City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

“I am tired, madam; I would like to take some rest,” I said and walked toward my room.
 
It is fine if family plots as I will deal with them on my own, but the servants have no right, even when they are ordered by their masters, especially when it is a house that is paying their salaries, not my brother.
 
As I had said, I will be writing to my grandfather; he is very strict about these rules, and there will be consequences.
 
“Remus, Ross had fixed his mistake. Your chambers in on the third floor, fourth room,” said Madam from behind.
 
I stopped as I heard that and turned toward her before nodding and walking toward the third floor. 
 
Madam appeared beside me and walked in silence; it was when we reached the third floor did she turned toward me.
 
“Remus, I hope you will not be harsh in your report to the father-in-law,” she said, specifically emphasizing the last word as if reminding me she, too, had a good relationship with the grandmother.
 
“I will be writing what I have observed, madam; nothing more, nothing less,” I said and walked toward my room; I could tell she wanted to say something to me and even opened her mouth, but no words came out.
 
Click!
 
I opened the door of my room and was quite surprised to see that other than my bag, there was a mattress on the stone bed, curtains, and other small amenities.
 
‘I should have invoked the report to grandfather sooner; it might have saved me quite a lot of trouble,’ I said to myself, but not truly thinking it. 
 
I am glad I did not because I was able to see the true depth of animosity these family members have against me. 
 
The battle was short, but it had truly tired me out, so after freshening up, I lay on the bed and fell asleep, waking directly evening.
 
The first thing I did was see time through my pocket watch, which told me it was six and a half. I had slept for more than two hours, but its good I did, as all the tiredness I was feeling had vanished.
 
Knock Knock
 
I had just freshened up when I heard a knock on my door.
 
Click!
 
I opened the door and found a blond haired women in later thirteen on the other side. She is Marge, the maid of Madam.
 
“Master Remus, Lord Baron, had sent his invitation for tonight’s banquet,” she said and handed me the pearl white card. 
 
“I will be there,” I said as I took the card and opened it after I closed the door. 
 
A minute later, I walked out of my chambers with Johan following behind me.
 
Soon, I was out of the keep and climbed the battlement; nobody had stopped; the guards did not even dare to look at me. 
 
I am sure what happened earlier had already been spread, which is great, as now nobody would stop me from enjoying this wonderful night.
 
“It’s a beautiful night,” I said as I looked at the silvery moon in the sky. It is not just night that is beautiful, but also the forest around the castle which is bathing in a silvery light.
 
“It really is,” Jonah said from behind.
 
Seeing the moon, I couldn’t help but think of the establishment; it would be an understatement to say I am thinking about it, I am at nearly every minute, and I really hope there isn’t any problem.
 
It’s not like I did not believe in Carla’s abilities; I just wanted to be there, watching my business which had just opened a few days ago.
 
I walked around the battlement before walking toward the barbican; everywhere, the guards were posted, watching everything vigilantly. 
 
They didn’t want to miss the orcs if they attacked again.
 
Soon, it was eight-forty, and I returned to my room and changed into the suit for the banquet. After checking myself in the mirror, I opened the door and walked toward the banquet hall.
 
 
“…today, we will begin a new chapter of our life, a beautiful chapter….”
 
Edwin had rambled on for more than ten minutes, and even now, his speech wasn’t over. 
 
He seemed to be in his own world as he spoke, not seeing how everybody had become bored and plastered fake smiles on their faces, including his mother.
 
I am sitting at a head table with family; I am not sure I would have gotten the place if I hadn’t mentioned the report.
 
The word had not only affected madam but also my brother and uncle, who both spoke with me with smiles on their faces; it was super awkward.
 
There are more guests than I had expected; aside from Lester and mages and other people of the new army, there is also commander Markus and a few of his people, whom my uncle was able to convince to stay for another day.
 
We will be going to the Mirador Hold with them; it is the only option to reach Greltheaven safely.
 
Going through the same way as we come is dangerous, with orcs roaming around and Edwin unwilling to send too many of his people with us.
 
So, we will first go to the Mirador Hold, and from there, we will go to the Greltheaven. 
 

It is the safest way, but it has its own dangers. However, these dangers would not attack us, at least not yet.
 
“To the prosperity of Blain!” he said finally and raised his glass, and everybody raised their glass in return.
 
A minute later, the food began to serve, and I couldn’t help but feel grateful for that. I am famished.
 
What happened in the afternoon took a lot of energy; I ate some of the snacks I had brought, but that did not satiate my hunger.
 
It is quite frustrating that I had to eat with manners while talking and laughing. If I had been alone, I would have simply dug in.
 
The dinner lasted for nearly an hour before we mingled; there were not many people I had to talk about. 
 
I did not talk to Lester, mages, or the other important people in the army, especially Lester. I had heard quite good things about him from my father, but after what he did, I am simply disappointed.
 
I could see him looking at me with guilt, but what’s the use? I could have very well died there; my family wanted it to happen.
 
So, I remain in the corner of the small hall, talking to a few people of Mirador Hold, otherwise staying silent and drinking the wine.
 
I was watching the hall with a nearly empty glass of wine in my hand when a middle-aged man with dark brown hair walked in front of me.
 
“Mister Remus, I did not think I would see you here. Though, I had very much wanted to meet you,” said a middle-aged man, to which a surprise couldn’t help but appear on my face.
 
“I did not think we knew each other, Captain Markus,” I said with a smile, searching through my memories to see whether old Remus had met him, but there was nothing. 
 
“We did not, but I have heard many things about you from my uncle,” he said, and immediately, it hit me. 
 
Those dark brown hair, light blue eyes, and that nose reminded me of someone.
 
“So, instructor Arthur was your uncle; how is he these days?” I asked as I remembered the old man with the same eyes and nose, just a little short. 
 
“He is doing good, teaching some promising students, but even now, he tells me, he had never come across someone who had a tenth of talent and dedication as you,” said Captain Markus.
 
“He was heartbroken when you decided to leave the way of the sword after your accident,” he added with a shake of his head.
 
It was not only him but also my instructors; even grandfather had sent a letter asking me to think about my decision.
 
I was their best chance to be closer to the throne; there was a high chance, I would have got accepted into the imperial knights and reaching higher in their order, I would have been able to wield a great influence.
 
“Those days are past now, Captain Markus; I am now just a humble merchant,” I replied, hearing that a small smile appeared on his face.
 
“I have heard you have fought Orc today.” He said after a second of silence, “More like nearly died,” I said back.
 
“Most people would have died if they had fought against it without skill and class,” he added. 
 
To that, I just smiled.
 
I talked to him for a few minutes before walking out of the banquet hall. There are not many people I could talk to, not to mention I woke early tomorrow for an important thing.
 
…
 
I woke up before dawn. 
 
Though not as refreshing as I like to be, I had a few nightmares about the orcs. In them, I got killed and even stereotypically eaten.
 
I shook my head off the thoughts of a nightmare and got out of bed, and went to the bathroom to freshen up.
 
Click
 
A few minutes later, I came out and changed into more loose clothes I could find before walking out of my chambers.
 
Dan followed behind me and soon, through the stairs, which were only alight by the magic lights. 
 
The sun had started to come out, but it barely lit up the sky; it would take a few minutes before light could fall on forest and the castle.
 
Soon, we reached our destination; there were already a few guards there, both from the army and the men of captain Markus; they stopped as they saw me come.
 
I walked toward the weapons rack and picked up a practice sword while Dan did the same.
 
“I am no instructor; Mister Remus; so please forgive me if I hit you a little too hard in the heat of the moment,” said Dan.
 
“It is fine,” I said and lunged at him.
 
I did not have any interest in fighting, which is why I have not focused on it since I entered this body. 
 
If I wanted to, I could have made a respectable carrier and might even be gotten into the imperial knight, but it is not a path I wanted to choose.
 
My thoughts have not changed even now, but I have become aware of my condition and know I cannot depend on others for my safety.
 
Since I have a talent, I might as well use the hell out of it.
 
Clang!
 
I swung my sword at dan, but he moved quickly and defended against it with a smooth, clear motion before attacking me.
 
I dodged left but smoothly changed the direction of the sword efficiently, and it followed me like a snake.
 
Thap!
 
Before I could defend, the sword hit my shoulder, giving me stinging pain.
 
“Again?” he asked, and I nodded and started with the attack. 
 
Dan responded with that same pace; his speed was not faster than mine, but he was far more skilled with his experience. That forget hitting him, I couldn’t even get my sword near him.
 
In a matter of minutes, I was hit across my body many times, but I kept pushing myself, trying to land a hit.
 
Which I do not think is possible; he is a level 20+ fighter with decades of experience. 
 
The majority of his attributes go to strength and vitality; he is not using any of them, just fighting me with his experience. As for his skills, he did even think about using them.
 
The sun completely came out, and more people gathered, but I did not stop; I kept pushing myself against him while he made me red with his strikes.
 
I am improving at a tremendous pace; I feel like all experience and skills of old Remus that were lost through time are returning as my movements become efficient and my attacks finer.
 
The most surprising thing is that I am having fun; I had never thought I would have fun fighting.
 
Thap!
 
Once again, his sword hit, this time at my thigh, giving me another wave of stinging pain, and this one sharper, considering he had already hit on that place couple of times.
 
“I think it is enough for warm-up, Mister Remus; use your skills,” he said, and I nodded; it is time to use them.
 
[Quick Steps]
 
I activated it, and my speed doubled as I moved toward him, and a second later, I activated my second skill as I swung my sword.
 
[Consecutive Strikes]
 
I felt resistance, like someone grating my head, but I bored it as I activated the second skill. 
 
Using multiple skills at a time takes practice; while it is easy to bear mental pressure due to charm and intelligence, it still felt grating that I nearly let go.
 
Clang!
 
My sword clashed against his, but to his surprise, he saw my sword did not lose momentum; instead, its momentum seemed to have increased, and immediately, the understanding dawned on his face.
 
Clang Clang Clang
 
It defended against my second attack, but I launched the third and then the fourth without losing any power.
 
This is [Consecutive Strikes]. I could keep launching the attack without losing momentum; it is a great skill that worked flawlessly with [Quick Steps].
 
Right now, I am moving around with the [Quick Steps] and attacking with [Consecutive Strikes], not giving him even a single chance to hit me.
 
For the first time since we started sparring, this was the minute he wasn’t able to hit me. Though I know it is keeping his power restricted, still, it couldn’t make me happy.
 
This is why I am suppressing the tiredness I am feeling and pushing myself harder to go faster and make powerful attacks.
 
Thap!
 
Finally, he dodged my attack and attacked my thigh with the back of the sword, which sent me stumbling on the ground.
 
“You should control the skills, not let the skills control you, and don’t go for speed and power; it will drain your stamina fast; it is better to find a balance so that you can last longer,” advised Dan, as I got up.
 
“I will remember it,” I said and once again activated both of my skills and went for dan.
 
For the next forty-five minutes, I collapsed many times till I collapsed again and did not have the energy to get up for a minute.
 
“I think it is enough for today, Mister Remus,” Dan said as I sat in the dirt, “Ok,” I said, with a little breathless voice.
 
Even if he had asked me to continue, I did not think I had the energy, not to mention the pain I was feeling at every movement I made.
 
This was just the beginning; the soreness would soon come, and it would bring real pain.

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