"This is Oreta? I was expecting something,,, different when I heard about it from you" Sasha looked taken aback by the view of the city.
Lady Hua, on the other hand, looked excited and far too happy to be here. Her face help a big grin which made her look innocent and naive, a combination which was a big 'target' sign in Oreta.
But all in all, those two were not the only ones who were surprised to see the city.
The most shocked of the group was Iris herself. She had only been gone for a week, right? Only a week?
Something seemed to have changed with Oreta.
Scratch that - many things seemed to have changed with the city. The whole city seemed to have been given a make-over.
The earlier gloom of the lower districts was nowhere to be seen from the outside and even the inside of the city seemed cleaner and healthier than Iris had first seen it.
It seemed like a brand new city. No one could say that it was the same Oreta that they knew. And yet, the city seemed to not be a mirage.
"We can discuss all that later. We need to head inside first" Iris led the group nearer to the city but it was impossible to see the entrance gate. There was a massive crowd standing outside the city.
"That's a big crowd. Did something happen there?" Lady Hua asked, but Iris had no answer for her. Iris herself did not know what had happened.
Worst of all, there had been no news from the sultan or anyone else from inside the city. Was it a sneak attack they had not been prepared for? Or was it something even more sinister than that?
"Hey, let's try and sneak in. There should be a way in" Lady Hua suggested further, her face supporting a sneaky expression.
The girl was not aware of what she was saying. That was Oreta, not their run-of-the-mill town. They would have such preventive measures in place.
"No. We should wait here for now and let the crowd disperse. I'll message inside for help" Iris took out a small piece of paper and twisted it with magic. It rose and started converting into a small paper doll.
A harsh gust of wind and the paper doll was on its way inside the city.
"So, what do we do now? That is out of our hands and we have nothing else to do" Lady Hua protested as she looked at Iris. She ignored the burning look her guardian gave her.
"Oh, so you are not too busy now? I suppose it's time to practice some more" Sasha commented in a cool tone but they all knew it was no suggestion.
Sasha had been teaching Lady Hua what she knew about her family profession and magic handling. Iris pretended not to listen but the lessons were useful to her as well.
Mainly those that dealt with attacking magic.
"Do we need to? We are finally near Oreta" Lady Hua protested but she was pushing herself anyway. For all her faults and whining, the lady had a hard drive for work and enjoyed what she did.
"No whining, just working. Lady Iris, you can stay here in the meantime. Get us when you need to" the meaning was clear - it's a private time and you are not welcome.
Sasha had warmed up to Iris but the other still could not bring to trust Iris fully. Especially with the family techniques and magic.
Not that Iris did not get it. She did.
But it was times like these that made her miss her real world and the desire to return intensified.
It was also times like these where everything seemed to go wrong.
Iris felt the wind change, the feeling of danger getting worse and her body instantly dodged the incoming attack. Her hand shot out to catch the weapon out of thin air and hold it away from her body.
At the very next second, another huge body made its presence known at her side which kicked Iris's reflexes into overdrive.
Since the system had been kind enough to provide Iris with martial-art skills, she had been practicing them. They also included a few weapon arts but Iris's body was not too familiar with those motions yet.
Not that it needed to be because Iris had enough magic to overpower the lack of technique she used when she attacked the monster with the knife.
The skin yielded under magic and steel, sinking deeper into the flesh till the monster was no more.
[Exp +200
Congratulations, New level 10. (20000/50000)
New features are available in the shop. New tabs have been unlocked.
Clearance for the quest 'The quest of the chamber unlocked…' has been met.
Should the user purchase the language buffs, the system would start making the arrangement soon enough. Negotiations are being made….]
Arrangement? Negotiations?
"Oh, you took that down fast" Iris felt herself freeze as someone stepped behind her. She wanted to turn around but there was pressure behind her.
"A beautiful body and a beautiful magic core. Won't you hand it over to me now?" There was a touch on Iris's lower back which was getting lower and lower.
And then it was on her ass which finally snapped her out of the daze and caused her to kick out.
"Pervert. What are you doing?" Iris almost shouted, but held herself back at the last time. How dare that man try and touch her like that.
Wait, a man?
But where and how?
Iris's turned around and finally looked at her assaulter. They were beautiful, a perfect example of an androgenous beauty with pale white skin, healthy black spiked hair, and loose garments. The voice was also deeper, closer to a male tone rather than a female.
"What? Am I handsome? Is that why you are staring at me this much?" the person asked in a teasing manner and Iris felt pale.
Not because she was being flirted with but because she found it effective. The heat was getting to her face and the other seemed to know it as well.
"Hey, do you remember what we are here for? What kind of games are you playing?" One second the other seemed chill, the other second they were in her face.
That perfect face was too close to Iris's, their breath mixing and their chest touching.
And she felt it then, the bump of the chest that denoted the other as a female. So not a male then, just an androgynous-looking female.
And to think that Iris had a minor melt-down just a few seconds ago.
"Excuse me but I don't think we have met before. Now, please leave me alone" Iris did not think that they had met. There was nothing in the memories, nor did the system react to her in any way.
She was likely not a major character.
"I suppose we have not met but you must have heard about me from your master. Designation Orpheus at your service. I'm happy to serve the current Designation Chaos" these were more terms Iris did not know about.
But before she could answer, the messenger doll came back, and as did the duo who had left to train.
"We saw the doll so we came back. Who's this?" Lady Hua asked, pointing to the still bowing girl. The other finally straightened herself out but did not explain.
"She's someone here to take us to the city. Let's go" One thing at a time. This was how Iris was going to get home.