Early in the morning Darian and Doulos accompanied Conrad to the villages main commercial bank one of only two in the entire village today Conrad decided to personally supervise as the currency distributed by the federal reserve bank was being hauled in it was Also to give Darian some experience of how the villages functioned and more time to view the worlds inner workings
Today Darian seemed to have returned to his old self confident and cocky Doulos thought as he sized him up Darian who was curious and not wanting to alert his father asked the butler on his right who he thought was always prideful for no reason despite his position if annabeth was especially intelligent in noble children standards and honestly where he himself would rank among them
Although many people would say focus on your own skills dont compare your growth to others everyones pace is different but ever since that faithful day in the maze Darian grew to admire annabeth and felt as if a certain voice inside him was in a hurry a desire to grow exponentially as Quickly as possible this desire seemed to have ignited that day to him he was doing pretty well so his desire to compete and Compare was Quite strong for now his view of Annabeth was of a wise friend a true comrade a brave leader who had guided him out the maze he looked forward to the next time they would meet if it was up to him he would of organized an entire playdate just for the two of them
Doulos placed his index and thumb on his chin as he stumbled into thought hmm he murmured well All the royal nobles are Genuises even other Duke nobles as for annabeth specifically she is much further then you in her studies despite not learning magic yet she has already begun to study it unlike you and scores very high in her tests the only advantage you would have over her is unlike you her being a female she hasnt been exposed to physical training and swordmanship yet although this could change in the future as for the kings sons they completely outclass you although those your age may have begun physical training at the same time as you and we cannot gage there skill level currently the rest of their subjects is enough to put you to shame
Darians eyes widened he did not think the gap would be so wide he opened his mouth a twisted smile of embarrassment appearing imagine spending all their time just training do they even have a life Doulos sensing a hint of jealousy his eyes focused a little more on the young lad although I agree with you that over work for such a young is Quite a miserable existence and should be balanced but you must remember the human mind adapts this constant pressure they feel will become their normal launching them into the future
Instead of jealousy I believe if you wish to stand toe to toe with them make every day every second of training you get more substantive Darian looked up at Doulos despite the wisdom that was expelled out of that mouth why is his tone so dry lacking in excitement and he isn't even looking at me a true statue
Do not misunderstand like peasants Doulos added simply thinking when you get to certain hieght things become easier you gain more freedom no need to work that is simply not the case the higher you clime the more you will see what the world the truly is a propetual motion machine design to oneday fail from its inseption the real lesson we should learn is how lenient your father is with you ,you should really give him so much more praise
Darian looked at Doulos with annoyed expression you couldn't last 3 sentences without being an entrail eater truly people do not change after Conrad had shown Darian around and explained a few mechanisms all three would go on to the market place this place seemed as a long line of poorly contructed wooden stalls but some better looking then others above them fabric was covered to act as a roof each with different colors though light could still be seen piercing through the design of them was more like tents as the stalls could be Quickly disassembled and rebuilt the next day the area around it was covered with white columns at edge of the market was a police station to prevent cheating or any murderous scheme
Conrad had arrived here to purchase fresh food and all sorts of treats for the veteran soldiers patroling the village and its walls he used this excuse to garner funding just so he could show the soldiers his appreciation and as an intelligent man it was also to garner their loyalty after the food the rest of the money wood be added to their salary these wouldn't be deliverec directly by him though but by servants and police chiefs Conrads act also helped the merchants and other stores as they would sell most of their things gaining profit while still having enough for ordinary people
The next destination they went to was the poorer outskirts of the village to supply and give gift boxes personally these were not beggers but families with low education rates due to pass choices or recent migrations freedom from unlawful slavery which impacted their lives forever Conrad had tried to reintegrate most of them back into society but some just couldn't make it leaving them stuck like this so he would occasionally arrive to give them food Darian seeing his father's kind actions couldn't help but smile he struck conversations with the children and went about dealing the food with a smile on his face to mimic his father
After it had ended Darian said what next are we going to the beggers he said with a cheerful smile Conrad simply stroked Darians head and said a long time ago people like them would gain government subsidies direct from the royal capital but there was one problem greedy nobles took advantage of it or the people used it to fund their lifestyles living impoverished life styles by choice as to not work and to feed their drug edictions
When the king had heard of this he executed the nobles who were apart of these infront of their family members and instead of taking the position from the family he appointed the most capable or the heirs those who directly saw so they would not cross him again this event was forever known as the 79 hangings it showed even if nobles could be killed what about peasants and brought great fear for sometime the king was known as a tyrant
Doulos added the name of the event itself downplays it by several folds it wasn't just hangings that were conducted Conrad continued after That beggers were taken off the roads and were deemed illegal and if mental health issues or physical traumatic injuries were found and not deemed self harm they would be given a place to live for treatment similar to the old without family sickly or with birth defects they would be subsidised until they died the amount varying
Many nobles faught hard to attribute drug abuse as a mental health issue in the courts and succeeded but the real lesson in all this is kindness can be a tool to those you give it to and can backfire being used to control and destroy you Darian gave sigh and agreed
Back at home Darian ate and took a short nap when he woke up he got ready and performed some light stretches
Moments later infront of him was sir Pierce he was explaining the different hall mark locations of other provinces in his own province one name Darian remembered was dragons peak fortunately it did not reside within the black mountains sir Pierce Also explained the rise in polythéistic beliefs and how it Rose more during the past 200 years this did not suggest however that it did not exist prior or was not a major belief at one point for example the old kingdom era Sir Pierce explained and why the church was forced to coexist with them despite being the largest most prominent belief
Next was beautiful miss Roses class he came in with focused mind and a look of determination to sore the heavens in his talk with his young miss he exclaimed his desire to stand amongst or be at the top Roselle smirked well your being taught by the right person do you know how many nobles wanted me your in good hands little man Roselle baosted with a gentle smile
The classes continued as Roselle taught him measurements area and perimeter including width height and length he was already slightly familiar with these concepts from his Geography teacher sir Pierce after giving out a few exercises today's class had ended
The last class of the day was swordsmanship he had spent the first four minutes striking at a wooden doll each strike vicious each attack with clear intent continues without break finaly the sparring match would begin as sir pierce picked up a wooden sword and this time instead of outside they were in the dojo where Claus had trained many gaurds and servants the art of the blade Darian faced sir Claus his eyes set on fire with passion Claus eyes were stumpt as a smirk grazed his old lips do you want a break he said Darian replied no as he pulled a stance gripping the blades handle with both hands Sir Claus replied likewise the dual had begun
And it wasn't looking good for Darian he came at Sir Claus with a honed ferocity equivalent to a intelligent wild beast but each of his attacks were parried and had Darian rolling back but he did not give up he stood up releasing a glare of determination as swet piled up on his face even with minor scratches and bruises his eyes lit up with Resolve