16 Order from the Royal Cour

Haveme City, Hoogport.

Two days had gone by since the incident that took place in Echia, and Dustan accompanied the Great Sage of Haveme to his residence in the mountains. Although he expected the Great Sage explain what happened in Echia, the Great Sage did not bring up the matter. And Dustan had no means to contact his men, or Lucundiz. He did not even bother to ask Marko, because he knew it would be a waste of time. Although he was curious, he had to suppress his curiosity. With Daisy and Abel still living in the Great Sage's home, Dustan had company to keep him busy.

…

The next day.

With the sun yet to rise in the lonely morning skies of the Haveme mountains, a faint but chilling wind whistled through the air carrying a fragrant flowery aroma. Although a slightly thick fog covered the mountains, a faint radiance covered a small cabin which dispersed the chilling fog. Seated on the porch of the cabin was a young man clad in casual clothing, while his deep blue eyes stared at the magnificent scenery. On the small table adjacent his wooden chair, was a small table which had a steaming cup of tea on its surface. As the young man admired the scenery, he hummed a light tune while rubbing his palms together.

"Hmm… when I retire, I'll definitely like to live in a serene location like this, and I hope the Royal Family will gift me some Hoog wood, too. With such a wonderful energy filled location, no wonder the Great Sage has lived for so long. But it's too cold here… why does he have to live in such a cold place, and why won't he tell me anything?" Dustan muttered as he reached for his teacup.

"Ah… Big brother Dustan, are you badmouthing the funny-looking grandpa again?"

The moment Dustan heard these words, he involuntary spurted the tea in his mouth while he turned his head to glance at the owner of the childlike soft spoken voice.

'How come I could not detect her presence? A child sneaking up on a Commander, thank the heavens Leo and the others are not here,' Dustan thought.

"Good morning, Daisy. Did you sleep well? Aha, come here. I've some sweets for you," Dustan said with a bashful smile on his face.

Daisy had a sly grin on her face as she heard Dustan's words, however, she said nothing in response. Instead, she shook her small head while staring at Dustan intently.

"Daisy, what's the matter? You don't want the sweets?" Dustan asked with his left eyebrow raised.

"Grandpa and funning-looking grandpa said I should not accept bribes. They said only bad or guilty people offer sweets to little girls… Big brother Dustan, didn't you learn this, too?" Daisy retorted while tilting her head with a puzzled look on her face.

'What are they teaching this young girl? Hahaha… it seems I'm screwed. Who knows what she'll tell the Great Sage? Maybe I should up my offer… Yeah she is just a kid, she can't resist a better offer,' mused while he tried to force a smile on his face. Meanwhile, Daisy continued to stare at him with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"Daisy, how would you like to visit…" before Dustan could finish his statement, Daisy suddenly burst into a bout of rancourous laughter while she clenched her stomach. Confused, Dustan did not know how to react to the sudden turn of events. In fact, he wondered what he said that was so funny.

"Hahaha… Big brother Dustan, look at your face… Hahaha… You were so scared," Daisy said as she tried to calm herself.

'Wait… wait, this kid was playing a joke on me? See my life, even kids now take advantage of me,' Dustan thought while his lips curved into a wry smile. However, his face suddenly distorted in false anger as he said, "No sweets for you. I was even planning on planning on taking you to the most famous sweet shop in Haveme, but that is unnecessary now," Dustan said while pouting.

As if an electric current went down her spine, Daisy shuddered after hearing Dustan's words. With her mouth slightly opened, tears gathered at the corners of her almond brown eyes while she fiddled with her interlocked fingers.

"Hahaha… I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Don't cry, Daisy. You can have all the sweets you want," Dustan hurriedly said. He did not expect his little prank to leave Daisy on the verge of tears. How would he explain it to the Great Sage or her grandfather, if she said he bullied her? However, Dustan's face changed after he stared at Daisy who had a bright smile on her face.

"Big Brother Dustan, it's a promise, okay? You can't take it back. Grandpa said you're an important person here, and you have a big bird. I'm glad you promised I can have as much as I want," Daisy said while exposing her teeth. As she stared her Dustan, she could not stop herself from smacking her lips when she thought of the number of sweets she will buy.

Dustan did not know whether to laugh or cry after being scammed by a ten-year-old. Although he wanted to respond to her words, the words did not come to his mouth and he could only stare at the little scammer with incredulity. At that moment, he heard a familiar voice from the cabin, "Hohoho… Commander, it seems you're the latest victims of my student," the Great Sage said.

While his voice echoed, he mysteriously appeared behind Daisy. Naturally, it caught her by surprise.

"Funny… Teacher, good morning. How did you sleep?" Daisy said while tilting her head.

"I slept well Daisy. It seems you and Commander Dustan have become great friends," the Great Sage said while chuckling.

"Yes. Just like you, big brother Dustan promised to buy me all the sweets I want," Daisy said while twirling around like a ballerina.

The Great Sage coughed dryly after hearing Daisy's words, meanwhile Dustan had a faint smile on his face. Apparently, Daisy had also scammed the Great Sage earlier.

"Daisy, your grandpa is waiting for you inside. It's time for you to study. I want to discuss with your big brother. Remember, you won't get sweets if you don't do well in your studies," the Great Sage said after he noticed the smirk on Dustan's face.

"All right, funny… teacher. Big brother Dustan, see you later. Don't forget our promise," Daisy said while waving to Dustan. After he declaration, he skipped into the cabin with while humming a pleasant tune.

"Dustan, I'm sorry for not attending to you in the last two days. I had a lot of things that needed my attention, and I hope you won't hold any grudges against Marko and Lucundiz. They were only following instructions," the Great Sage said after Daisy entered the cabin.

"Sir, you know I'm not the type to hold grudges, especially when it is against my allies," Dustan said. "But, I'll like to know what happened back then," Dustan added with an earnest look in his eyes.

The Great Sage sighed, while saying, "To be honest, I'm uncertain of the details yet. This is the first time something like this has happened. The Halflings started their mumblings a week ago, only those in the upper ranks of the Military and Hall of Wisdom know of this, and a few members of the Royal Court. We initially dismissed their words, however, the report we received from Mathras four days ago had the same words written on it."

"What?! How is that possible?" Dustan subconsciously said while his eyes bulged in disbelief.

"It startled us too, but the message was authentic. With our alliance with Mathras, they can't afford to send false information to us. However, they did not share how they came about the prophecy, and their prophecy also differed from that of the Halflings. In the sense that, nothing was mentioned about you in their report. The reason we used Lucundiz to invite you to Echia was because the higher-ups wanted to confirm if you had any affiliations with the spirit. If you had unsealed their Mana that day, they would have deemed you a traitor. The mirrors in that room not only revealed lies, but it also showed the true nature of the soul. And from what we saw, we knew there was nothing to be worried about," The Great Sage explained.

"Why do I feel like there is a but coming?" Dustan asked with a somewhat stern expression on his face. His words and reaction made the Great Sage to sigh while rubbing the side of his cheeks.

"Dustan, I know that you are someone who would never wish harm on anybody, but most of the higher-ups are skeptical because of your past. The timing of this news also coincided with the activation of a new Dragonsite. Marko and his faction want to use this opportunity to clip your wings. Even though Ryan is defending you in the Royal Court, the number of supporters on Marko's side is greater. Even his Royal Majesty can't act on his own right now. Marko and the others, believed the heavens sent the spirit to warn us of a potential disaster," the Great Said.

"How can they believe such drivel?" Dustan asked with his brows furrowed.

"Whether they believe their drivel is not important, because it is gaining them support in The Royal Court. In fact, they have forced his Royal Majesty's hand in deciding your future," the Great Sage said.

Dustan Exhaled deeply after hearing the Great Sage's words, while saying, "What has is Royal Majesty decided?"

"To prove your innocence, you will travel to Havyhir in Mathras. There, the Holy One will determine your fate. The Royal Court will deem you a traitor if you do not adhere to this order or escape while traveling to Havyhir. Giants from the Nulan Mountains will escort you in the journey," the Great Sage said with a somewhat pained expression on his face. Meanwhile, Dustan did not respond; instead, he closed his eyes while letting out a depressed sigh.

"When do I leave?" Dustan asked.

"Two days from now. Remember, we can't use flying beasts in Mathras, and you will pass through Oghir, Tamahir, and Nahjor before getting to Havyhir. Although the three settlements will be informed of your arrival. Don't worry, Dustan. I'm confident the Holy One will exonerate you from all charges," The Great Sage said.

Dustan immediately assumed a pensive demeanor and did not respond to the Great Sage's words. Just like Dustan, the Great Sage said nothing afterwards, he patiently waited for Dustan's answer.

Five minutes later, Dustan's voice echoed, "Sir, please inform the Royal Court I will accept the mission to prove my innocence. Sir, if it is not too much to ask, I hope you can lookout for the men while I'm gone."

"Don't worry. Nothing will happen to your men as long as I'm alive. I wish you success in your journey," the Great Sage said while tapping Dustan's shoulders.

Just as he wanted to retire to the cabin, he heard Dustan's stern voice, "Sir, the spirit knew I was a Dragrite. I don't know how, but it knew."

As the Great Sage heard Dustan's declaration, his body trembled as he turned his head. Just like Dustan, he had a stern expression on his face while his eyes had a mysterious gleam in them.

"Don't reveal this information to anyone else. Don't worry, I won't tell others. Do not let that spirit break the vow you made, do you understand?" the Great Sage asked in an uncharacteristically stern voice.

"I do. Don't worry, sir. I was not planning on sharing it with anyone apart from you. I need to prepare for the journey, I'll come see you before we part," Dustan said. While voice still echoed, he disappeared from the cabin's porch.

However, the Great Sage remained rooted on the spot while he gazed at the surrounding mountains.

"Nothing stays buried forever. Will his past finally catch up with him?" the Great Sage muttered as he continued to stare at the beautiful scenery.