"Astralrealm Kingdom occupied Parristol for so many years, but they never figured out what was hidden underneath?" Brennan shouted loudly as soon as they landed, running to the cliff's edge.
Of everyone present, he and Yulanda reacted most extremely. As citizens of the kingdom, witnessing a sky city emerge from underground beneath a small town that originally belonged to their country - this fantastical plotline would be hard for anyone to believe if told.
As for me and Cyra, we remained relatively calm, since sky cities weren't that novel to us. Even happening in reality, the shock faded quickly and we returned to normal. Personally, I even felt more of a dawning realization, as the city's rise answered many lingering questions in my mind.
Not just about the seal - why the city's residents were evacuated early, why the locals vanished from the temple, etc. I had strong guesses swimming in my mind now.
"Just as I expected, but I didn't think it could actually fly...not that it matters much," said Reed impassively, gazing at the real Parristol floating overhead, as if she anticipated this all along. She then nonchalantly took out a book and started reading, acting as if it were just a balloon rather than a sky city.
"How can it not matter? It's a city flying in the sky!" Brennan clearly disagreed with Reed's attitude, countering animatedly, "If it can move anywhere, invading the capital Norvale may be possible too!"
"How did you guess this? Did you already know Parristol was hiding something underground?" I asked Reed, surprised. Given the city's depth underground and protective barriers, it made sense Astralrealm didn't discover its existence. But how did Reed know ahead of time?
"Simple, I read about it," she replied, holding up a book from Edenmere's library titled A History of Eldorian Civilization. "Angel historical records are the most comprehensive and accurate - far better reference material than the human histories, which may be censored or destroyed for various reasons."
"For example, the records clearly state that during the early period of angel activity, there existed a human fortress in the Dona Mountain Range constructed using magical technology. However, it mysteriously vanished without a trace, gradually fading from human memory. It was precisely because of that strange earthquake before, as well as the various bizarre phenomena you described happening here, that I connected it to this disappeared human fortress. Unfortunately, it remained mere speculation, as I couldn't find any corresponding evidence to confirm..."
Judith chimed in to explain further, "After the Pope awoke, we specifically asked him about this information. That old guy has lived the longest, so he might know some insider details! But the stubborn fossil pleaded ignorance, only saying Jethrobaines' library might have some related clues, since the holy capital existed long before him and is fairly close by with well-preserved historical records. So we sent him back there to handle some other matters too, but arrived a step too late unfortunately."
"So even if we had proof, it wouldn't matter - that's not something a single nation could stand against," I remarked wryly. The sky city's existence revealed Loren's profound legacy, undoubtedly with monster involvement too. Considering Michelle's role, her awareness of this place's secrets made sense.
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While the city's remaining defenses after millennia were unclear, its ability to fly spoke volumes - perhaps the 'divine punishment' was among them. Not to mention the presence of Parristol's rebel forces and monster guardians above. Already formidable on the ground, the aerial battleground put the kingdom's forces at greater disadvantage.
Distantly, kingdom gryphon knights were appearing, alerted by the commotion here and taking defensive stances. But their limited numbers could only gaze upwards helplessly alongside the rest of the grounded troops.
I started to understand - no wonder the monsters went to great lengths to divert Edenmere's angel armies to the northern frontier. With their aid, Parristol could face a serious threat.
"Looks like meeting Adrian will only get harder from here," Cyra remarked meaningfully. "Of course, if you revealed your identity, as king he might grant you an audience..."
"Shut up!" I snapped, kicking her. If I intended that, I would've done it long ago - why wait until now? Although...why hadn't I just flown to Chromos Tower's gates and requested to see Adrian before? Given our relationship, he surely wouldn't refuse me as king.
Yet I felt deeply averse to that option. Despite being here now, not too far from Chromos Tower, I felt afraid to face him - mainly due to his sudden confession before.
I feared Adrian asking if I could accept him when we met, pressing me for a response. But how could I...
"You really are indecisive - a textbook case of chronic procrastination!" Cyra sighed, patting my shoulder. "Don't forget, you're Feliciana now - if you like him, just boldly rush over and smother him with kisses!"
"Why don't you do that to Cysper?" I angrily retorted. Her relationship with the pope wasn't as breezy as she made it sound - she insisted just recently it wasn't what we imagined. Now she's playing life coach?
"It's different, okay! I've been there, done that - I'm past that stage," Cyra replied, flustered. She shook her head and clarified condescendingly, "Besides, the Pope and I only just met recently. It's completely different from your situation, so it's all just a misunderstanding!"
But how could such an excuse fool me? She just got into a relationship early, what makes her so special? Infuriated, I chased after Cyra, raining blows until she begged for mercy.
In any case, just us few would be unwise to brazenly approach the sky city by day, having lost our elite forces. Considering the extremely formidable foes lurking inside, we decided to first regroup westward with Alfreed's unit before planning further.
The 5th Royal Army had fallen back a few kilometers west with Parristol's city garrison, monitoring the situation. As we approached, they spotted us and sent a greeting party led by Alfreed himself.
"You're back at last! I worried this scouting trip to the temple might go awry. Eleanora's been fretting that you all got swept up to the sky too," he joked, then eyed Reed and Judith curiously. "And who are these two?"
After introductions, Reed didn't raise much reaction. But revealing Judith's Sage Council identity caused a stir among the kingdom troops.
"Didn't the Sage Council clearly state they wouldn't get involved in Parristol? So why is a senior researcher suddenly showing up with angels - what game are they playing?"
"Who knows, maybe it's just a public stance while they secretly negotiate with us. With the Empire's forces and monsters involved too, neutrality is impossible."
"Who cares? Even if the Sage Council joins, it won't make much difference. Don't forget they lack an actual military to stand up to the Empire's arcane bomber fleet!"
Overhearing the murmurs, I felt lost. "What exactly happened?"
Gazing up at the floating city, Alfreed explained with a heavy sigh, "You may not know yet... Around when this sky city emerged, the Ilandra Dominion Empire issued stern notice to Astralrealm, declaring support for Parristol's independence - even threatening war. At the same time, the Sage Council quickly followed with their own statement...but not in our favor. By a slim majority, they voted not to intervene in Parristol's affairs, essentially siding with the Empire."
He shook his head wearily. "They likely foresaw this eventuality long ago. It seems only Astralrealm was caught off-guard!"