While everyone else were either surprised, amused, or angered by Miko's sudden decision to leave the kingdom, the culprit himself was hundreds of miles away from the kingdom's borders.
He and the woman called Sapphire were traveling a single bike.
However this bike wasn't any normal bike, it was the Apollo Series Silver Chariot by MYTH.
Handling the monster of bike was naturally Sapphire.
It wasn't that Miko didn't know how to ride a bike, in fact he was very skilled at it, it's just that he's never rode the Silver Chariot before.
By the way, Luka has one in her mother's dimensional cube. This bike was given to her by the [Tyrant] Cursed King Arsene Mors. However, Luka never used her mother's cube before. That was because, she didn't know how to use Dimensional Magic, which was essential in operating the cube.
By the way, Lisa's summoning monster Puu, was also inside the cube.
“Woah! This is awesome!”
Said Ishma, who transformed from her glove form and also sat on the bike.
This bike was big enough to safely carry four grown adults, so she didn't have to squeeze her way in.
“This is so fast! It feels like we're teleporting!”
She shouted.
“The Silver Chariot has a top speed of a little over a Mach. What you're experiencing is it's top speed. We've long broken the sound barrier already.
Sapphire explained.
“MYTH just keeps impressing me.”
Said Miko.
“How long will it take to reach Grim City at this right?”
“Around a hour. The city is located near the center of the continent, since we're coming from the northern tip of the continent it will naturally take time.”
“Hey, can you see where we're going? Or are you just smashing through stuff?”
Ishma asked.
“The Silver Chariot has a built-in guiding system. It naturally moves to avoid any obstacle and chooses the safest path for the rider. You can also set a location you which you want to travel and the autopilot will take care of the rest. I'm doing the former, because it's more enjoyable to pilot the bike yourself than just sitting back and let the bike do the work for you.”
“Amazing! Can I get a try?”
“Hell no. You want to kill us all?”
Miko bluntly refused.
“Hey, I can ride a bike! It's pretty much a two-wheeled chariot that runs on its own right? I had one, and a kickass one too. But my stupid brother took it from as punishment, and sealed it somewhere in the Night Continent.”
“I don't care. Do you know how embarrassing it would be to die in an accident after all the stuff I've been through?”
“Come on~!”
“Stop your whining before I throw you off the bike.”
Miko said seriously.
Ishma closed her mouth after that, pouted at the side.
“Anyway, Sapphire. Tell me more about Grim City.”
“What do you want you to know?”
“Everything. What kind of governing body it uses, the culture, its history, the population, how it's divided, its territories, its topography. Everything.”
“That's sure a lot.”
Sapphire said with the wry smile.
“Well, there's nothing to hide.”
She then looked like she was choosing her words carefully before speaking.
“Well let's talk about the city itself first.”
Miko nodded in agreement.
Sapphire then spoke.
“Grim City was the third military city created by MYTH, and was constructed over 150 years ago. The city is around 3000 square kilometers, and has a population of 3 million. Majority of the city consisted of research facilities, laboratories and other military related buildings, but that isn't all to it.
Even though it's called a Futuristic Military City, Grim City looks like any normal city. It has schools, supermarkets, malls, cinemas and even an amusement park. That being said, everyone in this city has a connection to at least one military force, either directly or indirectly, so it definitely isn't a normal city.
With a city as large as this, it would be common sense to think that it was divided in different sections, in this case districts. The city is divided in 23 different districts and largest one is the 7th district.”
Sapphire paused there as if letting Miko digest the information.
“3000 Km square, huh. That's not far off from the Dragna kingdom. Is the kingdom really too small, or is the city just to big?”
Miko mumbled to himself.
“But what's weird is the population. Isn't it too small for such a big place?”
“I said it earlier didn't I? Majority of the city is used for all kinds of research and military purposes. It's better to think of the city as one huge scientific army camp.”
“….Well if you say so.”
He then started recalling the information again.
“23 Districts….Its like Tokyo.”
He then looked at Sapphire.
“Does each district has a specialty, or does all of them just serves as living areas?”
Sapphire shook her head without looking back.
“It's just as you guess. Each district has a special function. For example, the largest district, District 7 is where the academy is located. That entire district is dedicated to supporting the academy, and its students.”
“I see. Whoever designed this city must've put a lot of thought into it.”
The woman remained silent for a while, before speaking.
“Are you sure you don't want to attend the academy?”
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Well, aren't you persistent. I've already told you that I have zero interest in going to school with a bag of heirs who think they're better than everyone. If it's how I imagine it to be, I would get kicked out in the first week for murder. If that happens it will cause a lot of problems for both of us.”
He paused and said-
“Do you want explain to the monarchs how their children were skinned alive after being sent there?”
“….We would prefer not.”
“See? And I can't be bothered to go to war with a country every time I kill an arrogant Young Master. I'm a king now, they're all heirs. We're totally different. Even if they feel it is their duty to piss me off and hand me their heads on a platter, I have think twice before I can actually take it. Even if the other person really wants me to take their useless lives. But unfortunately, if I'm pushed in that situation I won't think, and just kill.”
Miko spoke with a persuading tone, that made Sapphire actually picture him killing a heir without batting an eye.
If that happens, she don't really care about what happens to the city, but it would cause a lot of trouble for the one who saved her from a life a ruin.
“…..I think it's best you don't go to the academy after all.”
Sapphire said honestly.
“So you've finally understand. It would be best for everyone if I stay far away from those talented youths.”
Even though he said that, if a need arises for him to go to the academy, he would be there in a heartbeat.
But for now, Miko couldn't think of a reason why he would go there, so he'll just have to watch and see.
“Anyway, tell me about the people. Does the city have its own culture?”
Sapphire nodded.
“We’re a mixture of all kinds of races, so you see many different culture aspects mixed together in the city. Although humans makes up a majority of the population, so the laws are mostly based around them.”
Sapphire looked like she suddenly remembered something.
“Your Makesty.”
“Miko's fine.”
“Then Miko, have you've ever heard of the beings called Infecteds?”
“Infecteds?.....Where have I heard that before?”
Miko started rottling his brain for a while until he finally recalled where he heard the term “Infecteds” before.
“Oh, that's right. It was when I first met Hina.”
When Miko met Hina 8 years ago, she mentioned that she wasn't an “Infected” but she couldn't rule out that her parents were.
This was when they were talking about her powers and the possible reasons why she possessed them.
“I heard it once before, but I don't know what it means.”
“That’s not strange. After all, Infecteds are extremely rare. So you not knowing what they are is pretty normal.”
Said Sapphire.
She then continued.
“An Infected is a being who possesses abnormal magical abilities even though they were born to normal human parents. This occurs when several generations of a family has been around Proxies for too long, and got infected by the special magical waves they give off. The infection won't manifest in one generation, it stays dormant until the 3rd or 4th generation. The powers these being possesses are perfectly tailored to them and can not be explained with logic. Unlike Normal magicians, their powers are heavily affected by their emotions. Because of that their powers can easily go out of control.”
“When you say abnormal magical abilities…”
“Like being able to manipulate blood, even though you're not a vampire. Being able to shape shift without being a beastman. Being able to conjure lightning from birth, despite not coming from a clan. Stuff like that.”
Miko immediately thought of Hina.
“How do you know whether you're a Infected or not?”
He asked.
“Infected show their abilities from birth without the need to practice. There's also the fact that they don't use magic to use their abilities.”
“They don't use magic? Then what do they use? Qigong? Alchemy?”
Sapphire shook her head.
“No one knows. Thousands of people tried to reach it but only thing we know is that Infecteds are born because of Proxies.”
“You said that earlier. Then does that mean that Infecteds weren't around during the war?”
“That's right. Research showed that Proxies subconsciously emits special magic waves called P-Waves. These waves have the ability to slowly alter their surroundings, including the DNA of humans. Continuous exposure to these waves will mutation in body, which gets stronger when passed genetically.”
“I see. Then can the abilities of an Infected be passed down as well?”
The reason why Miko asked this, was because he learnt that Hina wasn't an infected like she said.
This was proven from the fact that she nearly died from Magic Exhaustion before. If she was an Infected, she wouldn't have suffered such a thing.
Another reason why he was certain was because Hina's powers needed practice to use much less control.
This was the case for all of her powers except one.
The Genome Shift.
The Genome Shift was Hina's ability to alter her body at will. And according to Aeon, the Genome Shift is the reason why Hina was born with abnormal eyesight.
Thus Miko came to a conclusion; the Genome Shift was a side effect that came from the reproduction between two Infecteds, an Second Generation Infected Ability if you will.
Her parents were most likely Infecteds, and their powers were [Creation] and [Manifestation] respectively.
However, this was only a theory. Sapphire words would prove it to be true or not.
“Yes. Three out of every five Infecteds were able to pass down there abilities. However, their offspring wouldn't able to use them as effectively as them. After all, their abilities were tailored specifically for them. But there are cases were the offsprings of an Infected couple develop their own Infected-like ability that's a bit similar to both their parents.”
‘I was right!’
Miko shouted in his head.
Miko suddenly felt eager to tell Hina what he learned, so that she would stop considering herself a monster.
She was just a victim of her genes. She was a Second Generation Infected, which was a bit similar to the Saevio clan’s situation with Beleth.
The topic of Infecteds greatly interested Miko.
“Do you know when Infecteds first appeared?”
“Yes.”
She answered with a nod.
“The first documented Infected appeared in a small village on this continent nearly 5000 years ago.”
“What happened to that person?”
“She's a well known person now.”
Sapphire’s body trembled a little bit as if she recalled something she shouldn't.
“She's recognized as one of the most dreadful humans in history. Known for thousands of heinous acts. The Mad Sorceress, Victoria.”
Sapphire’s voice trembled when she spoke the name.
“Her Infected ability was Life Taker. She can steal a portion of a person’s life span and add to her own. She can even increase the number of lives she has by stealing it from others.”
“Damn. That's a dangerous ability.”
“That isn't the worst part. She's also the Proxy of Medea.”
“?!”
Miko was visibly shocked to hear that.
Even in all of the Greek myths, Medea was definitely among the craziest women.
She was a princess who fell in love with the hero Jason who was on a journey to obtain the Golden Fleece. This fleece was won by Jason after he slew a dragon that was guarding it with the help of Medea who was a powerful sorceress of divine lineage.
Jason and Medea wed soon after and had children soon after. Of course this was after she killed her brother and escaped with Jason.
Years later, Jason fell in love with another princess called Glauce and abandoned Medea. In rage she killed not only Glauce and her father Creon, but she also killed her three children in cold blood.
Such a terrifying woman, Miko preferred not to meet her and her proxy. But he would've never guessed that her proxy was a terrifying woman as well. Miko now made up his mind that if he ever meets Victoria, he's going to kill her on sight and ask questions later.
Anybody who was chosen by Medea as her proxy, can't be a sane person.
“Why did you mention Infecteds?”
Miko asked after realizing something.
“That's because a lot of Infecteds gather in cities created by MYTH.”
It was at this moment Miko noticed Sapphire’s skin crystallizing and covered in a blue crystal texture.
“For example, me.”
She looked back at Miko looking like a human crystal.
“I'm an Infected.”
“Sapphire….”
Miko finally got the reason for her name. She was literally a sapphire.
“It's beautiful.”
Miko spoke his honest thoughts as he started to examine her skin without restraint.
“What the hell?! This is so cool!”
Ishmavael also joined him.
Sapphire was visibly uncomfortable, but this escaped the eyes of the curious Miko and Ishmavael.
It was only after around 10 minutes that the two got bored of it.
“Why are you guys gathering in cities created by MYTH?”
Miko asked.
“Because MYTH is very interested in us. They want to get a better understanding of us and our powers. They offer us a lot of benefits if we join one of their cities. Also the research they're doing can do a lot for those of us who easily lose ourselves in our emotions and lose control of our abilities. They have drugs that can help suppress our powers when that happens.”
“I see. I'm sure that a lot of you had to leave your families because of the dangerous abilities that you possess.”
Sapphire nodded.
“Infecteds are victims of discrimination everywhere around the world. That's because we possess some unusal powers and people fear those different from them.”
She spoke with a sad tone.
But this tone didn't affect Miko in the least.
He was too busy thinking about something else.
‘If I can make the kingdom more friendly to Infecteds I'll be able to attract people with some very unusual abilities. This would greatly improve our military…..That's it. I'm going create a squad of Infecteds!’
He decided in his head.
“Sapphire. There's something that's been bugging.”
“What is it?”
“Who are the Four Pillars exactly? Are they members of MYTH that overseas the city?”
Sapphire nodded.
“That's right. They're four MYTH officials entrusted with the operation of the city and everything in it.”
“Are they strong?”
“Not necessarily. They're [S Classes] but they have MYTH weapons that gives them the fire power of a [SSS Class]. There's also the defense system of the city called Gaia. As long as its active, the four pillars won't suffer any threat from any outside forces. It's rumored to be able to defend against up to a [XXX Class].”
“Ehh… sounds interesting.”
(Destination is within reach. Prepare to disengage is three minutes.)
An electronic voice suddenly came from the bike.
Sapphire smiled when she heard that.
“Looks like we're here!”