The motion of the horse gallop stirred Mira up. She realized she was in motion and recollected what happened. The last thing she remembered was Leo knocking her out. That meant she was now with the people who were after her.
A wave of disappointment washed over her. The little hope she had left inside her was extinguished when Leo gave her to the pursuers. She refused to open her eyes and turn to see who the person behind her was because it would only make her feel worse.
After a while, she felt the horse she was on slow down. The sun was still high up in the sky, so a little of that light crept into her eyes. If they were slowing down, it meant that they were there. She opened her eyes to see the destination where she was being taken.
The minute her eyes opened, the sudden influx of light blinded her. She jerked back in reflex, surprising Leo. He caught her, making sure she wouldn't fall off the horse.
"You finally woke up," he said.
His voice caught her off guard. She immediately turned around and saw the familiar face of Leo. There wasn't anyone else behind him either.
"You're... you're here instead of... them," she said with a shocked tone.
Leo chuckled. "Yes, is that a problem?"
Mira shook her head. "No. It's just..." She wrapped her hands around his neck and hugged him. "Thanks. I don't know how you saved me, but thanks."
Leo's chuckle rescinded into a smile.
"You had it hard. On the bright side, we are here," he said, pointing to what was in front of them.
She turned back around to see where they were. She was greeted by the tallest walls she had seen in her life. Like Leo, the biggest city she had seen was Eldridge.
The walls stood over 70 meters tall, with two giant flags running down each side of the gates. The two magnificent gates were opened up. Tucked to the side of the entrance were two guards checking the identities of the people entering.
She was startled when the horse they were riding on came to a screeching halt.
"We are getting off," Leo said while lifting her. He dropped her on the ground before getting off the horse himself.
"Why are we not using the horse?" She asked him.
"I am trying not to attract too much attention. My control over the horse is starting to weaken," Leo lied.
The real reason he didn't want to take the horse was because he was controlling it with his magic and not his aura. This might have been fine in a random town with barely any mages, but not in the Capital. He already sensed a few mages entering before them. Any of them would be able to tell that he is a mage.
Leo collapsed all of his magic and aura into his body. His magic was too
As they approached the walls, they noticed the towers that peeked from above the wall. These tall buildings dwarfed all of those that Leo or Mira had seen in their life.
"Identification," the guard asked Leo.
Leo took out the bronze mercenary card he had with his real name. It was enough to prove that he was decently strong for a kid which would make the guard treat him better. His hunch was right.
"A bronze mercenary? You seem pretty young. Are you here for the Phoenix Trials?" The guard asked.
Leo nodded. "Yes. I am from Eldridge Academy. This is my... classmate," he said.
"Welcome to the Capital. So you don't get lost, the event is being hosted in the center of the city. You will need to prove your spot to enter the event area, though." The guard said to Leo.
"Thank you," Leo said while dragging Mira into the city along with him. They walked into the wide street that headed into the heart of the city. Every single building was sky-high and crammed next to each other. The amount of people walking around was overwhelming to Leo and Mira.
"It's a lot of people," Mira said to Leo while clinging on to him closely.
"We just need to walk straight. As long as we make it to the trials and meet the people from Eldridge Academy, I will let the Headmaster make the preparations to bring you back to whoever requested your escort."
Leo was done dealing with the stress of being in charge of a very important person. Mira's existence was a time bomb that he didn't want to be holding. The Head Master was far more qualified to finish the scenario while teaching him how to hide his magic.
The most important skill that Leo needed to learn was how to hide his magic. If there was a place filled with powerful magicians, the Grand Duke's place would be a top contender in the entire empire.
The Grand Duke was the second most powerful person in the empire. He was even above the Crown Prince and only below the Emperor of the Solarian Empire. Someone part of the royal family who controlled an army of mages was bound to have a multitude of strong mages in their midst.
But he still wanted to be there in person to be given credit for what he did. He was the one who did all that work and it was all for the favor of such a powerful person.
As they were walking together through the streets, Leo noticed a fancy restaurant tucked into the alley. He looked to his side at Mira who couldn't look worse. After the travel that she had gone through, along with the chase that lasted a couple of days, her body really showed how weary she was. That also meant she was hungry. Leo completely forgot that the girl needed food.
"You must be hungry. Why don't we stop to catch a bite?" Leo asked Mira.
Mira was surprised by what she was offered.
"It's okay. I think I can wait for some more time," she politely declined. She thought about the danger of doing anything except getting to safety. Her refusal was followed by a loud growl from her stomach.
"I think we should stop for a second. The beauty of being in the capital means that no one can attack us in front of so many people."
He said while dragging her along with him toward the restaurant. They soon reached the doors to the restaurant. Both of them marveled at the clear glass doors that revealed the inside.
Right at the entrance, there was a standing desk with a handsome man behind it. Leo opened the door for Mira and let her walk in before him. After she was inside, he walked in faster than her to reach the front desk before her.
"Hello, Sir and Ma'am. Do you have a reservation?" The youthful man asked Leo.
"No, we don't. Will that be a problem?"
The man nodded his head.
"I apologize, but the Glass Onion only accepts paying customers on its first floor. If you want to dine today, then you would have to go upstairs. We accept customers on the same day for people dining with the upper-floor menu."
As they were talking, another group of people entered the restaurant just as Leo was about to go upstairs. Leo was distracted by the noise of them entering and turned around to see who it was.
