The sun was slowly beginning to rise, bathing the empire in its warmth.
People were already getting ready for work and stall owners were rushing to be the first to set up shop.
The air was cold and misty.
Angelica stepped out of the carriage after it stopped at the inn. The moment she stepped off the carriage, a hooded figure with blue eyes appeared from the shadows.
Normally this is a cause for concern and even her guards outside would hurriedly surround the mysterious figure but it was the very reason she went to the palace.
The inquisitors at the door continued surveying their surroundings, not harboring suspicion towards the hooded man at all.
"—What did they say in the end?"
At his question, she shook her head, "They did not outright refuse but the tension was quite high at hearing your demands."
Almost as if they were at awe of his audacity.
"I see. I just know they're scheming something," he said with a carefree chuckle.
"I must ask, will you truly start a war with the empire if they don't approve the duel…?"
"No. they have their own delusions about me so I was trying to give them a little scare by proving them right about me. If they don't accept the duel, I will simply teleport wherever Arthur is and teleport both of us to a far-off world where we can fight in peace."
He already told them that he'll give them time to train him but they haven't even taken advantage of that kindness yet. It makes him quite upset since he wants a real fight.
Killing Arthur with one punch won't satisfy him, after all.
Angelica sighed in relief, "…That is good. it means their concerns of you still being under the control of the demon lord is foolish."
While Angelica did say she will stand by his side no matter what—as it is her destiny and purpose—he knows that she will grow to hate him if he hurts innocent people just to show off.
The only reason he would go to war with the empire is when it gives him a reason to. Just like he said, he can simply invade the palace again and take Arthur away so that they can fight in peace. So long as that option exists, he doesn't care if Jurnick—and the other monarchs—refuse to give him what he wants.
"Yeah. So, what did they say about you siding with me? How did Augustus take it?"
"I have been formally stripped of my title and am not allowed to speak of the Goddess ever again, unless I want to be burned at the stake." Hearing this, the Inquisitors frowned. She could feel their unease.
Her being let off with just that warning seemed too easy, especially with all the hostility and the bounty hunters she's had to deal with coming here.
"They can't decide that. If Melis was truly against it, you would have lost your powers."
Her class is still [Oracle], meaning that Melis stands with her.
The fact that Jurnick and the others refuse to believe this shows how much their judgment has crumbled.
"Thanks for standing up for me even at the expense of your identity."
Angelica smiled, a faint blush on her cheeks, "The title of Oracle is cosmetic to me. My identity is what lies in my heart and what I accept. The same can be said for you, Lord Arnold."
"Oh, really? I don't have anything specific in mind, though."
"Hmmm, realist comes to mind. I think you are the kind of person to prepare for any situation, never letting emotion get in the way and treating it as an obstacle." Angelica smiled widely, "I can learn more about Lord Arnold now that I will be by your side from now on so my answer might change."
"What if you're disappointed by what you find out? Or even scared of it."
She tilted her head at the question, "Maybe I can give you an answer once we rid the world of the Failed King."
It wasn't an answer at all, but a means to delay it. It seems she has her own assumptions of what kind of man he is, despite all the rumors floating around.
But that's okay.
"Alright." Regardless, he accepted it, "Within the next month, I'll be leaving for the Elven Kingdom. Once I return, we will subjugate Oriel. Does that work for you?"
"…Why not do so now? Do you not fear he may take over your body?"
Arnold scratched his head.
"There's something else I have to do first. It's not my biggest worry but it will complicate the fight with Oriel."
"Eh!? Why didn't you tell me! We must make haste and finish this task!" Angelica's yell reverberated through the streets and upon realizing, she covered her mouth since it was still early morning.
"It's something only I can do. You'll only get in the way."
Her usefulness ends with mostly buffs and healing when not fighting demons. Sure, those are incredibly useful to make a fight easier but not enough to turn the tide of a fight. She would also be putting herself in needless danger that can easily be avoided. Maybe it was a bad idea to just come out and mention Oriel. He could've given another excuse.
Angelica pouted.
"Can't you tell me at least?"
"No."
"…"
He ignored her pout and stared down the street, the first light of dawn spilling between the rooftops, "What are your next plans now that you've failed to sway the monarchs' opinion of me?"
She blushed at having her failures spoken so openly. He wasn't doing that on purpose. In fact, he doesn't consider it that big of a deal nor did he expect that of her. it would've been nice to have some support from the monarchs but he can survive without them.
From what he knows, only Queen Amarene would want to avoid antagonizing him due to her current relationship with his city. She's actually one of the VIPs on the preorder list. Besides that, they now share a trade route, one that came with Arnold's city when it was handed over to Marcus. This trade route crosses the border and cuts straight through the empire's territory so it's a lucrative route for supplies and such.
Amarene's nation is quite poor so allowing her to use his route for trading with other territories is a lifesaver for her.
"I need to go find Lancelot." Angelica answered his question, "He hasn't returned from his last mission so I fear something happened to him."
'Hm, Lancelot and Guinevere are in close proximity.' Arnold confirmed on the system's radar since his warrior sense can't go that far, 'That means he's fighting alongside her.'
"You'll be endangering yourself for no reason by leaving the empire, Angelica." Arnold shut her idea down and cut her off again when she was about to argue, "Don't you think the Pope would have laid ambushes along the road specifically for you?"
"…Yes, I know…"
It's a wild thing to say but since he thinks she betrayed their faith and Goddess, they would want to do their utmost to rid the world of this heretic, as it stains their reputation as followers of Melis.
Arnold is curious how the common people treat her but that would be an insensitive thing to asked. Angelica used to help the common folk and prepare food on the streets for the homeless. Imagine if they scorn her due to the revelation that she "betrayed" Melis? Wouldn't she desire to forget about all that and focus on other important things? Asking that would be rubbing salt on the wound.
The only good thing is that Angelica is surrounded by most of her comrades and there are people who believe in her even though they are just regular NPCs with no foresight, a system, etc… These are the people you would want to focus on if you're ever at odds with the world. They can provide you with the motivation to get up in the morning and face any challenges you may find.
"I'm sure he'll be back." Arnold lied, "Remember the Nuaria city invasion? There are still monsters lurking around the countryside so maybe he's helping some village fend them off?"
That wasn't a lie as monsters do still roam the countryside. This is why every city, town or nation has scheduled patrols along their roads. Even Whitage city has their knights patrol the roads.
"That is a relief…" Angelica sighed softly, her shoulders loosening. "Sometimes Lancelot's loyalty and devotion become too much. He throws himself into danger without thinking—blindly protects and fights, even when retreat would be wiser." She smiled faintly, though there was worry beneath it. "I know he's a grown man, but he shouldn't feel the need to charge into every battle just because he's an inquisitor."
Arnold said nothing.
"But… it's good to know he's only facing regular monsters."
While still clearly worried judging by the condition notice in her status, Angelica didn't push with the idea of leaving the empire. He would need to regularly check on her.
She's going to be his strongest card to defeating Oriel, after all.
Leaving her aside, what could possibly kill the [Sun Knight], the third strongest divine class after [Hero] and [Oracle] so long as the sun remains in the sky?
**
Ardark Academy - 7am
The bell, which usually signals the start of classes, has yet to ring. There were almost no students roaming but he could hear shouts from the back of the school, probably the track-and-field teams and other sports clubs training.
Arnold, now dressed in his academy uniform made his way over to the library.
Upon entering, the smell of centuries' old knowledge and dust entered his nose. Then there was the familiar sight of books flying around, organizing themselves as if they were alive. Normally this place would be bustling with students even during the weekend but the students took advantage of the break by staying at home instead.
Someone was floating in the air, casually flipping through a large book while sitting in midair, her shoes and socks floating next to her as she wiggled her bare toes as if to catch the wind of the morning air between them. Her pleated skirt, however, couldn't cover up anything underneath properly.
Arnold had pretty good eyesight so he could see that she wasn't wearing panties.
The blue-skinned woman was non-the-wiser as she continued floating around with her entire lower half bare for all to see. Everything was blue but that was undoubtedly the lower body of a human woman.
That said, the woman in question is the queen of the Vulris race, a race of Magic species that used to side with the demons. She was at the frontlines, fighting alongside the demon lords and was known to be the Archmage's equal in her prime.
"Miss Lyra." While she was reading through the book, Arnold also levitated to meet her at eye level.
He got an even better view of her legs.
"Eh!?" she tumbled back (not that there's a floor or anything) and almost dropped her glasses.
"O-Oh, it's you…" she looked as if she had seen a ghost. But he couldn't tell if she's pale or not, what with her blue skin and all.
Anyway, maybe she doesn't understand human sexuality or sex appeal so she didn't think to cover up.
"It's been a while."
"Many rumors have been going around about you. It's a miracle you're still allowed to attend this academy when even a simple slip-up can get you kicked out." After closing the book, she observed him from top to bottom, "You look… taller. And… the air around you changed…"
"I'm honored that a Queen such as yourself would observe me so closely."
"…I suppose the sarcasm hasn't changed."
He chuckled, "Have you had another dream yet?"
"Hmm, there's one where I am travelling across a strange land with a man who has a halo over his head. I think he's an angel but he doesn't have wings."
That's her younger version travelling with Archangel Josuapher searching for more fragments of herself.
The dream is still vague so nothing changed from the last one. But the difference between the two dreams is that Arnold has more information about the second one.
"The strange thing," Lyra continued, "is that I didn't feel lost in that dream. I felt… complete. As if I knew where I was going, even though I didn't know why."
"The reason I came here is to let you know that I've found one of your fragments."
Lyra's breath hitched. Hope bloomed too quickly—dangerously so.
Her eyes widened and she flew straight towards him, grabbing his shoulders, "Where!? If you can lead her here and the two of us fuse together, I may be closer to freeing myself of this spell!"
"The Sky God Dungeon is where I found her." he said gently, "Seems that she's just as eager to see you as much as you do."
Arnold began to explain how he ended up finding Lyra, how she saved him after his first fight with the 100th floor's world boss (Guinevere) and what she's been up to.
"An… apostle of the Sky God…? Why would she do that?"
"Maybe the Sky God promised to bring your soul fragments together if she does something for him. But he perished before he could."
Who knows? Maybe he can still do that even from beyond the grave. A God's divinity and power isn't determined by flesh and blood. They can reincarnate whenever and wherever since immortality grants them that power.
"What about the purpose of her journey? Blindly looking around won't be helpful when you take into account the sheer scale of the nine realms and the endless more worlds and dimensions outside of the realms ruled by the Gods."
"She might be taking on the trials of an Oracle." He offered his assumption, "Ordinary mortals and even the most devoted apostles can't hear their gods directly. It doesn't matter how much they pray or curse to the Gods, they never receive an answer. Some cope with the reason: their desires and anger are never great enough to be responded to by Melis or the other Gods. Because of that, isn't it better to take on the trials to become an Oracle whose purpose is to convey the words of their deities?"
"…That might be possible. But the trials to become one are harsh and challenging. This is why even demigods give up halfway through. The title of Oracle is either deserved through hardship or through the merits of your past or alternate selves."
She's absolutely correct about that. Angelica didn't just happen to become the Oracle. That said, she didn't do the trials either. It's more like one of her past or alternate selves did great deeds for Melis to give her the powers of an Oracle.
"Why doesn't she just come to me so that we may fuse back together…?" Lyra wondered out loud.
"It might be because you're the only one that's trapped to a specific space, while she's free to roam wherever she wants. Using that freedom, she intends to bring all fragments together."
"…Ah, right… Both of us may be stuck together in this place… Yes, that makes sense… So long as she is free," Lyra said quietly, "then I suppose this prison still has meaning."
She wiped something from her eye in haste before looking back up at him, "Thank you for coming to tell me. My days in the library have been rather dreary since Lauran stopped coming to me for help. Seeking a purpose when confined to a single place is rather difficult…"
"You can still leave the library at least, right?"
"That's not the issue. This is a more familiar world to me." She spun around in mid-air, watching as the books flew overhead, "The scent of dust and mana calms my senses. These books are like a social barrier, covering me from anything heinous—or that's what my mind tells, hehe."
She knocked on her head with a wry smile. "I know those are just kids out there and I am a hundred lifetimes their age but I think… I need a bit more time in here. What's another 250 years anyway."
"Would it change your mind to know that, with my Halo, I can take you out of here, even if just temporarily."
The Draconic Halo's anti-magic radius can break most spells if within range of the wielder. He can do the same for Lyra.
"You can experience all the knowledge in the outside world. I can take you to tombs no human has set foot in for thousands of years teeming with knowledge, worlds where academies drift endlessly without students or deans and the knowledge inside them remains untouched by even beings from the mortal realms."
"You can see how different the world is out there."
If Luke manages to master the Holy Sword then he can free Lyra but it will take years so for now the Halo is the temporary solution. And since the sword's skill is keeping her soul fragmented and weaker, the Halo can't undo the seal. Even Sylphiala wouldn't be able to use her advanced rune mastery to break it.
"…I thank you for your generosity," She smiled at the offer, though that smile looked quite lifeless and her eyes appeared empty, "but I will have to decline."
"…"
"I prefer my ignorance of the world to stay intact so that I may never desire to return there."
She chuckled but that also sounded lifeless, "Desire is a cruel thing once awakened so I prefer to never experience it unless freedom is assured."
Her voice trailed off.
"Otherwise… It would drive me mad."