Chapitre 75: King Markien

I traveled around the Ejin forest along with Bigott and the Markien soldiers who were fortunate enough to survive the recent battle. Bigott informed me that we were all headed back to the capital city of his homeland, Tiber.

Bigott must have picked up on my impatience because it didn't take him long to arrange for the two of us to leave the rest of the group behind. We were given two of their finest horses and set off as fast as they could take us. Bigott led the way and I followed right behind him.

Thanks to the breakneck speed we traveled at, we managed to reach Tiber by nightfall that same day. Bigott was received like some sort of national hero. Apparently he had been sent on a suicide mission that nobody thought he would return from.

True to his word, Bigott managed to get me an audience with King Gallus Markien. Bigott himself was the one who was actually granted an audience, he simply brought me along with him.

Considering Tiber is the country's capital, the town market and surrounding buildings were surprisingly run down and reserved. I had expected bustling city streets and towering ornate buildings like what I had become accustomed to in Roa, but this place seemed more like a small village or temporary encampment than a country's capital.

Most of the buildings were hastily constructed wooden structures while others were built with mud and straw. A group of knights led Bigott and I through the town as residents cheered us on from the sides.

Eventually we stopped outside a solidly built two story stone building. It was definitely a step up in comparison to the buildings we passed along the way, but any Asura noble would surely find it lacking.

Several knights stood guard outside the main entrance. On the building's left side I could see a large training ground with several shoddy buildings that looked to serve as barracks. Occasional recruits and their trainers sparsely populated the training ground but it was for the most part empty.

To the right of the building were more barracks and an archery range alongside some stables and an open field with several man-made obstacles meant for training recruits in horseback riding. Once again, very few actual people were making use of these facilities.

"Bigott! You old fool! I knew you would find some way to make it back here alive! You're simply too damn stubborn to die!"

"Haha! True as that may be, in reality it is only thanks to Sword King Ghislaine here that I made it back alive. In fact, I would wager that if not for her efforts, our victory would have been impossible."

"S-Sword king!?", the knight who had greeted us, along with the rest of the knights guarding the building, bowed in respect.

"It's an honor to meet you, my lady! We've heard rumors of your excellence! One of our member is a Sword-God style Saint who trained in the Holy Land of Swords. He told stories about the mysterious Dedoldia warrior who was favored by the Sword God, but I never thought I'd meet you in person!"

"Just Ghislaine is fine."

"Y-yes! Of course. Thank you very much Lady Ghislaine!"

"Hmph!"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at their antics. I'm no lady. I'm merely the blade of my master.

"Bigott", the knight returned his attention to Bigott. "King Gallus has heard of your triumphant return and wishes to see you."

"We'd be happy to go see him if you dolts would stop pestering us and let us through."

"Haha, sorry about that. We're just so glad to see you back in one piece."

Bigott and I walked past the knights into what looked more like your typical Inn than a castle. The first floor of the building had a bar with several drinks shelved behind it and an open area surrounded by seating. One would guess that this area would be used for holding smaller scale social gatherings or perhaps public audience with the king, or maybe even for holding trials?

I followed Bigott up the stairs to the second floor where another two guards stood outside a large, stone door. Further down the hallway were a couple more doors leading to more rooms.

*Knock Knock*

"King Gallus, Sir Bigott Mercenal has arrived and has brought a guest with him."

"Let them in", a gruff sounding man could be heard from the other side of the door.

The guards opened the doors and the two of us walked in. I could hear the doors closing behind us, leaving only the two of us alone with the King. I found it somewhat surprising that they would trust us alone with him, not that any of them could stop me anyway.

King Gallus Markien looked more like a veteran warrior than a royal. He had two deep scars in line with one another, one on his collarbone and another on his cheek just under his left eye. Anyone well versed in swordplay could tell that these two cuts were formed form a single swing that narrowly missed his neck. Additionally, he wore practical steel-plated armor rather than royal robes or dress clothes and was equipped with a longsword and a dagger. Despite his relaxed and friendly demeanor, I could tell that he held himself ready for combat at a moment's notice.

"Bigott... my old friend..."

As the king said this, he walked forward with tears welling up in his eyes and held his arms out to embrace Bigott.

"I don't believe it. I was fully prepared for this day to be my last. To think that not only did our great nation survive this test, but the hero of the day made it back alive. Truly it is a miracle among miracles!"

"I feel the same! My men and I were fully prepared for death when we took upon the infiltration mission."

"Tell me, Bigott, who is this you've brought with you?"

"This is Sword King Ghislaine. She played a crucial war in our victory today. If not for her assistance, I find it unlikely we would be celebrating tonight."

"Then we owe her a great deal indeed!"

The king turned my way and bowed in respect. The act completely caught me off guard. I've never seen or heard of a royal to show reverence or respect to a commoner like myself!

"Please, raise your head! That isn't necessary!", I tried to persuade him.

"Right. You're right. It was a momentary weakness. A lapse of judgment. My emotions have been running high these last few days, I'm sure you understand."

"Right then", the King continued. "I believe you are entitled to a fair reward."

"I hope only for your assistance in finding my friends."

"Is that all? In that case the entire Kingdom of Markien will be on the lookout for them! Tell me. Who is it you are looking for?"

"I am charged with protecting my Master's daughter. She is twelve years old and has long, vibrant, red hair. I am also looking for her magic tutor who may be with her. He is a young boy, then years of age, who is an exceptionally talented mage. He should be easy to find if he is here. He has a habit of making strong impressions on everyone he meets."

"That is a very good description. They sound like they should be easy to find if they are here. What are their names?"

"Lady Eris Boreas Greyrat and Rudeus Notos Greyrat."

"Greyrat!? What would Asura noble children be doing in the Conflict Zone!?"

It shouldn't have been surprising that the King had heard of the Greyrats before. Even among Asura nobles, the Greyrat bloodline is especially prominent. Their four noble houses manage great swathes of Asura's territory.

"A tragedy just befell the city of Roa. I'm not sure what caused the incident, but the sky turned dark and the mana in the air was so thick it became visible with the naked eye. Suddenly an intensely bright light shot down from the sky and the next thing I knew I was transported across the continent into your Ejin Forest. Lady Eris and Master Rudeus were nearby me when this happened so I can only guess that they were likely transported nearby here along with me."

"That's... unbelievable!", the king responded with a look of shock on his face.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not claiming that you are lying, it's just that I've never heard of anything like that before."

"If I didn't witness it myself I wouldn't believe it either, but I swear it to be true, on the name of my master, Sword God Gal Farion!"

"...I see. In that case, I shall put the word out immediately."

"Veris!", the King yelled out.

"Yes sir?", one of the knights outside the room opened the door and stepped in.

"Send messengers to every city of the kingdom, we are looking for two lost children named Rudeus and Eris. They are a young girl with red hair and a young boy who is a talented mage. If found, they are to be treated as honored guests and escorted safely to the capital. Anyone who finds them and brings them here safely will be compensated with a reward of ten gold coins!"

"Sir, yes sir!", the female night saluted King Markien and ran back out of the room.

"Ghislaine", the King redirected his attention back to me. "You must be completely exhausted after everything that has happened today. Please, stay here for the night and get some rest. I will have one of the knights prepare a suitable room for you."

"I appreciate the offer, but I need to get back to Asura as quickly as possible. I'm certain that Rudeus will make his way back there as well."

"But if he was sent near here like you said then wouldn't it make sense to wait here while we find him for you? We will have every citizen of the country on the lookout for them. Give us some time to scour the country before you leave. Imagine if they are brought back to us only to find that you had left for Asura on your own."

'Hmm... Everything he says completely makes sense, but still... I have this nagging feeling that I need to get back to Asura as soon as possible. I suppose it won't hurt to wait here for a couple days. I am pretty tired after all.'

"Very well, I will accept your offer with gratitude. Please alert me immediately if you hear word of either of them."

"Yes! You have my word!"

Bigott stayed behind to talk with the King. They seemed to be old friends, so I guess that makes sense. One of the other knights took me to what looked like a shabby Inn and they gave me a room to stay at. A pile of straw served as the bed and the only other furniture in the room was a rickety chair and small table.

I was a little surprised they didn't offer me better accommodations after how the King described it, but then again this seemed to be a very poor and war-torn city.

'Whatever, I've stayed at worse places.'

I just dropped my sword beside the makeshift bed and plopped down on the pile of straw to get some much needed rest. It has been a long day...