[Aiden's POV]
Before I could decide which banner I needed most, a knock disturbed my chain of thoughts.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
Seraphine was also disturbed from her reading; she stood up and reached for the doorknob, while I signaled Thane to revert into a cloak, to which he complied with a defeated look.
"Hello, sorry to disturb you. Would you like to have your dinner served?" The attendant at the gate asked as soon as a door opened.
Seraphine looked at me for a response, and I positively nodded. "Okay, dinner for two," she answered back.
"Okay, please wait a minute; the hostess will serve you right away." The attendant replied.
'How presumptuous of that angel-spawn to not even think of me,' Thane complained while in his non-combat form.
'Could you eat?' I shot back.
'That… it's not fair boss. You are starting to take sides.' He diverted the topic to save face.
'Nope,' I said.
Within a minute, a hostess served us the dinner. Seraphine and I sat opposite each other, while Thane sat beside me.
Seraphine tasted the food first; after taking a few bites from all the servings, she nodded. "They are safe to eat, Master," she added.
"Thanks," I spoke with appreciation.
"Thane, would you like to eat some? We have roasted Starhorn beef glazed with red honey and grilled Toma leaves with Yota sauce. You could even have some fruits on the sides." I teased him a little.
"Haha…thank you for tingling my non-existent taste buds, Boss. Please stop siding with the angel-spawn here," he spoke like a broken man or skeleton.
"Ignore this evil bones master, and enjoy your meal. They are delicious," Seraphine retorted.
After a small laugh, I dived into my meal. The taste was good, but the main thing here was that I was eating warm food after almost 3 days, so it tasted extra special.
However, I soon noticed that Seraphine wasn't eating. I immediately understood her reasoning behind it.
"You should eat too Seraphine, we are on the travel now, so you can be lax with your discipline a bit. You shouldn't let food get cold." I addressed her.
She looked hesitant for a bit, but then she agreed and started eating her meal also. We soon completely finished our plates; Seraphine handed hers back to the hostess.
A yawn escaped my mouth as I rested after the dinner. The fatigue finally had caught up to me.
Looking at Seraphine, I stated, "We will probably reach Port City tomorrow morning; you should rest a bit. I am also sleeping."
"You should rest, master; you need it. I will rest a bit later; you shouldn't worry," she replied.
"Okay," I replied as I closed my eyes, ready to embrace the sweet sense of sleep, with a final thought to the system, 'We will look at that banner later; there's no hurry.'
[As you wish, Host.]
As the system panel disappeared after the answer, the heaviness of my eyes pushed me into the arms of sleep.
The next morning…
"Master Aiden, wake up. We have reached the city." Seraphine soft voice reached my ears, stirring me awake.
"Yes! I am awake, I will sit up in few minutes," I spoke with sleepy voice.
"Master, we already reached our destination. We have to leave this cabin." Seraphine's voice, filled with urgency, reached my ears, much clearer this time.
"Huh!" I jolted up immediately; looking through the window, I could see people and their muffled voices going on about their daily lives.
"I guess I need more rest than I thought," I remarked as I started fixing my dress.
"What else do you think boss, you recovered stamina by wearing me then kept up probably from all the blood pumping such higher rank rewards caused," Thane added his explanation.
Running my hands through my hair, I exited the cabin first, wearing Thane as a cloak, followed by Seraphine behind.
The Beastiark was stopped outside the city gate. We moved toward the entrance, but a group of people blocked our way.
My senses flared up immediately and the group ahead wasn't even trying to be subtle about it.
Seraphine stood a step ahead of me, covering me. I immediately used my Insight eye to get a grasp on the situation.
[Name: Zayne Morena]
[Rank: Saint]
[Threat: Dangerous]
[Name: Demark Black]
[Rank: Saint]
[Threat: Dangerous]
[Name: Nathan Duskvane]
[Rank: Awakened]
[Threat: None]
[Name: Miya Fargo]
[Rank: Sage]
[Threat: Very high]
[Name: Timor Fargo]
[Rank: Sage]
[Threat: Very high]
From all the panel, the name Nathan Duskvane stood out immediately. I relaxed my posture but remained highly alert internally.
'You are wrong, system. Nathan is the most dangerous among them,' I stated mentally.
"Why are you blocking our way, Nathan?" I asked the boy standing in the middle of such a heavy contingent.
He was the sole heir of Duskvane Clan, a clan specializing in infiltration and information work. However, very few people accurately knew that they also specialized in assassinations.
There was never concrete proof of their involvement so it was treated as rumor but being from major clan, I knew more than the public domain.
"What you remember me? I thought I would have to introduce myself. You sure changed a lot in a year, huh?" Nathan mentioned.
"Who is this beauty with you? Is she your girlfriend?" He further added.
"You can find that out, can't you? After all, it's your specialization," I shot back.
"C'mon Aiden, what's with such hostility? We meet again after a year of our graduation, and you are trying to push me away. You know there's a reason, you didn't make any friend in the academy," he taunted.
"Okay, let's look; she is standing protective of you. She has armor on her, and she is not even flinching in the presence of my two Saint-Rank bodyguards."
"Hmm…don't tell me you found such a powerful maid after your exile…" He didn't intend to stop anytime soon, so I interrupted.
"You can deduce all that on the side; let us pass and spare us from your blabbering," I added strongly.
"Now, that hurt, Aiden. What do you think about my deduction Miya?" He totally ignored my words.
"Knowing your track record, I would say you are 100% right, Young Master Nathan," Miya played along.
"She thinks I am right. What do you think, Aiden? The top student of our batch. C'mon, talk to me; it feels like only I am doing the talking," Nathan spoke with a fake tone of caring.
"If you are done, move aside," I spoke a bit rudely.
"Mind you tone, boy," Timor with bizarre haircut and muscled body threatened.
"Address him like that again and I will personally pull your tongue out," Seraphine spoke in a commanding voice.
"This…" Before Timor could respond, Nathan interjected.
"Stop, Timor, there no need to escalate things. We are all friends here. You should also mention that to your lady-friend-maid, whatever," He acted like he was trying to diffuse the situation.
"Maybe she is just mad that you are blocking her way. You move aside, and I may ask her to tone down a bit," I replied coldly.
"Tsk…Tsk… You were always good with words. Don't worry, I won't stop you anymore if that's what you wish."
"I thought you'd like to see an old friend after recent events, but I was wrong, I guess," he spoke, trying to put blame on me.
I completely disregarded his words as he and his bodyguards moved away, making a way for us to pass. As we took a few steps to pass the group, a voice came from behind.
"I hope your family gets a bit of peace after hearing that you are traveling to the demon continent," Nathan spoke with a half-mocking tone.
'Shit,' I cursed inwards as we quickly entered the city gate.
However, I knew even at that moment, the journey to demon continent won't be easy as I thought.