Mountain Worship (2)

"Master, you should get up. The lord is calling for you." Mina called out softly at Vincent who was completely covered by a warm blanket.

"Five more minutes."

"He told me to tell you to get ready as soon as possible"

"Not now."

Vincent replied sleepily and shrunk his body into a cozy ball.

Having expected this, Mina had already grabbed the edge of the blanket. Using all her strength, she yanked at it hard. After the initial resistance, it came off quite easily. Without the cover of the blanket, Vincent was exposed to the cool air which chased away his drowsiness.

He wanted to snatch the blanket and get back to sleep but stopped after remembering Mina's words. Sighing in defeat, he forced himself out of the comfortable bed and headed for the natatorium.

The cool water refreshed Vincent and he began sorting out his thoughts.

'Father probably wants to convince the Houjins to return empty handed. There's no way he will leave the fief at a time of crisis like this. The only way to appease the Uruj would be to send a copious amounts of gifts. It might look like we are paying tribute, but I am sure the royal family wouldn't hold a grudge for something like this. Specially since they should already be aware of the massacres by now.'

As he finished putting two and two together, he concluded that he was asked to get ready in order to help with the negotiation or convincing. After all, there was no one better than him at speaking the Houjins tongue nearby.

"Come one. Hurry up. Let's go for breakfast." Nora's excited words broke his train of thought and brought Vincent back to reality.

"How can you not cover your eyes when I am taking a bath. Why are you even following me in here in the first place?"

"BREAKFAST!"

The girl emphasized the food related word and ignored the rest of Vincent's question. While it felt like the girl saw him as nothing but a vessel to experience food, he let it go since he was starving as well.

Breakfast was surprisingly sumptuous. The table in front of him was filled with all kinds of foods and the aroma making way to his nose whet his appetite even further.

Taking in the welcoming sight, he asked Mina happily, "What's the occasion?"

"There's none. But the lord told the chef to prepare a good feast just for you. Must be to reward you for your contribution during the investigation."

Once he heard that his father had mentioned it to be a feast just for him, he got a bad feeling. Knowing his father, he would never do such a thing. Specially since Rosie was home and she would throw a fit if she found out he got special treatment.

"Let's eat. I want the honey milk first."

Vincent was brought out of his pondering once again by the little ghosts' animated voice. Abiding by her words, he bought the glass to his face and drank its content. But because of the uneasy feeling, it seemed quite tasteless.

Following the ghost's instructions, he put one food item after another in his mouth. Nora kept on praising the food but it just tasted bland to him. His heart just wouldn't rest easy and the food that had looked so delicious at first lost all appeal in no time.

He finished his breakfast in an almost mechanical manner and made way for the great hall. Passing through the door, he saw his father playing host to the Houjin warriors.

Noticing Vincent's arrival, Viscount Renn got up from his seat and spoke. "My son is here. While he may be young, he is a scholar with great potential. On top of that, he has always been very curious about the Houjin culture. It is also the reason why he is so fluent in your tongue. Do treat him well. In the meanwhile, I will try my best to deal with the culprits.

I really cannot leave my territory right now. Knowing the generousness of the Uruj, I am sure he will understand."

The tattooed old man nodded his head after listening to Harmon's translation. Then he turned to the viscount and spoke in Libsidian, "He will do. You keep your words surely. Or else, it won't be good."

"Of course. None of us would want that. Don't you worry. I will keep my end of the deal."

"I trust you for now." Saying so, the old man turned around to his subordinates and spoke on his own tongue. "Go start preparing. We leave as soon as we can. We must get to the Uruj as soon as we can."

The Houjins all shouted in unison and left the hall in an orderly manner. As the last of the Houjin left the room and the door closed, Vincent ran up to his father and questioned in confusion. "What is all this about? Why would the barbarians need to take care of me for the time being?"

"You see, after I explained to them in great length that I could not accompany them to see the Uruj, they understood my difficulty and asked me to send you over instead. It seems like they were greatly impressed with your mastery over their tongue."

'They asked you? What a joke! How could you send your son as a hostage..... This shameless man. Just you wait....' Vincent cursed in his mind as he listened to his father lying with a straight.

"What's the deal you were talking about? You should at least tell me that much since I am taking your place in visiting the Uruj. As your representative, shouldn't I know everything in order to make the best decisions?"

"You don't have to worry about it. Just enjoy your stay there till the mountain worship ends. They will escort you back after their sacred ritual ends."

Vincent tried several more times but didn't manage to learn anything new. He even attempted to get some information out of Harmon, but the old wizard who usually doted on him kept his lips sealed.

In the end, he was forced to leave with the Houjins with no idea how or why he was there. The few servants and guards from the castle who were chosen to be his entourage also showed sour expressions. The only one who was excited about it was the ghost girl who kept on talking about the stories of the barbarians she had heard as a kid.