Arman sighed and then smiled, saying, "Can you give this to your division head?" He then put a knight coin into the ticket officer's pocket.
"The Order of the Knight coin," the officer whispered in surprise. His pupils widened. "Of course, Sir Arman."
Not even five minutes later, the ticket officer rushed back from behind the ticket booth door. "All flight problems have been resolved, Sir Arman. Please proceed," he said with a big smile.
Arman and Nico were then allowed to enter. They passed through a long corridor that led directly to the airplane runway.
As they walked, Nico muttered, "That coin seems very valuable."
"Yes. You can only get that coin after serving the Confederation. It's very expensive. Ugh... Fergus! I swear to repay you," Arman muttered in annoyance.
When they arrived at their plane, Nico was surprised because their plane did not look like the passenger planes he had seen before. The plane was slim and black, with a silver emblem on the tail depicting a war helmet and knight sword. Arman explained that it was a special plane to be used to go to Eteria. They flew at night so everything was pitch black and no one could see them.
As Nico boarded, he looked around in amazement. The interior of the plane was just as impressive as its appearance. The passenger seats were made of luxurious leather, and the walls were filled with intricate carvings and depictions of mythical creatures like dragons and fire wolves.
After waiting for hours, the passengers slowly filled the plane, and Arman finally said, "It's time to depart."
They fastened their seat belts. As the plane took off, Nico was terrified by the view outside the window. His stomach felt like it was falling. This was his first time flying, and the experience was both scary and exciting. Only after the plane had flown high did his fear disappear. Behind him, he could see the view of his city getting smaller and further away.
When they had flown high enough, Nico could see the Florence peninsula in the distance. From afar, it looked beautiful. He had lived there all his life, full of joys and sorrows. Now he was leaving his hometown for a new place. Gradually, a melancholic feeling emerged in Nico's heart. He had to leave his familiar environment and his rundown home. But he knew going to Eteria was a necessity now that he was being hunted by government agents.
Nico didn't know how long they had been flying. He fell asleep after enjoying the view of the night clouds outside the plane window. When he woke up, The sun was already rising. He looked out the window in amazement. He had never seen anything like it before. As far as the eye could see, there were hills and dense forests. In the distance, he could see towering mountains and some strange flying creatures.
"Welcome to Eteria," Arman said after seeing Nico's surprise.
Eteria was a land full of mystery and magic. This was where people like Arman and Nico sought power and experience. As they flew closer to their destination, Nico saw the beautiful land up close. The forests were full of various mystical creatures, and the mountains were covered in eternal snow and ice.
"How come a land this big is unknown?" Nico asked in surprise.
"With the Law Stream, Nico, what else? Legend has it that the gods hide it from our world," Arman replied.
They landed in a small town surrounded by green fields as far as the eye could see. The people there looked different from the people Nico was used to seeing. Their ears were pointed, their eyes were slanted, and they wore strange clothes.
"Who are these people?" Nico asked Arman as they walked down the plane.
"The city we landed in is under the jurisdiction of the elves," Arman said. "Elves are famous for their wisdom and magical abilities. Although they live twice as long as us, their abilities make it difficult for them to have offspring."
Nico was amazed by the elves' faces. Their women were very beautiful, even the men could make other men in Nico's hometown look like frogs. As Nico walked through the city streets, he saw children playing with strange toys and many women weaving carpets with ancient patterns. After walking for a while, they rented a vehicle that looked like a car, but Nico did not know where the engine was because it made no sound.
After an hour's journey, they finally arrived at a large castle on the outskirts of the city. The castle was made of white stone with high walls and towers.
"This is Aurora Eteria Castle. One of the largest branches in all of Europe," Arman said. "You'll be safe staying here for a while."
Nico was amazed by the magnificent castle. He had never seen a building that large before. As they passed through the gate, they saw many people practicing with armor and swords and shields in the courtyard. Archers were seen practicing shooting moving targets in the shape of plates. Some sorcerers were seen throwing their spells into the air like fireworks.
Inside the castle, Arman was greeted by a tall, elegant old woman with long black hair and sharp green eyes. The sword slung on her back was very large and looked more like an axe than a sword.
"What are you doing here, Sir Arman?" the woman asked, looking slightly puzzled.
Arman bowed respectfully. "I'm here to escort a new candidate."
"From where?"
"East London," Arman replied.
"Wait, are you sure?" The woman's face looked surprised when she saw Nico's shabby and poor appearance. "He's still a child. How old is he?"
"You can send him back if he doesn't meet the minimum expectations," Arman replied.
"Hm... you're very sure. The last person you sent was a disappointment. I hope this one isn't like that, Arman."
"Forgive me, senior Destroyer Lady Ephelia."
Being called a lady, Ephelia, who was already old, looked happy. A smile began to appear on her face. She then chatted with Arman about politics that Nico did not understand. She said their prime minister acted very annoying lately.
Nico stood behind Arman, feeling confused and embarrassed. He felt uncomfortable and unworthy of being there. He didn't know what to do or say to the woman. Nico's anxiety seemed to catch Ephelia's eye, so she said, "Don't be afraid, little brother. You are lucky. As long as you can lift the sword in the 'Sword bearer' ceremony tomorrow, you can stay here with your chest puffed out."
"Sword bearer?" Nico murmured. What ceremony was that?
"That's if you manage to find your destiny sword. If not, your life will be difficult. Without destiny, you have to prove yourself to stay here. There is an elimination process every weekend, and we will send back those with the lowest performance," said Ephelia.
"You have to practice hard. If you're sent back, it's bad news for us," Arman whispered.
"Come on. Let me take you to your room," Ephelia said.
"Aren't you coming?" Nico asked, surprised to see Arman just standing there.
"I could only escort you up to this point. There are restriction spells embedded in the corridors of the castle's eastern wing. Knights above the silver ranking cannot enter. Only leaders like Lady Ephelia are free to roam the castle," explained Arman.
"Sir Arman is a gold-ranked knight. His place is at the western end of the castle. As for you, who haven't even acquired a destiny, your place is at the very east," Ephelia said.
"Oh, okay." Although his heart felt heavy to part ways, Nico had to accept it. In the future, he would surely have a chance to meet again. Nico didn't forget to wave his hand to Arman and thank him for guiding him to this point.
Nico walked through the dark and labyrinthine corridors of the castle. The place was truly massive, with many corridors leading to unknown destinations. Paintings of the castle looked like they were painted thousands of years ago. The castle's ceilings were very high, filled with mystical chandeliers and ornaments.
Finally, they arrived at a large room full of people wearing protective leather armor. Some were holding wooden swords or shields. When Lady Ephelia entered, everyone stood up with fearful and respectful faces. They immediately formed a neat line like an army. Even the person sleeping in a chair was immediately awakened by their friend.
Everyone in the room looked mature. They were all tall and muscular, with some even having beards. Nico was the only one there who had a small, slender, and skinny body. This made the people there wonder how such a small child could become a knight candidate. Nico should still be in school at his age. Moreover, Nico's old and faded clothes made him look from poor family.
"I brought a new candidate. He's from East London, so he doesn't understand anything yet. You must teach him all the rules here," Lady Ephelia said. When she spoke, no one dared to say anything. The room was so quiet that even a small sound echoed.
"Your new home is here. As long as you're not arrogant, your life will be easy," she said before leaving.
As soon as Lady Ephelia left, everyone dispersed back to their own places, and no one cared about Nico at all. Only one person approached him, the strongest-looking man there. His thick brown beard and charismatic face made him look like the leader of the knight candidates there.
"You can call me Geralt. What's your name?" he asked while looking Nico up and down, assessing his appearance.
"Nico," replied Nico shortly.
"What can you do?" Geralt asked, still evaluating Nico.
"I don't know," answered Nico.
"You don't know? Hmm... that's strange. If it weren't for Lady Ephelia guiding you in, you would have been mocked already. Who was the guardian knight who brought you here?"
"Arman -uh, Sir Arman, I mean," answered Nico hesitantly.
"Sir Arman, huh!" Geralt scoffed. "Yesterday, he brought a fat pig in here. We didn't like him because of his arrogance. I hope you're not like him, young man!"
"Of course not," said Nico timidly.
"A week ago, there was also a knight candidate around your age at the end of this corridor. I think you're best to share a room with him. Take the next corridor to the left. Keep walking until the end. There's a room in front of the stairs. That's your room."
The hall was quite large, with a dome-like ceiling in the middle. Along the edges were many corridors with dormitory-like rooms lining the hallways. Geralt pointed to the smallest hallway on the left.
"Thank you," said Nico, bowing his head.
"Good. If you behave politely, no one will disturb you here. We are all knights and must behave respectfully as knights. The first rule here is, as long as you're polite, everyone here will respect you."
"What if someone is impolite?" Nico asked curiously.
Geralt just smiled and said, "you'll find out later."