Capítulo 147: An Invitation Of The Highest Order
Noticing how taken aback the youngster in front of her was, Phelia showed a smirk that was both amused and a little pained. Considering her influence on a more worldwide scale, it was only to be expected that someone who was still in the midst of climbing the ladder to success would feel like there was a certain distance separating them. This could come in quite handy when it came to political business, but when trying to make friends, it was a real hindrance.
'I swear, this happens every time…'
However, before the queen could grow any more saddened, Kalin's features relaxed and his smile became a bit genuine. It had to be mentioned that, although none of the males that were a part of Isaac's group looked below average, Kalin was the one that stood out the most - aside from Isaac himself, that is. A friendly smile from him could easily turn women's heads, and Phelia wasn't entirely unaffected either. It was a pity, though - although he was already considered an adult in this world, he was still relatively young, all things considered.
'Give him a few years, and he'll be my type.'
These were the thoughts that came to the queen's mind.
"Fine, then I won't stand on ceremony. It's nice to meet you too, Phelia."
Initially, Kalin had felt quite pressured by the other party's status, but upon recalling the unfathomable enigma that was his own teacher, and the speed at which he himself had advanced in strength, that mental burden faded away completely.
He wasn't the only one who reacted like this - pretty much everyone here only showed a short period of surprise, followed by acceptance and a return to a more relaxed state. Well, except for Ais and the two that were entirely out of the loop, Mina and Quinn.
Speaking of, the cat boy only regarded Phelia with a moderately warm nod and a short "Hello.", while Mina casually strolled to Kalin's side and sized up the woman in front of them with innocent eyes, an amiable smile on her face. Contrary to the others, she preferred to address the queen in the most casual way possible.
"Happy to meet you, Pheli! I'm Mina Teagle, and I came under milord's wing right after Kalin. If I recall correctly, you said you're here to make friends, right? Did you mean us… or perhaps milord?"
Although the Chienthrope girl's Level was anything but a threat to Phelia and her expression was one of kindness, the queen felt like there was a danger hidden within. Stat-wise, Mina shouldn't be able to harm her - still, she had the vague inkling that she shouldn't underestimate this girl.
But more than that, what left the most profound impression on Phelia was the general behaviour that Mina displayed - it reminded her a lot of her own guards, and of the way that they would eye those that deemed themselves her potential suitors. It was not jealousy or envy, but rather, a protective instinct. The queen could appreciate this, and she even found it cute, but she still couldn't help but show a wry smile.
'Hey, hey. Girlie. I didn't come here with the intention to make a move on the beloved of the Sword Princess, okay!? First of all, I don't even know the guy. And secondly, I'm not suicidal!'
She chose to refrain from giving voice to these words, however, as she wasn't sure whether or not Mina was even conscious of what she was doing, and because it would make the atmosphere quite… awkward. Instead, she chose to simply answer the question, as honestly as possible.
"Both, if possible. I can see that you all show promise, and I also want to meet the man of the hour. There are countless rumours about him, after all. We were in the area and after hearing about his exploits, I wanted to stick around to get to know him."
Seemingly satisfied with this response for now, Mina nodded and was just about to begin a more casual conversation with this potential comrade slash worrisome milord chaser when another voice interjected - yet again, it belonged to one of the few observers that had stuck around until now.
"Excuse my intrusion, but I'm not fond of wasting time. I'll be out of here before you know it, but let me state my piece first, alright? I have no intention of starting any diplomatic squabbles, Queen Nihara."
Accompanied by his own squad of guards, all clad in dark grey heavy armour and their expressions hidden from view by their close helmets, a man approached. Even though he was most certainly another diplomat, he didn't give off the same sleazy air as the other individuals that had arrived before. His posture was upright and confident, his stride strong. Competence practically radiated off of him. He was not like the queen that they had just met - he was a mere Level 3 - but his guards were on par with Mystldom's.
His eyes were a bright blue and his short hair a dark brown. His facial features were strong and rough, but still relatively appealing when it came to terms of beauty. As for his height, he was about half a head taller than both Ais and Phelia, which was about the average height for men of the Lower World. In other words, he didn't particularly stand out in that regard.
However, his outfit was quite unusual. Instead of relying on adventuring equipment, he wore what looked to be a modestly decorated military uniform. It was made in gambeson-style, as primarily protective clothing, and didn't particularly aim to look fashionable, but the dark grey uniform's simplicity made it appear quite impressive nonetheless. Securely fastened to his belt, there was a sheathed sword that seemed to be far more practical than ceremonial in nature, judging by the unadorned nature of its hilt. If Isaac had been present, he surely would have mentally praised the man's choice of arms.
Frowning at the interruption, Phelia turned to face this new group, only to sigh to herself and shake her head slightly.
"Alright, but make it quick."
Even though her words sounded confrontational on the surface, it was clear that she had no intention of going out of her way to antagonize the other party. Previously, even when she had been addressing the diplomatic envoys of a huge number of nations at once, she hadn't bothered with being polite or showing them any respect whatsoever - not that they would have deserved it - but this situation was different.
Political power bred corruption and incompetence, especially amongst those who possessed no personal prowess to speak of. Many would start out their careers with good intentions and, over time, become warped by the influence that they got a hold of, turning into nothing more than pathetic creatures unfit to represent even the livestock of their nations. Whether it be due to nepotism or incompetence, quite a few countries failed to root out such issues in their upper ranks.
There was a flip side, however - both on the personal as well as the national level. While there were those who became twisted after getting into a position of power, there were also those who stayed steadfast and did their jobs properly. This diplomat was one such example of this. Nations where nepotism was severely frowned upon and where strict or even brutal standards had been set in place to ensure one's competence also existed - this envoy's motherland was known to be most outstanding in this field.
"I intend to."
After succinctly responding to Phelia's remark, the man finally faced Isaac's students. He also gave a short nod in Ais' direction, which she unenthusiastically reciprocated.
"Contrary to what Queen Nihara has claimed, I'm not here to make friends. Rather, I, Valeric Dulhim, am here to represent the Empire in extending an invitation to your teacher, Isaac Blackshaw. From the intel that we've gathered, he appears to be an outstanding individual, and the Empire highly values talent. Our embassy is located in the vicinity of the inn known as 'Season's Harvest'. We hope that he will pay us a visit soon. Please relay this message to him after you have reunited with him. Well then, I bid you adieu. May the protest go well."
Bowing ever so slightly out of professional courtesy, the man left as abruptly as he had arrived, with his guards not uttering a single sound from start to finish. Kalin didn't have an opportunity to do more than just nod before the Empire's delegation had already disappeared into the crowd. Only then did the reality of the situation finally settle in.
"Wait, did Mr. Dulhim say that he is from the Empire!?"
In the northernmost region of the Peira continent, there lay a country that simply referred to itself as 'the Empire'. It didn't have a fancy name by any means, but its mention struck fear into the hearts of most inhabitants of the Lower World. Just like the majority of other strong nations of this world, it originated close to the ocean, with most of its initial territory consisting of islands.
Outside of the 'three great unexplored regions of the world' that those living on Peira always spoke of, there was one other 'unexplored region' that surrounded all of the continents, and that naively was usually just an afterthought for those who lived on the continents - the sea. It was unknown how many monsters had escaped there from the dungeon in ancient times. Even nowadays, after the only known connecting tunnel to the dungeon had been sealed, it was still speculated that there might be further paths that had yet to be closed. If one ignored the adventurers of the Labyrinth City, then the ones who found it the easiest to advance in Level were seafarers, due to the sheer amount of monsters haunting the depths. However, their path was also fraught with more uncertainty, as there was never a guarantee that an opponent that they could conceivably handle would rear their head.
The Empire was the most successful result of this environment - a nation with overwhelming military prowess that slowly ate up the continent's territories ever since making landfall on Peira a few hundred years ago. There was only one obstacle in its path of advance - Dragon Valley. If not for this dangerous region, they would have swept past nearly every nation on Peira already. But because they seemed to be aware of just how threatening of a place the Dragon Valley was, they had mostly halted in their military exploits and only occasionally took over a nation or two when they felt comfortable enough to spare a few troops.
In other words, the Empire was a looming threat. While it could be considered one of the most fair and just countries of Peira, as it didn't discriminate against any of the sentient races and anyone who was capable enough would be able to rise in its ranks, its warlike nature still made it even more dreaded than the most violent, barbaric nations located deep in the Kaios Desert. Many children would grow up in considerable fear of the Empire, and Kalin wasn't an exception. Although he might not be afraid of it anymore - especially since his personal prowess had skyrocketed - he was still aware of just how massive of an existence the Empire was.
"Yeah, he did. I've come across him a few times before, so he can be considered somewhat of an acquaintance, I'd say."
Sighing yet again, Phelia shrugged off the annoyance that had enveloped her like a blanket. Her own homeland, Mystldom, could be considered to be a fledgling Empire - an island country slowly rising to power. But where Mystldom had only just started out on that path, with her spearheading its growth and influence, the Empire had progressed for many hundreds of years. It wasn't a gap that was easy to bridge by any means. It was fortunate that vast distances separated the two nations, else she would have had to worry about potential conflicts even more than she already did.
Sensing that now might be a good time to greet Isaac's people, because the queen was a bit distracted, some other observers walked up and expressed their friendly intentions. They didn't overstay their welcome and did their best to avoid getting on Phelia's nerves, so she didn't mind them. Some of them might not have been genuine, and only a few of them could compete with the Pirate Queen or an envoy of the Empire in status or influence. Nonetheless, there were some notable ones amongst them.
Zonn Kirios, a rogue mage from Altena, a country famous for its magic research. A deity with the appearance of a young man with fiery hair called Ishum. Lastly, a common wanderer by the name of Jilia. Wait, what was so noteworthy about that last one?
She was a woman of slightly taller stature than Ais and looked to be in her late thirties or early forties. Her appearance was just about average and she was clad in a simple brown robe that covered most of her body. Her grey eyes held a motherly gaze within them as she let them wander across the youngsters. None of this was extraordinary, but something peculiar made Ais perk up a little - she could feel very indistinct traces of Divine Energy from her. It was almost imperceptible, and judging by the fact that the fire god Ishum hadn't noticed anything, this woman had very expertly hidden herself.
The only reason as to why Ais did detect it was that Isaac had a far better control of his Divine Energy than this woman and had taught Ais to restrain it and her own Divine Aura as perfectly as possible - nothing was leaking out. Due to this, she had unknowingly become far more perceptive of it. Any hint of Divine Energy would be picked up if she paid a bit of attention to her surroundings.
Noticing the young woman's inquisitive gaze resting on her for a moment longer than would be considered 'normal', the ordinary wanderer turned to face her and showed a calming smile, before shaking her head very minutely.
She soon bade farewell to the group of youngsters, clearly having only come with good intentions, and left, appearing just as unremarkable to the masses as before.
It was obvious that the goddess didn't want any trouble or attention, and seemed to have only stopped by out of some sort of concern, so of course Ais didn't bother exposing her, because there simply was no reason to do so. She somewhat suspected that the woman might have figured out that she also was a goddess, as it was unheard of for mortals to be this sensitive to Divine Energy, but she couldn't be certain. Well, not that it mattered overly much. There were already plenty of plans in place should the worst come to pass, and this particular woman didn't strike Ais as the troublesome sort.
"Phew, finally some relative peace and quiet."
After the other visitors had excused themselves, Phelia heaved a sigh of relief. Speaking of, she had been sighing quite often today, hadn't she?
"Yeah… by the way, do you plan to stay here for the entire duration of the protest?"
Staring at her with mostly confusion in her eyes, Mina tilted her head. The others had all left, so why was this woman still lingering around? It was a bit perplexing.
In response to her question, Mina got a wide grin.
"If I want my chances of meeting Isaac Blackshaw to be the highest, then I should stick with all of you, right?"
'That's true, but I'm not sure whether I should let you meet milord…'
Right as the faithful Chienthrope girl was furrowing her brows and contemplating about how to answer, Ais spoke up - for the first time since they had arrived at the plaza.
"That's true. Feel free to stay with us until he is freed."
As if she had just borne witness to a divine decree, the last vestiges of worry dissipated from Mina's mind and the gaze that she sent Phelia's way became a lot more welcoming than before. After all, her lady had spoken. Ais had already seemingly evaluated this queen to be someone that they wouldn't have to worry about, at least not at the moment, so who was she to question this decision?
Relieved at not having been turned away, Phelia smiled widely. She had also noticed the shift in Mina's behaviour when the Sword Princess had spoken up, but she didn't comment on it. All in all, she was just thankful that she hadn't been chased away. She knew how her actions could have been interpreted, but she really had only been nearby and had wanted to make the acquaintance of the one that everyone was talking about. She felt like she and Isaac might get along, and just wanted to make a friend. Sometimes, things were truly as simple as they appeared on the surface. Due to her straightforward and even brash personality, her royal status and her own strength, she rarely made real friends, so it was worth a shot. A deity slayer surely wouldn't care much about all of that nonsense, right? This group of students and Loki Familia members had also shown surprising promise already. Truly, today was a great day.
'Wait, I think I'm forgetting something… oh right! That envoy from the Andromeda Islands. Oh well, if they want to start a war, I'll be their guest. It's not like our territories are especially close to each other anyway, so only some trade routes might get disturbed. It's easy enough to deal with.'
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"Sir, we have tried everything that we could think of, but this protest… it's simply too massive! We can't handle it alone. Please, contact Lord Ouranos! This is out of our league."
Looking at his exhausted and pleading employee, Royman closed his eyes, massaged his forehead and sighed deeply. Even in here, he found it difficult to drown out the pervasive noise from the outside. He had already done all that he could and had expended significant amounts of valis to enlist the help of the city's most influential and strongest familias. They needed all the manpower that they could get, after all. He had done admirably, but he was still just as far from bringing the protest to an end as he had been in the very beginning. It was only fortunate that no truly horrendous problems had cropped up so far…
Well, aside from the pride and feelings of some of the Guild members getting hurt. Too many of the more rude and unreasonable protesters swore at them constantly, and the signs that they were carrying with them also weren't flattering. To be more or less sieged by such an incensed mob and occasionally showered with obscenities wasn't good for anyone's mental health.
"Fine. I'll ask for support. I only hope that Lord Ouranos will forgive us for the Guild not being able to overcome this difficulty on its own."
Pressing a button on his desk, a hologram of his god, Ouranos, appeared. The elderly man was the picture of calm itself, in sheer contrast to the panicked expressions of the Guild's higher ups, almost all of which had been gathered in Royman's office.
"Lord Ouranos, I'm sure you're well aware of everything already. Forgive us for not living up to your expectations. Please instruct us on what to do in order to deal with this protest."
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Amidst the sea of protesters, atop a certain building's roof, Anya, Chloe, Ryuu and Syr were munching on various snacks that they had prepared for themselves before they had set out, as well as a few that they had bought from the numerous street stalls. Even in this atmosphere, there were still some opportune businesspeople who had decided to set up shop and sold food and refreshments at somewhat reasonable prices.
"Ah, that's the life…~"
Although they had already been here for a while, the novelty of such a huge gathering, one that was still proceeding in full swing, had yet to wear off. Even now, Chloe was waving around her scandalous sign without any perceivable hint of shame, and countless people were shouting at Babel and the Pantheon, hoping to change… well, something.
It was at this time that a Divine Aura descended with Babel as its center. It spread out for tens of kilometers, quelling the noise in its entirety. It was as if the innumerable mortals were mere ants in front of a supernova - there was no comparison. It was a humbling experience, to say the least, despite the one that the aura belonged to not exuding any ounce of ill will.
A massive hologram of an old but healthy man, sitting on a simplistic stone throne, appeared overhead and addressed the silent crowd that teetered somewhere between fear and worship.
"Dear citizens of Orario, your voices have been heard. In the name of Ouranos, I call upon every deity in the city to come to Babel within the hour. We will discuss how the issue of Isaac Blackshaw's punishment shall be handled, and whether or not any of our rules and laws need to be amended or overhauled. In at most five hours, we deities will give you all an answer. I hope that you can wait patiently until then. Additionally, please refrain from harassing your fellow mortals over an issue that originated from us gods. With that said, farewell."
This was the first time that almost all citizens of Orario had laid their eyes upon the one that had been in charge of and protecting their city, Ouranos. It was also the first time that most of them had experienced the vast gulf in strength between them and the gods - it was so exaggerated that they couldn't even form thoughts of rebellion. There was no point at all, it would simply end in annihilation. Still, thankfully, they had spent many years with deities at their side, and knew that they were reasonable beings. As long as they didn't overstep their boundaries, there was nothing to fear - from the vast majority of gods and goddesses, at least.
Shortly after Ouranos' words had finished and his Divine Aura had faded, the silent crowd started to chatter again, this time far more respectful to the Guild than before. They still bemoaned the unfairness of the current state of affairs, but they didn't even dare to think of lashing out at the unfortunate few that their influence could reach.
After finishing her current snack, Syr got up from her seat, eliciting the questioning gazes of the two cat girls.
"I just need to go to the restroom for a bit, I'll be right back!"
With hurried steps and an embarrassed smile, she made her way over to a hatch in the roof and down the ladder that led into the building. Of course, there were sanitary facilities in the property whose roof that they had chosen to view this event from, and they had gotten permission to use them. By the way, they would have easily been able to make their way up to the roof by going through the building, but the other three had thought it easier and faster to simply jump.
Anya and Chloe didn't think much of what was happening - it was just a visit to the restroom, after all - but Ryuu was well aware.
'She's switching with Helun.'
Just as she had expected, minutes later, Syr reappeared and joined them again, but it was clear to the perceptive Elf that she wasn't Freya this time - well, not that it mattered that much, because she was friends with this girl as well.
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
Shiro_the_Hero
Shiro_the_Hero I chose to avoid writing an entire chapter filled with obscene comments about the Guild, and many other slogans that the protesters shouted - because honestly, they aren't that important. I hope the general idea still got across, though~
Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! \o/
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I'm extremely tempted to get into map making to learn how to create an acceptable world map for Peira - maybe only for my own perusal, but who knows. I wonder if I'll actually do it (or will have any talent in it). Oh well, I'll put it on my list for now~
(Me from 2+ years in the future: It's still on that list...)
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Check out my novel series "Reincarnation Cycle's Unfortunate Bug" on Amazon:
-> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CYHGRR8M/ <-
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sh1ro
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Shameless self-promotion aside, I hope you have a wonderful, fantastic day!! o/
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