Chapter 123 - "Feelings Of Torture"

"Sigmund, why did you make Lucius drink so much! You know that we're going to have our first day today at the mines!" she yelled, and noticing that the Vampire had not yet worn his top, she gulped, "Get dressed! And… do something about him!"

Embarrassed, Ivory ran out of his room and decided to wait at the lobby. 

"She never changed," Sigmund murmured to himself and chuckled. He wore his plain white tunic and stepped out of his room. He then went to Lucius' room.

Cautious about Volcius, he told the Servant even in its figurine form, "I'm just going to wake up your Master, because my Master is angry right now. Don't get violent, I will not take the letter nor harm your Master." Thankfully, the Golem Servant did not react to him, and he assumed that he might have understood his real intentions.

"Rich boy, wake up," Sigmund uttered. "Hey." He kept on moving his shoulders.

"Later…" he whispered. He then turned away from the Vampire. When he accidentally touched his warm Golem Servant, he quickly opened his eyes due to the warmth it gave. Beside Volcius was a scroll, tied with a string. "What's this?" he took it and sat up.

"It came from your father. The receptionist girl gave it last night."

Lucius, upon hearing that it came from his father General, immediately untied the string and unrolled the scroll. He read silently the contents of the letter and widened his eyes in shock. 

"What is it?" Sigmund curiously asked. 

But Lucius did not answer. Instead, he stood up from his bed in panic. "Tell Ivory to leave first, but please wait for me in the lobby, Sigmund. I'll be quick!"

The Vampire was pushed out of the room, and so he went to the lobby. He saw Ivory sitting on the bench beside Lycus.

"Rich boy said that you go first. He wants me to wait for him."

Ivory just nodded, and the Master and the Servant both stepped out of the inn.

"Are they lovers?" Gerhalt asked Sigmund out of the blue. "They look so much alike. If they're not touchy with each other, I'd think they're siblings."

"Are all receptionists nosy?" Sigmund leaned by the receptionists' desk. "You are no different to that receptionist girl."

"Why don't you call us proper names sometimes?" the young man sighed. "Anyway, what's the truth? You are the Servant of Miss Ivory, so you should know."

"They're not lovers. It's impossible."

"Then why do I see Mister Lycus put Miss Ivory's hand on his face sometimes? If they're not lovers, what are they?" Gerhalt raised his brow.

This made the Vampire very annoyed. He was open to the idea that he and his beloved Master were mistaken as lovers, but he did not want Lycus or other men to be mistaken as Ivory's lover.

Sigmund glared at him and made his eyes glow as a warning, "One more stupid question and I'll beat the crap out of you."

Gerhalt shook his head, remembering that he's a powerful Servant, not a human.  "Okay, no more, sir…" if he won't stop with his questions, he might really be beaten to a pulp!

Fifteen minutes later, Lucius left his room, ready to go. He and Sigmund started to walk briskly towards the direction of the town guard office. 

When they reached the office, they saw that town guards, who were mostly men and only very few women, were starting to form several lines, and so Lucius ran to join them, leaving Volcius with Sigmund at the side. It was time for the seasonal training.

Seeing that everyone was properly lined up, including the two academy students, a man in his late forties stepped in front and faced the armed men.

"As a temporary fill-in for the vacant position of town guard chief, I welcome everyone today," Draven said in a commanding tone. He's one of the veteran town guards that town leader Dante trusts, "We are very honored that for the training today, we will be accompanied by the General of the Land of Rosaria himself! Let's all welcome, General Peter Bronzelain!"

There was an applause, and everyone set their eyes on the General, who walked in an authoritative military manner. He was a tall man in his late 30s with short brown mid-fade cut hair and light brown eyes. He was wearing his green service uniform under his military-style coat and a peaked cap. 

General Bronzelain waved at them, and the applause stopped. He started his short speech about how the Topazeon is blessed by their Goddess. He emphasized the importance of resisting greed, and fighting for what is just and right. He also mentioned that as town guards of Topazeon Town, they should always train for the sake of protecting their town and not for their selfish desires.

The General unsheathed his magic sword. It was a claymore magic sword wherein the blue-colored spiky chappe was connected to the gray-colored grip which protected the hand of the general. The sword was mostly bluish in color while the central central part of the blade had yellow carvings on it. 

While raising his sword up in the air, he yelled, "Let the seasonal training begin!"

Everyone raised their weapons as well screamed at the top of their lungs. When the formalities had ended, the town guards, together with Ivory and Lucius, started jogging around town. They then had lunch by having a picnic at the nearby forest, in which the food were all sponsored by the General.

On one of the picnic mats, Ivory and Lucius were seated. They were surprised when General Bronzelain sat with the two, and he asked his bodyguards to sit with them. While they ate, the General spoke.

"I'd like to congratulate you both on finishing your first quarter in town. I heard from the Inventory Office that you were fast learners, and you did well on the tasks assigned to you. I should at least give you some kind of reward. What would you two like?" 

Both Ivory and Lucius politely refused. They said that they only did as they were told as apprentices.

"Please don't be shy," he chuckled. "I am serious about giving you a reward."

Lucius and Ivory looked at each other and whispered among themselves. Afterwards, Lucius spoke, "We'd like to request that we be allowed inside the mines."

"You mean, be assigned to guard the miners inside the mines?" General Bronzelain raised his brow. "What for?"

"For… experience, sir," replied Lucius with a serious face. They did not mention about the Dark Mana because aside from the presence of his bodyguards, they were not yet sure which side the General was on. Besides, from what he heard from his father, General Bronzelain is King Yama's favorite. He seemed kind, but it would be better to be cautious.

General Bronzelain examined Lucius' and Ivory's expressions, and both looked serious about the request. As the two anticipated his answer, the general sighed, "Apologies, but you have to wait until the middle of spring. All the posts have been assigned. Can you two wait?"

Ivory and Lucius were pleased that their request was taken into consideration. They agreed and said they're willing to wait, and thanked the General for his kindness.

"For now, you'll have rigorous training with the town guards. You have to build your stamina very well. Going inside the mines will need strong stamina," the General said, "Honestly, if I were in your position, I'd ask for a week long vacation or a bag of gold… Maybe you two have so much sense of responsibility," he joked, and they all laughed about it.

After eating and resting for an hour, they resumed the training. Stretching and warm-up exercises were done, then they proceeded to the training ground, which was near the mining entrance.

General Bronzelain demonstrated several techniques on how to handle an enemy in close combat. While he did, Lucius and Ivory tried to imitate him. The demonstration went on for hours, and a sparring, hand-to-hand combat match was done afterwards. 

When the first day of the training ended, Ivory, Lucius, and their Servants were invited for a feast in front of the town guards' office. A long table was placed on the street, and several chairs were taken out. 

Vernon had just gotten out of his jewelry shop. He first greeted them before he locked the door. 

Approaching Ivory and Lucius, he said, "Hello, how are you?"

"Vernon! We're fine. How about you?" Ivory asked. She noticed the tiredness in his eyes. "You look busy…"

"Yes, because I am a shopkeeper by day and a jeweler by night," Vernon chuckled. "By the way, did you receive the package last time? I asked Gerhalt to deliver it. Is it to your liking?"

"Yes, of course! I didn't wear it today, though. It might fall off during the training."

A few days ago, Vernon started to hang out with Ivory and Lucius. As a busy jeweler who's always at the workshop, he only had few people to talk to, so the two would always visit him there to remind him to rest or go home already. Sometimes, he would join them for dinner at the Precious Inn after visiting his sister Vica in jail.

When temporary town guard chief Draven saw Vernon, he asked him to join them. He also knew him because of the location of his store. 

Vernon sat beside Ivory and they talked about a lot of things. The two already felt comfortable with each other. On the other hand, Sigmund stared at his Master from afar. He wanted to leave, but something was still bugging his mind. Of course, he did not want to leave Ivory, but why else would he stay, if he was no longer important to her?

As the Vampire stared at Ivory and Vernon, he wondered how long he could keep up with his feelings for his Master that kept on torturing him inside.