Metafiction (BL)

10. arrival at brog

By next morning, word had spread that the thrice-blessed Saintess with the holy punch was on his way to Brog. A good number of people lined the streets to see his retinue off, with the Saintess himself riding a white horse at the head next to General Orsic. There were cheering children, people casting flowers, and even homemade banners and flags bearing the emblem of Jokoskia waving from the balconies: a lamb with a halo around its head, carrying a simple pennant against a soft blue background.

The scene would have looked perfectly cheery and idyllic if not for the occasional victim or two Dan recognized from his healing sessions, looking a little beat-up but otherwise smiling so brightly at him that he wanted to hide from guilt.

"Please refrain from frowning, Saintess. The people take your image very seriously." By his side, General Orsic murmured a reminder as he saw Dan's expression twist. 

"Ah, right." Dan replied, and Orsic saw from the corner of his eye how the Saintess quickly schooled his features back into a cold and impassive mask. He was quite skilled at finding his expression again.

It was strange. The current Saintess gave off the impression of an aloof, occasionally aggressive man, but Orsic felt his true personality lay elsewhere. His words were often soft-spoken, and he possessed a genuine curiosity for life. Orsic had caught glimpses of it when he sensed the man hiding in the bushes with his attendant while he chased the grand duke off, or looking around the marketplace during the afternoon he snuck out, and of course in his quick apology to the testy farmer during that first unlocking of his powers.

It wasn't unusual for him to know all this when his job was to keep an eye on Jokoskia's most precious person. Otherwise, how could one ensure his safety? Letting that farmer sneak past the guards had been his idea to the high priest—a principle borrowed from the army wherein soldiers could be inspired to act during moments of increased stress. He just didn't expect that stress to manifest as actual violence in the end, or for Dan to carry over his violent tendencies into acts of charity, too. 

Regrettably, he'd hardly started peeling away the layers of this man when it was time for Dan to go somewhere else. Out of all the external candidates vying for the Saintess' attention, he supposed Brog and Krarzi were the safest bets. They were both kingdoms content with their lot who had never harbored aspirations of anything greater than their share. Unlike Elweruan's ambition, Valia's arrogance, or Oldstuz's stubborn pride, their outstanding trait was their love of independence and self-sufficiency. For that reason, Jokoskia and Valia had always remained undisturbed while sharing borders with their neighbor in the northwest. At the same time, Brog's undeniable strength kept any would-be invaders at bay, both humans and non-humans alike. 

Of Brog's current king he knew little; like all others in the Gravensleuth line, he avoided public gatherings and preferred to keep to himself and his people. He was also young–only 22 years, placing him in between Oldstuz's new queen (21) and Elweruan's enigmatic emperor (23). Come to think of it, besides the high priest, it was Orsic himself who was the oldest in these line of leaders at the ripe age of five and twenty.

...well, besides that monster Valerius, but age didn't matter much for archmages anyways.

Their small procession soon reached the city gates. Standing at the exit was the high priest, who symbolically blessed the Saintess safe journeys with a sprinkling of holy water and a sprig of white skeleton flowers—the Goddess's favorite blossom. Dan accepted it like he'd been told–with both hands–before pinning it by the chest of his traveling cloak. To the public, it was a symbol of his status as the Goddess's envoy as well as the promise to return to Jokoskia when all was done.

After that was a short journey to the complex teleportation circle located closest to the capital that was reserved for royalty and members of the clergy. Many such circles existed around Aleria, facilitating instantaneous transportation between each nation. Although they weren't able to carry large loads or shipments of goods, they were quite suitable for people, small parties, and modest caravans. Such creations drastically reduced travel times even if each use had to be paid for in mana stones. The various bigshot guests at the Goddess Blessing ceremony had traveled with it to witness Dan's blessing in time; now it was the temple's turn to send him off to other lands in exchange. This time, they would connect him to a similarly special circle located close to the Brogian king's summer estate—both a convenient retreat and the closest location to fend off the sea beast swarm.