Steel and Mana

Chapter 114 – Vacation (1)

It has been more than a month since Merlin began studying and working on expanding the initial 'Trojan' with us, and for the first time since starting it, we hit our first bottleneck. We managed to replicate the effect and develop a rune code that could be inserted into any spell formation, acting as a blocking agent. No matter what type of spell we are talking about, it would prevent it from activating.

Of course, it had significant limitations. For now, it worked only in a very small radius, between one and a half and two meters, depending on the target spell's initial strength. Something more substantial, like a Dragonfire cannon with two CCs slotted in, would still activate and force itself through, albeit in a weakened state.

The issue we were facing was not related to any of these limitations; it was about how to change it so that, in addition to stopping a spell from coming to life, we could hijack and control it. That was what stumped all three of us because every modification we did, screwed it up and made it not work at all.

"Good morning..." Merlin mumbled, walking into the dining room where we were having breakfast with the whole family.

"I told you to sleep!" I answered, gently reprimanding him. I was already used to him staying in the palace, sleeping wherever he found a spot while working on the problem before us.

"I did, but I also dreamt about runes... My head hurts..."

"First time I hear something like that coming from you!" Sasha added with a chuckle, standing up and holding her belly, which was surprisingly big by now. "Leon is right; you must rest and stop thinking about it! Take a break and return to it with a fresh mind, Merlin."

"The same is true for you," I chimed in, "especially getting closer and closer to the day of them coming out!"

"Them?" Asked everyone present except my mother.

"Your belly is bigger than I think is 'normal,' so yeah, I have a guess that they are twins."

"Twins..." She whispered, smiling happily and rubbing her belly. Looking at her, my gaze slowly traveled to Luna, who was just as happy as Sasha. As I moved my eyes, they met with Yuri's, and she gave me a reassuring, kind smile before standing up. I couldn't help but think of Mikan and how much she has been helping her.

"It is summer, so school is out, yes?" Yuri exclaimed, clapping and drawing attention to herself.

"Yes? Why?" Merlin answered, blinking his eyes, surprised by the sudden question aimed at him.

"Because it is time to have a rest! You need a change of scenery and a change of perspective, little guy. Isn't it time?" She asked again, this time glancing at me.

"Hm... True. It is time to go and see the newest reports from the capital. You will go with Yuri and Pion to bring us back the newest letters Duke Kustov has sent to his daughter."

"But... I can't focus on anything else! I... I am so close, I know it!" He protested, finally sounding like a kid at his age. "I can feel it! Promise!"

"You have been saying it for the past two weeks." I grunted in response, hearing it enough times. "You will go and take your mind off the issue for a few weeks! Sasha is right; we all need a bit of break, so when tackling the issue once again, we can do it with a clear head."

"But, but, but..."

"Yuri, I'll leave him in your care!" I ordered, ignoring Merlin's tantrum as he began pouting and tapping his feet against the hard floor like an angry beaver.

"No worries! Come, kiddo!" She laughed, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the table. "I'm gonna feed you now and drag you around so you get used to it... for now, Mommy Yuri is going to be your mistress, fufufufu!"

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"This is bullshit... I should be back in the library, not sleeping in the wild..."

"Pay up!" Exclaimed Yuri, holding her hand out to Pion, who couldn't help but shrug. With a defeated expression, he pulled out a gold coin from his pocket and flipped it toward Yuri while they walked along a twisting dirt road.

"I didn't think the Prime Minister would swear when we made the bet..." Pion whispered under his breath, watching Yuri play with the coin.

"That wasn't swearing!" Merlin complained again, getting red in the face because he knew he lost his composure. Again.

"Why is it a problem?" Polo asked, looking back and forth as the group of four headed towards Greyback, excited beyond belief. "Teacher has a lot on his plate; I heard adults swearing way more for way less! Even when they are happy. Fuck this and fuck that, for example..."

"Yeah, but Merlin has shaped an almost infallible view of himself! He is not just your teacher in the school but also the leader of all the Ministers under Leon," Yuri explained, keeping a grin on her face as she watched Merlin begin out again.

"But we are out in the open... he can swear if he wants, no? Nobody would hear him from the city!"

"Yes!" Merlin nodded, showing a thumbs up toward Polo, "He is right!"

"Yes," Pion agreed with a shrug, "But the bet was about whether Prime Minister Merlin would swear or not while on the road."

"Oh, I see!"

"Tsk, then we should bet whether you two can stop teasing me!" Merlin complained, crossing his arms and turning his head away.

"You've reached your rebellious phase, huh?" Yuri chortled, reaching for her flask hanging on her belt. "Don't be grumpy, kiddo. You will have time for that when you are finally old. If you have long, white hair and a beard, then you can start groaning and moaning; until then, grit your teeth and roll with it! It is not like you will miss anything."

"Listen to her," Pion whispered, nudging Polo, who nodded and stared at Yuri without blinking.

Since leaving with Pion, he has learned about Leon and Avalon, but nothing has prepared him for what it would be like to see it for himself. The clean city, the happy and welcoming people, all of it were like traveling to a different world. The fact that in Pion's home, warm water could come from the wall was magic in itself that mesmerized Polo even to this day. Yes, he learned about how it was done when he asked a question in class, but he still couldn't understand how water flows from the mountains and how metal pipes heat it up before splashing into their bathtub. As for where it goes? He was too afraid to ask.

In school, he was fine sitting with younger kids, learning to write and read, listening to the teachers, and trying his best to catch up to the expected criteria. He wished that he had been here when it started, when Merlin had taught everybody before finally raising kids who could help, teaching others the basics of reading and writing. He liked his current teachers, but when he had his first lesson with Merlin, who was now teaching the history of Avalon, the way he told the stories was always the highlight of his day. The moment he recognized the letters and started reading by himself, he went ahead and bought one of Merlin's books. They were just as incredible as his lessons...

Buying things for his own entertainment. It was hard for Polo to imagine that he could afford something... Anything, when he had to steal most of the time just to eat while living in Greyback. Here, he had his own allowance from Pion and would do anything to not wake up from this dream. That is also why he volunteered to come with them. It may have been summer, and kids like him would have a lot of free time on their hands in Avalon, but he didn't want that. He wanted to do something, anything to be helpful, and being a guide in Greyback was something he could do perfectly. To top it all off, he would travel with Pion? Merlin, the teacher he looks up to? And the concubine of the Sovereign himself? It was more than exciting.

"What is it?" Yuri asked, grinning, swaying her hips for Polo, "Like what you see? Sorry, my booty is already plundered!"

"W-w-w-w-wawawa?!"

"Please, Lady Yuri, don't tease him!" Pion pleaded immediately, patting the panicking Polo's head while Merlin was trying not to laugh, keeping up his sulking persona.

"Ahahaha, sorry, I just can't help it~! Old habits. So? How far are we?"

"Not that far away, Lady Yuri!" Polo answered, saluting, a gesture that he learned from Pion.

"Just call me Yuri. It would be too much if we arrived and you were too polite with either of us. Don't give them ideas about our backgrounds."

"Yes, Lady Yuri! I mean... Yuri!"

"Good boy~! Merlin? Are you clear with the plans?"

"Yes," he answered, shrugging, dropping the act and becoming serious. "I will go with Pion and meet with this Elena. We will have a chat, look around, and try to determine if she has any spell on her that would indicate that someone controls her like we control her father."

"While they meet with the City Lord, I am going to take you to the mines!" Polo added, looking at Yuri and waiting to be praised again.

"Exactly. After you two finish, we will meet up and decide what to do: Stay to scout a bit more or head back at once."

"Then we may get back sooner than originally expected..." Merlin murmured, making Yuri roll her eyes, ignore him, and decide to enjoy the long walk and their little trip instead.

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"Haaaah... Still barely better..." Moaned Elena, standing on her balcony, sipping on a cup of tea while watching the grey landscape.

She implemented many changes in the past months, cleaning up the city figuratively and literally. Even though many of the houses were still empty, they were no longer hiding bandits and the scum of the city. To somewhat raise the locals' spirit, she began lowering the previously way too-high taxes and enforcing law and order amongst those who avoided being beheaded. She wasn't keen on letting a new hyena replace the old one, so if anyone experienced someone trying to extort them for their newly found savings, they had a chance to report it anonymously.

"Avalon... again..." She grumbled, looking back toward her office desk where an open letter was lying there, pinned down by an empty wine mug.

She wanted to import more food to the city and start some incentives to revitalize the people present. Still, when she sent a delegation to the neighboring baron, Elliot, she received a peculiar response. As Elliot wrote, all her requests for an official trading agreement resulted in being 'postponed.' His reasoning was simply that he was bound to the Lord of the Frontier by Imperial Law and wouldn't want to jeopardize Avalon's food requirements. Of course, if the Lord of the Frontier agrees, he is open for business; until then, he must put every formal request on hold.

"There it is, that name... Avalon... Hmph! And a baron dares to write something like this...?" she grumbled, annoyed because even as the daughter of a marquess, rarely would anyone dare answer her as Elliot did. To send such a letter to someone from a now duke's family? This was inconceivable. "The wording is strange too..." she whispered, turning back towards the city and continuing to sip on her tea.

She felt something was off about it the moment she read it. It didn't read like a letter that one noble would send to another, not when the distance between their ranks was this vast. Yes, the baron was right about being tied to the Frontier; they were established to feed the barbarian soldiers. Their function was that if the Frontier ever rebelled, they could just cut their food supplies when the empire ordered them to do so. Yet... Elena had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that Elliot was not talking about the same empire she thought about. The letter had a very subtle tone hidden in it, making it feel like she was no longer someone who stood in a higher position than a baron of the empire.

"Oh, Father... what is happening?" She asked, finishing her drink, walking back to the room, and glancing at the locked drawer of her desk, where three of her father's letters were hiding. "Are the northern counties preparing for a rebellion? Are we... on the cusp of a disaster?"