Chapter 7 - Surprise and Disbelief

I was surprised to hear that Förgas is the King of Minotaurs. He apologized for not telling me sooner. I didn't really mind it though.

After the ritual, I went ahead and listened to the boy's story. He first told me his name, Warren Ironclad, then proceeded to tell me about his story. He said that he is the oldest son of a marquis. Being the oldest, he was the one who will inherit his father's title. The only problem was that he's an illegitimate child. The child of the marquis and his commoner childhood friend.

Due to him being an illegitimate child, most of the people in his family disapproved of the inheritance. They plotted to kill him secretly, but barely managed to keep his life everytime. This continued for almost two years without his father noticing. He ran away from home and that's why Gray found him laying on the roadside, unconscious.

He told me all that while supressing his anger and tears. I patted his back and told him that I'll help him however way I can. He looked at me in disbelief, asking why I would help someone I just met. I replied with an 『I just want to. I'm not trying to be a good guy, but I always do what I want. After hearing what you said truthfully, I was moved that you held on for so long.』.

His eyes shown with gratefulness as we prepare and head to the Capital City of Frostwind, Flornmoér. I hopped on Gray's back and asked him if he's okay carrying an extra person with him and nodded. I invited Warren to hop on Gray's back, behind me.

Another half a day of soaring through the clouds, we set up camp again on a hillside. I sent Gray to hunt food for us and talked to Warren the whole night. Warren told me about his talent as a blacksmith and that he's also proficient at controlling the earth with magic. I also told him mine, about how I'm aiming to be an adventuring wizard and how proficient I am at my skills. We told stories to each other until we got tired and slept.

Morning. The ground is wet due to the rain last night, but Warren and I constructed a roof above our camp and built small walls made of clay. I went and did the same thing I do everyday. Find a nearby body of water and took a bath, hunting prey as I go. We ate our breakfast and departed.

We stepped in a nearby town to restock our supplies. I visited the church and talked to Lady Delilah for a bit.

『Rose was very worried about you, you know? She thought something bad happened to you. But she calmed down after your friend delivered your letter.』

We talked for half an hour and said my farewells to her. I took a look at a nearby magic shop and decided to buy potions so that if I ever needed them, I'll just take them out of my [Inventory].

We departed from the town and took to the sky. I looked behind me to see the black-haired Warren melancholy staring at a distance. I asked what's wrong and he shook his head saying 『Nothing.』

We're nearing our destination. The cold air got even colder and snowflakes are now falling from the skies. The ground is full of snow, except for a nearby farmland which has a totem of some kind that melts the snow and waters the crop with the water.

An hour after that, I could finally see a figure of a city from a distance. Due to the light snowstorm and the setting sun, our vision has dropped.

We arrived at Flornmoér's city gate and was greeted by a huge barrier that seems to stop the snow from entering the city. We stepped in front of the small line leading to the city and showed them my Guild Card as I passed.

I was mesmerized by the large castle in front of us, but in reality it's really a kilometer or two away from where we're standing. The city's bustling, full of merchants and adventurers alike. I went ahead and rented two room from an inn and rested there for the night.

Morning. Again. The only difference is that the sun's light barely reached the ground. The city seemed to not mind that at all though with the bright street lamps to guide them and keep them warm and all. I told Warren I'll be at the City Library if he ever wants something and left him a couple of coins to spend.

At the library, I was amazed by the number of books it had. I went to the Geography section and got a book that described the city's geography. I also went and grabbed a book about this city's history and took a seat nearby.

About an hour into reading, I heard a noise coming from the entrance. I marked the page I was in and ckosed the book to find out what was causing the noise. There, I heard whispers about the princess being here and peeked over the crowd.

『Excuse me, everyone. Sorry to interrupt your time, but have you seen a boy about this size and has a black hair?』The blue-haired princess asked the crowd and I gulped. Did I do something wrong? The crowd then began to turn around and they stared at me.

I stepped up and asked if I was the one they were looking for and the princess's round green eyes shone. She grabbed my hand and pulled me to the entrance. Confused, I asked the princess what this is about.

『Father knew you were coming, brother. So he told me to go look for you.』

Again. Confused, I asked how they knew I was here and the princess said that they have a Diviner and that her father was looking for us the whole time. I was surprised by father's commitment on finding us.

We got out of the library, the princess still has my hand. A carriage was waiting outside. I asked if I could bring my friend and she gave a thumbs up.

I ran to the inn I was staying and checked out while telling Warren to suit himself appropriately. He looked confused at first but still changed to the clothes I gave him while I changed mine at my room.

We left the inn and entered the carriage, Warren followed behind. As Warren nervously entered the carriage, he took a glance at the princess. Wide-eyed, he exclaimed. 『Princess Azure?! Wh– What are you doing here together with Lake?!』

Princess Azure chuckled. 『Oh, Warren. I did not expect you to be my long lost brother's friend.』

Warren stared at me. His eyes almost popping out and yelled. 『WHAT?!』