Departure

Hauling a suitcase almost too large for him to carry, Theodore made his way towards the master enchanter waiting by a carriage. Behind him were the others, there to see him off.

"Have you said your goodbyes?" asked Annaliese.

"More or less," Theodore replied with a smile plastered to his face.

"I see... Do you need help with your luggage?"

"No, I can handle this."

"If you say so."

With a flick of her finger, the door to the carriage swung open without Annaliese being anywhere near it. However, for just an instant, Theodore saw that something was attached to the handle.

(A thread... Just like mine.)

Putting his back into it, Theodore lifted his suitcase into the carriage. Inside were clothes, the wooden carvings from Lina, as well as a few other essentials. It wasn't much and most of the weight actually came from the large suitcase, something that couldn't be helped since this was the only one they had, belonging to Eliza during her younger days of running around here and there.

"I guess this is goodbye," said Theodore to the others, at this point feeling like he had already run out of things to say.

Maria and the others took their turns telling him to take care of himself, reminding him to brush and to take a bath every now and then, to stay warm during the chillier months, and be careful when it's hot. They were all things that Theodore had been doing by himself even without being told, but they all just wanted to talk to him as much as they could. They might never see him again, after all.

Off to the side, Annaliese was talking with Randolf. The contents of their talks were unknown to Theodore, but from Randolf's relaxed demeanor, it seemed to be just small talk. Naturally, nothing could be gleaned from Annaliese's masked face.

Time went by in an instant and eventually came the time for departure. With Annaliese at the driver's seat, the carriage began moving, carrying Theodore away from his home.

For the last time, Theodore waved the others goodbye before sitting down. As soon as he did, he could hear sobbing.

It came from Maria, no longer able to hold her composure. Fio and Lina followed and started weeping as well. Even Edwin started crying. The only one who kept his calm was Lucas, inadvertently finding himself in the unenviable position of having to comfort all of them.

Listening to their wailings, Theodore felt his steeled heart being chipped away. Unable to keep it in any longer, tears began flowing from his eyes. Even so, it wasn't until he was out of the earshot of the others did he let his emotions overflow and cried his heart out. It had been a long time since he did so, but he cried like the child he was that day.

***

The Arshtat Dominion, the Cygnus Union, and the Nixian Empire, these were the Three Great Powers that ruled the central region of the Vespar continent before the Demon Lord rose to power. Though they were adversaries contesting against one another for power and control, the threat of the Demon Lord had kept them on a united front against the eastern lands.

With the Demon Lord gone, however, the Three Great Powers slowly began to bare their fangs towards one other once more. Ten years since the Demon Lord's defeat, they've set their eyes upon the new frontier that was formerly ruled by the Demon Lord, racing against one another in the settling of lands and acquiring of new resources.

Of the Three Great Powers, the Nixian Empire was the country with the greatest military might. Not only so, but during the war with the Demon Lord, they were also able to acquire new technologies from the technologically advanced Cygnus Union, turning the empire into a powerhouse that threatened the balance between the Great Powers, going so far as to force the Cygnus Union and the Arshtat Dominion into friendly relations to deter an invasion from the empire.

Theodore's story began in the Kingdom of Wyfon, one of the vassal kingdoms subordinate to the Nixian Empire that lay in the furthest reaches of the empire's territory, where he had been born and raised.

From the countryside of Wyfon, Annaliese and Theodore traveled north before turning west. Though traveling directly west from Eastcliff would have been the more direct route, Annaliese did not wish to encounter the Paladins mid-way. As such, a short detour was made.

After one day of traveling north and five traveling west, the two arrived at Cheford, a city of commerce where goods from various parts of the kingdom were gathered. Many things could be found here, and occasionally, one might even find exotic goods from the new frontier.

"From here, we'll travel into the country of Nix, the heartland of the empire. To the northwestern end of Nix is where we'll find the Mage Tower," Annaliese explained while steering the horses pulling carriage across the busy streets.

"That sounds very far away. I've never been out of Eastcliff before, let alone the kingdom," said Theodore with feigned childlike wonder.

"It is very far, but from this city, it shouldn't take too long to reach. Perhaps three days if the journey goes smoothly."

"Three days!?" Theodore, this time, was genuinely surprised.

"That's the first time I hear you let out such a loud voice." Annaliese chuckled softly. "Indeed, the journey will take only three days. Such a thing would have been inconceivable ten years ago, but things sure have changed since then."

"You sound like you're nostalgic. How old are you by the way?"

"And here I thought you were a sensible child, Theodore. Don't you know that's not something you would ask a lady?"

"So you're old enough that it's sensitive, huh?"

"I'll have you know that if my hands weren't on the reins, I have half a mind to smack you over the head right now."

Over the six days of traveling together, the two had gotten familiar with one another well enough to have exchanges such as these.

"I was under the impression that you were somewhat adorable when I picked you up," said Annaliese. "I did not realize you would turn out to be such a cheeky brat."

As Annaliese fumed, Theodore laughed heartily, yet in truth, there was no enmity between them. It was all in good fun and Annaliese was only playing up her anger. It had been a while since she was able to speak to someone so freely since she became a master within the Mage Tower. Her rank of 'master enchanter' simply came with too much respect for her taste, and the nature of her work made it so that very few dared to even approach.

(So this one might be a Demon Lord... I can't see how that can be. He seemed like an ordinary child to me, aside from his skill with magic, of course. If anything I'm more inclined to believe that he's a mage from the Mage Tower. That being said, the Archmage had told me that there had never been a mage in the Mage Tower that had succeeded with reincarnation magic. This boy could either be the first confirmed case, or... Either way, I am going to have to keep a close eye on him till we reach the Tower.)

Internally, Annaliese was evaluating Theodore without his notice. Though he had escaped the Paladins' grasp, the truth was, Theodore's trials had only just begun.

***

End of Chapter 15

***