The harbor that served as the entrance to the heart of Rakia from the sea was beyond anything Bell expected. The last harbor they left from was big enough he supposed. Still, he expected the same from Rakia. Wooden platforms with ships parked next to it. "Humble" in a sense, more suited for fishermen. Instead he got to see two curving moles, with an opening revealing an artificial island. On it was a massive white tower, stretching towards the sky. Bell had no idea what the purpose of those structures were, but as they entered the "jaws" of the harbor, he could see how much space was available inside. Ships passed each other with no much issue, as they came and left the harbor located right next to one of the moles. Even from far away, he could see the size. Instead of food, solid stone stretched out, allowing resting spots for the ships. Instead of huts and what not he could see solid stone buildings. There were some other things that caught his attention, like the weird looking arches at the horizon or the bridge like structures that connected to the sea for some reason.
"Welcome to Ostia!" One sailor shouted, causing sounds of amazement from all around the ship. Bell was sure he would have enjoyed the sights a lot more if it weren't for the incident from before. Instead of his heart threatening to burst out of his chest, all he could manage was smile a bit with whatever embers of excitement he could gather.
Soon enough, they reached the land and Bell got some solid, unmoving ground under his feet. For a moment he imagined that the stone underneath him radiated heat but he shook his head. It must've imagined it. It was probably just from the bustling streets, with fish and other things being sold on this market. There was enough space on the streets to have at least three wagons next to each other with no issue, even if only two were passing by each time, probably for safety reasons. He heard footsteps approaching from behind, revealing Nyx politely smiling at them. It might've put him at ease, if it weren't for the even deeper bags under her eyes and the slight red tint. He grit his teeth at the sight as she lowered her head.
"W-we will s-stay here... for now." She patted one of the wagons passing by in demonstration. Then she pointed north. "Y-you can go... up the c-canal or... the road to... the capital... " She cleared her throat and folded her hands in front of herself. "Just... just send a message a-and we pick you up... if-if you need it. Weeks. M-months. We-we'll stay in this a-area for a while... b-before m-moving t-t-towards A-Altena... "
Kojiro and Bell nodded at her words. But the latter didn't move when the former gave him a look, waiting for his decision to be made. Bell looked at Nyx, taking a deep breath. He didn't want to let her leave in such a down mood. He knew he wasn't exactly the best speaker. Evne now, he was unsure how to cheer the goddess up. He smiled slightly. So screw it. He just had to trust his man's instincts, as grandpa used to call it! With that in mind, he took a step forward.
"You're a good person. Thank you." Bell smiled as he took her hands into his and shook them. "I'll make sure we contact you!"
She stared at him with wide eyes. Slowly, she looked at her hands, then back to his smiling face and then back again. After a few blinks of her eyes, causing Bell to sweat a bit, his mouth shaking from the strain, the goddess coughed and looked away.
"G-good f-fortune... " Nyx replied, a faint red tint appearing on her face. Bell realized what he was doing at this instance and threw his arms up in the air, letting out an embarrassed yelp. The woman giggled awkwardly before waving at them as she began to walk with the rest of her caravan. With a red face, Bell waved back, happy that Nyx wasn't calling him a pervert or anything teasing like that. Unfortunately for him, someone else rose to the call of teasing instead.
"Wooing divinity? So young, yet so ambiguous," Kojiro chuckled as he scratched his chin. Immediately Bell whirled around, his face beet red as he frantically waved his arms.
"I-I was just being nice!"
"I know that. That only makes your potential so much more terrifying," his teacher responded, letting out a dramatic sigh as he shook his head in resignation. Bell gave him a confused look before throwing his arms up into the air in indignation.
"What are you talking about?!"
He made him sound like he was some mysterious, weird creature just waiting to prey on women! He wasn't like that! No girl was like that either, being 'seduced' by just being polite and encouraging! He needed to at least save a girl one or two times to get the fire in her heart going! Or else the books would have been lying! His grandpa would have been lying! With a huff, he crossed his arms, pouting as Kojiro chuckled at his expense.
"Onto the road then, young master."
They made their way out of the city and towards the capital. The first thing that Bell noticed was how well built the roads were. Neither carriages and horses seemed to have any issue on the rather smooth surface they were walking on. Bell himself smiled a bit at how good it felt to walk on such ground. Compared to dirt roads, where the earth itself gave in, feeling something so solid underneath his feet was rather comfortable. It certainly made travelling easier and he wondered why not everyone was building these things all over the place. Then again, it seemed a bit expensive?
As they passed the countryside, Bell gaped at what he was seeing on their way and his previous thought of "expensive" reared its head once again. No, it couldn't be called just expensive. The sights he saw could only be called "luxurious", compared to the mountain village he lived in and even the Far East. Besides the roads there were massive bridge like structures, echoing with the sounds of flowing water. Occasionally he could see drops of water spilling out, hitting the grass around it from the distance.
"What are these things... ?" He asked quietly to himself. To his surprise, Kojiro hummed thoughtfully, following his gaze before shrugging nonchalantly.
"Oh, those bridge like structures are aqueducts. They transfer water from one place to the other."
Transferring water?! Bell thought back to the many times he had to walk to the well just to gather water. If they were unlucky they had to walk to the next river if it was empty. And here they could just transport it, not in carriages and barrels, but a steady stream?! His eyes sparkled as he leaned in, invading Kojiro's space.
"Wow, how are they able to do that?"
His teacher, not bothered by the closeness, scratched his chin in thought.
"Hm. From what I recall they usually work via elevation. From a high place to a lower one, letting gravity do its work." He narrowed his eyes before twirling his hand at them. "But I believe they utilize some sort of pumping technology. Maybe with magic crystals?"
Bell nodded with a small frown. He didn't quite understand how it worked. Sure, he got the concept of gravity, he wasn't that stupid. But pumping? He heard of it in passing, but given their isolated life, technology was not exactly prevalent. The more he saw and the more he heard Kojiro's explanations, the more he realized how much the world progressed with the help of magic crystals and brilliant minds.
Dams that diverted and blocked the streams of water that flowed through the area. Beyond storing up water, he wasn't sure what else they were meant to be used for. What did 'Flood control' mean? Still, he had to admit that Rakia didn't build small. For example, their bridges were massive. Not made of wood, but of solid rock, as if proclaiming that they would last an eternity. One could easily fit two or three carriages next to each other. Then there were the arches. Structures of stone appearing occasionally, whose purpose eluded Bell. From what Kojiro explained, they were built to represent the victories of a country. With the amount he had seen... how often did Rakia win? Since when did they start building these things? All those questions led back to the start, as Bell scratched the back of his head.
"I wonder where Rakia is getting all this material from... it must be very expensive," Bell muttered, not even trying to figure out the numbers. Instead he raised an eyebrow and turned to his teacher. "How do you think they can pay for all this?"
The common sense of the world, as far as Bell understood it, was that Orario was the wealthiest place in this mortal realm. The reason was simple, as it was the sole entry to the dungeon, which in turn was the sole source of high grade magic stones that no other place had. So Bell was confused how Rakia could build all this. Did they have some hidden products or resources the rest of the world didn't know of yet, that they could sell for money?
To his confusion, Kojiro was uncharacteristically quiet, pressing his lips together for a moment. Then putting on a smile, he patted Bell on the head.
"I can only presume. Don't worry about it."
Bell frowned for a moment but remained silent. Kojiro definitely knew something. Was it that uncomfortable for him to talk about? Or did he want to spare Bell? Whatever the reason, he recognized when Kojiro wouldn't want to say anything. So with a sigh, he shook his head before smiling as well.
"Why do you know so much about these things, Kojiro?"
Nothing against his teacher but Bell was always under the impression that Kojiro was not exactly a scholar. While he might have some worldly experience as expected of a traveler that one day passed by his village, Bell didn't expect Kojiro to know so much. As if sensing his thoughts, Kojiro chuckled in amusement, his eyes seemingly getting lost in memories.
"Let's say during downtime one gets bored." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Not to mention, people tend to share a lot."
"You really experienced a lot... " Bell muttered, in awe and in envy. He had to have met many people like Ryoma and Oryou. All sorts of individuals with knowledge they could share with him. Honestly it made him a bit lonely, thinking about it. But before he could wallow about his isolated past, he felt it. The soft shakings and vibrations in the earth grew stronger. At first he thought it was from the surrounding aqueducts or people. However as the shaking began to rattle his very bones, he gulped as he finally heard the sounds of marching. Marching that came towards them. Not soon enough, from the hill they were approaching, a line of soldiers appeared. And another. And another. Soon enough, an army came down their way. The sight caused him to freeze up on the spot, which looking back was a foolish idea.
The leading soldier, his armor more silver than the rest, glared them down when he shouted for a stop. The soldiers rammed their spears down, causing a roar of thunder with that gesture, causing Bell to jump back while Kojiro calmly smiled with his arms crossed. The young man couldn't help but stare at the weapons. He must've missed it before, due to his own anger, but for some reason the spears seemed to shine in a different way than those in the Far East. Maybe some sort of special tree? He couldn't think more about it, as the leader stepped forward, jabbing his finger at the swordsman's chest.
"Hey! You stand in the path of the Legiones! Didn't you hear the announcement to make way?! Or the marching?!"
"Announcement?" Bell muttered quietly as the man's eyebrow twitched furiously. He turned to Kojiro, raising an eyebrow. To his shock, his smile was still on his face. Glancing at Bell, he winked at him, causing the boy to pale. So there was actually one! Was he so lost in his own questions that he overheard it?! And why didn't Kojiro say anything if he heard it?!
"We have heard of no such thing." Kojiro shrugged innocently. "We were lost on the road of life, you see?"
The soldier growled, visibly starting to lose his patience. His underlings behind him snickered, while further behind murmuring and complaints began to sound. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head. Stepping back, he slammed his spear against the road once more.
"Well, get moving! You are delay-"
"This voice!"
Everyone flinched at the volume of those words. Bell instinctively covered his head, as the sound itself shook his very bones. He could see birds in the distance fly away in fright, the grass shivering at the voice that was unnaturally loud as it boomed over the plains. The next instance, the sound of something heavy leaping into the air sounded, with the soldiers, every single one of the thousands that seemed to gather, becoming statues in perfect formation. Amidst all that chaos, Kojiro chuckled with a small smirk.
"Oh my."
The next instance, something crashed down on the ground in front of them. Bell felt a sense of deja vu as he violently coughed. Yet as the boisterous laugh sounded, he couldn't help but feel a tingling sensation down his spine.
"My ears have not fooled me after all!"
Laying eyes on the individual that stood before them, arms crossed with a confident smile, Bell felt the urge to kneel down immediately. Not only because his pure pressure felt even heavier than what Oryou could exude as his red eyes stared at the boy. No, it was the feeling of a commoner facing an almighty king. 'Majestic' was something he would call the aura of the bronze skinned man. His blue hair, stretching towards his back like a mane of hair, fluttered in the wind as his silver armor reflected the sunlight. Dusting off his blue skirt, the man took another step forward, extending his hand with a laugh. To Bell's utter surprise, Kojiro grabbed onto that hand, causing many gasps to sound amongst the soldiers.
"Sasaki Kojiro! So the messages of Ryoma spoke true!" The leader shook Kojiro's hand with enthusiasm. "I am glad you have reached Roma at last!"
"Here I expected someone like Nero. So it was you, Romulus." Kojiro raised his eyebrow. "Or is it Romulus Quirinus?"
Bell gulped, sending a pleading look at his teacher. Acting so casually with Ryoma was fine. Weird and a bit uncomfortable but fine. But in this situation, it was an entirely different thing. He was treating a high ranking warrior from the looks of it. In front of his soldiers, whose mood darkened the very air itself as they began to curse Kojiro under their breath.
"Hey, pay some-"
"Hahahaha! It is quite alright!" He turned to Kojiro, nodding with crossed arms. "I have chosen Quirinus as my last name, but you may call me Romulus as usual!" Then the man turned to Bell, causing him to shrink with a blush. "And you must be Bell Cranel! Ryoma has spoken fondly of you!"
The young man felt his face heat up. At the thought of Ryoma doing so and the fact that Romulus treated him with such warmth. He pressed his lips together, unsure what to do. His mind began to heat up as his eyes frantically looked around. Come on, Bell! He had to say something or else this would get awkward!
"Uhm, isn't this kingdom called Rakia? Or is the capital called Roma?"
Silence filled the air and Bell really wanted the grass to eat him alive right now. That was the first thing that came out of his mouth? A question about geography and names?! Before he could backtrack, in the process of lowering his head, Romulus chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. Bell felt a shiver down his spine as the soldiers' eyes seemed to glow as they glared at him. He wanted to scream that it wasn't his fault, that he didn't want their leader's attention. Sadly he had it, whether he liked it or not as he was treated like a child the man was fond of.
"Ah, an inquiring mind! Wonderful! And to answer your question... " He stretched his arms into the air, his body forming a 'Y' with a hearty laugh. "All is Roma in the end, young child!"
"Roma!" The army behind him shouted without hesitation, before blinking in confusion. An expression Bell shared. It almost seemed like they said it on instinct, not aware why they did it in the first place. And what did Roma even mean? It sounded like some sort of word that had some specific meaning but for the life of him, he couldn't see it. Turning to Kojiro, he showed him his helpless eyes. The Eastern man shrugged in response.
"He's very passionate about Roma."
That did not explain anything whatsoever but Bell sighed. It appeared this was another of those 'deep lore jokes' Kojiro had with his acquaintances. So in the end he just had to roll with it. Time and place.
"Ahahaha...I... noticed?"
Kojiro turned to Romulus, bowing as he showed his respect to the leader.
"Well then, we have delayed you for too long. We will get on our way then."
Just as the two were walking to the side to allow the army to pass, Romulus cleared his throat loudly.
"Before you leave, take this!"
Kojiro turned around only to swiftly catch a flying projectile in his hand. Holding it up in the air, Bell could see it shining gold. He blinked in confusion, especially when the soldiers around them gasped, almost horrified. The one who was yelling at Kojiro was the palest of them, seemingly at the verge of collapsing.
"A coin?" Bell asked, not sure what the significance of it was. It was a pretty coin, he had to admit that. A side view of Romulus' head was imprinted on the gold, with the letters making up Romulus surrounding it.
"With this, you are under the protection of Romulus Quirinus!" Nodding to himself he pointed back from where the army came from. "As a recommendation, you may take residence at my protege, the young Crozzo! He is located at the Forums!"
Bell felt his stomach grow heavy. Ah. So it was something like that. Now the coin seemed to look like a solid gold bar. No, an entire treasure chest that painted the two travelers as massive targets. Of what exactly he didn't know. Terror? Fear? Envy? It certainly explained the looks from the soldiers. Two random people just gaining what was essentially protection from one of their highest authorities. Thankfully unlike Bell, Kojiro was not having any indigestion so he pocketed the coin and bowed gracefully.
"You honor us with your offer, oh Founder."
"Haha! I am merely an Imperial Legate now! Or Legiones, as some began to call me!" He tapped his armor as if in demonstration. Turning around, he spread his arms open once more, taking a deep breath. "Now then! Move, my legion!"
"Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!"
As the army moved once more, Bell could swear they were marching faster than before, as if trying to escape and forget what just happened. Still, he couldn't believe this turn of events. What were the odds they would get to meet yet another one of Kojiro's friends so soon, an Imperial Legate at that, whatever that wa-
His smile froze, his arm hanging in the air as he stopped waving. Slowly he turned his head to Kojiro.
"...Did he just say Legiones?" He asked quietly. To his utter horror, Kojiro nodded.
"Yes."
"As in the Legiones, one of the outsiders that defeated Orario?" Bell choked out, causing his teacher to chuckle in amusement.
"Indeed."
All he could do was laugh nervously. Yet another big shot of a country, bigger than he expected, now knew a face to the name that was Bell Cranel. Quite frankly, he wasn't sure if he could take the pressure anymore if he were to meet one more person like that. In order to keep his sanity, he pushed the thought away as hard as he could, instead raising an eyebrow at Kojiro.
"Honestly, where did you meet such people?"
"Many mysterious circumstances and the world being on fire."
The young man stopped in his tracks, trying to process what he just heard. Kojiro paid no heed to the effects his words had, moving along anyway.
"...Please tell me this is a joke," Bell asked quietly. Yet his teacher ignored him, instead pointing ahead with a smile.
"Ah, I see there's the entrance."
"Kojiro? Kojiro! T-that was a joke, right?!" With no response given, he jogged after him. "When was the world on fire?!"