Letter

It took two minutes to explain everything. Magus had overlooked this Raks and it had left the territory of the tower. Once in a while such an accident happens. Magus of Raza covered the cost of the destroyed things, paid compensation for the injured and killed, and even replaced the carriages with new ones. Zonna and Etiene spent two days in Raza and then continued on their way. Having learned from the earlier attack, they decided not to stop anywhere along the way but to go straight to Raalo.

After crossing the border into Raalo, Zonna asked Sebastios to give her a letter from her father. She waited until Etiene had gone to bed and began to read it.

"Dear daughter, when you read this letter you should cross the Raalo border safely. When your mother's friend Professor Ella Vord wrote to us that she had managed to convince the other members of the committee of your candidacy and you were allowed to take the test, we were very pleased. You know very well that our family has always attached importance to the education of its members. That is why getting into Raalo Academy through you fills us with even more pride.

Together with your mother, we want you to spend a successful five years there, to expand your knowledge with content not available in our country, Balmaszeglodia. You are probably the most intelligent member of our family that has ever lived. Only a place like the Academy will allow you to fully develop and fulfil the potential you have. That way, when you return and are crowned, you will perhaps be the greatest ruler our country has ever had. Remember that the Sochi family always puts the welfare of its subjects first and only a king or queen properly prepared to rule can be a good ruler for his or her Maji. There is no better place on Altea than the Republic of Raalo and its school to make you ready to rule.

It is also important that you take care of your body and weapon skills. Although you will be a queen and no one will require you to stand on the front line in a war, you must be able to fight to be able to defend yourself in case of an unexpected attack. You cannot be defenceless in the face of threats to your life. A defenceless ruler is a dead ruler. Raalo Academy offers some of the best instructors in the use of weapons and hand-to-hand combat. Don't waste this opportunity. Furthermore, if you learn to fight in a particular style, you can later pass it on to our warriors. This will make our army stronger and our subjects safer.

Professor Vord should be able to help you choose the right instructor. Don't shy away from consulting her on various matters. She and your mother are really close and she should not mind helping you. This applies not only in consultations regarding your learning, but also in other matters. Her presence in Raalo allowed us to send you with peace of mind to another country. Otherwise we would have worried all the time, and this way we know that there is someone near you whom we trust.

Ella has also written to your mum saying that she knows a specialist in mana training. He is to look at you and try to help you. Perhaps a new insight will help realise your dream of becoming a mage. As for the magic division, your mother and I have a request for you not to spend all your free time in it. We know that magic is your hobby, but you should also find time for other things.

Now the matter concerning your mana training. We have put all the necessary materials we have collected into the care of Sebastios and Ramza. They hold them in new magical items that we bought. They are called storage rings. They look like ordinary rings with magic marks on them. From what our magis have said they have a space inside where you can store things. The brothers will explain more about it to you. All I know is that mass production of these rings is about to start and looking at their convenience they will spread throughout Altea. Back to your training. You have been given the materials to train once a week for two years. I hope you will make progress in your training. In addition, some of the materials are for Marzee. I know you were planning to fund her training after your coronation anyway. I decided together with your mother and my advisors that the sooner Marzee becomes a mage, the sooner your safety will be increased.

I have also put extra money in the rings, which you can use in any way you like. They are not part of the pot for your upkeep or tuition fees. I believe you will put them to good use. Just remember that before you can use them, you must exchange our Balmas for Reals of the Raalo Republic.

I wish tuition was all you had to worry about. Unfortunately, our country's situation is not the best. Not to mention Bazionia, whose plans for us we know little about, we are bordered by three countries we suspect may be preparing an attack on us. These are: Nyirgyar, Kahaberthia and Balumegradvar.

Our spies have observed increased warrior exercises in these countries. Additionally, there was some rapprochement between these states some time ago. While an attack is ruled out in the near future, the situation may change in a few years. I do not need to mention to you that even one of these countries could defeat us, not to mention three attacking us at the same time.

In view of all this, even before you left, we started probing two possibilities that would ensure the security of our Maya. One of them is to become a protectorate of Bazionia. Enzo will be sent to that country together with our next diplomatic delegation. His task will be to observe the attitude of the royal family there towards possibly supporting us or taking us under their protection. He will then pass on his observations to our experienced diplomats, who will assess how realistic this option is.

The second concept is to try to join the Alliance of Ardea. I would like to entrust this task to you dear daughter. The diplomatic delegation in Raalo will be fully at your disposal. I know that as a father and king, I am irresponsible to entrust such an important mission to a fourteen-year-old. However, I believe that you are the right person for this. You are the most intelligent Maji in the kingdom, plus you have gained experience in dealing with others during your encounters with your subjects. There was not a single disgruntled Maji after talking to you. And the nobles I have spoken to about your negotiation skills highly regard you. I consider this to be sufficient credentials for this diplomatic mission. An additional advantage is that your position as heir to the throne allows you to take your words and promises seriously in your talks with Maji of the Raalo Republic.

You should also try to establish good relations with students coming from the Alliance member states. They are the young generation of elites from these countries. You should especially pay attention to Maji from Sangeria as our families have a common history and their current king, Tomaz, is positive about renewing friendly relations.

I am not giving you any guidelines for this task. I do not want to bind you in the negotiations with rigid arrangements, you are given a free hand in this matter. You know the internal situation of Balmaszeglodia very well and you know what we can afford and what we cannot. We care about military defence even at the expense of a weaker economic position in the alliance. If you receive an acceptable offer I authorise you to accept it. The accreditation, together with my seal, is in Ramza's ring.

I trust you and believe that you will give your best in your task. However, I would like to remind you that you are going there to learn. Don't waste this opportunity because of an incompetent father who has given you a difficult mission. Also remember one thing, you are a child, so you should still have time to play. I love you Zonna, your father."

After reading the letter, Zonna knew she was in for a sleepless night. She had to analyse it all and put together a plan of action. She must make every effort to secure her home, but also not neglect her studies and attempts to increase her mana levels.

As Zonna contemplated the letter she had read, far from her, Enzo arrived in the capital of Bazionia. He had arrived with a diplomatic delegation and had only one task. To observe everything and pass on his observations to the head of the delegation, Anze. He was the old Aisen, whose slight figure under the influence of the years looks as if it is about to fall apart. However, one must not be fooled, for while time had left its marks on the body, the mind of this Maji was still fine.

During the journey, Anze passed on his experience to Enzo, believing that the latter would be a support to Queen Balmaszeglodia in the future. Heading to their destination, Towbury, they met Bazionia's Princess, who was returning to the capital after a stay at her grandparents' estate. The two groups began to travel together. Riza Griff, which was the princess' name, found a thread of understanding with Enzo after he told her about the modernisation of his estate.

At Towbury, the two groups split up, but Riza promised Enzo that she would arrange for the delegation to meet the king. It is standard practice for diplomatic delegations to be received by the heir to the throne, so this promise meant a lot to Anze. Riza's established acquaintance with Enzo, could support Balmaszeglodia's efforts to help him. The old diplomat was pleased with Enzo's actions, which make his task easier, especially since originally the young count was only supposed to observe.