The Heller trio was invited to have a meeting with the captain in his cabin. Sebastian was a bit skeptical at first, but he accepted it in the end. But little did they know that the captain’s cabin was located on top of the walls.

After entering the city gates, they took a sharp turn until they reached long stairs that head towards the top of the walls. There waited the captain who was ready to escort the trio to his cabin.

Although, Heller trio was rather indulged in sightseeing. They saw a barracks camp located just beside the city gates with lots of guards on standby. Every guard was wearing steel plated armor from head to toe. There was also a guard post at the gates, who were inspecting the wagons of carts before their departure from the city. There was also a big fountain placed right in front of the entrance with beautiful little fishes. The Heller trio’s eyes lit up with astonishment, they looked like some school kids on a field trip.

The Heller trio was so immersed admiring the cityscapes that it almost slipped Sebastian’s mind that the captain was waiting for them at the entrance of the stairways of the walls.

*cough*

“If you are done looking around, we must head to the cabin.” interrupted the senior guard who was standing behind the Heller trio, “We don’t have a whole day here, the captain’s waiting.”

Sebastian came to his senses, but his delightful face while sightseeing, turned into sour disgust when he heard the senior guard’s voice. He stared glaring back at the senior guard and his bad habit of grinning once again resurfaced.

“What’s with that look! Are you trying to pick a fight? I might be old but I still got some fight left with me!” responded the senior guard as he raised his guard.

“Now, now! Mr. Gregor. They are our guests, so treat them nicely. You don’t want to get court-martialed for wrongly accusing this knight candidate, do you?” said the captain with a friendly smile.

The senior guard’s face turned pale,

“Uhh- I… I apologize, anything but that... ” said the terrified senior guard, Mr. Gregor.

“Good.” replied the captain, “I also don’t want the top officials to chew my head for this incident. Not to forget the big amount of paperwork that I would have to do as the captain. Just thinking about it makes me tired.”

Sebastian looked at the odd pair in a discontented look.

‘Are all the people in this city, such weirdos?’ he thought to himself.

Just when-

“They are weird, big brother,” said Ivan as he pointed at the captain and senior guard while giggling.

Sebastian panicked,

“Shut up, Ivan! You’re being disrespectful!”

The senior guard flared up after hearing Ivan,

“You brat! How dare you call us weird on our face, you’ve no manners!”

“Now, now. He’s just a kid, stop getting so riled up for every little thing.” interrupted the captain with his signature friendly smile.

“But-but..” the senior guard tried to defend himself but decided to end the argument.

The captain then turned towards Sebastian,

“It’s better if you keep your luggage down in my barracks, you can take it later when we get back. After all, we need to climb these damn stairs to reach my cabin that’s way up there..” said the captain as he glanced at the long stairs skulkingly.

Soon, a tall guard approached Sebastian

He had tan-colored skin and quite tall than the other guards.

“Hello, young fellows and welcome to Abros. I am Miles Portio, one of the guards working in the northern entrance. I’ll be taking care of your luggage until you guys return back.” introduced the guard with a smile.

Despite his brutish looks, this tall guard named Miles seemed quite a nice guy.

“Uh- okay,” answered Sebastian.

‘So there are actually some nice people too, huh.’ thought Sebastian to himself.

He willingly gave him their luggage,

“But be careful, it’s a little heavy,” warned Sebastian as he stretched his hand grabbing the luggage.

“Hahaha! Don’t worry about me, kid. This biceps isn’t just for show, you see.” said the tall guard as he flexed his muscle. Although, the biceps Miles was trying to show off were actually hidden under his platted armor.

“I see… Thank you,” said Sebastian with an agreement.

Sebastian carefully handed his luggage which was almost the same size as Sebastian, himself. The tall guard grabbed the luggage with both arms.

“Alright, see you guys later,” said Miles with a smile.

“See ya.” answered little Ivan as he waved his hands. Ivan had already started climbing stairs that lead to the top of the walls.

Sebastian saw little Ivan went ahead,

“You would bruise yourself, wait for me,” said Sebastian as he started rushing to grab hold of Ivan.

But as soon as Sebastian let go of the luggage, the tall guard fell on his knee as he tried to hold the luggage.

“What in the lord’s name?! This is too damn heavy!” shrieked Miles as streams of sweat trickled through his brow.

Sebastian quickly grabbed back his luggage.

“I had warned you that it was heavy. Are you alright?” he asked.

“What have you stuffed in this luggage of yours? Why is it so heavy?” asked the shocked guard.

Sebastian just scratched his head,

“What do you expect, we are moving to the capital. So there’s almost everything from our household, our clothes, my practice equipment, Ivan’s toys, and Martha’s books, also the kitchen utensils and our precious stone grinder. I hope you didn’t hurt your back or something, the last thing I would want is to be charged for an on-duty guard breaking his back because of my luggage.”

“Hey, how long are you going to idle chat around. Get moving already.” said the grumpy senior guard who was still waiting with the captain on the stairways

Martha and Ivan already went ahead with the captain.

“Oh.. nevermind. Thanks for everything.”, Sebastian placed his luggage carefully on the ground “Be careful with my luggage, please.”

“Will do.” responded miles.

The guard glanced at their luggage with a puzzled look.

‘That brat carried around this luggage with no problem at all. Well at least, now I know why he was a magic knight candidate.’ thought the guard to himself.

Later, it took about 3 strong guards to carry the luggage inside the barracks.

After some time, the Heller Trio reached the summit of the walls. They glanced at the beautiful sight of that the city of Abros had to offer.

The capital of the Rublor kingdom, Abros city was located on hilly terrain. The buildings near the center were on higher grounds than on the edges. The city was very well planned and used every inch of space that the city had to offer.

There were a lot of gardens, markets, and shrines all over the city.

People looked like little swarms of ants roaming in the city.

But what stood the most was the imperial palace that stood right in the heart of Abros city. The palace was built on a tall thin rock that was located in the center of the hilly terrain of the city. The palace was made of white marble and because of that very same reason, the palace shined under the sunlight. Also, the palace was surrounded by five tall towers from all sides. But unlike the palace which was built on the rock, the towers were actually built beside the rock from the ground below. These tall towers are the only way to reach the imperial palace.

The three Heller younglings relished the view with their eyes wide open like little kids on sightseeing tours. Although the three Heller kids had reached the summit, the captain and the senior guard was never to be seen anywhere.

But after waiting for 10 minutes the captain had finally reached the summit of the walls. He was out of breath and could barely stand via the support from the railings of the stairs.

“I… uh… finally reached. Damn these stairs..” cursed the captain as he sat on his knees after climbing the last stair, “Curse that conniving old hag and the architects who built my cabin here out of all places.”

The captain was complaining to himself out loud.

Sebastian just stayed away from him and decided not to interfere with the captain’s affairs.

The senior guard was still little stairs away from the summit and he seemed to be taking a breather while sitting one of the steps. The senior guard was very old for these stairs.

The captain after a few minutes of rest entered the cabin with the Heller trio.

The cabin wasn’t big or luxurious but rather quite simple and ordinary. The cabin was made out of wood and it wasn’t a structure attached to the wall itself.

The captain took a seat on the office chair in front of the desk in the cabin. The desk was filled with a lot of disorganized papers, a pen stand, and a kettle with cups and saucers. There was also a bed on the corner that was used by the captain for his naps. On the front of the desk was a couch where Sebastian and his young siblings sat.

“Welcome to my poor abode, things are a bit messy but please make yourself comfortable.” welcomed the Captain with a gentle smile.

Sebastian nodded his head,

“Thank you for your hospitality.”

“So what would guys like to have, some tea or coffee?” asked the captain as he reached out for the kettle.

“Umm… Tea would do, thank you,” answered Sebastian.

“One Tea please,” answered Martha elegantly like usual.

“Orange juice!” screamed Ivan while pumping his fist enthusiastically.

Sebastian hit Ivan on his head,

“There’s no orange juice here. Sit down quietly.” Sebastian then turned towards the Captain, “Please ignore him, I will share my tea with him.”

Ivan started throwing tantrums,

“I don’t wanna drink from your cup! I want my own,” argued Ivan.

Sebastian became a little annoyed,

“Stop being a bother. Also, there’s no orange juice here, just share the tea with me. You're not going to finish the whole tea, anyway.” he replied in a deeper tone.

“I don’t want tea! I want orange juice, now!!” Ivan continued his demands while rolling on the couch.

Sebastian’s got furious and his grin resurfaced,

“Stop this. You are being a nuisance to sir Captain, here. They put bad manner boys into the cell.” he threatened Ivan.

“It’s alright.” intervened captain, “I don’t have orange juice but I do have some oranges here.”

The captain then took out a few oranges that were stacked inside his drawer from his desk.

Ivan rose up from the couch and rushed at the sight of oranges. The captain readily handed the oranges to little Ivan.

“Sir, you didn’t have to-” said Sebastian.

“It’s alright. Anyway, I am not a fan of oranges, I am more of a peach guy.” added the captain.

The captain then poured the milk tea from the kettle and handed it to Sebastian and Martha alike.

The tableware that was used by the captain was an expensive-looking one. The cups had beautiful paintings and carvings and it even had a curvy handle.

Sebastian became a little anxious,

‘Wow! This looks quite expensive, is it okay for us to use it? I hope there’s not any criminal law against peasants using rich teaware.’ he thought to himself.

“Is it okay to use this? I mean, won’t we sully these fancy cups by using it?” asked nervous Sebastian with his nervous grin like usual.

The captain glanced at Sebastian,

“Haha! Go ahead, no need to be so concerned about such little details. By the way, I myself come from a lower-class family, so if that helps you be any less nervous.” added the captain.

Sebastian was quite taken back from the captain’s revelation.

“Wow! Really?” asked Sebastian, “You come from a lower-class family like ourselves? Wow! And how did you rise to such a position? Also, what village are you from? Have you happen to hear about our village named Kald perhaps?”

Sebastian started throwing dozens of questions at the Captain as his eyes lit up with admiration.

“Hey, slow down! I happen to have only one mouth, so ask one question at a time. Before you throwing questions, how about introducing ourselves first?” suggested by the Captain, “I’ll begin with mine first, I am Julius Toaster, the head captain of the garrison regiment. I am in charge of protecting the city’s entrance gates, the security, and inspection of people who come to the city. It's been 5 years since I was promoted as a captain and certainly, I don’t like my job but I got a little to no choice.”

Sebastian was amazed and confused, both at the same time,

“Eh? Did you say that you hate your job?” asked Sebastian.

Captain Julius then had a weary smile,

“I won’t phrase it that way, I don’t like my job but I don’t hate it either. Ideally, I would rather prefer taking morning naps until it’s bedtime again, that’s my ideal way of spending time but life doesn't tend to go the way you want. I was rather satisfied being an ordinary city guard but because of a cunning old hag, I am now stuck with this job.”

Sebastian could do nothing but a glance at the captain weirdly, his admiration for the captain didn’t last for long.

But the captain rambled on,

“To make matters worse, that old hag personally built my living quarters here on the top of the wall. She did it because she thinks I’m lazy and slack on my job. She’s not wrong but still climbing these stairs every time when I am needed at the gates and back forth in my cabin is tiring. What type of torture is this, am I back to my boot camp days or what? Damn her.”

Sebastian just stared at the complaining captain with a sour look.

The captain noticed puzzled Sebastian, everything that the captain spoke just went Sebastian’s overhead.

“Oh, sorry about that. I just started rambling on and on. Please don’t mind me, enjoy your tea.” said the Captain with an embarrassed look.

“It’s alright, you must have a lot in mind,” replied Sebastian with a forced smile.

“Just don’t tell anyone about this, what I told you here okay?” asked the Captain with a friendly smile but a piercing glare.

“No worries, I won’t tell a soul,” replied Sebastian with his wide nervous grin.

‘I don’t even know what he was going on about anyway.’ thought Sebastian to himself.

“So it’s now your turn.” said the Captain.

Sebastian was puzzled,

“Turn? For what?”

“Introductions remember? Introduce yourself and your family, if you want to?” asked the captain.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Sebastian.

He got up from his couch and stood attentively with a salute in one hand and the cup of tea on the other.

“Sir, I am Sebastian Heller from the Kald village in the northern province. I worked and trained for 6 years under a Silver Knight named Sir Darius Pollard Brigande. My master, Knight Darius oversees the northern borders of the mountainous region of Rublor kingdom. I am here in the capital to take part in this year’s magic knight candidate exam under his orders. I am grateful that you helped me to clear our misunderstanding today at the entrance. If it wasn’t for you, I could have been sent to prison.” said Sebastian like a proper soldier.

Sebastian then pointed towards his siblings,

“This young girl is my little sister, Martha and this nosy good for nothing brat is my little brother, Ivan.” He then bows his head, “Sorry for causing you so much trouble.”

“Haha! It’s no trouble. As I said before, there’s no need for such formality. Just relax, seeing you so uptight makes me nervous too.” replied the Captain.

Just then, Ivan started pulling the teacup that Sebastian was holding,

“Hey, Big bro! I wanna taste tea, too.”

Ivan’s half-eaten oranges were laying on the couch. He seemed to had his fill with the oranges, now he wanted the tea after watching Martha drinking hers.

“Hey stop! You’ll spill the tea on the floor! Good grief… Hold on, here take it, just don’t break the cups.” Sebastian hands over his tea and noticed the oranges, “And why did put those oranges on the couch! You even spat the seeds on the floor… you little runt!” Sebastian once again turned his attention on the troublesome Ivan and the mess he had created.

“Wow! This tea tastes good. Thank you, old man.” thanked Ivan with a cheerful smile.

“Hey be respectful and call him, Sir.” restated Sebastian, “Also what about these oranges? Good lord! Could you lend me a hand, Martha?”

Martha gently sipped her tea,

“Sorry, but my hands are occupied for the moment,” she replied and then turned towards the captain, “This tea is really refreshing. I would like to thank you for this delectable tea.”

Captain was a little surprised.

Despite Martha was 10 years old, she tends to talk like an adult.

“Oh, the pleasure’s mine. I’m happy that the tea is to your liking, little lady. There’s more if you want.” replied the captain and turned towards Sebastian, “She’s a very well mannered girl. You taught her well.”

“She’s my sister after all,” said Sebastian as he puffed his chest proudly.

Just then Martha jumped in,

“Sir, would it be alright, if you could give us some of the tea leaves? I would like to brew it for myself, few kilos would do,” demanded Martha.

Sebastian and the captain both were quite surprised.

“Umm, Martha. You shouldn’t just ask for things like that,” said Sebastian as he glared at Martha.

“Why not?” she asked Sebastian, “You were wrongly accused and was treated like a criminal. A mere bag of tea leaves is nothing compared to what you deserve. Don’t you think, captain sir?” she asked Martha while glaring at the captain.

“Martha! Sir Julius here has been kind enough to let us in. Asking for compensations is just being disrespectful also your smile has resurfaced, calm down, Martha.” stated Sebastian.

Captain was sweating bullets as little Martha did make a good point.

If it were to be some other Knight candidate, he/she would surely sue the guards as well the one in charge. Thankfully, Sebastian was from a small village and was not familiar with laws and legal procedures. Unlike her brothers, Martha was very smart and knowledgeable. Her teachers considered her to be a prodigy with a bright future ahead.

Martha was a book nerd, who had read all the books from the public library which was located in a town next to her village.

Despite being 10 years old, she was usually acted more mature than the two of her brothers combined.

The captain figured that Martha wasn’t a girl to be messed around.

“It’s alright, we have a lot of tea leaves. I shall let you take a few bags as well as some assorted cookies that I happen to have. I already had my share of cookies for this year, so you kids should enjoy it to its fullest.” said the captain as he smiled like usual while wiping his sweaty brows.

“There is no need for going so far. You don’t need to-’ Sebastian argued with Captain but-

“It’s alright. Kids are meant to be demanding and we as a responsible adult should fulfill their childish demands. But I can’t argue with her point because she’s not wrong. This is just a little compensation for the way, my guards treated you people.” added the captain.

“It better not be poisoned,” Martha added further.

“Enough!” shouted Sebastian angrily and his wide grin resurfaced.

Martha looked the other way and continued to sip her tea, nonchalantly.

The captain looked quite tired and his friendly smile was getting distorted for some reason.

“I.. I am so sorry. She’s quite the oddball. I apologize for her rude behavior, you don’t owe us in any way.” said Sebastian as he bowed his head, “Clearing the misunderstanding was more than enough.”

“Well rude she maybe, but that just goes to show how much she cares for you.” said the captain, “You got one precious little sister and a brother. You must cherish them.”

“You think so, hehe,” replied Sebastian as he scratched his head blushingly.

“Anyway if you are done with picking the oranges. Would you like to take a walk with me, alone?” asked the captain, “I hate to admit it, but It’s a little noisy.”

“But sir, if no one keeps an eye on them, they might wreck your cabin,” said Sebastian worriedly.

The captain’s friendly smile appears,

“Ah! Don’t worry about the kids, I’ll appoint one of my reliable men to take care of them. It’s going to be a short walk so don’t worry so much.”

“Oh okay then…” replied Sebastian.

The captain got up from his seat and left the cabin.

Sebastian went up to Martha,

“Please look after Ivan and don’t wreck this place, for god’s sake.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on him,” responded Martha.

“Thank you, I’ll be back in a jiffy,” said Sebastian as he heads outside after the captain.

Sebastian looks around and noticed the captain talking with one of his men.

“Sorry to make you wait,” said Sebastian as he rushed to the captain.

“There you are, Sebastian. You must have already met him but let me introduce you formerly. Meet my reliable right-hand man, Gregor Lapsus. I know, you guys had some misunderstandings before but its all water under the bridge now.” assured the captain.

Sebastian’s expression became sour and his eyebrows twitched with anger, his infamous wide grin resurfaced once again.

“This old fart...”

“What… *huff* What did you.. *huff* just s-say…*puff*” replied Gregor who was exhausted and trying to catch his breath.

Gregor Lapsus was the name of that grumpy senior guard that pestered Sebastian at the gates. He sat on the floor exhausted after reaching atop the walls, despite starting the climb with Sebastian.

“I don’t wanna talk with him if that’s okay?” asked agitated Sebastian as he looked away.

“Hah!... *huff* Ne-neither do I… *puff* Ow, my back hurts.” argued the exhausted senior guard.

“Haha! You guys do get along” said the captain jokingly.

“We don’t!” answered the captain and Sebastian in synch.

“Well anyway, Mr. Gregor. Please look after the kids until we return from our stroll.” said the captain with his friendly smile.

“Wait he will look after my-” Sebastian was about to complain but

“What me?!” asked the senior guard out loud.

The senior guard was more surprised then Sebastian.

“Yup” answered the captain, “And that’s an order.”