The Slumbered Beginning
After the Hazard has been dealt with.
unknown 2
Richard, aren't you forgetting something! 😢
unknown 1
Apologies, Mrs. Richardson.
Richards bows and gently kisses the back of her hand.
Nick
I think they are the new teachers we were informed about.
Bell
Good day. Which course of study will you be preceding over?
unknown 1
I will be in charge of History as well as combat practice.
unknown 2
And I, Arithmetic and Spell casting.
Carl
How did the hazard start?
unknown 1
A ball was thrown into the alchemists lab and a chain reaction started.
Nick
Gosh Em, what is it now?
Emily
I figured out the reason they were so familiar.
Emily
You're the legendary warrior, Richard Richardson and I wasn't sure because you called her Mrs. Richardson but I'm sure you married her.
Emily
The Greatest spellcaster to ever live, Jennifer Laurence. Or rather, Mrs. Richardson.
Nick, Bell, and Carl stare at the 2 and their eyes show how in awe they are because the peace currently being enjoyed by the world was brought by the 2 standing in front of them.
Richardson
Wow, there was actually a young'un who'd recognise us in these peaceful times.
Jennifer
It has been decades since we were in service after all. Besides, they aren’t your run of the mill younglings.
Richardson
Alright now, don't kick up a fuss.
Jennifer
Wow, Ms. dragonoid sure knows her history. When I was her age, I was flying across the continent with my friends.
Jennifer
Oh, a half elf- darkling, it has been a while since I last saw one.
Jennifer
My goodness, part dragon and darkling.
Jennifer
And what do we have here?A beautiful pixie dragon.
Jennifer
This is a spectacular group made up of strong, wise and old living races. I can't wait to see what your group accomplishes in the future.
Richardson
True, they would do wonderful in class.
Emily
Why thank you very much!
Nick
Thank you sir, madam!
Bell
I am eternally grateful for the praise you have conferred upon my person!
Emily
Do not worry sir. Those are tears of joy!
Everyone was sent home and since it was a Friday, the 4 of them decided to have a sleepover at Bell's house. He was quick to accept since Emily would be coming over.
Emily
Time to continue our story.
Nick
Wonderful, I have popcorn and thunder juice( something similar to fizzy drinks) ready.
Nick drags Carl towards him and sets down a plate of food for her.
Carl
Very much so my dear.
Emily
🙄 As I was saying...
Emily
This was a heavy mistake on their( Duke's party) part.
Emily
That is because as soon as the sword was drawn on the child, 20 hidden archers aged between 12 and 13 aimed their spears and arrows at the heads and bodies of the members of the Duke's party. All except the injured person laying on the ground.
Emily
The 10-year-old then threw a knock-out bomb, and the Duke's group was rendered unconscious. They were apprehended while unconscious, and they were stripped of their belongings.
Emily
The injured man was treated and brought to the recovery room at the base. He was,however, chained to his bed as his companions had drawn their weapons on a defenseless child.
Emily
As for the rest of the Duke's party, they were left with their clothes, and a suppressant was placed on them(to ensure they would not do harm with physical strength or magic). They were thrown into jail soon afterwards.
Emily
It took a day for the wounded man to wake up and seven days for his wound to heal up(they decided to treat him without magic in case he was a bad person). Those at the infirmary utilized potions and balms to heal the injured man.
Emily
During this time, information was gathered by the children who brought food and water to the Duke's group. They pretended to not understand the common language, as was customary when dealing with outsiders.
Emily
After gathering information for 3 days, the Duke's party was brought for trial. They were given the chance to explain their situation, and only one member could speak on their behalf. Thus, they chose the calmest member to represent them.
Emily
He calmly explained why they were there, how the injured person sustained his injuries and all that happened till when they met the child in the forest. The child, being the key witness, was also asked to recount his story. Seeing that no variations were made in both descriptions, the Duke's party was charged as not guilty.
Emily
The Duke and his group, along with the injured man, were led to the guest house where they stayed for 5 days. Their items except their weapons were returned to them, and they were told that it would be returned after they were set free.
Emily
During their stay, all the children avoided them as they had pointed their weapons towards them. They also had a severe hatred for adults as most of them were orphans, and others were abandoned by adults. Thus, they were met with hostility.
Emily
The Duke realized the severity of their actions and spoke to his men. Together, they requested a meeting with the leader which was finally granted on the last day of their stay. Once they were brought to Ryouma, they sincerely apologized to him and re-introduced themselves.
Emily
Duke Jamil Reinhardt.
Emily
The magician Kamil, who represented the Duke's party during the trial.
Emily
Zeff, the scout of the Duke's party.
Emily
Jill, who caused the problem by pointing his sword at the child.
Emily
Hughes, the injured man who was recuperating slowly.
Emily
After pleasantries were out of the way, Ryouma asked them random questions and asked for something to confirm their identity. They may have introduced themselves but without solid proof, Ryouma would not grant their freedom.
Emily
Kamil produced the Compact Identification Crystal and explained how it functioned. Ryouma in turn said that if it produced positive results, then they would be set free.
Emily
After the CIC was set up, the Duke's party passed and were set free as Ryouma had promised. As a show of goodwill, they were provided with a tag for safe entry on 1 occasion and gave them food to set off with.
Emily
Their release date just happened to be a week before the 15th birthday of the Duke's daughter, a year before her debutante ball. She was ridiculed for not being able to control her sheer amount of mana which essentially rendered her unable to use magic(because of the casualties that would result from her carelessness).
Emily
After taking the encounter in the forest into consideration, the Duke planned to return with his family and get Ryouma to teach his daughter. After explaining to his family what he encountered in the forest, the Duke was able to get his family's approval. When 6 weeks had passed, Duke Jamil returned to the forest with his wife, his father, his daughter, 2 maids, a butler, and their escorts. The escorts were his party members.
Emily
Other than himself and one escort, the Duke gave tags to his wife and father, leaving one tag behind. The rest had to wait outside the barrier. After presenting the issue of his daughter to Ryouma, he was initially turned down. The children were still filled with animosity towards him, and his daughter would be the only other child of a similar age to him.
Emily
Duke Jamil was relentless. He stayed there begging for almost 7 hours before Ryouma yielded. He however warned him that now that the token had expired, he wouldn't be able to enter the forest anymore. The Duke understood and proceeded to leave. He was instructed to throw his daughter into the barrier and leave . Thus, Duke Reinhard returned to the entrance of the settlement.
Emily
There, the Duke and his family hugged his daughter, placed the token on her person, and pushed her into the barrier with her belongins. He told the rest of his party what had happened and led them away. She was left to carry her luggage to the base. It was-
Carl
Emily, can't we continue this later?
While folding her arms in anger and pouting, Emily replied.
Bell crawled close to Emily and cuddled with her to sleep.
Emily
Aww, come here you. 😚
Emily grabbed Bell and hugged him. She thought of him as a younger sibling, even though they were the same age.
what's the connection between Emily and Bell? Find out in the next chapter.
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