With precision, Ivan forced the airship to land in an indiscreet area quite a ways from the Kingdom. Once he and the others unboarded the ship, he immediately stuffed it back inside in Treasure Trove. From here on out, they'd only have to walk for a few meters before Ivan teleported them inside the gates.
As for why he didn't just outright do it where they stood, well he felt it'd be better to lessen the cost of transportation just by approaching the target closer. When they hovered high above the Kingdom Ivan had already scoped out where they would be teleporting. As long as it was an open area with nothing crowding it there should be relatively no problems when connecting a gate between two points.
The only thing he had to take note of was the elevation. He'd never forgive himself if he somehow opened a portal that fused them with the cemented floor. The problem with teleporting into a desolate area was that they were likely to be the ire of attention when they appeared in thin air.
Gauging how many guards were in the area was troublesome to do from such a high elevation. So using his and Claire's knowledge of the Kingdom, he simply targeted the slums where he knew guards less frequented.
Cloaks, masks, they wore gear that would hide their identities. Causing a scene would be the last thing they do as they leave with the Divine Mountain's ancient magic. To get to the Divine Mountain there was only one way, using the lift that Ivan and the other heroes descended when they first appeared in this world.
As bold as Ivan was, he didn't intend on just walking through the front door unless there was no other way. The second option was flight, all they would have to do was fly to the peak of the mountains and raid the dungeon from there. While hopefully finding Aiko who he believed was captured by the Holy Church.
While he said 'all they would have to do' it was clear that flight was another less conspicuous option that would likely mean immediate resistance. Not to mention that spawning the airship would result in being bombarded with spells.
Then there was teleportation. An option Ivan didn't have much hope with. Since the Divine Mountain was considered a dungeon it would likely have spatial magic protection as did the Melusine Labyrinth. Not to mention that even if he could teleport them up there he'd need precise spatial coordinates, something not easy to get with a mountain that had a ton of peaks and ridges.
Out of these three options Ivan held much hope in just flying up there. Simply have Tio transform into a dragon during the dead of night, her scales would mask her perfectly in the darkness. If there were any barriers in the way then all Ivan would have to do was destroy them with his right hand. If she was quick enough she'd be able to transform back into her human form before anyone noticed.
Of course, he relayed this plan to her, she was a key part of it after all. Immediately she agreed.
"You have my word, please believe in my capabilities, master~! They won't have any idea what hit them!" It was a far cry from the Tio who was afraid of revealing her dragon form in fear of exposing her race's existence. So Ivan asked her if she was sure, if they underestimated the defenses of the Divine Mountain then it was likely her kind would be exposed.
"Fufufu~ Rest assured that my people would proudly declare their existence if it meant I could defend the one I love with all my strength~!" The coquettish stare didn't go unnoticed by Ivan, in response he smiled gratefully before grabbing both her ears with his hands.
It was a weird obsession but to Ivan, her ears felt incredibly soft, and she seemed to enjoy it too so it was a win-win. He smiled mischievously as the perverted dragon squirmed under his palms. And after a few minutes of playing, he stood up straight, ready to form the portals.
"....Fufufu…." Ignoring the content Tio who had slumped over on the floor in pleasure.
ZZZEEEHHHH!
In a matter of seconds, the group was engulfed in white light. The scene that had previously been boisterous with laughter and pleasure fell silent.
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And as totally not a coincidence, another white light illuminated the alley that sat between two dilapidated shops. Roaches scattered and crows flocked away, from a trash can erupted an army of rats that scattered out of the alley and into the streets.
"Guh! That smell!" Felis and Canis immediately covered their noses with their hands. It seemed that the air of rodent and critter-infested alley was not very pleasant to those with an enhanced sense of smell.
Then again it was their fault for taking off their masks in the first place for curiosity's sake. "Oi, you two. Don't you guys know that curiosity killed the cat?" Without another word, Ivan firmly pressed the masks back up to their faces. Each of them let out a sigh of relief after being met with the filtered air and artificial scent.
"I-I'm sorry, Father…" As nice as their synchronized voices were, Ivan still released an exasperated sigh. His ironic pun had completely gone over their heads… Not that they could even be killed. The only thing that made him feel better was the giggle of Tio who held her yukata's sleeve up to her face.
"I'm pretty sure I mentioned that the location we'd be appearing in wouldn't be a pleasant one. And yet the first thing you guys did was expose yourselves. If we had appeared in a trap prepared by an enemy it would likely be a poison that you're breathing." They nodded with urgency, maybe after this they'd be a little afraid of taking off their masks but it was better to be on guard at all times during their duration here.
"Unfortunately, though Claire and I are the only ones that have resided in the Kingdom before, we are unfamiliar with this location. As such, we'll be navigating using this map. Though I'm currently wanted, I do wish for you all to refer to me as Paracelsus."
Ivan couldn't be bothered to forge another identity. He'd be screwed if someone with authority asked him to reveal his status plate anyways. Interestingly enough, though he was declared a heretic he was still assigned by the Adventurer's Guild as a gold-ranked adventurer. Either they didn't fall to the Holy Church's threats or they simply forgot to revoke his status.
For now, Ivan hoped it would be the former, he hadn't done anything related to the guild for the longest time but it was great to have a powerful ally anyways.
"As for you guys, well, you're welcome to do what you wish. My only advice is to not give anyone your names and you should be fine. It's a trait for adventurers to generally be defensive when they have to show their status plates so use that to your advantage."
With that, Ivan stared at them before they all nodded. Now that they set boundaries and rules they could enjoy at least a day or two in the Kingdom before meeting Hajime. Apart from vacation, it could even serve as scouting to determine the status of the Kingdom.
What Ivan wanted to see was this: Are facilities and shops run by civilians operating as normally? Has there been a massive decline in the number of civilians that go outside? And lastly, he wanted to meet one of these 'hollow' knights before the meeting.
The first one was standard, just to see if they were also under a mind-control spell or something. The second was just to determine if they were living in fear, if so what was it that they were afraid of? And the last test was just to gauge the level at which the knights were being controlled.
Drabs turned to beauty as after tens of minutes of walking the group found themselves closer to the center of the city. And as expected the scenery only got better the closer they went. To knock off the first concern, the people of the city were operating as if everything was normal.
No one trembled in fear, the shops that operated were well to the point where Ivan could even state that there were too many, and everyone generally seemed fine. There were folks sad here and there but that was likely to have learned that the heroes were nearly defeated in the dungeon by demons.
It must've been a shock for them to know that their last hope was utterly out-skilled in a battle against one of their greatest enemies.
"Ah~ It's just how I remember it!" Claire charged forward in what Ivan assumed was happiness, though she abandoned her home to honor him there were still the memories she had of it that lingered.
She pranced everywhere, leading the group to the locations and sceneries that she loved the most. For Ivan, the act itself was nostalgic, as he remembered the times she took him on tours through the city when she was just his maid.
It was a sentiment she shared as well, as she held his arm and dragged him with glee.
"Hey, Ivan. You used to work at the kingdom, right?" The one to ask that question was Ari. "What was it like? Your job I mean."
"Hmm~ To put it simply, I made drugs that enhanced their mens' offensive and defensive capabilities. And even tools that disrupted enemy actions. To sum it up, I was an arms producer that provided the kingdom with the tools and necessities to take care of their enemies."
That was the simplest way Ivan could describe it. Though another suitable way of describing it would be to say that he spent hours cooped up in his room making things for his pleasure. A story that Claire felt she would best describe.
"Honestly, don't listen to his foolishness. Day after day we would work concocting dangerous stuff out of his curiosity. Haaah— We lost so many hours of sleep. Dragging him out of his atelier was a pain, but without me, he wouldn't even leave to eat…"
As much as it sounded like she was complaining, the grin on her lips sounded all too obvious to those listening.
But that didn't make the exposing any less embarrassing for Ivan. He just wanted to paint himself to be some cool arms dealer that carried the force of a kingdom on his back. And yet here he was listening to stories of himself and how unsocial he was.
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I'm gonna start watching Detective Conan soon! I mean since I finished Magic Kaito 1412 I thought it'd be a good idea to get into a related classic. The problem is with how old the series is, though I definitely want to start from the beginning. Might do a fanfic with the two series in the future, the idea does interest me.
So hey, thanks for reading today's work. Have a great evening, and I'll see you soon!
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