Before The Journey

The journey was set for 2 days from now. They are currently preparing the logistics and manpower needed and tomorrow Braum will be fully briefed and prepared for the trip. For the rest of today, Braum requested a city tour of Kurala, the capital city in which he is in right now. Rosil was chosen to be his tour guide and a group of secret service members will follow them secretly. Braum and Rosil had to wear a disguise of a hat and sunglasses to stay anonymous.

"So what's first, Rosil?" Braum asked.

They are currently riding the metal, hovering vehicle that Braum saw from the air when he first arrived in the city.

"First is the National Museum, Prince Braum. I think you'd enjoy a tour through our country's history in science and other things." Rosil answered.

"Sure!" Braum replied.

In truth, Braum is quite excited. This is the first time he's ever out in the city and it's a futuristic city at that! Braum also learns that the vehicle is called a car and it can move up to 300 KM/H. The vehicle still needs a driver although Rosil told Braum that some scientists are currently developing a driverless car.

After a few minutes, they arrived in the museum. The building is huge stretching for a few kilometers and it's shaped like a fallen gigantic beast which has 3 horns on its head and looks vaguely humanoid.

"This building was actually made from the skeleton of a Grade 9 Kaiju, the only one of its kind who was defeated by Queen Sumira 350 years ago. The body was too big to be moved elsewhere so she decided to create a museum out of its body. She was one of the strongest individuals in Yakana's history and this museum is dedicated to her." Rosil explained.

"Wow…," Braum muttered.

It truly is impressive Braum thinks. To be able to create a building out of a skeleton, this kingdom never ceases to amaze him.

Inside, Braum saw all kinds of different things from skeletons of prehistoric animals, statues of historical figures, and even art pieces. Braum is thinking that this is one of the best days of his life. After a few hours, it is finally time to move on.

"What's next what's next?" Braum said repeatedly.

Braum is still a bit excited. After all, he spent his whole life in a forest so every sight is new for him. Even more, Braum is still a teenager so his childish curiosity still exists.

"Next is the movie theater and mall-" Rosil answered.

For the rest of the day, Braum and Rosil went to all different places. Braum managed to watch the first movie in his life about the story of the first king, which has very realistic effects. They then went shopping for all kinds of things and also ate a variety of different cuisines.

At night, Braum saw bright lights coming from the buildings. Rosil told him that those are what's called "neon lights". Braum saw all kinds of pretty colors from red, green, yellow, you name it. The lights are showing moving pictures of advertisements for products and sometimes they show the news broadcast as well. The night view of Kurala is one of the most beautiful sights that Braum has ever seen.

But what's more important is that Braum saw how the people of Yakana live their lives. After reading a lot of books depicting death and misery to be common in the streets, Braum truly believes in this society to be more advanced than them. The people of Yakana are happy and live their lives to the fullest. But quite a lot of them looks a bit sad and gloomy as well today due to the recent passings of the royal family and the Militarist uprising. Braum finally looked determined to end his people's suffering and restore the peace.

**

The next day, Braum is summoned first thing in the morning to be briefed for his journey. But this time he was not called to the usual meeting room, but instead what looks to be a war room which has a picture box display on the table that shows different things like the map of the continent or the military situation elsewhere. The room is only filled with military personnel that Braum hasn't met yet.

"Your Majesty, welcome, my name is Lieutenant Kelvin Djarot of the kingdom's special forces and I will be accompanying you on this journey." Kelvin introduced himself.

The one who greeted Braum first is a man with black curly hair and a goatee in his chin. He looks to be in his late 20s and is very tall. His face is round and average but his overall aura will turn some heads in the street.

"Aah yes hello Kelvin. Who are the others?" Braum replied.

"We have two other people, STAND UP!" Kelvin barked orders.

As soon as he says that, two other people stood up. The one on the left is a girl that seems to be in her late teens and has black hair which goes to her shoulder. Her face looks innocent and does not seem to belong to a soldier at all. She is currently doing the usual kingdom salute of placing her right hand on the chest.

"Your Majesty, my name is Sergeant Urada Hidaru of the kingdom's special forces at your service." Urada introduced himself.

The one on the right is another man in his early 20s who has fiery red straight hair that is fashioned in an undercut on its sides. His face looks very sharp and he seems to not want to be here. He follows Urada with the salute.

"My name is Corporal Niko Kaseli of the kingdom's royal forces." Niko introduced himself in a tired tone.

"CORPORAL! Show some respect for the future king!" Kelvin shouted.

Kelvin snaps at Niko for his disrespectful introduction.

"Yeah yeah, Your Majesty, I am at your service. " Niko replied still sounding tired.

Kelvin's face does not show any guilt and instead looks a bit tired.

"This humble personage apologizes for his behavior Your Majesty, I assure you his combat skills are better than his attitude." Kelvin apologized.

Kelvin starts to bow to Braum, asking for forgiveness for Niko's rude behavior.

"Another Kaseli? Heh. No worries. Actually, I much prefer his attitude that does not care about people's status and only care for their duty. Nice to meet you all." Braum muttered.

Instead of being offended, Braum starts to smile. Niko's raised his eyes after hearing Braum's words. This might be an interesting client Niko thought.

"So what's our plan to bring back General Toziro?" Braum asked.

Braum's face turns serious again. This is a very important journey he is going to take.

"Your Majesty, if you would bring your gaze to the screen on the table," Kelvin said.

The screen shows a map of the continent with Yakana far off the eastern coast of the continent.

"The tracking device on the chip we had 10 years ago was a bit outdated Your Majesty. It only shows the location of the person within a 50 kilometers radius. We know from that fact that Toziro and his squad always move in a group which suggests that they may work as some sort of mercenary with their skill sets.

They are currently located in the capital of the Kingdom of Estalia, the city of Neversummer. Estalia is located in the very northwestern part of the continent. Estalia is a monarchy and currently has a king as its ruler. Their technology and infrastructure are still very crude as they are too over-reliant on magic.

If we see their movements for the last 3 months-" Kelvin explained.

The screen then changes into the map of Estalia and shows lines that represent their movements.

"- They occasionally move between different cities but for this month, they have only been staying in the capital. Knowing their skills, we will probably need to gather intel on famous mercenary groups once we get there.

In addition, if we get in a 50 meters radius, then we can directly pinpoint their exact location."

Braum nods his head at the explanation. His face is fully immersed with the information, in contrast with his usual quirky attitude.

"What about the logistics? How are we going to get there and what equipments can we bring? Let me just say this first: I don't care if we use some of our technologies in the outside world. I won't reveal them the existence of Yakana just yet, but I don't want your stupid politics to hinder our plans to save our nation." Braum asked and replied.

Braum's voice turns sharp and menacing. Kelvin then starts to explain.

"General Kraus thought you would say that Prince Braum. Yes, we are prepared to use some, but not all, of our equipment. For starters, we won't be bringing our mechs there. Instead, for protection, we are going to use the newest exoskeleton that is integrated with our clothing to boost our strength and defense.

As for how we will get there, one of our stealth airplanes will take us to the eastern border of Estalia. We would have to walk or find a ride to the capital, which is around 452 kilometers from the border. After convincing them to go back, we would have to return to the border where we will use our communication device to contact home base to pick us up.

For our equipment, we are going to bring a vibrosword, which is a vibrating sword that can cut through anything, and a standard issue magic handgun powered by our mana-" Kelvin explained.

Braum interrupts Kelvin due to his curiosity again.

"-Speaking of Mana, don't you guys use magic around here? Actually, my father taught me some magic incantations when I was in the forest like one for opening my boulder house." Braum asked.

"Your Majesty, let me explain-" Urada answered.

The one who answers is Urada instead.

"We don't technically use magic. Instead, we use mana to power our mechs and weaponry. The people of the continent use old magic that uses incantations to produce a variety of different effects. The magic that your father taught you were one of them." Urada explained.

"I see. Thank you Urada." Braum said.

Still curious, Braum asks another question.

"Wait, why do we have to walk again? Can't we just use a vehicle?" Braum asked.

"I apologize Your Majesty, but General Kraus already had a hard time getting approval for the inclusion of some technologies in our equipment but he couldn't get the approval for vehicle use in fear of it being stolen or lost," Kelvin answered.

"Am I really the king here? Does my voice matter at all? *sigh* alright I'll deal with that after I return. Once I'll get Toziro back, I'll do a full reformation of the current system." Braum said dejectedly.

Braum's words surprised everyone in the room, especially Niko, whose face seems to lights up at his words.

"Right. What's next?" Braum prompted Kelvin to carry on.

Kelvin continues his explanation.

"Where was I? Right. We would bring our vibrosword and magic handguns for our weapons. We will also bring a variety of equipment inside our bags. In case of an emergency, we also have a panic button on our communication device which would send in a mech right away." Kelvin continued.

"Why don't I just press the button right away as soon as we arrive in the capital?" Braum said jokingly.

"I would prefer you not doing that Your Majesty!" Kelvin replied with an urgent tone.

Kelvin's face starts to become a bit flustered but Braum starts laughing instead.

"Hahahaha I'm just joking Kelvin I'm not that stupid. Is that it?" Braum asked.

"That is correct Your Majesty. We will see you in the palace's courtyard tomorrow morning." Kelvin answered.

"Then see ya!" Braum said.

Braum exited the room and heads to his room. For the rest of the day, he spent his time surfing the channels of the picture box where he watched different shows and the news. He was too lazy to study today so he went straight to bed after dinner. Tomorrow is an important day.