Joy and curiosity flowed through his veins, thoughts appearing in his mind. What was the food like? The structures in this world seem grand, will the food be the same? Mason’s expression was difficult to hide, and Claire, trained in noticing the minute detail of faces, caught on immediately. She let out a soft chuckle and waited for Mason to speak.

  “I’ll go,” He said after a few seconds of gathering his thoughts. He forced a serious expression and instinctively glanced out the window, deciding to escape into his mind as he imagined the wondrous food he could enjoy. However, as his eyes landed on the city, he was reminded of his initial excitement. His focus returned and he began analyzing the buildings flanking the large stone road that seemed to stretch across the entire city. The architecture matched that of medieval buildings, and stalls lined the main road, carriages bumped along, and people walked, stopping at various stalls, and entering the numerous stores. The city was bustling, to say the least, and the atmosphere seemed energetic. As the carriage continued down the road, Mason noticed the occasional soldier, clad in the same armor as those at the gate.

  “Lirak is the largest city close to the border, so it’s been turned into a fortress city," Claire explained, noticing how Mason eyed the armed guards as the carriage passed them, "The emperor, my father, gives most of the empire's yearly budget to the military. So a lot of money is sent particularly to the numerous fortress cities. My point is, that the noble we are going to meet is very rich, and the people of this city are also relatively wealthy. Due to this, some very powerful warriors are stationed here. The noble will most likely be suspicious of you, and maybe even send one or two of the more powerful warriors to keep an eye on you. If you do sense these people, I just ask that you don’t kill them, or even acknowledge that you know of their existence. Philip Lockhart, the person we are meeting has been exceptionally kind to me, and I don’t want to cause any issues for him.”

  So was that feeling from the powerful humans in the city? Mason thought to himself, I don’t know. That energy seemed ominous. Hopefully, Astaroth has more information on it.

  “Alright. That’s fine…I guess,” Mason turned to Claire with a slightly annoyed expression, his mind still focusing on the origins of that energy, his face instinctively reflecting his confusion, “As long as they don’t try to hurt me or Astaroth, I don’t mind. But if that guy likes you so much, wouldn't he support you? For the throne, I mean…”

  Claire chuckled, her eyes wandering as if memories flashed in her eyes, “Well, he supports one of my older brothers…it’s a long story.” Her gaze landed back on the blurry buildings around them. Mason decided not to pry, instead, analyzing the information she presented. His suspicion of the entity that sent him to this world began to grow even more as everything seemed too coincidental.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Just what is that system planning? Mason thought, releasing a mental sigh, Hopefully, that energy isn’t anything dangerous. Maybe I’ll ask Astaroth to search around the city for it’s origins, if he doesn’t already have information on it, of course.

  The ride through the city went by quick as Mason absorbed the sights of his surroundings like a sponge. Before he knew it, they had arrived at the noble's mansion.

  “Looks like we made it,” Claire said, peeking through one of the windows, and examining the wall that encompassed the estate. Its size, although minuscule in comparison to that which surrounded the city, still stood at an impressive ten meters, with dozens of guards walking atop it. The wall looked to be made of a material similar to quartz, although Mason predicted it was some substance incredibly strong.

  The carriage jolted as it came to a stop, resting in front of a gate almost identical to the first. As if replaying the scene from before, Jonah reached into a pocket and pulled out the familiar medal, handing it to one of the guards clad in black armor. The guard's face lit up, immediately returned the medal and motioned to a guard standing high above, peeking through a crenel of the top of the wall. A metallic creek rang out as the large wooden gate split open at the center. The gate was large, but small enough that it needed to open completely to allow the carriage through.

  Jonah nodded to the guard, and the guard nodded back, motioning for the carriage to move along. Another bump shook the carriage as it passed through the heavily guarded entrance,

  “I don’t really have any interest in talking to this guy,” Mason said, interrupting the silence, “After we introduce ourselves can me and Astaroth head to a room and rest? Surely he’ll have a few empty bedrooms.” Mason could only see a portion of the mansion that was now visible, sitting at the center of beautiful greenery. Perfectly cut grass and extravagant gardens littered the area that stretched a few dozen meters from the wall. The mansion seemed larger than any home he had ever seen, doubted it’d have less than 700 rooms. It was a marvel of architecture that resembled Buckingham Palace, only on an even grander scale.

  “That’s fine. I’ll handle the conversations while you and Astaroth rest,” Claire replied, keeping her eyes on the beautiful scenery outside, “Also, would you like me to reveal how we met, along with your power, to Philip? He will undoubtedly ask.” Claire turned toward Mason.

  “I don't really care, whatever you want,” Mason said, and Claire nodded, the carriage returning to silence once more as it rode along the perfectly paved path to the entrance of the mansion.

  Minutes went by, and the Carriage finally eased to a halt. From the window, Mason could see dozens of maids and butlers lined flawlessly, guards in the familiar black armor scattered about, and the occasional warrior dressed in various types of attire, from uniforms to leather armor, and full plate armor.

  Astaroth, an irritated expression on his face, jumped from the carriage, letting out a sigh of relief. Finally, He thought, ecstatic that the carriage ride had come to an end. Sitting still for that long took every ounce of discipline and strength Astaroth had within. I’ll have to convince master to leave here as quickly as possible. I can’t stand nobles. There’s also some powerful people here, and that weird energy. This city gives me the creeps.