Cinia Pacifica Posts

A golden light formed in the room of the Royal Queen of Britain. A being seemed to materialise under the blessing of Uriel, the ring’s effects soon fading as he was made whole. Having been transferred from America to England, he still drew clean and perfumed air, something normally not expected in England.

His eyes soon started to adjust to the room he found himself in, taking in the sight of the various portraits of Prince Albert, the Royal children, the red exquisite background of the walls, the criss-cross white linings that seemed to accompany in making it look fancy. The fireplace illuminated the room, with the added faint lights of the sun that was overshadowed with the clouds that have shrouded England for countless years now.

Furniture was abound in the room, all adding to the sense of luxury and grandeur. He noted many books in a bookshelf on the corner, and a large bed in the other corner. A table was parked closer to the window with four chairs.

Lastly, there was a lady standing before the window to the very left of his vision—looking up to the seemingly dreary outlook of her city, the great capital that was London.

“Your Majesty.” The man genuflected.

He wore a plain white button-up shirt, a black tie, and a pinstriped charcoal grey vest which complemented his black pants. The buttons on his vest were red, and his belt, brown. He wore brown shoes which looked rugged and tough, without clashing with his ensemble. Finally, a black overcoat that reached just past his hips hugged his toned figure. His primarily dark outfit contrasted with the man’s platinum blonde hair, which was neatly brushed back on one side and naturally spiking to the other side, with some strands falling in front of his differently coloured pair of irises.

The Royal Queen turned to her visitor, casting an iron-cold gaze at whom she discerned to be the former priest—and Executor—of the Roman Catholic Church.

She was wearing a bright red Victorian dress as usual, which was not in any way regal to the extent a Queen should normally be. Even so, her grace and solemnity showed, giving her an air of majesty. This was why the Queen was always respected by not only her people, but the people of the foreign lands who would met Her Majesty too.

“I see that you have finally returned. Made your decision have you, Mister Kallweit… or shall I address you as Mister Linfield now?”

“I have come back from death and have chosen my path as Your Highness has observed. Please refer to this one by his birthname, Kallweit.” Michael remained in his position, as the Queen hadn’t given him the permission to rise.

“Yet that was not the name given to you at birth. I am unable to state that it is appropriate.” The Queen gestured so that Michael may rise.

“...Michael. Please call me Michael, Your Highness.” He rose and took off his overcoat, neatly folding it in his arms. He tried his hardest for his eyes to not wander around, or to stare at the Queen too much. “I have returned, as promised.”

“Very well, Mister Michael.” The Queen smiled at his insistence, noting the issue he had with his name. As per etiquette, Her Majesty would rather not call Michael by his given name, but the Descendant who ruled over England was far too kind. “Are you unable to accept the glimpse of truth that you have witnessed?”

“I would be lying if I said no, but I have also done nothing to deserve her name. Not yet.” Even if he had prepared for this meeting, his inexperience with dealing with nobles still showed. He preferred talking casually, after all.

“Has she claimed that there are conditions to claim her name you naturally deserve? Are you not simply restricting yourself, Mister Michael?”

“The latter would be true, Your Majesty. I cannot bear that name while that man still lives.”

“Jesus Christ, I presume?”

“My… father. Yes.” His face twitched when he spoke, but he understood no amount of denying would change the truth.

“Thus you swore allegiance to the ancient conqueror of Macedonia?”

“I have chosen her as my liege… and she has sent me here with a mission. Even so, I had vowed to return to Your Majesty once I found out the truth. Please forgive my tardiness.”

“Was the promise not meant to be fulfilled after you would bear witness to the glimpse of truth? Or do you truly have all the answers that you wanted? If that is so, I have nothing more to say, Mister Michael.”

“I have only learned of my parentage, my remaining family, and inherited Mar—my mother’s pendant. There are still questions that remain unanswered. I still lack the knowledge of what Your Majesty meant when you said birth inheritance, nor have I the source of the spiritual power that appeared within me.”

“The source of the spiritual power—is that not as a Representative? Regardless, your birth inheritance is what you have attained from your mother. You have already… mentioned it yourself, Mister Michael. How silly.” The Queen chuckled.

“Ah!” Michael accidentally let his manners slip. “Erm, pardon me Your Majesty, but yes, there was a spiritual force that aided me before I knelt to Virgo. It… bore the colour of white, and cleansed my mind as… as I killed one of the Countess’ agents.”

“What are you speaking of, Mister Michael? Is she not made to be one with your soul with that light?”

“After my killing of her, the white light reappeared and fused my soul with hers, as my mentor has said. However, this doesn’t enlighten me of its meaning nor of how it came to be.”

“The most simplest answer would be that you possess the soul of an angel, Mister Michael. That was why Uriel took it upon himself to observe you.”

“W-What?” He looked at the Queen of Britain as if she was insane.

“If that is all, I believe you may be on your way now… to overthrow me.”

Michael regained his composure as the Queen spoke and quickly knelt as she finished. He could seek answers to that one later, but as she had said, his mission came first.

“I thank Your Majesty for her answers… and for allowing me, an enemy, passage.” Michael stood up to leave, but stopped mid-step. “Did that empty throne behind the light belong to Your Majesty? Do you rule the Dominion Realm, too? And does the Magister know of this rebellion?”

The Queen closed her eyes and smiled. “I wonder about it myself. Regarding the Magister, I believe you should find out yourself. It is not my place to answer that question.”

Michael smiled to himself, finally understanding why people respected and adored the Queen beyond her title.

“That is true… Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I have been ordered to assist those who stand against you.”

“It is fine, I forgive you. We all have our own circumstances…” The Queen seemed to show a melancholic expression despite the smile. “Please know that I shall not show you any mercy on the battlefield, however.”

“It would be an honour to die from Your Majesty’s blade. Well then, farewell and good luck.” Michael understood the incongruity of his statement, yet he was sincere when he wished her luck. He walked out the door as a silver shroud started to envelope him. Oh. Right. Palace.

Svetlana was being lead to the lounge room where she was supposed to meet Princess Louise. After Svetlana sent back a letter, the time of the meeting was eventually decided. She walked across the carefully constructed and decorated interior designs, but none of them seemed to concern her, for she was absorbed in her thoughts.

She felt saddened. She never expected something like this to occur here in England as well. The loss of Duchess Caroline Cavendish Bentinck hit Isabelle hard. Svetlana felt hopeless as all she could do was be at Isabelle’s side. Though Svetlana felt greatly disturbed; when she witnessed the Duchess’ corpse, a malicious feeling was coming from it. Learning what this feeling meant from her training, Svetlana purified the Duchess’ corpse when they were the only ones who had access to it.

Whoever stained Duchess Caroline like that will pay. She meant a lot to Isabelle.

The maidservant knocked on the door and the Princess beckoned them inside. The doors parted ways and Svetlana could see the Princess donning plain black attire. It was a mourning dress.

“Good morning, Your Royal Highness.”

“Good morning, Duchess.”

Princess Louise stood up as she greeted and gave a small bow of acknowledgement before the two sat down on their respective seats.

“I am sorry for the late response. We were hit with unexpected news when we had arrived back from Arundel Castle.”

“That is fine. I have a very important matter to speak to you about. It concerns the future of all in the country.”

“Would it not be best to speak of this matter to someone else?”

“My plans are already set. However, I need your help too.”

“My help? I do not believe I can do much though.”

“Is that so?”

“Well I am still a new Duchess so I cannot see how I can help much with the future of the country.”

“You have the skills and magic, and that is what I am seeking of you. Why do you think I granted you diplomatic immunity before the Queen recognised you, despite your demonic connections?”

“I see. What exactly do you want of me?”

“Your power. You are becoming greater than ever, and I do not think you yourself realise it due to comparing yourself with Virgo. Demonic powers, and now Starlight, I believe it speaks for yourself,” Louise only elaborated instead of answering, before continuing. “I want you to aid me in my revolution.”

“Revolution? Why would a Princess even consider that?”

“Because the system is currently ran by an individual who is not quite fit to run it. For someone who visited King Hades and enquired about the old Alicia’s memories—I am sure that you are aware why.”

“How do you know I enquired about my mother’s memories?” Svetlana said, surprised as she only recalled telling Isabelle and Nancy.

“I have a special ability as the user of the Void. I can see through your soul, and I can see through your memories all the same.”

“Can I ask you not do that? I do not care for your revolution nor do I care that the Queen herself is a Descendent. I came to this country to live with my sister, not to be part of a revolution.”

“You have a lot of spirit to speak that way to me. Are you sure you are in that position to speak against me like that, child of Hades?”

“What do you plan to do if I do not join you?”

“If your identity as a half-demon is out, I think the results would be quite obvious, would you not agree? You would be the second-coming of your †˜second’ mother, and would likely be seen as a Diabolic—get frowned upon—and bring ruin to the house that was overseeing Norfolk. I doubt your sister will be left unscathed. In the worst case scenario, I suppose that would mean exilation. Would you like to repeat history that way?”

“No. What exactly do want me to do anyway? I could care less for your revolution, but I do not wish for my sister to go through exile again.”

“I want you to assassinate certain figures from the parliament, who are sort of in the way of things.”

“I take it you already had some people assassinated. You mentioned you already had plans set.”

“The assassinations started recently. The plans have been in motion for years now. The moment of dethronement is soon to be at hand.”

“Were you the one who had Duchess Caroline Cavendish Bentinck assassinated?”

“I wonder about that.”

“Fine. If you are not gonna answer properly I will find out later. For now who do you want me to go after?” Svetlana angrily said.

A maidservant seemed to walk up to her as she asked the question, handing her some documents.

“These people will be your targets. I may have you work with a certain assassin in time for the more stronger targets. He is a man you once fought alongside with against Virgo.”

“I could care less. I would rather be doing this by myself.”

“If you die, who will take care of your sister?”

“Who said I plan to die?”

Is she really a Duchess? “Not all plans go accordingly.”

Svetlana came back home in London, to the New Anmer Hall where her maidservants awaited her.

She was glad that she was finally home and could rest more at ease. She never expected that she would have a sudden visit from the Royal Family when she went to see Isabelle at Arundel Castle. She enjoyed her time at Arundel Castle, but wished she could have learned the layout sooner instead of at the very end before she left.

She wondered how things would go in her life now that her training to be a Starlight Mage was still not even close to being done as she had only just learned the basics. Even though she would have more time, Svetlana knew she had to continue practicing so once she headed back to Saudi Arabia, her next lesson could start if more dancing was involved.

She also thought about whether she could truly keep Isabelle safe. If anything, she wished she could set out and find her brother instead and hoped that he was one who would be willing to come home to be with his sister, though there was also the fact that it would be good if he was not one who had fallen too deep into the criminal organization he belonged too.

There was also the case of her mother and the one who turned her into a monster. Svetlana wanted to go after him but because of his position, getting her revenge would not be an easy one. Especially considering she still had Virgo to deal with first.

Lastly there was her body’s inconveniences; she started to crave peaches to the point where she needed to eat at least one a day. There was her lust caused by Ishtar as well. She wondered how she would handle it considering Nancy might not agree when they were in England.

“I suppose I need to find something if that is the case…” Svetlana said to herself in a low tone as she laid on her bed.

There was a storm of knocks on her door as Svetlana pondered the matter.

“Mistress, may I come in? I have urgent news,” Nancy said from outside the room.

“Come in. What is wrong?”

Nancy entered the room, coming up to her bed in a hurry.

“Terrible news, Mistress. When I tried to send the letter to invite Missus Cavendish Bentinck to the estate as was discussed, I learned that the estate itself no longer exists…” Nancy said with a pained expression.

“What!? Is the Duchess Cavendish Bentinck okay?” Svetlana said hoping Isabelle’s Aunt was okay.

Nancy shook her head. “Assassinated. The mundane news is that she was possibly murdered by Jack the Ripper… there is a reason for this, however. Mistress, all of her bones were missing from her body. I know this because I found young lady Isabelle crying earlier…”

“Whoever did this shall pay with their lives!” Svetlana said angrily. “I do not care how or what it costs, see if there could be hints on who actually did this! Where is Isabelle, I need to check on her myself.”

“Affirmative, Mistress,” Nancy obeyed with a bow. “Lady Isabelle is in the entrance hall at the moment.”

Svetlana got up and quickly headed to where Isabelle was at.







In the entrance hall of the Anmer Hall, Svetlana found Isabelle crying just as Nancy had reported. It was hard to tell at first sight, but she tried her best to keep the sobs as low as possible so as the maidservants working across the mansion wouldn’t be concerned about her. However, it was clear as day that the servants had noticed and they were concerned.

“Isabelle…” Svetlana simply said as she walked up to her sister and hugged her. “I am really sorry Isabelle.”

“I...I…why does everything has to end up like this…?!” Isabelle cried out as she held Svetlana, letting her tears flow out in full at last.

“I do not know. I wish things like this did not have to happen. Whoever did this shall pay, just let your Sister handle it,” Svetlana said as she held Isabelle a bit tighter.

“Mn… I just… wish I could speak to her again… Aunt was so happy that Elizabeth was awake again.”

“Do you know if Elizabeth is okay?”

Isabelle shook her head. “I do not know, but her body was not reported. She is considered †˜missing’ according to the newspapers.”

“I see. Let us try and give your Aunt a proper burial in the meantime if we can. It is the least we can do…”

“About that, Mistress…”

Rosalie walked up from behind Svetlana, holding a steel tray on which two letters could be seen. She made a serious face at odds with her usual energetic face.

“There are two letters and both appear to be rather important. One of them came before the newspapers even announced the murder, while the other was the one you brought from the Arundel Castle… It may sound a bit presumptuous but seeing as they are from the Royalty, perhaps they assigned you with the burial management already?”

“Isabelle, if you can, please read them. If not, later is fine. As I cannot read English still.”

“No, it is fine…” Isabelle wiped her tears, accepting the letters from her personal maid.

She opened the letter that was more recent first.

“This is a letter from Princess Victoria. It says that… we are to prepare the funeral. So Miss Rosalie was right. It gave some other words of lament about the situation… oh, she mentioned that she has Miss Elizabeth hidden for now.”

“Then we shall handle all the preparations. It is the least we can do, and it is good to hear Elizabeth is safe.”

“The other letter is from Princess Louise, saying that she wishes to meet you at Buckingham Palace. There is no time announced, however. Perhaps she wishes for you to confirm a time by replying by mail?”

“Very well, first and foremost we will handle everything for your Aunt. I shall visit Princess Louise afterwards.”

The tunes danced across the halls. Soothing music played. The curtains dangled and the leaves rustled, but there was no interruption of the melody whatsoever. One wouldn’t think much of music usually in the modern world, but in Victorian England, it was still in the classical period where learning to play the classic musical instruments was extremely common among the aristocracy. Opera singers were also famed more than usual around these times and of course, Svetlana was not very much aware of the trends.

Svetlana listened to this melody. It was a very lively tune that was played by the collaboration of Isabelle’s piano playing and the Prince’s violin. Clearly, Isabelle couldn’t keep up with the Prince at first, but His Highness managed to attune himself to her level in no time.

“How lovely.” Svetlana said as she continued to listen. “Wish I could join in.”

“You should learn to play sometime. Even if you are old, Sister,” Isabelle commented with a triumphant smile.

“I would not know what to play though. I have never once held an instrument before.”

“Never too late to get started.”

“Now, now, you must never try to push an ideal into a Lady,” the Prince told Isabelle. “Great things are done with great motivation; self-motivation.”

“Well if I find something that catches my eye, I can give it a try.”

“Haha, then I suppose a violin or a piano does not fancy. What about a flute? They are wonderfully elegant.”

“I am not sure, really. I was not one who paid much attention to instruments before. I do not think I can just pick one at this moment.”

One of the maids seemed to call out to Isabelle and she got up from the piano.

“It seems like I will have to look into the preparation of the banquet. Please excuse me.” Isabelle gave the Prince a bow and a wink to Svetlana as she faced before walking off.

“Ahaha, I suppose that is the end of our little duet. I shall look forward to the banquet.”

“Please look forward to it,” Isabelle said with a wave, now finally having left the hall.

“Yes. Wish I could have joined in some way still, but I suppose that will be for once I learn how to play an instrument,” Svetlana said.

“If you wish for it—and attempt it—Duchess Alicia, it may one day happen.”

“If time permits it, I will try. This past year was extremely busy for me. I am not certain if it will happen again.”

“I have only heard that you went for business,” the Prince replied, taking a seat opposite to her. “May I ask what your business there was? I had been hearing of the Starlight Mage’s birth and had been wondering if that is the lady before me. Pardon my curiosity.”

“Starlight Mage’s birth?” Svetlana said, pretending not to know, as it was odd to her the Prince knew about Starlight Mage’s. Does the Royal family know about the Lost Forms? I do not recall Master Aisha mentioning it, but she did not mention many things either… Svetlana thought, wondering what to do.

“Something the Royalty keep tabs on often. A Starlight Mage is similar to my Sister, Princess Louise, I suppose, who wields the Lost Form of Void.”

“I see. Well if I may, what exactly did you hear about me? I had gone to Saudi Arabia to learn how to save my mother who suffered a terrible fate back in Russia.”

“Only that a Starlight Mage’s training had started. I am not very privy to the matter, but it does call for my attention of curiosity, I suppose. I am sorry to hear about your mother’s case, however. Please accept my condolences.”

“Thank you, and I am sorry. I suppose I am a Starlight Mage in training. If Royalty keeps tabs on it I suppose it would be a matter of time before you discover it was me. I did not wish to speak of it considering I believe it would be something that would get me in trouble if found out.”

Putting the breach of etiquette aside, His Highness asked, “Why would you get into trouble for being found out?”

“I am sorry, but I believe revealing that would really get me in trouble unless you already know who my Master is.”

“Is that not Princess Aisha of Saudi Arabia?”

“I have to wonder now if I am simply over-thinking this matter now, but yes it is her.”

“Ahh, she is a famous mage in the Magic World, who would not know? I once met her in a meeting during my trip last year. It was a very brief visit, however.”

“I see. I think she played too much with me. I am over-thinking matters now,” Svetlana said with a chuckle. “Please forgive me for the ambiguity.”

“That is fine. I do have an enquiry, however, if you do not mind. May I ask who was responsible for the incident of your mother? I have heard that you had come from Russia, and I have this feeling…”

“I am not certain myself. Me and my Personal Maid were knocked unconscious. We did not see any people, we only saw Machine Knights and my mother who had something horrible done to her...” Svetlana said as her eyes became teary.

“Did you see many… round containers of sorts?”

“Yes, even I was placed in one, but I managed to break free and freed my Personal Maid as well from one.”

“Please pardon me for bringing up all these bad memories, Duchess Alicia, but I suppose I had to know. This is likely the plot of Administrator Vladimir of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, he has diplomatic immunity at the moment.”

“It seems you know or at least have an idea of what he is doing, Your Highness. Why does such a man have diplomatic immunity?!”

“He is a leader of a country, Duchess.” It a moment quite painful, but someone had to explain the unfairness of the situation. “The man has ideals that are absolute madness to the eyes of the others. However, he is still a valuable ally, and a part of the European Alliance. Hence, our hands are tied until the war with the Japanese is resolved.”

“I see. I am sorry, Your Highness, but I need some time alone. This sudden news was probably a bit too much for me still,” Svetlana said as she turned around wiping her eyes.

“It is fine, I shall now retire myself. I shall wish you a good day.”







The sun had come up to the sky once more as the next morning came. The birds were chirping, the gentle breezes came and went; the day had just began. After a good sleep, Svetlana’s mind was clearer than before. It seemed like the maids had the lady prepared for the day once more with the dress. She had more simpler makeup applied for her this time.

When she walked down the corridors, she found the Queen just coming out from the many apartments that had been prepared for the Royalty.

“Good day to you, Duchess Alicia. How are you faring today? Feeling better?” the Queen enquired with a smile.

Of course, it was obvious to everyone yesterday that Svetlana wasn’t feeling very bright, especially after speaking with the Prince. There was a moment of the Prince gaining scrutinising gazes from his parents while Isabelle only noticed around the time of banquet.

“Good morning, Your Majesty,” Svetlana said as she curtsied. “I’m doing fine and yes, I am much better. Thank you for concern. How are you doing, Ma’am?”

The Queen smiled, forgiving of Svetlana’s lack of proper manners in speaking. Even now, Svetlana would indeed forget to apply the title of Her Royal Majesty. If any other noble would be present, however, they would likely gossip up a storm at a later date.

“I am doing well myself. I am glad to know that your complexion is looking better today. Shall we take a walk across the courtyard or perchance the garden?”

“Either is fine, Ma’am. In all honesty I still do not fully know my way around.”

“Shall we explore?”

“Yes, let us go then, Ma’am.”







Svetlana walked with the monarch of the country in the gardens. There were butterflies stuttering about the flowers. Despite the gloomy feeling of the lack of a sun, it was still a refreshing place to be in, and the Queen seemed to be especially surrounded by the butterflies for some reason.

“Oh my, we have such curious butterflies today,” the Queen remarked.

Her Majesty was particularly delighted by the attention she was receiving from these small creatures, putting out an arm for some to sit upon. It seemed like there were hardly any maids or servants outside the household itself to witness this moment that would make one think that the country truly adored Her Majesty. Most of said workers were busy inside.

A soothing breeze passed.

“Are you perhaps a Queen from a fairy tale Your Majesty?” Svetlana said chuckling.

“Oh my, I wish I was. It would be interesting to govern such a species.”

“They seem to be fond of you already, Your Majesty. Perhaps it might be possible without the need to belong to a fairy tale.”

Victoria chuckled, finding a butterfly park itself atop her hair. Her Majesty caressed it very gently.

“I hope so myself.”

“On a different note may I ask why you wish to get rid of the Descendants, Ma’am? Unless it is the same as what I have always heard.”

“Is there any particular reason for asking the question… after all this time, Duchess Alicia? My intentions are the same as that of my peers.”

Svetlana took a quick look around before facing the Queen again.

“Then please let me reword my question: why does the Descendant Leo herself wish to get rid of Descendants?”

The Queen’s smile seemed to break—for a small moment—when she heard the word †˜leo’, before she turned to Svetlana from the butterflies.

“Oh dear, you appear to be more informed than I had assumed, Duchess Alicia.”

“I simply learned it from my mother’s memories when I visited King Hades.”

“Which mother?”

“Alicia. It be impossible for my own mother to know this.”

“I see. King Hades is quite the meddler type of a parent figure. I can sympathise with that King.” The Queen seemed to chuckle casually, maintaining her elegance as monarchy despite being confronted about the truth. “However, my answer is the same as before, Duchess Alicia.”

“If going by that, why help get rid of other Descendants? If found out, would your own peers not try to get rid of you as well Ma’am? I assume not everyone knows you are Leo herself?”

“That is indeed true. My own peers could stage an attempt to be rid of me, but I must do my part even then, Duchess. For it is my responsibility as the ruler. I do not believe that I am providing aid for my personal benefit, I am simply doing what my peers would expect of me as their ruler.”

“I see. Well, I will keep it to myself. I was simply curious when I found out. I just have one more question. Why restore my mother’s title upon me? Especially considering what I did back in America.”

“I felt guilty, I suppose. Even if the Duchess had no other choice, it was my idea to exile her so that she might avoid the clutches of the Church. The nobility were doubtful about her connection with the Infernals at the same time. To me, the Norfolk’s Duchess was not a traitor, simply a close friend who seemed to be in grave trouble.”

“Very well. From what I recall my mother was thankful when you helped them when they arrived to this time. I myself am grateful that you restored the title upon our family, otherwise I would not be able to take care of Isabelle properly just by myself.”

“Mn, I am glad to know that Sir Walter’s child’s future is more or less secured here. I have to say though, a man becoming a woman overnight and coming to consult the Queen about it was rather surreal in hindsight,” the Queen remarked, laughing.

“I can imagine that, though I would have never believed it if not shown those memories. To me, it brings a lot of questions to ask but I believe they are better left unanswered. ”

“Well, if you need an ear and advise, I am sure your mother would recommend me. Hoho.”

“Then when something comes about I shall ask you, Your Majesty.” Svetlana smiled which soon disappeared from her face when she recalled her conversation with the Prince from yesterday. “If I may, why does Administrator Vladimir have political immunity even though it seems the Royal family knows what he is doing? Or is the war with Japan that important to let him get away with his horrible experiments?”

“Pray tell, what do you think would happen if we do try to stop Mister Vladimir, young Alicia?”

“I would imagine that you would go to war with Russia. Which I suppose you want to avoid.”

“Many more people would die as a result of said war. Despite what he does, he is also an ally who would be fighting alongside us in the war against the Japanese. It would be a fool’s errand to stop one man for his wrongdoings, when he is the ruler of his country. It pains me to see the humans fight each other so, and I would rather avoid any war at all…” The Queen spoke with a very melancholic expression, looking down at the flowers. “However, the world is simply a cold and cruel place. You should know this exceptionally well as a Starlight Mage.”

“I see. Then I shall take care of this problem myself one day then.”

“I would ask that you avoid doing so.”

“I am sorry, but that is something I might have difficulty doing. He turned my mother into a monster. I cannot simply let that go.”

“You have an important position at the moment. In the event that you are identified, it could be inferred that I had sent an assassin to kill the head of Russia. I do not think that would be very wise. I suppose he turned your mother into a Steel Monster too?”

“I do not intend to be found, but even now I am refraining myself from taking care of him. I would rather make sure my sister’s life is secure first. Anything involving myself, I will handle once I feel my sister can take care of herself. Steel Monster?”

“Your actions would place your family in jeopardy. Imagine your sister Isabelle in a ball after the nobility learns of your actions—in the event that you are found—due to the fall of reputation, she would become the subject of ill talk and traitors.”


“I will not ruin her life. I will look for a way, I cannot simply let that man live with what he did. If it pains you to see humans fight, does it not pain you to see them turn into horrible monsters against their own will? I am certain my own mother made no such choice.”

“You must understand that your action will only incite the cycle of carnage to ever continue. Revenge is an emptiness that never fills. However, I do accept the fact that humans try to ignore these facts. If it pleases you, then you are free to take action. However, you will lose all ways to stop the consequences after the deed is done.”

“Then that man should have figured out that his actions would bring consequences to him as well. I could care less if my revenge does not fill me. I already know neither of my mothers are coming back even if my revenge succeeds, but I cannot simply let Virgo and Vladmir live as if they’ve done no wrong.”

Perchance this child is beyond hope. “…I do not believe arbitrarily making decisions about Virgo is wise, and now that you would want to pursue a man in power… I shall abstain from treading into this subject any further.”

“I am sorry, but I do have another question. Do you know someone by the name of Lily, The Knight of Lilies?”

“I had not met your friend, but I was acquainted with a lady whose daughter seemed to have this title, I believe.”

“If you do not mind, can you tell me who they are?”

“She was a Faerie who passed away at childbirth. Her daughter’s name was Ocelett, and she was thus under her father’s care. I remember… the Knight of the Lilies to be working under the Church, but I did not know why she was in the human world at all.”

“I see, thank you. By the way, did she have a surname?”

“No, their family did not have a surname.”

“I see. Thank you. Though, I at least now can look more into my friend when I have time. Finally, do you know if the current Aries is the same one who brought my mother to this time?”

“Of course, I doubt that man would pass away so soon.”

“I see. Thank you for the information.”

The Queen wanted to sigh. Even if Her Majesty was being as truthful as one could possibly be, Svetlana was far too anxious to make enemies and mete out justice based on personal belief, to the point that she was willing to ignore potential bloodshed that may erupt from it. Thus, Victoria could already see how her future would be with just a single glance at the noble lady. One could only hope that the worst would not come about.

It was indeed a pity that fate could drive one so low into the abyss.

Three days passed by fast for the young Duchess of Norfolk, Svetlana. She was apparently preparing herself to meet one of the Royal Prince of the country, Leopold. A gentleman she met a year ago in the Royal family’s ball in the Buckingham House. The dance she had with him was forgettable, and now she was determined to be a proper lady unlike before.

Isabelle managed to complete all work planned the day before. Anyone could tell that the final refurbishments were far from over, but she did what she could, especially for the possible place the Royal family members would take a walk in. Isabelle was barely satisfied due to her perfectionism, and this was clear in her tone of voice from yesterday. She was disappointed more in herself than her servants. Regardless, now that the day had arrived, she was going to be at her best for the sake of the Royalty.

This was fairly evident from how she conversed with them.

Svetlana was forced awake by Nancy, who burst into the room to find Svetlana sleeping soundly.

It seemed like Isabelle woke up just in time to welcome the Royalty. Granted, she was tired from yesterday. But Svetlana? She was just never used to getting up early, especially due to her late-night training habits developed back in Saudi Arabia.

The Mistress was forced up, and while she was dizzy, her Personal Maid fit the corset onto her body—from which the pain completely awoke her—before having her dressed immediately. Her hair was being combed while another maid was applying makeup. She suddenly found maids polishing her nails, both on her hands and feet! She only now realised that she just got out of a bath—the process was so fast that even she couldn’t keep track of the preparations. Maids were such efficient individuals—she learned it anew today.

Svetlana was confused as to what was happening. She found herself surrounded by four maids, one of them being Nancy combing her hair. She found herself wearing her white dress which had flower patterns all over and had frills all around as well. Another gothic dress. It came with four ribbons as well as one around her chest, with another at her waist and lastly, two near the bottom of the dress.

“Is all this really necessary?” Svetlana asked. The last time she was surrounded by maids putting makeup on her was for the Royal ball.

“Of course, Mistress!” one of the maids said immediately while applying the makeup.

“We will do our best for you, Mistress!” another maid responded, polishing her nails.

“You must be fully prepared for the Royalty!” Nancy added in turn, finishing up with Svetlana’s hair. “I must stress, Mistress, it is the Royalty.”

“Just do not overdo it please,” Svetlana said as she was still not comfortable with all the needed preparations.

“But Mistress, would you not want to look at your best for the Prince?” Nancy asked, concealing her inner grin.

“I do, but I also do not want to be seen as trying too hard,” Svetlana said as she could feel her face turning red.

The maids looked at Svetlana as if they saw a doll.

“W-We will tone it down a bit then…”







Svetlana made her way to the halls after she was prepared. She found that the castle was in a state of rush of sorts. As the Royal family members were received, the maids and servants were almost running across the hallways, making various preparations for things she didn’t even have any idea of. She was escorted by one of the few maids who helped her prepare. When she was finally there, she only gave a bow and walked away. Despite this, Svetlana could feel the gaze of the maid from behind, full of adoration for the pretty nobles.

The Queen and her husband rose from their seats as Svetlana walked up to them, giving her a nod of acknowledgement. Isabelle seemed to hold a bright smile, for Prince Leopold sat just beside her. The sight of the Prince was expected, yet even so, Svetlana couldn’t help but gaze at him a little longer than usual.

“Good morning,” they all greeted.

The Queen sat to the left of Prince Albert. She wore an exquisite blue dress this time, something Isabelle or her old mother would fancy. It was a very glamourous dress but not exactly what one would expect. There was black embroidery that seemed to gleam with the sunlight that illuminated the halls.

Prince Albert and Prince Leopold both wore a plain black suit yet the quality of their wears were clear to the eyes of even the untrained.

Aside from Princess Louise, it was very clear that certain members of Royalty didn’t liked to dress too fancy, however, their charisma would reach out regardless. For the rest of the nobility, the same effect couldn’t be emulated most of the time.

“Good morning, Your Majesties and Royal Highness,” Svetlana said as she curtsied. She then went and took a seat next to Isabelle. “Pardon my tardiness. How are you all doing today, Ma’am and Sirs?”

“We are doing fine, thank you,” Prince Albert, the husband of the Queen responded.

“I see that this castle is looking much brighter than it used to be,” the Queen remarked. “It is beautiful, we are quite glad to have made the choice to make our visit here.”

“Thank you. My Sister worked hard to brighten it up.”

“At this age? Good girl!”

Prince Leopold patted Isabelle and she seemed like the happiest person on earth. To her, all of the hard work was now worth it.

“How have you been, Duchess Alicia?” the Queen enquired. “I have heard that you took an extensive leave for Saudi Arabia for certain matters.”

“I have been good. Yes, I wish it would not have taken so long, but I had some personal matters to take care of.”

“I see, how was Saudi Arabia? King Abdullah has spoken of you to me once before.”

“Did he? Makes me wonder what he said. Saudi Arabia was fine, but the desert might have been a bit too much for me.”

“Is that so? I would think the sand and the winds be enjoyable…” the Queen said, somehow liking the idea of surfing in sands.

“His Custodian made mentions of your attempts to uncover the intruders in his Royal Palace, and had expressed much gratitude for your brave actions,” Prince Albert added after Queen Victoria. “On that note, we would also like to commend you, Duchess Alicia.”

“Being originally from Russia, the hot sun is something I am not accustomed to. There is no need. I felt that I did very little with the intruders.”

“You are too humble,” Prince Leopold commented with a laugh.

“Please, that is thinking too highly of me. I am certain anyone would have done the same.”

“Ah, but I think it is still quite the act of bravery. Anyroad, I have a letter from Princess Louise—my Sister—for you.”

“That is a surprise. I would never imagine I would get a letter from Her Highness. I shall take a look later then.”

“We shall now head over to our apartments,” Queen Victoria said, getting off the sofa with her husband.

“Ah, I shall stay here and converse some more, mother,” Prince Leopold responded, getting off the seat as Isabelle and Svetlana did so. The sisters gave the Queen and her Consort a bow as they were escorted to their apartments by a maidservant, who made an appearance just when she was needed.

“So, how have things been, Lady Duchess? I had been expecting you in other societal events but it seemed like you were missing. I chanced upon a conversation where I heard that you set off all the way to Saudi Arabia.”

“Things have been fine. Pardon me for that. I wish I could have attended those social events. This year though, I should have time to join.”

“I see, I look forward to it! For now, hmm… are you fond of musical instruments?”

“I cannot say, honestly. I never have really dealt with music, just the occasional humming to myself.”

“I can play a piano,” Isabelle said with a smile.

“That is good, I suppose we can play something with… hmm, I suppose I shall play a violin. How does that sound?”

“That sounds wonderful, Your Highness!”

“Indeed it does, Your Highness,” Svetlana added.

Svetlana and Nancy strode past the castle’s gates. A girl slightly taller than the Duchess of Norfolk could remember seemed to be ordering many workers with a loud voice. Her shade of blonde hair was very similar to her mother, who was also the Duchess’ second mother, a foster mother. The former Duchess was a very dedicated person, and it seemed like her blood-related daughter was just as dedicated, but perhaps more of a perfectionist than her own mother.

“You—I told you to place the furniture in the private apartments of Her Majesty the Queen! Not my private quarters. Also, Miss, that wardrobe… please send it to my quarters. Oh and Mister Darcy, I believe the courtyard might need some more work. Yes, I believe the corners could use some more bushes.”

“Glad to see you are still the same as before,” Svetlana said, walking up to Isabelle. “It seems you got taller as well while I was gone.”

“Oh, and the—huh, who is…” Isabelle turned to Svetlana when she was interrupted while speaking to a maid. “Sister, is that really you…?”

“Of course,” Svetlana said as she went to hug Isabelle. “How I have missed you. A year is far too long to be away from my cute little sister.”

“S...Sister! It has been too long indeed.”

Isabelle held her sister tight. The reunion of the sisters was touching to the onlookers, even if they wished that Isabelle would ease up on them.

“I see that you are fixing up another property of Mother and that you hired more servants. I hope that we can actually manage to pay for all this,” Svetlana said as she looked around, still hugging Isabelle.

“I do not think it is appropriate to speak while hugging,” Isabelle joked as she released her sister. “Well, all of these hands are temporary, we have to embellish the castle or else we would look quite bad soon.”

“Well, that is good, but do we honestly have the resources for this? I do not believe I was really told how much we had.”

“Hm? We should have enough. I am currently running a business for dolls that seems to be doing fine so far.”

“Well, that is good I suppose. Anything else I should know? Considering I take it I am gonna be held in the dark for many things.”

“Not that I intend to, but there are simply too many things… unless you are specific I cannot bring it all to mind,” Isabelle said before giving a wink. “Since I am a child, after all. Huhu.”

“Pretty much you do not plan to tell me anything till you do it.”

“It just happens, nowadays. Must be running in me as I am a prodigy. Anyway, you have your dresses, yes?”

“It has been happening since I got here. Why?”

“I always will. Anyway, Sister, you need them. The Queen is to visit soon and this is why we are preparing the castle. I cannot disappoint Her Majesty now, can I?”

“Why is the Queen coming here? I really wish you would stop doing things without me, but I suppose it cannot be helped.”

“What? You were not here, Sister. You. Were. Abroad,” Isabelle began, losing her temper at her Sister for repeatedly accusing her. “Why do you keep blaming me? Do you know how much it costs to send letters out of here through the Council?”

“Just forget about it. It is my own fault anyway, not yours. Well why is the Queen coming here by the way?”

“Vacation. Her Majesty wishes to spend some time with His Majesty the Royal Consort out of their duties apparently… oh, and I have heard that Prince Leopold may visit too…”

“Why here though?”

“It was historically a castle given to my ancestors by the Royalty a long time ago, now it is one of the nice places for vacations. One of them.”

“From the look of it though you only seem to have started fixing it up recently. I take it was under bad condition like our home. I am rather surprised they would choose here to vacation.”

“They went through various resorts, of sorts, throughout the year. This was just one of the choices in the end. It is a beautiful place so it does not surprise me. Some reconstruction was done, but I simply cannot watch the rulers of our country going through what is commented nowadays as… a cold gloomy castle. I do not think the Queen thinks the same, but you understand. The reconstructions actually started about a month ago, and now we are putting the finishing touches. Just the greenery and the fixture placements left. After that, we will have the maids and servants clean the entire place.”

“I see. Well, I am certain you did a good job. Though, a month to fix this place does sure still seem like a short amount of time.”

“It would take years to put this up in the best condition, but I suppose there is no time for that. I had them fix up whatever that could be fixed in a short amount of time, and put up an entire set of apartments for the Royalty, which should do some good.”

“I would imagine that would be good. Exactly when will they be here by the way? Or no exact date?”

“We were told that they will arrive in three days. No changes were reported so far.”

“I see. Then I still have some time to prepare myself.”

“Prepare yourself, you say?”

“Yes, is something wrong with that?”

“Oh… I just thought that it takes only half a day to prepare makeup and a dress.”

“I know. I just want to prepare myself in other areas. I do not want the same thing to happen again like it did at the ball a year ago.”

“The same thing at the ball last year? What may that be about, exactly?”

“Drawing a blank mind and all the stuttering.”

“That happened? Oh… perhaps it did. I cannot remember very well.”

“I suppose it was because you were not the one who was all of a sudden asked to dance with no experience at all.”

“Thankfully, I was not. I suppose preparing the heart for the Prince is indeed a challenge.”

“I hope to be ready this time around for any kind of surprises if any were to happen.”

“For now, I would recommend that you get some rest.”

“I would second that notion,” Nancy added from behind Svetlana.

“I do not mind but where exactly?” Svetlana asked. “It is my first time here so I do not know my way around.”

“You there, escort the Mistress to my quarters,” Isabelle ordered a maidservant immediately, who seemed to be dusting a wardrobe.

“Yes, my Lady,” the maid responded with a bow, walking up to Svetlana and motioning for the entrance to the old building. “Please come this way, Mistress.”

“Sister, we have several apartments—similarly as we do for the Royalty—just use one of those that I am not using.”

“Understood,” Svetlana said as she began following the maid.







The curtain of the night had fallen and Svetlana had a long rest before she came down to the halls to find Isabelle. It seemed like she was resting on one of the sofas, and had only just finished working for the day. For a child, it was likely very taxing, but the child of Alicia was seemingly used to the pressures of life, and had developed her stamina appropriately.

On the other hand, Svetlana realised that no matter how many times she’d go around the place, she’d likely always get lost due to how big the entire castle was. Thankfully, the way down to the hall was simple—yet long—from her apartment.

“Oh, Sister, I see you awoke from your nap. Good evening.”

“Good evening, Isabelle,” Svetlana said with a smile. “This place sure is bigger once inside, is it not? I think I can get easily lost here.”

“I thought that way until I started working with it,” Isabelle said with a laugh. “It is indeed spacious and full of walls that seem like relics of some sort. Huhu, I just hope you do not find any ghosts at night.”

“My, bringing up ghosts now, are we? If one appeared I would not even think twice before firing at it.”

“Think about all of my hard work for the interior before you do so, Sister.” Isabelle chuckled dryly as she spoke. A wry smile dominating her features.

“Considering what my older sister used to tell me before, that would be rather hard. By the way, you should drink some water.”

“I do not feel like going to get some… by the by, Sister, I see that you have improved since last we met.”

“Well, I would hope I have at least a little considering all the training I was put through this past year,” Svetlana said recalling all her training back in Saudi Arabia. “How has your magic studying been going? One of the maids told me you came here for that.”

“That was one of the reasons I first came here for, until I received the notice about the Royalty’s vacation. I suppose I wanted to be away from the buzzing life of society for a bit. Anyway, it has been proceeding well. I have bought textbooks and am progressing well… I believe.”


“Well, you can show me and I can tell you. I could also explain things you do not understand.”

“That would be helpful, the Magic Theory book confuses me with its vocabulary sometimes, which is rather ironic. Then again I have an English book so perhaps verbal explanations are in order instead. I have tried application of magic before, and it seemed fun.”

“Okay, and it is fun learning to apply magic, at least I had a lot fun when my older sister was teaching me. Maybe we can also get a Russian or Japanese version of the book later till I can learn to read English properly, but go ahead tell me what you do not understand,” Svetlana said joyfully.

“Let us save that for the time we visit the study. I have a plethora of notes about my possible misunderstandings and confusion. Speaking of which, how have things been going for you, Sister? Saved your mother yet?”

“Sadly, that is not happening anytime soon. I still have much to learn. I have only learned the basics of what I need this past year. I will still require more time to learn the rest.”

“I see… the world is just not so easy, is it?” Isabelle smiled wryly, and these words were only coming from a child like her. “Anything else of note happened?”

“Not really, nothing but training for me, and yet I still have much to learn. Here I thought my studying days were long over once I had graduated from the Academy. How about you, my dear Sister? Certainly, many things have happened while I was gone this whole time.”

“Too many to count… to say the least, I have been learning to cope with societal matters. Also, it seems like the war is drawing near. Do not worry for I am not going there to worry you, but I suppose it is putting everyone on the edge. Ah, that said, I had met the Prince a few times, and His Highness asked about your whereabouts.”

“I would wish there would not be a war, especially considering I did spent half my life in Japan. Ehh, why would the Prince ask for me? We only met once. I cannot imagine him remembering me, considering I do not believe I left an impression of any sorts.”

“If the Descendants would bring the war to an end… are you sure you can spare Japan for what they are doing? Well, whatever the case, it seems like either the His Highness has extraordinary memories or someone left a nice impression for being cute.”

“No, that could not be. I would think he forgot about me. I felt like I was rather clumsy back then,” Svetlana said as she put both her hands on her face and began to move back and forth out of embarrassment. “I do not think I am that cute.”

“Is that something you did back in your days as a troupe member, Sister? That expression is just demanding people to notice your appeal.”

“No, it is just kinda embarrassing he remembered me considering the impression I left. Which I felt was not good.”

“I sort of agree, why did His Highness remember you and not me? I wish he would. It is not worth it when it is on someone who does not care. Such a waste!”

“Ehh, who said I do not care? It is just really embarrassing because I am still learning to be a Duchess. If I could I would want a do over for what happened back then.”

“But you do not seem glad at all, and would rather stick to plain excuses. If it were me I would be thinking of putting more effort into making a better impression next time. Well, I am only speaking in jest; rest your mind, Sister.”

“Well, it is why I said earlier I have time to prepare since I do want to leave an impression, you know,” Svetlana said as she began twirling her fingers.

“Huhu, the heart of a woman is complicated indeed. The Prince is rather dense about some things. Perhaps that is why His Highness is such a… natural? His Highness can make any women dreamy like you just like that. Ehehe. This time I shall partake in observing how the exchange goes.”

“You are just gonna look for opportunities to make fun of me. If he is dense I would think any women would have a hard time getting his proper attention...”

“Nice to have a challenge, yes?”

“Not when I am still trying to learn be a proper lady. I do not want to make a mistake that would give the wrong impression.”

“I suppose it could, seeing as you are quite clumsy when it comes to that. Not that it surprises me considering the upbringing. Regardless, I am glad to know that things have been relatively fine.”

“Right, before I forget let us invite your Aunt for tea once we head home. I wish to thank her personally for helping you set up the business.”

Isabelle’s face seemed to particularly brighten up at the mention of her Aunt. “Oh yes, definitely. I would love to meet the Aunt again, since it seems like her daughter Elizabeth who is kind of like my big sister has woken up too.”

“Really? That is good, we should have her come over as well if she is feeling well enough to come.”

“Mhm, that would be wonderful.”

“By the way Isabelle are there peaches here? I kinda feel like eating one.”

“Do not use words like †˜kinda’ here. But… peaches? That is awfully specific of you.”

“I am not sure why, but lately I have been craving peaches for some reason. I wonder if it is a side-effect.”

“So certain demons have tastes for fruits. We learn something new everyday. I did not used to get such a craving so perhaps it is that fusion thing. Unfortunately I do not think we have some in the immediate vicinity, but perhaps I shall have some delivered for you.”

“Thank you. I just hope that is all I have for a side-effect. Anything else would be too much considering the demon I am fused with. Well, onto more important matters, I need to inspect how much my adorable little sister has grown this past year,” Svetlana said as her eyes seemed to sparkle.

“Um, Sister, I think we can skip that…?” Isabelle edged backwards in her sofa.

“Sorry, but it has been a year since I last inspected my cute little sister. I believe one is in order, especially since you seem to have grown a bit. I must make sure by how much you have!”

“Well I was drinking milk and—stop, stooooop!!”

Svetlana could not hold herself any longer and began putting her hands all over Isabelle.

“Fufufu, my someone sure has grown a bit. Maybe at this rate you will get as big as mother,” Svetlana said as she placed Isabelle on her laps and began patting her head.

“Of course I will be!”

Svetlana smiled. “I must say though, I will be sad the day I cannot have you sit on my lap like this anymore.”

“And I will be happy, and liberated!”

Svetlana finally came back from Saudi Arabia. An entire year, plus at least a month had passed since the time she had last seen Isabelle, her younger sister. A foster family member, but still family nonetheless. She was undoubtedly the only most important person to her alive at the moment. Ever since she left the Magic Train with Nancy—who had been carrying more luggage than the time they departed for Saudi Arabia—she had been walking hastily, while Nancy repeatedly reprimanded her, claiming that it wasn’t ladylike to rush this way.

Svetlana felt anxious. She wondered what Isabelle had been doing all this time, having barely heard anything from her. She also wondered if Aisha would really be okay. She still felt odd about it, but she had grown somewhat attached to Aisha over the year they spent together. One thing she was looking forward to was that her training should be a lot shorter compared to when she was in Saudi Arabia as she should only be taking Nancy’s lessons now, and she would have more time for herself and to spend with Isabelle.

It seemed like there was a garden beside her mansion now that Svetlana came back before the gates. A maid or two seemed to be working on the fields, even if they seemed rather lacking in fertility.

“It seems like growing gardens is indeed very hard in this era and city,” Nancy commented as she looked over the plains from behind her Mistress.

It was only eight in the morning but anyone would know that someone as strict as Isabelle would be up by now.

“Well at least it is not as hard as a desert here,” Svetlana said joyfully. “I wonder what Isabelle is currently doing? Or rather what things she has done without me.”

“I think worrying is fine but overdoing it could be seen as potentially meddlesome by the young lady, Mistress,” Nancy joked as they passed by the gates and started walking towards the estate.

“Well, even if she dislikes it she is still a child, you know. I should technically be the one running all this but I really must take care of someone first. Even then though, I really doubt she will let me handle stuff now, which is kinda troubling me.”

“She is a child so… I do not know. I used to be under very strict parents who liked to monitor my life… I was very uncomfortable and paranoid after everything I did and lived for. Ah, but, I believe it is not necessarily bad to be worried about your sibling, Mistress. Take my words with a grain of salt.”


“Well not like I wish to be strict. I just wish I could be around her more, and we could handle everything together, but I suppose that won’t be the case. I cannot fathom you as a paranoid person Nancy. You do not seem to be that kind of person to me.”

“Hahaha. That is a good thing, Mistress. I suppose I grew out of it after my parents passed away…” she said with a wry smile.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Svetlana said.

“It is fine, it is fine! Bygones are bygones.”

One of the gardening maids got up from witnessing Svetlana, and walked up to the pair.

“Lady Svetlana… my goodness, is that really you, my Lady? You have… changed! Welcome back!” the maid said with a cheery tone.

“Thank you. How have things been around the mansion while I have been gone?” Svetlana said with a curious tone.

“Things have been going well, but it seems like our young Lady has been a little too serious with the training. Speaking of which, if you wish to see the young Lady, Mistress, I would suggest getting ready for another trip…”


Svetlana felt like sighing. “Where did she head out? She really should not be doing things like that without telling me,” Svetlana said as all she could do was shake her head.

“She said that you would worry, Mistress, and went to do her magical training in the Arundel Castle. We were told to inform you about it.”

“I take it she told everyone about magic while I was away now then also. Why am I not surprised she did all this without informing me?” Svetlana said, shaking her head yet again. “Nancy do you know how far that is? I was hoping to rest but we are heading out now again.”

“She had told everyone because all of those hired seem to be trustworthy, it seems. At least, I hope so…” Nancy said. “Please remind me, where was the castle located?” she asked the other maid.

“That would be the West Sussex,” the gardener said.

“Yes, that is far, Mistress. It is rather close to the seas, in fact.”

“Well we had talked about telling everyone before,” Svetlana said. “All right then Nancy, let us go and see why my dear little sister decided to go there instead of staying here to study.”

“Ahaha… I suppose. We should reduce our luggage at least. I do not think we have to take everything to Arundel Castle… I am more surprised that such a famous castle is under the ownership of the family, in all honesty.”

“It is famous? You are right, we should leave some things behind.”

“Yes, it is the principal seat of Norfolk… wait, was Mistress the Duchess of Norfolk all along?!”

“Do not ask me, there are many things I do not know.”

“Ahaha… I suppose I shall tell you what history I know of said house while we travel.”

“Okay, but I really should try finding out everything about my mother’s family background. Well at least about all the properties considering granddad did tell me mother’s background.”

“I suppose we can look into it after we come back, Mistress.”







Svetlana looked up to a large castle. She couldn’t believe her eyes when she looked up to its majestic walls that seemed to have survived since the medieval era. Unlike London, there was more than enough greenery out here, lush with trees and grass outside the walls. This was part of the Norfolk Duchess’ property, and according to Nancy, this was indeed the truth.

Contrary to her assumption, the Arundel Castle was under heavy renovation; a series of embellishment was in progress before her very eyes, especially the fields and the apartments. She could see men and women of varying age, busy at work. Many gardeners were hired, many maids were hired, many men were hired, much furniture were being carried past the gates. It looked hectic.

“This place is really impressive…” Svetlana said as she continued to look around. “Just how much is this even gonna cost us…”

“It seems like the young Lady is having things redone… I wonder what for,” Nancy said in awe, looking up to the walls of the castle.

“I am not sure, but just looking at it, the price tag is scaring me. I just hope she started a business for us while I was gone, at least since I recall a mention of one.”

“Let us hope so, Mistress…”

“You… you are going out?” Titania told Calamity Witch with a look of disbelief. She was truly speechless for some moments, finding Roland carrying most—if not all—of the luggage. “What side of the bed did you get up from?”

“Ask the whining brat over there who doesn’t want to take care of a damned wolf,” Calamity Witch said with a rare frown.


“Ahaha… I managed to convince her to come with me to investigate a rumor of Fenrir for my training. If it proves to just be a rumor then it should be fine, but if there is truth to it going there alone would almost certainly mean my demise.”

“Ah, I can imagine Scrawny not being able to take out a wolf. Still…”

“Right? He probably can, don’t you think so too?! You need me to stay for the distortion… right?”

“Still, this is a golden opportunity to get someone credible to research the White Wolf!”

Calamity Witch felt like falling down to the depths of the sea right then and there from hearing these words of betrayals coming from an old friend who was a fellow Archmage.

“Good, this calls for a division of labor indeed. I shall lease out Calamity Witch for the research. I expect good tidings, Scrawny. And Calamity—you should very well be the Master you should be.”

“Hey! I’m no product that you can just lease out!”

“I’ll do my best to keep her on track,” Roland replied, giving a joking salute. “But before we leave I need to speak to you quickly about something, Titania.”

“Hm, what is it, Scrawny?”

Roland moved closer to her and leaned in, speaking in a low voice to avoid being overheard by Sherry. “Did Sherry mention the ambush we encountered in Porto Santo Stefano?”

“No, I have not heard of this,” Titania replied in a hushed tone.

“I had a feeling. She probably didn’t want to worry you. In the port we were ambushed by a large group of hooded individuals who attacked with needles. We managed to shake them and escape to the island, but while they were after us all their attacks targeted only me, so their goal was probably to capture Sherry alive.”

“Hm… The Society likely has a hint about who she is then, seeing her name—it does not surprise me. No worries, though. The Society will not come close to me unless they cannot help it.”

“That is reassuring. Please keep her safe, but discreetly if possible so she doesn’t feel that she is a burden.” Straightening up, he walked back over to Calamity Witch’s side. “Shall we be off then?”

“Alright, let’s go. I wanna be done with this as soon as possible.”

With a final respectful bow to Titania and a promise to Sherry to feed her more delicious food on his return, Roland turned and followed Calamity Witch out of the house.

“Huh, the sun really came far. I suppose I did get up late,” Calamity Witch nonchalantly commented after stepping out of the house with Roland.

She surveyed the forest trees for a moment and found a grey rock to sit over. Just beside them seemed to be the cliff, below which was the sea. The raging waves could be heard all the way up to them, and the breeze was pleasant. On the other side, the stormy clouds were present but there was no lightning raging for now.

Walking over, Roland found a similar rock nearby and joined her.

“What’s first?” he asked eagerly.

“I guess it’s story time.” Calamity Witch gave another yawn. The second yawn that Roland witnessed so far. “So, the Bjornaers developed this nice little spell that would apparently put them out cold instead of showing exceptional success. It was never recorded in the textbooks and the mouths of the mages were to be sealed about the magic. Thus, the Lost Form was born. The Lost Form of Heartbeast. This is the spell that allows you become a magical creature itself.”

“The original Heartbeast spell couldn’t be consciously controlled?”

“No, in fact there were many problems. For starters, emotions couldn’t be controlled. There was a case of underestimation too. Anyway, it’s still a problem to this day for people just starting out. The rule of thumb now is to train for this Lost Form in areas like these.” She gestured towards the grounds of the island.

“Is there any kind of special training for the Form or does it just take getting use to?”

“Well, being the genius that I am, I created several rituals myself, just so the beast within may be contained. I also created several trials to test any prospective apprentices wanting to learn it. So that I can get them off my—anyway, if you’re up to the task, I will continue with the lore of the Bjornaers.”

“I’m listening.”

“So anyway, the Bjornaers were pretty poor,” the Witch began. “They only had one house—or so they say—and had about thirty or so children housed under it. I think this was around the time the Knights’ Templars was a cool thing in the medieval period. Of course, they needed money. As a family of magicians, the first idea was to create spells. Contrary to common belief, creating magic and publishing them officially in the Magical Societies—something that was common back then—was one way to win a large sum of money. So the mages looked around for inspiration…

“They tried three kinds of magic. The first was implanting roots and vines into a person. The second was something about eating branches or something crazy. The third was infusing the very blood of themselves with that of various animals. Mind you, they were really good at Herbam and the Animal Form. There wasn’t any mention of Forbidden Spells back then so they were strangely creative with their ideas. The first and second spell creations resulted in death, obviously. Some managed to turn themselves into motionless trees while others were wounded internally due to the roots growing too much. Normally, the end result may have been different, but things changed with the application of mana.”

“And so the third went on to become Heartbeast? Is there anything recorded about how they managed to overcome the Animal Form’s ineffectiveness on humans?”

“Well, you’re gonna learn about that soon, there are no official records, though.”

“Sorry for interrupting, please continue.”

“Moving on, the final idea passed through, and the mages gained recognition and fame. The Bjornaers were obviously very happy. This was especially true because they are recognised as one of the great family of wizards in said period now. Their name was to be remembered for the times to come. Everything, however, changed when the head of the house decided to take their spell one step further into the danger zone. They developed the Heartbeast spell.

“This was a very unique spell. It was no doubt that they…” Calamity Witch ended up yawning again. “That they improved it to a greater degree, throwing ancient runes into the fray and developing a spell that could permanently change your body. On that note, you should also keep it in mind that you will forever change—perhaps for the worst—when you really get started.”

“Just the body or does it also affect the mind?”he asked, a bit of worry in his voice.

“Has it not sunk into you that they went berserk and killed each other?”

“I understand that, but going berserk is one thing. Even overwhelmed by emotion, the ego remains. Losing one’s sense of self and becoming a completely different person altogether worries me more.”

“It’s life long, and if you don’t like it, that’s fine. I’d rather be lazy than teach something that’d lead you to your demise.”

“I won’t let you out of this that easily!” Fueled by his worry the Archmage would take the slight opening as a chance to slack off, he spoke with more force than intended. “It's true I have my doubts but I’m still determined to learn.”

“Tch.” She clicked her tongue but acted completely innocent in the same second. “Okay, so it alters your heart directly. The influences spreads out all over your body naturally. The torrents of power will affect your mind. As I mentioned earlier, I came up with some ritual spells to counter some of these side-effects, but it is impossible to deal with all of it. Having this heart, however, is useful, as it’s harder to break than ordinary hearts.”

“Significantly, or would being stabbed or shot there still be lethal?”

“Well, it’d hurt, but it may not always be lethal.”


“Sounds nice to have, but I guess it would be best to avoid gambling on its durability.”

“Definitely. Anyway, think of a creature. A magical creature. There are many things, ranging from dragons to unicorns to ents or even minotaurs. You need to pick a creature to be able to get started.”

“Is it possible to draw on the power of unique mythical creatures?”

“Depends on whether they exist or not. Many creatures thought to be mythical do exist in the Magic World, though.”


“Does Fenrir exist as the same great wolf he is in folklore?”

“Uh, was that the thing that devours Odin in a prophecy of the Norse myth?”

“Yup, supposedly he will do that during Ragnarok. Though he is often considered evil, I feel quite bad for him. In the myth it seems like he was betrayed and bound out of fear of things he might do rather than anything he actually did.”

“Hm… you know, there are rumors that it exists in Russia. There isn’t any information about it, though. I wonder if any of the myth about it is actually true.”

“If he does exist, how would becoming a Heartbeast with his powers work?”

“Either you beat him up and take some of his blood, or just make a deal with him? Surely, if Fenrir could kill Odin—he could kill you, though.”

“True, but if he is really so strong he would also be great to have as an ally. If the myth is to be believed, he is a rather intelligent creature, so hopefully it would be possible to reason with him.”

“Maybe, you never know. The myths are mostly written by crafty conspiracists sometimes, like a lot of the myths investigated in the Magic World before.”

“Going on the assumption that they are accurate or at the very least contain a grain of truth in them, what rumors have you heard in Russia?”

Calamity Witch rubbed her ear lazily as she spoke, “Well, not exactly Fenrir, but they say that there’s a hidden labyrinth of ice in which the †˜White Wolf’ lives.”

“Seems like it would be worth checking out. Hopefully the creature there is actually the mythical beast and not just an overgrown wolf.”

“Alright, you go on then. Farewell!”

“Sending your apprentice off to die on his own on just the first day of training? I may be hoping to reason with it, but I doubt I can face a mythical beast in solo combat if things take a turn for the worst.”

“Mn? Does that have anything to do with me? You’re the one who wants to learn, right?” The Master yawned again, almost ready to fall asleep as soon as Roland would take off.

Clearly a sense of teacher-student responsibility will never move this bundle of lethargic whims. Shifting his strategy, Roland spoke with his best salesman voice. He tried enticing her with the potential benefits of going with him.

“If you do come with me then you’ll be able to sleep as much as you want, as we’d travel with the added benefit of not having Titania harassing you to stop being lazy and do work. Not to mention on our return, you may be able to win additional time to laze about after having spent a trip hard at work teaching your apprentice.”

“Ehh? But I’d rather stay here and sleep. Traveling is still a pain. Also, there’s the distortion case that’s been keeping me here.”

“I’ll handle all the arrangements. All you’ll have to do is sleep on various fluffy beds until we reach the wolf in the labyrinth. Maybe not even have to do anything there either if things go well. For the distortion case, Titania will still be here and it seems you have many capable subordinates in the Space Police who can keep things under control while you’re gone.”

Should you be addressing her so casually? “What do you know? I’m the only one from the Space Police here. The others are too busy dealing with the world.” The Calamity Witch seemed to grumble about “presumptuous brats,” or something, but gave a sigh of defeat. “But fine. What are you so afraid of anyway? Surely anyone can handle that overgrown wolf, right?”

“If it is just an overgrown wolf then it won’t be a problem, but if it is the monstrous god-consuming wolf of myth, then going to it on my own would probably be suicide.”

“Isn’t that great?” The so-called Master of Roland grinned.

Roland sighed. Clearly this apprenticeship was going to be fraught with peril.

“Personally, I would like to stay alive long enough to actually begin learning the Lost Form if it isn’t too much to ask. Though I’ll let you sleep now as you wish. Where do the rumors say the ice labyrinth is so I can begin making preparations?”

“Dunno. Somewhere outside Moscow I guess?”

“Guess we’ll head there first and search for local information. Do you have anything to take care of or can you leave at anytime?”

“Just need to talk to Titania about this. Otherwise, we’re ready to head out. Hopefully she bails me out, who am I kidding though…

Back in his room Roland sat on the floor, all the various notes he had written during his travels sprawled out around him.

A spell that can even catch the attention of an Archmage... he thought to himself, realizing now just how great the task he had taken up was. Impressing an Archmage would probably be difficult enough, but the one he had to impress also created almost a third of all the modern spells. Whatever it is, it will probably have to at least approach the tier of Supreme spells to get any notice.

Grabbing a notebook, he began scribbling various magic formulas in search of inspiration.

It seemed someone had opened the door while he was thinking about the formulas, and he looked in response, but his door was not open. Surely, someone was moving around.

Sherry and Titania had undoubtedly left the house to check up on something, and Titania didn’t spare any details for Roland. Likely, it was related to the storm. Which could only mean the only other person would be his newfound Master.

Putting the notebook on the floor with the rest of his notes, he got up and left his room to see where the noise was coming from. Momentarily, he learned that his Master was indeed awake, and she was full of sloth as usual. Roland found her in the dining room, taking out a large bottle—a soda—and drinking it casually.

“Mn? Oh, I forgot you were living with me…” She drank some more of the beverage, letting out a satisfied sigh. “Good morning.”

Still not used to her clothing, or rather lack of, he averted his eyes slightly to the side as he spoke to her. “Good afternoon may be more accurate for the current time, Master. Did you just wake up?”

“It’s morning for me, so I guess?” the Master bluntly replied. “Still not used to my attire, mn? How cute.”

Being called out so blatantly only served to increase his embarrassment and he turned bright red.

“A-Anyway, will the training begin soon?”

“Mn, I guess. Now that my lunch is done… I’m ready.” Despite her words, however, Calamity Witch yawned.

Looking around the kitchen, Roland saw no sign that she had consumed anything aside from the bottle of soda. “Is that enough to sustain you?” he asked, concerned.

“Should be. I think.”


“What should I do to start then?”
“Right… what do you want me to do for you anyway? I always get various apprentices and they all seem to have different interests.”

“Hmm, I’ve never actually been taught by a master before, so I’m not sure how it usually works. I assume the goal of all apprentices should be to one day surpass their masters, so how about that?”

“Huh? That’s not specific at all. Not like †˜I want to learn more about Magic Theory’ or †˜the various research topics’ or †˜how to fight’ or the †˜I want to learn the Lost Form’ or something?”

“I want to learn everything.”

“No one has the time for that. Not the mages of this island anyway.”

“Hmm... then to pick from the list, the Lost Form is probably what interests me most, though I’m still interested in learning anything you’re willing to teach me.”

“Do you know what a Lost Form is?”

“I heard mention of them as powerful ancient magics that have been lost to the ages. To learn a form of magic thought extinct is something I can’t pass up.”

“Where have you heard of it? I was told it’s still rare in this generation.”

“While I cannot remember exactly I think it was in a book I read.”

“Bollocks! Lost Forms were never published in books, much less any words. You sure you aren’t confusing tall tales with textbooks?”

“Maybe, it's a hobby of mine to indulge in stories and legends. Could some rumors of them have slipped into fiction?”

“I was one of those trying to keep the news on Lost Forms inside. Maybe I’ll tighten the grasp a bit more… mn, chop off a head or two perhaps… Okay, so you want to learn the Lost Form I know, but are you sure? My Lost Form is quite different, and is also a spell of a family that was killed off by the Magic World itself.”

“Different? How so?”

The hand of the Archmage turned to that of a large creature’s, and with the claws that seemed to be longer than his arms, she grabbed his tiny body and lifted him up from the wooden floor.

“See?”

“Y-Yeah,” Roland stammered in shock, but it was only for a moment before his curiosity took over. “Though that’s really cool!”

“Right? But it’s kinda dangerous too.”

“The Form itself, or are practitioners of it still hunted?”

“Mostly the family’s descendants now—if any. The Form’s danger was what did them in, though. I’m sure you’ve heard of them in Magic World’s history books at least once—the Bjornaer family.”

“Oh…” Roland’s face darkened as he recalled the bloody chapter of history associated with the Bjornaers. “I can’t say I’m not worried, but at least I won’t have to worry about hurting anyone if I do go berserk with two Archmages so close by.”

“I have fears about my house, though. Let’s step outside, shall we?”

“Sounds good. But first, could you let me down?”

“Oh, I forgot.”

The next morning had come and the birds started to sing. The weather in the island was completely odd, however. There were clouds on one side where a storm was on while the other side was painfully normal, which seemed to just barely include their wooden house. There was not a single cold gale from the other side which made it even more eerie.

When Roland came out of the house to take a look, he found Titania holding a notebook, scribbling things down. It seemed like Sherry or Calamity Witch was yet to be up.

“Good morning,” Roland greeted her.

“Good… morning…”

Sensing she was busy, Roland opted not to bother her further and instead observed the strange weather phenomenon, trying to discern the cause.

“So a distortion’s storm is always taking place in its own space… but we get to witness it when some of the Void Realm leaks onto this side. Interesting…”

While Titania seemed to mutter, lightning streaked down as the two watched, and it struck at a tree some distance away, but a fire didn’t start.

“If a portal to the Void Realm was opened at this location would the same storm be taking place there?” Roland wondered aloud, not quite sure if he would get an answer. He was tempted to test the hypothesis himself to see if it was a creation of space versus a projection of it, but the ferocity of the storm dissuaded him.

“Good question,” Titania said, raising an index finger. Apparently, her researcher mode—of sorts—was on. “But seeing as the storm is indeed underway, would one not think that it is already due to an open portal?”

“Maybe in some form, but as the storm doesn’t seem to be physically affecting this Realm. Could it be an event occurring in the Void Realm that is only being projected visually?”

“That is exactly what it is. However, there may be some effects than whatever that is going on.”

“Have you observed the event from within the Void Realm or is it too dangerous to do so?”

“I would like to, but I am forbidden from doing so.”

“By who and why?” Roland asked, curious as to who could order around an Archmage.

“The Void Space Act forbids me from making frequent travels. After the third time I went to investigate such phenomena, I was given a warning by your Master, Calamity Witch.”

“What is the Void Space Act? I was not aware there was a law restricting research of the Realm.”

“There are laws for many things. A researcher not knowing and abiding by them means that they are simply not meant to research it, and are thus lacking!” she said as if giving a lecture already. “The Void Space Act is a law set by the Space Police Organization. It disallows any non-member from frequently using the Astral Venture Supreme spell to access the Void Realm.”

Ahaha… probably shouldn’t mention I’ve already broken it once, Roland thought. “That’s a shame. Is there no way to lift the restriction aside from induction into their ranks?”

“Plain answer: no. Thus, I must find an alternative to obtaining the answers.”

“Might I be able to join you in that search? I realize I am already about to become Calamity Witch’s student, but I would also like to learn from you if you’ll take me on.”

“But you are so scrawny… surely a researcher would require a dan—ahem. Are you an aspiring researcher?”

“Yes. I’ve made a few spells of my own from my studies too, although nothing on your level.”

“That is the least a mage may do, though.”

Roland fell silent for a while as he thought about how else he could convince the Archmage to take him on.

“Is there a way I could convince you of my determination?”

“I do not really know myself.”

“Hmm.” Roland fell silent for another few moments as he thought about how best to confer a positive impression. “Could I maybe demonstrate one of my original spells for you? It utilizes an interesting property of water if I say so myself, and even if it fails to pique your interest, the chance to get your feedback would be invaluable. Hopefully it will also demonstrate I won’t be completely helpless if danger does arise.”

“Sure? I do not really mind, but I cannot say that I am interested.”


“This may not convince you but it's worth a shot. The fastest way to get a researcher’s attention is through their curiosity.”

“Well, go on.”

He looked around searching for a suitable target and spotted a large boulder at the edge of the forest. Taking up a position a few meters away, he took a deep breath and focused his mind, pushing away all unnecessary thought. I really hope this is actually a mechanism she hasn’t seen used before. The thought flashed through his mind before he applied a jolt of mana to reinforce a tranquil mental state. Entering a stance with his hands slightly apart at his side, a clear sphere of supercooled water began to form suspended between them. As the sphere grew larger, a second layer of cloudy water formed around it and fog began to surround him as the spell inadvertently cooled the surrounding humid air. When the sphere of water reached a critical mass, he brought his hands forward in one fluid motion and shot it as a high pressure stream at the boulder.

Upon striking the boulder, the stream of water instantly bore a hole through, fracturing it from within as the water froze and expanded. What water splashed to the sides likewise froze on contact quickly, encasing the boulder with a thick layer of ice as it ran across the surface. At the end of the spell the once solid boulder was a mess of spider web cracks held together by a shell of ice.

“And? You may keep going.”

“Guess it wasn’t enough after all. I’ll have try to find some other way to win your favor,” Roland replied wincing a bit from the feedback as he released his mental spell. “Or if you give me a chance to aid with a project I can try to prove myself that way.”

“But my time is valuable. I do not think I want to aid you for such… scrawny spells.”

“Fair enough.” He was frustrated his spell was dismissed as such, but she was an Archmage so it would take more to impress her. “I’ll just have to keep working at it while studying under Calamity Witch until I have something that can get your approval.”

“Good luck.”

“Just you wait. On a more immediate topic, what do you and Calamity usually do for breakfast?”

“Breakfast? We do not have breakfast.”

“Ah, mind if I use the kitchen to make something then?”

“You could use it for yourself and Miss Sherry. Do not bother making anything for us Archmages.”


“As you wish.” Taking one last glance at the eerie storm he went back inside, thoughts of potential spells filling his mind.

When Roland came back to the wooden house with Titania holding a shopping bag with some ice cream packets inside, he found out that his new Master had a new guest aside from him and Sherry. It seemed like Sherry was seated on a sofa and felt as though she didn’t belong here, while the other lady with the silver hair was completely relaxed and composed, wearing a fabulous swallowtail tuxedo and a golden skirt, a fashion he was not exactly aware of.

To be frank, Roland was used to seeing men in suits back in England, but not women. The world was truly vast, and there was something new to see every day indeed.

“The ice cream has arrived,” Roland announced upon entering. Digging into the bag he gave a packet to the Calamity Witch and Sherry before turning to the new guest and offering ice cream to her too. “May I know who our new guest is?” he asked, curious about the nature of a visitor an Archmage might be receiving.

“Space Police,” Calamity only said. She then faced said guest. “What’s so important that you’d visit me so directly? I showed the distortion already so there shouldn’t be any more matters to specifically discuss here, right?”

“You just want to sleep, don’t you?” the guest blatantly guessed.

“Ah… well, I guess.”

“This is a special report.” The guest made a cold face as she spoke. “DAD and I had encountered a Boundary in London, close to the River Thames. It was enormous, on a scale we had never recorded before.”

Roland stirred slightly upon hearing mention of his hometown. He had been respectfully trying to avoid eavesdropping on their conversation before, but now he was listening intently.

“An enormous Boundary? How would you rank this?”

“SS rank, I suppose? The first ever of its kind, honestly.”

“That is a bad report, not a special report.”

“Anyway, the Steel Demons as the rumors have it are real, and they are very powerful, having nearly crippled DAD. I don’t think the two of us are enough to cope with this disaster. It’s a little personal but we found DAD’s mother trapped there. There was also a young child who seemed to talk about sadness, or something. It was disgusting, she vomited some black… things,” the guest grimaced, “and a Steel Demon was surfacing it. I have never seen anything like this, even in the Magic World.”

“Hmm… now this is interes—ahem, bad. Perhaps we’ll have to assemble the members soon.”

Whether it was carelessness or the two just thought nothing of him, Roland was glad to get some insight into the distortions. While much was still unclear, he could at least tell the situation was extremely dangerous and seemed to be getting progressively worse. The mention of Boundaries appearing in unexpected locations also gave him much to think about.

“Well?”

“Give the assemble order. We’ll uh, gather in about three months from now.”

“Very well. I will be on my way then.” The guest got off the sofa and she slid down a finger in the air and a portal opened, which closed after she entered. It was the same spell that Roland had learned in the past year.

“So you have another case on your hands, police,” Titania began and the Witch laughed dryly, already halfway done with her ice cream.

“Yeah, but I don’t want to delay my research on the distortion or the training of my pupil either.”

“Are you sure about him? He looks scrawny.”

“He is right in front of you, you know?”

“My father is so much more dandy.”

“You aren’t listening, are you?”

“At least give me a chance to prove myself before dismissing me so,” Roland requested with a hint of exasperation in his voice. He recognized the two before him were far above in both power and wisdom, but being looked down on was still frustrating. “Also, do you have a fridge where I could put the rest of these?” he asked, holding up the bag with the remaining ice cream.

Titania pointed to a door on his right. Roland walked up to the door. Opening it, he found that there was a kitchen and a dining room with a table and chairs. He found the refrigerator and placed the ice cream inside the freezer.

Returning to the living room, Roland asked once more, “So when do we start?”

After seeing the Calamity Witch’s lethargy many times in just the space of one night he was determined to not give her the opportunity to be distracted. However, when he looked down at her after Titania pointed at her, he found her snoring sweetly on her sofa, already dead asleep.

“Seems it will have to be tomorrow.” He looked around the living room to search for something to cover her up. Finding nothing he asked Titania, “Are there any blankets to cover her with? Nights are chilly and I imagine even Archmages can catch colds.”

“As you can see, not in this living room.” Titania scooped the Archmage up with one hand with abnormal strength. “It is normally my job—even if it is not—to take her to bed.” She walked up to the door on the right and opened it. It seemed to be Calamity Witch’s room.

“These people… are strange, and I know this is only coming from me,” Sherry commented, having mostly been an observer so far.

“I would prefer to call them unique but yes, you probably won’t find many others like them,” Roland replied. “We should also turn in for the night. It sounds like things will get busy onwards from tomorrow for both of us. I wonder if they have guest rooms we could use?” He stared at the doorway Titania disappeared through, waiting for her return.

“We do,” TItania said, coming out of Calamity Witch’s room. “I am using one and the other is vacant. I suppose Miss Sherry may stay with me while you take the other?”

“I wouldn’t want to impose. I’ll let Sherry take the free guest room. I can sleep on the sofa here.”

“Oh no, I cannot possibly have you do that!” Sherry said in panic. “I-I could just sleep on the island. I-I-It’s a wonderful bed after all!”

“...What?” Titania turned to Roland. “I do not know what she means. Is there a translator anywhere?”

“To be honest I don’t truly understand the meaning of where she intends to sleep myself, but islands were considered beds for Gods in the past.” Turning to Sherry he asked, “When you say that, where on the island do you intend to sleep?”

Sherry gave a bright smile. “Anywhere could do. The grass for example, would be a very comfortable place to sleep it, wouldn’t you think?”

Titania turned back to Roland after listening to what sounded like nonsense to her.

“Just take the room and let her share it with me, lest you really want this supposed Goddess out in the cold.”

“I’ll do that,” Roland hastily accepted, worried that Sherry might actually go through with sleeping in the forest.

The two disembarked from the ferry. A wave of relief washed over the two’s minds as they safely arrived in Isola del Giglio. They found themselves in the comune of the island, a small town before them, the Giglio Porto. The sun blazed brightly at the town. It was setting as the time of day was soon coming to an end.

“It seems like… we finally made it. This is a very beautiful bed,” Sherry absentmindedly commented.

“Bed?”

“It’s not?”

“Not unless the word has another meaning I don’t know of. I don’t see a bed anywhere.”

“Hm? But we’re on it, aren’t we?”

“The island?”

“Of course. I remember the Gods and Goddesses often using them as their sleeping places. Particularly Circe, back in the day—Odysseus was staying in her bed… w-which was, well… ahem, just an example.”

“I guess it does fit, though in these times you won’t hear the word being used for much beyond the actual piece of furniture slept on. Though be it a bed, an island, or both, it truly is a beautiful place.”

“Ahaha… I see, I apologize if I confused you.”







In an effort the beat the setting sun, the two hurried through the dense forests of the island before finally arriving at a house. It seemed to be a wooden house, but it was bigger than most old houses one would expect in the forests.

Entering the house, Roland and Sherry found an empty living room beyond the small lobby where some shoes and heels were parked. They knocked on the wooden door some moments ago and waited, but there was no response. The old-fashioned house lacked a doorbell too. The ceiling lay very high up, explaining why the wooden house was so tall. There were lights and ceiling fans, so it seemed like the house was not devoid of electricity despite being out in the woods.

“It’s… empty, does anyone live here?” Sherry asked, not expecting an answer.

“The name on the house matches the address in the letter,” Roland replied, double-checking the envelope.

The door behind them opened and the two turned.

“Who are you two?”

The girl’s height was similar to that of Sherry’s. Her hair was blonde and she wore a long, blue one-piece. This getup was accompanied by a white hat and it looked as though she was out for picnic. The beauty of the girl was something distinctive, and Roland couldn’t put a finger to it. This sense of artistic perfection was rather abnormal.

Moreover, the accent with which she spoke made it evident that Roland shared the same nationality with her.

“Ciao, I am Roland and my companion is Sherry. We traveled here at the request of Duchess Frederica of Edinburgh.”

“You did…? All the way here?” If it was the Duchess of Edinburgh she knew, that person was likely in London. “I am not the owner of the house, but make yourselves comfortable.”

“Not the owner…?” Sherry muttered with a low voice, but it seemed like the girl heard her regardless.

“I myself am a guest,” the picnic girl said informatively, in a matter-of-factly manner.

“Is the owner of the house away?” Roland asked. “When we knocked earlier there was no response.”

The picnic girl gave a look as if this issue had repeated over a thousand times already.

“Wait…” the girl uttered, walking up to a door to the left and opening it. After it was closed, she could be heard shouting and another woman’s voice rang with a shriek.

“But I’m lazy and sleepy!” the other woman shouted.

“You cannot say that with the world barely hanging in the balance!!” the picnic girl argued. The dispute continued for some time until the owner of the house was flatly deported.

An older woman walked out past the door some moments later, grumbling about a lack of ice cream in the world and lack of comfort.

“Hm? Who are you two?” she asked, looking up to her visitors. She took a step back after noting the other girl’s temper about to flare again. “Ahaha… I mean, may I help you two?”

The apparent Archmage wore only a yellow halter, a pair of black shorts, and some cheap sandals of low-quality. Her long blonde hair could be seen accompanied by long, pointy ears like that of the fictional race known as the elves.

In reaction to the woman’s attire, a tinge of red appeared on Roland’s face and he averted his eyes. “I am Roland, and my companion is Sherry. We have traveled here at the request of Duchess Frederica of Edinburgh. Am I correct in assuming you are the Archmage of this residence?”

“Yes, I am usually called Calamity Witch.” The Archmage yawned, something no member of nobility such as the Duchess would never do openly. She walked over to the sofa and sat down. “That Frederica sent a message? Well, she could’ve sent a letter through magic. Why have you two come a long way?”

“I believe the letter should have the answers. She mentioned something of a distortion and that Sherry may be able to aid with fixing it.”

“Hm, let me see it then.”

Rummaging through his bag, he located the sealed letter and handed it over. “If you don’t mind me asking, what is your name? Calamity Witch is just a title, right?” With the relaxed atmosphere in the house, it felt pointless to stand on ceremony and he made himself comfortable in one of the chairs of the living room.

“Don’t wanna tell,” Calamity tersely answered. She opened the letter and gave it a glance. “Hoh. So you’re the sacrifice,” she commented thoughtlessly.

“Sacrifice? I hope that is not as lethal as it sounds.”

“My friend the Duchess says you’d be a good researcher for my projects and a student for me… sounds about right to me.”

“Ah, that explains what she was hinting at when she mentioned †˜getting stronger.’” He leaned forward and examined her expression closely, trying to gauge if it was a joke. A chance to study under one of the world’s few Archmages was not something that came easily. Perceiving no falsehood in her demeanor, it took less than a second to decide. Breaking into a wide grin he replied, “I’m in. Hit me with your worst.” His eyes blazed with determination.

“Don’t break his brain too, Calamity,” the other girl said.

“B-Break his brain?!” Sherry exclaimed.

“I hope not, Titania,” the Witch replied.

“The Archmage Titania? The one regarded as the greatest magic researcher alive?” Roland asked incredulously, turning to the picnic girl, trying to ignore the disturbing remarks made by them. He anticipated meeting one Archmage here, but not two at the same time, never mind one being a researcher he had idolized since his time as a student.

“Hm? What about it?” The picnic girl known as Titania didn’t turn to him at all at being addressed, and for some reason instead read over the letter that Calamity was reading.

“I’ve read countless papers authored by you. It’s an honor to meet you in person.”

“I’m sure everyone who cares did.” She took some moments to go over the letter’s contents. “Oh, so apparently this Sherry person here can help with the distortion case.”

“What is the distortion case?”

“I am going to guess that you have not heard of the distortions before?”

“I heard of them mentioned in passing by the Duchess but no details on the matter.”

“Then we may not answer that question. This is still a case of the Space Police.”

“Yeah, something like that,” Calamity Witch spoke. “The distortion crises are sort of kept under the wraps.”

“Oh well. Just please keep Sherry safe if it is dangerous.” Spending a few minutes with the two was enough to let him know he would be hard-pressed to convince them to share anything they did not want to. Going back to the previous matter he asked, “For research and training, when can I start?”

“Tomorrow! I sleep today!” Calamity raved immediately.

“Oh no! You will be starting immediately, do not waste time!” the picnic girl immediately refuted.

“Arghhh, I want to be lazyyyyyy…”

“You always want to be lazy.”

“Fine. At least get me some ice cream then.”

“Leave it to me, Master, but where can I find some on this island?” Roland offered.

“Dunno, haven’t been to the town for a few years now.”

Titania sighed. “Let us go, I shall show you around.”

At the market, Roland let Sherry lead the way as the two strolled leisurely, looking at all the various stalls.

“Do you want to try meat or stay away from it?” Roland asked as he scanned the stalls, searching for what to feed Sherry next.

“I want to, but I don’t want to… this is a dilemma. A big one, at that.”

“While you work through that, how about starting with what can be enjoyed either way?” Roland pointed to a stall selling slices of what appeared to be a thin, flat bread. A sign hanging from the front of the stall had the words “torta di ceci” on it.

“Alright, but what are these… things made of?”

“They are baked from chickpea flour that has been mixed with various herbs and seasonings. While their taste isn’t as robust as the croquettes from before they are quite savory.”

“I see, let us try that, then.”

Returning from the, stall Roland carried a plate with a few triangular cut slices and a small mound of black pepper.

“For additional taste, you can sprinkle some of the pepper over the slices,” he said, doing so and offering the slice to Sherry.

Before Sherry accepted the slice, something seemed to pass through it, and it broke in half. Roland turned to find a cloaked figure disappear in an alley past some stalls.

“What… was that?” Sherry looked down at the slice with eyes that made her look like a child who lost had her favorite toy.

“Best case, someone who was targeting me. Worst case, someone who is after you. Either way it doesn’t seem like it is safe here.” Roland was on guard, frantically scanning the market for potential threats, but there were too many people to watch them all. Folding up the paper plate with the torta di ceci inside, he stuffed it into his bag. “We should head to the ferry. If there are assailants, it will likely be more difficult for them to act once we are on the Archmage’s island.”

“Wouldn’t we be canceling the ferry’s ride if something happens, though? I’ve heard of Miss Sophie talking about a similar incident before.”

“What incident? Also, let us talk as we move, it will be harder for us to be targeted that way.”

He began leading Sherry briskly through the crowded streets taking care to avoid brushing too close to any strangers. Which resulted in what seemed like a needle running straight before his eyes. Another step and his eyes could’ve been cut through in one shot. Needles repeatedly visited Roland after that, and the pair started running.

“The entire bazaar is not safe. I wonder how the people can not notice any of this!”

“It seems our assailants are quite skilled.”

Without warning, he ducked into a small side-alley and pulled Sherry in after him. “It seems we are already surrounded,” he groaned. There were needles sticking out of him all over and his body felt like it was on fire. Looking over Sherry, he was glad to see she was unharmed. “That similar incident you mentioned before. Do you think it has anything to do with this?” he asked panting.

“I don’t really know, but I think it was a †˜mundane’ matter?”

“Guess not. Either way, we need to find a place to hide.”

Roland looked around frantically but found nothing. As another flurry of needles flew at him, he decided to take a chance. Drawing on ancient energies, he tore open a portal into the space between realms. Grabbing Sherry he leapt through as the portal closed behind them.

“Oh! I didn’t know that you could open a path to the Void Realm, Mister Roland.” Sherry looked around the dark spacious Realm that they had reached. The blue hue illuminating the place was nothing compared to the bright sun that they were basking under earlier.

“It’s something I learned in the past year. From one of the books I borrowed from your library actually. Though since my magic is a bit unstable I haven’t had the chance to test it out until now.”

“Your magic is unstable? Well, please hold still for a bit.”

Sherry placed her hands on Roland’s forehead, a golden light emanating from them. A soothing sensation washed over his body and he could feel his wounds closing. Albeit, contrary to popular belief in fictional works, healing magic was always painful due to the closing of wounds. The needles seemed to fall off due to the effects of the spell.

“Thanks.” He rubbed the affected areas to get the blood flowing. “Sorry about handling you roughly back there.”

“Don’t worry, you were doing it for my safety, after all. More importantly, we can only spend forty-eight minutes before we have to go back for the ferry. What should we do?”

“You wouldn’t by any chance know how to navigate the Void Realm, would you? Also...” He dug around in his bag for a moment before withdrawing the folded plate he stashed there before the chase. “We can take at least a brief breather here.” Unfolding it, the torta di ceci were still intact and he offered them to her. “This time you won’t be interrupted.”

“Oooh, I suppose that is true.” Sherry took up one of the slices again and took a bite, finding it crustier than the croquette. “I see they’re not as freshly-made as before now. As for the Void Realm, I think I do, why?”

“If we can select our point of exit that would be the easiest way to shake our pursuers. We may have eluded them for now, but with the amount of people they brought to pursue us, I imagine they are still searching the city.”

“Hm… seeing as I’ve seen the ferry before, I think we can go over to it. I’m afraid I cannot get us to our ultimate destination without knowing where it is, however.”

“That is good enough. If we can stow away on the ship without being seen we can hopefully be out to sea before they realize we’ve left the port. After all, we’ve already purchased our tickets.”

“I see, but wouldn’t they know that we’d be going to the ferry eventually? Since we did go there some time ago.”

“I don’t doubt they would consider it and there will probably be some assailants at the harbor, but I doubt they would concentrate their forces on the ship if we can slip on board unnoticed. More likely they would think we are biding our time in the city or looking for another route.”

“If you think so, perhaps we’ll be fine.”

With Sherry leading the way, the two set off, walking through the Void Realm.

The sky was blue, the air was fresh, the cries of the birds were myriad, and the people—cheerful. Some of the houses seemed very old while others were apparently renovated. Regardless, the homes of the Italians seemed to carry a theme now considered classy. The infrastructure appeared somewhat aged but still in good condition. Everything in Porto Santo Stefano was fresh to the pair that finally reached it after a long travel.

This seaport city located in the west coast of Italy—in the municipality of Argentario, the province of Grosseto, Tuscany—was their final stop before reaching Isola del Giglio.

Apparently, Isala del Giglio was the island that Roland was supposed to escort Sherry to. He received the request from the Duchess who wanted Sherry to be safe. The sealed letter was supposed to be opened by the Archmage to whom it was addressed to. The cover specified the address, and that was how he knew where they were supposed to head for. He still wasn’t aware which of the great Archmages from the remaining nine he was supposed to meet.

He was currently accompanied by this woman who possessed the height of a sixteen year old—apparently younger than him—but had the expression of an elder, which would ease naturally for the sake of curiosity and cheerfulness. Her natural complexion and personality seemed to clash often. He managed to get her a long one-piece this time, which covered her wings just fine.

Previously, her older one-piece was specifically designed to leave out openings for the wings, which was why she was the center of attention. Even now, however, her natural beauty and cheerful air would draw eyes, and she would shrink at the abnormal amount of attention she’d receive.

“Seems even without wings your charisma draws attention. Shall we head to the ferry to get away from the crowds?” Roland offered. When he looked up to her, however, she seemed to be not with him at all. Panicking, he looked around in every direction, and walked around the bustling streets.

“Mister Roland, Mister Roland!” Sherry called out, waving from the other side.

Roland ran over only to realize that Sherry was completely captivated by the bazaar when she pointed at the stalls.

He smiled seeing her unbounded excitement, glad that she was able to forget her self-consciousness if only for a while.

“See anything in particular you like?” he asked as they walked through the market.

“Too many to note… I cannot believe they put up fish like this, though. Is that even alright?”

“Is there something strange about how they are kept?”

“Well… many things, I imagine everyone here would incur the wrath of a God for sure due to their treatment of the sea creatures.”

“Were there not fish markets in ancient times?”

“There were?”

“I’m sorry, but then I’m not sure what you are referring to. Is there something in a particular stall that is off?” Roland asked, looking around to try find what there was that could be perceived as a slight against the sea.

“I have simply never seen fish in stalls before is all, is that so strange?”

“Not so much strange as unexpected. I had thought markets existed even in ancient times for the exchanging of goods with fish being included as one of the commodities.”

“Hm… perhaps the change happened after I was locked away.”

“Maybe. While we have it in front of us now, how about having some lunch?” Roland looked around and spotted a stall selling what seemed to be fish croquettes.

“I suppose seeing as the world has not ended yet, no curses of Gods have befallen humans for many years.” With these words, Sherry’s eyes sparkled with curiosity yet again. “Which only means that I am very excited to taste… a lot of these foods.”

“I hope you have a big appetite since these markets have a lot to offer. Since we’re in the fish district let’s start with that.” Roland walked over to the stall he spotted, an irresistible aroma of sizzling fish and batter wafting over him as he drew closer. Purchasing a few, he rushed back over to Sherry with the treats. “Be careful, they are a bit hot.”

With a bite, it already appeared to Roland that Sherry didn’t heed his warning about the hotness of the inside, and she was taking in air just to cool off the food in her mouth.

“This really is hot but… what is this taste? I have never experienced it before. It’s really good!”

“Inside is marinated fish while the crust is formed by a batter of bread crumbs and spices which is then fried. There are also types filled with meat or vegetables on the inside.”

“I see… I wonder if I can learn to make them myself. It sounds complex based on your explanation, however. Vegetables sounds very nice, I am not sure about consuming meat, though…”

“Making one with a professional depth of flavor like these may be a bit difficult without knowing what they add to flavor it, but the basic concept is pretty simple. You can see how they are made at the stall over there.” Roland pointed to where he purchased the croquettes.

“I… I see, that is an impressive art. How interesting. I feel tempted to try meat, yet at the same time fear retribution.”


“You don’t have too much to worry about. If it brought retribution, most of the world’s population would be gone.”

“Ahaha… I suppose that is also true, seeing as how people seem to prefer it in the current world. Even if I was the mother Goddess, many Gods threatened me as I was categorized a titan.”

“If you want to stay away from it, there are also many dishes that exclude it. However, before we begin our tour we should check on the schedule for the ferry. We wouldn’t want to forget our main purpose for coming here.”

“Ahhh, yes, we should check on it before exploring the various cuisines available.”

Walking past the end of the fish market, they arrived at the docks. From there it was a simple matter to find the ferry platform. After purchasing their tickets and confirming there was time before departure, it was back to the bazaar for a tour of food before setting off.

It had been some days for Kaitlyn since she welcomed Elizabeth into her house.

Initially, Elizabeth and Kaitlyn felt awkward around each other after the little confrontation they had in the first night of her stay. Eventually, Elizabeth managed to break the wall. It all started with her monitoring her finances, ironically. She couldn’t bear to have the Enforcer of Royal Council treat her more than one night in the tavern. It didn’t take her long to realise that Kaitlyn was bad at cooking, so Elizabeth took over—claiming that she should eat more healthy, or something along the lines of that.

Who’s taking care of who again? Kaitlyn had thought as Elizabeth worked away in the kitchen to prepare dinner. It always seemed to end up like this. Her friends did the same thing in school, always fussing over her, even after they graduated, even today.

Kaitlyn couldn’t complain though. There were moments where they stepped on each other’s toes, true, but more often than not Elizabeth proved helpful. In a way, she also reminded Kaitlyn of the long lost days of when she had a younger sibling to watch over. Except her brother never cooked for her. He’d be a couple years younger than Elizabeth now.

I should write them a letter again soon and see what they’re up too.

As she mulled this over, Elizabeth seemed to be back from the kitchen, serving the dinner. It consisted of oxtail soup, boiled leg of mutton, caper sauce, mashed turnips, carrots, potatoes, mince pies, and almond pudding. She also brought over milk tea. Suffice it to say, this was the type of properly cooked food one would find in a respectable hotel. Something that would cost Kaitlyn’s purse some precious pounds. She wasn’t even sure when Elizabeth went out to get all the necessities to cook all of this food. This seemed to be the trend of the past few days. Elizabeth was extremely good at sneaking out and coming back before one would know.

Kaitlyn couldn’t help but wonder if all of these trips were entirely innocent, but she didn’t pry. For the time being at least, she decided to trust in Elizabeth to tell her if she was getting in over her head.

As Elizabeth set the food in front of her, Kaitlyn’s mouth watered with hunger. “Where did you find the time to learn how to cook like this anyway?”

“Surely I do not find the time; I make them, however. I had heard tales of how a husband would like to eat homemade food in Japan, so I decided to work up on my skills… †˜skills’ I say but I knew nothing before I started.”

“So, you have anyone special?”

“Hm? Anyone special? I suppose my family is?”

“No, I meant a guy, someone you’d like to impress with your cooking skills.”

The picture of a certain teacher came to her mind but Elizabeth rubbed the thought away.

“N-No, no such individual, so far.” Elizabeth forced a smile to mask her blushing face. “I was simply interested in cooking, I suppose.”

In that moment, if someone told Kaitlyn this lady was probably involved with something illegal, she would have laughed at them.

She cut off a piece of mutton dipped in the sauce. It felt like it would melt in her mouth.

Elizabeth didn’t appear to be peckish, only drinking the soup, and eating the carrots, potatoes and the almond pudding. She took up the newspaper as she poured tea for herself—after pouring some for Kaitlyn—and placed the teacup on the saucer. She seemed to be silently reading at first glance, but was completely still otherwise.

This had become a daily routine of sorts for the two of them. This isn’t bad at all, Kaitlyn thought, but she couldn’t let herself grow complacent. She knew sooner or later this would come to an end. She stared down at her plate.

From behind the newspaper, the young noble lady took her up handkerchief and dabbed her cheeks and eyes.

There was no noise of sobbing whatsoever, so it took some moments for Kaitlyn to take note of apparent tears.

Elizabeth neatly folded the newspapers and got up—her tea unfinished—before walking away.

“I shall go take a bath.”

She turned up the Engine machine that was used for producing hot water. Something that came along with the birth of steam culture in England. It made a loud noise across the small apartment.

Kaitlyn reached for the paper. “What happened?” But Elizabeth didn’t have to answer. The picture on the front page was of what once had no doubt been a spectacular mansion. Before Kaitlyn could process what could possibly have caused so much damage to it, the title of the article jumped out at her. Duchess Caroline Cavendish Bentinck killed by Jack the Ripper.

Kaitlyn cursed. “I… I’m sorry,” she said over the noise of the water.

The portal opened again, the fabric of very space being ripped apart before the pair of Witnesses from the Space Police Organization entered a corridor inside the Buckingham Palace.

“I still feel like we should’ve just entered the room in the first place,” DKD said as they faced the door. “Is there really a difference?”

“Isn’t it a little rude to enter a girl’s room directly, least of all Her Majesty’s?”

“They still care about that these days? We just entered the room of a little girl back in Japan the other day.”

“I think that’s a totally different thing entirely,” Aramus said as he turned towards the door. He held a fist up for a moment before apprehensively rapping his knuckles on the door.

“Your Majesty, my utmost apologies for arriving unannounced. Your loyal subject, Magic Magister Aramus Linfield seeks an audience. Would you deign to spare us some of your time, my liege?”

“Mister Aramus… Linfield? Not Valmark…?” The Queen seemed to care more about the details than the unannounced arrival. “Please come in.”

“My apologies for the intrusion,” Aramus replied before opening the door for DKD to enter.

DKD seemed to give a shrug before she entered.

“We meet again, Your Majesty,” Amelia said with a wry smile.

“That we have, Miss Amelia,” the Queen said, giving a bright smile like usual, gesturing for them to take a seat around her table. “How may I help you two today?”

“We have heard reports of people vanishing off the streets of England at night and have come to investigate. A violation of the rules regarding a Boundary might be involved, but there is also disturbing news of rebellion movement underway within England to dethrone you. Visiting Duchess Frederica beforehand confirmed some of our suspicions regarding the latter, however she is unsure who is pulling the strings of the operation. If these two are linked, it would be an extremely troublesome affair. We were hoping you could shed some light on that, Your Majesty,” Aramus said crisply, acting as DAD for the time being.

“That could be true, but I am more inclined to think that it is not,” DKD added. “How would the rebellion be connected with… oh, but they could be hiding who knows what there. How rare of me to not think of it.”

The Queen chuckled. “That is not rare, it is simply because it is not in your position to ponder regarding this, yes?”

“You got me there, Your Majesty.” DKD seemed to laugh casually alongside the Queen.

“Mister Val—ahem, Linfield, I am quite certain that this rebellion affair is not linked to the Boundary. I wish you luck with your work with Witness DKD, and would advise you to swiftly take leave of the country after you do so.”

“On your words, Your Majesty. We will deal with the Boundary as soon as we find it. Excuse me for my rudeness, but might I request to stay behind in England once the matter has been settled?”

“Why? Surely you do not have any remaining affiliation with the Royal Council.” The Queen planted upon him her gaze firmly as she added, “I would not recommend involving yourself with this matter, Mister Linfield.”

“My loyalty is to you first and foremost, Your Majesty. It is out of turn for me, but I must respectfully decline any decision to leave. Nothing anyone says will dissuade me from my choice.” Bowing his head low, Aramus solidified his resolve.

“I am not looking for aid in this matter,” the Queen revealed. “I shall face the rebels personally.”

“And I will join you, my Liege. Where else would I be if not at your side?”

“At work—outside the country—stopping the distortions from spreading?”

“And might I question again about the distortion, Your Majesty?” DKD asked.

“What about the distortions, Miss Amelia? I believe you are aware of all that you may need to know about it.”

DKD gave DAD a glare like she wasn’t feeling very patient about things today.

Aramus spindled his fingers a little before speaking, his throat a little dry due to the situation. “Your Majesty, we would also like to enquire the true purpose of the Hour Glass. How its… existence and ties with your main body affect the Boundaries appearing around the globe.”

“I apologise, but…” The Queen fell silent about the matter as she processed the words in her mind. “I do not think I would like to discuss that matter.”

“There are two other figures that float within the Hour Glass. Would you be willing to elaborate on at least that?”

“No,” the Queen’s answer was most blatant; she didn’t even need to consider his request for information. “I do not wish to speak of this matter entirely.”

“Your Majesty! Please try to understand that we need information,” DKD said, finally snapping. “We can’t have you withholding all of this. This concerns the world. It is not an affair limited to only you.”

“Perhaps it is, but that is precisely the reason why I am adamant in not sharing what I know. Please understand.”

DKD heaved a heavy sigh.

“Your Majesty, you have always worked for the people's benefit. If you believe that withholding this information is beneficial for that, then I will trust your decision. However, if there are greater developments regarding the Hour Glass, I’m afraid we might have to come calling again…” Aramus said with a heavy heart. He had no desire to displease his monarch but as a member of the Space Police, he was in a difficult position.

“The response will be similar every time, Witness,” the Queen tersely responded. Unless…

“Witness DKD, my apologies but would you kindly grant the Queen and I some privacy?” If one looked at Aramus now, they could make out the tension in his body as he made the request of Witness DKD. He didn’t like this, not one bit, but he was trying to get to the bottom of things and this way was the only way he knew how.

Amelia grumbled about kids and their privacy and got up. “Alright, fine. I apologise for my present demeanour, Your Majesty. I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive my rudeness. I’ll now take my leave.” With a terse bow, Witness DKD stepped out of the room and waited for Aramus in the hallways.

Aramus watched her go, feeling a slight pang in his heart for forcing her out of the conversation but he very well couldn’t have her overhearing this next part of the conversation, especially with the sensitive information.

“My liege, is that Hour Glass related to the Descendants? Are the other two floating within others chosen by the spirits?”

“I cannot tell, Mister Linfield.”

“Then I shall prod no more. I do not wish to lower myself even further. Does Your Majesty mind if we speak about my mother instead, Your Majesty?”

“Mary, I assume? What would you like to know?”

“Her memory. What’s wrong with it? She did not seem to recall anything up until… the Pope did something.”

“I suppose you noted a chain broke due to Jesus Christ? I was watching.”

“Indeed it did. Was it a Commandment of his? Something that oppressed her to do his bidding?”

“Yes, he is allowed to bind any beings to do his bidding, given a contract is created.”

“The Golden Eye is proof of that contract?”

“Not necessarily so, it is her Commandment.”

“I see… Is there any way to break his hold over her? I wish to free my mother from his control.”

The Queen shook her head. “Unfortunately, it is purely up to the user’s will. Once the contract is sealed, Mary Linfield is forever bound to Jesus of Nazareth.”

“So there is no way to break it unless… we remove Jesus Christ from the equation.” Another deep sigh echoed in the room.

“Which I doubt is possible. Usually, the seal is temporarily broken when the chain is broken, but it is a simple action for Jesus to replace it.”

“That is… frustrating,” Aramus admitted with a shake of his head. “Did she remember herself when she spent time with you, my liege? Or was it the incomplete persona that she so oft had.”

“No, she did. Normally, Jesus Christ never employed the memory manipulation… until, she decided one day that the only reward for all the killing she did in her Lord’s name was blissful happiness—an amnesia, so to say.”

“How long has she been alive? When she faded, it seemed as though she didn’t want to carry on anymore. It is… extremely disheartening to think that I may never be able to truly free her.”

“No, Mister Linfield, she definitely wanted to live with her children. However, she had to sacrifice herself for the sake for their sake too.”

“But she isn’t dead, is she? Jesus mentioned about returning what was his and he seemed more displeased at her failure than death. He has a way, a way to bring her back over and over.”

“He simply warped her to a different location, where he would place a new chain upon her, I believe. This has happened time and time again for the two hundred years that this Virgin Mary has lived. Regardless, your mother—and my old friend—is very much alive. He would never kill her, for he loves her dearly, despite what it may look like to others.”

“Is that his form of affection?”

“Perhaps. There are all kinds of people out there, and I like to give respect to any form of love… I suppose. In all honesty, Jesus Christ is not exactly doing anything truly wrong in my perspective.”

Aramus appeared a little distraught that she thought this way. “No form of love is greater than the other…? What of me and my other siblings? Did Jesus show Michael that same love as a father?”

“In time, he may do so.” The Queen smiled. “The fact that Jesus showed Mary love speaks for itself.”

“A half-blood like me would probably be ignored or worse. I still need to find my own father in this world, in between whatever assignment I may have, but for now I will bear my mother’s name and carry on, though I reckon she would chide me for being reckless and my shortcomings.”

“She would chide you for a lot of things, Mister Linfield. Tell you what, I shall personally negotiate with Jesus if I can ever find the time… assuming I find the time.”

“Indeed she will. Perhaps I may never become the man she envisioned me to grow up into but that won’t dissuade me. Thank you, Your Majesty. That means a lot to me,” Aramus answered, his voice holding more emotion than normal. To think that the Queen would do something for him, a chance to get his mother back. Any hope would be more favourable than now.

“Will that be all that I may help you with for the day, Mister Linfield?”

“I believe I’ve taken enough of your time already, Your Majesty. I shall take my leave now. Thank you again for giving me answers regarding my mother and… for being there for her,” Aramus said as he stood up, bowing to the Queen.

“Have you been… happy, traveling with Mister Christopher around the world?”

Aramus thought about his answer, the various memories he had made in the past year. What they meant to him.

“I have felt happy during the time with him, yes. Travelling the world is an experience and something that I would not be privy to otherwise. But at the same time, I have learned many things during my journey and that joy… is fleeting. I will never be able to repay the debt of life that I have taken from so many others and when I think of that, how can I allow myself to be happy?”

“As a Magister under my supposed employ, would you listen to any command I make?”

“If you so wish it, my Queen.”

“I command you to forgive yourself. Can you do that, Mister Linfield?”

It had to be her, his Liege, that asked this of him. Aramus was rendered speechless, the words cutting straight to his heart. A fog had clouded his mind the more he had spoken with his Queen, his mind thrown more into turmoil with every sentence. Now came the coup de grace. In one sentence, she had managed to cut through whatever defence he had erected over the past year, leaving him extremely vulnerable. Tears began to spill from his eyes and Aramus’ lips quivered as he gave his reply.

“If that is your command, I shall do so.”

The Queen stood up, and walked over to Aramus, wiping his tears with her own hands rather than using a handkerchief.

“It is alright to forgive yourself—I forgive you for your mistakes, shortcomings, sins, and everything else. So please, do not be so… sad.”

“It is… all I am familiar with, unfortunately. I have lived but never truly felt alive. The warmth of a family, loved ones, friends. I will struggle and survive as I always have but… I’d like to know maybe one day, what happiness feels like. What it’s like to be surrounded by love.”

“I shall pray that that day comes. Be well. You are dismissed.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Aramus quietly excused himself from her chamber, sparing the Queen one last look as he closed the door behind himself. His heart felt heavier than it had in ages and he shook his head, wondering how foolish it must have looked crying before his lord.

“So, what happened?” DKD asked, looking at the Magister whose face still appeared somewhat teary. “If you want a hug, I’m right here. Hoho. I could hear those sobs all the way out here.”

“She asked me… to forgive myself. I… Never mind.” Aramus cut himself off with another sigh. “I’m sorry if you were displeased by my request.”

“It’s fine, she wasn’t gonna talk about it anyway. Besides, forgiveness is nice,” Amelia said with a wry smile. “The only ones who could forgive me are gone so… I dunno, be glad that someone is even willing.”

“I don’t know how long it will take for me to do so but… for my Queen, I will.” It was a lesson in irony to be lectured about it after so long, and Aramus felt a little out of sorts due to the conversation. “We’re in this together so for better or worse, I’m your partner.”

“You know it. Now let’s go start our next mission, shall we?”

“Faster we get that, faster we can get back to those Magic Cookies I suppose.” The banter always helped him keep his mind off things so Aramus did what he was familiar with.

“Maybe a Magic Cupcake first before we start. Just to forget all of the nonsense of today…”

“My turn to feed it to you!”

“We feed each other then.”

“…Fine.”

Inside the mansion, Aramus, Amelia and Chris was being escorted to the Duchess’ room while Akihiko was to wait with Aozora, who was placed on a bed in a guest room. To say the least, the maid recognized Aramus as a guest before he’d even explain why they were here. It was as if he was expected, as the maid was rather taken aback to find a crowd of four, while the fifth member was but unconscious.

“It doesn’t look like we’re being taken to a parlour…” Christopher guessed from behind the maidservant, whispering to Aramus. “Is that even considered normal in this country?”

“I suppose there’s a reason for this,” Aramus whispered back.

“Something doesn’t feel right. Let’s find out I guess.”

“It probably isn’t normal,” DKD said. “It’s the Victorian Era, the time of introverted rich kids.”

“Now that’s one description of this century,” Chris said with sarcasm. “But it’s kinda true… no good to go to a beach here…”

“I apologise Master. Unfortunately, England has yet to accept the notion of †˜showing skin.’ Though there are other places you might visit… Who knows, you might be a hit with the Noble ladies.”

“Oho. Maybe it’s high time I try my luck with the nobles again.”

The maidservant knocked on the door after they reached the end of the corridor. A very faint voice was heard before she opened it, and the three were allowed inside. In the room one would be able to locate much luxurious furnitures. It was lavish with portraits of various nobles. There was even a painting of Sophie.

Aramus noted the Duchess to be bedridden, covered with a blanket and still, not even getting up to meet their faces.

“Ah… is that you, Mister Valmark…? Come in.”

“Duchess Frederica!” Aramus said in alarm as he entered the room.

“Good day… how have you been? Oh, I have other guests it appears…” The Duchess just barely pulled herself up, the maid helping her up immediately with swiftness. She displayed the agility of a magus.

“I have been… well since we last met. Those here with me today have aided me greatly through my darkest hour. Duchess, what happened during the time I was gone?” Aramus said, his brow furrowed with worry.

The Duchess gave a nod of acknowledgement to Amelia and Christopher. Recognising the Archmage, she naturally paid her respects.

“Good day to you all…” she greeted again with a faint voice. “I am glad to know that you have been doing well, Mister Valmark. It seems that I have had a little slip of my heel among my brightest days, is all.”

“Don’t force yourself for us, Duchess. I appreciate that you’re already taking the time to see us in your condition. Would you be so kind as to elaborate on what happened? I have heard recent news regarding the Crown, none of it good, and it’s the reason for my return to England. I pray it’s not related to that.”

“Unfortunately… it is. A rebellion is upon us… Mister Valmark.”

“I suppose you were targeted due to your proximity to Her Majesty?”

“Yes, they are attempting to do away with those most loyal to the Crown.”

“Then… Duchess Caroline might be in trouble…” Christopher mumbled to himself. “This doesn’t look good.”

“Not in the slightest. Duchess Frederica, would we be imposing on you if we were to stay here? If the rebels think they are able to take advantage of your current condition then they are gravely mistaken.”

“No, not at all. I would be… happy to have you all stay,” the Duchess answered. “I do believe my maids are good bodyguards… if anything.”

“The added security would be reassuring nonetheless. Is it The Society that is acting or another faction?”

The Duchess fell silent to this question.

“I think it’s important we know this,” Amelia said, but the Duchess continued to look down.

“Duchess, you know I would never betray the Crown or Her Majesty. Is the enemy so grave that even we cannot do anything?”

“A member of the Royalty seems to be behind it… I do not know the particulars, but it is as far as I had gotten. Before I got to the bottom it, however, I was attacked.”


Aramus heaved a deep sigh as he thought about the matter, the effects it would have upon everyone living in England. This would effectively split their forces in two. He knew which side he would be on regardless.

“Do you know who is responsible for the attack on your person? They must be pretty confident to take you on.”

“One of the other Dukes. Some of them have turned. Whether out of fear or disloyalty, I do not know.”

“The crime of treason nonetheless. They have forgotten themselves and bitten the hand that feeds them.”

“Regardless, I apologise that I may be of no help in this matter for now. I wish you luck, Mister Valmark.”

“Actually, it’s Linfield now. Due to some circumstances, I have altered my name. Rest easy, Duchess, you have done far more for me than you know.”

“Found your family, have you?”


“Yes… for a short period of time before we were parted again. My sister will also be staying here, even more reason for me to guard you alongside her. Pray tell, where is Sophie? I have not seen her since we entered. Is she doing alright?” Aramus explained as his features softened.

“I had sent Sherry away out of fear along with a young researcher named Roland… and so is Sophie. I am a little frightened if anything, I suppose. I do not consider this mansion safe at the moment.”

“Sherry? Roland? I’m afraid I’m unfamiliar with those names, but if you believe it is for the best then I will trust in your judgement. Archmage Christopher, my senior and myself should be more than sufficient… or at least give them a run for their money if the rebels try anything. We will get to the bottom of this.”

“Thank you.”

“You know, DAD, it’s rather hard for me to lend a hand. Involving our Organization like this could have irreparable consequences of a global scale,” Amelia spoke after listening to Aramus’ last words.

“I-I’m sorry for getting ahead of myself. I will remain here at the very least. It is my duty as Magister, DKD,” Aramus said as what she said struck a chord within him. “I do not wish to wrap up more people in this mess. Perhaps Akihiko was right.”

“Well, we do have some business with the Queen and now that we know this… shall we?”

“Indeed.” Aramus nodded before turning to Christopher. “Master, what will you be doing in the meantime?”

“I’ll be the vanguard of the mansion I guess… and maybe I’ll give †˜ol Caroline a visit, something worries me about my niece, †˜ya know, little Elizabeth?”

“Alright. We will be back shortly, Duchess. If… you are feeling up for it, my compatriot has something nice to share with you over tea later. One of those.”

“Oho, I look forward to it, but perhaps I shall rest for now. As I had agreed, all of you may stay for as long as the house stands. I pray that you all will be well.”

“Have a good rest, Duchess.”

With the opening of the portal, Aramus and the others faced the manor of Duchess Frederica of Edinburgh. The gates were tall, and one wouldn’t be able to spot any garden or grass beyond it.

“Are you really sure that we can keep her here?” Akihiko questioned the Magister beside him.

This was perhaps the tenth time of the day that he was asking. Just from taking in the air, the boy seemed to be irritated. London was indeed infamous for its poor atmosphere. The lack of sunlight was perhaps the only similarity England and Japan could share from his view.

“I can vouch for that. There aren’t many other places in England that are as safe or have an owner as trustworthy as the person we’re about to meet. If you don’t like it, the portal is right there for you,” Aramus said. “Relax a little.”

“We could’ve used the more advanced treatment services of Japan… the fact that she is still unconscious says a lot of things about her physical condition.”

“Unfortunately, we wouldn’t be around in case she gets targeted again. It has already happened once and I do not want to see it happening again. I’m sorry if my decision irks you, Akihiko.”

Akihiko grumbled about a brother and his stubborn care and caution while Chris patted him on his back with a chuckle, as if used to the way Aramus would take decisions.

“Well, if I were to say, this is a classy mansion to live in. Whoever your acquaintance is, I’d wager she is quite a tasteful individual,” Witness DKD remarked, not caring for the banter. She had been having her share of banters with the Magister for a whole year, any more and she might as well become deaf due to how old it all is. Despite so, it may just never grow too old for her.

“Indeed. This manor belongs to the Duchess of Edinburgh, hopefully she is free to see us.”

“You are friends with a Duchess?” DKD looked back at the manor and then back to Aramus. “You?”

“More like she puts up with me,” Aramus said with a laugh.

“Is that so now?” Amelia seemed to think for a bit. “Ho ho, I hear the Duchess of Edinburgh is famous for her bakeries…” She poked him with her elbow. “Hook me up with her, would you?”

“I suppose that is possible. She seemed enamored with Japanese confectionary the last time we spoke over tea. I hope you brought some for her.”

“I don’t need those, I think I got just the thing… those Magic Cookies. Ho ho.”

“Ho ho ho. I think those will do quite nicely.”

“Good indeed, these are the true keys to effective bribery.”

“If that doesn’t work, use the Cupcake.”

“That should do the trick, the final nail in the coffin indeed.”

“I really fear for the Duchess now,” Chris said from behind as they two laughed together while scheming. That DKD really rubbed some of that devilry onto him, didn’t she?

“Tell me about it,” Akihiko added.

“Well, let’s go in then.

Sherry seemed to look about every direction with unbound curiosity. Roland got off the hansom cab with Sherry, who didn’t even seem to know what it was. The elder thus didn’t know how to get on it, either. This lack of common sense indeed meant that she was some kind of an endangered species in the world, of sorts. A walking encyclopedia, who ironically was unaware of what appeared to be countless ordinary facts. It only showed to Roland that learning was a process meant to be considered infinite.

In the station, the Magic Train could be seen. It was a large locomotive. Jet black in colour and robust, it made the supposed ancient dweller of the world excited.

“What do the humans call this thing?” she asked innocently, looking up to the train with sparkling eyes. “There are so many things to learn in this world, I apologise if my questions appear to be irritating.” She chuckled dryly.

“Don’t worry about it, I was the same way when I left England for the first time. This vehicle specifically is called a Magic Train, but there also exist mundane varieties of trains that run on electricity and steam.” Roland chuckled slightly, enjoying being the one teaching instead of the one being taught for once. “If this has you excited just wait until we get to the rest of the world beyond the clouds. Have you already been told anything of the current state of the world’s time? Also, I hope that you don’t mind if I speak a bit less formally. Nobles may highly value their etiquette codes and traditions, but having been raised as a commoner, constantly trying to mimic their manner of speech gets tiring.”

“Huh… well, I learned some etiquette. I feel like it is a good thing—to be refined and graceful. I cannot say that I am good at it, though. I am likely similar to you in that regard. I have been told the general details but… it is a bit hard to believe. If something like this is here then… I must say I am curious to learn of the outside world.”

“I could go on for hours describing all the wondrous things but nothing beats first hand experience. Though one particular development that always amazes me when I see them is planes. They are huge metal crafts used to travel that fly through the air at incredible speeds with no aid from magic. Unfortunately, we won’t be riding one during this trip, but if we do any long distance traveling after Italy it is likely we will.”

“Metal crafts that fly without the aid of magic… are they flown with spiritual energy then? Or is that a marvelous feat of electricity too?”

“While electricity is used in controlling the craft, how it works is even more wondrous. Without going too deep into technical details, they function purely by harnessing the power of fire and clever applications of physics.”

“Huh… these are terms a little hard to follow. Perhaps it is about time I start learning from textbooks of the mundanes evermore.”







“T-This is… is this a work of science and the laws of physics too?!” Sherry exclaimed.

It was no surprise to Roland that Sherry was excited even more than ever when the Magic Train took to the skies after traveling on the earth for some time. The tracks on the air appeared to be ephemeral.

The magicians had what were called the Magic Tracks all over the world for the Magic Trains to travel through. They weren’t exactly as fast as some planes, but were said to be very good to travel with at long distances regardless. Especially for countries like England, Russia, and Japan, they were recommended. The trains could travel through both air and oceans. However, there were times when one would have to get off the Magic Train for traveling through the planes.

This was due to weather, as the Magic Tracks would become invisible and untouchable in poor weather for their protection. However, planes would simply fly, and were better prepared to deal with bad weathers.

“Nope, this bit is all magic,” Roland replied with a smile. “And breaking just about every law of physics too. There are no mundane methods of travel for entering or leaving any of the countries with distorted time because they cannot get through the supernatural clouds,” he went on to explain.

“Huh… how the mages have come far!” Sherry exclaimed again. “This is truly miraculous to simply watch. I am glad that I got to leave the tower, and I can’t thank you enough!”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. Other countries may be more advanced in sciences, but England is the forefront of magic in the world. If you want to see more of developments in magic, I can bring you to the Academy next time we are there.”

“Huh… Academy, you say? What do they do there? Do they really have institutions to teach magic nowadays?”

“Yes, but there are only a few that exist throughout the world. In the past, was magical knowledge only passed from master to apprentice?”

“Mostly kept between the Gods. Some would pass down knowledge to human beings, though.”

“I’ve always wondered, is the knowledge Gods possessed instinctive or did they develop their powers through study and experience just as humans do? I mean, this in the best possible way but you don’t seem very Godly. You don’t act lofty and are easy to talk to, you get scared around dangerous things, you get curious and excited for new experiences. If it weren’t for the wings and the circumstances of our meeting I might have just thought you a human girl. Do myths portray the Gods differently from how they actually are or would you consider yourself an exception?”

“Um, I cannot really tell. I do not know what kind of things you have been reading about us Gods in books, but I assure you that most of us were human beings according to current definitions. We learned what we could from studying. Ah, but I suppose most of the knowledge were granted by the True Gods of our time.”

“True Gods?”

“What you would call the Descendants of Time.”

“If they are the ones who you consider Gods I wonder what being or beings exist at the true origin. Even the Descendants are beholden to their Celestial Spirits.” With such quandaries to ponder Roland fell silent as he entered his researcher mode. “Could the Spirits ultimately be the source from which all magical and spiritual knowledge originally came, or does a higher power exist beyond them?” he wondered aloud after a few moments.

“The Celestial Spirits were considered Gods. Then the hosts were—by extension—Gods too, and their descendants were the children, sons of man. Indeed, everyone respectable were called Gods, and their children too. It was a long chain of hubris.”

“Learning that clears up quite a few misconceptions I had. It is also quite motivating though, knowing that such a level was reached with effort rather than an innate virtue of birth.”

“Of course, and being the mother of humankind, I am glad that people have come so far,” Sherry said with a big smile.

“And this isn’t even the extent of it. Just wait until we get to Italy and you see what technological marvels have been created in the modern age. Or what is yet to come if the opportunity to visit Japan arises.”

“I-I see… I can hardly wait! By the way, is it me or is it that… everyone seems to stare at me? Do I have something on my face, or something?”

“Rather than your face I think it is your wings that have caught their attention since normal humans do not have them.”

“O-Oh… now that I think about it, that is true. I wonder if there is a way to conceal them.”

“Maybe a long shawl would be able to cover them?”

“Or perhaps I should get new clothes. I cannot tell if it will hurt or not, though.”

“I have funds if you want to go shopping when we arrive. Though, why do you think it might hurt?”

“Well, if I hide them under my clothes then I think it will feel rather restrictive. At the same time I do not want to look strange to the humans.”

“Hmm.” Fashion was not Roland’s strong suit but he thought hard, searching for an option that would satisfy both conditions. “The easiest solution would be if we can hide them with magic, but unfortunately I don’t have a spell capable of doing so. Aside from that, maybe a loose robe? It probably won’t be completely inconspicuous but with Rome and Vatican City nearby, you probably won’t draw too much attention if dressed like a nun.”

“A nun? What are those? I wonder if the humans have found a way to hide my wings with ease. It sounds interesting to see magic meant for concealing things.”

“Nuns are female members of certain religious organizations. They have a distinctive style of dress that consists of a loose robe and head covering. For concealment magic, I know it does have quite prominent use particularly with the invisible armors of knights, but I am not sure where to find such enchanted items. For a temporary solution we may be able to find another passenger on the train who is capable of casting concealing magic since most if not all should be mages.”

She listened attentively about the nuns and then responded, “I wouldn’t want to impose strangers about my problem, though…”

“Don’t worry about it. While it certainly doesn’t extend to everyone, I’ve found most people are happy to extend a helping hand to fellow travelers if asked. Not to mention we are coming from the land of chivalry, and aiding a lady in distress is one of its core tenets.”

“That doesn’t change anything for me, however.” Sherry smiled. “I want to live and be happy with mostly my own efforts.”

“That is admirable, but there is nothing wrong with receiving aid occasionally. It may be possible to get by with only one’s efforts but it is through helping and being helped that we thrive.” Roland stretched and got up. “I’ll try asking around to see if someone might know where we can get a magic item for you to use. Want to come take a look around the train while we’re at it?”

“Is it even safe to walk with the train curving this way in the sky…?”

“As long as you watch your step it should be fine. The train can shake quite a bit when there is turbulence but aside from that it is perfectly safe.”

“I’d still rather not trouble the others, Mister Roland, so let us not try that… to be honest it scares me,” Sherry said with a nervous laugh.

“Ah, I can understand that,” Roland said as he sat back down. “Then let's go clothes shopping for you when we reach Italy. I wouldn’t want you to feel uncomfortable as we travel.”