Both of them played around till afternoon. When Angelina saw that her mentor was about to return, she left the tower with Locke. Every caster had a quirk, and her mentor's was that he didn't like being disturbed by others.

The trip was worth it. Locke had taken a few pieces of fluorite with him and Angelina gave him a black cane.

"It can cast two Fireballs at once," said Angelina. The cane was created by her mentor. Although it was a single-use item, it was worth at least a hundred gold thalers.

Locke put the cane into his pocket. He didn't know how valuable it was, but he'd seen the power of Fireball once. It was during the time when he was in Farlans cast by a low-rank Lehrling. It was probably just as powerful as far as he was concerned.

But of course, it wasn't true. There was a huge difference in the capabilities of a peak-level Lehrling and a low-rank Lehrling. The former could cause easily deal ten times the damage as the latter with the same spell.

Locke was almost done with settling his family's matters. There were enough servants for his parents, a spacious house, a carriage for travelling and 700 gold thalers. All of these were sufficient for Locke Senior and Tia to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.

He also gave his address to some of his acquaintances such as Melson, Cardoj, Wyr and a few noble knights that he knew. They'd gone to visit his family several times.

George, who was Melson's uncle and 2nd Division's jarl, was the most honourable one among all of the nobles. He wasn't like the other nobles and probably the only one who knew the preciousness of this house. If he remembered correctly, this was one of Angelina's assets in the royal capital.

It seemed like the relationship between the princess and Locke was better than he imagined. George kept the thought to himself and wasn't planning to tell anyone about it.

The frequent visits by the nobles really made Locke Senior and Tia feel flattered. Locke Senior felt like he was dreaming when the big shots sat in front of him and talked to him in a friendly manner.

"I'm planning to learn some noble etiquette," said Locke Senior determinedly.

"Me too!" Tia wanted to learn some etiquettes as well. She didn't want to embarrass her son.

"Alright. Leave that up to me," said Locke while chewing on his steak. He was planning to have Mobson teach his parents.

As Locke's departure got closer, his family acted like everything was fine and lived harmoniously every day. Only they themselves knew how much pressure and pain they'd endured.

......

The king's family was eating in a hall in the palace, with him sitting at the highest position, followed by Kate and the other concubines. Kenzir sat on the right side that was closest to the king, whereas Angelina sat on the left, followed by the king's other children.

Their dinner was like a meeting. Everyone concentrated on eating their food and didn't make any noise. After the king swallowed his last piece of salad and put down the silver fork and knife, the servant next to him handed a napkin to him.

He finally said his first sentence as he wiped his mouth. "How's the preparation?"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and listened quietly. All of them knew that the question was for Angelina.

Angelina wasn't as cautious and reserved as her siblings. She asked the maid to bring her a bowl of mouthwash. After rinsing her mouth, she sat upright and replied, "I'm all good to go!"

"That's good to hear." The king nodded. He had no choice but to send his favourite daughter off to Aomar and he was very reluctant about it. Fortunately, she would only be away for five years and they would meet again soon.

"Do you need a group of elite cavalrymen from Lion corps as your escort?" asked Kenzir. He cared about his sister as much as the king did.

"Nah, it's fine. It's not like I'm going for a battle. Having a unit of capital guards and two units of shadow guards will be enough," said Angelina.

The king didn't say anything as he felt that Angelina's suggestion was good enough for her protection. It would be a long journey to Aomar and they would need to pass by several kingdoms along the way. If a regular unit from Lion corps escorted Angelina, other countries would put up their guard. Faustian had been in the limelight for too many times in the past few years, so they couldn't afford any more diplomatic issues.

The king, Kenzir and Angelina talked about her upcoming departure casually, while the other princes and princesses in the dining hall listened like strangers. Kate also had an awkward expression on her face.

She then interrupted and asked, "Do you want me to ask my brother to dispatch a squad of light cavalrymen to escort Angelina?"

The three of them stopped their conversation instantly. The king's face was expressionless and nobody could tell what he was feeling. Meanwhile, Angelina refused and said, "Uncle Kent must be very busy. I think it's better for his light cavalry to stay in Ligia Union."

The Ligia Union was currently in a conflict with Jose. Kent, one of the lords, was utterly drained from the fights. Kenzir just hummed coldly in response and didn't even bother to respond to her suggestion. The dinner ended in a weird atmosphere.

......

On the night before the departure, Locke packed up his clothes in his bedroom, but there wasn't much as Suzanne had already done most of it for him a long time ago. Locke and Lia had their own bedrooms when they moved into this villa.

Locke had been away for so many years, so Locke Senior and Tia weren't worried about him. They were now in Lia's room, and Tia was nagging at her while packing her luggage.

"You have to take good care of yourself."

"Okay."

"Although you're the elder sister, you have to listen to your younger brother on important matters. He has travelled extensively, so he has more experience and knowledge than you."

"Okay."

"Don't worry about me and your father, we'll be fine."

"Okay."

Tia talked and Lia listened. But as she kept talking, tears rolled down her cheeks.

Locke Senior couldn't stand this kind of parting the most. After staying in his daughter's room for a while, he went out and sat by the door. He then took his pipe out and smoked silently.

Locke went out and stood beside his father. He then lit the fine tobacco with a flint skillfully.

Tia and Lia cried when they were parting, but Locke and his father just sat together quietly. Nobody knew what was on their minds.

"When you were young, I brought you to the village entrance to look at maple leaves." Locke Senior said after exhaling a ring of smoke.

"Yeah."

Both of them fell silent again. Locke had a lot to say, but the words just stuck in his throat.

After accompanying his father for a smoke, Locke wanted to go inside to see his mother. Suddenly, Locke Senior grabbed his hand.

The old and skinny man widened his eyes and solemnly said, "Please be good to your sister!" He then left after saying that.

Locke was left there alone, overwhelmed with emotion.

On the last day of August, the sky in Audis was darker than usual.

The citizens thought that it was just an ordinary rainy day. A large group of envoys with about 200 people gathered on a hill outside the city.

The king stood at the front of the group dressed in casual clothes and a coat. He constantly reminded Angelina, who was about to depart, to take care of herself.

Kenzir stood next to his father and seemed less shaken than him. He'd already said and provided whatever he needed to. All he wanted to was wish his sister a safe journey.

Locke Senior and Tia were also there to see their children off. They stood in the middle of the convoy dewy-eyed, but they didn't say anything sentimental.

It was now past noon and it was drizzling. The group of envoys started their journey slowly as their family members bade them farewell. Locke turned around on horseback, waved goodbye to his parents, and embarked on a new journey.