On the way to Dragon Horn, I noticed others had already made friends. Overly cautious about my body odor, I hesitated to start a conversation. Walking gloomily by myself, I overheard giggles and grew curious about their conversation.
Eavesdropping, I heard a boy remarking casually, "This is nothing. It's easy if you have all the essentials in your bag."
I checked my pouch; mine held only a pair of trousers and my tunic. Seeing some kids with drinking water made me realize just how much of a luxury it seemed.
One of them suddenly yelled, "I can see the Dragon Castle, guys!" He was right; above the forest, we could all see the immense castle with torches on each white pillar. The closer we got, the more imposing it appeared.
"I wonder if the king is there," I whispered to myself.
"Of course," a voice replied behind me. I turned to see a girl pulling down her hood, revealing black hair.
"Ivy Goldfit," she said, becoming the first girl I had ever spoken to. "I… I…" I stuttered.
"I?" She looked at me with her golden eyes. I gulped and took a deep breath, finally managing to introduce myself.
"I'm Vesper. Vesper Nine," I said, relieved.
"Hello there, Vesper. Nice to meet you," she said with a smile that made me blush. In that moment, I completely forgot about my worriesl. "Same here," I replied, smiling. She continued to walk by my side, and though I didn't know what else to say, she didn't look uncomfortable.
Then she pulled a waterskin full of water from her pouch and offered it to me. "Would you like some water? I noticed you staring at the others when they were drinking," she said kindly.
I was surprises and nodded without giving a second thought. "Yes, please," I replied. My heart felt grateful beyond words, as if an angel had descended, blessing me with this holy water.
As soon as she handed me the waterskin, I gulped down every drop. Ivy burst into laughter at my strange manners.
"Haha, you're so funny, Vesper! You should've seen the look on your face; your eyes were sparkling, but as soon as you drank, you looked like a beast!" she teased, wiping a tear from her eye.
"Was I rude, Ivy? Forgive me—I'm not sure how to act. I come from a humble village; my mother and I were farmers in Fiery Gale. Everyone here, including you, seems to come from a great family," I said, my words trailing off as memories of my mother flooded my mind.
"You think so? I see everyone here as the same, Vesper. We all have hearts, and one day, they'll stop beating. Gold coins and status won't matter then." She looked at me with a glimmer of assurance. "I'd like to meet your mother. She must be beautiful; I can tell just by looking at you."
"About that…" I hung my head low.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know," Ivy said softly.
I nodded, forcing a faint smile. "It's alright." She put her hand on my shoulder and gestured to the others.
"Look, Vesper. You've got a new family now. We'll train and protect the lands together," she encouraged. "I guess so.." I replied to her.
Suddenly, an arm wrapped around me from behind.
"The name's Felix," the boy said to Ivy, ignoring me completely.
"D-do I know you?" she asked, taken aback.
"I'm your future husband," he replied confidently, making me cringe with embarrassment on his behalf.
Ivy looked momentarily speechless. "I don't recall being engaged to a red-haired boy," she quipped.
Felix remained calm, unfazed by her response, which impressed me.
"Well, I'm quite the catch, milady. Not just anyone can be my future queen," Felix said with a grin. Ivy went along with his playful banter, momentarily forgetting about me.
Despite that, I felt happy. I was no longer alone.
"Is this guy your relative?" Felix asked Ivy.
"No, this is Vesper. I just met him. Vesper, say hi to Felix," she said, gesturing toward me.
"Hi, Felix," I said awkwardly.
"Hmm, you're not my rival, right?" Felix asked with a teasing tone.
"Rival? No, no. You've got it all wrong," I replied, unsure of his meaning.
"Vesper is a friend now. Why would he be your rival? Are you two messing with me?" Ivy asked, puzzled.
"No, I don't know this man at all," I replied, looking at Felix with mild disgust.
Felix smirked. "It's settled—you're my companion now," he declared, as if he'd adopted a pet.
"Hey! Who are you to claim Vesper like a pet? I found him first!" Ivy joked, and I went along, amused as they bantered over who would 'keep' me.
Finally, we approached the castle's foot.
"Where is this old fart?" muttered Felix, glancing around. It was eerily quiet, with ropes scattered on the ground and no guards at their posts. It felt like a test. Felix noticed my expression and nudged me.
"What do you see, Vesper?"
"I think this is part of a test," I replied.
"You're pretty quick-witted," he said. Others rested under a nearby tree, grumbling in exhaustion. I noticed Hendry standing by the iron wall, observing in silence. It seemed he had figured it out too but chose not to act, which disappointed me.
Felix waved at me, and I hurried over.
"We can't climb this wall; it's too slippery from moss. We'll need to tie the ropes together, toss it over, and hope it catches so someone can pull the lever to lower the gate," Felix explained.
"I'll gather the rope. Do you have a knife?" I asked.
"I do," said Ivy. Felix brightened even more at her arrival, clearly smitten. I tied the ropes together, trying to ignore his obvious crush.
Felix threw the rope, but it fell short. The others, oblivious, yelled, "Stop wasting time! The knight will come for us!"
But Felix and I held firm in our belief that this was a test, evidenced by the ropes and lack of magic. Fatigue nearly overtook Felix as his attempts failed. Brute force alone wouldn't work. Then inspiration struck—I fashioned a makeshift bow with a sturdy stick and some twine, testing its strength.
Felix looked at me in amazement. "You're a genius, Vesper!"
"It's nothing," I replied modestly.
Ivy prayed on the side as Felix whispered something to her. She agreed, removing her hood to reveal her slim, athletic build.
"Stop drooling, Vesper. She's spoken for," Felix teased me.
"I didn't mean to," I stammered and turned my head to the side.
'I would never think of Ivy that way.. she is a good friend.'
"Ivy will climb the wall. I'll pushed her for momentum. Let's do this, Vesper!" Felix urged.
I wiped my sweat and aimed, hoping the knife would lodge at the lever or stuck somewhere. As I released, the knife flew up and clanked into place. Felix and Ivy's eyes filled with hope as the rope stayed.
"It's holding!" Ivy cheered, hugging me before running back to Felix.
Felix crouched and clasped his hands together, boosting Ivy's jump so she could climb faster. She scaled the wall with impressive agility, leaving us all impressed.
Reaching the top, Ivy struggled to pull the lever down.
"Felix, it's too tight! I need help!" she shouted down to us.
Felix look at me and nodded, I moved to assist him, but a sturdy boy with white hair intercepted me.
"Let me help you, Felix," he said. Felix accepted his request , and the boy lifted him into the air. Felix grabbed the rope and climbed with the skill of Ivy herself.
Finally, Felix reached the top. We heard the metal clank as the iron wall lowered. The general, with his black horse, awaited us behind it, clapping.
"Excellent!" he praised.
We proceeded inside, where we were led to the east wing. General Hawker, a towering man, addressed us. "I am General Hawker Phoenix. I welcome you to the Dragon Knights Castle ."
I felt deeply honored. Felix was missing, and Ivy stood beside me, scanning the crowd. I offered her my tunic to cover her arms from the chilly wind.
The general continued, "Congratulations to those who realized this was part of your training. Wit and teamwork are vital for the missions you'll face in the future. Some of you may leave this path within a hundred day. For now, proceed to dinner at Dragon Horn Hall. Your room card is beneath your plate."
I was relieved to have passed the test. We moved to Dragon Horn Hall. Ivy parted for the girls' section, and I found an empty seat. Nervous, I hesitated to flip my plate for my room number. The feast felt like a dream; exhausted, I settled for soup and bread. My stomach could not handle such good food in just a day.
After a ten-day journey, I'd finally reached a place where I could sleep under a roof, I thought to myself.
Henry sauntered over and picked up the plate next to me and flip the card. "Not bad for a peasant. I figured someone would solve it."
"You knew about the test, then?" I asked.
"Of course. But climbing the wall would ruin my hair," he replied smugly.
Honestly it was my first taste of genuine annoyance.
"So, what are you here for?" I asked him coldly.
"You dare use that tone with me? Well, who cares. I'm here because the rest are morons. I had no choice but to settle with you" Hendry said.
"You are saying Im bright, no?" I replied to him.
"Uh- no. I did not spout that nonsense, amongst all the moron here, I prefer you." He said to me with a silly grin on his face.
"It's a privilege to have me by your side, peasant." he finished his sentence with a mean remarked.
"Hmm. I may be a peasant but I have a name and it's Vesper." I glared at him.
"Ahhh I see I have offended you Vesper….."
He replied teasingly. After that, he started following me everywhere even up to my room.
"Why are you following me?" I asked him as we stood together in-front of the entrance.
"I'm not. It seems our room happens to be the same one," he said clueless. He showed me his card we really did ended up sharing the same room. After we were done settling, I sat by the window waited for the morning sun to rise. I decided to wake Henry, he was sprawled in bed, drooling like a spoiled kid.
After few unsuccessfully attempts trying to rouse him, I left him be and headed downstairs to the relief room and the open bathhouse. Few early risers were already there, preparing for the day. I noticed the boy with white hair who seemed aloof. I hesitated to approach him to share gratitude instead I focused on my own routine.
I waited at the training ground near to the headquarters with others. I chewed on some grass and enjoyed the warmth of the morning sun. I spotted Ivy heading towards me; today she had her hair tied back in a ponytail. She looked beautiful—I could understand why Felix was fixated on her.
"Hey," she greeted me as she plopped down beside me.
I raised a brow in response. "What time will the training start today?" I asked her.
"Today, we'll be learning about weapons. We'll be divided into classes based on our proficiency with different weapons, oh yes class will start at any moment," Ivy explained.
"Weapons, I see.." I replied, nodding.
Soon a man on a white horse appeared in the distance, followed by other knights carrying various magical weapons.
He instructed us to line up and try each weapon, evaluating our affinity with them.
I knew I wanted to try the bow; I'd been skilled with it since childhood.
When my turn came, the man had me hold each weapon in turn. Finally, he said to me, "You are a weapon master," as he observed my dumbfounded expression.
"We have a weapon master! Vice Commander Cole!" he announced. Panic set in—I had no idea what that meant. I saw a knight with a silver dragon emblem on his chest approaching me.
"Come here, boy," he ordered.
"Yes, sir," I replied, rigid with nervousness.
"Do you know what this means?" he asked sternly.
"No, sir," I answered honestly.
"You have an affinity with all weapons. You will now be part of a special unit," he explained.
My chest swelled with joy. I hadn't expected to become such a treasure. Some faces around me looked unhappy but I hadn't signed up for this—I was just doing my best.
I followed the vice commander to a special room. From afar, I spotted a boy with red hair—it was Felix and the boy with white hair. His eyes widened, and he jumped from his seat.
"Vesper!" he shouted my name.
"Felix," I greeted him.
"Finally, I'm not alone with this brute. I almost died of boredom," he said, tears in his eyes. I chuckled at his exaggerated distress.
"Is there only three of us?" I asked him.
"Unfortunately, yes. People like us are rare," he replied, still sniffing and leaning against my shoulder.
We both sat by the window, watching as others underwent evaluations. There were many skilled archers; I had thought I was special, but clearly, there were others better than me. We waited until evening for Vice Commander Cole, but he seemed to have forgotten about us. Felix ended up sleeping with his legs on the table. I happily browsed through the books on the rack, though I couldn't read. The other boy was reading beside Felix.
Finally, Vice Commander Cole arrived and handed us each a gem. He instructed us to channel our energy into it until it transformed into a weapon using our will.
It was our first assignment and I was utterly flabbergasted; I had no idea how to even begin. Felix, on the other hand, seemed as nonchalant as ever. Suddenly, I heard a familiar sound, one that still haunted me in my sleep. Felix and other boy abruptly rose from their seat and headed straight to the window.
"It's the Golden Scale," he muttered under his breath.
My legs trembled as the sound reverberated through the building and my face turned pale. I instinctively moved to stand beside Vice Commander Cole.
"Golden Scales is the king's dragon. There's no need to fear, Vesper," he reassured me.
"The king's dragon," I repeated, still feeling confused and overwhelmed by the significance of the moment.