The Journey Commences

“Father…” I muttered.

“You don’t have to say anything yet, Brigach explained everything to me.” He started explaining, “I understand your frustration. I have to admit, I acted immaturely and was inconsiderate,” he added.

“Huh?” I automatically reacted without realising. “What do you mean by that, Father?” I questioned in disbelief at what my ears were hearing.

“I spoke with your mother, with Casilda, and with Brigach a moment ago. I didn’t realise all the things you said were your real desires, your ambitions. I shouldn’t have been trying to discourage them, go against them, but help you and encourage you.”

“What are you trying to say right now?” I questioned in confusion. Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?

“Roza, I will allow you to travel, as long as you take Brigach with you. He will be there to protect you on your journey. I believe you will become a fantastic priestess. I believe in you,” he explained as he put his hand on my shoulder. “You will make me proud, and spread our family name across the country.”

So that was his ulterior motive, just to make our name known across the country. But despite that, I’m surprised he even considered this option in the first place. Auxxy must have said or promised something. I will have to thank him later. For now, I am happy I can continue doing what I want to do without being restricted by my father. I hope Casilda won’t miss me too much…

“Thank you, Father. I will not disappoint you, nor bring shame to our family,” I replied as I bowed before him.

“No need for formalities. Let’s get you out and pack your stuff; you can leave tomorrow morning. I will have a chat with Brigach as well. Let’s get you out of here, and ideally get washed.”

I turned red and looked down at the ground in shame. I didn’t realise I smelled this bad… That means that Auxxy this whole time had to sit with me stinking up the room. I don’t think I can actually face him again anymore… What an embarrassment…

“Yes… let’s go home…” I replied shamefully as I marched out without looking up.

My father finished off talking with Auxxy in the back as I rushed out of the gatehouse. I hope he won’t remember this unladylike smell, given the circumstances I was in.

The moon was high in the sky at this time. I really lost track of time. I wonder if I will even get enough sleep in order to wake up in the morning for the trip… Maybe I should delay it for one day? Or wait, no, my father might change his mind. I can’t drag it out; I need to make it happen as soon as possible, otherwise he will not let me go. This is the one opportunity I am given — I can’t let it go.

I started slowly walking home. The quicker I got there, the quicker I could go to sleep, though I don’t know if I will manage to sleep now. My father is acting weird, almost unlike himself. What could Auxxy have told him to change his mind? Maybe the head priest had something to say? Maybe everyone around him made him realise that this is my only chance to do something in my life… I do wonder why, though. I thought he hated me.

Some minutes passed. My father, with Auxxy beside him, walked out together, still talking. What could they be discussing for so long? What if my father is planning to marry me? Wouldn’t that be insane? But that is common… Am I ready for a wedding though? With Auxxy? Maybe I wouldn’t mind that with him, but would I really? I don’t know… I hope my father hasn’t sold me out this early yet… I don ’t think I am ready to be someone’s wife yet…

“Mr Brigach will escort us home. I believe he will take good care of you on your trip. Be sure to listen to him; he is a wise young man,” my father explained as he patted Auxxy on the back.

I simply nodded in reply while watching Auxxy smile in embarrassment. Maybe he did get forced to marry me… What have I done! I have forced him to marry me… Ahh, this is so embarrassing. How am I supposed to face him on this journey knowing this?

“Roza.” My father called out to me. I approached the both of them with my hands in front of me as I tried to compose myself.

“Yes, Father?” I replied with an awkward tone.

He placed his right hand on my shoulder and looked towards Auxxy, then back at me… WAIT, AM I REALLY GETTING MARRIED? FATHER, WAIT, I’M NOT PREPARED YET!!!

“Be safe out there, Roza, and stick close to Mr Brigach. If my only daughter was ever seriously injured, then I wouldn’t be able to call myself a father.”

…? Eh? Ah oh… Ahhh why did I think that… My mind is going haywire; I have to calm myself. But judging by the way my father is speaking, this really feels like a serious matter. I’ve never seen my father this concerned…

“I understand, Father. I’ll make sure to get there safely without hindrance… I promise,” I assured him as I stared into his eyes.

“I hope so. Now that’s settled, please escort us home, Mr Brigach.” My father let go of my shoulder and turned himself towards Auxxy’s direction.

Auxxy bowed and led the way like the shining knight he is. Well… I wouldn’t mind getting married to him, but then again it’s too early. Wait, what am I thinking?!! I tried to shake my head in hopes of cleansing such thoughts… I think being inside the cage has made me lose my mind… As we continued to walk towards the path, I looked over at Auxxy as he escorted us home.

Each time I took a peek at him, I immediately looked down in fear of him noticing me… Focus, Roza, focus. Please just sleep after this. I wouldn’t want to die of being out of breath. Eventually, after ten minutes of walking, I could see my home getting closer and closer in the distance. Oh, thank goodness we made it home… I could almost smell my resting place waiting.

We headed to the front door and I could already see Casilda, her hands in front with a worried gaze. I know she’s worried for me and I can see that she’s trying to hide it… Finally, we came to a halt. Auxxy bowed to me and my father, and I averted his gaze as I tried to hide my fluttered cheeks.

“I’ll be heading out, Lord Défteros. I will return tomorrow early in the morning to escort Miss Roza.” Then he approached me, and I could feel my cheeks going red. He bowed on one knee. “We will set out tomorrow at 6:00 AM, Miss Roza.” He stood up and we locked eyes for a second and he walked out the door…

As I stared at his back disappearing into the distance, my father gave a small chuckle… I turned to face him and I saw his face looking like it was about to explode with happiness. I turned to Casilda and I saw her with her eyes closed while her hand hovered over her mouth.

“…What are you two up to?” I replied to them with a monotone voice.

“It’s nothing, Roza. Shall we head inside now?” My father recovered as he stepped forward into the house and Casilda bowed with her hands still hovering over her mouth…

SERIOUSLY DID HE ACTUALLY FORCE AUXXY TO MARRY ME? CASILDA, SAY SOMETHING?!!! I’M CONFUSED AS TO WHAT HE SAID!!! …Ahhhhh~ what is happening…

“Miss Roza, it appears you have someone you can rely on. I wonder if he’ll be protecting you permanently in the future…” Casilda looked at my eyes as she spoke.

“CASILDA?!!!” I screamed with my jaw dropped….

←→

As the void slowly turned clear, my eyes started to slowly open like a rusty chest. Light flooded into my room bit by bit; eventually the tip of my eyelashes began to complement the dim light seeping through the window curtains. Casilda appeared within my peripheral vision, her mouth open.

“It's time to wake up, Miss Roza. The time is 5:01 AM. You still have to pack your belongings and get ready.”

“Mmnggh… But Casilda, it’s still too early…” I groaned as my back stretched, trying to move. “Besides, there’s still time… Just a little rest…” I tried to close my eyes. Casilda bent forward, just close enough to feel her breath.

She patted my head and whispered, “Miss Roza, if you continue to act like this, how would Mr Brigach react? If he sees this side, what do you think he’d say?”

Her lips then curved into a smile, almost saying that she wouldn’t want Auxxy to assume that I look lazy… I GET THAT, BUT WHY BRING HIM UP?!! But still, it’s a fair point. Fine… I’ll get up for my love of magic, and no! Not that other reason.

“I understand… I’ll get up shortly…” I continued to groan as I forced my eyes to stay lit. Casilda straightened her posture, her hands folded in front as she bowed, then left my peripheral vision. The door closed. As I stared at the ceiling reflecting the dim light outside the window, I slowly got up from my bed.

I moved my blankets out of the way and laid my foot on the cold wooden surface as I began to prepare for the first journey. I stood up and tried to balance myself, but the floor felt like it was spinning. I wobbled my way around the room, bouncing from one wall to another, just about managing to find my way around the room thanks to Casilda guiding me.

Before getting too deep into the packing, I went for a quick wash. —By which I mean Casilda poured cold water over me to ensure I was a hundred percent awake now. After the near-death experience of hyperthermia, I returned to my room and began taking what’s needed for the journey: belongings, an extra pair of clothes and such, and placed them on top of my bed. The slightly open door creaked and Casilda walked in with the luggage I had requested earlier.

“Will this suffice, Miss Roza?” She knelt and placed the luggage on the floor in front of her and opened it, revealing its empty contents.

“It’s perfect, Casilda! It’s just enough to put what’s needed.” I took the ones I had prepared on the bed towards the luggage with Casilda assisting me while I was at it. We finished the last pair, closed the luggage and stood up.

“I think Mr Brigach should be by the gate; I think you should take a look.” She looked over towards the curtains.

I approached the curtains with the intent to see if Auxxy had arrived as planned, opened them slightly and peeked outside, and without surprise he was already there, despite being early. He is quite the punctual person, isn’t he? At least I know I can rely on him.

I stepped away from the curtain and used my grimoire, strapped to me, and levitated my luggage using the magic “flatulence”; there's no need to chant this as it's a pretty common spell exclusive for mages to carry baggage. I pulled the luggage in front of me and held it with both of my hands.

Despite the luggage being double my weight, the spell saved me the effort of having to carry it —Oh, how I love magic.

“Thank you for all your help, Casilda. Shall we head forward?” I asked while peeking around the luggage.

“As you wish, Miss Roza.” Casilda bowed as I walked towards the door.

We headed downstairs and towards the hallway with Casilda in front of me; the once dim sky earlier was now bright, with the patterned glass showing all over the insides of the house. Casilda stepped forward and unlocked the door with Auxxy waiting in the same spot before we went downstairs.

I stepped forward and Casilda went to the right side. As my footsteps echoed through the rocky tiles he immediately turned around to face us and bowed. He approached forward and greeted the both of us. Like a true gentleman… Calm down, me. —Focus on the journey! Your love for magic! Yes. That’s right!!

“Good morning, Miss Roza, as well as Miss Casilda. You’re on time. I apologise for setting the schedule early, as this is the best time to leave the city gates without much congestion… as well as using the daytime for travel. If we manage to keep a good pace, we should reach a safe location by dawn.”

“It’s okay, but I didn't expect you to arrive earlier than the planned schedule. Sorry to have kept you waiting here.”

“I don’t mind. After all, these were my own compliances and Lord Défteros personally requested me.”

“I really can’t thank you enough, Auxxy…” I spoke in a raspy tone trying to compose myself. “Speaking of which, did my father hand in the documents needed to leave the city? Or do I have to file one along the way?”

“That has already been taken care of, Miss Roza, so please rest assured. As of now please let me carry your luggage for you; you’ll need to save up your energy for the journey.” He opened his palm.

“Eh, are you sure, Auxxy? My luggage is pretty heavy…” I looked up into his eyes.

“It is an escort's duty to ensure comfort during journeys,” he insisted.

“If you insist, I will let you do so, though I did warn you,” I replied with a slight smirk.

As I handed the luggage to him, I quickly removed the spell. The moment it went into his arms, his body was dragged into the ground. My lips curved into a smile as I watched him. Auxxy tried to lift the luggage but he struggled to get it up from the ground.

“I told you it was heavy, no?” I spoke to him, trying not to laugh…

Casilda beside me looked away, trying not to laugh as well, while Auxxy’s cheeks turned red from both the embarrassment and his struggle.

“Miss Roza, how were you able to carry this with such effort?”

“I told you it’d be heavy, right? No need to carry it for me. I can do it.” I tried to take the luggage off him, but he immediately stepped back slightly and bowed.

“It is my duty; hence I'll force my body to comply. Please be rest assured.”

Poor Auxxy.—He’s probably thinking right now how I carried such a heavy luggage with no effort whatsoever… I feel bad now for disabling the magic. Well, I want to tease him more since I’m not going to be able to do this soon in the future.

Might as well use all the opportunities I can. Sorry, Auxxy~ I hope you can forgive my apologies later; for now I’ll be having fun.

“We’ll begin departing, Casilda. I hope you’ll be fine without me…” I looked over to Casilda; she turned back around to look at me.

“Best not to worry, Miss Roza. Please stay safe along the journey. And Mr Brigach, please take good care of her so that she’ll arrive to the Capital safely,” said Casilda.

“I understand, Miss Casilda. I'll be sure to protect her even if it’ll cost my life.” Those words immediately made my cheeks flutter red; I averted my face away from his direction. “Let's go, Miss Roza. Thank you, Miss Casilda; we’ll be going now.”

We began walking towards the town gate. I turned to look at Casilda one more time as she waved. I waved back and smiled; I'll be missing her… a lot. I won’t be seeing her for who knows how long but I'll try to send letters to assure her that I'm still alive, and well, my family as well I suppose. —They did let me go after all.

“So, Miss Roza, how are you feeling about this trip?” Auxxy asked while dragging my luggage.

“I am rather excited yet stressed. I have never been out of the town, so all of this is a new experience for me. I am not fully sure how to feel exactly, but I definitely can say that I can feel the freedom,” I replied joyfully.

“I have travelled these routes before, not the same distance that we will be heading, but I have been out of the town. I know more or less what to expect. The journey to the first town is quite far.”

“What will be the first place we go to?” I asked cluelessly.

“Bypethenos. It’ll be the longest journey we have without any other towns; luckily we will take a carriage. Lord Défteros had organised it for us. Usually the walk there would take around ten days maybe, depending on how quickly we walked. With the right conditions we will get there in two or three days max by carriage.”

“Oh wow, our fath— my father really did save us a lot of time.”

“Uh… yeah, certainly. We would have been camping much more without it.”

“Wait, camping? You mean, like, outside? In a tent?” I questioned in panic.

“Yes, Miss Roza, there aren't any towns till we reach Bypethenos. We will have to camp outside. Though, I understand your fears; I will ensure to prepare you a safe place to sleep on the carriage.”

Does this mean I get to sleep with Auxxy? Oh my… OH MY… “Are you sure of this?” I questioned, burning red.

“Yes, I will keep guard outside of the carriage while you sleep. Since we don’t have to walk, I can manage this.”

“Oh, yes, of course. Thank you,” I replied with a sigh. Ah, what was I thinking? Of course he would keep watch.

With our talk during the walk we soon arrived at the gate, with the carriage waiting for our journey. So this is it… The last time I will see this town for a while. I never thought I would leave, yet always dreamed of it. I never thought I would miss it, yet I am on the verge of tears. This is quite the huge step for me. All I can hope for is that our future will go as planned.

“Let’s get everything packed up, and get going; the quicker we move the sooner we will arrive,” Auxxy commented.

We walked over to our carriage. Auxxy spoke with one of the guards and got some papers.

“Is everything alright?” I asked.

“Yes, I will just put your luggage onto the carriage; mine is already there as I prepared before I went out for you to have less to carry around.”

“Oh, that's quite smart of you. Are you sure you don’t want help with putting my luggage up?” I asked, since I am starting to feel guilty for this prank.

“No, it’s fine. I will manage. Just take a seat,” he answered with commitment in his eyes.

Just as he requested, I took a seat in the carriage and watched as he attempted to put my luggage up onto the carriage; he kept huffing and puffing as he pushed and shoved the luggage. My smirk from earlier turned into deep guilt. As funny as it was at first, I should do something to help him now. He has been nothing but sweet and caring; I am quite the horrid wif— I mean friend.

“Here, Auxxy, let me help.” I stood up and quickly cast my spell.

“Huh?” He went into shock. “What’s happening, why is it so light all of a sudden?” he questioned.

“It’s a spell, Auxxy; it lets me levitate things. It’s actually quite commonly used for travelling or moving heavy objects.”

“So, you could have done this the whole time?” He looked at me with a weird face.

I can’t tell if he's annoyed or angry, or maybe both. “Well, I was originally doing that, before you asked to take the luggage from me. I’m sorry, it was a silly joke; I wanted to pretend that I was stronger,” I confessed under zero pressure.

“Well. This makes a lot of sense now. I was really starting to think you were secretly a bodybuilder with a sleeper build under those robes.” He laughed in relief.

“You’re not angry at me?” I pleaded with puppy eyes.

“Of course not; maybe a little frustrated that I had to carry that while you could have easily saved the effort if you had just told me from the start,” he explained.

“Well, I suppose, I am sorry, really. I just wanted to tease you a little, but I felt bad, so I wanted to help now.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry. I won't hold anything against you. I think it's pretty funny as well.” He smiled while looking straight at me.

What a relief. —I am glad that he doesn’t hate me; I don’t know what I would have done if he hadn’t been okay with it.

Now that the luggage is on the carriage, Auxxy sat at the box seat and the journey officially began.