A journey to the north-east (1)

"Your bill would be 20 Ven. Thank you for choosing Lune Inn for your stay. Come again soon." In his usual tone, Gael managed them at the counter. It was very obvious that Gael paid attention to the pair since the Inn had many visitors yet was served by different workers every time. Perhaps he felt some sort of attachment to them.

"I'm sure we'll meet again someday." Acre said. Gael felt assured for some reason. The man radiated a warm and calming sensation that he was unable to explain in words. In short, Gael felt familiar with Acre.

"We'll get going now."

For some unknown reason, Gael wished they could stay for a little longer. However, people come and go. It was a reality he learned.

"You've been to Marchaera City before?" Levinte asked. He already knew the answer but still wanted to know more.

Without answering directly, Acre began to recount his experience. "I visited there when I was a kid. I passed through Lune Inn on the way. Have you heard about the tale of Empress Irene?"

Irene Eula Nore was Empress of Machaera from her marriage with Emperor Euluc Gertrud. Their famous tragic love story is still well-known.

"She's the one who became the empress twice right? After her divorce from Emperor Euluc, she came back even more powerful. So cool." Levinte said, less surprised by Acre's response since he already expected the extraordinary from the man.

"Correct. I guess history wrote them down accurately this time."

Levinte only sighed. He was too tired to put up too much of a fuss. Of course, the man was going to say something like that. Acre looked at the boy with a smile, he figured that the boy must have accepted some of the facts even if it did sound unnatural, judging from what he sensed.

Machaera City, Machaera Empire, Tervania.

The city of swords and the dwelling of the Gertrud dynasty lineage. Legend has it that the first sword forged is located here, which was originally a village of swordsmiths and it slowly expanded into a great nation.

"Are you going to buy me a sword?" Levinte asked as a joke. What on earth could they possibly gain here except for something related to swords?

"Maybe, but the main objective here is to find the empress."

The boy could almost feel his heart jumping out. "Huh?! You've got to be kidding me! You know you can't just visit the royals casually. Second, it's embarrassing! What, you're going to tell her about the history of swords? Nonsense!" Levinte kept on protesting nonstop but he still followed Acre around who was looking at a display of swords.

"Hey, mister!" Levinte shouted, desperate to gain his attention.

"Relax, we aren't going to visit the empress casually. Tomorrow is Gertrud Bouquet Day, which means we have a chance to meet Her Majesty."

In ancient times, gifting swords was a way to strengthen relationships with other nations, in other words, to increase the empire's sphere of influence. Thus, swords originating from the empire had spread worldwide. Gertrud Bouquet Day is the day when people from other nations, especially distinguished people, can show a sword that has a historical record with the Gertrud dynasty. Visitors can choose to sell the sword to the royal family with a tremendous selling price or choose to keep it, most choose the former.

"Do you have something to show them?"

"Of course." Acre sounded very confident. "But first, let's find a place to stay and settle our belongings. Then we'll go shopping."

It was unexpected and surprising that Acre chose a deluxe hotel for their stay. Levinte was not involved in the payment process but he knew that it was not cheap. After that, they entered a sophisticated shop filled with fancy clothes which cost an arm and a leg. The cheapest one Levinte saw was 5000 Ven, causing him to pray internally.

Levinte whispered to Acre. "Just so you know, I don't have enough savings to buy these clothes. Don't even think about sharing money with me, I spent my whole life saving what I have now."

"How can I let a kid buy things for an adult? Don't worry, I have much more than you think." Acre smirked.

They ended up choosing blue and white themed outfits, mainly because Acre was the one who was paying wholely, thus the boy did not dare to interrupt. Levinte could only cry internally when he heard the total price. Acre refused to look casual for their visit to the royal palace.

"Things are kinda expensive now, back in my day a piece of these should've cost only 200 Ven. Anyhow, we'll look good in these outfits!" Acre boasted. "Yeah yeah." Levinte sighed, scared to face the next day.

Brows furrowed and eyes wide open, Levinte did not have a good night's sleep. His stiff legs shook uncontrollably while thinking about what he was going to face for the next hour. He sat on his bed for a while, his mind thinking of a myriad of plans if anything were to go wrong.

When Levinte heard a knock on the door, his heart pounded even more vigorously and he darted toward the door to open it, revealing a beaming Acre.

"Good morning." Acre said. "You should relax a bit. You've been so nervous for the whole night I can feel it from the next room."

"How can I?! I don't even know what kind of sword you're going to show them. Do you have something so valuable? What is it!" Levinte panicked.

"Calm down, I'm very sure that this antique is worth our visit. You'll need to follow me if you want to see it."

Groaning, Levinte had no choice but to follow the man. His natural curiosity was what kept him going.

"Since when did you request an audience?" Levinte said in a low voice. He sat awkwardly in a room full of people wearing lush outfits, waiting to enter a grand hall.

"As I said, I've prepared everything that we need to do. All you have to do is trust me and follow me."

Levinte looked at him with a disturbed expression. What have I gotten myself into? He felt that everything was a mistake. Now that he was about to do something he never imagined, he was devoured by anxiety. He could only stare at the scabbard Acre was holding.

When Acre sensed great distress emitting from the boy, he decided to use his ability for once. In a moment, Levinte felt a great wave of solace flushing the discomfort inside his body. His heart rate gradually decreased and he could finally breathe properly. Not long after, someone approached them and guided them into a hallway where they were requested to walk until they reached a massive door.

Looking at what was in front of him, Levinte drew a deep breath before the guards announced their arrival. As his eyes blinked, the door opened, revealing a beautiful lady with stunning red hair under a shimmering chandelier.

"Is it an honor to be in your presence, your Majesty." Acre greeted with a slight bow, with Levinte silently following his action beside him.

The empress smiled and nodded, which was a signal to settle themselves.

"Your Majesty, my name is Acre and this is my assistant, Levi. I want to show you a sword that was given to me by the late Empress Irene."

With a pounding heart rate, Levinte peeked at Acre. He was equally shocked as the empress. Given to him? Empress Irene died many centuries ago. The empress replied with skepticism. "Given to you? By my ancestor herself?"

Levinte wanted to dig a hole and hide himself.

"Yes," Acre answered calmly. Seeing her perplexed look, he unsheathed the sword and presented a beautifully honed weapon forged from some strange crystal with a fierce blue light.

Mesmerized, the empress reached out to touch it. She carefully traced the outline with her delicate fingers. "Beautiful." She whispered. "But you stated that this was given to you directly by Empress Irene who existed centuries ago."

Acre remained his smile. "I believe that Your Majesty possesses a remarkable knowledge regarding the world. You know that these things do happen."

The moment lasted just long enough for an uncomfortable silence to descend between them.

They waited until the empress broke the stillness. "I must say this is quite unexpected. Nevertheless, the sword you've shown me was astonishing. Do you have any other request?"

"I have no other requests. I'm just here to show the sword to its true master. However, I still wish to keep it as a present."

"Were you close with her?" The empress inquired.

Acre nodded and confidently answered, "Yes."

The empress was taken aback by his boldness, eyes musing on him. Then she glanced at Levinte which gave the boy a slight fright. "I see. Very well, I shall let you keep it since she gave it to you personally. Let's meet again tomorrow, I shall write an official letter for you."