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The Palace of the South, Goodbye, City of Freedom!
🕑 Added 2023-05-19 12:16:21 +0000 UTCWell then, here it is...
I actually planned to have Danmachi updated yesterday as well, but this chapter was quite the chonker on my time.
Once again, it's a chapter completely focused on Plot progression, and by the end, I would like to see what you thought of it.
Anyway, without much ado...
Enjoy!
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/Clink clink…/
'In the middle of the main hall sitting on opposite ends of a long table, Philip and Viera had lunch for the first time in a few days.'
'A grand display of many types of foods... All devoured by Philip while Viera had her modest plate of vegetables and a small stake.'
/Clink… Chomp…/
'They silently ate away, but the situation didn't look awkward, instead, it felt relaxed and natural… Until...'
"It's today... Isn't it?" She asked suddenly as her metallic fork skewered an Olive
"... Did you pack your bags?" Philip asked after he finished gulping down his food
I'll miss this food...
"Of course I did!..."
Sigh, this guy…
'This wasn't the answer she wanted to receive, but it was the one she expected.'
"There's no need to be too bummed up about it."
"I already bought this Manor and paid everyone's salary for quite a long time, we can return whenever we fancy it."
'Smiling, he added, "... As I quite like this place." before he grabbed a small cup of water, chugging it down his throat.'
"That's not… Forget it…"
"So? Will you finally tell me where we're going?"
"South, into the Human Kingdom."
"..."
"You don't sound surprised, is something bothering you?"
"Hum… I imagine we aren't going there for a vacation…"
'Philip smiled awkwardly.'
"It depends on the perspective, in some ways, it is a Vacation, in others, not."
"But my original intention? It wasn't for that purpose."
"Figured… In that case…"
'Philip already knew what she was going to ask, so he said:'
"It's hard for me to explain what we'll be doing, it'll depend on what those guys want."
I'll likely just do the same, train... And perhaps go on another adventure.
"Those guys?"
"Hum… I swear I'm not tricking you, but this time, everything will truly be explained once we're there." Philip said honestly as he looked at her
To explain my role and who I truly am... She'll understand it all once we're there.
She may not understand why I'm here... But that is another matter.
"... If you say so, then I'll believe it… This time."
"This time? Wait, you didn't believe the others?" He asked with a small smile
"You heard me." She said with a teasing smile
...
'Exhaling slightly, Philip finished eating his food as he got up from his seat.'
'And seeing him leave, she asked:'
"When are we going?"
'Philip stopped walking to check the time on his pocket watch.'
"In an hour, at most one and a half but that would be risking getting way more than just fashionably late..."
"For now, I'll be going to fetch up our company."
"Oh? Will someone else come with us this time?"
'He nodded.'
"The reason I came to this city was to bring back said person, there's no way I would leave him behind after everything that happened."
Against my expectations, it was way simpler to convince him to come with me than I expected.
That just means he trusts me, so I ought to live up to those expectations.
"Make sure to double-check everything, we wouldn't want to forget anything as I doubt we'll have the chance to return anytime soon." He said as he turned around to resume his walk
"You don't need to remind me of that!" She said in a slightly upset tone as she finished eating her salad
'Philip took a side glance at her before leaving the main hall, meeting with a certain old butler in the hallways of the Manor…'
…
/Step step…/
"How are the preparations going?" Philip asked as he walked, Sebastiano right behind him
"The handling of the fees has already been concluded sir, I've left the documents in your Office as you were occupied previously…"
"Good, that's finally done now." Philip said as a smile formed on his face
From the beginning, I never rented this place.
To avoid any problems, I just straight out bought it, not really prudent, but the me of the past didn't even want to leave room for trouble after his experiences in the Academy.
However, the proper handling procedures regarding the transfer of the land had never been completed due to bureaucracy and so on.
There were also the extra things such as the papers from hiring more maids to reforming this place and modifying the terrain.
And also the fact I contracted some guards.
Now that I'm leaving this place, I do want some level of safety apart from the security measures I left behind as those are reserved for the most extreme of situations, as they could also endanger the health of the Maids and Sebastiano if they were to be triggered...
But this isn't for the things I left behind, it's also for Tredis' family.
This Manor can be used as a hiding place for them in case things happen... And although I don't expect anything to befall them, it would also be foolish to not leave anything behind for them to hold onto.
Regardless, if shit does hit the fan, they'll have something to contact me, and from there, I'll only be a moment away from reaching them.
And albeit I won't be leaving anything 'dangerous' behind, I'll still leave the Word Walls I made in the training room without supervision.
They're a key part of my study of the Dragon Language and because the entire room was a bit too big to be removed, I did not relocate it to my Demi Plane as there was a risk of damaging it.
Of course, I could've done it there from the start… But on the day I started it all, I got carried away and by the time I realized it, a portion of the training room had already been carved away, and between breaking it and relocating what I had already done, I just ended up using the place indefinitely.
Now it's too late to do anything with it at all.
It won't be a problem in the long run as I'll eventually return to fetch it, but I need it to remain safe until then.
Going back to the matter at hand…
It took a few weeks for Sebastiano to sort through all of the papers and to give me the land rights properly.
At least I had the vision to have him do that, otherwise we would've been in a pinch.
It's honestly baffling to see myself like this...
From a student without focus on University living with his parents to... A Lord giving orders to Buttlers in a European Style Mansion?...
'He smiled slightly.'
Anyway, with that done, as long as I have the papers, the land is mine forever or until I leave it alone for 20+ years without paying the interest fees, otherwise the government of this land will take it.
If anyone else steals the rights and comes here, they'll have to pay whatever fees it has accumulated… Though that'll never happen.
...
'Philip and Sebastiano eventually arrived at a flight of stairs, going to the second floor...'
'As they approached the Office, Sebastiano contained from where he left off:'
"Then… As for the lady's dress…"
'Philip shook his head.'
"Just make sure she's ready within the time."
"I'm sure whatever they've prepared for her will be splendid... Just like last time."
Her dress for the party was pretty good, I'm sure they'll rock it this time as well.
Though this isn't a party per se…
"Aside from that, it's really imperative that she dresses properly, so... Pay no heed to her excuses and have her go through with the 'doll up'." He said as his eyes sharpened
Viera isn't a fan of using too much Makeup, but it has to be done this time.
She'll be meeting some pretty important people, I wouldn't want things to go South…
More for her than myself.
Sometimes, doing less would make her stand out more, and she wouldn't appreciate that.
"Understood, the Maids are already ready with all materials and the Tailor is on standby as per your request."
"Then… Everything's done." Philip said as he stopped walking, and so did the butler without paying it any heed
'They had arrived at the Office.'
I can say the matters of the Manor are completed.
There is only the cleanup and… A farewell.
"Butler… No, Sebastiano, I've not said this enough… This may as well be the first time…"
'Philip smiled slightly, it was a different kind of smile...'
"But thank you, for everything you did so far…"
"Keeping up with our problems and day-to-day routine… I'm sure it wasn't easy."
"..."
'Sebastiano was shocked, but he quickly regained his composure as he smiled as well, his expression being a bit different than usual.'
"I should be the one thanking you M'Lord, the Manor has never been so lively."
"For an old place that was slowly being forgotten, you brought some light into it."
"And I couldn't wish for more."
'Philip smiled and so did the old man before they continued on their way.'
'They were both men, there was no need to cry and hug each other Like Viera did with some of the Maids… Just kidding, that didn't happen.'
'The Maids were the ones that cried and hugged her…'
…
/Later.../
'After gathering his documents and papers, he made his way to the back garden...'
...
/Clap…/
'Dusting his hands, Philip looked around his empty workshop with a saddened gaze.'
'Only some of the machines and the forges were left now, everything he couldn't store.'
"Many things were made here… I can't believe it's already time."
All of the time spent grinding my Skills...
"I never moved homes, but this must be the feeling…"
'Putting his hands over the warm forge, Philip went to one of the side rooms where his portal pool was located.'
"..."
'Gazing down at its dark water, Philip took the plunge…'
/Splash!/
…
/Drip…/
'Cold water dripping down from his shoulders and hair, Philip walked out of the portal and into an intricate covered room full of complex objects and obelisks.'
'This was his improved portal room, created from the Chaotic Creatia and a little bit of Magic during the span of 4 Earth months.'
'It was testimony to the development of his Half Plane and his capabilities as a mage.'
"M'Lord."
'From the side, Philip heard the coarse voice of a Daedra clad in dark armor standing in front of a tall blue crystalline door, it was a Dremora.'
'It spoke in a coarse Nibenese, one of the common languages spoken throughout the Human Empire of Nyrn, a language Philip knew due to his time there, albeit he did try to research their language, it proved quite tedious and unproductive as they weren't exactly eager to share it.'
'Not that he needed it, but at the very least, the Dremora had already stopped using the language as a way to taunt Philip, already understanding that he was a being of power.'
'Dremora and other creatures of Oblivion tend to view mortals of Nyrn with contempt and other Daedra's in even greater disgust, seeing them as nothing but animals.'
'It wasn't much different in his case, albeit, after proving his strength and capabilities time and time again, together with the fact he "felt different" they started to treat him like a proper Lord, albeit, not in the same way they would a Prince.'
'It now acted as his faithful guard that stood watch over his most sensible area, something he would never leave anyone else to do.'
'The reason why he left this one over the others do it was due to their sense of Honor.'
'After defeating him in a duel, as part of the stakes, the Daedra was tasked with serving as a guard for 1000 years, and so, he was assigned to this place.'
'For the last few months, he hadn't moved a step…'
"..."
/Walk away.../
'Philip, however, said nothing to the Daedra, merely walking by him as the cristal doors opened under an invisible force.'
'Greetings? Compassion? Respect? Being a good Boss?...'
'Such things were unnecessary for the Dremora, as the very same armor he used had been created with the essence of 100 of his fellow "kin" and further boosted by Philip as he added 900 more to make the number even.'
'And the reason? Because it hurt his OCD…'
'He conjured an entire Army of Daedra only to consume their Vestiges and shape them into armor… Some suffering a worse fate.'
'Though, for them, what was fate in the face of eternity?'
'Whatever they were now would be undone later, such was how things were.'
…
/Step step…/
'The crystal doors led to a lengthy rough hallway that eventually ended within a large and complex laboratory full of intricate artifacts and items floating around while covered in strange symbols and magical light.'
'There were even a few other Dremora in this place, moving around doing whatever.'
'They seemed to take Philip as the top existence of this place...'
"Hum… Everything looks the same." He mumbled to himself as he looked around
The only reason I'm wasting my precious last hours in the city here is because of the need to periodically check this place.
I simply don't look like them, I bet that, if I looked like any of them they might've not complained much, simply accepting their defeat and doing their own part of their vows.
I should've done enough to 'tame' the few inhabitants of this plane, but some simply can't learn their lesson…
/Tremble…/
"MORTAL! I CAN FEEL YOUR PRESENCE!! IT IS TIME FOR ME TO HARVEST YOUR SOUL!!!" Someone screamed from outside of his lab in a ragged and deep voice
"... Looks like I spoke too soon…" He said as his expression turned sharp
'The air around him started to twist as he turned around, walking outside slowly and into the source of the chaos…'
…
/Outside…/
'Philip's Demi Plane had changed greatly, from its previous pathetic state as a singular rock floating within Oblivion, it now looked like a proper piece of the world.'
'His lab itself consisted of a floating island located in the center of a huge oval lake a few hundred meters in diameter, surrounded by land on all sides.'
'There were even some mountains in the distance, making this place look like a Valey, and if one were to stay within and not climb atop the mountains, then they wouldn't know this place's true nature.'
'The source of all of this grandeur were the waterfalls of Chaotic Creatia located at the edges of the floating island, this strange substance he couldn't bother to explain as he himself understood little of it.'
'This "water" seemingly came from within the island with no end in sight... Like a tap left open.'
'Above were the beautiful untainted stars, all of which were reflected in the clear blue lake below…'
'And in the distance, the mountains and forests.'
'To add to this beautiful scene, a few animals and natural Daedra could be seen everywhere, such as Elementals and Atronachs.'
'Most of these were here as part of past experiments, Philip would Conjure beings to gather materials or to have a lab rat, but sometimes, he just couldn't bother to send them back.'
'Even if it took just a flicker of his finger…'
'They ended up accumulating, and overtime, they became the trouble of his Dremora servants.'
/Screams!/
'Disrupting this peaceful scene was a man clad in black armor but without a helmet, screaming his heart out as he swung a mace around, breaking everything without a care.'
'He had a pair of Sharp black horns that aimed at the skies, it was rather unusual.'
"So you finally make your appearance in front of me." The Dremora spoke with a sharp gaze as he plunged his large distorted mace onto the ground, cracking it slightly
"Time and time again, you have defeated me in combat, to make you kneel in front of me, that shall bring me Honour."
"This time, I shall conclude this bout and quench my thirst with your blood."
"But I am aware of how your kind operates, fearful and cowardly as it is."
"I give you a choice, surrender your Soul to me and I shall keep your life, or forfeit it under the weight of my mace."
"..."
'Philip, however, didn't seem very keen on playing around with him.'
"How many times have we done this already?..."
"In fact, just how did you escape prison this time?" He asked with a frown as he looked at the berserking Daedra
"Impertinent mortal! I did not make you such offer!"
"Yeah yeah, I heard that last time." Philip replied as he scratched the back of his head
This guy has been by far my greatest irritation.
I originally Conjured him in a more complex ritual as a warrior to keep guard since he is an Unbound Daedra… But it didn't work.
No matter what I did, he didn't accept the fact I was his Lord.
Every time I'm away, he somehow finds a way to unbind himself from me and escape from the confines of whatever prison I set him in.
I found it curious at first… Then Odd… Then it became annoying.
The only reason I kept him alive was because he was useful to me as I wanted to understand how he did it.
"Sigh… We'll then, how are we going to do it this time?"
"MORTAL…"
"Shut it." Philip said hastily as he kicked the ground, vanishing from sight
'There was a multitude of ways he could oppress this Dremora into submission.'
'But he chose the simplest of them all.'
'Reappearing atop the Daedra, he said, "I'll just smash you and think…" as his fist came down.'
/BOOOM!/
"Still alive?" He asked with surprise as he raised his right fist
He's a bit stronger than before...
'Bluish light emanated from his right arm, but it never gathered into anything substantial, remaining as small wisps that traced its movements.'
"Such animalistic behavior." The Daedra spoke as he rose from the ground
'Despite receiving a blow to the face, the Daedra looked unharmed.'
/KICK!/
'Using his other leg, Philip kicked his face, sending him recoiling back.'
'But even then he just rose from the ground.'
"There is no escape Mortal, your death is inevitable, everything that awaits you is emptiness." He said out loud as chaotic energy surged around him
"..."
How is this possible? Even if he grew a little...
Wait…
'Philip started to understand what was going on.'
"Have you imprinted yourself onto my Plane?"
"You test my patience Mortal!"
"You have made your choice, you must now face me in...
/KICK!/
"Stop screaming."
/Step!… CRACK!/
/BAM!/
'Philip stepped onto the Daedra's head, pining it down on the ground with great force as he thought deeply...'
It's explained now… How he always managed to free himself and why he got stronger.
When I first killed him, he must've somehow bound himself deeper to the Plane and is now using its power to fuel his Pseudo Immortality…
How stubborn, his anger and unwillingness to be defeated were great to the point he banished his own freedom for the sake of clearing his Honor?
In simpler terms, most of the Daedra in my plane are unbound, meaning that, upon death, their Vestiges would return to 'Oblivion' to reform and they would eventually rematerialize in a nearby Realm as their body would be reformed by the Chaotic Creatia.
To prevent that, I've bound their 'bodies' to this place, so even if they die, their Vestige will come back and reform here, perpetually trapping them to this rock.
But this guy went as far as to bind his Vestige here too, so it never goes back, it just reforms in this place time and time again, and forever it'll be until this place either vanishes or is absorbed into a greater Plane.
I could beat him up until the energy was depleted, forcing his body to take longer to reform, but that isn't time efficient…
Even if I do, I wouldn't have resolved the problem at its root as this guy would eventually come back even if I were to abandon this place and move house.
I have to unbind him, but if I do that, I risk him just going away and returning with a greater problem.
"... I have an idea." He said as his expression turned devious
/GRAB!/
'He crouched and grabbed the Daedra by his horns, dragging him inside his lab as it resisted with everything it had, only to be met with Philip's fist every time.'
'It did not have the physical strength to contend with him, and despite its creativity in the use of Magicka to try and circumvent his safety measures, it was easily seen through after he was given enough time to understand it.'
"You have forsaken your Honour, so be ready to be treated like an Animal." Philip said ironically as he tried to imitate his course tone of voice
"You dare mock me Mortal?!"
/SMACK!/
"GUAHHHAA!"
'And now... To this great piece of information, Philip was about to 'reward' him greatly…'
…
/Around a few minutes later back in his workshop…/
/Lock…/
'Philip locked the door leading to the back room where his portal pool was located before throwing the key somewhere inside his golden inventory orb.'
'He had already deactivated and disassembled the portal, but it was better to make sure no one would stumble upon the place, even if by mistake.'
"I lost quite some time… I still have a few things to do… Arg…"
(N1)
'Philip gave his workshop one last look before closing the door behind him and leaving.'
…
/Later… Somewhere in the Middle City.../
"... Dear… Take it as a business trip, I'll be back in no time." Tredis said gently as he hugged his wife
"I know… It's just… You know how it is…" Palimo replied as she closed her eyes, touching her stomach as she let out a sigh
"Where's Gert?" He asked as he looked around
I'm leaving and the kid won't even say goodbye?
Kids these days...
"Likely sleeping, yesterday he stood the entire night woken finishing that task you gave him."
'Tredis let out a sigh, but he was proud.'
"Then... Let him sleep."
He's at the age where he needs to be put to the test so he can grow his Skills and eventually, start his own projects.
'It's important to remember Gert is only 27, while his parents are in their 80s, and they're considered Middle-aged.'
'To them, Gert was no different from a kid in puberty... No... As he had no beard, he hadn't even reached it yet...'
"He'll do just fine on his own, he's already a grown-up, trust him." She said slowly as she adjusted his tie
'Tredis wasn't exactly wearing a tuxedo, but it still looked like an extremely expensive piece of formal clothing.'
'In other words, he looked fancy… A fancy little person, but a proud father of a big family of 4… Little people?'
/DING!/
'Suddenly, interrupting their conversation, the ring bell of their house rang, indicating someone was at the door.'
'It could only be one person.'
"He's here… I should get going."
"Wouldn't want to miss the time." He said as he gave his wife a kiss
"Be careful out there, Mr.Philip has been very kind, but this doesn't mean the world will."
"You don't need to remind me of that… Don't forget, I was a soldier once." He replied with an awkward smile as he remembered the past
If it was in the past… I should be happy that she changed after we had our first child and settled down.
Otherwise... Wouldn't she be packing the entire damn House?
She's way more prudent now...
'Turning around, Tredis walked to a hanger on the side, grabbing a stylish circular black hat as he also grabbed a long rectangular travel case.'
"Huff!..."
'But the moment he grabbed it and pulled, he almost let his body tumble to the side.'
"Just what did you put in here dear?! This thing's feels havier than I am!" Tredis pointed out in surprise as he weighed the case, grabbing it with his two hands
"Just the usual, what's weight on there are your 'traveling supplies', next time, do pay attention to what you want to bring."
"My what?! Listen, I only..."
"Now! Hush! You don't want to keep him waiting!" She said as she forcibly turned him around to face the corridor
"H-Hey, don't push me else my shoes will fall off! They're their weight in..."
...
'Palimo and Tredis went down a few flights of stairs, eventually reaching the door of their lovely home.'
/Creak…/
'Opening it, they saw a casually dressed Philip, but this didn't seem weird to either of them as Tredis said:'
"Sorry for the wait, I was checking my things one last time."
"It's okay, we still have some minutes to spare." Philip replied as he greeted Palimo
'He also took out something from his pocket, it was a small box.'
"This is?..."
"A safety measure, you can use it to contact us any time... But only once."
"Use it whenever you feel something is wrong, no matter how little it may be, I'll rush back in a minute."
"I see... Thank you."
"Just my job... Now, shall we go? Last opportunity to check your things." He teased with a smile
"Don't test me else I may as well open this hellish case…" Tredis joked as he shook his head
'Smiling, Philip gave his farewells to Tredis' wife as he grabbed his shoulder, saying:'
"Well then, we'll be back in a few months' time at most, until then, take care."
"... I'll try to contact you as soon as I can…" Tredis said with a serious expression as he felt a strange energy surround him
"Alright… Until…"
/Fwoosh!/
/Vanish…/
'As a whirlpool of shadows covered them, they vanished, as if they were never there, to begin with…'
"..."
'Palimo gazed at the empty streets for a few more moments before turning around and closing the door.'
/Clack/
…
/Close to half an hour later…/
/Tap tap tap…/
'Sitting on a couch around a small round table, both Philip and Tredis waited for Viera to get ready.'
'One tapped his fingers on the couch, counting the seconds and minutes as he gazed at a clock while the other closed his eyes in an unsuccessful attempt to have time pass faster…'
/Step step step…/
""!""
'About time... And... My beard was about to mold...' Those were the things both of them thought about respectively as they heard the noises
'And finally, from behind them, multiple pairs of steps echoed in a hurried manner.'
'Turning around, Philip stared at the newcomers, Viera and a group of maids followed by the Tailor, an old woman with a sharp gaze, the same one that made Viera's previous attire.'
'However, this time, her expression was a bit tenser as she knew what sort of social meeting Viera and Philip would participate in this time.'
'Of course, Viera was unaware of things as Philip wanted to keep it a surprise, but he shared it with the Tailor so she understood the scope and the social norms behind the clothing she was making.'
'A bunch of stupid shenanigans, but important nonetheless.'
'For example, there were some colors that could not be used in the presence of Royalty, such things can be easy to overlook but can change one's life if done so.'
'That was one of the many problems Aristocracy had to go through and also one of the reasons why competent servants were necessary to assist them…'
'The problem came when such people weren't given the respect they deserved… But that is another matter.'
"Well well well, look who's finally appearing… And in style." Philip joked as he looked at Viera
'She was wearing a long and slim green dress that was both simple and elegant, its details could not be overlooked despite its simple design.'
'It was different from the purple dress she used to go to the Party as that one had a rather… Large design, if such words could be used to describe it.'
'Her hair had been done marvelously by the Maids and she even had some light makeup on her, as her facial features were better left without too much of it.'
'She wore a different pair of glasses as well, this time, it was a light, white gold frame that went well with everything.'
'She had no rings in her hands but she did have a necklace, albeit this time, it wasn't the Red Moon Shard but instead, a blue stone that was rather beautiful nonetheless.'
'Overall, she looked stunning, but that much was the obvious result after so much care and effort had been put into her image.'
'After having one's hair done, nice clothes, and makeup, if someone did not improve their appearance after all of that, then there was no level of confidence that could fix their situation…'
"You're stunning Miss." Tredis said in agreement
"Uhum… Thank you…" She replied, slightly embarrassed
"I still feel a bit tight though…" She said as she moved around
"Miss, we tried out best to lessen the load, but such high-quality textile materials are difficult to work with as they are known to be quite stubborn, still, it should get better over time as the fibers adjust to your body proportions." The Tailor replied as she adjusted her glasses
'Seeing all of this, Philip grabbed his watch from his chest pocket and checked the time…'
"Now then, now's the last time to check or fix anything as we're a bit late."
"So speak your mind."
'Viera shook her head.'
"Everything that I needed to pack has already been done so."
"In that case…"
'Philip looked at Tredis and the latter nodded, everyone was ready.'
'So without much fuss, they all made their way to the gates of the Manor where all of the Maids were already waiting, together with Sebastiano.'
'It was an emotional scene, saying goodbye… Even Viera couldn't help but want to shed a tear, albeit the Maids around her kept pinching her sides to prevent her from doing so…'
'Were she to cry, they would have to redo things…'
'So after a heartwarming goodbye, Philip snapped his fingers, and under a flurry of lights, the trio vanished from the Manor under the gaze of 3 dozen people.'
…
/Later.../
"... Please, stay comfortable."
'At long last, the trio arrived at the Royal Transport building, the same place Philip and Viera stepped out off 4 Earth months ago.'
'Unlike before, they did not utilize the room elevators to reach the top of the facility as they did not have the time to wait, opting to use the rapid ascending platforms instead.'
'From the moment they entered till now, everything was handled extremely smoothly, to the point Philip had the urge to laugh.'
'The Crown sure is efficient whenever it wants to...'
'Their path was pretty simple, they just did the contrary of what they did when they arrived, jumping all of the identity checks and whatnot.'
'Which was strange, but understandable, as Philip knew the Crown had set everything for them.'
'Ever since a month ago, he had only received one letter from them, about 4 days ago, it was, once again, another request for his return.'
'But this time, they weren't asking... Or at least, things wouldn't end with just a scold from their side...'
...
'Eventually, they were all led by a butter to a small room around 5x5x3 M in size.'
'The room was very reminiscent of an old-style hotel with the shiny wood on the ground and walls together with the patterns around it.'
'There were also several decorations in the room, paintings, drawers, shelves... Including a strange device that was playing a faint soothing song…'
'But overall, the only difference between this room and the one he and Viera arrived at was the layout of the furniture.'
'As just like the other one, there were no seats for them, only a small area in the center for them to step on top of.'
'The only problem was... How narrow it was.'
"Within a minute, the transfer shall begin, for your safety, calmly step into the center of the marked Circle, the countdown shall begin whenever you're ready."
'They did not say much to his words, merely stepping inside as he closed the door behind them.'
"..."
Here I am again...
How many decades has it been?
'Tredis found all of this rather nostalgic.'
'Albeit he did not enter the City through this place in particular, it was still a very similar experience.'
'Philip linked this to the feeling of using an Airport, it may be fancy and different, but the feeling was all the same.'
...
"This..."
'Without much trouble, they all stepped into the Circle, but to make space and not risk having anything be torn during teleportation, Philip pulled Viera close by holding onto her shoulder.'
'For him, this action was pretty simple, for her, it was not...'
"W-Why is this place so... So tight?..." She said in a low tone as she tried to cover her embarrassment
Who designed this awful place?
"Large transportation Circles are unnecessary and inefficient, of course, the design changes from place to place, but that's just a visual thing."
"Overall, it's about the same principle." Tredis replied as he tried to step back to give her some more space
/DIN!/
/Starting Countdown/
'One of the devices inlaid in the corners of the room changed from playing music to a loud announcement, indicating that it was time for them to focus a little.'
/Shine.../
'The room itself started to shine as the furniture seemingly started moving away as the room expanded in size...'
"The room...?"
"It's the effect of Spacial Distortion, it happens in this model of Transportation Circles."
"I'm not exactly knowledgable about this area, but I heard Nobles like the effect."
"Personally, I find it disorienting..." Tredis replied as he closed his eyes so as to not fall down
"It's a bit different from the method we used at the Academy." Philip pointed out as he remembered the past
It was a rather flashy experience, but it wasn't as bizarre as this one...
"The Academy uses a simpler and more efficient model, and for the sake of convenience, they are connected, so Transportation between them is possible." Tredis replied after thinking for a moment
"Does it have a purpose other than..." Viera asked as she also closed her eyes, albeit her embarrassment was only heightened as she now felt herself being hugged in darkness...
"It has of course, but nothing that outweighs other Transportation formulas."
"They have all of the resources to use simpler ways, but they choose this one because it looked fancier when activated."
"There are differences in terms of Efficiency and Complexity, but the people that fund this place have so many resources that they just had this model updated to become one of the best available..."
"If only they targeted their funds towards stabler and more appealing methods..."
'Thankfully, Tredis' explanation managed to distract them long enough for the countdown to end.'
'The moment the room had been stretched out to at least 10 times its previous time, everything suddenly snapped back at them as their vision spun around and when they realized it, they were somewhere new...'
'If someone watched them from outside the circle, then they would've seen their bodies distort and eventually vanish as a ball of light formed in the middle of the room for a few moments before vanishing.'
...
/Flash!/
'Within a very extravagant room, Philip, Viera, and Tredis suddenly appeared under the cover of a white flash of light.'
"Urg... Even after everything..." Viera said as she clutched onto her stomach
It doesn't feel as bad as the first time, but I still feel like my stomach got turned.
"..."
Motion sickness huh...
Looks like no amount of training will suffice, her body was simply not made for this.
'Just like last time, Philip tapped her back, albeit this time, he used healing magic to help her recover faster.'
'Even though Viera had trained her body and mind over the course of her stay in the city, it was still not enough to make her brush aside the side effects of Spatial Transportation.'
'After all, they did cover a greater distance this time, from Parad Academy to the City of Freedom, and from there to the Capital of the Human Empire...'
'What a way to go.'
"Hum..."
I can sense many eyes...
'While Viera recovered her posture, Philip started looking around...'
'He saw himself within a large hall similar to the Transportation Nexus of the Academy.'
'All around him were many structures that could only be described as small Pagodas, and from time to time, he could see people going inside them and leaving.'
'The moment someone got inside, the Pagoda would turn dark as if a layer of dark film had covered it, and after a slight flash of light, everyone inside would disappear.'
'Even if no one was inside, some went through the same process, but when the light flashed, people appeared.'
"This is it." Philip said with a nod as he took a step forward, following the path on the ground
"Where... Where is this place?" Viera asked as she looked around, confused
'This attracted a few gazes, people that immediately frowned at her behavior, something she was too occupied to notice.'
"The Capital of the Human Kingdom... For now, follow me, we have places to be." Philip said as he contained onwards
"You... Isn't he annoying?" Viera asked Tredis
"Haha... It would be wise to leave sightseeing for another time..." He said as he looked away
"..."
...
'The trio followed the path, reaching a grand and luxurious corridor.'
"..."
It's exactly like a damn airport...
'The hallway eventually led them to an open room that was very similar to a shopping center, Philip could see all kinds of shops everywhere and he couldn't help but get a headache as he focused on what to do.'
'So ignoring everything, he pressed onwards as he remembered the details of the letter, eventually arriving at a private section of the Nexus.'
'The Private section was located at the end of an off-shoot corridor and from the get-go, it was possible to see that the number of people following this path was almost 0.'
'And it wasn't like it was subtle, there were many signs this place wasn't to be treated by those that did not possess the right for it.'
'Even so, for those that did, they would find themselves slowly transitioning into a different place as the walls, ground, and ceiling changed in every single way until they arrived at a grand arch where two Guards could be seen posing silently, acting like the security of a Club...'
'One man... And one woman.'
'This area was visibly different from the rest, if the rest was already extravagant, then this one took it all a step further, it was impossible to describe but I shall give it my all...'
'From how the marble ground changed to a strange carpet of unknown origins to the polished stone columns, even the windows gave Philip the impression he wasn't looking at ordinary glass.'
'Everything here released faint magical waves, making Viera open her eyes wide.'
"This entire place was built... With magically imbued materials?"
"How wastefully... Albeit impressive." Tredis added as he looked around
"... Apologies, but could Madam and Sirs wait a moment." One of the guards said as he raised his right hand to his right ear
'And after a moment of silence and without changing his expression, the guard turned sideways, inviting them in.'
'This action stunned many of the Noble onlookers in the area as they didn't believe that this freaky group had the connections to enter the place!'
'They themselves had been waiting for their turn for quite a long time... What made this group that different from them?...'
'Well, they may never know.'
...
'The corridor eventually ended in a single open room, making Viera have bad premonitions...'
"Don't tell me..." She whispered in despair
"Yup, we have one more trip to make."
"Urrrg... I'll get sick at this rate..."
"Come on, you can do it, look at Tredis, he's doing fine." Philip said in a relaxed tone as he sat on one of the couches of the room
"..."
'Viera turned to look at Tredis, and he immediately looked away, annoying her greatly.'
Fine...
'Without anyone to rely on, she sat on one of the couches as well, waiting for the transportation to be commenced, until she realized something odd...'
"Where are we supposed to stand?" She asked out loud as she looked around
"You're already in it... But in any case, we've arrived." Philip said as he got up from his seat
"WHAT?!"
'Viera looked around, but nothing seemed to have changed...'
'No, there was indeed something different...'
/Chatter.../
'She could hear the sounds of a large crowd right outside of the room...'
"When did we..."
"It was the room, the entire room got transported." Tredis replied as he grabbed his Suitcase
"Or to be more precise... This is a different room, but a carbon copy of the previous one, we were just moved in between them, though don't ask me how they managed to make everything feel the same, even the curvature of my ass on the couch." Philip replied as he practiced his smile
"Do I look natural?" He asked as he looked at Viera and Tredis
""...""
"Honestly speaking... It feels a bit forced." Tredis said as a bead of sweat fell down from his forehead
"Fine... I don't need to smile anyway."
"I'll just go with the mysterious bad boy face."
The number of girls that couldn't take their eyes off me as we walked wasn't small, I'm sure my Rizz is off the charts...
Is that too egocentric?...
"..."
'Viera's expression twisted as she heard him.'
Bad boy face...
"Hoho! You're playing a dangerous game!" Tredis said with a smile as he tapped his chest
"You've been quite... Energetic recently."
He smiled and joked quite a bit today...
"Hum... Is that how it looks to you?" He asked as he turned to her, his expression becoming serious
"Well... I do feel a bit emotional... And expectant."
Thankfully, there are some aspects of me that Castle Town simply cannot suppress.
It would be too sad if I were to maintain a stoic face 99% of the time, smiling and showing emotions are part of life... Human life at least.
'Smiling, he took a step forward.'
"Anyway, we've wasted enough time here, there are people waiting for us outside."
"And Tredis, give me your suitcase, you can't carry it around all the time."
'He nodded without putting in too much thought.'
/Creak.../
'And after storing the suitcase in his Golden Orb, Philip approached the doors, only to have them open on their own.'
'He was late when compared to the others, but he was finally here...'
"Heh, I can already see some familiar faces..." Philip said as a natural smile formed on his face
'The Palace of Derivia!'
...
.
.
.
Notes
N1
There was a scene planned to come here, but I cut it out.
.
.
Anyway, our time in the City of Freedom is over, it's time to go back to the Heroes and for Philip to do his job as one... Whatever that may be!
What do you think to see now that he is back? What sort of reactions do you expect from the people?
Would you prefer if we just went through it all and into some actions, or would you prefer if we went through it with a bit more detail? Perhaps going over a few POVs in the meantime as well?
Also, like before, you'll all see that Philip is a bit more energetic, but as shown, it was only because he was feeling a bit emotional, if that is enough of an excuse.
See you all soon when I update the rest, peace.
