Re:START/If {Book 1.0}
Chapter 64 : Aswad 11 of 15 “Glaub mir” (Part 03)
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The entourage of the Royal Family of Felixia and the nobles continued on the journey. The route they took from the Capital to Luke's territory was slightly different from the trade route they had just opened. The route passes through a road on one side there is a cliff, then on the other side is a steep ravine.
It is directly adjacent to the existing Pando Forest located below the gorge. Although in spring, the leaves of the trees in the forest are yellowish as in autumn. Exposed to the morning sun, the trees turn golden and look bright among the mountains.
Later after the group from the capital Millia passed the shortcut route, they would then enter the path commonly used in trade. The route saves time for up to two days.
From the previous transit point, if there were no obstacles they could make it to Luke's residence Mansion tomorrow at noon. Passing the cliff path with a hard karst road surface, the group spurred their transportation at moderate speed.
The front row is filled with elite warrior chariots and nobles, while the rear row is occupied by large wagons containing items for engagement purposes. Between those two, the royal family's speeding carriage was pulled by two Earth Dragons ⸻ Drake.
In Drake's carriage, Arteria sat opposite King Gaiel and was next to the Prince. The inside of the train is dominated by dark blue and shiny golden knick on the door, while the seats have carvings of the royal coat of arms of Felixia. On the ceiling, a symbol of the Matrilineal country is engraved most striking.
Carving of a woman whose eyes are covered with cloth, the right hand carries the scales and the left hand holds a sword. It was not a court emblem or anything like that, but rather a clear picture of the history of the Three Main Families known as the founders of the kingdom of Felixia. The embodiment of the Goddess is believed by the inhabitants of the land who source her power from a woman.
Among the three members of the Felixia royal family, men who were not part of them were seen forced to sit next to the King. Dart Luke ⸻ The old man with grayish white and tied pigtails was slightly disturbed by the King's request. At first glance he rang his tongue, looking annoyed at being forced to sit in a place that seemed unsuitable for him who was not a member of the Royal Family.
“Why should I also be here, if there is anything in front how?” Dart glanced coldly, again sounded his tongue and complained, “You didn't let me go home first for the guard, did you?”
The old man immediately stared out at the carriage despite what was visible was only a cliff wall. Put your elbows on the open window frame supporting your head and sounding your tongue again.
“Try to believe a little with the abilities of our soldiers. Although they were educated after the Great War, I can guarantee they are no less powerful than the previous generation.” King Gaiel glanced at the small. Leaning against the soft seat of wool, the old ruler again said, “Again, have you not retired? Your ability has started to rust, ‘kan?”
“Huh, can you also insinuate?” Dart was slightly piqued when his ability was alluded to. Looking up and propping my head with the back of my hand, the old man stared intently as he said, “While it is that makes me retire and rust it is you.”
Seeing the two old men talking as if they did not get along, Ryan at first glance felt surprised they were actually familiar or not like each other. The prince let out a small breath and looked back at his sister.
Arteria showed absolutely no interest in those who were arguing. The blue haired woman sitting in front of the King turned her face out of the carriage, then put on a small smile and began to hum a little.
The golden yellow of the Pando Forest stretched wide until the other side of the Border Mountains. At some point there are lakes and rivers, there are also rock hills that are still slightly covered in fog. Although she could not see all that normally, Arteria could clearly see the radiations of life from all the creatures down there.
Taking a moment of deep breath, the Princess exhaled a sigh of relief from being able to get out of the palace and travel like now. “Very good …. Arteria had no idea that outside the palace there were so many beautiful things like this. Pure green, sparkling blue and plain gray. Everything looks beautiful,” murmured while smiling loosely.
The words made the King and Dart stop arguing. The two men at first glance put on anxious faces mixed with sadness, understanding that such a view would definitely be destroyed in the future when they see the bad and disgusting things of the world.
The same thing is felt by Prince Ryan. His eyebrows dropped, a sad face appeared and he briefly closed his mouth in annoyance. For children who have been educated and given political science training from an early age, Prince really understands that things like the beauty of the world can only be seen by people who do not know about the ugliness of the world ⸻ Beauty is only for those who have not known the cruelty of the world.
Arteria was vaguely aware of the atmosphere inside the carriage. He occasionally turned to his father who began to shut up, wanted to say something but seemed confused what to say. When feeling stared back by the King, Princess Arteria slowly turned her eyes and pretended to be observing the forest.
Seeing how innocent his daughter was, King Gaiel was once again attacked with guilt. As a father, using his daughter as a political tool is very sick for him. Every time she saw Arteria's smile, her chest seemed to be pierced with a field.
Prince Ryan felt that his father was very awkward with his own daughter. Wanting to melt the atmosphere, the red-haired youth patted Arteria on the shoulder and said, “Adinda, what are you observing outside? Is it as beautiful as the colors of the Spirits that you see in the forest?”
The Princess turned her head, slightly put on a frown and corrected face, “That has a soul not only the Spirits, plants and animals also have.” Arteria changed her seat and faced her sister. Pointing his index finger forward, he excitedly explained, “Kakanda knows, even souls are actually in the ground and the stream. It goes hand in hand with the spirits. All of it moves along the Life Stream with the downstream of the Reincarnation Cycle.”
Prince Ryan just put on a confused face to reply what. For him who tends to be more deep in magic from the kingdom of Ungea, he is difficult to understand about the kind of Spirit or Soul that Arteria means. Not wanting to let the conversation with his sister dry, Ryan again asked, “What color of their souls is more interesting than you often meet in the palace?”
“Eng ...”
Arteria looked back out the window. Opening eyes that had lost their light, the blue-haired Princess could clearly see a different world to what people saw. In the midst of the sea of pitch darkness, the radiant points of light from the souls became the thing he could see.
Seeing his sister speechless without answering clearly, Prince Ryan brought the seat closer and asked again, “What's the matter?”
“They ... make Arteria envious. Unlike the spirits in the palace, they all looked free and very cheerful. In the lake before that, they were all unattached and completely free. Arteria is really envious of them.”
“Tied? What is bound?”
“Tied obligations and tasks.”
The answer sounded so heavy, it was like offending everyone inside the place. Obligations and Duties, both of which are also binding them tightly and always haunt them until the end of life. Even for Ryan himself who is young, he has been burdened with the expectations of those around him to carry out the duties and obligations he must carry.
Amidst the increasingly awkward atmosphere, Arteria pointed out and loudly shouted, “I-That's what?! A sister! A sister! What does that look like? Are there flying giants?!” Arteria tugged at Ryan, asking her brother to see what was in the sky.
“Eh? Can birds grow that big, huh? Has the ecosystem of this world been damaged to the point that there are birds of that size?” he said full of doubt.
The King who sat opposite Arteria was also interested, seeing the bird that his daughter pointed to. In one look, King Gaiel immediately knew that the bird was one type of Shikigami that was often owned by the top military officials of the empire.
“Why do White Eagles fly in this region?”
Hearing what the King muttered, Dart quickly glanced over and instinctively warned him of something. The old man's palm began to sweat, trembling slightly and his hair began to stand up. Breathing in and immediately expanding his perception with one of the Luke family's sword techniques, he closed his blue eyes and detected all the life within a range of over five kilometers.
“Your Highness, please do not get out of the train⸻!!”
Followed by a very loud impact from the front of the group, Drake's train suddenly stopped. Ryan was pushed forward until his forehead formed Dart's knee quite hard, while Arteria who fell forward was captured by the King.
After lifting Prince Ryan up very easily returning him to the seat, Dart immediately opened the carriage door and said, “I'll check it out. You prepare your magic just in case ..”
“Be careful Dart, chances are it's from the empire. I saw a White Eagle passing by, it was one of the Shikigami that their people used to use.”
“I understand.”
Dart nodded after hearing the King's warning. Without carrying a single weapon, the old man immediately closed the door and went forward. Seeing the figure he admired most likely going to fight, Ryan at a glance wanted to come along to see it.
But when he was about to open the door, King Gaiel held his son's shoulder and said, “Don't go after him, Ryan. You will only be a bully, Dart is not a person who can protect others while fighting.”
His father's words are not a mere warning, in the perception of the King is indeed the man of the Luke family is not a person who can protect someone while fighting. During the Great War and before he became a King, Gaie had proven that many times while commanding Dart in escort duties.
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Arriving at the front of the entourage, Dart saw some elite soldiers who had lined up and prepared there to protect the nobles on the carriage. They wore silvery lamina armor, carrying shields and spears. There are also those who carry magic staffs and swords as variations of these elite soldiers.
Together with the few warriors who had come with him from behind, Dart Luke immediately activated his Magic Core and performed a Mana compaction technique to create the sword in his right hand.
“Explain the situation!” dart Command.
The armored warriors immediately opened a line for Dart. One of them took down his weapon and walked up to the Head of the Luke Family, then saluted and said, “Report, My Lord! Looks like this is not an ambush of other countries or bandits!”
“Then what?”
“It …. Day .…”
The soldier was confused as to what to explain. Staring flat ahead and not waiting for an explanation, the Swordsman immediately walked through the ranks of soldiers and ascertained directly who dared to confront the entourage of the nobles of the kingdom of Felixia.
Dart was instantly silent, what was ahead there was a person who was out of shape and looked like a lump of flesh with crushed bones. His blood was scattered everywhere, his internal organs were completely destroyed and his head was broken. From the marks on the cliff wall on one side of the road, the old man knew that the man had fallen from the opposite direction and hit very hard before lying down to the middle of the road.
The ill-fated person looked like a ripe tomato that fell to the floor, broke red and splashed everywhere. But when Dart saw the person moving and still alive even in such conditions, his body immediately goosebumps.
As if time were playing back, the blood and flesh that were scattered everywhere returned to a single point and reshaped its body. Hands, feet, stomach, chest, head, and even until hair is formed again. As everything gathered together, the form of a young man with black hair stood there. Her clothes were a little tattered as it was not a regenerating limb.
Squatting down and picking up his gloves lying on the road, the young man of black hair muttered, “Waduh, in exchange for the calculation ability .. So regeneration is increasing rapidly until like this anyway.” The young man stood up straight, looked flat ahead and while wearing a right glove he again said, “Not this is the same as eternal?”
“Huh!” Looking ahead and realizing that he had fallen in front of the royal family of Felixia, the young man's eyes immediately turned flat and complained, “So I should have expected it to fall into the lake, I thought, but why it falls into trouble ...”
The young man's blue eyes briefly turned green, emitting a strange aura that made Dart even more alert. Increasing the magic pressure, the Swordsman instantly emitted an extremely powerful killing aura towards the young man. At first glance the young man's body wavered until he took one step back, but did not fall down and instead looked relaxed.
Sighing with a lazy expression and understanding that the old man in front of him was Dart Luke, the young man in black hair clapped his hands once to make the tense atmosphere slightly fade away. The young man is none other than Odo Luke, after he plunged from the White Eagle accidentally fell in front of the entourage of the Royal Family of Felixia and got the misunderstanding as it is now.
Gaining a look of caution from his own father, Odo's forehead twitched and in his mind felt a little astonished. “Uwah, my own father did not recognize me. Want to know how else, he also could not have thought that his son could grow up this fast and look like a teenager in just a few months,” the young man's mind while raising both hands as a sign of surrender.