Heeeeey!

New chapter! Late... But it's a new chapter nonetheless.

For starters, we still have one more chapter left to post, I'll try to solve it as soon as possible as I'm in the mood to write some more.

I liked this chapter, it's also a bit big, though as always, only single-edited...

I was in a good mood when I made it, so it may have rubbed off on Philip's personality a little...

Well, hopefully, I didn't make him a bit too different from his usual.

If only I had the patience to edit this again...

Sigh, I really need to bring forth these chapters and recover my schedule...

Anyway, this chapter is 9K words long, it was made especially long!

Enjoy it, Power stones are appreciated, and uh... The rest, as per usual...

Not much to say as I don't wish to spoil it, and albeit it's a bit late, Happy Mother's day.

Peace!

(Psst! Go check my other Novels bruv)

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/Later…/

'After a few hours going around exploring the middle city and its unique, 'down to earth' architecture, Philip and Viera eventually split up after a long afternoon of adventures.'

'And as one went above, the other went below...'

...

/Din.../

'With the chime of a bell, Philip stepped out of an elevator and into the Lower City once more, breathing in the heavy, polluted air of this claustrophobic area.'

/Chatter.../

'But he wasn't alone, next to him was a small crowd of people, going on to do their own businesses as per usual.'

'Be it here or on Earth, the life of a common worker wasn't that much different... They were exploited all much the same.'

'He could also see many guards heavily armed, and they weren't here to protect the people...'

"A rather welcoming place..."

/Chatter.../

"... This place is a bit too busy." He mumbled to himself as he walked down the street, entering an alley, vanishing not long after

...

'Later, Philip could be seen gazing at the distance with a sharp gaze from atop a tall house's roof.'

'And at this moment, Laplabe asked:'

"I thought we were done for the day, why are we here again?"

"... It's just a shot in the dark but I'm doing my part of the deal." Philip replied as he took a step down from the ceiling

/Thud…/

"I thought you gave up on it." Laplabe stated as Philip landed on an alley

'Shaking his head, he said, "Never.".'

"I just believed I had searched enough of the Upper and Middle City for it to be efficient anymore."

"Amidst everything I have to do, wasting 4-6 hours every day searching for candidates isn't exactly productive, so I just stopped as the number of places to search decreased."

"And since we've expanded our fields of activity to this place, I might as well go through it all and see if we can find any potential candidates here." He said as he walked along the streets, his hands in his pockets

I checked everywhere I thought one of them might be.

And we found many, the problem is that they remained just that, candidates.

If they failed the trials, then it was time for them to be memory wiped, a bit of extra work, but it wasn't that hard to do anyway.

The problem is that we never found the 'one'... Well, we kind of did.

'As he thought of this, he shook his head.'

Unfortunately, the sole person that did meet the criteria was... Old.

An old man.

And when we went to talk with him, he laughed at our faces.

Because funny enough, that wasn't his first time being given such an opportunity.

I imagine that, since he was talented enough, then someone in the past might've gone for him also, though the reasons would've been different.

And he refused us just like he did with them, all those years ago...

He is pretty stubborn, but that may be why he qualifies, to stick to his principles and accept his life for what it is and not pursue aspirations that may very well disrupt everything he built.

He was born to be a mage of power, but choose to be a father and eventually, grandfather instead...

And now, he just wishes to see his days roll by as he watches the flowers bloom in the park.

Nothing more, nothing else.

"Are you thinking about that old man?..."

"Sigh... Yes..."

"If only the Principal's standards weren't a tad too high, then maybe, we'd already been done with this." Philip replied as he came to a sudden stop to gaze at a massive hanging clock in the ceiling of the city

/...6:13.../

Our time is coming to an end.

We could be leaving the city at any moment, and I don't want to have any regrets.

It may end up being a waste of time like all of my previous attempts, but I would like to check this place out instead of thinking about it later.

"That is true... But in that case, why split with her then? Wouldn't it have been faster to look around with an extra person?"

"Normally, yes... But she's… A bit too slow." Philip replied as he remembered the time he walked around the Upper City with Viera

'It wasn't a pleasant experience.'

"Besides, she already has a lot going on in her head, and if I were to add more things for her to think about, she may not be able to take it."

In one day I shared too much with her, she needs some time to process it all instead of me just adding worries for her.

"That's also true."

"Anyway, before we start our search, let's go meet with those guys…" Philip said as he looked at the end of the alley to his right

"I was wondering when you were going to mention them, then again, it's not the first time this has happened."

'Hearing this, Philip exhaled as he closed his eyes in annoyance.'

"Sigh, if only I could be given peace for once."

The people from the Academy, the people of the Noble Families, the thugs…

I feel as if there are eyes tracing my movements even when I go to the bathroom to take a shit.

And that... May not even be an exaggeration...

Though, someone would have to be pretty capable to stay out of my sights for so long.

'Smiling slightly, he said with some respect:'

"Still, we need to commend them in a sense, they must be as tired as us if not more."

To those brave souls that stay in the shadows, their actions may be annoying, trailing me all the time, but even when I'm alone in my room they continue to observe me as they have to look out for other force's tails as well.

In a sense, they are my unpaid bodyguards, making sure no one peeps on me…

And I don't even pay them...

I've learned to tolerate them, sometimes I'll even just speak out loud so they may hear it, they are very good listeners in a sense...

Though they aren't that talkative.

Albeit being honest, I did it to test their patience and to see how long it would take for one of them to snap out of their roles as shadows.

Once I managed to intercept one of them as they took a break in a nearby coffee shop, a rather pretty lady, we talked for a few minutes and I think she likes me a little...

Either that or she hates me severely...

Regardless, today, things are a bit different.

I wouldn't mind if they stood a certain distance, I can get them off my tail in a jiffy, but this time, they've been unusually close, to the point even Viera started to suspect something was wrong.

To be this direct, they must want something from me.

It's not hard to connect the dots...

/Sha!/

'It didn't take long for Philip to vanish together with Laplabe as they went after the people that had been tailing after them…'

…

/In the middle of another alley nearby…/

'Philip could be seen sitting on a wooden box as he counted down the time as he looked at Laplabe's alter form, the pocket watch.'

"And… Five minutes have passed." He said as he put Laplabe back in his chest pocket

"Come on, you all don't expect me to remain here all day…" Philip said as he looked at the dark corners of the houses

I came all the way to a secluded space for them and they still don't move?

/Silence…/

'But no one moved.'

"You're embarrassing me guys… Bob? Carlos? Richard…"

/Step step step…/

'Finally, after hearing Philip's nonsense for a few seconds straight, they couldn't take it any longer and walked out of their hiding spots with frowns on their faces.'

'A group of 6 people surrounded Philip, but they didn't seem to hold any ill intent.'

'As always, Philip instinctively checked their status using Great Scholar:'

[Great Scholar reveals the truth]

[Nezur Rhenom

Level 78]

[Bongal Shei

Level 81]

[Numi Hein

Level 79]

[...]

'Even after revealing themselves, the 6 remained silent, though, by their eye expressions, they looked pretty annoyed.'

'Especially the sole female one of the team.'

'They all wore full black leather clothes, they didn't look like armor but they weren't casual clothes either.'

'They had some weapons on their body like knives and swords, but despite that, they gave the impression that wasn't the only thing they carried, there were likely many hidden weapons in their possession.'

…

'Seeing them all appear, Philip opened his arms wide as he said:'

"The gang's all here! Even you, Heisenberg!"

'Because of the fact they never shared anything about them, be it their appearance or names, Philip started to give them names based on their individual habits and personalities...'

'Apart from the girl, of course, he knew her face and even talked with her a bit.'

'He may know their names due to his Skill, but he felt it would be a tad boring to just use them like that, it may be a bit intimidating, but he didn't feel like doing it.'

'He did enjoy their rare reactions though...'

"I... I'm not called… Sigh…"

/Step…/

'The man that spoke and that also seemed to be their leader took a step forward to approach Philip, taking something from his chest pocket before giving it to him without many formalities.'

'Being formal or not, it didn't matter.'

'He already knew that Philip was beyond his scope, so there was no point in trying to be overly cautious, any of his actions would be seen as just a tad odd from this monster in human skin's perspective.'

'While being too formal would be... Just as odd.'

'Then again, Philip never understood why they were so secretive... Did it even matter when they were found from their first day?'

'Perhaps they had a bigger reason...'

"A letter?" He asked out loud as he grabbed the surprisingly unusual simple paper letter

"That is all, good day…" The man said as he took a step back

'No extra words, no dialogue... Just cold efficiency.'

'And as he said that, all of the people started retreating as well, fusing with the shadows…'

"Going already? Sheesh, have a nice day Heisenberg." Philip said as he put on a regretful and saddened act

"You too Linda." He said as he turned to the side, winking at the only female in the squad

/Crash!/

'The girl tumbled for a moment as she collide with a small box in the alley, almost falling onto the ground due to how unexpected this had been.'

"Y-You... Cough!..."

B-Bastard… I'm losing my composure just looking at him…

'Although none of them brought it up, they all realized Philip looked a bit different, which wasn't unusual.'

'After observing him for months, they came to understand just how strange, abnormal… And unhinged he truly was.'

'His actions, from the start, were weird.'

'Attending a party to ordering the construction of a sealed workshop before selling weapons and armor in bulk...'

'His actions might seem connected, but they had no goal or clear purpose in sight aside from gathering of wealth.'

'But even then, the more you thought about it, the less it made sense.'

'Even if Heroes grow fast, where did all of his capabilities come from? And why did he need so much money?!'

'Each day he seemed to change a little, to the point that, if they were to read their past reports from when they first started to observe him, it would lead to them thinking of a completely different person than the one in front of them right now.'

'And this time, in the span of half a day when they lost track of him, he came back like this?'

'His entire aura had changed… Though this meant that they had failed, yet again, at recording his actions.'

'And this meant... That they would be severely punished.'

/Materialize.../

"?!"

'Philip was about to say something when something manifested behind the fallen girl.'

'It was Carnatita, the Child of the Earth!'

/Gaze.../

'She looked around curiously, yet, strangely enough, no one seemed to mind her, as if she wasn't there...'

'So as to not stand out, Philip continued with his act:'

'Looking at the girl as she fell on the ground, he asked "Are you okay?" as he approached her slowly.''

"Eh? I… *dammit*... Yes, thank you." She said politely as she nodded at him, whispering something in-between her words

'She was very embarrassed, she knew she had screwed up big time as this wasn't how she was supposed to interact with the target…'

'The other boys in the shadows rolled their eyes as they saw her do that.'

'While Carnatita looked at them with a confused expression, she didn't seem to understand what was going on.'

'As such, she just sat on a nearby box to observe what was happening.'

/Clears throat.../

"Let me take a look..."

/Unfold…/

'Completely ignoring his invisible Rizz, Philip opened the letter without a care in the world as the girl, named Linda by him stepped into the dark and vanished as well.'

'And with that, the world became completely silent, albeit Philip could tell they were watching, not too close, not too far... Though far enough for them to not be able to hear his conversation with Laplabe.'

/Step step step.../

'And as he read through the letter, Carnatita approached him, putting her hands on his shoulders as she poked her head on the side to read it also, though he paid this action no mind.'

"Huh?..."

This is…

'The first thing he saw was the thin emerald seal on the bottom right corner of the letter, shining in prismatic light as he moved the letter around.'

The Royal Seal?

'Philip obviously knew what it meant, he was forced to memorize it together with the Seals of another 50 Noble Families, though that wasn't a hard task considering his capabilities…'

'He would've done 1000 if they gave him the time and the books…'

'Though this is a story from when he was still in the Palace of Heroes before he even started his adventure.'

'Simply put, a Seal can be interpreted as a signature, though used to represent a group/faction rather than an individual.'

'That is an extremely oversimplified explanation as a Seal is much more than just that, but it works for now.'

"Hum…"

I hope I'm understanding this well...

'The letter's contents were pretty simple, but that wasn't what drew his attention.'

'He focused, instead, on the Royal Seal, as it meant just how serious this letter was and what level of authority had been used to send it to him.'

The Royal Seal can only be issued by either the King, his Wives, or the King's left Hand, the High Noble of the Kingdom...

Which is about the same as calling him something along the lines of a High Duke.

There may be some exceptions, but in those cases, the Seal will still have to be issued under the King's direct order, even if his father, the previous King were to issue it.

Although I doubt anything serious would happen if he was found out using the Seal without permission, the current King would likely be pretty upset to see his own father undermining his work like that...

After all, it would need to be a pretty serious topic for the Royal Seal to be used.

Like, he is the King, how come he isn't worth it of knowing everything about such matters?

So the question becomes, who sent this to me?

Given everything I did so far… It has to be either the King or the High Noble.

"What do you think of this?" He asked out loud as he set the letter ablaze

'The contents of the letter were pretty simple…'

'"We've given you enough time, it's time to return."'

'It wasn't overly rude, nor was it pleading either.'

'A King won't go as far low as to beg, even if the subject at hand is a Hero, he is the one in command and he carries on the beliefs and trusts of millions, he cannot allow himself to be pushed below another aside from the Divine, as that would also be a disrespect for his people.'

'In the first place, writing a formal reply for his return is way more than what he expected, and although he wouldn't refuse such politeness, Philip did not like it either.'

'A King like him was supposed to show his authority, and if he did, Philip would've accepted it without problem, but instead, he showed tolerance?'

'At the start, it was understandable, a good first impression was the desirable outcome, amidst a clash of cultures and ideas, taking a step back to understand who you are dealing with first so you may have the upper hand later was what they wanted.'

'But that was one thing that happened months ago... The conditions have long changed.'

"Well... The tone of the letter gave me the impression that whoever wrote it wasn't really in a rush and was more of testing the waters."

"You did tell me a bit about your story in the past few months, and with that in mind, it's likely they are planning for something and they want you back as part of it."

"Hum... That was what I was thinking too." Philip replied as he crossed his arms

"It doesn't seem like they're ordering me to go back, but it's not like they'll continue to keep a blind eye to my actions either."

Looks like something is going on.

In the first place, my time limit wasn't a set thing, only an overall idea of how much time I may have available to search and grow.

But for it to end so soon is also a tad strange, I was given five months and not more because some events were set to happen later.

Yet right now, I have the impression they are expecting something...

Perhaps it was always like that, or mayhaps, things have changed.

It's difficult to say I am the cause of it, as back there, a certain guy is making his own preparations as well...

But I did do a few... Bombastic things recently.

'As he thought deeply, Carnatita moved in front of him, gazing at him deeply, as if trying to get his attention.'

'But Philip ignored her, making her slightly upset as she turned around, vanishing.'

"..."

Still, I wonder what is the purpose of this letter.

There was no need to do it like this, a simpler approach would've worked just fine.

Why all the secrecy? Who are they hiding from?

Hum... It may be a bit weird if the King's forces are to approach me, a complete nobody to the world.

But in the first place, would it be necessary to send his own private forces? He could send the letter through 100 different means.

As he didn't, this either has a different meaning... Or he is being aware of possible leaks?

Protecting the identity of one's Heroes until they are ready is a very important job for any Nation, so that in itself is enough of a reason, but it feels a bit weak.

Does he want to see how much of his authority I follow?

'Upon reading the letter, most would immediately make way to the King, but Philip had things to do and places to be…'

'He wanted a bit more time.'

'But if he refused, wouldn't that be the same as rejecting the authority of the King?'

"What a troublesome situation." He said as he started walking out of the alley

"Are we leaving then?"

"No." Philip said in a deep tone

"We still have a lot to accomplish."

"Wouldn't that be bad for you?"

"Yes, in a sense."

"I don't want to give them any more reasons to be displeased with me… But for that, I have a good enough plan that might work."

"They may be calling me back as a way to monitor me, but if I stay within their eyes, wouldn't that be about the same?"

"You talk as if they would believe it, you, more than once, has escaped from their surveillance to do who knew what numerous times, they wouldn't let you be as easily."

"Well… That's the perfect chance to prove them wrong." He said with a smile as he looked at a small roach on the ground

I had no more intentions of going on another adventure.

While the old man does his things in his lab, I'll focus my last few weeks in this place to strengthen myself as much as I can.

Because I may not have that chance once I'm back.

"Won't that be annoying? To have people tailing after you…"

"It will, but what of it? From their perspective, I'm just randomly moving around… They'll only know I'm looking for something, but even when they found out what it is, they'll ask themselves, "why?"..."

"But the answer will never come unless they ask me, until then it could be for anything…"

And even when they do ask me, it won't matter as much.

"Let's move, we've spent enough time loitering around here."  He said as he kicked a small rock on the ground

"Where are we going this time?"

"Orphanages… Schools… Any place where children conglomerate." Philip replied as he scratched his chin

That way, we maximize our coverage zone...

... Urg… It sounded better in my head.

"I see, you're aiming at finding a talented young child to fit in the requirements, right?"

'Philip nodded.'

"A young child that barely understands the world cannot be judged by its morals yet, so the old Principal's tests would be meaningless."

So many candidates, all lost because they didn't pass the Principal's dammed tests.

"I would also prefer that we found a youngster, but it would be wise to not hope for that possibility and work towards others…" Laplabe replied after he heard his words

"You don't have to tell me that twice." Philip said as he jumped high in the air

/Fwoosh!/

'And not long after, several people moved after them.'

…

/Later…/

'As the moon overtook the sun's position, Viera let out a small sigh as she saw another day pass by…'

'Though this time, she smiled as today she did something rather eventful.'

'At the same time below, Philip and Tredis once again met in his office...'

...

'Sitting around a circular table, Philip waited for Tredis to arrive as a floating girl kept fondling around the mechanical items in the Office, giving Philip quite the headache...'

"..."

She's a bit strange but she doesn't look like a bad person...

But... If only... If only she could stay put for 5 damn minutes...

'He didn't really try to communicate with her, not because he found her an annoyance, but because nothing ever came of it.'

'Every time he tried to talk with her, she, just like him before, would ignore him with a smile on her face, sometimes even chuckling.'

'She seemed to find it funny to just float around, interacting with her surroundings and seeing what came of it, leaving Philip in an awkward situation.'

'Never in his life did he feel so defeated... Why? Because she had a strange ability, she could control what she could interact with.'

'And even if he tried to get her by surprise, it didn't seem to work because she was actually pretty fast!'

'At least... As fast as him.'

'Worst of all, no one could see or feel her presence, and if it wasn't for his eyes, Philip wouldn't be able to believe she existed either.'

'In a sense, it made him think he hit his head a tad too hard in his last fight...'

'The best his actions did so far was make Laplabe ask if he was feeling okay, to which Philip did not reply...'

...

/Eventually.../

"So… What is that you wanted to share with me?"

"By the looks of it, it wasn't something you wanted the little lady to know." Tredis asked seriously as he sat down at a chair opposite to Philip's seat

"And that would be true… Although it would be simpler to show you rather than trying to explain it." He said as his right hand made its way to his jacket

"You see, I found many things in the city, and albeit I barely gave you enough time to process this entire situation, I would like to resolve this matter as soon as possible."

"I hope you aren't too upset about the way I handled things."

"Hum… Saying I'm not upset would be a lie, but I'm not bothered about this that much."

"What you do when outside of the lab or how you find these things isn't to me to question… Though it would make me feel better if you didn't do anything immoral."

'Philip smiled.'

"The only bad thing I did was break a few ancient artifacts in the process of riding the city of monsters…"

"Yeah, I saw some of their bodies… Some truly nasty abominations mind you." Tredis replied as his expression changed

'Albeit most of the undead and other monsters' bodies were destroyed due to Latur's actions, a few still remained, allowing him and the research team to have a better idea of how dangerous this place had been before their arrival.'

'The toxic air said enough, even more so when Philip admitted its current state to being in fresh greenery air as compared to before.'

'Tredis himself may not show it, but after identifying what some of those things were, including some of the machines Philip brought back with him, he couldn't help but feel a cold chill on his stomach.'

'This man in front of him was much scarier than he showed, behind that carefree appearance was something better not brought forth.'

'That didn't even include the petrified Lich's body in the middle of the forge room...'

'No matter what they did, the research team was unable to break the stone…'

'If they could, they would just leave it there, but its aura was creeping out many of the researchers, making them unable to focus.'

'In the end, Philip removed the body, throwing it in a corner somewhere they didn't know, which was for the best.'

'Another body that startled him greatly was the Earthmarrow Great Bullzar, the first monster Philip slew as he made his way past the gates of the City.'

'Something he had only read about in books, it was a Sacred creature, one that was rarely seen by today.'

'He didn't expect to see one so close… Though such things can't really be expected in the first case.'

"The artifacts' fate is a bit regretful, but I'm thankful for what you did regardless."

"It has only been a bit over half a day, but research has been progressing smoothly thanks to you." He said with a smile

"It's nothing but the minimum, in the next few days I plan on making conditions more accessible… But that isn't what I came to discuss with you today." He said as he placed a book on the table

"That is…?" Tredis asked as he looked at the black book with many fiery engravings

"It's something I would like to test, something I believe you're worthy of."

"If not… Then it'll likely rot with me for some time before I find a use for it."

'Obviously, this wasn't just any book… It was Lavinda's Sacred Scripture.'

"It feels… Weird. Is it safe for me to touch it?" Tredis asked as cold sweat fell from his forehead

'He couldn't explain how he felt at that moment.'

'It was a bizarre feeling.'

"It's likely safe… Are you a man of faith?"

"Wh… What sort of question is that? I… Cough... Sorry for being rude, it wasn't my intention."

"No problem, but do answer me."

"Are you a man of faith?" Philip asked as a smile formed on his face

"I… Not as much as my wife…"

"During her time as a Mercenary, she used to pray a lot… I only did it whenever I started a machine out of convenience, praying it would work…" He said with a small smile as he remembered the past

"My wife still goes through some of the rituals of her faith, me not as much, my son is worse than me, though not as much to say he is a non-believer."

"I understand, in that case, it should be pretty safe to touch it, so go on, tell me what you see when you open it."

Religion can be a bit strange in this place.

You may not follow a God's teaching, but refusing its existence isn't exactly wise.

Though it's not like the Gods can do anything to you, their is long gone and their influence in this world is at an all-time low.

With some exceptions…

Still, due to this long absence, to the common people that are unaware of things, Gods may as well be nonexistent.

It doesn't really matter if you believe in them or not.

Albeit I won't be going into the details of religious beliefs and the fights people have over it…

I had enough of that back on Earth…

/Grab…/

'Hesitantly, Tredis grabbed the Scripture and opened it…'

'And faint brown light emanated from within.'

…

/Later…/

'The moon was at its highest point for the day and the city slumbered…'

/ZZZzzz…/

'Back in Philip's Office, Viera slept with her face on the table amidst a pile of books, unknowingly drooling atop her carefully written magic circle that took her an hour to inscribe...'

/Fwoosh…/

'With the chilling wind blowing out from the open window, you might expect the girl to end up catching a cold… And that would be true.'

'She chose a rather awful place to sleep after all…'

/Step…/

'As the curtains fluttered in the chilly wind, making the moonlight flicker in the room, the outline of a tall person appeared in the room dramatically.'

'This person, however, remained still, as if waiting for something…'

/Fuom…/

'It was at that moment that the Strange tool stored in one of the Office shelves nearby started to hum in a low frequency…'

/Shine…/

'And from within, a smooth stream of blue light descended onto the ground, taking the shape of a transparent old man wearing a long cape.'

'He had no beard and his hair was unrealistically spiked… It could only be one person…'

(Image)

/Silence…/

'Seconds passed and the two otherworldly figures remained there, staring at each other…'

'Until the old man decided to speak:'

"I imagine you're the one I've heard about, it is a pleasure, I go by Armund Erat."

"... It is the same to me, albeit I would like to apologize for taking so long to appear." The mysterious person said as she stepped out of the window, revealing her true figure

'She wore a long red cloak that covered even her face, making her features unrecognizable.'

'Long silvery hair the same color as the moonlight fell from within her hood, and a pair of emerald green eyes shone from within.'

'As she talked, she went to the couch and grabbed a small sheet before moving to Viera, covering her in it gently.'

"I had resolved myself that I wouldn't interfere much after a certain point, but I constantly see myself coming back..."

"I just can't help it." She said as she fondled Viera's hair, making her move a little

"Mmmnnn…"

"..."

'The woman whose expression could not be discerned seemed to smile before she turned her attention to a black box on the corner.'

"I've been waiting for an opportunity as I did not want to startle either of them, especially that kid…"

"His curiosity is fickle, and I wouldn't want to be at the end of it... To alter his path."

"As he chose to struggle amidst inevitability."

"That is why I stay away… But I'm not completely unaware of what they've been doing."

'She raised her hand, and a few whisps of energy covered MT before…'

[Shuting down…]

'MT spontaneously shut down.'

"Now we can talk." She said as she walked around Viera's chair to face the Old Principal, who watched it all unfold silently

"You may talk about them, but you're as unique as either of them… Perhaps even a bit stranger… No offense of course." He said as he scratched his chin

/Chuckle…/

'Laughing lightly, she said slowly:'

"That may be true… We're all not that different after all..."

/Caress.../

"That was why I had her go after him." She said as she caressed Viera's hair

"... Then? I'll cut down the chase as I'm afraid I don't have much time for idle talk."

"What is your answer?" He asked as his eyes sharpened

"My answer?... Do as you wish."

"The girl needs someone to guide her and not just some machine."

'Armund looked at MT, gazing at his faint reflection in its black chassis...'

"I do like it though, I've been watching her study with it and I'm honestly baffled."

'She nodded, saying with a slight smile:'

"It is indeed a wonder… Out of this world… Even."

"But if she continues using it, she'll just lose her way."

"Many were the stories of prominent figures seeking enlightenment, only to drown amidst a sea of truths they could not handle."

"Her situation is no different, it's just that this time, instead of an ancient ruin, our little Hero has found herself a portable library."

"... You're right." He replied as he closed his eyes

/Silence.../

"Still… I did not come here to ask you to teach her without compensation, I'm not that arrogant." She said after a few seconds of pondering

"Hoho, there is no need for such things, what use is wealth to a dead man?"

"I would've taught her regardless…" He said amidst light laughs

"As… At least like that, I can be sure that a part of me lives on, even if he cannot find someone to inherit it…"

'Closing his eyes, the old man said:'

"He may not know, but the contract is not absolute, the Oath he made to me holds no meaning, because… In the first place, I was never there."

"It only holds as much meaning as he gives it… And so are the consequences of breaking it... Although I do feel a bit bad for deceiving him... And my old friend."

"I sought someone that could carry on my will, and I searched for this person day in and night to no avail."

"Yet one day, he came bursting through my door, carrying on that massive weight on his shoulders without the slightest of care…"

"It may be because he wasn't aware of its significance, or even blind confidence."

"But at that moment I realized that the world was giving me a chance… Even if I had already left it."

"So I improvised a little, Hoho!"

'He turned his attention to Viera.'

"Albeit… I'm not the only one that saw that."

"She has started to understand it too, and it is overwhelming her."

"I can't blame her, the kid doesn't know the meaning of sitting down and relaxing, it feels as if he's rushing for something, but I can't quite grasp just what sort of future he's trying to prepare for."

'He turned to her again, asking:'

"What do you think?"

"..."

'She did not reply, her emerald eyes remained unmoving as she looked at Armund.'

"... I think that striving for something is the correct thing to do."

"Even if that may result in another's detriment?"

"Life was never fair." She replied resolutely

"True enough… Albeit I think the tone of our conversation has become rather grim even though that wasn't my intention."

"Well then, with your permission, I'll start teaching her, the problem is if she'll accept it."

"I was always eager to help her, but without your permission, she won't take it all that willingly, and that would be the worst possible scenario."

"A student that does not want to learn is the worst kind there is."

"... There is no need to worry about that." She said as she turned around, sitting on the edge of the window

'Raising her finger, she drew something in the air, as if using the moonlight as paint.'

"Show this to her, she'll understand." She said as she gave him the strange symbol

"Hum… Wouldn't she question me if that was the case? She may even…"

"Get upset? I'm sure she will… She'll cry and blame me for being heartless and not visiting her properly..."

"But there isn't much I can do about it."

"She's old enough to make her own choices, she cannot rely on me forever, the day she can move with her own two feet, I'll be there to congratulate her for it."

"Just like how I did when I was her age, we each have our things to seek out towards."

"And as I said before, I won't leave you unrewarded."

/Fwoosh…/

'A thin string of energy was released from her hand, making its way to the old man.'

"!"

'He immediately realized what it was, and to that, he said:'

"I see now… But... Do you call this a reward? Ha!"

"How can you pay a fisherman with a rod? Hoho!"

/Chuckle.../

"Weren't you the one that didn't want to be paid?" She retorted in a humorous tone

"Besides, even if I gave you something, wouldn't it just go to either of the kids?"

"I already gave them plenty." She said teasingly as she let herself fall outside

/Silence…/

"What a weird ass woman… Should've expected it from this kid's master…" Armund said as he shook his head with a slight frown

'He looked at his own hand, it looked a bit more solid than before…'

"... Looks like I won't be going peacefully… Nor anytime soon."

'He moved to the window, staring at the moon in the sky.'

"Even if it's a projection as we're inside a cavern, I still can't help but marvel at its beauty."

"I should go before that boy comes back."

'And as he looked at the night sky, his body vanished.'

'Tomorrow would be a new day, and by the looks of it, a pretty hectic one.'

'The start of his last month in this great city.'

…

/At the same time in a park nearby.../

/Snap!/

'Snapping his fingers to the beat of a song in his head, Philip sang leisurely as he walked back home while holding a small cup in his right hand, taking a few sips from it every once in a while.'

"~Stay with me... Mayonakano doa o tataki...~"

'But despite the way he sang, he didn't look very pleased...'

"Haa... Sigh... Another day without progress."

Why can't I just find the person I'm looking for and be done with it?

'To relax and sort his thoughts, he sat down on a bench near a tree, gazing at a small owl above him.'

/Hoot.../

'The owl looked back at him as its head turned, and in no time at all, it flapped its wings as it jumped down, deciding to use his right shoulder as a resting spot.'

"Oh? Aren't you a funny guy?" He asked out loud with a small smile as he took a small jerky from his inventory, giving it to the owl who immediately ate it all

"Although... My clothes are now scrapped."

'The owl's talons weren't there for nothing, and there was a reason why such birds were usually handled with protective gloves and the like.'

'His clothes weren't special, only stylish, but now they had a few holes in them.'

"But you're cute so I'll give you a get-out-of-jail card." He said with a small smile as he patted the bird's head

/Hoot.../

'The owl did not seem to mind, making Philip frown...'

Animals are rather close to me... From ducks to owls...

I'm a Disney princess now?

"Hm?"

/Flutter.../

'But as he rested a little, the owl suddenly took off, making Philip turn his expression to the side.'

"Another visitor, what a busy day..." He mumbled to himself as he saw faint mist rise from the ground

It's a bit cold... What an entrance...

'Dramatically, from behind a tree, a man stepped out as mist seemingly manifested from nowhere, making Philip unable to see if a few meters in front of him.'

'He may not say it out loud, but this guy's entrance was pretty cool, he wished that one day, he could also do something like that.'

"Greetings." The man said deeply as he bowed

"Hello, though... A bit of an odd time to approach me isn't it?" Philip asked as he 'relaxed' on the bench

And this guy, just like the others, came with a purpose.

"Our apologies, 'we' came as fast as we could." The man said without raising his head

"It's okay... Though, what brings you a lot to me again?"

He's overly formal... Meaning, they must treat me rather highly...

But, I don't remember being anything impressive when we first met.

Just how much do they know?

Sigh, damn information networks...

'Despite his sudden appearance, Philip recognized who he was... Or better put, which organization he worked for.'

'His unique attire wasn't so easily mistaken, especially the many chains around his body.'

'It looked pretty bizarre, but it was their trademark...'

The Rings, and by his unique clothes, he may be a higher rank agent.

As the upper echelons go by another name, that being the Chains...

Not very creative, but still, it gets the idea across.

Better that than being called... The Dark Freedom Wings of the Green Mountains Group or something...

"We received a request... To deliver this to you." He said as he took something from within his pockets

'It was a small and plain metallic brown box that when open revealed a small spherical marble.'

"I see..." He said as he grabbed the box, giving it a good look

'Philip had some suspicious of what it was, but first, he decided to ask something to confirm them.'

"Can I know where it came from?"

"But yes, of course, it was part of the request..."

"The capital of the Draly-Apyer Kingdom… Derivia." He said deeply as he raised his head

(N1)

'Philip's expression did not change, but he already knew what this was about.'

"And the payment?"

I doubt he would be able to afford such people, but then again, it's that guy...

"It has already been done... Albeit I've been given a request, if you may be so kind to hear it."

"... It won't hurt to hear it." Philip said as he raised an eyebrow

A request... I see, so a portion of the payment must've been the request.

Though, it doesn't look like I'm being obliged to do it, and it's more of a... Chance?

Do they see me that highly? Really... Just how much do they know?

"If I may be so bold, one of our Great Moon officials has inquired about the possibility of a contract..." He said slowly as he took a small piece of paper from his pocket, giving it to Philip

"Please, give it some thought, I'll be here for the remainder of the week at the same time every day to hear your answer."

"I will." Philip replied as he grabbed the letter

He doesn't look like a man of many words, but like the others before him, when in this line of work, being talkative isn't for the best.

"It was a pleasure..." He said as he moved back, vanishing within the mist

'Philip tried to trace his movements, but he was only able to do so for a few hundred meters before the man completely blended in with the surroundings.'

'He was fast, vanishing and reappearing as he went.'

'Most importantly, he was stealthy, as even now, the other agents on his back had yet to react to this encounter.'

"From the Capital huh..." Philip mumbled to himself as he opened the box

It can only be from one person...

'Smiling, he injected Mana into the marble, and soon enough... An image flickered on the surface of the smooth ball.'

"..."

"..."

'A face was reflected in the marble's surface, it was the face of an Asian young man...'

'He looked a bit stunned as he saw Philip's face, but that quickly vanished as his poker expression returned to his face.'

"God... You look awful." Philip said out loud as he looked at Dae

(N2)

"... That is the first damn thing you say to me after 4 whole months?"

"Well... You do look awful."

"Sigh..."

'Dae had a big pair of dark circles around his eyes, and his hair was extremely disheveled...'

'Even his skin looked a bit pale, and he could see a few scars here and there, nothing that couldn't be recovered with a portion but if he hasn't done that yet it could only mean they were recent.'

"I know how I look... And I assure you that I'm not the only one looking like this."

"Things are getting bothersome... But that's not what I'm here to talk with you about, our time is limited."

'Philip nodded, he expected things to change from his side, the Crown would never let the Heroes rest too much.'

"I had been wondering just how you were going to contact me... But were the Rings the best choice?"

'Dae's expression changed a little as he said in a tired tone:'

"Well, it was either that, or I would have to set up a complex ceremony to contact you via long distances, something that wouldn't be as simple to do given where I am, so I went with the simpler choice."

"After all, I need a damn break..."

"Regardless, trust me, I'm not that happy either when it comes to utilizing third parties to deliver critical information, but they are trustworthy enough, besides, it's not like I intended for our connection to remain a secret forever."

"One day, they'll ask the big questions... Such as why you left? And at that time, you'll have to improvise."

"At least with them, unless someone willingly seeks it out, they'll never learn about it."

"And aside from some very specific people that do not need to use the Ring's network, it's not like there would be anyone trying to dig up information on you, so we're safe in that regard..."

"..."

Oh...

"... Right?"

"..."

Shit...

"Why are you silent?"

"Uhh... I mean... How safe is this... Line?" He asked awkwardly

Let us hope that the price for information is very, very high...

"Not very safe, as I'm sure someone is going to tap into this, but it's good enough for me to ask some yes and no questions and to deliver to you an update on the things that are happening."

"Besides, if we need to talk about anything sensitive... We can just talk in English..."

"That... Is true." Philip said as he scratched his chin

I'm not sure how advanced this small marble is, but it should be impossible to understand our conversation unless they have access to a simple English dictionary.

Heroes from Earth were already summoned before, so the chance of them having shared the language with others isn't 0.

Even then, it's not like the information would spread that easily, though it's the Rings we're talking about...

"On that note, I imagine the Crown has already contacted you by now, if not, soon." He said after thinking about it for a while

"They have, and it seems they want me to go back... That has put me in a bit of a bind, as I would like some more time, if possible."

'Dae's expression sharpened.'

"Hum... Have you..."

"Already done, what I wanted was more time to train." Philip said with a smile, albeit he cringed inside

I fucking ate it all...

"How reliable, I expected you to do it, but you never know, things can always happen."

"Y-Yeah... Things happen..."

Things...

(Volume 2 flashback...)

"I won't ask what you did and how, all of that can be shared when you're back, I'm sure that slacker would enjoy it somewhat."

"Petter? Speaking of him, how's he doing?" Philip asked as he took a sip of his drink

"Honestly? Better than I expected."

"He's way stronger than he believes, and the hardest part has been convincing him of that... Either way, we're straying off topic."

"You two can talk it out in the future, for now, let's focus."

"The reason I called you here was to tell you that something outside of my predictions has happened, and as such, some things have been brought forward, as proven by the letter you received."

"Everyone's pretty hectic and the Crown has increased the degree of our training by at least a level."

"To some more than others."

"Due to that, I barely have time to breathe, much less sleep."

"Everyone's tense, and it doesn't help that the environment in the Palace is... Well, you'll see for yourself when you're here."

"Yeah, I can see that..." Philip said with a small smile

"Laugh now... I hope you got stronger, otherwise, you'll suffer a little."

I don't expect him to have maintained the same degree of improvement as he had in his first month in the Palace, but as long as he improved that's enough.

Though I would've liked for him to have gotten a little bit stronger so we can take care of some things...

There is also the necessity to prepare for his eventual system bugs.

"Me? Stronger?..." Philip asked out loud as he closed his eyes

/Smile.../

"Yeah... I got a 'bit' stronger..."

"How much is that 'bit'?" Dae asked as his eyelids twitched, clearly knowing Philip was fooling around

'Philip raised his hand, making a small gap between his fingers.'

"This much."

"Enough for me to beat my previous self... Or a few... Yeah, we can go with that."

"... That's good then." Dae said as he shook his head

"In that case, then you may do as you wish, we can talk about the rest once we're face to face."

I wanted to see how he was doing... But given his lackluster expression and the slushy in his hands he's completely and utterly fine.

Son of a...

"Just asking about me is no good, how are the other 'Heroes' doing?"

"Those people?... It's hard to explain... Good enough?"

'Dae didn't seem very impressed as he thought about them.'

"I would say their growth rate is passable, at the very least, it wasn't anything outside of my expectations."

"Some did manage to go a bit beyond my predictions, but it would be too boring to say everything here, wouldn't it?" He said with a small smile as he remained mysterious

"Yeah." Philip said dismissively as he yawned

/Thud.../

'Dae suddenly turned his expression to the side, and he hastily said:'

"That's where we say our goodbyes."

Philip, hopefully, you can stick to your words.

Things have changed, and I may have done too much...

"It was short, but send Petter my regards." Philip said with a nod as he saw Dae nod

"Will do."

/Crack!/

'The small marble cracked, and the image it reflected vanished.'

'It now only displayed his face.'

"Was it a one-use?"

I miss my old Cellphone, I didn't do much on it aside from watching porn, but it was my good reliable...

"Still... I could tell, he was completely stunned by my good looks." He said smugly as he thought of Dae's surprised expression

'Getting up from his seat, Philip threw his empty cup at a nearby trash can.'

"One month? Fine then, I'll finish everything within that time."

I'll reduce my sleep and put on some more effort, I can't lose to them...

Though perhaps, I should enjoy while I still can?

'With a determined expression, Philip walked into the exit of the park, leaving a curious owl behind.'

/Hoot.../

...

/Around a month later…/

/Clink... Clink... Clink.../

'Back in the Manor, inside the completely transformed training room...'

/Clink.../

'Philip could be seen next to one of the walls, carving something on the stone as he mumbled something in a foreign language:'

"Pah WERID MOROKei Philip..."

*All praise glorious Philip...*

'In his hands were a white chisel and a small white hammer, and next to him on a silver trail was a set of many other chisels and hammers, all made of the same material.'

'They seemed to be made of Ivory, albeit of whose creature it was unknown...'

/Clink.../

'With each strike of his chisel, and with each syllable he uttered, something seemed to be imbued into the stone as invisible power twisted the air.'

/Clink/

'And as he finished his sentence, the wall trembled and his eyes sparkled with mysterious light as he laid his tools down.'

"To apply force, pull and push, the same action, but different..." He mumbled to himself as he looked around

'The entire room was filled to the brim in strange runic syllables, making this place feel rather eerie and somewhat ethereal as the walls themselves seemed to speak.'

'It was enough to drive someone mad if they did not have the strength to silence their call.'

"A shout to break to call, a shout to order, a shout to usher a new era..."

/Knock knock!/

'Philip's thinking process was suddenly cut as someone knocked on the door.'

"Phew..."

'And he let out a sigh.'

"Urg!... I've been here for too long already." He said as he stretched his arms

"What time is it?..."

'He went to the silver tray, grabbing a small pocket watch...'

"It's time for lunch huh... Well, it's been a while since I ate with her..."

'Smiling, he moved to the door, but he stopped to look at his magnificent work...'

"... A shout to part the seas and mountains..."

/Tremble.../

'The room shook for a few moments, making him turn his face.'

/Growl!/

"Ha! The only thing shaking here is your damn stomach!" Laplabe joked as he broke Philip's moment

"..."

'Philip silently went for the door and into a new adventure.'

/Volume 2 end/

.

.

.

Notes

N1

Mentioned in chapter 15 :)

N2

I've already made Philip's and Viera's, it would just be fair for Dae and Petter to be next.

Though, would you guys want it to be someone else?

...

So???

What do you think?

I wanted a more... Explosive end? But I set for this as it was late and I wanted it to end now.

Since next chapter Philip will already return, so I didn't want to end the Volume there... I did have an idea for where I would like it to end, but I felt this was a bit cooler than that...

That's the problem that comes when I don't have multiple chapters ready and can't do double edits... Sigh, I hate this.

Because of my damn exams, everything was thrown out of schedule...

I truly hoped you all liked this chapter, I covered about what I wanted though I'm sure I forgot something.

And as you all saw, I stayed away from other POVs that were too far away from Philip in these last 2 or so chapters.

Next chapter, Philip goes back to the Palace!... Well, it was supposed to be today's chapter...

It'll likely be a bit small, but we'll likely be seeing some old characters reappearing and the start of the new Arc!

I have to think of a name...

What do you think will happen? Who do you want to see first?

Do you want to see Philip style on the other newbie heroes?

I'm here for anything.

For now, I guess I'll take a shower and sleep before doing anything else...

Adios!