The Verdant Empire was one of five domains on the continent, and it was located on the central plains, hence, it shared borders with four other domains.
For this reason, it has four borders that need to be maintained and overseen. This was where the Marquises of the Verdant Empire came in.
There were six marquises, one of which was his lordship, Lord Ashran, marquis of Bellenau.
The borders of the verdant empire was divided into eight regions; eight geopolitical zones, and the zones were distributed amongst the marquises according to their standings.
Lord Ashran had the whole of the north to himself. While it made his tasks threefold that of the other marquises, it also made his standing and the difference between their strength known.
The rest of the marquises had one of the remaining zones each to themselves.
Hence, Bellenau was a pretty large fief and it all belonged to House Leonis.
Bordering the Phillianca Empire and a few other small regions located in the no-man's lands, Bellenau became a trading hub. Its marketplace was as diverse as one can expect it to be and the revenue generated from it alone was enough to make the Leonis family almost as rich as a Duchy.
The Leonis family didn't need to worry about troublemakers, with their strength, most were afraid of them. Even the other marquises.
Hence it wasn't surprising as Reid and Jenna arrived in a rather bustling market.
From stalls selling mounts, potions and rare magical herbs, to blacksmiths, goldsmiths and even enchanters, to even the enigmatic beast sellers who capture rare beasts, subduing them for imperial censors to purchase and contract.
And as usual, there were the occasional dark allies where shady deals were made.
This was Luton, one of the largest marketplaces in the Verdant Empire.
"That's all the young master asked us to buy..." Jenna stated as she looked at the two powerful dark steeds before her.
To the common folks, there wasn't any difference between a black stallion and a dark steed and they weren't wrong. But they also aren't right.
A dark steed is the magical species of a black stallion. They were 1-star beasts with minimal potential. But they were very useful as mounts, especially to low level adventurers.
A dark steed, unlike a black stallion, could see at night and they possessed a trait that made them blend with the darkness of the night, a mount perfect for stealth.
Of course there were better mounts, like the Shadow stallion that could move through shadows, or the Verdant eagle that could soar thousands of miles in the sky.
'But the dark steed was way cheaper. With this, it would be easier to sneak through the devil's path…'
Reid looked to be deep in thought. The carriage that brought them was gone, Jenna hired a coachman to return it to the manor.
With two dark steeds before them, it was obvious that they would have to ride back themselves.
"What else?" Jenna asked Reid.
Although she trusted Emris, she also knew that he was inexperienced in terms of battling and the dangers of the world.
"Potions… we need poison for our weapons." Reid replied, his hand subconsciously touching the sword that was now strapped to his waist.
It was a 1-star weapon of Top-tier grade.
"Our?" Jenna asked. She didn't think Emris had a weapon or even knew how to use one. She normally didn't know the details of his training.
"Yes. I have a feeling the young master had a weapon of his own." Reid began to head for a particular dark alley,
"If push comes to shove and we get sensed by the nightcrawlers, the best course of action would be to battle while running,...."
'Slowing them down isn't an option, we would need an extremely potent poison to kill them.'
Jenna didn't ask any questions even as Reid handed her his steed and received the pouch of gold from her.
Reid walked straight into the alley and came out after almost ten minutes. He looked totally unfazed, like he just went to take a leak.
Jenna trusted in his decision though, after all, it was from these very streets that Emris saved Reid. No one knew this place better than him.
*
Two dark steeds arrived in front of Emris manor, their long and thick mane gently dancing as the evening wind blew against them.
Their amber eyes glowed with a maleficent light, a stark contrast from the dark pupils of black Stallions. And unlike the thick build of black stallions, dark steeds had lean and lithe muscles, granting them more power and overall flexibility.
On the dark steeds were Reid and Jenna, they just arrived back at the manor. As they dismounted and headed into the manor, a heavy silence hung between them.
They didn't need to look around for Emris, they could tell that he was in the training room.
"Reid…. You must bring him back…." Jenna said as they both arrived before the door to the training room.
Reid glanced at Jenna, he knew about her past, about her brother's death. And for the first time, he showed a clear emotion, he smiled.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure the young master makes it past the forest, even if it costs me my life."
Jenna was stunned for a moment, not even she had seen such a clear expression on Reid's face. She just assumed he had facial paralysis.
But then she chuckled and smiled back,
"No…. I want both of you back here.."
The silence returned, but it wasn't as heavy and overbearing as it used to be. After a short moment, Jenna suddenly began to walk away.
"I'll prepare a cold bath for the young master, he'll need it after his training." She added during a short pause before heading down the hallway.
"I'll fetch him a towel." Reid muttered to himself as he too walked away.
—
"Huu…." I took a deep breath as I sat on the floor. My body ached, my muscles were a bit sore from the practice.
I wasn't frail or anything, I just wasn't used to intense practice sessions. The spars I had with Reid were mostly body movements alone. Although it was mentally tasking, it was easier in the body.
But now I had to use both the movement technique and the basic Spearmanship. It took quite the toll on my body.
'I guess this is what it means to actually practice intensely…..'
I raised my hand and stared at it, before glancing at the weirdly shaped spear laying beside me. Even though I was pretty beat up,...
'I feel strangely invigorated.'
The Velthora Basic Spearmanship was quite the skill. It wasn't as complex as I thought it would be.
There were five moves; slash, sweep, thrust, block and dance. The technique itself focussed on utilization of the muscles to bring out the best in this simple action and how to make these simple actions complex.
I was still at the basic level, but I had completely mastered the basics. I was sure that after actual battle experience, I would be able to get to intermediate grade.
'I guess it's time to go….'
"Esfyn, activate mission card."
After a short discussion with Esfyn, I got to know that activating a mission card when a major thing was about to happen usually leads to the mission handed out correlating with the event.
[Understood, lord Emris…]
[Activating mission card….]
[Congratulations, you've received a mission.]
[Mission objective 1 — Make it through the devil's pass]
[Reward — Advance card x2, Random equipment card (Rare) x1, Achievement points x60]
[Mission objective 2 — kill monsters of 1-star or lower x10]
[Reward — Function card (Healing) x3, Random skill card (Rare) x1, Achievement points x30]
[Failure: Loss of limbs, possible death…]
[Failure is in regards to mission objective 1. If that mission fails, then there is no point considering a punishment for mission objective 2.]
I wasn't surprised at the punishment, I already sort of expected it.
I glanced at the bronze spear on the floor once again. I wanted to change the weapon but after training with it, I realized that it's strange form was well suited for the Velthora Basic Spearmanship.
Moreover, although it was of the basic grade, I could tell it was higher than normal basic grade weapons.
'I should shower and get going,.... I need to arrive at the main estate before dawn.'
*
I stood before the dark steed, my hand running along its back. It was beautiful.
They have been strapped and saddled, perfect for mounting and riding.
I was currently fully dressed; a simple clothing, with the [Leather mantle] donned on and the bronze spear wrapped in fabric and strapped to my back.
"Young master," Reid came to my side. He was also dressed like an adventurer; leather pants, boots and a simple shirt with his sword strapped to his side. He was a far cry from the suit wearing butler and assistant.
'His aura is also different…'
"We better leave now if we want to arrive on time."
I glanced up at the sky, the sun was almost entirely gone and the moon was beginning to ascend to its peak. I knew we needed to get going.
I raised my leg and mounted the dark steed.
Gruff~ Bruff~
It grunted before calming down. Reid mounted the other dark steed. We were ready to move out.
I looked at Jenna, although she tried her best to hide it, I could tell that she was uncomfortable and scared.
"Jenna," I called out,
"You should pack your bags,....." Jenna's gaze suddenly dimmed even further at my words,
"If things go as I think, then we'll be staying at the main estate for a while."
Jenna's eyes brightened as she raised her head to look at me, a small smile on her face,
"Who will prepare my bath for me?" I asked with a smile.
"I'll get ready to leave as soon as possible, young master."
"Good." I said as I kicked the mount,
"You should await my call then."