Chapter 3: The Rose Cochon Brigade
Jack was led to his room later that afternoon at the basement of the castle with his bunkmate Leonard. He was glad to see the old pops but kept himself cool and acted professionally, not even complaining about the condition of his room. By the time he got into his knight's trainee outfit he had to agree that he really did look like the little lord. If only he had a room to boast he would really look like a young lord himself. A prince of the castle if one would boldly say.
"Well now, who looks like the little lord?" Leonard chuckled. "The outfit somehow suits you"
"You think?" Jack smirked knowing well what he meant. The suit did fit him for some strange reason. It was like there was a soft glow around him that made him look like a noble than a knight trainee. "Thanks for helping me put it on Leonard. Getting this thing was such a pain"
"Hey no prob kiddo. We bunkmates need to stick together"
"No kidding. Well I should probably get off to the meeting room soon. I don't think they'll like it if I'm late for my first meeting" but inside, Jack was mentally kicking himself. "That reminds me. I also have to find Etha too. I hope she isn't causing trouble around town"
The landscape of the castle was pretty much built in Jack's head. He got lost in this castle so many times back then. Soon enough he arrived at the meeting room but to his surprise, Ridley had just arrived herself. Their paths met and quickly did their eyes connect. "Oh… it's you" she muttered, her hand paused to the door handle.
Jack's heart melted. To hear her words directed at him seemed to have brought unbelievable joy to him. But he had to play it cool. Going all out now would only make an unwanted scene for both himself and Ridley. Forcing a smile on his face he yelled out. "Hey there Ridley. It looks like you and I are in the same brigade after all. I guess that's congratulation to both of us huh?"
Ridley didn't reply. She simply gave a blank look and walked in the meeting room, trying her best not to crack her face.
"Hmm… I guess I made a wrong impression there" Jack muttered to himself sadly before following after her.
The briefing went by smoothly with no actual problems. Jack had to pinch captain Ganz again which he took pleasure in doing. The mission was the same as last time in the boy's past life. A dwarf merchant cart was making its way to the city but it required escort to town. But even though they were in the briefing, the boy kept his gaze at Ridley.
"Oh that reminds me Jack" Ganz suddenly called out to the boy. "I acquired a sword for you from the armory a few hours ago. Since your previous sword was destroyed during the trial I thought that you might need a new one. Go on take it" he pulled out a smaller sword from the side of the briefing table and handed it over to Jack. It was a standard sword that the guards of the castle use. Nothing fancy but not weak either. Perfect for beginners.
"Wow… thanks Captain. With the money I have, it's hard just to get a meal around here"
"There's no need to worry about food when you're with me" the well rounded man laughed. "Now let's be off shall we? If we leave now we can make it to the Earth Valley before sundown"
"Right behind you captain" Jack followed suit, awaiting the moment to be called into service again. "Hey Ridley, you coming?"
The girl was brought out of her trance only to realize that she was being left behind. "Oh uh… yes. I'll be with you" she let out a sigh when Jack left the room. She wanted to give something to him but it seemed like Ganz beat her to it. She held on her hand, a sword wrapped in a soft leather cloth. It was the blade her mother gave her when she first became a knight and it held well on its own. "Oh well… I guess he won't be needing this anymore"
(Radiata)
When Ganz and his brigade arrived at Lupus gate they were greeted by a familiar face that Jack recognized. "Hey there everyone"
"Clive!" Jack exclaimed excitingly remembering the young monk in training and his first friend in the city. "It's great to see you again!"
He gave the young priest a hug which he accepted with a questionable glance. "Why that's mighty kind of you, good sir. If there were more people like you, we could probably have world peace by now"
Jack immediately caught his own mistake and smiled embarrassingly to himself. Not only did Ridley and Ganz forgot who he was but all of his friends as well. "Oh… sorry about that I guess I got too emotional"
"Master Clive will be accompanying us to the Earth Valley" Ganz explained to them. "He has a good relation there with some of the dwarves so we might be able to use his connections for entry"
"Glad to be of service, everyone" the airheaded priest nodded. "So uh… where are we headed?"
"Still the same old airhead" Jack laughed, a teardrop rolling down his face. He remembered fighting with Clive once outside the city during the war but that memory felt so distant now.
(Earth Valley)
The trip to the Earth Valley was a smooth one per say. The monsters that patrolled the area were all but small fries to Jack and his companions. Whether it was just a normal bandit or a monster they stood no chance against the power of the trio (excluding Clive of course). But as they kept their march onward towards the valley, Ridley began to notice Jack's constant stare. He would steal glances to her at times and without even looking she could still feel his eyes on her. The look he gave was not lust or jealousy or admiration that she usually receives by her parents, but rather more of caring and longing.
She also noticed how quickly he became friends with Clive. During their walk to the valley, they would throw jokes at one another and play silly child games from time to time. They even went as far as playing 'I spy with my little eye' with Clive always choosing rock as his answer.
But Jack obeyed orders very well. He listened to Ganz and followed his instructions to the letter. Sometimes he would know what the captain would order and proceed to it before the captain could order him. The boy was a skilled fighter and perhaps even more experienced than herself. Ridley also began to wonder if Jack had a better blade during the trial, there was a good chance that he would've won fair and square as well.
By the time they arrived to the city of the dwarves they were greeted by Gonovitch, the dwarf leader who sat on his golden throne. Their conversation was short and brief but Jack had already got the gist of it. The shipment wasn't ready yet so they had time to kill around.
Jack took his time looking around town noticing all the dwarves in the area and remembering the few faces he fought alongside with during the war. He hoped that he would not have to repeat that incident all over again.
"Hey…" the boy spun around surprised to see Ridley of all people calling him.
"Ridley? What are you doing here? I thought you were going to wait with the captain"
"I thought I came to see the Earth Valley for myself" she lied. In truth she actually wanted to talk to Jack about something.
"Well there's a lot to see around here I can give you a tour if you want" Jack motioned to the mountains. "The place is actually quite beautiful during sunset. If you go up top by the hill overlooking the city, the view is probably the best! Also, the mines are full of monsters so I wouldn't recommend going in there. The wine here is also supposed to be good compared, at least that's what the guards by the gate said"
"You sure know a lot about a lot of things"
Jack mentally cursed himself for letting the slip of the tongue go. His knowledge of other places had been his best quality after all and since remembering places was essential to his survival he had to make sure he had the lay of land imprinted in his head. "Well. Let's just say I was a bit of a traveler back when I was a kid. Going around other places and stuff"
"Oh… I see"
But while they remained there, overlooking the miners tend to their duties, Jack couldn't help but remember the time when the knights drove the dwarves to slavery. It was a horrible sight that time with much death and destruction. It only seemed fitting that this world earned another chance of redemption. But even though time had reset itself, Jack couldn't forget the sins that the humans brought upon the world. All that trouble just because of a little misunderstanding.
The time when Jack visited the Earth Valley after the knights had withdrawn, there were blood almost everywhere. Pools of blood would drip at the wooden floors and creaky doors filled with corpses were abundant.
"Jack?" Ridley's voice brought him out of his thoughts. "What's the matter? You look like you were out of it"
"Oh sorry… I guess I was just daydreaming" he lied but decided to keep his future to himself. "But if you ever want to see the sights of Earth Valley or any place for that matter, I'm your man"
"I'll keep that in mind" Ridley chuckled slightly which she hid from him. "But anyway… we should probably get back to the captain. The shipment should already be ready for us"
And to her truth, the shipment of goods and supplies was ready for them. When Jack exited the town the goat drawn cart was in sight along with Captain Ganz and Clive who were conversing with the driver.
"Ah! Jack! Ridley! Excellent timing as always" Ganz praised them. "We were just about ready to depart. We will be returning to Radiata castle through the same path we came. However, we'll be taking a detour through the northern area for awhile"
"Through the falcon gate" Jack added earning a nod from his captain. "The place is less populated with monsters and there's an outpost there as well. Not to mention the small farm along the way"
"Yes indeed" the captain stated proudly, impressed of the boy's knowledge of the outlying lands of the kingdom. "My word, Jack. It seems like your knowledge of this land will be an immense help to us. We really should have more people like you in the army"
"Hehe… well… I travel a lot" while the boy rubbed his head embarrassed by the captain's compliments he failed to notice the strange look he was getting from Ridley. It was not jealously or anything but rather, admiration.
Their travel to Radiata was pleasant at best with Jack quickly remembering the goblin trio that ambushed them last time. They had a few run in with the local monsters and bandits in the area but nothing the brigade could not handle. Upon returning to the castle, Ganz escorted the cargo in while the rest of the brigade went their separate way.
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"Well looks like that's it for us" Jack stated watching the captain leave with the dwarf.
"Indeed" Clive nodded in agreement. "That wasn't much of a journey but it was a lot of fun. Hope we get to work together again Jack. I'd better get back to the Cathedral. My pay should be waiting there"
"Cool! You're going to the cathedral?" Jack exclaimed excitingly. "Can I tag along? I haven't seen that place for ages"
"No prob. I'll even give you the grand tour of the place. I think Master Kane will be giving a sermon around this time. If we're lucky we'll catch him while he's still there"
"Great! Hey Ridley, wanna tag along? The cathedral's a cool place. It's not as big as the palace but a lot prettier on the inside"
The blonde knight blushed at first and wanted to say yes but she stopped momentarily when she heard a rather familiar voice coming from behind. The trio looked over and saw her father. Lord Janse Colton…
