Chapter Eight: "In the North"

After resting for a while, Nevalis rose, renewed in determination, and ventured into the second tier of society—the laborers and peasants' class, or as the nobles called it, the servant class. He carefully hid his face beneath the hood of his cloak, avoiding attention. Approaching a street vendor by the roadside, he was determined to figure out his current location.

Before Nevalis could speak, the vendor exclaimed enthusiastically, "Delicious apples here! Just three silvers, guaranteed fresh!" Nevalis was taken aback by the greeting. Though he felt hungry, the sight of the low-quality apples dampened his appetite. Ignoring the offer, he asked the vendor, "Do you know which province we're in?"

The vendor was startled by the question and dismissively waved his hand. "If you're not buying anything, get out of my sight!" Anger flared within Nevalis, and he was on the verge of scolding the man for his insolence, but he held himself back at the last moment. The vendor noticed the angry expression on Nevalis' face and prepared for confrontation, rolling up his sleeves. "What's wrong? Want a fight?"

Summoning all his self-control, Nevalis tried to speak calmly. "I'll buy from you, but I need you to tell me where I am."

Instantly, the vendor's hostile demeanor turned welcoming. "Of course, of course. How many apples would you like? I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

Nevalis was surprised by the man's quick shift in behavior but ignored it and said, "I'll take three apples."

The vendor replied, "Nine silvers." Nevalis handed over the requested amount, and the vendor began to speak. "We're on the outskirts of the city of Myras." Then he handed over the three apples and fell silent, his

attitude clearly indicating: "You got what you wanted; now leave."

Suppressing his frustration, Nevalis turned away. As he walked, he came across children playing in the street. He handed them the apples and continued on, thinking, "Myras... It's located in the north, under the authority of Baron Redmoor. Naturally, the northern regions and their cities are under the jurisdiction of Duke Brandel." He pondered, "Why the north? The Olivierre family was in the south, so why am I here? Stranger still, why did Edward bring me all the way north, to the opposite side of the kingdom? After all, there are slums in the south, in every part of the kingdom. So, why the north?"

The only logical explanation he could find was: "Because the family that destroyed us was in the south."

…

Nevalis muttered to himself, "There's no power in the south capable of wiping out the Olivierre family except one... the Fernstone Duchy. The question remains: why did they annihilate my family? And how?"

If he were to answer in the nobles' language, it would be: because it's ordinary. Noble families destroy each other to expand and seize resources. But that only happened between families with existing conflicts.

Secondly, and most importantly, there was the gap in power and authority between families. If a count's family sought to take over a baron's, it wouldn't be a problem, as the difference in power and authority allowed for it. But his family was a powerful count family, nearing the strength and authority of the four duchies. It wouldn't have been easy for the Fernstone Duchy to bring it down; the difference in power and status wasn't that significant.

And secondly, why destroy it in the first place? There was no known conflict between his family and any of the four duchies.

Something stood out in Nevalis' thoughts, something he had always wondered about and found puzzling: why was his family the only count family in the kingdom?

Slowly, the picture began to clear for Nevalis, and the malicious intricacies of politics began to reveal themselves to him.

…

After pushing aside the tangled thoughts, Nevalis realized that trying to understand what had happened to his family wouldn't help him at the moment. He needed to focus on his next move: should he enter the city of Myras or stay in the commoners' area where there was relative safety? He didn't know if one family was responsible for his family's downfall or if it was more than one. It was wise to avoid the nobles' territories for a while.

In the end, he decided to look for a place to stay. After an extensive search and inquiries, he found a nearby inn, seemingly meant for visitors who couldn't afford to stay inside the city but had business there.

On his way to the inn, he heard a commotion coming from a nearby spot. He saw a young man pleading with a merchant: "Please, sir, give me one gold coin, and I'll repay you by the end of the month." The merchant struck him and dismissed him, saying, "Do you think I'm a fool to give you a gold coin? Get out of my sight!"

Nevalis intended to ignore the situation, but the boy, after noticing him, ran toward him and said, "Please, sir, give me one gold coin. My grandfather is sick and urgently needs medicine." Nevalis, with his face concealed by his hood, wasn't recognized for his age. Sighing in frustration, he muttered, "These filthy commoners." Yet, he took out a gold coin and tossed it to the boy, saying, "Get out of my sight."

The boy, upon receiving the coin, seemed momentarily shocked before hastily expressing his gratitude. But Nevalis had already walked away. He hadn't given the gold coin because he believed the boy's story but simply because he wanted to.

After leaving the boy, Nevalis remembered a book he used to secretly read, despite his father's objections, who preferred him to focus on books about politics, wars, and magic. This book, considered by the nobles to be a waste of time, spoke of individuals who dedicated their lives to giving and protecting. Nevalis recalled a quote from that book: "Giving is the magic that transforms hearts, and protection is the shield that preserves humanity."

He sighed audibly and continued toward the inn.

When he arrived at the inn described by one of the passersby, he stopped abruptly before its worn wooden gates. He was stunned by what he saw. For a moment, he stood still, staring at the building in front of him. The inn looked as if it had just emerged from a nightmare.

The inn appeared old and decrepit; its walls were cracked and covered with peeling layers of paint, and its roof dripped from the recent rains. The wooden floors creaked noisily with every step, and the air was thick with the scent of dampness, as though silently warning him against staying there. Yet, Nevalis had no other choice.

Looking at the inn with a heavy sigh, he muttered to himself, "Edward would have despised this place if he saw me forced to sleep here."

"Is this… the inn?" Nevalis mumbled to himself, his eyes studying the place with astonishment and disdain. Frustration rose within him, but with no other options, he thought, "This can't be worse than sleeping outdoors… or maybe it can." Letting out a long breath, he cautiously pushed the door open.

Inside, he was met with an even more unpleasant sight. A foul odor greeted him first, a mix of dampness and mold mingled with faint smoke from a small hearth in the corner. On the walls, old candles burned dimly, casting long, eerie shadows on the cracked surfaces.

The interior walls were in worse condition than the exterior, painted in a faded coat that barely hid dark stains. The wooden floorboards groaned with every step, as if protesting overuse.

The front desk was nothing more than a tilted wooden table, behind which stood an old man. His face was lined with wrinkles, and his hands were spotted and blemished. The man looked up at Nevalis with a faint smile that revealed yellowed, decayed teeth.

"A room?" the man asked in a raspy voice.

"Unfortunately, yes… unless you know of a place less miserable than this one."