“One way to tell how loved a ruler is by their people, is when they name cities after them on their own will. Rulers regularly named cities after themselves, it was a rather common occurrence. More often than not, if they are hated, the city receives a name change soon after their reign ends, however.

On the other hand, when a ruler, or a dynasty, was so loved by their people that they chose to name a city after them, it usually stayed for far longer periods of time, with a few examples still lasting to the present day. The capital city of the Caliphate, Al-Hassid, is one such example, as even the entire caliphate itself later took on their founder’s name in his honor.” From a Sociology paper by Leigh Wainwrought, advanced student and assistant professor in the Levain Institute of Higher Learning, circa 696 FP.

From Sabaya, Cal’s party booked an express carriage headed west, one that would easily cut the normally three-week journey down to one. The extra expense was because such carriages were manned by mages, ones who trained to use their gifts to keep their teams of horses fit and running fast all day long while the mage helped their recovery at night so they were fit to repeat the feat throughout the whole journey.

Life affinity healers like Dan were also capable of such a feat, but he would only be able to do so rather poorly, as his skill was more for healing injuries and illnesses, rather than a specialized, learned skill set specialized in stamina boosts and muscle recovery like the carriage drivers had. While the mage driving their carriage was far weaker than he was, his specialization allowed him to perform better at his chosen field.

Like their previous trip in Elmaiya, Cal had not forgone the chance to keep her students training while they traveled. As such, this time Willa ran alongside the carriage with Fheeri, Leila, and Ilena all seated on her back, their joyful laughter resounding as they felt the wind brush their faces. Ognar and Giselle each carried one of Cal’s nieces as well as they followed behind Willa, while the carriage driver just shook his head and laughed at the sight.

Naturally there was no room in such a carriage - it was already a relatively snug fit for the rest of the party even with half of them outside - for Lumi and Ida, but that proved to be a non-issue. Both beasts had great endurance, and easily kept up with the carriage, Ida on the ground and Lumi in the air. Leila mentioned that Lumi might not be able to do so with a passenger, but unburdened, she kept up with them just fine, and even ranged ahead for a snack on the local wildlife from time to time.

Ida even kept up with then relaxedly enough she occasionally pounced on a rabbit or other small critter that got too near, and chewed on it while she ran, without a single hitch. A blood affinity beast like her were nature’s ultimate endurance hunters, and what prey they could not overpower, they would simply tire out over a long chase.

The trip was relatively uneventful. They had not only traveled via the main roads, which were kept secure and patrolled by the empire, but any wild beast that ventured too near simply became snacks for one of the two beasts that followed them, sometimes both. Cal saw both of them feasting on a young auroch that ventured a bit too close to the road one night, only for Lumi to swoop in and shatter its spine with a diving strike.

A week later, they reached their destination right on schedule, and Cal tipped the carriage driver generously as she thanked him for the pleasant ride. Their group disembarked outside the city gates, since while tamed monsters are not unheard of, they were uncommon enough that most cities asked for registration if they were to be brought inside.

Verozgrad, the largest city in western Elmaiya, stood before them.

The city itself was a relatively new one, compared to the history of the often millennia old cities of the region. It was only raised around three centuries ago, during the early fifth empire’s reign, when the growing prosperity of the region demanded a better center for trade, rather than the three major cities it already had at the time.

Galavine to the North, Rostem to the West, and Weslom to the south, the three ancient cities had formed a triangle that had served the region’s needs from the old days. The new city of Verozgrad was built in the middle of the three older cities, atop a site that was purported to be where the much-loved ruling family once lived in ages past.

Now the site where the old house and ranch where the ancestor of the family once lived played host to a large manor, where a large stone - which legends said was where their ancestor made a speech to his people when they had just arrived on the land - situated like a throne on the main hall of the manor itself.

A rare case amongst ruling nobles, but the Veroz family, which had ruled the region from ancient times, were so well-loved by their people for their generally benevolent and relaxed rule, as they granted their citizens considerable autonomy, and had always served as the protector of the regions from enemies, be it raids from islanders further west, or from within the Empire itself further east, which happened several times in their history, especially in the wars of the second and fourth empire’s eras.

Even to this day, a direct descendant of the Veroz line still served as the эрцгерцог (Erstgertsog), a local noble rank equivalent to an Archduke, and practically the second most powerful man in the empire just second to the Emperor or Empress themselves.

After they registered Lumi and Ida with the guards - who gave them a magically charged tag that denoted the two as animal companions to be kept on their bodies during their stay, to be returned on departure - the group entered the prosperous city, drawing looks as they went.