Descendants of Time (Role-Play Act 5: Revolutionary Moment)
1
Cinia Pacifica
Ojou-sama Writer
It had been a somewhat eventful day, and Aleksander was glad to be home, able to finally relax his guard if only slightly and enjoy himself. As he approached the front door, he thought about how when he left this morning at eight, he had no servants, and now he had just under twenty of them. The magnitude of the accomplishment really struck home for him at the two twenty-something men in fairly nice, cold-weather jackets standing at his door, one of whom opened said door when he got closer.
Alek nodded to the young man in thanks, and walked inside, caught a little off-guard when one of the footmen followed him inside, and took Alek’s jacket and hat, hanging it in the cloakroom. Feeling less burdened, Alek took his book to the study, and planned to start reading it, but he did make a slight detour to get the attention of one of his maids. “Excuse me, Lilly?”
“Yes, my Lord?” the maid stopped cleaning the floor and walked up to Alek, but kept a good distance from him.
“Would you mind having the kitchen prepare tea, and then bringing it to my study? Also, have Dawson and come up if you would. I would like to hear from him on how his first day has been going so far. Thank you, Miss Lilly.” he smiles, before continuing towards the study.
“Understood, my Lord.” The maid hurried away, taking her broom with her.
Some moments later, Katya walked into Aleksander’s study with a cup of tea over a tray and she placed it atop his desk.
“Is there anything else you would require, my Lord?” Katya enquired.
“A date to a ball I found out is being held in barely more than a few days by the Queen, but I don’t suppose you know anybody who can help with that?” He raised a brow dryly.
“Yes, we spoke of the Queen’s Ball merely two hours ago,” Katya said. Now dressed in the uniform of a maid, and not that of an aristocrat, her image had changed dramatically. “In fact, we have received a letter from the Royalty, which I shall have delivered to you soon. I figured that you would want to relax first before reading it. What type of help would you require for it, my Lord?”
“Well, I was wondering if you’d attend the ball with me? it’s considered bad form to show up by oneself, and I fear that most of the decent candidates have already been approached by better-prepared young men than myself. I can of course provide you with access to a tailor to have them sew you a ball-gown, should you accept, and not already have one…”
“I may attend with you if that is all you require, my Lord. I already have a ball gown prepared for myself as well,” Katya promptly answered.
“Excellent, I’m sure that you’ll make a fine companion for me, and I look forward to making all the other noblemen jealous.” He smiled slightly. “I thought you’d protest more at being asked to be my date for the ball, in all honesty.”
“I think you would find me beneficial—rest assured—in a more social sense. However, feel free to court other women in the ball. I believe it would be appropriate for you to seek an able woman for your family line, my Lord.”
“Hmm… I shall take your advise to heart, but I must admit it disheartens me greatly that you dismiss yourself so quickly. Circumstances of social standing aside, you seem to be a fine woman yourself, Miss Katya. I myself was a commoner but a few days ago, living in exile from the Queen’s land for the crimes of my forebear, and here I am planning to throw a ball in less than a fortnight. So don’t give up on yourself so soon.” He tried to encourage her to be more positive.
“Dismiss myself? My Lord, my circumstances are different and… pardon me, but it does not look good considering my occupation. If you and I are together in that way—”
“To begin with, accepting the invitation is already a problematic idea. I think you would have known better, Miss Katya,” Dawson, the butler of the house stated as he came in. The butler then faced Aleksander. “You have called for my presence, my Lord?”
The butler seemed to wear an eyepatch and had long hair. For a male, this was not common and seemed to prefer butlers with small hair, like any man would be. That was some years ago, however, as long hairs in men were acceptable now due to the new standards of the modern world were discovered by the magicians of England. However, many work stations still do not find such appearance appropriate.
“Excellent timing, Dawson. Yes, I wanted to enquire of you, and Katya as well since she is here, as to how the staff has been adjusting so far to working here. Are there any hiccups of note?” Aleksander asked, buying time to think.
“I suppose this is a good time as any to make my report. Everything has been going as they should be, my Lord. The footmen have been working with the few parts of the mansion that are still occupied by unused wardrobes and drawers and needs the housemaids to clean.”
“On that note,” Katya began, “As soon as the old furnitures are moved I shall have the maids sweep the older rooms cleaned. Otherwise, we are mostly done with getting the mansion back to how it should be. I would like to recommend, however, that we hire another kitchen maid. It may make the cooking process much faster.”
“I’ll stop by the agency and see what can be done about hiring another one, truth be told I suspected we might need another, but wanted to make sure before I hired one. Are there any other staffing requests, or complaints about any of the uniforms I chose? I was on the fence about the particular maid uniform that is in use right now. If any of the girls are uncomfortable with it showing a little bit of leg, please tell them to feel free to speak with me, and I shall get a new one made.”
“Actually, there are quite a lot of complaints from the maids about it…” Katya reported with a fainter voice as she looked down.
“It is indeed questionable in terms of modesty, I must admit.” Dawson also nodded alongside the housekeeper.
“Hmm… the budget is fairly tight with the recent expenditure to restore the grounds. If you’ll please let the maids know that I can replace their uniforms with a more tasteful version, but that those who choose to continue to wear the ones they have now can look forward to a seventy-five pound bonus two weeks before Christmas on every year? I would offer an outright pay raise for it, but as I said, budgetary concerns restrict my ability to do so at the moment. Next year I may abandon the bonus, and instead move to a flat raise, if they’d prefer.”
“I would think people would enjoy the flat raise instead,” Dawson stated. “Otherwise they would just be wearing it before Christmas and put it away.” I suppose my Lord is this type of a man, I should have expected it, I suppose, considering the age.
“I shall let them know,” Katya tersely replied. Why would the Lord even offer a pay at all if he was concerned about the budget…? It is much more cost-friendly to produce modest uniforms.
“I will see what I can do. In the meantime, I will care for my own laundry, and you can have Lilly assist in the kitchen, until we can find another maid to take her place, Katya.”
“Very well,” Katya said with a bow.
“My Lord, you do not need to do any of that, please focus on your studies,” Dawson stated hastily. “We shall make arrangements for the laundry.”
“I see, thank you for your hard work so far, both of you. Would you please extend my thanks to the rest of the staff as well?” He smiled in a kindly fashion, opening the book and beginning to read, “I also wish to discuss your situation further, Katya. If it may impact me in the near or distant future, it’s not something I wish to be blindsided by. If you fear being judged for some misdeed of your past, then I can assure you that that will not be the case.”
“I apologise, my Lord, but…” Katya’s voice trailed away and she looked down, not wanting to continue anymore.
“Do you not trust my discretion on this matter? I assure you I am not one to idly gossip about serious matters…” Alek frowned. “If it is within my power, I will do everything I can to help you…”
Katya remained silent, not sure how to answer.
“My Lord, I have something to speak with you about, alone,” the butler said.
“Very well, you are dismissed Katya…” Aleksander said, feeling bad for putting her under so much stress, but still being quite worried for the young lady’s well-being.
Katya gave a bow before leaving Aleksander’s study.
As the door closed, Dawson spoke, “My Lord, you may wish to replace this housekeeper. It may bring issues to your household.”
“I will entertain your proposal for the time being, what brings you to say this?”
“She is not an ordinary housekeeper, and is not as strict as she should be. Also, pardon me but your choice to press for her matter is also another issue.”
“Hmm, would you be willing to help her become a better housekeeper? Teaching her some severity would also be welcome if you find the time for it. As far as her concerns, the only reason I insist on knowing of them, is because she claims it will affect me in some fashion, and refuses to elaborate.”
“I do not think I will find that time, regrettably. To be honest, a professional who is hired should have been well-prepared, enough to not require training. She may seem young but she is close to your age, my Lord. No one likes training in the work field, those are for ones still partaking the previous step—in the agency. She is lacking in experience and may not be the best for your house.”
“I cannot deny that there is a certain sense behind your words, but I believe in giving her a chance. And not just because she’s a cute girl, either. I’d do the same were you in her place. The reason I’m inclined to believe in her, is because of certain shared experiences I feel we have. A bit of a kindred spirit, if you will. I will not ignore your concerns entirely though, I will give her a chance, just one. If she brings dishonor to this household, then I will personally dismiss her from my employ, on that you have my word.”
“A word of advise, my Lord. Chances are fair, I understand, but you should not mix your judgement with personal sympathies with her. You mentioned a kindred spirit, but when you spoke to me first, you had mentioned that you wanted to keep private and professional matters completely appropriately separate with the servants. Taking pity on her is already deviating from this promise, in whatever form it is. I believe that it will cost you in more ways than one… My Lord, you are a Duke now, and you are about to make a grand return to the society of nobles. Keeping a member of the Aberdeen family as a housekeeper will raise questions. If you are too lenient it will make everyone around you curious. Better pray that it is not a scandal material.”
“I assure you that I shall maintain propriety in all matters when it comes to my servants. Let the court question why an Aberdeen is serving as a Housekeep if they wish, I believe that that is a question that can safely be deflected to the main Aberdeen household, and let them answer it. And if they decide to question why I am bringing an ex-Aberdeen to the Queen’s Ball, I shall simply remind them that regardless of her status within their family, she is nonetheless an Aberdeen still, and not exactly devoid of social and political power.”
“No, I am sure she is not devoid of any of it, but that does not mean that a man keeping an Aberdeen member in his house is excusable, especially of the opposite gender. People loves to make assumptions these days about what takes place behind closed doors. Scandals simply happen to be a different bag of worms altogether. I only wanted for you to keep this in mind. If you are going to keep the questionable lady here regardless, I cannot do anything about it. I am simply saying this for your well-being, as it is my duty to do so.”
“So what would you have me do? Turn her out onto the street?” Alek asked, looking up from his book to meet Dawson’s eyes. “I’ve no idea what kind of gentleman you take me for, but I will NOT do that to a lady. Let people talk if they must, but unlike some people I’ve met, I’ve no plan to take advantage of the young lady.”
“My Lord, I do not think she is as helpless as you imagine. It seems like her status is not officially taken away. It does not make sense about why a noble lady is even working as a housekeeper. Would you ever hire a noble usually? I do not know of an employer who would, among the nobility that is. You must gain more connections and build relations with the nobles, my Lord, being too honest-to-good, will unfortunately allow others to take advantage of your virtues instead.”
“Thank you Dawson. I will consider what you have told me. In the meantime, I believe that I need to know why she is here, before I am able to make a final decision,” he said , sipping at his so-far untouched tea.
“If you would permit me, I shall look into this matter and investigate it.”
“Let me ask her directly, and if she refuses to answer, then I might resort to that method. I’d prefer to be as honest in my dealings as I can…”
“She has refused you outright just now, my Lord.”
“I shall attempt a different tact, it shall just take some time.” he replied, standing from his desk and moving towards the door.
“Very well, my Lord. As you wish.”
Alek nodded to the young man in thanks, and walked inside, caught a little off-guard when one of the footmen followed him inside, and took Alek’s jacket and hat, hanging it in the cloakroom. Feeling less burdened, Alek took his book to the study, and planned to start reading it, but he did make a slight detour to get the attention of one of his maids. “Excuse me, Lilly?”
“Yes, my Lord?” the maid stopped cleaning the floor and walked up to Alek, but kept a good distance from him.
“Would you mind having the kitchen prepare tea, and then bringing it to my study? Also, have Dawson and come up if you would. I would like to hear from him on how his first day has been going so far. Thank you, Miss Lilly.” he smiles, before continuing towards the study.
“Understood, my Lord.” The maid hurried away, taking her broom with her.
Some moments later, Katya walked into Aleksander’s study with a cup of tea over a tray and she placed it atop his desk.
“Is there anything else you would require, my Lord?” Katya enquired.
“A date to a ball I found out is being held in barely more than a few days by the Queen, but I don’t suppose you know anybody who can help with that?” He raised a brow dryly.
“Yes, we spoke of the Queen’s Ball merely two hours ago,” Katya said. Now dressed in the uniform of a maid, and not that of an aristocrat, her image had changed dramatically. “In fact, we have received a letter from the Royalty, which I shall have delivered to you soon. I figured that you would want to relax first before reading it. What type of help would you require for it, my Lord?”
“Well, I was wondering if you’d attend the ball with me? it’s considered bad form to show up by oneself, and I fear that most of the decent candidates have already been approached by better-prepared young men than myself. I can of course provide you with access to a tailor to have them sew you a ball-gown, should you accept, and not already have one…”
“I may attend with you if that is all you require, my Lord. I already have a ball gown prepared for myself as well,” Katya promptly answered.
“Excellent, I’m sure that you’ll make a fine companion for me, and I look forward to making all the other noblemen jealous.” He smiled slightly. “I thought you’d protest more at being asked to be my date for the ball, in all honesty.”
“I think you would find me beneficial—rest assured—in a more social sense. However, feel free to court other women in the ball. I believe it would be appropriate for you to seek an able woman for your family line, my Lord.”
“Hmm… I shall take your advise to heart, but I must admit it disheartens me greatly that you dismiss yourself so quickly. Circumstances of social standing aside, you seem to be a fine woman yourself, Miss Katya. I myself was a commoner but a few days ago, living in exile from the Queen’s land for the crimes of my forebear, and here I am planning to throw a ball in less than a fortnight. So don’t give up on yourself so soon.” He tried to encourage her to be more positive.
“Dismiss myself? My Lord, my circumstances are different and… pardon me, but it does not look good considering my occupation. If you and I are together in that way—”
“To begin with, accepting the invitation is already a problematic idea. I think you would have known better, Miss Katya,” Dawson, the butler of the house stated as he came in. The butler then faced Aleksander. “You have called for my presence, my Lord?”
The butler seemed to wear an eyepatch and had long hair. For a male, this was not common and seemed to prefer butlers with small hair, like any man would be. That was some years ago, however, as long hairs in men were acceptable now due to the new standards of the modern world were discovered by the magicians of England. However, many work stations still do not find such appearance appropriate.
“Excellent timing, Dawson. Yes, I wanted to enquire of you, and Katya as well since she is here, as to how the staff has been adjusting so far to working here. Are there any hiccups of note?” Aleksander asked, buying time to think.
“I suppose this is a good time as any to make my report. Everything has been going as they should be, my Lord. The footmen have been working with the few parts of the mansion that are still occupied by unused wardrobes and drawers and needs the housemaids to clean.”
“On that note,” Katya began, “As soon as the old furnitures are moved I shall have the maids sweep the older rooms cleaned. Otherwise, we are mostly done with getting the mansion back to how it should be. I would like to recommend, however, that we hire another kitchen maid. It may make the cooking process much faster.”
“I’ll stop by the agency and see what can be done about hiring another one, truth be told I suspected we might need another, but wanted to make sure before I hired one. Are there any other staffing requests, or complaints about any of the uniforms I chose? I was on the fence about the particular maid uniform that is in use right now. If any of the girls are uncomfortable with it showing a little bit of leg, please tell them to feel free to speak with me, and I shall get a new one made.”
“Actually, there are quite a lot of complaints from the maids about it…” Katya reported with a fainter voice as she looked down.
“It is indeed questionable in terms of modesty, I must admit.” Dawson also nodded alongside the housekeeper.
“Hmm… the budget is fairly tight with the recent expenditure to restore the grounds. If you’ll please let the maids know that I can replace their uniforms with a more tasteful version, but that those who choose to continue to wear the ones they have now can look forward to a seventy-five pound bonus two weeks before Christmas on every year? I would offer an outright pay raise for it, but as I said, budgetary concerns restrict my ability to do so at the moment. Next year I may abandon the bonus, and instead move to a flat raise, if they’d prefer.”
“I would think people would enjoy the flat raise instead,” Dawson stated. “Otherwise they would just be wearing it before Christmas and put it away.” I suppose my Lord is this type of a man, I should have expected it, I suppose, considering the age.
“I shall let them know,” Katya tersely replied. Why would the Lord even offer a pay at all if he was concerned about the budget…? It is much more cost-friendly to produce modest uniforms.
“I will see what I can do. In the meantime, I will care for my own laundry, and you can have Lilly assist in the kitchen, until we can find another maid to take her place, Katya.”
“Very well,” Katya said with a bow.
“My Lord, you do not need to do any of that, please focus on your studies,” Dawson stated hastily. “We shall make arrangements for the laundry.”
“I see, thank you for your hard work so far, both of you. Would you please extend my thanks to the rest of the staff as well?” He smiled in a kindly fashion, opening the book and beginning to read, “I also wish to discuss your situation further, Katya. If it may impact me in the near or distant future, it’s not something I wish to be blindsided by. If you fear being judged for some misdeed of your past, then I can assure you that that will not be the case.”
“I apologise, my Lord, but…” Katya’s voice trailed away and she looked down, not wanting to continue anymore.
“Do you not trust my discretion on this matter? I assure you I am not one to idly gossip about serious matters…” Alek frowned. “If it is within my power, I will do everything I can to help you…”
Katya remained silent, not sure how to answer.
“My Lord, I have something to speak with you about, alone,” the butler said.
“Very well, you are dismissed Katya…” Aleksander said, feeling bad for putting her under so much stress, but still being quite worried for the young lady’s well-being.
Katya gave a bow before leaving Aleksander’s study.
As the door closed, Dawson spoke, “My Lord, you may wish to replace this housekeeper. It may bring issues to your household.”
“I will entertain your proposal for the time being, what brings you to say this?”
“She is not an ordinary housekeeper, and is not as strict as she should be. Also, pardon me but your choice to press for her matter is also another issue.”
“Hmm, would you be willing to help her become a better housekeeper? Teaching her some severity would also be welcome if you find the time for it. As far as her concerns, the only reason I insist on knowing of them, is because she claims it will affect me in some fashion, and refuses to elaborate.”
“I do not think I will find that time, regrettably. To be honest, a professional who is hired should have been well-prepared, enough to not require training. She may seem young but she is close to your age, my Lord. No one likes training in the work field, those are for ones still partaking the previous step—in the agency. She is lacking in experience and may not be the best for your house.”
“I cannot deny that there is a certain sense behind your words, but I believe in giving her a chance. And not just because she’s a cute girl, either. I’d do the same were you in her place. The reason I’m inclined to believe in her, is because of certain shared experiences I feel we have. A bit of a kindred spirit, if you will. I will not ignore your concerns entirely though, I will give her a chance, just one. If she brings dishonor to this household, then I will personally dismiss her from my employ, on that you have my word.”
“A word of advise, my Lord. Chances are fair, I understand, but you should not mix your judgement with personal sympathies with her. You mentioned a kindred spirit, but when you spoke to me first, you had mentioned that you wanted to keep private and professional matters completely appropriately separate with the servants. Taking pity on her is already deviating from this promise, in whatever form it is. I believe that it will cost you in more ways than one… My Lord, you are a Duke now, and you are about to make a grand return to the society of nobles. Keeping a member of the Aberdeen family as a housekeeper will raise questions. If you are too lenient it will make everyone around you curious. Better pray that it is not a scandal material.”
“I assure you that I shall maintain propriety in all matters when it comes to my servants. Let the court question why an Aberdeen is serving as a Housekeep if they wish, I believe that that is a question that can safely be deflected to the main Aberdeen household, and let them answer it. And if they decide to question why I am bringing an ex-Aberdeen to the Queen’s Ball, I shall simply remind them that regardless of her status within their family, she is nonetheless an Aberdeen still, and not exactly devoid of social and political power.”
“No, I am sure she is not devoid of any of it, but that does not mean that a man keeping an Aberdeen member in his house is excusable, especially of the opposite gender. People loves to make assumptions these days about what takes place behind closed doors. Scandals simply happen to be a different bag of worms altogether. I only wanted for you to keep this in mind. If you are going to keep the questionable lady here regardless, I cannot do anything about it. I am simply saying this for your well-being, as it is my duty to do so.”
“So what would you have me do? Turn her out onto the street?” Alek asked, looking up from his book to meet Dawson’s eyes. “I’ve no idea what kind of gentleman you take me for, but I will NOT do that to a lady. Let people talk if they must, but unlike some people I’ve met, I’ve no plan to take advantage of the young lady.”
“My Lord, I do not think she is as helpless as you imagine. It seems like her status is not officially taken away. It does not make sense about why a noble lady is even working as a housekeeper. Would you ever hire a noble usually? I do not know of an employer who would, among the nobility that is. You must gain more connections and build relations with the nobles, my Lord, being too honest-to-good, will unfortunately allow others to take advantage of your virtues instead.”
“Thank you Dawson. I will consider what you have told me. In the meantime, I believe that I need to know why she is here, before I am able to make a final decision,” he said , sipping at his so-far untouched tea.
“If you would permit me, I shall look into this matter and investigate it.”
“Let me ask her directly, and if she refuses to answer, then I might resort to that method. I’d prefer to be as honest in my dealings as I can…”
“She has refused you outright just now, my Lord.”
“I shall attempt a different tact, it shall just take some time.” he replied, standing from his desk and moving towards the door.
“Very well, my Lord. As you wish.”
1
Cinia Pacifica
Ojou-sama Writer
Svetlana exited a carriage and got out of it in her American attire. The casual attire from America was still garnering her unwanted attention, especially with the horn, and she had to explain to many people about her so-called cosplaying habits over the past few days.
She was now officially a Duchess, granted the title by the Queen. She was named Svetlana Astakhov Alicia officially in her documents that the Queen permitted to be forged. However, she woke up late this morning and Duchess Caroline had informed her that Isabelle had already went out. After asking, it turned out that Isabelle went out all the way to the old mansion of their family.
When Svetlana found little Isabelle, she seemed to be busy directing workers with refurbishing the house and bringing it back to life. Apparently, their estate was too old to be used at the moment.
“Sheesh, you could have woken me up you know Isabelle,” Svetlana said as she approached Isabelle.
“You were sleeping like a log on a bed of pillows—I could not do it, sister,” Isabelle said. “Also, these servants are not taking me seriously sometimes.”
“Well, if they don’t listen we can always find replacements. Pretty sure there are others who are willing to work as long as they get paid.”
“I do not think we should overpay, however. Money is precious, especially when we lack a business to run at the moment. We cannot live off the inheritance money forever. I think the issue is elsewhere, however, they probably think a child does not provide good instructions.” Isabelle pouted.
“Don’t worry in time things will be different,” Svetlana said happily as she patted Isabelle head. “By the way, how long is this gonna take? Or we are gonna be staying at your Aunt’s for a good while?”
“Well… there is only one way to find out. Shall we take a tour?”
“Yes we should! Lead the way.”
Isabelle and Svetlana entered the manor of the late Duchess that was Margaret Alicia. There were many noises of hammers, woodworks and perhaps some drilling? The two were not sure what kind of steam engine were used for the process, but if it worked then they could care less about some loud noises. The floor was an absolute mess full of dust. There were cobwebs in almost every corners. The furnitures were at least covered with clothes but the walls were not in good condition with cracks and old paints looking simply displeasing to the eyes.
“I would not want to live in a room with such walls,” Isabelle remarked, going up the staircase with her sister.
“It feels as if a ghost would come out at night here.”
“Do not jinx it now.” She almost placed a hand on the railing of the staircase but stopped. “Gosh, the wood is about to crack. Crack, I tell you.”
“Maybe we should head back out. I don’t want you falling through the floor if the floor cracks open below us.”
“Good call, if a hard plated wood on the railing is cracking, I would not be so sure about the sturdiness of the floors either.”
“Seems then we will be without our own house for a while,” Svetlana said with a sigh. “So I suppose in the meantime we probably would just require to hire our own Personal Maids if anything no?”
“Yes, I was hoping that you would come to that conclusion. We could hire our staff members from a Staffing Agency and then have them join the renovation works here.”
“Well that's fine by me, but do you know what would be an appropriate amount of staff that we would need? Or what kind? Since, well, I’m still clueless about most of this stuff.”
“Hmm… we would need a considerable amount of staff members. At least about twelve women to work with the daily necessities. By the by, might I suggest that you start studying English rather than using that translating accessory?”
“Eeh, but at my age it's harder to learn a language. This makes it so convenient for me.” Svetlana protested
“No excuses! You sound like a robot right now.”
“Sheesh, fine. But you better not make fun of my accent since I’m certain I’m gonna have one.”
“Better… pfft, practicing,” Isabelle said, holding her laughter. “Oh yes, another thing… you need dresses. This attire you are wearing is absolutely shameful here.”
“I don’t mind getting dresses as long as they're the kind I like, considering my older dresses don't fit me anymore,” Svetlana said with a sigh “By the way, are we not getting male servants?”
“We should get some… also, the dresses will help you with your figure, at least this is what I have heard from my mother all the time. I think I can believe that, considering mother’s figure was…”
“Well I don’t believe this figure is that bad,” Svetlana said as she examined herself. “Though we should also get you many dresses.”
“Why do I get this feeling that you are more excited about playing dress-up with me than wearing pretty dresses yourself?” Isabelle took a step back. “That figure is not bad, but it is still not the best.”
Svetlana pinched Isabelle’s cheek. “You know you could have simply said it's a nice figure,” she said with a smile on her face.
“That would get you over the top of your head.”
“No it wouldn’t, that's a simple compliment. Not like you would have elaborated. Sheesh,” Svetlana said as she pouted.
“You do not realise how simple-minded you are. Fine, do not listen to me, perhaps one day you will understand,” Isabelle said, shrugging. “Women loves praises, I tell you.”
“Well, the only praises I ever enjoyed myself where those I was given after my performances back in Russia, those were more important to me since it meant I was able to put a smile on people's faces in those harsh lands.”
“I think I do not want to go there any time soon,” Isabelle said, walking down from the staircase. The two now exited the mansion. “So… where do we go first? We should also get a carriage of our own. Traveling is a bit of a chore with us having to fetch a hansom cab or a carriage every single time we go out.”
“I suppose we can. Considering I’ll probably get lost myself out there,” Svetlana said jokingly. “But I suppose we should head to the Staffing Agency first. I believe getting our own carriage can still wait a bit. Though, too bad they don’t have cars here those would have been nice to have.”
“We do have cars, just that they are more expensive. Very few are imported from the United States.” Isabelle waved for a carriage across the streets after they walked out of the gates.
“Oh then we should get one once we can afford one! I should learn to drive, that would be fun.”
“It is not very ladylike to drive here. We should just hire a driver for that.”
“Eeh, now your making me wonder what women do for fun here…”
“Good question,” Isabelle said, wondering about it herself. “I think it may be a bit old-fashioned but… sewing? I imagine many noble ladies learn to paint, play musical instruments, and even horse-riding. Jousting and racing are popular sports. There are many more things I feel like I am missing… oh, promenading and attending balls to dance are more of women’s thing too. I personally want to meet a dashing prince charming in a ball one day.”
The two then got onto a carriage as they conversed.
“Oh my someone thinks like a little princess,” Svetlana said as she chuckled a bit. “From those that you mention I think I would only find horse-riding fun for me…”
“You are not good at womanly things, are you? Makes me pity you.” Isabelle shook her head in sadness and shame. “You almost make me weep at your tomboyish nature,” she stated, feigning a mourning tone.
Svetlana pinched both Isabelle cheek at that moment. “You sure love me doing this to you don’t you?” Svetlana said happily. “If you have forgotten already. I was not raised to be a noble lady as I didn’t come from such a thing.”
“I do not enjoy it, what must be said shall be said, and we both already knew that you were raised to be a boy anyway.”
“Maybe I should buy you boy’s clothes instead of those pretty dresses I had in mind.”
“I am going to use proper English to make sure your room is full of cracked walls and horribly broken furnitures.”
“Fine I’ll make sure to invite a ghost to the house.”
“You may live in that mansion alone then.”
“But you're under my care so you would have to stay with me.”
“I do not think any guardian of mine would bring me to danger. In that event, however, you become a legal fool you opted out of time, thus, I would not have to stay with you. I have every right to flee to safety,” she crossed her arms with a “humph.”
“Sheesh, I was kidding you know, as if I would really do something like that.”
“Pfft, what, you thought I was not kidding, either?”
“Well if I didn’t think you were kidding I probably be in a corner sulking, thinking my little sister hated me.”
“What would you do without me?”
“I don’t know, I can’t imagine a world without you anymore since of course you're my precious little sister, you know?”
“Now, now, do not get so emotional first thing in the morning,” Isabelle said as the coach opened the door for them and they got down. “What do we have here?” She looked up and down and the building didn’t seem to be in the best condition. Then again, houses in Victorian London were not exactly the best.
The two entered the house and it sounded like a really quiet house at first, then there was a storm of orders going around. People were telling people to do work. It seemed like there were people being trained to become staff members here while at the same time, they were apparently letting people get hired.
The manager soon walked to them, dressed in a black cheap suit.
“Good day to you ladies, may I enquire how we may help you?”
“We’ve come looking to hire some servants,” Svetlana said, wondering if she should let Isabelle do the talking instead.
“I see, what type of servants do you seek? We have hands available for every position, Miss.”
“Umm, Isabelle what were we looking for again? I only really recall our Personal Maids, not sure what roles the others would need to fill.”
“We need pretty much everything,” Isabelle answered tersely.
“Yes but…”
“Hm?”
“Based on households we always get different requests, so I would advise some specifications?”
“Ahem.” Isabelle took a moment to think. “Let us see here… a housekeeper, a cook, a laundry maid or two, a head nurse, about three housemaids, two kitchen maids, I suppose a nursemaid too…”
“I suppose that is all for the female staff?”
“Yes, as for the men, I suppose we do not need a steward yet,” Isabelle said, unsure herself. “Do we?” she asked Svetlana.
“Umm, Isabelle, you have to tell me what these are. I don’t know much about servants.”
“Oh, I forgot…”
“My lady,” the manager addressed Svetlana. “An Estate Steward is concerned with handling business matters, as well as other important matters such as managing family affairs and matters at a more technical level. They communicate lawyers, architects, suppliers, etc. for your needs too. Usually, an owner of one mansion requires just one agent. If there are more properties across the region, however, it is a different story.”
“Ah, we happen to have three mansions across the entire country,” Isabelle casually said.
“We do?” Svetlana said slightly confused.
“Oh? I did not say it before?”
“Not a word. Sheesh, you have to tell me these things.”
“We used to go to different mansions based on season. I remember especially enjoying my time in summer at the one in Yorkshire. I suppose all of this slipped my mind.”
“When we get back to your aunt’s house you’re gonna tell me what else you know considering I’m still the clueless one about stuff like this. Sheesh and yes we currently don’t need the Steward.”
“Alright, I got it, and I am sorry about it. I am just a little girl, mind you.” Only at times like these Isabelle would use her age to an advantage with a playful smirk. “I suppose for the men we will need two footmen, a coachman, four gardeners—would we need more of them?—and… oh! I almost forgot, for us ladies we would need two Personal Maids for each of us.”
“Very well, I believe we may arrange those staff members soon. Would you prefer to meet them and interview them, or shall we simply send them over to the designated address, Miss?” the manager of the company asked Svetlana.
“I suppose interviewing them would be nice considering we are hiring them to serve us and knowing about them beforehand would be nice. Don’t you think, Isabelle?”
“I suppose we could but on second thought…” Isabelle gestured for the man to reach down for her, and he complied, crouching down for Isabelle to speak to his ears. He listened for a moment and stood back up.
“We can take care of that special order, no problem, Miss.”
“Ehh, what did you just ask for?!”
“Oh, nothing special,” Isabelle nonchalantly answered.
“Please follow me, I shall take you both to the quarters of the staff members.”
The two then followed the manager and soon spoke with all the appropriate members they were taken to. It just so turned out that the company lacked one Personal Maid for Svetlana for some reason at the time, she’d later learn why.
She was now officially a Duchess, granted the title by the Queen. She was named Svetlana Astakhov Alicia officially in her documents that the Queen permitted to be forged. However, she woke up late this morning and Duchess Caroline had informed her that Isabelle had already went out. After asking, it turned out that Isabelle went out all the way to the old mansion of their family.
When Svetlana found little Isabelle, she seemed to be busy directing workers with refurbishing the house and bringing it back to life. Apparently, their estate was too old to be used at the moment.
“Sheesh, you could have woken me up you know Isabelle,” Svetlana said as she approached Isabelle.
“You were sleeping like a log on a bed of pillows—I could not do it, sister,” Isabelle said. “Also, these servants are not taking me seriously sometimes.”
“Well, if they don’t listen we can always find replacements. Pretty sure there are others who are willing to work as long as they get paid.”
“I do not think we should overpay, however. Money is precious, especially when we lack a business to run at the moment. We cannot live off the inheritance money forever. I think the issue is elsewhere, however, they probably think a child does not provide good instructions.” Isabelle pouted.
“Don’t worry in time things will be different,” Svetlana said happily as she patted Isabelle head. “By the way, how long is this gonna take? Or we are gonna be staying at your Aunt’s for a good while?”
“Well… there is only one way to find out. Shall we take a tour?”
“Yes we should! Lead the way.”
Isabelle and Svetlana entered the manor of the late Duchess that was Margaret Alicia. There were many noises of hammers, woodworks and perhaps some drilling? The two were not sure what kind of steam engine were used for the process, but if it worked then they could care less about some loud noises. The floor was an absolute mess full of dust. There were cobwebs in almost every corners. The furnitures were at least covered with clothes but the walls were not in good condition with cracks and old paints looking simply displeasing to the eyes.
“I would not want to live in a room with such walls,” Isabelle remarked, going up the staircase with her sister.
“It feels as if a ghost would come out at night here.”
“Do not jinx it now.” She almost placed a hand on the railing of the staircase but stopped. “Gosh, the wood is about to crack. Crack, I tell you.”
“Maybe we should head back out. I don’t want you falling through the floor if the floor cracks open below us.”
“Good call, if a hard plated wood on the railing is cracking, I would not be so sure about the sturdiness of the floors either.”
“Seems then we will be without our own house for a while,” Svetlana said with a sigh. “So I suppose in the meantime we probably would just require to hire our own Personal Maids if anything no?”
“Yes, I was hoping that you would come to that conclusion. We could hire our staff members from a Staffing Agency and then have them join the renovation works here.”
“Well that's fine by me, but do you know what would be an appropriate amount of staff that we would need? Or what kind? Since, well, I’m still clueless about most of this stuff.”
“Hmm… we would need a considerable amount of staff members. At least about twelve women to work with the daily necessities. By the by, might I suggest that you start studying English rather than using that translating accessory?”
“Eeh, but at my age it's harder to learn a language. This makes it so convenient for me.” Svetlana protested
“No excuses! You sound like a robot right now.”
“Sheesh, fine. But you better not make fun of my accent since I’m certain I’m gonna have one.”
“Better… pfft, practicing,” Isabelle said, holding her laughter. “Oh yes, another thing… you need dresses. This attire you are wearing is absolutely shameful here.”
“I don’t mind getting dresses as long as they're the kind I like, considering my older dresses don't fit me anymore,” Svetlana said with a sigh “By the way, are we not getting male servants?”
“We should get some… also, the dresses will help you with your figure, at least this is what I have heard from my mother all the time. I think I can believe that, considering mother’s figure was…”
“Well I don’t believe this figure is that bad,” Svetlana said as she examined herself. “Though we should also get you many dresses.”
“Why do I get this feeling that you are more excited about playing dress-up with me than wearing pretty dresses yourself?” Isabelle took a step back. “That figure is not bad, but it is still not the best.”
Svetlana pinched Isabelle’s cheek. “You know you could have simply said it's a nice figure,” she said with a smile on her face.
“That would get you over the top of your head.”
“No it wouldn’t, that's a simple compliment. Not like you would have elaborated. Sheesh,” Svetlana said as she pouted.
“You do not realise how simple-minded you are. Fine, do not listen to me, perhaps one day you will understand,” Isabelle said, shrugging. “Women loves praises, I tell you.”
“Well, the only praises I ever enjoyed myself where those I was given after my performances back in Russia, those were more important to me since it meant I was able to put a smile on people's faces in those harsh lands.”
“I think I do not want to go there any time soon,” Isabelle said, walking down from the staircase. The two now exited the mansion. “So… where do we go first? We should also get a carriage of our own. Traveling is a bit of a chore with us having to fetch a hansom cab or a carriage every single time we go out.”
“I suppose we can. Considering I’ll probably get lost myself out there,” Svetlana said jokingly. “But I suppose we should head to the Staffing Agency first. I believe getting our own carriage can still wait a bit. Though, too bad they don’t have cars here those would have been nice to have.”
“We do have cars, just that they are more expensive. Very few are imported from the United States.” Isabelle waved for a carriage across the streets after they walked out of the gates.
“Oh then we should get one once we can afford one! I should learn to drive, that would be fun.”
“It is not very ladylike to drive here. We should just hire a driver for that.”
“Eeh, now your making me wonder what women do for fun here…”
“Good question,” Isabelle said, wondering about it herself. “I think it may be a bit old-fashioned but… sewing? I imagine many noble ladies learn to paint, play musical instruments, and even horse-riding. Jousting and racing are popular sports. There are many more things I feel like I am missing… oh, promenading and attending balls to dance are more of women’s thing too. I personally want to meet a dashing prince charming in a ball one day.”
***
The two then got onto a carriage as they conversed.
“Oh my someone thinks like a little princess,” Svetlana said as she chuckled a bit. “From those that you mention I think I would only find horse-riding fun for me…”
“You are not good at womanly things, are you? Makes me pity you.” Isabelle shook her head in sadness and shame. “You almost make me weep at your tomboyish nature,” she stated, feigning a mourning tone.
Svetlana pinched both Isabelle cheek at that moment. “You sure love me doing this to you don’t you?” Svetlana said happily. “If you have forgotten already. I was not raised to be a noble lady as I didn’t come from such a thing.”
“I do not enjoy it, what must be said shall be said, and we both already knew that you were raised to be a boy anyway.”
“Maybe I should buy you boy’s clothes instead of those pretty dresses I had in mind.”
“I am going to use proper English to make sure your room is full of cracked walls and horribly broken furnitures.”
“Fine I’ll make sure to invite a ghost to the house.”
“You may live in that mansion alone then.”
“But you're under my care so you would have to stay with me.”
“I do not think any guardian of mine would bring me to danger. In that event, however, you become a legal fool you opted out of time, thus, I would not have to stay with you. I have every right to flee to safety,” she crossed her arms with a “humph.”
“Sheesh, I was kidding you know, as if I would really do something like that.”
“Pfft, what, you thought I was not kidding, either?”
“Well if I didn’t think you were kidding I probably be in a corner sulking, thinking my little sister hated me.”
“What would you do without me?”
“I don’t know, I can’t imagine a world without you anymore since of course you're my precious little sister, you know?”
“Now, now, do not get so emotional first thing in the morning,” Isabelle said as the coach opened the door for them and they got down. “What do we have here?” She looked up and down and the building didn’t seem to be in the best condition. Then again, houses in Victorian London were not exactly the best.
The two entered the house and it sounded like a really quiet house at first, then there was a storm of orders going around. People were telling people to do work. It seemed like there were people being trained to become staff members here while at the same time, they were apparently letting people get hired.
The manager soon walked to them, dressed in a black cheap suit.
“Good day to you ladies, may I enquire how we may help you?”
“We’ve come looking to hire some servants,” Svetlana said, wondering if she should let Isabelle do the talking instead.
“I see, what type of servants do you seek? We have hands available for every position, Miss.”
“Umm, Isabelle what were we looking for again? I only really recall our Personal Maids, not sure what roles the others would need to fill.”
“We need pretty much everything,” Isabelle answered tersely.
“Yes but…”
“Hm?”
“Based on households we always get different requests, so I would advise some specifications?”
“Ahem.” Isabelle took a moment to think. “Let us see here… a housekeeper, a cook, a laundry maid or two, a head nurse, about three housemaids, two kitchen maids, I suppose a nursemaid too…”
“I suppose that is all for the female staff?”
“Yes, as for the men, I suppose we do not need a steward yet,” Isabelle said, unsure herself. “Do we?” she asked Svetlana.
“Umm, Isabelle, you have to tell me what these are. I don’t know much about servants.”
“Oh, I forgot…”
“My lady,” the manager addressed Svetlana. “An Estate Steward is concerned with handling business matters, as well as other important matters such as managing family affairs and matters at a more technical level. They communicate lawyers, architects, suppliers, etc. for your needs too. Usually, an owner of one mansion requires just one agent. If there are more properties across the region, however, it is a different story.”
“Ah, we happen to have three mansions across the entire country,” Isabelle casually said.
“We do?” Svetlana said slightly confused.
“Oh? I did not say it before?”
“Not a word. Sheesh, you have to tell me these things.”
“We used to go to different mansions based on season. I remember especially enjoying my time in summer at the one in Yorkshire. I suppose all of this slipped my mind.”
“When we get back to your aunt’s house you’re gonna tell me what else you know considering I’m still the clueless one about stuff like this. Sheesh and yes we currently don’t need the Steward.”
“Alright, I got it, and I am sorry about it. I am just a little girl, mind you.” Only at times like these Isabelle would use her age to an advantage with a playful smirk. “I suppose for the men we will need two footmen, a coachman, four gardeners—would we need more of them?—and… oh! I almost forgot, for us ladies we would need two Personal Maids for each of us.”
“Very well, I believe we may arrange those staff members soon. Would you prefer to meet them and interview them, or shall we simply send them over to the designated address, Miss?” the manager of the company asked Svetlana.
“I suppose interviewing them would be nice considering we are hiring them to serve us and knowing about them beforehand would be nice. Don’t you think, Isabelle?”
“I suppose we could but on second thought…” Isabelle gestured for the man to reach down for her, and he complied, crouching down for Isabelle to speak to his ears. He listened for a moment and stood back up.
“We can take care of that special order, no problem, Miss.”
“Ehh, what did you just ask for?!”
“Oh, nothing special,” Isabelle nonchalantly answered.
“Please follow me, I shall take you both to the quarters of the staff members.”
The two then followed the manager and soon spoke with all the appropriate members they were taken to. It just so turned out that the company lacked one Personal Maid for Svetlana for some reason at the time, she’d later learn why.
0
Cinia Pacifica
Ojou-sama Writer
The two were now browsing the wares inside a clothing shop. The shop owner came to receive the pair at the entrance out of respect for the nobility, but Isabelle chose to walk inside and inspect instead. According to Isabelle, they did not have the time for the tailors to sew up pretty dresses for them. They required pre-made dresses for the invitations to the balls and other societal events.
Since Svetlana was clueless, it was pretty much Isabelle doing all the thinking work. Needless to say, Isabelle was but a child but she hadn’t been completely idle in the past in Japan. She spent her time reading many Victorian novels that she brought with herself from home to Japan, and this gave her an insight to all kinds of things possibly necessary, but also unnecessary at the same time. Regardless, knowledge from novels could only do so much; she was lacking in experience.
Wherever Svetlana looked, she found extremely pretty dresses that shined with the lights of the Engine lights. The materials were very smooth and silky. They were very long, probably enough to reach down to the ankles—each of them; nothing like the short skirts worn casually in Japan. Now that she thought about it, she witnessed some ladies wearing such dresses, maybe not as dazzling as these fine art of fabrics, however.
“These are simply lovely,” Isabelle remarked. “I think we will find something graceful, wonderful and presentable for you.”
Svetlana ended up buying a sleeveless black gothic dress, followed by another gothic dress with long sleeves and of deep wine-red colour. Her next purchase was a high-quality gown weaved with satin, lastly a sleeveless blue gown also made with satin.
Isabelle only stared with wide and dumbstruck eyes. Maybe not so wonderful. “You have a really dark taste in fashion, sister,” she commented.
“Ehh, don’t say that, it was my mother who brought me the joy of these clothes when I was about your age.”
“I see. I suppose I am going to go for the blue ball gowns. Blue seemed to fit my mother well, and likely me too.”
“Alright, but I’m pretty sure anything will fit you, Isabelle. You’re just so adorable.”
“I would delve into the more steampunk themed dresses, but perhaps I am simply too young for these things,” Isabelle said, sorting through the apparels. “It is a shame that you did not get any of them yourself. They seem trendy, I think.”
“Steampunk dresses? Where are those? Don’t believe I’ve ever seen one before.”
“Just look behind you.” Isabelle was still busy looking for things to buy for herself. “They are a bit more revealing, maybe if you’re bold for a ball and want the attention, but I believe you would be frowned upon. Might be easy to move in, though. Perhaps for more dangerous outings…”
“Oh this black one seems nice. It’s fine, and it’s not that revealing,” Svetlana said as she remembered the armor Hades provided her when she first took on her new appearance.
Isabelle peeked back and tilted her head. “That skirt is so short.”
The owner of the shop commented from hearing the conversation, “Oh, but my fair lady, these are also trendy these days for the balls!”
Isabelle grumbled. “Still short. I tempted the devil, it seems.”
“I think I’ll take it!” Svetlana said happily. “By the way, Isabelle, we should get you all sorts of dresses.” Svetlana said as her eyes began to sparkle.
“I… I am fine with the ones I chose so far,” Isabelle replied in defense, taking a step back from seeing the glint in Svetlana’s eyes.
“Aww, but I had already set some aside just for you!”
“Fine. Let us get this over with as soon as possible.”
“Alrighty, will be taking all this, sir.”
She gasped. “That one has a really short skirt, sister,” Isabelle immediately protested.
“You're seeing things. Now, let us pay and go.”
“This is going to a direction I do not like…”
Since Svetlana was clueless, it was pretty much Isabelle doing all the thinking work. Needless to say, Isabelle was but a child but she hadn’t been completely idle in the past in Japan. She spent her time reading many Victorian novels that she brought with herself from home to Japan, and this gave her an insight to all kinds of things possibly necessary, but also unnecessary at the same time. Regardless, knowledge from novels could only do so much; she was lacking in experience.
Wherever Svetlana looked, she found extremely pretty dresses that shined with the lights of the Engine lights. The materials were very smooth and silky. They were very long, probably enough to reach down to the ankles—each of them; nothing like the short skirts worn casually in Japan. Now that she thought about it, she witnessed some ladies wearing such dresses, maybe not as dazzling as these fine art of fabrics, however.
“These are simply lovely,” Isabelle remarked. “I think we will find something graceful, wonderful and presentable for you.”
Svetlana ended up buying a sleeveless black gothic dress, followed by another gothic dress with long sleeves and of deep wine-red colour. Her next purchase was a high-quality gown weaved with satin, lastly a sleeveless blue gown also made with satin.
Isabelle only stared with wide and dumbstruck eyes. Maybe not so wonderful. “You have a really dark taste in fashion, sister,” she commented.
“Ehh, don’t say that, it was my mother who brought me the joy of these clothes when I was about your age.”
“I see. I suppose I am going to go for the blue ball gowns. Blue seemed to fit my mother well, and likely me too.”
“Alright, but I’m pretty sure anything will fit you, Isabelle. You’re just so adorable.”
“I would delve into the more steampunk themed dresses, but perhaps I am simply too young for these things,” Isabelle said, sorting through the apparels. “It is a shame that you did not get any of them yourself. They seem trendy, I think.”
“Steampunk dresses? Where are those? Don’t believe I’ve ever seen one before.”
“Just look behind you.” Isabelle was still busy looking for things to buy for herself. “They are a bit more revealing, maybe if you’re bold for a ball and want the attention, but I believe you would be frowned upon. Might be easy to move in, though. Perhaps for more dangerous outings…”
“Oh this black one seems nice. It’s fine, and it’s not that revealing,” Svetlana said as she remembered the armor Hades provided her when she first took on her new appearance.
Isabelle peeked back and tilted her head. “That skirt is so short.”
The owner of the shop commented from hearing the conversation, “Oh, but my fair lady, these are also trendy these days for the balls!”
Isabelle grumbled. “Still short. I tempted the devil, it seems.”
“I think I’ll take it!” Svetlana said happily. “By the way, Isabelle, we should get you all sorts of dresses.” Svetlana said as her eyes began to sparkle.
“I… I am fine with the ones I chose so far,” Isabelle replied in defense, taking a step back from seeing the glint in Svetlana’s eyes.
“Aww, but I had already set some aside just for you!”
“Fine. Let us get this over with as soon as possible.”
“Alrighty, will be taking all this, sir.”
She gasped. “That one has a really short skirt, sister,” Isabelle immediately protested.
“You're seeing things. Now, let us pay and go.”
“This is going to a direction I do not like…”
1
Cinia Pacifica
Ojou-sama Writer
Today, Isabelle and Svetlana were once again overlooking the renovation works of their mansion. Isabelle was busy directing the workers. The maids and servants they hired yesterday had joined them in their endeavour to rebuild the broken parts of the house today.
Svetlana, on the other hand, was not quite a part of the whole process, not being good at conversing. Even if she did, people would look at her if as she was strange. This was undoubtedly true.
Isabelle made Svetlana keep an English book with her at every instance now. It was not truly an English book as it was written in Japanese, but it taught the much-wanted language; the older sister would have to read it to learn English with it. There was no other way when her sister would get like this with her, she’d never take a “no” for an answer.
Svetlana continued reading her book. She wondered if she could really be able learn English properly, considering she wasn’t sure when she would be on the move again. Virgo was still out there and, she did planned to eventually go after her again. She wondered if her happy life with Isabelle would truly be able to continue this way. As she read through the pages surprisingly with some difficulty, she would take peeks at Isabelle, giving out commands, and couldn’t help but chuckle as she found it adorable. She felt a bit saddened that she was not the one giving out the commands, but considering her English was almost non-existent, and Isabelle not wanting her to really use the translating device, Svetlana really had no other choice but to sit back and just study.
As she studied, she began to wonder if there was really no other side-effects from the fusion, considering as far as she knew, there wasn’t since she still felt like herself aside her body being completely different. Body-wise, she still had some things to get accustomed to. For one, her size changing after years of being small, and now being taller out of the blue made her feel uncomfortable at times. Her breasts were particularly hard to get accustomed to, as it felt as though they’d get in the way.
“This studying sure is making me hungry. It’s much more fun learning about magic than learning a new language,” Svetlana said with a sigh. The maids looked at themselves and then back to her. Though, I wonder where my maid is, I’m not certain what Isabelle did, but it’s the cause for my maid to be delayed while she got hers the same day…
“Here! Have a cupcake!” the bright and sunlike Personal Maid of Isabelle offered, who overheard Svetlana’s words.
“Ah, thank you,” Svetlana said happily as she accepted the cupcake. “So, how are things going?” Svetlana asked as she took a bite of the cupcake.
“I think this will take a while,” the new maid said, marveling at the sight of the mansion.
Some of the maids they hired walked up from behind two of the footmen who carried a table while the maids placed the chairs. This was all under Isabelle’s instructions.
“Mistress, please take a seat here,” one of the footman suggested. “It would not look well for the lady of the house to stand around in such a place.”
“Umm, thank you.” It was rather unsettling for Svetlana who was not used to this kind of treatment as she sat down. “Though, coffee sure would be great with this cupcake.”
The housekeeper gave just one glance to one of the to-be maids of the kitchen of the mansion being reworked and she ran out from the estate’s gates to find a single cup of coffee.
“We shall have the coffee at your table soon, my Lady,” the housekeeper said with a graceful bow.
“Oh thank you, that would be great.” Svetlana said joyfully. Maybe I can get used to this eventually, she thought.
“Would you prefer some more sweets, Mistress? Surely one cupcake is not enough. We have bought some scones over.”
“That would be lovely. I wonder if Isabelle would join me, would be nice to eat along with someone else.”
“Yes, yes! I shall call for my Lady. Please wait a moment,” the Personal Maid of Isabelle ran off after a terse bow.
While the maids placed all kinds of sweets for Svetlana, Isabelle walked up to her and stared.
“I see someone here having a very studious time,” the sister remarked with a sarcastic tone.
“Well, they did offered… how could I refuse?” Svetlana said while laughing. “Wanna join in?”
The girl shrugged. “A good time as any, why not?” Isabelle sat down opposite to Svetlana, she ushered to a maid and a cup of tea was already prepared before she started drinking. “I was thirsty from giving all those directions anyway.”
“Not because you saw these sweets and wanted some?” Svetlana said as she took another bite from her cupcake.
“Well, there is that, I suppose… but I think I shall refrain.” Isabelle waved a hand dismissively. “I would not want my dress to be tight on the big day.”
“Just eat two, that won’t hurt you. Plus they're really good.”
“One, then.”
“Though, you know you're still do young to worry about your weight. Plus, if you're lucky that extra fat might go somewhere else.” Svetlana said chuckling.
“Hush. We do have to worry about weight, just not in your snow land of Russia. Have you ever worn a corset before, my dear sister?” Isabelle asked, the question itself sounded extremely mocking.
“Corset?” Svetlana said, confused as she never heard of such a thing. “What's that?”
“A birthday gift. I am sure that you will enjoy it soon.”
“Eh,h its not even close to my birthday yet. What is it?”
“Oh you do not need to sweat the little details. I am sure that you will enjoy it in due time. In due time…”
“You know repeating that twice makes me think you're plotting something.”
“What are you talking about?” Isabelle made a perfectly innocent smile.
“Fine. Act that way, we will see what happens later,” Svetlana said taking another bite from her almost finished cupcake. “Though my coffee sure is taking a bit.”
Isabelle looked at Svetlana instead of eating. “You asked for a coffee?”
“Well all I said was this cupcake would go great with coffee and they went ahead and made some,” Svetlana said as she finished her cupcake.
“Made, or fetch?”
“Oh right, she ran outside the estate. I forgot about that.”
“They do not have a kitchen outside here so of course she did. Have some patience.”
“Then why was your tea ready already?” Svetlana said as she looked at the cup of tea Isabelle had.
“Tea is common for nobles to have so they would have them prepared in teapots. In fact, I asked for some this morning while you were happily snoring, sister. I suppose your request was not expected, so that one maid went to buy coffee now…”
“I see, and I don’t snore unlike someone I know!” Svetlana said as she pouted.
“I do not think you hear yourself right at night.”
“Is this something we must discuss anyways out in the open.”
“A good reminder is all.”
“You seriously want your cheeks pinched don’t you?” Svetlana said with a smile on her face. The maids smiled at this, but this wouldn’t last long for them.
“That is what we call abuse.”
“Abuse? I’m simply pinching your cheeks playfully.”
“It is exactly as I had claimed. Have I ever given you permission to touch me?” Isabelle asked with a smile.
“Last I checked yes, considering how many times I’ve changed your clothes myself.”
“What a silly logic. No worries, the maids shall be doing that for me from now on. I shall have my freedom. Ohohoho.”
“Eeh, you had promised me I could put whatever dress I wanted on you back in Japan, and not like you will be going out in them.”
“So how does this make me liable to lend my cheeks to be pinched? You bribed with cakes and then put me on dresses as if I am your doll and then… I have to pay you back by letting you pinch? Even if it is a joke that is a strange logic.”
“Such a stubborn little girl aren’t you? Well it was just simply a joke anyways. Plus, enough of this conversation—don’t think it will get us anywhere anyway. I’m more curious on how progress on the house going.”
“What? You getting stuck? I am too smart for my own good, I know.”
“Not really just think it would be childish to continue with a talk like that.”
“And that is why you bring up pinching whenever you hit a wall?” Isabelle started snickering.
“Not really, but I guess it’s not really fun to bring up with you,” Svetlana said with a sigh.
“It is not really fun to have cheeks pinched either, you know? I just deal with it. You should—actually, do not sigh, it is a bad form.”
“Eeh, just how many things am I going to be told I can’t do? I’m starting to think this place forbids everything I find fun.”
“Your definition of †˜fun’ is bad for appearances. You are the successor of my mother, sister. Be more mature about it. I should be complaining more as a child.” The maids secretly gave a nod to this statement.
“My definition of fun is pretty common outside of England, but I suppose I must get used to this now.”
“We have our own ways, but it is just how the world is here, we live in the past at the moment. If you do not want any part of it; leave it, I shall not force you. You are free,” Isabelle stated, suddenly serious. The maids almost panicked behind the two of them.
Eh, how would the young Mistress run all of this without the sister?! the Personal Maid of Isabelle wondered.
Perhaps the young lady Isabelle can do it all on her own… but then I would feel bad for the true successor, the housekeeper thought.
I wish these two would make up already… another maid thought, getting a little teary from the sudden dramatic phase of the conversation.
“You know I can’t do that. I made a promised and I’m not going to break it. I did not grew up in a world like this, and all of sudden, how am I supposed to accept it? It takes time for one to get used to something.”
“Good, if you think that is how it is then do not complain so much, it does not make me comfortable, and I feel guilty instead.”
“Well anyways, since you completely ignored my questioned earlier, I’ll ask again: how is the progress going?”
“It is because you make me serious somehow.” Isabelle took a deep breath. “Anyway, the works are coming along nicely—the floors are being taken care of first and foremost. We will be primarily focusing on the walls after…”
“My Lady…” one of the maids said from beside Svetlana, she seemed to have sweated and was having a cup in her hands. Of course, the other maids were relieved at this delivery, as it could sure help break the ice. This would likely help take the tension out of Svetlana. “The coffee is prepared.”
“Thank you! I guess I’ll be having it with a scone instead now, but it's all good,” Svetlana said happily as the cup of coffee was placed before her. “They said, any estimated time when the house will be done, Isabelle?”
Isabelle just finished her cup of tea before she responded. “At least a month but… I have made a special deal so I believe we may get it done in a few days.”
“Ehh, what did you do? And how much is this gonna cost us?”
“It is going to cost a bit, but I do not want to burden my aunt either.” Isabelle gestured for the maids to leave them be and they complied. “We are getting a magician or two to work on things. They may fix the worn out parts much more easily with magic.”
“Well, that's sure is gonna cost us a pretty penny, and why did you not consult this with me earlier…?”
“You do not make good decisions aside from dressing me up anyway. I figured that I could manage this on my own for the most part.”
“You know I’ve managed my stuff before, only reason I’m letting you handle this is because I don’t know English, and considering you don’t want me to really use this translating device.”
“Only reason? Oh it will be all the reason, sister. I am going to continue the management even after you learn English… because you have better things to do than management. So, go out and take our revenge and find your own mother. Do not worry about me.”
“How can I not worry when you brought that up?”
“If you will not, sister, then I might. I have my own convictions about my life now, and it is too late for anyone to place the brakes now.”
“Do you really think I’ll let you go out and find her? After all I went through in America I know what she’s capable of, and what kind of a monster she is… I even lost my best friend to her—do you think I want to lose someone else?!”
“Just sitting there and letting her do as she pleases is not going to solve anything, either! We both saw my—no, our mother passing!” Isabelle’s eyes were teary as she resisted the urge to shout. “This is not your personal business.”
“I know that, but even I know at my current strength I can’t beat her at all. I need time as well to get stronger.”
“That is fine, I am saying that I can become someone as strong as you, not now of course, but in time it will happen. I am still young, and you are… well, you are a different deal altogether now. Actually, I never heard about the story behind the change.”
“It might be best to tell you when we are in a room by ourselves honestly. Out here you never know who might be listening. Considering I might get in big trouble for it.”
Isabelle looked up to the horns. “God forbid it. I am surprised you are not already. Maybe someone is looking out for us.”
“Probably. Though, I wonder if we should tell any of the servants, considering they’re gonna practically be living with us from now on.”
“Unfortunately, nobles have to make a tough decision about it. They either let the servants know and have them keep secrets, or they stay quiet about their magical practices.”
“I see. Well, what do you think? Do they appear trustworthy to you? Though, I’m probably gonna have to let my Personal Maid know once she arrives. Speaking of which, what did you ask the man to cause her delay?”
“I am not sure yet, sister. We need to spend more time with them and then we will know. I cannot tell how honest my Personal Maid is so I am taking my time with her. So far, they seem dedicated, and they seem to care to an extent about what we really expect of them. We almost made them cry with our serious conversation, though. As for your maid… well, she should be here by now, I wonder what is keeping her.”
“So what did you even tell that man? I been wondering about that”
“Have some patience, you will know when you meet her.”
“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?”
“ I am going back to check up on the house.” Isabelle got off the chair as if to ignore the last question, placing a scone down, that was the third one that she touched, but refrained from finishing. “The magicians are working faster than I had imagined so I want to check if they are done with the floors already.”
“Alright, I suppose I’ll finish my sweets then get back to studying, I guess. And so much for just one scone,” Svetlana said with a grin on her face.
Svetlana, on the other hand, was not quite a part of the whole process, not being good at conversing. Even if she did, people would look at her if as she was strange. This was undoubtedly true.
Isabelle made Svetlana keep an English book with her at every instance now. It was not truly an English book as it was written in Japanese, but it taught the much-wanted language; the older sister would have to read it to learn English with it. There was no other way when her sister would get like this with her, she’d never take a “no” for an answer.
Svetlana continued reading her book. She wondered if she could really be able learn English properly, considering she wasn’t sure when she would be on the move again. Virgo was still out there and, she did planned to eventually go after her again. She wondered if her happy life with Isabelle would truly be able to continue this way. As she read through the pages surprisingly with some difficulty, she would take peeks at Isabelle, giving out commands, and couldn’t help but chuckle as she found it adorable. She felt a bit saddened that she was not the one giving out the commands, but considering her English was almost non-existent, and Isabelle not wanting her to really use the translating device, Svetlana really had no other choice but to sit back and just study.
As she studied, she began to wonder if there was really no other side-effects from the fusion, considering as far as she knew, there wasn’t since she still felt like herself aside her body being completely different. Body-wise, she still had some things to get accustomed to. For one, her size changing after years of being small, and now being taller out of the blue made her feel uncomfortable at times. Her breasts were particularly hard to get accustomed to, as it felt as though they’d get in the way.
“This studying sure is making me hungry. It’s much more fun learning about magic than learning a new language,” Svetlana said with a sigh. The maids looked at themselves and then back to her. Though, I wonder where my maid is, I’m not certain what Isabelle did, but it’s the cause for my maid to be delayed while she got hers the same day…
“Here! Have a cupcake!” the bright and sunlike Personal Maid of Isabelle offered, who overheard Svetlana’s words.
“Ah, thank you,” Svetlana said happily as she accepted the cupcake. “So, how are things going?” Svetlana asked as she took a bite of the cupcake.
“I think this will take a while,” the new maid said, marveling at the sight of the mansion.
Some of the maids they hired walked up from behind two of the footmen who carried a table while the maids placed the chairs. This was all under Isabelle’s instructions.
“Mistress, please take a seat here,” one of the footman suggested. “It would not look well for the lady of the house to stand around in such a place.”
“Umm, thank you.” It was rather unsettling for Svetlana who was not used to this kind of treatment as she sat down. “Though, coffee sure would be great with this cupcake.”
The housekeeper gave just one glance to one of the to-be maids of the kitchen of the mansion being reworked and she ran out from the estate’s gates to find a single cup of coffee.
“We shall have the coffee at your table soon, my Lady,” the housekeeper said with a graceful bow.
“Oh thank you, that would be great.” Svetlana said joyfully. Maybe I can get used to this eventually, she thought.
“Would you prefer some more sweets, Mistress? Surely one cupcake is not enough. We have bought some scones over.”
“That would be lovely. I wonder if Isabelle would join me, would be nice to eat along with someone else.”
“Yes, yes! I shall call for my Lady. Please wait a moment,” the Personal Maid of Isabelle ran off after a terse bow.
While the maids placed all kinds of sweets for Svetlana, Isabelle walked up to her and stared.
“I see someone here having a very studious time,” the sister remarked with a sarcastic tone.
“Well, they did offered… how could I refuse?” Svetlana said while laughing. “Wanna join in?”
The girl shrugged. “A good time as any, why not?” Isabelle sat down opposite to Svetlana, she ushered to a maid and a cup of tea was already prepared before she started drinking. “I was thirsty from giving all those directions anyway.”
“Not because you saw these sweets and wanted some?” Svetlana said as she took another bite from her cupcake.
“Well, there is that, I suppose… but I think I shall refrain.” Isabelle waved a hand dismissively. “I would not want my dress to be tight on the big day.”
“Just eat two, that won’t hurt you. Plus they're really good.”
“One, then.”
“Though, you know you're still do young to worry about your weight. Plus, if you're lucky that extra fat might go somewhere else.” Svetlana said chuckling.
“Hush. We do have to worry about weight, just not in your snow land of Russia. Have you ever worn a corset before, my dear sister?” Isabelle asked, the question itself sounded extremely mocking.
“Corset?” Svetlana said, confused as she never heard of such a thing. “What's that?”
“A birthday gift. I am sure that you will enjoy it soon.”
“Eh,h its not even close to my birthday yet. What is it?”
“Oh you do not need to sweat the little details. I am sure that you will enjoy it in due time. In due time…”
“You know repeating that twice makes me think you're plotting something.”
“What are you talking about?” Isabelle made a perfectly innocent smile.
“Fine. Act that way, we will see what happens later,” Svetlana said taking another bite from her almost finished cupcake. “Though my coffee sure is taking a bit.”
Isabelle looked at Svetlana instead of eating. “You asked for a coffee?”
“Well all I said was this cupcake would go great with coffee and they went ahead and made some,” Svetlana said as she finished her cupcake.
“Made, or fetch?”
“Oh right, she ran outside the estate. I forgot about that.”
“They do not have a kitchen outside here so of course she did. Have some patience.”
“Then why was your tea ready already?” Svetlana said as she looked at the cup of tea Isabelle had.
“Tea is common for nobles to have so they would have them prepared in teapots. In fact, I asked for some this morning while you were happily snoring, sister. I suppose your request was not expected, so that one maid went to buy coffee now…”
“I see, and I don’t snore unlike someone I know!” Svetlana said as she pouted.
“I do not think you hear yourself right at night.”
“Is this something we must discuss anyways out in the open.”
“A good reminder is all.”
“You seriously want your cheeks pinched don’t you?” Svetlana said with a smile on her face. The maids smiled at this, but this wouldn’t last long for them.
“That is what we call abuse.”
“Abuse? I’m simply pinching your cheeks playfully.”
“It is exactly as I had claimed. Have I ever given you permission to touch me?” Isabelle asked with a smile.
“Last I checked yes, considering how many times I’ve changed your clothes myself.”
“What a silly logic. No worries, the maids shall be doing that for me from now on. I shall have my freedom. Ohohoho.”
“Eeh, you had promised me I could put whatever dress I wanted on you back in Japan, and not like you will be going out in them.”
“So how does this make me liable to lend my cheeks to be pinched? You bribed with cakes and then put me on dresses as if I am your doll and then… I have to pay you back by letting you pinch? Even if it is a joke that is a strange logic.”
“Such a stubborn little girl aren’t you? Well it was just simply a joke anyways. Plus, enough of this conversation—don’t think it will get us anywhere anyway. I’m more curious on how progress on the house going.”
“What? You getting stuck? I am too smart for my own good, I know.”
“Not really just think it would be childish to continue with a talk like that.”
“And that is why you bring up pinching whenever you hit a wall?” Isabelle started snickering.
“Not really, but I guess it’s not really fun to bring up with you,” Svetlana said with a sigh.
“It is not really fun to have cheeks pinched either, you know? I just deal with it. You should—actually, do not sigh, it is a bad form.”
“Eeh, just how many things am I going to be told I can’t do? I’m starting to think this place forbids everything I find fun.”
“Your definition of †˜fun’ is bad for appearances. You are the successor of my mother, sister. Be more mature about it. I should be complaining more as a child.” The maids secretly gave a nod to this statement.
“My definition of fun is pretty common outside of England, but I suppose I must get used to this now.”
“We have our own ways, but it is just how the world is here, we live in the past at the moment. If you do not want any part of it; leave it, I shall not force you. You are free,” Isabelle stated, suddenly serious. The maids almost panicked behind the two of them.
Eh, how would the young Mistress run all of this without the sister?! the Personal Maid of Isabelle wondered.
Perhaps the young lady Isabelle can do it all on her own… but then I would feel bad for the true successor, the housekeeper thought.
I wish these two would make up already… another maid thought, getting a little teary from the sudden dramatic phase of the conversation.
“You know I can’t do that. I made a promised and I’m not going to break it. I did not grew up in a world like this, and all of sudden, how am I supposed to accept it? It takes time for one to get used to something.”
“Good, if you think that is how it is then do not complain so much, it does not make me comfortable, and I feel guilty instead.”
“Well anyways, since you completely ignored my questioned earlier, I’ll ask again: how is the progress going?”
“It is because you make me serious somehow.” Isabelle took a deep breath. “Anyway, the works are coming along nicely—the floors are being taken care of first and foremost. We will be primarily focusing on the walls after…”
“My Lady…” one of the maids said from beside Svetlana, she seemed to have sweated and was having a cup in her hands. Of course, the other maids were relieved at this delivery, as it could sure help break the ice. This would likely help take the tension out of Svetlana. “The coffee is prepared.”
“Thank you! I guess I’ll be having it with a scone instead now, but it's all good,” Svetlana said happily as the cup of coffee was placed before her. “They said, any estimated time when the house will be done, Isabelle?”
Isabelle just finished her cup of tea before she responded. “At least a month but… I have made a special deal so I believe we may get it done in a few days.”
“Ehh, what did you do? And how much is this gonna cost us?”
“It is going to cost a bit, but I do not want to burden my aunt either.” Isabelle gestured for the maids to leave them be and they complied. “We are getting a magician or two to work on things. They may fix the worn out parts much more easily with magic.”
“Well, that's sure is gonna cost us a pretty penny, and why did you not consult this with me earlier…?”
“You do not make good decisions aside from dressing me up anyway. I figured that I could manage this on my own for the most part.”
“You know I’ve managed my stuff before, only reason I’m letting you handle this is because I don’t know English, and considering you don’t want me to really use this translating device.”
“Only reason? Oh it will be all the reason, sister. I am going to continue the management even after you learn English… because you have better things to do than management. So, go out and take our revenge and find your own mother. Do not worry about me.”
“How can I not worry when you brought that up?”
“If you will not, sister, then I might. I have my own convictions about my life now, and it is too late for anyone to place the brakes now.”
“Do you really think I’ll let you go out and find her? After all I went through in America I know what she’s capable of, and what kind of a monster she is… I even lost my best friend to her—do you think I want to lose someone else?!”
“Just sitting there and letting her do as she pleases is not going to solve anything, either! We both saw my—no, our mother passing!” Isabelle’s eyes were teary as she resisted the urge to shout. “This is not your personal business.”
“I know that, but even I know at my current strength I can’t beat her at all. I need time as well to get stronger.”
“That is fine, I am saying that I can become someone as strong as you, not now of course, but in time it will happen. I am still young, and you are… well, you are a different deal altogether now. Actually, I never heard about the story behind the change.”
“It might be best to tell you when we are in a room by ourselves honestly. Out here you never know who might be listening. Considering I might get in big trouble for it.”
Isabelle looked up to the horns. “God forbid it. I am surprised you are not already. Maybe someone is looking out for us.”
“Probably. Though, I wonder if we should tell any of the servants, considering they’re gonna practically be living with us from now on.”
“Unfortunately, nobles have to make a tough decision about it. They either let the servants know and have them keep secrets, or they stay quiet about their magical practices.”
“I see. Well, what do you think? Do they appear trustworthy to you? Though, I’m probably gonna have to let my Personal Maid know once she arrives. Speaking of which, what did you ask the man to cause her delay?”
“I am not sure yet, sister. We need to spend more time with them and then we will know. I cannot tell how honest my Personal Maid is so I am taking my time with her. So far, they seem dedicated, and they seem to care to an extent about what we really expect of them. We almost made them cry with our serious conversation, though. As for your maid… well, she should be here by now, I wonder what is keeping her.”
“So what did you even tell that man? I been wondering about that”
“Have some patience, you will know when you meet her.”
“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?”
“ I am going back to check up on the house.” Isabelle got off the chair as if to ignore the last question, placing a scone down, that was the third one that she touched, but refrained from finishing. “The magicians are working faster than I had imagined so I want to check if they are done with the floors already.”
“Alright, I suppose I’ll finish my sweets then get back to studying, I guess. And so much for just one scone,” Svetlana said with a grin on her face.
1
Cinia Pacifica
Ojou-sama Writer
“Excuse me, Miss, but is this the New Anmer Hall?” a woman dressed in the attire of maids asked Svetlana, who seemed to have just come through the gates to enquire. As the mansion was still under work, the gates were kept open with no guards.
The woman seemed to have hair that was a mix of purple and blue. Likely, she was viewed as odd by the mundanes, but not so much by magicians. Her smile seemed to be perfect—not too wide or small, just about right.
“I’m not sure you might want to ask, the bossy little girl over there should know,” Svetlana said as she pointed towards Isabelle.
An older maid approached from beside Svetlana, who was the housekeeper they hired.
“Mistress, the mansion of your inheritance is indeed called the New Anmer Hall.”
“Oh, didn’t know that, but what’s new? There are a lot of things I’ve not been told about England,” Svetlana said with a sigh.
The elder maid only smiled nervously at Svetlana’s ranting.
“I have been looking for the New Anmer Hall, and I was commissioned by Lady Isabelle Alicia to serve as a Personal Maid for Lady Svetlana Astakhov Alicia… may I please meet my Mistress?” the maid asked with a kind and endearing smile.
“Well, you might not believe it, but that would be me,” Svetlana said waving.
“Oh, it is a pleasure to meet you, Mistress. I am your Personal Maid especially ordered for. My name is Nancy Averill.” The maid gave a graceful bow.
“The pleasure is mine. I suppose I shall be in your care from now on?”
“Yes, I shall, likewise, be also under your guidance.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, how come it took time for you to get here? Seems like my sister made a special request, one that I was not told of.”
“Well… we would have to speak regarding it privately,” she answered, indirectly referring to the maids beside Svetlana.
“That’s fine with me. I suppose we can once we are in my room at my sister’s Aunt. If that's okay with you.”
The maid simply leaned closer. “Why not simply go for a walk to the city?” she suggested with a whisper.
“I suppose that works, but I don’t know anything about this city so you would have to lead the way. If that’s fine with you, Nancy.”
“I shall gladly lead the way for you, my Mistress. How does going to my favourite café sound?”
“That’s perfectly fine with me,” Svetlana said as she stood up. “Please let my sister know I went out on a walk with my maid if she asks,” Svetlana told the maids beside her.
In the café now, the two sat down and was enjoying another treat, with more sumptuous scones, cookies, and some tea, the personal maid seemed to have brought Svetlana to a rather popular place in the city.
“How do you find this café, Mistress?”
“It seems really nice but is it okay to speak of your matter here with all these people?”
“It is alright, Mistress. The noise of the crowds here works to our advantage. There are others who uses this place, similarly like yours truly, to discuss matters that are often not normal.”
“I see. I take it you're not a normal maid after saying something like that. Unless i'm just overthinking things.”
“I am a mage from the Royal Academy, Mistress. Well, I was, I had graduated only a month ago.”
“Oh that’s a surprise. Never expected mages to become servants.”
“There are special Organizations that allows you to hire especially-prepared maids to protect you in times of danger. Think of it like a Staffing Agency of sorts. I am a member of one.”
“I suppose they only exist here in England? So does that mean you will be following me everywhere I go? Even outside the country? Since if you do, I’d think I rather have you stay here and protect my sister.”
“Unfortunately, my contract states that I shall accompany you even in the direst of situations to serve your needs and remain by your side. I was not meant to directly keep you from all harms but I am as good as any supporter. To answer the first question, yes, we only have these Organizations for the nobility here in England.”
“I see. Well I suppose my sister should be safe overall I hope for when I travel. Though I wonder how confident you are to say that you can actually support me? Considering you just graduated.”
“I had been taking a course to develop my skills while studying in the Royal Academy. I was also close to having the title of Magic Magister once but… I suppose that one did not go as planned.”
“Oh thats interesting, but I hope you know actual combat is completely different than taking courses and studying. I saw many idiots back in Russia who couldn’t tell the difference when I used to work over there.”
“Well, I cannot boast about partaking many real combats but I do believe that I have the qualifications to be a Battle Maid—which is my profession. It is not my first time serving, either.”
“If you don’t mind maybe later I can test you out a bit and see how things go? It would help to see what you can do, instead of finding out in an actual fight. What do you say?”
“As you wish, Mistress.”
“Alrighty then. Well one final thing I suppose, how do you feel about dresses?”
“How do I feel about dresses?”
“Like, do you like wearing them?”
“The way they are worn properly?” Nancy answered, in a confused tone. “I would think your dress, however, may be seen as immodest by the polite society here, Mistress.”
“I know that, been told many times by my little sister, but the dresses I got the other day were just too fancy in my opinion to wear casually, so I’d probably want to get some that feel less fancy for everyday use,” Svetlana said with a sigh. “And I know a lady must look as proper as she can, but I haven’t even been here for a month, so I’m not used to this kind of life.”
“Is there something wrong with fancy dresses?” Nancy asked, tilting her head. “Look at that lady over there.” Nancy did not point but simply looked, Svetlana turned too and found a lady wearing a bonnet, a frilly dress, and a kind of slippers one would wear if she was trying to be like Cinderella. It looked crazy to Svetlana, but ordinary to Nancy. “That is a Viscountess—not even a Duchess. She is a few ranks below you, Mistress. If you would not want to be laughed at and shamed behind your back by your future peers… I suggest you start to accept the dresses… even in casual situations. As they say, do as the Romans do.”
“Ugh, this is definitely gonna take me a while to get used to. I’m fine wearing it on special occasions, but every day use just seems too much for me. But I suppose there’s not much I can do. Can you show me where I can buy a couple more dresses?”
“I can attend to any of your needs. For future reference, simply let me know when you are in need of something, Mistress. It is unfortunate but knowing that you are foreign, my Mistress, it would be a tough challenge. Considering that I assume you have not worn a corset before.”
“Nope, haven’t even heard about that word till today when my sister mentioned it earlier, but she still didn’t tell me what it was.”
“It is meant to keep you in proper shape so I hope you will appreciate it soon enough,” Nancy said with an apologetic smile.
“Maybe when we go look for dresses you can show me what a corset is? I’m getting curious now.”
“Shall we get going for a dressed, Mistress? Something for a casual outing would be more appropriate. I also notice that your current outfit draws much more attention than it should, even as we converse here…”
“I suppose we should. Though I think even with the new dress I would still catch attention,” Svetlana said laughing.
“At the level of every nobles, however. We do not want to be discreet as mages, we want to mingle, my Lady. To do so, we must be at acceptable standards based on the location.”
“I know, but I can’t do anything about my current appearance. Besides getting new clothing, one feature will attract people’s eyes anyway.”
“One feature? Oh, those horns.”
“Yep, but if you want we can head out now to get a couple of dresses.”
“I could buy some magic rings that are known for hiding things like these… o-or perhaps an accessory fitted with one would do the trick—actually, my Lady, are those even real?” the maid asked, halfway through her sentence she was starting to realise that something was very wrong with her kind smile starting to break apart.
“Why not just go to the shop and you shall see what you got yourself into when you help me out try on some dresses?” Svetlana said with a smile on her face.
“Ahaha… well, I-I am a professional!” Nancy said, trying to light up the fire of passion in her heart. “Let us see where this boat takes me…”
Now with Nancy, Svetlana was inside a dress shop once again, albeit it was a different one thanks to the recommendation of the maid. It seemed much more spacious than the last and had a greater variety of dresses.
“I really want to get more gothic dresses, but I probably should refrain,” Svetlana said as her eyes seemed to sparkle upon eyeing the dresses. “What do you think would be nice Nancy?”
“Hmm… I think there are other dresses that could be nice rather than just the theme of gothic, Mistress. Seeing as you adore the gothic designs but loathe wearing dresses casually… how about just starting with gothic dresses for the public debut?”
“Well, gothic dresses are what I’ve been wearing since I was a little girl. Though, I already have some that I bought the other day. I just think Isabelle will probably get mad if I bought more gothic dresses.”
“I believe the young Mistress would prefer you to have some more variety, albeit that is a general assumption.”
“Yep. That’s why I want to find at least two dresses that aren’t gothic right now. But I have no clue where to start though, I did also get a steampunk dress the other day I suppose.”
“The steampunk ones are very new. Many do not seem to approve of them just yet in the upper echelon.”
“Well I found one cute-looking so decided to grab it. Though, it was my cute little Isabelle who recommended it,” Svetlana said happily as she continued exploring before she came to a sudden stop. “Oh this red one seems really nice. What do you think?”
“Very gothic, Mistress,” Nancy said, chuckling. “Shall we try it?”
“Eh, really? Guess I just can’t help it anymore, but let me find at least one more before trying it,” Svetlana said as she grabbed the dress and continued looking. “Well then what about this cyan one? I find it rather nice also.”
“Very gothic too, my Lady.” Nancy’s lips seemed to stretch wider. “Why not buy it too?”
“Guess it can’t be helped. I really like how both of these look like, but here I was hoping to get something non-gothic. Oh well, maybe next time. Anyway, follow me into the changing booth I just hope they offer enough privacy.”
“Next time, Mistress.” Nancy followed Svetlana with the red dress. “We are trying this, yes?”
“Of course,” Svetlana said as she walked closer to Nancy and whispered, “Though, we are gonna talk for a bit once inside first, alright? I hope I can trust you with my matter.”
When they entered the changing room, Nancy shut the door tight and turned to her Mistress.
“What is the matter, Mistress?”
“Well, first off, what I’m about to show you is something that I’m certain would normally get me in a lot of trouble with some people if they ever find out. So you must promise me you won’t tell anyone, because if you do, I might just have to go after you, and I don’t want to do something like that,” Svetlana said in a more serious tone than she had been displaying thus far.
“I am your maid. All personal matters and confidential matters shall stay tightly under my lips.”
“Okay then, I suppose I’ll start by just showing you,” Svetlana said as she began taking off her shirt. It was notable that she was not wearing a bra underneath, unlike other women despite the size of her breasts. She then began taking off her pants, in which Nancy noted that she was wore nothing underneath, either. “Well here you go.” Svetlana said as she turned around revealing her small wings and tail moving around.
“You’re lacking undergarments—and… not lacking in… wings and tails?!” Nancy blinked a few times as Svetlana gave her wings a flap and the tail seemed to move on its own accord. Nancy spoke in a hushed tone but was surprised nonetheless. “Mistress, y-you are an Infernal being?”
“Part Infernal being. Things changed when I met granddad. Don’t worry about the undergarments though, ever since getting this new body, all my previous clothes could no longer fit me. and I haven’t gotten a complete set of new clothing,” Svetlana said laughing.
“Then we need to get you undergarments on the double!” Nancy said with determination, clenching her fists. “Mistress, please wait here while I buy some in a jiffy—I realise that you lack a corset as well here. There should be some more garment shops in this area.”
“Would you know my size, though? Even I don’t know my size considering this body is still fairly new to me.”
“Well, I can see it right here… I am going to guess that is a… D cup? I regret not having a measuring tape with me.”
“Well, in all honesty I suppose I still wouldn’t know how big that is. Though, I must admit you seemed rather more calmed than I expected.”
“You are not versed in cup sizes?” Nancy blinked again. “In terms of surprise—I saw worse before.” Nancy opened the door. “Be right back, Mistress.”
Inside the changing room, Svetlana waited for about ten minutes before the maid entered again after making sure no one was staring at the door.
“I am back, and I believe I have everything you would require in this bag.” Nancy showed the shopping bag she held proudly. “Shall we get started, my Lady?”
“Well, I think we need to make adjustments to the panties. It really bugs me a lot, with having to tuck away my tail and whatnot. Though, what is the purpose of a bra? I never had to wear one before, considering I didn’t have these lumps of fat,” Svetlana said as she pushed up her breast with both her hands.
“Even girls with smaller breast sizes seem to wear one, though. Whoever must have no taught you to wear clothes must have been very lax about ladylike nature.” Nancy took out rather fancy undergarments with frills. “The bra helps with your breasts in many ways, but I think you would not need a bra for the dresses, so I just bought one just in case for other types of attires for the future. You would be needing a corset for the top and the panties for the bottom when it comes to dresses. There is another alternative that is the pantaloon but this is better for movement in combat and is becoming increasingly popular here in England, thanks to the influences of the modern world. Of course, that only concerns the magi in this country. I am not sure how you would deal with that tail, though.”
“Well I was thinking that I could adjust my clothing to have the tail stick out and hopefully just learn an illusion spell or find an accessory that would help me hide the tail. I’m still not certain for the true purpose of the corset since I just think exercising should be enough to keep a body slim. About my breast though, before you could say I had nothing there, and Big Sis never told me about them, saying I didn’t have to worry about it.”
“With all due respect, Mistress, I believe your †˜Big Sis’… was probably just thinking of herself more. Regarding your tail, however, I would suggest not relying on an illusionary device. It is risky enough as it is with the horns, a tail will not be bought off with your †˜cosplay’—was it?—excuse. Some people, especially the mages, can see through trickery like illusion magic. Second Sight is a good example.”
“I wonder if I should even go to that ball. Since if other mages see my horns even if I use an illusion wouldn’t that cause them to think anyways? Though, it's annoying having my tail tuck away it starts hurting after a while.”
“Maybe we should tie the tail up? Into a round ball since it cannot escape all those petticoat layers in the dress anyway—speaking of the ball, you should not skip it. Otherwise your family name will likely lose face, Mistress. These horns are quite alarming, however. I wonder if I can get something stronger for invisibility.”
“I cannot agree with tying up my tail that certainly is gonna hurt a lot. You try having and tail a see how that feels. I suppose I have no choice but to go.”
“I am only suggesting, Mistress. Doing nothing about it will probably not… wait, how about a bustle dress? The tail could simply never be noticed if you keep let it flow down with the dress that way.”
“Bustle? What do you mean by that?” Svetlana asked her slightly confused.
“It was popular some years ago, the dress would have a tail at its back, fashioned much like a horse’s tail—at least that was the idea—before it became a common standard of dress among the nobles. Now, that type has fallen out of fashion, but I suppose being unique has its merits these days.”
“I suppose that could work better than having my tail tied up in a ball,” Svetlana said as she grabbed her tail.
“I doubt the tail of your size would come out in any dress to be honest, Mistress. Considering how long the length of the skirts goes, but I figured that a bustle would let it rest much easier… well, maybe.”
“I will see. Though enough of that, I think I’ve been naked long enough don’t you think?”
“Ahaha… I apologise, we’re starting with this dress or am I looking for a bustle?”
“Well, first the dress. We’ll worry about the bustle afterwards. So help me put it on. I also have worries about putting on my previous dresses mostly because of these horns.”
“Alright, Mistress, just be patient, this will soon be over.” Nancy’s eyes sparkled, just like the times Svetlana’s eyes would before she’d dress up Isabelle.
This was the kind of lines told for people about to go through a lot of pain. For instance, mothers about to give birth. Thus, Svetlana wondered why something like this was told to her. Moments later, she learned it with her body. The corset that was being tightened was the equivalent of hell on earth, apparently. Indeed, the perfect birthday gift for the birthday suit. That clever little sister of hers knew it was going to be like this. It pushed the breasts up to the appropriate levels before fixing them in place, but the maid kept strapping the laces up from behind. The screams of Svetlana escaped the changing room, undoubtedly.
“Phew, first step done.”
“What the heck is this monstrosity?! How could women were such a thing!” Svetlana said as she felt like she could barely breath.
“Oh, I assure you, my Mistress, everyone here does.” The maid had Svetlana wear the panties next, then started to fit the dress onto her body.
“Ugh, this is one thing I’m not looking forward to get used to at all. Just who in their right mind even thought about a corset?!”
“Oh, I am sure you will love it in due time when a future lover praises the figure.” Nancy was finally done as she had Svetlana wear the proper sandals with heels next. She also had her wear a pair of long arm gloves that matched the dark colour of the dress. “There you go, Mistress, give the mirror a peek now.”
“I must admit this does look really nice. But I’d rather get a lover who praises me more for who I am rather than my figure. But I guess being praised about it isn’t so bad.”
“Fortunately, love happens to be divided equally for both personality and looks.” It seemed as if Nancy spoke from experience with her index finger raised. “Hence, women would always use a halve of said †˜love’ to attract men for them to learn of their other halve, if that makes sense.”
“I suppose… and what about you, Nancy? What would you look at a man for?”
“M-Me?” A certain image seemed to have already popped up in her mind. “I wonder…”
“Oh, it seems like you already have someone in mind,” Svetlana said with a smile as she walked behind Nancy and hugged her. “So who’s the lucky fellow?”
“Someone I parted with. Arranged marriages and all. He is on his way to become a Count now…” Nancy’s smile fell as she explained, becoming melancholic.
“I see. Well, if you don’t mind me asking, why didn’t you pursue him? I would think if you truly did loved him, you would. But if you rather not talk about it, that’s fine.”
Nancy shook her head. “If he did not wanted to stay with me anymore, if his family would not approve of me, what good am I? I have no right to take away from him his bright future that was laid out for him, he had such a beautiful fiancee too. I am but a maid.”
“I see. Well, don’t worry you’ll find someone else, I’m certain since you're beautiful yourself. Plus, you have something I believe most men go crazy over,” Svetlana said as she groped Nancy’s breast.
“M-Mistress,” Nancy said in a hushed tone. “I am certainly not the only on—t-that tickles, please stop!”
“My, I didn’t expect you to be ticklish there,” Svetlana said with a playful smile as she continued fondling. “But like I said, don’t worry you’ll find someone.”
“That is my line too. Now let us stop this—” Nancy moaned again due to the forceful groping. She covered her mouth immediately, worried that someone might’ve heard her voice outside. “A...And go back to the mansion.”
“My, my, do you wish to continue this at the mansion?” Svetlana stopped, but not without giving Nancy a pinch to her nipples.
“N-No such thing!” Nancy managed, her face red as a tomato from that last move.
“Don’t worry. I’m just kidding,” Svetlana said chuckling. “Well, we better go pay I believe they might start getting weird ideas if we stay here any longer. Though, you think it’d be fine if I just payed for the dress while wearing it? I suppose I want to see if Isabelle will be surprised when she sees me wearing it.”
How was that a joke…? “It is fine I believe,” Nancy answered, taking up the other two dresses. “They would be happy, in fact.”
The woman seemed to have hair that was a mix of purple and blue. Likely, she was viewed as odd by the mundanes, but not so much by magicians. Her smile seemed to be perfect—not too wide or small, just about right.
“I’m not sure you might want to ask, the bossy little girl over there should know,” Svetlana said as she pointed towards Isabelle.
An older maid approached from beside Svetlana, who was the housekeeper they hired.
“Mistress, the mansion of your inheritance is indeed called the New Anmer Hall.”
“Oh, didn’t know that, but what’s new? There are a lot of things I’ve not been told about England,” Svetlana said with a sigh.
The elder maid only smiled nervously at Svetlana’s ranting.
“I have been looking for the New Anmer Hall, and I was commissioned by Lady Isabelle Alicia to serve as a Personal Maid for Lady Svetlana Astakhov Alicia… may I please meet my Mistress?” the maid asked with a kind and endearing smile.
“Well, you might not believe it, but that would be me,” Svetlana said waving.
“Oh, it is a pleasure to meet you, Mistress. I am your Personal Maid especially ordered for. My name is Nancy Averill.” The maid gave a graceful bow.
“The pleasure is mine. I suppose I shall be in your care from now on?”
“Yes, I shall, likewise, be also under your guidance.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, how come it took time for you to get here? Seems like my sister made a special request, one that I was not told of.”
“Well… we would have to speak regarding it privately,” she answered, indirectly referring to the maids beside Svetlana.
“That’s fine with me. I suppose we can once we are in my room at my sister’s Aunt. If that's okay with you.”
The maid simply leaned closer. “Why not simply go for a walk to the city?” she suggested with a whisper.
“I suppose that works, but I don’t know anything about this city so you would have to lead the way. If that’s fine with you, Nancy.”
“I shall gladly lead the way for you, my Mistress. How does going to my favourite café sound?”
“That’s perfectly fine with me,” Svetlana said as she stood up. “Please let my sister know I went out on a walk with my maid if she asks,” Svetlana told the maids beside her.
***
In the café now, the two sat down and was enjoying another treat, with more sumptuous scones, cookies, and some tea, the personal maid seemed to have brought Svetlana to a rather popular place in the city.
“How do you find this café, Mistress?”
“It seems really nice but is it okay to speak of your matter here with all these people?”
“It is alright, Mistress. The noise of the crowds here works to our advantage. There are others who uses this place, similarly like yours truly, to discuss matters that are often not normal.”
“I see. I take it you're not a normal maid after saying something like that. Unless i'm just overthinking things.”
“I am a mage from the Royal Academy, Mistress. Well, I was, I had graduated only a month ago.”
“Oh that’s a surprise. Never expected mages to become servants.”
“There are special Organizations that allows you to hire especially-prepared maids to protect you in times of danger. Think of it like a Staffing Agency of sorts. I am a member of one.”
“I suppose they only exist here in England? So does that mean you will be following me everywhere I go? Even outside the country? Since if you do, I’d think I rather have you stay here and protect my sister.”
“Unfortunately, my contract states that I shall accompany you even in the direst of situations to serve your needs and remain by your side. I was not meant to directly keep you from all harms but I am as good as any supporter. To answer the first question, yes, we only have these Organizations for the nobility here in England.”
“I see. Well I suppose my sister should be safe overall I hope for when I travel. Though I wonder how confident you are to say that you can actually support me? Considering you just graduated.”
“I had been taking a course to develop my skills while studying in the Royal Academy. I was also close to having the title of Magic Magister once but… I suppose that one did not go as planned.”
“Oh thats interesting, but I hope you know actual combat is completely different than taking courses and studying. I saw many idiots back in Russia who couldn’t tell the difference when I used to work over there.”
“Well, I cannot boast about partaking many real combats but I do believe that I have the qualifications to be a Battle Maid—which is my profession. It is not my first time serving, either.”
“If you don’t mind maybe later I can test you out a bit and see how things go? It would help to see what you can do, instead of finding out in an actual fight. What do you say?”
“As you wish, Mistress.”
“Alrighty then. Well one final thing I suppose, how do you feel about dresses?”
“How do I feel about dresses?”
“Like, do you like wearing them?”
“The way they are worn properly?” Nancy answered, in a confused tone. “I would think your dress, however, may be seen as immodest by the polite society here, Mistress.”
“I know that, been told many times by my little sister, but the dresses I got the other day were just too fancy in my opinion to wear casually, so I’d probably want to get some that feel less fancy for everyday use,” Svetlana said with a sigh. “And I know a lady must look as proper as she can, but I haven’t even been here for a month, so I’m not used to this kind of life.”
“Is there something wrong with fancy dresses?” Nancy asked, tilting her head. “Look at that lady over there.” Nancy did not point but simply looked, Svetlana turned too and found a lady wearing a bonnet, a frilly dress, and a kind of slippers one would wear if she was trying to be like Cinderella. It looked crazy to Svetlana, but ordinary to Nancy. “That is a Viscountess—not even a Duchess. She is a few ranks below you, Mistress. If you would not want to be laughed at and shamed behind your back by your future peers… I suggest you start to accept the dresses… even in casual situations. As they say, do as the Romans do.”
“Ugh, this is definitely gonna take me a while to get used to. I’m fine wearing it on special occasions, but every day use just seems too much for me. But I suppose there’s not much I can do. Can you show me where I can buy a couple more dresses?”
“I can attend to any of your needs. For future reference, simply let me know when you are in need of something, Mistress. It is unfortunate but knowing that you are foreign, my Mistress, it would be a tough challenge. Considering that I assume you have not worn a corset before.”
“Nope, haven’t even heard about that word till today when my sister mentioned it earlier, but she still didn’t tell me what it was.”
“It is meant to keep you in proper shape so I hope you will appreciate it soon enough,” Nancy said with an apologetic smile.
“Maybe when we go look for dresses you can show me what a corset is? I’m getting curious now.”
“Shall we get going for a dressed, Mistress? Something for a casual outing would be more appropriate. I also notice that your current outfit draws much more attention than it should, even as we converse here…”
“I suppose we should. Though I think even with the new dress I would still catch attention,” Svetlana said laughing.
“At the level of every nobles, however. We do not want to be discreet as mages, we want to mingle, my Lady. To do so, we must be at acceptable standards based on the location.”
“I know, but I can’t do anything about my current appearance. Besides getting new clothing, one feature will attract people’s eyes anyway.”
“One feature? Oh, those horns.”
“Yep, but if you want we can head out now to get a couple of dresses.”
“I could buy some magic rings that are known for hiding things like these… o-or perhaps an accessory fitted with one would do the trick—actually, my Lady, are those even real?” the maid asked, halfway through her sentence she was starting to realise that something was very wrong with her kind smile starting to break apart.
“Why not just go to the shop and you shall see what you got yourself into when you help me out try on some dresses?” Svetlana said with a smile on her face.
“Ahaha… well, I-I am a professional!” Nancy said, trying to light up the fire of passion in her heart. “Let us see where this boat takes me…”
***
Now with Nancy, Svetlana was inside a dress shop once again, albeit it was a different one thanks to the recommendation of the maid. It seemed much more spacious than the last and had a greater variety of dresses.
“I really want to get more gothic dresses, but I probably should refrain,” Svetlana said as her eyes seemed to sparkle upon eyeing the dresses. “What do you think would be nice Nancy?”
“Hmm… I think there are other dresses that could be nice rather than just the theme of gothic, Mistress. Seeing as you adore the gothic designs but loathe wearing dresses casually… how about just starting with gothic dresses for the public debut?”
“Well, gothic dresses are what I’ve been wearing since I was a little girl. Though, I already have some that I bought the other day. I just think Isabelle will probably get mad if I bought more gothic dresses.”
“I believe the young Mistress would prefer you to have some more variety, albeit that is a general assumption.”
“Yep. That’s why I want to find at least two dresses that aren’t gothic right now. But I have no clue where to start though, I did also get a steampunk dress the other day I suppose.”
“The steampunk ones are very new. Many do not seem to approve of them just yet in the upper echelon.”
“Well I found one cute-looking so decided to grab it. Though, it was my cute little Isabelle who recommended it,” Svetlana said happily as she continued exploring before she came to a sudden stop. “Oh this red one seems really nice. What do you think?”
“Very gothic, Mistress,” Nancy said, chuckling. “Shall we try it?”
“Eh, really? Guess I just can’t help it anymore, but let me find at least one more before trying it,” Svetlana said as she grabbed the dress and continued looking. “Well then what about this cyan one? I find it rather nice also.”
“Very gothic too, my Lady.” Nancy’s lips seemed to stretch wider. “Why not buy it too?”
“Guess it can’t be helped. I really like how both of these look like, but here I was hoping to get something non-gothic. Oh well, maybe next time. Anyway, follow me into the changing booth I just hope they offer enough privacy.”
“Next time, Mistress.” Nancy followed Svetlana with the red dress. “We are trying this, yes?”
“Of course,” Svetlana said as she walked closer to Nancy and whispered, “Though, we are gonna talk for a bit once inside first, alright? I hope I can trust you with my matter.”
When they entered the changing room, Nancy shut the door tight and turned to her Mistress.
“What is the matter, Mistress?”
“Well, first off, what I’m about to show you is something that I’m certain would normally get me in a lot of trouble with some people if they ever find out. So you must promise me you won’t tell anyone, because if you do, I might just have to go after you, and I don’t want to do something like that,” Svetlana said in a more serious tone than she had been displaying thus far.
“I am your maid. All personal matters and confidential matters shall stay tightly under my lips.”
“Okay then, I suppose I’ll start by just showing you,” Svetlana said as she began taking off her shirt. It was notable that she was not wearing a bra underneath, unlike other women despite the size of her breasts. She then began taking off her pants, in which Nancy noted that she was wore nothing underneath, either. “Well here you go.” Svetlana said as she turned around revealing her small wings and tail moving around.
“You’re lacking undergarments—and… not lacking in… wings and tails?!” Nancy blinked a few times as Svetlana gave her wings a flap and the tail seemed to move on its own accord. Nancy spoke in a hushed tone but was surprised nonetheless. “Mistress, y-you are an Infernal being?”
“Part Infernal being. Things changed when I met granddad. Don’t worry about the undergarments though, ever since getting this new body, all my previous clothes could no longer fit me. and I haven’t gotten a complete set of new clothing,” Svetlana said laughing.
“Then we need to get you undergarments on the double!” Nancy said with determination, clenching her fists. “Mistress, please wait here while I buy some in a jiffy—I realise that you lack a corset as well here. There should be some more garment shops in this area.”
“Would you know my size, though? Even I don’t know my size considering this body is still fairly new to me.”
“Well, I can see it right here… I am going to guess that is a… D cup? I regret not having a measuring tape with me.”
“Well, in all honesty I suppose I still wouldn’t know how big that is. Though, I must admit you seemed rather more calmed than I expected.”
“You are not versed in cup sizes?” Nancy blinked again. “In terms of surprise—I saw worse before.” Nancy opened the door. “Be right back, Mistress.”
***
Inside the changing room, Svetlana waited for about ten minutes before the maid entered again after making sure no one was staring at the door.
“I am back, and I believe I have everything you would require in this bag.” Nancy showed the shopping bag she held proudly. “Shall we get started, my Lady?”
“Well, I think we need to make adjustments to the panties. It really bugs me a lot, with having to tuck away my tail and whatnot. Though, what is the purpose of a bra? I never had to wear one before, considering I didn’t have these lumps of fat,” Svetlana said as she pushed up her breast with both her hands.
“Even girls with smaller breast sizes seem to wear one, though. Whoever must have no taught you to wear clothes must have been very lax about ladylike nature.” Nancy took out rather fancy undergarments with frills. “The bra helps with your breasts in many ways, but I think you would not need a bra for the dresses, so I just bought one just in case for other types of attires for the future. You would be needing a corset for the top and the panties for the bottom when it comes to dresses. There is another alternative that is the pantaloon but this is better for movement in combat and is becoming increasingly popular here in England, thanks to the influences of the modern world. Of course, that only concerns the magi in this country. I am not sure how you would deal with that tail, though.”
“Well I was thinking that I could adjust my clothing to have the tail stick out and hopefully just learn an illusion spell or find an accessory that would help me hide the tail. I’m still not certain for the true purpose of the corset since I just think exercising should be enough to keep a body slim. About my breast though, before you could say I had nothing there, and Big Sis never told me about them, saying I didn’t have to worry about it.”
“With all due respect, Mistress, I believe your †˜Big Sis’… was probably just thinking of herself more. Regarding your tail, however, I would suggest not relying on an illusionary device. It is risky enough as it is with the horns, a tail will not be bought off with your †˜cosplay’—was it?—excuse. Some people, especially the mages, can see through trickery like illusion magic. Second Sight is a good example.”
“I wonder if I should even go to that ball. Since if other mages see my horns even if I use an illusion wouldn’t that cause them to think anyways? Though, it's annoying having my tail tuck away it starts hurting after a while.”
“Maybe we should tie the tail up? Into a round ball since it cannot escape all those petticoat layers in the dress anyway—speaking of the ball, you should not skip it. Otherwise your family name will likely lose face, Mistress. These horns are quite alarming, however. I wonder if I can get something stronger for invisibility.”
“I cannot agree with tying up my tail that certainly is gonna hurt a lot. You try having and tail a see how that feels. I suppose I have no choice but to go.”
“I am only suggesting, Mistress. Doing nothing about it will probably not… wait, how about a bustle dress? The tail could simply never be noticed if you keep let it flow down with the dress that way.”
“Bustle? What do you mean by that?” Svetlana asked her slightly confused.
“It was popular some years ago, the dress would have a tail at its back, fashioned much like a horse’s tail—at least that was the idea—before it became a common standard of dress among the nobles. Now, that type has fallen out of fashion, but I suppose being unique has its merits these days.”
“I suppose that could work better than having my tail tied up in a ball,” Svetlana said as she grabbed her tail.
“I doubt the tail of your size would come out in any dress to be honest, Mistress. Considering how long the length of the skirts goes, but I figured that a bustle would let it rest much easier… well, maybe.”
“I will see. Though enough of that, I think I’ve been naked long enough don’t you think?”
“Ahaha… I apologise, we’re starting with this dress or am I looking for a bustle?”
“Well, first the dress. We’ll worry about the bustle afterwards. So help me put it on. I also have worries about putting on my previous dresses mostly because of these horns.”
“Alright, Mistress, just be patient, this will soon be over.” Nancy’s eyes sparkled, just like the times Svetlana’s eyes would before she’d dress up Isabelle.
This was the kind of lines told for people about to go through a lot of pain. For instance, mothers about to give birth. Thus, Svetlana wondered why something like this was told to her. Moments later, she learned it with her body. The corset that was being tightened was the equivalent of hell on earth, apparently. Indeed, the perfect birthday gift for the birthday suit. That clever little sister of hers knew it was going to be like this. It pushed the breasts up to the appropriate levels before fixing them in place, but the maid kept strapping the laces up from behind. The screams of Svetlana escaped the changing room, undoubtedly.
“Phew, first step done.”
“What the heck is this monstrosity?! How could women were such a thing!” Svetlana said as she felt like she could barely breath.
“Oh, I assure you, my Mistress, everyone here does.” The maid had Svetlana wear the panties next, then started to fit the dress onto her body.
“Ugh, this is one thing I’m not looking forward to get used to at all. Just who in their right mind even thought about a corset?!”
“Oh, I am sure you will love it in due time when a future lover praises the figure.” Nancy was finally done as she had Svetlana wear the proper sandals with heels next. She also had her wear a pair of long arm gloves that matched the dark colour of the dress. “There you go, Mistress, give the mirror a peek now.”
“I must admit this does look really nice. But I’d rather get a lover who praises me more for who I am rather than my figure. But I guess being praised about it isn’t so bad.”
“Fortunately, love happens to be divided equally for both personality and looks.” It seemed as if Nancy spoke from experience with her index finger raised. “Hence, women would always use a halve of said †˜love’ to attract men for them to learn of their other halve, if that makes sense.”
“I suppose… and what about you, Nancy? What would you look at a man for?”
“M-Me?” A certain image seemed to have already popped up in her mind. “I wonder…”
“Oh, it seems like you already have someone in mind,” Svetlana said with a smile as she walked behind Nancy and hugged her. “So who’s the lucky fellow?”
“Someone I parted with. Arranged marriages and all. He is on his way to become a Count now…” Nancy’s smile fell as she explained, becoming melancholic.
“I see. Well, if you don’t mind me asking, why didn’t you pursue him? I would think if you truly did loved him, you would. But if you rather not talk about it, that’s fine.”
Nancy shook her head. “If he did not wanted to stay with me anymore, if his family would not approve of me, what good am I? I have no right to take away from him his bright future that was laid out for him, he had such a beautiful fiancee too. I am but a maid.”
“I see. Well, don’t worry you’ll find someone else, I’m certain since you're beautiful yourself. Plus, you have something I believe most men go crazy over,” Svetlana said as she groped Nancy’s breast.
“M-Mistress,” Nancy said in a hushed tone. “I am certainly not the only on—t-that tickles, please stop!”
“My, I didn’t expect you to be ticklish there,” Svetlana said with a playful smile as she continued fondling. “But like I said, don’t worry you’ll find someone.”
“That is my line too. Now let us stop this—” Nancy moaned again due to the forceful groping. She covered her mouth immediately, worried that someone might’ve heard her voice outside. “A...And go back to the mansion.”
“My, my, do you wish to continue this at the mansion?” Svetlana stopped, but not without giving Nancy a pinch to her nipples.
“N-No such thing!” Nancy managed, her face red as a tomato from that last move.
“Don’t worry. I’m just kidding,” Svetlana said chuckling. “Well, we better go pay I believe they might start getting weird ideas if we stay here any longer. Though, you think it’d be fine if I just payed for the dress while wearing it? I suppose I want to see if Isabelle will be surprised when she sees me wearing it.”
How was that a joke…? “It is fine I believe,” Nancy answered, taking up the other two dresses. “They would be happy, in fact.”
1
Cinia Pacifica
Ojou-sama Writer
On the far corner of England, closer to the seas on the East Sussex, was the Dallington Forest. It took more than a day by carriage to come this far, and now Duchess Frederica and the young scholar that was Roland were traversing through the myriad of trees in a forest.
Suffice it to say, traveling was something Roland was used to, but moving without a rest was certainly tiresome. The Duchess was in reality strict with time constraints and hardly let the coach rest. The journey was frantic and hasty and now they were here, toiling alone in the middle of nowhere. Maids had wanted to accompany them, but the Duchess dismissed all of them. She stated no reason for doing so.
Despite his fatigue Roland was visibly excited. He had never crossed the boundary into another Realm before and wondered what experiences would await him there. Watching the surroundings closely as to not miss anything, he followed the Duchess through the forest. However as the hours passed without anything out of the ordinary happening, his focus began to wane. Turning his interest to the only other feature there, he began to observe the Duchess. He was surprised at how gracefully she navigated the dense forest for he had always imagined nobles being a delicate breed, more used to traversing the halls of grand buildings than the untamed wilderness. Seeking to break the silence that had settled over their journey, he attempted to make some light conversation.
“You seem well-acquainted with travel. Do you go on research excursions often?” he asked absent-mindedly, forgetting formality.
“I have participated in a few expeditions, and I intend to continue partaking them in the future,” the Duchess answered, looking up to the sky for only a moment. It was still morning. “I suppose it all started with the war.”
“The Mage’s War between England and Japan?” Roland enquired. “I have read of it but it happened the year before I was introduced to the world of magic. The only sign I saw of it as a mundane, a commotion on the docks near my family’s tavern.”
“Thankfully, we were able to keep them afloat the seas and the ocean. It would be catastrophic had they reached—ah, but in the last Queen’s Meeting I suppose they did.”
“Was there another incident I missed during my travels? It seems the world has become quite hectic.” Roland sighed.
“I am going to assume that you missed some of the ongoing repairs and construction sites. A Japanese airship invaded the capital city that day. We are living in a rather hectic period now.”
“I suppose all we can do is endevour to end this age of chaos before it claims more victims.” A sad look appeared on Roland’s face. “Though let us not only focus on the trials of the world,” he said trying to lighten the mood. “I am curious as to what you encountered on your expeditions.”
“Aside from having an audience with King Solomon, I have been to many places most of which would be considered alien. Ranging from Faerie villages to some of the most dangerous figures of the Infernal Realm. I also happened to meet Aries on one of my expeditions.”
“With such a wealth of experience in front of me I know not what to ask of first.” Roland was amazed at how much she had encountered for still appearing so young. “Might you do me the honor of recounting tales of your travels as we journey?”
“You are one curious mind full of energy despite the long travels, I see.” The Duchess chuckled heartily. She seemed completely casual yet somehow elegant in how she carried herself. Despite her company being a commoner, she did not mind it at all. In fact, she welcomed it. “Even if you request so, there are many stories that I have experienced that I am not quite sure where to start.”
“Hmm, how about with your meeting with King Solomon? After all, we are on our way to seek his audience now.”
“Very well. Ten years ago when I was out on my third expedition—here in this very forest—we discovered the pathway to the Faerie Realm. After that it was a long adventure. Researchers as we were, my peers and I were a curious bunch—much like you—as we wandered the Realm. We were one of the first to bring proof to the modern Magic World that the Faerie Realm existed and was accessible. I am not sure if we are still credited.” The Duchess laughed. “But we did not publicise the fact that we met King Solomon thanks to the order of the Queen.” She paused for some moments, her face nostalgic as Roland caught half of it with her gazing to the right where a plain of grass was. “We explored for two weeks. It was surprising that we lasted so long. Of course, meeting the King was the least of our worries by the time we got to him; we just wanted to go home.”
Roland listened intently to the words of the Duchess as she spoke of her foray into the Faerie Realm, realising it was as much a cautionary tale as one of adventure. “Is it difficult to navigate the other Realms?” he asked. “I have read of them in my studies but it sounds to visit one is another matter altogether.”
“All of them are quite difficult in their own manner. We studied various tribes back when we entered the Faerie Realm. There were literally planets afloat under a sky as you may have read in a textbook, so it is not easy. Sometimes you cannot even tell where to begin. Moreover, the wind gets tiresome to take. The monsters are aplenty. There are occasional humans about, however.”
“I was not aware there were humans in the Faerie Realm,” Roland said, surprised. “Were they residents of the Realm or fellow travelers who happened upon a boundary?”
“Both. Some travelers who chanced upon the Realm often get stuck and decide to live the rest of their lives there. Like this, they end up making their respective families… you may take a guess as to what becomes of their offsprings’ futures in such a world.”
“Ah, I have learned of the Warping caused by powerful magic and unearthly Realms. I can only imagine the effects that may be had with subsequent generations of exposure,” Roland said with an uneasy look, his mind flashing back to warnings of the danger of magic drilled into him at the Academy. “I assume it would be best to finish our trip to the Faerie Realm quickly. However, if you would indulge me I do have another research interest I would like to pursue while we are there.”
“Those born and living there for a long time seem to become attuned mysteriously,” the Duchess replied. “For us, however, it is indeed dangerous to stay there for long. I am certain you are curious about everything, so what is this one about?”
Roland hesitated before answering. Despite having made legends his main topic of research he was always slightly embarrassed to admit he was chasing them. “Avalon,” he finally responded.
“Give up on that.”
Finding it odd to receive such a curt dismissal from the usually curious Duchess, Roland could not help but wonder why she was so against searching for the land of legend. “Do you mean give up on searching during this trip or on the matter entirely?” he asked. “If it is the latter is there a reason Avalon should not be sought out?”
“The former. My husband was as hopeful as you back then…” The Duchess’ expression fell to one that was melancholic. “But I suppose you will see what I mean when you see the Realm for yourself.”
Roland knew from his time with the Duchess that she rarely spoke against matters without good reason, but it would take more than this to deter him from his interest. “I understand the chance of finding Avalon may be slim to none, I only ask if we happen to find a credible lead during our journey to Solomon that we consider pursuing it.”
“You sure you will be fine? Us humans cannot dwell in said Realm for too long. Well, my body has somewhat learned to resist it, but I am not sure about you.”
“While I am curious I have no intention of compromising my health in what is like to be a foolhardy quest. If you feel we are at danger of staying too long in the Faerie Realm, I will acquiesce in your decision and leave whatever leads we may have found to be pursued at a later date. My only desire is if circumstances permit, we search for the legend.”
“Ahaha, alright, alright. We will have it your way. Let us be mindful of your health—oh, we are getting closer,” the Duchess said.
She summoned her relic sword in her hand and sliced the air before her with fast and sharp reflexes. Roland couldn’t see what was cut until some moments passed. He slowly started to see something fall apart, something that seemed like glass. It was reflecting the forest around them perfectly, so much that one wouldn’t even doubt heading into the mirror. The image on the mirror and what lay beyond the opened passage undoubtedly differed.
The Duchess started to proceed forward. The sword vanished as she did so.
With the door to another Realm in front of him, any travel weariness that had built up from the hours of trekking through the forest was washed away and replaced with an almost giddy excitement. He had been part of the world of magic for several years now but these would be his first few steps into a Realm from which many legends were spawned. Bracing himself for what he might encounter through the passage he followed the Duchess through.
“Careful,” the Duchess uttered. “Faeries may play pranks so don’t step on anything—” Before the Duchess could finish, Roland found himself hanging from a tree, his leg tied with a rope. A good old snare. The lady smiled wryly at him. “I suppose I spoke too late.”
“Does this mean there are Faeries around us right now?” Roland asked, more curious to catch a glimpse of the illusive residents of the Realm than mindful of his own predicament.
“We are not in the Faerie Realm just yet, but we are in one of their many forests now. Hence, we are surrounded by traps.”
“I’ll try to be more mindful of our surroundings.” Forming whips of water from each bracer, he coiled one around the branch above while using the other to slice through the rope that held his leg and gently lowered himself to the ground.
When he landed, his eyes unintentionally fell onto the soles of the Duchess. She was walking. Yet while walking, the noble lady was literally floating, or rather, she was suspended just above the ground, completely avoiding the task of setting foot in the forest.
As Roland walked behind her, marveling at this idea of preparedness, the ground below him bended and broke apart and he fell in a small pit. The Duchess chuckled, extending an arm to him. It wasn’t very far deep so she could still reach out to him.
“Thanks,” he murmured apologetically, taking the the hand of the Duchess, blushing slightly as he did so. “Straight from snare to pitfall, it seems Faeries are fans of classic traps.”
“Have you heard of the legend that men learned said traps from Faeries and employed them for their own means?” the Duchess asked in a joking tone as they continued their passage.
Determined not to embarrass himself in front of the Duchess again—while still observing his surroundings for any Faerie sightings—Roland kept a close eye on the ground ahead in particular as he followed her.
The Duchess jumped forward—spinning as she did so—taking a stance upon landing and placing her hand forward, releasing a ball of fire that fried something that seemed like a dart.
Alerted by the sudden movement of the Duchess, Roland put up his guard just in time to glimpse two flashes from either side in the corner of his eyes. Summoning the power of his relic once more, he spun with a flourish bisecting each arrow with a thin stream of water.
“Duck,” the Duchess uttered, sending another blazing ball of fire right at Roland. He did as told immediately and the arrow just behind his back was incinerated. “Should be all of them,” she added, looking around.
“Do the traps tend to increase in danger as we go deeper?” Roland asked, reeling slightly from the close encounter. He had his training but being in an actual hostile environment was still relatively new to him.
“The Faeries are hardly serious about it… I believe,” Frederica said. “Are they not?” she asked, not to Roland but whoever lurked past the leaves and the trees.
Roland heard some rustling noises and almost saw black hair, but no face as someone dashed away.
“Was that a Faerie?” Roland asked, curious if he had caught his first glimpse of one, however brief it was.
“Likely.”
After that, Roland was cautious enough to avoid the traps as they progressed through the forest.
An hour seemed to have passed like this. The sun was only starting to get to the centre of the sky now. Even now, neither of them suggested a break.
“Alright, we are here,” the Duchess finally spoke. There was nothing in front of them but a wall of rock—a mountain, but the noble lady seemed sure of herself as they stumbled across what seemed like a dead end.
Roland watched patiently for what the Duchess would do. While he could not see anything out of the ordinary with the rock face ahead of them, he suspected there was some method to open a path.
“Well, it is a simple trick,” the lady said. Walking straight into the rocky wall, she disappeared into it. The wall was an illusion. Roland followed her, and they were inside a cave before he knew it. When he looked behind him, he saw an opening of a cave.
Before them seemed to lie a gate that was ancient. There were carvings written in the language of the Faeries. The languages were not taught in classes, unfortunately, so he couldn’t quite read them.
His interest was piqued but he was still wary that there was going to be more traps in the area. From afar he observed the gate, trying to glean what he could from its design.
“Do not simply stand there, help me open this thing,” the Duchess said, pushing one side of the gate, which hardly bulged.
“Sorry, it was not quite what I expected and I was taken aback,” he apologized, sheepishly rushing over to aid the Duchess with the gate. The two pushed both sides, finally causing a crack in the middle. Roland could already feel the air rushing out from the middle.
“That should be enough.” The Duchess walked over to the middle, feeling the chilly breeze. “We should be able to get through the thin space.” She crossed the gate and ushered the young scholar to follow.
Suffice it to say, traveling was something Roland was used to, but moving without a rest was certainly tiresome. The Duchess was in reality strict with time constraints and hardly let the coach rest. The journey was frantic and hasty and now they were here, toiling alone in the middle of nowhere. Maids had wanted to accompany them, but the Duchess dismissed all of them. She stated no reason for doing so.
Despite his fatigue Roland was visibly excited. He had never crossed the boundary into another Realm before and wondered what experiences would await him there. Watching the surroundings closely as to not miss anything, he followed the Duchess through the forest. However as the hours passed without anything out of the ordinary happening, his focus began to wane. Turning his interest to the only other feature there, he began to observe the Duchess. He was surprised at how gracefully she navigated the dense forest for he had always imagined nobles being a delicate breed, more used to traversing the halls of grand buildings than the untamed wilderness. Seeking to break the silence that had settled over their journey, he attempted to make some light conversation.
“You seem well-acquainted with travel. Do you go on research excursions often?” he asked absent-mindedly, forgetting formality.
“I have participated in a few expeditions, and I intend to continue partaking them in the future,” the Duchess answered, looking up to the sky for only a moment. It was still morning. “I suppose it all started with the war.”
“The Mage’s War between England and Japan?” Roland enquired. “I have read of it but it happened the year before I was introduced to the world of magic. The only sign I saw of it as a mundane, a commotion on the docks near my family’s tavern.”
“Thankfully, we were able to keep them afloat the seas and the ocean. It would be catastrophic had they reached—ah, but in the last Queen’s Meeting I suppose they did.”
“Was there another incident I missed during my travels? It seems the world has become quite hectic.” Roland sighed.
“I am going to assume that you missed some of the ongoing repairs and construction sites. A Japanese airship invaded the capital city that day. We are living in a rather hectic period now.”
“I suppose all we can do is endevour to end this age of chaos before it claims more victims.” A sad look appeared on Roland’s face. “Though let us not only focus on the trials of the world,” he said trying to lighten the mood. “I am curious as to what you encountered on your expeditions.”
“Aside from having an audience with King Solomon, I have been to many places most of which would be considered alien. Ranging from Faerie villages to some of the most dangerous figures of the Infernal Realm. I also happened to meet Aries on one of my expeditions.”
“With such a wealth of experience in front of me I know not what to ask of first.” Roland was amazed at how much she had encountered for still appearing so young. “Might you do me the honor of recounting tales of your travels as we journey?”
“You are one curious mind full of energy despite the long travels, I see.” The Duchess chuckled heartily. She seemed completely casual yet somehow elegant in how she carried herself. Despite her company being a commoner, she did not mind it at all. In fact, she welcomed it. “Even if you request so, there are many stories that I have experienced that I am not quite sure where to start.”
“Hmm, how about with your meeting with King Solomon? After all, we are on our way to seek his audience now.”
“Very well. Ten years ago when I was out on my third expedition—here in this very forest—we discovered the pathway to the Faerie Realm. After that it was a long adventure. Researchers as we were, my peers and I were a curious bunch—much like you—as we wandered the Realm. We were one of the first to bring proof to the modern Magic World that the Faerie Realm existed and was accessible. I am not sure if we are still credited.” The Duchess laughed. “But we did not publicise the fact that we met King Solomon thanks to the order of the Queen.” She paused for some moments, her face nostalgic as Roland caught half of it with her gazing to the right where a plain of grass was. “We explored for two weeks. It was surprising that we lasted so long. Of course, meeting the King was the least of our worries by the time we got to him; we just wanted to go home.”
Roland listened intently to the words of the Duchess as she spoke of her foray into the Faerie Realm, realising it was as much a cautionary tale as one of adventure. “Is it difficult to navigate the other Realms?” he asked. “I have read of them in my studies but it sounds to visit one is another matter altogether.”
“All of them are quite difficult in their own manner. We studied various tribes back when we entered the Faerie Realm. There were literally planets afloat under a sky as you may have read in a textbook, so it is not easy. Sometimes you cannot even tell where to begin. Moreover, the wind gets tiresome to take. The monsters are aplenty. There are occasional humans about, however.”
“I was not aware there were humans in the Faerie Realm,” Roland said, surprised. “Were they residents of the Realm or fellow travelers who happened upon a boundary?”
“Both. Some travelers who chanced upon the Realm often get stuck and decide to live the rest of their lives there. Like this, they end up making their respective families… you may take a guess as to what becomes of their offsprings’ futures in such a world.”
“Ah, I have learned of the Warping caused by powerful magic and unearthly Realms. I can only imagine the effects that may be had with subsequent generations of exposure,” Roland said with an uneasy look, his mind flashing back to warnings of the danger of magic drilled into him at the Academy. “I assume it would be best to finish our trip to the Faerie Realm quickly. However, if you would indulge me I do have another research interest I would like to pursue while we are there.”
“Those born and living there for a long time seem to become attuned mysteriously,” the Duchess replied. “For us, however, it is indeed dangerous to stay there for long. I am certain you are curious about everything, so what is this one about?”
Roland hesitated before answering. Despite having made legends his main topic of research he was always slightly embarrassed to admit he was chasing them. “Avalon,” he finally responded.
“Give up on that.”
Finding it odd to receive such a curt dismissal from the usually curious Duchess, Roland could not help but wonder why she was so against searching for the land of legend. “Do you mean give up on searching during this trip or on the matter entirely?” he asked. “If it is the latter is there a reason Avalon should not be sought out?”
“The former. My husband was as hopeful as you back then…” The Duchess’ expression fell to one that was melancholic. “But I suppose you will see what I mean when you see the Realm for yourself.”
Roland knew from his time with the Duchess that she rarely spoke against matters without good reason, but it would take more than this to deter him from his interest. “I understand the chance of finding Avalon may be slim to none, I only ask if we happen to find a credible lead during our journey to Solomon that we consider pursuing it.”
“You sure you will be fine? Us humans cannot dwell in said Realm for too long. Well, my body has somewhat learned to resist it, but I am not sure about you.”
“While I am curious I have no intention of compromising my health in what is like to be a foolhardy quest. If you feel we are at danger of staying too long in the Faerie Realm, I will acquiesce in your decision and leave whatever leads we may have found to be pursued at a later date. My only desire is if circumstances permit, we search for the legend.”
“Ahaha, alright, alright. We will have it your way. Let us be mindful of your health—oh, we are getting closer,” the Duchess said.
She summoned her relic sword in her hand and sliced the air before her with fast and sharp reflexes. Roland couldn’t see what was cut until some moments passed. He slowly started to see something fall apart, something that seemed like glass. It was reflecting the forest around them perfectly, so much that one wouldn’t even doubt heading into the mirror. The image on the mirror and what lay beyond the opened passage undoubtedly differed.
The Duchess started to proceed forward. The sword vanished as she did so.
With the door to another Realm in front of him, any travel weariness that had built up from the hours of trekking through the forest was washed away and replaced with an almost giddy excitement. He had been part of the world of magic for several years now but these would be his first few steps into a Realm from which many legends were spawned. Bracing himself for what he might encounter through the passage he followed the Duchess through.
“Careful,” the Duchess uttered. “Faeries may play pranks so don’t step on anything—” Before the Duchess could finish, Roland found himself hanging from a tree, his leg tied with a rope. A good old snare. The lady smiled wryly at him. “I suppose I spoke too late.”
“Does this mean there are Faeries around us right now?” Roland asked, more curious to catch a glimpse of the illusive residents of the Realm than mindful of his own predicament.
“We are not in the Faerie Realm just yet, but we are in one of their many forests now. Hence, we are surrounded by traps.”
“I’ll try to be more mindful of our surroundings.” Forming whips of water from each bracer, he coiled one around the branch above while using the other to slice through the rope that held his leg and gently lowered himself to the ground.
When he landed, his eyes unintentionally fell onto the soles of the Duchess. She was walking. Yet while walking, the noble lady was literally floating, or rather, she was suspended just above the ground, completely avoiding the task of setting foot in the forest.
As Roland walked behind her, marveling at this idea of preparedness, the ground below him bended and broke apart and he fell in a small pit. The Duchess chuckled, extending an arm to him. It wasn’t very far deep so she could still reach out to him.
“Thanks,” he murmured apologetically, taking the the hand of the Duchess, blushing slightly as he did so. “Straight from snare to pitfall, it seems Faeries are fans of classic traps.”
“Have you heard of the legend that men learned said traps from Faeries and employed them for their own means?” the Duchess asked in a joking tone as they continued their passage.
Determined not to embarrass himself in front of the Duchess again—while still observing his surroundings for any Faerie sightings—Roland kept a close eye on the ground ahead in particular as he followed her.
The Duchess jumped forward—spinning as she did so—taking a stance upon landing and placing her hand forward, releasing a ball of fire that fried something that seemed like a dart.
Alerted by the sudden movement of the Duchess, Roland put up his guard just in time to glimpse two flashes from either side in the corner of his eyes. Summoning the power of his relic once more, he spun with a flourish bisecting each arrow with a thin stream of water.
“Duck,” the Duchess uttered, sending another blazing ball of fire right at Roland. He did as told immediately and the arrow just behind his back was incinerated. “Should be all of them,” she added, looking around.
“Do the traps tend to increase in danger as we go deeper?” Roland asked, reeling slightly from the close encounter. He had his training but being in an actual hostile environment was still relatively new to him.
“The Faeries are hardly serious about it… I believe,” Frederica said. “Are they not?” she asked, not to Roland but whoever lurked past the leaves and the trees.
Roland heard some rustling noises and almost saw black hair, but no face as someone dashed away.
“Was that a Faerie?” Roland asked, curious if he had caught his first glimpse of one, however brief it was.
“Likely.”
After that, Roland was cautious enough to avoid the traps as they progressed through the forest.
An hour seemed to have passed like this. The sun was only starting to get to the centre of the sky now. Even now, neither of them suggested a break.
“Alright, we are here,” the Duchess finally spoke. There was nothing in front of them but a wall of rock—a mountain, but the noble lady seemed sure of herself as they stumbled across what seemed like a dead end.
Roland watched patiently for what the Duchess would do. While he could not see anything out of the ordinary with the rock face ahead of them, he suspected there was some method to open a path.
“Well, it is a simple trick,” the lady said. Walking straight into the rocky wall, she disappeared into it. The wall was an illusion. Roland followed her, and they were inside a cave before he knew it. When he looked behind him, he saw an opening of a cave.
Before them seemed to lie a gate that was ancient. There were carvings written in the language of the Faeries. The languages were not taught in classes, unfortunately, so he couldn’t quite read them.
His interest was piqued but he was still wary that there was going to be more traps in the area. From afar he observed the gate, trying to glean what he could from its design.
“Do not simply stand there, help me open this thing,” the Duchess said, pushing one side of the gate, which hardly bulged.
“Sorry, it was not quite what I expected and I was taken aback,” he apologized, sheepishly rushing over to aid the Duchess with the gate. The two pushed both sides, finally causing a crack in the middle. Roland could already feel the air rushing out from the middle.
“That should be enough.” The Duchess walked over to the middle, feeling the chilly breeze. “We should be able to get through the thin space.” She crossed the gate and ushered the young scholar to follow.
1
Cinia Pacifica
Ojou-sama Writer
After Roland got past the gate, he entered a completely new world. What the textbooks wrote about floating planets was an understatement compared to the amount of objects floating in the air. The breeze felt nothing like a †˜breeze’ back in the Human World. This was a current so strong he thought there would be a hurricane warning if they were still outside the Realm. Everything felt incredibly different and the presence of mana in the air was extremely apparent, to the point that it was visible; there were sparkles—very small—of blue particles floating with the air.
Obviously, the first thing that happened to them was their hair getting swept with the wind. If the Duchess had worn a hat today, it’d likely have been lost by now. Roland’s robe was already fluttering about rapidly and he almost feared losing it upon entry.
From his view, he could see a wooden bridge before them which extended all the way to a supposed planet. The planet was not very large and seemed to be covered mostly in green grass.
Taking in the new scenery, all Roland could do was stare in awe. Turning his head, he was determined to not to miss a single thing.
“How do you like the place?” the Duchess asked, speaking loudly to compensate for the buzzing noise of the wind.
“It is truly remarkable,” Roland shouted back. “No book could capture the essence of actually being here. Although I do wish I had brought a pair of goggles to deal with the wind.”
“No worries, you will get used to the wind soon enough. More importantly, let us head over to that planet over there.” The Duchess motioned towards the wooden bridge. “And careful not to be blown away. It can be turbulent sometimes, stronger waves of winds may blow you right off the ground.”
Roland nodded in agreement and followed the Duchess onto the bridge, being careful to have a tight grip on the handrail. Looking down, it would be a long drop before any land would be reached if he were to fall.
It took them about twenty-something minutes to finally reach close to the surface of the planet. Roland realised that the planet was actually heavily covered by trees instead of grass. The trees covered it so much that it was almost entirely green, making it possible for one to misunderstand easily. By the time they reached their destination, they felt a pull of gravity that held them tightly against the surface.
Now beneath a tree, the leaves continually rustled thanks to the winds. The winds didn’t reach past the blanket of leaves so the two could relax.
“Seems like traveling here will be more comfortable,” the Duchess remarked. “I have no idea where we wound up on, though. Mind you, the gate brings you to a different side of the Realm—every single time. It is like a prank being played on us, on an entirely different scale.”
“Would the ideal means to gain our bearings be to find some of those prankster denizens of the Realm and ask them our location?”
“Yes,” the noble lady answered. “I had some acquaintances so let us hope that we find any one of them…”
“I will try searching around the forest.”
Now that they had arrived, he was dying to explore a bit to see what wonders the Realm contained and his excitement showed in his voice and step.
“I was going to suggest taking some rest first but I suppose that can wait.” The Duchess giggled as she followed the young one who was already leading the way instead of herself.
Roland blushed, embarrassed that in his excitement he had forgotten to consider the Duchess. But he could not contain his urge to discover what the Realm had to offer. “I do not mean to rush, but with an entire Realm to explore and so little time I cannot help myself,” he responded with a grin. “Though if I get too eager do not hesitate to stop me.”
“We are not here for all those grand objectives, young one. Otherwise we would lose sight of it all. First the King, then every other joyful indulgence.”
“Fair enough. I ask that you lead the way once we have found our bearings.”
The two wandered across the forests for some time. Two hours had already passed and they were apparently lost. Certainly, with the Duchess not having her bearings on this Realm, it could be said that the two were indeed lost to begin with. They wanted to find someone on the planet or a bridge to another planet with a village, since apparently this planet seemed to lack one.
“Wait… do you hear something?” the Duchess finally asked. “Other than the calls and songs of the birds. Something dangerous… might be out there.”
Roland halted, straining his ears. He could not hear anything himself but the journey so far had taught him that the Duchess was more observant than he was, and it was better to err on the side of caution. He looked around for a source of water to prepare for a fight might the worst come to pass.
The Duchess gestured to follow. The two sneakily walked up to a bush and hid in it to look past a few trees. On the other side they found goblins huddled together around a bonfire. The green skin and the shape was unmistakable, but their size was at least twice that of fictional goblins. Large and intimidating. They were dining on the flesh of what seemed like some birds and fish, conversing with each other in a different language of their own.
“Seems like we’ve got some goblins on our hands here…”
“You would not by any chance have experience in dealing with them from your travels, would you?” Roland asked the Duchess in a whisper.
“We steered clear of them in our adventures.”
Roland thought hard for a while on what to do, going over what he knew of goblins in his head and finally proclaimed, “I am going to ask them for directions. Can you hide and back me up if things do not go as planned?” With that he stepped out of the bushes. Putting his hands up to appear as non-threatening as possible, he strode forward to the edge of the goblin’s gathering and loudly greeted them in their native tongue.
“I want... ask... directions,” he said haltingly in the goblin language, hoping his intent was received accurately.
“What?”
“A human?”
“A human.”
“ ...Mnm, a human…”
Then another asked again, “Directions? What directions? Does it taste nice?”
“How to… go to… place.” Roland tried again realising he had made a mistake, “To Solomon place.”
“Something about Solomon?”
“Some old myth, lads.”
“Does Solomon taste good?”
“No, but what is under that hide might taste good…” a tall goblin said, licking its lips. Slowly its hand was reaching for its axe hanging from the belt around its hips.
Realising the situation was deteriorating, Roland loudly said, “No want fight!” and under his breath rapidly chanted an incantation creating a transparent wall of ice between him and the goblins, hoping the display of magic would help deter them from any rash actions.
The goblins already gave a warcry and struck at the wall with their axes and hammers, already chipping pieces out of it. With their combined might it broke rather easily. The bonfire blazed wildly and the flames pushed upwards becoming a colourful pillar. The goblins turned around in curiosity. The fire was too bright and they were blinded, moaning from the lack of visibility and rubbing their eyes.
“Come, now!” the Duchess yelled from behind and a rustling noise was heard as she herself fled.
Wasting no time, Roland turned and chased after the Duchess.
As the two ran, the Duchess tossed what seemed like a smoke bomb behind them and they progressed through some more trees before finally stopping. The two found themselves panting.
“That ought to have done it,” the Duchess said between breaths. “Those green backbones only have food in mind it seems.”
“If there is any consolation to be had, we learned that Solomon is just a myth among goblins so there should not be any need of asking them again,” Roland tried joking before turning serious. “I am sorry I acted rashly back there. While I had heard they were aggressive I never thought they would turn hostile so quickly.”
“I suppose it is fine. Lessons are learned the hard way usually. Albeit it is true that most people out here consider King Solomo a myth,” Frederica stated, taking a deep breath. “There are some, though… some helpful ones that are more on the know of things.”
“Maybe the water spirits may be of more help than the goblins, I think I heard the sound of rushing water,” Roland observed. “Even if not, settlements are usually built around water so we may be able to find other inhabitants of the Realm.”
“River? If that is so, let us be off.”
Guided by Roland, the pair traveled north—at least that’s what it seemed like—and the noise of the rushing water became more and more clear. Finally coming past the trees, the two found a gorgeous scenery unfold before them.
“Oh, those types of rivers,” the Duchess said with not much surprise, but Roland’s eyes were widened even more than usual.
The river seemed to travel straight until halfway through before the entire body of water could be seen flowing upwards to the sky, connecting all the way to a different planet. The river could be described as a vertical road to the other planet up to a point, but it seemed to roll in the middle into a spiral line like something out of a rollercoaster’s pathline from an amusement park. It was not only mysterious but beautiful due to the clarity and purity of the water with mana flowing in it. Some fairies could be seen flying around the river too.
Roland stood there in slightly slack-jawed amazement as he took in the scene in front of him. No description could match the experience of seeing the landscape for himself. As he gazed around, his eyes settled on the fairies floating nearby. After much anticipation he finally had his first clear look at the primary denizens of the Realm.
The blue fairies had shining bodies and seemed to be fluttering all around the water as if enjoying the bounty of nature.
“You are good with Aquam, yes? Try reaching out to one of them. Do not get onto the vertical line of the river, though.”
Curious as to what might happen, Roland did as she said and strode slowly up to a fairy, taking care to try to avoid scaring it off. Once nearby, gingerly, he reached out with his hand.
The fairy flew away from his hand, but instead of leaving, it went up to his eyes and looked at him curiously. Roland realised that he was subsequently surrounded by the blue little fairies, all staring at him, and fluttering about, inspecting his clothes, the bracers that hid under the robe, and his legs with unbound curiosity.
Not quite sure what to make of the situation, Roland indulged their curious searching but kept his guard up lest they try to pull any pranks. He took particular care that none of them became too enthusiastic when investigating his bracers.
“Interesting, a human,” one of them said. The others repeated the word “human” a few times in tune.
“What you seek here?” they all asked in Latin. “What you seek here?” they repeated.
“We seek to find Ki—” he began, about to say King Solomon but stopped himself short, instead quickly finishing, “—kind souls to lead us to a settlement.” Solomon had already been dismissed as a myth once and if they could gain their bearings, the Duchess already knew where to find him. “Also one knowledgeable in stories of the Realm,” he added with the slim hope they might find a lead on Avalon.
“Settlements? Settlements…”
“Settlements… village?”
“Yes, a village,” the Duchess said. “May we know where to find one?” Some of the fairies then flied over to the Duchess, inspecting her.
“La Folia,” one of the fairies said. “Other side, other side!” It pointed to the planet connected by the river on the top.
Roland turned to the Duchess, “Do you know of this La Folia from your previous foray into the Faerie Realm?”
“It is a town, I think. I cannot say that I have come across it before, however.”
“How shall we make our way there?” Roland wondered aloud, his eyes drawn to the looping stream of water above. He had an inkling of what she might say and very much hoped his hunch was right.
“No other way than to get wet and ride the stream. I would not want to work on a raft now. Perhaps my new spell may work out for me… I probably won’t be able to give you the same lift, however.”
“I would not be much of an Aquam mage if I feared a little wetness,” he replied with a mischievous smile and dove into the stream. Upon coming up for air he assumed a relaxed position, floating on his back and with an inviting gesture motioned to the Duchess.
Seeing someone float up into the vertical path that was the river was always fascinating to the Duchess, even if she had an idea about how the river worked the way it did.
While Roland was peacefully sliding across the river, he felt an abrupt and terse heat and saw a ball of fire pass by him like a bullet. Inside this fiery bullet was apparently his companion, who was already close to the planet on the other side by now.
Roland had seen spells that used fire to propell the caster before but nothing on that level. Making a mental note to ask about it once he arrived, he continued lazily drifting towards the other planet. As he drew close there was a rather abrupt shift of gravity and suddenly he was falling rather than floating. With a large splash he landed in the river on the other planet, crashing face first into the bottom. Unperturbed by his rather graceless landing and still burning with curiosity as to what means the Duchess had used to travel between the planets, he quickly hauled himself out of the river and excitedly blurted out, “What was that spell?” as a conspicuous bruise swelled on his forehead.
“Something I invented recently, why?” the Duchess asked, taken aback by the fierce curiosity of the scholar.
“A variation of Fiery Step or Flame Leap? No, the flame moved with her,” Roland said, half asking the Duchess and half talking to himself. “The range was also far greater than either. Additional flames present after launch sustained for propulsion? And maybe an augment of Corpus or Aurum for additional initial or sustained thrust?” He became lost in deep thought as he theorised as to how what he had witnessed was contrived.
“Who knows!” the Duchess said, sounding really proud. “I do not intend to make it official in the magazines of the gazette, though.”
“Ah, I did not mean to pry,” Roland apologised, snapping back to reality. “I simply could not help myself after seeing such a fascinating spell.”
“It is alright. I am flattered that you like my spell, haha! But yes, I am starting to think having my personal arsenal is a good thing.”
“I understand,” he accepted somewhat reluctantly. He was still curious but would respect the wishes of the Duchess and avoid delving too deep into the mechanisms of her spell. With the excitement past, he became acutely aware of how soaked he was. Peeling off his outer layers he began wringing out his clothes. “How do these rivers function?” he asked, his interest turning to the means by which he had arrived on the new planet.
“Ah, these streams? It is a very unusual phenomena that takes place in this Realm thanks to its unique nature. The gravity attracts the water thus allowing the link. It sounds extremely improbable normally, but apparently the mana has its part in this somewhere. We do not know the full truth yet, but my late husband once theorised that someone might have caused several rivers to gather in one place in the air for a grand spell. According to his thoughts, when the spell ended and the stream was no longer attracted by the pull of mana that this supposed user initiated, the rivers were likely caught by the nearer gravity of the neighbouring planets. Thus, the links were established and remained.”
“Hmm.” Hearing this, Roland was lost in thought once again. A grand spell that required drawing on the water of many planets for its purpose. What might be found at its source, and would following the rivers caused by it lead the way? His mind flitted to stories of the legendary blade forged long ago in the Realm. How much water might be required to temper such a weapon? he mused. It was a slim lead but possibly one worth following if time permitted.
“I realise there are no fairies on this side here,” Frederica said. “Perhaps they like to stay here from settlements…”
“Possibly in the interest of both parties? I imagine their incessant pranks would grow tiresome to any residents.”
“The Aquam fairies? They are very much docile according to our investigations. The Aurum fairies can be a handful, though. They would pick you up and toss you around for amusement.”
“Seems like it may be best to be on guard then, if there is another reason they avoid this region.”
“I am, no worries. Let us proceed. Think I have a feeling I know where a settlement is located.”
Nodding in affirmation, Roland followed the Duchess as she walked off.
Obviously, the first thing that happened to them was their hair getting swept with the wind. If the Duchess had worn a hat today, it’d likely have been lost by now. Roland’s robe was already fluttering about rapidly and he almost feared losing it upon entry.
From his view, he could see a wooden bridge before them which extended all the way to a supposed planet. The planet was not very large and seemed to be covered mostly in green grass.
Taking in the new scenery, all Roland could do was stare in awe. Turning his head, he was determined to not to miss a single thing.
“How do you like the place?” the Duchess asked, speaking loudly to compensate for the buzzing noise of the wind.
“It is truly remarkable,” Roland shouted back. “No book could capture the essence of actually being here. Although I do wish I had brought a pair of goggles to deal with the wind.”
“No worries, you will get used to the wind soon enough. More importantly, let us head over to that planet over there.” The Duchess motioned towards the wooden bridge. “And careful not to be blown away. It can be turbulent sometimes, stronger waves of winds may blow you right off the ground.”
Roland nodded in agreement and followed the Duchess onto the bridge, being careful to have a tight grip on the handrail. Looking down, it would be a long drop before any land would be reached if he were to fall.
***
It took them about twenty-something minutes to finally reach close to the surface of the planet. Roland realised that the planet was actually heavily covered by trees instead of grass. The trees covered it so much that it was almost entirely green, making it possible for one to misunderstand easily. By the time they reached their destination, they felt a pull of gravity that held them tightly against the surface.
Now beneath a tree, the leaves continually rustled thanks to the winds. The winds didn’t reach past the blanket of leaves so the two could relax.
“Seems like traveling here will be more comfortable,” the Duchess remarked. “I have no idea where we wound up on, though. Mind you, the gate brings you to a different side of the Realm—every single time. It is like a prank being played on us, on an entirely different scale.”
“Would the ideal means to gain our bearings be to find some of those prankster denizens of the Realm and ask them our location?”
“Yes,” the noble lady answered. “I had some acquaintances so let us hope that we find any one of them…”
“I will try searching around the forest.”
Now that they had arrived, he was dying to explore a bit to see what wonders the Realm contained and his excitement showed in his voice and step.
“I was going to suggest taking some rest first but I suppose that can wait.” The Duchess giggled as she followed the young one who was already leading the way instead of herself.
Roland blushed, embarrassed that in his excitement he had forgotten to consider the Duchess. But he could not contain his urge to discover what the Realm had to offer. “I do not mean to rush, but with an entire Realm to explore and so little time I cannot help myself,” he responded with a grin. “Though if I get too eager do not hesitate to stop me.”
“We are not here for all those grand objectives, young one. Otherwise we would lose sight of it all. First the King, then every other joyful indulgence.”
“Fair enough. I ask that you lead the way once we have found our bearings.”
***
The two wandered across the forests for some time. Two hours had already passed and they were apparently lost. Certainly, with the Duchess not having her bearings on this Realm, it could be said that the two were indeed lost to begin with. They wanted to find someone on the planet or a bridge to another planet with a village, since apparently this planet seemed to lack one.
“Wait… do you hear something?” the Duchess finally asked. “Other than the calls and songs of the birds. Something dangerous… might be out there.”
Roland halted, straining his ears. He could not hear anything himself but the journey so far had taught him that the Duchess was more observant than he was, and it was better to err on the side of caution. He looked around for a source of water to prepare for a fight might the worst come to pass.
The Duchess gestured to follow. The two sneakily walked up to a bush and hid in it to look past a few trees. On the other side they found goblins huddled together around a bonfire. The green skin and the shape was unmistakable, but their size was at least twice that of fictional goblins. Large and intimidating. They were dining on the flesh of what seemed like some birds and fish, conversing with each other in a different language of their own.
“Seems like we’ve got some goblins on our hands here…”
“You would not by any chance have experience in dealing with them from your travels, would you?” Roland asked the Duchess in a whisper.
“We steered clear of them in our adventures.”
Roland thought hard for a while on what to do, going over what he knew of goblins in his head and finally proclaimed, “I am going to ask them for directions. Can you hide and back me up if things do not go as planned?” With that he stepped out of the bushes. Putting his hands up to appear as non-threatening as possible, he strode forward to the edge of the goblin’s gathering and loudly greeted them in their native tongue.
“I want... ask... directions,” he said haltingly in the goblin language, hoping his intent was received accurately.
“What?”
“A human?”
“A human.”
“ ...Mnm, a human…”
Then another asked again, “Directions? What directions? Does it taste nice?”
“How to… go to… place.” Roland tried again realising he had made a mistake, “To Solomon place.”
“Something about Solomon?”
“Some old myth, lads.”
“Does Solomon taste good?”
“No, but what is under that hide might taste good…” a tall goblin said, licking its lips. Slowly its hand was reaching for its axe hanging from the belt around its hips.
Realising the situation was deteriorating, Roland loudly said, “No want fight!” and under his breath rapidly chanted an incantation creating a transparent wall of ice between him and the goblins, hoping the display of magic would help deter them from any rash actions.
The goblins already gave a warcry and struck at the wall with their axes and hammers, already chipping pieces out of it. With their combined might it broke rather easily. The bonfire blazed wildly and the flames pushed upwards becoming a colourful pillar. The goblins turned around in curiosity. The fire was too bright and they were blinded, moaning from the lack of visibility and rubbing their eyes.
“Come, now!” the Duchess yelled from behind and a rustling noise was heard as she herself fled.
Wasting no time, Roland turned and chased after the Duchess.
As the two ran, the Duchess tossed what seemed like a smoke bomb behind them and they progressed through some more trees before finally stopping. The two found themselves panting.
“That ought to have done it,” the Duchess said between breaths. “Those green backbones only have food in mind it seems.”
“If there is any consolation to be had, we learned that Solomon is just a myth among goblins so there should not be any need of asking them again,” Roland tried joking before turning serious. “I am sorry I acted rashly back there. While I had heard they were aggressive I never thought they would turn hostile so quickly.”
“I suppose it is fine. Lessons are learned the hard way usually. Albeit it is true that most people out here consider King Solomo a myth,” Frederica stated, taking a deep breath. “There are some, though… some helpful ones that are more on the know of things.”
“Maybe the water spirits may be of more help than the goblins, I think I heard the sound of rushing water,” Roland observed. “Even if not, settlements are usually built around water so we may be able to find other inhabitants of the Realm.”
“River? If that is so, let us be off.”
Guided by Roland, the pair traveled north—at least that’s what it seemed like—and the noise of the rushing water became more and more clear. Finally coming past the trees, the two found a gorgeous scenery unfold before them.
“Oh, those types of rivers,” the Duchess said with not much surprise, but Roland’s eyes were widened even more than usual.
The river seemed to travel straight until halfway through before the entire body of water could be seen flowing upwards to the sky, connecting all the way to a different planet. The river could be described as a vertical road to the other planet up to a point, but it seemed to roll in the middle into a spiral line like something out of a rollercoaster’s pathline from an amusement park. It was not only mysterious but beautiful due to the clarity and purity of the water with mana flowing in it. Some fairies could be seen flying around the river too.
Roland stood there in slightly slack-jawed amazement as he took in the scene in front of him. No description could match the experience of seeing the landscape for himself. As he gazed around, his eyes settled on the fairies floating nearby. After much anticipation he finally had his first clear look at the primary denizens of the Realm.
The blue fairies had shining bodies and seemed to be fluttering all around the water as if enjoying the bounty of nature.
“You are good with Aquam, yes? Try reaching out to one of them. Do not get onto the vertical line of the river, though.”
Curious as to what might happen, Roland did as she said and strode slowly up to a fairy, taking care to try to avoid scaring it off. Once nearby, gingerly, he reached out with his hand.
The fairy flew away from his hand, but instead of leaving, it went up to his eyes and looked at him curiously. Roland realised that he was subsequently surrounded by the blue little fairies, all staring at him, and fluttering about, inspecting his clothes, the bracers that hid under the robe, and his legs with unbound curiosity.
Not quite sure what to make of the situation, Roland indulged their curious searching but kept his guard up lest they try to pull any pranks. He took particular care that none of them became too enthusiastic when investigating his bracers.
“Interesting, a human,” one of them said. The others repeated the word “human” a few times in tune.
“What you seek here?” they all asked in Latin. “What you seek here?” they repeated.
“We seek to find Ki—” he began, about to say King Solomon but stopped himself short, instead quickly finishing, “—kind souls to lead us to a settlement.” Solomon had already been dismissed as a myth once and if they could gain their bearings, the Duchess already knew where to find him. “Also one knowledgeable in stories of the Realm,” he added with the slim hope they might find a lead on Avalon.
“Settlements? Settlements…”
“Settlements… village?”
“Yes, a village,” the Duchess said. “May we know where to find one?” Some of the fairies then flied over to the Duchess, inspecting her.
“La Folia,” one of the fairies said. “Other side, other side!” It pointed to the planet connected by the river on the top.
Roland turned to the Duchess, “Do you know of this La Folia from your previous foray into the Faerie Realm?”
“It is a town, I think. I cannot say that I have come across it before, however.”
“How shall we make our way there?” Roland wondered aloud, his eyes drawn to the looping stream of water above. He had an inkling of what she might say and very much hoped his hunch was right.
“No other way than to get wet and ride the stream. I would not want to work on a raft now. Perhaps my new spell may work out for me… I probably won’t be able to give you the same lift, however.”
“I would not be much of an Aquam mage if I feared a little wetness,” he replied with a mischievous smile and dove into the stream. Upon coming up for air he assumed a relaxed position, floating on his back and with an inviting gesture motioned to the Duchess.
Seeing someone float up into the vertical path that was the river was always fascinating to the Duchess, even if she had an idea about how the river worked the way it did.
While Roland was peacefully sliding across the river, he felt an abrupt and terse heat and saw a ball of fire pass by him like a bullet. Inside this fiery bullet was apparently his companion, who was already close to the planet on the other side by now.
Roland had seen spells that used fire to propell the caster before but nothing on that level. Making a mental note to ask about it once he arrived, he continued lazily drifting towards the other planet. As he drew close there was a rather abrupt shift of gravity and suddenly he was falling rather than floating. With a large splash he landed in the river on the other planet, crashing face first into the bottom. Unperturbed by his rather graceless landing and still burning with curiosity as to what means the Duchess had used to travel between the planets, he quickly hauled himself out of the river and excitedly blurted out, “What was that spell?” as a conspicuous bruise swelled on his forehead.
“Something I invented recently, why?” the Duchess asked, taken aback by the fierce curiosity of the scholar.
“A variation of Fiery Step or Flame Leap? No, the flame moved with her,” Roland said, half asking the Duchess and half talking to himself. “The range was also far greater than either. Additional flames present after launch sustained for propulsion? And maybe an augment of Corpus or Aurum for additional initial or sustained thrust?” He became lost in deep thought as he theorised as to how what he had witnessed was contrived.
“Who knows!” the Duchess said, sounding really proud. “I do not intend to make it official in the magazines of the gazette, though.”
“Ah, I did not mean to pry,” Roland apologised, snapping back to reality. “I simply could not help myself after seeing such a fascinating spell.”
“It is alright. I am flattered that you like my spell, haha! But yes, I am starting to think having my personal arsenal is a good thing.”
“I understand,” he accepted somewhat reluctantly. He was still curious but would respect the wishes of the Duchess and avoid delving too deep into the mechanisms of her spell. With the excitement past, he became acutely aware of how soaked he was. Peeling off his outer layers he began wringing out his clothes. “How do these rivers function?” he asked, his interest turning to the means by which he had arrived on the new planet.
“Ah, these streams? It is a very unusual phenomena that takes place in this Realm thanks to its unique nature. The gravity attracts the water thus allowing the link. It sounds extremely improbable normally, but apparently the mana has its part in this somewhere. We do not know the full truth yet, but my late husband once theorised that someone might have caused several rivers to gather in one place in the air for a grand spell. According to his thoughts, when the spell ended and the stream was no longer attracted by the pull of mana that this supposed user initiated, the rivers were likely caught by the nearer gravity of the neighbouring planets. Thus, the links were established and remained.”
“Hmm.” Hearing this, Roland was lost in thought once again. A grand spell that required drawing on the water of many planets for its purpose. What might be found at its source, and would following the rivers caused by it lead the way? His mind flitted to stories of the legendary blade forged long ago in the Realm. How much water might be required to temper such a weapon? he mused. It was a slim lead but possibly one worth following if time permitted.
“I realise there are no fairies on this side here,” Frederica said. “Perhaps they like to stay here from settlements…”
“Possibly in the interest of both parties? I imagine their incessant pranks would grow tiresome to any residents.”
“The Aquam fairies? They are very much docile according to our investigations. The Aurum fairies can be a handful, though. They would pick you up and toss you around for amusement.”
“Seems like it may be best to be on guard then, if there is another reason they avoid this region.”
“I am, no worries. Let us proceed. Think I have a feeling I know where a settlement is located.”
Nodding in affirmation, Roland followed the Duchess as she walked off.
1
Cinia Pacifica
Ojou-sama Writer
Roland and the Duchess found themselves in a town. There were round structures around the place, but it was not exactly similar to the towns Roland knew back in the Human World. The cobblestone roads had many stalls on each side as the Duchess and himself progressed. It was seemingly a marketplace on the corner of the town. The houses were each very large, and it seemed like enough to shelter hundreds from a first glance.
Of course, the two were getting strange looks for being there, as the only two humans.
He saw some signposts that were actually having their scripts change magically in Latin. It seemed like it was giving directions for the passage. At first it wrote “market” to signify where they were. Then they mentioned what read like “academy” and the “road.”
Roland noted all kinds of Faeries across the place. They looked very much like humans but they had their traits that clearly distinguished them from the race he knew. The Faeries notably had their horns. Some others had very blue eyes, and it seemed like their entire pupils were blue rather than the irises. He even saw some with fins which looked rather strange with the rest of their body. He soon recognised these Faeries as members of the tribe of Undine, seeing that everyone here were very beautiful and pale people with the aforementioned qualities he inspected.
Fighting the urge to ogle the residents, Roland took in the scene around him. He was very much interested in exploring the market and the academy mentioned by the sign but the fatigue of the long journey had finally caught up with him. “Shall we find somewhere we might rest for a while and grab a bite to eat before gathering information around town?” he proposed to the Duchess.
“I see you finally ran out of steam.” The Duchess chuckled. “There should be some inns around for us to rest in.”
“I would not count me out quite yet,” Roland responded with a sly smile. “I have every intention to find all this village has to offer after our break.”
“I stand corrected,” Frederica said in jest.
The two found an inn after a few minutes. Another round house, but it was much smaller compared to the rest. Inside, the receptionist seemed like an old lady with blue pupils, and she eyed the two with what seemed like both curiosity and ire.
“Humans? Haven’t had them in a while,” she spoke in Latin.
The Duchess fluently spoke in the same language. “We would like to have two rooms for both of us please.”
“Hah. As if we have so many rooms to spare, young’un.”
Frederica was perplexed to be called young, but it somehow made her feel better.
“Really now?”
“One room for both. Take it or leave it.”
Slightly flustered, Roland glanced over to gauge the Duchess’ reaction. He certainly did not mind sharing a room with her but having spent most of his life either studying or helping in his family’s tavern patronised primarily by burly sailors, he had a distinct lack of experience dealing with women, particularly in close quarters. To say nothing of the fact she was also both his benefactor and a noble.
“If you wish to take the room alone I will seek out other accommodations,” he said, trying to be courteous.
“No, it is fine. You do not have their kind of coins, do you?”
“I had intended to camp on the outskirts of town if need be,” Roland admitted. “While I would not consider myself a survivalist by any stretch my travels have required me to sleep outside on occasion, and I have become quite used to it. Of course, I still prefer sleeping under a roof when possible.”
“Camping out possibly with goblins, you mean?”
“Ah, I had forgotten to consider that.” A red tinge appeared on his face as he recalled the events from earlier in the day with embarrassment. “With that in mind, I will gladly take up your offer to share the room,” he said bashfully.
“Haha, good to know safety is valued more than morals. We cannot have those in the way of living and learning.”
“With our lodgings set, shall we find food and set out to look around town?” Roland proposed, hastily trying to bury his embarrassment with a change of topic.
“We shall go to a tavern. Only good place to avoid working for food. At the moment, we do not have time to lose after all. We rest, rise up, and set off—that is the objective.”
Hearing mention of a tavern Roland perked up again, eager to see what differences there might be between one in the Faerie Realm and the one where he was raised. However, he could not ignore what he had seen on the sign in the market. “Might we make a quick stop at the academy here too before setting off?” he requested.
“The Academy? Why?”
“With such a grand repository of information nearby it would be a shame to not at least take a look. Might be easier to find tomes detailing Supreme spells with origins in Faerie Lore in the related Realm?” he insisted, bringing up their future research topic to try to convince the Duchess to indulge his curiosity.
“I have a bad feeling about it. While finding tomes is a good idea, I do not think they would be willing to lend… ”
“Might I ask the source of your bad feeling?” Roland enquired, stubbornly refusing to drop the matter. While he did not want to disregard the opinion of the Duchess, neither did he want to let the opportunity to see the academy, and particularly the library, of another Realm pass him by. “Does it have something to do with the rather lukewarm reception from the locals?” he asked, having noticed both in the market and at the inn they received looks that implied they were not particularly welcome.
“They do not like humans as you can see. People in an inn or a market would not mind us if we can pay for their goods, but think of the academy. What do you think would happen?”
“Do you believe they would detain or attack us?”
“Kill, to put it simply.”
At this, Roland fell silent. While he was reluctant to give up, it was not worth risking his life to see what might turn out to be a completely ordinary library. Neither did they have time to take out of their journey to work to win the Faeries’ favor to gain access as a friend. The right decision to make was clear, but that didn’t make it any easier. At a full minute of silence he spoke again saying only, “I understand,” with a slightly dejected look on his face.
When Roland looked beside himself, the Duchess was already gone. Having fetched the key and making her payment, she was already waiting outside.
After a few minutes of walking in silence, searching for a tavern, Roland spoke up asking, “Are all Faeries so hostile to humans or is it just the Undine tribe?”
“Undines are the least hostile of all.”
“But they would still kill us for simply looking around?”
“The academy, I think, is a serious matter for them. To them, their tomes, for instance, are precious. Do you think anyone would trust outsiders?”
“Put that way it is understandable,” Roland said, his glum mood dissipating as he viewed the situation from the Faeries’ viewpoint. After all, the desire to protect something precious is something I understand well, he thought, casting a glance down to his bracers. “Though one day, with more time I would very much like to return to attempt to gain their trust. If they place so much value in their tomes, who knows what secrets might be found in their pages. Not to mention what could be learned of the foundations of Aquam by conversing with Undine scholars.”
“There could be breakthroughs, or there could be nothing, but the risks do not make any of it worth it. I apologise if I disappoint you for not sharing your spirit.”
The two entered the tavern. There were Faeries serving what seemed like pristine, pure water along with some type of meat he’d never quite seen before.
Roland was a bit disappointed to find the tavern so ordinary but was glad for such a nostalgic sight. He did notice a distinct lack of the smell of alcohol which had been ever present back home but even with its absence, the tavern seemed boisterous as any he had seen. Settling comfortably into the atmosphere he was well-acquainted with, he motioned for the Duchess to follow him before sitting down at an empty table and signaling a waitress.
The Duchess signalled for him to just stay where he was and started speaking with the owner while a waitress eventually approached Roland.
“Yes?” the beautiful Undine waitress asked.
“May I have a glass of water and a menu for both me and my companion?” he ordered politely, then leaning in with curious eyes asked, “Also, know of any local stories or legends of this area?”
The waitress handed Roland the menu but apologised. “I’m afraid I am too busy to chat, but I’ll get the water now.”
“Ah, I understand,” Roland said, looking down at the table, slightly crestfallen but still determined. “Might you—” he began, looking up again.
Unfortunately for him, the waitress was already away. The Duchess seemed to be chatting with the owner, and soon the waitress placed two large glasses of water and hurried off to other tables.
The pure, cool water refreshed him, washing away the fatigue of the many hours spent traveling. Taking occasional sips he surveyed the tavern, taking a closer look at the patrons while he waited for the Duchess to finish her business with the owner.
After the Duchess was done in about ten minutes, she sat beside him. “Is the water… okay?”
Roland looked at the Duchess with a strange look, surprised at the question. He had downed around half his glass so far and thought he felt nothing off. “What do you mean by that?” he asked.
“If you are alright I suppose it is fine, but, just in case…” the Duchess took a scent of the water, then dipped a finger and placed a drop on her tongue. “Okay, it seems safe, but something is definitely mixed in. Likely to make it taste better.”
“Issh tha’ shooo,” Roland said. Suddenly he was feeling very warm inside. He took another swig from his glass and hiccupped. A wide grin appeared on his face. “Enouff †˜bout tha’, thish water ish da beesst!” he shouted laughing as he brandished his mug toward the Duchess, some of its content sloshing onto the table.
The Duchess stared at Roland with a dumbfounded look for a few moments, and then tilted and asked. “This is water, right?” she asked, not particularly expecting an answer.
Roland cocked his head to one side, staring at the Duchess as if she was the one acting strange before bursting out laughing again and rocking from side to side in his seat. “Aash muush wada’ ash wada’ ish wadaaa’!” he answered nonsensically in an almost singsong tone, his speech being increasingly incoherent as he took additional drinks of what visually appeared to be water. “Wha’ a shilly queshun.”
“What is two plus two, young Roland?”
Roland paused and a serious expression materialized on his face; he appeared to be deep in thought. After about ten seconds he suddenly straightened up and raised his hand into the air before shouting like a recruit answering a drill sergeant. “Fou’ drinshs! On’ moor’ roouun’!” He broke into a wide grin and devolved into another fit of laughter.
The Duchess chuckled dryly as Roland roared in laughter. When the waitress came back with the drinks, Frederica gestured, letting the waitress know that she wanted to talk, but the waitress shook her head.
“I am busy,” she said.
Frederica placed a silver coin on the table, and the waitress turned back to the Duchess instead of leaving.
“May I know where the town of Cielo is?”
“Yes…” The waitress started to give directions, while Roland dragged the other patrons into his merriment.
When Roland awoke it was morning, and a thread of light peeked at his eye past the curtain of the window. He groaned and got up slowly, holding his temples, feeling a headache. He placed his other hand beside him on the bed—or so he thought. Something soft was where his hand fell, and he looked down, finding his palm resting on the back of the Duchess.
The back of the Duchess.
Covered in barely what seemed like a shallow top. She was in her underwear! Roland jumped out of the bed in surprise.
Frantically he went over what happened last night in his head. The last thing he remembered was the two of them leaving the tavern, the Duchess supporting him as he was too intoxicated to walk properly. He prayed the spiked water had not made him do anything he might regret, especially when he could not even remember it.
He heard the voice of the Duchess soon enough, who shifted in her sleep, but he could tell that she was soon going to wake up. When he looked down at himself, he was relieved to find himself relatively dressed. It seemed like he had simply passed out on the bed, at least that’s what he hoped.
“Ngh… good morning,” the Duchess muttered as she saw Roland staring at her with a hint of terror. Frederica tilted her head and wondered what was wrong. She looked around. They were together. Of course, they were both inside one small room. Together? Together… do not tell me that I… She looked down at herself. Of course her silver underwear was visible through her white chemise. The Duchess covered her chest hastily, coming to her senses, recounting the events of last night herself. Of course she had to get in a drinking competition and drank over twenty glasses of the so-called “water.”
“G-Good morning,” Roland said, nervously averting his eyes from the Duchess’ barely clothed form.
“T-Turn around already, would you?” she whispered speedily, her face flushed.
Roland hastily complied, also turning bright red. He tried to think of something, anything to defuse the situation. Compliments. Women like it when they are complemented, right? he thought, his mind probably still very much addled by the clear liquid strikingly similar to water. “I did not see much but you are beautiful,” he blurted out before immediately realising in horror just what he had done.
“Flattery is not going to change what you have committed!” the Duchess shrieked, careful not to raise her voice, but still very flustered. It was nothing unlike the calm and collected noble lady he knew.
His reckless statement and the demeanour of the Duchess sobered him, shaking the last remnants of sleep and intoxication out of his system. Realising just what kind of situation he was in, there was only one thing he could do as a man. Taking a deep breath to brace himself for whatever scolding might follow he turned to face the Duchess and immediately bowed deeply. “I am sorry!” he proclaimed, maintaining the deep bow. “My actions may have been committed while under the influence of an unknown substance but that does not excuse them. I will accept any punishment you deem fit but please find it in your heart to forgive me.” He stood there frozen in that position staring at the floor, trembling slightly, as he awaited the reply of the Duchess.
Roland heard a sigh, something the Duchess seemed to avoid doing.
“You stay like that till I am done changing, otherwise there is no dinner for you.”
Roland heard the faint noises of fabric sliding across the Duchess’ alluring body that he bore witness to some moments ago. He almost found himself imagining the bare skin of Frederica beyond the chemise that barely covered it, as it seemed to take an eternity for the Duchess to change.
By the time Frederica was done, he seemed to have almost misheard it when she said that it was fine to look. He got up and found her in her spectacular dress as usual, carrying herself in grace once more.
“Shall we get breakfast?” Roland proposed timidly, having a feeling both of them wished to put the events of the morning behind them.
“Yes, let us be off.” Frederica walked out, taking slightly uneven steps that showed that her mind was still unclear after just waking up.
The two were back in the tavern soon enough, but the Duchess made sure not to order the apparently alcoholic beverage,and instead got themselves some fruits. Based on observation, apple was the bread equivalent around here.
As he munched away, Roland vaguely recalled that the Duchess had managed to get directions from a waiter at the tavern last night. He polished off the rest of his apple and asked the Duchess, “Is our next heading set? I think I remember you asking last night of a town called... Cielo was it?”
“Yes.” The Duchess gave a nod. “I believe going there will allow me to get our bearings. We shall make way for our destination from there.”
“Shall we set off as soon as we finish our meal?” Roland was eager to get back to exploring the Faerie Realm. The events of last night and the morning were a bittersweet distraction he would not soon forget, but their original objective still held the greatest interest for him.
“I am good to go.” The Duchess this time drank normal water. Apparently, she brought with herself a bottle of it this time. Roland wasn’t sure when or where she got it from, but it was better than getting drunk here again. “I am surprised that you remember what happened last night, though.”
“Only bits and pieces past a certain point. As much as I apologise for losing myself I must admit it was quite enjoyable, interesting too, seeing another side of you in the revelry,” Roland said with a sly smile. “Fear not though, I have no plans to repeat anything similar for a long time. The last I remember is leaving the tavern, but how we made it to the inn or anything after I would not be able to answer for the life of me.”
“Ahaha… I suppose I get a little competitive too sometimes, but I have to admit I drank too much. It would be best not to remember after that, though. My habits betray me.”
“It would be a shame not to. It's endearing to know there is such liveliness underneath the constant composure. But fret not, I will not tell a soul of the events that transpired here.” With that Roland finished the remaining fruit on the table.“I am also done here, shall we go?”
“Hmph, I am always composed,” Frederica said under her breath as she got up. “Alright, off to Cielo.”
Finding the Duchess’ mildly indignant pouting cute, Roland chuckled slightly before replying with an enthusiastic, “Yes!” and following her out of the tavern.
The two walked out into the streets and headed north for some time. Roland looked around and observed many round houses, then a particularly large one. He read the signpost which told him that it was the academy he was looking forward to. There were many Faeries coming and going from it. He also saw the guards, holding what seemed like spears in their hands.
He gazed longingly upon it as the two passed by but recognised now was not the time to go there. One day… he thought as the building faded from sight.
The Duchess simply looked down at Roland from the corner of her eyes but didn’t speak. The two soon arrived at a wooden structure. Roland curiously looked up, and it seemed like a harbour that was facing the sky. He noted a ship. It was a wooden ship that was sailing in the sky rather than water, parking beside said harbour.
“Are we going to travel to Cielo riding that?” Roland asked as he stared up with awe.
“Yes, I already had the tickets prepared last night.”
Roland wondered when she had been able to do so with the hectic events of last night but let the matter lie. After all, there was no sense in complaining about her getting preparations done too efficiently especially when it was best they complete their journey as quickly as possible.
“When does the ship leave?” he enquired.
“In about ten minutes, I believe. We awoke rather late. I was thinking that we would have at least half an hour when we arrived here.”
“I did not realise we were cutting it close, shall we hurry to board?” Roland said half out of worry of missing their boat and half in anticipation of exploring the airship.
“You go board it.” Frederica handed him a small piece of paper. The ticket had Latin writings on it and it was nothing like the tickets of the modern world he knew. The Duchess seemed to be buying some snacks from the stalls.
With the ticket in his hand and no currency of the Realm to likewise explore the stalls, Roland complied, heading to the ship†˜s landing and to search for the attendant overseeing the boarding. Once he had his ticket verified he stepped across a thin bridge and onto the floating craft. There was one pillar towards the centre of the deck, and a Faerie kept a lookout for things but didn’t seem to be using binoculars or anything like that.
There was a beautiful view of the sky and Roland looked down at the world both above and below. No matter where he looked, it was all blue with some patches of white cloud in every direction, save for the few planets. It seemed like there were only three in the vicinity.
“The clouds can hide the planets,” Frederica said from behind him. “It can get tricky to fly without a map.”
Roland was startled, having not heard the Duchess approach. Turning around he found her munching away at snacks from a bag. They seemed like some sort of yellow lumps. For a moment he considered asking her for some to try but the way she held the bag defensively made him feel the chances of success were slim. Instead he followed up with a question on the previous topic, asking, “How does navigation work in the air? Are the maps three dimensional?” as he climbed the rigging on the starboard side to get a better view.
“Old paper maps. They use spells to navigate.”
“Is there just a plane of air the ships sail on then?” he shouted down as he continued to climb higher, looking down to get an ariel view of the ship. It may have been floating in the air, but its design reminded him of the ships at the docks in London.
“All the air you feel now is enough for the ship, the rest is taken care of with magic,” the Duchess answered. “Now, before you wish to journey down inside a ship, I would not recommend trying to find out what kind of magic they use to make that work.”
Having reached the bottom of the crow’s nest and obtained a splendid view of the entire upper deck, Roland grabbed one of the lines and slid back down. Walking back over to the Duchess he asked, “More closely guarded secrets of the Faeries?” with a hint of disappointment audible in his voice.
“And rude, I suppose.”
“I understand, I will resist the temptation to seek it out,” Roland promised. “How long will we be traveling by ship?”
“Hmm… some hours at least. It may be longer. Truth be told, I am not sure in which part of the Realm we are but seeing as we will be taken there, we can only wait and find out. There is a room for us to rest in, of course. I shall go to rest soon. My head still hurts from all the drinking, in all honesty.”
“I may join you there later but for now, I still have interest in exploring the ship. I am also interested in conversing with some of the other travelers if they are willing to reciprocate,” replied Roland. “My only extended interaction with any Faeries has been while intoxicated so a normal conversation may be nice,” he added with a slight grimace, remembering the scene he had made at the tavern.
“Good luck, I will hear the stories later.” Frederica resisted the urge to yawn. “Just be very polite and do not act suspicious, or be †˜nosy’ as the moderners say.”
“I will do my utmost but no guarantees. The fine line between curious and nosy is sometimes difficult to determine. At the very least I will avoid doing anything that might get us thrown off the ship,” Roland said with a mischievous smile. With that he parted ways with the Duchess as she left for the cabin below the deck.
Of course, the two were getting strange looks for being there, as the only two humans.
He saw some signposts that were actually having their scripts change magically in Latin. It seemed like it was giving directions for the passage. At first it wrote “market” to signify where they were. Then they mentioned what read like “academy” and the “road.”
Roland noted all kinds of Faeries across the place. They looked very much like humans but they had their traits that clearly distinguished them from the race he knew. The Faeries notably had their horns. Some others had very blue eyes, and it seemed like their entire pupils were blue rather than the irises. He even saw some with fins which looked rather strange with the rest of their body. He soon recognised these Faeries as members of the tribe of Undine, seeing that everyone here were very beautiful and pale people with the aforementioned qualities he inspected.
Fighting the urge to ogle the residents, Roland took in the scene around him. He was very much interested in exploring the market and the academy mentioned by the sign but the fatigue of the long journey had finally caught up with him. “Shall we find somewhere we might rest for a while and grab a bite to eat before gathering information around town?” he proposed to the Duchess.
“I see you finally ran out of steam.” The Duchess chuckled. “There should be some inns around for us to rest in.”
“I would not count me out quite yet,” Roland responded with a sly smile. “I have every intention to find all this village has to offer after our break.”
“I stand corrected,” Frederica said in jest.
The two found an inn after a few minutes. Another round house, but it was much smaller compared to the rest. Inside, the receptionist seemed like an old lady with blue pupils, and she eyed the two with what seemed like both curiosity and ire.
“Humans? Haven’t had them in a while,” she spoke in Latin.
The Duchess fluently spoke in the same language. “We would like to have two rooms for both of us please.”
“Hah. As if we have so many rooms to spare, young’un.”
Frederica was perplexed to be called young, but it somehow made her feel better.
“Really now?”
“One room for both. Take it or leave it.”
Slightly flustered, Roland glanced over to gauge the Duchess’ reaction. He certainly did not mind sharing a room with her but having spent most of his life either studying or helping in his family’s tavern patronised primarily by burly sailors, he had a distinct lack of experience dealing with women, particularly in close quarters. To say nothing of the fact she was also both his benefactor and a noble.
“If you wish to take the room alone I will seek out other accommodations,” he said, trying to be courteous.
“No, it is fine. You do not have their kind of coins, do you?”
“I had intended to camp on the outskirts of town if need be,” Roland admitted. “While I would not consider myself a survivalist by any stretch my travels have required me to sleep outside on occasion, and I have become quite used to it. Of course, I still prefer sleeping under a roof when possible.”
“Camping out possibly with goblins, you mean?”
“Ah, I had forgotten to consider that.” A red tinge appeared on his face as he recalled the events from earlier in the day with embarrassment. “With that in mind, I will gladly take up your offer to share the room,” he said bashfully.
“Haha, good to know safety is valued more than morals. We cannot have those in the way of living and learning.”
“With our lodgings set, shall we find food and set out to look around town?” Roland proposed, hastily trying to bury his embarrassment with a change of topic.
“We shall go to a tavern. Only good place to avoid working for food. At the moment, we do not have time to lose after all. We rest, rise up, and set off—that is the objective.”
Hearing mention of a tavern Roland perked up again, eager to see what differences there might be between one in the Faerie Realm and the one where he was raised. However, he could not ignore what he had seen on the sign in the market. “Might we make a quick stop at the academy here too before setting off?” he requested.
“The Academy? Why?”
“With such a grand repository of information nearby it would be a shame to not at least take a look. Might be easier to find tomes detailing Supreme spells with origins in Faerie Lore in the related Realm?” he insisted, bringing up their future research topic to try to convince the Duchess to indulge his curiosity.
“I have a bad feeling about it. While finding tomes is a good idea, I do not think they would be willing to lend… ”
“Might I ask the source of your bad feeling?” Roland enquired, stubbornly refusing to drop the matter. While he did not want to disregard the opinion of the Duchess, neither did he want to let the opportunity to see the academy, and particularly the library, of another Realm pass him by. “Does it have something to do with the rather lukewarm reception from the locals?” he asked, having noticed both in the market and at the inn they received looks that implied they were not particularly welcome.
“They do not like humans as you can see. People in an inn or a market would not mind us if we can pay for their goods, but think of the academy. What do you think would happen?”
“Do you believe they would detain or attack us?”
“Kill, to put it simply.”
At this, Roland fell silent. While he was reluctant to give up, it was not worth risking his life to see what might turn out to be a completely ordinary library. Neither did they have time to take out of their journey to work to win the Faeries’ favor to gain access as a friend. The right decision to make was clear, but that didn’t make it any easier. At a full minute of silence he spoke again saying only, “I understand,” with a slightly dejected look on his face.
When Roland looked beside himself, the Duchess was already gone. Having fetched the key and making her payment, she was already waiting outside.
After a few minutes of walking in silence, searching for a tavern, Roland spoke up asking, “Are all Faeries so hostile to humans or is it just the Undine tribe?”
“Undines are the least hostile of all.”
“But they would still kill us for simply looking around?”
“The academy, I think, is a serious matter for them. To them, their tomes, for instance, are precious. Do you think anyone would trust outsiders?”
“Put that way it is understandable,” Roland said, his glum mood dissipating as he viewed the situation from the Faeries’ viewpoint. After all, the desire to protect something precious is something I understand well, he thought, casting a glance down to his bracers. “Though one day, with more time I would very much like to return to attempt to gain their trust. If they place so much value in their tomes, who knows what secrets might be found in their pages. Not to mention what could be learned of the foundations of Aquam by conversing with Undine scholars.”
“There could be breakthroughs, or there could be nothing, but the risks do not make any of it worth it. I apologise if I disappoint you for not sharing your spirit.”
The two entered the tavern. There were Faeries serving what seemed like pristine, pure water along with some type of meat he’d never quite seen before.
Roland was a bit disappointed to find the tavern so ordinary but was glad for such a nostalgic sight. He did notice a distinct lack of the smell of alcohol which had been ever present back home but even with its absence, the tavern seemed boisterous as any he had seen. Settling comfortably into the atmosphere he was well-acquainted with, he motioned for the Duchess to follow him before sitting down at an empty table and signaling a waitress.
The Duchess signalled for him to just stay where he was and started speaking with the owner while a waitress eventually approached Roland.
“Yes?” the beautiful Undine waitress asked.
“May I have a glass of water and a menu for both me and my companion?” he ordered politely, then leaning in with curious eyes asked, “Also, know of any local stories or legends of this area?”
The waitress handed Roland the menu but apologised. “I’m afraid I am too busy to chat, but I’ll get the water now.”
“Ah, I understand,” Roland said, looking down at the table, slightly crestfallen but still determined. “Might you—” he began, looking up again.
Unfortunately for him, the waitress was already away. The Duchess seemed to be chatting with the owner, and soon the waitress placed two large glasses of water and hurried off to other tables.
The pure, cool water refreshed him, washing away the fatigue of the many hours spent traveling. Taking occasional sips he surveyed the tavern, taking a closer look at the patrons while he waited for the Duchess to finish her business with the owner.
After the Duchess was done in about ten minutes, she sat beside him. “Is the water… okay?”
Roland looked at the Duchess with a strange look, surprised at the question. He had downed around half his glass so far and thought he felt nothing off. “What do you mean by that?” he asked.
“If you are alright I suppose it is fine, but, just in case…” the Duchess took a scent of the water, then dipped a finger and placed a drop on her tongue. “Okay, it seems safe, but something is definitely mixed in. Likely to make it taste better.”
“Issh tha’ shooo,” Roland said. Suddenly he was feeling very warm inside. He took another swig from his glass and hiccupped. A wide grin appeared on his face. “Enouff †˜bout tha’, thish water ish da beesst!” he shouted laughing as he brandished his mug toward the Duchess, some of its content sloshing onto the table.
The Duchess stared at Roland with a dumbfounded look for a few moments, and then tilted and asked. “This is water, right?” she asked, not particularly expecting an answer.
Roland cocked his head to one side, staring at the Duchess as if she was the one acting strange before bursting out laughing again and rocking from side to side in his seat. “Aash muush wada’ ash wada’ ish wadaaa’!” he answered nonsensically in an almost singsong tone, his speech being increasingly incoherent as he took additional drinks of what visually appeared to be water. “Wha’ a shilly queshun.”
“What is two plus two, young Roland?”
Roland paused and a serious expression materialized on his face; he appeared to be deep in thought. After about ten seconds he suddenly straightened up and raised his hand into the air before shouting like a recruit answering a drill sergeant. “Fou’ drinshs! On’ moor’ roouun’!” He broke into a wide grin and devolved into another fit of laughter.
The Duchess chuckled dryly as Roland roared in laughter. When the waitress came back with the drinks, Frederica gestured, letting the waitress know that she wanted to talk, but the waitress shook her head.
“I am busy,” she said.
Frederica placed a silver coin on the table, and the waitress turned back to the Duchess instead of leaving.
“May I know where the town of Cielo is?”
“Yes…” The waitress started to give directions, while Roland dragged the other patrons into his merriment.
***
When Roland awoke it was morning, and a thread of light peeked at his eye past the curtain of the window. He groaned and got up slowly, holding his temples, feeling a headache. He placed his other hand beside him on the bed—or so he thought. Something soft was where his hand fell, and he looked down, finding his palm resting on the back of the Duchess.
The back of the Duchess.
Covered in barely what seemed like a shallow top. She was in her underwear! Roland jumped out of the bed in surprise.
Frantically he went over what happened last night in his head. The last thing he remembered was the two of them leaving the tavern, the Duchess supporting him as he was too intoxicated to walk properly. He prayed the spiked water had not made him do anything he might regret, especially when he could not even remember it.
He heard the voice of the Duchess soon enough, who shifted in her sleep, but he could tell that she was soon going to wake up. When he looked down at himself, he was relieved to find himself relatively dressed. It seemed like he had simply passed out on the bed, at least that’s what he hoped.
“Ngh… good morning,” the Duchess muttered as she saw Roland staring at her with a hint of terror. Frederica tilted her head and wondered what was wrong. She looked around. They were together. Of course, they were both inside one small room. Together? Together… do not tell me that I… She looked down at herself. Of course her silver underwear was visible through her white chemise. The Duchess covered her chest hastily, coming to her senses, recounting the events of last night herself. Of course she had to get in a drinking competition and drank over twenty glasses of the so-called “water.”
“G-Good morning,” Roland said, nervously averting his eyes from the Duchess’ barely clothed form.
“T-Turn around already, would you?” she whispered speedily, her face flushed.
Roland hastily complied, also turning bright red. He tried to think of something, anything to defuse the situation. Compliments. Women like it when they are complemented, right? he thought, his mind probably still very much addled by the clear liquid strikingly similar to water. “I did not see much but you are beautiful,” he blurted out before immediately realising in horror just what he had done.
“Flattery is not going to change what you have committed!” the Duchess shrieked, careful not to raise her voice, but still very flustered. It was nothing unlike the calm and collected noble lady he knew.
His reckless statement and the demeanour of the Duchess sobered him, shaking the last remnants of sleep and intoxication out of his system. Realising just what kind of situation he was in, there was only one thing he could do as a man. Taking a deep breath to brace himself for whatever scolding might follow he turned to face the Duchess and immediately bowed deeply. “I am sorry!” he proclaimed, maintaining the deep bow. “My actions may have been committed while under the influence of an unknown substance but that does not excuse them. I will accept any punishment you deem fit but please find it in your heart to forgive me.” He stood there frozen in that position staring at the floor, trembling slightly, as he awaited the reply of the Duchess.
Roland heard a sigh, something the Duchess seemed to avoid doing.
“You stay like that till I am done changing, otherwise there is no dinner for you.”
Roland heard the faint noises of fabric sliding across the Duchess’ alluring body that he bore witness to some moments ago. He almost found himself imagining the bare skin of Frederica beyond the chemise that barely covered it, as it seemed to take an eternity for the Duchess to change.
By the time Frederica was done, he seemed to have almost misheard it when she said that it was fine to look. He got up and found her in her spectacular dress as usual, carrying herself in grace once more.
“Shall we get breakfast?” Roland proposed timidly, having a feeling both of them wished to put the events of the morning behind them.
“Yes, let us be off.” Frederica walked out, taking slightly uneven steps that showed that her mind was still unclear after just waking up.
***
The two were back in the tavern soon enough, but the Duchess made sure not to order the apparently alcoholic beverage,and instead got themselves some fruits. Based on observation, apple was the bread equivalent around here.
As he munched away, Roland vaguely recalled that the Duchess had managed to get directions from a waiter at the tavern last night. He polished off the rest of his apple and asked the Duchess, “Is our next heading set? I think I remember you asking last night of a town called... Cielo was it?”
“Yes.” The Duchess gave a nod. “I believe going there will allow me to get our bearings. We shall make way for our destination from there.”
“Shall we set off as soon as we finish our meal?” Roland was eager to get back to exploring the Faerie Realm. The events of last night and the morning were a bittersweet distraction he would not soon forget, but their original objective still held the greatest interest for him.
“I am good to go.” The Duchess this time drank normal water. Apparently, she brought with herself a bottle of it this time. Roland wasn’t sure when or where she got it from, but it was better than getting drunk here again. “I am surprised that you remember what happened last night, though.”
“Only bits and pieces past a certain point. As much as I apologise for losing myself I must admit it was quite enjoyable, interesting too, seeing another side of you in the revelry,” Roland said with a sly smile. “Fear not though, I have no plans to repeat anything similar for a long time. The last I remember is leaving the tavern, but how we made it to the inn or anything after I would not be able to answer for the life of me.”
“Ahaha… I suppose I get a little competitive too sometimes, but I have to admit I drank too much. It would be best not to remember after that, though. My habits betray me.”
“It would be a shame not to. It's endearing to know there is such liveliness underneath the constant composure. But fret not, I will not tell a soul of the events that transpired here.” With that Roland finished the remaining fruit on the table.“I am also done here, shall we go?”
“Hmph, I am always composed,” Frederica said under her breath as she got up. “Alright, off to Cielo.”
Finding the Duchess’ mildly indignant pouting cute, Roland chuckled slightly before replying with an enthusiastic, “Yes!” and following her out of the tavern.
The two walked out into the streets and headed north for some time. Roland looked around and observed many round houses, then a particularly large one. He read the signpost which told him that it was the academy he was looking forward to. There were many Faeries coming and going from it. He also saw the guards, holding what seemed like spears in their hands.
He gazed longingly upon it as the two passed by but recognised now was not the time to go there. One day… he thought as the building faded from sight.
The Duchess simply looked down at Roland from the corner of her eyes but didn’t speak. The two soon arrived at a wooden structure. Roland curiously looked up, and it seemed like a harbour that was facing the sky. He noted a ship. It was a wooden ship that was sailing in the sky rather than water, parking beside said harbour.
“Are we going to travel to Cielo riding that?” Roland asked as he stared up with awe.
“Yes, I already had the tickets prepared last night.”
Roland wondered when she had been able to do so with the hectic events of last night but let the matter lie. After all, there was no sense in complaining about her getting preparations done too efficiently especially when it was best they complete their journey as quickly as possible.
“When does the ship leave?” he enquired.
“In about ten minutes, I believe. We awoke rather late. I was thinking that we would have at least half an hour when we arrived here.”
“I did not realise we were cutting it close, shall we hurry to board?” Roland said half out of worry of missing their boat and half in anticipation of exploring the airship.
“You go board it.” Frederica handed him a small piece of paper. The ticket had Latin writings on it and it was nothing like the tickets of the modern world he knew. The Duchess seemed to be buying some snacks from the stalls.
With the ticket in his hand and no currency of the Realm to likewise explore the stalls, Roland complied, heading to the ship†˜s landing and to search for the attendant overseeing the boarding. Once he had his ticket verified he stepped across a thin bridge and onto the floating craft. There was one pillar towards the centre of the deck, and a Faerie kept a lookout for things but didn’t seem to be using binoculars or anything like that.
There was a beautiful view of the sky and Roland looked down at the world both above and below. No matter where he looked, it was all blue with some patches of white cloud in every direction, save for the few planets. It seemed like there were only three in the vicinity.
“The clouds can hide the planets,” Frederica said from behind him. “It can get tricky to fly without a map.”
Roland was startled, having not heard the Duchess approach. Turning around he found her munching away at snacks from a bag. They seemed like some sort of yellow lumps. For a moment he considered asking her for some to try but the way she held the bag defensively made him feel the chances of success were slim. Instead he followed up with a question on the previous topic, asking, “How does navigation work in the air? Are the maps three dimensional?” as he climbed the rigging on the starboard side to get a better view.
“Old paper maps. They use spells to navigate.”
“Is there just a plane of air the ships sail on then?” he shouted down as he continued to climb higher, looking down to get an ariel view of the ship. It may have been floating in the air, but its design reminded him of the ships at the docks in London.
“All the air you feel now is enough for the ship, the rest is taken care of with magic,” the Duchess answered. “Now, before you wish to journey down inside a ship, I would not recommend trying to find out what kind of magic they use to make that work.”
Having reached the bottom of the crow’s nest and obtained a splendid view of the entire upper deck, Roland grabbed one of the lines and slid back down. Walking back over to the Duchess he asked, “More closely guarded secrets of the Faeries?” with a hint of disappointment audible in his voice.
“And rude, I suppose.”
“I understand, I will resist the temptation to seek it out,” Roland promised. “How long will we be traveling by ship?”
“Hmm… some hours at least. It may be longer. Truth be told, I am not sure in which part of the Realm we are but seeing as we will be taken there, we can only wait and find out. There is a room for us to rest in, of course. I shall go to rest soon. My head still hurts from all the drinking, in all honesty.”
“I may join you there later but for now, I still have interest in exploring the ship. I am also interested in conversing with some of the other travelers if they are willing to reciprocate,” replied Roland. “My only extended interaction with any Faeries has been while intoxicated so a normal conversation may be nice,” he added with a slight grimace, remembering the scene he had made at the tavern.
“Good luck, I will hear the stories later.” Frederica resisted the urge to yawn. “Just be very polite and do not act suspicious, or be †˜nosy’ as the moderners say.”
“I will do my utmost but no guarantees. The fine line between curious and nosy is sometimes difficult to determine. At the very least I will avoid doing anything that might get us thrown off the ship,” Roland said with a mischievous smile. With that he parted ways with the Duchess as she left for the cabin below the deck.
1
Cinia Pacifica
Ojou-sama Writer
Being in the town of Cielo sounded exciting to Roland. It indeed was exciting, yet the wind was twice as harsh when he made it. All the houses were floating in the sky. Apparently, Cielo was not on a planet, it was a floating town. Every structure was covered with a lot of black iron rods and he was not sure what the mechanism behind it was, but it helped them maintain gravity perhaps. The citizens used brooms that were apparently magically enhanced to fly around and travel. It was a very busy and congested place from what he saw.
Getting a sense of vertigo looking down the steep drop where a road would normally be, Roland stepped away from the edge.
“Will we also be obtaining brooms to travel?” he asked the Duchess as he looked around for any other way off the floating platform they had disembarked onto.
“We shall rent one of those. No other way to travel here,” Frederica answered. “If you easily get scared of height or aren’t used to flying, send your prayers I suppose.”
“No complaints here, they look quite fun to ride,” Roland replied, trying to put on a brave front to mask his anxiousness. The stomach churning drop into the deep blue did make him nervous but the anticipation of flying freely through the sky on one of those brooms was enough to overcome it.
“May I have one of those?” Frederica asked a seller at the vendor in the corner of the room.
There were several shops inside. When Roland exited the ship, he was basically inside a room of sorts with shops. There was another door and beyond it was the exit from what it seemed, albeit he saw nothing but the sky and another structure just ahead.
“One gold coin.” The vendor looked like a brown-skinned goblin.
“Last time I was here we bought one for two silver coins.”
“Take it or leave it!”
The Duchess rolled her eyes and paid the gold coin. The vendor greedily accepted the coin and a broom was handed to her. Frederica gestured Roland to follow and she held it straight after putting it down.
“So, we have to share this. I hope you can get yourself comfortable in this space.” The broom seemed to be only big enough, and just barely long enough for three.
“It looks like there will be more than enough space so long as we do not have another passenger.” Roland walked over to the broom, examining it. “Is steering difficult or might I try my hand at it?”
“You would get us killed, I believe.”
“Maybe in more open skies then,” Roland conceded, moving to the back.
“Up to you.” Frederica smiled. Perhaps one of these days he would need to learn the lesson. She sat down in the middle and urged him sit behind her. “I have this feeling that things may get a bit rough.”
Sitting behind her, Roland hesitated wondering where he should hold on. Deciding safety was worth more than his pride he wrapped his arms awkwardly around her waist, taking care not to reach too high or too low.
The Duchess seemed to not mind him wrapping his arms around her, as that was the reason why she had him sit behind her. Without warning, the Duchess channeled her mana into the broom and the end of it started glowing before they took off into the windy space.
Roland could feel his skin bending backwards, especially around his mouth when he felt the wind. It was unimaginably fast. The feeling was exhilarating. Like the wind rushing by, his reservations about flying on the broom were blown away as soon as they started moving. The wind stinging his eyes he squinted, trying to catch bits of the scenery in the blur passing on both sides, and he held on tighter to the Duchess so as not to fall.
After they had traveled a few minutes he shouted, to be heard over the wind, “Where are we headed?”
Just three seconds after Roland spoke, the speed started to get slower and slower and they soon started to reach a pace that was not exactly comfortable, but bearable.
“To an old friend I know,” Frederica shouted in return. “She might know where we can go. Even if we have the bearings here, we cannot exactly tell the directions as you can see.”
“What manner of friend is she?” Roland asked, curious to know about who she might know in the Faerie Realm.
“You will see. I feel like she will be able to answer a lot of questions you may have too, since she is knowledgeable. If you chew more than you can handle, however, she may pull a good one over you.”
“That seems to be a recurring theme here. Though I am even more interested in meeting your friend now after hearing you speak so highly of her.”
“Well, we are here. Do you know about the laws in this Realm in detail?”
“I cannot say I do. Is there anything in particular I should be mindful of?”
“I feel like it will be difficult to explain, so just… do not make many comments about her looks.”
“I will prepare for anything but I would like to think I have enough tact to not offend a lady due to her appearance,” Roland replied, slightly hurt that she seemed to have so little faith in his ability to be polite.
Stopping by at one of the floating structures, the Duchess and Roland stopped at a platform that seemed to be made specifically for landing the broom. They had some space to walk before reaching the door afterwards. Frederica rang the bell. Some moments later, the door opened mysteriously on its own and the pair walked inside.
Inside was a woman dressed in nothing but leaves. The orange leaves gave the impression of autumn, and the woman hardly gave them a look as they made themselves comfortable inside.
There was furniture that seemed to be like any other human household’s, but it was much more old and uncomfortable, being wooden and all.
“Brought with you a child now, I see. What you seek, I think I know?”
“Oh? Do you now?”
“The King of the world, yes?”
“You are as quick as ever, Leanan Sidhe,” Frederica said.
Quietly listening off to the side, Roland stirred upon hearing the name of the woman. It was a name he had heard before in folklore before, and there she was not mentioned particularly favorably. Could be a coincidence, he thought to himself, but that new snippet of information combined with the previous warning of the Duchess was enough to put him slightly on guard.
The Duchess placed a gold coin on top of the wooden table of Leanan Sidhe, which mysteriously crumbled into nothing the next moment.
“Travel north—find His Majesty with the mind rather than with eyes—and you shall meet His Majesty. A mood very bad His Majesty has now. Tread with care.”
“Has something happened within his dominion to sour his mood?” Roland chimed in, worried about what might have happened with the great King and particularly what effect it might have on his quest to be recognised as the true owner of the relic. “Is there something we might be able to do to aid him?”
“Died not a Descendant the King wished dead.”
“I see.” Roland let the matter drop, not wanting to bring up memories painful for the Duchess by talking more of the recent catastrophe.
“I have nothing more to ask,” the Duchess said in English. “If you have questions for her, feel free to ask.”
“If you do not mind me taking up some of our time then,” he replied to the Duchess also in English before turning to Leanan Sidhe and asking in Latin once more, “Is there anything you could tell me of the legends of this Realm?”
“Legends? Exist in forms of thousands they do. What knowledge shall seek you out today?”
“Had I time I would like nothing more that to listen to all the stories you could tel,l but today my interest lies in two: the origin of the floating rivers and the legendary isle of Avalon.”
“Rivers—path to the Heavens broken and scarred eternally—roads to worlds anew, links to worlds old.”
Hearing this, Roland was quite surprised. Could the Faerie and Dominion Realms once have been directly linked, and what could have caused them to separate? And if so did other worlds refer to uncharted Realms? He made a mental note to ask the Duchess if she or someone she knew had magic to see through boundaries later as the woman in front of him continued to speak.
“Avalon… passed have years had I heard the name of land of blades and sorrow and retreat. Avalon—the sanctuary of the of ancient ruler, lieth beyond the corpses of the sacrificed and the deceived. King Arthur’s final retreat made it the holy path to this world.”
“Do you know where it lies or how it may be found? While there may be nothing to be gained from going there, I still dream of seeing the fairy hill and birthplace of the holy sword with my own eyes.”
“Strange are the ways of the world. Truth—obscured it remains and sealed. The world would rather forget it altogether.”
Roland fell silent as he deciphered her cryptic words. “I suppose I must wait for it to appear once more or seek the entrance from the other side. The world may wish to forget but I will not be easily deterred,” he finally proclaimed. “Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me. While currently we are pressed for time, may I one day return to listen to more of what you know?”
“Come with the payment and ye shall receive, the treasure ye seek.”
“I will do so.” Turning to the Duchess he switched back to English. “Sorry for using up so much time, shall we head North to seek out the King?”
“Yes.” The Duchess stood up and made a strange gesture before she turned, said something in a language he didn’t know, and walked away, signalling for Roland to follow her.
When the two went out of the house and got on the broom, they started flying north from the town of Cielo, on their way to King Solomon now.
“Was that the Leanan Sidhe of Celtic folklore?” Roland asked the Duchess shortly after they had left the house.
“Who else do you think it would be? This Realm holds all of the Sidhe’s, including an entire tribe of them.”
“Not quite what I expected, meeting a figure from legend living in such a quaint abode.”
“I am sure that you would look forward to meeting the King then.”
“A bit less humble with his dwelling?”
“I wonder about that.”
“Guess it will be a surprise then. Either way it will be interesting to see how the wise King lives.”
Getting a sense of vertigo looking down the steep drop where a road would normally be, Roland stepped away from the edge.
“Will we also be obtaining brooms to travel?” he asked the Duchess as he looked around for any other way off the floating platform they had disembarked onto.
“We shall rent one of those. No other way to travel here,” Frederica answered. “If you easily get scared of height or aren’t used to flying, send your prayers I suppose.”
“No complaints here, they look quite fun to ride,” Roland replied, trying to put on a brave front to mask his anxiousness. The stomach churning drop into the deep blue did make him nervous but the anticipation of flying freely through the sky on one of those brooms was enough to overcome it.
“May I have one of those?” Frederica asked a seller at the vendor in the corner of the room.
There were several shops inside. When Roland exited the ship, he was basically inside a room of sorts with shops. There was another door and beyond it was the exit from what it seemed, albeit he saw nothing but the sky and another structure just ahead.
“One gold coin.” The vendor looked like a brown-skinned goblin.
“Last time I was here we bought one for two silver coins.”
“Take it or leave it!”
The Duchess rolled her eyes and paid the gold coin. The vendor greedily accepted the coin and a broom was handed to her. Frederica gestured Roland to follow and she held it straight after putting it down.
“So, we have to share this. I hope you can get yourself comfortable in this space.” The broom seemed to be only big enough, and just barely long enough for three.
“It looks like there will be more than enough space so long as we do not have another passenger.” Roland walked over to the broom, examining it. “Is steering difficult or might I try my hand at it?”
“You would get us killed, I believe.”
“Maybe in more open skies then,” Roland conceded, moving to the back.
“Up to you.” Frederica smiled. Perhaps one of these days he would need to learn the lesson. She sat down in the middle and urged him sit behind her. “I have this feeling that things may get a bit rough.”
Sitting behind her, Roland hesitated wondering where he should hold on. Deciding safety was worth more than his pride he wrapped his arms awkwardly around her waist, taking care not to reach too high or too low.
The Duchess seemed to not mind him wrapping his arms around her, as that was the reason why she had him sit behind her. Without warning, the Duchess channeled her mana into the broom and the end of it started glowing before they took off into the windy space.
Roland could feel his skin bending backwards, especially around his mouth when he felt the wind. It was unimaginably fast. The feeling was exhilarating. Like the wind rushing by, his reservations about flying on the broom were blown away as soon as they started moving. The wind stinging his eyes he squinted, trying to catch bits of the scenery in the blur passing on both sides, and he held on tighter to the Duchess so as not to fall.
After they had traveled a few minutes he shouted, to be heard over the wind, “Where are we headed?”
Just three seconds after Roland spoke, the speed started to get slower and slower and they soon started to reach a pace that was not exactly comfortable, but bearable.
“To an old friend I know,” Frederica shouted in return. “She might know where we can go. Even if we have the bearings here, we cannot exactly tell the directions as you can see.”
“What manner of friend is she?” Roland asked, curious to know about who she might know in the Faerie Realm.
“You will see. I feel like she will be able to answer a lot of questions you may have too, since she is knowledgeable. If you chew more than you can handle, however, she may pull a good one over you.”
“That seems to be a recurring theme here. Though I am even more interested in meeting your friend now after hearing you speak so highly of her.”
“Well, we are here. Do you know about the laws in this Realm in detail?”
“I cannot say I do. Is there anything in particular I should be mindful of?”
“I feel like it will be difficult to explain, so just… do not make many comments about her looks.”
“I will prepare for anything but I would like to think I have enough tact to not offend a lady due to her appearance,” Roland replied, slightly hurt that she seemed to have so little faith in his ability to be polite.
Stopping by at one of the floating structures, the Duchess and Roland stopped at a platform that seemed to be made specifically for landing the broom. They had some space to walk before reaching the door afterwards. Frederica rang the bell. Some moments later, the door opened mysteriously on its own and the pair walked inside.
Inside was a woman dressed in nothing but leaves. The orange leaves gave the impression of autumn, and the woman hardly gave them a look as they made themselves comfortable inside.
There was furniture that seemed to be like any other human household’s, but it was much more old and uncomfortable, being wooden and all.
“Brought with you a child now, I see. What you seek, I think I know?”
“Oh? Do you now?”
“The King of the world, yes?”
“You are as quick as ever, Leanan Sidhe,” Frederica said.
Quietly listening off to the side, Roland stirred upon hearing the name of the woman. It was a name he had heard before in folklore before, and there she was not mentioned particularly favorably. Could be a coincidence, he thought to himself, but that new snippet of information combined with the previous warning of the Duchess was enough to put him slightly on guard.
The Duchess placed a gold coin on top of the wooden table of Leanan Sidhe, which mysteriously crumbled into nothing the next moment.
“Travel north—find His Majesty with the mind rather than with eyes—and you shall meet His Majesty. A mood very bad His Majesty has now. Tread with care.”
“Has something happened within his dominion to sour his mood?” Roland chimed in, worried about what might have happened with the great King and particularly what effect it might have on his quest to be recognised as the true owner of the relic. “Is there something we might be able to do to aid him?”
“Died not a Descendant the King wished dead.”
“I see.” Roland let the matter drop, not wanting to bring up memories painful for the Duchess by talking more of the recent catastrophe.
“I have nothing more to ask,” the Duchess said in English. “If you have questions for her, feel free to ask.”
“If you do not mind me taking up some of our time then,” he replied to the Duchess also in English before turning to Leanan Sidhe and asking in Latin once more, “Is there anything you could tell me of the legends of this Realm?”
“Legends? Exist in forms of thousands they do. What knowledge shall seek you out today?”
“Had I time I would like nothing more that to listen to all the stories you could tel,l but today my interest lies in two: the origin of the floating rivers and the legendary isle of Avalon.”
“Rivers—path to the Heavens broken and scarred eternally—roads to worlds anew, links to worlds old.”
Hearing this, Roland was quite surprised. Could the Faerie and Dominion Realms once have been directly linked, and what could have caused them to separate? And if so did other worlds refer to uncharted Realms? He made a mental note to ask the Duchess if she or someone she knew had magic to see through boundaries later as the woman in front of him continued to speak.
“Avalon… passed have years had I heard the name of land of blades and sorrow and retreat. Avalon—the sanctuary of the of ancient ruler, lieth beyond the corpses of the sacrificed and the deceived. King Arthur’s final retreat made it the holy path to this world.”
“Do you know where it lies or how it may be found? While there may be nothing to be gained from going there, I still dream of seeing the fairy hill and birthplace of the holy sword with my own eyes.”
“Strange are the ways of the world. Truth—obscured it remains and sealed. The world would rather forget it altogether.”
Roland fell silent as he deciphered her cryptic words. “I suppose I must wait for it to appear once more or seek the entrance from the other side. The world may wish to forget but I will not be easily deterred,” he finally proclaimed. “Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me. While currently we are pressed for time, may I one day return to listen to more of what you know?”
“Come with the payment and ye shall receive, the treasure ye seek.”
“I will do so.” Turning to the Duchess he switched back to English. “Sorry for using up so much time, shall we head North to seek out the King?”
“Yes.” The Duchess stood up and made a strange gesture before she turned, said something in a language he didn’t know, and walked away, signalling for Roland to follow her.
When the two went out of the house and got on the broom, they started flying north from the town of Cielo, on their way to King Solomon now.
“Was that the Leanan Sidhe of Celtic folklore?” Roland asked the Duchess shortly after they had left the house.
“Who else do you think it would be? This Realm holds all of the Sidhe’s, including an entire tribe of them.”
“Not quite what I expected, meeting a figure from legend living in such a quaint abode.”
“I am sure that you would look forward to meeting the King then.”
“A bit less humble with his dwelling?”
“I wonder about that.”
“Guess it will be a surprise then. Either way it will be interesting to see how the wise King lives.”
1
Cinia Pacifica
Ojou-sama Writer
The world felt truly spacious here in the Faerie Realm when Roland spent three days with the Duchess on a broomstick in flight. Throughout the voyage, the planets they seemed to pass by were mostly empty or full of forests. However, like the first planet, they might’ve been hiding things underneath behind the trees. It was rather tiresome but the Duchess was relentless, and so they’d only come down to a planet to set up a fire, eat, and sleep.
However, Roland saw a tower while passing by one of the planets. This large white tower stood out. Curious that it might be a sign they were drawing closer to Solomon, Roland asked the Duchess if she knew of the tower, but she answered that she didn’t.
“Could it have anything to do with our destination?” Roland wondered what the gleaming pillar was doing on its lonesome among the wilderness.
“Not as far as I know…” the Duchess said, looking at it curiously. “I do not remember seeing this before.”
“You were last here ten years ago, right? Seems strange such a huge structure could have been built in such a remote area during that time. Shall we fly by to take a quick look?”
“Either we took a different passage or this was built recently. I actually remember going past this planet of water before,” the Duchess said. “Just not this tower. Are you sure that you want to take a look?”
“Yes!” Roland replied instantly with enthusiasm. What he had heard of it only served to fuel his reckless curiosity, and it had completely taken hold. “But maybe carefully,” he added after remembering his previous experiences in the Realm.
The Duchess gave a wry smile and a chuckle that was full of her hesitation. They heard a thundering noise and looked up. The clouds were starting to get darker and darker.
“Well, this looks bad…”
“Quite ominous indeed. Tower investigation or not, it may be best to land until the storm passes.”
“Very well…”
Landing onto the planet of water, there was hardly much terrain for them to go to. When the rain started, the two ended up having to enter the tower regardless, for they had nothing else to shelter them.
The inside of the tower was very dark and Roland could feel a wooden floor under his shoes. It was exceptionally quiet and it didn’t seem like anyone was there other than they themselves so far.
Little did the two know that the tower vanished from plain sight while they were inside.
“Do you have any light?” Roland asked the Duchess as he stumbled around in the darkness waiting for his eyes to adjust.
“Maybe if we could find a wooden stick to burn. I do not want to consume vis.”
“Could there be torches to light on the wall?” Roland wondered aloud as he walked over and began running his hand over the stone feeling for detail. He suddenly bumped into something wooden, but it did not feel like a torch. “I found something over here,” he called out to the Duchess.
“Are you alright?” the Duchess asked as Roland got up. She put out her hand and faced its palm up before a ball of fire formed atop it, a basic Ignem application. She ended up having to consume vis after all.
Roland and Frederica looked closely, they then nodded to each other. The Duchess made the fire bigger and brighter. What was revealed were shelves. Many shelves, full of books—countless books. They were inside a library.
“This is amazing,” Roland breathed as he looked around in awe. On instinct he moved to take a book off of a shelf to look at but stopped short at the last moment, remembering how defensive Faeries could be of their knowledge. “I wonder who the keeper of this library is?”
“This…” the Duchess looked up. “This is….”
“What is it?” Roland asked before also looking up.
“This is marvelous!” The Duchess’ eyes were sparkling when Roland walked before her to look up to her.
It was official—the Duchess had fallen at last to the call of curiosity.
A smile appeared on Roland’s face seeing his companion entranced by their surroundings, but the loss of the voice of caution in the party slightly worried him.
“We have time while we wait out the storm. If you wish to begin indulging, I will look around to see if there is anyone else here.”
“Let us get cracking on these tomes, my dear assistant!” The Duchess pointed at the shelve like a captain ordering a sailor. “Take out the tomes!” She started pulling some out for herself before Roland could even process the words in his mind.
Not used to being the one promoting caution and sensing there would be no getting through to the Duchess in her current state, he gave up the role and began leafing through the tomes too.
“Hmm…” Frederica was holding a monocle as she was reading. “This seems to involve anatomy of the Faeries! We need some blank paper and pens…”
“Here,” Roland said without looking up from his book, holding out a notebook and pencil taken from his pack of research materials.
“I suppose you do not have a pen?”
“Only pencils.”
“I shall make do.” The Duchess scribbled down details of great import with swift and graceful speed as she burned through the pages with her eyes. “So a Faerie has a completely different system that routes their brain with the rest of their body… what? It is no wonder that they think so differently.”
“Hmm…” Roland acknowledged absentmindedly, absorbed in his own readings. Not being outdone, he was also taking rapid notes from his own tome at an equal or greater pace albeit less gracefully, writing in messy scribbles likely to be illegible to anyone else. “The mana currents that flow around the Realm are fascinating!” he exclaimed as he finished with the book. “It seems there are some regions perpetually obscured by clouds. I wonder what might be hidden there.”
“Let us move on to new books.” Frederica picked up another tome. “I want to record more useful information.”
The two continued like so, recording and sharing information as the piles of books around them grew ever higher. Grimoires of magic, novels of action and romance, treatises on history and philosophy, the library seemed to contain every type of book imaginable. Roland greedily devoured them all, reading each to the end before starting the next. His trance-like state of concentration was finally broken when he stumbled upon a book concerning their future research topic: Representatives.
“I think I found something that may be of particular interest to us,” he called out to the Duchess.
The Duchess placed down a book. “I believe I found something important too….”
“Sorry for interrupting, however, this concerns our planned research. This book details both the mechanisms and reasons behind the creation of the Representative system.” He passed her the book so she might also take a look. While she did so, he searched the area near where he had found the book to see if there was more to be found on the topic. A particularly ancient-looking tome adorned with the constellations caught his eye. Flipping through, he found it was in a language he could not read so he held onto it to ask the Duchess about it afterward.
“This is very interesting… perhaps we’ve made a breakthrough… is what I would like to say,” the Duchess began, as she stopped scribbling after some time. “We still cannot seem to learn why the Representatives use spells.”
The book illustrated various traits about the Representatives. It detailed how the creation of a Representative worked, describing various rituals. There were twelve different rituals for each of the Zodiac symbols and the tome hinted that there were requirements to become a Representative of a Descendant. Generally the requirements seemed to include mutual understanding and trust. Unfortunately, full details of the rituals and the requirements were not available.
“While on its own the book might not explain why, further study into the rituals by which Commandments are granted may help reveal the true nature of the powers of the Descendants. The knowledge that the rituals were created rather than having always existed alongside the Celestial Spirits is invaluable. For the system to have been created means there must be a logic behind their powers which can be understood and possibly manipulated.”
“I believe that part about the Celestial Spirits may have been read wrong. A matter of perspective perhaps, but it seems to say that the Celestial Spirits themselves created these rituals to appoint a Representative. I had no idea that Representatives were made for marriages or having familial members, or heroes either.”
“Even if the creators of the system were the Celestial Spirits, their necessity to follow such a ritual is curious. If it is more than just a whim, then if how the Celestial Spirit’s powers are bequeathed to a host can be understood, it might be possible to disrupt the connection, if only temporarily. Of course this line of research may prove fruitless or the means to do so beyond human capability even if understood, but with the destructive power of some Commandments I believe it is worth pursuing.”
“It likely is. Breaking the connection would be extremely useful, in fact. It would be a great start to have a theory at least, even if we do not uncover the fact from the abundant knowledge from this library. It may make dozens of Representatives out there almost useless—provided that there is a dozen of them at all.”
“Even more so than disrupting the power of Representatives, if it could be understood and applied against Descendants themselves… but talk like that is getting ahead of myself.”
“That would be a dream come true I suppose—”
There was a loud thunder and the two jolted up from it as the floor shook.
“Seems the storm is right on top of us,” Roland noted, listening intently.
“That was too close for comfort.”
“It probably also does not help we are in what is very definitely the tallest structure in the region.”
“I feel like we lost ourselves overmuch in the search for knowledge. I apologise for my outburst.”
“I cannot fault you for I was indulging just as much. Though there is not much else to do while the storm rages, shall we continue?”
“We should check out this library more thoroughly before we indulge in this trove of knowledge. I would like to confirm whether it is safe to be here.”
“Very well.”
The two started walking around, and as they traversed more and more, they came to learn that this was actually a very spacious place. There were faint lights from above them apparently; there were windows all the way in the top floor.
“We should find a way to get to the top. I feel like there are other things here…”
“Shall we split up and search for a staircase?”
“No…” the Duchess said, raising her arm—and thus her orb of flame—up. “There are floating staircases or do my eyes deceive me?”
Following her gaze upwards, Roland saw a complex network of stairs above occasionally shifting their configuration. “Unless both our eyes are playing tricks on us that appears to be.” Seeing the puzzle, his mind immediately set about trying to plot a course to the top. “It looks like the trip up will be quite interesting.”
The Duchess placed a finger to the side of her head, activating a certain spell, but Roland could not tell that it was applied at all.
“There are barriers placed across the space so I suppose trying to fly up to the top may get us killed at worst.”
Internally Roland was glad but he tried not let it show. “Shall we find the start?” Roland said, enthusiastic to test his wit.
As they continued searching the floor they found a large hole at the center of the room over which the stairs of the tower floated. At the edge of the abyss was the first staircase leading up. As they climbed, the sections shifted, connecting with others to form different paths up and down.
When Roland tried to climb through a particular staircase, an invisible wall was touched and with a thunderous roar he was pushed down to a staircase below him, that was luckily just below, otherwise he may have fallen into the deep abyss.
“This is why you ask before moving,” the Duchess shouted down and looked back up. “Well, be careful not to fall… not that you need to know. I would advise that you cling to the railing as you proceed.”
“Duly noted,” Roland replied dryly, rubbing the bruises from his fall. “I guess I will see you at the top.”
After some minutes, Roland kept going up and above the space and staircases. Most of it was about waiting. There were at least three times when he was almost tossed back down, but the Duchess’ idea proved to be effective.
He soon came across a dilemma. There were three roads as the staircase connection. One seemed to lead to a flat floor giving access to more books, while the front one would take him above, and the right one would take back down.
Roland was tempted to take a look at the books, but looking up he saw the Duchess was located far above. Deciding it was best not to waste any time he hurried up the staircase in front of him.
By the time Roland seemed to reach around the eightieth floor, an entire day seemed to have passed. By this point, the storm was still going on but he was hungry and exhausted. Battered by repeatedly crashing into barriers, he decided to take a moment to rest before continuing. Looking up he was heartened to find he could finally see the top though there was still a long way to go. Steeling himself, he gathered his remaining stamina and dragged himself up the remaining floors before finally collapsing at the top.
However, Roland saw a tower while passing by one of the planets. This large white tower stood out. Curious that it might be a sign they were drawing closer to Solomon, Roland asked the Duchess if she knew of the tower, but she answered that she didn’t.
“Could it have anything to do with our destination?” Roland wondered what the gleaming pillar was doing on its lonesome among the wilderness.
“Not as far as I know…” the Duchess said, looking at it curiously. “I do not remember seeing this before.”
“You were last here ten years ago, right? Seems strange such a huge structure could have been built in such a remote area during that time. Shall we fly by to take a quick look?”
“Either we took a different passage or this was built recently. I actually remember going past this planet of water before,” the Duchess said. “Just not this tower. Are you sure that you want to take a look?”
“Yes!” Roland replied instantly with enthusiasm. What he had heard of it only served to fuel his reckless curiosity, and it had completely taken hold. “But maybe carefully,” he added after remembering his previous experiences in the Realm.
The Duchess gave a wry smile and a chuckle that was full of her hesitation. They heard a thundering noise and looked up. The clouds were starting to get darker and darker.
“Well, this looks bad…”
“Quite ominous indeed. Tower investigation or not, it may be best to land until the storm passes.”
“Very well…”
Landing onto the planet of water, there was hardly much terrain for them to go to. When the rain started, the two ended up having to enter the tower regardless, for they had nothing else to shelter them.
***
The inside of the tower was very dark and Roland could feel a wooden floor under his shoes. It was exceptionally quiet and it didn’t seem like anyone was there other than they themselves so far.
Little did the two know that the tower vanished from plain sight while they were inside.
“Do you have any light?” Roland asked the Duchess as he stumbled around in the darkness waiting for his eyes to adjust.
“Maybe if we could find a wooden stick to burn. I do not want to consume vis.”
“Could there be torches to light on the wall?” Roland wondered aloud as he walked over and began running his hand over the stone feeling for detail. He suddenly bumped into something wooden, but it did not feel like a torch. “I found something over here,” he called out to the Duchess.
“Are you alright?” the Duchess asked as Roland got up. She put out her hand and faced its palm up before a ball of fire formed atop it, a basic Ignem application. She ended up having to consume vis after all.
Roland and Frederica looked closely, they then nodded to each other. The Duchess made the fire bigger and brighter. What was revealed were shelves. Many shelves, full of books—countless books. They were inside a library.
“This is amazing,” Roland breathed as he looked around in awe. On instinct he moved to take a book off of a shelf to look at but stopped short at the last moment, remembering how defensive Faeries could be of their knowledge. “I wonder who the keeper of this library is?”
“This…” the Duchess looked up. “This is….”
“What is it?” Roland asked before also looking up.
“This is marvelous!” The Duchess’ eyes were sparkling when Roland walked before her to look up to her.
It was official—the Duchess had fallen at last to the call of curiosity.
A smile appeared on Roland’s face seeing his companion entranced by their surroundings, but the loss of the voice of caution in the party slightly worried him.
“We have time while we wait out the storm. If you wish to begin indulging, I will look around to see if there is anyone else here.”
“Let us get cracking on these tomes, my dear assistant!” The Duchess pointed at the shelve like a captain ordering a sailor. “Take out the tomes!” She started pulling some out for herself before Roland could even process the words in his mind.
Not used to being the one promoting caution and sensing there would be no getting through to the Duchess in her current state, he gave up the role and began leafing through the tomes too.
“Hmm…” Frederica was holding a monocle as she was reading. “This seems to involve anatomy of the Faeries! We need some blank paper and pens…”
“Here,” Roland said without looking up from his book, holding out a notebook and pencil taken from his pack of research materials.
“I suppose you do not have a pen?”
“Only pencils.”
“I shall make do.” The Duchess scribbled down details of great import with swift and graceful speed as she burned through the pages with her eyes. “So a Faerie has a completely different system that routes their brain with the rest of their body… what? It is no wonder that they think so differently.”
“Hmm…” Roland acknowledged absentmindedly, absorbed in his own readings. Not being outdone, he was also taking rapid notes from his own tome at an equal or greater pace albeit less gracefully, writing in messy scribbles likely to be illegible to anyone else. “The mana currents that flow around the Realm are fascinating!” he exclaimed as he finished with the book. “It seems there are some regions perpetually obscured by clouds. I wonder what might be hidden there.”
“Let us move on to new books.” Frederica picked up another tome. “I want to record more useful information.”
The two continued like so, recording and sharing information as the piles of books around them grew ever higher. Grimoires of magic, novels of action and romance, treatises on history and philosophy, the library seemed to contain every type of book imaginable. Roland greedily devoured them all, reading each to the end before starting the next. His trance-like state of concentration was finally broken when he stumbled upon a book concerning their future research topic: Representatives.
“I think I found something that may be of particular interest to us,” he called out to the Duchess.
The Duchess placed down a book. “I believe I found something important too….”
“Sorry for interrupting, however, this concerns our planned research. This book details both the mechanisms and reasons behind the creation of the Representative system.” He passed her the book so she might also take a look. While she did so, he searched the area near where he had found the book to see if there was more to be found on the topic. A particularly ancient-looking tome adorned with the constellations caught his eye. Flipping through, he found it was in a language he could not read so he held onto it to ask the Duchess about it afterward.
“This is very interesting… perhaps we’ve made a breakthrough… is what I would like to say,” the Duchess began, as she stopped scribbling after some time. “We still cannot seem to learn why the Representatives use spells.”
The book illustrated various traits about the Representatives. It detailed how the creation of a Representative worked, describing various rituals. There were twelve different rituals for each of the Zodiac symbols and the tome hinted that there were requirements to become a Representative of a Descendant. Generally the requirements seemed to include mutual understanding and trust. Unfortunately, full details of the rituals and the requirements were not available.
“While on its own the book might not explain why, further study into the rituals by which Commandments are granted may help reveal the true nature of the powers of the Descendants. The knowledge that the rituals were created rather than having always existed alongside the Celestial Spirits is invaluable. For the system to have been created means there must be a logic behind their powers which can be understood and possibly manipulated.”
“I believe that part about the Celestial Spirits may have been read wrong. A matter of perspective perhaps, but it seems to say that the Celestial Spirits themselves created these rituals to appoint a Representative. I had no idea that Representatives were made for marriages or having familial members, or heroes either.”
“Even if the creators of the system were the Celestial Spirits, their necessity to follow such a ritual is curious. If it is more than just a whim, then if how the Celestial Spirit’s powers are bequeathed to a host can be understood, it might be possible to disrupt the connection, if only temporarily. Of course this line of research may prove fruitless or the means to do so beyond human capability even if understood, but with the destructive power of some Commandments I believe it is worth pursuing.”
“It likely is. Breaking the connection would be extremely useful, in fact. It would be a great start to have a theory at least, even if we do not uncover the fact from the abundant knowledge from this library. It may make dozens of Representatives out there almost useless—provided that there is a dozen of them at all.”
“Even more so than disrupting the power of Representatives, if it could be understood and applied against Descendants themselves… but talk like that is getting ahead of myself.”
“That would be a dream come true I suppose—”
There was a loud thunder and the two jolted up from it as the floor shook.
“Seems the storm is right on top of us,” Roland noted, listening intently.
“That was too close for comfort.”
“It probably also does not help we are in what is very definitely the tallest structure in the region.”
“I feel like we lost ourselves overmuch in the search for knowledge. I apologise for my outburst.”
“I cannot fault you for I was indulging just as much. Though there is not much else to do while the storm rages, shall we continue?”
“We should check out this library more thoroughly before we indulge in this trove of knowledge. I would like to confirm whether it is safe to be here.”
“Very well.”
The two started walking around, and as they traversed more and more, they came to learn that this was actually a very spacious place. There were faint lights from above them apparently; there were windows all the way in the top floor.
“We should find a way to get to the top. I feel like there are other things here…”
“Shall we split up and search for a staircase?”
“No…” the Duchess said, raising her arm—and thus her orb of flame—up. “There are floating staircases or do my eyes deceive me?”
Following her gaze upwards, Roland saw a complex network of stairs above occasionally shifting their configuration. “Unless both our eyes are playing tricks on us that appears to be.” Seeing the puzzle, his mind immediately set about trying to plot a course to the top. “It looks like the trip up will be quite interesting.”
The Duchess placed a finger to the side of her head, activating a certain spell, but Roland could not tell that it was applied at all.
“There are barriers placed across the space so I suppose trying to fly up to the top may get us killed at worst.”
Internally Roland was glad but he tried not let it show. “Shall we find the start?” Roland said, enthusiastic to test his wit.
As they continued searching the floor they found a large hole at the center of the room over which the stairs of the tower floated. At the edge of the abyss was the first staircase leading up. As they climbed, the sections shifted, connecting with others to form different paths up and down.
When Roland tried to climb through a particular staircase, an invisible wall was touched and with a thunderous roar he was pushed down to a staircase below him, that was luckily just below, otherwise he may have fallen into the deep abyss.
“This is why you ask before moving,” the Duchess shouted down and looked back up. “Well, be careful not to fall… not that you need to know. I would advise that you cling to the railing as you proceed.”
“Duly noted,” Roland replied dryly, rubbing the bruises from his fall. “I guess I will see you at the top.”
After some minutes, Roland kept going up and above the space and staircases. Most of it was about waiting. There were at least three times when he was almost tossed back down, but the Duchess’ idea proved to be effective.
He soon came across a dilemma. There were three roads as the staircase connection. One seemed to lead to a flat floor giving access to more books, while the front one would take him above, and the right one would take back down.
Roland was tempted to take a look at the books, but looking up he saw the Duchess was located far above. Deciding it was best not to waste any time he hurried up the staircase in front of him.
By the time Roland seemed to reach around the eightieth floor, an entire day seemed to have passed. By this point, the storm was still going on but he was hungry and exhausted. Battered by repeatedly crashing into barriers, he decided to take a moment to rest before continuing. Looking up he was heartened to find he could finally see the top though there was still a long way to go. Steeling himself, he gathered his remaining stamina and dragged himself up the remaining floors before finally collapsing at the top.
1
Cinia Pacifica
Ojou-sama Writer
Upon waking Roland felt an unexpectedly soft sensation under his head.
Strange, I don’t remember falling asleep in a bed, he thought as he recalled how he collapsed upon reaching the top of the tower. Opening his eyes sleepily, he saw two shapely white peaches hanging directly above him and shut them again instantly. Where am I? But it does feel so comfortable… not important right now! Did she put me here on her own? What do I do now? Immediately wide awake, his mind was racing to comprehend the situation he was in. Slowly he opened his eyes again and found the Duchess staring down at him.
“Good morning?” he offered uncertainly, still on her lap.
“Good morning,” Frederica greeted too. “Have a nice sleep?”
“It was quite refreshing,” he replied, still frozen in place.
“You want to continue resting?”
“I think I am ready to get up.” Roland rolled off the Duchess’ lap.
When Roland got up and looked around, he found out that they were in fact located in a garden. There were roses and sunflowers in every direction he looked. There were very long windows instead of walls. The ceiling seemed to contain an ancient round portrait of twelve unique people, but some of their faces were gone purely from rusting and exhaustion by the weather.
“It seems like this floor has no books,” the Duchess observed. “It is a very unique place. I did not fully explore it, however, seeing as there is furniture here which is strange for a garden. I could not see through everything. I was waiting for you to be awake as well.”
“Is there anything that might give us a lead as to who resides in this tower?”
“I would rather question if they still exist. It may be morbid to find a skeleton.”
“While it is a possibility, I hope not. I would very much like to meet the keeper of such an amazing library.”
The Duchess got up and they started exploring. Traversing through the flowers and the grass, there seemed to be butterflies flying about here and there—something Roland had not seen in this Realm till now.
All kinds of questions was coming to his mind as he was walking, but all of them seemed to be gone when he found a girl seated before a piano, sleeping soundly. She possessed flowing long and unkempt blonde hair and wore a simple white one-piece. Her head was adorned with a circlet made with some flowers. Some wings could be seen on her back, wings reminiscent of that of insects. What surrounded this mysterious person was a flock of lilies.
(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hfvhykTAfo)
Roland was curious who the girl was but felt it would be rude to wake her up. Stepping quietly so as to not disturb her, he walked up to take a closer look at where she was sleeping.
“Who… is it?” The person woke up—despite the young scholar’s best attempt to be silent—looking up to her piano with a sleepy face.
“My name is Roland, may I have your name?” Roland greeted her politely.
She turned towards Roland slowly.
“A human being…” the woman said, still wearing a dazed expression. “A human?!” She was now really awake apparently. “Is my mind playing tricks on me or do I have visitors?”
Frederica looked at Roland and Roland looked at Frederica. The Duchess shrugged and the younger researcher simply looked back at her.
“We are humans and we are visitors,” Roland confirmed, a bit surprised at how shocked she appeared to be. “While I understand humans are rare in this Realm, is it that rare for visitors to stop by this tower? I would imagine such an amazing library would draw the interest of many.”
“No, I have had no visitor for centuries!” the person told them, very excited. “Please, make yourselves comfortable, albeit I do not have any tea or snacks to provide for you humans. I apologise.”
“Centuries? What is this place?” he asked only slightly surprised. The amazing selection and floating staircase deathtrap had already tipped him off that this tower might not be that normal. “Also do not worry about the refreshment, however I still have not caught your name yet.”
“Ahh, my name is G—Sherry, and this is the Bibliotheca.”
At her words Roland’s eyes grew wide, possibly wider than they had ever been in his life. Bounding forward he clasped Sherry’s hands, staring intently at her. “The Bibliotheca?” he asked incredulously. So giddy he could not control himself he pranced around the flower field twirling about. “Who would have thought, we did not just stumble upon a great library but the great library.” Falling onto his back amongst the lilies he let out a fulfilled sigh. “If I could spend the rest of my life just reading what is hidden amongst the shelves here, I would be able to die satisfied.”
“No… no wonder there are so many books here. It is awfully huge as well. To think the library was actually located in the Faerie Realm instead of the Human World, or the Magic Realm for that matter.” Frederica spoke with a similar tone of incredulity too. But this does not make sense. If it was always here, how did the ancient scholars of Greek know about it…?
Sherry rubbed her own hands, specifically where she had been touched. It was a sensation she hadn’t felt for countless years, and a smile naturally made way to her face due to this realisation.
“Yes, Apollodorus created three libraries sanctioned under this name. I would not recommend dying here, but please enjoy your stay,” Sherry replied with a warm smile.
“Haha, that may have been a bit of an exaggeration,” Roland replied, picking himself up and walking back to the piano. “However if it is as you say, does that means there are two other libraries as amazing as this to be found? Also if you do not mind me asking, how did you come to be the keeper of this one?”
“Mn… I suppose so, yes. The are other two Mystic Realms, yes? They have the other two libraries,” Sherry answered.
“Mystic Realms?” Frederica enquired.
“Mhm. The abode of the angels and the abode of the demons, respectively.”
“Different terms, I see.”
“Do you know where they might be found there?” Roland asked.
“Yes, a book had the instructions, after all,” Sherry answered.
“Have you read all the books here?”
“I have read all the books in all three libraries. I always re-read every book in this library to refresh my memories, but I cannot say the same for the other two.”
“Teacher! No, Master! Please share your wisdom with me!” Roland exclaimed, assuming a respectful groveling position at her feet.
“So I suppose you do not remember much of the knowledge you learned from the other two libraries?” Frederica questioned.
“I apologise if you were seeking information from the other two towers. Apollodorus wanted to organize the libraries such that they would be in appropriate locations based on the knowledge of the books. I do not have the Circlet of Wisdom after all.”
“Circlet of Wisdom?” Roland asked, looking up.
Sherry looked down and smiled.
“Oh please, get back up. The Circlet of Wisdom was the gift of Divine Knowledge. It is also the keeper of memories. This was the legendary gift granted to the host of Leo.”
“It sounds like quite the curious relic, do you have any leads as to where it resides now?” Roland asked as he lifted his head and assumed a relaxed sitting posture.
“As I answered, it was gifted to the host of Leo.”
“Ahaha… the Leo huh?” Frederica laughed nervously.
“I had the slight hope it had been lost to the ages so I might try hunting it for study, though.” Roland turned towards Frederica. “It seems you know who that Descendant is?”
“No, I do not. How would I?” Frederica denied instantly. “Leo has not been heard for ages now.” He is sharp…
“My mistake, it sounded like you may have dealt with them before. It sounds like the Circlet is just as lost as Leo though that may be for the best. Being given all the answers would take the fun out of being a researcher.” He turned back to Sherry. “You mentioned you read every book in this library. Do you think you could help me with this one?” Roland took out the constellation-adorned book that had caught his eye earlier. “It is written in a language I cannot understand.”
“Of course, that is the book about Descendants I believe, written by the child Zeus.”
“Could you tell me of its contents and author?”
“The author was my relative and the contents are a glossary of terms related to the Descendants, and their general details.”
“To think such a thing exists…” Frederica remarked. “We hit the jackpot it seems.”
Roland heard her but at the moment his attention was drawn by a different detail concerning the book. “When you mentioned Zeus previously, by any chance were you referring to the one known as the God of thunder?” he asked Sherry. “It is hard to imagine a mortal being having the knowledge to write such a book.”
“Mortal being? Well, I knew Zeus as Zeus… I don’t really know about the God of thunder.”
“Did the Zeus you knew have a tendency to throw lightning around? And have two brothers and three sisters?”
“I do not know about lightning but he had a huge family.” Sherry made a pained smile. “He was also the one who locked me in this tower.”
“I am sorry if this may sound strange but… have you gone by the name Gaia in the past?”
“I suppose I have been found out.”
“I think you were supposed to ignore that part,” Frederica told Roland with a rare sigh.
“I could not resist asking. Though fear not, we have met no Gaia, only a kind Sherry who showed us much hospitality as we took shelter here. Though I am sorry for thoughtlessly asking how you became the keeper of the tower earlier. It sounds like it may be a painful memory.”
“It’s fine, I am thankful that I have visitors. I hardly ever meet people. The world is a distant memory to me.”
“While the time I can stay in this Realm is limited due to being human, I would very much like to come back again to talk with you at length if you will have me. While it may not replace going outside yourself, at the very least I can bring you news of what is happening. Although in honesty it may be best to not know.
“I think it is fine to not come to me… it must’ve been tough to come up here from all the way down.” Sherry, or rather, Gaia, placed a finger on Roland’s forehead, his bruises from clashing against the invisible walls healing and becoming as good as new.
“Think nothing of it, rarely is something worth doing easy.” Roland made a motion gripping his arm to show his strength. “As long as you are not just trying to politely send me away. I understand I may have come across a bit crass before. Often I lose myself when there is much to be learned in front of me.”
Gaia chuckled. “I will be happy to receive a visitor any time. If you do decide to risk coming here, please use this.” She took off a bangle she was wearing and handed it to Roland. “Charge it with mana and it can bring you to me.”
“How nice,” Frederica said, patting Roland on his head. “Very nice.”
“Thank you. Might it be possible to use it for multiple people at once? If you do not mind I may bring other visitors with me for you to meet.”
“As long as they connect with you before the transfer is made. Be mindful of the Warping levels however…”
“Is it due to the amount of Spiritual Energy here?” Frederica enquired.
“Yes, this tower is particularly full of this aura inside… it is best for most to stay out.” Sherry looked down in dismay. “It can be dangerous.”
“I said I would return and I intend to honour that promise,” Roland said, trying to cheer her up. “I just need to be careful of how long I stay.”
“Well, Warping levels do not go down so that can be a problem,” the Duchess said.
“You mentioned with exposure you were able to increase your tolerance to the Faerie Realm, so maybe it’s possible to acclimate to the tower to reduce the rate of warping.”
“Except that this tower is worse if you ask me,” Frederica argued. “The Warping rate could be affecting us, but we cannot tell. I had to survive through three bouts with the Twilight phase, but I do not think many are lucky with those things.”
“True, but to return here I believe would be worth the risk. Not to mention with my unstable magic I constantly run the risk of Twilight, so I have come to accept that I may be struck by it at any time. If I live paralyzed by the fear, I can never move forward.”
“I would still say for the sake of your lif—”
“Oh, how about we just bring her with us?” Frederica suggested. “She is a walking encyclopedia anyway.”
Roland turned to Sherry, “Is there a way we could help you leave?”
“I… I think you would have to have to break the barriers that are planted below, since they are especially sensitive about me.”
“Shall we get to work?” Roland said, turning to the Duchess.
“May as well.” The Duchess took out a few of her vis.
“Eh? How would you break them without magic of the ancients?” Sherry asked.
“I know a few,” Frederica answered.
“I may also have something that may help, though to use it I would need the Duchess to keep a secret.”
“So basically you want to use a Supreme spell illegally?” the Duchess enquired.
“For a good cause but... yes,” Roland replied in a matter of fact tone.
“Very well,” the Duchess said. “I shall ignore and pretend that it was not cast before me.”
“If it helps you could turn the other way and plug your ears,” Roland offered. “I shall start since I will probably need a short while to rest after casting this.” He walked over to the opening in the center where the stairwell met the garden.
Taking a deep breath, he rolled up his sleeves and stood motionless as he began to channel mana into the precious stone implanted in each bracer. A pool of water began to spill out from where he stood until it covered an area roughly ten meters across. Suddenly in motion, he kneeled down and thrust his palms onto the surface of the water, a complex magic circle spreading out across the surface. Two huge dragon of water rose out of the water the moment he struck, one on either side of him. With a fierce roar the twin dragons rose into the air intertwining and dove down into the hole. There was a mighty cracking noise as the dragons contacted the barrier, it giving a moment's resistance before being ripped away. Beads of sweat appeared on his furrowed brow as he struggled to maintain the concentration required to control the spell. The dragons continued tearing through the stairwell breaking through each ward encountered until Roland’s strength waned and he could sustain it no longer. Falling onto his back he asked, “Did I make it to the bottom?” too exhausted to get up to check.
“About twenty floors…?” Frederica guessed.
“I was hoping for more but at least it is a start,” Roland replied, still on his back. “If you do not mind I will be laying here, trying to recover for if I must cast that spell again.” The cool water created by the spell felt comfortable after the intense exertion.
“I call up to the Guardian of the Heavens. The brilliant bird of justice that soars with grace. I pray that radiance be granted unto the darkness I peer through before me.”
A portal of gold seemed to form before the Duchess, overlooking the circular hollow hole that was full of the staircases below it. The lights falling from it intensified with every moment, and the barriers made with Spiritual Energies started to melt under it.
“Do you think that did it or are there still some left?” Roland asked, still supine.
“I… I think it did.”
“Seems it is time to go then. The way down should be easier with those pesky barriers out of the way,” Roland picked himself off the ground. “If you want to rest for a while, I am going to scout the way down. If there are any barriers that remain, it would be dangerous to go down with Sherry since they will react more strongly to her.”
“I think I would be a better candidate, considering a single Supreme spell is not tiresome, and I can sense the Spiritual Energies. In all honesty though, we should simply start descending. We could take care of the remnants as we go.”
“Very well.” Roland turned to Sherry, “Shall we leave this place? Though before we do, I did have a question. Would it be okay if we bring some books from the library with us?”
“Of course. They are not mine so I do not really mind,” Sherry answered. She seemed to be in a good mood that she was finally getting to leave the library.
“Do you know where we might find more on the topic of Descendants and their Representatives that we could grab on our way down? Also, though this is just my personal indulgence: what would you recommend as the greatest anthology of heroic legends here?”
“Hm… I think there are some books of recordings about certain Descendants. Like the books about Leviathan and Gorgon. As for the anthologies… perhaps the records of Perseus’ deeds? There is also the saga of Troy… hmm, I also remember a book about Athena’s heroics for the world, but I think that book is no longer here.”
“It sounds like there will not be much more there than we already found so I will avoid taking up our time with the side trip. Do you have much to bring with you from here? I can help you carry it down.”
“I do not really have any belongings.” Sherry smiled. “Thank you for the offer, though.”
“Let us be off then.”
With the Duchess leading the way, they stepped onto the top stairwell and the long descent thus began. The group of three made their way down across the floating staircases carefully, being mindful of any wards that might remain. After what seemed like hours, they were once again on the bottom floor.
“So… this tower. I feel like I have crossed this planet before in my previous visit, but I do not remember seeing it.” The Duchess turned to Sherry, her gaze very inquisitive. “How was it that we found it now? If you were here for a long time, it could not have been built recently.”
“This tower has an invisibility function. To prevent people from getting me out of here… that makes me wonder how you two got in,” Sherry answered, inquisitive herself now.
“When we were flying by, the tower was completely visible,” Roland answered. “We came inside to take shelter from a storm. If the external conditions might have something to do with why the invisibility failed...”
“An abnormality in function due to the weather could only mean…” Sherry had a terrified look on her face.
“Is there something we should be wary of?” Roland asked, on guard seeing her expression. Suddenly he felt a tap on his back. Spinning around he jumped back slightly to create space and position himself between the mysterious individual and the two ladies, his arms up prepared to fight.
Unfortunately, it was useless to resist, as a hand larger than his entire body caught him and picked him up.
“So you were hiding after all… Cronus!” Sherry exclaimed, looking up at the titan come up from the hollow hole that was at the centre of the floor.
(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqnHO1L52Ec)
A loud roar escaped past the lips of the titan, the floor trembling at its might.
“Roland!” the Duchess called out, stepping before Sherry. “To think Cronus still lives today… Well perhaps not for long.”
“From those reactions I’m guessing he is not a friend,” Roland shouted. Forming a blade of ice, he tried to stab into the giant hand holding him but it shattered against the skin of the titan.
“That did not even make a scratch…” the Duchess said, her mouth agape.
“We have to free him and flee this tower,” Sherry shouted, but it didn’t seemed like she could fight.
Before the Duchess could make a move, the titan landed, crushing the wooden floor where they were standing, but the noble lady stepped away in the nick of time.
“You know, I think your son could use some manners about now.”
The Duchess’ body burned with a fiery aura, and she once more displayed the same spell she showed when she crossed the river some days ago. Like a bullet, Frederica struck against the chest of the titan, a resounding roar escaping its throat again, pushing it back but only slightly. Fortunately for Roland, Cronus’ grip was loosened and he managed to free himself.
“Run for the exit!” Roland shouted as he dove for the floor, chanting at he fell. Upon landing he turned and raised his hand and creating countless blades of ice in the air. Pointing towards Cronus, all the shards flew towards the eyes of the titan. With his forearm, the titan blocked the shards that seemed to barely make any scratches.
The Duchess outstretched her hand and the broomstick flew up from the corner—where she placed it when they entered the tower—and mounted it, flying up to Roland and Sherry.
Scooping up Sherry with one arm, he leapt onto the broom and fastened his other arm around the Duchess. “Fly!” he shouted desperately. With a nod, the Duchess applied mana to the broom and with a roar from the end of it, they broke out through the wooden door.
Strange, I don’t remember falling asleep in a bed, he thought as he recalled how he collapsed upon reaching the top of the tower. Opening his eyes sleepily, he saw two shapely white peaches hanging directly above him and shut them again instantly. Where am I? But it does feel so comfortable… not important right now! Did she put me here on her own? What do I do now? Immediately wide awake, his mind was racing to comprehend the situation he was in. Slowly he opened his eyes again and found the Duchess staring down at him.
“Good morning?” he offered uncertainly, still on her lap.
“Good morning,” Frederica greeted too. “Have a nice sleep?”
“It was quite refreshing,” he replied, still frozen in place.
“You want to continue resting?”
“I think I am ready to get up.” Roland rolled off the Duchess’ lap.
When Roland got up and looked around, he found out that they were in fact located in a garden. There were roses and sunflowers in every direction he looked. There were very long windows instead of walls. The ceiling seemed to contain an ancient round portrait of twelve unique people, but some of their faces were gone purely from rusting and exhaustion by the weather.
“It seems like this floor has no books,” the Duchess observed. “It is a very unique place. I did not fully explore it, however, seeing as there is furniture here which is strange for a garden. I could not see through everything. I was waiting for you to be awake as well.”
“Is there anything that might give us a lead as to who resides in this tower?”
“I would rather question if they still exist. It may be morbid to find a skeleton.”
“While it is a possibility, I hope not. I would very much like to meet the keeper of such an amazing library.”
The Duchess got up and they started exploring. Traversing through the flowers and the grass, there seemed to be butterflies flying about here and there—something Roland had not seen in this Realm till now.
All kinds of questions was coming to his mind as he was walking, but all of them seemed to be gone when he found a girl seated before a piano, sleeping soundly. She possessed flowing long and unkempt blonde hair and wore a simple white one-piece. Her head was adorned with a circlet made with some flowers. Some wings could be seen on her back, wings reminiscent of that of insects. What surrounded this mysterious person was a flock of lilies.
(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hfvhykTAfo)
Roland was curious who the girl was but felt it would be rude to wake her up. Stepping quietly so as to not disturb her, he walked up to take a closer look at where she was sleeping.
“Who… is it?” The person woke up—despite the young scholar’s best attempt to be silent—looking up to her piano with a sleepy face.
“My name is Roland, may I have your name?” Roland greeted her politely.
She turned towards Roland slowly.
“A human being…” the woman said, still wearing a dazed expression. “A human?!” She was now really awake apparently. “Is my mind playing tricks on me or do I have visitors?”
Frederica looked at Roland and Roland looked at Frederica. The Duchess shrugged and the younger researcher simply looked back at her.
“We are humans and we are visitors,” Roland confirmed, a bit surprised at how shocked she appeared to be. “While I understand humans are rare in this Realm, is it that rare for visitors to stop by this tower? I would imagine such an amazing library would draw the interest of many.”
“No, I have had no visitor for centuries!” the person told them, very excited. “Please, make yourselves comfortable, albeit I do not have any tea or snacks to provide for you humans. I apologise.”
“Centuries? What is this place?” he asked only slightly surprised. The amazing selection and floating staircase deathtrap had already tipped him off that this tower might not be that normal. “Also do not worry about the refreshment, however I still have not caught your name yet.”
“Ahh, my name is G—Sherry, and this is the Bibliotheca.”
At her words Roland’s eyes grew wide, possibly wider than they had ever been in his life. Bounding forward he clasped Sherry’s hands, staring intently at her. “The Bibliotheca?” he asked incredulously. So giddy he could not control himself he pranced around the flower field twirling about. “Who would have thought, we did not just stumble upon a great library but the great library.” Falling onto his back amongst the lilies he let out a fulfilled sigh. “If I could spend the rest of my life just reading what is hidden amongst the shelves here, I would be able to die satisfied.”
“No… no wonder there are so many books here. It is awfully huge as well. To think the library was actually located in the Faerie Realm instead of the Human World, or the Magic Realm for that matter.” Frederica spoke with a similar tone of incredulity too. But this does not make sense. If it was always here, how did the ancient scholars of Greek know about it…?
Sherry rubbed her own hands, specifically where she had been touched. It was a sensation she hadn’t felt for countless years, and a smile naturally made way to her face due to this realisation.
“Yes, Apollodorus created three libraries sanctioned under this name. I would not recommend dying here, but please enjoy your stay,” Sherry replied with a warm smile.
“Haha, that may have been a bit of an exaggeration,” Roland replied, picking himself up and walking back to the piano. “However if it is as you say, does that means there are two other libraries as amazing as this to be found? Also if you do not mind me asking, how did you come to be the keeper of this one?”
“Mn… I suppose so, yes. The are other two Mystic Realms, yes? They have the other two libraries,” Sherry answered.
“Mystic Realms?” Frederica enquired.
“Mhm. The abode of the angels and the abode of the demons, respectively.”
“Different terms, I see.”
“Do you know where they might be found there?” Roland asked.
“Yes, a book had the instructions, after all,” Sherry answered.
“Have you read all the books here?”
“I have read all the books in all three libraries. I always re-read every book in this library to refresh my memories, but I cannot say the same for the other two.”
“Teacher! No, Master! Please share your wisdom with me!” Roland exclaimed, assuming a respectful groveling position at her feet.
“So I suppose you do not remember much of the knowledge you learned from the other two libraries?” Frederica questioned.
“I apologise if you were seeking information from the other two towers. Apollodorus wanted to organize the libraries such that they would be in appropriate locations based on the knowledge of the books. I do not have the Circlet of Wisdom after all.”
“Circlet of Wisdom?” Roland asked, looking up.
Sherry looked down and smiled.
“Oh please, get back up. The Circlet of Wisdom was the gift of Divine Knowledge. It is also the keeper of memories. This was the legendary gift granted to the host of Leo.”
“It sounds like quite the curious relic, do you have any leads as to where it resides now?” Roland asked as he lifted his head and assumed a relaxed sitting posture.
“As I answered, it was gifted to the host of Leo.”
“Ahaha… the Leo huh?” Frederica laughed nervously.
“I had the slight hope it had been lost to the ages so I might try hunting it for study, though.” Roland turned towards Frederica. “It seems you know who that Descendant is?”
“No, I do not. How would I?” Frederica denied instantly. “Leo has not been heard for ages now.” He is sharp…
“My mistake, it sounded like you may have dealt with them before. It sounds like the Circlet is just as lost as Leo though that may be for the best. Being given all the answers would take the fun out of being a researcher.” He turned back to Sherry. “You mentioned you read every book in this library. Do you think you could help me with this one?” Roland took out the constellation-adorned book that had caught his eye earlier. “It is written in a language I cannot understand.”
“Of course, that is the book about Descendants I believe, written by the child Zeus.”
“Could you tell me of its contents and author?”
“The author was my relative and the contents are a glossary of terms related to the Descendants, and their general details.”
“To think such a thing exists…” Frederica remarked. “We hit the jackpot it seems.”
Roland heard her but at the moment his attention was drawn by a different detail concerning the book. “When you mentioned Zeus previously, by any chance were you referring to the one known as the God of thunder?” he asked Sherry. “It is hard to imagine a mortal being having the knowledge to write such a book.”
“Mortal being? Well, I knew Zeus as Zeus… I don’t really know about the God of thunder.”
“Did the Zeus you knew have a tendency to throw lightning around? And have two brothers and three sisters?”
“I do not know about lightning but he had a huge family.” Sherry made a pained smile. “He was also the one who locked me in this tower.”
“I am sorry if this may sound strange but… have you gone by the name Gaia in the past?”
“I suppose I have been found out.”
“I think you were supposed to ignore that part,” Frederica told Roland with a rare sigh.
“I could not resist asking. Though fear not, we have met no Gaia, only a kind Sherry who showed us much hospitality as we took shelter here. Though I am sorry for thoughtlessly asking how you became the keeper of the tower earlier. It sounds like it may be a painful memory.”
“It’s fine, I am thankful that I have visitors. I hardly ever meet people. The world is a distant memory to me.”
“While the time I can stay in this Realm is limited due to being human, I would very much like to come back again to talk with you at length if you will have me. While it may not replace going outside yourself, at the very least I can bring you news of what is happening. Although in honesty it may be best to not know.
“I think it is fine to not come to me… it must’ve been tough to come up here from all the way down.” Sherry, or rather, Gaia, placed a finger on Roland’s forehead, his bruises from clashing against the invisible walls healing and becoming as good as new.
“Think nothing of it, rarely is something worth doing easy.” Roland made a motion gripping his arm to show his strength. “As long as you are not just trying to politely send me away. I understand I may have come across a bit crass before. Often I lose myself when there is much to be learned in front of me.”
Gaia chuckled. “I will be happy to receive a visitor any time. If you do decide to risk coming here, please use this.” She took off a bangle she was wearing and handed it to Roland. “Charge it with mana and it can bring you to me.”
“How nice,” Frederica said, patting Roland on his head. “Very nice.”
“Thank you. Might it be possible to use it for multiple people at once? If you do not mind I may bring other visitors with me for you to meet.”
“As long as they connect with you before the transfer is made. Be mindful of the Warping levels however…”
“Is it due to the amount of Spiritual Energy here?” Frederica enquired.
“Yes, this tower is particularly full of this aura inside… it is best for most to stay out.” Sherry looked down in dismay. “It can be dangerous.”
“I said I would return and I intend to honour that promise,” Roland said, trying to cheer her up. “I just need to be careful of how long I stay.”
“Well, Warping levels do not go down so that can be a problem,” the Duchess said.
“You mentioned with exposure you were able to increase your tolerance to the Faerie Realm, so maybe it’s possible to acclimate to the tower to reduce the rate of warping.”
“Except that this tower is worse if you ask me,” Frederica argued. “The Warping rate could be affecting us, but we cannot tell. I had to survive through three bouts with the Twilight phase, but I do not think many are lucky with those things.”
“True, but to return here I believe would be worth the risk. Not to mention with my unstable magic I constantly run the risk of Twilight, so I have come to accept that I may be struck by it at any time. If I live paralyzed by the fear, I can never move forward.”
“I would still say for the sake of your lif—”
“Oh, how about we just bring her with us?” Frederica suggested. “She is a walking encyclopedia anyway.”
Roland turned to Sherry, “Is there a way we could help you leave?”
“I… I think you would have to have to break the barriers that are planted below, since they are especially sensitive about me.”
“Shall we get to work?” Roland said, turning to the Duchess.
“May as well.” The Duchess took out a few of her vis.
“Eh? How would you break them without magic of the ancients?” Sherry asked.
“I know a few,” Frederica answered.
“I may also have something that may help, though to use it I would need the Duchess to keep a secret.”
“So basically you want to use a Supreme spell illegally?” the Duchess enquired.
“For a good cause but... yes,” Roland replied in a matter of fact tone.
“Very well,” the Duchess said. “I shall ignore and pretend that it was not cast before me.”
“If it helps you could turn the other way and plug your ears,” Roland offered. “I shall start since I will probably need a short while to rest after casting this.” He walked over to the opening in the center where the stairwell met the garden.
Taking a deep breath, he rolled up his sleeves and stood motionless as he began to channel mana into the precious stone implanted in each bracer. A pool of water began to spill out from where he stood until it covered an area roughly ten meters across. Suddenly in motion, he kneeled down and thrust his palms onto the surface of the water, a complex magic circle spreading out across the surface. Two huge dragon of water rose out of the water the moment he struck, one on either side of him. With a fierce roar the twin dragons rose into the air intertwining and dove down into the hole. There was a mighty cracking noise as the dragons contacted the barrier, it giving a moment's resistance before being ripped away. Beads of sweat appeared on his furrowed brow as he struggled to maintain the concentration required to control the spell. The dragons continued tearing through the stairwell breaking through each ward encountered until Roland’s strength waned and he could sustain it no longer. Falling onto his back he asked, “Did I make it to the bottom?” too exhausted to get up to check.
“About twenty floors…?” Frederica guessed.
“I was hoping for more but at least it is a start,” Roland replied, still on his back. “If you do not mind I will be laying here, trying to recover for if I must cast that spell again.” The cool water created by the spell felt comfortable after the intense exertion.
“I call up to the Guardian of the Heavens. The brilliant bird of justice that soars with grace. I pray that radiance be granted unto the darkness I peer through before me.”
A portal of gold seemed to form before the Duchess, overlooking the circular hollow hole that was full of the staircases below it. The lights falling from it intensified with every moment, and the barriers made with Spiritual Energies started to melt under it.
“Do you think that did it or are there still some left?” Roland asked, still supine.
“I… I think it did.”
“Seems it is time to go then. The way down should be easier with those pesky barriers out of the way,” Roland picked himself off the ground. “If you want to rest for a while, I am going to scout the way down. If there are any barriers that remain, it would be dangerous to go down with Sherry since they will react more strongly to her.”
“I think I would be a better candidate, considering a single Supreme spell is not tiresome, and I can sense the Spiritual Energies. In all honesty though, we should simply start descending. We could take care of the remnants as we go.”
“Very well.” Roland turned to Sherry, “Shall we leave this place? Though before we do, I did have a question. Would it be okay if we bring some books from the library with us?”
“Of course. They are not mine so I do not really mind,” Sherry answered. She seemed to be in a good mood that she was finally getting to leave the library.
“Do you know where we might find more on the topic of Descendants and their Representatives that we could grab on our way down? Also, though this is just my personal indulgence: what would you recommend as the greatest anthology of heroic legends here?”
“Hm… I think there are some books of recordings about certain Descendants. Like the books about Leviathan and Gorgon. As for the anthologies… perhaps the records of Perseus’ deeds? There is also the saga of Troy… hmm, I also remember a book about Athena’s heroics for the world, but I think that book is no longer here.”
“It sounds like there will not be much more there than we already found so I will avoid taking up our time with the side trip. Do you have much to bring with you from here? I can help you carry it down.”
“I do not really have any belongings.” Sherry smiled. “Thank you for the offer, though.”
“Let us be off then.”
With the Duchess leading the way, they stepped onto the top stairwell and the long descent thus began. The group of three made their way down across the floating staircases carefully, being mindful of any wards that might remain. After what seemed like hours, they were once again on the bottom floor.
“So… this tower. I feel like I have crossed this planet before in my previous visit, but I do not remember seeing it.” The Duchess turned to Sherry, her gaze very inquisitive. “How was it that we found it now? If you were here for a long time, it could not have been built recently.”
“This tower has an invisibility function. To prevent people from getting me out of here… that makes me wonder how you two got in,” Sherry answered, inquisitive herself now.
“When we were flying by, the tower was completely visible,” Roland answered. “We came inside to take shelter from a storm. If the external conditions might have something to do with why the invisibility failed...”
“An abnormality in function due to the weather could only mean…” Sherry had a terrified look on her face.
“Is there something we should be wary of?” Roland asked, on guard seeing her expression. Suddenly he felt a tap on his back. Spinning around he jumped back slightly to create space and position himself between the mysterious individual and the two ladies, his arms up prepared to fight.
Unfortunately, it was useless to resist, as a hand larger than his entire body caught him and picked him up.
“So you were hiding after all… Cronus!” Sherry exclaimed, looking up at the titan come up from the hollow hole that was at the centre of the floor.
(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqnHO1L52Ec)
A loud roar escaped past the lips of the titan, the floor trembling at its might.
“Roland!” the Duchess called out, stepping before Sherry. “To think Cronus still lives today… Well perhaps not for long.”
“From those reactions I’m guessing he is not a friend,” Roland shouted. Forming a blade of ice, he tried to stab into the giant hand holding him but it shattered against the skin of the titan.
“That did not even make a scratch…” the Duchess said, her mouth agape.
“We have to free him and flee this tower,” Sherry shouted, but it didn’t seemed like she could fight.
Before the Duchess could make a move, the titan landed, crushing the wooden floor where they were standing, but the noble lady stepped away in the nick of time.
“You know, I think your son could use some manners about now.”
The Duchess’ body burned with a fiery aura, and she once more displayed the same spell she showed when she crossed the river some days ago. Like a bullet, Frederica struck against the chest of the titan, a resounding roar escaping its throat again, pushing it back but only slightly. Fortunately for Roland, Cronus’ grip was loosened and he managed to free himself.
“Run for the exit!” Roland shouted as he dove for the floor, chanting at he fell. Upon landing he turned and raised his hand and creating countless blades of ice in the air. Pointing towards Cronus, all the shards flew towards the eyes of the titan. With his forearm, the titan blocked the shards that seemed to barely make any scratches.
The Duchess outstretched her hand and the broomstick flew up from the corner—where she placed it when they entered the tower—and mounted it, flying up to Roland and Sherry.
Scooping up Sherry with one arm, he leapt onto the broom and fastened his other arm around the Duchess. “Fly!” he shouted desperately. With a nod, the Duchess applied mana to the broom and with a roar from the end of it, they broke out through the wooden door.
1
Cinia Pacifica
Ojou-sama Writer
“So, why did you not let us know that your son was hiding inside that pit?” the Duchess shouted. The wind was carrying away most of her voice as they resumed their journey, this time with an added passenger who was Sherry. The storm was not quite over just yet, but it wasn’t raining. The winds were like the usual but there was still thunder here and there.
“It is embarrassing to say, but I completely forgot that my son was kept there to guard me,” Sherry answered. “It doesn't seem like he retained any of his sanity after all this time, however.”
“Was something done to cause him to lose his mind or was he also locked away there?” Roland asked. “He did not seem like a willing jailor, rather that he was acting on pure rage.”
“I do not really know…” Sherry said. “All I know was that he was there to guard me.”
“Were you two always kept separately during your time there?”
“Seeing as I spoke to no one for centuries…”
“Well, in his current state he would not really make for much conversation even if you could’ve met him. I was wondering whether his mind had been broken from the start or if it happened later.”
“He used to speak and have sanity. Most titans were not very stable mentally, however.”
“I guess to know what happened for sure, we would have to ask Zeus,” Roland said. “But enough of such glum topics! You have your freedom now and can go where you wish. Do you want to keep accompanying us?”
“Well, I do not really know where to go…” Sherry gave a nervous laugh but it couldn’t really be heard.
“I would be happy to have you however I am also a freelo—I mean I do research with a budget from the Duchess so my say in the matter is limited.” Roland looked towards the Duchess to see how she would respond.
The Duchess wanted to shrug after giving Roland a look, but her hands were tied against the broomstick.
“I suppose I could take you in. If anything, my daughter would be happy to have you around,” she said. Hopefully.
“It is settled then, welcome aboard,” Roland said with a smile. “Currently we are on our way to seek an audience with King Solomon.”
“King Solomon? Who’s that?” Sherry asked.
“A King of legend who commands a vast collection of relics. The Duchess may be able to explain further, having met him in person before.”
“I suppose the towers only have ancient information,” Frederica said. “King Solomon was the legendary magus who could fight a Descendant on an almost equal ground apparently. I do not know how. All I know is that he later became the ruler of this Realm after he died.”
“The ruler of the Faerie Realm… was that not Alexandrina the Great?” Sherry enquired.
“Alexandrina the Great… you mean Virgo?” Frederica sighed again. “To think she was the original ruler. No wonder she swore to take him down… Now that I think about it, I wonder if King Solomon yet lives.”
“Leanan Sidhe seemed to think so, and it sounded like she had relatively recent information,” Roland said.
“I wonder what constitutes as recent in this case, Roland.”
“It was recent enough to include his mood as a factor so I would think it would be recent by our standards unless his moods last unusually long.”
“We could not defeat Virgo after all.” Frederica cringed. “That woman is beyond the capabilities of humans in spades.”
“Is there any more you could tell us of Virgo, Sherry?”
“Well, she is the person who loves the world, yes? I remember that she was one of the last guidance for the humans.”
“Is that the same Virgo?” Roland was surprised to hear her spoken of positively. “While I have not encountered her myself, I heard she wiped out one of the largest cities on earth and destroyed half a continent recently.”
“She hated us quite a lot atop of all that…” Frederica said in a mocking tone. “She was stomping people. Not quite literally, but she did.”
“Huh? Is that so? Perhaps she isn’t. Then again, Virgo cares more about the world than its people sometimes.”
“Speaking as one of those people, I wish she would care a bit more. If it is true that her motivation is her care for the world I feel we should be on the same side, but genocide is inexcusable.”
“I do not think so too.” Sherry nodded. “The probability of Virgo’s thinking simply changing for the worse seems high, however.”
Taking in what he learned from each, Roland fell into silent contemplation of the great foe of humanity.
“I feel like we have been doing this forever…” Frederica began.
After two days, and collectively an entire week—and perhaps including the few days spent to get to the entrance of the Realm—the Duchess was finally tired.
“How long have you two been in this Realm?” Sherry asked. Unlike Roland or the Duchess, this person here was full of energy.
“Counting today it has been a full week,” Roland replied.
“I want to sleep and to hug Sophia and want to burn Virgo’s and face… and… oh, wait, we are still flying,” the Duchess’ voice trailed away. “I would like to go drinking some time.”
“A bed would be nice,” Roland said absentmindedly, picking up on just a bit of what she said. “A fluffy bed with tons of down pillows to sink into.” He rocked back and forth slightly on the broom.
“By the way, what’s that statue for over there?” Sherry asked curiously.
“What is there?” Roland looked up out of his daze.
Frederica almost woke up from looking to the left. “King Solomon…”
“Himself?” Roland asked still half-asleep.
“One and only.” Frederica changed course, and they finally had a proper aerial view.
The were several small planets around the scene, among many broken small shards of rocks floating in the air. There was a bridge connected to the planet from a floating platform. Apparently, some people probably came into that place from a portal.
King Solomon himself could be seen standing straight, however, his eyes closed. There were birds sitting around his body, chirping and singing. There were clouds blanketing him in some parts, and his hands rested against the back of a hilt of a gigantic sword.
“He is… big,” Roland commented.
The three landed on the planet of the King. It now seemed that the entire planet was just the seat of the King. Half of it seemed to have lost its mass, and was more suited to be a standing-place for him. It was peculiar how it even remained stable.
“How do we go about seeking an audience with him?” Roland asked as he craned his neck trying to look at Solomon’s face. “Or even be noticed by him?”
“You—” Before Frederica could answer, the chirps of the birds sounded much louder.
“Humans.”
“Humans?”
“Humans. Not again.”
“Too many of them.”
“Indeed, too many of them.”
“That brat and the Queen, now the brat and the beauty… and some kid.”
The birds started chattering. They looked down at the visitors with scorn.
“I hope Solomon does not share their sentiments. Could you repeat what you were going to say?” Roland asked Frederica.
“This is the only proper way I know to grab his attention.” Frederica drew out her arm and with a flash, a blade formed before her hand which she grasped and pulled up to face the sky.
(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKxNYhFlS18)
The clouds and the birds stirred. The world seemed to shake and roar like never before. Cronus’ strength was nothing compared to this intensity and Roland was quick to accept this fact, especially when the King was simply waking up. The birds flew away in fear and the rocks all surrounded King Solomon as if they were attracted to him. He finally opened his blood red eyes and looked down at the visitors with a cold gaze.
“Greetings King Solomon, I have come today to seek an audience with you. My name is Roland Arcus,” Roland shouted up to Solomon, and gave a deep bow.
“I see that you came not with the Queen… journeyed long have you?” the King said, looking down not at Roland, but his bracelets.
“We have come a long way to have an audience with you, Your Majesty,” Frederica said, giving a graceful bow as befitting of an aristocrat. “I am Duchess Frederica, servant of the Queen you speak of, and have had a contract with you before regarding a relic. I have brought here Roland for a similar reason.”
“I see the relic of mine own on this child. Have ye committed theft, too?” the King asked, remembering the case of Aramus Valmark.
“I have committed no crime I know of. This relic was bequeathed unto me by my late mother who told me that it was a family heirloom. However the relic does not recognise me as its master so I have come before Your Majesty today to seek the truth.”
“I see the Jewels of Forneus tied to your arms. The relic I gave no permission for, at least for three centuries. Your mother—I would wager—had perhaps come across it.”
“I know not the origin for it had been in her possession as far back as I can remember. But now I petition you to form a contract so I might be recognised as the master of the relic.”
Frederica tried to stop Roland from this speech, but it was too late.
“You would dare claim my creation to be the heirloom of your family, use my weapon without permission, and petition for a contract?” With each of the King’s words the ground shook and Roland fell on his back.
Frederica palmed her forehead while Sherry hid herself behind the Duchess in fear.
“I will not deny my actions made in ignorance, but I am firm in my desire to be recognised as the master of the relic. The relic may be Your Majesty’s creation, but it later also became recognised as my family’s heirloom and is an important memento of my mother. I will not pretend to have a more legitimate claim to the relic but neither will I back down in my request.”
“Recognised as your family’s heirloom? How does it have to do… with my permission? There is no reason for me to grant the Jewels of Forneus, nor do you have a proper claim. This is travesty.”
“Both of those are true which is why all I can do is plead my case before Your Majesty. I neither wish to give up the relic nor become a thief which is why I have journeyed here to seek Your Majesty’s acceptance.”
“The Djinn of the Jewels speaks to me… your mother was… a thief. Killing the son of the father who rightfully passed the relic along. The odds are against you, son of the thief.”
“I… cannot believe that. I knew the woman who raised me to be a kind and gentle soul. I will not suffer her honour to be impuned even from Your Majesty. If the Djinn truly watched her life, it knows the strength of her character,” Roland shouted, some of the rage he was feeling entering his voice.
“Please understand, Your Majesty, Roland here is but a child and is very inexperienced. I would urge Your Majesty to reconsider and give him a chance,” Frederica pleaded.
“The child hath clearly insulted me and the spirit of the relic. I do not see the merit in such an insolent behaviour to lend my armament,” the King blatantly stated.
“Your Majesty has his pride and so do I,” Roland state. “I will suffer any attack against myself. If I myself did something to offend, I will apologise and grovel for forgiveness. But to impugn the honour of the one who raised me single-handedly from birth I will not abide, no matter from a King or a pauper. It is true I do not know what kind of person my mother was before my birth, however I did watch her, learn from her, for the sixteen years she was in my life. If the Djinn were also watching, they saw the same person I did.”
Roland looked down, trying to calm himself when he noticed the Jewels of Forneus had undergone a change. The previously brilliantly blue pearls were now jet black. This may be where my dream dies, he thought as he took a guess as to what it might mean, but better to live true to my convictions than play in the hand of a tyrant who has forgotten how to understand human emotions. Raising his head again he stared down Solomon unflinchingly as he awaited his response.
“The spirit revolts against your words now… the once cherished child who was innocent and pure now denied the claims and honesty of the spirit. Your words hath fallen on deaf ears. My decree is for the Jewels of Forneus to be granted their wish and come back to my possession.”
Frederica’s shoulders slumped. She patted Roland’s shoulder. “You had your chance, but I suppose conviction and honesty was your only path.”
“If I deny the one who made me everything I am, then I am nothing. I’d rather honour the one who gave me everything than forsake them for a borrowed power.” Roland took off his bracers and left them at Solomon’s feet. Speaking to the jewels he said, “Despite how we are parting I will not forget how you kept me safe and be forever grateful.” Turning away from Solomon he said, “There will be other paths to my dream but the one who raised me will never change.”
“I would punish you here and now and plunge you to the depths of the Void, but in honour of the Queen’s servant, I shall spare you.”
“I need no mercy from one who cannot understand the bond between child and parent. If my punishment for the sin of refusing to forsake the memory of my mother be that I shall be cast into the Void then I shall accept that punishment with pride. I will claw my way out and continue to live straightforward with honesty and conviction as I was taught by her.”
“Very well, if you would continue the insults then I see no reason to let you live, much less crawl in the Void.” King Solomon grasped the hilt of his colossal blade tightly after who knew how many years. The clouds started turning darker again, and with growls the King sent waves of air away. Adding to the intensity of the wind that usually blowed, this already pulled Roland off the ground of the planet.
The King’s blade drew an arc and a massive explosion took place as if a star had burst, destroying many planets of the Realm in the process, and all three of his visitors were lost.
“It is embarrassing to say, but I completely forgot that my son was kept there to guard me,” Sherry answered. “It doesn't seem like he retained any of his sanity after all this time, however.”
“Was something done to cause him to lose his mind or was he also locked away there?” Roland asked. “He did not seem like a willing jailor, rather that he was acting on pure rage.”
“I do not really know…” Sherry said. “All I know was that he was there to guard me.”
“Were you two always kept separately during your time there?”
“Seeing as I spoke to no one for centuries…”
“Well, in his current state he would not really make for much conversation even if you could’ve met him. I was wondering whether his mind had been broken from the start or if it happened later.”
“He used to speak and have sanity. Most titans were not very stable mentally, however.”
“I guess to know what happened for sure, we would have to ask Zeus,” Roland said. “But enough of such glum topics! You have your freedom now and can go where you wish. Do you want to keep accompanying us?”
“Well, I do not really know where to go…” Sherry gave a nervous laugh but it couldn’t really be heard.
“I would be happy to have you however I am also a freelo—I mean I do research with a budget from the Duchess so my say in the matter is limited.” Roland looked towards the Duchess to see how she would respond.
The Duchess wanted to shrug after giving Roland a look, but her hands were tied against the broomstick.
“I suppose I could take you in. If anything, my daughter would be happy to have you around,” she said. Hopefully.
“It is settled then, welcome aboard,” Roland said with a smile. “Currently we are on our way to seek an audience with King Solomon.”
“King Solomon? Who’s that?” Sherry asked.
“A King of legend who commands a vast collection of relics. The Duchess may be able to explain further, having met him in person before.”
“I suppose the towers only have ancient information,” Frederica said. “King Solomon was the legendary magus who could fight a Descendant on an almost equal ground apparently. I do not know how. All I know is that he later became the ruler of this Realm after he died.”
“The ruler of the Faerie Realm… was that not Alexandrina the Great?” Sherry enquired.
“Alexandrina the Great… you mean Virgo?” Frederica sighed again. “To think she was the original ruler. No wonder she swore to take him down… Now that I think about it, I wonder if King Solomon yet lives.”
“Leanan Sidhe seemed to think so, and it sounded like she had relatively recent information,” Roland said.
“I wonder what constitutes as recent in this case, Roland.”
“It was recent enough to include his mood as a factor so I would think it would be recent by our standards unless his moods last unusually long.”
“We could not defeat Virgo after all.” Frederica cringed. “That woman is beyond the capabilities of humans in spades.”
“Is there any more you could tell us of Virgo, Sherry?”
“Well, she is the person who loves the world, yes? I remember that she was one of the last guidance for the humans.”
“Is that the same Virgo?” Roland was surprised to hear her spoken of positively. “While I have not encountered her myself, I heard she wiped out one of the largest cities on earth and destroyed half a continent recently.”
“She hated us quite a lot atop of all that…” Frederica said in a mocking tone. “She was stomping people. Not quite literally, but she did.”
“Huh? Is that so? Perhaps she isn’t. Then again, Virgo cares more about the world than its people sometimes.”
“Speaking as one of those people, I wish she would care a bit more. If it is true that her motivation is her care for the world I feel we should be on the same side, but genocide is inexcusable.”
“I do not think so too.” Sherry nodded. “The probability of Virgo’s thinking simply changing for the worse seems high, however.”
Taking in what he learned from each, Roland fell into silent contemplation of the great foe of humanity.
***
“I feel like we have been doing this forever…” Frederica began.
After two days, and collectively an entire week—and perhaps including the few days spent to get to the entrance of the Realm—the Duchess was finally tired.
“How long have you two been in this Realm?” Sherry asked. Unlike Roland or the Duchess, this person here was full of energy.
“Counting today it has been a full week,” Roland replied.
“I want to sleep and to hug Sophia and want to burn Virgo’s and face… and… oh, wait, we are still flying,” the Duchess’ voice trailed away. “I would like to go drinking some time.”
“A bed would be nice,” Roland said absentmindedly, picking up on just a bit of what she said. “A fluffy bed with tons of down pillows to sink into.” He rocked back and forth slightly on the broom.
“By the way, what’s that statue for over there?” Sherry asked curiously.
“What is there?” Roland looked up out of his daze.
Frederica almost woke up from looking to the left. “King Solomon…”
“Himself?” Roland asked still half-asleep.
“One and only.” Frederica changed course, and they finally had a proper aerial view.
The were several small planets around the scene, among many broken small shards of rocks floating in the air. There was a bridge connected to the planet from a floating platform. Apparently, some people probably came into that place from a portal.
King Solomon himself could be seen standing straight, however, his eyes closed. There were birds sitting around his body, chirping and singing. There were clouds blanketing him in some parts, and his hands rested against the back of a hilt of a gigantic sword.
“He is… big,” Roland commented.
The three landed on the planet of the King. It now seemed that the entire planet was just the seat of the King. Half of it seemed to have lost its mass, and was more suited to be a standing-place for him. It was peculiar how it even remained stable.
“How do we go about seeking an audience with him?” Roland asked as he craned his neck trying to look at Solomon’s face. “Or even be noticed by him?”
“You—” Before Frederica could answer, the chirps of the birds sounded much louder.
“Humans.”
“Humans?”
“Humans. Not again.”
“Too many of them.”
“Indeed, too many of them.”
“That brat and the Queen, now the brat and the beauty… and some kid.”
The birds started chattering. They looked down at the visitors with scorn.
“I hope Solomon does not share their sentiments. Could you repeat what you were going to say?” Roland asked Frederica.
“This is the only proper way I know to grab his attention.” Frederica drew out her arm and with a flash, a blade formed before her hand which she grasped and pulled up to face the sky.
(BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKxNYhFlS18)
The clouds and the birds stirred. The world seemed to shake and roar like never before. Cronus’ strength was nothing compared to this intensity and Roland was quick to accept this fact, especially when the King was simply waking up. The birds flew away in fear and the rocks all surrounded King Solomon as if they were attracted to him. He finally opened his blood red eyes and looked down at the visitors with a cold gaze.
“Greetings King Solomon, I have come today to seek an audience with you. My name is Roland Arcus,” Roland shouted up to Solomon, and gave a deep bow.
“I see that you came not with the Queen… journeyed long have you?” the King said, looking down not at Roland, but his bracelets.
“We have come a long way to have an audience with you, Your Majesty,” Frederica said, giving a graceful bow as befitting of an aristocrat. “I am Duchess Frederica, servant of the Queen you speak of, and have had a contract with you before regarding a relic. I have brought here Roland for a similar reason.”
“I see the relic of mine own on this child. Have ye committed theft, too?” the King asked, remembering the case of Aramus Valmark.
“I have committed no crime I know of. This relic was bequeathed unto me by my late mother who told me that it was a family heirloom. However the relic does not recognise me as its master so I have come before Your Majesty today to seek the truth.”
“I see the Jewels of Forneus tied to your arms. The relic I gave no permission for, at least for three centuries. Your mother—I would wager—had perhaps come across it.”
“I know not the origin for it had been in her possession as far back as I can remember. But now I petition you to form a contract so I might be recognised as the master of the relic.”
Frederica tried to stop Roland from this speech, but it was too late.
“You would dare claim my creation to be the heirloom of your family, use my weapon without permission, and petition for a contract?” With each of the King’s words the ground shook and Roland fell on his back.
Frederica palmed her forehead while Sherry hid herself behind the Duchess in fear.
“I will not deny my actions made in ignorance, but I am firm in my desire to be recognised as the master of the relic. The relic may be Your Majesty’s creation, but it later also became recognised as my family’s heirloom and is an important memento of my mother. I will not pretend to have a more legitimate claim to the relic but neither will I back down in my request.”
“Recognised as your family’s heirloom? How does it have to do… with my permission? There is no reason for me to grant the Jewels of Forneus, nor do you have a proper claim. This is travesty.”
“Both of those are true which is why all I can do is plead my case before Your Majesty. I neither wish to give up the relic nor become a thief which is why I have journeyed here to seek Your Majesty’s acceptance.”
“The Djinn of the Jewels speaks to me… your mother was… a thief. Killing the son of the father who rightfully passed the relic along. The odds are against you, son of the thief.”
“I… cannot believe that. I knew the woman who raised me to be a kind and gentle soul. I will not suffer her honour to be impuned even from Your Majesty. If the Djinn truly watched her life, it knows the strength of her character,” Roland shouted, some of the rage he was feeling entering his voice.
“Please understand, Your Majesty, Roland here is but a child and is very inexperienced. I would urge Your Majesty to reconsider and give him a chance,” Frederica pleaded.
“The child hath clearly insulted me and the spirit of the relic. I do not see the merit in such an insolent behaviour to lend my armament,” the King blatantly stated.
“Your Majesty has his pride and so do I,” Roland state. “I will suffer any attack against myself. If I myself did something to offend, I will apologise and grovel for forgiveness. But to impugn the honour of the one who raised me single-handedly from birth I will not abide, no matter from a King or a pauper. It is true I do not know what kind of person my mother was before my birth, however I did watch her, learn from her, for the sixteen years she was in my life. If the Djinn were also watching, they saw the same person I did.”
Roland looked down, trying to calm himself when he noticed the Jewels of Forneus had undergone a change. The previously brilliantly blue pearls were now jet black. This may be where my dream dies, he thought as he took a guess as to what it might mean, but better to live true to my convictions than play in the hand of a tyrant who has forgotten how to understand human emotions. Raising his head again he stared down Solomon unflinchingly as he awaited his response.
“The spirit revolts against your words now… the once cherished child who was innocent and pure now denied the claims and honesty of the spirit. Your words hath fallen on deaf ears. My decree is for the Jewels of Forneus to be granted their wish and come back to my possession.”
Frederica’s shoulders slumped. She patted Roland’s shoulder. “You had your chance, but I suppose conviction and honesty was your only path.”
“If I deny the one who made me everything I am, then I am nothing. I’d rather honour the one who gave me everything than forsake them for a borrowed power.” Roland took off his bracers and left them at Solomon’s feet. Speaking to the jewels he said, “Despite how we are parting I will not forget how you kept me safe and be forever grateful.” Turning away from Solomon he said, “There will be other paths to my dream but the one who raised me will never change.”
“I would punish you here and now and plunge you to the depths of the Void, but in honour of the Queen’s servant, I shall spare you.”
“I need no mercy from one who cannot understand the bond between child and parent. If my punishment for the sin of refusing to forsake the memory of my mother be that I shall be cast into the Void then I shall accept that punishment with pride. I will claw my way out and continue to live straightforward with honesty and conviction as I was taught by her.”
“Very well, if you would continue the insults then I see no reason to let you live, much less crawl in the Void.” King Solomon grasped the hilt of his colossal blade tightly after who knew how many years. The clouds started turning darker again, and with growls the King sent waves of air away. Adding to the intensity of the wind that usually blowed, this already pulled Roland off the ground of the planet.
The King’s blade drew an arc and a massive explosion took place as if a star had burst, destroying many planets of the Realm in the process, and all three of his visitors were lost.
1
Cinia Pacifica
Ojou-sama Writer
Roland only came to his senses when Frederica’s palm slapped him hard.
“You idiot!” the Duchess yelled. “Did you really want us all dead?”
In a Realm neither of them could recognise, they were standing in a kind of space they could not quite comprehend. Sherry seemed to be kneeling on the floor, praying as the Duchess grabbed the young man by his collar.
“I am truly sorry I dragged both of you two into this. I did not think Solomon would be so indiscriminate,” Roland apologised with a sincere look of regret on his face. “However I stand by my words.” So much for the wise king, Roland thought, anger rising in him once again as he remembered the exchange. “I may have become heated back there, but I will not bow to a King who cannot understand the emotions of his subjects.”
“You think your words are more important than our lives? Grow up would you? You do not need to be so heated with a King,” Frederica replied, ironically heated herself. His subjects? Of course he understood his subject—Forneus.
“I did not mean to risk your lives. I was only speaking for myself, and I am deeply sorry for the consequence it brought upon you two, but to let the memory of my parent be trampled without resistance just to save myself would be the death of my spirit.”
“You do know that the Faerie spirits do not lie, yes?”
“I have heard the voice of Forneus, so King Solomon was not lying either…” Sherry informed, getting up from her prayer posture.
“I… was not aware,” Roland said in shock. He still could not truly say he believed what the spirit had said about his mother, but hearing the two he trusted support the claim was enough to shake him. “But even if she did commit the act the spirit spoke of, there must have been a reason. I cannot imagine the woman who raised me who valued honesty and justice committing such a heinous act,” he said, his voice trembling.
“Well, this is not something we can find out about anymore,” Frederica said, sighing. “I am just glad that we made it out alive. I thank you, Miss Sherry.”
“I am glad to be of help.” Sherry smiled. “It didn’t seem like it’d go well from the tone of the two anyway…”
“I honestly was trying to be polite as I could until the accusation against my mother.” Though even with credibility in the claims, I want nothing to do with an individual who could not find redemption in the character of the person she became. “What did you do as he attacked us?”
“I took us to the Dominion Realm so… we should be safe?” Sherry answered.
“Do you know how we might return to the Human Realm from here?”
“I… I could try. I apologise, I did it in a hurry.” Sherry returned to her praying posture again.
“I am not faulting you. Without your aid our lives likely would have been lost. But if there was credence to the spirit’s claim, I must find the truth for myself.”
“For now I would like to sleep.” Frederica pinched her nose bridge. “Thinking about all this will not help us now.”
“Very well,” Roland consented. As determined as he was it had been an undeniably long day for all of them.
“You idiot!” the Duchess yelled. “Did you really want us all dead?”
In a Realm neither of them could recognise, they were standing in a kind of space they could not quite comprehend. Sherry seemed to be kneeling on the floor, praying as the Duchess grabbed the young man by his collar.
“I am truly sorry I dragged both of you two into this. I did not think Solomon would be so indiscriminate,” Roland apologised with a sincere look of regret on his face. “However I stand by my words.” So much for the wise king, Roland thought, anger rising in him once again as he remembered the exchange. “I may have become heated back there, but I will not bow to a King who cannot understand the emotions of his subjects.”
“You think your words are more important than our lives? Grow up would you? You do not need to be so heated with a King,” Frederica replied, ironically heated herself. His subjects? Of course he understood his subject—Forneus.
“I did not mean to risk your lives. I was only speaking for myself, and I am deeply sorry for the consequence it brought upon you two, but to let the memory of my parent be trampled without resistance just to save myself would be the death of my spirit.”
“You do know that the Faerie spirits do not lie, yes?”
“I have heard the voice of Forneus, so King Solomon was not lying either…” Sherry informed, getting up from her prayer posture.
“I… was not aware,” Roland said in shock. He still could not truly say he believed what the spirit had said about his mother, but hearing the two he trusted support the claim was enough to shake him. “But even if she did commit the act the spirit spoke of, there must have been a reason. I cannot imagine the woman who raised me who valued honesty and justice committing such a heinous act,” he said, his voice trembling.
“Well, this is not something we can find out about anymore,” Frederica said, sighing. “I am just glad that we made it out alive. I thank you, Miss Sherry.”
“I am glad to be of help.” Sherry smiled. “It didn’t seem like it’d go well from the tone of the two anyway…”
“I honestly was trying to be polite as I could until the accusation against my mother.” Though even with credibility in the claims, I want nothing to do with an individual who could not find redemption in the character of the person she became. “What did you do as he attacked us?”
“I took us to the Dominion Realm so… we should be safe?” Sherry answered.
“Do you know how we might return to the Human Realm from here?”
“I… I could try. I apologise, I did it in a hurry.” Sherry returned to her praying posture again.
“I am not faulting you. Without your aid our lives likely would have been lost. But if there was credence to the spirit’s claim, I must find the truth for myself.”
“For now I would like to sleep.” Frederica pinched her nose bridge. “Thinking about all this will not help us now.”
“Very well,” Roland consented. As determined as he was it had been an undeniably long day for all of them.
1
Cinia Pacifica
Ojou-sama Writer
Roland and Frederica slumped themselves to the mansion after Sherry used her spell to bring them back to the Human World.
“Finally, we are back…” Frederica huffed, while the maidservants watched in surprise as their Mistress finally came back home, only to find that she had another guest for them.
The three sat down on the sofas and allowed the tension escape their tired bodies.
“Mistress, you have…”
Frederica was almost falling asleep. “Not now, Bertha, we’re so—”
“You have a letter from Her Royal Majesty.”
“What?!” Frederica jolted herself up from the sofa after hearing those words, taking the letter from the maid. She read the letter within a minute. “A… A ball held by the Royalty…?!”
“It sounds as though you will be busy. I am sorry from the sudden goodbye, but I must be off. I cannot sit still without knowing the truth of the past of my parent,” Roland said gathering his things. “Once again, I am truly sorry for what you went through on my behalf.”
“Well, I hope you come back in due time for my research project.”
“I will do what I can as I search and send you my findings, but I cannot promise when I will return.” Roland took out the ancient book on Descendants and handed it to the Duchess, “I will leave this with you, it will do me no good while I search, but with Sherry you can decipher it.”
What a stubborn child. Duchess Frederica sighed internally. “Then I shall deduct appropriately from the funds I would allot. By the by, if you wish to get stronger, I have a suggestion for you.”
“Strength, power, what good is any of it?” Roland scoffed, uncharacteristic of him. “Can it change the past? Can it answer the questions burning within me? What… what worth is there in pursuing it now after learning what I strove to be is a lie?” His voice cracked as he finished. “I am sorry. I know you are only trying to help, I just need to be on my own for a while.” Hurriedly, he grabbed his belonging and moved to leave.
“Very well. If you feel that you want to be how you are, feel free to go. If you ever feel the jolt of researching again, I may be here.”
With a choked “Thank you,” Roland bowed respectfully to the Duchess and left the mansion.
Roland was eerily still as he entered his family’s tavern. Walking behind the bar to where his mother had
stood all those years he leaned against the wall, his forehead pressing against the cold finished wood.
Thud.
His fist struck the wall with a dull sound.
Thud.
Again he struck it, the paneling splintered at the force.
Thud.
What memories?
Thud.
What ideals?
Thud.
What dreams?
Thud.
He struck the wall again and again, an unchanging tempo as tears streamed down his face.
Thud.
He did not stop as splinters drove into his fist.
Thud.
Nor as his blood dripped to the floor.
Thud.
Nor as his bones fractured and split.
Thud.
It was finally the wood of the wall giving way that brought an end to his incessant pounding. He lowered his fist, now a nearly unrecognizable mess of blood and bone fragments. For several minutes he stood there motionless, the only sound in the tavern was the dripping of blood from his mangled hand.
Without warning, the last vestige of reason that had been holding Roland together in the wake of the recent events finally vanished letting forth a primal rage. With a burst of savage strength he ripped the bar from floor, upending it, sending glasses and bottles flying. Smashing tables, splintering chairs, he lashed out at anything and everything around him in a whirlwind of self-loathing. Anger at himself for denying the spirit in ignorance. Anger at himself for dragging Frederica and Sherry into his mess. Anger at himself for lashing out at Frederica. And anger at himself for being unable to bring himself to hate his mother despite her crimes.
Panting, exhausted from his rampage he collapsed in the middle of the wreckage, broken glass and wood debris surrounding him. Grabbing one of the scattered bottles of spirits he drank deep, seeking escape, ignoring, as the strong liquor burned his throat. The alcohol numbed the pain, if only slightly. He crawled into a corner as he drank himself into a fitful sleep.
“Finally, we are back…” Frederica huffed, while the maidservants watched in surprise as their Mistress finally came back home, only to find that she had another guest for them.
The three sat down on the sofas and allowed the tension escape their tired bodies.
“Mistress, you have…”
Frederica was almost falling asleep. “Not now, Bertha, we’re so—”
“You have a letter from Her Royal Majesty.”
“What?!” Frederica jolted herself up from the sofa after hearing those words, taking the letter from the maid. She read the letter within a minute. “A… A ball held by the Royalty…?!”
“It sounds as though you will be busy. I am sorry from the sudden goodbye, but I must be off. I cannot sit still without knowing the truth of the past of my parent,” Roland said gathering his things. “Once again, I am truly sorry for what you went through on my behalf.”
“Well, I hope you come back in due time for my research project.”
“I will do what I can as I search and send you my findings, but I cannot promise when I will return.” Roland took out the ancient book on Descendants and handed it to the Duchess, “I will leave this with you, it will do me no good while I search, but with Sherry you can decipher it.”
What a stubborn child. Duchess Frederica sighed internally. “Then I shall deduct appropriately from the funds I would allot. By the by, if you wish to get stronger, I have a suggestion for you.”
“Strength, power, what good is any of it?” Roland scoffed, uncharacteristic of him. “Can it change the past? Can it answer the questions burning within me? What… what worth is there in pursuing it now after learning what I strove to be is a lie?” His voice cracked as he finished. “I am sorry. I know you are only trying to help, I just need to be on my own for a while.” Hurriedly, he grabbed his belonging and moved to leave.
“Very well. If you feel that you want to be how you are, feel free to go. If you ever feel the jolt of researching again, I may be here.”
With a choked “Thank you,” Roland bowed respectfully to the Duchess and left the mansion.
***
Roland was eerily still as he entered his family’s tavern. Walking behind the bar to where his mother had
stood all those years he leaned against the wall, his forehead pressing against the cold finished wood.
Thud.
His fist struck the wall with a dull sound.
Thud.
Again he struck it, the paneling splintered at the force.
Thud.
What memories?
Thud.
What ideals?
Thud.
What dreams?
Thud.
He struck the wall again and again, an unchanging tempo as tears streamed down his face.
Thud.
He did not stop as splinters drove into his fist.
Thud.
Nor as his blood dripped to the floor.
Thud.
Nor as his bones fractured and split.
Thud.
It was finally the wood of the wall giving way that brought an end to his incessant pounding. He lowered his fist, now a nearly unrecognizable mess of blood and bone fragments. For several minutes he stood there motionless, the only sound in the tavern was the dripping of blood from his mangled hand.
Without warning, the last vestige of reason that had been holding Roland together in the wake of the recent events finally vanished letting forth a primal rage. With a burst of savage strength he ripped the bar from floor, upending it, sending glasses and bottles flying. Smashing tables, splintering chairs, he lashed out at anything and everything around him in a whirlwind of self-loathing. Anger at himself for denying the spirit in ignorance. Anger at himself for dragging Frederica and Sherry into his mess. Anger at himself for lashing out at Frederica. And anger at himself for being unable to bring himself to hate his mother despite her crimes.
Panting, exhausted from his rampage he collapsed in the middle of the wreckage, broken glass and wood debris surrounding him. Grabbing one of the scattered bottles of spirits he drank deep, seeking escape, ignoring, as the strong liquor burned his throat. The alcohol numbed the pain, if only slightly. He crawled into a corner as he drank himself into a fitful sleep.
1
Cinia Pacifica
Ojou-sama Writer
“It seems like we found ourselves back here again, Mistress,” Nancy said. She sat down across the table of the café they last visited with her Mistress. Finding the attendant waiting for them, she enquired, “What would you like to have today?”
“I think I’ll have a coffee with some cookies. How about you, Nancy?”
“A cup of tea will be enough for me, Mistress.”
“Noted, noted,” Layla said with her booming voice before she ran into the café to get the items.
“You know Nancy, these past days I feel like you enjoyed putting these monstrosities that are corsets on me. I still can’t get used to it.”
“Oh, I love dressing people up, and sometimes myself, of course. When your body adjusts to a better figure, the corset will start to fit in properly. It would take time, however. Have I told you before that there are corsets out there that may protect you from bullets?”
“No, but I can only imagine how painful it would be to put that one on if it protects you from bullets,” Svetlana said as she shivered at the thought of such corsets. “By the way, Nancy do the maids have to wear one? Or do you just wear undergarments underneath?”
“Yes, yes I do. In fact, it is paid for by nobles usually. I do not have a cloth corset for homewear, though. I suppose I do not really need it.”
“We should get you one for when we just stay at home then. It’s nice to go shopping, I get to see more of the city.”
“Shall we be off after we rest here, my Lady? I would like to commission a custom dress for you from a tailor, in fact,” Nancy said as she clapped her hand in agreement.
“That's fine with me. Though, now that you mentioned that, I feel like doing the same for Isabelle and for her maid. They're both so adorable,” Svetlana said as her eyes sparkled at the thoughts of dresses coming to her head.
“Ah, custom dresses cost a little more, but I was intending to have a costume made that would be suitable for use in combat, Mistress.”
“I see. Well, I probably should hold off then. By the way, Nancy you know anything about sewing?”
“Yes. Why, Mistress?”
“All my previous clothing doesn’t fit me anymore, so I was thinking of trying to adjust them to Isabelle and Rosalie’s size. I’m certain that it’d look adorable on them.”
“Why not just discard those shameful things instead?”
“Ehh?! I would not. Those were given to me by my mother.”
“Shall we use them as decorations in the trophy room?”
“I’d rather see them worn by someone than see them as display.”
“I was joking, my Lady, we do have an armoury room however, where clothes may also be kept safely inside decorative setups.”
While the two were speaking, Charlotte and Weiss entered and sat on the other table.
“So, mother, how do you like the book so far?” Charlotte asked.
“It’s good. I’ve been reading it for the past three days now,” Weiss answered and continued to read the book.
“Do you prefer more stranger or explicit works? My sisters have quite the unique tastes.”
“Actually no, I find fiction books are much more enjoyable.”
“I shall share another work soon enough. Ah, but definitely never read that… Fifty Shades of Grey.”
“Isn’t that the fanfiction of a badly written book that was… so bad it even made people hate the source material more?”
“It did? Claudia made me read it and I had no idea what it may have been based on, but I did not find it very enjoyable.”
“I’ll give you a little teaser, it’s a story about sparkling vampires having a relationship with a wolf girl.”
“That makes no sense whatsoever, mother.”
“I know right? The person who wrote it must be on some kind of medication.” Weiss shivered.
Charlotte chuckled. “I hope not. That sounds like a very strange story indeed. Shall we order the usual?” she asked when Layla started to approach them.
Weiss nodded and smiled. “Sure.”
Charlotte only made a gesture and Layla noted it before walking away. It seemed like she just placed the food on another table before they arrived. Charlotte noted the people on the other table from the corner of her eyes but chose to ignore them.
“So, what did you and father do during your married life? Surely you shared a hobby or two with him.”
“Well, he did brought me to camp with him. Taught me how to survive in the wilds and all.”
“Camping? Is that another modern sport I am ignorant about? I feel like I have heard of it before but I cannot place a finger on it.”
“Basically, you spend the night outside of your house. Usually it takes place in an open field near a forest or a river.”
“Sounds really adventurous. I have never found much time to venture out in the wilderness like that before. It seemed like the society here looks down on such things, too.”
“Ahaha, we should do it sometime. Some fresh air is good for your health you know.”
“Like the ones in America?” Charlotte asked. “I think that is too good a luxury, but I do not think I want to skip classes more than I did already.”
“Any place that’s away from technology. I don’t think the old park is still here though. Me and your father often camped there.”
On the other hand, the new Duchess was drinking her coffee.
“This coffee sure tastes good.” Svetlana said, taking another sip. “Though I think it’ll be bad to make it a habit to have it oft—” Svetlana soon stopped what she was saying as she noticed a familiar face right in front of her. She pulled Nancy closer to her. “Listen to me carefully, you see the one in front of us the with two different eye colors eyes? She works for Virgo. I want to attack her right now to find out everything she knows, but even I know that is foolish. So I need you to help me come up with something,” Svetlana whispered into Nancy’s ear.
It seemed like Svetlana didn’t recognise Charlotte from the previous battle with Virgo, who was witnessed alongside her great enemy as a Representative. Perhaps she way too focused on Virgo? Likely, the only reason she realized the face of Weiss was due to having seen her even before meeting Virgo back in Russia.
“That is… rather sudden. Mistress, even if you say it, we do not have a favorable battlefield around here.” …She wants to learn everything that lady knows by attacking her?
“I know that, but how am I supposed to take it, when the one she serves someone that killed my mother and my best friend is right in front of me?” Svetlana tried to restrain herself from raising her voice.
“Have some patience? We could follow them after they leave the café.”
“Fine.”
Weiss gestured her finger, pointing at her ear, wanting Charlotte to get closer so that she can speak with her.
“Yes?” Charlotte did not lean forward. “I can hear, go on,” she spoke in a hushed tone.
“I think those two behind me might’ve realised that I work for the Boss Lady. That one behind you has been staring at me for several minutes now without blinking,” Weiss whispered. “And I can feel her obvious bloodlust.”
“That maid too? I do not remember her from our previous conflict.”
“No, I don’t think she was on our previous conflict. I think she’s her maid. Of course she shared her findings with her maid. Here’s what we’re going to do.”
“I have somewhat noticed who that blonde lady is, but I suppose I wanted to ignore her… go on.”
The two abruptly got up from their chairs. Charlotte gave an apologetic smile to Layla before she and Weiss walked out. Layla seemed to say something but they couldn’t hear it due to the noise of the padestrians.
“So, shall we follow them now?” Svetlana wanted to sprint out and follow behind them quickly.
“...Yes?” Nancy barely spoke as she was getting off the chair—having just gestured to Layla to cancel the order—and Svetlana was already going out of sight. “Please wait, Mistress!” Nancy ran after Svetlana.
“I think I’ll have a coffee with some cookies. How about you, Nancy?”
“A cup of tea will be enough for me, Mistress.”
“Noted, noted,” Layla said with her booming voice before she ran into the café to get the items.
“You know Nancy, these past days I feel like you enjoyed putting these monstrosities that are corsets on me. I still can’t get used to it.”
“Oh, I love dressing people up, and sometimes myself, of course. When your body adjusts to a better figure, the corset will start to fit in properly. It would take time, however. Have I told you before that there are corsets out there that may protect you from bullets?”
“No, but I can only imagine how painful it would be to put that one on if it protects you from bullets,” Svetlana said as she shivered at the thought of such corsets. “By the way, Nancy do the maids have to wear one? Or do you just wear undergarments underneath?”
“Yes, yes I do. In fact, it is paid for by nobles usually. I do not have a cloth corset for homewear, though. I suppose I do not really need it.”
“We should get you one for when we just stay at home then. It’s nice to go shopping, I get to see more of the city.”
“Shall we be off after we rest here, my Lady? I would like to commission a custom dress for you from a tailor, in fact,” Nancy said as she clapped her hand in agreement.
“That's fine with me. Though, now that you mentioned that, I feel like doing the same for Isabelle and for her maid. They're both so adorable,” Svetlana said as her eyes sparkled at the thoughts of dresses coming to her head.
“Ah, custom dresses cost a little more, but I was intending to have a costume made that would be suitable for use in combat, Mistress.”
“I see. Well, I probably should hold off then. By the way, Nancy you know anything about sewing?”
“Yes. Why, Mistress?”
“All my previous clothing doesn’t fit me anymore, so I was thinking of trying to adjust them to Isabelle and Rosalie’s size. I’m certain that it’d look adorable on them.”
“Why not just discard those shameful things instead?”
“Ehh?! I would not. Those were given to me by my mother.”
“Shall we use them as decorations in the trophy room?”
“I’d rather see them worn by someone than see them as display.”
“I was joking, my Lady, we do have an armoury room however, where clothes may also be kept safely inside decorative setups.”
While the two were speaking, Charlotte and Weiss entered and sat on the other table.
“So, mother, how do you like the book so far?” Charlotte asked.
“It’s good. I’ve been reading it for the past three days now,” Weiss answered and continued to read the book.
“Do you prefer more stranger or explicit works? My sisters have quite the unique tastes.”
“Actually no, I find fiction books are much more enjoyable.”
“I shall share another work soon enough. Ah, but definitely never read that… Fifty Shades of Grey.”
“Isn’t that the fanfiction of a badly written book that was… so bad it even made people hate the source material more?”
“It did? Claudia made me read it and I had no idea what it may have been based on, but I did not find it very enjoyable.”
“I’ll give you a little teaser, it’s a story about sparkling vampires having a relationship with a wolf girl.”
“That makes no sense whatsoever, mother.”
“I know right? The person who wrote it must be on some kind of medication.” Weiss shivered.
Charlotte chuckled. “I hope not. That sounds like a very strange story indeed. Shall we order the usual?” she asked when Layla started to approach them.
Weiss nodded and smiled. “Sure.”
Charlotte only made a gesture and Layla noted it before walking away. It seemed like she just placed the food on another table before they arrived. Charlotte noted the people on the other table from the corner of her eyes but chose to ignore them.
“So, what did you and father do during your married life? Surely you shared a hobby or two with him.”
“Well, he did brought me to camp with him. Taught me how to survive in the wilds and all.”
“Camping? Is that another modern sport I am ignorant about? I feel like I have heard of it before but I cannot place a finger on it.”
“Basically, you spend the night outside of your house. Usually it takes place in an open field near a forest or a river.”
“Sounds really adventurous. I have never found much time to venture out in the wilderness like that before. It seemed like the society here looks down on such things, too.”
“Ahaha, we should do it sometime. Some fresh air is good for your health you know.”
“Like the ones in America?” Charlotte asked. “I think that is too good a luxury, but I do not think I want to skip classes more than I did already.”
“Any place that’s away from technology. I don’t think the old park is still here though. Me and your father often camped there.”
On the other hand, the new Duchess was drinking her coffee.
“This coffee sure tastes good.” Svetlana said, taking another sip. “Though I think it’ll be bad to make it a habit to have it oft—” Svetlana soon stopped what she was saying as she noticed a familiar face right in front of her. She pulled Nancy closer to her. “Listen to me carefully, you see the one in front of us the with two different eye colors eyes? She works for Virgo. I want to attack her right now to find out everything she knows, but even I know that is foolish. So I need you to help me come up with something,” Svetlana whispered into Nancy’s ear.
It seemed like Svetlana didn’t recognise Charlotte from the previous battle with Virgo, who was witnessed alongside her great enemy as a Representative. Perhaps she way too focused on Virgo? Likely, the only reason she realized the face of Weiss was due to having seen her even before meeting Virgo back in Russia.
“That is… rather sudden. Mistress, even if you say it, we do not have a favorable battlefield around here.” …She wants to learn everything that lady knows by attacking her?
“I know that, but how am I supposed to take it, when the one she serves someone that killed my mother and my best friend is right in front of me?” Svetlana tried to restrain herself from raising her voice.
“Have some patience? We could follow them after they leave the café.”
“Fine.”
Weiss gestured her finger, pointing at her ear, wanting Charlotte to get closer so that she can speak with her.
“Yes?” Charlotte did not lean forward. “I can hear, go on,” she spoke in a hushed tone.
“I think those two behind me might’ve realised that I work for the Boss Lady. That one behind you has been staring at me for several minutes now without blinking,” Weiss whispered. “And I can feel her obvious bloodlust.”
“That maid too? I do not remember her from our previous conflict.”
“No, I don’t think she was on our previous conflict. I think she’s her maid. Of course she shared her findings with her maid. Here’s what we’re going to do.”
“I have somewhat noticed who that blonde lady is, but I suppose I wanted to ignore her… go on.”
The two abruptly got up from their chairs. Charlotte gave an apologetic smile to Layla before she and Weiss walked out. Layla seemed to say something but they couldn’t hear it due to the noise of the padestrians.
“So, shall we follow them now?” Svetlana wanted to sprint out and follow behind them quickly.
“...Yes?” Nancy barely spoke as she was getting off the chair—having just gestured to Layla to cancel the order—and Svetlana was already going out of sight. “Please wait, Mistress!” Nancy ran after Svetlana.
1
Cinia Pacifica
Ojou-sama Writer
The pair consisting of Svetlana and her maid, Nancy, saw Weiss and Charlotte walking side by side for some time, entering the crowd of people in the cobblestone streets. The maid and the Mistress kept vigilance of their surroundings, and didn’t let them out of sight even for a second.
Some minutes later, however, Weiss was gone and Charlotte was still ahead of them.
“What the heck?! Where did the other one go?” Svetlana said angrily. Unable to believe she lost sight of one of them. “Nancy, make sure to check behind us.”
“I think I saw her hair on that alleyway, Mistress,” Nancy informed.
“Damn it! Let’s go after her. They’re rather strong. If we come into conflict, I’d rather it be one versus two instead one on one. Just keep an eye out for the other one if she decides to follow.” Svetlana started to walk towards the alleyway.
“I feel like… the other one is about to use magic, at least based on my sensitivity. What shall we do? It is risky to leave either of them be.”
“Damn it. We can’t outright fight in the city. As much as I want to find Virgo, I don’t want to ruin the new life I’m starting with Isabelle here.” Svetlana was frustrated, despite the fact that she just wanted to rush after her. “Fine. Whatever, I’ll hold back for now. If she attacks us, we’ll retaliate. As much as I want to find her, it’s not worth it if I get kicked out of the country with Isabelle as we only just got here.”
“Simply go to the alleyway, Mistress? We could split up, however risky it sounds. I would not condone you, Mistress, for pursuing your enemies. I shall do what I can to hold back that person… she is a student from Royal Academy if I remember correctly. Perhaps she is not as strong as the enemy you recognise.”
“Okay then, just don’t do anything that would get you killed,” Svetlana said as she ran into the alleyway.
“Yes, please be careful too, Mistress.” Albeit I would like to say the same to her too. Nancy and Svetlana thus splited up.
Just as planned, Weiss thought as she faced her pursuer in an empty alleyway with her hands crossed.
“Where’s Virgo? If you tell me now I might just let you off easy!” Svetlana questioned angrily.
“Whoa! So fiesty.” Weiss sighed. “Look, I came here for a holiday and I don’t want any trouble. Besides, I don’t know who you are and what you want with this so-called †˜Virgo’,” she continued and shook her head.
“Don’t play dumb, you idiot. I saw you with my own eyes when you shielded her back at the Lunar Temple. Now tell me where the heck that wench is!”
“It was a job, ma’am. I work for the highest bidder. After I escaped the battle I didn’t know where she went. Hell, I didn’t even know what happened after I ran away,” Weiss calmly answered.
“I see. So, you’re gonna keep playing the role of an idiot.” Svetlana clapped her hands twice soon after a ball of fire formed in her hand. “I’ll give you one more chance. Where is that stupid wench Virgo?!”
Weiss sighed and realised that she couldn’t be reasoned with. “Look, like I told you. I don’t know where Virgo went after the fight. Hell, I don’t even know if she’s alive. Now ,will you please calm dow—” Weiss was cut midway as a Flame Spear flew right beside her head, hitting the wall behind her.
“Didn’t I say to stop playing stupid, and tell me where Virgo is?!” Svetlana said, with pure hatred this time. “The next one will land right on your forehead.”
“Like I said, I don’t know where Virgo is.”
Svetlana conjured another Flame Spear and aimed it at Weiss’ forehead. The spear went right into Weiss’ forehead, but it went through as if Weiss was made of smoke. Her eyes held a light shine and Svetlana saw the constellation marks of Cancer.
“Good job, you did managed to aim at my forehead.”
Svetlana found herself surprised at meeting another Descendant. She was so focused in her previous fight with Virgo that she only noted her face and fought with Virgo only, ignoring Weiss who was dealt with by others.
You’re Cancer? Just my rotten luck, isn’t it another Time Warrior.”
“How did you—” Weiss facepalm as she remembered that her previous move was one of her Commandments that she activated. “I’m sorry for doing this.” Weiss dashed in before Svetlana could even react, delivering three blows to Svetlana’s stomach and chest.
Svetlana winced from the pain. She may have been experienced in fights, but taking direct blows wasn’t her strong suit, especially because she wasn’t a close-ranged fighter.
“Damn it! Are you some kind of perverted a Time Warrior?!” Svetlana placed her hand on her stomach, but could feel the sting on her breast as well.
“Not really, like I said, I’m on a holiday now. Besides, I blame your huge milk jugs!” Weiss pointed at Svetlana’s rather big breasts.
“Well, sorry for suddenly getting big, you idiot.”
Svetlana clapped her hands twice, spread her legs wide, and a little portal appeared below her, she followed it by placing her hand near it, casting a bolt of lighting which soon appeared above Weiss’ head. The bolt struck at the android directly, electrocuting her body. Due to her metallic frame, the electrocution last a little bit longer.
“That’s just rude.” Weiss dashed in once more, and used her Commandment to go through the ground and pop back out behind svetlana. “You also have a great ass-et right here.” Weiss spanked her twice before sinking back into the ground, escaping the battle field.
Svetlana yet again winced from the pain and tried to turn around to land her own punch only to watch Weiss disappear to the ground below. “Damn you, pervert!” Svetlana fell on the ground subsequently, feeling the stingy pain on her body.
“Here use this,” Weiss’ hand popped out of the ground again, throwing Svetlana some special band aids and painkillers. “Sorry for hitting you too hard!”
Weiss waved and ran off below ground. Now where did my daughter go?
Svetlana stood up, still feeling the sting on her body, but wasn’t sure of what to do with what Weiss left behind. “Whatever, I guess I’ll just take it and find what this really is later.” She said picking up the stuff as she began to walk away to look for Nancy.
Later in the day, Svetlana found Nancy on an alley on the other side of the road but she didn’t seemed to be injured. They found themselves returning home in the end.
Some minutes later, however, Weiss was gone and Charlotte was still ahead of them.
“What the heck?! Where did the other one go?” Svetlana said angrily. Unable to believe she lost sight of one of them. “Nancy, make sure to check behind us.”
“I think I saw her hair on that alleyway, Mistress,” Nancy informed.
“Damn it! Let’s go after her. They’re rather strong. If we come into conflict, I’d rather it be one versus two instead one on one. Just keep an eye out for the other one if she decides to follow.” Svetlana started to walk towards the alleyway.
“I feel like… the other one is about to use magic, at least based on my sensitivity. What shall we do? It is risky to leave either of them be.”
“Damn it. We can’t outright fight in the city. As much as I want to find Virgo, I don’t want to ruin the new life I’m starting with Isabelle here.” Svetlana was frustrated, despite the fact that she just wanted to rush after her. “Fine. Whatever, I’ll hold back for now. If she attacks us, we’ll retaliate. As much as I want to find her, it’s not worth it if I get kicked out of the country with Isabelle as we only just got here.”
“Simply go to the alleyway, Mistress? We could split up, however risky it sounds. I would not condone you, Mistress, for pursuing your enemies. I shall do what I can to hold back that person… she is a student from Royal Academy if I remember correctly. Perhaps she is not as strong as the enemy you recognise.”
“Okay then, just don’t do anything that would get you killed,” Svetlana said as she ran into the alleyway.
“Yes, please be careful too, Mistress.” Albeit I would like to say the same to her too. Nancy and Svetlana thus splited up.
Just as planned, Weiss thought as she faced her pursuer in an empty alleyway with her hands crossed.
“Where’s Virgo? If you tell me now I might just let you off easy!” Svetlana questioned angrily.
“Whoa! So fiesty.” Weiss sighed. “Look, I came here for a holiday and I don’t want any trouble. Besides, I don’t know who you are and what you want with this so-called †˜Virgo’,” she continued and shook her head.
“Don’t play dumb, you idiot. I saw you with my own eyes when you shielded her back at the Lunar Temple. Now tell me where the heck that wench is!”
“It was a job, ma’am. I work for the highest bidder. After I escaped the battle I didn’t know where she went. Hell, I didn’t even know what happened after I ran away,” Weiss calmly answered.
“I see. So, you’re gonna keep playing the role of an idiot.” Svetlana clapped her hands twice soon after a ball of fire formed in her hand. “I’ll give you one more chance. Where is that stupid wench Virgo?!”
Weiss sighed and realised that she couldn’t be reasoned with. “Look, like I told you. I don’t know where Virgo went after the fight. Hell, I don’t even know if she’s alive. Now ,will you please calm dow—” Weiss was cut midway as a Flame Spear flew right beside her head, hitting the wall behind her.
“Didn’t I say to stop playing stupid, and tell me where Virgo is?!” Svetlana said, with pure hatred this time. “The next one will land right on your forehead.”
“Like I said, I don’t know where Virgo is.”
Svetlana conjured another Flame Spear and aimed it at Weiss’ forehead. The spear went right into Weiss’ forehead, but it went through as if Weiss was made of smoke. Her eyes held a light shine and Svetlana saw the constellation marks of Cancer.
“Good job, you did managed to aim at my forehead.”
Svetlana found herself surprised at meeting another Descendant. She was so focused in her previous fight with Virgo that she only noted her face and fought with Virgo only, ignoring Weiss who was dealt with by others.
You’re Cancer? Just my rotten luck, isn’t it another Time Warrior.”
“How did you—” Weiss facepalm as she remembered that her previous move was one of her Commandments that she activated. “I’m sorry for doing this.” Weiss dashed in before Svetlana could even react, delivering three blows to Svetlana’s stomach and chest.
Svetlana winced from the pain. She may have been experienced in fights, but taking direct blows wasn’t her strong suit, especially because she wasn’t a close-ranged fighter.
“Damn it! Are you some kind of perverted a Time Warrior?!” Svetlana placed her hand on her stomach, but could feel the sting on her breast as well.
“Not really, like I said, I’m on a holiday now. Besides, I blame your huge milk jugs!” Weiss pointed at Svetlana’s rather big breasts.
“Well, sorry for suddenly getting big, you idiot.”
Svetlana clapped her hands twice, spread her legs wide, and a little portal appeared below her, she followed it by placing her hand near it, casting a bolt of lighting which soon appeared above Weiss’ head. The bolt struck at the android directly, electrocuting her body. Due to her metallic frame, the electrocution last a little bit longer.
“That’s just rude.” Weiss dashed in once more, and used her Commandment to go through the ground and pop back out behind svetlana. “You also have a great ass-et right here.” Weiss spanked her twice before sinking back into the ground, escaping the battle field.
Svetlana yet again winced from the pain and tried to turn around to land her own punch only to watch Weiss disappear to the ground below. “Damn you, pervert!” Svetlana fell on the ground subsequently, feeling the stingy pain on her body.
“Here use this,” Weiss’ hand popped out of the ground again, throwing Svetlana some special band aids and painkillers. “Sorry for hitting you too hard!”
Weiss waved and ran off below ground. Now where did my daughter go?
Svetlana stood up, still feeling the sting on her body, but wasn’t sure of what to do with what Weiss left behind. “Whatever, I guess I’ll just take it and find what this really is later.” She said picking up the stuff as she began to walk away to look for Nancy.
Later in the day, Svetlana found Nancy on an alley on the other side of the road but she didn’t seemed to be injured. They found themselves returning home in the end.
1
Cinia Pacifica
Ojou-sama Writer
Weiss was back home with Charlotte, her daughter.
The walls, the mansion, and the fields were always plain no matter how many times she saw it. There were no gardens or greenery here. In truth, there were hardly any greenery anywhere in London except a few gardens painstakingly kept by nobles, and one famed park.
“Welcome home, Mistress Charlotte, and Miss Weiss,” the only maid of the house greeted as the two ladies entered past the main door.
“Jane, I wish you would address my mother with a bit more respect.”
“I apologise, Mistress Charlotte.”
Jane was clearly unable to accept the explanation about her biological mother. The fact that she knew Charlotte’s apparent foster parent baffled her to no end, and she couldn’t really find similarities in appearance between the so-called mother and daughter pair here.
Do I really appear that young? Weiss thought as she touched her cheeks and chin and sighed. I never really got to see myself in a mirror lately. Last time was… decades ago. Weiss sighed again.
(GM Comment: She is such a sigh lord and I’m only realizing this now. I wonder if she lets out real steam due to being an android, huhu.)
“Do not mind her,” Charlotte whispered. “She probably does not take a liking to all those metallic modifications.”
“But do I really look young? How old are you right now, my dear?” Weiss asked her daughter.
“Around two-hundred?”
“Without counting the hundred, Just the last two numbers.”
“Zero and five I would say.”
“Hmmm. . .so that means I gave birth to you in the twenty thirds.” Weiss sighed again. “No wonder your maid doesn’t think that I look like the mom type.”
“My maid was only hired about ten years ago, and my foster parent kept changing over the years. My sisters would grew up and replaced the role.” I think most women would be proud of looking young forever though, mother.
“Ahhh. . . I see.”
“I shall go and be refreshed, mother. You may use one of the other bathrooms in the house too.” She walked up the stairs and to her room.
“Alright, I’ll do that.” Weiss watched her daughter walked up to her room. Now then, I should walk go for a walk around the house… Weiss thought.
A few minutes later Weiss stopped and fell down on her knees.
Oh no not now…!
She immediately ran to her room and searched for her bullet crafting kit in her weapons bag. “Oh shi—I forgot to bring it with me.” She walked around her room. Figuratively, a bulb lit up from above her head.
Weiss used her Commandment, and walked through the walls to her daughter’s room.
The room of Charlotte Brontë was very clean and organized. At the same time, the room was relatively empty. There was only a bed and a desk, and a closet. The room was too big for one lady, but Weiss realized that there were different standards here.
Weiss heard the noises of running water from her bathroom some distance away due to her trained senses. A jarring sound of a machine was heard too, the steam machine running and producing hot water for her tub.
Perfect. Weiss removed her clothes and underwear. Some moments later, Weiss casually walked through the walls and visited the large bathroom of her daughter.
“I-I need your help.”
The bathroom had clean and shiny tile floor. There were a few Engine Lights to illuminate the big place. A tub was seen by the android in the middle where the hot water was still filling up. It wasn’t very spacious, which was unexpected of a seemingly rich lady like her daughter.
Charlotte sat on the corner away from the tub. Humming, she gently massaged hair and scalp with her fingers after applying some shampoo. Items like shampoos were very rare at the time but Charlotte managed to get some imported through her connections.
She didn’t notice?
Obviously, Charlotte didn’t hear Weiss at all despite her extraordinary hearing.
Weiss’ Commandment was meant for one to act discreet. To add, she was still passing through the wall while speaking. The android who was Charlotte’s biological mother was a clumsy person sometimes. Thankfully, Charlotte didn’t seemed to pick up this trait. She was more dextrous like her late father.
Weiss sneaked behind her daughter, crouching down before she blew lightly on her daughter’s left ear.
“I’ll clean your back.” Weiss whispered gently in Charlotte’s ear as she took the soap up.
“M-Mother?!” Charlotte was startled, quirking her head to find Weiss behind herself.
Weiss gently rubbed her hands to create bubbles with said soap and placed them on Charlotte’s back.
“My Commandment’s side effect. I must focus on something in order for it to leave. I forgot to bring my bullet crafting kit so I had to find an alternative.”
“A...A side-effect? Well, thank you.” Charlotte smiled, still rubbing her scalp. “You should have told me if you wanted to join me earlier.”
“No, thank you.” Weiss’ hands started to move to Charlotte’s stomach. She pressed her chest on Charlotte’s back as she start tapping on her daughter’s stomach.
“W-What are you doing, Mother?”
“Skinship?” Weiss’ hand moved up again to Charlotte’s breasts. “Mnnn… soft.”
“I-Is that a modern thing? That tickles!” Despite her words, she moaned instead.
“No one has ever touched you before?” Weiss was surprised with her response and continued to caress her breasts.
“O-Of course not! I had never been courted before by a gentleman.”
Someone was pretty as Charlotte was of course courted by men before, she just happened refused. For she had Mary.
“…For hundreds of years you’ve never been touched by a gentleman.” Weiss softly pinched her sensitive parts. “I shall teach you a few my poor daughter.”
Weiss made her daughter moan and pant. She could feel Charlotte’s body trembling. The daughter’s cheeks were flushed full of blood from the newfound excitement she felt and couldn’t stop this new sensation from overwhelming her.
“Nghh… ! T-Teach me what?!”
“On how.” Weiss gently rubbed her breasts. “To be.” She gently licked the nape of Charlotte’s neck, “A woman.”
“I-I do not need such a thin—ahn!! You should really not lick there, mother…” She trembling seemed to intensify from being licked on the back of her neck, apparently it was a sensitive spot.
“Someday you will,” Weiss continued to lick the back of Charlotte’s neck and moved one hand down to her crotch and caressed gently.
“This is absolutely sexual harassment!”
Charlotte simply couldn’t understand why she was panting from being touched like this, nor why her body was feeling tired. The heavy breathing seemed to be completely unjustified. To think there was such a weakness in a woman’s body.
“It’s not, my dear.” Weiss put her other hand on Charlotte’s lips. “Suck on my finger.”
“Suck… why?”
“Because its erotic.” Weiss realised that the effects were gone. “Oh, thank god it’s gone now.” Weiss finally released her daughter. “Come on, let’s go to the tub.”
Charlotte only gave a terse nod, relieved that she was finally over. She was still embarrassed and unsettled from Weiss’ actions before she heaved a sigh. She stood up and lowered her body into the steamy hot water alongside her mother. As the tub wasn’t very spacious, she and Weiss had to somehow squeeze in together and make do.
“I apologise that it is so small. It was meant for one person.”
“It’s alright. Besides I never showered you before so there’s that.” Weiss patted her daughter.
“I sometimes wonder how I came to be in the Brontë household,” Charlotte said, looking down at her own reflection on the steamy water.
Weiss reached her daughter’s chin and raised it up. “Don’t think about it too much, what’s done in the past is done. All that we can do is move forward.”
“Mn…” Her face was a mix of seriousness and dazedness. “All I can do is look for Mary now.”
“Then focus on that objective. I have your back, you know? We’re both looking for someone we love.”
“Mhm. Thanks, mother.”
The walls, the mansion, and the fields were always plain no matter how many times she saw it. There were no gardens or greenery here. In truth, there were hardly any greenery anywhere in London except a few gardens painstakingly kept by nobles, and one famed park.
“Welcome home, Mistress Charlotte, and Miss Weiss,” the only maid of the house greeted as the two ladies entered past the main door.
“Jane, I wish you would address my mother with a bit more respect.”
“I apologise, Mistress Charlotte.”
Jane was clearly unable to accept the explanation about her biological mother. The fact that she knew Charlotte’s apparent foster parent baffled her to no end, and she couldn’t really find similarities in appearance between the so-called mother and daughter pair here.
Do I really appear that young? Weiss thought as she touched her cheeks and chin and sighed. I never really got to see myself in a mirror lately. Last time was… decades ago. Weiss sighed again.
(GM Comment: She is such a sigh lord and I’m only realizing this now. I wonder if she lets out real steam due to being an android, huhu.)
“Do not mind her,” Charlotte whispered. “She probably does not take a liking to all those metallic modifications.”
“But do I really look young? How old are you right now, my dear?” Weiss asked her daughter.
“Around two-hundred?”
“Without counting the hundred, Just the last two numbers.”
“Zero and five I would say.”
“Hmmm. . .so that means I gave birth to you in the twenty thirds.” Weiss sighed again. “No wonder your maid doesn’t think that I look like the mom type.”
“My maid was only hired about ten years ago, and my foster parent kept changing over the years. My sisters would grew up and replaced the role.” I think most women would be proud of looking young forever though, mother.
“Ahhh. . . I see.”
“I shall go and be refreshed, mother. You may use one of the other bathrooms in the house too.” She walked up the stairs and to her room.
“Alright, I’ll do that.” Weiss watched her daughter walked up to her room. Now then, I should walk go for a walk around the house… Weiss thought.
***
A few minutes later Weiss stopped and fell down on her knees.
Oh no not now…!
She immediately ran to her room and searched for her bullet crafting kit in her weapons bag. “Oh shi—I forgot to bring it with me.” She walked around her room. Figuratively, a bulb lit up from above her head.
Weiss used her Commandment, and walked through the walls to her daughter’s room.
The room of Charlotte Brontë was very clean and organized. At the same time, the room was relatively empty. There was only a bed and a desk, and a closet. The room was too big for one lady, but Weiss realized that there were different standards here.
Weiss heard the noises of running water from her bathroom some distance away due to her trained senses. A jarring sound of a machine was heard too, the steam machine running and producing hot water for her tub.
Perfect. Weiss removed her clothes and underwear. Some moments later, Weiss casually walked through the walls and visited the large bathroom of her daughter.
“I-I need your help.”
The bathroom had clean and shiny tile floor. There were a few Engine Lights to illuminate the big place. A tub was seen by the android in the middle where the hot water was still filling up. It wasn’t very spacious, which was unexpected of a seemingly rich lady like her daughter.
Charlotte sat on the corner away from the tub. Humming, she gently massaged hair and scalp with her fingers after applying some shampoo. Items like shampoos were very rare at the time but Charlotte managed to get some imported through her connections.
She didn’t notice?
Obviously, Charlotte didn’t hear Weiss at all despite her extraordinary hearing.
Weiss’ Commandment was meant for one to act discreet. To add, she was still passing through the wall while speaking. The android who was Charlotte’s biological mother was a clumsy person sometimes. Thankfully, Charlotte didn’t seemed to pick up this trait. She was more dextrous like her late father.
Weiss sneaked behind her daughter, crouching down before she blew lightly on her daughter’s left ear.
“I’ll clean your back.” Weiss whispered gently in Charlotte’s ear as she took the soap up.
“M-Mother?!” Charlotte was startled, quirking her head to find Weiss behind herself.
Weiss gently rubbed her hands to create bubbles with said soap and placed them on Charlotte’s back.
“My Commandment’s side effect. I must focus on something in order for it to leave. I forgot to bring my bullet crafting kit so I had to find an alternative.”
“A...A side-effect? Well, thank you.” Charlotte smiled, still rubbing her scalp. “You should have told me if you wanted to join me earlier.”
“No, thank you.” Weiss’ hands started to move to Charlotte’s stomach. She pressed her chest on Charlotte’s back as she start tapping on her daughter’s stomach.
“W-What are you doing, Mother?”
“Skinship?” Weiss’ hand moved up again to Charlotte’s breasts. “Mnnn… soft.”
“I-Is that a modern thing? That tickles!” Despite her words, she moaned instead.
“No one has ever touched you before?” Weiss was surprised with her response and continued to caress her breasts.
“O-Of course not! I had never been courted before by a gentleman.”
Someone was pretty as Charlotte was of course courted by men before, she just happened refused. For she had Mary.
“…For hundreds of years you’ve never been touched by a gentleman.” Weiss softly pinched her sensitive parts. “I shall teach you a few my poor daughter.”
Weiss made her daughter moan and pant. She could feel Charlotte’s body trembling. The daughter’s cheeks were flushed full of blood from the newfound excitement she felt and couldn’t stop this new sensation from overwhelming her.
“Nghh… ! T-Teach me what?!”
“On how.” Weiss gently rubbed her breasts. “To be.” She gently licked the nape of Charlotte’s neck, “A woman.”
“I-I do not need such a thin—ahn!! You should really not lick there, mother…” She trembling seemed to intensify from being licked on the back of her neck, apparently it was a sensitive spot.
“Someday you will,” Weiss continued to lick the back of Charlotte’s neck and moved one hand down to her crotch and caressed gently.
“This is absolutely sexual harassment!”
Charlotte simply couldn’t understand why she was panting from being touched like this, nor why her body was feeling tired. The heavy breathing seemed to be completely unjustified. To think there was such a weakness in a woman’s body.
“It’s not, my dear.” Weiss put her other hand on Charlotte’s lips. “Suck on my finger.”
“Suck… why?”
“Because its erotic.” Weiss realised that the effects were gone. “Oh, thank god it’s gone now.” Weiss finally released her daughter. “Come on, let’s go to the tub.”
Charlotte only gave a terse nod, relieved that she was finally over. She was still embarrassed and unsettled from Weiss’ actions before she heaved a sigh. She stood up and lowered her body into the steamy hot water alongside her mother. As the tub wasn’t very spacious, she and Weiss had to somehow squeeze in together and make do.
“I apologise that it is so small. It was meant for one person.”
“It’s alright. Besides I never showered you before so there’s that.” Weiss patted her daughter.
“I sometimes wonder how I came to be in the Brontë household,” Charlotte said, looking down at her own reflection on the steamy water.
Weiss reached her daughter’s chin and raised it up. “Don’t think about it too much, what’s done in the past is done. All that we can do is move forward.”
“Mn…” Her face was a mix of seriousness and dazedness. “All I can do is look for Mary now.”
“Then focus on that objective. I have your back, you know? We’re both looking for someone we love.”
“Mhm. Thanks, mother.”
1
Cinia Pacifica
Ojou-sama Writer
After an entire week, Michael was still stuck practicing to sing the hymn. He’d sometimes see the nun and sometimes she wouldn’t even visit. Her only instruction for him was to keep practicing, and find out what was important other than just his Mistress and the surroundings he knew. This put him in a difficult position as he knew not the world outside the mansion, or the shops he’d seldom buy cakes or supplies from. Basically, his scope and perspective of the world was small.
However, the more he practiced the hymn, small fragments of what he believed were his lost memories started to surface. After the second day of practice, he dreamt of his mother: what she looked like, how warm her embrace felt, how she’d sing every stormy night to help him fall asleep, and how happy her voice sounded when she called his name—Michael. Yes he finally remembered, it should’ve been obvious when his Mistress’ guest referred to him as such.
“...Sinful and lonely— my guardian to be...”
Remember, Michael. He does not want us to suffer, but it is due to our sins that we experience pain. It is through Him that we draw our strength, in His eternal and everlasting love for us we find the courage to go on. A man in his twilight years hugged him as tears fogged up his vision. He was wearing plain black clothes, something that reminded him of the nun’s habit. The man himself had a solemn, grieving look in his face as he let go of him and squeezed out a smile. Let us go. After your mother’s funeral… I will teach you about Him. Maybe, you’ll meet your mother again.
Michael opened his eyes as he finished the hymn. He used his gloved-hand to wipe his moistened cheeks and sighed. It was raining, he couldn’t tell apart his tears from the water, but he stood there, unable to go find shelter under the roof of the mansion of the hallways beside the yard field, for the nun was drenched some distance from him, gazing at him with a cold smile.
“You are close. Try again. Feel everything… even more of it all.”
“Could use a hug.” He smirked at her and closed his eyes.
What kind of salvation does a mountain of bodies bring?! It was his voice. He was angry at something? What was it again?
Sacrifices. In the end, the young mage still died. He wasted his effort for nothing. He let her run amok. His companions couldn’t understand that, he left the young girl’s teacher and now they were nowhere to be found.
Remember Michael, tomorrow this… everything would be better! His eyes snapped open. For some reason, he couldn’t concentrate at all this time. Before this, he had no problems with the memories he was receiving but now it felt cloudy, like something was wrong. He took a deep breath and looked at the nun who seemed like she was commanding him to continue. He closed his eyes and concentrated on what he could recall about Him. The teachings, the Gospels… all of it.
Good day to you, my name is Mary Shelley.
Do you wish to be away from me that badly?
“You decided on a sword and shield, spear, or bow, by the way?” the nun asked.
“A bow, I think.”
“Alright, sing the hymn again.”
“Guardian Angel from Heaven so bright, watching beside me to lead me aright, fold thy wings round me, O guard me with love. Softly sing songs to me of Heaven above.” A faint light started to descend upon him, but he did not notice it at all.
“Beautiful Angel, my guardian so mild, tenderly guide me, for I am thy child. Angel so holy whom God sends to me—sinful and lowly—my guardian to be, wilt thou not cherish the child of thy care? Let me not perish—my trust is thy care.”
“Beautiful angel… O may I never forget thou art near; but keep me ever, in love and in fear. Waking and sleeping, in labour or rest, in thy sweet keeping my life shall be blessed.”
Heh. Terrible singing, but the feelings were there at least… the nun thought, watching the light embrace Michael. It was nothing compared to hers, but it was a start. A good start.
However, the more he practiced the hymn, small fragments of what he believed were his lost memories started to surface. After the second day of practice, he dreamt of his mother: what she looked like, how warm her embrace felt, how she’d sing every stormy night to help him fall asleep, and how happy her voice sounded when she called his name—Michael. Yes he finally remembered, it should’ve been obvious when his Mistress’ guest referred to him as such.
“...Sinful and lonely— my guardian to be...”
Remember, Michael. He does not want us to suffer, but it is due to our sins that we experience pain. It is through Him that we draw our strength, in His eternal and everlasting love for us we find the courage to go on. A man in his twilight years hugged him as tears fogged up his vision. He was wearing plain black clothes, something that reminded him of the nun’s habit. The man himself had a solemn, grieving look in his face as he let go of him and squeezed out a smile. Let us go. After your mother’s funeral… I will teach you about Him. Maybe, you’ll meet your mother again.
Michael opened his eyes as he finished the hymn. He used his gloved-hand to wipe his moistened cheeks and sighed. It was raining, he couldn’t tell apart his tears from the water, but he stood there, unable to go find shelter under the roof of the mansion of the hallways beside the yard field, for the nun was drenched some distance from him, gazing at him with a cold smile.
“You are close. Try again. Feel everything… even more of it all.”
“Could use a hug.” He smirked at her and closed his eyes.
What kind of salvation does a mountain of bodies bring?! It was his voice. He was angry at something? What was it again?
Sacrifices. In the end, the young mage still died. He wasted his effort for nothing. He let her run amok. His companions couldn’t understand that, he left the young girl’s teacher and now they were nowhere to be found.
Remember Michael, tomorrow this… everything would be better! His eyes snapped open. For some reason, he couldn’t concentrate at all this time. Before this, he had no problems with the memories he was receiving but now it felt cloudy, like something was wrong. He took a deep breath and looked at the nun who seemed like she was commanding him to continue. He closed his eyes and concentrated on what he could recall about Him. The teachings, the Gospels… all of it.
Good day to you, my name is Mary Shelley.
Do you wish to be away from me that badly?
“You decided on a sword and shield, spear, or bow, by the way?” the nun asked.
“A bow, I think.”
“Alright, sing the hymn again.”
“Guardian Angel from Heaven so bright, watching beside me to lead me aright, fold thy wings round me, O guard me with love. Softly sing songs to me of Heaven above.” A faint light started to descend upon him, but he did not notice it at all.
“Beautiful Angel, my guardian so mild, tenderly guide me, for I am thy child. Angel so holy whom God sends to me—sinful and lowly—my guardian to be, wilt thou not cherish the child of thy care? Let me not perish—my trust is thy care.”
“Beautiful angel… O may I never forget thou art near; but keep me ever, in love and in fear. Waking and sleeping, in labour or rest, in thy sweet keeping my life shall be blessed.”
Heh. Terrible singing, but the feelings were there at least… the nun thought, watching the light embrace Michael. It was nothing compared to hers, but it was a start. A good start.
1
Cinia Pacifica
Ojou-sama Writer
Michael opened his eyes. A sky painted gold awaited his vision. There were ancient pillars and monuments. A floor made out of old bricks. He found himself in a new world.
“Huh.” He looked around, searching for the nun, for the estate, or anything really. He was alone here it seemed.
When he turned, there was a twilight. This gorgeous scene somehow made him feel at ease. From the sky, a being shining with the same lustre of the twilight descended.
“It has been long since a human wandered here in Heaven,” the angel’s voice echoed. It was serene and soothing, an unforgettable voice. “What would you like from me?”
“Honestly, I was just expecting a bow in an altar—” he turned around and saw the owner of the voice.
It was a woman, albeit there were two wings sprouting from her back, no—four. She had an exotic looking headdress that covered half her face, and what an incredibly beautiful face it was. He was completely smitten at first glance. She was so beautiful that it felt unreal, unnatural. Her pale white skin contained no flaws, lips so supple and pink, and her eyes—her eyes, those mesmerizing orbs of jade knocked the wind out of him as they pierced through his very being. He was disarmed. He felt vulnerable, scared even. There was no way a creature like this could naturally exist. It just wasn’t possible at all.
“I would never keep one of my armaments in an alter, young boy.” The angel gave a warm smile.
“S-So it seems.” He cleared his throat as he regained his composure. “Are you an angel?” Once more, his mouth moved faster than his thoughts. Of course she is, what kind of question was that?! he mentally berated himself.
“Yes, I am one of the Archangels, Zophiel. I am one of those who lives for a holy purpose.”
“Holy purpose? By that do you mean… Salvation? Am I dead?”
“Yes, we have an inclination to watch over certain kinds of beings, be it animal or human beings. My duty is to watch over the artful, beautiful, and the most purest of beings. I do not believe you are dead, however. You sang my song and came here, did you not?”
“The singing part, yes. The part where I appeared before you was quite a shock.”
The angel chuckled, finding the man endearing. “Well, you are the pupil of Saint Teresa, yes?”
“I believe so.” He was starting to be more composed now. Partly due to the angel’s soothing voice.
“I think she was the last Saint on Earth. It heartens me to know that you chose me to become a prospective Saint.”
“I… wouldn’t go that far.” He had recovered some of his memories. He was an assassin for hire it seemed. He could not remember who he worked for, and for what cause. But he knew… his hands were stained by blood.
“Is that so?”
“It is. My hands are stained by blood. I cannot even recall the faces of those I’ve killed, or why.”
“I can tell that your past is vaguely, but it seems like something powerful is keeping it sealed.”
“What? My Mistress told me I had an accident.”
“She may be trying to protect you from something tragic.”
“Tragic? Is it possible to remove this seal?” He was sick of not knowing, and this would get worse over time.
“I could, but I think it is not right for me to do so.”
“And it would be inappropriate for me to ask such a thing. What I wish to obtain is your help, Archangel Zophiel.”
“How would you wish for me to help?”
“Lend me your power. Please.”
“Very well, I grant upon you my bow of the moon.”
From above a sparkling object landed on Michael’s palms. A silver bow was found. It was a beautifully crafted bow, decorated with what seemed like wings.
“That was easy. Are you sure you don’t want to test me, or maybe make some restrictions?” he asked in disbelief.
“The fact that you came here is good enough. However, I will take away your power if you do not use it to do good for the world.”
“Then that shall be my vow,” Michael genuflected as he bowed in gratitude towards the angel.
“I shall be watching you. Good luck. As you go through the trials, we will likely meet more in the future.”
“And I shall be looking forward to it every time.”
Michael was enveloped by the same light that brought him to the Heavens, and he vanished.
“Soon…” was the last word he heard.
“Huh.” He looked around, searching for the nun, for the estate, or anything really. He was alone here it seemed.
When he turned, there was a twilight. This gorgeous scene somehow made him feel at ease. From the sky, a being shining with the same lustre of the twilight descended.
“It has been long since a human wandered here in Heaven,” the angel’s voice echoed. It was serene and soothing, an unforgettable voice. “What would you like from me?”
“Honestly, I was just expecting a bow in an altar—” he turned around and saw the owner of the voice.
It was a woman, albeit there were two wings sprouting from her back, no—four. She had an exotic looking headdress that covered half her face, and what an incredibly beautiful face it was. He was completely smitten at first glance. She was so beautiful that it felt unreal, unnatural. Her pale white skin contained no flaws, lips so supple and pink, and her eyes—her eyes, those mesmerizing orbs of jade knocked the wind out of him as they pierced through his very being. He was disarmed. He felt vulnerable, scared even. There was no way a creature like this could naturally exist. It just wasn’t possible at all.
“I would never keep one of my armaments in an alter, young boy.” The angel gave a warm smile.
“S-So it seems.” He cleared his throat as he regained his composure. “Are you an angel?” Once more, his mouth moved faster than his thoughts. Of course she is, what kind of question was that?! he mentally berated himself.
“Yes, I am one of the Archangels, Zophiel. I am one of those who lives for a holy purpose.”
“Holy purpose? By that do you mean… Salvation? Am I dead?”
“Yes, we have an inclination to watch over certain kinds of beings, be it animal or human beings. My duty is to watch over the artful, beautiful, and the most purest of beings. I do not believe you are dead, however. You sang my song and came here, did you not?”
“The singing part, yes. The part where I appeared before you was quite a shock.”
The angel chuckled, finding the man endearing. “Well, you are the pupil of Saint Teresa, yes?”
“I believe so.” He was starting to be more composed now. Partly due to the angel’s soothing voice.
“I think she was the last Saint on Earth. It heartens me to know that you chose me to become a prospective Saint.”
“I… wouldn’t go that far.” He had recovered some of his memories. He was an assassin for hire it seemed. He could not remember who he worked for, and for what cause. But he knew… his hands were stained by blood.
“Is that so?”
“It is. My hands are stained by blood. I cannot even recall the faces of those I’ve killed, or why.”
“I can tell that your past is vaguely, but it seems like something powerful is keeping it sealed.”
“What? My Mistress told me I had an accident.”
“She may be trying to protect you from something tragic.”
“Tragic? Is it possible to remove this seal?” He was sick of not knowing, and this would get worse over time.
“I could, but I think it is not right for me to do so.”
“And it would be inappropriate for me to ask such a thing. What I wish to obtain is your help, Archangel Zophiel.”
“How would you wish for me to help?”
“Lend me your power. Please.”
“Very well, I grant upon you my bow of the moon.”
From above a sparkling object landed on Michael’s palms. A silver bow was found. It was a beautifully crafted bow, decorated with what seemed like wings.
“That was easy. Are you sure you don’t want to test me, or maybe make some restrictions?” he asked in disbelief.
“The fact that you came here is good enough. However, I will take away your power if you do not use it to do good for the world.”
“Then that shall be my vow,” Michael genuflected as he bowed in gratitude towards the angel.
“I shall be watching you. Good luck. As you go through the trials, we will likely meet more in the future.”
“And I shall be looking forward to it every time.”
Michael was enveloped by the same light that brought him to the Heavens, and he vanished.
“Soon…” was the last word he heard.
1
Cinia Pacifica
Ojou-sama Writer
A few months had passed and Michael was almost grasping the key to his future.
Many days were spent training with the bow and arrows. Normal bow and arrows. Michael couldn’t summon the weapon no matter how hard he tried. The Saint revealed that the weapon required a spell to be invoked in the heart before it is summoned.
Today, he almost summoned the weapon, but the spell broke at the end.
“You know,” the nun began. “It’s like you forgot how spells work, too.”
“What do you mean?” Michael replied. To use a bow, he had re-trained his body in order to have enough strength to draw and quickly got the hang of the weapon. However, it seemed that he had forgotten how to use spells aside from the ones she was teaching him, and the others he knew by instinct.
“You seemed to forget how to draw Vim mana from the Dominion Realm. Are you afraid of Heaven or something?”
“No… It’s more similar to... anger I think. I have no idea why.” He did recover a mountain of useful information, even techniques and training. But he couldn’t recall why he felt like he was furious at something, but he could feel it. This anger which he tried to reject through meditation and keeping himself busy. Who was he, exactly? “It’s not like I cannot draw the mana, but a part of me just rejects it.”
“I’m saying based on what you’re doing is all. No Vim mana comes to you from the Realm. Whatever the reason, you’re going to have to break through that wall if you want to be able to summon the bow. Perhaps try visualizing the angel? You couldn’t have forgotten someone as beautiful as her, right?”
“I think it would take a different breed of man to forget such a beauty.” Michael concentrated on the angel. He recalled her soothing voice, her graceful presence, and her otherworldly beauty. And finally, he recalled his vow to her; if he could not channel from the Dominion Realm anymore then, he’d plead to her. May she’d grant him the means to do good, to protect the good and judge the evil.
At last, with a brilliant silver flash the bow was formed.
“I see a beauty gets you going just fine. That somehow makes me jealous,” the Saint said in jest.
“Well, she’s a Divine being. You two are both very beautiful women, just in different categories—species, even.” He paused when he felt a chill run down his spine, “However, the Mistress is still the most desirable woman of all.” He grabbed the silver bow in his hand, noticing it didn’t come with a quiver.
The Saint shrugged. “Find a target and test it. If you supply mana and imagine an arrow, and nock—it will form.”
He nodded, assumed his stance. The bow resembled a recurve bow similar to the one he used to practice, but its design reminded him of the moon with its silver color and intricate patterns. He controlled his breathing as he assumed a stance, drawing the bowstring with his thumb while he imagined where the arrow should be. He faced a tree about a hundred yards away and started channeling his mana, using his rhythmic breathing as a way to concentrate. Finally, he let loose and with a loud thunk, he saw a silver arrow embedded in the tree’s trunk which disappeared moments later.
“Not bad, but I will show you what you should be striving for throughout this year’s practice.” The Saint turned and faced the same tree that Michael aimed for. She made a stance as would any archer and a silver light started to form. She nocked and the mana took shape to that of an arrow. It shined bright as she held it before releasing said arrow. The size of the projectile was completely different, and Michael realized that it was leagues above his own. The bright flash burned through the ground beneath it despite not touching it and finally destroyed the tree and the wall both.
“Oops, I went too far I see.”
He clapped his hands, highly impressed by his mentor’s ability.
“Wonderful. Truly! it was a sight to see! I hope that I come close to that level soon, before we completely destroy the walls of this estate.” He made a mental note to fix that wall before the day passed.
“Well, we came this far so I might as well tell you more about the story now,” the Saint began. It seemed as though she really didn’t wanted to talk, but was doing so out of responsibility. “Well, if you like some lore, that is.”
“How could I refuse a lady’s offer for companionship? Shall I prepare us some tea?” he joked.
“I suppose you haven’t heard of the Witch Hunt?”
“Which one? The Church loves its hunts.”
“I see you remember. Pretty much all of them were the Church killing its Saints—the real Saints.”
“For what purpose? Doesn’t that seem a bit counterproductive?” He faced her and released the bow. It disintegrated into silvery particles of light immediately after he let go of it. “You’d think they’d gather them... maybe increase their numbers even.”
The Saint’s bow also vanished into particles. “The Saints were not appreciated in reality, for they knew the truth.”
“Archangel Zophiel mentioned a bit about you being the last Saint. What happened?”
“They killed the rest off. The Pope did not like what the Saints knew… that the religion was a big fat farce.” The Saint scoffed.
“So what is it then? This truth. I… need to know.” Something was compelling him to search for the truth, as he unconsciously scratched the ring on his finger. Hearing the mention of the Pope evoked another darker feeling from him, which he subsequently shelved aside.
“I just told you. The Church lied about its religion, about God, about everything, the beacons of truth that were passed on were about the angels that was thanks to the hard work of the Saints.”
“But if what they taught was a lie… Who rules over Heaven?” He did notice she didn’t say Heaven was a lie.
“You know about the Descendants, yes?”
“I believe so.” At least, he knew about the Blood Countess. “Well, I know they are absurdly powerful and supposedly immortal at the very least. What about them?”
“Well, they are the Gods and Goddesses of the world, and also the universe as a whole. Each of their existence makes sure something in the grand scope of existence does not fall apart. The energy for all of this maintenance comes from the stars in their constellations. Crazy story, right? But any angel would give you this answer, and consequently, any Saint. There is a reason why they are absurdly powerful and why they have the right to kill, judge, have fun, or do whatever. It doesn’t matter—they are the Gods. All of this changes when you join someone’s side, however.” The Saint paused. “When someone you join has her agenda, I suppose it also becomes your own… back to the point though, there is a Descendant out there who rules over the Heavens, and her existence allows it to exist to begin with.”
“If I am to be honest with you, I find this hard to believe. But I cannot dismiss it either.” Michael racked his brain for things to ask, but there were so many, and he didn’t know where to begin. He considered that she could just be pulling his leg, but she sounded like she truly believed what she said. “You mentioned… joining them and their agenda. Have you joined one of them?”
“Yeah. I happen to be a Representative.”
“Which one? Why? Who is it? What does that Descendant want to do?” No wonder she was powerful. If the Descendants had even a sliver of the power she described, then as a Representative she really must be a powerful being. His heart beat rapidly as he giddily bombarded her with questions. Imagine how his Mistress would think of him with all that power. No, imagine if he had that kind of power. He felt the sinking feeling in his stomach again, but as always, he had ignored it.
“Now, now, that is drifting apart from the topic. We were talking about the Saint—what you are training to become now. You have a really bad habit of drifting away from the subject, just like your moth—” The Saint cleared her throat. “Never mind that last one.”
“I remember my mother, she wasn’t related to the Magic World at all. But you are right, we should focus on mastering the control of what I have first. So what happened, after the hunts? Are you truly the only one left?”
“So you don’t remember after all. Anyway, I am the only one left… but I wanted to tell you about the kind of feats they did. You remember the Crusades, yes?”
“Quite.” He decided to ask her about his mother later on. If there was something important he should remember, then he needed her help.
“The Crusades were actually all under a fake context, a misunderstanding by the mundanes. They misheard mages speaking… anyway, this was the first problem the Pope faced when the Church became quite big. So, they went to reclaim a holy place that was, in reality, King Solomon’s domain. This ensued in a massive battle.”
“Wait, King Solomon’s domain? He’s a Descendant too?”
“No, King Solomon was a legendary mage who could fight on par with the Descendants. He was notable for having seventy-two relic weapons, and having a Descendant for a wife.”
Michael’s ears perked up once more. “A mage with the prowess of a Descendant. Can something like that truly be possible?”
“Who knows, but they say it happened. He now rules over the Faerie Realm… he stopped my Mistress’ Commandment this one time. My Mistress was very angry… I have a feeling that King Solomon will not live too long.”
“If that is so, I hope the Mistress allows me to come with. Just to observe, of course,” he said wistfully, knowing the his Mistress would probably just be angry with the idea in general. “In any case, the Saints in the Crusades. I believe you were going to tell me about their feats?”
“Yes, there was this time when the Saints spilled the blood of innocents for no justifiable reason in the Crusades. Saint George was the only commendable person who fought the Blood Countess in the war. I still do not know why the Countess was there back then. Anyway, the Saints were all tainted by sins. They not only killed but also purged the lands that they were meant to love and cleanse.”
“Who should I thank for wiping them out, then? I probably would’ve done the same to them, given the chance.” He shrugged. “Saints or not, the punishment’s the same if judged guilty of those atrocious acts.”
“The angels themselves banished the Saints… this was the story told, but it was actually I who killed them, by my Mistress’ orders. My Mistress loves the world rather than the people, as the people are lost to their sins.”
“Not all of them, I hope. But to be able to wipe them all out. Are you and your Mistress really that powerful?”
“Well, all of them were not very great warriors. For example, Saint George held himself off against the great Countess… for a while. Anyway, my Mistress is strong. That is why I work for her, albeit sometimes she can be a bit too whimsical, and I have to step up and remind her of the right direction. The Representatives have to take care of their Masters in one way or the other.”
“Funny, I imagined God in a different manner. So that massive terror attack that wiped New York… did that involve Descendants too?”
“And what if I said yes?”
“Then nothing. Terrible thing, the whole affair.”
“You’re welcome.”
“For what?”
“For everything.”
“What, you’re going away or something?” He raised his brows, curious. She did say he had a lot to learn still.
“I guess?”
“To where? We aren’t done still, right? There is so much I wish to ask, to learn!”
“Next month… maybe. I feel lazy. Keep practicing with your bow.”
“Then I shall,” He outstretched his left arm and channeled mana from the Dominion Realms. Using his vow to the Angel Zophiel again as a focus of concentration he chanted, “O radiant angel of purity… Let evil be judged by your light.” Silver light started to converge on his hand, until it formed a crescent silhouette. Michael grasped the light and the bow took its form, the light scattering around him like silver drops of snow.
Many days were spent training with the bow and arrows. Normal bow and arrows. Michael couldn’t summon the weapon no matter how hard he tried. The Saint revealed that the weapon required a spell to be invoked in the heart before it is summoned.
Today, he almost summoned the weapon, but the spell broke at the end.
“You know,” the nun began. “It’s like you forgot how spells work, too.”
“What do you mean?” Michael replied. To use a bow, he had re-trained his body in order to have enough strength to draw and quickly got the hang of the weapon. However, it seemed that he had forgotten how to use spells aside from the ones she was teaching him, and the others he knew by instinct.
“You seemed to forget how to draw Vim mana from the Dominion Realm. Are you afraid of Heaven or something?”
“No… It’s more similar to... anger I think. I have no idea why.” He did recover a mountain of useful information, even techniques and training. But he couldn’t recall why he felt like he was furious at something, but he could feel it. This anger which he tried to reject through meditation and keeping himself busy. Who was he, exactly? “It’s not like I cannot draw the mana, but a part of me just rejects it.”
“I’m saying based on what you’re doing is all. No Vim mana comes to you from the Realm. Whatever the reason, you’re going to have to break through that wall if you want to be able to summon the bow. Perhaps try visualizing the angel? You couldn’t have forgotten someone as beautiful as her, right?”
“I think it would take a different breed of man to forget such a beauty.” Michael concentrated on the angel. He recalled her soothing voice, her graceful presence, and her otherworldly beauty. And finally, he recalled his vow to her; if he could not channel from the Dominion Realm anymore then, he’d plead to her. May she’d grant him the means to do good, to protect the good and judge the evil.
At last, with a brilliant silver flash the bow was formed.
“I see a beauty gets you going just fine. That somehow makes me jealous,” the Saint said in jest.
“Well, she’s a Divine being. You two are both very beautiful women, just in different categories—species, even.” He paused when he felt a chill run down his spine, “However, the Mistress is still the most desirable woman of all.” He grabbed the silver bow in his hand, noticing it didn’t come with a quiver.
The Saint shrugged. “Find a target and test it. If you supply mana and imagine an arrow, and nock—it will form.”
He nodded, assumed his stance. The bow resembled a recurve bow similar to the one he used to practice, but its design reminded him of the moon with its silver color and intricate patterns. He controlled his breathing as he assumed a stance, drawing the bowstring with his thumb while he imagined where the arrow should be. He faced a tree about a hundred yards away and started channeling his mana, using his rhythmic breathing as a way to concentrate. Finally, he let loose and with a loud thunk, he saw a silver arrow embedded in the tree’s trunk which disappeared moments later.
“Not bad, but I will show you what you should be striving for throughout this year’s practice.” The Saint turned and faced the same tree that Michael aimed for. She made a stance as would any archer and a silver light started to form. She nocked and the mana took shape to that of an arrow. It shined bright as she held it before releasing said arrow. The size of the projectile was completely different, and Michael realized that it was leagues above his own. The bright flash burned through the ground beneath it despite not touching it and finally destroyed the tree and the wall both.
“Oops, I went too far I see.”
He clapped his hands, highly impressed by his mentor’s ability.
“Wonderful. Truly! it was a sight to see! I hope that I come close to that level soon, before we completely destroy the walls of this estate.” He made a mental note to fix that wall before the day passed.
“Well, we came this far so I might as well tell you more about the story now,” the Saint began. It seemed as though she really didn’t wanted to talk, but was doing so out of responsibility. “Well, if you like some lore, that is.”
“How could I refuse a lady’s offer for companionship? Shall I prepare us some tea?” he joked.
“I suppose you haven’t heard of the Witch Hunt?”
“Which one? The Church loves its hunts.”
“I see you remember. Pretty much all of them were the Church killing its Saints—the real Saints.”
“For what purpose? Doesn’t that seem a bit counterproductive?” He faced her and released the bow. It disintegrated into silvery particles of light immediately after he let go of it. “You’d think they’d gather them... maybe increase their numbers even.”
The Saint’s bow also vanished into particles. “The Saints were not appreciated in reality, for they knew the truth.”
“Archangel Zophiel mentioned a bit about you being the last Saint. What happened?”
“They killed the rest off. The Pope did not like what the Saints knew… that the religion was a big fat farce.” The Saint scoffed.
“So what is it then? This truth. I… need to know.” Something was compelling him to search for the truth, as he unconsciously scratched the ring on his finger. Hearing the mention of the Pope evoked another darker feeling from him, which he subsequently shelved aside.
“I just told you. The Church lied about its religion, about God, about everything, the beacons of truth that were passed on were about the angels that was thanks to the hard work of the Saints.”
“But if what they taught was a lie… Who rules over Heaven?” He did notice she didn’t say Heaven was a lie.
“You know about the Descendants, yes?”
“I believe so.” At least, he knew about the Blood Countess. “Well, I know they are absurdly powerful and supposedly immortal at the very least. What about them?”
“Well, they are the Gods and Goddesses of the world, and also the universe as a whole. Each of their existence makes sure something in the grand scope of existence does not fall apart. The energy for all of this maintenance comes from the stars in their constellations. Crazy story, right? But any angel would give you this answer, and consequently, any Saint. There is a reason why they are absurdly powerful and why they have the right to kill, judge, have fun, or do whatever. It doesn’t matter—they are the Gods. All of this changes when you join someone’s side, however.” The Saint paused. “When someone you join has her agenda, I suppose it also becomes your own… back to the point though, there is a Descendant out there who rules over the Heavens, and her existence allows it to exist to begin with.”
“If I am to be honest with you, I find this hard to believe. But I cannot dismiss it either.” Michael racked his brain for things to ask, but there were so many, and he didn’t know where to begin. He considered that she could just be pulling his leg, but she sounded like she truly believed what she said. “You mentioned… joining them and their agenda. Have you joined one of them?”
“Yeah. I happen to be a Representative.”
“Which one? Why? Who is it? What does that Descendant want to do?” No wonder she was powerful. If the Descendants had even a sliver of the power she described, then as a Representative she really must be a powerful being. His heart beat rapidly as he giddily bombarded her with questions. Imagine how his Mistress would think of him with all that power. No, imagine if he had that kind of power. He felt the sinking feeling in his stomach again, but as always, he had ignored it.
“Now, now, that is drifting apart from the topic. We were talking about the Saint—what you are training to become now. You have a really bad habit of drifting away from the subject, just like your moth—” The Saint cleared her throat. “Never mind that last one.”
“I remember my mother, she wasn’t related to the Magic World at all. But you are right, we should focus on mastering the control of what I have first. So what happened, after the hunts? Are you truly the only one left?”
“So you don’t remember after all. Anyway, I am the only one left… but I wanted to tell you about the kind of feats they did. You remember the Crusades, yes?”
“Quite.” He decided to ask her about his mother later on. If there was something important he should remember, then he needed her help.
“The Crusades were actually all under a fake context, a misunderstanding by the mundanes. They misheard mages speaking… anyway, this was the first problem the Pope faced when the Church became quite big. So, they went to reclaim a holy place that was, in reality, King Solomon’s domain. This ensued in a massive battle.”
“Wait, King Solomon’s domain? He’s a Descendant too?”
“No, King Solomon was a legendary mage who could fight on par with the Descendants. He was notable for having seventy-two relic weapons, and having a Descendant for a wife.”
Michael’s ears perked up once more. “A mage with the prowess of a Descendant. Can something like that truly be possible?”
“Who knows, but they say it happened. He now rules over the Faerie Realm… he stopped my Mistress’ Commandment this one time. My Mistress was very angry… I have a feeling that King Solomon will not live too long.”
“If that is so, I hope the Mistress allows me to come with. Just to observe, of course,” he said wistfully, knowing the his Mistress would probably just be angry with the idea in general. “In any case, the Saints in the Crusades. I believe you were going to tell me about their feats?”
“Yes, there was this time when the Saints spilled the blood of innocents for no justifiable reason in the Crusades. Saint George was the only commendable person who fought the Blood Countess in the war. I still do not know why the Countess was there back then. Anyway, the Saints were all tainted by sins. They not only killed but also purged the lands that they were meant to love and cleanse.”
“Who should I thank for wiping them out, then? I probably would’ve done the same to them, given the chance.” He shrugged. “Saints or not, the punishment’s the same if judged guilty of those atrocious acts.”
“The angels themselves banished the Saints… this was the story told, but it was actually I who killed them, by my Mistress’ orders. My Mistress loves the world rather than the people, as the people are lost to their sins.”
“Not all of them, I hope. But to be able to wipe them all out. Are you and your Mistress really that powerful?”
“Well, all of them were not very great warriors. For example, Saint George held himself off against the great Countess… for a while. Anyway, my Mistress is strong. That is why I work for her, albeit sometimes she can be a bit too whimsical, and I have to step up and remind her of the right direction. The Representatives have to take care of their Masters in one way or the other.”
“Funny, I imagined God in a different manner. So that massive terror attack that wiped New York… did that involve Descendants too?”
“And what if I said yes?”
“Then nothing. Terrible thing, the whole affair.”
“You’re welcome.”
“For what?”
“For everything.”
“What, you’re going away or something?” He raised his brows, curious. She did say he had a lot to learn still.
“I guess?”
“To where? We aren’t done still, right? There is so much I wish to ask, to learn!”
“Next month… maybe. I feel lazy. Keep practicing with your bow.”
“Then I shall,” He outstretched his left arm and channeled mana from the Dominion Realms. Using his vow to the Angel Zophiel again as a focus of concentration he chanted, “O radiant angel of purity… Let evil be judged by your light.” Silver light started to converge on his hand, until it formed a crescent silhouette. Michael grasped the light and the bow took its form, the light scattering around him like silver drops of snow.