The voices of the people around him and light taps on his shoulder woke Alaric up from his sleep. He opened his eyes and stretched his body, feeling extremely energetic and refreshed unlike usual. Looking to the side, he saw servants going around and hurriedly setting up a breakfast table for him. Alaric's stomach was rumbling despite just waking up, contrary to how he would feel nauseous early in the morning most of the time.
"Haven't you found Ian yet?"
"No, I searched everywhere but it's as if he's vanished into thin air."
Alaric stepped down from the bed while listening to the servants' conversation.
"Did something happen?"
Ranger rushed to his side and handed him a pile of clean clothes, pushing him towards the washroom.
"It's already late so please get ready quickly."
"Uh... But did something happen to Ian?"
No one gave him an answer.
. . . . .
Later, he learned that his attendant was missing. No one had seen him since last night when he came to place Alaric's clothes in his room. There were no letters or signs to hint at his whereabouts and nothing that the guards noticed. All of his belongings also remained at their place, erasing the possibility of him having run away from his life as a slave.
"We'll find him sooner or later, so you don't need to worry, young master."
Despite saying that, Ranger's face was shadowed with concern. Alaric heard how the old man cursed the blue-haired brat under his lips from time to time.
"Mhm..."
Alaric nodded his head and followed his guards to the carriage that was waiting for him. He was initially anxious about the banquet, and now the worry of his lost friend was added to it.
"He is missing?" A woman's soft voice flowed from not far away. "Again?"
Eleen sounded surprised as well as mesmerized. The servant boy's ability to get lost seemed pretty noteworthy.
"Don't worry too much though, young master," Eleen cheered Alaric up. "He'll be safe, Ian is a sai-" The woman hurriedly covered her mouth. Peeking this way and that way and making sure that no stranger heard her words, Eleen heaved a sigh before shaking her head.
"He might actually be in danger if he is a saint..."
The soldiers of the empire would capture the servant if they noticed he had Holy Power. The captured person would still have a safe and comfortable life, but they would be forced to stay within the borders of The Empire and work in a church or cathedral of The Sun.
This left Eleen wondering if a slave would prefer to have such a life over their current situation. After all, they were free and had their own money if they worked in a church and the only problem was that they were banned from a few activities, which weren't that important for normal people. Wouldn't that servant prefer to be registered as a saint and lead a proper life for himself instead of constantly bowing down to other people and heeding their orders?
Eleen didn't share her thoughts with the nobleman, not wanting to make him even more worried. She peeked at the man at her side, who had a deeper frown on his face than usual and nodded at him as a sign to start moving. The two of them bade their farewells to their fellow travelers and left for the city gates, riding their horses.
After watching them leave, the nobles' carriage also began moving to the castle, not wasting any more time as they were already behind schedule.
"This is the place where you will be staying, for the time being, young master."
A guide inside the castle led the group to a room after he showed them the inside of the Imperial Castle. The castle was larger than Alaric could ever imagine, and more splendid than anything he's ever seen. His mouth was left agape the whole time he strolled the place.
"Ah, by the way, there is something for you, young master Alaric."
At Alaric's questioning gaze, the guide gestured at a nearby servant, who ran to the room and came back with an envelope placed in a tray.
"This arrived here a few days ago. The sender didn't know where to find the young master, so they sent it to your final destination."
"Ah?"
Alaric received the envelope and examined it. A familiar signature was seen under it, hinting that it was sent from his family, the county.
"We'll leave for now. The party will begin in an hour so I'll be back thirty minutes earlier to guide you to the hall."
"Yes, thank you."
As he entered his room, Alaric opened the lid of the envelope and took out the letter within.
[I don't know whether this is the right decision or not, but whatever happens, I'll take the consequences.]
Contrary to his expectations, the one who wrote the letter wasn't his father but Elaria, his sister.
[We tracked down the doctor and I can say that we are more or less sure of his whereabouts, but can't take any action. He is hiding among the people of Duke Isbert, or rather, being protected by them.]
'Duke Isbert?'
If his memory served him right, Isbert's dukedom was a noble family ruling over the northern parts of their country. They were powerful enough to guard the borders and had quite a lot of political influence.
[I can't say much in this letter, it's not safe. I'll explain everything in detail when you return. I am sending this letter as a warning, Please be careful of what you eat and what you drink, as well as where you go when alone.]
[Make sure to destroy the letter after reading.]
[Elaria Poqlen]
'Ehh, what??'
Alaric read through the letter once again, yet nothing changed in his understanding of its contents.
'A warning letter all of a sudden? Does that mean someone wants to kill me? Eek!'
He ripped the letter to pieces before burning it with a candle flame. Hesitant if this was enough or not, he gathered the ashes and threw them into the toilet, making sure that nothing remained.
'This is a world of magic and extraordinary powers, who knows what can someone do with remnants of a burnt letter!'
The young man patted his chest, circling around in worry.
'I should be extra careful!'
The thirty minutes given to him to prepare passed with Alaric thinking about the exact things he needed to be mindful of. A knock on the door jolted him up to his feet, ringing the oversensitive alarm in his head.
"Y-yes?"
"Young master, it's time to go."
"Ah!"
Checking his outfit one more time in front of the mirror and smoothing his slightly raffled hair, Alaric left the room and followed the guide assigned to him. After a few minutes of walking around, they finally arrived at a vast hallway that led to a pair of massive, splendid, wooden doors.
Carpets of high quality covered the entire floor while the portraits of the past rulers of this land adorned the walls. They began with an unrecognizable, almost symbolic illustration of a man, the first ruler who formed Asteriand, followed by the succession of other kings and queens, ending with the current sovereign. Only the last picture was titled An Emperor, as he was the first person who turned his small nation into a powerful Empire.
Alaric was too hyped up to take a close look at all of the pictures. He just swept his gaze across them and passed, thinking, 'Wow, these people are all pretty good-looking,' and walked away.
"The first son of Count Poqlen of Loyatou, Alaric Poqlen, are making their entry!"
The loud voice resounded before the doors opened narrowly. Servants bowed slightly, showing their respect and the guards withdrew their spears, allowing Alaric to enter the luxurious hall.
"...."
Body tensed and mouth dry, Alaric did his best to act normal and not fall off from anxiety. Among the many guests inside the hall, a few turned his way, casting their judging gazes over him, seizing him up, and chattering with each other.
"This way, please."
"Yes."
He was seated at a table approximately at the center of the hall, a place designed for the nobles of Loyatou.
'Good thing I'm not too close to that platform.'
Alaric heaved a sigh, feeling lucky, and began sipping fruit juicy and eating sweat, waiting for the banquet, that hadn't yet started, to finish. Ranger stood behind his back and Barnett sat to his side, giving him a sense of comfort.
The hall was sparkling, luxurious, and massive in size. Chandeliers, bigger than the largest carriages Alaric had seen, hung from the ceiling, making him wonder if they didn't pose any danger to the guests. The dome over their head was overlaid with gold, and the dark walls were all adorned with jewelry, looking like tiny stars in the sky, yet overshadowed by the bright sun-like dome. It was a fitting design, Alaric thought, as the people of this land all believed in the Sun Deity thus the hall was built to look like the sun.
People came and went one by one, greeting each other and chattering happily, drinking, eating, and enjoying their time. The musicians played and the maids served snacks and fruits. Time passed by until it was lunchtime. They were given a short break after lunch to rest until the main party which would start in the evening.
'Mmm... Didn't Elaria say that I need to be wary of what I eat and drink?'
But he drank and ate anything he was given. Wasn't that dangerous?
'I don't think the people of Duke Isbert can do anything to the food prepared by the Imperial kitchen, rather, I should be wary of anything that isn't cooked by the empire's people.'
He noted that in his mind while walking back to the banquet hall, this time less tense and nervous compared to earlier, already used to the atmosphere of the party. Not many people came over to him or began any conversations since he wasn't much of an important figure and didn't have any drama surrounding him. As a result, he didn't have to worry about messing up or making mistakes, feeling rather confident. However, he was slightly bored the whole time, hoping that there was someone he could chat with from time to time. Alaric wondered why his blue-haired attendant had to go missing at this moment.
Sitting in his previous seat, Alaric patiently waited for the night to come and for the banquet to finally end.
. . . . . . . . . . .
"Is this really the right way?"
The horse slowed down, gradually coming to a halt. The brown-haired woman sitting atop it looked around, using her hand to protect her eyes from the setting sun while scanning the surroundings.
"This isn't the main path, where are you taking us to, Raven?"
A few meters ahead of her, a black horse was walking at a steady speed. The owner of the horse answered without looking at Eleen.
"An old route."
"Why would we take an old route instead of the main one?"
Raven didn't stop his horse from moving forward.
"It's a shortcut."
"Is it safe?"
"Are you really worried about your safety?"
The black-haired youth lightly tapped his sword, indicating that he was strong enough to take on any danger. Eleen chuckled and shook her head, pulling the bridle of her horse to follow along.
"It's our first time coming to Asteriand's capital so how do you know about a shortcut?"
"Somehow."
"Eyyy!"
It was obvious that he wasn't willing to explain anything. Eleen clicked her tongue and decided to follow him in silence. The two of them rode their horses quietly, moving through the unkempt road.
Tap!
When the sun had finally sat and the stars were rising up in the sky, the black horse suddenly halted before turning around, its owner abruptly shifting to one side.
"What's wrong-"
Neegh!
The horse neighed before speeding up, galloping in a direction completely out of their path. Before the doctor could understand the situation, the hose and its owner disappeared from sight, blending with the darkness of night.
"What????? Raven!!!"
The only answer Eleen received was the echoes of her own voice in the empty jungle.