"Write often and take care of yourself!" Idris said as she hugged Soren tightly.
Soren tried to suppress a smile as the air was squeezed out of him. "Idris..." he gasped, "I can barely breathe!"
Idris immediately loosened her grip. "Oh, I'm sorry, Soren. It just gets so lonely now that you're leaving. I wanted to give you one last big hug."
"I won't be gone forever, Idris. And I'll visit you as often as I can, I promise. Besides, the others from the village are still here."
Idris nodded and tried to compose herself as she took a deep breath. "Yes, I know. But it'll still be different. Very well, I won't keep you any longer. The journey will be long enough and I don't want you still on the trails in the dark."
'She really is too nice for this world' Soren thought to himself and hugged her tightly once more.
"I can't thank you enough for everything. And even though I've never said it... you've been like a mother to me, and you should know that."
Idris' eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment she was speechless. Then she smiled and her eyes filled with tears. She placed a hand on Soren's cheek.
"This means more to me than you can imagine. Go on, before I keep you here," she joked.
As Soren climbed the hill and reached the top, he turned one last time and looked down at the small village that had been his home for the past few years.
Over the last few months, he had prepared himself as best he could. He had spent hours familiarizing himself with his grimoire and honing his magic. He had tried to develop new spells and practiced the ones he already knew to the point of exhaustion.
But during his intensive training he had noticed something. His grimoire seemed to be far more powerful than he had initially suspected. He still couldn't figure out what the strange black dots and lines were all about, but he suspected that they played a far greater role than one might think.
Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to solve the mystery.
---
Soren continued on his way towards the capital, but he took it easy. Not only did he traverse the streets, but he took every opportunity to walk through nature, away from the hustle and bustle of the main roads. He didn't want to simply walk past the wide fields, dense forests and babbling brooks without taking the time to observe nature and the people.
He had set off extra early so that he had plenty of time for this and didn't have to stress about whether he would be in the capital in time for the exam or not.
After about two weeks, he finally got to see the capital.
It was situated on a large mountain so that he had a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside.
"So here I am," Soren said to himself as he saw the capital from afar.
The capital of the Clover Kingdom was the shining center of magic. It was where the most powerful of the kingdom's magic users lived and worked and the place where the king and king of wizards lived.
A confusing concept in his opinion. Why did you need two kings when you could just have one. According to what he had heard, the nobles were usually the strongest due to their abundant mana and thus the ones most likely to become king of the wizards.
Not to mention that not a single peasant became a Magic Knight until a few years ago.
According to Idris, however, the current King of Mages believes that everyone has the right to become a Magic Knight as long as they embody the ideals of a Magic Knight and want to defend their kingdom.
Something that would certainly make his path easier.
Without wasting any more time, Soren activated his magic to speed up the rest of his journey. He had wasted enough time.
---
"Certainly has it's charm," Soren remarked as he slowly made his way through the crowd.
The streets of the capital were lined with colorful stalls where merchants offered their wares. Many of them used their magic to display their products in impressive ways. Magical lights flickered and glowed above the stalls, attracting the attention of passers-by.
At one stall, Soren saw a merchant using wind magic to make fruit float in the air and cut it up.
The stall next to him was full of magical tools Soren had never heard of. Some of these artifacts floated above the display, accompanied by small signs explaining what they did.
"Want to buy yourself a magic ball, lad? It's fun!" One of the children's toy dealers called out to him.
"Thanks, but no thanks," Soren declined the offer.
'So many using magic freely in one spot,' Soren thought as he dodged a man in a blue robe who was levitating a massive water container of magic through the air.
He still had two days until the exam and he wanted to explore the city more, but first he needed a safe room so he would have a place to stay for the next few days.
His eyes fell on a middle-aged man who was standing at a fruit stand, chatting with the vendor. The man wore simple but clean clothes and looked like someone who knew his way around the city. Soren decided to speak to him.
"Excuse me, could you perhaps help me? I'm new in town and I'm looking for an inexpensive inn where I can find a room for the night. Do you happen to know where I could find something like that?" he asked politely, because as a wise man once said: manners make the man.
The man turned and eyed Soren briefly before smiling. "Ah, you must have come for the Magic Knight exam, didn't you?"
"Indeed." Soren nodded.
"I thought so," the man said. "As for lodging, there are a few places that aren't too expensive. If you cross the large marketplace and take the main road further north, you'll find the 'Sunflower'. It's a simple inn, but the owner is friendly and the rooms are clean and reasonably priced.
"The 'Sunflower'," Soren repeated, grateful for the tip. "Thanks for the help."
"No problem, kid," the man said, nodding at him kindly. "Good luck with the exam. The capital can be intimidating at times, but once you're in, you'll find your way around quickly."
"Thank you, I hope so," Soren replied with a smile, turning away again to head in the direction the man had described to him.
He followed the man's rough directions and it wasn't long before he found it.
The inn looked good enough from the outside that Soren decided to give it a try.
He stepped through the door and was immediately greeted by the murmur of conversation.
Behind a counter stood an older man with gray hair and a broad smile, who was in the process of draining a few tankards.
Soren walked up to the counter and the man looked up as he approached. "Well, who have we here? A new guest?" the man asked in a friendly voice.
"Yes, I'm looking for a room for the night and the one after that, if possible. I was told that the 'Sonnenblume' offers good and affordable accommodation," Soren replied.
The man gave him an even wider smile and set the tankard to the side. "That's right, that's right. We offer good rooms for honest prices. I'm Bronn, the owner of the 'Sunflower'. We have a room available that would be perfect for you. Small, but clean, and breakfast is included in the price. What do you say?"
"That sounds excellent," Soren said and handed him the money. A board was placed in the room, telling him the prices without having to ask.
Bronn took it and put it in a small box behind him before giving him the key. "All right, my boy. Your room is upstairs, second door on the right. I hope you find everything to your liking. If you're hungry, we'll be serving dinner until sundown."
"Thank you," Soren remarked, accepting the room key. "I'll take you up on that offer later."
"Do that," Bronn replied and continued cleaning the mugs.
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I looked it over and copied it into webnovel, but apparently it decided to change a lot of things I had changed previously to make the wording better. Alias, I don't care enough lol. Hope it is readable, bye :D
Men scroll
Men see
Men smile
Men gifts Stones
Men leaves Review
Men leaves happily.
Yours,
Jasonenrick!