Chapter 418 - Off to the Empire (1/2)

At first, Ray was a bit surprised at the idea of Slyvia coming with them. Out of all the people, the one person he was sure about that would never come was her. For a second he was wondering if he was even seeing the same person. Too many times when he had seen her she had always been in the plain robes that the elders wore, the official uniform that hadn't changed much since the time at Avrion. Right now, she has head to toe in her adventurer gear, some improved armour from last time and a fancy sword and shield.

Although before it had her family colours of blue and white, they were now red and black to go with the whole Redwing theme.

Seeing her like this, he couldn't help but start to think about certain thoughts.

What would he do if she was to get hurt? Will she be able to take care of herself? What happens if someone tried to kidnap her? Is it safe for her to travel with them?

The feeling he had indeed was similar to that of a parent worrying about their child. It was as if they had just started going out to the world for the first time.

”Are you worried?” She asked, seeing that Ray was frozen in place and hadn't said any words for an entire minute. The others had seen this type of reaction twice from Ray now in such a short amount of time.

He was first speechless when he saw his mother, and now the same thing happened again when Slyvia arrived.

”Of course, I'm worried.” Said Ray, ”Who...Who will look after the city?”

The others watching wanted to either hide or go behind Ray and give him a big old slap on the back of his head. How could one person be so dense?

Hearing these words, Slyvia decided to storm right past Ray putting her belongings and climbing onto the back of the carriage.

'What's wrong with her?' He thought, confused by her actions. The weight in each of her footsteps had hit the floor hard and now sitting in the back of the carriage she had both her arms crossed.

”If you haven't forgotten, there are five other elders in the city who are more than capable of running the place.” Slyvia no longer spoke in a soft tone like she was earlier. The others could tell she was really upset, and they knew why.

”Anyway, if you must know the reason why I have decided to join, it's because of my brothers,” Slyvia explained.

It had been a long time since Ray had seen or heard of Slyvia's brothers, the last time he remembered seeing them was during the Avrion Tournament. If he remembered correctly, all three of her brothers were soldiers in the Alure Kingdom Army and had quite the high experience in fighting on the Frontlines. The eldest of the three brothers was a General, while the other two were captains.

The Shadow Continent not only expanded to the point where it affected Avrion, but it also swirled around it to the point where the Alure Kingdom needed to defend its borders from them as well. And this was where Slyvia's brothers were stationed.

But their powers were in magic, not in swordsmanship, so what would they be doing at the tournament?

”Although technically we aren't part of the same Kingdom, as I am with the Redwings. But I have been in touch with them regularly. They told me that the battle on the border has now calmed down, and they have been asked to escort the Alure Kingdoms contestants to the Empire. It's been a long time since I've seen them, and some things couldn't be said in a letter in case it was intercepted.”

With that all said and done, the group boarded on the carriage and were on their way to the Empire.

The carriage they were using was the special one that was powered by beast crystals. So they didn't have to worry about things like looking after horses and such.

Although Ray was first against the idea of Slyvia coming with them, his mind soon changed. As the group started talking more, it really did remind him of his childhood. Even if he was silent for most of the ride. The exciting feeling of them going on an adventure, and the look on their faces made him smile.

However, Slyvia was also silent for most of the trip, and whenever she made eye contact with Ray, she would quickly turn her head away.

Clearly, he had done something wrong, but he didn't quite know what. The others could also feel the weird tension on the carriage, but they couldn't let it continue this way for the whole ride.

After all, to get the Empire, one way or another, they would have to pass at least three Kingdoms. It would be a long journey, and even with the fast moving carriage would take them about a week to get there.

”Ray, can I ask something?” Martha asked, ”When this is all over, say we get rid of the Shadow, the Empire isn't our enemy anymore, and the Redwings are living a happy and comfortable life; what do you plan to do after that?”