"Meow" [Aya]
"Is that really Fie?" [Neloufa]
"True. It's a black cat, but..." [Tio]
"Somehow I get the feeling that this is not Fie." [Adnan]
"Really?" [Stacy]
"Hard to say. I never really look at that black cat up close" [Auger].
"Well, even cats have a day when they feel like they're in a swamp" [Diana].
"I guess that's true." (Why are they so sharp today of all days?) [Marianne]
"In that case, Fie, you need to make sure you don't get too far away from Diana" (It's quite obvious that this isn't Fie, but it's good that it still fools those who don't know Fie) [Kara]
"We have arrived. Let's greet the Duchess with a smile" (Hope this goes well) [Mara]
We are here at the invitation of the Duchess of Prosperity, I enter her mansion. Marianne has been invited for a cup of tea, and she uses this as an excuse to bring me along to enter the mansion and break the barrier from inside, that way we can spy on the Duke better
I'm sure Marianne is full of guilt right now. She's not sure if the Duchess really knows about the whole dethronement of Aunt Amleth or not, but she still forces herself to lie for everyone's sake.
"Quite a few of you, and my apologies if it isn't Princess Kara and Mara."
"We apologize for our unexpected arrival, but Young Lady Marianne told us about the tea, and we would like to join you" [Mara].
"So please accept this as a gift. It's the last gift we could think of, so please forgive us if it's lacking" [Kara].
"As the princesses already say, I deeply apologize for any inconvenience " [Marianne]
"We appreciate the thought. Please, if you allow me"
I guess this is the head butler of the house? He seems to have that aura around him. The one that says, "You can count on me for anything". He's well-mannered and gets the job done quickly. I can tell that he is already making sure that the barrier recognizes us guests in an instant. I guess that bell-like looking tool is one of the key features for this barrier. It's quite fun and nerve-wracking as I analyze it as soon as I step into the garden.
The garden is absolutely stunning! It can't beat the gathering place for the elves, oh no, it can't, but it's still beautiful! I even do a little spontaneous running as I admire the fancy looking fountain. It has mermaids carved into it. Even Aya runs along.
"Meow?" (Is it something to do with the barrier?) [Aya]
"It's so beautiful!" [Diana]
"Meow" (Understand...) [Aya]
Even the flower bed is nicely arranged. I can tell that the gardeners are experienced. It's a soothing experience for the eyes and the soul.
(Mr. and Mrs. Flower, may I have your attention!) [Diana]
"!?"
All the flowers are shocked because I can communicate with them. Maybe they weren't expecting it at all. Nevertheless, I tell them the reason why I am here, and unfortunately, none of them are able to tell me anything significant. They hear something about dethronement and so on, but they're flowers, why should they care about what a human does. Understandable
"So many of you, welcome to our mansion. It's a good thing I managed to procure a lot of this tea and cake"
"Thank you for your..." [Marianne]
"Wait! I know that cake! It's the one Mr. Ling is talking about! It's super duper hard to get! I'm so jealous! Ooh! Thank you, Marianne, for letting me join you! I know! I know, I know! How about we try some tea from the World Tree? It will surely be a delight to our mouths" [Diana]
"Meow!" (Focus! Tea and cake later!) [Aya]
As soon as I saw the moon- and star-shaped cake, I could tell that's what Mr. Ling told me once. It's a cake of his Xianxia origin, and it's made by a famous baker. It's super duper hard to get, and I've wanted one ever since.
To express my gratitude, I immediately take the tea from the World Tree. It's actually a tea grown by elves and mixed with leaves from the World Tree to make it even better.
"Oh my! I have also heard about this special tea. How delicious. Would you mind waiting a little longer? This tea party will be better that way."
"Sure!" [Diana]
I can tell that the Duchess is absolutely delighted to try this tea as well. Since she's a very nice duchess who likes tea and sweets, I just give her an extra set of the same tea. I even give her some of the honey that's grown by the elves. This is sure to be a fun tea party.
"It smells so nice" [Neloufa].
"It does. I wonder how much this really costs" [Tio].
"Don't worry. Kids like you shouldn't worry about such things"
"Meow" (How's your progress?) [Aya]
"Fie says he wants some. Can he?" [Diana]
"Can cat eat or drink at all?"
"Fie is special, so here you go." [Diana]
"Meow!" (Concentrate... Sigh... Never mind. Teliara and JOATMON are also on the case. Might as well enjoy it) [Aya]
"This is delicious" (Diana... Did she forget the original goal?) [Marianne]
"True. It might be too sweet, but I still like it" (I can't help but feel nervous. Diana seems to really enjoy it though... So, I guess that's okay?) [Mara]
"This is really good" (Diana... Don't waste your time and start working...) [Kara]
"Is something wrong?" [Adnan
"You three seem tense" [Stacy]
"These three actually had a toothache yesterday and now they're forcing themselves to eat the sweet. Don't worry, for the sake of your teeth, I will gladly take your portion. I'll sacrifice my tongue and stomach just for you. How generous of me" [Diana].
"Pftt..." [Auger]
"You just wanted to eat more" [Tio]
Why are they so nervous? Did they think that I had forgotten our original intention of coming here? If that's the case, they are sorely mistaken. I actually have it all figured out.
It's complex, yes, but once I break the spell one by one, it's just a series of interconnected lines and circles that prevent any information from getting out. It's a lot harder than the one from Gastrium, if I'm honest, but in the end, I just have to analyze it one by one and figure it out from there, which I just did, so that's why I'm enjoying this tea party to the fullest
As I enjoy the tea party, I can tell that Teliara and JOATMON are trying their best to figure it out from the outside. I was going to give them a signal that all I have to do is deactivate it, but I have a better idea. What if I just add a layer of line here and there and... Hmmm... That's kind of tricky. I can do that, and that way it'll look like there's been no tampering, so...
"Fie. Bad boy! Bad boy! Don't regurgitate! Don't regurgitate!" (Can you touch the bell that the butler push when he allowed us all to enter on your way out? Here. Take this spell ball with you and touch the bell with it) [Diana]
"Meow..." (Understood) [Aya]
"Fie is really sick today, isn't he? Poor him" [Neloufa]
Aya quickly understood my intention and did as she was told. She's a really reliable Special Knight of Amleth, although she's really a cat lady with very few words. When she's back and I see that she's already completed her mission
"Good boy" (With this, we can take a peak into the mansion whenever we want without the mage of the house suspecting anything) [Diana].
If I deactivate it, I am sure that someone will figure it out sooner or later, so instead I will just add another line that will allow my own magic to take a peak. Of course, I'll still have to share my mana with the kaleidoscope after that, but it's definitely a better option than disabling it.
"I'm so full. Thank you so much! Can I come back when there's more candy?" [Diana]
"Diana! How rude!" (This girl, I swear to the goddess...) [Marianne]