Onwards

"Cassius, allow me to hunt them."

A sinister smile adorned Irae's face upon hearing Cassius' words. His burning desire to eliminate Omri Fidelis and his companions was reignited. It was due to that bastard child and his adopted family that caused his household and his liege to fall to ruin.

'Avery… Oscar…' Irae's fists clenched in anger and his malachite-tinted eyes gradually glow golden. 'I'll make sure your son's soul would regret existing in this world.'

Irae's mind was filled with morbid notions of torture and murderous intent. It was time to pay back the debts of the bitter past that had haunted him for decades.

---

The Clan of Praeter, the most loyal vassal of House Fidelis, was a family composed of warrior Moirais. They specialized in the art of war and prioritized heavily on their infantry and swordsmanship. Unlike their Moira kin who focused on only using their Mana prowess to subdue their adversaries, the Praeters opted to combine physical competency and their innate mana talents in battle.

The Ducal House of Fidelis hungered for power and influence, they desired the wonderful abilities of the Praeter Clan and had bestowed them nobility. Seeing the clan growing and becoming affluent, the 1st generation of Praeter had offered to perform intermarriages as reciprocation. This is to ensure that both families would only bear strong descendants. It became a tradition for every daughter of House Fidelis to marry the sons or descendants of the Praeter in order to proliferate a stronger bloodline.

However, Avery Fidelis, the sole heiress to the ducal house, saw through the tradition as an act of greed and immorality. She witnessed countless of her relatives suffer from the diseases of the blood and mental derangement caused by the abusive familial ties.

Avery wanted no part in the accursed tradition and had desired to change and forge her own path. She then met Oscar, a gardener of their estate during her coming of age that was held in her hometown. Both fell in love at first sight and gradually started to see each other discreetly. A year later, a child was born from their relationship.

This devastated Irae as he was fated to be betrothed to Avery a year after her coming of age. The news of his fiance, cohabiting, and copulating with a commoner instead of him sparked a bitter grudge and friction within House Fidelis and its vassals.

---

"I'll let you deal with them then!" Cassius smiled gently at Irae and patted his back, he then stood near the window and opened it.

"Is it time to relay the news to them?" Irae scratched his head as he remembered Docere's death. "Since Docere was a half-elf, can you calm them down once they hear news of their dear brother?" Irae crossed his arms and gazed at Cassius with an anxious face.

"The Fae are pretty easy to please… I just need to see that damned Tree first though." Cassius snorted and fixed his cloak. "I'll be heading north to Silva to meet with the Elves before heading back to our home in the west." Cassius's smile vanished and was replaced by a stern gaze that made Irae tremble.

"I await good news from you, little brother. Don't let me down on your hunts."

Cassius then leaped outside the open window and disappeared in a blink of an eye. Leaving Irae alone to deliberate and ponder over his plans.

"Always in a rush… that man." Irae took his green cloak from its pole and wore it before heading outside the room.

"Time to start the hunt." His golden eyes flickered sharply.

***

A man wearing a dark, wool turtleneck scoured the marketplace of Parte. Sweat dribbled from his face, his brown eyes sagged with a tired expression and his short red hair was damp with his sweat. He was carrying a large rucksack on his back and was holding bulky leather bags on both his arms.

It was Omri, he was currently disguised to look like a wandering adventurer.

'Alright, we now have provisions for a week, utensils, a tent, and water canteens … We'll probably need weapons too just to be safe.' Omri enumerated the shopping list inside his thoughts, he grunted as he struggled to carry his purchases. It was already late in the afternoon and he was on his way back to the manor.

It's been two days since they arrived in Parte. Athos' was in deep slumber and was still recovering contrary to what Sagitta had expected. It seems that Athos' injury combined with severe mana exhaustion took a toll on his body.

'I wonder… will the prince wake up soon? We'll need to leave as soon as possible before Seditio discovers us.'

Omri was anxious, ever since the man in the red cloak attacked them both, a feeling of dread constantly hovered inside his head. Whenever he had to go into the town to buy necessities, Omri had to activate his illusion barrier and ensure to layer a stealth enchantment on the way back.

'I'll have to buy weapons tomorrow then… I don't think I can carry anymore on the way back.'

Omri felt his arms and legs tremble. It has been a while since he last did physical labor. Back at their home, Turris would usually ask Omri to do quick spars with him every other night. All of which ended up in pain or injury for Omri. He groans as he recalls memories of hardships with Turris. His recollection however was interrupted as he spotted a group of dark-cloaked men.

They were wearing a cloak that had a serpent insignia on their backs. It was the emblem of the Seditio. The officers were walking around the street and one of them noticed Omri and approached him.

Omri's face turned pale and his fatigue worsened.

"Woah, buddy! You need some help there? Those look heavy." The officer gazed at Omri with a pitiful expression.

"I-I'm fine… I can carry these myself! It's just that it's been a while since I had exercised. Haha…" A nervous laugh escaped from Omri's mouth. He then quickly made up a white lie to cover his nervousness. "My companions asked me to prepare the provisions so…"

"Ah, the sad life of a Courier... My condolences to you, brother." The officer sighed then gave Omri a pat on the shoulder. "I hope you advance your class soon so you won't carry baggage!" The man then went back to rejoin his group.

There were three classes of adventurers in Jumana. The lowest class was the Couriers, they are individuals who are assigned to do menial work such as logistics, housework, foraging, and other day to day tasks. The second class was the Subjugators, these are adventurers who are tasked by guilds and factions to hunt monsters. And lastly, the highest class was the Mercenaries. They are adventurers permitted to hunt and subjugate both monsters and human fugitives for bounty.

Omri saw the skies turn golden as the sun loomed on the horizon.

'I should hurry back, it's almost time for sunset.' Omri gathered his strength and carried the provisions with both of his arms. He then quickened his pace and started running towards a deserted alleyway, he then activated a stealth enchantment on his barrier and proceeded to run towards the direction of the manor.

"The Sedito are in town… I must inform the mother about this."

***

Sagitta tapped her fingers impatiently on the table, she had brewed herself a cup of tea in the kitchen to calm her nerves while taking a break from guarding Athos.

"Hmm, if the Prince had the Empress' Fated Protection he should be awake now… but why is it that he's still asleep? The Ward had done its job and I've already dispelled it." Sagitta scratched her head in frustration. She then took a sip from her teacup and sighed.

"His blood levels are back to normal and his wound has already closed up…" She then stood up from her seat and stretched her body and limbs to alleviate her body aches. Sagitta had been constantly checking on Athos for the last four hours, she waited to see signs of him waking up but was fruitless.

"Sequi… is a week away by foot from here. We really need to move out by tomorrow." She gazed at her drink while she contemplated what would be their course of action should Athos fail to awaken before their departure.

For the past two days, after mourning for her husband's death, Sagitta thought it would be wise to do surveillance and collect information from the townsfolk. She would go out in the mornings and return by lunch just in time to switch with Omri's schedule in guarding Athos.

Her morning run today, however, was cut short. She saw a platoon of Seditio officers entering the town at the break of dawn. She also noticed some of the men put up propaganda posters condemning Moirais. It seems that they were informing the public of the atrocious massacre that happened in the Plaza of Anima.

The information on the poster looked suspicious as it blatantly said that the Emperor and Empress lead the genocide at the plaza and had disappeared. They painted Athos' parents as the murderers who slaughtered the innocent people who attended The Great Judgement. The posters also announced that a generous bounty was placed on every Moira in the land.

Sagitta scowled in frustration. "It would be risky if we stayed here longer… We may need to leave tonight." She groaned as she imagined the worst-case scenario should they get discovered before their escape.

She then heard the door open at the back, near the larder, the footsteps were heavy and Sagitta rushed out of the kitchen to see who arrived.

"Haaah… haaahhh… Mother! There's trouble in town…" Omri struggled to catch his breath as he sat on the floor resting. The bags he was carrying were sprawled out on the ground, several of the items scattered as one bag was loosely tied. "The… haaahh… The Seditio...they're here." Omri canceled his barrier and his hair returned to its natural hue, his irises also reverted to pale green.

"I'm aware. I saw them enter the town at daybreak, Omri." She then crouched beside Omri and inspected the items that he had bought. She cast a recovery spell on Omri and looked at him with an urgent expression.

"Omri, we need to leave this place before dawn. Can you help me carry Athos until we reach the City of Sequi?"

~~~~~

To be Continued.

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