Different groups of people slowly made their way into the main hall of the Royal Castle. Servants coming to work, scattering in all directions to reach their places of employment.
Highborn in their best clothing with their small entourages and provincial Ensis as guards coming to meetings or to work as bureaucrats. Merchants moved into the main hall with their wares.
They served directly under Noblemen, who by law couldn’t get involved directly in any trades, but managed to find a loophole by becoming patrons of Merchants and exchanging “gifts” of Monet.
It was a regular day in the Kingdom, attempting to regain a sense of normality after the last year. Trade had almost ground to a halt thanks to the roaming hordes of Immo, undead bodies animated through Spell Formulas and Cibus.
And among all these people who knew what they were supposed to do was Novus, who looked as confused as he could be.
It was like his first weeks in the Royal Academy all over again, feeling like he didn’t belong and not really knowing what he was allowed to do.
-Hey you!- A voice called him from behind.
-Me?- Novus turned around and pointed at himself.
-Yeah you!- A rough-looking man, almost twice his size was pulling a two-wheeled cart filled to the brim with tightly-packed wooden boxes, held in place by two repurposed fishing nets, a common practice in Ora, a Port City in the western region of Via.
-You’re in my way, Nanus!- The gruff man gestured with his head for Novus to move away. He did it without delay, stammering an apology as he opened the path.
A train of carts passed swiftly through where he was just standing, clearly in a rush to take their cargo and leave. Lowborn weren’t really welcomed in the Royal Castle unless they worked there and all who did had a very noticeable silver medal on their jackets or aprons.
Novus started to panic; maybe he was supposed to get one of those. Maybe they sent one and he didn’t get it, or worse, the bastards didn’t send him one just to humiliate him. Those were the kind of pranks his fellow students enjoyed back in the Royal Academy.
This was, by far, the largest building Novus ever visited and the aura of the place was almost palpable. It was buzzing with Vis all over the place, as it was built on the ruins of one of the fabled Skyships of the Empire.
It was frankly unnerving for Novus. He took a couple of steps back, gradually moving towards the wall right beside the main entrance.
He leaned against it, trying to ease his mind and nerves before deciding what to do next. Novus was right beneath the windows, the multicolored light passing through the stained glass above him not touching him at all.
As Novus was close to a borderline anxiety attack trying to think what to do while feeling a bit overwhelmed by the whole atmosphere of the Royal Castle, right across the main hall Callis Nomene was talking to his direct superior, Primis Pruina, one of the Ensis Magister of the Meridio Order.
-Messa Pruina, I have come to inform you I have been given orders by the Magnus Chalearii, leader of the 4 Ensis Orders, and Septen Eres, Mes Conatus Canes.- Callis extended the rolled-up parchment given to him by his cousin, still unsealed after he had shown it to the Lower Noblemen he encountered just after leaving Conatus’ office.
Primis Pruina was a woman around 40 years old, her skin was dark, commonplace among southerners in Via and her hair was prematurely white, cut short and a bit messy. She had a heavy-set body frame and was quite muscular. Many scars, white against her skin, crossed over her face and what little exposed skin she had under her ceremonial armor and uniform.
She was barely shorter than Callis but looked much more imposing. She was a Frontier Ensis for most of her career and managed to get a promotion after his exemplary job battling bandits, Immo, and Unda in Ater Arva, a desolate region to the North of Via.
-This document seems to be in order. Go fulfill your assigned task.- She replied with an almost bored tone.
-What about my patrol shifts?- Callis asked his superior with some concern in his voice.
-I’ll schedule other Ensis to cover for you. How many shifts were you currently taking?- Pruina asked while containing a yawn.
Callis stop for a moment to think about it and then answered. -I perform 21 patrol shifts per week, apart from doing clerical work and training.-
Pruina who had started to turn around checking on the paperwork another Ensis gave her, a manifesto for a merchant cargo being delivered, stopped reading and gradually turned her head towards Callis with shock and surprise evident on her face.
-You’re telling me you’re doing 3 shifts per day apart from administrative work and training?- She couldn’t fathom how this evaded her notice. Regular Ensis usually did only 3 or 4 patrol shifts per week and most of their time was either dedicated to training if they pleased or serving directly under courtesans as bodyguards, aides, or, as an open secret, enforcers.
-That doesn’t make sense, I’ve seen the schedules, I’ve checked them, not the best part of my job mind you, but I do and your name isn’t as often as you mention.-
-I usually help my fellow Ensis who are asked for other missions and cover their patrols, as I do not have the patronage of another Highborn so I do not do anything apart from my work as Royal Ensis.- Callis explained as if that was usual for him, he had grown accustomed to others taking the fame and glory of any accomplishments he obtained.
He almost didn’t have any kind of resentment for that, as he didn’t seek fame and glory, following the ancient ideals of the Ensis rather than the sham they’ve become in the present.
-You…- Pruina was flabbergasted.
Unlike most people she wasn’t instantly set to insult Callis, she originally was a Frontier Ensis, handling bandits and other unsavory types, so she wasn’t big on pushing away talented people just because of their ancestry or any other small, insignificant detail.
She had worked with lowborn, highborn, foreigners, and even Saevus, and she put talent over nepotism.
But even if she knew Callis was more or less the best subordinate she had, at least when it came to doing his work in time and exactly as ordered, she couldn’t just take his side on this one.
As much as she disliked playing politics, she wanted to get back to the field, and that would only happen if she could negotiate a promotion to become the Region Ensis of a Province, rather than just an Ensis Magister doing mostly clerical and ceremonial work in the castle.
All of that flashed through her head as attempted to think what to say to Callis.
-We… we can talk about this later Nomene. Just go and do your job.- She said, feeling a bit defeated about her own lack of moral fiber and not knowing that half her subordinates were skipping their assigned tasks.
-I think the one you’re meant to protect has already arrived.- She scanned the area for a moment until she noticed Novus standing against a wall, almost as if he was attempting to fuse against it.
-There, the kid with the Academy uniform and the staff.- She pointed out and Callis turned around seeing Novus across the hall. The Half-Blooded Ensis read his orders again and nodded. She extended her hand, giving him one of the pins used to identify people allowed to move in the castle. -Give him this.-
-You are right Messa Pruina, I will go fulfill my mission.- Callis performed a military salute as he turned around and walked towards Novus.
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