Six months have passed since Manila's disappearance. The search for her has yielded no results, and the trail has gone cold. The news of Luccio Felnatus's death has spread throughout the kingdom, but not in the way Mellorus would have liked.
Using his influence and contacts, Boltu has revealed everything that happened between Manila's kidnapping and at the place where she was being held, not missing any details of the deserved fate of her captors. This has caused a great uproar throughout the kingdom, tarnishing the immaculate image of the Felnatus family and causing Mellorus great discontentment.
The creation of the Markash family duchy split the Archduchy of Felnatus in half, causing great confusion and unrest in Orlosian society. During the royal family's official announcement on the matter, many rumors were generated suggesting that the friendship between Boltu Markash and Mellorus Felnatus had ended.
Located in the northern part of the new duchy around the Markash family mansion, construction work to create a new city began at full speed. Sparing no expense, Count Boltu hired hundreds of workers to carry out the project. A new city focused on trade and crafts called Minarian.
The search for Manila continued, but it was all in vain. There were no traces of her existence or anything that could help them find her; it was as if she had disappeared into thin air. This caused immense pain to Boltu and Elzen, who had great affection for her, even in different ways. The feeling of failure towards her made them both lose much of the joy they once had. To deal with these feelings, Count Boltu spent his time and money to speed up the construction of his city as much as possible, and Elzen dedicated himself to intensive training.
A year after Manila's disappearance, the Minarian City project was completed. Many people from all over the kingdom decided to move to this new city, exceeding Count Boltu's expectations. Craftsmen and merchants came in waves to establish their names and brands, settling in the already-built shops and even requesting permission to build new ones.
The city guard was created and composed of former members of the Judgment Regiment. Vanessa Cartwheel, former captain of the regiment Judgement, was appointed the commander, and Bartholomeo Abaracci became the vice commander.
Three entrance gates allow entrance; they are located north, east, and west of the Markash family mansion in the city center. At each entrance, there is an administrative building for the guards, which registers the entry and exit of all those passing through or needing a place to settle.
To facilitate administrative efforts and avoid logistical problems, the city was divided into three zones that always started from the center and extended in a controlled manner to one of the gates. The northern area was designated for commerce and industry, the eastern part for residences, and the western part for military and entertainment. This was the best solution to ensure the quality of life for the city's inhabitants.
A carriage passed through the northern gates after the usual inspection for contraband or illegal items, with four occupants preparing to register as citizens. A dwarf of robust build wearing clothes worthy of a master blacksmith, hair and beard as black as coal and a strong and confident look, an elf with an enchanting beauty with her copper hair and blue eyes that compared to well-crafted sapphires, a halven child who drew attention due to her shiny hair in a mix of black and copper, and a young human woman with long silver hair, tied in a long braid, wearing plate armor that covered her entire body, except for her head. Inside one of the many migration offices in the administrative building, the group is attended by a young assistant.
"Welcome to Minarian. From what I've been told by our guards at the gate, you're here to establish residency, right?"
"Yes, we saw a pamphlet inviting people to try a new life in this city, and it seemed promising." The dwarf replied in a gruff, calm voice.
"That's wonderful, yes, the idea for the pamphlets was the count's own. He was sure that it would catch people's attention." The young man smiles proudly. "Now I just need the name of each of you and what profession you intend to practice here.
"My name is Ghord Gharm-Ferhan. I'm a traveling blacksmith, so to speak. After all these years practicing this profession, it's the first time I've thought about keeping a permanent residence. Right next to me..." He points to the elf. "It's my wife, Alliah Ferndiel."
"Enchanted, I work as a leatherworker and armorer." Alliah's melodic voice is enchanting, and the young man is charmed by it.
"Next to my wife is my greatest treasure, in fact, our treasure. My daughter, Aimel Ferndiel Gharm-Ferhan, she's still too young to actively do anything professionally, but she always helps us when possible."
"And this young lady on my right is Milla Markrul. She is my apprentice; I tell you, she is a prodigy." Said Ghord with pride in his voice.
Without saying anything, she smiles and bows her head. The young man then continues to write down the necessary information on the papers. When he finishes, he gives each of them an identification card and a copy of the registration papers.
"Once again, I want to welcome you to our beloved city. I hope you have a great and prosperous life here." The young man smiled and led them to where their wagon was being catalogued. Patiently, they waited for the last procedures before heading to the residence assigned to them.
Milla wandered through the kingdom for months, surviving on instinct, hunting animals and creatures to make a living. She worked as a hunter and waitress in the city of Faelin, located two days' journey southeast of the capital, Orlosian. Her eccentric and unbalanced behavior earned her a certain fame. One night, when she was working as a waitress, a couple approached and asked about her experience with the creatures of the region.
They needed a huge amount of Ghantalok's skins, a quadruped creature with an elongated and furry body. Due to the natural color of its fur and its uncomfortable escape method, it is very difficult to find without an experienced hunter who can deal with it. They were willing to pay more than the normal price for the skins, but Milla did not accept this, saying it was unfair to receive more than what it was worth, and in just three days, she managed to complete the order, leaving the couple astonished.
From this moment on, Ghrod and Alliah became friends with Milla, visiting her at the tavern where she worked at night and introducing her to their little daughter, Aimel. Milla was fascinated by the couple's craftsmanship; one day, she needed to fix part of her armor and, as she had already seen Ghrod do this several times, she imitated him in a rustic way.
Impressed by her ability to learn quickly, Ghord taught Milla the trade. She happily accepted. The fact that she could learn how to repair her armor or make her weapons filled her with ecstasy. The days passed, and she became better and better. Alliah decided to teach her the armorer and leatherworker professions, further increasing her interest in the art of creation.
One hour after registering, the group finally finds the house in the residential area. All the houses follow a simple pattern: they are made of stone and mortar, and there is a small patch of grass with a path made of rectangular stones that leads to the front door. A stone fence with a simple wooden gate, and on the small columns next to the gate of the fence, the house number is engraved. It was thanks to this number that they were able to find their new residence.
"What do you think, Milla? Have you ever been to a city like this?" Ghord said, unloading the cart.
"I've been to one, and even the capital, but I've never lived in a city this size."
"Have you ever been to the capital? What were you doing there?" Alliah asked, helping to carry things into the house.
"Oh, I don't remember very well. I was passing through, I didn't see much, except that I found the streets very poorly maintained."
"Really? I've always heard very good things about the capital on my travels; they say the streets are so clean that you could eat on the floor without any problem." Ghord said in a surprised tone.
"Maybe they're talking about the noblest part of the city. I passed by there, and it was clean and well preserved, but the part where the poorest people lived was quite abandoned." She said, carrying two heavy trunks without any problems.
"Wow!" Aimel shouted in admiration of Milla's strength. "You're so strong, sis! I'm going to be strong like you!" She then tries to lift a bag of food and fails comically, making the family laugh.
"Lift things you can handle, do it every day until they're light, then try to lift something heavier, and then repeat the process." Milla said with a smile.
"Okay...but I'm going to be like you! You'll see!" Said the little girl, upset.
Days passed, and the city gradually grew. The residential area quickly became overcrowded, causing some administrative chaos. An emergency order was created to expand the residential area outside the city wall. This was not the ideal that Count Boltu had planned, but he did not expect such a large incursion of people.
The business of Ghord and Alliah's forge continued to be in full swing. The forge shop, known as The Arms of Fortune, soon gained fame in the city. The quality of the products caught the attention of the city guard and the adventurers.
Milla's sudden fame was due to her efforts to advertise the workshop's services wherever she went. Every day, she worked in the mornings at the workshop, and in the afternoons, she hunted in the plains and forests on the city outskirts or did temporary work in many different places. When night fell, she worked in the tavern inside the adventurers' guild, using this time to find out about requests for certain jobs and hear rumors about what was happening in the city and the kingdom.
Something unusual happened when she was at the adventurers' guild for the first time. She saw a missing person poster with a drawing depicting Manila. She chuckled because it happened exactly as she thought.
After escaping from captivity in the cave, she knew that someone would continue to look for Manila, but she didn't want to be found, not now. Mila finally had control over her life and decided to let Manila's consciousness hibernate as much as possible, so she changed her appearance to avoid people from the past.
For three months, she used almost all the money she earned to drink a transfiguration potion once a week to change the color of her hair permanently. This potion is brewed for the specific purpose of modifying a physical feature, but it takes a long time to prepare and is very expensive. She also let her hair grow until it reached her thighs and tied it in a single braid, hoping to become unrecognizable to anyone who knew Manila.
The intense anger she felt before was gradually becoming controlled, and thanks to her meeting with Ghord's family, this condition improved much more. They offered her something few had given her: a comfortable place, warm food, and fraternal love. The days she spent working in the forge made her even calmer and more satisfied. The feeling of her work being recognized for its quality gave her a great deal of satisfaction, and her efforts were adequately rewarded. She was at peace.
While serving a group of merchants, she heard news of what was happening in the kingdom. The Archduchy of Felnatus was going through a turbulent period due to Luccio's actions; Amiliath had temporarily taken over the Archduke's affairs due to her father's health problems. She proved herself capable of managing the Archduchy, maintaining relative peace in such turbulent times, and a piece of news that made Milla feel her inner hatred rise again.
Amiliath would visit the city of Minarian to reestablish diplomatic treaties with House Markash, considering the relations between the two houses had been at a high level of hostility since the breakup of the friendship between the two family heads.
She smiled sinisterly and thought that this would be a good opportunity.