To The Capital!
"What's up with you three?" Accelerator asked casually
"How can you be so casual like that?! This is the duke's daughter, you know!" Elze said in a low voice, surprised at how calm Accelerator is acting in front of someone who's very important.
"...D-Duke is... the highest social rank that can be bestowed... Unlike the other titles, duke is usually only given to members of the royal family..." Linze followed with a better explanation.
'The royal family... Huh?'
"Yes indeed! My father is Duke Alfred Urnes Ortlinde, younger brother of His Majesty the King!" The girl said proudly towards the group
"So, I guess that makes you the king's niece." Replied Accelerator calmly.
"...You do not seem surprised. You must be quite the accomplished person yourself, Accelerator."
"Huh?" Accelerator turned around to find the twins and samurai girl down on both knees, bowing their heads to the ground.
'Are they really that big of a deal?'
"I am Sushie Urnea Ortlinde, you may call me Sue. We're in no formal setting, so you needn't bow. You needn't speak formally, either. As I said before, I owe you my life. If anything, I should be the one to bow my head. All of you, please rise."
The girls stood back up and raised their heads as Sue had instructed while Accelerator just stood there staring blankly. Although some of the tension in the air had been relieved, the girls still held stiff expressions on their faces.
"So, what's the daughter of the duke doing in a place like this?" being the only calm one, Accelerator decides to ask a question.
"We were on the way back from grandmother's place... on my mother's side. There was a matter we were looking into, you see. We stayed for a month, and were traveling back to the capital."
"And then you were attacked all the way out here... Doesn't really sound like it was just any old group of thieves that attacked you." Elze seemed to have calmed down enough to join the conversation.
'It obviously wasn't. Regular thieves wouldn't be using summoning magic and hordes of Lizardmen, this had to be either an assassination or a kidnapping plan. Every Villain want's power, usually they'll do whatever it takes to get that power."
"Well, the assailant is dead now. We have no way of knowing who he was or upon whose orders he was acting." Accelerator said calmly.
"I do apologize, I do..." Yae hung her head despondently. It was her who beheaded the man after all.
"Don't apologize, you did what you think was for the best. If you wanted to be stronger then you shouldn't be having doubts or regrets"Accelerator surprisingly said these words, the girls were stunned because of his response. Usually he would've just cared less or worse, would've yelled if one of them did something wrong, calling them idiots etc.
"Such kind words... Then, I will no longer hesitate for the next time, I will not!" Yae thanked Accelerator as she had gained more confidence, while seemingly trying to hide her flustered face.
"There's plenty of ways to find an answer, what's important is that we've dealt with this punk and is best that we end it. Who knows what would happen if we had spared him, he might escape and be even more trouble in the future."
"Yes, you're right!" Linze seems to agree to Accelerator.
"Well then, Sushi— er, Sue. What do you plan to do next?" This time, Elze decides to ask the daughter of the duke.
"Regarding that matter..." Leim, who had retreated to somewhere nearby, spoke up in an apologetic tone.
"Over half of the guards have been felled, and if we are attacked again, I fear we may not be able to keep the young miss safe. Would you consider lending us your services as bodyguards? I shall see to it that you are paid adequately as soon as we reach the capital safely. Will you assist us?"
"Bodyguard work, eh..." Accelerator thought about it for a bit, he never really liked being ordered around and it might be even more troublesome if they were to run into more assassins. But thinking about it again, he thought it'd be less boring and getting paid by doing so doesn't seem like a bad idea.
"Sounds fine, right? I mean, we were going that way anyways," Elze stated plainly.
"I don't mind at all." Linze followed suit.
"I am already but a passenger, so I shall leave the decision to you, Accelerator-dono." Seemed like they were all in agreement.
"Hmm, very well. We'll take the job then"
"Indeed! We shall place ourselves in your capable hands!" Sue's face broke out into a broad smile.
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Both of the vehicles carried on. The old wagon trailed along behind Sue's carriage, and out in front of both were two soldiers on horses, leading the way.
The remaining soldier had taken their horses and rode off ahead to deliver a letter that Sue had written explaining the situation to the duke's family.
Accelerator rode along in the carriage as Sue's personal bodyguard. Seeing how he was the one who could hold himself against the hordes of Lizardmen without even trying. It was decided that it was the best possible position for him, Accelerator didn't really care where he'd be place in the first place.
There he sat in a completely unfamiliar high-class seat, and directly in front of him, sat Sue and Leim by her side.
"Now if you put this formula here, you'll be able to solve this problem see?"
"Eh? I see…"
Since there was nothing else to do, Accelerator was helping out Sue with her math homework. Accelerator was surprised enough that even math exists here, but he wasn't surprised that there weren't any complex math. What bothered him the most was the amount of unnecessary formulas this world had, so he decides to teach the girl a thing or two about quick math and fast calculations. Luckily, Sue is a fast learner so Accelerator didn't have to repeat any of his words.
"Ooh! Amazing! Doing it this way is a lot easier, you're really smart Accelerator!" Having finished her mountain of homework, Sue smiled brightly at him. She didn't think that her math homework would finish this quickly.
"It's not that big of a deal, I use to deal with even more complex math than these in a regular basis" Accelerator took a sip of coffee that was prepared for him, the fancy carriage seems to really have everything.
"Eh? Show me!"
"You'll regret it"
Seeing that Sue is so persistent in wanting to know more about math, Accelerator decides to show her anyway. He thought her about the basics of calculus but she then ended up wanting to puke so they dropped it at that. Sue then later continued doing her other homework that's not really science related, it's basically about social knowledge and history. Being the daughter of a duke, she really has tons of things to study. Before, it was Accelerator who thought her about math and science. But now it's her turn to teach Accelerator the basic knowledge of this worlds society, economics, and history. The two became really engrossed with learning that they forgot, hours had already passed. Leim on the other hand, could only smile seeing the young miss be this energetic and happy with learning new things and teaching her knowledge to others as well, she had raised her very well.
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"Ooh, we're almost there! It's the capital!" Sue let out a shout as she peeked her head through the window. Accelerator looked outside as well. In the distance, there's a white castle surrounded by tall walls, framed by a large waterfall behind it.
"The Royal Capital, Alephis. Located on the bank of Lake Palette, a large body of water that formed at the base of the waterfall, it was also known as the Lake Capital.
Situated on the western part of the continent, the Kingdom of Belfast had a comfortable climate. That, plus the fair rule of the reigning king made it a relatively peaceful country. The silk goods made in the Killua region of Belfast were renowned as some of the highest quality in the world. They were light and soft, sturdy, and beautiful. The goods were popular among nobles and even the royal families of other countries, so the business was the pride of the kingdom, and supposedly an indispensable source of income." Accelerator calmly repeated what he had learned in his free time with Sue inside the carriage.
"Wow, you really have a good memory!" Sue praised him, she was surprised at how fast Accelerator could learn things.
Meanwhile, at the girls carriage. As they grew closer and closer to the capital, the girls were shocked at the sheer size of the castle's walls. It was very much like an iron fortress designed to keep any enemy out.
Several soldiers were conducting inspections at the city gates before allowing people passage into the capital. However, Accelerator and the others were allowed through as soon as the guard caught a glimpse of Sue and Leim's faces. Seemed they were pretty well known around those parts. No doubt the duke's family crest on the side of the carriage played a part as well.
The carriage continued straight on toward the castle, crossing a stone bridge which spanned a large river below along the way. There was another checkpoint in the middle of the bridge, but the group just rolled right on through once more.
"Beyond this point is the nobles' residential district." Accelerator took a sip of his coffee while nodding to Leim's explanation. The capital is divided into two areas: the commoner district, and the noble district. Which meant the place they just left was the commoner district.
They traveled through a street filled with rows of beautiful buildings and arrived in front of a massive mansion. The walls around there were huge. When they finally pulled up in front of the entrance, five, then six soldiers slowly opened the very large, presumably heavy doors. Only now that they were directly in front of it did Accelerator recognize the crest on the door as being the same one on the side of the carriage."
'So this is the duke's estate…'
The carriage pulled up in front of the foyer, and Sue swung the door open with great gusto.
"Welcome back, young miss!"
"Why thank you!" A wall of maids appeared and bowed their heads in unison.
Accelerator simply walked out of the carriage with Leim following behind. At this point, although feeling out of place, the girls decided to step out as well. Following Accelerator and the others. When they stepped into the foyer, a man came running down the red-carpeted staircase in front of them.
"Sue!"
"Father!" Sue made a beeline for the man and jumped up to embrace him.
"Thank goodness... Thank goodness you're safe!"
"I am fine, father. Did I not write as such in my letter?"
"When that letter arrived, it felt as though my heart had stopped in my chest..."
The man was Sue's father. He was Duke Alfred Ortlinde, brother to the king. He had a head of blond hair, and a strong body that told of his good health at a glance. But despite his sturdiness, he had a gentle face which made him appear to be nothing but kind.
Eventually, the duke parted from his embrace with Sue and made his way over to Accelerator and the others.
"...You must be the adventurers who saved my daughter. You have my sincerest gratitude. Truly, thank you so much for all your help." The girls were surprised since, the duke approached them only to bow his head. The king's brother was bowing before them.
"Please, there's no need to bow your head. We only did what anyone would do in that situation!" Elze said while still trying to be polite.
"I see. You're quite the modest one, aren't you? Nevertheless, you have my gratitude." After he finished speaking, the duke put up his hand and shook hands with everyone. Accelerator decides to go along with it this time.
"No doubt you know already, but allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Alfred Urnes Ortlinde." After that, Accelerator and the others introduced themselves as well.
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"I see... So you came to the capital on a guild request to deliver a letter?"
They sat out on the second floor terrace overlooking the garden while enjoying a cup of tea. The maids had brought Accelerator a cup of black coffee with no sugar just as Leim instructed. Though the only ones actually enjoying their tea was the duke himself, the other three were all tense and sat like planks of wood. Accelerator on the other hand, didn't really cared about the conversation so he decides to let the girls do the talking while he sat there enjoying his coffee.
"If you hadn't accepted that request, Sue might very well have been kidnapped or murdered right about now... I'm thankful to whoever asked you to come out here." Looking back at it, it was Accelerator who insisted them to go take the quest. The girls could only sit there dumbfounded so Accelerator decides to talk a little bit to ease up the tension.
"Do you have any idea who could've been behind the attack?"
"I almost wish I could say that I didn't... But considering my position, I'm sure there's no end of sordid individuals who see me as a bother. There may even be some amongst the nobles who would seek to kidnap my daughter and use her as leverage against me to make me dance to their every whim." The duke made a bitter face and sipped from his tea as he said that.
"I'm back, Father. Sorry for the wait." Sue came out on to the terrace. She wore a dress with pale pink frills, and in her hair was a headband fitted with a matching pale pink rose.
"Did you talk with Ellen?"
"I did, yes. I kept quiet about having been attacked, however. I did not wish to worry her." Sue came out and sat herself down next to the duke. Leim came out not a moment later carrying more tea and a cup of coffee with him.
"Ellen?" Accelerator asked.
"Yes, that would be my wife. I'm sorry she couldn't come out to meet you, even though you came to our daughter's rescue... She's quite terribly blind, you see."
"Your wife is blind, is she?" Yae spoke up, a heavy heart clearly behind her words.
"She came down with an illness five years ago... They managed to save her life, but not her vision." The duke let his gaze drop as he spoke his sad tale. Sue noticed, and placed her hand on top of his. She must have been concerned for her father.
"...D-Did you try treating it with magic?"
"I called out to practitioners of Healing magic throughout the land, but... it was no use. They said that if it had been caused by a physical injury, then magic might have helped to some degree, but that it would have no effect on the after-effects of an illness." The duke listlessly answered Linze's question.
"If only grandfather were still alive..." Sue whispered in a small, regretful voice."
"My wife's father... Sue's grandfather, that is, my father-in-law could use a very special kind of magic. He was able to cure any abnormality within the body. The reason Sue originally left on a journey was to find out more about his magic and try and find a way to recreate it."
"If we had grandfather's magic, we would be able to heal mother's eyes. Even if we couldn't use that magic, there was the possibility that knowing more about it would have allowed us to substitute it with a spell from a different school of magic. That was what I heard from the court magician, at least. Else we could try to find someone who could use the same magic as grandfather..." Sue clenched her fist in frustration.
"She said that the possibility of that was very low indeed, Sue. Non-elemental magic is primarily personalized magic. There are almost no two people who can use the exact same non-elemental spell as each other. But I'm sure there must be someone out there who can use a similar spell. I'll definitely find that person, one way or another..."
"AAAAH!" "AAAAH!" "AAAAH!" The three girls sitting beside Accelerator suddenly leaped out of their seats and let out some seriously loud noises. Accelerator was startled a bit.
"What the heck is wrong with you three!?" he barked at the girls.
"It's A-kun!"
"Accel-sama, that's you!"
"Accelerator-dono, that must be you, it must!"
"What are you talking about?" The girls fired out their fingers at him in rapid succession.
'Oi oi seriously what the heck is with you guys? Did all that tension go to your heads and make you snap? Look, the duke and his daughter are pulling away, too. You're freaking everyone out here!'
"You might be able to use that spell!" Elze exclaimed.
"Non-elemental magic is primarily personalized magic... meaning no two people can use the exact same spell. Except...!"
"You once said that as long as you know how it works, you can use any kind of spell, can you not?!"
'So that's what they're getting at…'
"Whatever... are you talking about...? Do you mean that you can...?"
"Accelerator! Can you really cure my mother?!" Sue exclaimed. The duke looked at him with an expression of sheer bewilderment on his face. Meanwhile, Sue was clinging to his arm like she was never going to let go. Accelerator sighed.
"It's not that simple. My ability is called Vector manipulation, meaning that I can control anything that has both magnitude and direction. Almost everything in this world can be expressed as a Vector, and I can freely control it as long as I know the laws. That's how I was able to replicate healing magic and other spells. But to replicate a non-elemental spell, I would need more knowledge of this" After he said that, Everyone's face of excitement soon turn into disbelief.
"You mean you can't?" Sue was gripping to his arm even tighter than ever, she was almost about to cry. Seeing this, Accelerator let out another long sigh.
"But that doesn't mean I can't try…"
And that's about it for this chapter! Sorry for such a cliffhanger :p I'm honestly still thinking how on earth can Accelerator replicate null magic, I mean I haven't made him able to use Gate since it's most likely impossible. We'll just have to see how it turns out on the next chapter then! I hope you enjoyed this one even if it is short, I'll try to post the next one as soon as possible. Please comment on what you think about this story and as always, see you on the next chapter!