"Alright, we all packed up~?" Like a teacher right before a field trip, Ivan had the girls line up in front of the airship.
"I mean… you're the one with the spatial storage ring…" Ari was the one to point out that if they did have everything then it'd be on his person. Of course, Ivan knew this already. He was just making sure that they'd selected everything they'd need.
"Ivan… are we even going to need all that stuff?" Yue pointed out another factor. Ivan had insisted that they brought a lot of clothes and other items, insinuating that their trip would be at least a week long.
"While I'm certain it'd take less than half a day for us to get there, who knows how long it'd take to resolve the situation going on. Not to mention we don't know how long it'd take for us to clear the Divine Mountain." To Ivan, it was clear, that there was nothing wrong with being over-prepared.
"Besides, I've got a couple of presents for you all~!" With a swift hand motion, Ivan pulled from his pocket an assortment of rings. While all having the same structure, the difference was the color of the jewels embedded.
For Yue, gold. As for Tio, red. Felis had white. Canis was given bronze. Claire had blue. And Ari was given green. Was each ring different in what they did? Absolutely not~ For better or worse Ivan decided they'd all be equal. But to sum it up, they were derivatives of Treasure Trove.
Ivan simply used the same plan he concocted from the diving gear. Have an empty room no one could touch, forge it using spatial magic as a boundary linked to a ring, and boom— a spatial storage ring was born.
Of course, it was quite limited when compared to the true Treasure Trove. Tried as he may, Ivan was unable to discover exactly where or how the Treasure Trove had such a great capacity. At first, he assumed it connected to space, but after a little thinking session, he marked it off his notes.
While cool in theory, everything transported to space would just float away, creating a boundary to stop it from floating would only create limitations. Sure, the Treasure Trove had a limit, but after storing vehicles and flying aircrafts Ivan was unable to see it. So until he was able to comprehend and replicate the same feat, Ivan created the girls' miniature storage rings to hold their necessities and amenities.
"...Why didn't you give them to us before we started packing…?" If he had given it to them before packing, then they would have had no reason to stuff everything into his ring. Now Claire could only sigh as they'd be spending more time emptying his ring and sorting stuff into their ring.
"...I forgot." Ivan honestly forgot he even made the rings. It wasn't until he was reminded that everything they brought was in his ring that the memories returned to his mind. At first, he was waiting for the right moment to give it to them, but as time went by the thought slowly faded away.
"This one's for you~! And you~~ I think this is yours~!" One by one, Ivan handed out each ring. A proud smirk on his face as they all marveled at its beauty. Not that he thought it was anything special, in fact, the jewels were random things he gathered from the mining machine. A little bit of polishing and transmutation was all it took to make it look as though it was jewelry owned by an ancient Egyptian empress.
Though Ivan reminded them that should they need it, the spatial rings were capable of saving their lives as long as they thought fast. Aside from inserting and extracting necessities, Ivan was fond of their combat capabilities. Or more so their defensive capabilities.
A fireball heading your way? No problem, just absorb it into the ring! The only problem with that would be that any attack would damage the things inside the ring but who cares about that when your life is in danger?
The others agreed with that statement.
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"That should be everything this time." Ivan stood as the group finally reorganized their stuff from his storage ring to their own. Claire even decided to bring some food from the house using some inventions Ivan made to keep them either hot or cold.
It was a bit excessive but if they ever needed it they'd have enough clothing and food to last them six months. Of course, that's assuming if they ever got stuck together for six months. If they were separated during that duration then they wouldn't have everything they needed, as not everyone carried food like Claire.
After confirming that they had everything they thought they needed, Ivan and his group boarded the airship and walked around leisurely in the cockpit. Ivan wasn't planning to go hyperspeed or anything so there was no necessity to buckle up.
If anything they were all making plans on what they were going to do once they got there.
'The kingdom huh… I wonder if they have an aquarium~!" Felis voiced out excitedly. A statement that caused Ivan's spine to shiver, thankfully he wasn't steering the ship at the moment.
'Ah, that's right. I promised her…' If he remembered correctly, Ivan had promised to bring Felis on a trip to the aquarium in Fuhren. He looked over at her before patting her head. If anything, before they got too busy he promised that they'd eventually take a trip there.
"I'm sorry, Felis. But the Kingdom doesn't have an aquarium. Not to mention that even if it did, this whole situation going on within might mean that everything is in disarray." Ivan spoke apologetically. If Hajime was able to send out a letter regarding his distress then it might mean that the establishments in the city were running as normal. Though he didn't hold out much hope for that.
Hajime detailed the irregular changes of the knights and king but never did he mention that the civilians were acting odd either. In any case, while there may be no aquarium the theater might still be operable.
Ivan was a little doubtful that the rambunctious Felis would be patient enough to sit in a chair and watch a play but it was better than nothing. If their identities got discovered or if they got in any trouble then running away was always a viable solution.
"We're going out into enemy territory. What's wrong with taking the time to have a little fun~? Who knows when the next time we'll be here." The Kingdom wasn't the force Ivan was afraid of, especially if someone was going around brainwashing them without even causing a disturbance.
The Holy Church on the other hand was way more suspicious, but because they're almost always sitting in the Divine Mountain the likelihood he and his group would run into any of them was immensely low.
"Though I must say that the food there is nowhere as near as good as Claire's cooking. To Ivan, this was the truth. Of course, this is attributed to the fact that any establishment in this world just didn't have access to the same tools Ivan's group had.
"Geh… then I'll pass!" But to Felis that was unacceptable, it seems that having her eat Claire and Yue's food since birth just completely ruined her expectations for food in the outside world. As surprisingly to say Felis while she ate a ton for someone of her stature was quite the picky eater.
The same couldn't be said for Canis, it was the other way around. She'd eat pretty much anything but only in small quantities.
Felis gleamed at Claire, who clutched her storage ring for dear life. "F-Felis, it's nowhere near dinner time… so just be p-patient alright…?" In terms of strength, Claire couldn't match up to Felis. If Felis wanted all she had to do was overpower Claire and steal the ring from her. And if it meant eating her delicious cooking then she was more than willing to go for it.
Felis stuck her tongue out as her claws slightly protruded from her fingers, an action almost certainly done subconsciously. There was a gleam in her eyes for a single moment, it didn't take an idiot to notice that if another second went by she'd attack.
BONK!
"What do you think you're doing~?" Felis' attack mode immediately receded as a tight grip squished her head. Her feet hovered off the floor as she was lifted into the air. In a panic she immediately started squirming, begging for forgiveness and apologizing simultaneously.
The figure to reprimand her was Ivan, who had only turned his head for a few moments to make sure they were still on course for the Kingdom. The last thing he was going to allow was infighting. Especially if it were his daughter to instigate the feud first. As such he did what would be the quickest way to snap her out of her greed, a quick clutch to her head.
It was a method that often worked on him whenever he was misbehaving, at least according to his mother. And luckily it seemed just about as effective to Felis. "When you want something, what do you say~?" Ivan never lost his smile as he asked Felis a question.
"Y-You have to ask them for it…!" Felis answered with trepidation, as accommodating as that smile was to her it seemed as though it came from the devil himself.
"And if they say no~?" Ivan pressed on.
"Then it's n-no! Unless they're an enemy!" Felis answered the second half with newfound confidence. Earning an approving nod from Ivan. As long as she understood that she had to respect the opinions of her family then it was fine.
"I'm sorry, Claire-nee…" And so she apologized sincerely. The last thing Felis ever wanted was to cause a rift between her and the people she cared about. To her, Claire wasn't just a convenient cook that provided her meals.
Claire on the other hand released an exasperated sigh. She never thought that the situation would escalate to the point where Felis had to sincerely apologize. While she was grateful for Ivan's intervention she did feel he was a bit excessive in admonishing her.
To her, Felis was simply a being that acted on her desires. Just because she was controlled by her emotions didn't mean she deserved to be reprimanded for it.
"Ivan, don't you think you were being a bit too tough on her?" And so she voiced her concerns.
"Hmm? While she is most certainly different I do believe we should treat her the same as everyone else. Today she wanted to take meals from you, tomorrow what could it be? I just want to break what may become a bad habit in the future. It'd be unfortunate for her if she ruined relationships just because she couldn't get a hold of her desires."
To Ivan, this was the most appropriate way to raise her.
"... I see." After thinking about it for a while she slightly agreed with Ivan. Though she'd have to internalize a few things. Did she wish for Ivan to go easier on Felis because she considered her family? Or would she have done the same if she never met Felis and this was their first encounter?
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Summer is around the corner~! I mean in real life of course! Now that I think about it there isn't much known about the Heiligh Kingdom. Compared to Fuhren it just isn't nearly as fleshed out. I was hoping for a little more. What I would do if there was more, I don't know. I was just hoping that one of the key forces in the story was a little more interesting.
Thanks for reading today's work. It was definitely slower compared to usual but I hope you enjoyed. Have a great evening, and I'll see you all soon!
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