It's been half a year since our meeting with Zanac. Slowly but surely, with Raeven announcing himself as his primary supporter, he's managed to build quite a following.
It still isn't enough to rival Barbro's camp, but I can see that people are beginning to take him as a serious contender for the throne.
I'd been getting stronger, thanks to Renner. Once a week, I am allowed to execute people on her behalf. Once she deems a criminal's existence as "personally offending", I am given free rein over their life as princess Renner's closest confidant.
The majority weren't as high levelled as the first one I had killed, though it was good supplemental experience, nonetheless.
As Renner's official advisor, I was granted a few liberties. Importantly, I had access to a list of Re-Estize's noble houses and some basic information.
I had drawn up a list of items I'd like to obtain before canon started and shared it with Renner. Our focus right now was a Sword of Darkness. Lakyus' sword Kilineiram.
My eyes scanned the scroll, trying to find a familiar name.
Raeven, Blumrush, Pespea, Urovana, Boullope, Lytton…
I couldn't remember Lakyus's last name, but I knew she was the daughter of a noble.
Right now, she should be a couple years older than me. Hopefully, she hadn't become an adventurer yet.
The list went on and on. I was surprised at the number of noble families Re-Estize had.
Aha! There it was: A familiar name.
Aindra.
Lakyus Aindra.
Their residence was… within the capital. So, the family has no territorial obligations? If I remember correctly, Azuth Aindra is a descendant of one of the Thirteen Heroes. Their title must've been bestowed upon them to tie them to the country. The previous king was a sly man.
There was no way that Lakyus could've become an adamantite adventurer by normal means at such a young age.
I had two theories:
Her Heroic ancestor was a Player, making her a Godkin. Unlikely.
Or she gained her strength through her sword, Kilineiram. An item from Yggdrasil.
Was it a family heirloom? Possibly. If so, obtaining it should be easy.
If we could get our hands on it…
Now that would make me happy.
"Lakyus!" I look up from my desk towards the door where my mother walked in.
She had a very excited look on her face.
A guest, perhaps?
"Has uncle Azuth returned?!" I eagerly ask. She shakes her head.
"Princess Renner is here." My eyes go wide.
"The princess?!"
"Yes. Now make yourself decent; she is waiting downstairs." Mother curtly left my room, shutting the door behind her.
I had no time to think. I leap out of my chair and dash to my wardrobe.
I had a few pairs of formal clothing to choose from. I try to think of what dress would be customary in the presence of royalty.
My eyes scanned the layers of different covered garments side-by-side. I wanted to wear a red dress, but I think that might be too much. Pink would look gentler on the eyes.
I wanted to make a good first impression.
Finished getting dressed, I bolted down the stairs to the reception room. I notice a fancy carriage parked outside.
Panting outside the door, I calm my breathing. I can hear some chatter beyond the door.
Quietly opening the door as to not disturb the guests, I peek through the gap.
It was the princess.
She sat on our couch, gracefully drinking a cup of tea. A boy also sat beside him. He must be important if he came with the princess.
Working up the courage, I enter the room and bow.
"It is my privilege to host you, princess Renner. May I know the name of the one seated beside you?"
She sets the cup down on the butler's table.
"Of course, Lakyus," – She knew my name – "the one to my right is Climb. He is my good friend and advisor." Wow. He must be very skilful to be serving her at such a young age.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lakyus," the boy addresses me. Which noble family is he from, I wonder?
"It is mine as well, Climb." I turn to Renner. "Please excuse me, but I have only just learnt of your presence at our estate. May I know your reasons for visiting?"
"Well, our initial intentions were to consult a few matters with your parents. After our discussion, we both decided it would be prudent to meet the girl in question." She smiled.
They were talking about me?! How embarrassing. I couldn't hide the blush on my cheeks.
I walk across the room and seat myself opposite the guests. If they wanted to talk privately with me, it was only appropriate. Climb spoke up.
"Lakyus, I've heard great things about your uncle. I was very interested in some of his stories."
"Uncle Azuth?"
"Would it be a bother to ask if you could retell some of his stories? You see, Princess Renner was getting a bit bored in the palace. Some incredible adventuring stories would go a long way."
Ah, the princess was bored. I could understand.
"Adventuring sounds a lot more fun than being a noble, doesn't it?" My hands shoot to cover my mouth. I had accidentally said it aloud.
I scramble over my words.
"T-that wasn't… I-I meant no disrespect to your highness!" I bowed my head low. "Acting as a noble in service to the royal family is an honour of the highest degree!"
Climb started laughing at my words.
"Lakyus, you don't need to worry; we aren't here to test your character." He waved my worries away. "We are just here for some stories about Azuth's adventures."
I breathe a sigh of relief.
"Well, it would make sense that you would ask me. My parents don't like uncle Azuth very much."
"Ah, here's one to start you off, Lakyus. My princess has a penchant for stories of treasure hunting and such. Are there any such stories that you know of?"
"Oh! He's told me lots!" Climb gestures for me to continue.
"There's that time he discovered his famous Armour of Reinforcement... when he attempted to reach the Floating Castle in search of riches, and his continued search for a Sword of Darkness." Climb perked up at the mention of the last one.
Renner leaned forward.
"By any chance, would the sword he was looking for be called… Kilineiram?"
Every time I think something escapes our grasp, Renner manages to save it. We arranged a meeting with Lakyus' parents in hopes of finding Kilineiram. If the sword were a family heirloom, we could arrangesomething, and it should find its way into our hands. After back-and-forth pleasantries and dreary noble talk, we finally got to the topic in question. Unfortunately, they said their household had no such tradition.
I was about to give up on my quest to obtain the sword when Renner spoke up. She wanted to meet Lakyus in person. At the time, I didn't know what she was doing.
Oh, how crafty of her.
As the future owner of Kilineiram, Lakyus should've been the prime target of our efforts. I was so focused on obtaining it now, that I had discounted the possibility that she might've discovered the blade later in life.
Now, we were leaving the Aindra estate with a solid lead on the sword's whereabouts. Hopefully, Renner could send some people out to collect it.
"Renner, how are your experiments going?"
"Hm? There are some complications, but I think it's going pretty well."
Renner was attempting to unify magic theory to one based on science. I really wanted to believe in her ability... Although even for her, I think it was out of the realm of possibility.
Really?
Explaining magic with science?
I think there's a reason why you call it magic.
In her words, science was a field of "advanced hyper-rationality" used to explain natural phenomena. She argued that magic was also a natural phenomenon. I really wanted to refute her then and there.
To her, it made no sense that I could explain the mechanics behind day and night, whereas magic was 'it just works'.
"Any progress since last time?" She looks at me with a glower.
"It would be nice if the one bestowed with knowledge would help me with some things, you know? Aren't we accomplices?"
She got me there. I stayed away from her experimentation because, personally, I think it's just a waste of time. She continued to stare me down.
"Okay, okay. Calm down, princess. I'll help with your experiments. As your advisor, it also falls within my obligations." She nods at my agreement.
"I've got something I want to show you after we get back to the palace. It's something I've been working on the past few months."
"So, you have made progr-" *Thump*
I felt a dull pain strike my leg. Ouch.
"Renner, it's unladylike to kick a man's shin. And I'm sure you know it won't hurt me anyway." I smirk at her irritated face.
As a token of appreciation for introducing himself to Raeven, brother Zanac constructed a private lab for me. I knew that the taxpayers would prefer to have that money reinvested into infrastructure, but I really couldn't care less.
State-of-the-art research quarters in the palace, just for me.
It had a private library filled with tomes of magical knowledge. It was fitted with an ample, open space for experimentation, standing benches and storage cabinets found in abundance.
What I loved the most about my laboratory, was the vast blackboard that spanned the entire southside wall from top to bottom. I had lost myself many times scribbling down formulae and theories.
I turned to Climb.
"I brought you here to show you my side project."
"Not your work on magic?" he grins.
Climb should learn to avoid reminding me of that pile of nigh-unsolvable work. I continue, paying no heed to his pointless derision. I couldn't wait to see the look on his face when I reveal what I've been working on.
"Ever since you had mentioned the mechanics behind states of matter, my mind had been focused on harnessing its properties. Something practical."
I bring out a small box, about the size of a standard desk lantern. Climb eyed it with some curiosity.
I place it on the table in front of us.
It was a culmination of all my efforts and all of Climb's teachings. This is the first thing I could ever say I was proud of.
The box was forged from steel and wrapped in cloth. I still hadn't found a perfect insulator against the heat that would be produced, but the cloth did its job. The only defining feature of this box was a rectangular rod that jutted from its side.
I rummaged around some drawers and brought out a custom-built wheel. I could see Climb's eyes widening at the rectangular cut-out at the centre of it.
I connected the wheel to the rod, and they slotted together. The wheel's diameter was slightly smaller than the height of the box.
I opened a small hatch on its back, allowing access to its insides. I locate the small heatstone and the mithril primer.
"This is only a proof of concept, though; I do hope you realise its potential."
I wind the primer downwards before shutting the hatch. A release switch was located on the outside.
I flick it.
Inside the steel box, I could imagine the mithril primer striking the heatstone. Chemical energy stored for a millennium is instantaneously transferred into thermal energy. Thermal energy goes on to create vertical air currents. The air current's drive a turbine, converting kinetic energy to mechanical work. A turbine is connected to the metal rod. What a beautiful multistage process.
The contraption roars to life with that, and the wheel begins to rotate. I had done it. A device that combined both the essence of science and magic. I fold my hands across my chest in triumph.
"Climb, what you see in front of you, is what I call a-"
"A motor…" Climb interrupts me.
…
What?
"It already has a name?" He nodded tentatively. "You know of this?!" He nods again.
…
I could not believe it.
This accomplishment, all my time, all my effort; Reduced to nothing but a poor imitation of something made before. Climb must've seen my face as he began to desperately trip over his words in consolation.
"R-Renner, this is an amazing invention! I could never have done it myself, even with what I know. You've managed to fit it in such a small form factor, I wouldn't even know how to begin! Come on, just because I know its name doesn't mean that your motor has any less value than before. This will revolutionise the industry!"
His words only heightened my anger.
"You knew of it. It would be misleading to call this an invention if it already existed, right?" I looked into Climb's eyes, and he knew the answer.
I wanted this to be special. I wanted to show Climb that I could do something on my own. Employing his knowledge, utilising my intellect, connecting the dots. I had worked for months on this. The feeling was cheapened now. He already had all the necessary pieces to the puzzle I spent nights trying to solve.
"Shouldn't I have just waited for your lesson on motors before starting this project?" I ask. "How about I wait for your lesson on how to solve magic and science?" I was angry.
At Climb.
…
No… not at him.
I was resentful of his knowledge. I must've seemed like a child to him. No, like a character in a storybook. He was watching me get all excited over a motor. Its name left a dry taste in my mouth. To say it so casually, like it was a normal thing.
To Climb, this was a normal thing.
He sees things so differently. From me, from everyone else on this planet.
"Climb, leave."
I wanted to be alone for a while.
"Renner, I-"
"Leave."
I hear him shuffle towards the exit before the door closes behind him.
I avoided looking at his face as he left.
For once, I didn't want to know what expression he held.
AN: Hope you enjoyed the short Lakyus cameo. What long-term consequences will their interaction bring for the future of Blue Roses?
And what's a good pairing without some conflict? Things aren't always smooth sailing, no matter how much one can plan for. Thanks for reading!