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Who's truly in Danger?
🕑 Added 2023-01-27 21:42:27 +0000 UTCFinally, I'm done with this chapter, and I think it came out alright.
This will cover the last event before the big time skip, and from there, we'll find out what'll happen to everyone over the next few months.
Who do you want to see first? Or do you prefer if I just jump without showing anyone and just Philip?
I'll still have to show them, but we may just take a little longer to show that, that's all.
Anyway, enjoy! I'll rest a little for now and start working on the next few chapters of Danmachi!
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/Chatter.../
"..."
They're gone.
'Philip saw the two men in the distance leave, and he felt a bit odd.'
I'm unsure who they were, but it wouldn't be hard to find out with MT unless they changed their names.
But considering they were both from the Azul family, things become obvious once you put some thought into it.
'He looked at Eri as she talked with Viera, thinking.'
Given she is a great talent in the eyes of the Family, it would reasonable to say she would have escorts.
The problem is, are the people that came with her not enough, so they had to bring in more from the shadows?
This could also be a diversion tactic, to make me put my focus somewhere else far from the truth...
Manipulating the System to show wrong information is possible through the help of tools and techniques, though for me, I lack any sort of method.
'In any case, Philip turned his focus to the maid and the knight.'
[???]
[???]
As expected, both the knight and the Maid aren't ordinary.
I half expected the knight to be strong, but even the serious-looking maid?
This means she's over Level 60, over my Skill detection range, or she's using some sort of device to hide her information.
Regardless, if she isn't, then it would be quite high for her appearance as she looks quite young.
/Chatter.../
'Just as he looked at them, they looked at him, though their expressions were hard to read…'
'One had a poker face, gazing at him with an icy stare, while the other was hidden by a blue helmet, but he could see the reflection of his eyes from beyond the helmet.'
'Perhaps they had somewhat noticed they were being sized up, but they weren't in a position to throw up a fuss.'
'Or maybe, they simply felt he was the most dangerous in this place, so they were keeping his eyes on him.'
"..."
Can't say if I'm honored or bothered...
Nonetheless, how's she doing?
'Philip smiled slightly as he saw Viera struggling to talk with Eri, finding it funny.'
Ha, she was always a loner kind of girl, perhaps she didn't even have any friends, it's quite sad actually when you think about it.
Her own friend, her master, left, leaving her alone in a dangerous world, and now she was forced to follow someone she barely even knew.
Far away from any friendship, however small, she may have.
/Chatter.../
'They continued to talk in the background, Philip listening quietly as he watched the tree leaves fall...'
'Though… He couldn't help but get bored.'
…
/A minute later…/
'After exchanging her greetings with Eri, Viera invited her inside with the most complex and courteous words she knew… Making it quite comical for all.'
'Sebastiano wanted to shake his head, but he didn't, maintaining a professional look, same for the Maids.'
'Eri herself knew Viera was likely not a Noble lady, given her lack of etiquette.'
'How did she know? Well... Viera had the words, she just couldn't put them together…'
'Her body movement, confidence, and air… It was very much like that of a commoner, one that struggled to even make a simple bow.'
'But she liked it.'
'Unlike most, Viera tried to speak with her, she tried to convey her emotions through her embarrassed and awkward talk, and she couldn't help but smile at it.'
'She preferred this kind of genuine gaze… To see her true self, or even if a slight reflection of it.'
"..."
'Even then, her attention was elsewhere now.'
'Ever since she arrived, she kept him at the corner of her eye, and in some moments, she even let herself lose focus… Only to wake up and refocus on Viera.'
/Step step.../
'But it was over now, breathing up and down, she approached him…'
"I...?"
W-What do I say?...
'And when she did, she realized her words… Somehow escaped her mouth.'
"Welcome, daughter of the Azul Family, lady Elyria." Philip humbly said as he bowed slightly
She's a bit stiff, did something happen?
"I'm Philip Polten, I hope you have a nice time in my humble abode."
She doesn't look as troublesome as Rafiel...
"I…"
Wait!... Just... How?!
'She smiled, trying to reply… But once again, her words got stuck in her mouth.'
'It was only now, being this close to him, just a few steps away from him that she could feel it…'
'Like a rising waterfall, his Spirit had completely changed from the last time she saw him!'
'Was he hiding who he truly was, or was this his true appearance?'
'She thought she was strong enough… Good enough… But compared to this…'
"Miss?" Philip asked with a concerned face
Her face is getting paler, is she sick...?
"Ah… My apologies, I lost myself for a moment… Mnn…"
Come on! I need to focus... Dammit!
I came here to talk, but I can barely utter a sound...
Something to say... Anything...
'She ran through her mind for an excuse or apology to use, and before she could even think it through, her brain came in with the save…'
"You just look too dashing… ?!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
/Shock!/
/Silence.../
'Everyone became speechless, perhaps even Eri herself…'
'Her knight trembled a little, her maid looked to the side, a small grin on her lips...'
'And with her face turning crimson by the minute, Philip chuckled as he became a bit more relaxed.'
'In the end, she's just a normal girl.' He thought to himself
"Thank you! That was actually the first time I ever received such a compliment." Philip said with a wide smile
It really is the first time a girl ever complimented my appearance, to think it would take a girl from another world to do so…
It is sad, actually.
"I… Mn…"
What did I just say???!!!
'Eri completely lost what she wanted to initially say, her fingers moving around in distress as she tried to come up with something else to say, an apology, or an excuse...'
'The others, on the other hand, remained still, both stunned and confused to say anything else.'
'Especially the Maid and the Knight that knew her personally, this screw-up wasn't something they expected to see, it made they rethink many things, such as their original reasons for being here.'
"...?"
Is it normal to praise the appearance of others amidst Nobles?
I know this is normal for ladies, but I didn't know it was also applicable to guys... Alright, noted.
'While Viera was just plain confused, rather… She felt a strange feeling surge up, as if… Something was very wrong.'
'Knowing she was flustered, whatever her reason may be, Philip decided to once again take the reigns of the conversation, saying "I'm sure you're tired from your journey, so please, come with me, Viera has already prepared the best tea we have available." As he turned around slightly.'
'It was just a lame excuse, whatever "Journey" he spoke of was definitely not something to get tired over, it should've barely lasted half an hour for her own manor to here.'
'But that was everything she wanted to hear now.'
"Eh?... I… Of course!"
He's putting more food on my plate damn!
'Viera hadn't actually prepared anything, but she did remember Philip talking about that with the Maids and then her.'
'She was just focused on something else at the time, so his words were eventually… Forgotten.'
'Though, on their way inside, Viera turned to Philip and said:'
"You do look handsome."
"???"
'And for the first time that day, he became truly confused.'
…
'Without conflict, both the Maid and the Knight followed Philip and Viera inside, while the horses were unstrapped from the carriage by the Maids and moved to a small stall on the side near the Manor.'
'Once inside, Viera and Eri sat at the main hall table, where a large selection of foods was awaiting them for their tea party, or whatever that was supposed to mean.'
'Viera was about to find out.'
'Philip on the other hand caught an opportunity to excuse himself, leaving under the eyes of both ladies in broad daylight like a cheeky thief that doesn't fear the police.'
'Though it seemed one of them wanted him to stay a bit longer…'
'He had faith in Viera, he had made a small list of things he could do with her, like taking a walk in the forest and having some relaxing time in there, or moving to the office and spending some time there…'
'There wasn't a lot they could do here in the end, the people of this world had their own way to entertain themselves thanks to magic and all of that, but neither Philip nor her ever bothered with seeing what it was.'
'Philip did know their board game industry was very complex, with many magical games to choose from.'
'They had theaters and plays, and even something resembling a movie theater, though he heard this all from rumors and whispers.'
'If she truly became desperate and doesn't know what to do next, she could try contacting him mentally, a process he taught her before.'
'She may be a mage, but her mental fortitude was strong enough for that, or at least, when she tried, it felt like a beacon, allowing Philip to approach her himself.'
…
/Later.../
/CLANG!/
/CLANG!/
"Phew… "
'Back in the forges, Philip struck the iron with great momentum.'
'He had already changed clothes, his previous cool demeanor was all gone, replaced with a pair of focused eyes.'
'His shirt was removed, revealing his muscular body, and his trusty shorts protected his booty from the fiery flames from the furnace behind him.'
'On his forehead was a small bandana, fluttering in the hot wind.'
/CLANG!/
"51 hammerings, next!"
'He grabbed the now-shaped blade, inspecting it multiple times from many angles…'
/Tsss…/
'Now, he had to wait for it to quench, it was precise timing, he didn't have a clock or anything, it was all in his head.'
/Pulls!/
'He took it out, and inspected it once more.'
"It didn't bend, good enough I guess."
The pattern looks pretty boring so far.
However, I can already see the experience baby!
'It should already be clear by now that he quite liked this job.'
'Hammering away powerful and legendary materials into the shape of whatever he desired, it certainly took a lot of work but the end result was cool enough.'
'Above all, the feeling of seeing his work being paid off with his Skill leveling up was gratifying enough.'
'Again and again, he repeated the same process over and over.'
'And then, he would grab all of those and enchant them...'
'Though, soon enough, he would have to replenish his inventory of Soul gems and Souls...'
'They weren't infinite after all, this meant that his Oblivion Gate project was soon to arrive, he had to hasten his efforts.'
…
/A few minutes later.../
/Scrub scrub scrub.../
"Hum... It became better than I thought."
'Once he finished polishing the sword, he didn't do any sort of extra steps such as sharpening it, polishing, or adding a handle, much less testing it.'
'He just put the metal core carefully on the table right next to many others and went on his way.'
'This was because Philip realized that making the core alone gave the most experience and it was also the fastest process.'
"Time to start again." He mumbled as he turned around
I'm thankful Sebastian bought mostly pure ores, it would be a pain to properly smelt ores into bars first...
Though I can see how that would be a more rewarding process... Perhaps once my Skill is high enough, I'll start doing that.
'Like a barbaric brute, Philip shoved his hand inside the flaming forge, taking out a small bucket full of molten golden liquid.'
"Oh! This one's a bit hotter, like grabbing a slightly warm glass cup of water."
My body does have a passive resistance to extreme elements, I never understood exactly how it worked.
If I have time, later on, I should just throw myself into extreme climates and see how things go.
/Tsss!/
'His process was pretty simple.'
'While he hammered a sword into shape, more metal would smelt on the side, once one was done, he could go and grab the other, restarting this Cycle.'
'Once the day was over, he could go over each sword and finish them up for a large clump of experience, or so is the plan.'
'It should work, but it didn't change the fact it was his first day trying this method.'
...
/CLANG!/
"... Tsk, I missed by a little bit."
/CLANG CLANG!/
"..."
'But he couldn't focus very well, for some reason, he felt quite odd.'
"..."
I need to stop for a moment...
'Silently staring at the wall as he waited for more metal to smelt, he thought… Things were a tad too silent.'
'Perhaps he had been pampered with his constant days of conflict and now, a little bit of peace and quiet sounded alien to him.'
'Or maybe… Something was indeed wrong.'
"Sigh."
I need some fresh air.
'Taking one last look at one of the many buckets of metal inside the forge, he left the workshop and into the forest.'
'If he looked to his right, he would be able to see the Manor in the distance, and if he focused, he would be able to hear the many sounds coming from within…'
'But he could hear one extra sound, a heartbeat…'
'And it was coming from his left, which was very strange.'
'Because that was the end of the Manor's space, it was pure polished hard stone, the end of the forest backyard and the walls of this cavern…'
'At the end of the day, this and many other Manors were built into the walls of a Ravine.'
'So an extra heartbeat meant…'
"I can see you there, get out." He proclaimed with his arms crossed
More trouble... Great.
/Rustle!/
/Fwoosh!/
'Juping from within the bushes, an old man appeared with a rather baffled expression.'
"Ho! And I thought I was hiding well." Roland replied as he brushed some leaves from his trousers
What gave me away?
"..."
'Upon seeing who it was, Philip became just as baffled as him.'
This guy again?
'He recognized him, it was the old man spying on them from afar.'
What does he want? Also, where is the other dude?
Shit, I should've just taken my time and...
'Honestly, he still didn't know who he was, he had left MT with Viera this morning as he always did, most of the time, MT didn't even leave the Office.'
'And it was likely still there, doing its own things.'
'The plain truth was… He had been too lazy to go grab it, and once he realized he had forgotten it, he also didn't want to risk going back and meeting with the girls again…'
'So he took a step back, crossing his arms.'
"Why are you doing this?" He asked Roland
I don't know why I'm asking an old man why he was hiding in a bush, but so is Eden, you never know what may happen.
"Hm? For fun mostly." He replied as he fixed his mustache and hair
"... I see." Philip replied after a small delay
Perhaps he has some stage of Dementia.
This is bad, where is his caretaker?... The other guy?
'Philip started to let his imagination run wild, and maybe noticing what Philip was misunderstanding things, Roland's expression fell a little as he replied:'
"Please don't take me seriously, it takes away the fun when you reply like that..."
'Seeing him become serious again, Philip did the same.'
"I'm just a tad too tired to play around."
Just because I'm doing what I like, it doesn't mean I don't want or need a rest...
Perhaps I should take a full day off and do nothing.
"I can see that…" Roland replied with a side glance as he stared at the Manor
'Philip stared at him, his guard up.'
'Although he felt the old man wasn't someone that he needed to watch out for, he still raised his defenses for the sake of it.'
'He did come out of nowhere after all.'
'His relationship with their Family was still very dubious, they could be considered strangers for all he knew.'
'There was no need to act friendly, though he would prefer to not engage in any sort of dangerous activities near his home if possible.'
'But, it seemed he had been overthinking things once more.'
'Roland bowed a little.'
"I apologize for coming uninvited young man, and also for disturbing your work, it wasn't originally my intention."
"Though I hope you may forgive me for this trespassing, I have a job to fulfill."
To make sure that kid doesn't flee while I'm looking away...
'Philip understood his words, nodding.'
"Everyone has something to do, be it me or you."
"Hoho! That is indeed most true."
'He turned around, but he stopped midway to say something:'
"I should leave now, it was a great pleasure to meet you like this, but allow me to ask you something."
'Shrugging, Philip rested his back against the wall.'
"It's not like I have anything else to do…"
"In that case, tell me, how did you find me?"
"Oh that?... Your heartbeat."
"My heartbeat?" He asked with slight confusion, staring at his chest
"It's very loud." Philip replied with a small smile
"..."
'Roland remained silent, but he smiled, albeit his mustache hid most of it.'
"How surprising, I never expected to be found due to such a detail."
"On that note, I'll take my leave, thank you for entertaining an old man such as myself."
"..."
"What about her?" Philip asked as he pointed at the Manor
'Roland smiled, he seemed like a very cheerful person.'
"She'll be fine with you here, besides, I won't stray too far, though this time, I won't invade your private space."
"Oi, don't push your responsibilities onto me."
I barely even know you…
"It's nothing like that, hoho!"
Not yet at least.
"See you soon, young adventurer."
/Crackle…/
'A quick spark of flames took over his body, and he vanished.'
"Where...?"
'Philip couldn't pinpoint where he went, for him, he merely vanished.'
'Frustrated, he scratched the back of his head.'
"... Why are there so many strange old people in this world?" Philip rumbled as he turned around
I feel like my energy returned to me at least.
'His discomfort was now gone, it seemed his body had been unconsciously reacting to his presence, so now, he was free to do as he wished.'
'Or was he?'
…
/Later…/
/Knock knock!/
'The sun slowly set, and his workshop's peace was once again profaned.'
"Is it Sebastiano? Did something happen?" He asked as he jumped over his anvil
I think the construction workers overachieved with the insulation I requested, I can barely hear a thing from outside.
'With a frown, Philip stopped what he was doing to once again answer the door.'
'Perhaps it was due to his focus on his previous task, or due to the thick insulation of the door and walls, he couldn't tell who was outside very well.'
/Creak…/
'Opening the large cut fire metal door, the person that appeared in front of him wasn't exactly who he expected…'
'Long white hair, almost reflecting the faint light of the sun, and sky blue eyes, staring up at him silently.'
'It was…'
"You?... I mean, lady…"
'Philip let his tongue slip, speaking informally as his brows furrowed.'
"Pfft… You can drop the formalities."
So this is how he looks casually...
"I prefer this much more." She said with a smile
"..."
'Philip didn't say much, he was genuinely surprised.'
"In any case, can I come in? I wanted to ask you something." She asked as she tried to peak inside the workshop
'Philip exhaled slightly.'
"... Fine, just be careful and be wary of the heat." Philip replied as he turned around
I don't want to be held accountable if he touches a piece of iron that is scalding hot and blames it on me.
It would be better if she didn't enter, but it doesn't look like she'll stop even if I ask her.
'She smiled, following after him, closing the hot door behind her.'
/Clonk!/
…
'Once inside, she gazed around with great interest, the many materials scattered all around, some expensive, some inexpensive, and the many items laid out on the tables…'
'Before she even arrived, Philip had already stored his enchanting table together with his others materials, exactly for a situation like this one.'
'An unexpected visit.'
"..."
Oh no... I knew it, I should've warned him first...
'She stared at the anvil, seeing an almost finished sword resting upon it, feeling a bit guilty.'
"I'm sorry for interrupting you…"
'But Philip shook his head.'
"It's okay, stopping now won't change anything, besides, I was getting a little tired."
How long has it been? 2 hours? Time sure flies.
My eyelids are a bit heavy.
Though, most importantly...
"Where is Viera?..."
"Well…"
'She became a bit embarrassed as she replied.'
"Technically I'm in the bathroom."
"..."
Wh...
'Philip truly didn't know how to answer this girl, sometimes she looked incredibly noble, other times she looked like his sister… If he had one.'
'In the end, he tried to play it cool as he always did, slowly building some steam to get the conversation rolling.'
"Well then, since you made the trouble to make an excuse, how may I help you? Given the little time you have?"
"Ah?... Ah yes!"
'She cleared her throat and touched her chest.'
"You see, I wanted to ask you a question, it's very important."
"..."
I've received quite a lot of questions recently…
"I'll try my best to answer those then."
"Thank you, I'm sure you benefit from them as well."
"..."
Me?
'She breathed in and out and asked:'
"Please, don't take this as a threat… But were you the one that took out the Conjunction headquarters a few days ago?"
"!"
'Philip crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow.'
'The pressure in the room even seemed to increase a little.'
"How is that important for anything?" He asked, not refusing, not agreeing
Was it the Dwarves? It's the only connection I can see.
"Cough!... It's because… Did you do it for the Dwarf Family?"
"!"
Now, this is getting interesting…
So it seems she thinks I caused that due to the fact the Dwarves are here now.
Interesting.
'He stayed silent, so Eri just continued.'
"I don't mean any harm… You must already know, but I came to this city with Rafiel that moron… Not because I had any feelings for him, but because I had a mission to accomplish."
"..."
'She became a bit frustrated at his silence…'
"I'll repeat, I have no feelings for…"
"I understood that, continue."
Her feelings matter little, her intentions are what I want to know.
"..."
'She looked at him with her big eyes, as if he had done something wrong.'
'In the end, she continued.'
"In my investigation, I came to understand that the Pyke Family was funding some sort of plan…"
'She then began to explain what was likely happening, all of her clues and reasons, enlightening Philip on the greater picture.'
'And once she was done, she said:'
"... and that's the gist of it."
/Silence.../
'The gears in his mind started to rotate, grinding against each other as he tried to form the bigger picture.'
"Hum… That's a lot to take in."
Her words make sense, they all connect together and they also fall in line with what I know and how everything happened.
Still, I fail to understand why she came here to say all of this…
"Let's say I believe all of it, what do you want from me?"
"I… Don't really want anything, but if you want a reason…"
"Thanks to you, I managed to go this far in my investigation, and that is more than enough for me to repay you."
'A very innocent and naive response, yet it fitted somehow.'
"You sure are energetic…"
"Sorry if I'm being too defensive here, but last time I was invited to a party, I almost ended up being kidnapped." Philip said with a slightly hurt tone
"..."
You mean how you almost collapsed the entire Manor?...
Though in the end... He's saying he can't trust me due to my connection with that sub-human?
Great... Really great...
'Eri's expression twitched for a moment, but she retained her cool, throwing all of her resentment into Rafiel, who was currently inscribing runes onto many objects as he tried to recover the money he lost...'
'Eventually, she came to a solution.'
"I... I wanted to see this case to an end, who was the true mastermind, and what their goals…"
"But this is a bit too beyond me now."
"So I wanted to entrust this with someone else as well, you just happened to fit all of the requirements and a bit more."
"I see."
More information is always welcome, though I'll have to take it with a grain of salt.
I can't exactly prove a lot of the things she's talking about, mostly because I have no connections to investigate the internal matters of a big Family like the Pykes.
"And one more thing… Be careful." She said in a low tone
"A warning?"
'She nodded.'
"It may come as farfetched and stupid even... But I feel like something is going to happen…"
"All of my investigations were put to a halt because there are no more clues..."
"Unless I dive deeper into those thugs' territory, but that isn't going to happen." She said as she shook her head
"The conjunction is too silent, and they aren't usually like that."
"So I believe something is going to happen, either through their hand or someone else's…"
"Their target may be you… Someone you know, or it may not be related at all."
"Nevertheless, a warning is the best I can give you, that was the reason for my visit."
As I won't be able to do so again once I leave this place.
I feel a bit guilty for using that girl as an excuse, but I had to meet him at least once...
"..."
'Philip processed her words.'
But really? I thought she was here to see Viera…
I can understand why she was looking at me like that from the start, she likely wanted to talk with me, but I left her with Viera…
She must've felt uncomfortable for quite some time... Perhaps she didn't even want to talk with her, but was forced to do so.
/Cough!/
'Now that she said everything she wanted, Eri started to cough in embarrassment.'
"As I'm done, and I'm sure you wish to return to your activities..."
"I'll… Take my leave now. T-Thank you for having me here." She said with a slight nod and a stutter
"I hope we can meet again if fate allows it." Philip said as she left
'He also finally smiled.'
"I'm sure we'll have that chance, someday." He added
"I... Yes."
'She smiled as well, turning around and made her way to the door, opening it.'
'She gave him one last bow before leaving for good.'
/Clack!/
...
/Silence/
"..."
'Amidst this weird atmosphere fluctuating in the room, Philip looked bellow, finally realizing he had been wearing nothing but his trousers.'
'He had taken off everything else due to the heat and he had forgotten about it.'
'Even if his body could resist it, the heat was still pretty annoying, it was like being on the beach under the sun, it may not be scalding but over time…'
I need to pay more attention to these…
'Shaking his head, Philip turned around, but he stopped, thinking about her words.'
"Danger… But to whom?"
It can't be me… They shouldn't know my identity…
Well... In her case, she must've figured out mine by observing my interactions with the Dwarves… And then putting me as the most likely culprit due to what she knows from the party.
And although it isn't impossible for them to do the same, they would need to have inside knowledge of what happened at the party, at least to raise their suspicions about me.
From their perspective, I could just be one of the many escapees, there is no reason to suspect a 20-year-old for the attack on their branch.
What should I do?...
'Philip scratched his head, and after a while, he left the workshop.'
'Regardless of it all, he had to see her and the others off, and once that was done, he would figure out where the danger would come from.'
'If her words were accurate that is.'
…
'At the same time...'
/Alarm!/
/Alarm!/
/Alarm!/
"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING HERE!?" Tedris exclaimed as he rushed to the main reactor control room
"S-SIR! The main reactor... It suddenly went supercritical!"
"WHAT?! WHO ACTIVATED IT! TODAY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MAINTENANCE DAY! WE STILL NEED TO TEST THE NEW TEMPERATURE CONTROL VALVE!!!" He screamed with all his forces
"AND ALSO! HOW DID IT GET TO THIS STAGE IN THE FIRST PLACE?! WHERE'S JAMAI?! WASN'T HE IN CHARGE OF OPERATIONS TODAY?!"
"T-The thing is..."
"SPEAK LOUDER!"
"J-J-JAMAI LOCKED HIMSELF IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM AND ACTIVATED THE MACHINE WHILE WE WERE ALL AWAY! WE JUST CAME IN RUNNING JUST LIKE YOU!"
'Tedris stood still for a second before saying:'
"WHAAAAT?!"
...
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Notes
