Chapter 22: The Race
The door burst open and Yttria rushed in, hand on her hilt, followed by several of the Queen’s retainers. Hannah and Solana casually strolled in as well.
“Garfield, they were lying about the King! Garfield…?” She noticed Garfield lying back-down on the bed and the Queen standing off to the side. “Can you explain what’s going on here?”
“You know, despite how spoiled I am, this bed is actually pretty soft.” In response to Garfield’s observation, Hannah and Solana ran over and jumped onto the bed.
“Just so you know, I don’t mind that you already have kids.” Apparently, the Queen’s banter was never finished.
“They’re not my, uh, kids.”
A retainer joined in. “My Queen, what ended up happening!?”
“Oh, he rejected my proposal, but I’m quite used to that by now. Still, he seems intent on dealing with the threats down south, so who am I to complain?”
“My Queen, we are fully prepared for you to complain.”
Garfield stood up from the bed. “So, uh, Queen Rosa…”
“Yes?”
Garfield pointed at the ministers and other retainers. “Is this part of the reason why you were willing to drop everything and move north?”
“Oh, you have no idea!”
--
With the Heavenly Queen accepting Garfield’s pledge to monitor the southern border and keep her people safe from new threats, he requested and received permission to post his own summoned creatures along the wall. They would notify Garfield of any unusual movement from the Dragon Mountains.
“What will you do now?” Yttria asked as the group walked into Garfield’s mansion.
“Wait and see.”
“Huh!?” Solana shouted. “Why not take the battle to the enemy!? Don’t we need to travel south of the mountains to take out this Thoron or whomever?”
“Even I recognize that acting rashly will be a mistake here. My priority right now is collecting information. I don’t know what we’re up against.”
“How long will you wait?” Hannah asked.
“I’m not sure. At a minimum, we need to test out that ability of yours.”
Hannah stopped walking. “But—”
“I’ll be with you.”
“…Okay.”
“Me too! I want to learn more abilities!”
“Solana, as much as it worries me, yes, I think we’ll do that.”
“Garfield, do you need me to do anything?”
“Not at the moment,” Garfield told Yttria. “Let me know if you learn anything concerning from among noble circles.”
“All right.”
--
“Garfield, a moment of your time, please.”
Garfield followed Pandora into her shrine. “What are you planning to do?”
“For now, I’m going to monitor the Dragon Mountains.”
“That’s all? You won’t travel south or even send scouts beyond the mountains?”
“Not yet. As much as I don’t like leaving this Thoron time to think of new ways to use whatever excess divinity he apparently absorbed, charging in seems reckless.”
“Hm, that’s at least half wise. Still, I have a concern.”
“What?”
Pandora accepted a tropical drink from her angel attendant. “You’re afraid.”
“I am?”
“Not overtly so, but yes. I sense that Thoron worries you more than I ever did back when I opposed you.”
“Hm. I guess that’s true.”
“I’m sure part of the problem is your overreliance on magic.”
“How so?”
“I recently reigned in use of my divinity when I decided to live here like a mortal. Generally, I won’t do anything beyond the magic common to this world. As I suspected, I’ve become much more sensitive to the conveniences and pitfalls of arcane powers.”
“And you’re using that newfound wisdom to assess my situation?”
“Yes, Garfield. The less you understand your enemy, the less you trust your magic to counter him. You have no experience in this world approaching problems from a fundamental, nay, a local perspective.”
Garfield stopped to think about that before responding. “You think I need to problem solve more without relying on magic? Particularly, problems that wouldn’t exist in my old world, or that I simply have no experience with?”
“Essentially. You may not have realized this for yourself yet, but I’m quite confident we have some time before there will be any new activity from the south. Your defensive scouting should be sufficient for the time being. What you need to do is seal your magic for some time.”
“Seal it?”
“Yes. You don’t need to make any physical changes… you just need to stop using it.”
“All of it? I get where you’re coming from in principle, but I may not be in a position to suddenly stop using it. I’ve already made many decisions in my time here that will eventually necessitate using magic again, Thoron aside.”
“True, but I’m only speaking for a little while.”
“Does it really have to be all of it?”
“I suppose not. Simply restricting yourself a great deal will likely have the same effect.”
“How about… how about I can still empower my body with magic, but I can’t use other magic like summoning or teleportation or the like until Thoron acts up?”
“That should be fine. I think you’ll be surprised about what you learn as I have recently.”
--
Later, while Garfield was preparing to train with Hannah and Solana, he received a message from Count Polonio.
Dear Duke Garfield,
I hope you’ll be pleased to learn that my daughter has completed her training to become a knight. In truth, her knowledge and non-combat skills were already acceptable by the time I was forced to temporarily disown her a while back. However, her combat skills were not quite at a level where I felt comfortable releasing her into the dangers of the profession.
Through significant effort on my part, I’ve ensured Yttria was not quite aware of what it was she was lacking in becoming a knight. However, in no small part due to your influence, she has grown in leaps and bounds recently. Do not worry. I know the special equipment she received from you is no replacement for true skill.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Although it’s a bit unusual, I want to surprise her with the fact that she’s becoming a knight. Tomorrow, I am scheduled to receive a reward from the King. The award is a ruse and my daughter will be sworn in to her duty instead. If you are available and interested in attending, please meet us at my manor by noon. No gift is needed for such an event, but I imagine Yttria would love the opportunity to spar with you.
“Hm, I’ve never seen a knighting ceremony before.”
“Master, there is another event tomorrow as well.”
“Oh, there is? What is it?” Garfield asked the butler.
“The annual race. Are you familiar with it?”
“No, but I probably should be. What is it?”
“Knights, soldiers, and some others race on horses in one large lap around Bretten. Last year, I believe it was the Captain of the Royal Guard who won. It begins at about the same time as when you are scheduled to depart the Polonio Estate.”
“Ah, so I guess we won’t be able to watch. Eh, I never really was into that sort of stuff anyway. Wait, is there gambling?”
“Gambling? I do not believe so…”
“Boring. Okay, thanks for letting me know.”
--
“Solana, assuming you continue to follow the same path as Hannah, the next abilities you will gain are vampire creation, invisibility, shapeshifting, telekinesis, necromancy, and atmokinesis.”
“I want all of them! Except for necromancy…”
“Well, wait until Hannah and I test it out before worrying too much. Maybe it’s not as bad as we think. Anyway, as I recall, you drew blood from Yttria, the four Zodiac animals, and Kay, right?”
“Yes.”
“The first thing we should do is get you some dog-person blood. Normally, I’d teleport the three of us to the Fork’s Crossing prison so we can find the bandit that Hannah utilized, but I’m currently avoiding using magic. Do either of you know of any dog-people that would be agreeable?”
“I can teleport us there.”
“You can?” Garfield asked Hannah, surprised at this revelation.
“I think so. If not, I can do it in two hops.”
“I had no idea your teleport had developed to such an extent…”
“Wow Hannah!” Apparently this was still way beyond Solana.
--
Garfield wasn’t sure if relying on Hannah was really in line with Pandora’s recommendation, but he went along with it. The trio made it to Fork’s Crossing in two quick hops. They proceeded to the prison. Apparently, being the Duke meant Garfield could get immediate access to any prisoner.
“Whaddaya want?” the dog-man convict asked.
“We’d like to draw the tinniest sample of your blood.”
“What? My blood? Why?”
“Medical research. We’re going around collecting blood samples from all sorts of people. If the research is successful, everyone who contributed will get a reward!”
“Oh? If the Duke is offering, then maybe it’s worth something. What will I get?”
Hannah started to move into position to do… something, but Garfield waved her off.
“Hm, how about a massage? From this elf girl, perhaps?”
“A massage? From that pipsqueak? Hah, I probably wouldn’t even feel it. Bring me a full-grown elf and I’ll consider it.”
“Solana, go get you know who from outside. Let’s have her give him his massage right now.”
Solana stepped outside and returned a couple of minutes later in her fully-grown form. The convict whistled when he laid eyes on her.
“Where did your little cousin go?” Garfield asked her.
“She’ll be back in a little while.”
Garfield turned to Hannah. “Go make sure she’s all right. No need to hurry back.”
“Okay.” Hannah stepped away, having no difficulty keeping up with Garfield’s act.
“This gentleman is going to help us with a bit of medical research, so I agreed to have you give him a massage of that’s all right.”
Solana nodded.
“Oh, by the way,” Garfield began to warn the convict, “her massages are bit unusual. She gets very into it and sometimes uses her mouth.”
“Her mouth? Well, so long as she knows what she’s doing…” The dog-man lied down on his stomach. Solana positioned herself over him and began kneading his shoulders and upper back.
“Ah… that’s pretty good actually.”
After a few more moments, she leaned in close so that her breath would blow up against the side of his neck. He shivered but didn’t say anything. After a few more moments of massaging him, she took a gentle bite of his neck and drew off just a small amount of blood. His eyes went wide but he didn’t resist.
After she lifted her head, Solana looked at Garfield while she continued to knead his shoulders, unsure of if she should continue. Before Garfield could give her instructions, the convict spoke again.
“More!”
“Huh?” Even Solana was confused. Garfield started laughing.
“You heard the man. Just a bit more, I guess.”
Solana bit his neck again but only sucked a little more blood to avoid overtaxing the man.
“All right, that’s enough. The continuation can be worked out after the medical experiments are over.”
--
Back at the mansion, Garfield cautioned Solana that she’ll need to be very careful not to accidently turn targets into vampires.
“Next up should actually be me, but I’m nervous you may not be able to control your vampire creation ability, so let’s go out of order.” Garfield picked up Stephen and plopped the bear cub in front of Solana. “This is actually how Hannah first gained the control ability. Hannah, can you use the ability to help Stephen sleep for a little while?”
Hannah put the bear to sleep and Solana drew a tiny amount of blood. After a few moments, she demonstrated her invisibility successfully.
“I did it!” Hannah patted Solana on the head.
“Okay, it looks like you didn’t use your vampire creation ability by accident. I’m next.”
“Really!?” Solana was incredibly excited.
“…Yes.”
Solana turned to Hannah but was met with an extremely dark face. “Be very careful.”
“Okay…”
Solana bit Garfield’s neck and gained the shapeshifting ability. She turned into a wolf and ran a few laps around the room before returning to her elf form.
“Now it gets trickier,” Garfield acknowledged. “I’m not supposed to summon the Backdoor Innkeeper right now. We don’t have any elves nearby, or dwarves for that matter. Also, the cat-people and rabbit-people are possibilities, but they’re all way up north.”
“I can take Solana to the Elvish Forest. It will take a bunch of hops. We could even go to the Dwarven Mountains and find a dwarf to volunteer.”
“Oh, we should also stop by the orcs!” Solana seemed to remember her time in their homeland surprisingly fondly.
“Hm. That plan makes me a bit nervous but… okay. Prioritize safety and maintaining relations with the other nations over completing the mission though.”
“Okay.”
“Yes!”
--
They departed immediately. Garfield proceeded to the cellar.
“Master, is there anything we can do for you?”
“Mr. Two, I honestly can’t think of anything in particular right now. Why don’t the lot of you all patrol the city at night? You can think of yourself as undercover agents who keep the population safe from harm. Try not to give anything away about who you are.”
“Of course! Everyone, let’s go. We must pay particular attention to the Polonio Estate, the Briarwoods, and the royal palace. The rest will patrol the four districts in secret.”
‘Ah, it’s so nice to have competent underlings,’ Garfield thought.
--
Garfield had a little trouble sleeping soundly that night. Apparently, he had grown accustomed to being with other people. At least the bears cuddled with him. After a restful morning, he proceeded on foot to the Polonio Estate. After all, his magic, save for body strengthening and the like, was sealed.
“Duke! We have a problem!”
“What is it Count?”
“I told Yttria to accompany me to my award ceremony, but she really wanted to participate in the annual horse race.”
“Don’t tell me…”
“I should have realized she’d consider my request unreasonable. What folly… According to the servants, she departed a little while to participate.”
“What should we do?”
“I already sent a runner to get her, but I’m worried they won’t make it before the race starts. Once she rides away on a horse there’ll be no getting to her until after the race. How embarrassing! We’ll be showing up the King!”
“Does the King know the knighting ceremony was intended to be a surprise?”
“Well, yes, but, wait! If anyone can retrieve Yttria in time, it’s you! Please, I beg you to help me maintain the honor of my household. Could you collect Yttria and bring her straight to the royal palace? The rest of us could meet you there!”
“Normally that would be no problem but…” Garfield decided not to share the current self-imposed limits on his magic, or his reasons. He sighed. “All right. I’ll take care of it.”
“Oh thank you Duke! Once again, my family is grateful!” As Garfield turned to depart the estate, the Count tilted his head. “Duke, are you proceeding to the eastern gate on foot?”
“…Yes. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”
“I will trust you. Good luck!”
--
“Ready? Go!”
Dozens of horses launched from their starting position outside the eastern gate. As they progressed counterclockwise around the city, Yttria found herself near the front of the pack. If she wasn’t mistaken, the current leader was the Captain of the Royal Guard, just like last year. She wasn’t able to hear the gasps from the spectators behind her.
--
“Count, where is she? Weren’t we going to induct her as a knight?”
“My King, please forgive me but she is slightly delayed. My attempt to surprise her has backfired and we are retrieving her right now.”
“Hah! I thought it was a bad idea. Well, if you’re not ready, why don’t we take a glance at the race? I believe we can see it from this window.”
“Father, use this.” The crown prince handed his father a spyglass.
“Thank you. Ah, they’re coming into view now. Hah! Look who’s in the lead! He really needs to have more confidence in himself.” The King handed off his spyglass to the first princess. “Here, have a look as well.”
“Thank you father.” She examined the riders through the window. “Ah! Yttria is doing well too!”
“Hm? Count, I thought you said you were retrieving her.”
“Yes, I’m sure she’ll be here soon…”
“Count, why are you sweating so profusely?”
“Father, did you know Duke Garfield was participating as well?”
“Oh, he is? He didn’t strike me as the type to ride horses, let alone race them.”
Count Polonio breathed a sigh of relief. Chasing Yttria on a horse was probably the smartest way to intercept her.
“Oh, no, he’s not riding on a horse, father.”
“What? Did he summon some strange creature?” The King took the spyglass from his daughter and looked out at the race in the distance. “Count.”
“Yes, my King.”
“Is the Duke the person you sent to retrieve Yttria?”
“…Yes.”
“And you didn’t spare him a horse?”
“He didn’t seem to want one. May I inquire as to what he’s riding?”
“Come see for yourself.” The King handed the spyglass to the Count.
“I…”
--
With this turn, the race was now one quarter finished. Yttria was hanging in there, but still quite a few spots back from the lead position. She heard a horse neigh loudly behind her, but she ignored it.
As she focused on the ground ahead of her, Yttria was swept up off her horse and found herself being carried. Once the disorientation wore off, she looked around and realized Garfield had her in a princess carry.
“Garfield!?”
“Please don’t ever make me do that again.” Garfield sprinted at horse-speed towards the city wall, then proceeded to jump over it. Yttria shrieked but was no worse for wear when she realized Garfield was carrying her along the road directly to the palace.
