Journey to the Capital (2)

It's been a few days since they traveled back south, they had already passed the city of Edeva and it is halfway in their journey towards Port-South-Nors City, the southernmost city in the Nors Peninsula which is also under the Aquintanian empire.

Constance wakes up from his sleep early in the morning, it is so early that the sun has barely risen from the east, the moon and some stars can be still from the skies.

He looks outside and sees ruins and wrecked houses around; he remembers that they are currently staying in an abandoned village deep in the forests. This village was abandoned during the war and now they are staying here for the night to rest and sleep.

Constance picks up his swords and goes out of the room, he passes by Emile who is sitting near the door. Barely awake and feeling sluggish, Emile asks. "Training again?"

"Yes, I don't want my skills and body to become rusty."

"You really follow that bastard Rex's advice."

"It is better than doing nothing."

"Suit yourself."

Emile closes his eyes again so that he can sleep again while Constance gets out of the house and goes to a nearby open area. He is wearing thick clothing that could at least negate the cold slightly, Constance thinks that the clothing hasn't even done anything to lessen the cold.

He is now standing in the middle of snowy grounds, his feet are shoulder-width apart from each other, his back is straight, and his body is slightly lowered. He holds his sword tightly in front of him with both his hands and he closes his eyes.

He conjures an opponent in his mind wielding an exact sword replicating of his. The enemy is holding his sword at a high stance, ready to slash or stab him with an attack.

The imaginary opponent in front of him is just a shadow, no face, no physical feature, it is just all pitch black who has a human outline, even the imaginary sword of the imaginary opponent is pitch black that is shaped like a sword.

But he can feel his imaginary opponent looking at him intensely with an intent to kill him in this imaginary world. For a few seconds, both Constance and his imaginary opponent are just standing still like a statue in a monument.

And then when a leaf from a nearby tree falls to the ground, both charge to each other. The imaginary opponent slashes him from above which Constance parries with his sword. The opponent then takes a sidestep to avoid the swing of Constance's sword on his side.

Both Constance and the opponent attack and parry the slashes, swings, and thrusts they try to inflict with each other. The shadow tries to thrust his sword forward as he sees the opportunity to slash Constance.

But that weakness is just a trap set by Constance, noticing the direction of the thrust, Constance just turns his body slightly to avoid the sword and quickly moves to the side of his opponent.

The imaginary opponent caught off guard, was not able to defend the sword hitting his waist deeply. The opponent drops his sword as he loses the fight. Luckily, everything is just an imagination and there is no gushing in blood happen.

Constance is satisfied with the imaginary training that he had just had. Winning or losing doesn't matter, it is just a learning experience.

Constance's concentration is disturbed when he hears a soft cough at the side of the field. Constance opens his eyes and looks towards the direction and sees the princess standing some distance away, watching him train.

Constance, noticing that everyone is starting to wake up, sheathes his sword and walks towards the direction of the princess.

"Good day to you, Princess"

"To you also, Lord Arignon"

Constance bows his head while Princess Tessia curtsy in return. The princess seems to want to train here also as she is bringing her sword but noticing that Constance is also training in the place. Just decides to just watch him as she was mesmerized in Constance`s concentration.

Constance notices that the princess' face seems haggard and had a bad or uncomfortable sleep as her eyes are bloodshot red and her hair is still not combed.

"Princess, having a bad morning?"

"Yes, Lord Arignon, I can't sleep thinking that we are staying in this small, ruined village."

Princess Tessia replies, scratching her cheeks. It seems that Constance hits the mark.

"Does it affect you?" Constance asks.

"Yes, it is just sad to think that the villagers here are forced to abandon because of the war... All wars should end so tragedies like this would disappear."

Constance can only nod his head in agreement with the princess. War only brings grief and pain to all the people, the aggressor and the aggrieved.

"It is just the way of life princess, men are just inherently greedy and prideful, that makes war inevitable and a natural law of our species."

But Constance knows that war is sometimes a necessity to the state. As the world is balance with yin and yang, creation with destruction, peace is also to war.

The world is that just kind of place.

"But a person can dream Lord Arignon."

Princes Tessia looks to Constance directly in his eyes. Constance notices the beautiful blue eyes, long nose, rosy cheeks and white pearl skin of the young woman in front of him.

"Yes Princess."

Constance smiles at the Princess, as days pass, he sees the princess in a new light.

'She is beautiful alright, but her family is the imperial family.'

Constance thought, he shook his head, the thought that it might not be bad for him to agree to the emperor's offer. This is just a part of the emperor's ploy to include the Margravate in the struggle for the throne.

"How about you Lord Arignon? What are your dreams?"

"Dreams princess? Hmmm..." Constance ponders. He thinks if staying and just living quietly in the Margravate is a dream.

Aside from that, he really has no other plans and dreams for the future. He already has honor, glory and achievement, there's nothing more he wants to prove.

"To travel the world maybe princess." He just answers the most generic and cliché answer that he can think of, and he also wants to learn and see things that are different from what he sees normally in the empire.

"Hmmm… where?"

"They say the east has the best beaches princess. The new continent has also a lot of exotic places princess… the giant's forest for example."

"The giant's forest? *Giggles* you really believe that exists?"

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