On Yuflan's busy streets, Alum and Luna headed to the inn that Turen spoke of when they parted ways. The inn was called Featherwhale and was located near the north gates. Alum was told that the accommodation was good. Though the meals were said to be simple, they were also described as homey and delicious.
Turen and Nuli should've secured those rooms by now. Though it was slightly more expensive than hotel rooms, the Night Ouen party had stayed there before.
Alum now know what they meant by stating they were 'comfortable'. It might not be much, but small luxuries to make travels more cozy were a pleasant welcome.
Whilst Alum believed in discomfort to forge a strong edge and resilience. He also acknowledged that healing was just as important as building tolerance. After all, one could endure the world's horror because of warmth and hope.
Had they still been in the plains, surviving, he'd be the tyrant working the others like slaves while assigning Emely and Noel as the reasonable leaders. He didn't imagine it to be the case—it would've been the case.
If Chely hadn't appeared when she did. Things would've rotted. In a way than just her name, he really thought of her as a Hero. Else if, he'd slowly begin tearing them down to strengthen them, especially after encountering the pale creature. His plan for them was to slowly settle in, chaos would eventually rip the canvas, and he'd seize control with an iron fist.
Of course… he had his own exile in mind for when they'd eventually overthrow his tyrannical rule. If, however, he was lucky, they'd keep him around as an 'adjudicator' to eradicate threats.
But he's quite pleased it didn't come to that. He declared to himself he'd paint with new colors. So, had that happened, he wouldn't have had new paint. Fortunately, that wasn't the outcome.
"Mmgh… why are you walking with us, pervert?" Luna voiced, not trying to hide her irritation.
"Aww, you're so hostile, Selene~ it was all a joke, okaay~?" Sarah shrugged.
Luna frowned. "That didn't answer my question," she said.
"Hm, maybe cuz I'm heading the same way?" Sarah replied.
"…"
Hearing those words, Luna's intuition sent a shiver down her spine.
"Don't tell me…"
"Yeah, I'm also staying at Featherwhale!"
Not hiding her disgust in the slightest, Luna turned to Alum—hm, seems like your act came back to bite you, huh? His eyes said with a hint of amusement.
"Ugh…" Luna clenched her hands, biting her lips. "I suppose…" she murmured.
..
About fifteen minutes have passed since they left the facility. Alum mostly looked around, taking in the view of a new place. Sarah bought them treats on the way, while Luna reluctantly accepted the apology.
They'd eventually arrive, seeing the sign. The carvings were the shape of feathers, and there was a fish-looking creature inscribed alongside those feathers.
Mm? Is that considered a whale? Alum thought, noting the insignificant detail to himself.
"Ah~ I can't wait to soak in the waters," Sarah yawned, stretching while cracking her knuckles. "Are you taking one too, Selene?"
"Not with you," Luna replied blandly.
"Awwh, I thought you forgave me~" Sarah exaggerated with a long exhale. "Even though we've just gotten hot and steamy in a friendly spar~" she remarked quietly, emphasizing 'spar' loud enough for Luna to take the bait.
"Hmph. And you don't realize this is exactly why?" Luna replied, casting her a glance. "Oh, but I do suppose I'd get to see you naked if that were to happen, huh?"
"Sigh… I do not care. But if you leer, I will gouge your eyes out."
"Heeh… that's no fun. I thought you'd be embarrassed."
"Mm, I care not if my body is to be seen. But it's different if you're full of lechery," Luna replied, not taking the bait.
This time, it was Sarah's turn to be taken aback. "Okaay… you sound like one of those girls who graduated from an elite military school…" she remarked to herself.
"I suppose you're not wrong. I did graduate from the prestigious Ilifelen military academy, not too far from here."
"Huh… seriously? What kind of monsters are the fostering over there…?"
Mm? She recoiled and made a funny face, Alum thought.
"It seems as though you have the wrong idea. I graduated after six months. Hence, I am an exception," Luna declared, flashing Sarah a smug smile.
"Seriously…? Hmm, I wouldn't have believed you hadn't you beaten me…" Sarah tilted her head slightly, poking her chin. "But if I'm not wrong, that sounds like the accomplishments of the…" her eyes widen.
Luna stiffened, clearing her throat. "O-oh…" she began speaking in monotone. "It seems I had so much fun I must've mistaken a year for six months."
The colors drained from Sarah's face. "P-please don't lock me up…" she pleaded, shaking.
"Shh, what the hell! You are causing a scene!" Luna exclaimed.
Sarah winked, sticking out her tongue. "Juuust kidding~ I don't actually care if you're who I think you are. I won't pry—also if I'm 'unaware' you can't enforce authority~"
"Tsk… pesky elf…"
"Yippie~ I was promoted to pesky!" Sarah giggled, not minding Luna's deadly glare.
Alum heaved a tired sigh and looked ahead. As he was about to reach for the door, it opened. An elf with light, silky, lush green hair. Her demeanor was soft, her eyelashes long, cheeks lightly flushed with a soft blush.
She looked up, and their eyes met. The bangs that previously obstructed her eyes brushed to the side, revealing her green, glass-like sphene eyes. Her lips parted—
"W-whoah!?"
The elf tripped.
Alum stepped to the side, turned his body, catching her. His arm supported her stomach as she hung for a second, covering her face as her ears reddened.
"You alright?" Alum inquired.
Her head turned, face beet red. She managed to muster a nervous stammer. "Th-thank you for catching me…"
When she composed herself, Alum helped her get back on her feet. The elf smiled warmly, light glittering around her.
"Thanks."
"You already thanked me, so don't mention it," Alum softly smiled in return.
"Phew…" the girl sighed, palms resting on her chest. Her pink lips slowly parted, hesitant, then spoke. "I wasn't heavy, was I?"
"No," Alum replied.
"…" The elf then noticed the two other women behind him, one glaring and the other grinning. "Oh, Sarah, welcome back," she greeted the red-haired elf casually.
"Yeah, yeah, never mind that—what was up with that cutesy reaction?!" Sarah hugged herself. "Th-than you~💕" she added, blushing. "I wasn't heavy, was I? 💕"
The green-haired girl smiled, her eyes not. "Saaaarah~" she hummed ominously as she grabbed the blue-eyed elf by the ear.
"O-ow-ow-ouch! L-Lyn! I give up, p-please!" Sarah exclaimed, flailing.
Luna watched with a deadpan delight, snickering quietly.
Meanwhile, Alum had already gone inside, tired as he hadn't slept for days.
…
..
Inside, the bright clinical lights shone on the unfamiliar technology brought from another world. According to the wanderers, circuits seemed fine for the most part when shown images of the insides of the devices.
With Emely's permission, they were able to safely dissect her smartphone. Almost all the wanderers treasured the contents of the devices so much that they outright refused to even be touched. Luckily, the model Emely provided was the most common model that the wanders used, except for Alum's. Apparently, they called it a relic. But to Amethely, it only seemed he valued durability and reliance more, proven by the fact that it somewhat worked, though glitching sometimes.
Ever since it ran out of battery, Amethely had worked hard to figure out a way to charge it. It was a slightly complicated process due to how sensitive these devices were to mana. She, alongside the other researchers, managed to build a manaless generator and made sure no mana was present in the isolation chamber.
And just before they were about to test charging the device, they presented the progress to the wanderers. But it apparently needed the right amount of voltage.
Since they didn't deal with electrical machinery much, it took some time to figure things out. But since the wanderers' translation layer hasn't disappeared, it was quite easy to get accurate measurements.
With all that out of the way, since they'd be charging a chemically reactive battery, they had to call in trusted chemists from other countries within the empire. Though as advanced as her homeland, Aurlux was, just like Lesich, they mainly focus on magitech.
Eventually, they were able to replicate the batteries and the circuitries related to charging, since anything else was absurd with their current knowledge; even then, they had to develop new, almost seen as pointless tech, to pull mana out of the materials. Though this research would prove itself valuable in the future when it came to incurable mana diseases.
But today, they were able to finally charge Alum's phone. She'd gotten his password and was taught how to use the interface—he'd given her a detailed book fully illustrated in a realistic 1:1 ratio, full of instructions on how to navigate the device.
I haven't thought that much about it until now… but is Al perhaps an arts genius? Amethely wondered. Then again… his depth perception, spatial awareness, memory, as well as visualization are so accurate that it makes me wonder how he sees the world.
Even though she, too, could create detailed blueprints and paint, they were good at best, not clinically detailed. And when she casts instruction magic, which requires either an inscription or visualization of the magic circuitry, she cheats by remembering the common commands and patterns, stringing them together to form the spell.
It might perhaps not seem impressive or significant to Amethely, but she was one of the few people capable of casting instruction magic above an intermediate level.
But today was the day. She wore a suit and went inside the manaless chamber. She bypassed the password, analyzing the software, eventually arriving at the pictures she'd long awaited.
—ba-dump-ba-dump! She fidgeted.
—excited-excited!
Her eyes widened, heart racing. There were plenty of images with Alum, Noel, Miu, and Emely. Most of the pictures weren't even taken by him—at least, until she got further down.
"…!?"
It… was heartbreaking. Some of them were even recordings. Whilst she did not understand what was being said, it was clearly from Alum's perspective, interrogating what seemed to be captives. Most of them appeared to be interrogations of confessions; some were morphed beyond recognition, crushed by something. Then, footage of things burning.
Amethely knew that Alum's hands were stained, but… she wasn't expecting to see his past firsthand.
But then, she looked at a folder that contained one item. In the preview, it had a 'star'. Looking at his notes, it was the same symbol.
"This mark means it has been marked as favorited?"
When she played it, a boy appeared who appeared to be no older than twelve. He had golden eyes and gray hair. She'd seen him a few times, but the quality was nicer than any of the other footage this time around.
[Hey, YB… now, Alum, I guess. Sorry, I punched you.]
The boy scratched his cheek.
[But you deserved it, to be honest.]
He sighed.
[Thank you for taking me in. Without you, I'd still be inside that test tube. To me, or… us, you were like a big brother. You always seemed distant, but we know you cared.]
The boy then laughed.
[I still remember the first time you bought me a popsicle, even though you said sweets were unnecessary just a day prior.]
He stretched.
[After that, you made Thomas buy candy each weekend to treat the other orphans—though the kids never knew.]
He shrugged. But then his expression darkened.
[I wish they'd know.]
He shook his head.
[Anyways, since most of the large organizations were taken care of by you, you really left me nothing to do with this new name, did you?]
The boy groaned.
[You know, I've lived life a certain way, your way, I guess? Now I don't know what to do. And unlike you, I wasn't seeking revenge or anything. And the name YB seems too much for me… like, I didn't work for it? Urk… what am I saying? Anyways, you probably won't see this anyways, considering you might've thrown away the crappy old phone.]
The boy smiled softly.
[Thank you. Truly.]
Tears ran down his face.
[I love you, brother.]
He gasped, taking a deep breath.
[Ace out.]
He declared. Then, the footage froze, reaching the end.
Tears streamed down Amethely's eyes, dampening the suit; she didn't even understand a single word the boy said, but intuitively, she knew how much this boy meant to Alum.
"Lady Amethely?! What's wrong? Was there some kind of leakage?!"
Amethely shook her head. "Noting of sorts… I am sorry. I got emotional…" she reassured.
The other researchers glanced at one another behind the glass. "Understood. It's getting late, please come out."
Amethely nodded. "I will be there soon," she affirmed.
..
When she left the lab, she was called into Rigeld's office. She wondered if it was about today's successful experiment, but that wasn't it.
"So, regarding the research, congrats. But that's not why I called you here," he spoke calmly. "There have been quite a few corrosion sights near the eastern borders. The Order concluded that we can send you to help out. Will you?"
Amethely smiled elegantly. "Of course. When will I depart?" she inquired.
But then, Rigeld grinned, which made her somewhat wary.
"I just got a report from Luna, and it seems Al will be staying at an inn called Featherwhale in Yuflan."
Hearing that, Amethely's eyes widened. But then—huh? Why is Luna reporting that…?
Rigeld's smile widened. "Well, you see, he's been very good. I ought to reward him somehow. But then, he doesn't care too much about Lech. So… pulling some strings here and there, I managed to give you an excuse to leave the city."
"…" Amethely didn't know how to reply, but Rigeld wasn't stopping there.
"So, I basically thought. What better reward than to see his wife?"
Amethely blushed, her hands made a triangle as she covered her mouth, looking down at the floor.
"W-we're not married yet…" Amethely tried to correct, though meekly.
Rigeld waved off her remark. "What difference does it make if it's now or later?" he said. He then handed her a list. "You should be at these outposts in four days from tomorrow."
"Oh…" Amethely looked at it—none were in Yuflan.
"Aw, don't be disheartened, Lady Saint," he grinned. "Just… fly over there and meet him, you have four full days ahead—I'll tell The Order you boarded the airship."
"…!" Amethely's eyes gleamed, but seemed reluctant at the same time.
"Well?"
"I… I'll go pack!" she declared, her face practically melting to mush from all the uncontainable amount of happiness. "Thank you, Sir Rigeld!" she exclaimed, rushing out of the office.
Alver and Rigeld silently watched as she left.
"Just don't get caught," Alver chuckled.
Rigeld confidently grinned.
"Oh, please. That won't happen."