Kayla and Ethel's mouths dropped open as they saw the city in front of them. Although both of them had their worries before entering, those worries vanished the moment they saw the beautiful city before their eyes.
As they had both previously suspected, the city's buildings were also made of that black wood called altea.
Under that assumption, they both expected the city to be creepy and dark, but the reality was completely different from what they expected.
Although all-black buildings certainly weren't the most aesthetically pleasing thing in the world, there was something about them that gave life to this city.
"That... that's a mural?" Kayla couldn't help but ask the old man who was leading them.
"Hoho, certainly, do you like it?" The old man asked mischievously. He loved the reaction of strangers when they saw his city.
"I'd be lying if I said no…" Kayla responded as she looked at the city mesmerized.
The city, which originally should have been dull and opaque, was actually full of colors and emotions thanks to the murals painted on the walls of the buildings.
There were two things that any building in the city had in common and they were that, regardless of size or shape, they were all made of black wood and the other thing was that all the black buildings had beautiful works of art painted on them.
The scenarios that were captured in the murals were diverse. Soldiers marching to war, dying; children dancing in the rain after a long drought, hiding their tears of happiness in the rain; a soldier getting married under the blessing of a priest...
All these situations, which had no relationship with each other, coexisted on the walls of the buildings of this city, creating a kind of harmony amid disorder...
"The colors are so vivid and beautiful…" Ethel blurted out in admiration. She had been stunned by the beauty of the city as was Kayla despite her having traveled to many once-in-a-lifetime cities. But despite everything, this city remained unique among all those she had visited.
"Hoho incredible isn't it? Even I find it incredible how the colors can be seen so well on the wall even though almost everything was done by the citizens themselves…" The old man looked at the murals with love.
"That?! Didn't someone in the painter class make it?!" Ethel screamed in disbelief. As far as she knew, there was currently no paint that could look as good on a black surface unless some magical intervention occurred.
"Yes, I also reacted like that when I found out…" The old man remembered the days of his youth. "But from what I've been told, this all started when a little boy, in times of war, who got tired of the depressing atmosphere of the city, decided to give a little color to the opaque city by creating a painting with materials he found. He decided to paint his happiest memories, hoping to never forget them..."
"It didn't take long for the adults to discover it and get angry, but when they looked closely at the scribbles on the wall that showed a child playing with his family, they couldn't help but be moved... After that, everyone started painting the things they wanted most, whether they were memories of a past that could never return or a future they looked forward to with hope using the new paint mixture the boy discovered"
The girls' eyes widened when they heard the story of the murals and they couldn't help but look at them with more appreciation.
"I guess these murals are the very story of those who lived and died in this city…" Kayla looked at the murals and she couldn't help but feel that the scenes in them now had a life of their own.
"More than history... they are the very life of the city," Ethel murmured.
The old man just smiled at the two girls and continued on his way.
Along the way they both delighted in the architecture and murals of the city, not to mention all the anima species they saw. Not even Kayla or Ethel could have imagined so many different species.
Although Kayla lived in the modern world with many manga and anime, she was never that much of a fan, only watching a few. And Ethel, despite living in this world, lived in an empire full of discrimination towards the anima, which is why she never saw so many in person.
Thus, without both knowing it, they were guided to a four-story building that could pass for a completely black eight-story building. The building, like all the structures in the city, had a door four meters high so that any species could pass through.
The old man took them through the building that was the security office and took them downstairs, where his office was located while the girls looked curiously at the humans doing paperwork at the desks.
"Haha, if you're wondering why there are only humans here, it's not because of racism or something, it's just that humans are the most efficient at administrative tasks, the rest of the races don't have enough patience to handle this kind of job"
The old man laughed when he noticed the girls' gaze.
Kayla and Ethel laughed a little awkwardly and nodded, remaining silent for the rest of the trip.
Even though the outside of the city was quite colorful, Kayla began to think that the inside was quite gloomy. The hallways the old man had been leading them through were all dark with only a glowing stone illuminating the place...
Despite the horror movie atmosphere, nothing bad happened and they arrived in front of a golden door that stood out in the dark hallway after going down several floors.
Chirp!
Before the two could ask if they arrived, the golden door opened, showing a wolf anima dressed as a butler.
"Welcome sir, I see you brought one extra guest." The wolf anima looked at Ethel with a sharp look.
What?! Even our elite guards don't have a presence like that! Ethel took a step back unconsciously. The presence she felt when she exchanged glances with the wolf anima left her in shock.
"Bred stop, she is a friend of our guest, treat her carefully" The old man patted Bred on the shoulder as he entered his office.
"...Yes sir" Bred rubbed his shoulder with a pained look before following her lord.
Kayla looked at the scene amused. Bred, the black-haired wolf anima, who had bullied Ethel, now had his ears and tail drooping as he followed the old man.
He, he deserves it! Kayla smiled as she grabbed Ethel's hand and walked into the office.
As for Ethel, she was still processing that they were treating Kayla better than her, a noble of the highest position. I guess my friend is more special than I thought...
However, Ethel didn't care about that and she recovered quickly. She just thought Kayla was getting more and more interesting!
"Although... wow, I wasn't expecting this considering... well, we're in a building!" Kayla looked dumbfounded at the landscape around her.
Instead of the dreary office she had been expecting, a cabin in the middle of a beautiful meadow was waiting for her behind the golden gate.
"They like?" The old man asked with a proud smile.
"Well obviously, this is the first time I've seen something so magical!" Kayla screamed with excitement. Even Ethel, who had seen many things that not many would be able to witness, had to admit that this was quite impressive, although for a slightly different reason than Kayla.
Even though this sub-space is quite empty, it is impressive that a single man is in the position of one... even my family has no more than six. Ethel looked at the old man, feeling more and more that this supposedly dead man was quite mysterious.
"I'm glad, getting this place was quite complicated and expensive, but it was worth it, considering that now I can speak freely without worrying about spies." The old man smiled as he led them on a journey of several minutes towards a beautiful open-style tea house in the middle of a beautiful flower garden quite far from the cabin they saw at the beginning.
"Beautiful…" Kayla and Ethel sighed in admiration. The place, although not luxurious, had a harmony with the surrounding nature that could not be explained.
"Haha, that girl would be happy to hear it…" The old man murmured with a warm smile as he sat on one of the seats in the place.
When the two girls sat down, he waved his hand and several cakes appeared on the table.
"Wow! Everything looks delicious!" Ethel squealed with excitement when she saw all the cakes.
Kayla also felt her mouth water when she saw something that looked like a brownie in the middle of the table.
"I'm glad... so why don't we have a little chat and enjoy these delicious desserts before moving on to serious conversations?" The old man suggested as he grabbed a piece of something resembling flan.
Both girls looked at each other and after a few seconds, they made a decision.
"Clear!"
...
Half an hour later, when the cakes were already gone, the old man suddenly mentioned.
"Now that we have eaten... can I have a private conversation with each of you?"
"Hey? And why would that be...?" Ethel looked at the old man with renewed suspicion, although she had decided to eat what the old man offered her, that was only because she had used an artifact that her father gave her to know if the desserts had some kind of poison.
Kayla also looked at the old man. Although she did not suspect Zinon's teacher, what she asked for was definitely a bit strange.
"Don't worry, I'm not asking for this for anything in particular... it's just that you're both in quite special situations and I don't think you'd like to divulge that information, right?" The old man smiled.
Kayla and Ethel looked at each other and had to admit that they didn't want to expose their secrets so quickly... although they trusted each other, they had only known each other for a short time and their secrets were too important to tell anyone, even if it was a friend.
So after thinking about it a little, they agreed. In a short time, only Kayla and the old man were left while Ethel was guided to another place by Bred.
"So… you know…?" Kayla looked at the old man doubtfully.
"Yes, I know you are a person from another world, little one." The old man just smiled warmly at Kayla.
"Sigh…" Kayla sighed in relief. It was nice not to have to hide a big secret alone...
"Haha I imagine, it must be hard to have to hide such a secret... but going back to the reason why I wanted to talk to you, Zinon wrote that they both had the intention of you enrolling in the untamed jungle academy?"
Kayla's eyes lit up a little when the old man mentioned the academy. Zinon had told her too many incredible things about the untamed jungle for her not to feel excited.
"Yes, Zinon said that was the best place for the young generation to get stronger!" Kayla spoke with a hint of emotion, something rare in her usually serious demeanor.
"Haha, you look excited." The old man looked at Kayla with some affection before continuing. "And as Zinon said, the Indomitable Jungle Academy is the best place for young people like you to get stronger and gain experience in a relatively safe way."
Kayla was about to nod in agreement, but the old man's cold voice interrupted her.
"But, that is not a place that just anyone can enter, not to mention a simple girl who has only been fighting for a few days." The old man looked coldly at Kayla.
Kayla looked at the floor upon receiving the old man's harsh words. She had to admit that there was quite a bit of truth in her words.
The old man looked at Kayla. Although he liked Kayla as Zinon's protégé, he would not raise false hopes because of her emotions. And as far as he knew, it was impossible for a girl like Kayla, who had been living in a peaceful world, to enter the best academy on the continent.
Although...
"Do you… think you have the right to say that? Have you even seen what I'm capable of?! Kayla suddenly raised her head, angry. Although she knew that she was no genius compared to that "person," she would never allow herself to be belittled in the one thing in which she was superior to her.
So no matter how right the old man is, she would never accept her words with her head down!
...All of that could completely change depending on this girl's attitude. The excited old man. Although Kayla hadn't realized it, he had put some pressure on her that would normally make someone as weak as Kayla agree with anything he said.
No matter what level you are, even a level three hundred with a weak will would agree with the old man's words regardless of whether he opposed those words with her entire being.
"Hehe... well, I guess you at least have the determination to be strong... so I have an offer for you, do you want to hear it?" The old man looked at Kayla, eagerly awaiting her response.
"...What is it about?" Kayla looked at him hesitantly.
The old man opened his mouth and the words that came out of the old man's mouth left Kayla speechless.
And after her face changed between various emotions, she finally nodded, accepting the old man's proposal.