Part 29

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The girls seemed quite enthusiastic. Just a bit for different reasons. Eris just really enjoyed soaring through the skies at crazy speeds like a blazing meteor. Norn, on the other hand, was very frightened of both the speed and the altitude. So I took her in my arms and held her close to me, which she enjoyed. That was how we got to Ars, but we didn't go straight to the city.

I landed with my companions at some distance from the capital, and then hurried to create a new secret teleport underground. I also sent a message to Sylphie, informing her that we had arrived in the city. And then I actually entered the capital. I wanted to go to the adventurer's guild first, but it seems that Sylphie decided to meet me right away. So she told the princess that we have our own way of communicating. I hope she didn't mention the system. Although, about the letters themselves, I've already given Sylphie some instructions. If anything, we exchange messages using a summoned spirit. After all, it's a rare and complex magic. And, in principle, such a thing is quite possible. And the details are much harder to know. Anyway, there was a carriage waiting for us at the city gates. And our group was immediately spotted.

- Mr Rudeus Greyrat? - A man in a servant's uniform addressed me.

- Yes... I believe you are from the royal palace?

- That is correct. Her Highness, Second Princess Ariel Anemoi Asura, invites you to come to the palace for a private meeting. If you accept, I will take you there immediately.

- Hmm... why not? But, we don't have the proper costumes for such a meeting, we're just out of the way.

- That's not a problem at all. Her Highness doesn't pay attention to such details.

- Then let's go now.

Still, that was fast. Is it possible that Sylphie herself told the princess of our arrival? Although, in one of my letters, I asked her not to spread much about our special way of communication.

- Oh... us to the palace? - Eris was surprised.

- Looks like Sylphie did her best here. - I nodded.

- Another one of your students. - The swordswoman grumbled somewhat unhappily. - And another bride...

- Yeah... try not to fight with her.

- Pfft.

- Eris.

- I'll try! - She grumbled even more unhappily.

She didn't fight with Roxy, though. She didn't argue with Roxy, though she didn't fight with Roxy.

In the meantime, the carriage brought us to a majestic structure. A rather old and beautiful castle, bright, with flags flying in the wind. The place really did look as if it had been taken from some fairy tale. The royal knights on duty at the gate greeted us with suspicion, but let us through. After all, we're not the ones asking for an audience, we're the ones invited. It's not an official meeting, though.

Already in the castle, Eris was looking around interestedly, as was Norn, whom I took in my arms.

In passing, I noted the presence of a particular servant that reminded me of Lilia. They looked like ordinary maids, but the scans showed that they were also skilled swordswomen, on the level of royal knights. At least not inferior to them. It didn't seem to be all of them, though, there were regular maids too.

And here, we are brought to a cosy room, where they are already waiting for us.

On a luxurious sofa in front of a coffee table sat a young girl in a white dress. A blue-eyed blonde, something even similar to Zenith, but creating, as it were, a more elegant impression. Behind her, just behind the back of the couch, stood a teenage boy with his hand on his belt, on which hung a sword in a scabbard. And, there was something familiar about the boy.

Luke Notos Greyrat.

Swordsman level 5

Brother! I mean, a cousin, apparently the son of the current lord of House Notos.

But most importantly, Sylphie was here.

My sweet little elf with green hair. Her hair had grown out noticeably since we last met, and it seems she had decided not to cut it short like before, but to leave it like that.

So, I put Norn on her feet.

- Your Highness... - I begin a noble bow.

- Rudy!

And I fail to fulfil the conventions of etiquette as it should be, because the elf woman throws herself on my neck.

- Huh... - I hug the girl, pulling her against me and twisting her in place.

- Haha...

What's the big deal? Well, the princess doesn't seem to be bothered by it. She continues to smile kindly as she watches the scene from the sidelines.

- Sylph! - Norn called out to her excitedly.

- Hmpf... - Eris snorted.

- Of course there's nothing wrong with you. - I sighed, putting Sylphie back on her feet.

- Your amulet broke... - She admitted guiltily.

I guess the protective artefact didn't survive the teleportation either and became unusable. It was good that Sylphie herself didn't seem to be particularly badly hurt by it.

- It's okay, I'll make a new and better one.

- Ah, I don't--

- It's okay, I just want to protect you.

The girl lowered her gaze and buried her face in my chest.

- Rudy... why... why is your hair white?

- Oh... that? Well, the teleportation drained my mana supply. And after the transfer, I had to fight off monsters right away. Anyway, it's the effects of total mana depletion. It's something that happens to wizards who overextend themselves.

- А...

- Actually, the white hair is just an outward reflection of the side effects. Depletion can also cause serious internal damage that can worsen your health. So if you feel that you can't do magic anymore, it's best not to do it without a really good reason.

- Yeah... are you... are you okay?

- Don't worry, you know I also have healing magic. So, I'm fine now. It's just my hair's changed colour. But it doesn't look bad to me, do you think?

Stepping back, I ran my hand through my hair.

- It's beautiful! - Sylphie nodded enthusiastically.

Although, she was more trying to cheer me up. I was trying so hard to reassure her. But still, white hair does look beautiful. Anyway, the pixie had really calmed down by now. And now I could turn to the princess herself, who was calmly waiting for us to finish with the happy reunion. Luke, on the other hand, didn't seem too happy about it.

- I apologise, Your Highness, I haven't seen Sylphie for a long time and I'm very happy to see her again. And I appreciate you taking care of her here.

- It was the least I could do for her after Sylphie rescued me. - The girl replied. - And, are you really Rudeus Greyrat?

- Hmm? Yes, that's right... do I detect doubt in your voice?

- I'm sorry, it's just... I imagined you to be....

- Younger? - It's getting to me.

- Yeah...I heard you were the same age as Sylphie, but.....

- It's magic. Earlier, I created some healing magic spells that were supposed to increase the effectiveness of my training. They made me grow faster.

- Oh, magic is amazing!

At least she decided to accept that argument. Then again, Luke's face expressed clear doubts about it. Meanwhile, the princess continued her thought. Or perhaps one could say that she decided to get to the point of this meeting. To the matter that interested her the most.

- I was impressed by Sylphietta's mastery of magic. She's only ten, but she has silent spells of considerable power. And I hear you taught her everything.

- Well, I did give her the basics, taught her what I was once taught. I helped her at first, but Sylphiette was a very diligent and talented student. After that, she did very well without my help.

- Of course, she is very talented indeed! - Nodded the princess.

The elfess herself was looking away embarrassed at this time. She was embarrassed to hear us praising her so much.

And, at that very moment...

Mission received!

Royal honours

Seduce the first princess of the Asura Kingdom.

Reward: a personal princess.

Actually, I only glanced over this yet another absurd task. I'm used to it. But Sylphie, she saw this message too, and her eyes bulged and her mouth opened in shock.

- But... let's talk about it. - I sighed. I apologise, Your Highness, I don't want to offend you, but our loved ones may be in danger now, so I want to get to the point. I don't suppose you didn't decide to arrange this meeting just to admire me.

- Ha ha... maybe I did?

The elfess eyed the princess suspiciously. Eris, on the other hand, simply didn't notice that note of flirtation.

- Hmm, then perhaps I can offer you something myself?

- That sounds very interesting. - The princess smiled.

- You might have already learnt this from Sylphietta that I am a mage of royal rank already in several ways. Although I don't advertise it, I've also reached the royal rank in healing magic. I also create a variety of artefacts.

I feel like a job interview. But, the princess was clearly interested. It was clear from the way she had decided to take over Sylphi that she was interested in prospective employees. And objectively speaking, I can really be of great interest to such people as a specialist in magic.

- And to put it bluntly, I am asking for your support in finding our families affected by the teleportation disaster, and offering my loyalty in exchange. As a gesture of goodwill, I offer you this gift.

Having said that, I place a small gemstone pendant on the table. I made this artefact on my way to the capital, anticipating a possible meeting with the princess. The work itself was not particularly difficult, but I tried to make the artefact not only functional, but also beautiful. After all, it's also a piece of jewellery.

- Oh, it's beautiful... - A rapturous gleam appeared in the girl's eyes.

- It's an enchanted object. I tried to make it look beautiful for you, but its main purpose is to protect you. By channelling mana into the amulet, you will be able to create a cover that can repel magical and physical attacks.

- Thank you, Mr Rudeus. - The princess smiled. - It is indeed a valuable gift. And, I will accept your offer. No, I would still help you because I owe Sylphiette, and I want to help you too. I'd be glad if you'd consider yourself my friend instead of my debtor.

She was clearly quite good at diplomacy. Philip was nowhere near as eloquent. And despite the princess' words, it is obvious that she hardly really began to help us, if I did not offer my loyalty. Her words are aimed at strengthening this loyalty.

In fact, that's what we agreed on.

And after the princess was enough to mention this problem a couple of times in front of the right people, so that the search operation reached a new level. A whole new level of connections. Also, the guild of adventurers received new search assignments, but already from the royal house and with higher pay, which should seriously affect the efficiency of the adventurers themselves. And, just on the same day, several people were found who had been affected by the disaster. Not members of our families, but there were many victims in the disaster itself.

The princess also organised a charitable foundation, which was suddenly invested in by many aristocrats who supported her. Although not much, but only by the standards of the nobility, for ordinary people and adventurers it was a lot of money. And, I myself have also put in my share of gems.

- We also need to send messages to other continents. This disaster could scatter people all over the world, and that's something to consider.

- Of course, we've already done that. Although, the message will take time, but in a month's time, the guild in the land of Milis will receive the task. Then the message will reach Begaritto, and after a few more months, the demonic continent.

- Thank you for your help, Your Highness. Is there anything I can do for you now?

- No, there's nothing you need to do. - Kindly replied the girl.

At night, leaving the girls to stay in the palace, I left the capital and used the magic of flight to get to the next city on the way to Milis. I set up a hidden portal there and headed onwards. Considering the speed of flight, I managed to pass a dozen cities in one night alone, leaving the kingdom and reaching Shiron. After that, I returned to Ars by portal.

And there...

- Rudy, do you want to seduce the princess? - Sylphie asked me straight out.

- What? No, of course not. - You know how this system likes to play pranks like that, don't you?

- Yeah... well... the princess is good....

- Ohhh..." I rolled my eyes. - Just, never mind.

What's good, Eris and Sylphie didn't fight with each other. Although, it was obvious that they were quite awkward with each other.

At least that's how it was at first. But the next day, I could already hear their strange conversations.

- He was already using silent charms. I thought it was normal, but it turns out only the most powerful wizards can do that!

- Yes, Rudy is like that. - Eris nodded proudly. - He does swordsmanship, and even without magic, he's very strong!

- And you... you like him too, don't you?

- Well that's... yeah... I'm his wife now! That's it!

- And I... I'm a bride... and I'm going to be a wife too!

Anyway, they hit it off and had a long talk about how awesome I was. It was very embarrassing to overhear. Another day later, I came close to completing one of my assignments. It was a bit of a surprise, but when I reached the capital of Shiron, there was a chime in my head. And, new markings appeared on the map. Namely... a circle appeared, marking the city and a message.

Attention!

Aisha Greyrat is in the search area.

As it turned out, the system could still find my loved ones, but only if they were nearby. And it seems my daughter is in the capital of Shiron. But, it's not such a small city that she can be found quickly. Perhaps Lily is with her, given that they're listed together on the same mission. But it could also be that they were teleported separately. In which case, that means someone in the city took care of Aisha. Otherwise, it would be hard for the little girl to survive, even if she could.

I've had thoughts like that before, but I tried not to think about it when I couldn't do anything about it. But, now I just can't help but worry that my daughter is in danger. To be honest, before this, I didn't really feel like a father at all. Mostly, I just wasn't ready for it. Well, I mean, I could provide for my family, but it was still kind of a messy and sudden thing, because I hadn't planned on becoming a father so soon. But now it was different. I felt that I was ready to turn the whole city upside down to find my daughter!

But I didn't get into a frenzy, I decided to approach the search intelligently.

The first thing I did was go to the local branch of the adventurers' guild. And despite my growing unease, I couldn't help but pay attention to the town itself. Like many places in Shiron, this place carried a distinctly eastern flavour. This country reminded me very much of the India that remained on Earth. It was especially evident here, just by looking at the local castle.

And here, the guild itself.

- Hello, I'm an adventurer from Asura....

- Rank? - The administrator asked me indifferently.

- Beginner. I'm not taking orders right now, on the contrary, I'm placing them.

Having said that, I put the flyers on the table.

- I'm looking for these people, they were caught in the calamity of magical teleportation. The condition and reward form has been filled out.

- Good, we'll post an announcement on the task board right after checking it.

Just like that.

But of course, knowing for sure that Aisha is somewhere in town, I didn't stop there.

For starters, all with copies of the flyers, approached the local guards and questioned them about the lost child. But, it was even kind of surprising that no one had seen the girl. Considering that she was somewhere in the city, it was really strange, and made me worry all the more.

It was already starting to get evening and, just at that moment, a thought just struck me.

- Shit. - I tapped myself on the forehead with my hand.

Why didn't I think of that before?

Anyway, I had an idea to speed up the search. And, having got out of town in a deserted place, I took out the grimoire of magic of summoning and teleportation, illuminated the books with magic light and began to look for the necessary chapters. I had some experience with this kind of magic, so I knew what I needed. The largest magic summoning circle template, but with loose enough search criteria that I could easily set my own queries.

Previously, I would have spent days drawing a similar circle. But, duplicating teleportation circles allowed me to get accustomed to this kind of work, so I managed this circle in only some four hours, already deep in the night.

- Here we go. - With a clap of my hands, I lower my hands and touch the borders of the drawing.

Mana flows into the shape of the drawn spell.

- I need someone who can find anyone, anywhere.

I didn't know exactly how it might be expressed in reality, but the circle's task was simple - to find a being that is itself capable of seeking out others. And given the capabilities of this circle, it could very well be a sentient being. In fact, that's the whole point of this drawing. It is not particularly complicated, although it is very labour-intensive in its drawing. Its beauty lies in its simplicity, and in the fact that if you put enough mana into it, you can summon a demon king or even a god. It's just that hardly anyone has that much magical power. But, I'm the one with the mana!

And now, a bright beam of light hits the sky, and in the shape of a circle appears....

- Heh-heh-heh-heh... what?

The light dissipated, and some ragged girl was staring at me.

A small girl, even younger than Eris. She was dressed in a tattered cloak, with a heavy metal collar around her neck and shackles with chains around her arms. The chains themselves were short and their edges were red-hot, burning in the darkness with fire. It was the summoning circle that seemed to have carved these chains, as it were. On the head, however, there are modest horns, indicating the demonic nature of the girl.

Kishiriku Kishirisu

Shallow Empress level 211

Health - Half-God.

Mana - depleted, but reserve like a true demon queen

Strongest skill - clairvoyance

Mood - hungry.

Note-- one of the oldest creatures in the world.

Well, actually, I have enough mana to summon a demon king. In this case, the empress.

- Khe-ha-ha-ha! - She laughed. - Did someone summon us? The empress of the demon world herself! The incomparable Kishirika Kishirisa!

Proudly straightening up, she clasped her hands together at her waist.

- I hope you don't bear a grudge against me for this? - I asked cautiously.

She may be a girl, but this creature may well be more dangerous than Ruijed. And the contract isn't done yet. Right now, the magical contract is in limbo while the girl is inside the circle. And I'm in no hurry to force it. I haven't heard much about the Demon Empress herself before. But it seems Kishirika was one of the demon rulers who supported Laplace.

- Oh no, it's fine, we're even impressed! - The demoness nodded to me kindly.

However, this girl didn't look like the epitome of evil.

- Then, I'm really happy to meet you, your majesty. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Rudeus Greyrat, I am a nobleman of the Asura Kingdom from the central continent. - I make a noble bow.

- How far this lady has travelled. - The girl smiled widely, showing her sharp shark teeth.

By the way, she had a rather strange manner of speech. She didn't refer to herself in the plural as it might seem. She used special terms of the demonic language, speaking of herself in the third person and, as if, emphasising her noble status. But it sounded childish.

- I called you here to ask for help, but I'm also willing to pay for it. And I have no intention of imposing a conscription contract on you.

- Ho-ho-ho-ho... and you're very polite, boy. I like that! And the fact that you were able to summon Empress Kishirisa herself is commendable! Just tell me what you want! And I will grant your wish!

She was surprisingly generous.

- I'm looking for my loved ones. There is a city near here, the capital of the kingdom of Shiron, and I know that my daughter was lost there. But I'm also looking for my... maid, my mother, and also my wife's mother. If it's not a problem, I'd also like to find the relatives of my friends.

- Oh, of course I'll help! - The Demon Empress responded immediately.

- Okay, now...

I pulled out a sheet of portraits of the lost.

- This is my daughter Aisha.

- What a cutie! - The empress smiled. - Well, rely on me, sorcerer! Nyaha-ha-ha-ha! The great and incomparable Kishirika Kishirisu will grant your wish and help you reunite with your family!

Standing in a somewhat amusing heroic pose, the demoness suddenly stretched the skin around her left eye with her fingers, and her pupil flashed with a bright light from within. The very structure of the eye itself changed.

- So... I see this city... hnnn... oh, found it! Your daughter is in the royal palace! And her mum is there too!

Kishirika blinked, and her eye stopped glowing, though its structure remained altered.

- But they seem to be criminals? I don't know why, but they're in the dungeon.

- Umm...

To be honest, I was a bit taken aback. Why my daughter and my mistress were in the royal dungeon.

And although I wanted to rush to them right now, but while Kishirika is in the circle, it's better to solve some issues right away.

- Thank you for your help. Please take this as a small thank you....

Considering her 'wants to eat' mood, I decided to just give her a treat and then took out some supplies from my inventory. And from the empress, there was immediately a demonic roar coming from her stomach. In fact, it didn't sound like a normal rumbling, but really like the sounds made by some kind of monster. From the surprise, I almost dropped the food from my hands.

- Ohh! How nice of you, Rubebus! Ha ha ha ha, we, Kishirika Kishirisu, accept your gratitude!

And with her toothy mouth open, the girl nearly bit my hand off with the treats.

- Chromnomnomnomnomnomnomnomnom...

I recoiled in shock as I watched her devour a portion of meat and vegetables. Even the cloth napkins in which the food was wrapped had been eaten. And the empress didn't even eat, she just shoved the food into her mouth and ground it like a meat grinder with her sharp saw teeth. It didn't take a minute for her to grind it all up.

Mission received

Path of the Demon Lord

Tame Kishirika Kishirisa and make her your wife.

Reward: Kishirika Kishirisu.

Yeah, looks like the system liked this girl.

I was going to just brush off the message as usual, but then something happened that I didn't expect at all. The Empress' gaze changed and already her other eye transformed into a new form. And, regardless of her left eye, her right pupil cowered right at this game message. Honestly, it looks a bit creepy.

- Wow, what's this? Taming the great Kishirika Kishirisa?

- Umm... are you seeing this?

- Ha ha ha!

The system message immediately disappeared, as if the system itself was frightened that its manifestation was seen by an outsider.

- Well, it's kind of like a miko power. But it's a bit willful. You shouldn't take assignments like this lightly.

- Oh, so the great Kishiriku Kishirisu isn't good enough for you? - The demoness retreated, glaring at me with feigned resentment.

- Not at all. You're very even nice, it's just that I didn't expect to be interested in you. Although, I still do not think that a man and a woman should marry immediately after the first meeting, even if they like each other.

- Ha ha ha! That's right! Well, you're funny... and... oh no, wait, I completely forgot! I have a fiancé.

- Then I can't ruin your happiness. - I nodded. - Although, I myself have two fiancées, a wife and a lover.

- Oh, you are popular. - The empress was impressed.

- Ahem... okay, I apologise, but could you tell me the whereabouts of the other people in these posters? I enjoy chatting with you, but if my daughter is in a dungeon, I must get her out sooner rather than later.

- All right, all right.

The demoness used her special eye to search again.

- That's your mum, so... Begaritto continent... hmm, weird, I can't exactly see her... something's in the way. Aha! It's a teleportation labyrinth, strong dungeon! It's in there somewhere.

- Thank you, that's already very valuable information. - I nodded.

- All right, well, now that's a titty lady.

Hilda really is quite outstanding in some places.

- Aha! Continent Miles! Oh... looks like she's in trouble!

- What?

- She has adventurers with her and they're trying to protect her from the monster... right now they're having a fight!

At that moment, I got a signal from the system. It added new markers to the map that reflected the location of the lost ones. And it looked like I should hurry up.