(Preparations)

Diana was standing around in her father's stable grounds, there were two wooden carriages that were connected to their horses, everyone was still loading supplies and equipment onto the carriages for the journey from the main capital to the town city of Lumis. From a horse-drawn carriage, the travel time should take them about half a week to get there, that is if they aren't interrupted by anything dangerous.

"Get those barrels of freshwater stored up!"

"Don't forget those crates full of fruits!"

Diana was shouting at everyone to make them hurry along with their task, this was her first official command, and not a trial run version when she was a knight sergeant. Diana wanted to make sure her first mission as a knight captain, turns out into a successful one.

(" I think we should be able to depart within the hour at this rate. ")

She watches as people would hustling around the stable area, and eagerly awaits the moment she can set off to complete her mission.

"How is everything going?" Marthis approached from behind.

"Everything should be in order."

"Mhm, I'm glad that I could offer my help to my daughter." Marthis places a hand on her shoulder.

"besides the fact that the frontal area of the courtyard was turned into a sparring arena, without my permission." His grip tightens a bit.

"Gek..." Diana tried to look away from Marthis cold stared. "Ha~ Ha~..."

"Anyway." She spun her head back around. "I could have bought the carriages with my own money, you didn't have to spend using the family finance."

Marthis shook his head no, in response to Diana's statement. "Since I was caught up in an important meeting between nobles evolving-" His eyes move from side to side to make sure no one was eavesdropping on them, then he leans into her ear. "Urgent political matters." He moves his head away. "and I couldn't attain my own daughter ceremonial accession of being a knight captain."

"I should at least help my daughter out with some of the financial issues."

She had a tiny smile pop out from her face and leans into a side hug, Marthis was puzzled by the hug that came out of nowhere, but he wraps both of his arms around her.

"Thanks, dad." She quietly said.

"Not a problem" Marthis replied.

She pulls herself away after a few seconds of hugging. "Can I ask you something? What did you and the other nobles exactly talk about?"

Her father again looked around the area to see if it whatever safe or not to answer that question.

"I can't explain much here, or in general but there have been rumors of rising tensions in the royal family, and in the bigger noble families."

"prices for some goods and other products have been recently increasing, that means food and medicine, but so far the increase has been coming in small increments, but it's only noticeable if you take your time reviewing over the financial reports over the past year."

He let out a sigh and rubs through his hair with one of his hands "There only minor movement in the internal political affairs of this kingdom, but we suspect something is going to happen and we aren't really sure when it's going to happen."

"This is all I'm allow to say to you, Diana."

Diana could clearly see the worried look on her father's face, anyone in high society knew if there is going to be a major change in a kingdom's internal business, it could either be a good thing or potential death.

"That is... a troubling matter." She said, her tone and facial expression had gone from casual to suspicious, and cautious.

("I wonder if any of that is involved with my mission... ")

(" I don't want to get drag into any political conflict, and not to mention all of my members are still young and inexperienced, I don't want to ruin their life incase this mission becomes more dangerous than it needs to be. ")

(" But if someone wants to fight, then I won't stand still and simply allow them to beat against me. ")

"Oh and, please don't tell your mother any of this I don't want to give her grief." Marthis requested.

"That I can assure you." Diana answer with a smile.

"I better be going now, I think I spent too much of your time." Marthis turns and around and begins to walk away from Diana, while giving her a backhand wave of goodbye.

"Goodbye!" She waves back until he disappears from her line of sight.

"Mistress! A worker shouted by the two carriages "Everything been loaded up and secure on the two wagons!"

"Good, Thank you for your work!" Diana shouted back.

She walks up to one of the horse drawn carriages and step up to the front. She finally grasp hold of the horse leashes.

(" For now, let's worry about my mission. ")

"Heya!" She whips the leash making the horses go forward, the second cart behind her was being control by one of the workers.

Diana had plan on meeting with her fellow knight members by the western city gates, then she would swap out the worker with whoever wants to drive the second carriage first.

She would soon leave her family estate and was going through the city streets that were made for carriages to go through, nothing out of the ordinary occured, at least that what it seems like but even hearing that small amount of information from her father was unsettling.

"How much for this cloth?"

"20 silver copper."

"Fresh bake goods! Recently came out of the oven!"

Diana had to put up a fake smile to make sure if anyone was following her, she wouldn't have aroused suspicion for them.

While going through one of the last few streets before she arrives at the western gate. Someone stood in her path and wouldn't move forcing her to stop, it was a child, a child she was familiar with.

"Oh? It's you again? The child who was trying to buy herbal medicine?"

The young boy's head was tilted down with most of his dirty hair covering the upper part of his face. He walked up to the cart and then looked up at her.

"I- I wasn't able to properly thank you before! M-Mistress!" The young boy started to stutter.

"So now, please let me say thank you for buying me the medicine for my family!" He immediately bows toward her.

(" This kid. ") Her hands began to uncontrollably shake a little, then she lets go of the leash and leans to her, and hugs the upper part of the child.

(" He's too sweet. ")

"You didn't have to." In a soft voice, she spoke to him. "I simply say that you were in trouble and I decided to help out, that's all." She then pulls her away from the boy and grabs the horse leash again.

"Wait!" The kid grabs onto the wooden board of the cart. "I also want to be able to repay for the money you lend me!"

"So please, let me become a servant of yours"

"Eh?" Diana was not prepared to hear something like that at all, so she gave him a weird look.

"Y-you really don't have to that."

"But I want to!"

"But you don't hav-"

"But I do!"

"But-"

"I want to do this, mistress."

Diana reels her head back and squinted her eyes at him. (" This kid is stubborn as hell. ")

"then, what about your parents? Wouldn't they be worried about you? I'm currently on a mission so I won't be in the capital city for maybe the next few months?"

The kid shook his head from side to side "You saved my family once, they were really sick and they needed that medicine dearly, they wanted me to become a servant of yours to repay off my debt."

"W-wasn't it only just around 60 coppers? That's not much." Diana said.

"A debt is still a debt!" He replied

"Mhm..." She stares at the child, not knowing what to do, or what course of action does she needs to perform.

"I'm going on a harsh journey..."

"That doesn't matter to me."

"We may encounter bandits, even worst dangerous monsters."

The child was quiet for a bit, but then he smiles "But miss, you are a knight, and knights are strong people, I know you can keep me safe."

"I-" Diana stops herself from speaking, she was starting to gain a small gathering of viewers the more time she spends staying there.

"You really think this is the best way to pay off your debt?"

"Yes!" The kid cheerfully answered back, and her eyes saw the adorable little smile he had.

"Fine... but I have a few conditions!"

The child's smile grew even bigger, now that he knows he could go with her on her journey.

"Don't cause any trouble for me, or my fellow knights, Don't wander off and be respectful of people, you got that?"

The child quickly nods his head back and forth, in which Diana let out a silent sigh and holds out one of her hand to help the kid get onboard the carriage. She then whips the leash making the horses go forward.

"So... what's your name? and how old are you?"

"jarin Kig... and." He holds out both of his hands and begins to count out all of his fingers. "I'm uh... 10 years old!" He happily holds out both of his hands in front of Diana.

"Well then Jarin my name is Diana Noriel, I hope you will be able to enjoy this little trip of ours." She said while looking down at him, she raises up a hand and softly heads pats him.