Inconvenient Nobles

The next three days went without incident. It seemed the closer and closer they got to the north, the less dense it became. While trees still surrounded them, there had been many more gaps and clearings along the road. With fewer places to hide, and considering how close to the capital they were now, the less likely for bandits to be present.

Going farther north also meant that the land was beginning to chill. Although it was summer, the nights became increasingly chilled the farther up they traveled. Instead of feeling like summer, it felt more like fall. Luckily, one of the gifts the merchants had provided was warmer clothing.

Idris had complained to him that human bodies were too susceptible to the changes of weather. According to him, their dragon bodies would have little issue in the cold or heat. Emre could only tell him that they had to deal with it for now.

Despite the potion Raina had provided, Emre and her still ignored one another after he gave a meager thanks. Elayna, on the other hand, was happily friendly to everyone including him. He had learned that her fiancé was actually the Lieutenant that had provided reinforcements to Carlowe's company.

Apparently, it was an arrangement made between their fathers when they were still young. Although it was a betrothal promise, Elayna seemed to care about him and didn't mind it. She seemed to argue with her father often, however, which had led to her stowing away in the first place.

According to her, they had sent a letter by bird discretely to him to let him know of her whereabouts. She had made a bet with Raina on whether or not he would meet them in Bacsi City, which was the City that they would arrive at in the afternoon. Emre was a bit on edge on the possibility of meeting one of the Counts of this Kingdom.

They had agreed to travel with this group the entire way to the capital to get their full pay. Of course, he was sure Elayna would still pay them appropriately if they ended up separating beforehand. She seemed too kind to pull off a scam like that. It was unprecedented.

Either way, the possibility of it was still a bit nerve-wracking given that things like this didn't really matter as much in his world. He had ended up asking Ragan about the proper etiquette to show to a noble. Ragan taught him and Idris the basis of it throughout the three days of travel. Basic things like the intricacies of greetings and bowing.

They would not be able to greet a noble first and must be approached first unless invited. And apparently, how deep one bowed, depended on the status of the one being bowed to. To be honest, it wasn't hard to learn, just tedious. It wasn't that much different from his world.

The main difference of it all in his opinion is that disrespecting someone in his past world wasn't courting death. Here it could have several determinants which he wasn't exactly keen on experiencing. As a dragon, this wouldn't be as important, but since they were parading as humans, for now, it was best to keep to the social acceptances of humans.

Now it was almost midday as they continued moving. The closer they got the more they could see other people coming and going from their road. The trees opened up and a wide expanse of land stretched out before them with beautiful fruit trees dotted here and there.

In the distance he could see a large stone wall that served as a sturdy defense, surrounding the city. He couldn't even see the tops of the buildings. The most noticeable things were the two massive towers that stood on either side of an open iron gate. It would still take them a few minutes to get there, but excitement began to bubble up in Emre's chest.

He had only ever been to a big city once. He was a country boy through and through. Living in a small town, the village they had just been in was more familiar to someone like him. Cities were daunting places with people and noise everywhere. In his small town, practically everyone knew one another. Everyone went to the same schools and the same stores.

He was very curious as to how it would be like in a fantasy city. Would it be like in the movies and books? One thing he knew for sure, is that it would be a far different experience seeing it in person rather than on a screen or page. He just hoped it wouldn't be overwhelming.

The closer and closer they got, Emre started to feel his hope drifting away. There was no way he wasn't going to be overwhelmed. From a distance, it hadn't seemed that large, but now they were right up next to it, his excitement began to dwindle into anxiety.

There were going to be so many types of people and places to see. He made sure his dragon detection wasn't active and decided to just stick to feeling auras unless he wanted to see the mana of someone specific.

Emre could see several guards at either side of the gate, checking through people's cargo and appearances. They were keeping note of everyone that was leaving and entering with meticulous precision.

When it was their turn Emre began to enhance his hearing to hear what was going to be said. Elayna must have popped her head out at the front because he could hear her voice.

"Hello! My name is Elayna Regala! It'd be great if we could be let through quickly." She said.

"R-Regala?" The guard sounded stunned but then continued. "Ah, of course. Your father is waiting for you, so if you could please come with me."

Elayna let out a sigh. "Alright." She had lost the bet.

The group was let through without needing to check the carriage or the identities of the party. The area was mostly open with stone streets. A cacophony of sound came from all sides. There were three directions to go. The one that led farther into the city was littered with storefronts and people shouting out their wares to the people that entered the city.

"Then please follow me." The guard stated.

"Ah, hold on a moment." Elayna said.

Moving to the back of the carriage, Emre watched her blonde head pop through the tan canopy.

"Everyone else go find an inn to stay at and do what you want. We're going to relax in the city for a bit. I'll rejoin you all once my own business is over." She said.

The mercenaries all nodded along with Emre's group. They would be able to turn in their horses to stable until they were ready to move again. Then they could all go sightseeing and shopping.

"Ah, but…" She became a bit uneasy. "Emre… could you come with me?"

She was smiling but it looked a bit apologetic and Emre's mood changed from city anxiety to annoyance. Was he not going to be able to experience the chaos of the city without first being dragged away to meet a noble for whatever reason?

"I promise it's nothing bad." She added, noticing his expression change.

He could reject it and get along with his life, or he could accept it and be subject to whatever Elayna had in plan. There was also the possibility of this coming to bite him in the back later if he didn't go if this was something important. That was the last thing he needed.

'I can go with.' Idris mentioned.

"Fine… but Idris has to come as well." Emre then reluctantly agreed with his condition.

"That's fine!" Her face lit up.

If anything went wrong or if this was a trap, Idris would be there to help. Ragan looked at him with a bit of concern but gave his shoulder a quick pat of what Emre assumed to be good luck. Emre could only sigh in response as the rest of the group separated from them.

Elayna disappeared back into the carriage as it started moving again. Emre and Idris trailed behind. There were so many scents and sounds and other things that he could be doing right now. But no, he had agreed to be dragged off to see a noble without any explanation.

They were moving along the road that forked off to the right. The roads were wide and long, leaving plenty of room for people to move around without anything getting congested. It was actually a bit surprising at the sheer size of this place.

The farther they went down the road, the stores became houses and the road became a bit smaller. Emre guessed they had entered a residential area. They went through for quite a while, the houses slowly becoming more and more large and extravagant, surrounded by fences.

They had likely entered the rich neighborhood. Yards became wider and more space was taken for gardens and flamboyant entranceways. Eventually, they stopped at one house. Like the other houses, it was basically a mansion with a large circular driveway… or rather, a carriageway?

A guard went forward to the building, likely to inform the Count who was probably inside. If he was just visiting to meet up with his daughter, would this area be a guest place for nobles who came by? Or were each of these houses owned by the nobles? Regardless, it would only be a dream of his to have a home like this.

Glancing at Idris, he seemed equally as impressed with raised brows. If things looked like this here, he wondered what the hell the capital would be like. He felt really shabby compared to this place, but even Elayna was wearing commoner clothes right now.

Pulling up to the house, Raina and Elayna exited the carriage just as two people, followed by some servants exited the building. The large doors opened with a loud creak and they both began to walk confidently down to the opened gate to meet them.

One of the older men was wearing a fancy black outfit with blue and white accents. His hair resembled the bright blonde of Elayna's and he was clean-shaven with bright green eyes. Without a doubt, the man had to be Elayna's father.

The one next to him was actually wearing a full set of armor. It was a dazzling white with gold and blue accents intricately carved into it along with a large symbol marking the breastplate.

With no helmet on, however, Emre could see that he had short light brown hair and blue eyes. He had a full, well-kept beard and a kind-looking face that would make you think for sure that you would be safe around him. There wasn't even a visible weapon on his person, only a shield that adorned his back.

Emre and Idris had quickly dismounted and stood off to the side, unsure what to do as the well-dressed man began to speak.

"Elayna Regala, you are in trouble." He said with a serious tone as if he were about to scold a child.

"I was safe." She retorted.

Meanwhile, Raina had bowed respectfully to both men.

"Raina." The armored man greeted her with a gentle smile.

"Hello, father." She answered.

Emre's gaze sharpened as he focused on the man she had called father. As he focused, he didn't even have to use his dragon detection to realize why he had been getting an odd vibe from the man. Now that he knew who the man was, he realized that what he was feeling was a strong holy presence. Like a God's power was hovering over him at all times.

This man was the Paladin of Tirian. Emre's anxiety skyrocketed and he clenched his fists, his brows furrowing as he looked upon him. Although he was Raina's father, he did not have pointed ears. Emre could only assume that Raina was actually a half-elf.

Idris was already highly alert and on-guard. When he noticed Emre's nerves he became even stiffer, his stoic face as emotionless as a board as he stared toward the four nobles.

Elayna and her father dove into a small argument, but Raina and the Paladin seemed quite normal as if this was a regular occurrence.

"We brought the person I mentioned in my letter." Raina then looked toward Emre and Idris.

A letter? It must have been sent when Emre and Idris weren't paying attention. Raina was just finding all the best ways to piss him off. Not only that, but Elayna had colluded with her by asking him to come with them. These damn nobles.

"Ah, yes, you said that he had a similar feeling like me?" He asked as he looked up toward them.

Then his expression froze. Emre could see his lips press together as his jaw clenched shut. He looked like he had just seen a ghost. It only made Emre feel worse. Then the man seemed to regain his composure as he stiffly walked over to them. Emre resisted the urge to back away.

Clearing his throat, the Paladin then stood with his legs together and leaned his upper body forward, falling into a deep bow. Now Emre was shocked. A bow like this was only meant for people of much higher status according to what Ragan had taught them.

The Regala's noticed and all three nobles, including the guards, servants, and Emre were stunned into silence. Idris's face hadn't changed much other than his brow lifting slightly. Raina on the other hand, looked like she wanted to throw up. If her father was bowing like this, just who had she offended?

Pulling himself back up, the Paladin let a nervous smile grace his features. Emre corrected his facial expression but didn't say anything. He wasn't sure what to say since not only had he not expected to meet the Paladin so soon, and he was also just bowed to like he was some higher-up noble. The Paladin then quickly spoke up.

"Greetings, my name is Breton Maller. I am the Paladin of Tirian." He introduced himself, hastily putting his hand out.

Emre hesitantly took it and shook his hand. "My name is Emre."

"It's an honor to meet someone so esteemed. When my daughter informed me that she had met someone with a holy presence like my own, I did not expect to meet a holy being." Although his words seemed like he was sucking up, his tone made it sound more like he was just shocked.

Emre wanted to cringe at every single word that came from his mouth though. Everyone in the area was listening and this man had just ousted him as a 'holy being'. He wasn't exactly wrong either, and that was the issue. As a Radiant Dragon, he was indeed a holy type being. Even so, he didn't want everyone in this damn area to know!

Besides, what was he seeing from Emre that he was able to deduce that fact? Did it have something to do with how Emre was also able to sense a holy presence around this man? Tirian, why was this a thing?

"Had we known you were arriving, we could have made more formal arrangements." He ended up continuing.

Emre lifted his hand to stop him and he immediately closed his mouth. At least he listened well. Emre would try his best to act properly so he didn't disappoint Breton's expectations.

"As much as I appreciate the thought, I am trying to be inconspicuous right now." Emre stated.

"Ah, I see." He looked increasingly nervous. "My apologies."

"It's fine." He dismissed before looking to Idris. "This is my companion, Idris. If we are able to go inside to talk in a more private setting, that would be best."

Breton quickly shook Idris's hand and nodded. "Yes, of course." He then turned to Count Regala.

"Ah, I am Aldrich Regala. It's nice to meet you both." He gave an awkward smile and also shook both of their hands.

Breton then began to lead them inside with the other three uneasy nobles following behind. As much as he wished he could just drop this situation and leave, it was inevitable that he would have to meet Breton anyway. Might as well use him for his own benefit now.

The servants opened the doors, the first sight being the large foyer. Two sets of staircases with pale golden rails circled up to the balcony that circled along the walls and overlooked the foyer on the second floor.

It was surprisingly bright in this room, the sun beaming in from a massive half-opaque window with extravagant designs that covered the center area of the wall atop the balcony. Just under the balcony, on the first floor, was a glass double door with the same half-opaque designs dancing upon it.

A sky blue carpet started at the door and ran up, splitting in the middle to flow up both the staircases. Under the carpet was a beautiful white marble floor with what seemed to be flecked with gold hues. The walls were also all white.

Everything here complimented Breton's white, blue, and gold armor. Should Emre change into his dragon form in this room, he would also surely look like he belonged here. Even his true human form would look dazzling in here if he were wearing something that wasn't all black.

In fact, this place gave him such a homey feeling he couldn't help but feel his muscles relax a bit. This must not be Aldrich's visiting home, but instead Breton's. Even though it felt homey, he felt out of place in it as well. It was an odd feeling.

Breton led them up the right staircase and through an archway to the right that led into a long hall. They walked all the way to the end of the hall where a white door opened up into a cozy room that looked similar to a study.

Again, the room was mostly white aside from the floor being a sky blue carpet. In the middle of the room sat a tea table with two pale yellow couches on either side. At the head of the room were two massive glass double doors that Emre assumed lead out into an outdoor balcony.

There were a few plants and pictures on the walls, but other than a dresser and large bookcase off to the left and a tea area off to the right, it was a relatively simple study. It was likely made for private audiences like this as well as a quiet time to get work done for the head of the house.

"Feel free to sit as you please." Breton said with a smile upon his face, gesturing to the two couches.

Emre and Idris sat on one couch while Breton and Aldrich sat on the other. Raina and Elayna stood respectively behind their fathers, their hands folded in front of them. The carriage driver had also actually followed them in. Emre didn't know if he could trust any of these people aside from Idris.

The carriage driver acted as a servant and began to brew some tea off to the side of the room.

'How much do you think we should tell them?' Emre asked Idris.

'I think we should answer any questions truthfully but not tell them that we are dragons.' Idris answered. 'We should also make them take oaths to not reveal any information.'

Emre gave a small nod to Idris before looking to the nobles. It was questionable whether they would want to take oaths, but they wouldn't get any information without doing it. And not telling them that they were also dragons would keep them safer given that their true strengths would be hidden even if they revealed that they could use holy magic.

"Sir Emre, I hope I am not overstepping my bounds here, but I do have a few questions." Breton started.

"Just Emre is fine." He responded before leaning back into the soft couch. "Before we talk, however, I would like to know if you are all willing to put your well-being on the line for the sake of knowing any information we tell you."

"Our well beings?" Raina questioned with narrowed eyes.

"Yes, we will not tell anything to anyone who does not agree."

"Can we know the specifics?" Aldrich butted in.

"Hm, for example. You will make a magical oath that if you break, you will lose your sight. Again, this is just an example. If you all make this oath, the requirements for us are that you will lose all of your senses. Not just your sight." Emre glanced at Idris who agreed with the prerequisites with a small nod.

"All of our senses…" Aldrich breathed out.

"Of course, if you do not want to take this risk then you will have to leave the room while we tell those who do. If none of you want to, then we'll just leave." Emre shrugged.

They seemed to be deliberating the possibilities. Breton could see the intense holy presence around Emre. So much so that it almost felt suffocating to be around him. As if he were standing in front of a God themself. Since this was the case, Breton thought it was very unlikely that he would do anything out of ill will.

"I will take this oath." Breton agreed after weighing his options.

The three others agreed after Breton, but the carriage driver shook his head. Emre accepted this and waited for him to leave the room after providing the tea he had brewed before continuing.

Emre flicked his finger and a small golden shimmer came from his hand as he cast Barrier on the room. "Perfect, now, I will do the oath for two and Idris will do the other two."

"Okay, what do we need to do?" Breton asked, wondering what the shimmer had been for.

"We'll do you first as a guide if you're okay with that Breton."

He nodded so Emre leaned forward. "Alright."

Casting Divine Oath, a small golden chain-link appeared between the two of them. The nobles looked a bit nervous as they stared at the chain. Breton seemed to look more determined after a moment after he realized that this was definitely some type of radiant magic.

"Repeat after me." He would be making this oath a bit complex.

Nodding, Breton would repeat everything he said.

"I vow to Tirian, that any information revealed to me today by Emre and Idris will not be spoken about to anyone that is not in this room. Should this information be told to anyone not currently present, directly or indirectly, may all of my senses be ripped away."

With that, the chain link wrapped around the Paladin's arm. He blinked at where it had disappeared, but since he was wearing armor currently, he wouldn't be able to look at the tattoo that he had just gained.

"It's that simple. Also, we will remove the oaths from you if the information ends up public in the end." Emre said before looking at Idris.

"I will do the next one." Idris said as he looked directly at Aldrich.

Aldrich looked uneasy as the stoic man looked at him with emotionless eyes but nodded.

"You must vow to Animor instead of Tirian for me." Idris then added.

Both Breton and Raina's eyes flashed in realization. So the other holy feeling was another God. If two people who were able to cast holy magic were together, how severe was the actual situation? The two ruling Gods were involved… So what were they about to learn?

Aldrich nodded and he made the vow as well. Idris also had Raina vow to Animor while Elayna was to Tirian. Once everyone was done, Emre felt satisfied.

"Alright, you had questions?"