Report
Here it is my friends, I greatly suggest you read the words below first before jumping to the chapter.
Before you go, allow me to address some issues in regard to the images.
So, I searched and realized we had no image for Viera, or at least, it's so far in the paragraphs it's as good as lost, or perhaps, I edited the chapter and it disappeared forever.
So I'll be adding images not only for her but for all the main female characters that appeared so far!
The guys will have to wait...
So if you are interested, you can see them, give them your opinion, and next week, the favorites for each character will be posted.
If you see that the images are not posted, give it a few minutes and I'll do it, it does takes some time after all.
Anyway, see ya!
In order of appearance:
(There were a few Heroines at the start, but I'm tired...)
Head maid of the Adrius Palace- Lingy (Veiled blue-haired girl)
Elven Princess- Larin
Great Moon rank information dealer -> Iu of the Chain's Branch
Mysterious Wizard Student- Viera Ert Almon
Fabrin's daughter- Ivia Peos
Princess Larin cousin- Dinna
Daughter of the Azul Family- Elyria
Third Princess of the Draly-Apyer Kingdom/The Human Kingdom/- Victoria
Quite a few huh, times sure went by...
These girls are the ones with the likelihood of repeating and being important for the close to medium future, some of them are obvious, some not so much...
Anyway, see ya!
***(Ps: I was a bit tired, so I only edited this chapter once, sorry my friends, but editing 6K words is a little taxing, especially after searching for images...
I hope you can forgive me this time, editing twice is what normally makes this series so good as I add more details and fix past mistakes)***
Until next time!
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/Around a day ago…/
/Creak…/
'Deep underground inside a laboratory…'
"Who is it?" Asked a middle-aged Dwarf
"It's me, dad, I'm back."
'The old Dwarf's eyes opened slightly as he turned around to look at his son.'
'He was caring a large box, and he seemed slightly tired…'
"Great… Wait… What happened to your face?!"
'The moment he saw the bruises on his son's face, rage took over his body as his face started to get red, he clenched onto the tool on his hand, breaking it.'
"Calm down! Let down the analyzer first!" His son pleaded as he held onto his father's face
"You… Alright."
'His father calmed down, putting the half-broken tool on the table before taking a look at his son, touching his face as if that would give him a better look at it.'
'He grabbed a small cup of cool water from a machine on the side, handing it to his tired offspring, while also grabbing a small box full of emergency medical supplies, after all, when working with dangerous equipment, they needed to have some safety measures in place.'
"Tell me what happened, how did your face become like this when I told you to go to your mom?"
Nothing was supposed to happen, only in the worst possible scenario would something happen.
/Gulp!/
"Okay…"
"As you told me, I went to ma to ask her about what to do."
"I don't really understand but she brought me somewhere on the surface and… Well, that is irrelevant, you must already know where she brought me to."
'His father nodded without hesitation as he said, "Yes... Yes I do." with a solemn expression.'
"We did find the ore and bought it for a steep price, despite it not being according to your specifications…"
"What?"
'He immediately opened the box, lifting the heavy ore with one hand as if it was nothing.'
"Weight… Density… Level of impurities…"
"It's around 1Kg less than what I wanted, but even so, it's much better than the other ore they gave us, that piece of shit was 6.9 Kg off the mark."
"This one is also a bit denser, so it's almost up to mark."
"At least with this, there won't be the risk of the reactor overheating under our watch as we can safely make a new Temperature regulation Valve."
"Albeit, the measurements still won't be perfectly accurate so we'll need to consider a certain margin for deviations…"
'The Dwarf started to lose himself in his thoughts, not realizing that his son's expression was dark.'
"Father… I'm not done…"
My face still hurts as well.
"Hum?... I'm sorry, please continue."
"..."
"What is it Junior? Please, tell me what happened next." He asked calmly
"..."
'The old Dwarf started to realize that something was wrong.'
"Did someone pick on you? Don't worry son, ignore the remarks of those stupid idiots… Those hoodlums will stay in this place for their entire lives, we'll move elsewhere one day."
"..."
'The longer it went, the darker Junior's expression became as he started to bite his lips in internal agony.'
'This didn't look good... Not in the slightest.'
"After we bought the Ore… We met with 'those guys'."
"! You can't be serious…"
'But it didn't like that was the case.'
"Tell me! What happened after!" He said as he started to grow erratic
"I… At first, they picked off on me alone, they threatened to spread this information into the ears of the Pyke family, but I wasn't stupid, that would be pretty much suicide from their side…"
"Because of this, they ended up beating me up… There wasn't much I could do against a group of proficient warriors, I…"
"No… It's okay son, wounds can heal over time, it's good you are here…"
'But he then realized something… Something very bad…'
'Because Junior... Was alone.'
"Wait… What about your mother?"
"..."
'The Dwarf completely lost it now…'
"I ASKED YOU A QUESTION JUNIOR!"
"They… Got her."
/SMASH!/
'The Dwarf smashed his hand on the table, sending the ore tumbling down.'
/CRACK!/
'It fell onto the hard metal ground, making a small dent in it.'
'Despite its hardness and protective measures, the metallic ground was still dented, this was how heavy that chunk of metal was.'
'The ground and walls were made to resist a critical failure from the reactor in the other room, despite that, it was dented by a mere chunk of ore...'
"URG!..."
'The Dwarf scientist stopped trashing around as he clutched onto his head in anger, recovering his senses as he looked at his son.'
"How?"
"They… When mother returned from paying for the rock, since we bought it at a secret auction, they decided to pick on her…"
"But you know how she is, she trashed them all on her own without much effort…"
"Yeah, that's just like her..." The man said fondly
But if she did that then... She knew this was going to happen from the get-go...
Why didn't she contact me?!
Whats the point of being worried about me when you know how I feel?! Stupid woman!
She's... Been like that for decades...
'While the father's expression became darker, the son continued:'
"I thought everything would be fine at first, but I should've noticed it, mother was too silent after that."
"On our way back, mother stopped saying she wanted to buy some food, so she asked me to go buy it…"
"..."
"When I came back, I realized she had disappeared, and after looking around, I saw her being dragged into a flying carriage by a group of masked thugs…"
"It didn't seem like she resisted, our eyes did meet for a moment... And it was then I realized."
"Mom… Used herself so they wouldn't come to me."
/Clench…/
'The old Dwarf was now fuming in anger and concern.'
"Damn fuckers, can't believe they would do something so brazen in broad daylight just because some of their goons were beaten…"
'Junior's expression changed as he said:'
"It… It wasn't just anyone… Mom told me it was a man called… Alired."
/Thud!/
'The Dwarf fell onto the ground in shock, out of everyone… Alired?!'
"NO! Why him?!"
'This extreme reaction made Junior's face ashen.'
"F-Father… Who is Alired?"
/SMASH!/
'But he didn't listen to his son, instead, he smashed his fists onto the ground.'
"Damn it all!"
"Father!"
"!"
'The cries of his son finally awaked him, who rose up to his feet once more, trying to think of a solution.'
"Alicred is… The son of the Manager Director of those sons of bitches."
"Normally, he spends all his time using drugs and drinking somewhere fancy…"
"A hooligan that'll never contribute to society yet keeps causing trouble everywhere due to his status..."
"So why… Just why was he in there? The Conjunction is directly opposing to the Street Palace…"
It doesn't make any sense!
'The underground section of the Free City was a lawless zone, and instead of a main governing group, management was split into many sections.'
'Albeit, from the perspective of those living here, they were more akin to gangs than anything else.'
'The Street Palace was one of the long-lasting groups that have been standing for generations, they mainly work around the trading of many sorts of items, legal or not, they don't really care.'
'This includes slaves, so much for the free city huh? As long as money is involved even their so prized defense can be breached somehow, ants will always find their cracks in the stone...'
'As for the Conjunction, they are a rising group that governs with a ruling fist, tyrants pretty much, and the old Dwarf made the mistake of buying items from them when his research had slowed down due to lack of funds…'
'He bought onto their bait thinking he could strike some good deals, but the reality was different...'
'They started to actually try and blackmail him, and of course, he resisted fiercely as those were mostly empty threats.'
'If they did push further, not only would they lose their credibility as a ruling party, something that was already low, ending up being destroyed in the endless war for supremacy...'
'But they would still end up obliterated by the Pyke Family for messing with their business.'
'And as a rising group, Conjunction was always clashing with the Street Palace for monopoly over the trading services… Even when their territories aren't near each other.'
'It is unknown why they are so bold, but seeing how they still stand despite their clear hostility, they should have some sort of meaningful backer.'
'Initially, in order to acquire enough materials, the old Dwarf asked for support from his main investors, the Pyke family, and this led to them sending him that previous ore sample.'
'Upon being severely disappointed, and seeing that they had no interest in supporting him any further until he showed them proper results, he opted to buy his own materials with his own money as the project would soon reach a major milestone.'
'So he sent his son to follow his mom into the Street Palace's territory in search of a replacement, as the other possible candidate, Conjunction, was directly opposing the Pyke family, their backers.'
'So if they were found, bad things would happen… And he wasn't going to risk that, albeit in the first place, buying items without the approval of the family is already a sin worthy of punishment, at least from their eyes.'
'It was supposed to be simple, despite being an illegal and dark organization, the Street Palace carries its duties faithfully and with strictness, so there was no way trouble would happen...'
'But fate was against them this time, and they ended up meeting with the Conjunction nonetheless, in the enemy territory out of all places.'
'Still, why was the son of the Manager Director deep in enemy territory? And why did he waste his time to cause trouble to a nobody?'
'If it wasn't enough to be so far in someone else's turf, he had to go and cause trouble huh... And he wasn't persecuted by it? The Street Palace? The people that are known for punishing troublemakers 99% of the time?'
'Something seemed wrong, what was happening?'
'The Old Dwarf thought of all of this in but a mere few moments, trying to piece together anything he could, all of the memories he had.'
"Alicred… Something is going on behind the scenes…"
But what does any of this have to do with us?!
I just wanted to buy something! It isn't some sort of divine ore, and neither is it something in demand somewhere else!
I don't have any enemies! At most, it would be... No, they don't have the resources to pull this off, and if they did, this matter just became that much more complicated!
This can only be some sort of intervention... Not against us... But those above us.
Dammit!
'After thinking for a good minute, the Dwarf suddenly moved with determination.'
"Come with me." He said as he left the room
"Where are we going?"
"Save your mom."
"But how?!" He asked as he tried his best to resist the pain in his face
"There are ways, and even if we can't do it now, at the very least, we'll make sure she's okay."
Until I find another way.
But if that motherfuker touches her…
'The old Dwarf's face turned red, brimming with anger.'
"Wait dad, I'm not done yet!"
"Is there something else? Look, Junior, if it isn't important…"
"Mother told me to relay this to you as this may be connected to the matter..."
"She did?"
'He stopped walking, turning to face Junior.'
"Pyke Rafiel's Manor got destroyed after his party by an unknown third party."
"Not only that but there are rumors that one of the Princesses of the Human Kingdown in the South visited him!"
"Wh-What?!"
'His mind went blank…'
Just what is going on now?...
Could it be… There is indeed something larger going on? Is someone actually interfering with the Pyke Family's plans?
If so, why act like this? Why not just sabotage our research?!
Or anything else really?!
'He didn't know how to feel, if there was targeting them specifically, that meant that they had somehow valued him to be critical, and considering he rarely leaves the laboratory, they might've chosen his wife as she has much fewer guards around her than him and his son.'
'Should he be honored? Or cursed himself for being the lead scientist?'
"Urg… I have some people to contact, we need to move, fast!"
"Dad!"
'The two Dwarfs ran around the metal corridors of the underground research complex, shoving aside everyone on their path…'
'That was around 16 to 20 hours ago.'
…
/The same day, far away inside a Palace…/
"Sigh…"
/Tick.../
'A handsome middle-aged man with thick brows and symmetrical face laid upon his bed, letting out a tired sigh as he looked at the ceiling.'
/Tick.../
'His beautiful red hair was disorderly let loose around the bed, his beard covering most of his face as he closed his eyes to think.'
/Tick.../
'His bed was really big, several people could fit in it, and his room was large enough to host a party, yet he was all alone, the only sound being the continuous tick of some strange mechanism hidden somewhere amidst the luxurious trinkets.'
/Tick.../
'Not only that but each and every decoration in his room could afford a normal family a lifetime of wealth!'
/Tick!/
/Ding ding ding…/
'His ears were suddenly stimulated by the clear, weak chimes of a bell, but there was no bell in his room.'
"Already?... Can't I have some time to rest?" He asked as he looked at the ceiling
'He raised his hand, and the air seemed to distort, showing 12 different flames organized in a circular manner.'
'Each flame had a different color, but his eyes were drawn to the white flame, opposite to the dark one.'
"Urg... Barely some time to close my eyes..."
"My apologies your majesty, work just keeps coming, if I could I would…"
'There was a voice echoing in the room, but there was no one there.'
'It sounded aged but it was steady…'
'Before the voice could finish, the man replied:'
"I started this, so I'll end it… A little bit more work is nothing."
I work now so I may not work later.
But why does my work keeps increasing despite me trying my best while working overtime?
'He lazily rolled down his bed, getting to the edge as he said:'
"Although I would've preferred to do anything else other than signing papers…"
"Thankfully, it isn't about that this time your majesty, albeit… There are indeed some documents for you to read."
'A cylinder suddenly manifested in the air above the red-haired man as he rolled his eyes in displeasure.'
"There always is something for me to take a look at…"
/Pop!/
'The man opened the cylinder with a loud pop, removing a pristine and glowing piece of emerald paper from within…'
"Bla bla bla... Report? Bla... Huh?"
'But as he read it, his expression changed in many ways, and midway through it, he threw the paper to the side, clenching onto his head.'
"So this is how they act huh… Fucking bastards!"
/CREAK!/
'The man waved his hand across the air, the pressure so great the entire room started to creak.'
/Shua.../
'A wave of blue energy covered the room like the smooth tides of dawn...'
"Your majesty, please be wary of your surroundings, if one of the Madams sees a broken piece of furniture again I won't be able to sneak you out of trouble... Again."
"I… My hand slipped."
'The man was embarrassed, he got up from his bed as he let out a dry cough.'
"Give me a debrief of this, I need a shower to cool my head off."
"I have already prepared one."
/Chuckles/
"I can always count on you, the only reason why I still stand is thanks to you and Lupio's hard work."
"You overpraise me your majesty, it's nothing but my duty, and besides, we ourselves can only work like this thanks to all of the others that support us, this is what managing a Kingdom is like."
"A duty well made nonetheless..." The king retorted as he grabbed his shirt
/Fwoosh/
'The man let his clothes fall onto the ground as he walked into a room on the side.'
'Inside, something akin to a modern bathroom took over his eyes, albeit it was more like a large sauna in terms of size.'
'He went past all sorts of things, from a toilet to a shower, to something like a cylindrical glass pod to a 'simple' luxurious sink, stopping in front of a large crucible…'
/Shaaaa…/
'Boiling water could be inside of the pot, yet the man got inside as if he was getting inside a pool… Grabbing onto the red metal as if he was touching his bed.'
"AHHHHHHH, I feel 10 times better already…"
If only I could share this moment with one of them…
'A few seconds passed, and the man said:'
"You're free to talk."
"Starting from the top of the report, I have compiled the Elven Kingdom's response to our recent accusations during the delegation of nations."
"As expected, they completely and utterly avoided any sort of responsibility with the recent matters, and surprisingly, they have remained completely silent in regard to our own recent actions in regards to the extermination of country-wide spies."
"Albeit they have berated us for our intrusion into their territory, they claimed they'll perform their own investigations and that they'll share with us their findings."
"We tried to reach a consensus, but they were adamant about not letting us in and wanting everyone that was already there out."
'The middle-aged man didn't seem surprised by this, he just read it after all, but his expression was one of dissatisfaction.'
"They are undermining us… Again."
"They push us around, but not too much, and they have fun with it, and when we get angry, they show us their true selves, pushing us back onto the ground."
They're taunting us, trying to see if we'll attack them first...
"Such complete and utter disregard, they don't fear us..."
"But they also do not wish for anything to start right now, despite them having tried to start a war not so long ago…"
If a war is to start, then it'll be from our side, they want to be on the moral high ground, especially since some races take such things into perspective before interfering in international matters...
A bunch of hypocrites. Rarely a nation has the moral high ground/
Normally both are at fault, the question is, what benefits can they gain by supporting one side over the other?
"They want to have the other races join them against us, things are starting to get clearer… Those sharp ears plans…"
"As for the spies… They must have likely already cut the tail in half so we can't track them nor find any conclusive evidence."
"As long as we don't have those, even if they're not profiting, they're not completely losing it either."
"Their spies were mostly composed of our own people who converted to their side due to corruption and greed, most fear for the recent changes I've made during my rule."
"Since they realize they can't remain here with their crimes, they would rather leave, but that can't be done under normal circumstances..."
"So with a bit of coercion from their side, they decided to jump ship… And they almost did with a bang."
/Chuckles/
"But they didn't expect the new Heroes to be so… Capable." The voice from beyond replied with a chuckle
"Indeed…"
"Speaking of him, what happened? It's been a while since I've read a report on him."
About 2 or so weeks, perhaps longer, it has been difficult keeping track of time as I've been spending most of my time inside my damned office.
"Should I relay everything?"
"No... Just go on from the last report."
"As you wish."
"As you know your majesty, recently the Academy has entered a high stage of Alert as their principal office had been breached."
'The man's expression twisted into one of contempt.'
"Meh, don't even tell me about it, those greedy guys only want to loot that place, they have no interest in anything else."
Most Principals of the Parad Academy were 9th Circle Wizards, never had one been below 8th Circle prior to assuming the post.
And albeit the resources and knowledge they accumulated over the years are indeed not common in the slightest, they aren't worthy of making the Human race their enemies...
No, most races as many principals were from other races apart from Humans.
But for the past few generations of Principals, only Humans have sat upon the top position, not because of favoritism, but because of capability, much to their displeasure.
They'll never admit to it, their pride won't allow it, and they'll hide in their own lies for their own benefit, despite having already done so before.
When they do it, they use our excuse, but when we do it, then we're definitely plotting something... As always.
It's their own fault if they didn't put that much effort into grooming a proper successor to compete in the first place... But no one cares, it's only about the gains, in the end, the winner writes the story after all.
Of course, this only takes place because they take those resources as valuable, but the treasure of generations of 9th Circles aren't really that impressive or worth such fierce competition and desire...
However, things are different when we add the few Principals that achieved the 10th Circle, those are indeed worth offending us, especially when it's everyone is against us…
Or better put, everyone is against each other.
But in a twist of fate, someone else stole everything, leaving them with nothing but dust and failed promises of grandeur in the end.
How ironic… And devastating for us.
We put a lot into the creation of the Academy, and it is questionable if we ever truly recovered what we invested, considering that the Academy city is a never-ending pit of money...
Who am I lying to, of course, we got it all back!
The problem isn't the city itself, but the collection of the Principals.
We lost too much with its disappearance, but at least, no conflicts have risen due to this matter…
Yet.
/Splash!/
'Having thought for quite a bit, the man had his face submerge into the boiling hot water as to soak his hair.'
/Splash!/
'As he rose from the water like a carp jumping the dragon gate, he asked:'
"What have they done now? Are there any predictions for the Academy to resume function?"
"Not quite, your majesty, we have already requested them to start a vote for a new Headmaster, but that shall take a while."
"Without the resources, the position of Headmaster is more of a chore than anything, a target to paint on your back, no one wants to become that person."
"They'll keep postponing this decision for as long as possible until this matter has been taken care of..."
"So it's better to think that there'll be no vote for a new Headmaster until they find where everything went... Or until one year has passed as per the rule set by the 4th Headmaster."
"I know those things, but we can't leave it like that, to reduce our losses, we at least need to have someone from our side take over."
"There are many excuses we can use to accelerate and force them to vote, after all, the current Headmaster has been missing for a while, so under this undetermined scenario, a new clause takes effect."
In the first place, the previous principal wasn't on our side, as mostly, Parad Academy was a neutral place, and it has been so for a long long time.
So the losses of those resources aren't that great for us, it was something that accumulated over the centuries, and yes, some of those materials came from our side, but everyone lost a bit as several Headmasters came from other races.
Since they don't want to take responsibility for this matter, then we, the Human Kingdom shall take over the Academy city for good and solidify our wobbly control over it!
"That has already been arranged, our candidate has a high likelihood of being voted for the position, albeit, it may be difficult to secure the minimum necessary votes as the Elves seem inclined in getting the position as well."
'The man frowned, grasping onto the edges of his crucible as he raised an eyebrow.'
"Them again? What do they gain by doing this?"
"Not much really, unless they have something else in mind, but I bet it's mostly a political facade to show that they are against us regardless of what we do, if we do something, they'll do the contrary."
"Perhaps they aren't inclined into gaining the position, but mostly into making it a pain for us."
/Tap tap.../
'The king slapped the sides of the crucible, thinking...'
"Hum… How annoying, in the end, that only means we have more people to convince and eventually bribe."
A waste of resources. Just because we have a lot, that doesn't mean I like to throw it around.
Everything ends eventually, and I don't want to experience that.
Pointy fuckers, I'll make you pay for playing around with us like this.
"As for the rest… It's all about him."
"I was waiting for this." The King said with a large smile
It has already been a month since he left, I want to know what he has been up to…
If it was worth it ignoring him last time, and how far he has progressed.
He left with such decision as if knowing where to go and why… So I've been keeping track of it, just what does he want to find? What does he wish to accomplish?...
If there is some value in letting him outside for longer… And if it's safe as well.
'His eyes narrowed as he dipped his nose into the water.'
Those guys must've definitely sniffed something, and even though I've kept a tight watch on everyone that knows this matter, someone might…
Sigh, I need to stay focused.
"As you know, 'he' left the premises of the South no less than a month ago."
"He quickly made his way through the mountains and arrived at the premises of the Academy City… All of this was within the last report."
"As for how he got inside… We never properly determined it, but we figured that he somehow made use of the 'Chains'."
"Hum… How did a recently summoned Hero know how to contact the Chains? Much less reach an agreement with them to get inside the City."
What did he use to trade with them?
This could be a potential breach of security had he used something he learned from our side, but considering the report isn't tagged as urgent, the risk of that must've been accounted for already.
"That very much amuses me and incites my curiosity." He said with a smile
From what we researched from asking the other Heroes, Philip Vinten is a normal man by their standards… Or was.
No signs of any abnormalities, nor anything worth talking about really.
Decent personality and appearance, taking good care of himself.
Apart from his looks and good grades, he wasn't really the depiction of the brutal warrior that slashed his way through the 10 thousand Orcs I'd expected him to be.
So when did things change? Getting synchronized could've been the thing, Heroes can change and most will, albeit the changes will be small, even in the rare cases where its large, his was a tad extreme.
He spent most of his time in the Library, and even if he read books at unprecedented speeds, there was no way he could've amassed enough information to plan such a thing.
Of course, Heroes are existences that live outside of the Norm, and even among them, irregularities may be born… No, they will.
Is he one such Irregular? If so, his value increases even further.
So far, only 5 Irregular existences have been observed within the 100 Heroes called forth from the other world, and he is so far the most interesting one.
"What did he do upon getting inside the Academy?"
"Well… He mostly acted as a Warden, reading in the Library."
"Reading yet again?..."
Does he have some unique form of ability connected to reading books?
Perhaps that is why he maintained such a stern schedule and kept visiting the library...
But I thought he was someone suited for combat?... How odd.
'The voice would always stop talking whenever the man stopped to think...'
"You may proceed."
'There was no movement, but it seemed as if the voice had nodded for a moment...'
"Later on, he took the position of Advanced Student and helped a professor with his lessons, eventually receiving tutelage before leaving the Academy a little before the Lockdown."
"A professor? Give me more details."
"Professor of Monster Anatomy, Fabrin Peos, has been teaching for a long time already, has one daughter, the mother is… Missing."
"Sky Rank adventurer, with the prospects of becoming a Star Ranked one, however, he quit being a Mercenary and decided to settle as he had a daughter."
"He's a Spiritual Invoker of the 3rd Dominion and Capable of Conjuring Elemental Spirits, and there were rumors of him being born with Dual affinity."
"Oh? How interesting, he seems to be quite the prospect."
Enough to enter the Elite Corps and stand out.
"Indeed your highness, you don't see someone like him that often even in the Royal capital, but even so, he never shone that brightly, choosing to live a calm life."
'The King snickered as he looked at the ceiling with a vacant and more relaxed gaze.'
"That in itself is worthy of some praise, to choose family over success, few can do such things even if they were given 3 lives."
"So the Hero got a tutor? A better one than the ones I selected… Interesting, was it luck, or was it calculated?"
"What happened next?"
"The annual great hunt, he partnered up with a student, a young woman with few noticeable features…"
'But the man still pointed out:'
"There must be a reason why you're bringing her up."
"Indeed, from our scouts observing him from afar, they have concluded that the girl is at least a 5th Circle at the young age of 16."
"Ho? Once again, another talent, this time, one that has yet to properly bloom."
"Heh, as they say, talents gather around one another…"
"That's not all, according to the estimations from our measurements, she should've been at the pinnacle of the 5th Circle, perhaps even a 6th Circle by this point in time."
"6th Circle by the age of 16? How talented."
"Eriny herself, who has now secluded herself to advance to the 8th Circle wasn't as talented when she was that age."
"Is she part of any family? A large Noble group or perhaps a fallen house?"
It seems strange that a large house would let such a talented prospect out in the world unless they really wanted her to grow connections...
But this doesn't seem to be the case by far.
"No your highness, apart from her name and age, there isn't really much else about her worthy to talk about."
"I see, what a shame."
'If there was nothing, it meant there was nothing.'
'The agents of the king would always find out what he wanted, and since they didn't, it meant this girl was either protected by a very very strong individual, or she was just one of those rare talents dug from the earth one day.'
'And it remains to be seen how much this gem will shine.'
"As for the rest, his Great Hunt was fairly successful, he saved Fabrin's daughter, gaining her favor and solidifying their relationship."
"There weren't more interesting things to report about his time spent there, but there are a few notable exceptions…"
"Throughout his time in the Academy, he offended at least 3 Dukes."
"... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
'The King fell into hysterical laughter as the water splashed all around.'
"Did he beat them up? Those useless sons of theirs?"
"He did… At least in most cases..."
"Ha… That is a story I would like to hear more of later… For now, continue."
"As per your wish, following his training under the hands of Fabrin, he quickly scheduled his departure, it wasn't hasty as he planned a week in advance, but his timing was indeed… Off."
"Elaborate."
"According to the reports, he, together with the student he partnered with during the Great Hunt, left the premises of the Academy Via a teleportation gate no less than 2 minutes prior to its Lockdown."
'The King's eye's opened wide.'
"... Now, that is shocking."
'The King did not doubt the precision of the reports.'
"If that is the case… Are you perhaps implying that…"
"There is an inkling of a possibility the Hero was indeed the person behind the breach and the looting of the Principal's Office as their abilities often fall beyond common sense, and as such, the most improbable should be considered."
/Tremble…/
'The King's body started to tremble, shaking the water crucible all around…'
"Your majesty?..."
"BUWAHAHAHAHAH! I'M PISSING MYSELF! HAHAHAHAHA…"
"..."
'The king laughed on and on, he couldn't really hold it, he was having just that much fun…'
'But eventually, he got tired.'
"What then?"
"Following this 'unfortunate coincidence' he proceed to settle himself in the City of Freedom, which was just about a day or so ago."
"I see, it is indeed not that long for conclusive reports to be made…"
"On the contrary sir, there is a lot to talk about."
"Hm?"
"Let's see… Somehow, the Hero offended the Eldest son of the Pyke Family, being invited to his welcoming party the very same day he arrived at the city."
"Well well well, looks like he has the knack for getting into trouble with these famed youngsters!"
Young people will always clash against each other all the time, the suppressed won't be remembered, but the one with the larger fist will.
And once this person is suppressed, people will make sure to remember who did it.
"However, that wasn't all as… Someone else was invited into it."
"Or should I say, invited herself to it…"
"Your daughter, the Fourth Princess Victoria."
"Victoria you say..."
'The King wasn't surprised in the least.'
"So that was what she wanted in the end… No, I already suspected it, just didn't expect it to happen like this…"
"I let her be since she was acting within the rules I set, she used her own assets to get this chance all within the boundaries I set, so I couldn't let her go…"
I thought she was going to meet him from afar and not actually approach him so brazenly... There goes my subtle approach.
He'll definitely be on edge from now on...
As for that troublemaker, you may call me reckless for letting her go so far away from home, but she was fine either way as she had 'her' by her side.
But the problem was, of course, not that.
It was the eyes and ears within the Palace, eyes that could very well have seen her actions, and ears that certainly heard who she was intending to meet…
The knack of the problem is whose eyes and ears they are…
This raises the question of safety once again, is it time for me to drag him out?
"Anything else?"
"Yes, at the party, we have some interesting information to relay…"
"It is almost certain that Miss Victoria's Maid and Mister Philip clashed against one another, resulting in the destruction of Rafiel's Pyke Manor."
"PFFF! How?!"
'The king spat some water out of his mouth, splashing it across the bathroom.'
"Unclear, the young Miss has been silent ever since she returned via the Teleportation gate."
/Grit.../
'The king gritted his teeth in anger.'
"That brat… I'll go talk with her myself."
"It's not like it was all in vain, we have clearly gauged the Hero's combat power with this show…"
"Oh?"
"We have approximated him to be around the Level of a 7th Circle Archmage, or an 8th Stage Aura Champion."
"So soon?"
"It was unmistakable, even if he used everything he had, that is still his strength, it may be higher or lower on average, but that can't be confirmed without more intrusive means."
"No… Stay away for now, if he suspects, his natural growth may be impaired…"
Despite the fact my daughter already made things complicated... Urg!
I'll smack her ass today, she needs some scolding!
"For now, we need to solve the rest… "
'The King relaxed on his bath for a bit longer as he thought of what to do...'
'But he wasn't the only one going over strategic plans...'
'As somewhere within a forest of giant emerald trees, a house built from the branches of a massive tree stood like an apple hanging from a tree...'
...
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.
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Notes
So, following this chapter, it's likely that we'll have at least one more chapter purely about what is happening outside, we saw the King now, and next chapter, we'll see his talk with his daughter, and after that, the Elven King and the First Prince...
Okay, enough spoilers.
Is there any particular character you would like to see? Tell me so I can add it to the chapter!
See ya and make sure to post your images and opinions up above!