Chapter 81 - The Underground Transport (Part 1)

  We were in the ter of the Royal Capital on our way bae. The dies had spent the entire m shopping sihe previous days had been closed due to the prince's birthday holiday.

  Spending time with the tigers was more fun…

  To keep them at peace, I had decided to stay at the Evenhart property we owned in the capital. During the festival days, we stayed there, and on the fourth day, we moved to the property where that private event with the ook pce.

  Fortunately, I had Hugo and Martha for pany; they had e with us to the capital along with their daughters. My aunt mao vihem to enroll the twins in the Apsalon Magic Academy. She insisted they should be taught at the best magical institution ihree kingdoms, and the Duchy would cover their education costs. When I saw the tuition fees for that Magic Academy, I almost fell over. It’s a small fortuo study there, and the fees are paid in gold, unlike on currency, which could be bronze s or, when something is very expensive, silver s. However, the education at that academy is the best avaible.

  The high cost is not just due to the excellent education but also because we will live at the academy, meaning we’ll have a private room, daily meals, people to care for our clothes, and all the materials we’ll need for our csses. The academy even has a magical campus built on top of a dungeon, and we bring domesticated magical animals if we have them, with their food included.

  My aunt was adamant about wanting Natty and Catty in the best magical institution, and she put a pause oraining—not that they , as they had already been sidered the best torturer maids i years.

  Hugo was sad to be away from his daughters but uood it was the best choice for their future as mages. The twins would return during the holidays to our duchy, whiforted him a little. Although our family possesses vast knowledge of magical spells and teaches us magic for bat, at Apsalon, we would have a broader range of growth opportunities. My aunt wahe geion of legacies to receive the best magical education possible, and for that, it was necessary to dedicate oneself fully while still a child to improve the formation of one’s Gem as they grew, in addition to expanding their arsenal of spells. This is why great mages usually e from noble families; it’s rare for a oo have the luxury of studying for years without w, even if they are born a mage.

  At least in our Duchy, we ensure schorships fical academies within our territory for es, but I’ve heard that some standout oudents irance exams receive schorships and financial support to study at Apsalon Academy.

  Hugo and his family were in the Royal Capital for the twins to take the entrance exam for the Academy. Everyone had to take that exam, even the high-ranking nobles who were 'required' to attend the Academy. This exam would assess the student’s theoretical and magical knowledge.

  “We’re almost there; you don’t o look so bored,” my mother said.

  We were in line for our transport. In the kingdom, there was something called Underground Transport that ected the Royal Capital to the ht Duchies. It was like a massive work of tunnels, rge enough to fit several ships. These eight tunnels were flooded, f a sort of river through which people could travel more quickly to the Royal Capital and from there to another Duchy, avoiding weeks of carriage travel, though it still took a few days.

  The Underground Transport was a ship that sailed withiunnels, aided by water mages who trolled the surrounding water to speed up the ship, and wind mages who created wind currents in the sails to accelerate it even further. This mode of transport had existed sihe Empire was founded, and these tunnels were structed by the Founding Emperor and his mages to facilitate unication and cooperation with the duchies.

  The tunnels remain untouched to this day, preserved as they are siheir stru, as they are sidered historidmarks. The only thing done is to utilize the transport within them. I found the structure incredible when I first saw it, and it made me realize how everything truly relied on mages and how disastrous the loss of some of them in the war had been for our territory.

  Those tunnels were illuminated by light crystals, making it feel as if we were outside due to the brightness. If not for being able to see the ceiling, I might have believed we were outdoors.

  The jourhat would have taken four weeks by carriage was reduced to three days thanks to the underground transport.

  “Lady Margaery? Lady Katherine?” called a voice.

  We turo see who had called us, and there was a man with a woman and a girl.

  “Martin?” My aunt smiled and greeted him.

  “We didn’t get a ce to speak at the party yesterday. Just as I was about to greet you, that storm i happened, and we lost track of each other,” the man expined.

  I was at a loss trying to figure out who these people were, but my mother and Aunt Margie seemed to know him.

  Aunt Margie looked at us.

  “This is Nathan, my nephew, and this is my daughter, Chloe. This sweet little girl is Kinue; we’ve adopted her,” she introduced us. “Children, this is the Norfolk family. They’re important figures in Apsalon, managing the produ of Red Crystal Liquid feions.”

  That expensive liquid?

  The maended his hand to us, and I shook it.

  “Pleasure to meet you, sir,” I said to him.

  “Pleasure,” Chloe said shyly.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Kinue said, making a curtsey by toug the sides of her dress.

  “You’re all very polite,” he said, smiling. “This is my family, my wife Cra and my daughter Nora.”

  We greeted them.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Cra said, smiling, and Nora followed suit.

  They seemed to be well-regarded figures, judging by the way my aunt spoke of them, so I observed them closely. The man had bck hair with hints of brown, the woman was beautiful with chestnut hair that was almost reddish, and their daughter ied her mother’s hair color.

  “I think you took the wrong route to Apsalon,” my aunt joked.

  The family ughed at her ent.

  Ah, the underground transport doesn’t go to Apsalon. I got the joke.

  “We’re heading to another Duchy at the request of a friend. It seems the Duke of the region is a bit desperate for potions as he’s sendio deal with a swarm of monstrous crickets in a cave, and we o assess the situation before we send a report to a Grand Duke. I took advantage of the trip t the girls along for a little outing,” he said, ughing.

  “I pity the paperwork you’ll have to sign,” Aunt Margie said.

  “Don’t remind me…” he said, a bit disheartened.

  My aunt tinued chatting with Martin while my mother spoke with Cra. I didn’t know how to i with Nora, but luckily, Chloe and Kinue, despite being shy, were good at making friends ohey warmed up.

  We eventually had to say oodbyes.

  “I think we’ll see each ain in Apsalon, Katherine,” Cra said.

  “Though I don’t like being far from home, I’ll be gd to have your pany.”

  The two ughed, and Martin approached us.

  “It looks like my dear Nora will have friends when it’s her turn to go to the Academy. She’s a mage as well, and I’ll be ting on you to keep an eye on the girls and make sure no ooo close,” Martin said, winking at me.

  “Father!” Nora shouted, embarrassed.

  “Don’t worry, sir. If aries something, I’ll kill them,” I replied.

  Martin burst into ughter, and we said oodbyes. We waited until they had walked a little farther away.

  “Ahem!” my aunt cleared her throat to get the people in lio look fain.

  “They were just old acquaintances,” she said to the people in the line.

  We were surrounded by civilians going about their business, but iy, there were at least 80 disguised soldiers, along with the maids. They were responsible for our security. To an outsider, it would never seem like we were a family of Dukes.

  I'm still not used to this sort of thing.

  Some of them tinued pying their roles, but I noticed they formed a protective circle around us while pretending to read or discuss random topics.

  “No staring at them, dear. Follow the rules,” my aunt said.