Caleb followed the middle-aged man inside the teleportation guild. He led him straight to the chamber where the teleportation circle was located. Caleb took notice of the people inside the guild. The majority of them were dressed in what he assumed to be expensive clothes.
'Is the use of teleportation that expensive?' Caleb pondered silently and decided to ask his guide. "Erm... Mr. ?.." Caleb began, waiting for his guide to introduce himself. Noticing his attempt to mention his name, the man responded, "Amagi. Samuel Amagi."
Caleb acknowledged and continued, "Mr. Amagi, is the use of teleportation magic that expensive?" Mr Amagi cast a confused gaze at him but still answered.
"Teleportation magic requires a tremendous amount of mana. Mana that mages can't simply produce. Although there are a few beings who meet the requirement, using it almost depletes their mana reserves. As such, in ancient times, some powerful mages came together to develop a teleportation circle that utilized mana stones. This covered the cost and only required a few mages to activate the circle."
The brief explanation was sufficient for Caleb to get a general understanding of space magic. Eventually, they made their way into a section of the guild that housed the teleportation circle.
Caleb observed the room closely. The room was about the size of a school gymnasium. On the floor was a magic circle that covered more than half the room. It glowed with blue-white light that gave the room an ethereal feel. Around the magic circle were three mages.
Caleb was asked to stand inside the magic circle. "We will now activate the teleportation circle. Your destination: The Duchy of Zane." Caleb nodded and prepared himself for the experience.
The mages performed some hand gestures and magic circles similar to the large one on the floor appeared in front of them. The large circle on the floor glowed brightly again and within a few seconds, Caleb was teleported.
....
Caleb opened his eyes feeling a bit disoriented. He adjusted to his surroundings before looking around. Similar to the teleportation guild he just departed, Caleb stood inside a magic circle. He was drawn out of his reverie when a voice called out to him.
"Lord Caleb... Please follow me." Following the direction of the voice, Caleb saw a woman awaiting him. She looked to be in her late twenties with blonde hair and green eyes. She wore a long attire with silver trims that complimented her great physique.
Caleb nodded and followed her to the entrance hall. When they arrived, the lady led him to a man in a butler suit waiting for them. Already guessing the purpose of his presence, Caleb was not surprised.
After performing her duty, the lady politely retreated. Caleb focused on the man before him. He had the appearance of your typical butler with a mixture of black and grey hair.
"Welcome back, Lord Caleb." The butler greeted professionally with a slight bow. Caleb responded, "Right... And how do I address you?"
"Apologies Sir, my name is Alex Collins." The butler introduced himself. The duke had already filled him in on his son's condition, so the butler was not surprised by his question.
"Allow me to take you to the estate, sir." Alex proposed and Caleb followed behind him.
Outside was a carriage with a coachman already at the ready. Immediately he saw them approach, he opened the door to the carriage. Caleb and Alex entered while the coachman went to the driver's seat.
Inside the carriage
As the journey began, Caleb decided to engage the old man in conversation. "Mr Collins, can you tell me about my family?"
Listening to his enquiry, Alex first responded by correcting how Caleb addressed him. "Please call me Alex, Lord Caleb." Caleb accepted his suggestion before urging him to talk. However, the butler continued, "Forgive me Lord Caleb, but this is something only your family could tell. I do not dare say."
Caleb accepted his reasoning, not wanting to put the old man in a difficult situation. Instead, he asked, "How about this duchy? Surely you can tell me a thing or two."
Alex nodded before he began, "The dukedom of House Zane has always been in your family's hands since the kingdom's founding. Located east of the royal capital, house Zane acts as both the link and barrier between this kingdom and the Kingdom of Amkesh to the east.
"Among the people in this region, there are other races such as elves, beastmen and dwarves. While this group might be in the minority, they form an integral part of our society. This region is also known for its proximity to the Forest of Lost Dreams."
Alex paused briefly before continuing, "The forest of lost dreams is named as such due to the dangers within. Many people who venture into the forest never make it out alive due to high the population of beasts."
As Caleb absorbed all this information, he came up with a few plans for the forest. 'This could serve as a good training ground to test out the abilities I unlock.' Cale pondered and asked a few questions of his own.
"I see...But doesn't the high beast population threaten the people of the duchy?"
"Yes... But one of the duties of house Zane is the periodic expeditions to cull beast numbers. Additionally, the large size of the domain makes it difficult for the beasts to invade the populated areas." Alex responded. This was not surprising; with the location of the duchy, this duty could only fall upon them. 'But why would a duchy be located at the far reaches of the kingdom?' Caleb pondered the reasoning behind this.
Asking follow-up questions, Caleb and Alex conversed all the way to the estate. After about half an hour, Caleb noticed the scarcity of buildings around the area. On the road leading to the estate was a wide expanse of land flourishing with meadows and trees in the distance.
Caleb admired the scenery until he saw a huge estate in the distance. Even from where he was, he understood the enormity of the building ahead.