As Kazen walked through the hallway, under the guidance of Lyla, who walked with a serene expression in front of him...Kazen's mind was filled with questions.
To harvest mana for this world...
He felt somewhat bitter, and lost. He wanted to vent his anger somehow, but he reined it in. After all, if what Aileen claimed was to be believed, the people here never forced anybody to become Harvesters. The facility was already here when they had arrived in this place.
And...although he barely had his memories, he couldn't feel any resentment or a feeling of injustice at having been a Harvester for some reason.
Before leaving the room, Lyla and Aileen seemed to exchange some words outside the room, before finally calling Kazen out, after which both of them walked in silence through the passageway they'd come from, then exited the building. Aileen departed from both of them to carry out her own tasks as Lyla walked through the pathway with Kazen in tow. Compared to before, there were now some people roaming the streets, and many bowed to Lyla as she walked past them.
Unless they plan to keep me eternally locked up...it makes no sense for them to have lied about simply finding the Harvesting Facility...
Although a part of him might simply have wanted someone to blame for this, his rational mind told him that it made little sense for them to have lied to him. If he was given at least some degree of freedom in the future, he would be able to easily verify it by browsing through some historical records, if something like that existed in this place.
And in Kazen's heart, he didn't feel like he was being lied to either. Although he had gotten off to a confrontational start with Aileen and Hazef, once they realized he didn't mean nor pose harm, they'd actually treated him decently. Even the third person he'd met, Lyla, was someone who was easy to converse with.
The important task at hand was to get an understanding of his environment. And as he thought that, he focused his gaze on Lyla, who was leading him through two giant grated metal doors, which he thought seemed to be the entrance of this facility. On the outside of the gates, a giant machine coated with black metal awaited. It had a glass screen on both short ends of the 5 meter device, and it seemed to have four circular wheels at each of its 4 corners.
As he tried to peer through the glass, he could see a man in a black suit wearing a white undershirt on a seat, as both his hands grasped a smaller circular wheel. Looking at the entire machine, judging by the circular wheels, it seemed like it was some form of transportation meant for getting around. And they were exiting the facility...
"We're...leaving the facility? Ly...Miss Lyla-"
"Just Lyla is fine, I'm only twenty this year!"
"...Lyla, where exactly are we going? We seem to be leaving this facility?"
Hearing this, Lyla turned her head around to look at him and suddenly grinned, her blue hair fluttering under the moonlight, "Why, to the Kiroshi Castle of course!"
* * *
When she told him she was a Princess of the Kingdom of Kiross, he finally realized why there'd been very little safeguards around him when he was being led by Lyla, as compared to when he was led by 2 platoons, Aileen and Hazef when going to the Containment Hall. She was certain to have protective measures with her, and being a Princess of a Kingdom, she couldn't possibly be weak herself.
Kazen felt somewhat amazed as he got into the 'vehicle', as Lyla had told him to. There were leather seats in the back and the front, with the back being able to seat 3 people while the front could seat 2 people.
As he got into the seat and shuffled to to the end, Lyla got in as well, and sat at the other end of the door, leaving the seat in the middle empty.
Then, the driver in front suddenly turned a key that was slotted through a hole near the wheel he held, and the whole machine suddenly roared to life, startling Kazen. And the machine suddenly started moving.
It's moving simply based of pressing on some pedal? How is it doing it? It needs a source of energy...perhaps that's what the mana we extract is used for. And they'd probably use...gears? This should be similar to the principles used by the locomotives of the Zassians...
As Kazen tried to interpret the mechanics behind how the machine worked, Lyla suddenly spoke, "You seemed to have calmed down a little," and Kazen noticed her gazing at him, "I was somewhat worried for you at the moment you heard that you'd been used for harvesting mana...but you seem to have recovered pretty quickly."
Hearing this, Kazen couldn't help but feel puzzled. He felt it was inappropriate, but he still had to ask her what was on his mind.
"Your H...Lyla," his addressing changed the moment she suddenly glared at him when he was about to address her by her royal title, "I don't understand. Today is the first day you've met me, and you have already seem to be treating me quite well...and it doesn't seem normal for someone who could possibly be lying to you to receive such treatment. I haven't been locked up, nor have I been forcefully interrogated or attacked. Now, I'm even getting to take rest at a castle! So why..."
There was a short silence for a moment, before Lyla suddenly closed her eyes for a moment. There were barely any traces of mana left in his body now, but this was enough for him to detect an almost imperceptible pulse of energy envelop the area between both of them and the driver.
It was only after doing this that Lyla spoke, "I...can see why it would seem suspicious. It's just that, I know how frightening it can be to suddenly be cast into a place completely foreign to you...surrounded by people you don't know. As for why we trust you..." Lyla seemed to hesitate for a moment as if considering whether or not she should continue, but shook her head and decided to drop the topic.
Although he still couldn't fully understand Kazen had the sense to not ask any further. After all, today was only the first day they'd met. At the very least, he didn't feel like she meant him harm, and that was enough for him.
* * *
After about twenty minutes, as they finally reached the top of the uphill road they'd been driving in so far, Kazen was suddenly greeted with a view of hundreds of white-slated buildings appearing in the distance, at least a few hundred meters away. From this far away, he could barely see that while the materials of the buildings were certainly colored a plain white, it was at least not as monotonous as compared to the gray buildings back at the Harvesting Facility.
Another part of the reason for this was because he could see splotches of color, or street art having been painted onto the walls of the buildings. From their current height he could see many crisscrossing black lanes with white strips running through the entirety of the city. And as he traced the road they were currently on, it seemed to be the main road that led through the center of the entire city.
And looking at the end of the road, he could see a grand palace spanning at least 300 meters in width. The entire castle seemed to be made of white marble, with thick blue lines running across certain parts of the castle. At the top, there was a dome shaped roof positioned at least a hundred meters above the castle's base. At the top of the dome, he noticed a crown extending for another ten meters or so with a cross-shaped symbol at the top. Under the backdrop of the white moonlight behind them, the entire city and its castle, together with the gigantic lake that lay behind the castle, gave Kazen a magical feeling as he viewed this sight.
And he heard Lyla say in a soft voice, "Welcome to the Capital of Kiross, Tunsa."
* * *
As they passed through the town, Kazen could see people moving about in a bustling manner along the sides of the roads. Many of them seemed to have lightly tanned skin, and there were many who walked about doing their daily businesses while some entered and exited through the blue-colored doors from the houses on the sides of the road, which seemed to be a common trait of this city.
There were some who carried loads on their back, "Hey! Hurry up with those tiles! We really need to finish constructing the inn by today, or we're going to lose twenty silver!..."
There were some who wore black and white robes while preaching blasphemous words, "O'Goddesses, why are you forsaking us! Are we not worthy of being blessed by your light? What do we have to do..."
And there were also those who had laid down stores on the sidewalk, with each of them having a signboard attached beside their tables showing a symbol of a shark, similar to the Frostwind Sharks of Alethea, holding a gold coin in their mouths.
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"For just 20 silver, you can get a C-Ranked Moonsteel Sword! And if you buy one, you can also get an iron shield forged by Tunsa's Blacksmith Guild for 50 percent off! Afraid of being cheated? Don't worry! All of us are certified by the Royal Palace's Merchants Guild, and if we had been lying, we'd already have been in prison after being caught by the Royal Police..."
The entire seemed to be bustling. He could see people painting the walls of buildings through the alleyways as the vehicle passed them, and he could also see a group of adults leading a larger group of children around the city, and many such sights greeted him.
The one thing they all had in common was that all of them...felt like they had a sense of purpose, a meaning to their existence in this community that he was seeing now.
They got closer to the castle, and the number of people roaming around on the main street started to reduce by quite a bit. At some point along the way, huge trees with brown trunks and silver leaves had replaced the sidewalks, and covered the entirety of the sides of the main paths, seemingly leading into a dense garden.
The car eventually reached the main gates of the castle, where 2 soldiers were positioned on each side while they held a rifle that pulsed with silver energy. Upon seeing the vehicle, as well as a badge the man driving the vehicle seemed to show after winding down the window, the two guards channeled their energy and pushed the gates open, allowing the vehicle to enter.
Right after entering, the vehicle drove to the side and stopped, as the driver got down and help Lyla open the door. Lyla flashed him a grin, "Well...welcome to the Tunsa, once again! Let's go. The King...is already likely to be waiting for us. Remember to play along with me later."
Kazen had a strange feeling in his heart as he heard the word 'home', but suppressed this feeling and got down the vehicle. He didn't notice Lyla's expression dim a little as she mentioned the King since her head was turned, but he did notice as Lyla gestured him with her hands to follow her, and so he did.
"Your Highness."
The open doors of the castle had another 2 soldiers on each side, similar to the gate, and they slammed the bottom of their rifles on the ground once as they greeted her. She nodded, then proceeded inside with Kazen in tow.
And what greeted him was a red carpet, extending a hundred meters ahead where there was a pedestal leading to a throne, on which there was a tanned man bearing a regal aura seated. He slightly leaned to one side as he rested on the chair's armrest, as his palm supported his on his chin, which was covered by a white beard which matched the color of his hair.
Beside him stood a gorgeous woman with her arms rested inside the other arm's sleeves, as her dark blue hair and face which showed minute signs of age seemed to give her an aura of nobility.
"...Royal Father. Mother."
Lyla's voice suddenly solemnly greeted the King and her mother while bowing. Not knowing what to do, Kazen simply decided to follow suit as she'd told him to and bowed as well, holding his position as he noticed Lyla staying that way.
"Rise."
With the King's words, Lyla rose, followed by Kazen.
"It must've been an exciting journey, being caught up in such an incident right as you were returning home from Giza," the King's words seemed to be laced with a hint of sarcasm, but Lyla seemingly chose to ignore it.
"Well...no matter. At least you're back. As for you..."
The King's gaze focused on Kazen, causing his heart to tighten, "Well...I've heard the gist of what has happened. You must certainly be exhausted as well, and quite possibly afraid. With that being said, as long as you don't overstep your bounds here, you won't be in any trouble. Bidan!"
A lanky man with short black hair who's face was lightly freckled stepped out of the shadows from the side of the hall, "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Bring our guest to his room...and let him rest for a short while. Colonel Darian has told us to prepare the Awakening Chamber, and they've promised to send an additional capsule to us. After sending our guest to rest, ask Marie to make arrangements for these 2 matters, will you? She should have finished cleaning up our guest's room by now."
"As per your Will, Your Majesty. Master Kazen, please follow me."
Hearing this, he looked at Lyla, who didn't seem to pay him any heed. Realizing that he didn't exactly have much of a choice, he nodded, and bowed to the King once more. Then, he followed behind the butler who was referred to as Bidan by the King a moment ago.
As Kazen was escorted through the side corridor by Bidan, a strange silence enveloped the hall.
It was then that the woman spoke, "Lyla...I trust your journey went well? Of course, other than this little...incident. What did the Gizan Prince have to say about the Imperial Decree?"
"Hah! As if he could even say anything! An Imperial Decree which states she's to become a Pioneer, is there really anybody who could say anything to oppose it?"
Throughout their conversation, Lyla had stayed silent. And as if he understood her temperament, he changed the topic, "Forget that. What of that boy, Kazen, was it? Did you figure out how he'd escaped Alethea?"
Hearing this, Lyla finally replied him, "He...doesn't fully know, Royal Father. But from what he told us, it seemed that when he'd undergone his third Awakening, he seemed to sense a trace of mana funneling out of Alethea somehow, and when he used his soul to try and trace the direction, his mind had blanked out and he had fainted. After that…well, he woke up here."
Hearing this caused the King to turn thoughtful, "His third Awakening?...That's nothing special, especially in Alethea, so I fail to see what significance there is in mentioning that information."
Seeing the King's gaze on her, she replied him, "...He's a Reincarnator."
Hearing this caused the eyes of the King and the woman to widen, as they seemed to understand many things.
"As a Reincarnator...but how exactly is this possible? No, it's not as if there have been zero cases of this...Gazin, Jefarah...yes, there have at least been five of them. Wouldn't that mean that they are all Harvesters?"
The King seemed to mutter to himself in contemplation for a short while, while the woman seemed to silently ruminate in her mind.
Lyla simply waited. After a while, the King broke out of his musings, and glanced at Lyla.
"...How unexpected. With this, you've given us quite the contribution. You shall be permitted to meet Jana tomorrow," as the King said this, he got up from his seat, "This matter some implications. I will have to settle some matters, so I will take my leave. For today, stay in the castle to rest."
And so, the King left, as he pushed open and entered through the door behind the throne, as it automatically closed by itself with a thud.
"...Lyla. It must've been hard on you."
The woman then looked at Lyla with loving eyes, as she walked down the steps slowly. Lyla's fists slowly clenched, though she didn't let the woman see it. Sometimes, she really wished she hadn't obtained her powers.
"Was the Gizan Prince disappointed? Angry? If he caused you any trouble from finding out about the cancelled engagement, don't hesitate to tell your mother."
Stay away.
Why was she not allowed to see the very person who had raised her whenever she wanted? Simply because it would undermine this Consort's identity, even if she actually was the one who had given birth to her?
The Consort finally reached Lyla, as she wrapped her arms around her into an embrace.
Why couldn't the Consort have at least been as strong as she was? Lyla couldn’t help but think about how she was only a C-Ranked Awakened at the moment.
Could the Consort not have tried just slightly harder to have gained strength? She could at least have avoided the truth.
"...because your mother will always be on your side."
The truth that her birth mother had never loved her, for Lyla's powers could tell.
She was lying.
* * *
As Kazen was being guided towards his room, he couldn't help but ask Bidan a question, "Bidan...Sir."
Without turning his back, he replied Kazen, "Just Bidan is fine."
Bidan's dislike for formalities reminded him of Lyla for a moment, and he continued, "Earlier...his Majesty mentioned that Colonel Darian had given instructions to prepare the Awakening Chamber...but how is a Colonel able to give instructions to His Majesty. Would that not be seen as a breach of his boundaries?"
Hearing this caused Bidan to slightly turn his head to glance at Kazen from the corner of his eyes, as his lips seemed to curve up by the slightest bit.
"It seems you're quite observant. Indeed...perhaps a soldier of our army telling the Royal Palace what to do could easily get him flogged. But for all ranks above First Lieutanant...the people who take up those positions can only be from the Antessian Empire. The three Kingdoms of the Forsaken Continent don't have any Captains or above amongst their ranks."
Hearing this, Kazen nodded in understanding. It would seem that this way, the Antessian Empire would maintain a degree of control over the army of the Kingdoms, giving rise to a lowered chance of rebellion.
Right as they had exchanged these words, they finally reached the last door in the corridor they were in, as two maids wearing black dresses with white frills awaited with their hands held together.
"This'll be your room for the day. You'll be woken up by your attendant when it's time for you to attend the Awakening Ceremony. Until then, it's best that you rest up as much as you can, you want to be in a rested state for the Ceremony. Kayleen here will be your attendant, so feel free to ask her for anything you'd require."
Kazen nodded as he expressed his thanks, and watched as Bidan called out to the other maid, who seemed to go by the name of Marie. He waited until both of them had walked away, then turned around to unlock his door.
"Sir, your room has already been tidied for your rest. I'll be waiting right outside in case you need any assistance, so feel free to call me."
Kazen smiled at Kayleen, "Thank you. I will keep that in mind."
Then, he entered the room, where he was greeted with a cozy space. The floor were lined with wooden panels, as a table and chair lay on the right-most end of the room, seemingly made of a gray stone. At the center, a bed was prepared parallel to the wall, as a huge window was attached to the side.
Kazen took off his boots, which had been worn by him even in his Capsule, and then jumped onto the bed. He didn't even think about taking a bath or asking for a meal, since his mind felt preoccupied.
As the bed sprung up and down as he had jumped on it, he flipped his body around and put his head on the pillow. His eyes glanced through the window, as he noticed the right side of the Moon of Serena now being partially obscured. And yet, even with a lesser amount of light from the moon, the world seemed to have grown just ever so slightly brighter.
He sighed, then drew the curtains, plunging the room into darkness. His mind was worn out, and his body felt fatigued. Perhaps it was due to suddenly moving so much after what he heard was at least a thousand years.
Even still, he couldn't immediately rest, and simply lay there on his bed, with worries plaguing his heart. Was Benson alright? Would his apprentices at the Enchanter's Hall be managing without him?
And under his thoughts, it took a long time before fatigue overwhelmed him, and he was able to fall asleep.