Chapter 48: Chapter 38: The Blue Roses…

Echoes of Fire and Shadows

Chapter 38: The Blue Roses.

---

It has been eight days since our skirmish with the criminal Rexon, his goons, the Band of the Warhawk, and the giant frog incident.

The trip has gone smoothly for the most part and it has been very pleasant so far. 

We haven't been attacked by any more bandits or monsters on the road, mainly because there's currently a large number of knights escorting our little caravan.

The group is about a little less than half of the knights that Ophelia brought with her. I have no clue how it happened, but all of our escorts are women... Yeah, you heard that correctly… Currently, about 150 female knights are riding and walking beside our little caravan…

Sorry, I lied… I do know how and why this happened…

Since my Dad went full-on slaughter mode on Rexon's goons, he reduced their numbers considerably, making it way easier for the knights to capture and restrain the survivors. By Ophelia's orders, they were to be taken back to the capital without delay.

So, all of the male knights, including Ophelia's second in command, a man called Anthony, departed early in the morning the day after my battle against Rexon to transport those criminals so they could face their trial. 

Apparently, all of the female knights, including Ophelia herself, insisted on staying and escorting us to the capital, much to Anthony's and the men's confusion. I didn't find out about that fact until the day after the other knights left…

Things with the knights escorting us have been interesting, to say the least… They are very affectionate. Very very affectionate…

My cheeks have been pinched, pulled, and squeezed practically every single way imaginable ever since they started traveling with us, my hairstyle has been changed multiple times too, my head is constantly being patted and I have been offered copious amounts of candy and other sweets… Not to mention that I can no longer count the number of hugs I have received… 

"Sheesh~! You're really adorable, you know that?" Ophelia said while hugging me very from behind.

"So I have been told." I said with a flat tone.

Like I said before, they are very affectionate... Ophelia has been the most affectionate of all the knights, mainly because she keeps telling me how much I look like her son when he was my age.

Since I really remind her of her son, she has taken every opportunity she had to spend time with me, spoil me and show her affection. Because of her, my cheeks are always painted in a bright red color thanks to how much she likes to pinch them...

Don't get me wrong, Ophelia is a pretty nice and thoughtful lady, she is a little oblivious at times but she's pretty cool! She's always telling me stories about her job as a knight, her days with mom in the Imperial Academy, and the times when she was working side by side with my dad.

I have to say that her stories are very interesting! I have learned a lot of things about my parent's youth in the last few days! I can't deny that once she starts talking, I usually end up asking and sometimes pleading for her to continue telling me more stories.

Though, it is truly unbelievable that my parents had a mutual friend the whole time and didn't meet until they found each other on the docks! It is a shame that she didn't introduce them to each other sooner.

"What is it? You are more serious than usual, Julius... Are you feeling sick?" Ophelia asked with concern. 

"Not really... I'm a little tired from the long trip." I replied.

"Hang in there, cutie! We'll be reaching the capital soon!" Ophelia said while ruffling my hair. "Why don't you take a little nap before we arrive? You can just lean back and let your Aunt Ophi handle everything!" She said with a compassionate and somewhat excited voice…

"Thank you for worrying about me, but I'm not feeling sleepy. It is just that this is my first long trip and I'm not used to traveling on horseback for long periods of time." I turned back and smiled at her.

Ever since Ophelia and her knights joined our small caravan, I have been riding with them on their horses instead of traveling in the carriage with my family. 

Of course, I haven't only been sharing a horse with Ophelia, the other knights have been taking turns to give me rides and spoil me…

Traveling on horseback is way more uncomfortable than I thought… Even with my [Pain Resistance] skill, my hips are so numb right now… I don't know how these ladies can spend so much time riding horses with their heavy-looking armors…

I guess it is something that you just get used to… I might ask Auntie to lend me one of her horses when we go back so I can get used to this…

"You are so cute and sweet that I just want to bite you and eat you up!" Ophelia playfully blew some air in my ear… "Have some candy! Hehehe~!" Ophelia giggled as she tightened her hug and put a few candies in my pockets

I ended up squirming due to her sudden affectionate display which made me snap out of my thoughts… 

"Lady Ophelia, it is not fair that you are hogging Julius! Isn't it time for you to give us a turn!?" A lady knight who was walking nearby shouted.

"That's right! We agreed that we would switch every hour! It is my turn!" Ophelia's niece, Neris, immediately complained as she made her horse gallop to catch up with us.

"Neris, you already monopolized all of his attention during breakfast! It is clearly our turn!" Another lady knight shouted as her horse caught up with ours.

"Heh. You girls shouldn't have trusted me to keep my word. I had my fingers crossed the whole time~!" Ophelia said with amusement.

Quite frankly, I have never felt so shy and awkward in my life before… I never had trouble facing large crowds in my past life since I had to give a few speeches back then, but this time, it is a bit overwhelming to become the focus of the affection of so many people…

Don't get me wrong, it is not like I'm really complaining about this situation, I do enjoy it, quite a lot actually, but thanks to Ophelia and her affectionate subordinates, I have obtained two new titles in just this week alone… Even one of my old ones evolved twice…

Sigh… I genuinely don't know how I should feel about those titles… Lia starts giggling like crazy every time I try to talk to her about my new titles…

The first title I got was [Adorable Cutie]. Yep… That is actually a title… 

I cannot deny that I was very flustered when the usual mechanical voice of the system announced my new title… 

Well, that's when Lia explained to me that you can gain titles depending on what large groups of people think of you. So, based on the opinions of the group of female knights around me, I am an adorable cutie…

Being complimented is nice and all, but having that kind of thing on my status is extremely embarrassing… I can't really blame the lady knights for being so affectionate with me since they aren't aware that I'm almost 30 mentally speaking. To them, I'm just another normal yet adorable kid…

I wonder how they would react if they were to learn that I'm mentally older than most of them…

Anyway, back to the titles. At first, I thought that it was a little strange that I got a title thanks to the knights but I didn't get the title of [Monster] from the bandits since they were all calling me that.

But then it turns out that some titles are easier to get than others. Lia told me that one hundred people calling me a monster is not nearly enough to get the title of [Monster]. I'd need thousands of people calling me to acquire the title, which I guess is not a bad thing since I would not like to have that kind of title in my status.

She also explained that powerful and influential people like high-ranking nobles, the Emperor, or the Gods themselves could easily grant titles if they want. Of course, if it comes from nobles or the Emperor you have to accept it to gain the title.

Anyhow, the other title I got is [The Favorite Person of the Blue Roses of Nebandia]. It is quite long, isn't it? Well, that title also has to do with the knightly ladies traveling with us. 

Their order of knights is called The Roses of Nebandia. Their name comes from the fact that the vast majority of the knights hail from the region of Nebandia and because Ms. Ophelia is the ruling noble. The Blue Roses are the female knights while the Red Roses are the male knights.

The majority of the knights are commoners just like my family and me, while there's only a bunch who are nobles. Those nobles are the children from the families that serve under Ophelia’s family.

Well, the title itself is not that bad… However, the description of the title given by [Appraisal] makes it extremely embarrassing…

<[The Favorite Person of the Blue Roses of Nebandia]: You have won the hearts of the fair maidens of the Blue Roses! These knights have sworn with their hearts to protect your precious smile no matter the costs!

Requirements: Win the affection of all the members of the Blue Roses.

Effects: The Blue Roses think fondly of you and consider you a very important ally. They will fight by your side should you ever need them. / No matter how much time it passes, the opinions of the Blue Roses on you will not decrease unless the user becomes hostile towards them.>

Yeah… I actually had no words the first time I read that… Sigh… I still don't know what to make of it, but I guess I should be happy that I have a few new allies.

Hmm? The other title's description? It doesn't have one. It just says that people consider me an adorable cutie… I'm not going to lie, It was a little disappointing.

And as for the title that evolved… Well, let's just say that I went from [Novice Lady Killer] to [Expert Lady Killer]... You can figure out how that happened…

The only thing I'll say about it is that I'm glad that Mom still doesn't know that I have such a title on my status…

"Have a cookie, little Leafy." A female knight said as she offered yet another cookie to Leaf.

"Thanks! They are pretty tasty! I love these cookies~!" Leaf said with delight as she accepted the cookie.

"Have as many of them as you want~." The knight seemed to be melting thanks to Leaf's cuteness.

Ah, speaking of Leaf… The day after the frog incident I discovered a few things about her. First, she has a Unique Skill that allows her to enlarge or shrink things. Which explained what caused the frog to become so big…

Leaf had forgotten about that skill since she didn't use it very often and panicked when the frog tried to eat her, causing Leaf to use her full power and drain her reserves of mana, making the frog as tall as a house and making herself almost as tall as my dad…

Leaf apologized in tears for hiding that from me and even panicked because she thought I was mad at her after I had to rescue her from the frog's stomach. After reassuring her a lot, I managed to calm her down. 

Ah… She really looked cute back then, it was impossible for me to be angry with her.

In any case, I also learned from both Lia and Leaf that she could potentially shrink me with her skill to be about the same size as her. We haven't had the time to try that thanks to a certain group of friendly knights, but I really can't wait to try! I definitely want to see the world from her perspective!

Of course, Leaf's skill is limited by the amount of mana she has and the strength of the target of the skill. It is not like she can forcefully shrink someone stronger than her.

And the second thing I discovered about Leaf is that she's Level 50. Yep… Her Level is surprisingly way higher than mine… However, my stats are superior to hers by a very wide margin. Lia told me that is because Leaf is still an immature Fairy Princess, and that her stats should skyrocket by the time she has fully matured.

You wouldn't think that such a cute small being who is munching a cookie vigorously would have such a high level.

"Did you like the book, Luna?" A short woman with glasses asked my older sister.

"Yes! It is incredibly good! It was so exciting from start to finish! I wish I could meet the author to tell them how amazing the book is!" Luna replied with an overjoyed expression to the knight she was riding with.

"Ehh!? Erm… I-I-Is that so!?" The knight suddenly blushed and stuttered.

"Yes! I've read lots of books! And this one is just as M. N. Grapes's books are!" She nodded with excitement.

In case you don't know, M. N. Grapes is probably the most popular author in our country at the moment. The twins and Mia all love their books.

"You liked it that much…? Well… Umm, if you liked the book so much, I think I can give you the whole series… I have several spare copies of all the books, so if you don't mind then…" The knight with glasses spoke with glee and a lot of shyness. 

"Wait, there's more!? The ending was amazing even though it was a cliffhanger! Thank you so much! I wouldn't be able to live without knowing what happened next!" My sister said to the knight with glasses before hugging her.

"Jeez! It is clear that you're the author! There's no need to hide your identity! You should try to sell your books already!" Another knight shouted from nearby. She was the one riding with Liliana.

"D-D-Don't reveal that! There's no way I could publish them yet!" The knight with glasses panicked.

"Wait! You wrote this!?" Luna's eyes were practically sparkling with admiration as she looked at the shy knight with glasses. 

"Y-Y-Yes…" she replied while blushing.

"Amazing! You're simply amazing! I want to read your other books!" My sister didn't waste any time before hugging the knight again.

"Now I wanna read the book too… What is it about?" Liliana said with curiosity.

"Oh? You see the book is about a pair of lovers that promise to spend eternity with each other. They both vow to find each other in their next lives no matter how much time it takes or how many times they die! It is really beautiful and romantic! I wish I had someone to make a vow like that!" The knight who was riding with Liliana explained with a yearning expression.

"Oh! That sounds wonderful! Can I have some copies of the books too?" Liliana asked the shy knight with glasses.

"S-S-Sure… Though, I think there are far more interesting books than mine…" The knight averted her gaze.

"Nonsense! This book is one of the best I've ever read!" Luna said with conviction. "You need to have some confidence! Your book is amazing!" Luna tried to reassure the knight.

"You think so…?" The knight with glasses blushed more than before. "Thank you… It really makes me happy to hear that…" She smiled softly while patting my sister's head.

You are reading story Echoes of Fire and Shadows at novel35.com

"Hey! What about me!? I'm always telling you nice things about your books!" The other knight jokingly complained.

Hmm… I think I want to give it a read too… The premise sounds interesting, it makes me think about Claire…

In any case, I'm not the only one being pampered by the Blue Roses of Nebandia. At first, my sisters were very jealous of the knights because they were hoarding my attention… That didn't last very long since the knights were able to gain their affection (they actually bought it with sweets).

"Mia, you draw so well! Wait… You even got my freckles right!? Not even the artist that my family commissioned to make our family portrait got them right! That's incredible!" The knight who was riding with Mia was genuinely surprised.

"It is not that big of a deal! It really helped me to practice! Hehehe!" Mia said with pride before giggling. "If you liked it, then you can have it." Mia turned around and offered a bust drawing of the knight she was riding with.

Just in case you're wondering, she made the drawing earlier when we took a short rest. Mia was just showing the knight the finished product. Though, it would be pretty incredible if she could draw so well while riding a horse…

"Ehh!? You are giving it to me!? Thank you so much! I'll treasure it forever! I can't wait to show it to my husband!" The knight replied with genuine happiness as she accepted the drawing.

Mia was also pretty much spoiled by the knights. Since she's so honest and easy to get along with, all of the knights quickly took a liking to her. Well, Mia also spent quite a lot of time chatting them up, so I guess the feeling was mutual.

Klein, on the other hand… The knights haven't been able to spoil him much as they have done with us. Not because of lack of trying though, but because Klein is pretty indifferent and even a bit cold to most of them. He says that it is not like he dislikes the knights, he just doesn't like to be touched. 

The knights respected his wishes, but a lot of them were a little disappointed and dejected. They still gave him a lot of candy as they did with the rest of us.

Though… Right now, there's one exception to Klein's rule.

"Have you heard of the Ruins of Metis?" A blonde-haired esquire, the same age as Neris, said to Klein who was riding with her. 

"Of course I have! The ruins of the Great City of Metis are located on the coast of Morlyn Island and it is one of many ruins we have of the early cities of the Empire while the Hero Rokkshar was still alive!" Klein spoke with enthusiasm with the girl, almost as if trying to impress her.

"Hehehe! You're pretty smart~. That is correct. My father has been working as a researcher there ever since I was little. He used to take me there during the summers to explore the ruins. It is truly a mesmerizing place filled with such a rich history." The girl said while affectionately patting his head.

"Oh!? Is it true about what they say!? That the spirit of Lady Metis is still on the ruins of the city!?" Klein turned around and asked with excitement.

"Hehehe! Who knows? Why don't you visit someday and try to find out for yourself? I wouldn't like to ruin such a unique experience." The blonde girl smiled playfully as she kept patting Klein's head.

The exception is that girl. Klein is currently experiencing a severe case of falling in love for the first time. The girl seems to be aware of that and she doesn't seem to mind since they are only three years apart in age.

I might need to prepare myself to give some love advice to my future brother-in-law sooner rather than later.

Lia even told me that according to Catris they have high compatibility with each other. That does make sense since the two of them spend every waking moment together talking about ruins and the history of the Empire. 

I've been able to learn a lot more about history after listening to their conversations.

So, in summary, the Blue Roses of Nebandia seem to really like kids. Wait… That sounds wrong somehow…

"Julius, are you there?" Ophelia suddenly whispered in my ear.

"Ah! Sorry! I was a little lost in thought…" I replied in a panic since she had caught me off guard.

"That's very cute~. Hehehe~!" Ophelia giggled. "I was telling you that the walls of the city are visible now." Ophelia said as she raised her hand and pointed forward.

My eyes quickly followed her finger. The moment I laid my eyes upon the horizon, I was left completely mouth agape…

Even though we were still several kilometers away, I could still see the majestic white walls which encompassed the whole city of Mutm. Even from so far away, I could tell that those walls were at least several dozen meters tall. 

I was filled with awe and glee the moment I realized that so far things were exactly as they had been described in the books about the capital. If I was like that, I was sure that Klein was about to pass out from the excitement.

"You know, even though I spent most of my time living here due to my job and because of politics, I still can’t believe that those walls have been there and have never fallen for the last two millennia." Ophelia said while deep in thought. "My parents always told me that the Hero Rokkshar built the walls of the capital on his own. They also said that the walls could withstand a siege from an army of a million men for years. Though, I don’t think all of that could possibly be true. Hehe." Ophelia let out a small chuckle while looking at me.

"That doesn’t mean that they are any less imposing." I said to Ophelia. "And from what I read, I think the city could actually endure the attack of such an army. The city is in a very privileged position after all." I was rubbing my chin as I remembered the contents of one of the books.

"Oh is that so? Why do you think that way?" Ophelia asked with genuine curiosity. 

"The city has the steep Aranir Cliffs to the southeast, to the west, it has several beaches filled to the brim with D and C rank dungeons that spawn strong monsters which difficult landings in that area, to the north there’s one of the main highways to the Earldom of Casca, the Great Forest of Falgren and the Kingdom of Valciar, which is the one we are currently in." I explained while still keeping my gaze on the walls. "Even if the highway was to be cut by the attackers, the Iris River still goes to the northeast from the city towards the previously mentioned places. Oh! And to the south, there is the Silvercreek Gulf, which would require several thousands of ships to barely block it, if they could manage to sink the Imperial Navy first, that is." I nodded to myself.

Strategically speaking, Mutm is a blessed, influential, and powerful city that would be very difficult to cut off from the rest of the Empire. Trying to cut off the supplies from the roads, farms, villages, and the towns nearby would not be too difficult for the attackers, however, cutting the supplies coming by sea from other cities would prove to be almost an impossible task due to how large the Silvercreek Gulf is and the power of the Empire’s navy.

However, that does make you wonder why the Empire has had so many civil wars ever since it was founded and has lost most of them even though it has such a city as its capital. 

The majority of the history experts agree that the most logical reason for that is one simple thing… Money.

While the city itself has never fallen, the Empire has lost many of those wars because they simply ran out of money to pay the troops and buy supplies. Lia confirmed that fact for me a few days ago.

"Curious… That’s the same thing that Professor Ian said during our last lesson…" Neris muttered.

"That's impressive… Tsk… And here I thought that I had the opportunity to teach you something that would make you admire me more…" Ophelia clicked her tongue and then pouted.

"Still, learning about a city from a book actually visiting are two different things, you know?" I said with a serious expression. "I do appreciate that you were trying to teach me something new. So if you want to teach me, you're very welcome to come with my family and show me around the city." I then smiled warmly at Ophelia.

"Eek! So cute! Please never grow up! Stay cute forever!" Ophelia hugged me super super tightly…

Because of her heavy plate armor, the hug was a little uncomfortable… Ah, my poor back…

"Sigh… But I'm really really sorry, Julius… Your Aunt Ophi won't be able to show you the city this time around…" Ophelia was apologetic. "Thanks to those bandits, the upcoming tournament, and a few other things, I'll surely be drowning in work as soon as we arrive… I'm sorry…" She apologized while she was still hugging me.

"I see… That's a shame…" I was genuinely a little disappointed.

Hmm… Now that the trip is coming to an end, I think I might end up missing Ophelia and the rest of her knights a lot… 

"Jeez! Don't make such a sad face, cutie! You're obviously very welcome to come and sit on my lap to watch the tournament! I'll introduce you to my son and everything! Maybe you two will become fast friends as you and Neris did!" Ophelia immediately tried to comfort me. 

Neither Ophelia, Neris nor the rest of the knights know that I'm going to participate in the tournament. My mom said that it would be very funny to see their shocked expressions when my name is called to go and represent Marina.

I agree with mom, it really sounds like a fun idea. Though it does feel a bit mean too…

For some reason, while I was lost in thought again, a mischievous smile appeared on Ophelia's face.

"I have a better idea though. Instead of an old auntie like me, why don't you have a cute young lady like Neris show you around the city?" Ophelia suggested while shooting a few glances at her niece with the same smile from before.

"Ehh!? Me!?" Neris was so taken aback that she almost fell off her horse…

"She's going to have a lot of free time until the tournament starts, so it is perfect!" Ophelia just ignored her niece's shock. "What do you think, Julius? It is a good idea, isn't it?" Ophelia asked with a devilish smile.

"I'd like to disagree with that comment of you being an old auntie. Aren't we all humans young in the eyes of the immortal dragons?" I replied with a cheeky expression.

In response, my cheeks were immediately pinched by Ophelia.

"Jeez! Aren't you just the cutest!? You shouldn't be telling that to a married woman like me, I might misunderstand things like that, you know? You should tell that to a girl your age instead!" Ophelia said with a dismissive tone but she seemed to be very happy and satisfied while she was pinching my cheeks. "So? Do you want Neris to spend some time with you?" Ophelia grinned a little before winking at me.

"Of course, it would be amazing if she wants to come with us." My voice was a little muffled thanks to Ophelia having fun pinching and pulling my cheeks.

"That's very good then! You can trust that Neris will take good care of you! So if you ever need to know anything, don't be shy and just ask her without any hesitation, okay?" Ophelia was very pleased. She was shooting glances at the embarrassed Neris who was averting her gaze.

"I'll try my best…" Neris mumbled.

"Why are you acting so embarrassed all of a sudden, Neris? It is just a little sightseeing with little Julius! It is not like I expect you two to suddenly get engaged or anything." Ophelia said jokingly. 

"Aunt Ophelia! What are you even talking about!" Neris shouted while her face was painted in a deep shade of red.

In my short life in this world, I have learned that natives really love to joke about marriage at any opportunity they can get… Hahaha… It reminds me of a certain drunkard Auntie of mine…

…

…

…

You know what? I'm gonna go and visit her parents to ask for her mother's engagement ring. I'm still kinda pissed off that she made fun of me, so I'm gonna get a little payback by meeting my in-laws.

"Ah! Julius, what about us!? We can show you around the city too!" The knight riding by our side chimed in.

"Right! We can show you the most amazing places in the capital! Don't you want your big sisters to go with you!?" Another lady sounded a little desperate.

After those two spoke a big commotion suddenly broke out and most of the Blue Roses started pleading and even begging to come with us too…

From the horse I was riding in, I could clearly see my parents on their respective wagons, both looked extremely amused by this situation. My dad was simply chuckling to himself while my mother was giving me the thumbs-up to show her approval…

(Hehehe~! It seems like a certain someone will be a revered Demon King in the future! Do your best, my little devil~!) Thiasis suddenly spoke in my mind. She was obviously very amused by the situation.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't remember giving all of you a vacation!" Ophelia shouted in a very stern and serious tone. "You ladies still have jobs to do when we return, so you better not slack off!" Ophelia was very firm with her subordinates.

At that moment, a collective groan could be heard all around us… The Blue Roses were clearly not happy…

"What was that? I think I must have heard that all of you want to be in stable cleaning duties…" Ophelia's voice became a little terrifying.

I was a little taken aback by how intimidating her voice was…

"No, Ma'am! We are sorry, Ma'am!" All of the Blue Roses including Neris shouted in unison. They were all panicking.

Ah… As expected of the person who is the leader of the Roses of Nebandia…

"That's what I thought." Ophelia was satisfied. "Julius, please take care of my niece for me, okay? It'll only be for a few days, but please get along until we see each other again." Ophelia said with a smile as sweet as pie…

"Okay…" I just nodded in agreement.

"Good kid~. Have some more candy~." She said as patted my head and filled one of my pockets with more sweets…

Fortunately, the remainder of the trip went smoothly. After an hour or so, we were finally able to reach the gates of Mutm.

---

Chapter 38: The Blue Roses.

END

You can find story with these keywords: Echoes of Fire and Shadows, Read Echoes of Fire and Shadows, Echoes of Fire and Shadows novel, Echoes of Fire and Shadows book, Echoes of Fire and Shadows story, Echoes of Fire and Shadows full, Echoes of Fire and Shadows Latest Chapter