Exploration

Fredrick was kind enough to give Andrew three days of rest, for him to freshen his mind and enjoy the sights and sounds of the city. He proudly walked the streets of Ronheim with his new shiny sword, and those around him gave him looks of admiration, awed at the young swordsman.

Andrew had gotten an allowance of fifty bronzes in these three days. Exploring the large city, his worldview widened exceptionally. While he had been in Ronheim for a few days already, he had never taken the time to appreciate the grandeur of it. He went around the market areas, to the residential areas, and found a district of bungalows. As he took one step in the compound, his head slammed against a magic barrier. "Ouch." That was an obvious symbol to leave, and he went to other places.

Ronheim had an area of hundreds of square kilometres, so its terrain was obviously not uniform everywhere. There were hilly areas which not many buildings were built on, but he did see a nice, vast archery range there. Andrew went to various big stores around the city, but a store called the Royal Magic Emporium impressed him the most. It was ran directly by the Kingdom of Pagia (sadly, as Pagia focused more heavily on magic, there was no Royal Sword Emporium). Obviously, it contained the highest quality magic equipment - they were not just powerful, but looked stunning as well. Andrew stared at an ancient-looking oak wand with exquisite design, before looking at its price tag and walking away intimidated.

The Royal Magic Emporium was an extremely high-end shop, and its location was right in the centre of Pagia, where the rich and powerful resided. Every building and compound here was majestic, even more majestic than the usual buildings at Ronheim.

Of course, when Andrew got to the core of Ronheim, he could not ignore the elephant in the room. A large portion of the city was naturally elevated, and on the top of the hill was a castle. It was a couple kilometres away from Andrew, but its size could be easily made out from this distance. Within a large radius of the castle, there were completely no buildings with the exception of the external castle walls, patrolled by hundreds of soldiers on top. The winding path to the top of the castle was wide but empty. Andrew slowly climbed it, admiring the scenery along the way. As he climbed and climbed, he noticed something off. It was extremely subtle, and he barely noticed it, but he noticed it nevertheless

For every step he took, there seemed to be two footstep sounds??

Confused, Andrew looked to the right. There was nothing there. He looked to the left, and all of a sudden, he noticed someone was walking right beside him.

Huh???

He looked at the young man, who was taking a leisurely stroll beside him. It seemed like he was there all along, even though Andrew had only just noticed him.

"You noticed me already. That's quite impressive," the young man said with a smile on his face. He was very handsome, and thick, luxurious mage robes covered his body, with the royal crest of Pagia sewn in at the centre.

Andrew examined him closer and noticed that space seemed to bend around him. His whole body seemed fluid and incorporeal - Andrew got the impression that he could teleport freely - and his mastery of magic was clearly at a freakishly high level. He was by far the most powerful person Andrew had seen before. Even the Intermediate Swordsman who had caused the ground to shake outside the walls of Ronheim paled in comparison to him.

"Greetings, Sir Mage. Might I be of assistance?"

Andrew immediately performed the greeting which his master taught him.

"Oh, of course not. I just noticed that you have quite some power in you despite your young age. I can feel your body's energy. I'm guessing you should have reached the level of Sword Novice already?"

"I should have, but I haven't been certified yet."

Andrew was referring to the certification by the Swordsman Association, the most established authority for swordsmen. You needed a certification to confirm your power and receive certain privileges - for example, he heard that all official Swordsmen were entitled to a free house at any city in the Kingdom.

"Oh, you haven't got the certification yet. Would you like one?"

"Well, my master instructed me to get one soon."

The mage nodded. A pitch-black crack appeared on his right, and he put his hand inside the crevice. After a few seconds, he took out his hand and revealed a silver-rimmed card with one star on it - the official designation for a Sword Novice.

"Your power is definitely sufficient to pass the exam, so I've gotten it for you. Consider this a favour in view of your talent."

"Thank you, Sir Mage." Andrew said respectfully. That move was so cool, he thought. The mage must have been a spatial mage, and a very powerful one at that.

"Now, why were you climbing up this path? Do you know it's forbidden to approach the Marquis' Castle?" He said, a little more sternly this time.

"I'm really sorry. I was just exploring, and this is my first time here."

"I see - you can't be blamed, then. Alright kid, I'll send you off, then. Work hard, and perhaps you can join me in the Royal Guards in the future."

The world turned dark, and then light again. Andrew was no longer on the middle of the path, instead at the start of it. In an instant, he had teleported a few hundred metres. He heaved a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the mage was very friendly to him, and even gave him a certification, saving much time for him.

That said, the Royal Guards seemed like an awesome place to be in. He heard that it was the most elite troop in the kingdom. The lowest requirement was to be at the level of an Intermediate Swordsman - and that was just to be eligible for the entrance exam. They were given the most benefits of any soldiers, and dedicated their lives to protecting noble and great figures like the Marquis, ensuring the safety of the kingdom.

Magic seems much cooler than swordsmanship… Andrew lamented. He wondered what would happen if he had a talent in magic instead of the sword, and where he would be now.

He was quite tired after a long day's adventure, and went back to Fredrick's place not long after, telling him all about the mage he had met today.

Even though Fredrick had agreed to give him three days' rest, Andrew already started training on the second day. He had enough fun already, and wished to quickly learn and master the two sword techniques he had bought from the sword shop. He woke up early next morning to train.