CHAPTER 386: Redonia
It was late afternoon when we arrived at Redonia. The city was protected by a large grey wall and surrounded by fields. The region had a lot of smaller rivers but none of them compared to the Jinso. However, the abundance of streams made the area quite fertile and good for farming.
When we reached the gate I was prepared for another incident and when I looked out of the window I could already see one of the guards calling for their superior. A woman in an officer's uniform arrived and approached our carriage.
"Greetings." Kaito said.
The officer looked at him. "Greetings. I assume you are Koyuki's driver?"
"Oh? Indeed, I am. Lady Helena Frost, Lady Cassie Ashburn and Skadi Helgurd are inside the carriage as well." Kaito stated.
The officer nodded while checking some papers. "We have been informed of your arrival and you may proceed to the ducal residence. Lady Valeria has prepared accommodations. Would you like an escort?"
I blinked, as I looked out of the window. "Um, do you need to see my licence?"
"You are fine ma'am, Lady Valeria has vouched for your group and informed us of your capabilities as a necromancer. Your rather distinctive servants and carriage are enough proof of your identity."
"We would appreciate the escort since it is our first time in the city." Kaito stated.
"Certainly. John! Lead them to the ducal mansion." The officer called, then she looked at us again. "Ladies, have a pleasant stay."
Soon our carriage rolled on.
"That was easy." I noted.
"Valeria is expecting us." Helena pointed out.
"True, I am just used to everyone being concerned when we arrive with a lot of undead." I replied.
While we rolled through the city I looked out of the window. Redonia used a lot more wood and less stone in its construction than Lupos. However the wooden planks looked very uniformly cut and were even painted at times.
The true surprise was the ducal residence. It was surrounded by a metal fence which allowed us to see the magnificent garden. While it was still winter there was currently no snow covering the plants and I could see blooming flowers and even green leaves!
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"What sort of plants are those?" I wondered.
"No idea." Helena replied.
"I think they use magic to make them bloom, or perhaps a special alchemic fertilizer?" Cassie mused.
"It certainly looks impressive. And they built their entire residence with magically hardened wood too." Skadi pointed out.
I looked at the actual ducal residence. After passing through the gate we travelled on a cobblestone road to a large square. At its centre stood a circular fountain with a stone sculpture of a tree. The water emerged from its crown and trickled down through the leaves, which had been painted green.
Behind the square rose the actual building, which was two stories tall and completely made from wood. The big sturdy logs made it look luxurious but not in a way I would have associated with the nobility.
"How do you know that the wood is magical?" I wondered.
"Normal wood would be too ordinary for a ducal mansion. They want to impress their guests and usually that means fancy stones, metals and gems. The Barkworths are known for their wood from the Korrah Forest, it only makes sense for them to use it." Skadi reasoned.
We parked in front of the building and were greeted by servants. They offered to help with our luggage and soon Valeria herself emerged from the building. She greeted us warmly and seemed genuinely happy that we were here.
"So, how was your trip?" She asked while petting Garm.
"Pretty decent with a surprising lack of ambushes." Skadi said.
"We have increased the patrols lately, hopefully it's working." Valeria replied, then she spotted something on the roof of our carriage. "Do you have a giant ant now?"
"It's a crawler, they live in the mountains." I replied.
"There seems to be a new nest so my father will be busy dealing with them." Helena added. "At least they make decent undead."
"I have experimented with this one so it can spit necrotic water." I added.
"Oh? I would like to see that. Maybe you can show it to my mother as well. I think she is hoping that you show off your powers a bit, there is still some doubt when it comes to necromancy around here." Valeria said.
"Your guards seemed ok with it." I replied.
"They got strict instructions to make sure, I still remember how Cillian acted. My mother is keeping him around but I am wondering where his loyalties lie." Valeria mused.
"By the way, you have a really pretty garden. How do your flowers bloom in winter?" I asked.
Valeria perked up. "Ah, some of them are everbloomers who do not care that much about the cold but our entire garden has an underground water system which is heated in winter. A good plant mage can do wonders when it comes to your garden."
"Plant magic? We never had any lessons about plant magic, did we?" I wondered.
"Plant magic itself is really rare. True plant magic would be a combination of light, water and earth." Valeria explained. "You don't just need all three affinities, you need to have enough talent to merge them into one. However, besides true plant magic you can affect plants with just one element. There are light spells that help plants grow, especially during winter. Earth magic can help the soil and you can infuse it with a bit of mana, water can have a similar effect."
"I did take advanced water magic and I haven't heard about that." I replied.
"We are a military academy, making plants grow is not that relevant." Helena pointed out.
Valeria nodded. "In the end all you need to do is infuse some water with mana and give it to your plants. The problem is often to ensure your water is not just lost in the earth or that the plants don't take too much. It also depends on the plants, some have been bred to work with magic."
"I wonder if you could create a garden of undead plants?" Kaito mused.
Valeria's eyes widened. "Please do not suggest that around here. We take plants rather seriously."
"It's good that we are here to show them the joys of undeath!" Garm announced.
Valeria chuckled nervously.