Tales of Xalthia

Chapter 24: Sworn Oath

Twelve hours have passed since Tsuki and his companions set sail from Basilwell, leaving Cayhill and the kingdom of Eresseas behind them as they crossed the vast ocean. When the sun rose the next day, they found themselves in the middle of nowhere. The morning sun rose from the horizon as it reflected off the still ocean. The only thing that was around them was the ocean that extended beyond the horizon all around them. Besides a few small islands, there wasn't any significant landmasses anywhere in sight. Most of the group weren't able to sleep well due to the rocking of the ship. The only people that were used to sailing at sea were Elle, Ramza and the small crew that was appointed to the ship by Alba. Tsuki, Lynette and Ruko were not adjusted to traveling across the ocean.

Around noon, Tsuki was standing out on the deck of the ship, staring out at the ocean. He appeared to be in deep thought. Thanks to Alba's help, sailing the ship was a lot easier despite the fact that they were only given a crew of twenty sailors to help with the ship. He knew that the ship was in good hands so he didn't have to worry about that. However, everything else that's happened remained on Tsuki's mind. The fall of Eresseas, the Menorion occupation and stranglehold over Cayhill, the Ancients and the mystery behind them and not knowing whether or not Taichi and Emma along with the other members of the Royal Eight were alive. Everything happened so fast that it felt like a nightmare that he simply woke up from.

As Tsuki remained in thought, a man in a captain's uniform approached him from behind. "Mr. Himura? Are you okay?" the man asked.

Tsuki snapped back to reality and turned around to face the man. He then nodded at him. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking. There's a lot going through my head right now. Please, call me Tsuki" he said.

The man nodded. "Of course. A lot has happened recently so I can't blame you. Allow me to formally introduce myself now that we're out of immediate danger. My name is Rolfe Sozette, captain of the Saint Alize. It's a pleasure to work with you" he said. He then held his hand out to shake his hand.

Tsuki reached out and shook Rolfe's hand. "My name is Tsuki Himura. I greatly appreciate the efforts you and your crew are taking for us" he said.

Rolfe nodded and gave him a brief smile. "It's no problem. Alba is an old friend of mine and I owe him for a lot of things. Not only that, but I've lived in Cayhill all my life. Just like everyone else, I don't want to see our kingdom fall under permanent Menorion rule. If there's anything I can do to help out, then I want to do everything that I can" he said. He then stood beside him, placing his hands on the wooden rail and leaned forward, inhaling the ocean smell. "We should arrive in Velika by tomorrow night" he said.

Tsuki tilted his head. Since he has never left Cayhill, he knows absolutely nothing about the other kingdoms or their cities. "Velika? I haven't really studied about other cities outside of Cayhill so I'm unfamiliar with the name" he said.

Rolfe shook his head. It was understandable that he wasn't familiar with anything outside of Cayhill. Unless someone had planned on taking trips to other kingdoms, no one really needed to know. "Don't worry about it. Velika is one of the most well-known cities in Ersheath. It's popular among merchants and commerce. It's basically a big trade city. Almost anything in the world can be found on those streets as merchants from every corner of the world come to trade off their goods" he said.

Tsuki went into thought for a moment. "Every corner around the world, huh? Maybe I can gather some information about what's going on around the world" he said.

Rolfe chuckled a bit. "Yeah. If you guys are going to be traveling around the world, then it's best that you learn as much as you can beforehand. If you don't, then you might have some trouble later on down the road" he said.

Tsuki folded his arms for a moment, placing his hand on his chin. "How much do you know about Ersheath?" he asked.

Rolfe shrugged a little bit. "I don't know very much, unfortunately. I try not to spend a lot of time in Ersheath due to the hostile tensions between them and a neighboring kingdom" he said.

Tsuki wasn't thrilled when Rolfe brought up the hostile tensions. "Hostile tensions, huh? Can you tell me what you know about Ersheath? Specifically, anything you know about the relationship between the two kingdoms" he said.

Rolfe nodded. "Sure, we can talk on the bridge. I have some books and documents on everything that I know about them" he said. He then turned around and started to head back towards the bridge.

Tsuki followed Rolfe up towards the bridge so that he could learn everything he can about Ersheath and their neighboring kingdom. Meanwhile, Elle, Lynette, Nagi and Cheria were below deck in the ship's lounge area. They were having a conversation about something as they laid back on the couches and chairs that were set up in the center of the lounge. They seemed to be relaxing without a care in the world.

Cheria was in the middle of telling a story about something that happened back when she was a child involving Tsuki. She was telling them a little bit about their history together, how they met each other and how they got to where they were at now. "...and that's about it. When my dad first met Tsuki, he thought he was an average street thug" she said.

Lynette listened to her story as she had been interested in their relationship for quite a while. "Interesting. I never would have guessed Tsuki used to be a thief" she said.

Elle seemed to be quite interested to hear about Tsuki's past for some reason. "Considering how he is now, he changed significantly from childhood. It brings back some old memories" she said.

Nagi looked over at them as they spoke, laughing a bit though there was a sense of awkwardness in her behavior. "Yeah..." she said. However, once Elle said that talking about Tsuki brought back old memories, she looked down to the floor and fell silent for a few moments.

Cheria looked at Nagi and tilted her head. "What's wrong, Nagi?" she asked. Her demeanor had changed from a happy and cheerful attitude to being troubled about something.

Nagi remained silent for a minute before she gathered the courage to ask a question. When she was ready, she looked over at Elle who was sitting across from her in one of the chairs and gave her a stern look. "I think it's time for you to tell the truth, Elle" she asked.

Lynette looked at Nagi and Elle with a confused look on her face. She suddenly asked a strange question out of nowhere. "What are you talking about, Nagi?" she asked.

Elle remained silent and looked down at the ground with her hands folded in her lap. She knew what Nagi was referring to. In an instant, her normal, cold facial expression changed into an innocent look. Now that Nagi has spoken up to her publicly, there was no way out for her. "It's complicated. You wouldn't understand, Nagi" she said.

Nagi shook her head and stood up from her chair. She was keeping something extremely important to herself and refuses to say anything and that frustrated her. "Of course I wouldn't understand! You've closed yourself off from us! Do you understand that keeping something this big to yourself?" she shouted.

Cheria tilted her head as she stared at Nagi. She had noticed that there was something different between her and Elle but for a while now. "Whoa, calm down. What are you talking about?"she asked. She now wanted to know what was going on between Nagi and Elle.

Elle went silent once more and sighed heavily soon afterwards. She could no longer avoid it. "I suppose if I don't say anything now, I'll never hear the end of it. Alright, I'll tell you. However, none of what I'm about to say leaves this room. Got that?" she said. She then looked up at them and gave each one a look. She then proceeded to tell them a story. A story from her past. A story that completely shocks both Lynette and Cheria. After about five minutes had passed, she finished her story. "...and that's just about the gist of it" she said, revealing some sort of long kept secret to them

When Elle told them her secret that she has kept hidden from everyone for years, Lynette and Cheria were shocked beyond words. They had no idea on how to take this sudden news. Cheria, especially, took the news pretty hard and shocking more so than Lynette. They were speechless and didn't know how to react to this shocking revelation.

Cheria was lost for words. She didn't know how to react to what Elle said. "Little...? You...?" she said. She had so much to say but she couldn't get the words out of her mouth.

Lynette scratched her head as she tried to understand what was just said to her. To find out that Elle had such a big secret and the fact that she doesn't reveal it to the others, especially to a certain someone, leaves her confused.. she began to wonder about a few things. "Not that I don't mean to question your intentions but...I agree with Nagi. This isn't something you should really keep to yourself" she said.

Elle took a deep breath then looked over at Lynette for a moment. "I understand. However, it's not the right time for me reveal it. Please, understand this" she said, looking over at Cheria. "There's also something else you should know but first..." she said. She then shfited her gaze over to Nagi. "Have you told her anything about the village?" she asked.

Nagi shook her head. There were several things that she had kept from Cheria such as her hometown and what happened on the night when Tomoha was attacked and destroyed. "No. I didn't want to think about what happened. I wanted to forget about it all" she said.

Elle nodded. "I see. I'm sorry to do this but it's about time she learned the truth. If you don't think you can handle listening to it, then feel free to cover your ears. I don't want you to have a relapse" she said.

Nagi felt a bit nervous. She knew more than anyone that any mention of Tomoha's destruction or the cult, no matter how vague it may be, would trigger flashbacks in her mind of her time in hell. However, Elle had a point. Cheria knew nothing and it wouldn't be fair to her if she were to be kept in the dark. After thinking about it for a few minutes, she nodded slowly. "I'll be okay. I'll add in my part as well as whatever Tsuki had told me back in Eresseas as well" she said.

Elle nodded and looked back at Cheria. She then started to explain everything to her. Their lives during childhood in Tomoha, the destruction of their village, the cult and their pasts that they've kept hidden from public knowledge for so long. It would be a lot for her to take in so she tried to best to explain things so that Cheria would be able to understand.

It took a while before things started to sink in for Cheria. She had absolutely no idea that Tsuki and Nagi had such a horroific childhood. She knew about the minor details about Tomoha but didn't know of any firsthand accounts of the disaster. She was almost mortified. As she was being told about Tsuki's past with the added portion from Nagi, things were starting to finally connect. When she first met Tsuki out on the streets of Eresseas when they were kids, she could sense that he was a good person but his good nature had been locked away. It was like he was trying to be someone he wasn't. When she first met him, she knew that he wasn't really a thief at heart. "It's all starting to make sense now. I knew from the first time I met him that there was something wrong. He didn't show it but I could tell from the look in his eyes. He had the eyes of someone who had lost everything. I knew something tragic had happened to him recently. I wanted to ask him about it but something always held me back. Like, something was telling me not to bring it up. Even now, I've always wanted to ask him but I was afraid of what he would say" she said. She then had a series of flashbacks to when she and Tsuki were kids, long before Tsuki was enlisted into the knights. Once the flashbacks were done, she couldn't help but shake her head. "And here I thought that we knew practically everything about each other. As it turns out, he kept a huge secret from me for all of these years" she said.

Elle looked down for a little bit. She took a moment to gather her thoughts as Cheria was slowly starting to come to terms of what she was just told. When she made her last comment, she looked back up at her. "Your Highness, you have to understand his reason for keeping it a secret. He did it not just for the sake of himself, but you and your family. I don't know what he experienced but I know that it was tragic. It would make sense that he would push his memories of what happened to the back of his mind and forget about them. He was protecting himself from his own haunting past. He is probably thinking that if he had told you and your family the truth, he would cause a great amount of concern. Not only that, but I'm sure he had a feeling of what would happen if word had gotten out that someone from Tomoha was alive. After all, Tomoha's destruction by the cult made headline news all over the world. Everyone knows that Tomoha was wiped off the face of the earth with all of its villagers. Just think of what would happen if the world's media were to discover that there were survivors. He would get slammed with questions from people who may of had loved ones in Tomoha who wanted answers" she explained. She didn't want Cheria to have the wrong idea since she knew that she and Tsuki were practically opened up to each other in terms of who they were and their pasts.

Cheria closed her eyes, sighing softly. "I know. He kept it a secret for our sake. It's funny how you think know who a person is but find out that you really don't know everything about them; Tsuki's hidden past and you're shocking little secret. Tsuki has his reason for not mentioning his past to us and I'm sure you have your reasons for this as well" she said.

Elle stood up and walked over to Cheria and got down on one knee next to her seat with her head down. "I apologize. I know you and your family has a lot of trust placed on me but this is something I have to decide for myself. Unfortunately, I can't say what my reasons are right now. It's not the time for me to reveal what they are" she said.

Nagi walked up to her and placed her hands on her hips, "You do realize what he's been going through all this time right? And you're still going to stand in silence?" she said, shaking her head. She made a fist as her arm started to shake. Not from anger, but from frustration. She was never like this before. She wouldn't intentionally do this to someone.

Elle stood up and folded her arms under her chest. "...Yes. I know this may seem difficult for you to understand, Nagi and I'm sorry. However, until the time is right, I'll remain silent about it" she said. She then looked up at them with a serious look on her face. "I promise you that I will open up about it with everyone one day" she said. It was unclear to her when that time will come but she hopes it won't be too far into the future.

Nagi gave Elle a long, hard look as silence filled the room. She knew that she wasn't going to get through to her as she wasn't who she used to be. After a while, she sighed heavily, scratching her head. "No matter what I say, your mind's not going to change, is it? I don't understand why you're doing this but I guess it'll have to do for now" she said, looking over to Cheria who had been sitting in her seat in silence.

Elle nodded slowly. "If it weren't for my prior responsibilities, I would of been truthful about things from the very beginning" she said. She sighed heavily, leaning back in her seat as she looked up at the ceiling. "They're rather troublesome but necessary so I can't neglect them" she said.

Cheria folded her arms, sitting back in her seat and fell into thought for a few moments. She was curious about what she plans on doing now. After a moment of silence, she looked up at her. "What do you plan on doing now? These responsibilities don't seem to have been placed on you by mom and dad so they don't have anything to do with Eresseas. You always had a knack of showing up and disappearing on a whim" she said.

Elle looked over at Cheria. "You're right. They don't involve Eresseas. Unfortunately, explaining everything to you know would take too long. I give you my word that I will explain everything to you at a later time so that you'll be able to understand what my responsibilities were. As for what my plans are now, your parents may have released me from their services but that doesn't mean I've been released from yours. My loyalty is and always has been with Eresseas. You and your family took me in after your father had found me when I was close to death when I was young. Nursed me back to health and gave me a home. For that, I will forever be in your family's debt. So, with that being said, as long as you understand my own circumstances however suspicious and strange they may be, I will do whatever you ask me to do, Your Highness" she said. Even though she's no longer needed by Taichi and Emma, Cheria is a completely different story. She wasn't the strongest of people and there aren't enough people for her to surround herself with for support. She would need more than Tsuki if she was going to get anywhere.

Cheria listened to what Elle had to say and when she said that she would do what she asked, that brought a sense of relief to her. Despite everything that she's said, Elle was still one of the people she trusts with her life regardless of who she was. "It's a bit strange, having someone to order around. Usually, I just sit around and let my parents order people but I guess I would have to get used to it if I were to become the next Queen" she said. She then took a deep breath and looked at Elle with a smile on her face. "If that's the case, then I want you to stay with us. I ask that you give me your support so that we can someday return to Cayhill and extinguish the dark veil that hangs over the kingdom" she said.

Elle had a feeling that's what she would say. In terms of strength, Elle was the strongest among their little group. Tsuki still had much to improve so he would need all the help he could get. She smiled softly at her then got down on one knee again with her head pointing down, her hand in a fist placed on the ground. "If that's what you wish, then so be it. As of now, I offer my sword to your cause, Your Highness" she said.

Cheria couldn't help but keep her smile as she placed her hand on Elle's shoulder. Now that she has her oath, there were two things left for her to ask. "I'd like to two more requests though. First, I want you to drop the titles. Just call me Cheria. Your Highness makes it feel that we're distant from each other. Besides, if someone from another kingdom were to overhear, that could complicate things for us" she said. If they were going to be traveling around the world, then she doesn't want to be some princess that would be a burden for everyone. She can fight as well as any other person so she would be able to hold her own.

Elle giggled a little bit, showing off her more gentle side. It was almost uncharacteristic compared to her persona as a Shadow Knight. "Consider it done then, Cheria. What is your second request?" she asked.

Cheria looked up towards the ceiling for a moment as her thoughts briefly turned to Tsuki. She wanted to make sure he had support as well. "I understand you don't want to reveal your intentions to everyone right now so I'll respect that and back off on insisting that you do. However, I would like you to offer as much support as you can to Tsuki. He tends to dive headfirst into danger without thinking if it means to save someone. Nagi had told me how he and Lyn tried to take on the whole cult in Prophet Castle on his own. If it weren't for Georg's arrival, things might not of gone as smoothly as it did. Then, there was that whole thing in Basilwell and King Caius but you're already aware of that" she said. She then looked out of the window and glanced out at the sea a little bit to gather the rest of her thoughts. "I know that Tsuki is strong but there are times where he doesn't know his own limits and that puts him into bad situations. I fear that one day, he might get himself involved with something that will actually cause great harm to him or worse. So, as my sworn sword, I ask that you protect Tsuki if it comes down to it" she said.

Elle had heard the small talks around the castle in Eresseas on how a knight from the Royal Eight had took on the entire cult in Prophet Castle though she wasn't exactly sure who it was at the time. After her encounter with Tsuki in the Briswater mines, she was stopped by Georg, the knight who commanded the reinforcements that were sent to Prophet Castle, one day while she was roaming around the castle where he had told her about what happened and who the mystery knight was. She was quite shocked when Georg had told her that. Thinking back to what Georg had told her and his fight with Caius, she can completely understand what she was trying to say. "Yeah, I can see why that would cause a great deal of concern for you. I had wondered why you were freaking out when Georg made that report when he returned to Eresseas with Nagi but didn't feel like it was my business to ask" she said. She rubbed the back of her head, sighing. She had no idea that Tsuki had become such a troublemaker. "I'll keep my eye on him and do what I can to support him. If he gets himself involved with something that's too much for him to handle by himself, then I'll do what I can to help. He's no longer alone, after all. He has the support of you, Ruko, Lyn, Nagi, Ramza and myself" she said.

Cheria nodded at her with a smile across her face. She was glad that she came to understand her. "That's true. As for your secret, I'll be sure to keep it to myself for as long as necessary. None of this will leave this room, as you said. Is that okay with you guys?" she asked, turned to Lynette and Nagi who had been sitting in silence for a while now.

It was a bit complicated for Lynette as they explained everything but she slowly came to understand what was going on. Since she didn't have much to say about it, she had decided to keep quiet and let the three talk. When Cheria looked over at her, she nodded back at her. "Of course. I can keep a secret. Don't you worry about a thing" she said. The only other person that still had to make the promise was Nagi. She then looked over at Nagi. "What about you, Nagi?" she asked.

Nagi was apprehensive about the whole thing. After a moment of silence, she sighed heavily and sat back down in her chair. "Yeah, I promise that I won't speak a word of this to anybody else" she said.

Elle looked at them as all three of them promised her that they wouldn't say anything. She felt a huge sense of relief since she knew how strongly Nagi opposed this. "Thank you. You have no idea how much relief this gives me" she said. She then looked over at Cheria and gently nudged her elbow against her arm. "I do wonder though. Can you keep a secret from him? As I've heard from the rumors around Eresseas, you're practically an open book for him since you and him are the rumored sweethearts of Cayhill. The rumors of you two lovebirds are some of the most talked about subjects for the people. There are even people talking about the possibility of a marriage between the two of you" she said, teasing her. She couldn't help but bring up the rumors that have flown all around Cayhill about how Tsuki and Cheria will marry and become the next King and Queen.

Cheria became flustered and turned a bit red from her comment. "M-marriage!? You've got it all wrong! It's nothing like that at all!" she said. She got pretty defensive about it.

Lynette had remembered that she didi hear stories about the two of them. Some of those rumors went even beyond Eresseas. "I've heard those rumors. There are some diehard believers that think they're actually true" she said.

Elle scratched her head, sitting back down in her seat as she sits back in it, thinking about the rumors. "Honestly, I just don't see him as king. Don't get me wrong but it doesn't seem quite like him to have a stance on political-type things. I see him acting more as a mercenary or holding a high position in the royal guard more than anything else" she asked.

Cheria never really gave the rumors much thought. Tsuki was the one who usually denied them as he can stay level-headed than she can. Her reactions and denials only fuel the rumors. However, she had to agree with Elle. Tsuki wasn't one for politics. "I'd pin him more as a mercenary. He's always expressed how he wants to go out on adventures and explorations. I think that's what really excites him when he's sent out on missions more than anything else" she said.

Nagi tilted her head. While the rumors didn't seem to be true, she thought that it would have been nice if they were true. It's a shame that they aren't true though. The time to take the throne is still a long way ahead and from what I understand, there are no real suitors. You don't really interact with a lot of guys and with how close you and Tsuki are, anyone would make the assumption that you were engaged" she said.

Cheria shrugged, not sure how to give her a definitive answer. She scratched her cheek a bit as she tried to think of the right words to say about all of this. "I've known him ever since he was a thief on the streets as a kid. Although he seemed dangerous, I could tell there was more to him than meets the eye. Before I knew it, I found myself actually seeking him out on the streets. Of course, this got me into quite a bit of trouble from other street thugs but he was always there to defend me" she said.

Elle smiled as Cheria talked about her and Tsuki's relationship. She didn't know much about Tsuki prior to him joining the royal knights so it was interesting to learn about who he was before he met Cheria and how much he's changed because of her. "It just goes to show you that even though someone looks like a bad person on the outside, you have the ability to look past their physical appearance and look into who they actually are. You reaching out to him is probably what saved him from himself" she said.

Lynette nodded in agreement. "I completely agree with that. He may be here now to protect and save you from danger but you played the most important part in setting him on this path. If it weren't for you, who knows where he'd be today. If I had to guess, the fact that you saved him is what probably drives him to do all the crazy things he does" she said.

Elle also nods in agreement. "He may be reckless at times but he acts with purpose. Though, that doesn't excuse him charging in headfirst. I think he picked that up from you during your rebellious phase of avoiding your royal escort and sneaking out of the castle" she said, looking over at Cheria.

Cheria took a minute to register what she had said. Thinking back on it, she was pretty reckless herself back in the day. "Wait, you're saying it's my fault!? I guess...I can't...exactly...deny any of it..." she said, almost hating to admit it herself

They continued to talk about Tsuki and the past as their conversation starts to trail on seemingly without end. As they talked among themselves, Ramza and Ruko were on the back of the ship, staring out at the sea in the direction they came from. They were also in the middle of a conversation themselves but one that was completely different than what Cheria and the others were having.

Ruko stared out at the sea behind them for a few minutes in silence. Soon after, he turned his head to face Ramza who stood next to him, leaning up against the railing. "So, what's Ersheath like? I've never left Cayhill and I've done very little research about the kingdoms on the other continents. Is it anything like Cayhill?" he asked. Since he knew absolutely nothing about the other continents, he wanted to know what they were like.

Ramza shook his head. "Far from it. Cayhill is like the holy grail when it comes to a peaceful continent compared to the rest of the world. Unlike Cayhill, Ersheath isn't in a neutral state. There is no established peace and there hasn't been for quite a few decades. Esseand, the Kingdom of Staves, is currently in hostile relations with neighboring kingdom, Dolothlond, Land of the Spires, in Nargelond. There have been skirmishes and fights breaking out on both lands from each kingdom especially along the border. Due to the constant fighting and hostilities, it makes the people of both nations uneasy. They fear that war will break out and as far as thing stand right now, there's a good possibility of that" he said.

Ruko tilted his head. "Disputes between the two kingdoms, huh? Is it even safe to travel there now under the current conditions? With war possibly on the verge of breaking out, I'd imagine travel in and out of the nations is heavily restricted and guarded" he said.

Ramza shook his head once more. "No. To be blunt, this is the worst possible time for foreigners to travel to this country especially if they're in league with another kingdom. If someone they don't recognize suddenly shows up unannounced in either land, it could make matters worse. In my case, it's easy for me to return to Ersheath due to my status and position with the King Raiku. However, you guys are another story because you're from an entirely different kingdom. I imagine that we're going to be met with some hostilities from the knights of Esseand once we make it to port" he said. He then folded his arms then looked up in the sky. "Dolothlond is a nation that's known for its aerial fighters, particularly their infamous Dragon Riders. Those Riders lay waste to Esseands' defenses without even breaking a sweat" he added.

Ruko heard tales about the famous Dragon Riders of Dolothlond. "I've heard stories about them from Alba. When they're deployed to the battlefield, they basically dominate the airspace, giving them a big advantage over the battlefield. They're fierce fighters who could topple a battlefield easily. No one tries to pick a fight with them" he said.

Ramza nodded. "Yeah, that about sums it up. Unless you know how to repel aerial attacks, you won't last long" he said. He then stroked his chin for a moment, thinking about something."We should do our best not to get into a fight with them as long as we're here. Until we figure out how to take them on when they're in the air, we're powerless" he said.

Ruko didn't want to have an encounter with fierce fighters like them in their current state. They already have enough problems on their hands with an entire nation to fight back. If they're as fierce as everyone says they are, they will be ill-prepared. He then shook his head to get the thought out of his head. "So, is there going to be someone waiting for us when we reach port or will we have to walk?" he asked.

Ramza shrugged. "I'm not sure. Chances are, we'll be walking. His Majesty isn't the type to open up to people from other nations. However, as long as I'm with you guys, there shouldn't be too many problems but like I said, Esseand is in a delicate state right now so I can't make any promises" he said.

Ruko closed his eyes and fell into thought for a moment. "I see. Well, I can understand that. Not all of the kingdoms are as friendly and open as Eresseas" he said.

Ramza sighed and looked down towards the deck of the ship. "Yeah. Only time will tell" he said. He then fell silent, losing himself in his train of thought.

As the hours went by, everyone had their private discussions accordingly among themselves. They used their free time to rest and relax since they have no idea when they'll get another chance. Time seemed to have flown by because before they knew it, they were finally able to see land. As they sailed closer to port, a massive city came into view. Their destination was finally in sight after two days at sea. They were all relieved to be on land again but were also anxious about stepping into a hostile land.

By the time they sailed into Velikas' seaport, the sun was already going down. After thirty minutes, they pulled into one of the empty docks and shut off the water Artes that were being used to make the ship sail. As they got ready to walk off the ship, they noticed a squadron of knights gather on the dock that they pulled into. It appears that they're waiting for them to exit the ship. They didn't seem too pleased about their arrival with the way they were holding their weapons.

When Tsuki walked down the ramp of the ship and onto the dock, the soldiers and knights were on edge. They didn't know what to expect. They kept their weapons in a defensive stance. Tsuki could sense the hostility among the knights who stood on edge on the other end of the dock.

One of the knights who appeared to be the commanding officer of the squad approached him cautiously with his weapon ready. "Halt. Your ship is not under Ersheath's registry. State your name and business here. Be quick about it too. We don't take too kindly to foreigners" he demanded with an aggressive tone.

Tsuk could understand their aggression towards them given what Ramza had informed them about. Although he should of expected it, he didn't appreciate their immediate aggressive attitude. "Boy, is that how you welcome travelers from distant lands? Looks like they didn't teach you manners in the academy" he said, returning their aggression.

The knight became angry immediately after hearing Tsuki's comment and his disrespect towards him. "You impudent little runt! Do you have any idea who you're talking to!?" he shouted at him.

Tsuki folded his arms and stared him down. "It appears that I'm talking to a knight with no manners" he said, further provoking him.

Before things got out of hand anymore than they already are, Ramza stepped off the ship."Alright, that's enough you two! Let's not cause trouble when we haven't even left the ship yet" he said. He walked up to Tsuki and patted his shoulder. "Let's try not to start a fight immediately upon docking" he said.

The knights' attitude towards the group changed instantly when he saw Ramza walk off the ship and stand next to Tsuki. "S-sir Ramza!?" he said. He then quickly saluted him with the other knights behind him. "Pardon my rudeness sir, but what are you doing, sailing in on a ship that's not on our registry?" he asked.

Ramza shook his head. Now wasn't the time to explain things as they had more important matters to deal with. "I'll explain at another time. All you need to know right now is that I'm here under extreme urgency. I'd like to request an audience with King Raiku immediately" he said.

Tsuki looked at Ramza and tilted his head. There seems to be more about him that he doesn't know yet. Working under the royal family's name tends to put a lot of secrecy on that person. Elle worked as a stealth specialist under Taichi and Emma and no one knew about it except for the royal family. Who knows what kinds of other secrets Ramza could still be hiding from them.

To be continued...