Welcome back, my dear readers! I'm sorry for my longer-than-expected absence, and I have returned with the latest chapter, which I hope should serve as a good amount of foreshadowing and world-building for the future of this storyline.
I'll go into more detail about why it took so long to get this chapter in the commentary section, as some important things came up in my personal life that might affect my current writing schedule.
Other than that, please enjoy the new chapter!
In Another World With My Smartphone: The Lost Hero
Chapter Eleven: Echoes
"What is history? An echo of the past in the future; a reflex from the future on the past."
-Victor Hugo
Alex blinked in disbelief at the sight before him.
As a nude, Linze and Elze were both on top of him with a strange sparkly mist that seemed to cover their more tantalizing features conveniently (if not frustratingly). Both ladies had sultry smiles and light blushes that were accented by the thinnest hints of mascara and eyeliner that only further appealed to the young's man senses.
The young man tried to speak but found his tongue tied by the sight that was simultaneously both welcoming and confusing.
"Good morning, love," spoke Elze with a breathless voice as she leaned ever closer to the lad.
"About time you woke up to enjoy us," Linze whispered as her hand moved under his shirt. The freaky part was that he could feel that, which further convinced the lad this wasn't just a dream. "We've been waiting for you to finally take us for days."
'Wha...wha...wha...' Every time Alex tried to speak, his voice would fail and would simply stammer with a mixture of increasing excitement.
As confused as he was, the fact that the girls seemed to actually be into him was more than welcomed. Their actions and attitudes confirming the consent he had been seeking and finding that both of them seemed willing to share him was just the icing on the cake!
Yet, why wouldn't his body cooperate?!
"I guess the only real question is, which of us do you want first?"
Alex, however, for how little he could control his body at the moment, suddenly froze at the question.
On the one hand, Linze was much easier on the eyes thanks to her buxom chest and wide hips that gave an appealing figure. At the same time, her typically shy demeanor was downright irresistible at times. On the other hand, there was something about taming a Tsundere with a rather toned body. The lad knew the elder twin had the legs and ass for days thanks to all of her workouts was appealing in a part of his brain that even surprised him. In addition to all those facts was the detail that he was a sucker for girls with long, silky hair. Considering that each girl had their personal appeal to the young man, it was pretty damn hard to pick.
"Isn't the answer simple, sister? We'll just share him!"
'WHAT?!'
Alex quickly snapped out of his thought as the twins went from looking at each other in silent debate to looking back at him with a hungry look. For some reason, however, Alex no longer felt excitement. No, instead, he felt a chill run down his spine as those stares, those smiles, slowly turned feral. Their bright emerald eyes suddenly turned bloody red.
The two leaped at him, and then everything went black.
"Seek the King...Seek the links to the past...Conqueror thyself... And maybe...you can break this curse..."
"Gah!"
Alex's eyes snapped open as he found himself staring at the ceiling of his room in a cold sweat, and he wasn't the only one. The young man shot straight up only to find Elze already sitting up, breathing just as hard while gripping the sheets like her life depended on it. It seemed like she didn't notice that he had also woken up.
"Elze?" Alex managed to croak out after being able to quickly steady his breathing as the echoes of that mysterious voice rang through his mind. Yet, he set those concerns aside to focus on the girl, who had quickly turned around upon being addressed. The young man almost recoiled when she saw the girl's eyes look red, only for the boy to blink and realize that only the rim of her eyes was red, while her sea-green eyes were swimming with fresh tears that ran down her soft cheeks. "Are you ok-OOF!"
"I...I'm sorry..." Elze breathed out as she cried into his chest again. "I...I had a nightmare...You...never...woke...up..."
"Elze," Alex whispered warmly as he gingerly wrapped his arms around the girl after a moment of hesitation. "I'm fine...It was a dream. Just that...a dream. You can see that I'm awake right now, right?"
"I...I...know..."Elze said between soft sobs. "It's just...it felt so...real...There was a funeral...and Linze...she..."
Alex could feel a gnawing sense of guilt in his heart while another chill ran down his spine as he held the crying girl in his arms. Trying to comfort her after his rather lusty dream turned nightmare still fresh in his mind made it a little tricky to focus, considering how close their bodies were. The last thing he wanted to do was to seem like he was taking advantage of the girl in such a vulnerable state. He kept his hands strictly on her back. At the same time, his mind split its focus between listening to her and making sure he didn't accidentally get an erection at this sensitive moment.
"Hey...hey," Alex said with a slight shake. "None of that. Elze. Look...I...I...said before that I'll do my best to be more careful. I couldn't promise that such a thing would never happen again."
"I know...it's just..." Elze spoke up as she looked up to face him.
"I did swear that I would work on reducing the chance of such a thing happening," Alex reminded her warmly. "I've been rethinking my fighting style since I woke up. Even if I can fix my steelwood staff with Modeling, I won't use it anymore for our jobs."
"Or maybe you such just stop rushing into things, dummy..." Elze interjected with a wobbly smile.
"Depends on the situation," Alex answered back with a chuckle. "Especially in the ones when every second could mean the difference between life and death."
"I suppose that's fair..." Elze responded as she laid her head back down on his chest. Meanwhile, Alex slowly adjusted his arm to brush her long, soft hair. Elze sighed with approval as he continued gently running his fingers through her lavender locks. At the same time, her soft, warm body soothed his clammy cold frame, allowing the two to relax in the comfort of each other arms. Much like he had done with Linze yesterday. "You wouldn't...be you...if you...completely...stopped..."
The next thing Alex knew, Elze returned to sleep with a much more peaceful expression. Alex breathed a sigh of relief as he carefully laid her back in bed. However, she maintained that firm grip on his body, forcing the young man to lie on his side facing her.
'You know, Tsundere attitude aside, Elze is actually pretty cute,' Alex thought as he relaxed and let Elze continue sleeping. He could tell from the edges of the curtains that it was still early in the morning, and he was unwilling to risk waking the girl up again just to check the time on his phone. Unfortunately, Alex found himself restless and full of energy between not wanting to go back to sleep thanks to his good dream turned nightmare and being in bed for the last two days.
'Damn...I haven't felt like this in a long time...Is this me at 100%, mana? If so...hot damn! I feel great! I feel like I could do the workout of a lifetime! But I don't want to wake Elze up yet...it's still too early, and I want to keep seeing her cute face. So let's do the next best thing...plan what to do next...'
Over the next hour or so, Alex took the time to take a page out of Eraserhead's book. After one particularly long stakeout mission, Alex had learned to kill his boredom by mentally reviewing essential things.
'Seek the King...' Alex mentally recited the words from that mysterious voice. 'Well, since I'm taking the job from the Duke. I'll likely meet his brother, the King of Belfast, soon. But is he the King I'm supposed to seek? What about the links to the past? What the hell does that mean? Maybe I should ask Linze if I could borrow some of her history books? I might find a clue there.'
Once Alex was settled on his plans for the future, he turned to the second concern on his mind. In this case, after his second possible brush with death, as he had said to Elze earlier. Alex knew that he had to change up his combat style. His current one wasn't cutting it; it needed something that could blend with his magical abilities without overtly relying on them. Just like his old combat style that relied on his Quirk...he also had access to non-lethal guns courtesy of his homeroom teacher, Snipe: the gunslinger hero, and his firearms training from his uncle Barry, a retired Green Beret.
'I need guns...' Alex finally concluded with a frown.
Firearms, the ultimate equalizer, and even in the world of Quirks, guns continued their advance to better counter new and old threats. While Alex personally hadn't seen any hints of firearms being used in this world, likely thanks to things like magic being used as a substitute in this world's tech tree. That said, he knew firearms weren't out of the realm of possibility, especially with his training, knowledge, materials, modeling spell, and designs he could access with his phone. With enough time, the American could have various guns for different situations as needed. Rifles, shotguns, and handguns combine the first two with a bayonet, and with his magic; he should be able to cover almost any situation imaginable.
'But once I do that...the world will change forever,' Alex thought as he took a deep breath.
Given what he had learned from Alfred and Linze, war was just as common as in his old world. Introducing guns could easily make things worse, even if he never shared the designs. Alex knew once they were seen in action, that could be more than enough for particularly industrious and clever individuals to begin experimenting and creating their own firearms. Then again, God gave him free rein to do as he pleased, and Alex was more than willing to exercise that right if it meant avoiding any more near-death experiences.
'I'm going to need wood, iron -or steel if I manage, and a bunch of other ingredients to make gunpowder. Now that I think about it, I'll also need brass to make the bullet cases, lead for the bullets, and... a lot of shit for the primers. Once I have everything, I could make a reloading bench for the assembly. Speaking of which...it will probably be a good idea to make this outside of town in case something goes wrong...'
Alex didn't realize how much time had passed in his mind by the time Elze eventually woke up again on her own.
"Morning, Elze," Alex promptly greeted the lass as she rubbed the grime from her eyes.
"Morn'" Elze managed with a long yawn. "You're already awake?"
"I never went back to sleep," Alex answered with a wide grin. "I'm pretty sure I'm back to having a full mana pool again."
"T-then, why didn't you wake me up?" Elze spoke up as a faint blush formed on her face.
"Well...I didn't want to interrupt," Alex answered honestly with that same grin. "A cute girl like you needs her beauty sleep, after all."
"Oh, shut up," said Elze as she quickly turned around to avoid him seeing her tomato-red face. "You don't have to lie to my face like that..."
"What was that?" Alex asked hesitantly.
"Nothing!" Elze deflected as she hopped out of bed, still avoiding looking at the young man. "I'm going to go get ready! You should hurry and get ready too!"
"Hey, wait, Elze!" Alex called out as he leaped out of bed to stop her before she left the room.
"What!?" Said Elze as she suddenly rounded on the lad. Alex, who hadn't been expecting Elze to move like that, had managed to stop himself from crashing into her.
"Are you okay?" Alex questioned with a more concerned tone. "From last night, I mean...Do you feel better now?"
There was a long pause as Alex waited for a response; thankfully, to his relief, Alex heard the girl let out a long sigh.
"Yeah..."Elze breathed as she turned to look at him, now that her blush had mainly disappeared. "Umm...Alex?"
"Yeah?"
"Could you keep what happened last night...between us? I...I...don't want to worry, Linze..."
"Yeah," Alex followed up with a nod. "Of course, between us."
"Thanks," said Elze with a small but sweet smile that made Alex's heart skip a beat. "So...should we still get ready to move out?"
"Well, Duke wanted to see us before we left. But, yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Alex answered with another nod before he remembered what he had been thinking before Elze had woken up. "Actually, there were a couple of things I wanted to run by you first."
"What is it?" Elze asked curiously.
"So, it's like this..."
Morning came with little fanfare as the Ortlinde household began to settle back into a more typical routine, as today would be the day their unexpected guests would depart to continue their journey. Breakfast came and went quickly, as the party was eager to get back on the road and spend the day at Capital. The Duke had proven to be very generous with their reward for saving Sushie and healing his wife, forty platinum pieces and four medals that would allow them to bypass most of the checkpoints throughout the Kingdom, allowing them to avoid tolls. That being said, the party would split up when it was almost time to go. Elze and Yae would stay at the Duke's manor to check over the cart. While Linze and Alex would return to Reflet using Gate to complete their mission and get their reward, the latter had other plans with the tailor unknown to the rest of the group.
"While I am relieved to see that Alex is up and about," said Yae with a concerned expression as she got to work with the horses in the stable. "Was it truly a wise idea for him to use magic so soon after his recovery?"
"I understand how you feel, Yae," Elze followed up as she began looking over the cart, which had been reinforced by one of the Duke's craftsmen to fix up the issues left over from Alex's rushed repair job. "But Linze is with him, and he should test it now rather than during an emergency and discover that something went wrong with his recovery. "
"A fair concern, especially after being caught off guard in Amanesque," said Yae as she began feeding the horses.
"I think we all learned a valuable lesson after that disaster," Elze admitted with a long frown. Almost everything about this seemingly simple quest had gone south after their stay in Amanesque. While plenty of good came from it, the party was determined to be better prepared for the next time things go beyond the pale. Yet, Elze still managed to smile as this ordeal brought them all closer. "At least we'll be better prepared; plus, we have you now, Yae."
"I am...glad that you've been so welcoming to me," Yae said with a slight blush as she was reminded of her somewhat troubled conversation with the older Silhoueska twin. "Especially after..."
"Oh, Yae, we've already passed all that," Elze interrupted as she was determined to let go of the past and start fresh. "You're one of us now, and that's all that matters."
"T-thank you..."
"Welp, everything looks good here," Elze declared proudly as she finished checking that everything was ship shape. "We should be able to make it home without any issues."
"That is good to hear," said Yae quietly as she finished feeding the horses and began brushing their manes. "I look forward to seeing Reflet for myself."
"It's a nice, quiet place," Elze answered as she propped up the canopy. "It's a little boring, but it feels like home."
"Ah, yes," Yae responded, continuing her work with the horses. "You mentioned before that the two of you had lived on a farm in the Refreese Imperium before coming here, correct?"
"Yep," said Elze from behind the cart. "The town we lived in was much smaller than Reflet. It was the type of place where everyone knew everyone, and the community was very tight-knit."
"Do you mind if I ask why you left?" Yae questioned cautiously, though the swordswoman flinched when she heard Elze sigh.
"There are many reasons why we left home," Elze finally answered after a long pregnant pause.
"But I think the main reason was that we didn't have much choice. While we helped out around the farm, money was always tight. And considering how many mouths our aunt and uncle had to feed before taking us in. The only real options we had were leaving or...getting married off to one of the other farming families."
"I see...I am so sorry for prying," said Yae with a guilty frown.
"It's okay," Elze responded, sounding happier as they left the topic behind. "While we do miss home from time to time, we don't regret leaving. Though I do wish we could check up on them from time to time but sending a courier that far would be expensive. All we could leave do is hope that things are getting better back home."
"Maybe you could ask Alex to take you back for a visit using Gate?"
"Unfortunately, he can't; Alex has never been to the Imperium. So using Gate wouldn't work," Elze replied casually as she tightened the cart's canopy. "Maybe one day we might get a quest that will have us go there. But until then, there is no sense in worrying about things I can't control."
"I understand all too well. I have to do the same, considering how far I am from Eashen," Yae nodded as she grabbed the horses' harnesses from the corner of the stable and began attaching them. "I pray often for the continued good health and fortune of the family I left behind."
"We're back!"
The two girls stopped as the stable doors opened to reveal Alex and Linze entering with smiles on their faces.
"Welcome back!" Yae greeted them with a smile.
"Everything go alright?" Elze questioned as she peeked from behind the canopy.
"Yep!" Alex answered with a laugh as he handed Yae a leather pouch with his share of the quest reward as they had all agreed to do. "Though we nearly gave Zanac a heart attack when we showed up unannounced in the middle of his shop."
"I felt a little bad for scaring him," Linze followed up with a nervous giggle as she handed her sister her share of the reward and her guild card. "But he was quite forgiving when we gave him the Viscount's response so quickly."
"Well, all's well that ends well, I suppose," said Elze with a shrug as she finished up with the canopy. "Are we all ready to go?"
"As soon as we get the horses latched to the cart," said Yae as she guided the horses towards them. Meanwhile, Alex was busy opening the stable's doors to allow them to leave. Once everything was set and everyone hopped on board, the Eashen Swordswoman took up the reigns to start the next part of their journey. "Alright! It let us depart! Hi-yah!"
"I'm not going to lie. I'm going to miss being in that house," Elze sighed as she looked at the Duke's manor with longing eyes. "There was something so nice being tended to hand and foot."
"I know what you mean," said Linze with a slight groan as she leaned against her seat.
'Given that they grew up as simple farm girls, I can't blame them for enjoying the royal treatment,' Alex thought as he kept silent. As the carriage turned alongside the Duke's manor, they were surprised to see that an honor guard had formed up on the main path to the entrance. 'Holy crap...they really rolled out the red carpet for our exit.'
At the doorway stood the Duke, his wife, and Sushie, alongside several of their most trusted servants, waving their farewells as the party passed. The leading guard began barking out commands as the cart merged with the main road.
"Present, ARMS!"
The two rows of guards instinctively raised their weapons in salute as the party's carriage passed them. While honored by the gesture, everyone at the party agreed it seemed like a little much. Nonetheless, the party was glad to finally continue their journey despite enjoying the Duke's hospitality.
Now, all they wanted to do was enjoy the sights and splendor of the Capital.
Lucius Medius let a long yawn as he read his young brother's letter on some of the latest developments in the Alchemist's Union in the Imperium. The two brothers had dedicated their lives to the noble pursuit of science and magic to further mankind's progress. Unfortunately, funds were often in desperate need to advance these noble goals. Hence, Lucius and Remus each opened up a humble little shop, one in Belfast and the second in the Imperium; both would be called: The links to the Past.
It was the perfect place for the budding apprentice to begin their practice as the store was stocked with many essential alchemy ingredients, instruments, and tomes. Sure, most apprentices studied under the big names in the field who often preferred stores that were leagues above like those found in the noble distinct that featured a wider variety of ingredients and the best instruments money could buy. Sure, most modern-day Alchemists turned their noses as they ignored the key fundamentals needed to open up one's mind to understand the basics in the art of alchemy. Sure, he had been denied several loans to try and expand his shop, but he was determined to prove that you can make big by focusing on the basics!
At least, that's what Lucius always told himself during these long days with barely any customers.
Little did he know how his life was about to be turned upside-down when the door suddenly opened, and two strange individuals entered. A young man with a plain face but sharp blue eyes and brown hair. The second was a young woman with far eastern features, long dark flowing hair, and a strange pink and blue garb accented by two long swords. Both spoke softly in an unfamiliar tongue as they reviewed the contents on the shelf. Lucius quickly stood up and greeted this potential customer with as much false enthusiasm as needed.
It totally wasn't because he was desperate for business; whatever could have given you that idea?
"Welcome, welcome, my young friends!" Lucius called out to the two, who turned their attention to him. "How can I assist you today? Ingredients? Oils? Fragrances? Healing salves? Instruments? Tomes? Just ask for whatever you might need!"
"We're just looking right now," the young man responded in Common politely. "But I will have some questions for you in just a moment."
"Of course! Please, take your time," Lucius answered with a deep bow at the counter while internally cringing at his sale pitch. Still, thankfully, these potential customers didn't seem to mind.
In fact, despite simply looking around, Lucius could see the young man's eyes were quickly darting about, scanning every inch of his store and judging from the tone of the conversation he was having with the young woman. He likely answered several of the girl's curious questions as she pointed at the various instruments on display. The old man could see that this wasn't an ordinary youth, everything from his confident posture to those sharp eyes that contained an intelligent hunger and understanding of what he was looking at.
Upon realizing this, Lucius changed his tactics and simply waited for this strange but interesting duo to finish up. After all, it's not like he had other customers to worry about at the moment.
"Wow, you have quite the stock," the young man finally spoke up as he approached the counter while the girl was reviewing one of the books with a delighted expression.
"We do our best to be ready for any customer," Lucius answered with a slight bow. "Master?"
"Alexander Springfield, but just call me Alex," the young man introduced himself with an awkward chuckle. "Mister?"
"Lucius Medius," Lucius responded as he rose up and placed the tips of his fingers together. "Now, what do you require for your alchemical needs today?"
"I need what is on this list," said Alex as he pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to him. "I need as much you got, but I also need an equal amount of each ingredient as possible."
"Very well, let me see what we have here," Lucius answered as he drew a pair of reading glasses. The words on the parchment were a little challenging to read as the handwriting was a little rough, with more than a couple words being crossed out and rewritten after a misspelling or two. Yet, it wasn't the worse he had dealt with. It was far better than some of the handwriting of some of the district's best doctors. That being said, Lucius' eyebrows shot straight up at the second item on his list. While happy at the enthusiasm, the lad didn't seem wealthy, and some of his stock could be pretty pricey. Still, he would be willing to cut a deal if he can still turn a reasonable profit.
"I have everything save for the hard metals, iron, lead, copper, and brass," said Lucius as he set the parchment aside and pulled out his ledger to check his stock. "I only have a few samples of those materials for transmutation testing."
"That's fine," Alex asked with an understanding nod. "But could you direct me where I could buy those when I'm finished here?
"Of course, sir," Lucius answered as he began noting the amount and price of each ingredient. Doing his best to suppress a frown as the total price grew to the point of needing to pull out his abacus to calculate the final tally. Thankfully, the young man seemed more than willing to be patient as he continued muttering and adjusting his numbers. "Let's see, when it comes to an equal amount, the lowest would be 10 Stone of Sulfur. I have more of everything else."
"Alright...then how about 9 Stone of each ingredient, along with a basic measuring scale and mortar with pestle kit?" Alex questioned as he pulled out what appeared to be a modestly filled leather purse, which only made Lucius' heart sink.
"Excuse me?"
The two turned to see the young woman foreign woman had come up with the tome she was looking over.
"Yes, miss?"
"How much for this?"
"That's a copy of the Fundamentals of Alchemy, correct?"
"Just include it with my order," Alex interjected casually.
"Are you sure, Alex?" The girl questioned.
"Yep, as long as you let me borrow it occasionally," said Alex as he grinned at the girl.
"I would be glad too!" The girl chirped with excitement as she opened up the book again. "This book features some medicines found in the apothecaries back in Eashen!"
"Oh, cool!" Alex exclaimed, looking quite impressed. "So yeah, please throw the book in as well."
"Of course...sir," Lucius breathed out as he did his best to calculate the cost and hopefully make some kind of sale today.
"That comes to 42 Gold, with 8 silvers and 3 coppers," said Lucius as he suppressed the urge to hiss and managed to keep a straight face as he told them the price. He had brushed a couple of silvers and a few coppers off the actual amount. Yet, that wasn't saying much when it came to a discount. The man had to make some kind of profit, after all! However, to his surprise, not only was Alex utterly unfazed by the amount, but he was casually fishing the coins out of his wallet. Lucius thought that the young man was about to make a counteroffer for a smaller amount, at least until the young man handed him 4 large silver coins and 3 golden ones.
"This should cover it," said Alex with a casual smile.
"Are you sure you don't want me to help, Alex?"
"Nah, I'm good."
"Sir...I think there's been a mista-," Lucius initially spoke until he got a better look and realized his own error. These weren't silver coins...they were platinum coins. Unfortunately, in his haste to correct himself and apologize for his mistake, the poor man ended up choking on his own spit.
"Oh, dear!"
"Hey, you okay?!" Exclaimed Alex with a look of concern.
Thankfully, Lucius was quick to recover and regain his composure. The old man was overjoyed to have gotten such an unassuming yet wealthy customer. Once the man cleared his throat, he quickly took the money and prepared the lad's change.
Only for the young man to decline.
"Keep it," Alex requested with a playful grin, while the girl quickly said something in Eashen that made Alex nod before making her exit with the book. "In exchange for a little bit of information."
"But, of course, sir!" Lucius was quick to answer due to the young man's generosity.
"First, how long will it take you to have everything ready?"
"Barring any other customers, I should have everything ready for you within the hour."
"Good. Second, how soon can you have the same amount of those ingredients again?"
"Some ingredients like charcoal can be acquired just about anywhere, so it takes about two days to completely replenish my stock," Lucius answered honestly. "Yet, mercury and sulfur...I'd say a little over a fortnight if I place an order with my supplier by tomorrow."
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Alex nodded.
This comment made Lucius realize that the young man had purposely purchased charcoal from him at his inflated prices. Albeit, his charcoal was already made into a very fine powder, as was often needed for alchemical experiments. It likely would have been better for Alex to purchase and powder the charcoal to save himself some money.
"Alright, and next, you said you could direct me where I could buy those metals?"
"Oh! Just about every smithy in town has a steady supply of raw or even processed metals," answered Lucius as he realized there was something he could do in appreciation for such a sale.
"As a matter of fact," Lucius continued as he grabbed a piece of parchment paper from his own stock, wrote a quick note, and finally stamped it with his personal seal. "Here. There's a smithy at the far end of the Iron Distinct. It's run by a man named Sampson. Give this to him and tell him I sent you. He should be able to get you what you need at a reasonable price."
"Excellent," said Alex with a broad smile as he accepted the letter. "I'll head there right now! I'll come back later to pick up my supplies."
"Very well, sir!" Lucius said with a deep bow. "I'll ensure you have everything ready when you return!"
"I have one last question..." Alex started with a far more curious expression.
"I'll answer whatever question you have to the best of my ability," answered Lucius as he looked up at the young man.
"I'm just a little curious about the name of your shop."
"The links to the past?"
"Yeah...I just wanted to know if there was a story behind that name."
Lucius hummed for a moment; he didn't think anyone would ever care about the origin of the name of this humble establishment. But Alex had proven to be quite the unusual customer. He had no reason to hide why he and his brother had chosen that name for their humble stores.
"Are you familiar with the legends of the Parthenos Empire, my young friend?"
"I've heard the name before," Alex answered as he put his hand to his chin and recalled Linze mentioning this ancient civilization. "From what I gathered, most people seemed to believe that's either a complete myth or a legend that was blown way out of proportion."
"And what do you believe, sir?"
"That remains to be seen, based on what I can learn for myself."
'Spoken like a true alchemist,' Lucius thought with a wide smile.
"In my youth, the thousand tales of Parthenos inspired many like myself to pursue this ancient and noble art. Contrary to popular belief, there is plenty of evidence that the ancient empire did indeed exist. Ruins, preserved records, and even the Yulong Remnants in the far east serve as the best example of the collapse of the Parthenos thousands of years ago. If even a part of the tales holds true, Parthenos had advancements in culture, art, medicine, and technology that go beyond what we could only dream about! My brother and I both hold the tales dearly in our hearts. Like many alchemists, we seek to rediscover the long-lost secrets of the ancient Parthenos Empire. To link our people with the past in the hope to learn and grow our civilization to even greater heights."
"Hence the name, huh?" Alex concluded with another nod.
"Indeed," Lucius said with a sad, tired sigh. "My brother and I both believe in the importance of the fundamentals, as even Parthenos must have started from even humbler beginnings than we did. As our nations were built upon the foundations of our long-dead ancestors. We hope to teach the next generation of young budding alchemists to continue our work by using the basics as their foundation."
"That's quite the goal," Alex commented with an impressed nod.
"Alas," Lucius lamented with a nostalgic sigh. "I'm afraid I'll be long gone before we can rediscover anything truly significant of Parthenos. But as long as I know, there are others to carry on our dreams, that will be enough."
"Well, if I find anything related to Parthenos," said Alex with a small gesture. "I'll be sure to let you know, Mr. Medius."
"That is a very generous offer, my young friend," Lucius responded with a chuckle. "Thank you for humoring his old man."
"Not at all," said Alex while waving on his way out. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Medius! I'll be back soon!"
"I'll have everything ready by the time you return!"
"Thank goodness, we'll be using Gate to get back to Reflet as soon as we get back to the city limits," said Linze as she guided the carriage toward the city's main gates with the help of Alex, who had decided to try his hand at least learning how to drive the cart. The sun was setting as the party had returned from their shopping spree, which had the side-effect of loading the cart almost to the brim with their various purchases that proved to make room for a spare seat difficult for the elder Silhoueska twin and Eashen Swordswoman; the latter was still nose deep into the alchemy book.
"Did you two really have to buy so many supplies?"
"Hey, my supplies are meant to help the party in the long run!" said Alex as he quickly defended his purchases. "Ask your sister why she bought all of these extra supplies!"
"Oi! I plan to flip these back in Reflet!" Elze yelled out behind him. "I can make a pretty good profit when I'm done selling them to all the shops!"
"We've already got a ton of money!" said Linze with a groan.
"And there is nothing wrong with getting more of it outside adventuring! Come on, sis! Don't you want to get a huge manor like the one Duke Ortlinde has?!"
"Of course, I would! But that's going to take forever!"
"Only if you keep it up with that attitude!"
"The Ortlindes are members of the royal family! We're just commoners!"
"Even commoners can move up in the world! That's why we decided to leave home!"
"There's a lot that goes into having even a fraction of..."
Alex couldn't help but enjoy the banter between the twins as he could understand where both were coming from.
Despite her current status, Elze was ambitious to want to move up in the world. It reminded him of himself when he decided to try his hand at going to UA in Japan despite the odds against him since he had lived in the US all of his life. No matter how many times he had heard the naysayers talk about whether it would be someone like him to ever attend such a prestigious school, he was determined to prove them wrong at almost any cost.
Meanwhile...
Linze was practical. It's not that she knew they couldn't move up in the world! After all, why make the move if she genuinely thought it was impossible? But unlike her sister, Linze understood that Elze's dream home wasn't just a matter of money but required connections and influence to avoid the ire of the upper class, which would likely do what they could to keep commoners in their place. Considering the amount of discrimination he faced from several Japanese citizens when they discovered his ambitions shortly after arriving in the land of the rising sun. It wasn't hard to see that the goal wasn't impossible, but incredibly difficult to the point of near impossibility. To the fact that it would make the goal not worth the effort.
'Then again...I might be able to help them out depending on how far my work for the Duke pans out,' Alex thought just as the carriage arrived at the city's checkpoint.
"In the name of the King, I order you to halt and join the line to check your goods!"
"Ah, crap! Customs! I forgot about those guys!"
"Do you have the money for the tariffs, Alex, Elze?"
"Umm...maybe?"
"Yeah...depending on the percentage of the value...maybe?" Alex answered with a chuckle, much to the twin's chagrin. "But thankfully, I think we have already have the solution to our problems."
"What's that?"
"Get the medals the Duke awarded us," Alex ordered everyone. "That includes you, Yae."
"Huh? What's going on?" Asked Yae as she poked her head up from her alchemy book.
"Customs enforcement," Alex answered as they joined the long line of other transports waiting for their turn to leave once customs was through and they were finished charging those in line the appropriate tariffs. While they had managed to avoid this last time thanks to being in the company of Sushie, today, they had no such luck. Thankfully, remembering what the Duke had told them about the medals they were awarded, Alex was quick to ready his medal as the customs officers drew closer. 'Welp, let's see if the Duke meant what he said about being under his protection with these.'
"Standby to have your wagons searched and have your wares tallied for taxes due," said one of the customs officers with a practiced cadence as he marched along the line of wagons with a small squad of guards. "Any contraband found will be confiscated with a fine issued depending on amount and material. Failure to comply will be met with severe consequences."
"Evening, officer!" Alex greeted casually with a wave of his hand as the man approached while repeating his line. "While we're more than happy to cooperate with you. I have an urgent question first!"
"Questions can be answered when you reach the inspection area!" The officer answered with an annoyed look on his face.
"You sure about that?" Alex answered back with a mischievous grin as he raised up his medal.
"Sir, attempting to bribe an officer of the King's cust-"
"It's not a bribe, sir," Alex interrupted as he tossed the man the medal. "It's a message."
Alex watched with delight as the man not only caught and inspected the medal but began to pale up as he realized what it was. Instantly, the man stopped in his tracks to face them with a stiff salute. The guards following the man quickly followed the man's example after a moment of confusion.
"My apologies for the inconvenience, sir and ladies!" The officer declared with a nervous expression as he saw that everyone in the cart was also holding out the medals from the Duke. "I will make the way clear for you in just a moment! Runner!"
"Sir!"
"Run down the line and let the gate captain know to let our guests through unmolested," the officer ordered one of the lightly armored guards behind him. "I will explain everything to him in good time."
"Yes, sir!"
"Thank you, my good man!" said Alex as the officer nervously handed him back his medal. "I'll be sure to let the Duke of the good work you're doing here! Who knows? It might even reach the ears of the King!"
"Ah-ah, yes! Thank you very much, sir!" The officer followed up as he motioned them to leave the line and continue on their way. "Please have a safe journey!"
"Holy crap, I can't believe that worked!" Elze exclaimed as the cart went past the final gate. It won't be long until they could find a private spot to use Gate to get back to Reflet. "Looks like I might have a future career as a merchant if I can avoid paying the tariffs! That manor is as good as ours!"
"Well, I suppose we could finally buy our own carriage in the capital later for such endeavors," Linze followed up with a nod as the possibilities seemed endless with these medals at their disposal. "Being merchants between Guild jobs here in Belfast could actually be very profitable in the long run if we play our cards right!"
"If I might ask," Yae suddenly interjected from her cozy spot between the supplies in the cart. "Why didn't we just use Gate to leave the city instead of traveling to the outskirts to use it?"
"It's to avoid worrying people," Alex answered casually as he pocketed his medal.
"If it was just us without the cart and horses. I could use Gate discreetly in alleyways without attracting too much attention. But with the cart and horses, I have to not only make a larger gateway but hold it for much longer in an area with the space to fit it. Imagine doing that in public? I wouldn't be surprised the public began fearing for the safety and security of the city or even the nation at large if they learned that someone could open a portal to basically anywhere."
"But the Duke..."
"Even if the Duke vouchers for us, it doesn't guarantee that the public could be swayed in my favor," Alex cautioned with a long frown. "Gate is arguably the most powerful null magic spell in my arsenal; the ultimate ace in the hole I have. The less people know about it, the better."
Alex could remember countless cases of issues regarding people with warp quirks in his old world. Theft, assassinations, trafficking, jailbreaking, and numerous other crimes could be tied to those with teleportation powers. Hell, it was confirmed during the final report of the USJ invasion that the villains could only get in because someone in their ranks had a warp quirk. After that little revelation to remind him of the possible issues with using Gate without regard for people, like the rest of his null magic talents, Alex simply decided to play it safe on where and when to use Gate without attracting unnecessary attention. Much like a Pro-Hero who was permitted to use their powers while on the job, with the understanding not to abuse those powers off-duty, Alex was determined to maintain a similar philosophy.
"I understand," Yae said softly. "I apologize for my ignorance."
"There's nothing to apologize for, Yae," Alex reassured the swordswoman. "Just clearing the air of the importance of appearing like I'm following the law and not abusing my powers. Now that being said...looks like we're free and clear, so let's go home! Gate!"
Author's Commentary
So, first things first, in order of what has been causing some of the delays in my writing.
First: Overtime at my current job.
Second: I've recently decided to start a business, and I'm currently in the middle of getting things set up to begin production of several exciting projects.
Third is the near completion of my first original fantasy novel. So I've been looking to commission an artist for the cover and am currently negotiating with a few online.
Fourth is a little game called The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom, which...well, I won't lie. I'm a gamer first before anything else in my nerdom, and I've been dying to play this since it was announced.
Fifth is making further progress with the reboot of my main fic. (Which has continued to progress, and I should have an update for all of you soon. But I'm trying to do everything possible to keep any promises I actually make.)
As you can see, I've been very busy with real life.
That being said, this chapter, I shit you not, had like 8 different versions made before I settled on this one that ended up being a mishmash of the previous versions into this one that left me satisfied to use for an update.
Now for further details regarding this chapter. We've reached what I would say was the ending of the first arc of this storyline.
So I wanted to give each girl to have something new on their horizon as we start the next arc. From romance to goals, I'm beginning to ensure that the first three have something new to do when we add the rest of the harem. (The more girls get included, the more the previous one gets pushed to the side. By adding these new details, I hope to avoid these concerns and give each girl not just a dedicated specialty in combat but outside of action as well.)
You may have noticed that I did not include Arma, the fox girl demi-human who was lost in the other versions of this series. (Again, I find retreading old ground unnecessary if I can't do anything interesting with it.) But don't worry, Arma is safe, and I can say that someone else has stepped in to help her.
Who that person was will be revealed later, but I will very much enjoy writing the next arc.
I skipped the crew getting the medals and cash from the Duke because I avoided retreading the Arma scene. It slowed the pacing with very little new done to those scenes that weren't worth writing.
I'm moving up Alex getting firearms early, but because I actually give a damn about the details. Let's just say the next chapter will be a real treat for me, with many laughs planned. The alchemist I introduced was a byproduct of a previous version of this chapter that I really liked once I added a few new details and then decided to use him for foreshadowing proposes.
Initially, there was supposed to be so much more to this chapter, but it screwed with the pacing, and I decided to space out those issues in future chapters. Expect the following few chapters to be a bit of filler and time for the party to bond before we move into the next proper storyline. (But I'll be sure to make sure these chapters are more fun than anything else.)
Anyways, that should cover things for now!
Until next time!
-ZX
