Chapter 167 - Travels (1/2)

Attending Jae and Kirienne's wedding was nothing short of painful for Blaise. It was a traditional ceremony in Shibatsu but the groom didn't seem to mind being underrepresented one bit. He only had eyes for his bride.

Admittedly, she was lovely. Her violet eyes sparkled as much as the borrowed tiara did. Wearing diamonds on your brow was a bridal tradition in their country to symbolize prosperity in their lives together.

There was a mutual understanding between jewelers and the less wealthy citizens to offer affordable rentals for weddings. The tradition was that important.

Blaise couldn't help but wonder what Abby would look like in a bridal tiara before instantly shutting that thought down. No. He had work to do. There were so many places on this continent to see before returning to Annalaias in the spring.

Marcy's proposal had been successful—thank goodness—and now she, Edmund, and Jae split their time between the capital to continue discussing future diplomatic relations and various Warrior camps to find people willing to be a part of the exchange program.

He had no doubt they would find plenty of willing candidates. He wasn't the only one who dreamed of adventure. There were also those who had no family left and joined the Warriors as a chance to be a part of something.

If he had to guess, those would be the men who would want to settle down in the Kanta region permanently. Everyone else would likely want to return home once the assignment was over.

Annalaias shared a continent with Rowenhilde and the Independent Nation of Kanta. The first two were large, powerful countries while the third consisted of two simple settlements and a people with a shared ideology in a mountain range largely considered uninhabitable.

Shibatsu had its share of neighbors as well. It occupied the southeastern side of the continent with Stanarussi to north, Nyria in the middle, and the nations of Ganla and Lancri on the western coast.

The Ruby Islands weren't technically affiliated but they were closer to Shibatsu than they were any other nation so they traded regularly and were included in maps of the continent. Blaise had heard they were beautiful but wouldn't get the chance to visit them because of the dangerous winter storms on the ocean.

He could always visit them later. For now he was sent on a variety of protection missions for merchants and casual travelers both within Shibatsu's borders and to neighboring countries.

Stanarussi was a nation of intellectuals, producing more historians and scientists than any other in the known world. Their people were small and thin but they were not to be underestimated. Their weapons were so terrifying that no one had dared attack them in the past two hundred years.

Preferring to be left alone, they didn't involve themselves much in international affairs. Even so, their current queen had been a princess of Annalaias. That political marriage had likely been put into effect in the hopes that Stanarussi wouldn't turn their weapons on them.

They only allowed trade with Shibatsu and Nyria because they needed materials found more easily in their territories to continue their experiments. Blaise found them fascinating. Their technology was beyond his comprehension but he was certain Abby would find it primitive.

The things she had talked about with her sister such as traveling through the sky and being able to call people from thousands of miles away were impossible even by Stanarussi's standards. Still, he was impressed.

”You look like a seasoned traveler,” one of the Stanarussi merchants his party was trading with addressed him.

”…I suppose,” Blaise said guardedly.