And just like that, Mikoto was off again, doing whatever it was he did. Not even worrying that the king of Galadriel himself had been asking numerous times to meet him once more. That uncaring attitude and that sense of freedom, there was never a moment she did not find it somewhat endearing or even inspiring.
Lucinda hummed, seated within the confines of a park, her eyes glazed over the contents of the book within her hands. A simple index for spells; everyone else was busying themselves with training. Her swordsmanship was already at its limit, so the most she could develop was her versatility, hence the book containing a myriad of spells. Others may view her as all-powerful, but that was not as true as it seemed.
Without tapping into her Arcane Ascendance, she would not be able to stand against opponents such as Dante and Selwyn. And something as taxing as that could only be maintained for thirty minutes with her reserves. So what she could focus on was improving her base self, but what did she want to achieve?
Mayhap being as strong as Mikoto, a spawn he was, but without something like Arcane Ascendance, he was able to match a monster like Selwyn. Something she could not hope to do unless she made use of Harbinger. What did it take to be that strong? To be like that, what did she need to do?
She heaved a sigh. ("The all-powerful spawn of Octavia, what a joke.")
"A rather big sigh," a voice mused. Her gaze perked up to spot a familiar figure. Still, for some reason clad in his academy uniform despite it not being an academy day, Adrian stood beside the bench she was currently seated on.
"Adrian?" Lucinda gave a polite smile as she closed her book, placing it on her lap. "What brings you to the capital?"
He scratched his cheek, were his movements not so robotic, and you could say he was looking sheepish. "Well, I thought today was an academy day," he gave a bland-sounding chuckle. "Seems I was mistaken. I was just on my way home until I spotted you. And I must say you're looking as beautiful as ever. And your armor complements you even more." Usually, comments like that would have her flushed, but hearing them so often dulled their worth. She gave a polite smile anyway as Adrian took a seat next to her. "So how are you feeling about the upcoming festival?"
"Nervous," she freely admitted. "I've only participated in the festival once before, and the opponents I faced were powerful and merciless." And she was simply thrown into the fray. It did not help that she lacked true combat experience. Her status as the spawn of Octavia made her a valuable asset in battle. But her true purpose for participating was only to gain the ability to use opposing sides Familial Arts and dissect the others' abilities. A tool for war, well, her Goddess was one of war, so that checked out. "But I did not think them to make you fight as well." Strong as she knew Adrian was, all this was an attempt to throw him into the furnace.
Yet as unsavory as it was, she had an idea of why that was. Adrian had a unique kind of potential, that much was clear. But even so, his abilities were not exactly conventional. The ability to summon demons from beyond, from the abyss. Besides Chaosmaw's demons were a whole other mystery, creatures who fed on the mana of others. Not to sustain themselves, not for sport either, they were simply designed to. Adrian commanded such nightmarish creatures, regardless if he could control them, even being associated with such creatures did not paint him in a very positive light.
Demons, even with how much study went into them, they were mysterious, and that mystery came with fear. And it did not help that no one knew how he was able to call these creatures, to control them.
"Oh, it's not that big a deal, no one is making me," he merely waved off. "I find this all interesting."
"Even so, this is no small matter. You know how those at the top are," she frowned. "How they...dislike you just for your power."
"I care not," he gave an empty-eyed smile as he gazed overhead. "I won't be dying for them anyway. I'm just participating because I'm interested," he finished offhandedly.
Lucinda frowned at how aloof he was being. She has known the boy for almost three years now, yet she could still not get a proper read on him. He was just like Mikoto in that regard.
"But you know there's something else I am more interested in," Adrian mused. "Or someone more specifically." She gave him a questioning gaze as he continued. "Mikoto, the easterner kid."
Lucinda gave a small chuckle at that. "At this point, who isn't?" she mused as she stared ahead. "Mikoto is a unique individual, a friend, I dare say, powerful and...different."
Adrian hummed at that. "He is definitely powerful," he muttered. "Though his power isn't exactly what I'm interested in."
"Really?" Lucinda found herself asking. Mikoto's absurd power was what everyone seemed curious and intrigued about.
"You see, a while back, I wrote the most wonderful poem for you," he began with a distant look in his eyes. She gave a wry smile. Dull as Adrian seemed, he had a clear interest, poetry being one of his interests. "I used a simple attachment spell, you see, linking it to your unique mana signature."
She tilted her head in confusion at that. "Odd, I haven't received it yet. Are you sure the attachment spell was stable?"
"I am very sure, I have done it a dozen times now," his smile ever so slightly dropped. "I wouldn't make such a mistake. I thought my masterpiece of poetry was lost forever until it turned up later...a new 'friend' returned it. Apparently, it was in the possession of one of his friends."
Lucinda furrowed her brow, not sure where he was going with his story.
"Mikoto had it."
Her expression grew confused at that. "That...are you sure you made no mistakes with the attachment spell? Something like that..."
"I assure you I did not, I never do. Come now, how many times has a poem successfully found its way to you?" Lucinda did not say anything; his words held true. Every attachment spell until now was successful, so why would he mess up once?
"But then do you know what you are suggesting?" Lucinda questioned. He nodded blankly. "Attachment spells, they don't stick to the mana itself but the 'scent' and lingering residuals around a person. What you are suggesting is that Mikoto has the exact same mana signature as me, and that's impossible."
"Impossible, true. Someone who's not a spawn cannot have the same mana signature as someone who is. Unless said person was also a spawn under the same God," Adrian suggested. She could not help but slightly deadpan at his words.
"Then even more so impossible. Following that line of logic, that would make Mikoto a spawn of Octavia like me," she chuckled at that. "And he's a boy to boot. Two spawns of Octavia have never existed in the same era, nor has there been a male spawn of Octavia in records of history."
Adrian shrugged, not looking the least bit dissuaded. "Who knows? In this odd realm of ours, I'd like to think nothing is impossible. But would this not perfectly explain the enigma that is Mikoto?"
Lucinda's lips thinned; the more she thought about it, the less absurd it seemed. The absurd strength spoke for itself, and Mikoto had mentioned he was a spawn. But she thought far back, to when the demons had first attacked the academy. There was a large explosion of mana that gouged a deep hole into the forest near the academy, nearly destroying it. She had investigated it too. There were lingering mana vestiges, red and potent despite it being so insignificant.
"But do think of it, yeah?" Adrian suggested as he stood up. He threw a shrug. "And he does wear a mask at every waking moment, no? Maybe he is not a 'he,'" Adrian mused as he turned, giving a short wave before walking off. Lucinda watched his retreating figure with a frown of contemplation.
Did she really know Mikoto well enough to even consider that kind of possibility? ("No, it's absurd, there's no way there could be someone else like me. And I seriously doubt Mikoto is secretly a spawn of Octavia and a girl...I am not exactly sure on the second one though. His lips were quite rosy...") She sighed; what was she even thinking?
("Adrian must have just made a mistake.") She mentally reasoned. For now, she dismissed the entire idea entirely. ("The festival is nineteen days away now, yet my stomach feels uneasy despite all the time I have left. Even if I have familiar faces alongside me, I cannot help but be fearful.") Her mind drifted to the opposition, Selwyn more specifically. She could not help but grit her teeth; memories resurfaced of what he did in Verdantis. To Lily, to her children, but she also remembered what Mikoto had said. She somewhat smiled at the thought of the ever-confident Mikoto; even with all her power, she strived to be like that someday.
("I won't strive for something like vengeance; I'll support everyone as best I can. Agatha, who has yet to master Arcane Ascendance, Mirabella, who has yet to access it, and even in Miss Fiona's endeavor to control the kingdom's last Divine Artifact. I'll ensure victory for all.")
--------------------
The lush emerald jewel sat in the vast expanse of the ocean, rising from the depths like a fortress. Its shores, fringed by swaying palm trees, created a natural moat, their roots mixing with the sandy soil, forming a barrier against the encroaching waves. The beach, a pristine expanse of soft, golden sand, stretched out as far as the eye could see, interrupted only by occasional rocky outcrops that jutted out from the water's edge.
"Is there any reason we came to a stop at this island?" The question was asked by Agatha; she stood beside him on the sandy ground, brushing strands of hair out of her face as the wind swept past.
Victoria merely hummed as she watched the vast expansive ocean. "Did you stop here for a break? Or maybe you were hoping to see us in swimsuits?" She teased.
"Nah," Mikoto dryly denied, shaking his helmeted head. "We're close enough to Verdantis to the point I can just teleport to my intended location. However, the woman I'm supposed to meet has placed defensive wards and charms there, it seems." Mikoto briefly explained. "Now it would be easy to break through, but I'm guessing she's got all of those defenses in place for a reason, you know?"
"I see," Agatha voiced. "Then is it more flying over the ocean after this?" She mouthed out a little exasperated.
"I can just teleport to Emberreach; I can tell traveling over the sea at hypersonic speed isn't exactly the most enjoyable experience." Mikoto snorted. "At any rate, you two must be feeling the effects somewhat; we did just use the bare minimum of defensive magic. And traveling at that kind of speed has its effects."
"Well, I do feel rather strained," Victoria muttered with a smile. "How about a nice massage for yours truly?" She suggested.
"Not a chance," Mikoto waved off as he leisurely let his body drop, taking a seat on the sandy ground without a care. The two looked at him questioningly before glancing at one another, shrugging, they followed his lead. A large palm tree provided shade so they did not have to worry about the sun cooking them while they were wearing their armor. Alas, it did feel nice sitting in such an expansive and natural space. The smell of the seawater filled their nostrils, the sounds of the sea waves crashing and critters making noise engulfed their ears, and the gentle breeze provided much comfort.
"Hm, the festival is growing increasingly closer, not long now," Victoria mused with a small smile.
"You're in charge of planning, right? Any great strategies so far?" Mikoto questioned. He was well aware that Victoria wasn't there to battle. She was mainly going to play support and plan for them; apparently, she was quite smart even among her own spawns of the God Almeric.
"Several," she revealed. "Though there are many things to account for: the Von Auerswald's foreign abilities, what magitech they'll be using, and of course the Inheritors. In the most recent festivals, there have only been five Inheritors, but with it recently being discovered they had access to a sixth one, we could deduce they have more in reserve. Though I accounted for each possible Inheritor there could still be, their abilities, how to counter them, and who best to face them."
"There are a lot of Gods," Agatha stated. "Are you accounting for every one of those Gods, what their Inheritors' abilities might be?" She questioned; the whole prospect of keeping that much information seemed absurd.
"Well, of course," Victoria innocently confirmed. "I wouldn't be much the brains of the group if I could not do that much. At any rate, if they do have more Inheritors, I have backup plans, same with the Von Auerswald's. For the latter group, those with Divine Artifacts and offensive Familial Arts can focus on them. But it would be great if we could have the Inheritors focus on the Von Auerswald's. Oh, that reminds me, dear Fiona was chosen to wield the last Divine Artifact."
"Really?" Mikoto questioned.
"Indeed," Agatha was the one to answer. "Aleister deemed her a candidate to be most compatible with one, so she'll likely fight alongside us. With that, we'll have the numbers at the very least."
Mikoto gave a humming sound at that; apparently, the festival's mechanics varied from year to year. If it was always going to be a team deathmatch like how it was apparently going to be this year and the last, then either Dante or Selwyn would have reigned supreme at every festival. "Still, are the three biggest nations alone going to compete?"
"That's right, there's been no word of smaller countries wanting to compete. While Verdantis, Vel'ryr, and Galadriel have racked up an equal amount of wins, this final festival will be the most important one yet," Victoria clarified. "But this talk of the festival is so boring~" Victoria whined.
"What else would there even be to talk about?" Agatha questioned with a tilt of her head.
"Normal stuff, you know, the festival is not all that is going on in the world," Victoria mused.
"What exactly would even count as normal at this point?" Mikoto ventured. When he first came to this world, he was overwhelmed, but then things became familiar to him, and then the world just got more absurd as he went on. There was just nothing normal about it at this point.
"How about..." Victoria seemed to ponder a subject they could converse about until a sly smile lit up her expression. "Love?" She suggested, "A very 'normal' topic."
"A meaningless one too," Agatha deadpanned. "I don't see the depth of something like that."
"Come now, there must be someone you're interested in," Victoria mused with a smile. "Now don't be shy to share; you are at that age after all." She teased.
Agatha mulled over her words momentarily; she remembered she had a similar conversation with Mirabella as well. Though it was more to do with romance than it was familial love, normally she had no interest. Most boys her age or close to it were either terrified of her or just did not fit her taste. Her father used to set her up with a number of dinner dates with influential people; they were either after her beauty or just because she used to be the heir of the Gregory family.
Romance in general became a dull concept; well, the only interest she had in another boy would be Mikoto now. Though there was nothing romantic about it, or she did not think there was. He was...different from others.
"No, there isn't anyone," she blurted out, 'odd,' she thought. Usually, she would not have minded voicing her interest, but the subject of her interest being in such close proximity made her rethink her honesty.
For some reason, Victoria grew a Cheshire-like smile. "Is that right?~" Agatha found herself not liking the older blonde's tone. "Well, I find myself interested in Mikoto as well," Victoria voiced.
"How-"
"Women's intuition," Victoria grinned. Agatha found herself gazing at the girl incredulously. For some reason, she did not feel comfortable with the older girl disclosing her 'interest' so openly. "So Mikoto, you feeling flustered now that two beauties professed their interest in you?"
"Crazy stuff," Mikoto commented dryly. Agatha found the response a tad disappointing for some odd reason.
"Fumu~ I bet you're blushing beneath your helmet," Victoria teased with a sly smile.
"Keep dreaming, I am stone-faced," Mikoto waved off. "At any rate, I'm not that interesting."
"I beg to differ," Agatha mumbled. "You're very...different from everyone else. So free and aloof."
"Very nice too," Victoria's smile grew more genuine. "I still owe you a great debt for what you did for me, and I shall repay it any way I can."
"It's nothing; you don't owe me a thing," Mikoto mumbled. Saving Victoria's mother seemed like something so distant now. ("I really have been here a while; after I get Arcane Ascendance, I'll visit mom and Hinata before saving this universe. Wonder what their reaction will be, damn Hinata will make fun of me for looking like a chick,") he gave a silent chuckle. "Anyway, I heard you got disowned as the heir of your house," Mikoto turned to Agatha. "With you learning Arcane Ascendance, I thought you'd be seen as even more valuable."
Agatha gave a small shrug. "I merely told my father what was on my mind. The truth that he was naught but a jealous feeble man. I got disowned as a result."
"Really?" Mikoto snorted. "Man, I wish I could've seen the look on that guy's face." He chuckled slightly." Way to go. Sticking it to that geezer, Agatha." She smiled ever so slightly at his words.
They were nice to hear.