Rose and I were strolling around the city. It's been a while since I saw my wife wearing her signature guild clothes. They were mostly white with a hint of orange which granted her the nickname White Angel. She's definitely an angel in my eyes. A beautiful and powerful woman worthy of her nickname and fame.
Everywhere we went, people greeted her with a smile or welcomed her. But their faces changed upon seeing my face to either being terrified or scared. I didn't do anything to warrant such a bad reputation. Well, technically I did sort of started a war but the public doesn't know it was me. All they knew was that the "Caped Crusader" started the war and the White Angel saved it. I suspect it was more like they were unfamiliar with me. I had not done anything worthy that can be called an achievement ever since gaining the title of the Fourth Great Power.
Truth be told, after obtaining the title, all I did was spend time with Rose and brought her over to the Eastern Continent where both of us trained under Peter Borage for a couple of years. I daresay, my wife is stronger than me right now and I'm fine with that. I never wanted to be powerful. Tom was my main motivator for getting stronger and now he's dead. I went through with my revenge and I'm happy for it. I always hated doing things halfway and giving up for no reason. Tom had taken my grandfather and I lost nine years of quality time with him. Nine years of time that I can never regain because he passed away right after my battle with Tom. So yes, I definitely have no regrets whatsoever having killed him.
As I stared at my wife who was browsing through stuffs, I started wondering how long has it been since the both of us went out for a date together? We had Daffodil over to help us babysit Daisy today. Her daughter, Aloe Gladiolus, was quite attached to Daisy even though she was much older than her. Well, I guess they are technically the same age if we were to cut Daisy's age by half. John made it very clear that he didn't want Daffodil to continue being an adventurer after she had gotten pregnant. Surprisingly, she actually agreed and now she worked as a babysitter every once in a while which we were extremely grateful for. We certainly preferred someone we can trust to babysit our child over some stranger. We were willing to pay for her services but both of them turned down on the payment. We ended up sneaking some coins into Daffodil's bag whenever we could.
I've already brought Daisy over to the playground in the morning as I've promised her, so it was close to noon as we our date began.
"Is there anywhere you wished to go? We still have time before lunch," asked Rose as she looked towards the giant clocktower.
The townhouse where all the younglings visited to have their stats checked and obtain recommendations for their guild choices had recently added a giant clocktower at the side of the building. It was so much easier now to figure out where the townhouse is especially if you're new to the city. It's literally the tallest building in the middle of the city. Well, it had to be if they wished people to keep track of time.
"Hmm— perhaps there is somewhere we can go. I wonder if the order I commissioned is ready," I said to Rose.
"You ordered something? What is it?" she asked me curiously.
"Come along and perhaps you'll get to see it," I held her hand and guided her along.
The city had changed for the better and it's not my optimism speaking. Everywhere you go, you can literally see different races or species all around. That was not the case under the Queen's rule but the war had changed that. The war that I incited. The council of New Order did a pretty good job in managing the city better than it's former glory.
We passed by a church as we headed to our destination. The Church of the Imperatrix to be exact. A church that's under the guidance of a being called the Imperatrix of Mortal. Never had I heard of such a being before until recently. Is it a Cosmic Being, or perhaps just a human, or maybe even some made up nonsense from the church. And as usual, it's filled with people queuing to enter. Not to pray, mind you, but to get themselves cured. Apparently, the church had discovered some cure that can supposedly heal all illness, sickness or wounds. There were discussions on the validity of the cure but as it stands, there were only a few confirmed cases where it actually worked.
Rose does not trust the church one bit as they refused to release the source of the cure or what they are even injecting you with. Rose warned me to never bring Daisy over to the church in an attempt to cure her. She is fine the way she is and is in no need to be cured because of her slow growth. And I agree with her entirely. An unknown cure declared out of the blue can only warrant suspicions from me.
There was another church where the elves had constructed within the city. The Church of the Goddess of Divinity, as they call it. Now I certainly had heard of this Cosmic Being before. It had been around ever since the elves existed. We visited this church a couple of times before as they were welcoming and we enjoyed being in their company. We didn't go there to pray or embrace their religion but more towards exploring the culture of the elves. Rose seems to be keen on understanding Lily's culture as she told me that Lily is practically her sister and she should know what her culture is all about. Until date, there seems to be no controversy with this church unlike the other one. Is there anything human related that's not controversial?
At last, we made it to the place in question. There was no signboard at the entrance which puzzled Rose as she checked her surroundings before I headed in. I opened the door and a small bell rang from the motion. I gestured Rose to come in and sit down as I waited at the counter. There was no one around and I don't even know whether he's in. After some time, a rather senior looking man came out from the back of the store.
"C— can I help you?" asked the man as he stuttered his words.
He adjusted his glasses and changed his tone after realising who it was who rang the bell.
"Not everyday a member of the Four Great Powers comes into my shop. How can I help? Are you here regarding your order?" he asked.
"I was just in the area and happened to stop by. It's fine if it's not ready. It is a new invention after all," I explained.
"Mister Zen, I am the one who invented and constructed that clocktower. What a fool would I be if I cannot fulfil your simple request? Although, you do have a knack for asking new inventions that even I find intriguing. Do you wish to check them out? You can follow me to the back. Your spouse included," he gestured us to follow him.
"Wow— don't mind if I do. I've never been in the back area before," I told him as I gestured Rose to come along.
"Zen? What's going on? Who is this person? He seems familiar," asked Rose.
"This— is Stein. Do you remember when I told you before, that during the war, there were soldiers that wore ridiculously heavy armour and shield that required mechanism to move? Well, I found him. And ever since then I had been requesting him to invent me new things. And he was also the one who took our picture," I told Rose.
"Oh, what had you been asking him to invent? Nothing too crazy, I hope?" said Rose as she chuckled.
"Hmm, the mechanical arm your Paladin Lord is using was one of them. Oh, and the stove that we used to cook too," I told her.
"Are you— saying that the stove in our home was invented by him?" asked Rose as her face started to grow worried.
"Yup. I told him to think of something that can utilise the recent discovery of gas. While other people were thinking about creating new weapons, transportation or other things, I asked him whether it was possible to create something that we can use for cooking. No doubt he was confused at first on why I would make such an odd request, seeing as I'm a member of the Four Great Powers, but he understood the application of it. And so— we're the first person to use gas stove in our personal home. Taa daa," I smiled to her.
"W— wait.. are you for real? No— wonder I never saw it on sale or anyone else using it! Oh gosh, how valuable is that stove that I had been using? It's going to cost millions if the blueprint is ever discovered!" shouted Rose as her face contorted with horror.
"Oh, don't worry, the blueprint had already been sold. Very soon, the public will have access to these. And hopefully, the price of gas will hopefully be lowered to the public if they want people to use it," I told her.
"Ah, I see. Guess that's fine then. You almost gave me a heart attack there. Stein must have been a genius inventor to be able to create whatever you request of him. I didn't even realised that he was the one who created that metal arm for my Guildmaster. Thanks for thinking of his needs," said Rose as she leaned over to give me a kiss on the cheek.
"Well, I won't take all the credit. Mister Zen here is the one who brought up those ideas in the first place, and gave a very clear picture on how it looked as well as how it worked. If anything, he's a genius on his own for thinking outside the box," explain Stein.
"Zen? A genius? I think that's the first time anyone ever called you that," said Rose as she chuckled. The sudden recall of memory that Lily used to call me that came flooding back to me.
"Hey— my curse have some uses too, alright? While it serves as my wild imagination most of the time, it can help me figure out unexpected things too," I explained to her.
"Alright then, Mister Genius. Let's see what your brain have in store when we get home, O-nii-chan~" whispered Rose at the end.
I curled my lips. I knew exactly what she meant when she said that. She's asking for something new for tonight. I can't recall the amount of steamy sex we had along with things that she had never even heard of, thanks to my curse. Now, I'm running out of ideas figuring out new things for sex. I hope my brain can fork out something new and naughty by the end of the day. C'mon ya filthy brain, get to work.
We walked pass a couple of machineries that I had never seen before. Metal parts joined together that looked like some sort of engine or complete parts that I had no idea what it's used for.
Strangely though, Stein likes to work alone, but when the time calls for more manpower, he will request a few of his trusted partners to help out. Such as the construction of the clocktower. I guess my order is considered small as it's just something that can fit inside a pocket easily.
Stein opened a door and stepped in. Inside, there was a long table and a heck load of cabinets. There was a table lamp right in the middle of the table. That must be where he create new inventions, I suppose. And yes, light bulb was created by him too. Say goodbye to candles as our only light source now.
"I hope you find this to your liking," said Stein as he handed a small wooden box to me.
I opened it and, wow— it feels so unbelievable to see it for the first time. Talking about it is one thing, seeing it in person as a working object is another. I held it up and pushed on the crown in the middle. The hinge flapped open and inside, showed mini portable clock that tells the time. Now, I can check the time without needing to stare outside the window. No longer do I need to depend on an hourglass for alchemy. No wait, I think hourglasses are still better for precise timing. Scratch that.
"Wow~ That looks beautiful. To be able to see the time in such a tiny device," wowed Rose as she stared at the pocket watch I was holding.
"Indeed. When Mister Zen first proposed this idea to me, he explained that a portable one will be useful during his journey. It was indeed a challenge to minimise such a huge contraption into such a small device but I somehow made it work. One of my best invention to date I might say," explained Stein.
"I guess I will be depending on you to tell me the time then, Onii-chan," smiled Rose as she admired the pocket watch.
"What're you talking about? Do you think I would be so selfish as to only request one for my own?" I said to her.
"H— huh?" puzzled Rose.
Stein brought out another box and handed it to Rose. She was startled and looked nervous as she opened it. Her face brightened up with a huge smile upon the big reveal. I had only seen that expression once and that was when the doctor told her that she was pregnant. She took out the pocket watch and admired it. She looked at the rear of the watch and there was a rose engraving with her full name written on it. It was a special request that Stein was willing to indulge.
"W— wow. This is— I'm at a lost for words. How can I thank you for this? This must had cost a fortune to make," said Rose with a sense of joy in her tone.
"Nonsense. I don't create new things for the sake of money. I create them for the benefit of the people. And besides, the cost of the blueprint alone will sustain me for decades to come. I just enjoy inventing new things. That and, your husband had already paid for it," chuckled Stein.
"Still— thank you so much. I love this and I will treasure it dearly," smiled Rose as she bowed to Stein.
I had only seen her this happy a few times before. I'm glad that I'm able to see it again.
"Thanks for the help, Stein. Should I come up with new ideas, I'll come find you," I said to him.
As we were heading back to the front door, I remembered about the concealed gun that the hunter used. I wonder if Stein had a hand in that creation.
"Stein, do you happen to know about the invention of a concealed gun that you can hide in your sleeve? I just saw someone using it in battle against me," I asked him.
"A hidden gun? Hmm— while it is technically feasible, but how're you going to reload it? It would be troublesome and not to mention difficult to reload such a small weapon. Did you happen to see it with your eyes on how it looked like?" he asked.
"Sadly, no. It was mostly hidden in her sleeve. Perhaps I should tear her sleeve open next time and check it out. I thought you had a hand in creating it," I said.
"I'm not the only inventor in this world, Mister Zen. I'm certain that there are other geniuses out there that are more suited to inventing weapons than me. Are you interested in requesting for a new weapon invention though?" he asked.
"No. At least, not yet I guess. I do have something that comes to mind though," I said with a thinking face.
Stein told me to wait as he rushed to the back to grab his notebook. I'm not sure why he's always so hyped up whenever I give him ideas no matter how dumb it may sound.
"Tell me," answered Stein as he adjusted his glasses.
"I'm thinking of a smaller version of our stove. One that's rather portable," I racked my brain.
"You meant to say that you want to be able to bring a stove everywhere you go? Is it to cook in the wilderness? But— how are you going to bring along the gas when it is kept in such a big container? Hmm.." Stein gave it some thought.
It was always this way. I give him an idea and we banter on its functions, application and real world usage.
"I'm actually thinking of something smaller. Something that can be used to light up items or to be used as a temporary light source," I continued.
"You mean something like a match? We already have something like that. What scenario do you have in mind?" he asked.
"Matches get wet and will not work in time of need. Then we only have to flints to rely on. What I'm thinking is probably a small container that keeps the gas while we have a flint up top where we can strike or flick to ignite the gas," I continued thinking and just blasting ideas at Stein.
"Ahh— I see where you're going, Mister Zen. That's indeed useful. I can see a couple of application being used by it. Mainly, for smokers but I'm sure there's always a need to start a fire. And you painted a good idea on how to start. Allow me a couple of days to get started and perhaps you can come back in a week or so to check on the progress," he said as he started drawing something in his notebook.
"I'll be waiting. Let us take our leave so we don't disturb you any further," I gave him a bow and proceeded to the front door with Rose.
"W— wow. I had no idea you were this smart. Perhaps you can retire as an adventurer and become an inventor instead," said Rose as she played with her hair. Is she trying to flirt with me?
We said our farewell to Stein as we exited the front door. As I was still thinking about the mechanism of the hidden gun, Rose threw herself at me and hugged me tightly while saying thank you with a cheerful tone. She even whispered to me saying that someone is going to get lucky tonight as she twirled her index finger on my chest. I swallowed my throat and prayed that I won't disappoint her when night arrives.
Alright, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Lunch comes first. Where shall we eat? Rose mentioned that it's been a while since we last ate at 'Sleeping Daisies' so she proposed that we have our lunch there. I agreed and off we headed to the very first tavern that I stepped my foot upon when I first arrived in city.
Rose pushed open the door and I was hit with nostalgia. Honestly speaking, I tried to avoid coming here nowadays. The reason was that every time I opened that door, I was expecting to see Lily, John and Rick to be mingling in here. While I still do see John hanging around here once in a while, Lily was nowhere to be seen for a couple of years now. Rick, on the other hand, may he rest in peace.
Rose headed straight to the counter to order our meal while I took a seat at one of the available table. There were not many people around as it was not exactly lunchtime yet. While adventurers don't follow proper timing, a lot of them head out for work in the morning and usually don't return until late noon.
Rose came over, pulled her chair closer to me and sat at my side. I was wondering what she was doing seeing that it was a small round table and she could had sat directly opposite of me. She took out the pocket watch and admired it as she rested her head on my shoulder. Ah, she wanted to be lovey-dovey, I suppose.
"Onii-chan, I love it. It's really beautiful. I don't think words can explain how happy I am right now," she spoke as she continued to admire it.
"It was supposed to be your birthday gift. I guess it came earlier this year," I chuckled.
She turned to look at me with her eyes sparkling. This is usually a sign of her wanting a kiss which I obliged. She usually gets shy with public affection but I guess she's just in a happy mood right now. We broke off the kiss when our food arrives.
"Oh my, how rare for the both of you to show affection in public," said the innkeeper.
The very same innkeeper that had served me for the very first time. She is possibly close to around 60 now and no longer ask people to call her Onee-san, thankfully.
We gave our thanks to the innkeeper for serving us. Rose started blushing and pulled her chair opposite of me and started eating. The food is still as good as it was before which is the main reason as to why we kept coming back here.
After we were done with lunch, it was time for us to head to the guild hideout which was located in the western part of the city. It's gonna take some walking for us to reach there, which is gonna help when my belly is full of food. Just as we were heading towards west, an alarm went off. Someone was ringing the bell tower which was also located next to the townhouse.
"Monster attack on the western entrance! Any available adventurer, please help out!" shouted an announcer as he continued to ring the bell.
Rose and I turned to look at each other and nodded. Protecting this city is one of our responsibilities. Perhaps I can finally have an opportunity to brighten the name of the Fourth Great Power. To the west we headed to check what monsters was attacking us.