Death's Favorite Child

6. Capital

"So, Director. If I head into the Royal Bank and present the ring with the crest, I will have access to the family's finances, right?" Lord Thanatos asked.

"Yes, Lord Thanatos. As I explained, the ring is magical. It activates only when the wearer has the blood of the Thanatos family and verifies the legitimacy of the wearer. As all families are obliged to keep their money in the bank, you will certainly have access to the funds. Moreover, since only one ring exists for each family, only you have access to family funds. Moreover, selling or transferring assets requires the ring, thus...".

"Thus, they can't do anything now. They are cut dry," the boy chuckled. When he took the ring from his Uncle, he didn't expect the importance it had. He thought it was simply a family heirloom.

"Director, thank you for caring for me all these months. I know this is your job, but you are an exception in the sea of useless and corrupt people," the boy said, making the Director and many high-ranking officials of the sanitarium flinch.

"Lord Thanatos, I only did my duty. If you are ever in the capital after you've addressed your internal family affairs, we can head for lunch together," the Director suggested hesitantly.

The boy smiled.

"Address my internal family affairs. That's a nice way to put it, Director. I'll keep your offer in mind. We might meet again," said the boy and jumped on the horse he bought from a local farmer.

As the Director saw the boy riding towards the Capital, he felt a shiver down his spine. What did we unleash upon this world? How can a 10 years old boy be like that? How will he be as a man? Although he suggested the boy to meet again out of courtesy, he really hoped to never cross paths with him again.

= * =

'Captain, this is the second landmark. We should be arriving at the capital in 1 hour. The city is called Ayalia and has a population of 200,000 people. It's one of the largest cities in this world. It's located within a river bend, fortified from one side by a wall while on the other side, the river is used as a naturally occurring moat.'

Jon absorbed anything that the Captain read and could recall with photographic accuracy. This was a skill he had when he was still alive on Earth and he maintained it after death. It was like the Captain had a perfect digital assistant in his mind -- although a strongly opinionated one.

"We'll head directly to the bank and get some money. Then, we have to find a place to stay and get information about the family territory and Helena. Remember, we don't even know how she looks..." the Captain stated.

Their trip to the capital was quick and uneventful, taking less than a day. He assumed that a 10-year old boy traveling alone would attract some unsavory characters, but the roads were pleasantly empty. Around the capital, safety was maintained by the Royal Knights, and any incident was addressed swiftly and most of the time lethally.

Soon, the city could be seen down the hill from where he stood. The town was stretching next to the river, embedded in a U-type bend. In the back of the city, far from the river, a hill could be seen with the Royal Palace situated at the top after layers of elevated fortifications. At the back of the castle, a vast wall, more than 10 meters tall, encircled the city. To enter the city, people had to cross one of the three bridges. In war, the bridges would be lifted, leaving the city isolated from all sides and easily defendable.

The boy reached the gate on the bridge and headed for the shortest line assigned to nobles. He approached the guard and swiftly presented his ring. As a landed noble, he was excluded from any entrance fee or permit requirements. The guard quickly used an identification rod that glowed blue, signifying that the person was indeed a noble of the Thanatos family.