Velmo had left the battlefield behind and quickly made his way westwards to the major road that connected Rosa and its northern sister city, Castillan.
Without much difficulty, he performed long and graceful strides in an attempt not to stir Xaryus and Zadius awake.
By late morning, Rosa's large, stoned walls could be seen in the distance.
Now that the city was within sight, Velmo finally decided to stir the brothers awake. He was still surprised that they were still unconscious, draped over both his shoulders.
Stirring awake, Velmo let them down to their feet. Xaryus rubbed his eyes while Zadius stared directly towards Rosa.
"Right back where we started…" Zadius thought wistfully.
"Stay close." Velmo ordered as the trio approached the large gate.
Ahead, they could see various wagons and travelers being processed through by a small group of armed guards. Their chest plates were branded with the symbol of a red lion.
They were members of the Knights of Lionheart, a primary military force tasked with protecting and keeping the peace in Rosa.
As they approached, Velmo led Xaryus and Zadius past many individuals waiting to enter the city. Some were merchants, travelers, tourists and it even had a few adventurers among them.
Upon reaching the group of knights who were now checking bags and verifying the identities of some travelers, Velmo simply nodded as he made eye contact with one of the superiors among them.
In a moment's notice they created a clear path and stood at attention. The most senior among them standing as stiff as a needle.
"Welcome back, Vassal Atreus." The senior knight declared.
As they passed by, Xaryus could sense that the majority of them were awakened knights; two inept rank, two adept rank and a single expert rank knight.
All the others were mundane knights.
Fairly quickly, the trio made their way through the outermost ring and into the middle ring before noon. On their journey, both Xaryus and Zadius were astonished at the vast cityscape around them.
They passed by various markets, vendors, and display screens informing citizens on the weather for the coming days.
As they reached the wall separating the outer city and from the middle part of the city, they were once again greeted by a cohort of awakened knights stationed at a massive gateway.
Not surprisingly, the amount of traffic in and out of the gateway was much slower than the main gate into the city itself.
Once they had entered the middle section of the city, the difference between the middle sector and outer sector was clear as day.
The middle sector was much more pristine, its roads were smoother and houses were much more intricate and larger.
Whilst they moved forward, Xaryus looked behind, trying to ascertain the rank of the cohort of knights at the gateway.
"Four expert ranked knights and the others… I can't tell how strong they are." He thought briefly.
"Where are we going?" Zadius asked.
"I'm taking you to Lionheart Manor." Velmo replied.
After another fifty minutes of walking, they turned onto a long street, weirdly nicer than the others because they were all well treated.
On the street, stood a singular manor. At its front was a long black metal fence that surrounded the manor.
Two knights clad in heavy armour stood at the front gate with the signature symbol of a red lion engraved on their armour. One knight held a massive broadsword at its hilt; the tip of the blade gently pressed into the ground.
The second knight was not armed with any weapons, but Zadius could see that the man needed no weapons, his body itself was the weapon.
"His shadow is very strong." Zadius thought, entranced by the two knights.
"Vassal Atreus." The two armour clad knights announced as Velmo approached the gate.
Without any further words, they stepped aside, allowing them to enter the manor. Behind the gate, was a long marble road that ended in a roundabout just in front of the manor.
To the front was a beautiful garden with sculpted fountains and across from it was a simple patio with a set of chairs.
The manor itself harboured a vintage look with lush foliage growing across its white stone walls.
On the roundabout just in front of the manor sat a black carriage seemingly chosen for the sole purpose of diverting attention by drawing said attention to itself.
Two white horses stood in front of it, their reins held by an old man dressed in all black clothes and a brimmed hat to cover his face from the sun's heat.
Near the carriage were three figures, the smallest of the three was a young red-haired girl; It was Rosaly.
The woman standing beside her had striking resemblance to Rosaly, excluding the scar across her nose bridge. Zadius immediately recognized her, she was one of many awakened knights Valon had taught them about.
That woman was Rebecca Lionheart, first born of Lambert Lionheart and the Leader of the Crimson Guard; the personal militia tasked with protecting the royal family.
Frankly, Valon's appraisal of her was rather high.
He described her as a talented young woman who became an exalted rank awakened at the age of 35, although, because she was awakened, she still looked like she was in her early twenties.
The man next to her was unknown to either Xaryus or Zadius. He was adorned in a simple looking armouring aspect and had an unassuming sword attached to his side.
Despite his lackluster appearance, his presence alone revealed him to be a seasoned fighter.
"Welcome back, Velmo." Rebecca exclaimed as they approached the carriage, "And these must be the two to whom the Lionhearts are indebted." She continued.
"Yes, I intend to enroll them into the Red Lions, at the behest of Princess Rosaly." He responded.
"The Red Lions you say… I know Rosaly already thinks so, but do you believe they have what it takes Velmo?" Rebecca questioned.
"Yes, in a few years I believe they would be a great addition to the Knights of Lionheart." He added with a soft nod.
Whilst Velmo and Rebecca conversed, Rosaly stepped closer to Xaryus and Zadius before taking a short bow, "It's good to see that you both made it back safely."
"Same to you." Zadius replied respectfully.
"And thank you for saving me when you had no obligation to." Rosaly continued, momentarily grasping Xaryus' hand before heading back to the carriage; the unassuming knight followed closely behind.
Xaryus stared at Rosaly's back for a moment before looking down at his hand. He could still faintly smell the sweet scent of her hair and his heartbeat quickened at the thought of her soft hands.
To his right, Zadius stared at Xaryus with a knowing glance.
***
Before the carriage pulled off, "Rosaly!" Rebecca exclaimed, breaking her conversation with Velmo. "If you so much as leave his sight, I will know." She continued sternly.
"O-Of course." Rosaly replied quickly in a nervous tone.
"Good, have fun and be safe." Rebecca responded, her stern expression dulled as she waved the carriage off.
"How long will she be staying in Castillan?" Velmo asked.
"About a week, she would stay longer but they keep advancing her forward. At this rate she might become a seasoned artificer in three years." Rebecca released a nostalgic laugh before turning her attention towards Xaryus and Zadius.
"I think it's about time to meet the captain of the Red Lions."