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Valerian shook his head and asked, “I need more information about that young child. Such as, when did the blessing awaken?”

Taya thought covering all the bases first was wise, and she said, “That child only awakened a few moons ago. Surprisingly, it happened when the women happened to be picking up herbs. When we asked the child what she could see, she told us it was light magic. I did not think it would cause a problem.”

Valerian nodded and said with a thoughtful expression, “I think this particular basket of herbs happened to be gathered by that child?”

Taya nodded with some surprise. The young man smiled and said, “It is not a deliberate action but an accident. These are the basic herbs, and they have a trait that few people know about. They turn poisonous if you channel mana around them, especially light mana. That child is innocent.”

Taya sighed in relief, and Valerian said, “If you do not mind, I would like to buy this basket. It can be used to cure a few other illnesses now.”

Granny Taya shook her head and said, “How can we ask a monk for money? You can take these away as thanks for helping with that child’s injury.”

Valerian could tell it would be a waste of time if he sat down to convince this lady and said, “Fine, Granny Taya. Let’s go. I will heal that child completely now.”

Then he helped the lady walk around as he took her back to the wagon, where many women were singing prayers to Vita under the lead of Valerie. The young man smiled as he quickly entered the wagon and took a particular herb from his magic pouch. He fed the herb to the child, and after a few minutes, the child woke up in a daze.

.....

Valerian exited the wagon and said, “The child has been cured.”

The young mother came forward and bowed to Valerian in thanks. The boy convinced her that it was all thanks to the goddess who sent them here and began to look around the caravan with Valarie beside him.

This little girl attracted attention and eased up Valerian’s actions. The silver-haired monk stood with a guard and asked, “Brother, are you all headed to the Hope Kingdom?”

The guard nodded and asked, “Are you going that way too?”

Valerian nodded with an odd smile. The guard asked, “What happened? Do you have some trouble?”

“No, it’s just, I have no knowledge about this place, and heading there makes me feel uncertain.”, replied Valerian.

The guard chuckled and said, “Then I will tell you a few things. I have been there when it was just a small village, and the settlements around the valley were only planning to move over.”

Valerian made an ‘oh’ sound and leaned forward to show his curiosity. The guard said, “The Kingdom does not have a king. A council governs it. However, they have a few guilds. Ummm, how do I say, for example, there are three forger guilds inside the kingdom, but one person does not own them. A group of individuals came forward to create a guild and set up standardized prices and stuff for artifacts and repairs.”

Valerian nodded with awe in his eyes. He commented, “This does sound like a better way to ease the burden of the people.”

The guard nodded, then said, “It also has difficulties. Like the good craftsmen, all join the guild which offers them the highest price, which widens the gap between the rich and the poor.

Also, the kingdom does not have a proper security system now, so be careful of thieves and frauds.”

Valerian nodded, and the guard said, “The chain around your collar, they do not seem like a part of your habit. If they are precious to you, better hide them under the clothes.”

The two conversed briefly before Valerie came to his side and said, “Big Brother, I am sleepy.”

Valerian smiled apologetically to the guard before he carried the girl in his arms and said goodbye for the night. The little girl waved adorably to the guards, making them smile. One of the guards commented, “I felt like this monk was someone from a noble family.”

Another guy chuckled, “What sort of noble families do we have here on the southern continent? We are but a land of freedom.”

The people began discussing philosophy while Valerian and Valerie returned to their camp. The little girl told him a few things about the people she met and that the people of the caravan gave her some food, and he ate. Then she took Valerian’s portion from her magic pouch with a proud smile.

The young man could not help but smile at her and said, “What would I do without you, Vali?”

Valerie giggled, and Valerian ate his meal before the girl snuggled with Anne and fell asleep. Anne had a lush soft mane that acted like a blanket, and Valerie liked this new horse a lot. Meanwhile, Valerian spent the night organizing the information he gathered.

Suddenly, he heard a branch clicking behind him and became alert. Anne also opened her eyes, but Valerian let out a low sound, and the mare calmed down. The young man said, “You should come out before I find you.”

A few moments later, a sigh responded to him. Valerian tracked the direction and found Olivis walking toward him. The boy raised his brow and said, “I should have figured it was you.”

Olivis walked closer and said, “I apologize, but I was not allowed to show myself until either you caught me or some emergency.”

Valerian did not say anything and stoked the fire before him. Olivis knew Valerian did not trust him much, so he did not force communication. After a few minutes, Valerian asked, “What are you here for? Protecting me from the shadows? Her Excellency Boo-too set you up for it?”

Olivis nodded and said, “Yes, A few days ago, every magical species found out that someone dared to kill the Tyrants sister and even sent her back as a message. While some were scared, and some wanted to take the initiative to attack. However, the majority still supported waiting and seeing how you deal with it.”

Valerian scoffed and said, “You magicals sure are articulate. Did they send you here so that you can tell me how confident they are in my abilities that they would like to see me handling the threat they all fear?”

Olivis took a deep breath to calm himself down and said, “It is not that we are scared of him, but we are afraid of the dragon treasures he possesses. His arsenal is so strong that other than dragons, none would survive. Do you understand what that means?”

Valerian nodded and then said, “I know. However, I am also aware that most of the dragon treasures are held by the bloomkin. So, why did these treasures in the Tyrant’s possession end up there in the first place? The magical could have given them to the capable one and be free. Humph, greed, that is why man became so strong.”

Olivis wanted to argue, but he could not. Valerian was speaking the truth. If not for the greed of power, what would have kept the magicals from giving up the treasures they found to bloomkins?

Olivis said, “I came here only to tell you something is wrong about this Kingdom of Hope. You should be careful.”

Valerian nodded, and then Olivis left. This visit from the dryad confirmed Valerian’s doubt. There was something up with this place, and the most prominent suspect in all this fiasco was none other than the hounds. The young man did not understand when he started calling the people after him the hounds.

The young man devised plans and said, “Well, let us see what it is when we reach there.”

The night passed quickly, and after everything was packed up. Valerian visited the caravan once again with Valerie, and after paying his respects, the two left on the horse. Valerian and Valerie were quicker than the caravan, thanks to Anne.

But it still took them a few days before they reached the place. What greeted Valerian was something completely opposite of a kingdom. It was more like a city put together in a rush. All he could see was the chaotic activities of people moving here and there. They had no system and no organization. His brows furrowed and Anne neighed, ‘They call this a kingdom? Humans sure have some odd sense of intellect.’

Valerian nodded to her and looking at a passer-by he asked, “Excuse me, Sir. Is there a temple of mercy here?”

The man looked up at the two people dressed in habits, and with a smile he said, “Yes, in that direction you can go and find the temple.”