Iron Hearth Castle Main Gate. Morning of Departure.
An emotional atmosphere blanketed the castle courtyard.
Two carriages were ready. The first for the Duke & Duchess (luxuriously renovated), the second for Rianor, Roland, and Rhea (a logistics wagon converted into a comfortable camper).
Sir Riven stood beside Rianor's horse. His eyes were a bit red, but he tried to look cool in front of his new troops.
"Take care of yourselves out there," Riven said, slapping Rianor's shoulder hard. "If any noble gives you trouble, write down their names. I'll pay them a visit when I'm on leave."
"Will do, Bang," Rianor smiled. "You too. Don't eat Instant Noodles (Martha's homemade noodles) too often. Take care of Raph and Veena."
Raveena hugged Aurelia's leg tightly. "Mom, don't be gone too long... Who will Veena sleep with?"
Aurelia knelt, hugging her youngest daughter. "Mom is going to earn pocket money for Veena. You have to listen to Brother Riven, okay? If Brother Riven is mean, report him to Grimm."
Riven glared. "Hey, why am I the one being threatened?"
"Depart!" Duke Lucian ordered from inside the carriage.
The small convoy began to move. Leaving the cold stone castle, heading toward the southern highway that promised both danger and opportunity.
Southern Highway – Day 3 of Travel.
Stopover City: Oakhaven (Medium Trading City).
After three days of bumping around in the carriage (Roland got carsick again), they finally saw civilization. Oakhaven. A bustling city, a transit point for merchants heading to the Capital.
"We rest here for the night," Lucian said. "We need hot water and decent food. Also, Rianor wants to do some 'Market Testing'."
They rented the best inn in the city: The Golden Stag Inn.
The cost was expensive (50 gold per night), but for the sake of prestige, Aurelia didn't protest.
Night – Inn Dining Room.
The Sudrath family came down for dinner. They immediately became the center of attention.
Not because of their name (Northreach was still considered a backwater), but because of their Appearance.
Aurelia wore a simple Emerald Green silk dress.
Rhea wore an Oversized white shirt tightened with a leather corset (Tomboy but Chic style).
Roland and Rianor wore casual suits.
"Look at that," Roland whispered to Rianor. "People are staring at us. Their clothes are so tacky, full of puffy frills like clowns."
"Focus, Lan," Rianor whispered. "Go work your charm. I'm going to the bar to check market prices."
Rianor separated from the group. He sat at the bar, ordering apple juice (he hated this world's alcohol; it tasted like gasoline).
Beside Rianor sat a girl about his age.
She wore a grey mage's robe that covered part of her face. She was reading a thick book while drinking pitch-black coffee.
Rianor glanced at the book.
Title: Theory of Mana Flow and its Application to Ancient Steam Engines.
Rianor's eyes widened. An engineering book? In this world, girls rarely read engineering books. Usually, they read knight romance novels.
"The equation on page 42 is wrong," Rianor blurted out suddenly (bad habit of smart people: love correcting others).
The girl stopped turning the page. She turned her head slowly.
Beneath her hood, a pair of bright Violet Eyes and round-framed glasses were visible. Her face was beautiful, but cold and looked sleep-deprived (Panda Eyes).
"Excuse me?" her voice was flat.
"That thermodynamic magic equation," Rianor pointed politely. "The author assumes Mana is a gas. Whereas Mana behaves more like a liquid fluid. If you use that formula, the engine will explode."
The girl closed her book. She looked Rianor up and down.
"Who are you? Your clothes are weird. Your haircut is weird. And you're correcting the Grand Maester who wrote this book?"
"I'm Rianor. And yes, the author is wrong. If you don't believe me, try channeling mana into that coffee cup using a 3:1 ratio."
The girl was challenged. She placed her index finger on her coffee cup.
Zwing. The coffee swirled, then heated instantly without boiling over wildly. Perfect.
The girl's violet eyes widened. "It worked... Efficiency increased by 40%."
She looked at Rianor again. This time with academic interest.
"My name is Elara. I've never heard the theory of 'Mana as a Fluid'. Which academy are you a scholar from?"
"The Academy of... Life," Rianor answered randomly (couldn't exactly say Harvard). "I just read as a hobby."
"Liar," Elara shot back. "People who read as a hobby don't wear suits that sharp."
Elara pulled out a small notebook.
"Sit. Tell me more about that fluid theory. I'll buy you coffee."
Rianor smiled. Finally, someone he could talk to on his level.
In another corner of the room, Roland was surrounded by wealthy merchant wives.
"Oh my, the Young Master's skin is so smooth!" praised a plump lady.
"Ah, Madam, you flatter me," Roland flashed a killer smile, pulling a box of lavender soap from his pocket. "My secret is only this. 'Northreach Glow' Soap. Want to try? Limited stock."
"I WANT IT! I'LL BUY EVERYTHING!"
At the Family Table.
Lucian and Aurelia watched their children from afar.
"Look at that," Aurelia pointed at Rianor. "The Nerd is talking to a girl. That's rare."
"The girl is wearing a mage's robe," Lucian commented warily. "I hope she's not a spy."
"Ah, Dad is so suspicious," Rhea grabbed a french fry. "Let Nor be happy. His girlfriend has been a calculator all this time."
Suddenly, the inn door burst open roughly.
A group of soldiers in Silver Eagle uniforms entered. They looked arrogant and drunk.
"Move!" barked the leader, kicking an old merchant's chair. "This table is for us!"
The inn fell silent.
The Silver Eagle Soldiers were the personal guard of the Second Prince.
One of the soldiers saw Elara, who was engrossed in conversation with Rianor.
"Whoa, there's a sweet little thing tucked away over there," the soldier staggered toward Rianor's table.
"Hey, Sweetheart," the soldier's dirty hand reached for Elara's hood. "Open up, let me see your face."
Rianor sighed deeply. Just when he finally found a discussion partner.
"Sir, please have some manners. We are discussing something," Rianor said calmly.
"Shut up, you Greasy Pretty Boy!" the soldier raised his hand to slap Rianor.
THWACK.
Before the hand could land, a Dinner Fork embedded itself in the wooden table, right between the soldier's fingers.
"My brother said 'have some manners'," Rhea's voice sounded cold.
Rhea was already standing behind Rianor. She was eating an apple with one hand; the other hand had just thrown the fork.
"Aaah!" the soldier jumped back in shock. "Who are you?! You dare oppose the Prince's Guard?!"
Elara, the mage girl, just sipped her coffee casually. She glanced at Rhea, then Rianor.
"Your family is interesting," Elara murmured. "Usually, fringe nobles bow down immediately when they hear the Prince's name."
"We are a different breed," Rianor replied, straightening his suit.
The commotion grew. The soldier's friends drew their swords.
"Get them!"
Lucian was still sitting calmly drinking tea. He gave a signal with his eyes to Rhea: Don't kill. Just maim.
Rhea smirked. "Copy that, Dad."
[New Character Unlocked]
Name: Elara.
Role: Magic Scholar / Researcher.
Affinity: Interested in Rianor's "Modern Science".
Threat Level: Unknown (Potential Ally).