Chapter 2: ~A bet?~ (1/2)

***Arcane Academy, Eastern Plaines***

Then I turn towards Kane and hug him. “Goodbye ~mother~! I hope you will do well. We may not see each other for a while.” Hehehe. I know he hates that.

“Let go! You are creeping me out idiot!” He pushes me away and waves his hand and me. “Be sure to send me a letter when you settle down. I hope to hear from you soon!”

I pat his shoulder without saying a word and turn towards the opposing side of the plaza. While I walk I start to skip a little. New life here I come! Even if I get assassinated, so be it! From now on I will work on doing what I want.

In front of me on the other side of the plaza is a circular portal. It's a teleportation device which connects important places throughout the whole world. The fee to use them is expensive. But it would also be costly to make a long journey by conventional means.

As I reach the Gate I flip a coin towards the magician who is controlling it. Those devices need constant guidance by a qualified person. Otherwise you could end up somewhere you don't want to be. “The Norfolk Capital! And fast! I have an appointment!”

That's not entirely true, but at least the magician starts to wave his hands at the gate with complicated gestures and some glyphs start to glow.

Even though technology is despised, some artefacts are tolerated because of their practicability. And if they can be only used by noble magicians it's all the better. Something like my amulet which works for everyone would get me into jail asap.

The Gate glows up and a snowy city comes into view on the other side. I nod towards the magician who is controlling the Gate and step through.

Cold! Brrr! I cast a protection spell against the cold by mumbling a few words. Something like that is children’s play.

The architecture of the Norfolk capital is very different from the Arcane Academy. The overall height of the locals is a little taller than in Mislow but I guess it's okay. The ethnical differences on this world are very subtle.

The greatest differences can be seen between people of different noble bloodlines. I don't want to call it inbreeding, but marriages between closely related families are seen very often. Anything to keep the heritage pure and attain the strongest magicians.

The houses here are big and made of wood. There are very frilly and complicated designs on the roofs. I guess it isn't much of a problem to build a city out of wood up here in the north. The threat of a big fire isn't that big. There is snow everywhere so water is close at hand.

I start to walk through the snow and towards a carriage. Well, it's more like a sledge with skids. It has no wheels. I guess that makes sense in a country with eternal snow. The gate is located on another open area inside the city. But there are always carriages waiting close to them. Only people with money use the Gates.

So it's logical for carriage drivers to wait close to them. After arriving at the carriage, I jump onto it and pat the shoulder of the sleeping driver. “The Jarl's Hall! Pronto!”

The sleepy driver nods and swings a whip at the big and sturdy horses. They are fat monsters with long hair. I doubt that they feel much of the whip through their fur.

Yet it seems like the driver is working really hard to keep them going. He is whipping the lazy animals during the entire trip because they stop as soon as he ceases to motivate them.

After twenty minutes we arrive at a big round building with multiple floors. The driver stops while panting and with sweat on his forehead. Actually the whole trip seems to have taken a greater toll on the driver than the animals.

“Not a fun job, is it? Wait here. I will need you later.” I smirk at him while I press a coin into his waiting hand which is actually enough for an entire day of working.

He nods without saying a word. It would be hard for him to speak properly anyway. Well, he has time to catch a breath until I come back.

I hop from the carriage and walk towards the building.

Then I take a closer look at the big building. It's the first one which is made of stone. Maybe other people besides the Jarl aren't allowed to build with stone? The decorations are nice and there are many fighting scenes with mythical beings on the walls.

As I arrive at the big gates, two guards are blocking my path. “The Jarl doesn't give audiences at this time.”

I arch my eyebrow. “So when does he give audiences?”

“When he wants to.” The guard snorts at me.

Hah... I see. So they probably have commands to let nobody enter who isn't known to them? I sigh. “Could you inform the Jarl of my presence and that I want to offer him something valuable?”

The other guard shakes his head. “We aren't allowed to leave our posts for minor disturbances.” He gives me a stupid grin. It's clear that they don't want me here.

Then my eyes fall onto a big golden bell at the wall besides the left guard. “What's that thing good for?”

The guards grin vanishes. “That's to be used when important people arrive to call an escort. Don't dare to....”

But I already tipped the bell with telekinesis and a loud *gong* is heard. So much for that.

One of the guards draws his sword. “What do you think you are doing!?”

“Calling the escort?” I ask them with an innocent expression.

The guard steps forward when the door opens and a guy in very expensive clothing takes a look outside. His eyes sweep over me for a second and then he snaps at the guards. “What's wrong? Who is that? Have you guys forgotten your orders?”

I take the lead before the guards can answer. “My name is Ascathon Asceron. I came here to see the Jarl. There is something I want to offer him. I circumvented your guards after they told me about that bell. There isn't much a commoner could do against a noble anyway.” I bow a little.

“So you are that Arenzien..... want to plead for protection here? You are still from Mislow. Why do you think that we want to trouble ourselves with you.” The expensive guy snorts.

“I see that this information travels faster than I had imagined.” My smile doesn't waver.

“It's only common sense to watch the graduation ceremony of the Academy in order to identify future allies and enemies.” The expensive guy opens the door and waves me in. “And if someone has a full score, you should at least hear him out.”