Clack clack clack… thunk! Clack clack clack

The carriage wheel bounces roughly off a large stone near the side of the road. The jolting of the carriage wakes up Thistleman, as his head bounces up and hits the hard wood of the carriage.

“Ah! Ow ow ow, ahh that smarts!”

He glances over at Diane, sprawled on the carriage seat. Her breathing is uneven. Using his aura to analyze her body, he breathes a sigh of relief to find no damage. It seems her issue is stemming from her mana heart. Suddenly awakening it has driven it into a chaotic frenzy, as Diane’s body is trying to adapt to and regulate the sudden influx of magic. The entirety of her mind has been refocused on to this, and she likely won’t wake up again until her body has finished adjusting. The tricky part will be figuring out how to feed her water without her chocking on it. Probably guiding it with magic? That should do it.

Thistleman opens the curtain on the carriage window, and sees it is nearing dusk outside. The carriage is slowly drifting near the edge of the road, and he can hear the rough breathing of the horses in front, as well as… some kind of incoherent rambling?

“Haa… haa… how… h-h-how… never will… will… won’t accept… not again…”

Seems that the coachman is getting a little delirious? It’s a miracle the horses haven’t collapsed from exhaustion or had a heart attack.

“I think I’ve got enough strength to move around, although I really don’t want to haul around an unconscious girl. Ugh, what a pain… I should probably convince this coachman to take a break.” Thistleman muses to himself.

Upon trying to stand, he feels the shock of all of his muscles and nerves crying out in unison and immediately sits back down again.

“Shit… It would be best to help me recover too if I didn’t move around too much… ahhh… HEY COACHMAN, PULL OVER AND TAKE A BREAK!”

Thistleman’s sudden shout brings the coachman back to reality.

“Ah… ah, what? Oh, right, yes.”

He pulls over near a small batch of trees. It would appear that we have gone quite far from Kurstwood and are near some generally open plains.

Thistleman steels his mind and prepares for the pain he knows is coming, and stands up.

“Hrrrrr!!! Ahhhh…. It’s alright. It’s alright. I got this.”

He opens the carriage door, steps out of the carriage, and walks around to the front. Strange, the carriage seems… larger than he remembered?

The coachman still has a look of delirium in his eyes when Thistleman looks at him.

“Alright, you are going to rest up here. Get inside the carriage and rest. I will take care of the horses for the night.”

The coachman is too exhausted. Since the encounter with the Grendel, he had been riding tirelessly throughout the remainder of the night and the following day. It has been nearly two days since he slept. He just nods, and with a grunt moves into the carriage to sleep, without even thinking to question why he was just accepting the direction of such a young boy.

As Thistleman posts the horses up to rest, he notices something very strange… were my hands always this small? Huh? My arms… are really small too!

He suddenly grabs his face and looks at his legs.

No wonder everything seemed so large! Is this because of the contract?! Why am I kid!? What kind of a hassle did I get drug in to now???

It is on this frantic note that Thistleman takes watch of the camp for the night, cycling between groaning about his injuries and then his new predicament.

The coachmen snores loudly in the carriage and Diane is still passed out, so nobody hears this monologue and the night passes rather peacefully.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Diane wakes to the sound of lively chatter.

She has a splitting headache, and her stomach growls in hunger.

“Hauuu…” she groans to herself. Somehow, in spite of all of this, she feels… stronger. It is almost as if she has a better connection to the world, and energy is flowing through her.

Then… she remembers the Grendel. Diane flings open the front window of the carriage.

“Where! Where is it!?” she shouts.

“Aghhh… watch where you’re yelling! Where is what? You are killing my ears! Sleeping for nearly five whole days and you just start blowing out my eardrums.” Thistleman retorts at her.

Diane looks around, seeing farms and peasants walking along the road and in the fields. She sighs in relief for a moment, before asking in a shaken voice “Where… where is everyone else? Hal? Gregory??”

The coachman’s face turns dark for a moment, looks at her, and then shakes his head.

Diane bites her lip, and stifles a tear.

“We are getting close to Versailles now. You should probably compose yourself for your report to your father. I’m sure you already know how he is.”

Diane nods. Thistleman reaches in to the pouch next to him, and pulls out some jerky and crackers.

“Here. Eat this.”

He looks away as he hands her the food. If it wasn’t for this contract… gah! This is what a friend is supposed to do, but that doesn’t mean he has to like doing it! Right?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Ahead, the outer walls of the Ducal capital of Versailles are coming in to view.

Unlike Kurstwood, these walls are made out of stone pulled from nearby quarries. The city is much larger, with nearly 125,000 residents and another 25,000 in the surrounding rural areas.

The gate is a large, wrought-iron construction, currently raise halfway in to arch of the main gate.

As they approach, one of the guards signals for them to halt.

“Who are you and what is your business here in Versailles today?” she asks, halfway droning from the repetition of asking the same question all day.

Diane shows her family crest, and says “Lady Diane of House Culaine, I am here to see my father.”

The guard snickers for moment. “Ah, it’s just you? Looks like your short your usual group. Hah! Well, go on through.”

Diane’s fist tightens, but she holds in her temper.

“Hmph! And what would you know of it, hiding here behind the nice city walls? Peons like you are usually the first to be eaten when the demons come!”

The guard stopped snickering, looking somewhat taken aback. As the carriage proceeded in to the town, the guard yelled something back, but it was lost in the bustle of the city.

To reach the Duke’s manor, they just needed to follow the main road and head just past the main trade center. The numerous inns and residential buildings, made with a mix of wood and stone, made way into shops, smithies, tailors and restaurants. The ducal capital of Versailles had a level of wealth within the Kingdom of Luthas that was dwarfed only by Kingdom’s Capital of Archion.

The main roadway was well paved, with trees and flowers lining the center and sides and various parks occasionally breaking up the sprawl. Magical lamps dotted the street, although none were on as it was in the middle of the day.

To any outsider or rural villagers, the sights and sounds would fill them with awe and excitement. However, they were hardly even noticed to the occupants of the carriage. Diane was sitting in silence, staring daggers, then knives, and then various other deadly instruments, through the floor.

Thistleman was staring out the window, with a look of complete disinterest on his face. If one’s eyes were particularly sharp though, you would note he was very interested… but not in the city. Instead, he was studying the people. Particularly those in groups. He found himself in quite a perplexing situation, where he felt he needed to do something for Diane. However, he couldn’t recall the last time he had ever been someone’s friend. He had no idea what to do at all, and if he couldn’t do it right, then his pride wouldn’t let him do anything at all.

Sweets? He imagined getting stabbed for being insensitive. Wine? She’s a minor! She would make him go to jail! A massage? Wrong! He is over 10,000 years old and she is 8! He might look like a kid now, but it is absolutely wrong and even demon lords have some kind of a conscience!

Thistleman’s deadpan exterior could hardly reveal the inner turmoil he was going through. As far as he was concerned, this was the toughest trial he had ever suffered through in his entire life. He almost wished he was trying to destroy the world again. THAT would be so much simpler.

It was in this fashion the carriage passed through the city, eventually entering the trade district. It consisted of a huge open field, with numerous paths crisscrossing it like ant tunnels. Stalls filled the roadsides selling all manners of goods, with people drinking and laughing. Some would throw coins into the scattered fountains for luck. Along the outer ring were the major shops; Alchemy stores had rows of various potions on display, while magic stores had wands, staves, scrolls and amulets. Next to them were the armor shops and weapon shops, selling goods produced from the blacksmiths that were passed by earlier, as well as goods traded with adventurers. In the center of the park stood three buildings that made up the heart of the city; the adventurer’s guild hall, the shrine to Uke Mochi, and the Ducal Knight’s garrison. Each had the wealth of the city on full display, and were bustling with activity.

Amongst the various traders, throngs of people were congregating and haggling. From well-dressed nobles wearing flashy outfits and heavily adorned with jewelry, with servants and slaves in tow, to Mages in all manners and colors of robes and some with large pointy hats, to their apprentices, and the numerous middle-class workers, adventurers and knights, and to countless peasants and street urchins deftly dodging their superiors.

**

“What is this weapon? Is it some kind of special stick?”

“Hah! What you are holding is the newest creation of the dwarves! My seller wouldn’t tell me how he got a hold of it, but he said they called it a Magi-Rifle! You can recharge it by changing out the mana crystal here…”

“Incredible! It seems no one can match the creativity and skill of the dwarves these days. I hear their cities are an incredible sight to see, like a whole other world!”

**

“Fortunes! Fortunes! You look like a lucky fellow… come… I sense… a dear family member wants to speak with you!”

“What a fraud, ignore him dear!”

**

“Come get the newest delicacy trending in the Empire! These candied apples are the delicacy of their nobility and usually sell for 5 silver, but I am selling them to you today for a mere 20 copper each!”

“I’ll take one… hey! Thief! Someone catch that kid, he just stole my wallet! Ani-san, grab me one too, I’ll try it after I catch this kid!”

**

“Darrrliiing, you said you are from a rich family, and this amulet would look so good on me, can you pleaaase get it for me?”

“The Madame had a wonderful eye, and this amulet is blessed by Inari! I can guarantee if you get it today, you will have many healthy children in the future!”

**

A man was standing on a small platform while a banner waved behind him. On the banner was a knight kneeling, holding his sword with the tip pointed straight to the ground in front of him, and his head lowered, and the moon was rising in the background behind the knight.

“The Goblins, Hobgoblins and Orcs in the Western mountains have formed an alliance of several tribes, but fear not! The Great Count Horatio is putting together a subjugation force of talented adventurers, and the church has pledged to support him with their clerics! Food and lodging guaranteed, with pay of 20 copper per day and a bonus for every slain foe!”

“THAT count Horatio is going? With the Church? This mission is practically a guaranteed win!”

“This will be the easiest coin I have earned all year! How much is the bonus per head?”

“Hah, that would be the least of your worries John, you have enough trouble killing sewer rats.”

“Your one to talk Beth, you ran away from a small sewer spider!”