Epic Of The Demonic Sage

"Hmm, so this is what things are like outside of the city walls." Lucius muttered quietly to himself as he rode on horseback, traveling through the roads and eying the conditions of the extended territory beyond Inanis City.

"While it's natural that the ones in the city are much more well-off to hold their establishments and abodes there, the difference is more or less negligible."

It was clear to him that Count Gabriel made sure that the prosperity between different areas of his territories was more or less still the same.

"What do you think, Asher?" Kiana asked as she rode closer to him. She wanted to know what he thought since it was his first time traveling out after the memory loss incident.

"It's all good. The extended territory is more or less well taken care of, isn't it? Though I think the further we go from the capital city, the more humble it will become, right?" Lucius said.

"Yes, there's some far-flung areas with villages, but the ones on this road leading all the way to the royal highway are all rather the same as merchants travel and stop from city to city." Kiana explained.

"Of course. I'm excited to see this highway soon." Lucius said, knowing that while it probably couldn't be compared to the ones in his previous world, it probably meant that it was better than the ones that they were traveling in.

Gellor and his mercenary group were riding ahead of Lucius and Kiana, who were at the back, allowing them a bit of privacy but also leading the way.

Lucius appreciated it, but still made sure to keep most of his important observations to himself, as he didn't want any of Gellor and his team to hear him.

Even though Lucius had provided many revelations to Gellor and his team, hinting at the reason behind the Masked Legion and Dionysia Brewery's existence, he did not trust them with the information about his 'lost' memory.

Or rather found it unnecessary to share as it would bring more people into knowing that Lucius didn't know much about the world. It was important to keep secrets like that and make people presume that you knew better.

Of course, Gellor and his mercenary group were already obedient to him with the mark of obedience, but that was not complete enough to make them his confidants.

Lucius and his group then traveled for several hours until they stopped at a city for a meal and to catch a break for their horses.

"Are you alright with the traveling pace we're currently on, Lord—er, Lucius?" Gellor asked during their short stay in one of the cities beyond Inanis.

"Yes, it's more than adequate." Lucius said.

"That's a relief to hear then. We're moving at the fastest pace that we can, taking breaks every now and then isn't bad as it helps with the maintenance of the horses and of course, there's also the fatigue we experience." Gellor said.

Albus was outside of the inn, stretching his legs and walking it off around the road while Finch and Ariana paid for their meal.

Barty was already out to check on their horses while Kiana was finishing her meal.

"But if you feel like we're moving a little faster than you'd like, we can take more breaks too." Gellor reassured him. "It doesn't have to be exactly seven days."

"Oh, the faster that we get there, the better actually." Lucius reassured him. "Please don't hesitate and travel at the pace that you and your team usually go at. You must understand that I'm eager to finish our mission there, after all."

Gellor nearly bowed, but then nodded. "Understood."

It was a little hard for the man to address Lord Asher in a less formal manner, but he tried his best and was more than watchful of Lucius' conditions.

On the contrary, Lucius thought they were actually slow, as servants in the Great Barrom Clan often didn't think of leisure like stopping at a city for breaks when they were on a mission.

Instead, they'd often continue traveling and only rested when it was absolutely necessary. However, it didn't take too long for the first day to finish and the second day to arrive.

Lucius was glad to move past from cities on the roads as they moved into the plains, until he finally saw the royal highway before them.

"The quality of this road is incredible." Lucius complimented.

"This goes all the way to the Capital." Kiana said, referring to Grantz Kingdom with a pleased look on her face when she glanced at Asher. "That's why it's so well maintained."

"Even the rocks on this road are quite uniform, perfect to the road." Lucius said, not expecting this level of quality.

"We can thank the Royal Builders for it. All of them have specialized gifts for this situation and are quite scrupulous about it too, rest assured." Kiana said. "People who've ever damaged a portion of the road, well, it's quite a hefty fine from what I've heard."

"I see." Lucius said as they rode down the highway.

This time, their travel down the road was faster than when they were yesterday. It was a lot more efficient and no one came to stop them, compared to some checkpoints that occurred yesterday.

Along their travel, they'd encounter other travelers, even mercenaries—some that Gellor and his team members recognized, and finally soldiers that patrolled the highway.

"We'll be taking a break," Gellor called out and then slowed down with the others when the sun was at its highest.

This was the first rest stop that Lucius stopped at, and it was exactly the same as the others they'd pass through.

​ He couldn't help but be impressed as it provided protection from the heat of the sun, was spacious enough for multiple groups of travelers and there was actually a lot of grass for the horses and even a water source available.

"Is this the same everywhere?" Lucius asked Kiana.