After the brief period of rainfall ended, The crowd and the first responders began to return outdoors.
The sky was now clear, but there was no rainbow to welcome the people.
As Sivrit and Ayn left the church, they remembered Reginn’s promise and chose to stay at a nearby cafe.
“Have you ever been to a cafe before, Ayn?”
“I’m afraid not…”
“Hm… I can’t imagine what the world was like centuries ago, especially since everything can change in just a decade.”
“I don’t think this era is too foreign to mine,” said Ayn, “even when the exteriors and tools are different, the heart of the people stays the same.”
Ayn looked around to observe the environment.
The soft green of the hanging plants, the warm yellow sunlight embracing the streets. The dark oak furniture gave a sense of stability and security, along with the calming aroma of the tea. While the world had changed, it seemed that everyone everywhen strived for similar results.
“...I’d like to believe that, but I’m not so sure,” said Sivrit, “especially since I met Reginn.”
“What about him?”
“Well… I don’t want to talk ill about him since he did save our lives, but don’t you get a feeling of… narcissism? Superiority?”
“I understand what you’re saying, but it seems far more complicated than a simple over-evaluation of the self. He’s a ‘World Beast’ after all.”
“I remember him mentioning that… I wonder what he protects.”
“As a child of the Goddess, probably the Goddess and the nation of humans.”
“I wonder, was everyone like Reginn so far in the past? Surely we’ve changed in many ways.”
“Our houses, our bodies, our names, Everything will be undone and redone by time, but I like to believe constants exist.”
“...And why is that?”
Ayn closed his eyes and remembered the faces of his comrades. Due to his talent, warriors, travellers and mages gathered around him like bees to a beautiful, delicate flower. Only a few could land at a time, and most never truly knew him, but Ayn was never alone.
During his time as a hero, he met many people young and old, of different races and from every corner of Sol-Aegis. This was his accumulated wisdom. He did not believe in the forces of good and evil, of karma, but he knew that he could put his faith in the people.
“You know, I’m actually quite weak by myself. I never trained to become a warrior and in the old me’s mind, I was going to be a teacher in my small hometown, or perhaps I would even inherit my brother’s farm,” said Ayn, “It’s only because I had comrades I could depend on, to carry me on their shoulders, that I could succeed in defeating my demon lord, and that’s why I believe in the people’s desire for peace.”
“...I see. Desire for peace, huh?” said Sivrit, “I wonder if Reginn dreams of peace.”
“Why do you care so much about what he thinks?”
“I don’t know… I suppose he’s interesting.”
Sivrit descended the cup of coffee from her hands. She was still in her exploring gear, protruding uncomfortably in this urban environment. Ayn’s alluring appearance, including his uncasual outfit, also drew attention from the bystanders, all wearing casual, modern styles.
“...After Reginn comes back, we should definitely go shopping for some clothes… You guys don’t have any spares, right? I would guess so from the fact that you were reincarnated. But then again, you kept your clothes, what’s up with that?”
“I’m not sure if I’m the right person to ask that… Reginn seems a lot more knowledgable in magic, I’m more of a people person.”
“Hm… If Reginn can use advanced magic, why are we waiting for him? Shouldn’t he be able to find us with magic?”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“Then let’s go,” said Sivrit as she stood up from her seat, “I’ll show you the modern Avangarden!”
----------------------------------------
Ayn carefully followed Sivrit through the bustling streets, making sure not to lose sight of her. It was especially difficult due to his eye-catching appearance, but the two eventually made their way to the underground station.
“I suppose this is your first time in the transit, right?”
“Y-yeah.”
“This is how I usually move around the city -- my house is actually a lot closer to the academy and Order-Citadelis, around 40 minutes away.”
“Order-Citadelis? Are you a royal or something?!”
“N-not exactly. I suppose my family is on the wealthier side, running the gladiatorial business. We are technically nobles too, if that means anything.”
“W-wow… Should I start calling you Miss Sivrit from now on?”
“Just call me Sivrit, Ayn.”
Sivrit explained to her friend how the subway worked and paid for both of their tickets, leading him to the waiting spot. It only took a few minutes for the train to arrive, but the carts were already crowded to the brim, being in the middle of noon on a weekend.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been in such a crowded place before…”
“You said you were born in the countryside, right? Did you come to Cadra before?”
“Of course, only around twice though. Once to meet the king and the other to celebrate my victory. Both times have been very pleseant, but I suppose I’ve never had the common man’s perspective in the city.”
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“Well… I don’t think the city you visited was anything like this.”
The subway emerged from the underground to reveal the beautiful cityscape, the rains running along the rail bridge. The sun’s rays reflected from the glass windows of the skyscrapers and buildings challenging the heavens. Ayn was mesmerized by the view as if he had just discovered an alien civilization. The high-rises he saw were more than double the size of Order-Citadelis, the tallest building he knew.
“Wow…”
“Pretty cool, huh?” said Sivrit, “As we get closer to the centre of the city, the building should get progressively taller. Oh, except at the very center though. That’s more of a historically preserved area.”
“How big is this city?”
“Uh, I think the population is around 20 million, and the size should be--”
“Twenty million?!” exclaimed Ayn, “That’s like, the entire population of Avangarden, if not more!”
“The Avagarden you knew. As I said, a lot can change in just two centuries.”
The two continued to enjoy the ride as Sivrit held onto the handles above for balance. Ayn attempted to equalize himself due to the lack of available handles, but failed and had to hold onto Sivrit’s shoulder.
“S-sorry,”
“It’s fine,” replied Sivrit with a smile.
“Wah!”
Ayn suddenly felt the sensation of a hand running through his behind and his left leg. He quickly turned to look for the criminal but failed to do so due to the crowd.
“Hm? Is there something wrong?”
“I-uh…”
Before Ayn could finish the sentence, the sound of a punch striking one’s face could be heard, a clean crack followed by the sound of a body falling to the floor. Sivrit turned to look at the source of the sound, the crowd making its way around the person punched.
“That’s what you get, bitch!”
Sivrit heard a familiar voice, one she had heard for almost her entire life.
“Attila?”
“Huh, Sivrit?”
After Attila took her attention away from the man, the crowd finally grew enough courage to tie him onto a pole to hand him to the authorities at the next stop. The blonde girl, dressed casually in a shirt and pants, approached Sivrit and joined the group. However, the first thing Ayn noticed was the fact that Attila was visibly demonic, bravely revealing her true identity for all to see. Her skin was a bright red, not quite the colour of blood but a colour that inspired vigour and health. She also endowed a set of horns, though Ayn wondered if they were naturally a golden hue.
“What was that?”
“Oh, just another molester on the train.” said Attila, “They should make me an officer already!”
Attila turned to face Ayn, carefully observing him to his unnerve.
“Who’s her?”
“Oh, he’s my friend, Ayn. I just met him today”
“He?”
“What, you want to check for yourself?”
Attila chuckled to herself before greeting Ayn.
“Nice to meet you, Ayn, my name is Attila, Sivrit’s babysitter.”
“Hey!”
“I mean, it’s not too far from the truth… Anyhow, I suppose you’re not from the city? You have to be aware that there might be molesters in the train. It’s kind of a problem in the city. Just make sure to tell someone -- even a stranger -- about it, K?”
“Molester?”
“She means people who touch others… inappropriately. I suppose you don’t know, it’s a bit of a modern problem I guess.”
“I see…”
“Anyways, what are you doing here in Cadra, Ayn?”
“I’m… just visiting from the countryside.”
“Really? Where are you from?”
“I’m from Ala-Moss.”
“Ah, the seaside town. I’ve been there before, I loved the crabs!”
“Well… I love the crabs too…”
Attila began observing Ayn even closer, their noses almost touching. He was leaning back almost paralell to the floor of the train.
“Hm…”
“S-something wrong?”
“Are you like… super cute? Are you like a guy-guy or--”
Sivrit softly bonked Attila’s head with her hand, sternly ending the conversation. While Attila was reliable at times, she always needed someone like Sivrit to balance her antics. If anything, Sivrit was the babysitter in this situation.
“Anyways, we’re going shopping right now, wanna join us?”
“Ooh, sure! I was just going home, but that sounds fun!”
“Were you at the dojo again?”
“Hey, if I have free time, might as well spend it on important things.”
“Hm? A dojo?” asked Ayn.
“Oh, it’s an Acosta dojo. Pretty cool, huh? I’m an orange belt!”
“There’re belts now…?”
“Isn’t Acosta super popular in Ala-Moss? It’s like, their whole thing other than seafood.”
“I suppose you could say that… I’m not sure about dojos and stuff though, they mostly do it in temples.”
“Well, that would be the most proper way to do it, but temples don’t really exist around here, mostly just churches.”
“Ah!” exclaimed Sivrit in realization, “We forgot to research at the church!”
“Well, we’ll come back some other time…”
“Hm? What kind of research?”
“Uh…”
Sivrit was not exactly sure why Aym kept his identity a secret but still followed suit.
“Well… It’s just a personal curiosity of mine. That’s where I met Ayn too!”
“Y-yeah, that’s right.”
“Hm… Well, alright.”
The announcement within the train alerted the passengers that the next stop would be the Cadra Central Commercial District, Sivrit, Ayn and Attila’s ultimate stop.
“Well then, let’s savour our last weekend before school!”