Even the guards at the gate were extremely friendly, but that friendliness caused quite the traffic as some merchants and guards kept talking to each other, surprisingly though no one complained it was as if it was a normal occurrence in the city.
"So, what's your plans for today?" Alice asked, speaking of which it was still early in the afternoon and we had plenty of time to explore the city.
"Sleep." Kaleen, Sharica, and Elise said at the same time with extremely tired eyes, wait how are you three sleepy even after sleeping 12 hours on an extremely luxurious and comfortable carriage?!
"I'll probably go explore the city a little bit." Alice said as she patted Elise's head who was sleepy.
"Hmm.. do you mind if I join you?" I asked her.
"Why not?" She said while smiling, that smile doesn't feel right though.
"Speaking of which, where shall we be staying?" I asked a vital question as the three sleepyheads opened their eyes and stared at Zia with a questioning gaze.
"You will just see later." Zia smiled at us with confidence, well I wonder if that confidence will last long.
After the short talk, everyone kept quiet as the carriage transverse through the city and after a whole ten minutes had passed, we finally arrived at a magnificent European mansion.
The mansion had steeply pitched roofs with turrets and sculptural ornamentation, it seemed to be built of some kind of stone and gave off a luxurious vibe.
What was more magnificent was the fact that the mansion had a large garden with an extremely large fountain at the center, the whole mansion was also enclosed with gates that seem to emit mana.
If I had to compare the mansion to something on Earth then it would be something similar to Biltmore Estate, but on a larger scale.
"Well then, let's go outside now?" Zia said as she opened the door.
"Mhm." We all nodded and exited one by one before we were all greeted by a line of butlers and maids with a group of knights at the end of the line, the knights were wearing blue plate armors with blue capes.
The knights were holding one-handed swords with one of the knights approaching us from the center of the two lines with a large black greatsword on his back.
The knight on the center was not wearing a helmet, exposing a black-haired face with red eyes but there was something that differentiates him from everyone, this person had ears that were similar to a cat, or rather it was cat ears.
"Wh-who's that?" Sharica shouted as she asked Zia while blushing.
"Oh-ho, how about you introduce yourself?" Zia smiled as he spoke to the knight.
"Excuse me, your Highnesses. I am Kyle el Selphur, head of the Knights of this manor." The knight, Kyle said as he kneeled towards us with a knightly aura.
"There you have it." Zia smiled as she looked at Sharica who was hiding on her back with a red face.
"You should really act like that sometimes." Alice said as she held my hand while smiling.
"Mhm." Elise and Kaleen nodded in unison.
"I am an assassin not a knight!" I said in a loud voice.
"I'm just saying." Alice said as she gripped my hand.
"Stop flirting!" Elise shouted as Kaleen nodded, this little girl really.
"Well then, you four should stop the family vibe, we should head inside first." Zia said as she smiled towards us.
"Everyone, go back to your operations!" After hearing Zia's words, Kyle shouted before everyone bowed down and left the place.
We then started walking towards the mansion, the whole place was large and it took us more than five minutes before we arrived at the mansion.
Inside the mansion, we were immediately greeted by a large room with golden carvings, statues, and high-quality paintings. The whole room was giving off the vibe of royalty, added with a large statue of Zia on the center of the room with a spiral stairs leading upwards.
"Wa-impressive." I muttered as we entered the mansion.
"Well then, welcome to the Belie Mansion." Zia said while smiling brightly, so this is where she got her confidence.
"This is impressive desu!" Kaleen shouted as Elise nodded, the two of them were holding hands this time which represented how close they were after just two days of meeting each other.
"How about you give us a tour." Alice said to Zia.
"Hmm.. that should be fine but it will take a while so we shall start with the inside of the mansion for now." Zia said before we all nodded.
After an hour had passed, we asked her to stop touring us but she looked at us with eyes saying that wasn't even half of it, well let me give you a brief of how large this mansion was.
The mansion had a total of 500 rooms that included the rooms for the guests, family, and the employees of the mansion with a hundred of bathrooms, and twelve kitchens which was impressive but that was still not half of it, though I will not delve deeper.
"Well then, will you three share a single room?" Zia asked the three of us, Alice, Elise and me.
"That sounds fine for us." Alice said when suddenly someone interjected.
"How about me?" Kaleen said with a sad face as she held onto Elise's hand.
"Hmm.. can the bed on the room handle 5 persons?" Alice asked.
"We could have two beds either separated or connected together if you like." Zia said.
"Well then, we'll take it." I said before Kaleen's eyes brighten, it seems like she doesn't want to part with Elise, do I sense some kind of yuri development...
"Well then, I pretty much expected something similar to this and had a room that can have two beds prepared, you can take it" Zia said, her planning skills are top-notch for sure.
"Can I have a room next to Kyle?" Sharica asked in a shy voice, I wonder if my eyes are deceiving me.
"Oh-ho, how about I tell Kyle to move into a room next to you?" Zia said as she giggled.
I could have sworn Sharica was the mature type of woman, but for some reason right now she looks like a love-driven teenager, I wonder if Alice and Sharica exchanged personalities...
"That's fine for me.." Sharica said while fidgeting, it really is weird!
"Well then, how about I guide you to your respective rooms." Zia said before we all nodded and followed her.
Our rooms were located on the second floor which was convenient for us as the mansion was large enough that it can be tiring to walk.
"Enjoy your stay." Zia said with a smile after guiding the four of us to our room.
"Thanks." I said before the other three followed up, after seeing off the two, we then entered our room and was immediately shocked.
The room was extremely spacious even with the furniture and appliances, the room was also decorated with leather but what was more surprising to me was the fact that there were toys for kids in the room and they were extremely brand new.
Immediately attracted by the toys, Elise dragged Kaleen before they started playing. Their relationship was extremely close which was to the point that I feel like they might become a yuri pair in the future.
"Well, I will allow them to be one anyways." Alice said to me while smiling, she really can read minds, dangerous!!
"How about you two take a bath first." Alice then walked up to the two and said.
"Later!" Elise shouted as she kept playing but Kaleen had a different face.
"Eli, let's go take a bath." Kaleen stuttered as she said, she seems to be afraid of Alice who was smiling, speaking of which she already calls Elise with a pet name!
"Mm.. if Kaleen says so then." Elise said, why do you listen to Kaleen more than your mother?!
"Well then, I'll arrange our stuff here while you three take a bath." I said before they nodded and walked to a door with a sign saying "bathroom.", all the doors were actually labeled which was handy.
After they entered the room, I opened the magic bag and imagined everything from our room before they all came out at once which shocked me, though surprisingly they are already placed at places where I actually wanted them to be for example the clothes were placed on the bed arranged while Elise's old toys were placed on a table.
I never knew such a feature existed on the magic bag, what a real shocker!
Other than the clothes, everything was already in their places. All I have to do is just place the clothes in the wardrobe and wait for them.
Twenty minutes had passed peacefully when the three of them came out from the bathroom, wearing identical pajamas that I never seen before.
"When did you buy those?" I asked.
"Hmm.. I forgot." Alice said while tilting her head, well I won't ask.
'Well then, you three going to sleep for now?' I asked.
"Mhm." They nodded, I could have sworn Alice was going to explore the city but apparently not.
"Well then, I'll go get familiar with the city first, bye." I said as I grabbed my magic bag and went to the door, but just before I reached the door, Alice appeared out of nowhere and kissed my forehead.
"Take care then." She said while smiling.
/soo cutee/ I thought to myself while blushing.
"Mhm, you too." I tried to maintain my calm and kissed her forehead back as I exited out of the room, after exiting out of the room I went downstairs and saw someone.
"Hey Zia, what you doing?" I asked.
"Hmm. I was about to go outside incognito." She said.
"How about we go together then?" I suggested.
"Sounds good." She replied while smiling, well then I found myself a tour guide.
"Do you need a carriage?" She asked... wait you are going incognito with a carriage, how does that work?!
"Idi-.. Can we walk?" I was about to throw out the idiot word but stopped and changed my words quickly.
"Hmm... that should be okay, let's go then?" She said.
"Mhm." I nodded before we started walking to the exit of the mansion side-by-side.
"Speaking of which, where were you about to go?" I asked.
"Hmm.. I usually randomly take walks around the city to see how people are faring." She replied while looking upwards.
"You must have been onto the city a lot then?" I said.
"Mhm, that is true. Mom tends to visit here a lot because she liked the atmosphere here."
"She once said to me that the people's smiles are truly worth the sacrifices." She said.
"Mom is truly a kind-hearted person" I said while smiling, though I never have met our so-called Mother in this world but from Zia's words, I can tell she was a wise ruler, no not just a ruler but a person at a whole.
"Yeah, she was really kind." She said with a smile but looking closely you could see faint tears on her eyes, the influence of a mother on one's life is not to be laughed at.
"Well then, where should we go first?" She said after wiping the faint tears off her eyes.
"I would like to visit some kind of shop that deals with weapons, especially with the ancient weapon the old geezer gave us still not fully recovered." I said after all I need a backup weapon in case the ancient weapon fails once again, the defensive battle at Elicia had made me realize that relying on a single weapon without backup is the worst.
The only backup weapons I have were throwing knives which is not handy for close-range combat after all it had almost no grip as it is meant to be thrown.
"Hmm.. how about I introduce you to a very good blacksmith then." She said.
"Sounds good to me." I replied before we started walking on the streets, the streets on the city were extremely clean and you can rarely see people that are alone, even more, the people that aren't talking to each other.
The streets carried a friendly atmosphere where you couldn't help but admire the work of the government here, it was not an exaggeration at all to call it the city of Friendship as it truly is one.
Soon after, we arrived at a building that is literally in the shape of a hammer. It was one of the unique buildings on the city, as it really looked like a hammer added with its paints.
"Excuse me!" Zia shouted as she entered.
"Ho, it's you." A short man with bulky stature replied, the man was holding a hammer with a sword on the table, it seems to me that the sword was newly made.
"It's been a long time, gramps." Zia said as she smiled before looking at several weapons displayed.
"It truly has been, you've grown taller and cuter since the last time you came here." The man said.
"Thanks for the flattery, gramps but are you sure grandma will take those words kindly?" Zia said with a bright smile while holding onto a sword she took from the display.
"Ugh- please don't tell her that." The man said.
"Anyways, what you here for?" He said.
"My little brother right here apparently wants to have a dagger to use." Zia explained.
"A little brother, how come I never heard of him?!" The man said with a shock.
"Please introduce yourself." Zia said to me while maintaining her smile.
"Excuse me, I am Einz Silvia, pleased to meet you." I said politely.
"I should be the one excusing myself for not introducing first, anyways. Nice to meet you too, I am Huio but you can call me gramps like your elder sister." The man, Huio said with a smile.
"Your little brother is quite polite, speaking of which I never heard of little Karen having a male son." He said.
"Well, he and my little sister were hidden from the public for reasons." She said while smiling, I wonder where she gets her excuses.
"Mmm.. anyways, what kind of dagger you like?" He asked after nodding.
"I would like something equivalent or similar to this." I said as I took the ancient weapon which I just named right this moment, Lime.
"Interesting dagger there, I don't think I can make something as strong as this." He said while brushing his beard.
"Well, do you know any places that have one?" I asked.
"I didn't say I don't have one but this one is complicated." He said.
"Wait.. gramps you talking about that?!" Zia suddenly interjected.
"Mhm, if this little brother of yours can handle it then he can have it for free. It's been stuck there for years now." He said which got me curious.
"Will you take the challenge, little one?" He said with a serious tone while Zia had the face of a worried older sister.
"I'll take it!" I said, I mean who wouldn't after hearing such stuff.
"Please think twice, Einz!" Zia said with an extremely worried face.
"I will be fine." I said as I patted her head by instincts.
"Well then, I will warn you to never risk it and if you can't defeat it, just surrender after all your life is more important." The man said.
"Are you ready?" He asked.
"Mhm, I am ready." I nodded before the old man led me to a room leaving Zia behind, upon entering the room immediately a large amount of pressure appeared.
In the center of the room, a large crystal can be seen with chains binding it.
"Go place your hand on the crystal, I wish you the best of luck, little one." He said before leaving the room.
I nodded before forcing myself to walk to the center, which took ten minutes, after arriving at the center, I hesitated before some kind of force pulled my right hand and placed it on the crystal.
Immediately after my hand was placed on the crystal, my whole vision went dark.
"Where am I?" I muttered to myself while being cautious.
Hope you find inspirations soon!