C26 On the Road Again

(A/N: Want to read ahead of what I've posted so far? Go to my patreòn and get early access chapters. https://www.patreón.com/AlienWarlord

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When the day came to an end, I lay in my bed contemplating what I should do. I'm a Duke of an entire duchy now. This is so crazy. My parents seem to be undecided on whether I should go or not. If I was a normal child, I'm sure they would never allow me to go, but to them, I'm a genius that pretty much won them a civil war. They probably don't want me to go, but know that if I went I would be fine. The deciding factor is if I myself want to leave, and truthfully I don't know. I like having a family again, and I'm not sure if I should leave so soon.

On the other hand, without my parents around I would have more freedom. I could have more freedom now, but I'd rather not mind control every person in the palace, especially my parents. I can also start implementing the school system earlier than expected. Maybe I could also start upgrading the Infrastructure of the city's, towns, and villages. New modern roads, houses, and anything else I can think of. I could start everything that I want for this kingdom in Ephia. This way nobody can complain about my future ruling, as I've already proven that I'm a capable lord of a Duchy.

Alright, it's decided. I'm going to talk to my parents about letting me leave to go to my new Duchy. This is important for my future, and I need to help them understand that. The next morning, I made my way to breakfast, and both of my parents were there. This is the perfect moment.

"Good morning." I say as I enter the room.

"Morning, Sweetheart. Did you sleep well?" My mother reply's and my father nods at me with a smile. I guess the war ending has put him in a good mood.

"Yeah, I slept fine." I take a seat and wait for the maids to arrive. "I thought a lot about yesterday, and I think that I should go to Ephia."

"Why do you want to leave?" My mother asks sadly. Dad is quiet and seems undecided.

"I think that it would be a good learning experience, for my future duties as king. Also, it will deter any Nobles from saying I'm inexperienced after I'm crowned. I also think that I need to spread my wings a bit. I love you both, and I'll miss you, but I can't stay in the palace forever. I'll get enough of that when I'm the king." I explain my reasoning.

"I agree with all of that, but I wouldn't be there to protect you. I'm leaving today, and I'm just afraid something will happen to you." Mom says as tears streak down her face.

"Honey, the war is over, and the Malum Kingdom won't try anything after such a loss. Let's face it although our son is young, he's a genius beyond any other. When he leaves the palace, he will most likely thrive." Dad tries to smooth things over.

"When I leave?" I ask hopefully.

"Yes, you can go, but you have to return often. Especially when the tournament starts. It was your idea after all." He says.

"Alright, I'll return as much as possible." I agree immediately.

"My baby's leaving me!" My mother cries out and jumps at me, lifting me into one of her crushing hugs of death.

"Mom... can't....breath." I squeeze out hoping that she'll loosen up on me.

"Oh, sorry sweetheart." She drops me onto the ground, and sweet oxygen enters my lungs.

"Haa... haa.... can you..please stop doing that." I breathe out.

"Hahaha, I knew this would happen." My father laughs. "You are meant for great things, Syrin, so I won't unnecessarily hold you back. You can leave at the end of the week, so take some time to spend with us before you go." He says.

"Thanks, dad."

One week later.

This whole week Souei has been grinding the dungeon. He's surpassed the 90th floor and has reached rank 50 as a fighter and a mage. After having the maids pack my bags, I was escorted to a grand carriage. As we left the city I couldn't help to think about everything I'm going to improve. I'll start with Ephia, and move outward from there. I have so many ideas that I can implement. The trip to the Ephia Duchy was uninterrupted due to using the main roads. Main roads are maintained by the kingdom, and protected by the Adventurers Guild. So the ride was relatively smooth for the medieval way of travel.

When we finally entered the Ephia Duchy, we passed threw some villages and towns. There are two cities in the Duchy, and the one we're headed to is the city of Sena. It's the bigger and more populated of the two. Sena will be my base of operations, as I work my way to making the greatest Duchy possible.

"Master." Souei appears from my shadow.

"What's up?" I ask.

"A Noble running organized crime in Ephia has paid off a group of bandits to capture you. He wishes to ransom you back to the king, and keep royal eyes out of Ephia." Souei explains.

"What type of crime does he commit?" I ask.

"Drug trafficking, migrant smuggling, human trafficking, money laundering, illegal gambling, extortion, etc." Souei reply's in a timely manner.

"Hmm, would the royal guard be able to handle them?" I ask.

"Not likely, as the bandits have higher numbers, and their leader is a rank 78 fighter."

"Then let's wait until they attack, and you will take care of the leader. While Nova here" I point to Nova who's lounging beside me. "Can strut her stuff for once, and join the fight."

"Yes, Master."

Along the way, we came across a carriage with a broken wheel. It takes up the majority of the road. We stop and a guard on horseback goes forward to assess the situation. As he gallops forward, an arrow shot from the bushes strikes him in the head. After the arrow is shot, bandit after bandit rushes out of the woods and from behind the carriage. The royal guards spring into action, and defends the carriage with their lives. Souei sends a clone to kill the leader of the bandits. The clone appears behind a tall and broad man watching from the back of the attacking bandits. Before the man could even join the battle his head was removed from his shoulders.

None of the attacking bandits saw the death of their leader and kept rushing forward. As the guards made a formation around the carriage, Nova took to the sky. She circled the bandits and rained fire from above. The fire killed some of the lower-ranked bandits and distracted the others. Due to the distraction, the royal guards pounced. They took the opening and stuck out at the bandits. What could've been an easy fight for the bandits turned into a fight for their lives. When the guards attacked, Nova still rained down fire on the enemy. The fight didn't last long, as the bandits were dealt with swiftly.

The guards regrouped and cleaned up the road. They checked the bounties and found some wanted bandits among the dead. This included the leader who was a former member of the royal army. He deserted during the last war, and has been running ever since. Their heads we severed and packed away as proof to collect the bounties. As we go close to Sena, I could see large white walls and a huge gate. The city walls themselves are twice the size of Arvendon Fortress. We've finally arrived!

(A/N: Want to read ahead of what I've posted so far? Go to my patreòn and get early access chapters. https://www.patreón.com/AlienWarlord

Get on Discord https://discord.gg/JhVeZn5

I'm hoping to get top three in the rankings this week, so give me some power stones please. Thanks for reading!)