"Is that Valtherion, honey?" A woman in her early thirties said as she stopped tending to her flowers in the mansion's garden, taking bold strides towards Luther and Val.
"Nice to finally meet you, Aunt" Valtherion bowed, but just as he was lowering his head, he felt two hands on his cheeks as they raised him up gently before hugging him.
"I have heard and read about you so much, you know? I practically know you! You should see your godfather's expression whenever he boasts about you, especially yesterday. The gifts you sent yesterday had just come in time; what a coincidence or simply a sign from Orianna!" The woman smiled as she looked at Luther and then Valtherion. Unlike her husband, she seemed far more collected.
"Valtherion, this is your aunt, Princess Ahri Salerios in the flesh! Your godmother! We will bathe you together next week, and from now on, you will come here every day after school. Honey, he is now working for the War Office, directly under the Marshal! Our boy bested him in some strategy games!" Luther was jumping around as he explained the feats of Valtherion and his first job.
Soon they went into the shade, sitting by a small table as they conversed. Valtherion's baptism had been scheduled for Friday. As they were talking, Ahri - his soon-to-be godmother took out a crystal and mana in her hands did some spell, and soon a woman's voice was heard through it. A voice Valtherion recognised very much - his mother.
"Ahri? Hello! We are coming for the baptism on Friday!" His mother said, happy that soon she would be reunited with her son.
"Hehe! Morgana, I am with your son! Just so you know, he has been employed in the War Office, personal Page of the Imperial Marshal himself! Valtherion is here and can hear you!" Ahri spoke, as a cheer resounded from the crystal; his mother was very happy and proud that Valtherion had managed to achieve something like this, mentioning that his father would be proud!
Everyone was talking and laughing until Morgana said that she would have to go and attend to some business, causing the conversation between the four relatives to end. Valtherion looked around the Mansion and was granted unlimited access to every single room, while a bedroom was also assigned to him, just in case he ever wanted to sleep here. In the end, it was around 7 when he had dined there and then was escorted to Duke Garcia's mansion.
Valtherion rested for a bit before he went out in his yard and, under the watchful eyes of Alfred, began practising the techniques of his family, as well as the one gifted to him by his grandmother. Slacking off was forbidden, especially since his father would be coming soon, and after seeing that his godmother Ahri was at the same stage as Luther, in terms of mage cultivation, he had decided that he would too, one day be strong.
The night passed as another day came, and Valtherion spent his time in classes before heading towards the Imperial Palace on foot. It took him some time, but after he was checked by the guards and his token was confirmed, he entered the Palace grounds.
The Imperial Palace was a massive place; it took him some time to reach his aunt's mansion, but soon he was there, as a table of food awaited him, with Luther and Ahri waiting for him. Soon, lunch was over as Luther began training Valtherion under Ahri's watchful gaze, but that time passed too, and it was time for Valtherion to head to work at two thirty.
"Valtherion", Luther said, "Leave your spatial ring here. You will be delivering messages to important people, possibly even to the Emperor himself. They will confiscate it from you. After work, come and take it from your aunt. Do not worry, nobody will inspect your ring!"
Without hesitation, Valtherion went forward and gave the ring to his aunt before departing.
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"Welcome, the Marshal is waiting for you in his office. It's upstairs; you will notice it immediately. Knock three times!" A man in white robes said at the reception in a hurried voice as he was dealing with stacks of papers. Other people were constantly coming to him, receiving or passing other papers.
Going upstairs, Valtherion indeed noticed the Marshal's office, as it was the only one; every room was connected as one, and its entrance was at the end of the hallway.
Knock, Knock, Knock
"Enter. Oh, Valtherion! Come here, boy, don this uniform. I don't know if I got your size right!" The Marshal beckoned him to come in and try on the uniform that was on the couch. He was currently at his desk, signing one document after another. The room was massive, and it had extensions on both sides, corridors that seemed to be filled with tables. Battlefields were displayed on every single one.
Besides those things, the room was lavish in its own sense, as everything seemed to be top quality and made almost entirely out of gold. The Marshal even had a family photo of his family behind his desk.
"Won't you wait for the maid?" He asked as he saw Valtherion had already removed his shirt, his upper body displayed. It didn't seem like the lad cared about undressing in front of nobility. What had not an old man, hardened by the battlefield, seen? Even his scars did not seem to faze him.
Soon, Valtherion had donned a simple black robe with the War Office's insignia, and finally he put on the Veil of Service that covered half of his face. It was a black cloth that hid his face completely and had golden engravings of Rocs and Dragons, along with flowers.
"It seems that your eye is very keen, Marshal." Valtherion complimented as he stood in front of his boss.
"It seems I still have my eyesight just right. Valtherion, do you have anything to do in particular with Princess Juliet?" The topic shifted suddenly as the Marshal's gaze became sharp, causing Valtherion to measure his next words carefully.
"Yes. I was at the Royal Bank, discussing some business endeavours. Am I in trouble, Marshal?" Valtherion spoke the truth, albeit not in full detail.
"So far, no. She has put a tail on you; you've grabbed her eye. Be wary of her; she is 18; however, her business mentality is very vicious. Even her father, the Emperor himself, has headaches when dealing with her. Now, come here." Not asking further questions, the Marshal summoned him as he took out a stack of letters and a ring, around 10. Out of those ten letters, two had a golden seal.
"Put this ring on. When you inject Qi, a map of the palace will be shown to you. Deliver those letters to their assigned spots. Before you leave, however, take a horse. Charles, the person at the reception, will see that you're given a steed. Do not race around the Imperial Grounds, and make sure not to, under any circumstances, ride in forbidden zones. I will not be able to save you. Be extremely cautious when delivering the golden letters. They are personally for the Emperor himself. Do you have any questions, Mograine?" The Marshal asked as he began looking at his own documents again. He had warned Valtherion about Juliet, as well as instructed him on his job. Thankfully, he did not pry a lot.
"No, sir. Everything is understood. I would like to notify you of something, however, if the moment is suitable." Valtherion spoke as he equipped the ring and grabbed the stacks of papers, putting them in his pocket.
"What is it?" The Marshal gave him a look as he inquired.
"Next Friday will be my baptism in the Grand Basilica. I do not have any knowledge of what time it will be; thus, I would like to be off-duty during that period. If I receive a time, I will notify you." Valtherion explained.
"No need. You will be off-duty for the whole day. I have already been notified. Take some time to spend it with your family. You are dismissed; see your duties to be done!" With a hand motion, Valtherion was dismissed, causing him to leave in a calm manner.
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"Sir Charles, I have been told to request a steed from you by the Marshal", Valtherion said as he spoke to the busy clerk.
"Sir Page! I will see to it now; follow me." Leaving every document aside, Charles guided him downstairs, where a few horses stood in their stable. The exit led straight outside, in the palace's Lower Gardens and from then on, every road led to a certain office.
"Brown horse, Alyssa. She is very docile. I will see to my work now, Sir Page!" Without waiting for a reply, Charles ran upstairs, causing Valtherion to shrug as he walked towards Alyssa, stroking her gently before putting the saddle on. He took some carrots and led her outside before getting on the horse.
Injecting a small amount of Qi into the ring that the Marshal had given him, a map was soon shown in the form of a blue diagram. Red dots were glowing around, marking his targets. Various Ministries and offices were marked, causing him to feel thankful for the horse, as the distances were wide to cover.
Off we go to the Ministry of Finance...