***
"So why are we in the manors dungeon?"
"Shut up."
As the two continued to walk down the halls passing cell after cell, a brief moment of silence befell the two. Gram had been recently tasked by Lungren Asteria(Evans father) to accompany him when he attends Veridia Academy. Although not very pleased with the situation he had been given, he reluctantly agreed to the task and was now following Evan.
'Out of everyone they could have possibly assigned me, it had to be the guy who repeatedly murdered me?! Well at least it won't only be him with me.'
The idea continued to fester in Evans head, then quickly fizzling out as a bright smile grew on Evans face. Sitting inside of the lone cell was Lady, who seemed even more human than the last time they had met. Evan rapidly unshackled her and gave her a big hug, ecstatic at the new asset he had acquired.
"Umm, what is your relationship with this undead?" Gram asked, only to be shot a menacing glare by Evan.
Backing off, Gram sat in the corner of the room as Evan checked to see if Lady was fully ok. Her skin was still slightly rotted, but besides that everything else about her had returned back to normal. Her hair was black and short, and her iris was chestnut brown. She gave a small groan as Evan gave her a head pat.
"Shes a good friend. Saved my life when I had gotten kidnapped. Shes also crazy strong so id rather keep her close to me." Evan sad as he helped Lady stand.
As she examined her surroundings, Evan quickly brought in a new batch of clothes for her and led her to the main halls. Maids and butlers alike stared at Lady with great concern and fear, only to be scolded by Evan.
"Lady is my guest and will be treated like a noble. If anyone goes against this will be swiftly executed!"
Those who watched were dispatched back to their tasks around the household as Evan had a proud look on his face. Gram on the other hand stared with concern about his strange obsession with a corpse. The three sat down in the lounge.
"Lady, I apologize for not being able to release you sooner. I gave you the best possible treatment I could muster with my status."
Lady gave a small nod.
"I also ask for a favor from you Lady. Soon, within a week's time, I will be taking my leave to Veridia Academy, but in exchange I must bring someone along. My father has ordered this man to accompany, but quite frankly I don't like him. I was wondering if you would accompany me as well?" Evan asked, as Lady grew a large smile.
She rapidly shook her head up and down, while groaning loudly. Evan happily shook her hands, also wearing a smile. Gram stared at the two thinking about how much of a pain this trip is going to be. The thought of attending an academy himself seemed like a good opportunity to train his swordsmanship until he realized his job was going to be more of babysitting rather than learning.
***
A letter from the Fontair Family had finally arrived in Evans' room with a paper stating Evans acceptance in Veridia Academy. He jumped up and down as he gripped the paper tightly. Although so much death awaited him, he couldn't wait to see the school he spent so many days at in H.K.U in real life.
'I should probably be careful to not draw too much attention to myself. Getting an enemy or rival early on will cost me my life if I'm not cautious.'
As Evan along with Lady and Gram were loaded onto a carriage, both Julius and Evan's father watched from the entrance of the manor.
Julius gave a faint smile and wave to the three, while Evan's father just watched before walking back inside. The reaction didn't surprise Evan in the slightest however, as he sat back on the cushions and relaxed. Gram sat in silence, only watching the two converse.
'This is the man who really bested me in combat? Although I wasn't in the best of shape, its still a sight for sore eyes. If he does anything slightly bad to Talon, I won't hesitate to send him back home.'
Lady's fist accidentally shot into Gram's stomach. He gasped for air as Evan gave a faint chuckle to himself. She had tried to stretch her arms and had accidentally stuck Gram. Although wanting to yell, he sat down and accepted it as an accident, yet still held his feelings of anger.
***
Gram and Lady pressed their faces onto the window of the carriage to look outside towards the great city of Athens. Giant buildings soared in the skies, and strange floating structures moved around in certain paths. The streets were also bustling with cargo caravans running in and out to meet the needs of the businesses. Giant guild shops stood near the center, attracting a wide range of people.
As the carriage came to a grinding halt, a loud crash boomed outside. Looking out through the window, a strange woman with long red hair and dressed like a barbarian stood in front of the carriage with a large rectangular blade which she seemed to hold with ease. Her face seemed to hold a deep raging anger, along with the menacing scowl.
"Oi! You better come out here before someone gets hurt badly!" The woman shouted as she shoved her giant blade into the ground, causing rubble to fly around her.
Evan sat calmly inside since he knew exactly what was happening. He looked at Gram who had his hand on his sword, ready to fight if it came to it.
Lady too seemed to be on high alert, growling and holding her hands in claw-like manners. Evan gave his permission to both Gram and Lady to deal with the situation outside. The crashing sounds became more chaotic as she watched the two emerge from the carriage.
"Hoho! So your Evan Asteria huh? Well at least the rumors about you being devilishly handsome are true."
'Gram is not handsome! I am, you fiend!'
Gram raised his sword, although a bit confused about her calling him Evan. As the woman smirked, she quickly charged at gram. A loud metal clanking sound rang in Evans ears as the two had clashed their blades against each other, now challenging each other's strengths. Gram, although getting overpowered, redirected her force next to him just like Evan did in their match against each other.
Using the spare time he had created, he took a stab at the Red headed woman's gut as she clenched her abs. Gram was surprised, as it had felt like he had just tried to stab a metal wall. Lady launched herself in the air and tried to strike her neck.
In a fluid motion, the woman turned herself around and released a powerful kick that sent Lady soaring. About to crash into a shop fronts window, she was quickly catched by a rather large man in pristine white and grey armor.
"Thats enough! Any more of this and ill be forced to take action againt you!" The man yelled loudly.
The woman stared at the man and scoffed, walking away into the alleyways. Before leaving, she turned back towards Gram and gave him a foul glare.
"What took you so long!? If you had stepped in a moment sooner, my companion wouldnt have had to be injured!" Evan yelled as he pointed towards the giant man.
"I apologize, but bear in mind I just got here and I am officially on break. I did not need to step in."
'Why does this guy look so familiar? Is he another side character in H.K.U?'
"Dal! Hurry up or else we're going to miss our reservation!" A young girl shouted.
"Coming Sean! Please excuse me sir, I must take my leave."
The two ventured off into a building nearby as Evan sighed. He quickly rushed to Lady, who was perfectly fine even after taking that monstrous kick to the face. Patting the dust off of her, he then glared at Gram who was quite annoyed by it, before entering the carriage once again.
'Don't you worry Gram. I won't be getting chased by that woman ever now since she associates your face as mine! At least you can survive her… probably.'
Evan proceeded to check the giant clock tower, to then notice he was extremely late to orientation. He ran inside of his carriage and ordered the stage coach to haul it fast.