Erilis was a region and farming town located on the east border of Sacrada. It sustained itself by selling wheat and fish to Sacrada's main capital, or at least that's what I heard.
Now, however, it was ravaged by the war.
Having traveled for more than 9 hours, with only a few stops here and there, we finally arrived at the camp Belica's troop set up around Erilis. It was located on a steep hill where if you walked just a few meters north, you'd be able to see Erilis not too far away in the distance. Although the main town was surrounded by a tall wooden barricade now.
The camp we arrived to was quite jarring. The dirt on the ground was wet due to the rain and there was a weird acidic smell coming from the center. We also arrived at nightfall, so the darkness of the night added to the creepiness of the place..
Beltran didn't explain much to us either since he was tired, and just left us on our own.
It was especially complicated to find a good place to take a piss, but alas, I managed to.
The camp was surrounded by wooden barricades as well. There was a large hut just by the entrance, and tents lined up right next to each other to accommodate the soldiers.
''Hey, you okay?''
The groggy voice of a man interrupted my thoughts. I turned to the left and saw the man with the receded hairline I talked to before. Evans Corso, that was the man's name.
''Yeah, I'm just not looking forward to having to sleep with a bunch of guys.''
''Haha! Well, you'll have to get used to it.''
''Uh-huh...''
A bitter smile spread across my face. I could almost hear the snoring coming out of this man's mouth.
''This is the one."
Looking ahead, I saw a medium-sized tent that was about 3 meters tall and 5 meters wide. There was a small light coming from inside the tent. Evans nodded at me and entered the tent, I followed right behind him.
Inside the tent there were a pair of bunk beds on one of the corners, and a wooden desk opposite of them. It seems lady luck has blessed me!
There were two men already inside. One was sleeping on one of the bunk beds while the other was sitting at a desk in the corner of the room. They both looked fairly average regarding their looks. The man on the desk was the most remarkable of the two, having a well-built body and a masculine face.
The man on the bed looked to be taller, but I can't be so sure, he's laying down on a bed, after all.
Evans took his leather bag off and walked towards the man sitting at the desk.
''Chris! How have you been? It seems you have gotten yourself some proper beds! And you're still reading books, huh?'
''They came from the capital. We had to set them up ourselves so don't trust them too much. And yes., as you can see, not much has changed since you left.''
''Not even how monotonous you are! I had hoped your cold heart would've melted a bit more, but I guess not. Can you properly read books now?''
''Thanks to Samuel, although it's still sort of complicated.''
The two chatted back and forth. I looked at the man who was 'sleeping' and saw his brows furrow. It seems like he isn't getting much sleep.
''So, who's this guy?''
The man on the desk, Chris, asked and pointed at me.
''Ah, he's Isaac, he's the son of a friend of mine back in the capital.''
The man at the desk waved at me with his completely indifferent expression. It seems he isn't a man of many words.
''...So, Chris, I've been meaning to ask you since I haven't seen you in so long, how have things been here?''
The man at the desk stared at Evans. His stern expression did not change one bit, yet it felt like he had become more tense than before.
''Not good, honestly. There hasn't been any progress so far, it seems we've underestimated our enemy's strength. Even the locals who decided to stay behind and protect their land are tougher than we thought.''
He dragged his finger across the desk as he talked. His voice didn't falter, but it was obvious that the situation was worrying him.
''It's hopelessly obvious that this is going nowhere, but of course, the queen is not letting us retire. Many times we've sent notes through some of the messengers that come here, but we've never gotten an answer back.''
''I see, don't you think that maybe---''
''They're not delivering our messages at all? It's possible, but I don't think so. I don't think the queen would be fine with us not reporting our progress here.''
As I listened to the man's words, I couldn't help but frown. It was obvious to anyone that this was just a waste of money and resources. However, that woman just doesn't want to retire for some reason.
Was there maybe something here she wanted? But even so, is it worth it all of this mess? I doubt it, honestly, but still...
''...Well, let's go to sleep, we're all pretty tired after all!''
Evans said and stretched his arms out.
''Do not count me in, I'll keep trying to decipher what this book is saying. Don't expect me to turn the candle off either.''
''Sure, sure...''
Evans said as he made himself comfortable on the top bed.
I took off my shoes and laid down on the blankets. The bed was surprisingly comfortable, to the point all of the fatigue I had went away.
I felt my eyes slowly close, as everything around me became dark.
-------------------
I slowly opened my eyes, and found myself staring a at a wooden table. There was a bowl of colorless soup in front of me. The soup itself only contained vegetables, carrots and potatoes.
There was a plate with bread in the middle. The bread looked old and soggy, but for some reason, it looked appetizing in my eyes.
'Ah, it's this dream again...'
I knew exactly what was going on. I was dreaming. About a certain memory from two years ago...
''I can't believe you're already 16 Isaac, time just flies by, doesn't it...''
A feminine voice came from the right. I turned to the right and saw my mother looking right at me. She looked exactly like I remember. With her porcelain-like skin that had little to no imperfections, her brown hair, and her beautiful green eyes. Her skin had gained wrinkles over the years, but it was inevitable considering the life she was living.
''And it's because you're young, that you should wipe that frown off your face!"
A raspy voice came from the opposite seat.
''But honey, you're always frowning too."
''Huh?''
Sitting opposite of me was my father. Unlike my mother, his looks weren't anything out of the ordinary. He had a long and thin face and had short brown hair. His most prominent feature was his long and wide nose, which I thankfully didn't inherit. But apparently I inherited his eternal frown, which wasn't any better.
''...W-Well, it is very possible that you are correct.''
A small laugh escaped my lips seeing the scene.
It was a heartwarming memory for me. Although we were in a bad situation, I never did blame my parents for it. They tried their best to raise me and being immigrants I could only guess how many troubles they went through.
But of course, this was only a memory. The last memory I had with my parents, in fact, right before---
''...Hm? What's that?''
A knock came from the door.
''Were we expecting anyone?''
''I don't think so, let me take a look...''
My father stood up from the table and walked to the door. My heart started to beat faster than ever. I knew what was coming, and even though I've repeated this day so many times in my head, I still could not get over that feeling of anxiety.
He opened the door slowly, and revealing themselves, two towering figures stood on the door entrance.
'We've come to talk to your son, can you give us a minute with him?''
The man said in a cold voice and that's how the dream came to an end.
---------------
Far away from the barracks, a carriage was heading towards Belica's capital. The carriage, unlike the large military ones, was extremely fancy and was made to accommodate 4 people at most.
Inside the carriage, there was a man. He was slightly chubby and had a finely styled mustache. He wore a fancy red suit and was holding onto a thin, elegant scroll
The scroll was extremely important because it held something very valuable inside
Inside it was a message from the king of Sacrada, that he was to deliver to the royal castle.
Looking outside the carriage's window he saw the tall walls of the capital grow closer and closer.
After stopping at the gates for a few minutes, the carriage started moving again and entered the capital of Belica. The main streets were full of people walking to and fro, some staring at the luxurious carriage moving through its streets.
He wiped the sweat dripping down from his face with a napkin. The message he was to deliver was quite heavy, even for someone like him who was experienced.
"Huuu..."
He took a deep breath and prepared himself. Looking out the window he could see the architecture and quality of the buildings and street change as the carriage moved towards the higher-class zones.
Looking at the highly luxurious mansions, the man felt a deep sense of disgust. He never liked nobles, they were always pampered young men and women or greedy old people who were willing to sell their kids for just a bit more money.
They had no sense of humility or empathy for anybody other than themselves.
The frown on his face quickly disappeared, as he saw the royal castle in the distance.
It was by far the largest building in the capital. With gigantic marble pillars supporting the golden and red castle, it was eye candy for anybody who glanced at it. It was truly a castle for a king, or in this case, a queen.
Even from the slums, one could see the castle, which sat at the highest point of the city, as if looking down on them.
"We're here."
Hearing the voice of the carriage's driver, he took and released another deep breath. This was it, he thought.
He opened the carriage's door and carefully stepped down to the masterfully crafted cobblestone floor outside of the castle's entrance gate.
He approached one of the guards standing in front of the large metallic gate.
"Stop."
The knight's voice sounded low but it was enough for the man to stop walking immediately.
"Identify yourself and state your purpose."
"Of course. I am Gregory Bertren, I am a messenger from Sacrada. I am here to deliver a message for your majesty."
Taking out a small golden card from his pocket, he gave it to the knight who grabbed and closely inspected the card.
The weight of it made it clear that it was made from pure gold. In the middle of the card there was the figure of a woman carved right at the center. The woman was the Saintess of Sacrada, Maria.
However, what grabbed the knight's attention was the bright white hue that covered the card. Signs of holy magic.
"It's the real thing..."
The knight looked at the other knight who was standing next to the gate and nodded.
Giving Gregory his card back, the knights split the gates open.
"You will go through a check before entering the castle to determine if you have any weapons."
Gregory nodded at the knight's words and entered. The way to the castle entrance was large. The beautiful garden of flowers outside the castle's vicinity was large and gave out a pleasant aroma.
The place itself was the size of an entire street, and now that he could see it up close, he realized just how massive the castle truly was.
He gulped and walked up the set of stairs. When reaching the end, he saw a pair of heavily armored knights just outside the castle doors.
However, as soon as he stepped foot on the platform, he suddenly felt like a million eyes were watching him. It was obvious they weren't alone.
"Raise your arms and stand still."
One of the knights said as he approached the doors.
The check lasted less than 10 seconds, as the knights quickly checked his body all over.
"Clean. Get a move on."
The knights moved out of the way to let him pass.
Opening the door, Gregory was just as amazed by the inside as he was by the outside. The floors were made of a beautifully designed stone, which reminded one of cathedrals.
There was a beautiful staircase right in front of the entrance that leads to an intersection of a pair of stairs leading towards the left wing of the building and the right wing.
From the corner of his eyes, he saw the approaching figure of a man. Looking at him, it was a tall man with gray hair tied into a ponytail. The man was quite old and wore an elegant suit that made it obvious he was a butler of the castle.
"Greetings sir, we have been notified of your arrival. You bring a message to the queen, yes?"
"That would be correct. I am Gregory Bertren, at your service."
Gregory bowed his head, which made the butler smile from ear to ear.
"Very nice to meet you. Well then, let's not keep her majesty waiting, shall we?"
There was a sound of somebody snapping their fingers, and suddenly, Gregory's surroundings changed.
Now, instead of the beautiful staircase from before, he stood in front of a large wooden door.
His eyes opened wide. He couldn't believe what had happened.
'What happened?! Was that... teleportation magic?!'
Staring at the butler, the man simply bowed and smiled. He opened the large door for him.
Entering, he saw a large hall. The wide adorned windows at the side let the sunlight shine through and illuminate the grand hall.
Wide pillars were lined up against each other, and there was a red smooth carpet leading to a golden throne.
And sitting on the throne was a beautiful woman. Her long, jet-black hair reached her hips and flowed down gracefully. Her crossed legs and tight, elegant dress showed off her lovely figure perfectly.
But her most remarkable feature was her bright, red eyes, which stared down at Gregory.
The woman was none other than Melty de Belica, Queen of the Belica Empire.
"Greetings, your majesty, it is an honor to be here."
Gregory kneeled down and bowed his head in front of the woman. He heard a small laugh escape her lips.
"Of course, even if it's a private courier, it's quite rare for somebody to be admitted into the royal castle. You must've brought one of those little cards with you."
The man looked at the woman on the throne. Despite her gentle tone, her red eyes stared at him with scorn.
"I bring a message from Sacrada's royal castle, your majesty. More specifically..."
He gulped down the accumulated saliva in his mouth.
"It's a message directly from the king, Marcus Sacrada."
----The grand hall became deadly quiet.