Niten and I left the academy during the morning.
It was a little emotional, since the heroes and Flavius were all in attendance, and wished us a good time during the summit.
I had told the heroes about it a few days ago, and what little I know about the world outside the continents.
They were shocked to find out that our empires amount to nothing but a tiny portion of the whole world.
I didn’t tell them the whole bit about me breaking the seal separating us from the rest of the world, though I did tell them that something had broken.
After spending a little time with them, we went on our way.
I’m not one to fear leaving places or people. In fact, I feel like I need to move around every so often, else I start getting restless. I won’t be able to simply settle in one place, since I would feel as if I were missing out on things somewhere else.
Basically, I didn’t feel too cut up about having to leave the academy, even if I were to never return. Unlikely though it might be.
Thankfully, with the gates, travel is made extremely easy. The only annoying portions were when we exited a gate, and had to transfer to another. The people managing the gates charged money for their use, and stopped everyone to check papers and ask questions about things like destination, reason for travel, family, and job.
We were able to get through those portions relatively quickly, since I still had my aunt’s seal, giving me the authority to bypass many of the processes involved.
It was still annoying though, even with the seal.
In the end, a single day of travel was sufficient to bring us to the elven capital.
Once there, I drew up my hood, throwing my face into shadow, and hiding my horns. I really didn’t feel like having anything happen simply because I look like a demon. I’d rather just get to the palace, and continue on to the summit from there. I know that I’ll have my fair share—and then some—of trouble and opposition there.
The guards at the palace recognized Niten, and let us in. We went straight to the throne room most commonly used by my aunt, encountering more guards outside the door to it.
Though, also outside the door, I encountered aunt’s chamberlain—Sigiward.
I’ve never really liked the man.
He knows that though, after he had subtly insulted a slighted me while I was here, learning under Niten.
I made sure to retaliate later.
Anyway, he saw Niten, and nodded to him.
“Might I suppose that you have arrived to accompany Her Eminence to the summit, Master Niten?”
“Right. Both Kai and I are here for that. Would you mind opening the door for us?”
“Ah! Lady Katariah! Forgive me for not noticing you earlier! Niten’s presence must have overshadowed your own.”
Ugh. Such petty nonsense. This is why I don’t like politics.
“Just open the door. Announce us, or whatever you’re supposed to do.”
He lightly sneered at me, and opened a small door, inside the bigger one. Slipping inside it, I could faintly hear voices on the other side of it.
Then, the chamberlain returned, and allowed us inside the throne room.
Aunt was sitting up on the throne, just as she had been when I had first come to the elven capital, though this time it had been my choice, while I had been brought amidst a group of soldiers that first time.
“Niten, Kai. It good to see you again.”
Aunt Aspasia smiled at us, a crown like a wreath of flowers resting across her brow.
Niten bowed to her, and I lightly inclined my head after taking off the hood. We were the only ones in the whole room, and as such, I didn’t need to worry about the whole horns thing.
“I’m glad you two could make it for the summit. I was beginning to worry that you wouldn’t show up.”
“Really? When are you planning on leaving, then?”
“We are leaving at midnight, in about an hour or two. You both cut it a little bit too close for my comfort.”
Niten bowed again, seeking forgiveness.
“My apologies, Lady. I was of the thought we were leaving at noon tomorrow, instead of at midnight.”
Aunt Aspasia made a sound of surprise, and explained.
“Ah! So you didn’t get the letter in time. A few things happened, and we had to change the time of departure last minute.”
Huh. I definitely feel like there’s more to that then she’s telling us.
She caught the look of confusion and distrust on my face, and interpreted it masterfully.
“Oh—no! Don’t worry about it! There was a small security issue with some of the delegations coming to the summit, and we needed to push forward the start of it, for them.”
“Alright. So, what should we consider bringing to the summit?” I asked.
Aunt Aspasia smiled, and put me on edge. There was nothing good waiting for me in that smile.
“Well, you are allowed to bring anything you want. There will be rooms provided for everybody at the summit. However, you will have to change your clothes.”
“Huh?” I tilted my head, confused.
“It’s simple, really. I can’t have you going to the summit dressed like a vagabond. So, I worked with the maids in preparing some nice dresses for you to wear.”
I recoiled slightly in horror.
“No. No way will I…”
“It would make you look more legitimate, and likely force others to take you more seriously. If you were to go in that coat and simple trousers, then they would simply dismiss you as another bodyguard, or something similar.”
Aunt Aspasia shot down my argument before it could even begin.
However, Niten was the one who struck the finishing blow.
“It is not like you have a reason to say no. After all, you are a young lady. Besides, I think you would look fine, and maybe even enjoy it.”
That was how, when I met my aunt and Niten two hours later to leave for the summit, I had been put into a frilly dress that came down to my shins.
Aunt Aspasia clapped appreciatively when I walked out, and Niten smirked a little.
I had the chance to look in a mirror before leaving, so I could appreciate how the dress looked on me.
It was a dark grey dress, covering me from my shins to my shoulders. Well, nearly my shoulders. They were left bare, with a few thin straps keeping the dress from falling off me.
Not only that, but I had some flats on my feet, instead of the combat ready boots normally wore.
It was disconcerting, wearing these things that I wasn’t used to. Even more because I knew I looked really good, after seeing myself in the mirror.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Niten had been right, though I looked a little better than fine.
Unfortunately, all this finery meant that I wasn’t able to carry my bag, nor any weapons.
So, the maids brought them to the area we were leaving from, and they would be brought to the summit area by some trusted servants who were allowed to come along.
Unfortunately, the way to the summit area was through a transport rune, drawn on the floor of the main hall. It had been set up a few days ago, and was a one-way use type of thing.
When midnight hit, and the rune was activated by all of use pouring our own mana into it, I immediately felt sick to my stomach.
The transport itself was instantaneous, but the nausea the occurred after it took a good few minutes to clamp down on, and even then, I felt like excessive movement would have me ruining the dress the maids had spent two hours putting on me.
Once I felt marginally better, I raised my head, and looked around, curious.
You see, I didn’t actually know where the summit was being held. There was a good deal of secrecy surrounding the event, since so many of the most influential and power people on the continents would be there.
From what I could see, though, we landed in the middle of a good-sized clearing, and I could see large buildings off to one side. There were people over there, and I could see that a few of them were coming over here.
I saw that Aunt Aspasia and Niten were standing off to the side, waiting for the people to come all the way over here.
Quickly, I decided to ask my aunt something.
“So, where are we?”
“Right—You were never told, right? Well, I think you will be able to find out in a second, so just be a little patient.”
I got an annoying non-answer from her, and resigned myself to simply waiting.
I think the people nearing us were sent as a welcoming committee or something. As they got closer, I saw that there were two men with black armor, and wicked looking scimitars belted to the side of their segmented armor.
Between them walked a man wearing rags. He had worn sandals on his feet, and his skin was grimy and covered in dirt. However, I could tell that he was toned under the dirt, and had a powerful body, even while it was clear that he hadn’t paid any attention to his hygiene in quite a while.
His face was mostly obscured by long and matted black hair, though I could see exactly one of his eyes—it was a deep blue color, and seemed to have great depth to it.
He was the one that spoke when they got closer to us—close enough that we could now smell him. He spoke with a voice like rocks grinding together, with extra bass.
“Hello Empress, everyone else. Your helpers can go ahead and bring bags and other things to your rooms, and we can immediately start the summit.”
He directed the people with out bags to one of the four buildings, while we started moving to another, this one being the largest among them, and the closest.
As we trailed behind the dirty and smelly man, I turned to Niten.
“Do you know who that is, or where we are?”
Niten, who had looked at the man with a shocked expression earlier, nodded.
“Yes, I know him. Rather, I think I know of him. If he is who I think he is, they he might be the most powerful existence in the continents. The holder of
I stopped walked for a spilt moment, stunned.
That beggar guy might be the most powerful person here?!
Niten stopped with me.
“I might be wrong, but that man—“ he pointed to the beggar “—Seems to fit everything I have heard about Amadeus.”
Well, I’ll keep in mind that he could be a very powerful person, every time I talk to him.
As we got closer to the large building, I realized that it was even larger than I had thought. Made completely out of some sort of stone, it seemed like a big square block dropped in the middle of the clearing for some reason or another. A big square block with tasteful carvings winding their way around it’s exterior, and massive fluted columns occupying an indented space around it. But, for all it’s angles and obviously man made features, it seemed strangely natural.
I realized what it was when we got right up under the structure. The pillars, they seemed to just have grown from the ground, and attached themselves to the building proper. I began to get the sneaking suspicion that the entire building had been made through the use of magic.
This thought left me astounded. After all, while I could make myself a mountain fairly quickly and with a bit of pain, it was much harder to shape that stone into something like a building, and even more difficult to create the little decorative patterns and carvings that I had seen on the exterior of the structure. To make something with so many little details on it…this is far beyond me.
And, there are three other buildings nearby…
I was even more astounded when we entered the building, and beheld the interior.
There were four sections of semi-circular seating surrounding a central table, with room for a few hundred people to sit.
The table itself was circular, and had a bench running around it, instead of individual chairs. There was enough room their for a dozen people.
However, there was a hole in the center of the table, like a doughnut. There was a single stand there, likely for whoever would be speaking.
At the table, I could see a few men with crowns already sitting. All of them were human, so I would assume they were the kings on that continent. Two demons sat at the table. One was Jasper, and the other was an unknown woman, looking to be around twenty years old.
Most of the people who had come with us pealed off, walking towards one of the semi-circular seating areas. I hesitated briefly, trying to decide on where I would go. From what I could understand, those four sections of seating were divided into continent, with Demons, Humans, and Elves occupying one each. The last one had a mixing pot of these races, likely representing those who don’t really care about the agenda’s of their races.
Niten made for this area, while most of the other elves went to the elven seating area.
Aunt Aspasia made for the stone table, and after a moment’s consideration, I followed her.
I would sit at the stone table reserved for the most important people present.
I think I qualify.
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