Duchy

While Lucius was walking in the corridor, making his way towards his magic training, Elina's voice came from behind him.

"Lucius, wait a sec," Elina called out.

"Yes, mother?" Lucius turned to reply to Elina.

Elina was standing behind Lucius with Athena and Leona.

"Lucius, do you want to come with us outside to see the market and area of this duchy?" Elina asked.

"I have to do my magic training," Lucius replied.

"You've been training every single day, so just take today off and come with us. You've never been outside of the duke's mansion in these 8 years. Just for today, come and see what the outside world looks like," Elina tried to convince Lucius.

"Fine, I'll come with you," Lucius replied.

"Then come fast, the wagon is ready."

Five minutes later, Lucius came and sat inside the wagon with his mother and sisters.

The wagon left the duke's mansion gate.

After crossing a small forest and a bridge over the river, the wagon arrived at the gate of the main city under the rule of Serpentstrike.

Two knights were traveling with the wagon to guard the duke's family.

As they entered the gate, a marvelous city unfolded before them. The city was a bustling and colorful spectacle. Stalls lined the streets, overflowing with exotic fruits, shimmering gemstones, and enchanted trinkets. Vendors called out to passersby, their voices blending with the lively chatter of shoppers. Aromas of spices and freshly baked pastries filled the air, enticing visitors to sample the diverse culinary delights on offer. Musicians serenaded the crowd with melodies that seemed to dance on the breeze, adding to the vibrant atmosphere. Amidst the hustle and bustle, street performers captivated audiences with their mesmerizing displays of dance and skill.

The wagon stopped near the Adventurers Guild.

"Mother, why are we stopping here?" Lucius asked.

"Just follow me," Elina said.

Everyone left the wagon, and as they walked a little distance, they arrived at the front of a boutique.

"Lucius, this is where we are going today," Elina said.

"Why do we have to go to a boutique of all places today?" Lucius asked.

"We need new clothes, and Athena and Leona wanted some proper clothes for their weapon and martial arts training. We will buy a set of clothes for you too. Let's go inside," Elina said.

As they entered the boutique, a lady approached them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Duchess," the lady greeted Elina.

"If you had asked me, I would have visited the mansion. Why did you travel so far?" the lady said to Elina.

"Well, I wanted to show the kids how the duchy looks like, so I thought of buying some new clothes for the kids and visited your store," Elina replied.

"And you are the owner of this shop and my academic friend, so stop these formalities," Elina said.

"Mother, who is she?" Lucius asked.

"Well, Lucius, she is my academic friend, Margaret Valentine. She's also the owner of this boutique, a merchant, and she has many boutiques in this empire. She's also one of the richest ladies of this empire," Elina explained.

"Kids, don't mind her. I'm not such a big shot. I didn't have the talent for magic, but I was good at creating things. So Elina gave me the idea to start a boutique, and she will become my model and brand ambassador. After some time, my boutique became famous. She even made a special logo and a special name for my shop that represents me and my brand ambassador," Margaret said to the kids.

"What type of special logo and name?" Lucius asked with curiosity.

"It's a logo featuring a half moon with a tranquil mountain range nestled inside, a charming house nestled amidst the peaks, and a shining star positioned above the landscape within the crescent. The name was Black Moon," Margaret explained.

"Thank you for explaining it to us," Lucius said to Margaret.

"Mother, now I'm going outside to see around, and don't worry, I will take one knight with me. You select and buy clothes for me. There's no need for me to stay here. Bye, I am going," Lucius left at a fast pace so Elina couldn't stop him.

"This kid, he never stays at one place," Elina said to herself.

"Leona, go give this pouch of gold coins to your brother and tell him to buy anything he wants," Elina gave a pouch full of gold coins to Leona.

Leona rushed after Lucius to give him the coins. She met Lucius at the door of the boutique, talking to the knights.

"Here, mother gave this for you. She said buy anything you want," Leona handed out the gold coins to Lucius and went inside the boutique again.

"Sir Knight, shall we go see different places other than the boutique?" Lucius said to the knight.

"This way, young master," the knight led the way to show Lucius around the city.

"Young master, please call me by my name, Jasper," the knight said to Lucius.

"Then, Sir Jasper, show me every beautiful place and different items this place has to offer," Lucius said to the knight.

"With pleasure, young master," Jasper said and started to show every popular shop that the city has. He showed a teleportation portal at the center of the city that connects with the Royal Capital, different restaurants, weapon shops, and jewelry shops.

"I think this much should be enough for today, Sir Jasper. Let's head back," Lucius said to the knight.

"Sure, young master," the knight replied.

While they were making their way back to the boutique, they crossed the residential area of the city.

A girl bumped into Lucius, and they both fell down.

"Are you okay, young master?" Knight asked out of worry.

"I am fine," Lucius replied.

The girl lying in front of Lucius had red hair, green eyes, wearing ragged clothes, covered in mud and dust. She was young but older than Lucius, yet she was shining bright.

"I am sorry, sir, please forgive," the girl said and started to run.

"She's quite a cute thief," Lucius murmured to himself.

Lucius extended his hand to make it look like he was holding something. He released his mana, turned the wind around him into the same shape as his hand, and grabbed the girl.

"What's happening? Why can't I run?" the girl flustered.

Lucius came in front of the girl.

"Before you take your leave, you should at least return the things that belong to its original owner," Lucius said and retrieved his money from her.

"I am sorry, please forgive me. I was hungry. Please, sir, leave me. Don't make me a slave or kill me, please," the girl begged Lucius for forgiveness.

"So, this world has slaves too," Lucius thought Inside his mind

"Stop that. You have stolen something, then you have to pay the price for that," Lucius tried to intermediate the girl

The girl was more afraid of the little boy in front of her than the knight behind the boy.