Aisha's Point of View
I sighed, dropping the rake to one side. The mist from my breath dissipated quickly in the freezing air.
"All this snow won't let me fix the garden the way I want to..." I muttered, crossing my arms and rubbing my shoulders to warm up.
I had planned to restructure the flower beds and give the entrance a more elegant touch, but the ground was hard as iron and the white blanket covered everything. I looked at the bare branches of the trees, which looked like skeletons under the gray sky.
"No matter... I'll have to wait for winter to pass."
I stood contemplating the landscape in silence for a moment. I don't know why, but I remembered something very beautiful.
It's been so many years since that day... The day that, without warning, he appeared in my life.
Arthur.
Truth be told, it was quite a cool meeting. Him appearing out of nowhere, saving me from those soldiers in the Kingdom of Shirone and rescuing my mother from that predicament... He was, without a doubt, a hero. My hero. From that moment on, I swore to follow him... But now that I know he can live much longer than humans, I'm not sure how I'll do it.
My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the front door. Norn came out onto the porch with that serious expression that had recently become her daily mask.
"So... have you decided? Are you really going to become part of the student council?" I asked her, regaining my usual tone.
Norn adjusted her scarf, looking toward the snowy path with a determination rarely seen in her before.
"Yes... I'm sure," she replied firmly.
"Shouldn't you talk to Arthur or Rudy first?" I asked, interlocking my arms and looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, Arthur wouldn't mind," she countered, avoiding my gaze for a second. "After all, it was Princess Ariel herself who personally invited me to join the council."
"She invited me too, but I turned her down," I replied with a shrug. "I would have liked to manipulate those people, but I feel I'm better off like this." "And our brother Rudy?"
"He would surely understand. Besides, I'm almost fourteen; I'm about to be of legal age." Norn clenched her fists, and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. "Besides... if I become someone important and do a good job, I'm sure Arthur will praise me."
I smiled to myself, feeling a mixture of amusement and pity. "Wow... she was also affected by the 'Arthur Effect," I thought. Norn wanted to stand out, she wanted to be useful, but deep down, she only wanted those golden eyes to fix on her with pride. Everyone in this house seemed to revolve around the same gravity.
"Well, I just hope you don't regret it later..." I said, trying to lighten the mood.
....
Arthur's Point of View
"Yes, I'm sure it will work," I said, observing the giant and complex magic circle that Nanahoshi had traced on the laboratory floor.
Although I put all my effort into helping her, I know her situation is much more complicated than it seems at first glance. Even with the Great Sage, there is a wall I cannot cross. She is like an empty container; she possesses no mana of her own and, worse, her body involuntarily absorbs mana from the environment. Unable to process it, it stagnates in her body like a poison. That is the reason for her constant illnesses.
I haven't wanted to saturate the Great Sage with other tasks because I gave it an absolute priority: find a way for Nanahoshi's body to expel that mana naturally. I still have no results. It is, in part, my reward for having called Orsted; even though he hasn't appeared yet. It's better than going to look for him everywhere.
I feel a pang of helplessness seeing her so desperate to return to her world. I contribute my knowledge of the structures Perugius has taught me, but I try not to give her false hopes. I don't want to be the one to break her if this fails.
Around us, Zanoba and Cliff watched with almost religious attention.
"The magic injection begins," Nanahoshi announced with a trembling voice.
Rudeus approached the edge of the design and placed his hand, pouring in a massive amount of mana. The circle began to glow in a sequence of vibrant colors. For a second, Rudeus seemed to hesitate, feeling the immense suction of energy, but he immediately composed himself. Then, the light went out suddenly.
In the center of the circle, a small green object appeared. I recognized it instantly: was it a cabbage?
Nanahoshi let out a cry of joy, struck a victory pose, and her face lit up like I hadn't seen in months. Zanoba and Cliff burst into applause.
"Is this what you wanted to summon?" I asked, arching an eyebrow at the vegetable.
"Yes! Thanks to your adjustments in the filtration nodes, it was a total success," she nodded, euphoric.
Well, I don't think I did that much, but seeing her smile like that was worth the effort. While Zanoba and Cliff studied the cabbage with almost scientific intrigue, Rudeus proposed celebrating with a banquet.
I thought about inviting the beast girls, but Rudeus told me that Pursena had already left to reclaim her position as chief. Curiously, Linia didn't go with her, but no one had seen her since yesterday.
The celebration was noisy and cheerful. Nanahoshi, for once relaxed, held a mug in one hand while keeping Julie on her lap like a doll, chatting animatedly with Elinalise. She seemed to be talking about the experiment.
Rudeus was with Sylphie, who wasn't drinking. It seems that Zenith and Lilia had stayed in charge of little Lucy to give them a break.
I was enjoying a mug that Aisha had served me when I felt a tug on my cloak.
"Arthur... can I?" It was Roxy.
"Are you drunk already?" I asked with a smile.
She shook her head, but her cheeks were flushed and her eyes shone in a dangerous way.
"Fine, sit here," I said, pulling out a chair for her.
To my surprise, Roxy ignored the chair and sat directly on my lap. I felt her soft blue hair brushing my face and the weight of her body on my thighs.
Then I discovered something.
Roxy, when she drinks a little too much, becomes incredibly bold.
I couldn't help a thought crossing my mind: "I wonder what else she would do if I got her even drunker..."
"Arthur..." Norn's voice snapped me out of my thoughts suddenly.
I put my hand to my mouth, trying to hide my reaction.
"Yes? What's wrong, Norn?" I asked, regaining my composure.
"I'm going to join the student council..." she told me, looking me in the eyes.
I smiled. "Wow, that's incredible, Norn. You have my full support. If you have any problems or if anyone tries to intimidate you, just tell me and I'll take care of it."
Norn looked at me with shining eyes, nodding enthusiastically.
.....
The banquet reached its climax, and the atmosphere was filled with laughter and the sweet smell of alcohol. Everyone was off on their own. At some point, almost everyone had gathered around Nanahoshi, forming a conversation circle.
Roxy had fallen fast asleep in my lap. She looked so peaceful that I didn't have the heart to move her; I simply stayed there, stroking her blue hair gently, as if she were a small, cuddly cat. Norn and Aisha had already left a while ago.
Suddenly, the hubbub stopped, and I felt all eyes fix on me. Nanahoshi took the floor. After several minutes of an explanation of what they had discussed, I managed to understand where she was going.
"So... you want to go to the Floating Fortress," I summarized, crossing my arms without letting go of Roxy. "You want to show Perugius your results and ask him to help you with Phase 4 of your experiment."
Nanahoshi nodded with determination. She knew that the Dragon King's support was the final push she needed for her research to be infallible. "But why doesn't she just ask me for more help?"
"If you're wondering why I'm not asking you for more help, it's because I want to reward Rudeus for helping me with the PET bottle experiment. I was wondering if you could take us there."
"Well... I think we have a small technical problem," I continued. "The magic transport circle that my grandfather Perugius gave me is linked to my mana flow; it only works for me. I can't 'take' you with me through it."
"Then we'll have to go the other way," Nanahoshi said, crossing her arms.
I sighed. "This is going to take a long time..."
...
Rudeus's Point of View
Half a day's walk from the Magic City of Sharia, and less than an hour by horse, lie the ruins of a city. Or rather, what remains of a castle that time saw fit to devour.
Large columns lie fallen on the ground, and carved stone tiles are scattered everywhere, eaten away by moss and snow. It gives the impression of a pantheon after centuries of decay; in its day, it must have been a sight fit for kings. It is, without a doubt, a historical treasure.
"What remains of Castle Scotts," explains the beautiful girl with braided golden hair walking beside me. "A relic from when humanity fought against Laplace. It is said that thousands came to defend themselves against the demon's invasion; in the end, it was all in vain and the bastion was captured."
She wears elegant traveling clothes that fail to hide her charismatic figure, evident even from a distance. It is her, the one and only: Ariel Anemoi Asura.
"Was that explanation for me?" I wondered as I looked around us.
Luke and Sylphy walk not far from us. A little further back were Roxy, Zanoba, Cliff, and Elinalise. Nanahoshi went at the head, guiding us with an urgency that bordered on anxiety. Ariel looked at me fixedly; there was no one else between us, so it was obvious I was her interlocutor.
"Ariel-sama knows many things," I replied, trying to be polite. She smiled softly in response.
"The folk tales of this area often mention this place, Rudeus-san."
"Are you interested in folklore, Ariel-sama?"
"It is necessary for developing relations with the local aristocracy," she explained as if it were obvious. "Knowing local history is the key to befriending the nobles of each region."
"Boy, she has it tough," I thought. Even on a research trip, her mind never stops working on politics.
"By the way," Ariel asked, "why isn't Arthur coming with us?"
"Since he has a much faster way to travel, he already went ahead," I replied. "Surely he has already warned them that we are coming."
"Aah... what a pity. I had several things I wanted to ask him," she sighed, looking toward the sky.
But, after arriving at a place as desolate as this, doubt seized me: can we really contact Perugius-sama from these ruins? Nanahoshi stopped in front of a particularly large stone altar. There didn't seem to be anything special, but she pulled out an old-looking whistle and blew.
Fuu...
"It didn't make a sound," Cliff said, frowning. "Is it broken?"
"Humans can't hear it, just wait," Nanahoshi replied curtly.
We stood in silence for a while. While chatting to kill time, I spotted something in the distance that shone intensely, moving at an absurd speed.
"He's here," Nanahoshi stated.
Then, in the blink of an eye, he appeared. Golden hair, an impeccable buttoned white suit that looked like an elite student uniform, and a face hidden behind a yellow fox-shaped mask. A large dagger hung from his waist.
Arumanfi the Bright was present.
It was truly abrupt. It felt as if he had simply materialized in the middle of the group. I suppose he flew at the speed of light from the castle in the sky, in the same way he appeared the day the Fedoa Region disappeared.
Immediately, Arumanfi turned toward me. My body tensed. "Does he remember me? Is he going to attack me again?" I secretly opened my Demon Eye and tightened the grip on my staff, ready for any move. But Arumanfi didn't seem to hold a grudge, or at least he didn't give me any importance. Instead of me, he walked toward Nanahoshi.
"You've brought a lot of people today," he told her, looking at the group.
Nanahoshi nodded. "It's fine, isn't it? As long as we're fewer than twelve people."
"The number doesn't matter, however..."
Arumanfi stopped and stared fixedly at my teacher. "You are Roxy Migurdia, right?"
She started, blinking in confusion, and nodded.
"Fine, you can come."
"Why did it seem like he wasn't going to let her in?" I thought.
...
Arthur's Point of View
An hour earlier.
I hadn't told him before because, honestly, I thought it was useless to mention it until it was strictly necessary. I knew how he got with these issues.
I opened the heavy doors of the hall. He was there, as always, sitting on his white marble throne. He looked at me with a calm that made my skin crawl.
"Well... you come earlier than usual today," he said to me, without moving an inch.
"Well, I brought you a message from Nanahoshi," I replied, walking toward the center of the room, trying to sound as casual as possible.
"Has that girl finished her experiment already?" he asked, sowing a hint of genuine interest.
"Yes, and it was a success. She's coming today to present the results to you, but she's not coming alone; she's bringing her group of those who helped her."
"Oh, I see..." Perugius reclined on his throne, waiting for me to continue.
I swallowed hard. I knew that what I was about to say next was like throwing a torch into a powder keg.
"And in that group… there is a Migurd. It's Roxy, and she's my partner."
The silence fell like a heavy slab.
Perugius didn't react immediately. He didn't frown or show anger; in fact, his expression didn't change at all. That, in a way, was worse. The very air of the hall seemed to grow heavier.
"Your… partner?" he finally repeated, in a soft, almost curious tone.
"That's right," I replied without hesitating.
Perugius interlaced his fingers in front of his face, resting his elbows on the arms of the throne.
"You and your father are the same... One with a human, and now it's worse with one of the demon race," he murmured to himself, as if trying to calm down.
"Arthur," he said calmly, "you know perfectly well what I think of demons. I told you not long ago."
"I know," I admitted. "That's precisely why I came to talk about it before they arrived."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"And yet you still decide to bring her to my fortress?"
"No," I corrected. "I decided to ask your permission."
An almost imperceptible murmur ran through the hall. The automatons remained motionless, but I felt the magic pressure increasing.
"You are bold," Perugius said. "Or reckless."
"Maybe both," I conceded. "But I'm not asking you to trust her. I'm asking you to trust me."
The Dragon King observed me for a long time. So long that I began to wonder if I had gone too far. Finally, he let out a short, dry laugh.
"It seems you inherited your father's stubbornness," he murmured.
He rose slowly from his throne and walked a couple of steps toward me.
"Very well," he said. "We will allow her entry."
I released the breath I didn't know I was holding.
"But," he added, raising a finger, "only under conditions."
I knew something like this would come.
"First: the Migurd will not be able to move freely through the fortress. She will always remain accompanied."
"Second: any lack of respect, however minimal, will fall directly on you, if you don't want her to pay for it."
I nodded without hesitation.
"I accept them all."
"Hmph," he snorted. "Then I will have Arumanfi guide them. He will be in charge of watching them."
He turned around and returned to his throne.
"Don't make me regret this, Arthur."
I bowed my head.
"I won't."
I said with determination, as I left the hall.
To be continued...