Chapter 14- Dawn Forge

"Have you come here to observe the training Father?" Reinhardt questioned.As the Duke of the kingdom of Solaris, he had many responsibilities and work that left him with no time at all. Even he, his son could rarely meet him, so how could he have the free time to come and watch the knights train?"Haha, it's as you say, I came here because I have a task for you" Raymond suddenly put on a doting smile and spoke, "Can you take Arthur to the Dawn Forge? They tailored an armor for him on my request".Armor?"Why would Arthur need an armor? He is only four years old" Reinhardt questioned.Seeing the questioning look on the latter face, Raymond was puzzled himself."She didn't tell you? I guess your stepmother forgot. It's alright, I'll tell you myself then. When you head out for the capital tomorrow, Verdia and Arthur will also tag along with you"…"What?!!"…"Arthur idolizes you and hopes to join the order when he is old enough. He had been quite insistent on going with you to the capital to see the Knight Entrance Exam"..."I thought it would be good for him to see what he was trying to achieve with his own eyes, so I allowed it. Verdia is going to take care of Arthur. Though at first, I thought she wouldn't go given how rigid her relationship is with you. She must be in a good mood, it will also be a good change of pace for her to visit the capital".His father had already made his decision as such there was nothing he could say here but nod his head in understanding."Oh, by the way, Verdia is also coming with you"...That morning, Reinhardt left the territory of the Arcknight and descended to the base of the mountain where the city governed by the Arcknight was.Lumiose City or otherwise known as City of Light, named after the knight order of this region.The carriage travelled through the streets of the city that was bustling with people and carriages going in and out. Markets, shops, guilds, houses, the city was teeming with life and energy."Woah, there are so many people in the city" Arthur spoke peeking his head out of the carriage.Inside, Arthur and Verdia sat on one seat, and Reinhardt on the opposite. Intermittently, Arthur would speak a few words or ask questions to Reinhardt.However, other than that the carriage was absolutely silent, its atmosphere stifling. Of course, it was because Verdia was deliberately ignoring him.Reinhardt had tried to warm up to her by initiating a conversation. However, the duchess simply snorted and said nothing. Ultimately, even he gave up.Thankfully, before long they reached the place they were headed for, the Dawn Forge. One of the many shops owned by the Arcknight family in the city.The coachmen dropped them in front of the shop and left to park the carriage.In front of the shop stood a man, a woman and a child. Reinhardt looked at the sign of the shop. From his memories, he was very familiar with the shop.However, it had been more than three years, there were many things about it that had changed. Taking a deep breath, he took the lead to go in.RING… the doorbell rang and the husky voice of an old dwarf greeted him."Welcome to the dawn forge. If you are looking for a weapon or armor, it's there on the shelves. Feel free to browse them" His words systematic as if he had spoken those words too many times in his life."Woah, so this is what a forge looks like? Is my armor here?" Arthur like the curious child he was, roamed through the shop marvelling at the many equipment that were kept on display."Not quite" Reinhardt answered, he walked to the table where the old dwarf sat.There was a lot of equipment here and many customers to buy them but he knew these were only fine products. The truly good weapons were kept somewhere else."Is Bodhog here? Tell him Reinhardt is here"…"Hey who do you think you are to call the name of our Elder so casually…?!!" The old dwarf who was lazying, got angry when the name was called out so casually.However, when he recalled the name the customer gave, he couldn't help but choke on his words. Looking up, the dwarf saw a tall muscular man with blonde hair and red and blue eyes. Immediately, his jaw fell down."A-Are you… Reinhardt!!"Although he didn't mean to shout, his voice was loud enough to reach everyone's ears. Immediately all eyes focused on the blonde man and they all cried out in excitement."It's Lord Reinhardt!!"…"Why is he in the dawn forge? Wasn't he supposed to be in a coma due to a curse?"…"Idiot, have you not heard the rumor? It's said that lord Reinhardt beat the curse with his sheer will and woke up a few weeks ago"…"Lord Reinhardt please give me your sign, I am your huge fan"…Knights of the realm who fought against the demon and safeguarded the lives of civilians were highly respected and idolised all around the world.Though in Reinhardt's case, he was simply too popular thanks to his countless achievements and tales of valour.Add that to his handsome face and the fact that he was one of the three humans to reach level ten in the kingdom's history, how could he not be popular and that too in his own fief?"R-Right this way Lord Reinhardt" The old dwarf led them towards a stairs leading underground.Reinhardt gestured for Verdia and Arthur to follow him and together they descended the stairs. After that, they took a lift which transported them further down the ground.As a subterranean race, dwarfs liked living underground, they made a huge colony underneath the ground. The colony also served as a huge smithy.Knowing it from memories was one thing but seeing it with one's own eyes was another. The moment the lift stopped and its door opened, the three humans stared on with wide eyes at the wonder that lay before them.