While waiting for their ordered food, Vicente and Nova talked a bit about their lives.
She asked about how Nina was doing and offered to help Vicente if he needed someone to take care of her in his absence.
Nova was very excited to hear that Nina was doing well and would start classes the next day. Not only that, the young girl loved the gift from this blue-haired beauty, so Vicente didn't miss the opportunity to thank her once again.
Vice had his own nefarious interests in Nova, but he already looked at her differently because of the way she had treated Nina.
He was naturally attracted to Nova, but he also wanted to use her to learn about the royal army. But Nova made it difficult for him by being so kind and interested in Nina.
After telling his companion about his younger sister that afternoon, Vicente asked. "But what about you? Where are you from, Nova? Is your family from Millfall?"
She smiled subtly and shook her head. For some reason, even talking about common things with Vicente made her smile.
"No. I'm from Dryhaven. My family still lives there. They are in the fishing business." She said truthfully.
Nova came from a stable home, with a mother and father still alive, a younger brother, and two sisters. Her family could not be considered wealthy, but they were as well off or better off than Vicente's family before his parents died.
She said with satisfaction. "Although I had to divert part of my journey because of my family's business, I love my parents and siblings. But I always wanted to become a soldier of the kingdom, so I couldn't help but leave them after I awakened my powers. However, I still visit them whenever I can. I really enjoy family time."
Hearing this, Vicente signaled his interest in finding out more about this woman.
Talking about intimate things like that was essential to building a relationship. For someone who was more interested in just getting this woman into bed, this was essential for Vicente.
"Dryhaven, huh? You're nowhere near home." Vicente commented to her.
Dryhaven was a city of about 90,000 people on the east coast of Scott Province. It was closer to Millfall than Saltstar City, but it was still a journey of over 12 days between that city and the Bain family's home.
Nova nodded and said. "Yes, but there's nothing for me to do. After I was invited to join the army in Dryhaven, I soon spent some time studying at the post in that city. As soon as I graduated, I was sent here."
The Seidel Kingdom army had two types of methods for selecting its soldiers. The first and simplest was by invitation, something high-ranking soldiers could invite whoever they felt was worth having on their side. The second was through the Seidel Magic College.
At the college, even if one did not have great magical talents with an affinity for battle, as was usually the case with those invited to the army, one could still become a soldier or even strive to become a noble of the kingdom.
But once a youth from the Seidel Magic College, or someone invited by that organization, joined the army, they would spend time studying at their city's base.
The army had its hierarchy and positions that depended not only on the magical level of its soldiers but also on their knowledge, skills, merits, and so on.
Upon entering this organization, one would spend time learning the laws of the kingdom, its history, etc., until one became an actual soldier and was assigned to duty.
"I am currently working on becoming the Commander of a post. As much as I have to be away from my family, I'm happy. It is my dream to become a great soldier and one day reach the highest rank in the army." She said to Vicente.
"That's great," Vicente said. "Being a high-ranking soldier is one of the best things in the kingdom."
Vicente was sincere. As much as no soldier would have the best results in their life if they followed other paths, the path of the kingdom's soldiers was the most stable and secure one could take.
By being free to act as and when one wishes, one could have the chance to grow substantially with a successful business. But the chances of such a venture working out would be very slim.
On the other hand, being a soldier gave magicians as much predictability in life as having a graduation on Earth. Was having a degree a guarantee of prosperity on Earth? No, but it could at least provide a living.
In the Seidel Kingdom, being a member of the army meant stability, a livelihood, and a chance to reach high levels without risking too much.
The royal family was the strongest and most influential in the kingdom, the only one with the right to have an army. It was a huge organization present in hundreds of cities like Millfall.
Soldiers of this organization had a great chance to get the resources they needed to grow without having to venture out into the vast world. As long as one had talent and competed for high-ranking positions in the army, even reaching the end of the 3rd stage was a likely thing for people with talent like Nova's.
For this woman, it was only a matter of time before it happened, and she wouldn't have to risk herself like Vincent had to.
So he didn't despise what being a soldier of the kingdom meant, even though he had no interest in giving up his freedom and opportunities for it.
But for 99% of the people in this kingdom, doing what Rory had done would be madness. The decision that people like Nova had made by accepting the soldiers' invitation to join the army was what the overwhelming majority would make.
Anyway, the two continued to talk about their lives, sometimes Nova talking about her interests and background, sometimes Vice talking about himself.
They ate lunch at this local restaurant while they talked, getting to know each other better.
At the end of an hour of meeting each other, it would be time for them to go their separate ways.
As experienced with women as Vicente was, Nova had a hard time letting go of "certain things," so he didn't get a chance to walk her home that day.
But a new meeting between the two was already scheduled for the next few days when Vicente told her he would be staying in town until his next trip in about 10 days...
Knowing that he would be gone for a while after that, Nova agreed to meet with him a few times during that period before the "trip."
