Chapter 74
Chapter 74
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Reunited Connections
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We checked into the Darkness Hotel and unpacked our things.
The place had gained fame last year because Shura, the Grand Saintess of Yin-Yang, had stayed there briefly for a time. The moment our group arrived, they welcomed us with open arms, throwing open their luxury suites and every spare room they had on hand.
At a glance, I could tell this hotel was in for some serious prosperity. After all, it was about to produce two Grand Saintesses.
The only downside was their over-the-top service spirit.
Tsk, who gives a single person a four-bed luxury suite? Spare a thought for the other guests.
I grumbled as I set down my luggage, then threw open the window to peer outside.
Word must have already spread about our arrival, because a crowd of locals was starting to gather outside the hotel's main entrance. Most seemed to be nearby merchants and townsfolk at first, but pilgrims were trickling in too.
At this rate, we'd be surrounded, and sightseeing would be nothing but a pipe dream.
I bolted from the room right away, scouting for an escape route.
"Hey, any secret back door around here?"
At my question, a staff member pointed to the nearby kitchen.
"Inside the kitchen, sir."
Sure enough, there was a small door in the kitchen for deliveries. I slipped out through it and melted into the alleyway like a shadow.
"Come on over! Goods are dirt cheap!"
Before I knew it, I was strolling through the market street. Every kind of merchandise was being bought and sold here, including food carts hawking snacks. I grabbed a few skewers from one and wandered the city center, taking in the sights.
A lot of people shot me sidelong glances. My half-mask made me stand out, so a few seemed to recognize me now and then.
But they all dismissed it with a No way and went about their business.
Hmm. This place looks familiar.
Once I left the market, a path caught my eye—one I'd taken last year while fleeing from Catrine. Back then, I'd been making a beeline for the Temple of Purity, so I'd had no choice but to cut through here.
Since I was already in the area, I decided to drop by the Order of Purity. It was famous for its priestesses—all beautiful elves.
"Welcome, devotee."
A red-haired female priest greeted me, and I couldn't help but smile. A pretty elf woman.
"Uh, I'm not actually a devotee here."
"Even so, come in and take a look around. It'll be a meaningful spiritual experience."
Unlike most female elves, she was unusually forward with me, a human man. Elves could be quite clannish, but when it came to spreading the faith, they showed remarkable flexibility.
"Well, maybe just for a bit?"
"Yes, please come in."
The elf priestess introduced herself as Rielli.
Under Rielli's guidance, I stepped inside. The first thing I saw was a large brass plaque in what used to be my escape-route restroom from last year—now renovated and turned into a holy site.
Something about how the Grand Saintess of Flames had judged the Depraved Grand Duke's Heir here. Looked like I'd left quite the historical mark after all.
"Ah, so this is where the Depraved Grand Duke's Heir met his end."
"Yes."
Suddenly, I felt eyes on us. They seemed like casual glances, but there was a sharp edge of hostility flickering beneath.
"Alrieta? Where are you off to?"
Rielli's words made me glance over. Alrieta... I'd heard that name before.
Alrieta... Who was that again?
Alrieta was a blue-eyed female elf with green hair cascading past her waist. The picture-perfect forest elf.
True to her elven heritage, she was tall, with especially long legs.
Her nose was sharply defined, her eyes softly slanted. Add in her well-toned body from evident training and skin as white as a winter snowfield, and the effect was striking.
All in all, she was fantastically beautiful. But what really stood out was her bountiful chest. She was the first woman I'd seen with breasts bigger than Big Sis Armida's.
"Just stepping out for a moment. We're out of candles for the altar."
"Alright. Be safe."
As Alrieta left the temple, I turned to Rielli.
"Who's she?"
"One of our devotees."
"But she's wearing priestess robes."
"No, they just look similar—those are ascetic robes. Alrieta's been training her faith here in our temple for the past ten years."
Ten years was an incredibly long time, even for an elf. That went far beyond what a regular devotee would do.
"Seriously? Ten years of faith training?"
"She's due to enter the Hall of Divinity this year."
"Even so."
I stopped in my tracks. The mention of the Hall of Divinity jogged my memory—now I knew who Alrieta was.
That's Alrieta...
Alrieta was the famous female elf Grand Saintess who had vanished right after her birth.
In this age of ruin, four of the Seven Divine Artifacts were accounted for: Catrine's Idrone, Princess Sierra's Bermong, Princess Ignatius's Shaia, and Padila's Gauss.
The remaining three had returned to the Hall of Divinity six years ago—including Alrieta's, the Wind God's Ice Crystal Palace Aslan.
And that meant Alrieta had met her end for some reason. The Seven Divine Artifacts always returned to the Hall on their own when their wielders died.
A strange smile tugged at my lips.
Come to think of it, I had ties to every Grand Saintess except the Valkyries. Princess Sierra was my fiancée, Princess Ignatius my first love, I was Padila's unrequited crush, and today—even if just a fleeting encounter—I'd crossed paths with Alrieta.
"Something wrong?"
"Nah. Just... something intriguing."
"What's intriguing?"
"My connections."
Rielli tilted her head, puzzled by my cryptic words.
After that, I toured the Temple of Purity. Its layout was similar to other temples of the Light faith, so nothing particularly novel, but ogling the beautiful female elves made the time fly by unnoticed.
By evening, I'd finished my casual sightseeing and returned to the hotel.
The main entrance was still mobbed. People craned their necks, peering up at the top-floor windows in hopes of catching a glimpse of Shura's face.
Among the current Grand Saintesses, Shura was by far the most popular. She was the only known one aligned with the forces of darkness, and she'd performed a miracle during the recent war.
Well, it wasn't exactly a miracle, but for Kara—with its mere thousands of troops—to not just defeat but utterly destroy a superpower like Robros? Regular folk had every reason to call it one.
And I featured in that miracle too. To avoid drawing attention, I slipped in through the kitchen side door.
"Little bro! Where've you been?"
Big Sis Armida spotted me and immediately hollered. I dug in my ear, giving her an awkward look.
"What now?"
"Tomorrow's the report day, remember? We've got prep to do—how can you just vanish?"
"You said there's nothing to report."
"Still gotta prepare."
"For what?"
"The report."
"What do we even put in it?"
"Something that sounds good."
I scratched my head in annoyance.
"That should've been done ages ago. Why freak out now?"
"Hurry up!"
"After dinner. Food first. Can't think on an empty stomach."
"We can do room service. Come on."
"Nah, meals are for the table. Eating at a desk gives me indigestion."
"Little bro! You can't be serious."
"I'll help after."
I fled to the hotel restaurant in a hurry. On vacation and doing homework? Looked like I'd bolt again right after eating.
"Today's special."
I placed my order at the second-floor restaurant. Lamb stewed in wine, served with buttered bread. While waiting, I scanned the room. Eyes were on me from all directions—some guests had recognized me.
This mask sure draws stares.
As I fiddled with my white mask, a woman in a deep hood approached. I was about to shoo her off out of annoyance, but she was a stunning beauty with killer curves, so I played dumb.
She sat down across from me and crossed her legs.
"White Mask. Long time no see..."
She acted like she knew me. I stared hard into her hood, then frowned. Gorgeous, sure, but not a welcome guest.
Evelyn Sokos.
A Master Assassin I'd tangled with properly around last summer.
"You tailing us or something?"
"No. You lot showed up at my hotel."
"You were staying here?"
"Yeah. Until earlier. Then I got kicked out. Guess whose fault."
Seemed our group's entourage had crowded her out. A queen's procession came with plenty of guards.
No wonder they'd given us so many rooms without a reservation during Saint Prosia Day week.
"Sorry about that. Wanna crash in my room? It's a four-bedder—way too big for one."
Evelyn smirked, flashing her sharp canines.
"Teasing me? Trying to seduce me?"
"Obviously the latter."
"But we're enemies, right? You didn't forget?"
I waved it off playfully.
"No such thing as eternal enemies or allies in this world. When minds align, they connect."
"Minds align... Yeah, we've got plenty in common."
"Like what?"
"Starting with you buying dinner?"
"Broke already?"
"Got some cash, but operating funds are tight. The one I serve has zero domestic skills."
"Heh. Fair. Your side's ladies do lack in that department. Makes my life hard too."
Evelyn narrowed her eyes at me.
"You know who we are?"
"With clues that obvious? Had to. Honestly, that 'Jade Bridle of Great Sin' alone gives it away. Essence too big for humans to craft, laced with forbidden magic from Sky City Chronos."
I clapped to summon the waiter and ordered another of the same.
Evelyn propped her chin thoughtfully.
"Fair enough."
I glanced at her sidelong.
"Word of advice, though: Don't stir up trouble this time. Big Sis crew's all here."
"I know. Monitoring you is my job."
"You know why they're gathered?"
"Some annual event, probably."
"Oh? You do know."
"Was the same last year."
I widened my eyes.
"You were here last year too?"
"Yeah. Had to snag something from the Divinum Grand Temple. Mission accomplished, naturally."
"For real? Security there isn't a joke."
"True. But some reckless Grand Duke's Heir caused a huge distraction. Everyone rushed that way. Heh."
Her hearty laugh had me scratching my nose. That reckless Grand Duke's Heir? Me.
"So that's why you pulled that stunt in Kara?"
"Yep. Worked like a charm."
The food arrived soon after. Evelyn licked her lips, grabbed two forks, and tore into the lamb with gusto.
I spoke up casually.
"Hey. What's your real goal here? Can't trust what our side says."
"You wanna know?"
"Yeah. No harm in it. Curious too."
"Better if you don't."
"Why?"
"Knowing gets you killed. No traces."
Her chilling words drew a smirk from me.
"Makes sense. If the great Evelyn goes all out, few survive."
"Not me."
"Huh?"
"So stay ignorant. Even if you figure it out, don't let on."
She gave me a loaded look. I got the gist and bit my lip slightly. She meant our side's ladies.
Could be a lie, but with my life on the line, better safe. Pretending ignorance cost me nothing.
"Got it. Advice noted."
"Smart choice."
I tore some bread and dipped it in the stew.
"So, as thanks for the advice, what should I treat you to?"
"If you're really grateful, hook me up with a deal."
"Deal?"
"Kara's running an invention contest lately? Prize is ten thousand gold leafs."
She must've seen the posters plastered across the western great desert. For inventions to transport massive cargo quickly.
"Sharp eyes."
Evelyn's gaze sharpened.
"Yeah. Right next to our boss's bounty poster."
"Ah, ignore that one. Pure formality. We gotta do the job."
"Eh, we don't care much. Meaningless poster anyway."
"Appreciate the thought."
"Anyway, we could provide that idea. You really paying out?"
"If I like it. Any amount."
She pulled a thick stack of documents from her subspace pouch. Blueprints, from the look—some odd magic-powered mechanical device.
I flipped through them.
"What's this machine?"
"Something my boss made. Calls it the Mana-Powered Iron Horse."
"Mana-Powered Iron Horse?"
"Heard of mine rails?"
I had. Mines laid tracks on the floor to haul ore carts fast and heavy.
"Yeah."
"It runs on those. Complicated structure, but humans can build it. Magic circles aren't even as intricate as portal towers, and the mechanics are just a waterwheel flipped inside out."
"Seriously? How much can it carry?"
"Thousands of people at twenty kilometers per hour."
If true, revolutionary. Twenty kph meant crossing the southern desert in two days.
Problem was the insane cost of laying rails and building the things, but that wasn't my call.
Lives were at stake.
If we could ferry droves of Shika tribesfolk to Jores Island before the ruinous age hit, the island's defenses would skyrocket—and so would my lifespan.
"I like it."
"Then put in a good word with Kara for me."
As she reached to take the blueprints back, I grabbed her wrist. If she left now, who knew when I'd see them again.
"Deal now."
"Got the cash?"
"Yeah."
I dumped gold coins from my subspace pouch onto the table. Profits from selling rations and mana cannons in the last war.
Deal done, I clutched the blueprints triumphantly. Valkyrie magitech knowledge. No way it was ordinary.
< Reunited Connections. > End