"I feel like I was supposed to know what they are, but if I insist on finding that, I know that the annoying headache will come," Raiden thought.

"The kingdom of Lunaria is mainly made of elves and dwarves, and not many humans live among them," Iri explained.

"Well, it makes sense that they would have since they employ us now and then," Raiden said.

Some people in the village had animal-like traits, after all. It felt like they were more prominent before, but they began to be diluted since most of the freed slaves were human. Regardless, Harth had the appearance of a silver tiger, even though he didn’t have a tail. He had the hair and eyes of one, but Iri didn’t have any of those characteristics.

There was also the appearance of Altria; people like her who clearly looked a bit beast-like were rare in the village, but they existed. Regardless, the world was a lot more diverse than Raiden had imagined. Still, despite that, or perhaps because of that, some tribes and races couldn’t get along and waged war that created slaves.

Raiden thoughts began to drift towards the unknown enemies of the Lunaria kingdom. His curiosity came at him, fueled by the little information he possessed. He knew their adversaries primarily commanded a formidable naval force, launching pirate-like raids along the kingdom’s vulnerable coastline. These attacks were not just random acts of violence but seemed strategic and methodical, targeting key areas with a precision that suggested a deeper, more organized intent.

Despite the limited intelligence, Raiden couldn’t shake the feeling that these guys were humans. This suspicion was partly rooted in the nature of their aggression; humans, historically known for their seafaring prowess and raiding tactics, fit the description of these coastal assailants. At least, his instincts were telling him for some reason.

Moreover, the fact that the Lunaria kingdom was predominantly inhabited by elves and dwarves made the possibility of human antagonists even more plausible. Humans might see the diverse and prosperous kingdom of Lunaria as a lucrative target driven by jealousy, greed, or a desire to assert dominance.

Eventually, the group movement’s speed improved since they began to use a road,, and the environment wasn’t filled with hills or tall grass anymore. Occasionally, they would find a wagon or carriage along the way, but they would just get out of their way and wait for them to pass.

"It looks like we have a good reputation here," Raiden said while looking at the wagon on the side of the road being driven by a dwarf and with two elves guard protecting it with some longbows. "Is it just me or the elves are annoyingly good-looking?"

"Annoyingly?" Iri furrowed her eyebrows. "They certainly are good-looking, but I never heard anyone mentioning that fact as annoying. Anyway, you don’t have to be jealous. You have the potential to be pretty cool when you grow up, Raiden."

"That didn’t answer my question," Raiden said.

"Well, I don’t know what I can say. They all look like that," Iri explained. "Most of them are blonde, but there are some with hair and eyes of other colors. The dwarves pretty much like that as well. Short, large, and pretty hairy. They are also good inventors."

"What else?" Raiden asked.

"What else, you ask... I am not a specialist, and we don’t talk about other countries that much," Iri furrowed her eyebrows. "The elves are good archers, and they are good at magic, too. I heard that in the past, they didn’t get along with dwarves, but over the years, they became allies."

"That sounds about right," Raiden said.

"I have no idea what you are talking about sometimes..." Iri shrugged.

All that kind of knowledge felt right in Raiden’s eyes, but he realized that it was weird for him to talk like that. In any case, a bit of his curiosity had been quenched, so he decided to focus on his training. It was unlikely that his mother would make him fight the enemies, but it was better to be safer than sorry and gain time as well.

As the group crossed the vast expanse of the Lunaria kingdom, their journey was marked by the sight of majestic mountains rising in the west. These towering peaks stood like ancient sentinels, their rugged silhouettes etched against the sky. Occasionally, the travelers encountered large, sturdy carts moving along the road, each filled with heaps of raw ores. These carts, drawn by teams of robust draft animals, hinted at the rich mineral wealth hidden within the mountains, a testament to the industrious spirit of the kingdom’s inhabitants.

As they got closer to one of the walled towns dotting the landscape, Raiden’s sharp eyes took notice of the fortified defenses that encircled the settlement. The walls, weathered by time and elements, bore the marks of countless seasons. At the top of these walls were giant crossbows, relics of an earlier era of warfare. Despite their age, these massive siege weapons still showed a formidable presence, a reminder of the town’s readiness to defend itself against any incursion.

The sight of these old defenses sparked a mixture of curiosity and concern in Raiden. The old crossbows, while imposing, seemed to underscore a reliance on outdated technology. He couldn’t help but wonder how effective these weapons would be against the modern threats posed by their enemies.

"They look old, but they still work, you know," Iri said. "They have those in their ports too... or so I heard."

"They have ports, but they are being attacked by bandits in the sea... that means that there are many countries beyond the ocean?" Raiden asked.

"Of course, I don’t know them enough, though," Iri said. "I don’t even know the name of those places... it would take a while to cross the ocean, this country, and explore the world."

Iri was someone who was very curious about what lies beyond the ocean. This curiosity came from a longing for adventure, a thirst for knowledge, or simply a desire to see what else exists beyond the familiar confines of their village.

On the other hand, the warriors of the village have a deeply ingrained sense of loyalty and gratitude. Many of them were once slaves, rescued and liberated by the village that raised them. This experience binds them closely to their home and their people. They feel a strong obligation to repay the village for granting them freedom and a new life, which makes them hesitant to leave despite their own natural curiosities about the world beyond.

This created an internal conflict for these warriors. They are torn between their sense of duty and their personal desires. Some might struggle with the urge to explore while feeling guilty for even considering leaving their village behind. Others might suppress their curiosity altogether, believing that their loyalty and service to the village are of much more importance...

Raiden felt the same way... currently, his strength wasn’t that high, but he didn’t want to weaken the village in any shape or form. In times like this, they had to be cautious since they don’t know when enemies might strike and make them lose the place that they call home forever... losing another home would be too much.

Speaking of losing homes, Raiden realized that his friends didn’t come to talk with him even once. They stuck with their new parents like superglue... the reason for that was obvious, they feared that they might lose them this time around and wanted to spend as much time as possible with them.

In that sense, Harth and Lenore looked completely unfazed by that possibility, and so were Raiden and Iri... their families were very different from one another.

Regardless, over the course of the next few days, the group passed through a bunch of villages and towns, but at some point, they took a roundabout route to avoid the capital and being noticed by anyone from there. It seemed that Lenore was being mindful of spies.

They also kept their relentless pace... in one day, they would skip lunch, and in the next, they would take a short break to eat. Little by little, the group was starting to get used to it. Their expressions were getting rougher and sharper, though.

At the same time, Raiden was making more progress on his technique... Altria was with them as well, but he didn’t ask her any questions about it. The other students were following her and talking a lot with her even though they were so docile on their floor.

"... why are you looking at her like that?" Iri asked while furrowing her eyebrows.

"I was just wondering which part of our floor was supposed to be hard and brutal, Altria seems pretty relaxed, and the students like her a lot, apparently," Raiden said. "Most of them are guys, though. Ah, I get it... the pretty girls from our floor don’t like the attention she gets."

"And what do you think of her?" Iri asked.