Chapter 4: Westwater Town
"Are you done vomiting?" Xena's unsympathetic tone triggered a deep sense of unease within Cyrus.
Of all the servants in the clan, Cyrus felt the most helpless when dealing with the demoness' two personal maids.
Reporting directly to the demoness, they seemed to have inherited the evil energy of their superior, never batting an eye when tasked to carry out her inhumane orders, and never leaving any room for negotiations either.
Xena was none other than one of those two maids.
By now, Cyrus was finally done emptying his stomach through the wrong hole. Dusting the dirt off his palms, he stood up and started looking around to take in his surroundings.
"So this is the Grand Apostle Realm?" Cyrus remarked weakly. "It sure doesn't look any different."
Despite his young age, Cyrus believed himself to be an adaptable individual of the new generation.
Now that he was already here, he had decided to resign himself to his fate and just go along with whatever the demoness had planned for now.
"Let's get going," Xena ignored Cyrus' remark entirely. "Thankfully, we didn't land too far away from our destination. We should be able to get there in a few hours' time."
"Okay, okay," Cyrus shrugged. "So? Is there a flying ship prepared nearby? I will say this beforehand – I refuse to go along if you are flying with me in tow. I have had enough of vomiting for the day."
Xena shot him a look of disdain. "Did you not hear Lady Crystal's words before we left? Lady Crystal has granted me full autonomy to act as I deem fit in all situations, and I no longer need to heed your orders. What makes you think that I am going to carry you along? We are walking!"
"W-What?" Cyrus stammered a little from the shock. "You mean I have to walk for a few hours? In this densely vegetated terrain?"
Even though Cyrus was adaptable in terms of his mentality, he could do nothing about his physical aspect.
Having led a sheltered life in the Skyhelm Clan since young, trekking through the wilds for a few hours in one go was an activity that his untrained body was unlikely to be able to handle!
"What else do you think I mean?" Xena did not back down, coldly matching his gaze. "Lady Crystal said that you are to overcome every problem by yourself. And trust me, this will only be the first problem, not the last."
The glare from Xena immediately reminded him of the demoness' death stare, and that memory alone was able to send a chill down his spine.
As expected, like master like servant!
This Xena's way of doing things is too similar to that of the demoness!
Even so, he quickly recovered his senses.
"Wait, you are the one who made the mistake of landing us here instead of our destination! How did that become a problem that I have to overcome?" Cyrus retorted. "And do remember that this is only a temporary arrangement! Temporary! We will eventually have to return to the clan one day. Do you really believe that you will be able to get away scot-free with treating me this way?"
"Walk."
Ignoring Cyrus' words, Xena only said a single word before turning around, leading the way into the dense vegetation.
"Damn it, you callous witch!" Cyrus cursed under his breath before obediently following after her.
He should have known from the start that just as always, he would fail to make Xena change her mind. That way, he could have at least have saved himself some energy for the long trek ahead!
While the pristine condition of the surroundings made it exceptionally beautiful, this also meant that there was no proper pathing for them to tread on.
The duo was forced to bash their way through as they traversed the dense mountain forest.
Fortunately for Cyrus, Xena was the one leading the way.
With her command of magic, she easily pushed aside branches that cut into their path, making things much easier for Cyrus who was following from behind. Though it would have been better if she prevented some of these stray branches from bouncing back after she had passed.
But no matter what, the rough terrain proved to be ever so taxing on the twelve-year-old.
Despite taking multiple short rests on the way, by the time they finally exited from the mountains, Cyrus was not only completely out of breath, but also suffering from stitches.
"Damn witch, you are really pushing me a little too hard here!" Cyrus complained breathlessly as he walked up to Xena.
"Look, that is our destination for today," Xena pointed ahead, disregarding his complaints as always.
Following her finger, Cyrus finally turned his focus away from Xena and to the sight laid out before him.
After exiting from the forests, they had arrived at a high vantage point that overlooked a bustling town.
It covered a square area that was about ten kilometres from end to end, and was well protected by an enclosure of sturdy brick walls. The buildings within were lined up neatly in rows, giving form to busy streets that were filled with people. Just by looking at it from above, it was obvious to Cyrus that this was a prosperous location.
"Before we go, you need to be clear on something." Xena turned towards Cyrus and spoke in a solemn manner. "Remember that here in the Grand Apostle Realm, you are no longer the young master of the prestigious Skyhelm Clan, and I am no longer Lady Crystal's loyal servant."
"Eh?" Cyrus was caught by surprise by this sudden comment. "Why? Who are we supposed to be then?"
"This is an instruction from Lady Crystal, so that we will not draw too much attention to ourselves." Xena explained. "If asked, let's just say that the Skyhelm Family belongs to a small nameless village in the mountains. As for myself, I shall be acting as your adopted cousin, Xena."
"Adopted cousin?" Cyrus raised an eyebrow in response. "But will we really be able to hide the truth from others if we are still using the Skyhelm name?"
"Don't worry about that," Xena assured confidently. "The Grand Apostle Realm is huge. There are bound to be a few Skyhelm families lying around."
"Well, if you say so," Cyrus shrugged. "Just don't blame me if we get found out later."
"There is no need to resort to extreme measures just to hide our identity. If others happen to find out, then so be it," Xena was surprisingly indifferent about it. "It is just a simple precaution to avoid unnecessary trouble. But if trouble comes knocking, you will just have to handle it yourself."
"I just have to handle everything myself, am I right? Yeah, yeah, I get it already…" Cyrus grumbled.
"If you are done resting, let's move on," Xena walked off again without warning.
"Damn it…" Cyrus could only grudgingly follow.
Having already cleared the forests, it did not take much longer for the duo to arrive at the front gate of the town.
There, a huge sign hung above the heavy wooden gates, telling the world of the name of this town.
Westwater.
Cyrus certainly did not remember seeing any water bodies running through the town, but he did not pay it much mind. He understood that sometimes, names were born of the most random of thoughts, and had no meaning to them whatsoever.
Seeing the duo walk up to the gate, the guard on duty approached them immediately.
The young guard was dressed in a chain mail that protected him up to the top of his neck, and had a sword sheathed in a scabbard that hung by his belt. There was metal incorporated into his boots as well, evident from the light clinging of metal with each step that he took.
When he took a closer look at the duo, the young guard could not help but frown.
"Are the two of you travelling together?" the guard asked sceptically.
"Yes," Xena replied with a nod.
"Is that so…?" the guard was obviously unconvinced. "Is he your servant then?"
"Eh…?" This time, Cyrus could not help but raise his voice in disbelief. "What did you just say?"
He is the young master while Xena is the servant!
Just how did he end up being mistaken as the servant?!
But after taking a second look at himself, then comparing what he saw to Xena who was standing beside him, Cyrus quickly understood what was going on.
After walking through the dense mountain forest, Cyrus' long sleeved shirt and pants were now covered in dirt, along with multiple cuts that were made by stray branches. This made his clothes seem especially ragged and old.
On the other hand, despite leading the way earlier, Xena's full black dress still appeared to be in pristine condition, as though they were freshly woven by the seamstress!
Damn it!
So what if she knows a bit of magic?
Is that really such a big deal?
"That's not it," Xena smiled. "I am bringing my younger cousin here to register for the Westwater Institute of Magic."
"The Westwater Institute of Magic? Him?" the guard was visibly surprised by Xena's words.
"Why? What about me, eh?" Cyrus snapped back in response.
He had had enough of being undermined!
However, all Cyrus got in response from the young guard was a look of contempt before he turned back to Xena. "It would be best not to get your hopes up, miss. There are plenty of people who fail every year. It will be very normal for your cousin not to have the aptitude to pass the entry test, so please don't feel too disappointed when that happens!"
Xena calmly smiled in response, but Cyrus had to hold himself back from spitting at the young guard!
How dare the guard speak of failing a simple aptitude test when referring to him?
If this was back at the Skyhelm Clan, Cyrus would have already ordered for this guard to have his next meal taken away from him by now!
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