“Just three years, and I’ve come back with a husband.” The tips of Isabelle’s ears reddened slightly under the morning sun. “What would they think?
“That I should have visited them a lot earlier? Though, I wonder if you’d call this meeting the in-laws,” Gaius muttered, as he landed at the gates that led to Interregnum, the Republic’s capital. From what he knew, flying to the South from the Eastern Territories took upwards of a week, but like their journey here, distance wasn’t that big of an issue. It had just taken slightly more than ten hours.
“I mean, you are indeed meeting your in-laws,” Isabelle replied, pulling him past the gate. “Fortunately for us, there’s now a flying ban in place, so we’ll just have to walk there ourselves. I still don’t know how to introduce you yet…”
Gaius coughed. “Yeah…anywhere, we did walk to the Lorenze mansion last time. I don’t really see the difference.”
“That was because you didn’t know where to go, right?” Isabelle patted his shoulder twice. “But now, even if you knew, we can’t fly there anymore.”
“More and more cities are placing bans on flying,” Gaius noted glumly. “It’s almost as if the authorities want to limit the power of individuals through collective action and policies. But at least we have an excuse for visiting at lunchtime, so all’s well.”
After exchanging some sighs with Isabelle, the two entered through the gate. Once again, up close, Gaius was struck by just how modern the city was. Was it based off the North’s Twilight Elysium? Or were otherworlders responsible for it? He wasn’t quite sure, but it was truly impressive how a nation less than five or so years old had built a capital to such an extent.
“Where did they live at again?” Isabelle asked.
“Uh, I think it was 223 Liberty Street,” Gaius replied, before recalling something cool that came with it. “Apparently, the two major streets of Interregnum are named after the main values of the Republic’s revolution. Liberty and equality. The former are homes allocated to valuable government officials; the latter to heroes of the Republic-Assembly war.”
“Well, at least my family’s counted as valuable government officials,” Isabelle noted. “Still, how did they overcome their background to get such a position?”
“That…is indeed a good question.”
Now that he thought about it, the civil war of the South should have seen more recognition and coverage. If it wasn’t for the abrupt descent of the great gods, or Gaius’ own assassination attempt at the Last Star…
“Gaius, Gaius!”
“Isabelle? What’s wrong?” He glanced at Isabelle in surprise. She was rarely this excited, unless it came to her hobbies. “Did you spot some nice artefact?”
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“No,” Isabelle replied. “It’s you!”
“Me?” Gaius turned to see a newspaper. “Breaking news: Lost Star Gaius implicated in the murder of the Human God. Look, Isabelle, I know it’s great to be on the news, but this is somewhat old news.”
“No, you dummy. Look at the area around the newspaper. All the comments there left for you.” Isabelle dragged him over. “See?”
“Thank you for taking revenge,” Gaius murmured, repeating the words scribbled around the newspaper. “My father can rest in peace. Who said gods aren’t exempt from justice? Beastfolk, never forget. Thank you. Revenge is a dish best served cold. How does it feel to die at the hands of an otherworlder, mass murderer?”
Gaius let out a slow sigh. “It’s all about their hate, isn’t it? The mastermind behind the Second Extermination is dead.”
“You sound…worried.”
“I am worried,” Gaius replied. “Should we win the war, where will all our energy and weapons point at? The world has been wracked by war after war in the past decade. The Second Extermination. The invasion of the Southern Continent by the East and the West. The war between the Republic and the Assembly. Kolya’s intervention into the East. All these aren’t going to magically vanish, even if we win the war.”
Isabelle pondered over his words for a moment, and then smiled sadly. “More wars might follow. Is that what you’re getting at?”
“Yes. The leaders of the Five Lands definitely think of this war as an opportunity to weaken the others, while gathering their own strength,” Gaius replied. “And the chance to dominate the world.”
“Even if we win the battle for our existence, we aren’t going to see peace.” Isabelle looked around the city. “The only way to prevent this is to…create a true, unprecedented unity within the Five Lands.”
“Or an enduring desire for true peace. To rebuild.”
“Both, I think.” Isabelle held his right hand and brought it to her lips. Is that possible?”
Gaius looked into her eyes. “I hope so. But the hearts of mortals are fickle. Unpredictable. Who’s to say that the energy we wielded to wage war with the Demon God would expire if we win? We might fight one war, only to tear ourselves apart a month or so later.”
“In the first place,” said Isabelle, “can a divided Five Lands really overcome the demons?”
Looking up, Gaius breathed out slowly. “I don’t know. But that’s why I’ll fight. I believe there’s something I can do, until the Five Lands get their act together.”
He took a deep breath. “Alright, we’ve spent more than enough time just standing and wondering about the future. We should really leave the war bit to Kolya and the others.”
Isabelle shook her head, a gentle smile on her face. The change of subject was wholly unnatural, but from how she didn’t point it out, Gaius could tell that she too was reluctant to think about these troublesome political issues.
“Be careful, okay?” Isabelle murmured. “The Five Lands will seek to use you as much as possible.”
Gaius closed his eyes. “I know. But it’ll be nice if you remind me every day.”
“Meanie.”
“Hey!”
After playing around with Isabelle for a few minutes, Gaius straightened his clothes. “Alright, let’s go pay a visit. Do you think they’ll like souvenirs from the North or the East better?”
“Why not both?”
“But I want to keep some of them for Nakama, La-Ti and Xanadu,” Gaius replied. “Never mind, I’ll just give your family the souvenirs from the North.”
“Because you can get replacements easily…” She rapped Gaius’ head lightly. “How crafty of you.”
“That’s the me you know and love, right?” Gaius patted his backpack. “Let’s go get some wrapping paper, though. Make it look like I’ve put some thought into it.”
“You’re putting thought in making it look like you’ve put thought into your presents,” Isabelle said idly. “Amazing.”
“Well, I am stealing their precious, super-lovely awesome daughter from them. Presumably forever. I should at least strive to make a good impression on them,” Gaius replied. “That way, they won’t curse my name that often…”