20 The great city of Arcadia (1/2)

The convoy reached the outskirts of the city by the morning of the fifth day. The next five days of the journey were pretty uneventful, unlike the second night which scared the hell out of the teens, excluding Clint.

”Young Masters and Miss', the great city Arcadia is now within sight. Isn't she a beauty!?” Raj reported to Leo before fixating his eyes on the vast city of Arcadia.

”You seem to have a thing for Arcadia, Raj. Your eyes are glimmering too much.” Leo inquired half-jokingly.

”Well yes. My family is here in Arcadia and thanks to you Young Masters and Madams, I can see my family after a long while. I heard that I have a new baby girl to take care of now.” Raj declared proudly, with hints of fatherly affection on his face, making Leo's and everyone present in the convoy's hearts fill up with warmth.

”The first time you see them and hold them is always a memory you will never forget. It will fill your heart with joy every single time you remember it, Raj.” Hiro had a tender smile on his face,as he looked at Raj from the corner of his eyes, to which Raj reacted with a smile.

”So, what is your next mission after you escort us to the academy, Raj?” Leo asked, casually trying to hold a conversation to kill some time.

”We have a few letters penned down by Lord Liam himself and we have to hand them personally over to some important people in the academy, Master Leo.” Leo squinted his eyes after hearing Raj's answer.

”I am going to ask you some serious questions, can you answer honestly Mr.Raj?” Leo's face turned slightly serious as he looked at the clear sky from the window.Raj glanced at Leo, waiting for him to ask.

”Why is Lord Liam making such a deal out of the seven of us and investing so much, just because we broke a gem and some Quartz crystal? It doesn't feel right to me. You work under him and even if you report him that we asked you such questions, I am sure he wouldn't think much about it. Why did he even trust that we will hold up our end of the bargain when the time comes?”

”Hmm...you sure are thinking about this a lot, aren't you Young Master Leo? ” Raj let out a small smile as he said those words.

”Please, answer me Mr.Raj.”

”It's only natural for you to be so worried. I will tell you exactly what you need to know, Young Master Leo. I have worked under Lord Liam for three years now and I know everyone sees him as a sly man. But everything he says and does always has a meaning, that people like us don't know. His assumptions have never been wrong and he never goes back on his words.”

”Even though you have many doubts on my Lord, from my personal experience I would only say 'Trust him'. I don't know if this will make you feel better but the last time a Nex gem was cracked by a human, was centuries ago, and breaking it in a Qi exam is a miracle Master Leo.”

Raj's face was pleasant like he was saying 'You can trust my words and calm down.'. He looked forward at the approaching city gates.