บท 90: Meeting the Queen of Grimm

Feeling the wind gently caressing his face, Adam let out a sigh of relaxation

The world below him spun, the surroundings rapidly changing as the scenery transformed.

He was... Flying

That's right, his devil wings were brought out. The silver-haired boy had his hands opened, as if embracing the sky as he rocketed through the air with inhuman speed

He never had the opportunity to thoroughly enjoy flight.

After gaining this ability, the boy only used it in combat in order to get a terrain advantage

The first time he truly did so was in his previous date with Rimuru…. so he decided to do it again, even if alone

Of course, he had already visited Vale. The trip was quite monotonous, and beyond seeing the sights and collecting Grimm DNA for Merlot, nothing extraordinary happened

The silver-haired boy is currently in a region of Vacuo. He doesn't know the exact location, though

Foooosh

But now... With the speed he was traveling, he is only enjoying the experience of the wind harshly blowing in his face- at such a speed, this could be fatal to ordinary people without any protection, but to him, it just felt like a gentle caress

Besides, Adam also enjoyed the scenery below him, despite flying above the clouds, he got to enjoy the landscapes of Remnant that were rapidly changing with his improved vision.

Compared to others, a glance was all it took for his brain to process something and etch it into his memory

Flying so freely above the clouds without any external equipment, and without any other concerns felt... freeing, in a way.

He could have never imagined doing something like this in his previous life, but then again, his previous world was just too ordinary, so doing things now that were inconceivable before is a given

Then again, even in this life- in the honkai world- he still didn't imagine flying so freely.

Unless the silver-haired boy became a Herscher or a MANTIS, true and independent flight was.... Improbable

...

Adam stopped in his (flying) tracks, his eyes darting towards a specific point under him.

He was high up in the air, above the clouds, yet it was as if his eyes pierced through all distance, zeroing in on a specific building

Originally, the silver-haired boy's senses fed back nothing unusual to him.

But with the negativity sense he had recently acquired by devouring Grimm... he registered something very wrong

Now that he focused more closely, and used his senses more precisely while looking for something specific... he found someone-no- something which was giving his brain warning signs

This presence was dark, darker than any Grimm he had seen before- including ancient Grimm.

The being's presence seemed... so out of place, as if it didn't belong here in the human world.

And despite that, it was so well hidden- its aura so well retracted that if he didn't specifically look for this person, he would have never sensed it

"... So it's her?"

Adam muttered, narrowing his eyes. He didn't expect to meet her so suddenly, especially on such a purposeless outing... Was it luck? Or something ridiculous like fate?

The silver-haired boy scoffed at such a ridiculous notion

"Let's meet her, then"

He shook his head, the direction of his body changing as he dropped from the sky

...

Landing quietly on the ground far away from the place he felt it, Adam changed his attire, putting a hood over his face.

Exuding a 'notice-me-not' aura, the silver-haired boy continued walking off toward the direction of that presence

After the death of that Lionguy or whatever, the world sunk into chaos, especially with the additional information that Ozpin, another principal of a hunter academy, has also died

And who are the most suspicious people to place the blame on and placate the public? Well, the strange newcomers who appeared out of nowhere, apparently.

Despite not having the need for food, water or even oxygen- despite not needing to rely on a civilization or society to survive, it still grates on Adam's nerves that he always needs to use 'something' to hide himself!

Yes, the normal people of this world won't bother him, and they certainly don't know him

However, Ironwood and similar people knew something.

It is obvious, actually. Doing such obvious things as killing Cinder and dropping an ice of rain on the Grimm at Beacon Academy…

There would be something wrong if no one noticed anything, because there were also several witnesses

Whether it is a 'notice me not' aura, or camouflaging himself and wearing a hood, the silver-haired boy now always needs to hide himself in order for the world's government to not come up to him and bother him

Yes, it is nothing more than annoyance that Atlas and similar organizations would come up to his group and waste their time

There was no danger as he could certainly annihilate those who bother him….

Of course-

He wasn't a psychopath who would choose to slaughter so many people just because they would annoy him.

And he certainly can hide himself with subtle means for a few days

He thought that it wouldn't bother him- that it wouldn't phase him-!

But walking in the streets, with everyone ignoring his presence, and not being able to communicate...

No, not even having that option- having it removed from him by a pompous government official because it would make things worse makes him feel disconnected from society, and this world as a whole

Annoyance, dissatisfaction, anger....

Those are emotions that are passing through his head currently.

The silver-haired boy didn't feel it when he was training Rias as it didn't affect him, and he also didn't feel the same in the date with Rimuru

But now that he is seeing and experiencing the consequences.....

"Fuuuu....."

Taking a deep breath, Adam forcefully calmed himself down. He tried being rational.

As humans are naturally social creatures, it is only natural for him to feel this way

.... Except that he is no longer a human

...

With countless thoughts and conflicting emotions at the forefront of his mind, Adam finally reached his destination

Surprisingly, it was a normal-looking tavern.

With a mostly wooden exterior, and contrary to what he thought, a gloomy and cold atmosphere was exuding from the inside even to the outside.

There were no guards protecting it from intruders

Its name was Grimm's Tavern

...

"The owner of this place must have a sick sense of humor...."

The silver-haired boy muttered to himself as he stood outside the door, looking at the signboard that announced the name of this place without any inhibitions

"I like it"

A subtle smile graced his lips.

Adam liked the owner's sense of humor, despite being somewhat twisted for the natives of this world who live in constant fear of Grimm attacks, it was only comical to an outsider like him

Besides, a little dark humor doesn't hurt anybody, right?

"Ha! Quite nice of you to say, boy!"

A rough voice sounded from beside him, turning around, he saw a person who was exuding a strong presence

He was a middle-aged roguish man, with a stubble on his face, but his strong-looking muscles were enough of an explanation as to why there were no guards

"I'm glad you appreciate the humor of this name, lad!"

The intimidating yet paradoxically friendly man, patted his shoulder with a smile on his face

'He's a huntsman' Adam thought to himself after feeling the slight pressure that his arm exuded upon his shoulder

"Oh really?" The silver-haired boy raised an eyebrow at him "Do people actually get offended by this name? It is quite surprising"

"You don't even know the half of it" The man shook his head, a bit exasperated "Most people avoid this place once they learn of the name. It's like anything related to Grimm makes them shit in their pants!"

A bit vulgar with his words, but it is somewhat true, Adam supposes

"Why though?" He looked at him with a questioning look "Aren't there huntsmen to protect them? I bet that in case of a Grimm attack, the civilians would have enough time to evacuate"

"Eh, maybe in the past. But now with principal Ozpin and Leonardo Lionheart dead, the people here are always looking behind their backs, panicking and cowering in fear" The man shrugged his shoulders

"And with their deaths, huntsmen are more in demand right now. They don't have the time to protect a small place like this, so you can imagine what would happen if Grimm invaded" He continued

...And that's why Adam advocates personal power over everything else.

It's always better to rely on yourself than to rely on others- strangers who have no obligation to prioritize your life and protect you

"So does this place even have customers? With the way things are, I don't suppose this place is popular?"

"Ha, as I said before-" The man gave off a smile, spreading his arms dramatically "All the people here fear anything related to Grimm, especially now that they are without protection. They never dared to do anything, but they did complain for me to take down this place, or to change its name"

"And why didn't you?" His eyebrows raised even further, genuinely curious why someone like him didn't just change the name- it would bring him more profit, and it would certainly make this place more welcome

Of course, he has already figured out that this guy was the owner of this tavern, the man didn't even hide it, and it was also obvious at first glance

"Listen, lad...." The man looked at him in the eye, a serious expression forming on his face "You can't just change because of someone's opinion. I love this tavern, it is something I poured my passion on, and I would never change the name of this place just because people, who are going through a bad time, asked me too"

"Besides, using the term Grimm so casually would bring ease to the residents. After all, they wouldn't associate this word with scary big monsters. They would subconsciously associate it with a tavern in which they can hang out with their friends, drink beer, and bang some hotties!"

The man continued, passionately explaining his reasoning.

"I... see"

Such a thing indeed eases the atmosphere of this place, and having Grimm made fun of in such a place probably lowers the fear of normal civilians

Certainly an interesting way of going about this

"Now that we're talking about hotties!" The man clapped his hands with an exorbitant smile, switching from his previous seriousness "There is a hot blonde chick inside right now"

"Lad, you seem quite young" The man wiggled his eyebrows like an old pervert "For a price, I can leave you alone with that chick in my tavern. She is very hot, and she has that kind of 'Step on me' temperament, you know what I mean?"

He had a perverted smile on his face, rubbing his hands like a sexual offender as he offered him a deal

'This guy...'

Adam's lips twitched. From the information he has gathered, this man was a retired huntsman with a lot of experience under his belt.

He also didn't fear the Grimm, and was quite smart... But when it came to women, he transformed into this?!

'But... Seriously?! Remnant has that type of culture too?'

The silver-haired boy's blue eyes turned serious in an instant, opening his mouth to reply to this annoying perverted middle-aged man as he put his hands in his pockets menacingly...

"Sure"

Adam pulled a wallet out of his pocket, opening it to show a lot of lien inside it

... What? He has needs too!

...

'That guy... wasn't normal'

Adam thought back on his encounter with that owner.

He had a weakened 'notice me not' aura on him, so for the guy to be able to ignore it and walk to him in order to make conversation was.... suspicious

The silver-haired boy wasn't worried though.

All the pictures that Atlas would have(if they even had in the first place) would be blurry, his features concealed

The only noticeable thing he can think of would be his golden hair and glowing golden eyes

.... But what does the golden 'Ancestor' who killed so many Grimm have to do with him, the silver-haired and blue-eyed Asterios Adam Tempest?

But still, he shook his head out of those thoughts and pushed open the door

Entering the tavern, Adam looked around the place and... Indeed

He could already picture the bustling place, where countless people were gathered, chatting, drinking, or flirting with the fairer sex.

He could imagine the endless noise such a place would create, where many people's voices would overlap with each other, creating an atmosphere truly fitting of such a place

Only.... With the deaths of Ozma (Ozpin) and Lionheart, this place was desolate, lacking in any of the above.

The atmosphere was cold and downright depressing.

The lights were closed, the place being submerged in a faint shadowy darkness that was devoid of people

.... Except the woman standing at the table on the far side of the location, she was sitting on a table at a lonely corner

She had rosy pale skin, blue eyes, and light blonde hair. She was wearing a white dress that further accentuated her plentiful curves

The woman was... Interesting, to say the least.

She had a glass of wine in her hand, moving it slightly in a circular shape as the red liquid swirled in a vortex

Exuding a cold temperament, with an indifferent face, she had that unapproachable 'aura' around her.

Adam could certainly see why that owner said what he said

... But he knew that there was more to her than met the eye

Approaching her with a brisk pace, the woman looked up at him as the silver-haired boy walked over to her.

Her face betrayed no emotion at his presence

"So...."

Adam trailed off, sitting opposite of her and taking a look at her with his blue eyes narrowed

"What is the Grimm Queen doing in a place such as this?"

…..

….

…

—------------

A/N:

So, I was too engrossed in reading a Dark Souls fanfiction that I forgot to upload a chapter yesterday

On a completely unrelated note….. Should this mission have been a My Hero Academia arc instead of a Rwby arc?

I miss writing Kiana and Mei, and this Arc stretched longer than intended. So I was wondering if My Hero Academia would have been a better choice for a Mission World