***
The next day.
Tobias continued his journey; the sun began to rise, and the villagers returned to their normal activities. However, Tobias' journey was accompanied by someone, more precisely, an apprentice who wanted to learn Tobias' Myurajin Moon technique.
Felicia, the second child of the House of Ludwig. A 16-year-old girl with dusky brown hair and warm sand skin tone. She appeared to be wearing a suit that made riding easy, white trousers and a dark brown shirt. She rode her own horse, different from Tobias', smaller with a dominant white color.
Felicia initially followed Tobias unarmed, wearing only a black cloak over her body like an assassin. Tobias bought her a small sword, the type commonly used for female apprentices like her.
Tobias recognized that in order to use the Myurajin Moon technique, Felicia would have to use at least a katana-type sword, like his own. However, the last sword forger Tobias knew was probably dead after doing s
Due to the close distance between his current position and Vitrea City, Tobias decided to visit the city to negotiate with the Vitrea City Leader.Tobias and Felicia went together with the troops as if they were being given a full escort. The desert's weather seemed calmer than before, a moment that Tobias and Felicia took full advantage of to travel."Is Hugo the ruling noble of the city?" Tobias asked.The man rode side by side with Vitrea City's army leader. The man nodded slowly. Hugo was the ruling noble who had led the city for ten generations."Yes. There are many nobles in the city, considering Vitrea is the second largest city after Carlisle," said the man, focusing on the road in front of him while still answering every question Tobias asked."But Hugo being the best and strongest, many nobles try to work with them well," the man explained."This is the first time Hugo has proposed cooperation to another noble, never before," conti
***Four days later.Vitrea city was located behind the Virmount mountain, which divides the western and southern regions. Mount Virmount isn't that big. In fact, Virmount is more like a hill than a mountain.In addition to its size not being as big as the mountain Tobias knew, the Virmount area did not appear to have a circle of craters like other mountains. However, the townspeople proudly said it was a mountain.There was one village at the fountain of Virmount, which maintained strict traditions about Virmount. The village was also used as an entrance to the peak of the mountain and to go to the western region.Tobias, Felicia, and Liam left the village after spending a day. They traveled in a convoy down the hill to arrive at a city fully protected by huge, perfectly square walls.At every corner stood a solid tower with a large circular diameter, capable of holding 10-15 archers and placing medium-sized artillery defenses. There were four towers in total with a considerable numb
The noise attracted the other two people's attention. Josephine walked out by opening the door, her body seemingly covered by her bathrobe. Her skin and hair color were the same as Iris, except she was shorter."What's going on, Iris?" asked Josephine, looking softly motherly, in contrast to Iris's harsh demeanor.Iris looked up, standing with Felicia in her arms. She smiled broadly, saying everything was fine. Josephine watched Tobias, who still sat in shock, his handsomeness making Josephine curious for a taste."Who is that handsome man behind you, Iris?" asked Josephine, pointing gracefully at Tobias."Oh, he's an Archibald. He's the one Beatrix was looking for," Iris replied, turning her body to stare at the young Archibald."An elite noble of Equestria. I wonder how his body feels," Josephine teased.Her body curves were clearly seen as she walked closer to the man. The two sisters' attitudes certainly threw Tobias into confusion, as t
Iris arrived at Beatrix's study after the woman told her to come. Tobias and Felicia were seen sitting before Beatrix's desk. Tobias and Beatrix were talking about business, while Felicia seemed to notice Tobias's dignified demeanor.Beatrix's sister, who manages Vitrea's economy, walks up to Beatrix's desk. She handed over two files containing last month's crops and another with the previous month's trade report.Beatrix smiled, accepting the two files Iris had given her to look over with Tobias. The Hugo Family leader didn't mind Tobias looking at the files containing the city's important data, as the trade agreement between the two was important to Hugo and required clear transparency."For food stability this month, we have a stockpile of last month's crop, as well as food reserves that are always kept for emergencies," Beatrix replied."We may be able to overcome the hunger problem until the second week of next month. However, in such a period of tim
The door to Beatrix's study opened, and two people came out, attracting the attention of Iris, Josephine, and Felicia. Tobias came out with a smile, holding a scroll of paper in his hand.Beatrix accompanied Tobias to the front of the office. The trade agreement and the possibility of an Alliance between the east and the South had been agreed upon. To embrace all the forces in the South, Beatrix would be in charge.In these six months, the two regions would cooperate to fulfill their respective places' needs. Since it was a long way for Leafvile to go around Virmount Mountain, Tobias would temporarily stay in the south until the bridge was repaired.Felicia walked up to Tobias, and he greeted her gently as he stroked her head of hair, "Our business is done in this place. We'll probably stay a day or two in Vitrea before coming to Asakusa.""Welcome to Vitrea City. I hope you like my city's hospitality and crowds," Beatrix replied.Tobias and Felicia said goodbye to Beatrix, Iris, and
Nancy's husband turned his head slowly, staring at his wife, standing with her heart beating fast. He was completely shocked to realize the actual name of the man before him was Taichi Hayashi; they knew Hayashi very well."Hayashi, protector clan of Yamaguchi," the man before Tobias replied, making Tobias gasp in surprise as Nancy's husband seemed to loosen his grip on the young man's collar."H-How did you know...?""Is something wrong, Lord Tobias?" asked Felicia.The shocked expression on the paled white face made Felicia wonder; she had never seen the expression Tobias showed before. Felicia looked back at Nancy's family, trying to figure out what they both wanted."I don't think he knows about it yet," Nancy replied.Nancy's husband nodded his head; Liam knew the man as Jason. Jason turned around, looking at Liam, who remained standing behind them, looking confused."Could you take Lady Felicia out for a moment, Liam? There's so
The door to Nancy and Jason's residence opened. Jason and Tobias came out of the house while Nancy walked over to Felicia. Nancy and Jason agreed to let Tobias and Felicia stay as they wanted."Come, let me show you where your room is," Nancy said.The woman seemed to be carrying Felicia's belongings. Felicia smiled and thanked them both for their kindness. Her eyes occasionally turned to Tobias, who was walking further away from the place."Where is Tobias going?" asked Felicia, her mind filled with curiosity."My husband is taking him to meet someone, an old friend," Nancy replied."Oh, I had no idea Tobias had friends in the village," Felicia replied."Neither do I, sweetheart," said Nancy.The woman continued walking with both hands, seemingly carrying two medium-sized bags. As we approached the room where Tobias and Felicia would be staying, Nancy did not hesitate to tell us how she had built this house.Not only was she t
"Why don't you ask Uesugi in person?" asked Jason."He doesn't know his favorite granddaughter is dead. If that happens, I'm afraid he won't be able to bear it," Tobias replied."You're right. If he doesn't know whether Akihiko is alive or not, he can't possibly know where she is in the world either," Jason explained.The two walked together through the village's main street. The villagers were busy doing their work, as well as Tobias, who was about to return to the inn. Tobias was not enthusiastic about talking with them, not only because he didn't recognize them but also because he didn't know what to discuss with them."Besides looking for Akihiko's existence, is there anything you're looking for in Asakusa?" Jason asked, curious."Felicia, the girl who came with me. I've made her one of my apprentices. Since I can only use katana sword techniques, I need a katana for her," Tobias replied."I see. You must know well what the criteria for