Chương 230: Love Interest End Stories (LIES): Montan - Part I

It was a sunny, but chilly day, and the breeze coming off the water didn't make it any better. On the private dock of his godsister's island, where a large manor was nearing completion, the 'fastest ship in the empire' was waiting to take them to where they'd be for the next few months. For his godsister, the Hong Empire, and on the way, she'd drop them off at a different location. He and Constantine were going to Nazaria to study abroad at Université's sister school's research site outside the capital Krosia.

He'd been brushing up on the local language, though due to proximity, trade, and travel to Soleil, many people in the capital city also spoke Soleilan as a second language. Montan wasn't at all surprised to know that Constantine knew Nazar, which came from Old Sulfae. Constantine grew up in Temple Mountain, so he knew three other languages and could read their antiquated forms, which were related to religious scripts. He also wasn't surprised that his master knew Nazar, as well as several foreign languages.

He was told that his godsister was the only one of the three siblings that never learned a second language until she went to Lycée and became proficient in Old Sulfae, and that was only because of heavy crystal usage. What surprised him was that his brother also knew Nazar. It wasn't that he thought Axton didn't care to learn or didn't have the educational opportunity, he simply never mentioned it and it only came out when he found out Montan was learning and cheerfully greeted him in Nazar.

His brother was amazing.

"Don't forget, no matter how hot it gets during the day, the temperature drops at night, so always have another layer with you." His brother also liked to nag him, but whenever he did, Montan felt warm and happy. It meant someone cared enough to do so.

"I know, Brother. I've brought a down jacket with a hood. It's light and packable, but will keep me warm," he replied.

"This is your first time abroad, so be aware of your surroundings." Axton's worry didn't seem to cease. His eyes flickered to For Whom the Sun Rises behind them and he bit his lower lip.

"I wish I could at least see you off there. The sea is more turbulent this time of year. What if something happens?"

"You did not appear this worried the last two times I left during this time of year." Godsister's droll voice spoke up a few paces away and he turned to see her looking at his brother with a dull expression.

"Thank you for your concern, Axton." Axton let out a low hiss.

"That's not what I meant."

"Then, what did you mean?" Prince Piers was frowning as he stood beside Tori.

"I'm just worried about the turbulent waters! The winter is a bit more... chaotic!"

"I have some of the best sailors in the empire on my ship," Tori reminded him.

"And I have two escort ships that can assist."

"But... but-""But what?" An annoyed voice cut through and Montan turned his head to an old woman in a down jacket, pants, and laced up boots. Her curly hair was silver-gray and she was frowning.

"Are you worried that the ocean will swallow him up? Are you doubting the sailors my family personally trained?" Axton shrank back though the old woman was shorter. Her sharp eyes bore into them.

"No. No, of course not-""I'm sure he's just worried because his brother will be gone for a few months," Constantine offered with a weak smile.

"Yes! Yes, that's it!" Axton perked up and looked at the old woman eagerly. She still glared at him.

"There is no safer ship for him to travel on, in the case of vessel or crew. And don't forget, I may be a Guevera now, but I was born a O'Tuagh. Even without the crew, I can get us to Nazaria!"

"Grammy, calm down." Tori grasped her grandmother's arm and gave it an affectionate squeeze.

"Axton just worries a lot whenever Montan is concerned." The old woman, Professor Guevera, let out a snort and sneered. Montan avoided her eyes. She'd come all the way from Nazaria to personally escort them and help settle them once they arrived at the request of Tori and Master Kasen. They would be doing their research work under her and her colleagues. It was a bit embarrassing for her to see him being fawned over like that by his brother.

He glanced at Axton, who seemed to have a thin sheen of sweat across his forehead.

"Tori is also going with them. Do not be so worried," Prince Piers said without emotion. Axton still shifted uncomfortably.

"Perhaps I should also-""You have work." Prince Piers cut him off at once.

"Don't think of leaving, Axton," Master Kasen crossed his arms over his chest and frowned.

"We all know you have at least a half dozen marriage meeting prospects you have to do." Axton's face turned ugly at the thought and Montan patted his arm to comfort him. While Axton wasn't all that old, he did face significant pressure to marry, especially considering he was the Duke of the Alvere Duchy and currently the only blood member of his family. Heirs were needed and the sooner, the better.

Montan had done his best to encourage him, assuring him that he was sure that he would find a suitable wife easily, but Axton had been so picky, everyone was almost sure he was doing it on purpose to put it off. There had been two young ladies that he did hit it off with, but after further investigation, one still had feelings for a former lover, which, as Tori said, was a 'red flag'.

That young lady and her former lover split up because their families were incompatible, not because one of them had decided to end it. The second young lady had over a half-dozen outings with his brother. Axton had even taken her to the Three Queens and home, to Nassaun House. But the young lady wanted to see Sun Garden and upon visiting, went on and on about what she'd change when they moved in.

Axton had made it clear prior that his 'home' would be Nassaun House when he returned to the Duchy, not Sun Garden, which held bad memories for him and Montan. The second young lady seemed to accept this. But she couldn't seem to accept Montan. Her father had children outside the marriage and she hated illegitimate children because of it.

Both Axton and Montan understood; one couldn't control how they felt, but Axton felt that the situation with Montan was different, and he and that young lady decided it would not work and went their separate ways. This meant that the Empress had to begin her search again and this time, expanded the search outside of the Horizon area. Tori had told him that she reached out to the other duchies, as well. Despite the fact that it was Axton's decision, Montan couldn't help but feel that he was holding his brother back.

If Axton didn't love him so much and wanted to take care of him and considered him his family, then Axton would have a much better chance of finding a wife. After all, who wanted to marry into a family where the head's bastard brother was treated so well? Did this show that the prospective groom condoned extramarital affairs? Did he have another family? Would the resources of the duchy be funneled to the bastard?

In Soleil, children outside of a marriage could not inherit, but that didn't mean they couldn't be given resources. Master Kasen said that Axton's situation wasn't like his. Master Kasen had the opportunity not to marry because he had two siblings and the march already had an heir of its heir, Valeria. In addition, Lady Idunn was pregnant again. Axton was by himself. If he died with no blood heirs, the direct blood lineage of Alvere would be gone, and the old high nobles put a very high importance on blood lineage.

"Brother, you must stay and find a good sister-in-law for me," Montan gave him a hopeful smile.

"Don't worry so much. I'm well prepared and Constantine will be with me. We'll also have the guidance of Professor Guevera." Axton ran a hand through his thick, curly black hair and nodded, though somewhat distracted.

"Don't worry about that. Just study well." Montan nodded.

"All right, we should get going," Tori said. She turned to hug the two visiting children first. Fiona raised her arms to hug her aunt, but before Tori could get to her, Prince Piers cut in and embraced her first. Fiona gasped and drew her head back before scrunching her face, appearing wronged. Tori sighed and hugged the prince, then pried him off to hug the children. Fiona squeezed her aunt, telling her to be safe and to bring back any 'interesting birds'.

Robert also hugged her and she stroked his hair back, telling him to study well. She then went to hug her friends and brother. Montan only had to hug his brother, but after Axton let him go, found that there were others waiting for him.

"Our Lions Gate trade ship comes every week," Ilyana told him in a stern voice.

"Remember, if either of you need anything, just let us know and we can get it to you." He received a hug from her. Then from Albert, who stuffed some snacks into his hand. Then Henrik and the twins. Even Dimitri had come to see them off. Only Ewan was not present, as he was in Nord, still doing training. First-tier imperial knights in training had little contact with the outside world during this time and the only reason they knew how he was doing was because Prince Piers observed him and told Tori.

Montan followed Constantine and Professor Guevera back on the ship. Behind him, Prince Piers hugged Tori once more before appearing reluctant to let her go. Montan grimaced a bit.

"Remember to look over the books I got you. One of my colleagues will also be there and I've let him know to contact you when you arrive," Master Kasen told him. He then handed him a piece of paper.

"Safe journey, pupil." Montan accepted the piece of paper and he bowed his head.

"Thank you, Master." ♡・・・・・・♡・・・・・・♡・・・・・・♡・・・・・・♡・・・・・・♡"Entire palaces were built over a grid." Charm master and ancient civilizations professor at the Royal Nazaria College, Adan Hailan, met Master Kasen when he went to study abroad at Université his third and fourth year of school.

"Elaborate stone pillars, shrines, and sometimes simply pendants buried in the ground with crystals in them functioned as the power sources to transfer energy. Even if the building were not on an energy vein, making a grid and building on top of it could stimulate similar energy." Montan's new clothes had a thin layer of dust and dirt on them after only a day on the field. He and Constantine studied at the Royal Nazaria's campus for a month to get acclimated before doing their first week out at the research site.

They would alternate working in the field and studying on campus every other week.

"How strong is the stimulated energy?"

"Not very strong," Professor Hailan replied.

"It is, after all, manmade and so the crystals are not as settled and intune with the surrounding energy. Natural energy veins are much stronger, even the moderately minor ones can provide more energy than a master planned grid city away from a vein." Montan figured as much. He wanted to say that his godsister's county was planned in accordance with the energy vein and manmade grid to better distribute energy throughout the county.

"The samples given to me to translate were rubbed from the buildings on that grid?" Montan asked.

"Yes, Krosia is built near the ancient city. It is the fifth city built in the area, as the river and the river mouth have changed course. When the river changes course and gets too far away from the city, the city's trade was affected and eventually, the city would move closer to it. The areas further away were abandoned and became ruins." Montan nodded. He'd read up on the history on the ship and listened to Professor Guevera's detailed history lessons to prepare them.

Still, to arrive at the field location two hours away from the city and find that the landscape had become much more arid in such a short time was impressive. There were a lot of stone outcroppings and dust. Not a desert with sand, but just a dry area in a rain shadow that a river had long abandoned. It was surprising to be able to tell where the river once was so easily. Right along the dried ancient river were the buildings for researchers, students, and workers.

The site was Promel site two, which was the city during the Promel civilization's golden age, when the regional language reached its final written peak shortly before Old Sulfae. Old Sulfae came to the region and took over the dominant language, as it was widely used in neighboring regions as a common language. It also had the advantage of having an established writing system. The native language of the region, Promelian, was mainly spoken with a less widespread writing system still developing from pictograms.

It could not compete with Old Sulfae and eventually died off, though many words and some grammar had been absorbed into the regional Old Sulfae, eventually leading to modern Nazar. However, the final form of Promelian was in characters that only highly educated members of the society knew to write. And it was used to decorate the homes and buildings of the wealthy elite, as well as traditional religious structures, as a show of power and strength.

Gridwork, which predated paper charms, of the region, was written in Promelian. Or rather, carved or sculpted into wood and stone. Wood deteriorated so there were little samples, but plenty of stone samples. Wooden canopies with canvas walls shielded people from the elements as they dug on the ground and carefully recorded everything. It was a long, grueling process to do so, as delicate items could easily fall apart. Professor Hailan led him to an actual wooden building that was the main office.

There was a large courtyard area with multiple buildings used to study samples on site and hold data and equipment. Barracks-like buildings were after that for the workers. They stepped into the room and he felt a gush of cool air. He looked up, familiar with the feeling, as he'd be greeted with cool air from the air conditioner at Duel on particularly sweltering days. It felt good.

"Professor Guevera's granddaughter donated several of those machines. They also have heat in the summer. You can sleep comfortably because of them," Professor Hailan chuckled when he saw Montan's surprised expression. He nodded. He didn't even think about needing such crystal powered equipment, but now that he thought about it, he had taken it for granted that he had access to CrysTech devices.

He and Constantine prepared a portable 'kitchenette' type set-up for their dorm room before they left at Tori's suggestion. She had said that the dorms were a bit of a walk to the nearest restaurant and student schedules often went late, so if they were tired, they should have food stored at their dorm. No wonder other students were watching them when they unloaded the 'mini-fridge'.

While crystal technology was spreading rapidly, especially to allied countries where Lions Gate had trade ties, such a personalized device was rare. Back at the manor where he and Constantine lived, all their flats had one, even though there was a kitchen and dining hall where they always ate. In retrospect, they wouldn't have that there at the research site. They'd eat from the canteen at set times.

"Your name?" A young man, also a student, asked for identification to issue his special identification crystal fob. After getting registered, he was given a map and Professor Hailan summoned his pupil to show him around. A young woman who was also in her third year rushed in with excitement. She was a bit shorter than him, thin, with warm, light brown skin, big hazel eyes, and dark, curly hair under a wide brim canvas hat that reminded him of his brother's, only Axton's hair had a cooler tint.

She wore what appeared to be the standard clothes in the area; washed-out pants and shirt that could get dirty without a fuss, dark belt, dust covered boots and a hat to protect her from the sun.

"Genet Traseg, my charms pupil." Professor Hailan almost puffed out his chest, proud.

"She is very familiar with the city grid and will give you a tour of the area. Genet, he will be assigned to you this week, and has translated the samples. Walk through them with him."

"Yes, Master!" She bowed her head to him and then extended her hand to Montan.

"Greetings! I am Genet Traseg, a third-year ancient language student at Royal Nazaria." Montan went to shake her hand and she grasped it, giving him a firm squeeze as she shook it a bit more than he was used to. When she let him go, he returned the greeting with a Nazarian greeting to show respect. He lifted his right hand to his forehead, holding it vertically with the thumb against his forehead and then moving it away slightly in a sort of salute.

"Hello, I am Montan Alvere, a third-year ancient language student at Université du Soleil."

"Yes, I know!" Genet said, enthusiastic.

"Master as spoken well of you." She grinned.

"It seems that my master and your master are rivals!" This was the first time he'd heard of this. His brows shot up and he wasn't sure how to respond.

"I... I did not know that. Master said Professor Hailan was a colleague."

"Colleague now, perhaps, but rival always." Genet lifted her chin.

"Did your master not tell you of their rivalry?" If Montan knew his master well enough, it was that Master likely did not notice it was a rivalry.

"He has not." Genet laughed.

"Then let me tell you! Follow me!" She first led him to get his work clothes and a hat, stressing that it was important for him to always wear it as sun protection. He nodded and she began to tell him the epic tale of her master and his master battling it out with wits and knowledge in Soleil. As she spoke, she told him about the Glacier tablet, which he knew was on display at the museum at Université.

It was the only fully intact grid in Proto-Sulfae suspected of being a grid foundations stone to an ancient village. People had been trying to decipher it for years and Professor Hailan bet Master Kasen, then at the top of the class at Université, that he could decipher it before he graduated and returned to Nazaria. Genet told Montan the gripping tale of how much work her master had put in, what books he poured over. Her face darkened.

"And then your master got it to work. Not only did he decipher it, but he got his brother, a crystal master, to reactivate it!" Montan drew his lips inward and bit them. Master never told him and part of Montan was sure that Master Kasen didn't see it as an amazing accomplishment. Which was strange, considering Master Kasen proudly displayed Fiona's strange drawings all over his office. He shook his head and made a mental note to ask his master about it some other time.

"How long have you been Professor Hailan's pupil?"

"Since I was about fourteen," Genet replied.

"My father sold charms. I have two older brothers, but they married early and said they had to support their families. So, when my father got sick, I started writing charms when he was too weak to write and my brothers were of no help." She was quiet for a moment.

"My father didn't make it and as soon as he passed, my brothers said that if I didn't contribute to the household, they'd kick me out. I tried to continue selling charms, but without my father to claim credit, as he was licensed to sell, I was caught. I didn't know I couldn't sell them without registering with the kingdom.

"Luckily, Master happened to be there when I was brought in to pay a fine for his horse wandering into someone's yard and ruining their garden. He found out I could do charms and was basically self-taught, so he asked if I wanted to be his pupil. He'd just finished school at the time." Genet let out a small laugh.

"My brothers didn't even come to try to save me when I was reported. Why should I go back to them who don't want me? So, I agreed and now I'm doing translations for him."

"Do you still write charms?" Genet nodded.

"Yes, but not as much. I became licensed, but I actually really like digging and uncovering treasures to translate here." She beamed, clearly pleased with where life took her and Montan nodded. He was also pleased with where life took him, even though it was very difficult at first. Genet showed him around the site, which was quite large.

There were over three hundred people living at the site full-time and another fifty or so who were like him and would only stay a week or two at a time before returning to the college. As she led him towards the barracks to find out where he'd be assigned to sleep, Montan caught sight of Constantine also following around someone and nodding underneath his wide brim hat. Aside from when they were in their dorm room, Montan hardly saw Constantine.

While their classes were near each other, Constantine had to cross the campus to get to a different building to start studying antiquities firsthand, and that was where he spent most of his time out of class and when he wasn't eating or sleeping. Montan almost lived in the linguistics library. Royal Nazaria had the best collection of ancient texts and records of languages from all over the world on that side of the ocean. It was one of the reasons that Master had recommended the college to him to study abroad at.

The linguistics library was near his dorm, so he tended to stay and work on the samples copied from the ruins at the field location that Professor Hailan had given him. Thinking of his translations, he looked at Genet.

"When can we go to the site?"

"First, we have to settle your rest hall and put your things away. You have the same room as your roommate at the college, from what Master told me, but each room has four beds, so you will also have two other roommates." Montan nodded.

"My godsister told me that was the case."

"She's the Master of the Crystal Palace who came here two years ago, isn't she? Professor Guevera's granddaughter and your master's sister," Genet said.

"I met her a few times. She is small, but such aura...." Montan furrowed his brows and looked at her, confused.

"Master of the Crystal Palace?" He'd heard Tori called many things, but not that. Genet nodded.

"Is she not the master of the crystal palace? I heard it is on an island where many crystal masters live and study crystals. Have you seen it?" A shock ran through him.

"Anahata Island?" Montan drew his head back. There were buildings there now, but he wouldn't call it a crystal 'palace'.

"It's a research facility for crystal users." Genet sighed.

"I heard that she'll invite a few crystal masters to visit to work with crystal masters from around the world. There should be something like that for us charms users." Montan's head bobbed up and down as he thought about it.

"They can work together. My godsister is just as proficient in Old Sulfae as I am, except she applies it to crystals." The words 'crystal fanatic' came to mind and he pushed it back. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. They reached the sleep hall and in the lobby, Montan was given his assignment. As expected, Constantine was also his roommate.

He could tell as he recognized the bag with the Lions Gate brand logo at the foot of one of the beds and a neatly folded quilt beside it. Montan had a similar bag, but he had a hunter green blanket with the Alvere crest embroidered in one corner. He left his things and changed into his work wear before rushing back to his guide. Genet handed him a map and happily led him towards the next most important building: the canteen, where they'd eat.

"You have to scan your crystal fob first and then proceed down the line. It's similar to how your cafeteria should've been at Lycée from what I heard," Genet told him. Montan looked around and nodded; it looked that way.

"Oh, there is my roommate! She's important to know."

"Does she work in the canteen?" Montan asked as he followed her towards a beautiful, slender woman with warm, sun-kissed skin and curly black hair parted down the middle with a few small braids and gold clasps at the tips.

"More important!" Genet beamed.

"Dr. Mira Anbessa. She works at our onsite clinic. If you get hurt, she's important to know." Montan vaguely remembered hearing the surname Anbessa when he came, but figured it was a popular surname in the area. The young doctor looked up, her large brown eyes sparkling, and smiled at once. She stood up from her seat and greeted Montan in Nazarian fashion.

"You must be Montan Alvere. I heard you were one of the students coming to work on the field. Thank you for coming and assisting in the research of our country's history."

"Oh, the honor is mine," Montan replied at once and returned the greeting.

"I'm excited to learn!" She tossed her head back and laughed.

"All you ancient civilizations people are always very enthusiastic! The best we can hope for in Nazaria," she said with a pleased smile.

"But the desert and the ruins can be dangerous. Drink a lot of water and stay in the shade when you can during the day. Be careful where you step. The last place I want to see people is in the clinic, yes? Gen-gen, show him where the clinic is. Everyone should know in case they get hurt."

"Yes!" Energetic as always, Genet reassured her roommate and dragged Montan to the clinic. Afterwards, she finally took him to the place he was most excited to go: their work site.

"This is the pavilion of what we suspect is an elite family. We found numerous small foundation stones with crystals and carvings on them, but our job is to focus on these..." She led him down some wooden steps, into a sunken area where stone pillars were still partially buried in the ground. The stone pillars were made of round pieces stacked on top of each other, but they were carved with images to decorate them. Floral motifs were on the pedestal and crown, but bands of text in Promelian went around them.

His heart quickened as he took a step forward and wanted to touch the grooves. He pulled his hand back before he touched it. He looked at Genet.

"Which one had I been translating?"

"The southeast pillars, one and two," she said, taking him towards the far corner. Light crystals had been placed to help illuminate the pillars. She pointed to the top.

"It starts from there and then goes all the way to the bottom." Montan nodded. His canvas bag was slung across his body and he dug out the scroll.

"I can finally check." Genet gave him a wry smile. She patted his shoulder.

"Translating from carvings is difficult. Don't be discouraged." How could he possibly be? He'd been excited to compare what he'd painstakingly translated to the carvings on site, but the further he went along, the more his excitement faded. He couldn't help but be disappointed to find that the copied samples, which was rubbed onto parchment, had faded somewhat, so there could be a discrepancy. Some characters could've had portions chipped, rubbed, or smoothened off, resulting in the character being misread.

In a way, it made sense as his final translations didn't always follow what he'd consider sentences and full thoughts the way he'd thought. His arms fell at his side, still holding on to the scroll.

"There are variables in the characters that could be mistranslated," he said with a frown.

"Mistranslations are more common than you think," Genet replied as she gave him a sympathetic look.

"Master suggests that any characters that we suspect of missing a portion that could make it another character should be documented and all possible characters written beside it for translation."

"Has that worked when translating a section?" Montan asked. Her warm face brightened.

"Yes! Yes, actually, it has! Hold on, I have an example!" She turned to her side and began to dig through her canvas satchel that carried both her tools, notebook, and assorted snacks. She pulled out a folded piece of paper and gave it to Montan with pride. He furrowed his brows and reached out to take it, exchanging his scroll for hers. He looked it over and understood what Professor Hailan was saying. As his eyes swept over the translation, with the different possible translations, it began to make sense.

"Which pillar does this correspond to?"

"Oh! Northeast, pillar three," she said. She pointed and Montan followed her finger to the pillar in question. He looked at the translations and then at the image. It seemed to be a domestic scene of people sitting on seats in a room. There was a small figure, likely a child, playing with a dog.

"It's a blessing for the home," he said. He turned around and looked at Genet.

"Are all these pillars...." He motioned to the six on each side.

"Are they all blessings?"

"I don't know, we just started translating them last month, but not many people study Promelian, so we're spread out...." Genet scratched the back of her head, sheepish.

"How... how many translators are there?" Montan asked.

"Counting you?" He nodded. Genet looked away. Her voice was quiet.

"Three." His face fell.

"Then... you, myself, and Professor Hailan?" He didn't understand how that could be. There were at least a dozen people he met at Royal Nazaria who focused on Promelian alone within the ancient languages department in the last month. And those were only the students he'd run into. Genet nodded helplessly.

"Few translators want to come onsite. They prefer to do their work indoors." Montan looked around the ruined pavilion. Not only the pillars, but the walls were carved with bands of text as decoration. Some of the tiles he saw had text. And that was just in this one room. He swallowed hard and then took a deep breath.

"Then... we should get to work." ♡・・・・・・♡・・・・・・♡・・・・・・♡・・・・・・♡・・・・・・♡ The man on the other end of the call let out an arrogant snort.

"That fool needs to be more decisive and order his students to come. This shouldn't be a choice. It should be used as practical experience and if he can't force them, he should offer credit somehow," Master Kasen said in a firm, somewhat irritated voice.

"He's letting his students ignore such an opportunity." Montan didn't want to agree with calling Professor Hailan a fool, but he did agree with making the professor's other students come to the field. He'd only been there twice, for a week each time, and Montan already felt he'd learned so much. Every morning he was excited to go to the site and every evening, Constantine had to come and pry him away or he'd lose track of the time and simply forget to eat.

He swore it was because he was indoors and didn't notice how the day went. He also asked Constantine not to tell anyone, because he knew it would get to Axton's ears and his brother would worry that he wasn't eating properly.

"Perhaps coming to the field location isn't for everyone," Montan said. Although it was for him. He could understand Professor Guevera's vigor and didn't blame her for coming as soon as she was free from her duties as marchioness.

"It is a shame though. Professor Hailan works at the main research hall as the head translator, so Genet and I can only work on translations by ourselves and ask questions later." Master grumbled about the uselessness of his colleague.

"I have half a mind to come down there myself, but the children-""Daddy, you can go! I can go to tutoring all by myself!" Montan heard a little girl's voice exclaim.

"Nice try, Princess, but the only classes you go to willingly are dance and dagger." Master's voice was always gentle with his children.

"I'm afraid you will try to get out of your general education tutoring." Montan could almost see Fiona's shifty eyes and somewhat nervous expression, as if she'd been caught.

"Then... you can bring me with you?"

"How are you going to do your dance classes?"

"This is troublesome...." How Master's children were so different always confused Montan. Albert had tried to explain it as Robert was older and had a better understanding of what his position in the Guevera family appeared to the world. As an adopted son to a march who had a disability that put limitations on his physical abilities, he strived to excel at all things scholarly in hopes of showing his worth to the family. On the other hand, Fiona was younger.

She was a 'mascot' of the family who was coddled and so she didn't feel as deep a pressure as her brother. She freely did what she wanted, which Montan could argue was like her aunt. But whether he meant to or not, Robert took after Master. His charms skill already surpassed Montan's and he was brilliant.

"Can I go?" Thinking of the boy, his voice came through the comcry.

"I've learned Promelian and Nazar."

"Robert, I'm worried you're too young to go so far at your age."

"Great-Grammy will be there and I'm ahead of my studies here. Far ahead. Didn't you just tell Montan that going to the field would be an opportunity?" Logic went head-to-head against logic, but there was no conclusion. At the end, Master agreed to consider it and discuss it with Professor Guevera. Later, Montan got a call from Robert assuring him that he would try his best to go and help. He sounded very eager and excited, showing his age as opposed to the calm, stoic boy he usually appeared to be.

Montan told Professor Hailan the next day and the man nearly dropped his breakfast tray.

"Kasen has a son?" He looked as if all the wind had been knocked out of him.

"He never even told me he was married!" Montan grimaced and Constantine, who was seated beside him at breakfast, tried to calm the man down.

"Professor, Lord Kasen isn't married-""He isn't married and has a son!?" The professor's brows shot up in scandal.

"I never saw him as the type!"

"No, Professor." Constantine ran a hand down his face. On Montan's other side, Genet didn't seem bothered by her master's reaction. She almost seemed to have expected it and continued to eat with gusto.

"Adan, what is wrong with you?" Professor Guevera passed and gave him the look of an elder asking a junior exactly what she asked him.

"Professor, did you know your grandson has children?" Professor Hailan looked at Professor Guevera, as if ready to tattle. Montan blinked and began to understand why his master called Professor Hailan a fool. Professor Guevera rolled her eyes.

"Of course, I know. He adopted our Fifi and Robi four or so years ago. Fifi dances like an angel and our Robi is a genius. He called me last night and asked if I could support him in coming to help translate." Professor Hailan cocked his head to the side.

"Translate what?"

"Promelian." Professor Hailan was still for a moment.

"How.... how old is Kasen's son?"

"Robi is turning twelve this year." Montan could see the corner of Professor Hailan's eye twitch.

"Twelve?"

"Yes."

"Twelve... and he knows Promelian? One of the most difficult to translate of the regional ancient languages?"

"What part of our Robi is a genius do you not understand, Adan?" Professor Guevera rolled her eyes once more and continued on her way to eat with the other senior staff.

"Master, are you all right?" Genet asked as they looked at the man standing in front of them, ready to sway and fall at any moment.

"His son is twelve and a genius... I'm not even married yet."

"Professor, I don't think it matters-""I need to get married... have my own children...." Professor Hailan ran a hand through his hair.

"How did Kasen get so far ahead of me so quickly? That cheater!"

"Professor-""That's it!" Professor Hailan slapped his fist on the palm of his other hand.

"I'm going to work at the Temple of Lastra on site one." Genet immediately stood up to protest.

"Professor, that's thirty minutes away! Who are we going to go to if you're off site two?" He shook his head.

"Don't worry! I'll be back by evening. Just save your questions for then!" He gave them a bright smile and dashed off. Genet stood with her mouth agape. She sat down and sighed.

"What is the Temple of Lastra?" Montan asked.

"Lastra is the old regional god of marriage. If I remember correctly, she was the sister of the god of death that the Declyan temples are dedicated to," Constantine said. His eyes crinkled up.

"Is Professor Hailan going to pray?"

"No, he's just determined to get married and it is said that touching the ten icons at the temple is supposed to grant a wish for marriage," Genet sighed.

"Since I became his pupil, every time he gets a girlfriend, he is dumped shortly after, as he is too involved with his work. His parents have tried to set him up, but no luck so far. Now that he knows that Montan's master has children, he's more determined. This is going to make it much more difficult for us to do our work." Montan sat up.

"Does the wish come true?" Genet shrugged.

"I've never tried." She tilted her head and looked at him curiously.

"Are you... interested?" Constantine raised his brow as well and looked at Montan. Montan looked down at his plate.

"I'd like to take a look." ♡・・・・・・♡・・・・・・♡・・・・・・♡・・・・・・♡・・・・・・♡"Is it for your brother?" Constantine asked as soon as Montan told him that Professor Hailan agreed to let him come to the Temple of Lastra with him. The temple's texts weren't in high Promelian, but in vulgar Promelian, which he could still translate. Montan's eyes darted away.

"It is not that my brother cannot find a wife by himself, I only want to speed up the process. The duchy will only feel stable when my brother is married with an heir on the way." He sat down on the edge of his bed and ran a hand through his thick, dark blue-black hair.

"The least I can do for Axton is to make a wish on his behalf." Constantine seemed to watch him carefully and then let out a heavy sigh.

"Montan, Duke Axton's delay in marriage is not your fault."

"Perhaps not directly, but I have something to do with it. I'm his father's mistress' child," Montan said, his voice dropping as he lowered his eyes shamefully.

"I know Axton loves me as he would a real brother-""You are his real brother."

"You know what I mean," Montan replied, looking up.

"I'm an embarrassment to the Alvere Duchy and it reflects strangely on my brother. My existence disgusts others. What respectable family would want me as part of a family?" Constantine furrowed his brows.

"If they cannot understand Duke Axton's choices and trust him, why would the duke marry them?"

"I am still standing in his way."

"Duke Axton does not think so and I am confident of that," Constantine said with a slight smile.

"He treats you well. Whatever you want to do, he will support you. I've heard him say it. You are not standing in his way." Despite his words, Montan couldn't shake the feeling that if it weren't for him disgusting high born ladies, his brother would at least already be engaged. Constantine let out a heavy sigh. Montan knew he meant well, but he still wanted to go to the temple with hopes to at least pray for his brother's successful marriage the next time he came.

One week had passed and he spent the rest of it at his original worksite with Genet, who huffed that it wasn't fair that he got to go while she still had to sit there and finish translating the pillars. She kept prodding at Montan, asking why he wanted to go and if it was because he had someone he liked. Eventually, Montan said it was for his brother and ended up telling her the situation. Her eyes had widened when she was told that he was an illegitimate son.

He had been hesitant to look up and see her expression of possible disgust, which he was used to. Normally, he'd grown used to it, but in the short time they'd been together, Genet was not only his fellow charms pupil, but a friend.

"Your brother must really love you," she said with some envy in her voice. Montan's head snapped up and saw her thoughtful expression.

"You're lucky. There are some families, especially in the big powerful families, where relationships aren't close and brothers hate each other." Without any sense of disgust, she moved closer and lowered her voice.

"Besra, head of the onsite records, and his older brother have the same parents, but one was highly favored and the other resents them for it. The two don't get along. I heard it's very ugly, that's why he lives here most of the year." She gossiped a bit more and Montan relaxed the tension around him. He didn't want to go any further with his family drama, so he sat and listened to Genet's ramblings as he made carving rubbings of the pillars.

The next week, he and Constantine had to return to campus, and Genet gave him a list of things to bring back, as she lived onsite most of the year, as in Nazaria, most pupils remained with their masters at all times. During the time he returned, Montan tried to sell onsite field research to peers who could be translators. While there were a few who seemed interested, the prospect of doing such difficult work in the desert put off most people. Montan couldn't help but be disappointed.

Constantine tried to comfort him, but also felt that students were missing such a good opportunity.

"How can you not feel your heart race when something new is discovered right in front of your eyes?" He had exclaimed with a heavy sigh. They went to collect some items for Genet and their two other roommates and when they returned to the field, they distributed them. Genet came to meet them at the entrance to their building. As soon as Montan came out, she rushed to him.

"We've lost Master," she said with a tired, almost defeated, sigh.

"What?" Montan pulled his head back.

"He's been staying at site one, sleeping near the temple, because he can't figure out the right combination for the Lastra icons." Montan was even more confused.

"Combination?" Genet looked up at the sky and thought for a moment.

"Follow me." She led him back to their worksite.

"Pretend ten of these pillars are tiles with icons on them and each icon has a crystal. In order to make a wish, you need to activate each crystal, but in a certain pattern."

"Understood... how do you know what pattern?"

"There's also a row of text beneath the icon tiles, so Master has been translating them to try to get clues as to which crystal to activate next, but he's been there for two weeks now and all the ones he's tried don't work," Genet said.

"Also, it turns out that the crystals can only be activated a few times a day, once every several hours, so he has to wait until it resets to try again. He's become obsessed! I have so many questions I want to ask him about, but he's so determined to figure out the right pattern, that I've barely seen him!" She threw her arms in the air and sat down on a wooden bench, exhausted. She looked up at him and crinkled her eyes.

"Is your master looking for more pupils?" Montan tried not to chuckle.

"Then, if the Professor doesn't come to us, let us go to the Professor." Genet sighed once more.

"Why not? Since he has time in between activations, we might as well ask him questions." She began to gather the papers she was working on and Montan helped her. They stopped to refill their water canisters and then went to the wagon stop, where a large, covered wagon would take people to and from different excavation sites in the area every hour. If one couldn't wait, they could pay extra to rent a donkey. The ride to site one was about half an hour and Montan asked Genet what she knew about the temple.

He couldn't find much on it at the linguistics library and Constantine didn't know as much as he'd hoped; just stories on Lastra and how young couples who wished to marry would go to her temples to pray. Genet said not much was left to study either, as at one point, the temple of Lastra started a cult of sorts, which caused trouble for the region as it involved extortion and sacrifice, so the ancient kingdom marked the cult members as enemies of the kingdom.

They were hunted down and the temple and goddess were abandoned, with prayer for marriage turning to the goddess of fertility instead. The only temple of Lastra that remained in decent ruins where it was still moderately recognizable was at site one. At best, former temples had foundation markers with her name on them, but they'd been destroyed otherwise. In recent years, Lastra had regained some popularity, but more as good luck in love and attaining marriage.

The whole wish rumor came about because the man who discovered the temple of Lastra in site one supposedly met someone and married shortly after, despite years of being a bachelor and having two, not one, but two, broken engagements. He hadn't been the last to find love and get married. As Tori had once said: once is a happenstance, twice is a coincidence, but three times is a pattern.

"Then... Professor hopes to be the fifth?"

"I suppose," Genet said, scratching the top of her head.

"He's really not making this easy for us. Especially for you. You're only here for a few months and all guidance provided is useful."

"If I do a good job, I'm hoping to come back again next year." Genet's eyes perked up.

"Really? You're willing to come again?" Montan nodded.

"Constantine and I are really enjoying ourselves and we're learning a lot. I can see why Master said this is an opportunity."

"Great! That's wonderful!" Genet clapped her hands together and then giggled.

"Finally, someone to share the workload with." She paused and looked at him.

"Your brother is very fond of you. Will he let you come?"

"Axton always supports me," Montan said, not realizing that he was bragging.

"If I want to continue to study, he will pay for it. If I want to go home, then I am welcome to live at home and commute to work, as before. He says that what I want to do, he will do his utmost to support me, as long as I am safe and happy." Genet sighed.

"So lucky... my brothers told me that they're giving my room to my nephew and no longer have a place at home since I moved out to work here." Her shoulders slumped and Montan patted one of them.

"I hope your brother marries a woman who likes you. Not like my sister-in-laws."

"I also hope my brother marries someone who likes me," Montan said with a sad smile.

"I want my brother to be happy and for the duchy to have an heir, but I don't want to lose my brother. He is my only blood relation." The wagon stopped at site one's wagon stop. They climbed out and Montan looked around. The set up was similar to site two, but there were just slightly less people. That wasn't saying much considering site one was smaller. Genet showed the guard their crystal fobs to identify them and then went to the temple of Lastra.

Unlike the pavilion where they worked, which was in an open area, the temple was built into a cave on one of the stone mountains. Site one was closer to the mountains and the remains of the ancient river had carved a small canyon that still remained. Light crystals were hung along the interior of the cave. They walked through a narrow hall, about ten paces, and then it opened up into a high ceiling and a room at least fifteen paces across with ten sides.

The icon tiles that Genet had told him about stood out against the walls, all with light blue-green, opaque stones on the center of the tiles.

"What are you two doing here?" Professor Hailan looked up from where he was on his hands and knees, writing something on a piece of paper on the ground. He looked frazzled.

"Montan came back, Master. He's going to help you, remember?" Professor Hailan blinked and dropped his jaw.

"It's been a week already?" Montan pursed his lips. That was not a good sign.

"Professor, I was thinking. Perhaps this week, both Genet and I can stay and help you here." It seemed to tempt him, but he shook his head.

"No, no... if that happens, who will translate on site two?"

"About that, Professor. My master wants to speak to you...." ♡・・・・・・♡・・・・・・♡・・・・・・♡・・・・・・♡・・・・・・♡ Two hours later, including one extended comcry conversation with a very annoyed-sounding Master Kasen, Professor Hailan had agreed to return to the college to recruit more students for translating onsite for credits in his classes. He'd also been thoroughly lambasted about taking better care and giving better guidance to his pupil.

"You want a brilliant pupil? Then become a resolute master!" Montan had almost felt secondhand embarrassment for Professor Hailan. In the end, he and Genet returned to site two to collect some supplies to bring with them to site one. Montan notified Constantine and Genet told her roommate. Dr. Anbessa gave them two tents she had that could hold one person each and reminded them to stay hydrated. Genet sighed, complaining that she should get a new charms master. She'd never used a single person tent before.

However, upon unpacking it, Montan realized they were Lions Gate branded pitch tents. He laughed and easily put his together before helping Genet with hers.

"This is your godsister's company?" She gawked as she stood to the side, watching him crawl in so he could put up the post.

"Lions Gate is well known in Nazaria."

"Yes, you're one of Soleil's big trading partners. My godsister and some friends started Lions Gate when they were in their first year of Lycée. The down coat you've seen me wear is from there."

"Those coats are difficult to buy here as the stores don't usually order them since they're cold weather clothing," Genet replied. Montan crawled backwards out of the tent once he finished putting it up.

"What color do you want? I'll put in an order. Ilyana, who is one of the owners and my godsister's best friend, said that if I or Constantine need anything from home, they'll send it over on their trade ship."

"Wow..." Genet looked impressed.

"It really is who you know." Montan smiled, feeling warm, as if he'd been praised.

"I am very lucky to know them." He looked around and sighed.

"And if we'll be camping here for the duration of our semester, I should also ask for camping things. I'll do it right now." Montan sat down on a rock near where they pitched their tents and Genet crouched down beside him as he called Henrik after Ilyana didn't answer. It turns out, she was studying and Henrik was coming back from Lions Gate. After confirming what Montan wanted, Henrik said they would be on the next ship to Nazaria and he'd arrange for delivery.

"Thanks, Montan!" Genet said.

"How much is the jacket? I will pay you for it." Montan shook his head.

"Think of it as a repayment for your guiding me this entire time." Genet shook her head in return.

"I can't do that. I wanted to guide you. It's also part of my job." Montan thought for a moment.

"I'll give you a discount then." Genet beamed. She could accept that. The two finished setting up their camp next to Professor Hailan's bedroll before going to get food and then going to drag their instructor out of the temple cave to eat. Even when he sat outside the cave entrance, shoveling food into his mouth, he was distracted.

"I just don't understand," Professor Hailan said with a depressed shake of his head.

"I translated all the text multiple times over. I feel as if I'm missing something."

"The text on the icons are complete, Master?" Genet asked. Professor Hailan nodded.

"Yes, and I've checked the substitutions."

"Professor, I don't think you need to do this in order to get married," Montan said.

"It's no longer about marriage, Montan. Now I only want to figure this out." Though Professor Hailan was a charms master, Montan still thought of the words 'crystal fanatic'.

"Master, at least get some rest. You've told me before that rest is necessary in order to think clearly," Genet urged.

"Montan has ordered camping gear, so we can set up around the temple better." Professor Hailan looked at Montan, touched.

"You are a good student." Montan gave him a nod of thanks.

"Do you want to be my pupil?" Montan crinkled his eyes and avoided looking at the earnest man with obvious rejection.

"No... no, I'm quite happy with Master Kasen. Thank you, Professor." The next day, they dove back into the temple. Montan's eyes were once more drawn to the tiles and icons with the crystals along the walls. Genet and Professor Hailan seemed to pour over the first icon as Montan walked around to observe the area. His master always told him to pay attention to one's surroundings, as charms could have a negative impact on the environment if they weren't paying attention.

That was why particular charms couldn't be made in mass to be used at the ready. They had to be prepared in accordance to the environment, like some crystals Tori worked on. This was especially true for complex charms made with a specific purpose in mind. Montan walked around the cave. The decagon room had tiles placed on each of the ten smooth walls.

A hole had been drilled from the center top to let in some light, though due to how far they were in the mountain, the shaft was long and the amount of light from a hole only as big as he was wide was small was minimal. Most of it concentrated in the center, as well, thus light crystals were used to illuminate the room instead. Montan stood beneath the hole and could see the light at the far end. The shaft itself was surprisingly bright and he furrowed his brows. Was it coated with crystal shards to glisten?

That explained why he could still make out the light hitting the floor despite the light crystals that should've overwhelmed it. He took a step back to see where the light hit the ground. It was very weak compared to the light crystals, but he could still make out the spot where it hit on the rock floor. Montan furrowed his brows and took another step back. He looked around the dirt covered floor. It was just rock. Solid rock.

He didn't think about it earlier, but the pavilion where he was working before had a tile floor and it was a private residence. In a temple that had been carved into the mountain with sky light shaft that must've been difficult to dig out, why didn't the floor have tile or stone paving that would've been fitting in a temple? Why was it so bare? He knelt down and touched the floor, then walked to the side and touched the wall. He drew his head back as he looked up and down.

The walls, aside from the tile, were a different stone from the floor. He extended his energy. The walls had little crystal energy outside of the crystals on the tile icons, but he could still feel some there. Not at all surprising. He glanced at Professor Hailan and Genet before kneeling down again. The floor had energy. Much more energy, though not concentrated. He snatched his hand back and stared at the floor. There were know cracks or lines, so it wasn't tiled or paved.

It was one giant slab and he didn't know if it was naturally found at the bottom of the mountain and chiseled to be flat or somehow carried in. But the energy felt stable, so he guessed that it was likely natural. Powerful cities and centers were built on natural energy veins; why couldn't a temple be built in a select spot where energy was ample? The ancients were mysterious. Did that have anything to do with the icons? Montan's eyes drifted back to the walls. Where would he start?

His gaze went back to the light shaft and followed it down the floor in the center of the room. He walked to the center and knelt down. He moved his fingers around the area where the light hit and could feel a slight indentation. He furrowed his brows and began to brush away the dirt and dust.

"Did you find something?" Genet asked.

"I think the floor has decorations," he replied. Genet looked disappointed.

"Oh-""Let's try this pattern!" Professor Hailan shouted and Genet went to watch, but Montan continued to clean out the slight grooves. They were deeper than what would've been a scratch. The ground was also paler than the walls, which were more reddish-brown. The floors were covered with reddish-brown dirt and dust, but they appeared to be lighter and had a cooler tint. It must've been purposely carved. He reached into his satchel and made a rubbing of the center tile. He lifted it up and frowned when he was done.

He didn't recognize the symbol. If it was a symbol to begin with. It was a circle, but the inside had been carved in. It was filled with dirt, so he hadn't realized it at first. Now it looked like a random hole on the ground. It could've easily been the result of rainwater dripping down from the light shaft over millennia and creating a dent.

"It's probably nothing...." He let out a disappointed sigh and stood up to check on Professor Hailan. However, his disappointed sign wasn't nearly as bad as Professor Hailan's. The charms master failed again.