A New Star Chapter 24

A/N: Quick note, I accidentally said the duke's father was watching the duel in secret last chapter; was supposed to be the duchess's father, which I've already corrected.

I stared at the man, Count Emmanuel, I suppose, with just a touch of suspicion, which I'm sure he could see. He hadn't particularly impressed in our little impromptu duel, not that he had been going all-out, but then again, randomly attacking a six-year-old, even one who was rumored to be rather advanced, was not a great start to our relationship. I simply sat and waited while the man stroked his rather thick beard, which clearly had the attentions of a professional barber, as it was trimmed very evenly and combed and waxed rather neatly despite its rather voluminous nature.  

"Let us begin with history," he said. 

"A fine a place as any," I replied calmly. 

"What do you know, in general terms, of the history of the Settled Lands and the Untamed Wilds? A brief overview will be sufficient," he said. 

"There is a very interesting history of boom and bust hinted at in the texts," I began slowly, immediately catching the glint in the old man's eye. "Beyond that, three hundred and forty years ago, the western empire finished their unification wars, stopping short of annexing us, Adonaria, or making an attempt at Salere. The eastern empire finished their last war just one century ago, apart from the constant skirmishes with Tabaern and their two attempts at our border that didn't amount to much." 

"A good start," said the count, continuing to stroke his beard. 

"Kradonia is the biggest grain producer in the lands," I continued. "Nomahra is the largest producer of magical artifacts used in everyday life and the origins of the new magic carriages. Tabaern has the most mercenary guilds, produces a huge amount of salt pork and beef, and runs an international trade house specialized in unique investments. Salere is the largest producer of fish, whale fat, sea monster parts, and salt, among a list of other things. They are the only country of the five that allows any kind of slavery, though after the last slave revolt a hundred and fifty years ago, they are much stricter about the laws and their enforcement. That leaves us, here in the frigid north, with our high production of potatoes, corn, alcohol, armor and magical weapons, and our enormous trade in beast parts and rare resources of the Untamed Wilds. We are also the only nation in the last two hundred years to make any significant progress in the process of taming the Wilds; neither Kradonia in the west or Nomahra in the east interested in pushing their borders north. It also leaves the border now in a strange, bulbous shape that opens us up to more attacks from the Wilds, which is a topic of discussion of the next Exploratory Conference between all nations in two years." 

"Good, you've even read about the Exploratory Conferences. What do you know of them?" he asked with a quirked brow.  

"They happen every ten years and have for nearly three centuries," I replied calmly. "They involve all current heads of state and their top advisors, and part of Adonaria's soft power is that we act as host for these conferences, among others." 

"Explain what you mean by 'soft power,' " he interrupted, holding up a hand. 

"Diplomatic power and pressure exerted by a country is divided into two broad categories," I explained. "Hard power is almost always in reference to the military strength of that polity. Soft power is a reference to the amount of power that country exerts over others through means such as negotiation, economic spending, diplomatic outreach, peacekeeping, favorable trade exchanges, and more. Adonaria hosting an international conference once a decade and being trusted as a neutral broker in that exchange is a strong form of soft power that other countries can't lay claim to." 

"Interesting," the count said, stroking his beard as he studied me. I believe I had just given him some greater food for thought, as scholars of this world didn't use the terminology for soft power and hard power in their theses. "What about the Untamed Wilds?" 

"What about them?" I returned, quirking a brow at him in turn. 

"What do you know of them?" he asked, his facial expression giving away little, only conveying a mild irritation. 

"Far larger than the Settled Lands," I said calmly, ordering my thoughts. "They stretched far, far to the north, and far to both the east and west beyond the empires. Old records indicate that beyond Kradonia is a bay essentially the size of a sea with land on the other side that connects back to the same land to the north of us. Those same records indicate there isn't any land parallel to Nomahra to the east, meaning at a certain point that there is nothing but a massive ocean in that direction, with the Untamed Wilds only to the north and northeast.  

"Beyond its obvious size and scope, there are many documents cataloging the immense variety of flora and fauna just present within a hundred miles of the current border. The place is a treasure trove just ripe for the plucking. Of course, all reward goes hand-in-hand with risk, and the risks are immense. The place is crawling with beasts and monsters, ruins of ancient civilizations full of traps, the survivors of ancient empires, lost clans and tribes, and all kinds of other rumors besides. Rumors of ancient mad kings, lost devils, and dark rituals performed under a lightless moon. What is truth and what is wild imagination I cannot say for certain, but I can say that few know close to one percent of what the place has to offer, if even that." 

"Interesting. And have you been?" he asked, stroking his beard slowly while he examined me in a rather clinical manner. 

"I have been," I confirmed calmly. "I have stepped into the very edge of the place, only enough to get my bearings and see what the nearest mountain foretold." 

"Let us go there, then. Hands-on education is always the best," he said cheerily, standing and grasping his cane. "Make your preparations and meet me at the top of the closest mountain. You know the one, just north of the estate." 

I stared at him for a moment, saying as he was about to speak again, "Are there any restrictions?" 

"I should think not?" he said, stroking his beard quicker and giving me a dubious look. "Go fetch what you need, then meet me there." 

"Very well," I said, taking a step before entering the dark paths, walking back to my room through the estate. I emerged briefly to grab my pack, which always had some supplies within, and made sure my belt pouch for potions was full. I turned and reentered the dark, moving through the estate and out towards the mountain. 

************************** 

Emmanuel  

I watched the child just vanished, concentrating closely and only very, very faintly able to pick up a shift of mana that marked her location. As she left the library, walking directly through the wall, I might add, she vanished entirely from my perceptions. She would make an excellent assassin, which I would normally be concerned about turning her away from, but I had some doubts about what impact I would be able to make on the mind of an Old Soul. What was the black ocean, anyway? 

I tried to track the child through the estate and failed that; not being able to sense her with any affinity I had, or even my natural power, over such a short distance was…intriguing. I stepped to the side and disappeared from the library in a gust of wind, reappearing on the roof of the estate, looking towards the mountains and sensing everything around me. I wasn't surprised when the duchess's father appeared next to me, heavily muscled arms crossed over his chest and giving me a slightly frowning look. The man was stuck at the wall at S-rank, something that took a lot of time and effort for most to overcome. Well, despite being a grandfather, he was plenty young, with more than enough time to break through the wall and continue to Z-rank. 

"Wandering around the roofs, now?" he asked me.  

"Getting ready for an exciting outing," I replied equitably.  

"Oh?" he returned, the vagabond's interest piqued.  

"Oh yes. Just a quick walk into the Untamed Wilds," I said, concealing a grin in my beard as I noticed his sharp look.  

"You wouldn't be taking one of my grandchildren out there, would you?" he asked. Perceptive man.  

I cleared my throat and replied, "Well, not so much taking, as just showing the border, you understand?" 

"Let me guess; Alex?" he asked. 

"Indeed," I said.  

"Well, you don't mind if I tag along?" he asked, though it was more a statement. 

"Of course not," I replied, though I answered in my mind, If I did mind you'd know it. 

"Well then, when do we set off?" he said. 

"I have feeling now might be appropriate," I said, stroking my beard as I leaned on my cane.  

"Without your charge?" he looked perplexed. 

"I told her to meet me there and I have a feeling we've fallen behind," I said airily, waving at the mountain peak in the distance. The girl's grandfather grunted his assent and I stepped off the roof, whisked away by a strong breeze. I could feel him behind me, moving through the air using some kind of repelling force that I wasn't extremely familiar with, though it made my cane vibrate. Magnetism, perhaps? 

************************* 

Alexandra 

I had walked through the estate before leaving to the west a bit, walking around the heavier defenses just to the north and entering the Wilds from there. I tread across the foothills and up the side of the mountain, walking through the dark paths the whole time, though I had enough awareness of my surroundings to note when two massive sources of mana flitted by overhead. I assumed it was my new tutor, though I didn't recognize the other source of mana at first blush. Shrugging, I figured that mystery would quite easily solve itself as I got to the mountaintop, which only took me another twenty minutes from when I noticed them pass overhead.  

I found the count standing there with my mother's father, my grandfather looking around with a slightly puzzled expression on his face while my tutor leaned on his cane and flexed his fingers against the ornately carved head slightly. I waited until they were both glancing different directions, and not at me, before I stepped from the dark path, walking forward until I was a couple paces from them. It was interesting to watch their reactions, the count detecting me instantly, though he put on an act of detecting me after a moment and slowly noticing me. Even so, he still beat my grandfather who took an extra second to notice me and turn in my direction. 

"How'd you get here?" he asked in confusion. 

"She can walk through the dark paths," the count said. 

"Really? I though that was just an old myth," grandfather said, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at me with a slightly puzzled expression. 

"There are a lot of things thought lost or just myth that never really went away," said the count with a knowing tone. "Anyway, shall we get started?" 

"And what are we starting?" I asked calmly, eyeing both the men with a dubious expression. 

"I would like to see how knowledgeable and efficient you are," the count explained. "I know you can travel, almost entirely unmolested, through the lesser areas of the Wilds; proof we have of that before us. I would like to analyze how well you can battle beasts and discover resources. What say we have you kill ten beasts and gather five precious resources? How about it?" 

"I feel like that is menial busywork, but I will comply," I answered coldly, loosening my blades at my waste, back to my 'real' swords from the pair of broken training blades earlier in the day.  

"Well then, shall we?" he said, gesturing with his cane. 

"Very well," I replied, stepping forward and disappearing back into the dark, seeing the annoyed looks on both their faces. I simply chuckled and made for the nearest beast, which I had encountered on the way up to the somewhat low peak of the mountain. It was a big bear, D-rank, with some kind of smoke or ash affinity, though beasts couldn't really use affinities very well at lower ranks. It would likely just make it a bit difficult to slash with a blade, as it would partially turn a small area of its body to smoke. My use of dual blades would confound that ability, as it wouldn't really have the concentration or skill to make multiple body parts at the same time ethereal, nor to do it extremely rapidly. Certainly not fast enough to keep up with my rapid attack and thrusts, roaring and falling back as I appeared from the dark and immediately began hammering away at it. 

The bear tried desperately to resist, but it wasn't able to put up any meaningful defense against me. I should mention that my Swords skill had moved into Early Expert thanks to my duel that morning with the count, and two of my other affinities, namely The Dark and Greater Lightning, had both improved. It put The Dark as my highest affinity once again, now at F-grade, compared to most others at E-grade, including Greater Lightning. Ice was still a bit behind at D-grade and the new affinity, Soul Resonance, I had had little time to explore, thus putting it still at C-grade. My ability to move through the dark had been greatly enhanced and I was able to step in and out in short teleports without any conscious thought, as natural as breathing.  

As I had surmised, the bear was simply unable to keep up, and it wound up severely wounded after only a few dozen seconds. It tried a last desperate attack, or that was how I read it, anyway, as it tried to smother me in smoke, but I simply stepped through the dark and didn't immediately reappear, confusing and stunning the poor creature. I waited a moment for a good opportunity before getting a running start and leaping high overhead, my tier seven body easily able to propel me to enormous heights with barely any effort on my part. I phased back into the 'normal' world right as I came down on the beast's back, both my blades coated in lightning and slamming home into the bear's neck. With a wrenching twist, I finished the poor creature off, leaping away as it collapsed to the ground with a death groan.  

I confirmed its death before quickly and efficiently skinning it, scraping the pelt mostly clean before stashing it in an out of the way place. Such a thing would take up most of the room in my pack and I was just getting started; I often waited to grab pelts and large items until I was done for the day and carried them bundled up on my shoulders. The weight was no issue for me.  

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