Badge in Azure

Chapter 166: The Admonition (Part 1)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“Great mage, please don’t say that…” The boss stopped halfway through his sentence, not having the courage to continue rebuking Saleen.

Lex was growing impatient. She flashed a square emblem and said straight to the youth’s face, “Since your father is a duke, you must recognize this.”

The flighty expression on the youth’s face grew stiff. He certainly recognized that emblem. That was the symbol of the imperial Grukos family. Even though Pompeii City was a great distance from the imperial capital, the youth also knew what had happened in the capital. There were not many dukes in the Qin Empire. Additionally, Duke Dominic had deployed some men to Holy Rock City to gather intelligence, and he was also in close contact with the upper house.

“You are… Your Highness, Lex?”

Lex was fuming as she had not wanted to bring trouble to herself. Yet, she had revealed her identity in order to settle her problem with this youth. Otherwise, this youth would have continued doing things his own way, and she could not possibly have killed the son of a duke.

“That’s me. You can leave now.” Lex’s expression was as lifeless as a poorly made sculpture.

“Your Highness, please pardon my rudeness. Since you are here in Pompeii, you must meet my father no matter what, don’t you think?” The youth became very polite all of a sudden.

Lex had learned many new things by interacting with Saleen. From the words of the youth, Lex could tell that the youth was smug. It was very obvious that the nobles in Pompeii were well aware of the current situation of the imperial capital, and this youth also knew about the awkward circumstances that Lex was currently trapped in.

The youth’s words were equivalent to an invitation by Duke Dominic. If Lex rejected it, it would mean that she had refused the friendship of a duke, and that would not be a very wise move given the dire situation Lex was currently in.

Then, Lex put away the emblem, and told the youth who was clad in a colored robe, “I am only staying for one day. It would not be convenient for me to meet with the duke.”

“Your Highness, Bogan is one of us. He won’t go around spouting nonsense. As for her…” The youth took one look at Gessica , then simply said, “I will make that girl become one of us.”

As he spoke, he blocked the stairway and looked at Lex.

Lex already had her own county, and with her status as a direct descendant of the Grukos family, she could roam freely within the entirety of the Qin Empire, not even needing to give a notice to Holy Rock City. However, she was also a county queen at the same time. Thus, if Lex met with the duke, it would be deemed inappropriate if the meeting was publicized.

Lex sighed in her heart. There were many things which could not be resolved using magic. If she rejected this invitation, Duke Dominic would be displeased. But if Lex accepted the invitation and this was circulated to Holy Rock City, the lower house would definitely use that as an excuse to criticize her.

Whether or not the meeting would be publicized did not depend on the boss of this shop. It would be dependent on Dominic. Pompeii City had a seven story magic tower, so Lex would not be able cause much trouble here either.

The feeling of being beneath someone else’s thumb caused Lex to feel extremely distressed. So, she changed her expression into an extremely formal one, and replied to Dominic’s son, “Baron, I still have to purchase a batch of materials. I really don’t have the time. Please convey my apologies to Duke Dominic.”

In the Qin Empire, the process for nobles inheriting titles was draconian and full of rules. As long as Dominic was still alive, his son would never be a duke unless he was exemplary on the battlefield. Lex addressing the youth as a baron had only been a formality. It did not truly mean that the duke’s son had an official title. Lex had used that to remind the youth that he did not have the right to extend an invitation to her.

“Your Highness, even though this is an informal invitation, it is still imperative to Bitter Water County, isn’t it?” A flighty expression appeared on the youth’s face once more. He seemed to be extremely confident that Lex would not end on bad terms with him.

Lex regretted coming onto shore. Things would have been just fine had she remained on the boat. If Lex’s father had still been alive, this youth would not have been so atrocious by now. A feeling of resentment welled up in Lex’s heart. It was the first time in her life that she had felt so helpless.

Saleen felt very uneasy as well. He did not dare offend this seemingly dumb youth. It was obvious that his stupidity was just an act.

Pompeii was an enormous city. There were grand swordmasters, mages, and perhaps even a sizeable navy. The current situation was akin to a person causing trouble in the Bitter Water Prefecture. Unless that person was a master of their profession, they would not be able to escape at all.

“I can’t accept such an invitation.” A layer of flowing air had appeared on Lex’s body out of the blue. The flowing air engulfed Lex, and she slowly flew into the air. Lex then said to Saleen, “Let’s go.”

The youth clad in a robe had not expected Lex to fly. He was at a loss for what to do, and became greatly frustrated. The youth had long ago heard that the daughter of Emperor Chanake was not to be trifled with. He thought that he had definitely trapped Lex, but it turned out that his intelligence was already outdated. Lex could fly about freely. That meant that she was no longer a Grade 5 mage, so she must have already advanced to Grade 6.

Since Lex was a Grade 6 mage, it was possible that the youth would not be able to defeat her.

The youth clad in a robe was so stunned by Lex’s actions that he did not step forward to stop her. He simply shouted after Lex, “Your Highness, do you want me to tell my father about what happened today?”

“Hmpf!” Lex could no longer hold back her fury. She threw open the door of the shop and rushed out.

Saleen quickly went after Lex. Before he left, he suddenly turned around and said, “We are going to Alchemy City. If you are brave enough, you can follow us. Grand swordmaster? Hehe…”

Seeing that Lex had rejected the youth’s invitation, Saleen did not bother to maintain his courtesy. Even if a person was a true grand swordmaster, they would not gain much respect in Alchemy City anyways. That city was the territory of mages. Saleen was reminding the youth that Lex was a mage master, and she could not be manipulated by anyone.

When Saleen and Lex had gone a distance away, the plump boss asked the youth anxiously, “Master, it isn’t too good to treat a mage like that. Will the duke…”

The youth glared at the boss ferociously and said, “Mind your own business. I will settle the matter with her. Since she has already come here, she will not want to leave right away. Hm, you are Gessica?” The youth turned around and said amiably.

“Yes.” Gessica’s heart trembled. She vaguely felt that she would soon be in a dire predicament.

“You are quite pretty. Come with me. Bogan, arrange for accommodation for this lady, but don’t create any trouble.”

“Sir, please…”

The youth interrupted Gessica and said, “Stop talking. As long as you are obedient, I will set you free after two to three years. Regarding today’s matters, I don’t want to publicize them just yet.”

“Sir, I swear I won’t say anything.” Gessica felt so anxious that she began to cry. She still had to take care of her parents back home. If she left with the duke’s son, it would mean that her freedom would be lost forever, no matter how nicely the duke’s son had put it.

“Only dead people can keep secrets. Gessica, learn to be contented. Your family is in Pompeii.”

Saleen chased Lex all the way to the square. Lex landed back on the ground, but her speed did not decrease at all. Noticing that Saleen and Nailisi had caught up with her, she mumbled, “Let’s return to the wharf.”

“Are we leaving just like that?”

“That guy is full of evil intentions. If he had clashed head-on with me, I would not be so worried. If we don’t leave now, trouble might follow very soon.” Now, Lex regretted revealing her identity. She had not expected Dominic’s son to harbor such ill intentions after learning of her true identity. This time, Lex was well aware of their crisis. The power of Pompeii was concentrated here. She would not be able to resist it all by herself.

Lex ignored the shame. She simply used the Windspeed spell and led Saleen and Nailisi back to the wharf. When Lex found Saleen’s hired ship, she was shocked, noticing that more than ten soldiers had board the ship and were surrounding Sika with their swords drawn and bows pulled back.

“What is going on!” Saleen walked up the plank. He was afraid that Sika would injure someone.

“Saleen!” When Sika saw that Saleen had returned, she regained her courage as well. The soldiers had wanted to search Sika after searching the ship. If Saleen had still not returned, Sika would have taken action.

“Great mage.” When the soldiers saw that Saleen was leading two beautiful women aboard, they did not dare to ignore him, so they bowed.

“This is my friend. Is there some misunderstanding?” Saleen questioned the soldiers immediately. He would not allow them to speak first.

The commander pondered for a moment before replying, “There was no misunderstanding. It was just that she could not produce any identification, so we wanted to investigate it further.”

“I will be her guarantor. Please leave.” Saleen noticed that Lex looked anxious, so he did not want to waste any more time.

“A mage’s words are certainly credible. It is just that…” The commander looked uneasy. Saleen simply laughed and took out five gold coins before shoving the coins into the commander’s hands. He said, “Get yourselves a beer.”

The commander accepted the gold coins calmly and glanced at Sika. Then, he said, “Great mage, Pompeii’s laws are quite strict. Don’t leave her alone next time.” After finishing his sentence, the commander waved his hand and led the soldiers off of Saleen’s ship.

Saleen gestured for a sailor who was looking off into the distance and asked, “Where is the captain?”

“He has entered the city, sir…”

“No worries. Go and do your work.” Saleen dismissed the sailor before turning to Lex and saying, “The ship cannot leave immediately. What should we do?”

“Prepare the horses. We will travel on the roads.” Lex was decisive. She was becoming increasingly uncomfortable the more she thought about things.

The sailors did not dare to stop Saleen and his team. They simply allowed them to lead the horses off of the ship, and watched as the four of them left on horseback. Less than an hour after Lex and her team had left, soldiers from the brigade arrived at the wharf. This time around, there was a senior commander among the soldiers. After interrogating the sailors, they realized that Lex and her team had already left an hour ago. The commander became fidgety, and instructed his men to get on their horses and chase after Lex.

Lex kept pushing her horse to run faster. Saleen felt that she was overly paranoid. Could the owner of Pompeii City try to kill her? Emperor Chanake might have died, but Lex was still a member of the Grukos royal family, and her brother was the current emperor. If he tried to kill Lex, that would be an act of utter disrespect towards the royal family.

Pompeii City. The duke’s residence.

Duke Dominic looked somber. In front of him was that youth who had kept pestering Lex.

“Since you said that, why did you still allow her to leave?” The duke was furious. His son had not done anything wrong in the beginning. His only mistake had been letting Lex leave. The duke had already received information from soldiers at the wharf that Lex and her three other companions had left an hour ago with eight horses in tow, and it would be very difficult to catch up to them now.