Part XVI: A Day Out with Catalia

Morning came, Sun and Catacius were walking in the gardens while talking to each other.

"Your Imperial Majesty, I would need your help. Uhm... it is quite personal." Catacius told him.

"What is it, Your Grace?" Sun asked him.

"Y-you know... I am quite old and my daughter is still a maiden. I-I would like to ask you to marry her. I-it is okay if you would refuse." Catacius stated as they continued to walk.

"M-marry? Your Grace, I don't want to refuse nor accept it. L-let me decide first. I would like to think about it first." Sun replied and he was shocked.

"Thank, Your Imperial Majesty. If you would like, you can spend the day with her." Catacius offered him.

"S-sure, why not?" Sun replied.

"Oh. Just in time. Catalia, I would like you to meet Emperor Joseph Solar of Sun Empire. We call him Sun. Your Imperial Majesty, this is my daughter Catalia." Catacius introduced them to one another.

"It is nice to meet you, Your Imperial Majesty." Catalia greeted him and bowed.

"It is nice to meet you too, Lady Catalia." Sun replied and bowed.

"Well. Daughter, I asked His Imperial Majesty to spend a day with you." Catacius told her.

"W-what?! F-father?" She asked in shock.

"It's fine if you don't want to, Lady Catalia." Sun replied with smile.

"N-no. I mean it is fine, Your Imperial Majesty. I am just surprised." Catalia told him.

"Well then, you may spend the day together after breakfast." Catacius replied.

"Are you sure, father?" Catalia asked.

"Yes. His Imperial Majesty is a trustworthy. I know you are safe when he is around." Catacius told her as he caressed her long hair.

"Your Grace, the breakfast is ready." One of the servants told them.

"Thank you. Well then, let's eat our breakfast and I have an announcement to make." Catacius told them.

"Wow. I wonder what that is." She told her father.

"I will tell it as soon as everyone is around." Catacius replied as they entered the dining hall.

They entered the dining hall and sat on their chairs and the food arrived afterwards.

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make. Since tomorrow will be the last day of our honorable guests here in Barhambria, we will go to the beaches of Durfa city." Catacius told them.

"R-really, Father?" Catalia asked him.

"Yes. We will go to the beach tomorrow." Catacius told them.

"That is nice to hear." Meishu responded.

"I can't wait to see the beach!" Kireina added.

They laughed and ate their breakfast. After eating, Sun went to his room and Fossil waited for him outside.

"Uh... paper... ink... alright. Let's start writing." Sun told himself as he found his paper and ink.

He wrote for a couple of minutes and went out of his room.

"Fossil, bring this letter to potash. She will surely like it." Sun ordered him.

"As you wish, Your Imperial Majesty." Fossil replied.

"Well then, bring it as fast as you can and come back here immediately." Sun added

"Uh-huh. Okay." Fossil replied and went away.

"Uhm... G-good morning, Your Imperial Majesty." Catalia greeted him.

"Good morning, Lady Catalia." Sun greeted her.

"Excuse me, Your Imperial Majesty. There are people waiting for you outside." One of the servants approached him.

"Thank you, young sir. Let's go, Lady Catalia." Sun replied and turned to Catalia.

"A-as you wish, Your Imperial Majesty." Catalia responded and followed him.

They went out of the palace and outside the walls 5 men were waiting for Sun.

"Master! We are here." The 4 men presented themselves as they bowed in his presence.

"The 4 men yesterday. It looks like you are very serious on learning?" Sun asked them.

"Yes, master." They replied.

"Very well said. Mr. Toledo, you came." Sun replied and turned on Gabriel.

"Reporting for duty, Sir!" Gabriel replied and saluted.

"At ease. I have a mission for all of you today. Since Lady Catalia and I are going out today and since you are here. You 5 will escort us. No fighting. May I know the names of you 4?" Sun asked them.

"My name is Charles. Charles Johann." One of the men with red hair and blue eyes.

"My name is Andrew. Andrew Sergius." The man with white hair and yellow green eyes

"My name is Burchard. Burchard Bauto." The other man with brown hair and purple eyes answered.

"My name is Bryan. Bryan Clotaire." The last man with orange hair and orange eyes responded.

"Well then, Nice meeting the four of you. Mr. Gabriel please be their leader." Sun told them and ordered Gabriel.

"Wh-. Master?" Burchard asked.

"Why? Is there any problem?" Sun asked them as they were about to complain.

"N-nothing, Master." They replied.

"Well then, let's start our day out, Lady Catalia." Sun told her.

"Yeah. Sure, Your Imperial Majesty." Catalia replied.

"Where do you want to go, Lady Catalia?" Sun asked her.

"Mhmm... let’s see... maybe the Suilun district. The arena " Catalia told him and they started to walk.

They walked and reached the Suilun district. They went to the arena and the event of the day is a sword competition.

"Master, can we join the contest?" Gabriel asked him.

"Go ahead. It will assess your skills. Feel free to join." Sun replied.

"Thank you, master." Gabriel replied as he bowed and went to the registry.

"We want to join too, master." Bryan told Sun.

"Sure. Go ahead. I will watch your match." Sun told them as they walk to the arena.

"Thank you, master." They replied, bowed and went away to sign up in the registry.

"Let's enter the arena. We will get a closer seat. People in the arena knows me and my father." Catalia told him.

"As you wish, Lady Catalia." Sun replied and they went inside.

They went inside and they were seated on the front of the lowest section inside the arena.

"Good morning folks! We are here today for the annual competition of swordsman in our country. Today we have unexpected special guests. Our special guests are the only daughter of our Duke Catacius, Lady Catalia Vinicarus! With her is the monarch of our Protector state Sun Empire, Emperor Joseph Solar." The arena announcer shouted as the people clapped.

"I didn't know that people here know me other than the bunch of people I know around." Sun told her as they clapped and sat down the chair.

"You are a well-known person here. Troubadours spread your stories and made plays of your victories. They may had recognized you because of your clothes or because of those people who came close to you yesterday." She replied

"It was just yesterday." Sun replied.

"Stories spread in rapid rates I guess." She told him.

"This is the first round of our match! Gabriel Toledo against one of the competitors of our arena! Here comes Sunno Brocard!" The announcer shouted as the crowd cheered.

"It looks like his opponent is stronger." Sun told her.

"How did you know him?" She asked him.

"I met him yesterday fighting the 4 men we are with." Sun replied.

"I see. He might not look that much but he is too stubborn to quit." Catalia told him as the match started.

"You know him?" Sun asked as they watched the battle.

"Yeah. I know him. He is one of my childhood friends. We were separated because his family moved to Kandainos." She replied.

"I see. I will take him with me to the empire. He said he wants to study at the Imperial Naval Academy in our capital." Sun told him.

"Halt!" The umpire shouted."

"It looks like someone won on the first round." The announcer announced.

"Go!" The umpire shouted again

"No one still won the match!" The announcer shouted.

"It looks like you are tough, kid." Sunno told Gabriel who was catching his breath.

"I don't have any intention of losing." Gabriel replied as he points his sword to him.

"Well then." Sunno told him and he charged.

"Finding gaps. Finding gaps. Found ya!" Gabriel shouted as he fought.

"Not yet, kid." He replied as he tried to struck him.

"Too late!" Gabriel shouted at him as he pointed his sword on Sunno's neck.

"Halt! Match winner Gabriel Toledo!" The umpire shouted.

"Gabriel Toledo won the match!" The announcer shouted and the crowd cheered.

"He is good. Let's see who will fight the next round." Sun said as they challengers entered the stage of the arena

"The next round! Bryan Clotaire against Bertolt Braun." The announcer shouted as they entered the stage.

"Be ready to lose kid. I want to finish this quickly." Bertolt told him as his long black hair wave in to the air.

"Don't worry I will finish you quickly." Bryan replied.

"Let's see." He replied.

"Go!" The umpire shouted.

"Here I come!" Bryan charged at him.

"Pathetic." Bertolt replied as he jumped and poked his back.

"Halt! Bertolt Braun winner!" The umpire shouted.

"Bertolt Braun won the next round!" The announcer shouted and the crowd went wild.

"Bertolt! Bertolt! Bertolt!" The crowd shouted.

"The next round. Andrew Sergius against Reiner Hoover!" The announcer announced.

"Reiner! Reiner! Reiner!" The crowd shouted.

"Go!" The umpire shouted as they faced each other in the stage.

"Hey, thin man. Let's finish this quickly." Andrew told him.

"Let's see. I don't have any intention of making this long." Reiner told him as he charged.

"Read his movements. Read his movements. Reading!" Andrew shouted as he blocked Reiner's attack.

"I will finish this quickly." Reiner told him as they both jumped at each other.

"Too close... but not close enough." Andrew told him.

"Who told you that?" Reiner replied as he swung his blade midair.

"Pathetic!" Andrew told him as he cut Reiner's cheek.

"Halt! Andrew Sergius won!" The umpire shouted.

"Andrew Sergius won!" The announcer shouted.

The arena competition went on. They went on to the finals.

"As for the finals, we will have a tag team battle. For our challenger team we have Gabriel Toledo, Andrew Sergius, Bryan Clotaire, Berchard Bauto and Charles Johann! For our champion team we have Sunno Brocard, Reiner Hoover, Hubert Tassilo, Artaud Carloman and Bertolt Braun! Last team standing wins the Finals!"

"We can do this!" Charles told them as they formed a circle.

"Gabriel, join us here. Let's do this together like the good old days." Bryan told him.

"Are you sure?" Gabriel asked them.

"Sure. We are a team here." Andrew added.

"Come on, Gabriel." Berchard told him.

"Sure." Gabriel went to them.

"We can do this!" They shouted.

"Go!" The umpire shouted.

"Here we go!" Sunno and his team shouted.

"Halt!" Sun shouted as something fell in the middle of the stage.

They ran away and it suddenly exploded.

"Lady Catalia, stay behind me." Sun told her as a smoke filled the stage.

"Wh-what is happening?" Catalia replied in fright.

"They might be targeting us." Sun replied.

"Why?" She asked and the smoked cleared out.

"We are here to take the duke's daughter!" One of the assassin's shouted as they aimed a musket at Sun.

"I see. You will pass through me first. I made a promise to her father after all." Sun told him which shocked the crowd even Catalia but this doesn't shock the assassins.

"Surrender her! Immediately!" The assassin shouted.

"Gabriel, use this." Sun told him as he threw a bottle at him.

"Praestrigiae. Verto. Vespertilio." Gabriel read one of the little scrolls and he transformed into a large bat.

"Praestrigiae. Verto. Unicornis." Berchard read one of the scrolls and he transformed into a unicorn.

"Praestrigiae. Verto. Aquila." Andrew read and he transformed into a large eagle.

"Praestrigiae. Verto. Minotauro." Bryan read and he transformed into a minotaur.

"Praestrigiae. Verto. Lamia." Charles read and he transformed into a vampire.

"Praestrigiae. Verto. Draco." Sun chanted and he transformed into a dragon.

"Fire at will! They are just illusions!" The assassin leader shouted and they fired.

The assassins threw bombs at them and some of them fired flame magic at them.

"Grrrrraaaaaawwwwwr!" Sun shouted in his dragon form as he flew and clawed some of the assassins which threw them to their demise.

Gabriel who was in the form of a large bat went to Catalia to protect her. While Berchard and Charles helped Sun in attacking the enemies at the roof. Andrew and Bryan protected everyone on the ground when the assassins infiltrated the arena. The other 5 contestants helped Andrew and Bryan in fighting them off. They defeated the assassins in a fight that lasted for less than an hour and fatally wounding Sunno and Reiner.

"Magicus. Dispello." Sun casted as they went near each other.

"Is everyone alright?" Sun asked them.

"We are alright, Master. But Sunno and Reiner are fatally wounded." Gabriel told them.

Sun went to them and healed their wounds.

"Restituere. Salutem." Sun chanted on them and they were healed.

"Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty." Sunno and Reiner thanked him as they felt better.

"Well then, I guess everyone should be awarded as winner." Sun told them and the crowd cheered.

They agreed and gave them medals. After this, Sun, Catalia and the others went around Koka district and they watched a troubadour play about the independence of Barhambria. After the play, they went home.

"Well, you five made a great help today. Come back tomorrow. Same time. We will go again somewhere." Sun told them.

"As you wish, Master." They replied and went away.

"Let's go inside, Lady Catalia." Sun told her as they entered the palace walls.

Night came and they all ate their dinner at the same time and same place. Catalia spend her time at the palace balcony near the palace's rear when Catacius saw her.

"It looks like my daughter is thinking of something." Catacius asked her.

"Oh. It's nothing. I just remembered Gabriel. He is with us earlier." Catalia replied with a smile.

"How did he go out with you?" Catacius asked her.

"His Imperial Majesty saved him yesterday and he is following His Imperial Majesty as his master." Catalia replied happily.

"Well. I guess he is lucky that he is favored by His Imperial Majesty." Catacius replied and went away.

"I can't wait to see Gabriel tomorrow." Catalia told herself as she stared the night sky.