Returning to the house with Astrona, Rentaro felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.
Behind this exhaustion was contentment as he looked over the progress he made these past three months.
Sure, his cultivation stayed the same, but he mastered the basics of throws and felt his reflexes were much faster than previously.
Aside from cultivation and his strengthened soul, he also had his Extrasensory Perception innate talent to thank for his progress. His comprehension and talent was high enough to make up for his age being above that of his peers.
And in the village, he wasn't much further behind Haz's quintet who were in their twenties. Of course, this was purely in comparison to the average levels of those in the village, not taking into account the resource rich locations throughout the world.
Before Rentaro could seek out Icrin, Astrona decided to go have a talk with him privately in concerns to Rentaro seeking out the Silver Moon Academy.
Rentaro could hear Icrin's cheers of excitement, and he couldn't help but feel a slight headache as he thought of how chaotic the trip would be—not to mention it would take about a year to get there.
Icrin stormed out of his room, rushing up to Rentaro, "When are we leaving?!"
His eyes blazed with vigor, Rentaro couldn't help but feel like his own eyes burned painfully as he looked into them.
"I-I'm not sure, three days?"
Rentaro blurted out a number at random, which Icrin immediately noted down. There was no way the schedule was going to change now.
At the back of the room, Astrona looked on with melancholy.
'No matter how much I've prepared myself, it still hurts to see Icrin leaving so soon. He's only 14.'
Still, he kept his thoughts to himself. The last thing he wanted was to hold Icrin back.
"Icrin, I'll cook up a nice meal tonight! Why don't you and Rentaro go check on Haz and the others?" Astrona suggested.
"Good idea, Gramps!" Icrin ran off, dragging Rentaro along.
"I-I'm following, don't pull me!"
Shortly after leaving, they bumped into Haz's group of five, though they seemed to be discussing something.
They took notice of Rentaro and Icrin, calling out to them, "Hey, why are you two in a rush?"
Icrin blabbered on, quickly explaining that he and Rentaro were leaving for the Silver Moon Academy to the others' disbelief.
"Eh? You two are leaving for the Royal Academy? You know how far that is, right?" Phu asked doubtfully.
"Of course we do! Rentaro turns nineteen in three months, and we need to reach the deadline before he turns twenty!"
"It would be a pity to give up on such an opportunity, but you're going too Icrin?"
"Of course, the two of us are sworn brothers!"
"Rentaro...?"
Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, he weakly answered, "It should be fun... My summons are fairly strong, Astrona and the others think we'll be fine."
Ichi chimed in, "If only you learned to cook from me during these past three months. You would be in even better shape!"
Shin declined, "His training is enough, but had he trained his muscles under me, he would have reached the apex!"
Haz clapped his hands together, quieting the others.
"You know what, the five of us have been cooped up in the village for quite awhile, we haven't even had the chance to go out for our Krose Family Tradition."
The others stood up straight at his suggestion, nodding eagerly in agreement.
Rentaro asked, "Krose Family Tradition? What's that?"
Shin answered, flexing his biceps, "Krose Family Tradition? Heh, Let's just say, it's a search for love."
Rentaro: ...
Icrin: ...
Everyone: ...
"What? I wasn't wrong, was I?"
Phu interrupted, "Ignore him, chemicals are getting to his head."
"Hey—"
"Anyways, we have reached the age where we need to go out in search of a companion. Then we'll return, have kids in a couple years, and live a good life."
"The good life—" Shin's eyes shone like stars. "When are we leaving?"
"Shin, you're truly a primitive specimen."
Seeing Shin and Phu were about to go at it, Haz quickly interrupted as the middle man, "Alright, let's not make a scene in front of the others. Rentaro, when are you guys leaving?"
He answered, "Three days, why?"
"Three days, huh? Guess that's when we'll depart as well. Of course, we'll be going in different directions."
Tsyun interrupted quietly, "Haz, Phu, Ichi, Shin... I plan on going alone. With how handsome, cool, and mysterious I am, the four of you wouldn't stand a chance at starting a relationship. Especially you Ichi."
"Oi—"
Aside from Ichi, the others were quiet. In understanding, they relented.
Nothing can be forced, and as the other four left in search of a companion, they would find themselves splitting up over time.
But eventually, they would all meet again back at the village.
After a few jokes and laughs, everyone separated to gather their stuff together.
Rentaro relayed the situation to his summons, thankful that they, Wilhelm, and Tess would follow him everywhere.
There were also the spirits in the Grimoire, though he hadn't heard from them recently.
***
It was morning of the third day, and they were all ready to depart.
Everyone met up at the gate, sharing their laughs and thoughts on their futures.
"Hey, Tsyun," Haz started, "You better come back to the village in 10–15 years. The four of us will have wives and children by then, so make sure you're bearing gifts upon your return!"
Tsyun gave a smile, "I'll bring gifts that are so exotic, you'll have no clue what any of them do. And your kids will definitely surpass all of your cultivations within 15 years of their birth thanks to them."
Phu spoke exasperatedly, "You two, let's calm down. Why not bring a wife and children back instead? The more people in the village, the more lively our future days will be. Just imagine when we're all old men."
"When we're old men? I'm staying young, baby!"
"Shin, are you looking for a wife, or the Springs of Eternal Youth?"
"Springs of Eternal Youth would net you a full harem." He said proudly.
"Women actually love a great chef, you'll see." Ichi winked.
They turned their gazes to Rentaro and Icrin, "Icrin, be careful out there. You're mischievous at times, but you need to be aware of the time and place out there."
"And Rentaro, although we haven't known you for very long, take care. Hopefully, we can all meet again here in the future."
Rentaro felt warm, "I'm sure all of us will succeed in whatever our goals are. Best of luck to you all."
Under the farewell of the gatekeepers, Astrona, Quint, Nero, and numerous others, everyone turned in their own directions before leaving.
Tsyun smiled, turning his back as he headed north west.
Haz, Phu, Shin, and Ichi left together in the south eastern direction.
Rentaro and Icrin started moving north east, going off of a map which showed the general position of Silver Moon Academy, located in, well, the Silver Moon Kingdom. Naturally, the Silver Moon Kingdom was the capital of the Silver Moon Empire.
Astrona called out for them to stop just shortly after, bringing with him a small jade box.
"Icrin, this was left for you by your parents. Take good care of it."
He gave Icrin a small hug, his eyes glazed over, before hurrying him forward.
"Icrin, come back stronger, strong enough to do as you please."
Icrin balled his fists, sniffling with warm tears, "I will, Gramps!"
It was a touching goodbye, and Rentaro waited patiently before calling gently.
"Icrin, let's get going. Much more in life awaits us."
The journey ahead was long, and as Rentaro walked through the forest he looked over the map they were given in doubt. The map was rather... vague.
Considering he received the map in the village, its simplicity made sense. The map highlighted the general boundaries of the nearby kingdoms and larger geographical features.
There really wasn't a specified path to travel, and with both of them being unfamiliar to the world outside of the village, they would have to adjust their pathing as they traveled.
Icrin walked behind him, whistling a happy tune as he held the jade box closely with glistening eyes.
"You're not going to open it?" Rentaro asked.
"I'll wait until we find a place to settle down. Right, how long are we gonna walk?"
How long did they plan to walk before taking a break?
Given that their destination was a year's worth of walking away, stopping too much would prove to be a nuisance. Not to mention, they needed to arrive within a year and three months, before Rentaro reached twenty years old.
"Icrin, what's with the age requirement for the academy? Any idea?"
"From what Gramps told me, it's to maintain integrity and keep competition fair and square. And the academy would prefer to focus their resources on the younger generations. Oh, it would also be easier to gain the loyalty of those at a younger age!"
He nodded in agreement, feeling that the reasoning made sense.
As they trudged on through the brush and forest grounds, Roy and Rjuka decided to follow walk with them, taking in the natural sight.
Kyon on the other hand refused, "Your elder's legs are tired, I must rest for a bit."
Roy questioned that he could just fly, only to be shushed with strong rebukes that seemed to make no sense. They decided it was best to just let him be.
After hours of walking and reaching a forest clearing, they came across a decrepit sign reading: Fimble Town. The letters were barely visible, with splintered cracks all throughout.
'This sign should really be replaced,' Rentaro squinted his eyes, hardly making it out.
"I heard a little about this town!" Icrin looked in the signs direction eagerly.
"Oh, really? Anything interesting about it?"
"Erm, Not really. It's a town made up of humans; some of my clan members found companions there."
"I guess the distance is rather convenient."
Sure enough, they continued on for five miles before buildings entered their sight.
'It's only been a day, we can't stop traveling just because we reached a town. Maybe there's transportation here?' Rentaro thought.
Similarly to the Krose Village, there was a fortified wall around the village with a cobblestone path that led to the gate.
"Let's go," Rentaro smiled as he moved to the entrance.
"Halt!"
An armored guard resounded, his post just outside the gate.
He looked Rentaro's group up and down, his gaze dark as he faced Rjuka. He couldn't help but assume the worst as he looked at his frightening appearance.
"May I ask what business you have coming to our town?"
"My apologies, Sir," Rentaro started, "We are travelers, simply seeking a means of transportation."
The guard looked him up and down in doubt, answering, "There aren't many who would dare to travel with you four... You may enter, but try not to cause a ruckus."
Rentaro laughed awkwardly as they entered.
Rjuka spoke in guilt, "Sorry, I'm causing trouble. I could return if—"
"Don't worry about it, it's no trouble at all! We are all traveling together." Rentaro interrupted.
Rjuka smiled, grunting in understanding.
"Forget about all that. According to the map, we will be passing through the Three Lilies Kingdom, Darken Harrowed Kingdom, and Radiant Sun Kingdom."
Roy shuddered, "Darken Harrowed Kingdom? What kind of name is that?"
It was rather odd, for such an unscrupulously named kingdom to exist between one sounding as sweet as Three Lilies and one as bright as Radian Sun.
'It can't be that bad,' Rentaro mused.
"Let's take a look around, there has to be some suitable means of travel here!"
Rentaro and Icrin glanced around in curiosity, both of them experiencing something new.
The town was bustling with people, with some peddling goods and others going to and from their destinations.
Many travelers wore long robes, masking their faces under their hoods. Others dressed in armors, their faces beaming in youthful radiance. There were also the pretty young misses, standing out the most among the crowd.
"So many pretty big sisters!" Icrin muttered under his breath.
A couple of girls laughed at his near inaudible compliment, their hearing sharpened with their cultivation. But as soon as they took note of Rjuka, some of their faces paled in fear, while others looked on in interest.
A young child spoke, "It-It won't eat me, right?"
Rjuka felt like choking, "Eat you? Why would I eat you?"
"GAH!" The child screamed, running in fear.
Rentaro's eyes twitched in disbelief, "Everyone is so dramatic."
It wouldn't be a peaceful stay, so they decided to continue on after hearing about some traveling caravans wagons from a passerby who seemed to be in quite the hurry.
"Thanks a bunch!" Rentaro called to the fleeing man already down the street.
Away from the main districts, a large stable stood tall. The horses inside were busy resting before their next orders.
Seated outside in a wagon was an elderly man, giving proper maintenance to the wagon, his livelihood.
Rentaro called out, "Hello, elder! I was curious about traveling!"
The old man turned with a smile, "Oh, welcome! I have a few spots vacant, we might be able to fit you in—"
"Young man, my apologies, I've just remembered that all spots have been filled by special guests...."
Rentaro was flabbergasted, but there was nothing he could do. "Haha... Alright, elder."
Just then, a weaselly voice spoke, "Turning down business just because of some fear? How pathetic. Heh, I guess no one can compare to me, can they?"
In the direction of the voice was a short but large, round man wearing a formal white suit identical to Rentaro's original world with a white top hat, a black cane, an elegant watch on his right arm, and a monocle over his right eye.
Behind him was a wagon crafted of metal and wood. It looked simple in comparison to the man's appearance, but it was very clean.
"You are looking for transportation, no?" The man asked with a hearty laugh, pinching a shiny gold coin between his fingers which he inspected closely.
"Yeah—" Rentaro immediately realized a problem as he looked at the gold coin, "But now that I think about it... we don't, uh, have any money...."
"No money, no money..." The man repeated, shaking his head in disappointment.
Suddenly, the gold coin slipped from his fingers, rolling along the ground before hitting Rentaro's shoe and falling flat to the ground.
Rentaro picked it up, handing it back to the man.
The man covered his mouth in shock, "HOH? A gold coin?! For me?!"
Rentaro's group exchanged glances, stupefied.
"Well, Well, Well, A gold coin! That is more than enough to cover your expenses! From the Argent Kingdom, we are traveling to the border of the Three Lilies Kingdom. Only to the border, then I'm traveling west into the Maroon Cloud Kingdom! Of course, you can depart from the wagon at any time!"
"Oh—Well, I mean, that would be perfect!" Rentaro fumbled, "What's your name, sir?"
"My name? Why, my name is Kilg, I am pleased to meet your acquaintance, young man." The man, Kilg, gave a small bow.
"My name's Rentaro, this is Icrin, Rjuka, and Roy."
Kilg smiled, inspecting his watch, "It seems to be time to go. Are you able to head out immediately?"
The situation felt strange, 'He wasn't waiting for us, was he?'
"Ohoho! Don't be alarmed, it's merely a coincidence. You see, I have another two patrons who have been waiting to depart. Now shall we?" He asked once more.
[I don't sense any harmful intent.] Wilhelm suddenly voiced.
Rentaro gave Icrin a glance, receiving a nod in agreement.
"Very well, please step onto the wagon. We will make haste immediately!"
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