Changing posting schedule up a bit:
Sunday/OFF/OFF/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday/Saturday.
I will be posting another status window along with this chapter. Naoto's skills have been further tweaked, and will be shown in this status window. Let me know if you like it!
As always, Giliath demands your power stones!
*****
The next morning.
January 2nd. Valflame Palace.
Main Reception Room.
6:30AM.
Before long, a few figures came walking into the main reception room. It was as glistening as ever, its floors waxed and left spotless. Not even a single piece of dust could be seen on it. The shine could easily reflect anyone who came in here. From one corridor came Princess Alfin, Naoto, and Sherryl. Princess Alfin started to yawn as she rubbed her eyes.
"You really didn't have to see us off, Alfin. We'll only be gone for a day.", I said, showing a hint of worry in my eyes. I know Princess Alfin should wake up pretty early due to going to St. Astraia, but she is still on vacation. She should at least try to sleep in occasionally.
"You just had to mention you were going to try something out, Big Brother. I know its pretty early even for me, but I want to see what it is that you're going to do.", Princess Alfin said, trying to answer me as she yawned. Just even yawning like this made her even cuter.
"Uh-huh. You did say that, Big Brother. Doesn't our flight leave in a half hour? Aren't we at risk of missing it?", Sherryl also asked, showing worry in her eyes. We did have a whole district to cross where the landing port was, but I did indeed have a plan in mind to get to the landing zone on time. We would only need a minute at most.
As Sherryl showed worry in her eyes, we heard footsteps approaching from another hallway, likely from a different area of the palace that housed more bedrooms for guests. I saw an upbeat, scarlet-haired boy arrive, who appeared very out of fashion, acting as if he was ready to head to the beach. He wore a vibrant, violet shirt with a pink undershirt. Thankfully it was buttoned this time. Adding to that, he wore some white trousers that hung down to his knees. He even wore some sandals. Next to him was a silver-haired beauty, and the same golden-blonde haired girl who was with us last night.
That man was Lechter of course. We were just going to be gone for a day, but Lechter is really taking the most out of it. That's what he liked to do, make the most of things no matter where he went. If there was a plus side to his current attire, he held a sheathed rapier at his side, which was ready to be drawn at a moment's notice. Despite looking like this, Lechter was still assigned to me, likely by father to make sure nothing went awry. Lechter was proficient in using the rapier, just like Kloe and I, and his skills were something I never doubted, no matter how goofy Lechter may get.
I saw Lechter pump his arm with a vigorous look as he spoke out to us.
"It's time to rise and shine, ladies and gents! The sun is dawning on the horizon, and every minute we spend here is burning mira.", Lechter yelled out at us in a loud voice. Princess Alfin immediately covered her ears and looked at me. She even had a pillow in one of her arms, proceeding to grab it.
"Can I throw this pillow at Lechter, Big Brother?", Princess Alfin asked. Maybe she really wasn't a morning person, haha!
"Permission granted. Dude, you have way too much energy. Like seriously, how many cups of coffee have you had this morning?", I retorted, seeing Lechter having too much energy. It wasn't even 7AM yet.
Princess Alfin hurled her pillow at Lechter, but Lechter easily caught it, showing his quick reflexes.
"Oof. I don't know, maybe three or four cups? I stopped counting after the first one.", Lechter responded back to me, making me turn silent. I glanced at the silver-haired beauty next to him. It would appear Aurelia also was invited to stay the night.
"I'm sorry you had to put up with this clown, Aurelia.", I said to her, scratching my cheek. Aurelia laughed as she heard me say this.
"Haha, oh it's no trouble. I am a bit worried about you not making your flight though. Even if you leave now, you will miss it. What's this about trying something out? Did you learn something during the time we haven't seen each other?", Aurelia asked, showing interest in her eyes.
"Sure did. You might be able to learn it too, but it requires a lot of practice and precision. Considering the lines of your caliber though, Aurelia, it should be doable. Especially since your main element is lightning. It might prove a lot of use during battle too.". I said, which drew Aurelia's interest.
The spell I was referring to was indeed that Teleportation spell. A spell that mages longed for. It was one of the most convenient spells a mage or a witch could use. Depending on how much mana one spent, it could take them from one place to another. I had finally perfected the Teleportation spell not too long ago. This spell I was currently mastering outside of the various weapon styles I had previously trained in.
"I take it is a spell then. Something that will allow you to move. That does sound right up my alley. I already move quite fast during battles, but it sounds like this spell could turn that up a notch or two.", Aurelia mused, wondering what I was referring to.
I was referring to Teleportation here, but it wasn't quite just that for what I was explaining to Aurelia. It was a branch of Teleportation, its own spell. Many fighters or mages often used it in popular anime in my previous life. It went by many names, and to be honest, it's a spell I should consider learning as well. I focused on learning Teleportation first, considering how much I move about. But when I start taking lessons with Sir Vander, I might dive into learning this spell.
The most common name for it is called Blink.
Certain anime have mastered this technique. And the one who displayed it the best in my opinion, was DBZ. Having characters utilize ki and Blink created those highly intense, fast-paced battles.
And well, guess what? Ki exists here in Zemuria. I went the magic route instead of unlocking battle ki, but Sherryl, on the other hand, did learn battle ki. And so did Aurelia. I'm sure by now, Aurelia has both battle ki and mana resting inside her.
Now I'm not a believer in thinking folks here in Zemuria could reach such intense battling that was showcased in DBZ, but fights here were still action-packed. if Sir Vander infused enough battle ki, he probably could topple a mountain with that power of his.
I nodded at Aurelia's remark, confirming her guess.
"More or less. I'm sure the technique already exists out there for those who use battle ki, but if you can infuse a spell into it, it will definitely create a stronger effect. And more so, you are right to be worried about whether or not we'll make it on time for our flight, but no need to worry. Remember that spell I told you that I've been working on, Rose? It's complete. It still depends on the distance and number of people though.", I said, glancing at Roselia. Roselia nodded her head.
"Umu. It's good that you've been putting your practice to good use, Naoto. Let me see whether or not you have perfected it.", Roselia responded to me.
As she said that, I activated my inventory again, and pulled out the training staff Roselia gave me since way back. I still use it, which helps me channel mana at an improved rate, and more effectively. It's very similar to how Emma and Vita trained magic themselves. It was a wand that had the same appearance as Roselia's Crimson Staff. It was just about twice as little as it, but still big enough that it stretched alongside most of my body.
Princess Alfin's eyes lit up seeing this staff.
"That really is a witch's staff!", Princess Alfin happily responded.
"But of course. I have not told a single lie, have I in regards to what you have seen?", Roselia asked as she looked at Princess Alfin.
"Haha, must be that preferential treatment, seeing as you became Roselia's direct disciple instead of me. I never did get the chance to properly thank you yet miss witch. I really do thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn magic. My view on the world has widened quite a bit thanks to you.", Aurelia said, politely thanking Roselia.
"You may address me as Roselia. It was nothing but your own effort, Aurelia. I just happened to weave your mana inside your body.", Roselia said, revealing a smirk.
"True, Creating that mana core was rather painful. I'm just glad nothing serious happened to either of us.", Aurelia responded, nodding her head back my way. At the same time, Princess Alfin's sleepy gaze became a bit more stern, showing worry in her eyes.
"P-Painful?", Princess Alfin asked, not expecting to hear that.
"Yeah. It might be painful for you Alfin if you really do want Rose to create your mana core. I did like that resolution in your eyes, but there is definitely a risk involved with it.
"So the little princess here wants to learn magic, huh? Both Naoto and Aurelia went with the hardcore route right off the bat, but we could start off small with you. By the time it is ready for the mana core to be infused, it may not be as painful as these two felt when they underwent theirs.", Roselia mused, hearing Princess Alfin's interest to learn magic.
"You're saying it's still possible?", Princes Alfin's eyes lit up again. She really did want to learn magic, eh? I wasn't against it by any means. She even had a custom orbal staff tailed to her later on in the games. The support she provided was excellent.
As I observed Princess Alfin's happy look, I decided to spend a moment to look at the details of the staff Roselia presented to me when she first had me learn magic. I don't think I ever had a chance to properly look at it, and when I did, I couldn't help but suck in a cold breath of air.
[Training Staff of the Crimson Roselia - Rank A. Damage Type: Pierce. One-handed Weapon.] (Upgradable)
ATS: 1500 ADF: 1000 INT: 500
-Special Effect 1: Grants EP +500.
-Special Effect 2: The effect of [Roselia's Blessing] is doubled when staff is equipped.
-Special Effect 3: Reduces EP Cost by 50% when casting Spells. Does not work for Arts.
-Special Effect 4: When Pierce lands on a target, deals a bonus 25% damage.
And this was just an A-Rank weapon? [Roselia's Blessing] alone was quite a buff to my stats, and having it get doubled...
It wasn't just that either, the effect of having my EP Cost being reduced by half for Spells just made the staff all more worthwhile. For example, If I spent 1000 EP to go from Leiston to Grancel Castle, with this staff equipped, I could go head from Leiston to Grancel, and go back to Leiston. It was that effective.
I smiled seeing this staff's effect. It has served its use well, and even if it's just a training staff at A-Rank now, it can be upgraded to become even more useful to me. I also used this time to check my new Teleportation spell, as well as my status with the staff equipped. It also appeared the Teleportation spell was upgradable, just like he staff was.
[Teleportation - MAX] (New)(Upgradable)
-Special Effect 1: Consume 1 EP to move 10 Arge.
-Special Effect 2: Can teleport a number of people. Current Limit: 5. Each person consumes 1 EP per 10 Arge.
The Trailsverse had its own metric system, but it was really easy to memorize. One Arge was equivalent to one Meter And for me, it only required one EP for me to teleport ten meters. If I moved ten meters, it would be the size of a yellow school bus in my past life.
Let's say that Valflame Palace was the size of five football fields. It would be 500 meters in length. That would cost me 50 EP for one person, or if I did 5 people, it would cost 250. And with my staff equipped, that would get cut in half. To be honest it's pretty broken, isn't it?
Heimdallr was one of the biggest cities on the entire continent. One could easily drive for some miles before reaching another district. It's not as far as one city or fortress to another in Liberl though. The gap from city to city in Liberl was much larger than it is in Heimdallr. I'd say, it'd roughly take ten to fifteen miles of driving to reach another district before arriving there.
From Valflame Palace, I do believe the airport is two or three districts over, it wasn't right next door to us. We would have to go to the main district that connected to the rest of Heimdallr, Vainqueur Street, and from there, we would head toward the Airport.
Thankfully, that distance can now be cut down, instantly might I add. Let's say each district was fifteen miles apart, and the Airport was three districts over. That would be over 4800 meters, or 4800 Arge. That alone would cost me 480 EP, or 240 with the staff in hand. If I include everyone, it would be around 1000 EP spent.
Knowing that, I gripped my training staff in hand, ignoring Princess Alfin's sparkles in her eyes. I looked at Aurelia.
"I'll be bringing Sherryl, Lechter and Rose with me, but what will you do, Aurelia? Will you be sticking around here in the capital?", I decided to ask. Aurelia shook her head.
"Sadly, no. I got some family matters to attend to. My house keeps pestering me to accept marriage requests, but I keep turning them down. Once I get squared away there, I seem to have some business at Juno, so I'm afraid I won't be available for a while. I'll be sure to make it for your trials though. That is something I can't miss.", Aurelia said, answering me.
That made sense. Aurelia was in her mid twenties now, and she was at the peak of her beauty. No doubt is she getting pestered by marriage proposals left and right. She enrolled at Thors Military Academy around the time we watched the Martial Arts Tournament during Grandmother's birthday. Because her direct father passed away in the Hundred Days War, the school allowed Aurelia to graduate in a single year. That was one reason why she was called the Demon of Thors, among many other reasons.
Sounds like Aurelia wants to straighten her house matters too, which I'm not against by any means. Matters pertaining to nobles can be such a pain, after having dealt with it firsthand, being a noble myself, so I can get where Aurelia is coming from. And after that, it looks like she's going to head to Juno Naval Fortress, huh?
I'm currently being treated as a foreign emissary in Heimdallr by paper, perhaps I should get a chance to head to Juno. I do have that instance dungeon key, and I think Aurelia will be an excellent invitation to that, even though it is meant for four people. For the one I have on Lohengrin Castle, I have already picked out my person of interest to invite. That probably won't happen until my training with Sir Vander is over.
"I guess you'll be on your way, Aurelia. Safe travels.", I replied with a smile.
"Yes. The same goes for you all. I hope you have fun on your date~", Aurelia replied, with a teasing tone, glancing toward the lilac-haired girl.
"L-Like I told Her Highness already, this isn't a date. Geez!", Sherryl replied with a cute pout.
"Hehe, don't forget to give me all the details later~", Princess Alfin replied with a happy look as we watched Aurelia leave the palace. She walked for a bit before turning around again, as she said she wanted to watch the spell I was going to cast.
"Time's wasting, Your Highness. We're burning mira every minute we spend here. How far can you take us, exactly?", Lechter asked with interest.
"Pretty close I'd say. Everyone, please gather around me.", I said, urging the three. They nodded their heads.
"Umu. I can feel rather a large density of mana from you now. Just what'd you do, Naoto?", Roselia asked me with a look of interest.
"Haha, I'll tell you about it later.", I simply answered. After saying that, I channeled my mana, and before long a bluish glow appeared all around me. I transferred the flow of mana to a single point, which was the staff that was now in my hands. As I willed Teleportation, I heard a notification sound off inside my mind.
[Ding! Teleportation has been cast. Target: 4 people. Location: Heimdallr Airport - Terminal - Upper Floor]
[Ding! 4 people detected. 1900 EP has been consumed. Due to having [Training Staff of the Crimson Roselia] equipped, EP consumption has been halved.]
[Current EP: 3050/4000].
Just like that, four figures became engulfed in that bluish light as Teleportation activated, and we departed Valflame Palace. Seeing this action alone left Princess Alfin dazed, not expecting to see four people really vanish from sight so easily like that. Aurelia just smiled seeing this, before she turned around and started walking out of the palace herself.
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Have a sneak peak at Naoto's status with his current equipment:
HP: 48,500 EP: 4000 INT: 1490 STR: 2180 DEF: 2340 ATS: 3900 ADF: 3850 AGI: 247 DEX: 150
The status screen will get posted tomorrow.
It's been a year or two since Naoto was in Crossbell~