Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

As the morning sun ascended, Rain couldn't shake the feeling that Esmeralda might have an inkling about his true identity and his connection to Branden. It was increasingly apparent that those who harbored a certain fear of him probably had more knowledge about his background than he'd prefer.

Rain mulled over whether this newfound awareness stemmed from Branden's actions or his own inadvertent disclosure. He also exchanged a subtle glance with his father. Still, their disparity in hair color made it challenging to draw any definitive conclusions.

"You guys sure know how to make this trip awkward," Branden said.

"I am not doing anything. She is just being overly careful of looking at me since I am more handsome than you," Rain said while they were preparing to move when the sun began to rise.

"Yeah, right…" Braden chuckled. "... he is wrong, right?"

"Nothing more handsome than a guy insecure about his appearance," Rain shrugged.

As the group pressed forward, Esmeralda leaned closer to Branden and whispered something in his ear. A noticeable transformation swept across Branden's face, moving from a worried expression to one of relief. Rain found it intriguing that even someone as renowned as Branden sought the approval of others.

They continued their journey on foot, with Rain shouldering the burden of their belongings. He had opted to forgo his usual weights, leaving him feeling somewhat uneasy. Despite the need for vigilance, Rain couldn't shake this sense of restlessness that seemed to bother him.

"How are we going to proceed from here?" Rain asked.

"We will walk like normal until someone at the border finds us. We have a document with the royal crest, and Esmeralda also has one. She just has to sign the truce with it," Branden said. "We should be sure not to lose it, though."

In this world, family crests served not only as symbols of lineage and status but also played a crucial role in legal matters, especially for authenticating signatures on important documents. Faking a family crest was a serious offense. Still, the gravest crime of all, one punishable by death, involved attempting to forge or use the royal crest when one had no rightful claim to it.

Rain fully grasped the significance of these laws, and it struck him as peculiar that their adversaries were insistent on having a member of the royal family present.

As for Esmeralda, Rain couldn't help but notice her determination. She didn't come across as entitled or spoiled, and her resolute commitment to this journey hinted at a strong character. Nevertheless, it didn't necessarily imply that she lacked naivety or had no regard for her own safety.

Around noon, the group reached the border between the nations, and Rain looked around for possible scouts. He didn't find any, even with his magic eyes. That made him think that some people in their country truly were working for the magic people as well. Thanks to that, they will be able to avoid ambushes for a while.

"I don't know much about the magic people's country now that I think about it. Where is their closest city or village?" Rain asked.

"It should be two days away. Thanks to their tradition, the weakest tribes leave further from the central area of their country," Branden explained.

"Is it more fertile or something?" Rain asked.

"That is right, even though they can control the weather, only a few tribes can do that and even turn barren lands into places where something can grow," Branden explained. "In the past, they fought each other for the central areas since that caused too many deaths. Eventually, only the tribe leaders would fight for the territories.

Even if one of them won a land, they could only challenge one month later to maintain some semblance of order."

"You are well informed," Rain said. "I guess I should broaden the types of books that I read."

"You only studied in the school of Tristan for two months, right?" Branden asked. "I guess it can't be helped since this kind of lesson is common knowledge in the capital academy."

"My little sisters will learn for me," Rain shrugged.

As the group traveled throughout the day, nightfall eventually compelled them to establish their camp. After contributing to the camp preparations, Rain decided to take a brief nap to replenish his energy. During his short slumber beneath the night sky, he found himself engaged in a compelling conversation upon awakening.

In this conversation, Rain and Branden delved into the history of the magic people. They discussed how, over the past century, these magical communities had become increasingly interconnected. Their population had expanded significantly, but they still maintained a strict homogenous structure, forbidding inter-tribal marriages.

That puzzled Rain since they wanted to marry him with that crazy bitch. It only made it more obvious that they wanted to brainwash him. In recent decades, the various magic tribes have begun trading with each other, fostering increased cooperation among them. Each tribe possessed its own villages and towns, and the size of their territories generally correlated with their populations.

Nevertheless, their lands were somewhat less fertile than those inhabited by humans. This resource discrepancy likely played a role in their attempts to encroach upon human territories over the past decade.

Due to their increased contact, the magic tribes established a council comprising leaders from each tribe. They implemented a system where leaders could gain more influence based on their achievements and the prosperity of their tribes. In times of crisis, some leaders could even command other tribes if a leader was incapacitated or died and a new leader couldn't be promptly selected.

"I guess that means that their chain of command will never be destroyed," Rain said and then sighed. "That is why they only retreated after two out of the three generals retreated… they have too much autonomy in times of war, the guys the upper echelon."

"That is right, assassination isn't an option against them, not like we have many people good at that," Branden said. "Not that I know, at least."

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