimes losing more and sometimes winning more. But these times feel longer because the war is far from being over.
I'm proud of my country, and proud to stand on its side. The people who are fighting for it and protecting it are amazing, they are truly amazing. Zwei is a good girl; she is kind and understanding, she is strong and brave, she is everything I wish I could be.
And I am saddened that my wife has to join me in battle, but she insisted that she follow. Well, if you really love someone you'd follow right? Well, I'd follow her around to keep her safe.
And I guess it's only fair that she follows me into battle…
(…)
Feng Huan's head is throbbing, the motions of the wagons are added to the text of the old worn out leather notebook the Duchess gave him. The Man in black and the woman in red are in front driving this thing while Danica is asleep in one of the far corners.
Feng Huan feels a different type of way as he finally embarks on the first adventure in this world. It always happens slowly, though he isn't completely sure how it happened last time.
Perhaps it's just a sign of fate that has brought him to this place.
His thoughts drift off again. He tries to focus onto the notebook, he tries to concentrate, but he keeps getting distracted.
For some reason, Rong has followed him all the way here, she's on the road with them driving a wagon on her own with the supplies and two nameless soldiers with the rare rifles strapped on their backs.
A small smirk forms on his lips as he watches her carefully manoeuvring the wagon through the road; she's surprisingly well versed in the mechanics of it.
It makes him wonder if she was like this in the past... but there's no way of him knowing for sure because he hasn't gotten any memories from whoever this demon is.
The soldiers at the back only number about four, their faces ashen and solemn as they stare at the polished rifle on their hands, clutching the butt tightly as they anticipate this trip.
Feng Huan knows why these soldiers are so tense; he's afraid too. Not the same kind of fear as when he faced enemies like in the past, but from uncertainty.
He's only seen humans in this world (he thinks) and he's yet to see other beings that may exist in this place. Being put away from his perfectly normal life in McCready and sent here…
The 90 demon worshippers and the others living there have treated him well in these past few days. It's almost been a month, and it's probably time for a proper adventure.
He has to admit that the scenery here in this world… is beautiful.
When he looks out of the window of the wagon it's like stepping out of reality itself; it's like he's looking down from a bird's eye view.
All around, hills rise in the distance. The trees are tall and majestic, their branches waving slightly and the leaves rustling in the winds. It smells fresh and clean in the morning, the scent wafting into their noses.
Feng Huan feels happy, free, and content.
"Are you okay?" he turns to his side to see Danica wrapping her arms around his. Her face is unreadable as always.
Feng Huan isn't sure how to deal with this new arrangement.
"You look incredibly stupid, looking out to the countryside like that. I thought you lived here all your life."
"What's with the baby you were talking about… The Red woman told me about it." Feng Huan says. He knows there's no way it's his, so he just has to speak up for himself.
"Hmm. Have you seen the Royal castle in the centre of the Empire's capital?" Danica asks.
"No…"
"The castle is huge… With 8 large pillars holding a large dome with its golden tip reflecting the subtle shine of the yellow sun. It is the largest building in the entire empire, there used to be another one built nearby, which was destroyed in an attack. The palace is filled with treasures and weapons made from metal, gems, jewels…" her face crunches up.
"... And precious metals…"
She pauses to glance at him and continues speaking. "There are countless treasures collected from all over the world. One of them is a sceptre from the far west. And because of what was shown to the King, the Princess was kept inside the castle, never to be let out."
Danica looks at him, her eyes are pointed, her pink irises waver slightly. Her olive skin is illuminated by a passing ray from the waning yellow sun seeping through the paneless window.
He sees her smile as if she's remembering fond memories that have long been forgotten; but she shakes her head then, breaking her trance.
Her face is once again impassive.
She glances at the notebook again, her hands gently rubbing against each other. "But now I'm going to leave with you, for better or worse. "
"Wait you're-."
Danica puts up a hand as she turns around. "Leave me to sleep."
…
Afternoon slowly turns into night, their group camps by the side of the dirt path they've been travelling on. In the middle of three trees a fireplace has been lit, the nine of them sitting around it. The four men at arms are sitting on one die, their stoic faces are slightly illuminated by the flickering flames.
Rong is sitting like a statue, while Danica and the others are asleep. Feng Huan cannot sleep. The book is open in his lap, but the pages look blank. The light from the fire gives the air a warm glow as the breeze rustles the grass.
Their surroundings are peaceful, despite the events that happened earlier that day. He feels at ease. He closes his eyes and breathes in the sweet air, he listens closely to the sound of water running somewhere far away, and the sounds of wind brushing past trees.
"You!" she says, pointing at a page on the notebook.
"Read."