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—
…
[Transferring…]
…
[...plete]
"Urg…"
[Readjusting Status...]
Philip slowly woke up on the cold hard floor of his room...
"... Alive?!"
Just as he opened his eyes, he heard someone screaming in his ears, causing them to ring loudly.
He tried to see who it was, putting in a lot of effort to open his tired eyes.
'Huh?...'
But the more he tried to understand, the more the world spun, 'My vision is spinning a little…'
Philip pushed himself off the ground, his arms trembling, for his body was unusually weak.
"Huff… I hate going back just as much as when I'm dragged elsewhere…"
'I don't remember much of what I was doing… what happened before I was sent to that horrible place? I woke up and my mind almost collapsed… then Viera found me and helped me go to the bath?'
Slowly, his memories came back to him, but the world moved on as well…
[Your basic abilities have returned to their normal state, recalculating…]
[Readjusting parameters…]
'Ugh... this nauseating feeling.' He thought as he felt his entire body convulse, 'Give me a moment to breathe here…'
"Damn! You live! I thought it was over…"
Seeing him move more and more, even speak, a shadowy creature exclaimed loudly as it twisted and turned around the bed.
Philip slowly crawled onto the bed, lying down with an arm on his forehead, "Don't… don't scream in my ears… I think I told you this before already."
He asked for a cup of water and gulped it all down as Laplabe gave him a jar…
/GULP!!/
"Haa… and what do you mean by that? Why wouldn't I be alive?"
'Spending time in the dream is usually extremely compressed in reality, but ever since my first experience, it has only been getting longer, it seems.'
After Philip drank the water and he placed the jug aside, Laplabe turned into a shadowy streak that bound itself to his wrist in the shape of an armband, his voice echoing soon after, "Are you okay?"
His eyes narrowing, Philip smiled as he looked at the ceiling, remembering everything that had happened until now.
"More so than ever, in fact, just a bit tired, both physically and mentally… mentally… mentally."
His voice carried concern as the watch pointers spun slowly, "You said that three times."
"Yeah, that's just how tired I am in that regard."
"… If you're willing and able now… can we continue where we left off? You barely gave me time to rest ever since you came back from that part."
"All that story about going somewhere, then invading some private, abandoned museum, then spilling your blood in some ancient statue and collapsing… having to watch that young girl desperately try to keep her calm as she dragged you across the city…"
He pressed his palm against his face, "Alright! Enough… I understand that I fucked up."
'I never expected that first part to end up like that. But that already happened, and its been dealt with, mostly… I still have one person left to talk about.'
"I'm not blaming you here; I'm just stating my perspective."
"You wake up after being out of it with screams and outcries, and when you calm down, you start talking to yourself and starts talking about some "thing" that is about to happen, and then you take out two strange items and shove them onto that other abomination over there."
Philip turned to look at MT who looked the same way as always, then at a small orb resting on the table.
"Okay… I'm starting to remember everything."
'Just before I left, I used the Data Chip I took from the Complex to enhance MT's systems and improve its mainframe once it fused with it… and the orb is supposed to evolve that enhanced machine.'
"Good, I imagine this was the reason you told me to remind you of it all before you… well, collapsed. Also, you need to go speak to the girl."
"I can wait. I'm very patient… that's my racial trait, I suppose."
"Ugh… thank you for understanding… I'll clear up everything soon." Philip replied as he sat down on the bed as he realized now wasn't the time to lie down
"How long has it been again?"
"Since you collapsed? About eight hours, we're currently in the middle of noon. And responding your previous question, I thought you were dead because… your body was literally motionless."
"At least you were breathing; that made me calm down a little, but you were unresponsive to all stimuli. I thought your Soul had left your body or something."
Philip scratched his head awkwardly as he stepped out of bed, "I didn't know there were such side effects."
'No one has ever been around to confirm that.'
He checked his body but, as expected, aside from his mild headache that would probably follow him for the next few days to weeks, he was fine.
Watching him stretch and check himself, Laplabe seemed to sigh as his thoughts raced on… 'Out of all the people that could've appeared to carry on his will, did it have to be such a weird boy?'
'But I guess only someone this weird would qualify for such a task.'
'A Hero, huh...'
Trying to focus, Philip quickly asked, "Did anything of interest happen during my… events?"
"Several people came in to check on you, but that's about it. The one you should be worried about, however, is the girl you walk around with. She came here a few times, but each time she reached the door she hesitated and left."
"There was one time she got inside and complained to you... but for her age, her self-control is praiseworthy."
"Viera, huh... I haven't been that kind to her ever since we left the academy."
He reached for his head as he walked around the room like a drunken man, 'To think one small trip to take care of one of Dae's side objectives ended up in such a journey.'
'It's not really that big of a deal given I'm not that pressed for time, but it threw the little plans I had into the scrapper.'
'There are so many other side objectives of his as well… what if something like this happens again? No… I'm certain… I can feel it in my bones that these notes of his will send me down into some hellish mission again.'
"… The butler came here several times as well, but when you didn't reply, he left the food at the door. Breakfast has already been retrieved, and lunch is still waiting over there. It's still warm if you're interested."
"He came another time to say that the construction workers had arrived, the ones you requested last time to repair this mess of a room. But since you didn't reply again, he didn't press further and instead had food continuously delivered at your door."
"That was yesterday. It's already been over a day since he's been doing that... that girl has been acting as the manor lord in your stead, taking care of things and just saying yes to everything that needs it."
Philip smirked, "Everyone here is competent and that nothing of importance is going on as well. The manor is just working as it would've any other time, I presume."
"Looks like it's not just an apology she deserves… I owe her quite a bit this time around." He added as he struggled to put on some clothes
His strength was still all over the place, and he even ripped out a tie as he tugged at it by mistake… there goes quite a lot of money…
Trying to keep mental notes of what to do, Philip stumbled onto the wall, still a little weak, "So? Do I look okay? Is anything else missing?"
"… You look like your typical nobleman in novels who has just woken up from a drunken stupor." Laplabe said as a shadowy tentacle burst from the watch and enveloped his body
"Great… exactly the image I want to convey… I'll go to the bathroom and get myself together."
"Now you're even acting like one! You'd do a fine actor."
"Screw off… I'm not in the mood for jokes right now." He said as he grabbed Laplabe and placed him on bed, only for the creature to fuse into the bathroom's handle in the blink of an eye
"Don't be so quick to throw me aside… I've said my part, so let's go back to how things were before… all of this ensued."
"Just be sure to talk with the people outside. I felt pity for the maid who was tasked to wait outside for you."
"There's someone outside?"
Focusing slightly, it wasn't difficult for Philip to feel the faint breathing of something resting its back against the wall, together with the powerful aroma of food and even a bit of perfume.
"Of course there is. Do you remember how expensive this manor was? The people here are professionals who take pride in their work… a shame they have you as a master."
"#!!"
Philip sighed as he reached for the handle, letting Laplabe worm its way through his arm and return to its previous spot, 'There's so much I want to do… so much I want to test… but some things come first.'
'Responsibility is one hell of a troublesome thing.'
Taking care of himself and those around him comes first, it wouldn't take long either, the day was still long.
"Despite my desires… training more after what happened would be a bit irresponsible."
"You think?"
Philip let go of the door handle and looked at the entrance to his room… "Humph…"
'I need to cool my head down first… then think. After that is in order… then I'll begin writing down my plans for how I'm going to spend the next four months in this place… and how I'll get myself started on finding that scientist.'
He looked at his hand…
/BAM!/
He clenched it, creating a strong wind that ravaged the room.
[Recalculation complete, health functions stabilized]
[Physical readjustment successful]
"..."
/Thud.../
Philip stumbled, almost falling on the ground. He felt his body go weak all of a sudden, but this only lasted for about the blink of an eye.
He stepped forward, getting his body stable again.
"… Are you sure you are okay?"
"Yes, I'd even say I'm perfectly fine now. I just need some time to... readjust."
He read the notifications one more time as he stood before the bathroom's door, 'Last time it did this, my system broke down, but now, it can perfectly complete whatever calculations it is performing… which only makes me more worried about what'll do soon enough.'
He took a short breath, shook his head, and got inside the bathroom.
…
/SPLASH!/
As he splashed some water on his face, Philip looked at his reflection, the face he'd only seen once in the last few months worth of memories.
'It doesn't even feel like me anymore… damned transmigrator PTSD…'
Thinking about the notifications, his sunken eyes shook, 'Everything might've been solved, but it's a ticking time bomb.'
'The moment the System finishes calculating whatever parameters Falpurgiana's existence and my memories would've likely caused, it'll be mayhem all over again.'
'Nothing seems to have happened yet, but I'm no fool. Even if it doesn't happen now, once I start training again… there'll be no stepping back from that.'
'To even get a fraction of my powers cultivated within Darius' body, I'll have to go through it at some point.'
'Most abilities awarded by the Complex aren't something I can achieve even if I sit down and train for another half a century...'
'Many of those require unique settings and conditions only the Complex, in its massive power, is able to bypass… if I want those abilities, I'll have to invoke Darius' body and everything will turn to shit, I'm certain.'
'I'm being a little pessimistic… my time in the Complex has given me PTSD, it seems…'
"Yawnnnn… are you done retrospecting?" Falpurgiana said all of a sudden as she stepped out of the mirror
"…"
Philip's eyes reddened as he tensed. Despite not showing it, she had startled him so much he unconsciously activated multiple Skills…
"Don't do that again."
"Do what?" Laplabe asked
"Not you… sigh… perhaps now's the time to explain what I did… briefly of course."
"Just be quick… I'm about to fall asleep." Falpurgiana added as she rubbed her eyes
"… Let's start with when I put my blood on the altar. The reasons for that… can be left for another time."
…
Philip went through a quick summary of everything he did. His deal with the forgotten god, his possession of the unlucky boy, and his passage through the trials of the spire…
When he was done, Laplabe went silent… "I could write a book about that, you know? Is the deity in question, among us?"
Falpurgiana smiled in a silly manner, giggling to herself, "Hehehe… among us…"
"…"
'I think she might've seen WAY too much…'
"She is around, she can easily interact with the world if she wants, but we mostly communicate in a… near-telepathic way if you wish. I just want to warn you that because of that, I may often act in… erm…"
"Like a crazy person?"
"Yes…"
Falpurgiana floated near Laplabe and put her finger over him, "Boop."
/TRANSFORM!/
The moment she touched the watch, Laplabe went crazy, unfolding his body like a heavily compressed spring, spilling out a thousand tentacles in all directions!!
"AGHHH!! W-What was that?!" He asked as multiple body parts spread around the room, trembling in confusion as they tried to fuse back together
"Mimics are so odd…" She claimed as she peeked her head from the wall, not letting the "goop" touch her
"… That was her."
"Ugh… I did feel some strange force untangle me… it was horrible… like having air suddenly be blown throughout all of my organs." Lapable claimed as the tendrils slowly compressed into shape again, a truly alien scene
"Do you believe me now?"
"I never doubted you, but to be honest, I was skeptical of the extent of the veracity of your claims… they say that people that undergo such heaven-defying events may become delirious about their own experiences and memories… but I'll choose to believe everything you've said for now."
"I've simplified much of the story… but I wager we can leave the brunt of it to another time."
'After all, its not like I can't show him what I've experienced… I can easily do that through Simulation Room.'
He then turned to the side, looking at the ethereal deity, "Then? What about you?"
She looked at him in a sleepy manner, "I'm going to sleep. I'll wake up in… when this era turns."
"Are you kidding me?"
"Yes, it'll be a short nap… a few weeks… months long at best."
"I thought your kind didn't need to sleep?"
"It depends on what you take for sleep… yawn… when I first arrived, I used quite a bit of power to give you what you requested of me, and while I said that if I pushed it any further, I'd be forced to hibernate… it's been a few months since then, hasn't it?"
"…"
"At the time I was already getting sleepy but forced myself to stay awake. Take it from your perspective, I have to go take a nap every once in a while to keep things steady. It's nothing too great or stemming from some past issue."
She tapped her chest proudly, "This me has perfectly transferred from one world to the world! I just need to take my first nap, and then we'll be golden."
"… So the issue from before...?"
"Yes… we'll have to leave dealing with Darius body to when I wake up, and even then, before we get over it all, I wager it may take a few more naps before we go through it all…"
"There's nothing I can do unless I push the rules past their breaking point, but then we'll have another issue on our hands."
"It's not like I haven't thought of other solutions… there are ways to transfer things to you, but if what you want is what I promised, then I'm afraid that will take some effort on my part."
"… Fine, I'll wait. I'm not in that much of a hurry."
She smiled, flying in the air before going to the wall and returning in a pair of pajamas, holding a large pillow and half pulling a sleeping mask onto her face.
"…"
'Where did she get those from?'
"I bought them back in the Trial Spire… had to spend something for my own pleasure, no?"
She slowly floated back until she landed on the ground, her hair flying over his head and falling on his shoulders and face.
"…"
"I'll be going now… goodnight, my apostle." She said as her body turned ethereal
As she vanished, she stepped in his direction, fusing into his body.
And as she did so, she went on her tiptoes and lightly punched his chin, "Don't go doing anything cool without me. I don't want to miss anything. I'll knock you out cold if you do so."
"… Don't treat my Soul like some hotel…"
She smiled deviously with half-closed eyes, "It's my room now. It's this big now!" She said as she opened her arms wide
/Vanish…/
"… Sigh… she's gone. Let's go."
"She's gone? Where?"
"To sleep. A very fickle deity indeed… forget about her for now, we have more pressing matters."
'I'm hungry.'
He pushed the door to his room open, checking his Class Status.
'Let's see what changed.'
[Name: Philip Vinten
Class: Dragonborn
Level: 62(71)
Race: Human/Nord
Magicka Talent -> 60
> Abilities:
War Call Lv0
Tyranny of Wealth Lv0
Demonic Attraction Lv4
Giant's Strength Lv11
Absolute Senses Lv13
Berserk Rush LvMax(10)
Focus LvMax(10)
Greater Magicka Well Lv0
Shatter Spell Lv1
> Skills:
Resist Elements Lv10
Mediation of two sides Lv0
Conjure Daedra Merchant Lv15(Max)
Greater Thuum Lv0
Iron Stomach Lv11
Forced Daedric Subordination Lv7
Devilish Tongue LvMax(10)
Study LvMax(10)
Helping Hand LvMax(10)
Leadership Lv12
Noblesse Self Lv3
Steal Lv1
…
> Traits:
Dragon Soul
Dragon Blood
]
'The changes are about I expected… it seems the Health and Stamina stats were removed and Magicka was instead altered to Magicka Talent, which is valued at about a tenth of what it was before.'
'I'll have to test it all better later.'
And then, he opened his main Status:
[
Name: Philip Vinten *Three Fragments*
Race: Type 2 Pure Human (+)
Home World: Earth (+)
Registered World: Eden (+)
Level 0
Class: None (+)
Title: Apex Evolver(Martial Grandmaster) (+)
/Resonation Effect: Extracorporeal Sense/
All Titles:
Exterminator of Nightmares; Hunter Genius; Antesunderian Archeologist; Jack of all Trades; Great Scholar; Martial Grandmaster; Magical Enthusiast; Mental Lord; Blessed; Apex Evolver; Soldier; Contender; The Silent Legion; Specter; Hitman; Protector; Artificial Chrysalidatel; Falpurgiana Mulplex' Apostle; Outer-World Subjugator; The Invisible Hand; One of a Kind
-Vital info-
(+)
Mind> 299 (+)
Physical> 299 (+)
Energy> 299 (+)
Spiritual> 299 (+)
Mystique> 100 (+)
Abilities:
Armament Lv1 (Hybrid)
Mental Force Lv24 (Hybrid)
Mental Force Manipulation Lv21 (Hybrid)
Mental Domain Lv12 (Hybrid)
Arcane Manipulation Lv17 (Hybrid)
Draly-Apyer Secret Sword Arts LvMax (Hybrid)
Seven-Colored Wooden Boat Lv1 (Hybrid)
Falling Fist of the Beast LvMax (Hybrid)
Skills:
Exceed Lv0 (Active)
Ignition Strike LvMax(10) (Active)
Invisible Blade LvMax(15) (Hybrid)
Flow Lv7 (Hybrid)
Advanced Skill Fusion Lv14 (Hybrid)
Western continent language Lv9 (Hybrid)
Phantom Sword LvMax(25) (Active)
Great Scholar Vision LvMax(10) (Active)
Combat Genius LvMax (Passive)
Predator's Presence LvMax
Somnium Courier Lv3 (Hybrid)
Simulation Room (???)
Gamerverse (???)
Traits:
Castle Town ***** (Weakened)
Hardworking
Unyielding
Incorruptible
Sword Heart
]
'Not much changed. I'd say I've gotten hold of a few new Titles since I last looked at it.'
'My Stats have also reached their limits now that Spiritual has reached 299. From here on out, I suppose there's only two viable answers… at least from what I've experienced.'
'Evolution, or strengthening my Racial Type… neither is easy to do, albeit it may be possible to create another chance like before if I play my cards right.'
'And lastly, from what I can see… for some reason, Mystique rose by ten points as well. Given what it represents, it would be a little too much to overlook it as a good thing.'
"Hm..."
'I expected my Class stats to be irrelevant, but I did not expect them to be straight out erased. Given my past Classes, this one was the first one that straight out changed its shape after I returned to my original body.'
'Perhaps this too is an aftereffect of Gamerverse's partial strengthening. It's not like it was fully confined within whatever a game-world was built upon, but it always tried to follow its systems faithfully… even if those systems proved to be redundant. Or so I've felt so far.'
'After all, there isn't much of a point in it adapting its Status page to look like the original game world aside from it looking cool, I suppose… I do appreciate that fact, but its just an observation.'
'… I'll definitely be seeing more of Gamerverse soon. Although until then, I'll have to figure out what my Class Fate is… and what I'll have to do push it to its limits… because if I need to fill every single Perk node in this modified Skill Tree, I might be stuck here for a very long time.'
'And if not, then what exactly do I have to do next? Slay a Dragon? But there are no defined Dragons in this world… it is just a terminology for certain creatures. Would any of them count?'
He looked at the ceiling with a frown, "… Would I have to go back there?"
Stretching his arms and legs as he got used to his body again, Philip walked past his bed. He went to a small table on the side and grabbed the most important item he could never leave behind… the small golden orb, his inventory tool.
At the same time, he grabbed another orb, the Tech-Orb, and stored it inside the storage tool.
After promptly storing the Golden Orb inside a hidden pocket on his shirt, he stood before MT. Giving the blinking lights, it was still in the middle of the software update he started before.
"Hum… looks like we'll be coming here later." He said as he looked at the central port, now empty
'Looks like the Data-Chip has already transferred its contents into MT's system, the rest is up for its mangled coding to fix… should I try studying it?… No, it's a waste of time.'
'Even if I did learn and understand whatever was contained within the Data-Chip, it wouldn't matter once I used the Tech-Orb to transform it again… it'll become a whole new machine unlike any other.'
'It's a gamble of mine, but MT has already been rather useful, and I have every incentive to improve it even further. And while I had the chance to ask for more substantial rewards for myself, I wasn't quite ready to give this opportunity up... even if it meant throwing more power away.'
'I'm excited to see just what kind of machine will come out of it… Let's just hope it doesn't rebel against me.'
After he stood there for another minute thinking about what to do, he turned around, going to the door leading outside.
As he held the doorknob, he said, "Shall we? Or have we forgotten something?"
"I think that was all… though you might want to think of an excuse to give to the maids regarding the big obelisk in the middle of the room."
"Haha… it won't be a problem. Even though I kept MT in the training room before the party, I can just say I moved it after I shattered the whole place after."
"They didn't have issues cleaning around it before, so they won't have now… although they might be annoyed." He said with a smirk as he adjusted his jacket
'I'm worried about MT's creation then theirs… what if it develops some crazy personality and attacks them while I'm away?'
He stopped near the door, "Do I look good?"
Laplabe didn't even look at him, "You're fine now. Or would you like yo put on makeup while she waits in worry?"
"I was just asking, sheesh."
/Creak…/
Philip opened the door and stepped outside.
…
"ZZzzz… Eh!... um… I can't sleep… must stay… focused… zzz…"
/... Snore.../
Right outside, a young maid stood next to a silver trail cart, waiting for her master to show any signs of life from within.
Like in the morning and the day before, she calmly stood there, waiting for a call…
/Creak…/
"Zzz…"
Even as the moment she'd been waiting for occurred, she remained sleeping, a line of drool falling on her cheek as she almost fell down.
Slightly guilty for making her wait so long, Philip gently nudged her as she almost fell on him… even then, it wasn't enough.
With an awkward smile, Philip put his hand on the door and knocked on it.
/Knock knock knock!/
"!"
Finally, her eyes darted open and around the place in confusion as she froze in place at the sight of her master standing beside her.
"M-M-Lord! I-I uh…"
She was about to say something, but then she came to a complete stop, embarrassed.
"L-Lord… a-are you uh… ahem… ready for lunch?"
"Yes, I am. Would it be too much to ask you to set up a table for me so I can eat it in the living room?"
"Hm? O-Of course not! I'll quickly go heat it up again!
"Thank you for your work and dedication." He said as he patted her shoulder, making her smile as her self-esteem rose
"Yes, sir! I'll do my best!..."
/Growl…/
Philip smiled awkwardly, "Haha..."
'I am indeed dying of hunger.'
…
/A few minutes later…/
Inside the central hall, where people usually had his meals, the lord of the house himself enjoyed his well-deserved meal with the head butler, Sebastiano, beside him.
He seemed pleased, not bothered a bit by Philip's sudden disappearance and return.
After a while in this silence, Sebastiano pulled a small, flat triangular object, placing it near his ears… upon listening to it for a moment, he said, "Excuse me, Lord, it's the construction group, should I tell them to return tomorrow?"
"Why should you? Let them work as they always have. I will not be going back into training anytime soon."
'It would be rude to send them away like that.'
'I somehow feel that everyone is a bit sensitive around me. I'm not made of glass. Just because I collapse once... twice... thrice... and cause trouble here and there, it doesn't mean I'm in need of counseling!'
'Now that I think about it, has there been even a moment where I haven't caused trouble to these people?'
Sebastiano bowed in understanding, taking a step back and returning to his previous spot as he resumed his play of being a statue.
/Chomp… Chomp…/
'How long has it been since I last ate some food without much care?… I always had something in mind all this time. While I'm still pressed to seek what I came here to do, it's not something I need to get over with right away.'
'Maybe after this I'll just lie down without a care… though I doubt I'll manage to fall asleep.'
It was peaceful. He could finally eat without his thoughts running wild… but such wouldn't last long.
/Step step step…/
From one corridor on the side, the disorderly echoes of footsteps grew louder and louder as two people quickly made their way to the central hall, one after the other…
"M… Miss! Please don't run in the hallways!..."
/Fwosh!/
"Huff… Yo… you…"
"..."
'She's here. Took a bit longer than I expected.'
Putting his cutlery elegantly on the table, Philip slowly turned to face Viera as he gave her his best look, who was now exhaling because of running too much.
He gave her a calm and noble smile, trying to act cool as if nothing was wrong…
"#!!"
Seeing his smug face as he did all of this, putting on the facade of a Lord, looking at her with a serene smile just seemed to annoy her further.
"Would you like to join me?" He asked as he pointed at the cake on the side
That cake wasn't there from the start; instead, it was a carefully prepared trap he set up for this girl, knowing full well she'd come storming in, eventually.
It was a pure white cake with a beautiful strawberry on top — at least, it looked like one... it was more like a curved half-moon than a strawberry.
"I… fine."
But before she sat down, her maid said with trembling lips and a tired expression:
"M… Miss, you already had lunch…"
"It's just a small bit of cake, it will not kill me."
"Th-That's not it..."
Philip smiled, grabbing his fruit juice as he mumbled, "You better listen to her, you don't want to get f…"
/Fwoosh!/
His hair was blown backward by a powerful gust of air as Viera looked at him with a dark smile.
On her left hand, a revolving magical cube full of runes flew in front of her index finger.
"If you say anything more, I'll make you bald next. It's the least of what you deserve."
"..."
'She's getting faster with her casting... I remember when she used to struggle to cast magic of her Circle back in the Great Hunt, saying she wasn't a proper 5th Circle… she's growing fast. It could be her recent rank up, but its good to see her growth.'
'As long as I leave her with MT's database, there isn't much I need to do for her. She'll grow on her own.' He thought as his eyes darted around her body
Philip did not say much in response to her threat; instead, his expression went back to serious as he looked straight at her, "I like your clothes. You're finally wearing something cute."
"Ah!"
While she was still shocked by his sudden words, Philip continued to eat, "Always the same old plain uniforms. A young girl should wear something like that."
"W-What are you suddenly talking about? It's unlike you!" She exclaimed as her face flushing slightly, looking at him with trembling eyes
"…"
Philip placed his fork down, 'Perhaps those memories and time I experienced out there have indeed changed me a little. If a few days can change a person, what to say of a few months or even years worth of memories?'
'This has always been my greatest fear regarding my Mental Skills. They can block shock and prevent my mind from tilting up and down in extreme scenarios, but if it's a continuous change, then there's little those can do.'
'I have yet to determine if that's good or bad. Do I continue to live like an unchangeable, unaltered being, or do I accept change, regardless of its source?…'
'Somehow along the way, I started to grow wary of such a natural process… the fear of someday not being me anymore suddenly.'
'Of losing grip on reality in an unnatural manner. But I suppose there isn't much room for such discussions after coming this far.'
He raised his eyes, the world still frozen around him as his thoughts raced.
He opened his lips, "Did I make you worry?" as a gentle smile formed on his face.
"Ah!..."
Viera was surprised at his sudden shift of mood. She knew he wasn't playing anymore, so she sat down on the table and replied:
"No… I... just a bit, alright."
She grabbed a fork, looking at Philip once more before dropping her head.
"It's just… too much happened. The party's night was such a chaotic trip, I saw firsthand how those pretentious people lived and partied... There were some fights, you got hurt and you hurt others..."
"Then you holed yourself inside the training room, causing trouble multiple times as the hours passed… when we woke up, I thought things were going to be normal… but then all of that happened."
"You were collapsed for a whole day… and when you wake up, that happens?"
"Haha…"
She looked at him again, "How am I supposed to act? I don't understand anything, and I'm supposed to follow you for some reason… this guy who just causes trouble everywhere." She asked as she clenched her fork before stabbing her cake slice and shoving it in her mouth
Philip's lips twisted into a half smile as he replied, "I see... I'm sorry to worry you like this… I really am... though I feel as if I've said this a few times already."
"Why do you think that's the case?" She said with a mocking expression as she shoved another slice of cake onto her lips, much to her maid's horror as she whispered something like "That's unladylike!" only for Viera to brush her aside
For a moment, she seemed upset, but after a while, she smiled, "So? Are you going to update me on what happened, or are you going to say it was all some sort of training?"
Philip took a bite of his food, looking at her with an inquisitive look...
"... Technically you are right."
She rolled her eyes, taking another bite of her cake.
"It is okay if you don't wish to share it, I don't mind… but next time, at least try to warn me or anyone else if you decide to ghost us for a while."
"Sigh... it wasn't intentional. This will not be happening again... not anytime soon anyway..."
"What did you just say?"
"Heh, nothing."
'It feels nice to have others concerned about me.'
"… I heard you acted as the lady of the house while I was out?"
/COUGH!/
"I-It was necessary… I just said yes here and there, nothing much."
"And does that include the clothes you're currently wearing?"
"This…"
"It was my idea Lord, I'll accept any punishment." The maid on the side said as she bowed to him
"No, you did right." Philip replied as he cut a steak on his plate, "Her previous clothes were lacking; this feels more natural. Though I wonder about the design, a simple orange summer dress… isn't bad at all."
"Let's try getting a few more casual ones for her in the future." He said as he looked at the maid with a smile
"Yes, Lord!"
"Do I have a say in this?…"
"You can say, "Yes, thank you, my Lord" and give me a smile while you're at it."
"As if!"
/Chuckle…/
Philip continued to eat his food while Viera watched him, and after a small while he said, "Before, you told me to meet you after I came out of the training room. What was the reason for that?"
"So you remember, its nothing really that important… I just wanted to ask if you were truly okay and try to understand what had happened at the party…"
Philip opened his eyes in understanding, letting out a chuckle even.
"Is this funny?"
"If you understand the context… then yes… it is very amusing."
Philip pushed his empty plate aside, grabbing another one; his hunger had barely gone away...
"There's still a lot of food to go through, so let me tell you what happened."
Viera was surprised as she stopped eating, "You're actually going to tell me?"
"Haha… come on. I haven't been that negligent…"
/Cling…/
While Philip cut another piece of steak, she gave him the side-eye as she scoffed faintly, "Who was the one who told me our trip wasn't going to be anything extreme?"
"Well… that's because I thought the same… ahem…"
"I suppose I should start with what I am. The details are… extensive, but for the sake of simplification, let's say I'm an agent doing some tasks."
"Tasks? For who?"
"A very annoying individual."
/Cling…/
"Okay… so you work for someone else… was our entire meeting part of these 'tasks' of yours?"
"I do not work for him… I'm more of uh… mercenary? I am being paid to some degree for this… I was paid in advance if you'd like to put it that way."
'And information too. Unreliable information, but it is helping me somewhat… somewhat…'
"A mercenary then? Alright…"
"You seem disappointed. Not as romantic as you'd thought?"
"A little… I thought you were some kind of foreign spy at first, but you're a bit too…"
"Handsome?"
"Sporadic." She said with a look of disappointment, "You're not stealthy in any way and is always causing trouble. A spy would've been found long ago."
He smiled mysteriously, "That's because I'm acting within acceptable boundaries… somewhat. I'm not a spy… entirely at least."
She raised an eyebrow, "So like… you're on some secret mission? Should I be concerned? Is there a bounty to claim if I turn you in to the authorities?"
"The only thing you'll get if you turn me in is laughter and my disappointment. Nothing will happen aside from me being deployed elsewhere."
'The Crown would probably just swoop in and take me away anyway… there isn't much harm in sharing such with her around here since this is Crown territory and there shouldn't be any influential opposing force around here, so no one will come knocking on our doors to take us away… at least not anytime soon.'
"Should I take it that you work for the… the Imperial Crown?" She asked as she whispered at him
"I'm not answering that."
"Ahh! Come on! We came this far!"
"It's for your own good. Let's end this talk here and move on to the next. I suppose I never fully wrapped up what happened at the Pyke manor the other day, might as well close that up."
She crossed her arms and lay on her chair, looking away, "You already told me enough. I don't wanna hear from that guy or any of his shenanigans again."
"Very well then. We'll continue the rest of this conversation later. In the meantime… how was your day?"
"Huh? What's that all of a sudden?"
"Just small talk. Have your studies been going well?"
"Well, they were… until this morning when… they stopped working." She said as she looked at him
He thought of the past, 'I told her to keep the glasses hidden. I'd rather not have to explain it to someone else as the more people know about it, the greater the chances of MT being leaked outside.'
"It's to be expected. I was the one who did it. It'll return to normal soon… on that note, have you adjusted well to the manor?"
"Well…"
Viera narrated her experiences while Philip continued to eat.
…
/Half an hour later…/
After having a nice meal, Philip and Viera parted ways, but not for long.
He went back to his to brush his teeth, talking with Sebastiano about the Manor's condition, finances, and so on as he slowly got adjusted to his halted schedule.
Soon after they were done discussing some minor things, Philip made his way to the central and sole office of the Utler Manor.
/Creeak/
Opening the door with an honest smile, he gazed at the young lady, who was now sitting on the sofa reading a book, "May I have your attention once more?" he asked as he stepped forward, closing the door behind him.
/Poof!/
"Sure." She replied as she closed her study book, almost as if expecting his return
/Sit…/
He sat opposite her on the couch, getting comfortable with it before saying, "Before I continue from where I left off in the central hall, there's something I've been meaning to discuss with you… and that's your studies."
"Hah? That came out of nowhere. I thought that was solved back at the Academy with those glasses you gave me."
"That is true." He nodded, "I've been preparing for this moment ever since then, but that's not all. At best, this is… a temporary solution."
"The glasses aren't only meant to answer whatever question you have, that isn't even a portion of their abilities... it's a disgrace to use them only like that, actually." He said as he shook his head
"In truth… I have brought with me about 80% of all tomes back in Parad Academy."
"… What?"
'Who drops this kind of bombshell without prior notice?!'
"You remember the mission I gave you back then, correct? Of walking around the libraries with your glasses?"
"Yes, I do. To this day, you haven't told me why."
"It was for that purpose. In truth, the glasses can copy all documents within a certain range of themselves, storing them in a secure place. And even that is only one of its capabilities."
She got up from her seat in a hurry, "WHAT?! Are you telling me you committed the greatest crime of the academy?!"
Philip smirked like an evil villain, putting his hands together as he slouched over, "Don't say it so loudly… someone might hear you."
"Egh!"
After getting the reaction he wanted, he relaxed and waved his hands, "Look… it's not that big of a deal. Those books are precious, but in no way are they comparable to secret texts and tomes kept hidden by large families."
"Even if you show that knowledge out there, no one is going to hold it against you if you just say you learned it there."
"But I dropped out, remember?!"
He shrugged, "No one has to know that part. And even if they do, no one is going to make trouble with an Archmage for just a bunch of common tomes. So sit down and listen to what I have to say."
She pouted as she crossed her arms, looking away.
He reached for his suit, and it shone in golden light. Before long, a strange item remained on the table.
"I was going to introduce the real thing to you, but right now, its not possible, so we'll have to go with this little guy."
'Thankfully, I used MT before going to the museum and ended up forgetting to store the controller inside when it was all over. Updating it later won't be much of an issue.'
"What is… that thing?"
Seeing her expression, he smiled, "This is my way to help you, the answer to your problems, Philip style."
"Sigh..."
'He constantly goes from joking around to being serious... did I worry about him too much? He looks about the same... the same annoying guy... but he's...'
Looking at the controller, he said in a slow and concise tone, "I'm not a good teacher."
"The best I can help you with is holding a weapon and how to hack it at something else, and that's not your strength. I have money, but it wouldn't be proper to do so, and even if I could, finding one isn't easy."
'As for the rest, as long as Laplabe accepts, using some of the Golden Orb's resources shouldn't be a problem.'
/Cough!/
Philip cleared his throat, "This is… something I made myself. An interesting tool that can help you study more efficiently, faster, and much more. What you've experienced before is part of its functions, and I'm going to introduce you to the rest of them."
'As for when MT finishes its update, it can brief her on the rest on its own.'
She pulled her glasses off, looking at them in wander, "Is this some kind of magic tool? I still don't get how you made this pair of glasses?"
"You'll understand soon enough. Initiate system. Password: Orange34."
[Voice recognition pass. Keyword pass. Initiating all systems… halted. Cannot connect to data center]
"Let's bypass that. Start all functions within current parameters."
[Understood… All_Purpose Multi-Tool FJSS V3.2.c has initiated]
"Philip… please… what is this… contraption?"
'I'm as lost as a fish in the desert... What is this thing?'
"We're only getting started… activate Scan mode."
[Scanning mode activated]
He grabbed it and gave it to Viera, "Perhaps you may remember this, at least recognize it."
"This is…"
'Now that I look at it… wasn't this the thing he was using around the libraries every once in a while?'
"I didn't explain it to you properly last time, as you said, and I imagine you are still slightly annoyed at me for giving you that tiring task..."
"You bet I do, will I finally understand why?"
"Hopefully, yes... I'll make it clear since you'll be using it from now on."
"But let me finish first... where was I? Ahem…"
"In front of you lies the All_Purpose Multi-Tool, and as its name indicates, it possesses the means to carry out plenty of tasks ranging from data gathering to even long-range communication."
"Explaining how it does it… is another story altogether. You're better off asking him than me. Take it like your butler, you ask it to do something and it'll do… as long as it's not anything physical."
"At the same time, this is only an extension of the machine itself, which limits its functions greatly… but I can't show the rest right now because of some issues."
"Okayyyy… I'm still confused, but go on."
He let her hold the controller and gently guided her to point it at the wall, "Open a display board, three by one meter."
[Displaying]
/Fuon!/
"!"
A blue hologram similar to the status screen appeared on the wall, "This is MT's interface. That's how you see what it does. Otherwise, you'd have to rely on your ears and listen."
"MT is a pretty intelligent and resourceful friend. You give it an order, and it'll try to do it, simple. Not much else to it."
"So it's a golem?" She asked as she tried to rationalize it
Philip crossed his arms as he tapped his foot on the ground, "Uh... kind of... like ... a very rough comparison. It is correct to assume that MT is not a living being… it is right to say that its akin to a golem in its nature, but it's a highly intelligent one."
"This controller can't do much on itself… and MT as a whole is not a golem that can haul and do physical tasks around the place… that said, MT is much more sensitive than a Golem and much harder to repair as well, but the tasks it can perform are far grander."
He tapped her hands, "So in the future, whenever you give it an order, don't be cheeky. MT tries to solve issues mathematically and within reason."
"It can help you go through emotional and psychological issues, but it won't be able to assist you in solving the meaning of life, much less help you solve a never-finished magical theorem on a whim."
"MT is a living library… golem. You should talk to it as if you were talking with a sentient library… or a very intelligent professor... something like that."
"Fine, I understood until there, now explain to me why I would use… MT." She asked as she looked at the controller, amused
She found it funny seeing him struggle to explain yet so interested in something… a different side of him she hadn't seen before.
"I just need to give you a warning beforehand. MT has a limit on how much it can think at once. Like putting rocks in a pond, you need to let the current carry them away or you'll end up creating a dam and clogging everything up."
"Did you understand so far?"
"Uh… I kind of, yeah. It's pretty much a golem, although I don't understand the language..."
"The language?... Oh, my bad. The text language was set as another on default."
"…"
'Another language? But I've never seen this one before… what is this?'
"MT, change the default text language to Barion."
[From now on, displayed text shall be translated to common Barion]
"Good, now that we are on the same page, allow me to show you why this is something that helps you…"
"Open the archive, and… hm… we're a bit limited on what we can do, huh." He thought as he scratched his chin
He turned to Viera and said, "Give it a question."
"About what?"
"Anything, even better if its something you are pondering about. Just like you do with your glasses, its nothing new to you, is it?"
She looked at her book, saying with a smug smile, "Hm… I'm a bit confused regarding the Preserved Dynamics of Flowing Spells… from Archmage Willow…"
[User does not possess the relevant authority]
"..."
"..."
Philip face palmed, "Cough! Of course…"
'Viera is catalogued in the system and can interact with it through her glasses, but I guess I never gave her any level of authority. This controller has limited AI functions, so this was expected.'
"Register new user…"
[Input authority level]
Philip scratched his head for a moment before saying, "Restricted to database-related directives."
[Authority set: Custom]
[Repeat password input in the original language]
"Password: Orange34."
[Confirmed, the user registry is ready to be completed]
"Also, create a separate archive for this user, just name it User 2-Viera."
'Everything will be updated once the controller is connected to the mainframe again.'
[Archive created]
With a nod, Philip turned to Viera, "Just say whatever you wish, just a disclaimer, it has to be something you can remember easily, that'll become your key to using MT."
"MT will always ask for this key, so if you forget it, only by coming to me will you be able to use it again, so be careful."
"Huh… this is getting interesting." She said with an amused smile as she tilted her head in awe
'It has a voice lock as well? How... unique.'
She cleared her throat after thinking of the perfect keyword:
"Philip is an asshole."
"..."
His expression darkened as she smiled in glee.
[Please, repeat it two more times in distinct tones to complete voice recognition]
"My pleasure!"
"…"
She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "Philip… is… an… ass… hole…" She said in a deep and slow tone but with a wide smile
[One more time]
"~Philip is… an asshole!~" She said excitedly in a higher pitch as she put her right hand in the air
[Voice recognition completed, password set, to complete registration, name this user]
"Name? Godde..."
"Lil Mage Vi, the Unwise." Philip said in a serene tone as he put his head closer to the controller
"Hey!"
[User has been named]
[Welcome, Lil Mage Vi, the Unwise]
"..."
"Heh."
While Viera frowned, Philip smiled smugly.
After thinking for some time, she had an idea, "Change… change username!"
[Insert new username]
Philip clicked his tongue as she breathed in relief. But then, Viera became embarrassed.
"Ar… Archmage Viera.
[Welcome, Archmage Viera]
"Hehe... th-thank you…"
Philip rolled his eyes as he saw the embarrassed girl talk with the machine as she waved left and right in glee.
'As long as she's happy…'
"We can play more later; let's continue."
"Interacting with MT is pretty simple, and it seems you've gotten the hang of it."
"We've returned to the start of the conversation… from here on out, you can access any of Parad's documents. Just ask."
Viera looked at the rectangular object, but she didn't quite understand how a library could fit inside it...
"How? Is there a spatial compression within it?"
"No."
"Then is it like a..."
"Whatever you are going to say... no. It's nothing like that. If you want to learn it, I could teach it to you one day... but not now."
"It's called programming. You'll get it one day... Now, open Archive, display all scanned books from the Library documents in alphabetical order."
[Processing…]
It took a few seconds for this operation, but the hologram soon changed to a long list of books.
Philip nodded, "See the grayed out ones? Those books are scanned, but they can't be viewed. This controller has limited storage, but it has the full collection of documents in my possession."
"Now, try it, give it a name… any book, I doubt it will not be here."
She looked at the list, agape, "It can not be… you're playing with me."
Her eyes sharpened as she had an idea, "... Triangular Defensive Formations by Juliurus."
'I always wanted to read this book, but there weren't that many copies of it and it was always borrowed.'
The page refreshed, showing several books with the same name, at least five books, each of a different version, from Volume 1 to 5.
Viera was shocked once more, 'A-All Volumes?! I didn't even know there were so many...'
"Py… Pyramidal constructs and Aspherical circuits by Guli!"
"..."
'What the hell is even that?...'
Once again, the page refreshed, showing two books this time.
"..."
She was speechless.
Philip tapped her shoulders with a smug smile, "I told you, MT is a multi-tool, and one of its many abilities is the capability to copy books into itself, and during my time in the Academy, I copied all the External libraries and even the Internal ones."
"This was the task I gave you. What you did that time was let MT copy the books so they could be added to this Archive… and for this very reason."
"Every single book is here without exception. If it isn't here, it is either because its very rare, or because we were unlucky. After all, there is the faint possibility that in those few weeks we were there walking around, some books could've been constantly circulating from one person to the other. Even amidst all libraries."
"And many other documents were locked away somewhere ordinary students like us couldn't access."
'Although there should be copies of those inside the Golden Ball. So I'm not lying when I say I have them all.'
"Now, reading books like this is… boring. The best way to make use of MT is to ask it to compile things, give you ideas, or even teach you the subject."
"MT is constantly learning and improving its understanding over these. After all, one thing is memorization, and the other is comprehension… even so, MT's understanding of magic… far dwarfs mine already."
"Like this…" He said as he snapped his fingers, "Formulate a learning schedule on… hum ... basic circle theory from the very beginning until the 2nd Circle."
"Be mindful that MT's knowledge may be incorrect, and the harder the task you give it is on a conceptual level, the longer it may take to finish it."
'Although MT's mainframe is intelligent enough to say that outright if a task is too difficult or still beyond its reach.'
[Processing…]
Half a minute later…
[Processing complete, you may start at any moment]
"So… so fast?" Viera asked, appalled
She tried to touch the hologram, and although her finger passed through it, she managed to open the archive, showing a very direct and efficient training method without redundancies.
"It... it is a very good tool..."
'I can understand now… why he was so excited to explain it. But...'
She gulped slightly as her expression paled, 'Just how many laws am I breaking right now?…' She thought as she turned to him, only to see his encouraging smile.
'He doesn't seem to care one bit…'
"For now… this is all I wanted to show you. In case you are confused, I am here for you; don't be too ashamed to ask me for help. I expect you to take a while understanding it, anyway."
'Even I took some time to grow used to it when I first came across this level of technology, but I eventually mastered it enough to program it. She too will master it with time, maybe even create something entirely new with its help.'
'Viera is the perfect candidate to use MT towards studying and understanding the magic world!'
"Thank you for the help... I'll uh... try to use it well."
"Despite this sounding strange, you may always ask MT about how to use it. Simply ask it for the user manual, and ill teach you everything you need to know."
"Also, I think its clear at this point, but MT is very precious. So don't leave it unattended or next to any sort of dangerous items, such as fireplaces, or magical items, especially any form of liquid; this includes humid places."
"The original mainframe of MT was made to be resistant, but it was also made with the thought that its users wouldn't be irresponsible kids. And this is just a small controller."
"Sure thing!"
'I'm getting excited... does it have... what about that one?... Can it...'
'I'm getting ahead of myself. Above all, I should be asking how he made such a thing in the first place... just what is he, truly?'
Seeing her smile, Philip shook his head, slightly accomplished and a bit less guilty.
"Lastly… MT needs a power source. The controller will eventually run out of juice, and for that, you can leave it to me."
"But until then, you have my approval… and on side note, don't try to power it under any means even if it tells you its alright... I'll teach you everything later, okay?"
"Huh… I feel like you're treating me as a kid, but I understand; this is something I'm not familiar with, so I need to be careful..." She replied as she looked at the controller
"That wasn't an okay sign to me."
"Okay! Petty bastard..."
With a faint chuckle, he walked past her, "I'll leave you to have some fun…"
'She seems to be eager to try it out. I was going to share with her what happened for me to collapse like I did with Laplabe… but its best not to remind her of that right now.'
He stepped away, but his expression suddenly sharpened.
"MT! Take a selfie of Viera and use it as the background of her archive, now!"
"Wha...?"
/SNAP!/
"!"
Suddenly, a large hologram of her face appeared in front of Viera.
And she saw her horrible expression in beautiful 64K...
"You... how ... how do I erase this from existence?" She said as her facial expression twisted
[To delete this photo, Admin authority is required]
"Admin? What does that mean? Philip?..."
But he wasn't there anymore.
"#!!"
"Philip!"
Her cries were answered with silence, and now, she would have to stare at her face until she found out how to change her archive background... whatever that was.
As for the man himself, he was already outside of the manor, opening the gates with a calm gaze.
"Alright, that's done."
Time to search for a certain Dwarf.
"We're leaving already? It hasn't even been an hour since you woke up." Laplabe whispered in his ear through a hidden tube under his suit, displaying his concern
"You know how they say… there's no rest for the wicked."
"Ohhh... I see why you don't sleep now. I am enlightened."
"#!! It's a figure of speech… whatever. We aren't going far."
'It's just a small search… but I have to start somewhere. At least get an idea of the scope of this mission.'
Laplabe added, "We should stop by that cookie shop mentioned in the pamphlets later, then."
"Why?"
"Because while you were unconscious, that little girl came to your room several times, complaining out loud about the many promises you had broken, and that she really wanted to go eat them or something."
"…"
"And if I know anything about human women, is that they get really angry if you say something like that and don't do it. One of the principal's disciples…"
As Laplabe went on about a story from the past, Philip went down the road.
...
[Calculating parameters...]
...
.
.
.
Notes
Thanks for the wait! We'll resume the plot from now on!
Peace!