Chapter 28: Two Young Heroes
The sun shifted and the moon waned as a journey of five days ended. A sentry soldier spotted two black horses galloping over from the distant hills at high speed. Alerted, this soldier issued a signal for a fleet of scouts to embark from the sentry tower and intercept the incoming people to feel out their purpose.
Any further from this point was a restricted area occupied by the armies of Marquis Luise and Marquis Armstrong, and further beyond was a land of death heralding the dawn of a bloody war.
These were times of high tension.
…
Kevin and his sister Lexia braved many 'dangers' in their journey to the northwest of the Badger Barony. On their way, they've encountered plenty of these bandits and mercenaries out to cause trouble in their homes, all of them dispatched and/or recruited by a mysterious employee.
Infuriated was Lexia yet her behavior betrayed no such emotions as she cultivated a deft hand at combating and killing. Whenever she ran out of energy, Kevin was by her side to supplement her.
As the days progressed, her temperament began to mold and take shape while maturity kicked in. Influencing the minds of the young wasn't very difficult, it was the teachings at a young age that craved deeply into the minds of a person, and Kevin planned to provide this lass with the basic foundation for survival during this journey.
Sadly, despite being an amateur like her big brother, Lexia couldn't draw in the spirits of the dead to cultivate her mental power and grow the natal sea of consciousness… For Lexia, acquiring a mental cultivation spell was paramount.
Her mental power was too fragile to host anything beyond a 4-node spell like <Concentration>, and this weighed on Kevin's mind as he contemplated his options.
They met many opponents from muscleheads, sly foxes, and devious bastards, and Lexia almost died more than once. One time, she was about to recklessly accept food from this old man, but Kevin who had already 'eaten' the loaf of bread suddenly collapsed on the ground, giving Lexia the shock of her life.
Only after she slaughtered the old man and the recruits of his caravan in her anger and despair did Kevin wake up and spit the loaf of bread from his mouth, though his tongue was a glaring purple in color from the toxins.
With his current physique, such a toxin was harmful at best, not lethal.
Lexia however, would have outright lost her life then and there.
Since then, this little girl became even more cautious and learned how to mix her saliva with the food and observe the components for abnormal chemical reactions while chewing the first bite. She would chew and mull over the taste in her mouth for like thirty seconds, and if her saliva started tasting weird or her tongue and tastebuds felt numb, she would conclude that the food was poisonous or tampered with.
Kevin was very pleased with this development, as a person could never be too cautious. Then, he lectured Lexia all about poisons and various application methods through taste, touch, and smell.
He even explained that some poisons are typically dormant until excited by an external factor such as smell or taste. Lexia was awed to the least, she didn't even doubt a word her big brother told her, nor did she care to ask where he got this knowledge from.
"More people," while talking with Kevin, Lexia spotted a group of men galloping over from the distance in an orderly formation. Tensed, she immediately rested a hand on the hilt of her sword as her dark brown eyes reflected the cloud of dust in the distance.
Kevin waved his hand to signal the little girl to be at ease. He said, "They're on our side, don't be too anxious."
Hearing these words, Lexia nodded her small head and relaxed just a little bit, though she didn't put down her guard. Kevin nodded, satisfied.
The girl that used to puke and sully herself from fright at the mention of killing and blood had now cultivated a steady heart. Due to the ancestral teachings derived from generations of monarchy, although life was pretty valuable in this world, it was still a far cry from modern society's value of life.
In this world, it was the first kill that proved most difficult. If they were in modern society, guilt and fear of being exposed after killing someone would haunt the killer day and night for years, and perhaps till the end of days.
This place is different, there are many vectors to measure whether the killer was a criminal or not. For example, those who had the moral high ground weren't charged guilty.
As for who decided what the moral high ground was? Of course, this is something decided upon through the status. A lord is on the moral high ground when he forces himself upon a maidservant, and he may strike her dead if she refused his advancements.
Twisted, but that's how it is in this world of monarchy and magic.
"Halt!"
A robust shout echoed from the distance, accompanied by, "Name yourself and what business you have by coming here!"
The two parties stood at a far enough distance to reflect on the features of one another, a safe distance of discussion per military practice.
Kevin pulled the reigns on his horse and fetched out a sealed scroll with the stamp of Marquis Armstrong and tossed it over.
Whoosh!
The sealed scroll rolled in the air as the metallic seal glittered in a bit of sunlight that pierced the gloomy clouds. The leading scout breathed a puff of hot air in the cold as he reached out a hand and snatched the scroll from the air. With a grunt, he gave the stamped seal a scrutinizing look for a few seconds before nodding his head.
"Follow me!"
He shouted and tucked the sealed scroll away into the folds of his military uniform, turning his horse around before galloping away. The remaining fleet of scouts didn't move, and they simply watched as Kevin and Lexia kicked their horses into following the aforementioned soldier. When the pair of siblings passed through the formation, the rest followed while keeping a close net, flanking any possible routes of deviation.
…
The group passed by the sentry towers and quickly advanced into the restricted area of the military. In the distance, a massive tent was erected as it covered a similar surface area to the baron's castle, drawing a hint of awe in Lexia's eyes.
Many steeds were hitched nearby. Strong, masculine steeds.
"The conference had already started, make sure not to disturb the lords as you make your entry," as the group dismounted, their leader approached Kevin and handed him the scroll. Then, he gave the little girl a silent glance.
"Got it," Kevin nodded, gesturing for Lexia to follow him inside despite the meaningful glance from the soldier. As for Lexia, this glare from the fierce man was no different from a breeze on her skin, it was inconsequential when compared to the pressure of her big brother's <Mind Break> spell.
"Baron Kevin of House Rogger!" The conference tent suddenly went silent as Kevin and Lexia stepped inside. The young baron swept his eyes across the seated lords and immediately located the two marquises, though Marquis Armstrong's wife wasn't present.
He also noticed the peculiar seating arrangements as the lords of the dominion were split into two factions, the Louise Faction and the Armstrong Faction. The Armstrong Faction had two counts and three viscounts, and three barons. The Louis Faction had one count, three viscounts, and six barons.
It could be seen that despite the Louis Faction having one count, it controlled a greater territory of lords in the Northern Domain of the Onyx Kingdom.
Nonetheless, Marquis Armstrong was a man of power and military achievements, he didn't bother to quibble for lands, he was more concerned with gaining more land for the nation.
Kevin immediately took his long and orderly strides toward Marquis Armstrong who sat on an elevated chair next to Marquis Louis. Then, he performed the salute of a subject to their lord in a respectful manner.
After a moment of being overwhelmed, Lexia followed after her big brother and performed the gestures expected from a lady paying her respect.
Marquis Armstrong nodded his head and said, "You can rest in your designated seat, this lord will invite you for a private conversation after this conference is over."
Many people mumbled to themselves in hushed whispers after hearing the declaration. It had to be known that Marquis Louis said the same thing to Lady Jean, the daughter of Viscount Sauron, at the beginning of this conference.
At this point, anyone could guess that this was related to 'that' night and the fall of ten thousand soldiers.
In the dead of winter, ten thousand lay dead, and two young heroes were whatever remained to tell the tale.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone