"A trip? Where to?" Daphne asked Wise who was staring at his empty plate.
The mood from earlier had finally subsided and it was time for breakfast. For whatever reason, Esme decided to make him breakfast today and was currently in the kitchen.
Thankfully, Freya was far from it.
"Well, we are actually going to two places. First is the Ork town and second is the Skentic Ruins."
Most people would be unnerved just at the mention of the skentic ruins but Daphne was completely unfazed.
"Skentic ruins… isn't that a breeding ground for demons and monsters?"
The Skentic ruins was once a city that was reduced to ruins by a war between humans and demons.
The city was built in a three ring system with the nobility living in the center Sheila the common folk lived at the outer ring.
The walls had crumbled since but somehow a similar hierarchy existed in the Skentic ruins.
Stronger monsters and demons dwelled deeper in the ruins while the weaker ones dwelled farther from the center.
'It's time for my sales pitch!' Wise thought to himself.
Although he had gotten the princesses to live with him, he still hadn't told them what they would be doing here.
"I plan on training you all…"
Freya looked surprised but Daphne seems to have figured it out already.
"Train us? You mean teach us how to fight?" Freya asked, seemingly confused.
Wise nodded. "That is exactly what I mean, you will not have me forever and with the threat of the demon king's army growing each day you need to be strong enough to protect yourselves and your families."
"How can a dragon such as myself leave you are you are without imparting you with the skills you need for survival?"
"That would go against my dragonic pride!"
Of course, his real goal was to get stronger the more they progressed. Their individual growth was a well welcomed bonus!
Freya clasped her hands together. "We can be like knights! That sounds fun!"
Daphne who already had some level of battle experience was also very much interested but tried not to let it show on her face.
Yet, Wise could tell from the way she looked to the side and avoided eye contact with him.
"I've always wanted to master my ability." Came Esme's voice as she emerged from the kitchen, she seemed to have overheard their conversation while cooking.
Wise nodded and smiled.
'This is far too easy!'
Initially, he had thought that since they were princesses, convincing them to train and take up weapons would be nigh impossible.
'I guess it makes sense since they have abilities…'
Abilities were a gift only a few people had and for those who had it, it was only natural for them to want to hone their skills.
Esme placed a large tray in front of Wise and his mouth nearly watered.
Hai stomach grumbled from hunger, having barely eaten last night and he immediately picked up a spoon taking one mouth full of the food.
"Mmmmmmmm." He sighed.
The meat was soft, almost melting in his mouth only to burst in flavour a second later. It was seasoned to perfection with the salt and pepper balance being stellar.
There were also a few other spices he could not identify that all worked together to bring out the tastiness of the disk.
He took another mouth full just before Daphne asked him a question.
"What are we going to do in the ork town?"
Wise swallowed.
"Well, there is a small matter about a certain… princess."
Daphne signed and turned to her food. At this point what did she even expect?
***
After breakfast, the girls packed the few things they would need for the journey, a few clothes and food rations.
Esme didn't exactly have the luxury of packing before she was yoinked away by Wise so she had nothing with her.
Thankfully, Daphne offered to lend her some clothes, pending when they got her new ones.
When they were all ready they all waited in front of the mansion waiting. Shortly after, Champ approached them with a carriage in tow.
The carriage had a classic design. It was painted a glossy black that gave off a soft reflection, artistic highlights made in silver lined the body of the carriage and its wheels were a little larger than normal due to the first terrain.
Unlike most carriages, this one was a little similar to a cart, in the sense that there was an opening in the space that normally separated the passengers from the driver.
"Are you really going to drive yourself?" Asked Champ, looking a little disappointed.
Wise nodded and went over to the driver's seat. "Of course I am, keep an eye on the house while I'm gone."
Champ looked reluctant to let him leave, but there was little he could do about it.
"Yes boss!" He saluted as they drove off.
Esme and Freya were seated within the carriage on the comfy passenger seats. There was still enough room but Daphne decided to sit next to him instead.
Wise directed the carriage towards the first path and very soon, they were surrounded by trees all over.
This deep into the forest, sunlight struggled to pierce though, creating a rather cool atmosphere within the forest, one that Wise appreciated.
The tapping sound of the horse hooves and the rolling of the carriage wheels disturbed the natural state of the forest, causing small animals to peek at the living monstrosity ply to go back into hiding.
For some time they moved in a comfortable silence, right before Daphne suddenly let out a steamy breath.
The rips of her long ears were pink from the cold and so were her knuckles, she tried rubbing her fingers together but it barely did anything.
Wise glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. "Cold?"
"I'm fine." Daphne said just before shivering softly.
She frowned and looked away.
'Why must she be so stubborn?'
In just a few weeks, winter would officially begin and as such the cold was intensifying day by day.
"Come a little closer." Wise urged Daphne. "I know you're not cold, I can't raise my voice every time I need to speak to you."
After a few seconds of reluctance, Daphne finally scooched close to Wise, up to the point their shoulders were in contact.
Then suddenly, warmth began to emanate from his body, chasing away the chill of the wind.
It was as though his body had suddenly become a heater, far more soothing and warm than any fireplace or blanket.
Daphne seemed pleasantly surprised by the development. A faint smile appeared on her face as they continued onward.
The journey to the Ork town lasted the whole day and by the time they arrived, Daphne was fast asleep, her head leaning softly on Wise's shoulders.
"Daphne…" Wise whispered as he shook hee awake.
Daphne rose her head and blinked, tying to chase a way the sleepiness from her eyes.
"You have a little experience with Orks right?" Asked Wise.
Daphne nodded, her eyes still half closed.
"Then, um, are they always this violent?"
The sleep immediately left her and Daphne opened her eyes, only to see that they were surrounded by about twenty Orks.
Each one with their spears pointed at them.
[A/N]
Oks are different from Orcs. In this novel Orks look just like humans but with greyish skin.
Thanks for reading!