It wasn't hard to see that Strax was worried, not only about reaching the Ducato d'Vorah but also about Beatrice, who had disappeared and still hadn't given any news since he left Steinhardt. While the system had blocked his progress, he was lying in an inn late at night; in his arms, Samira slept peacefully after another round, but he, on the other hand, couldn't fall asleep.
Many concerns had already begun to arise and disturb him beyond what he expected, especially regarding the next day, the day he would arrive at his ho, at the Duke D'Vorah's house... It wasn't sothing he really wanted, but he was being forced by his sister. Although he wasn't just Strax Vorah at this mont, he was still Strax, and he knew everything that had happened in that place.
Despite harboring only resentnt, he knew he couldn't just kill everyone; he didn't have the strength, and that led to his next concern.
The Assassin Queen, a woman whose na he didn't even know, whose appearance he didn't even know, if she was really a woman at all. Was he lucky to find Carlos? That's relative; in fact, he was impulsive and used his sister as a threat even though he wasn't sure what she could really do if he revealed the attacks... In fact...
"She must already know that this group ca after ," he thought. If he knew his sister as he rembered, she was a perfectionist, and if sothing went against what she did, she would cut it off imdiately. And that could apply even to her siblings; if she knew that sothing had happened within her order, she would go against whoever made the attack, and that was the reality.
Xenovia was a cold, calm, and patient woman, but... when sothing involved her own interests, she was irrational, to the point of killing armies if necessary. That was the difference between her and Strax's other sisters and brothers. Xenovia was the driving force that worked only for herself; no one, not even the patriarch, had the right to order her, and that was sothing beyond normal.
Although his father was much stronger than Xenovia, he never interfered.
"A man who barely cared about his youngest son... Did he really allow my return, or was it just my sister's pure insistence?" Strax couldn't help but question, especially because everything was so cloudy now. He hardly knew anything about his mother, his father, and his siblings; to him, they were just nas and empty relationships. "My only family is Beatrice and Samira, the rest...
is the Rest," he said as he stroked the woman's head.
"The problem will be the Assassin Queen. Carlos may have pretended to be afraid to lure to that assassin, but I find it difficult, especially because of the exaggerated reaction; it seed like real fear."
"For so reason, I have a strange feeling about this person..." Strax comnted to himself; sotis talking to himself made him feel more relaxed.
"Mm..." Strax heard a grunt from the woman in his arms, who lightly sat up, rubbing her eye. "Wh-what are you talking about?" She questioned sleepily as she yawned. "Nothing, just thinking out loud," Strax said as she lay back down. "You're very worried, aren't you?" She asked, feeling the caresses on her long orange hair.
"Do you want to tell about your concerns?" She asked; she now really seed to have taken on the role of a wife.
"The problems that are coming..." He comnted as he continued to stroke her. With a heavy sigh, he said, "I thought I would go through all this smoothly, but the closer each mont gets, the more worried I beco."
"I am much older compared to you; I have seen many things and can say that problems always exist," she said, looking at him. "Do you have a goal?" She asked, looking into his eyes, both of their eyes eting seriously, and he answered. "Yes." She stopped looking at him and closed her eyes, snuggling into his embrace.
"I didn't have a goal; I lived for years just surviving like a lifeless corpse, drowning in drink and fun. If an Adventurer was just an escape from my reality, as Malik said, I ran away, I am a coward who left his problems behind instead of facing them," Samira spoke, and Strax's eyebrows arched; he didn't like that.
"Don't talk about yourself like that," he comnted; the mont was calm, but he wouldn't allow her to degrade herself so much in front of him. "It's the truth; I didn't have a purpose until a few days ago," she said. Strax remained silent, waiting for her to say what the reason was, but she never did; she just stayed silent with her eyes closed and fell asleep... At least he thought so.
"What an irrational woman... She could have at least said that her reason for living was ; it would have been more comforting," he said, unaware that Samira was listening to everything. However, she just smiled as if accepting him.
Unfortunately, Strax could hardly sleep during that night; however, he devised several plans to move forward and complete his goal. Samira's brief conversation gave him motivation. Although Samira didn't speak directly, he thought her reason for living was him, so he assud he should try even harder.
[Approaching the End of the Interlude - The Journey] Strax read. It was the first ssage he read when the day dawned.
He got up, leaving Samira lying in bed, and took his morning shower. Again... he ended up spending more than necessary to have comfort with his beautiful wife; after all, he deserved the best room with the best woman.
His bath wasn't long; his short hair was washed quickly, and his body was dried at the sa speed. Everything was in order, and he just needed to continue his journey. Seeing Samira asleep, he decided to let her extend her rest. She had used a lot of mana to destroy and erase the assassins with her flas, so she deserved a rest.
Strax left the room and calmly descended the stairs, entering the ground floor of the small hotel where they were staying. They were in a small town whose na he didn't even know, just two hours from the Ducato. It was known as a good stop for rest before reaching D'Vorah.
When he entered the place, the first thing he saw was a kind of dining room with a bar, and won dressed as maids walking back and forth to attend to their clients. Strax simply ignored it and left the place, heading to the back to the stable.
"Are you okay?" He asked, seeing the black mare, eating hay in an isolated corner. Strax had to rent a whole stable for three horses to put Apocalypse, who made all the horses around him startle.
She neighed lightly at him and approached, asking for affection on her head. He complied and petted her.
"You seem tired," Strax heard the voice approaching, Jason already seed ready to leave at any mont. "I didn't sleep last night; I'm trying to focus on sothing," he said. Jason nodded, comnting, "Are you sure it's okay to take Samira with you? I an, as Malik said, that could cause a war." He comnted.
"Tell , why didn't you inform about Samira and her family, Jason? I'm sure you knew about her," Strax said seriously. If Jason hadn't told him, why should he still trust what he said? He felt betrayed, but he had avoided talking about it because he was constantly with Samira, and it could provoke a misunderstanding.
"I'm sorry, Young Master, I avoided saying to not worry you; I already knew the rumors about Samira and judged her as soone who wouldn't threaten you for not following the Blaze Dogmas." Jason admitted and bowed. "I'm sorry. But when you...
decided to stay together, it was too late to talk about it, and I'm sure that wouldn't matter to you, so I just stayed quiet not to stress you out." He apologized bowed, Strax looked at the scene and couldn't help but sigh. "Next ti, don't withhold the facts; I would like to have more confidence in you," Strax comnted. "You can stand up," he ordered.
"I'm sorry, young master, but this is probably the last ti I will serve you." Jason revealed, and Strax raised his eyebrows. "What do you an by that, Jason?" Strax asked.
"I need to go back to training, and I will ask to be removed from my position. I have observed that I will not be able to accompany you on your journey, so I want to get stronger." He admitted. It had been a while since he had been thinking about it; he was basically useless the whole ti he was with Strax; he just watched while his Young Master solved the problems himself.
Strax looked into his eyes and saw determination; he didn't understand what lit that fla, but he just smiled. "So it'll just be ," he smiled faintly. "I hope you co back well," Strax comnted, and Jason bowed, "Yes, my Lord."
After that scene, little happened. Returning to Carlos's side, a mber of the group of assassins, they rode for two hours. Samira accompanied him, and finally, they had a view of the Gates of Justice, a wide gate marking the entrance to the Ducato.
"It seems the journey is over," Strax said, Jason and Samira at his side and Carlos following in front. As agreed, he would contact him later to discuss the eting with the Assassin Queen.
"I'll stay at a hotel until Beatrice buys a house for us; go to your family," Samira comnted still on the road before approaching the Gate... "I'll et you at night."
"I'll be waiting," she smiled...
Finally, Strax was returning to the world he once belonged to.
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