Every Lord Needs a Pet

Chapter 16: Every Lord Needs a Pet

"I should stop asking questions already..."

― Axel (LS 1216)

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Year 1212, 27th day of the 4th month- A Bit Way From Evergrey Town~

[Lucian]

.

'We have been travelling for the last two days. Our destination, the borders of Altumia…

A few things happened these past few days.

Axel awakening his Aura was one of the bigger surprises. We also have a new member in our party. A very excited child named Casper.

I chuckled while thinking about the boy. He was a very… different child indeed. He even calls himself a rat proudly. Sigh...

It's mostly due to his upbringing. No child should grow up like that. This country… is too cruel.'

I looked towards the boy who was sitting with Axel at the driver seat and excitedly looking around.

I wanted to leave him behind with Reila but he was insistent… very insistent on following.

I even told him he could get all the familial love if he stayed and he would be provided for but,

All that he said was, "All my little life I have been a rat in this city, I want to see the outside now."

So, here he was. Going towards his goal.

I am glad he has something he wanted to do. His wishes were very little and he did not harbor any sign of wanting revenge.

That was good … 'I hope he can grow up comfortably from now. Axel seems to like the child a lot. And even volunteered to teach him himself.

I saw the child in training. He is very agile and has lots of stamina for his age. I just hope he doesn't have to fight too young. But from what I heard, his life was hell from the get go. Sigh… '

'We are very close to the town. Hope everything goes as intended.'

We approached the town in steady pace. We are taking a longer route to Altumia than what was needed for us. As there was a border very close to Hayton.

It was all because of what Mavis said back in Grass Gate, "My king, we are being followed." Then he smiled as if he was enjoying it.

When I asked him, since when that started. He said, since we started talking about the spirit.

That gained a raised eyebrow from me.

'I knew how sensitive I was to spiritual energy. And I felt nothing and Mavis is saying he found it through his sonar? So, it is not a spirit that is following us but a physical entity.

'Hummm…' I wondered. Should we let it follow us to the border and then confront it… It doesn't seem like a hostile entity though. Maybe if I used that spell…

We moved as we entered the town of Evergrey. While I started Evoking my mana.

.

.

The town was aptly named. As it was a town built on the stony hill. The houses were mainly built with stones and the whole town looked grey and monochrome.

When one looked at the town one would feel like sighing. And so did I…

"Sigh… We will look for some rooms in the inn over there." I said while pointing to an inn which was fully built on stones.

"Spike and Axel go and register the horses and the carriage on the stables. Celine, Casper you two can go sight see..... Humm on second thought Sir Julian please keep an eye on them least they cause trouble. Sigh…"

""HEY I DON'T CAUSE TROUBLES!"" Shouted Celine and Casper at the same time glaring at me.

'Great another one.' Those were my only thoughts as I looked at them with a bit of annoyance.

"Please control your volumes, you are disturbing the surroundings! Just meet back here before dusk. Mavis and I will get rooms and gather intel." I dismissed them as Mavis and I walked in.

Mavis was looking at me. I felt I should just get it over with.

"Are you interested to know why I am a bit irritated?"

He nodded to me not being surprised at all.

"Sigh, It's because I am releasing a huge amount of mana in a periodic order."

"No wonder I felt the atmosphere here more mana-rich. So it was coming from you, my lord. Mmmmm… Are you perhaps?" He looked at me with widened eyes and I knew what he wanted to ask. Yes, He understood what I was trying to do.

I lowered my voice,

"I don't know who or what is following us. But I am certain it is not a human. But it is not a spirit either.

But I guess it started following us because of the mana signature it sensed when we were in Grass Gate because of my extensive use of Illusion.

I am guessing it's a lifeform that has very high sensitivity to mana. And might even be fond of high mana places." That was the conclusion I reached. I knew how dense my mana was.

"So you are trying to use your own mana like a lamp in the darkness beaconing him to jump in like a moth?" He asked with a smile.

I just returned the smile.

"But, it makes one wonder…"

"What does my lord?"

"How did that entity stay invisible for so long? I mean you said it even followed us inside the City. Yes?"

I looked at Mavis who was pondering something.

We looked at each other.

"Camouflage!" "Invisibility!"

We came to two different answer at the same problem.

I was a bit more annoyed because of my severe mana expulsion and now with Mavis's answer.

"Invisibility? Are you serious Mavis? You do know only two races know how to do that right?"

A vein popped on my forehead and even Mavis seemed a bit embarrassed.

"Apologies my lord, Being with you and seeing all the amazing things you did yourself. I wouldn't be surprised if you pulled one of those legendary creatures out to be your familiar."

He started his speech on my ability, it was more annoying than flattering really.

I just huffed and went towards the burly man over the receptionist desk to ask for rooms.

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Mavis's POV~

'My lord really is annoyed today. This really is a first for me to see. But he was right what was I even thinking? One of those beings following us?

Haha, sometimes even I can have childish thoughts.'

I mused myself with the thought of my lord and a Silent Stalker under his shadow. 'My lord being the light with his beautiful golden fires and the stalker being the shadow that protects him.

Simply magical.

Or that my lord burning bright in golden fire being surrounded by the holy light of the Shadakhi while he flies on its back like the majestic phoenix he is.'

We got 6 rooms for our entourage as that's all that was available. Well Casper and Axel being inseparable it wouldn't matter much.

Funny how a few days ago the young warrior was chasing the child thief. Now they are like long lost brothers united.

Maybe…

'Maybe the child's Black hair has to do something about it.

Well enough of the useless thought.'

I followed my lord to sit down at a table and ordered some food. The barmaid was expressionless and kind of rude. But she went away quickly which relieved me because my lord seemed really annoyed.

I wonder how much mana he still has.

It is an astonishing feat, being able to keep that beaconing spell on for so long.

I looked around the dining hall. There were few people here and all looked bland and expressionless.

This whole town seemed like that.

Grey.

Monochrome and grey. I turned to my lord who seemed to understand what I wanted to ask.

I may be older than him but I am from the south west and have never set my foot so far in the north east. I never needed to. But my lord visited this hold because of his aunt and the dear lady Lisbeth.

"They are not natives of Rorengar."

"!!!?"

'Not natives? What did he mean by that? They all seem human and I have never seen people of this feature on Altumia, Haranhaul not even in Kaelin who had some barbarians among them.

Altumian people are quiet like these people but they are known for their white skin color like ours.

Haranhaul has 'humans' of all the surrounding countries entering it as it is the religious Center which worships the four deities.

Kaelineans are rough and huge. Lord Alvarez, the almost eight feet tall man has blood relations to these almost beast like men. They are powerful and fierce. Good thing that they lack in the brain departments and has almost no Wizards. They shun wizards in fact.'

I had no idea where these people came from and it looked like his majesty was actually waiting for me to find the answer myself.

"Greyish skin, Skilled in stone carving and quiet personality. I do not know where they are from my lord."

I answered him honestly.

He raised his brows and said something I was not expecting.

"They are from the cross mountains from the Snowstrat side to be specific."

"What?"

"Their ancestor Lord Agram Greyblood said to have set this village up after his battle with the champion of Deakins on the year 521, After his battle while he was returning he fell in love with a lady from a nearby village.

They were blessed in wedlock and Lord Agram created a village, this village to live his life with the woman he loved while dispersing his army to return home.

Some stayed of course and this village was created."

"WAIT!" I shouted and I noticed all attention on me so I coughed a bit and apologized with a few bows towards the people. Then looked at my king again,

"My lord, you are saying this village is filled with descendants of one of the five heroes? And not to mention they are related to the royalty of one of the countries as well? And the Hero Agram, who killed the Prime of the Beastkin in that battle? That Agram?!!"

My lord seemed annoyed and waved his hand saying a simple yes.

This is unbelievable. I am amongst the legacy of one of the champions of human race.

Then it hit me.

"Then why do not people know about this."

"Is this something that you think is open to public?"

Of course this shouldn't be open to the public. Or the hero would have been disturbed more often than not. He must have lived here in disguise.

"Even I got to know this from a very old book inside the Palace Archives. I very sure not my father neither my grandfather knew about this. Only person could know about this might have been my ancestor, you know whom I am talking about."

He said those last lines while looking at the ceiling and making sword swing.

I found it funny. Even the king knows how to joke sometimes.

I smiled and looked at him and saw him smiling as well.

"Well my dear Mavis I think the moth wants to have a bath in the flames."

He said that and got up leaving the inn through the entrance.

I of course followed him.

.

.

We were in an opening with a pond a bit away from us. And an old tree standing near it making a picturesque scene.

But…

The scene was not as amusing as my lord frowning and looking at a cute black little thing.

The black little blob was staring back at him with Azure eyes.

My lord seemed embarrassed and annoyed at the same time.

He looked at me.

I smirked at him. ' Heh what do you know…'

His annoyance increased and he frowned.

"That's a cat.

A black fur blob….

A small black cat...…..

A ball of fur dipped in black tar and two blue stones stuck to it which made to look like a cat… Yes that sounds about right."

"HAHAHAHAHHAHA"

I couldn't help but laugh at my lords denial. I found my lords behavior more amusing than the creature that was told to be a legend in bed time stories.

'This was really something else. My dear lord what else will you show me?'

My lord went back to stare at the thing below still in denial.

I cleared my throat.

"Congratulations My Liege, you have made contact with a Silent Stalker."