Arashi suddenly sat up straight from lying down on the couch, her hair was in a complete mess from how fast she moved. Arashi's eyes narrowed as she suspiciously glared at Kiru, she said. "What's your game?" Kiru slightly tilted her head sideways, she said. "That's strange… I expected a better reaction from you…" Kiru's eyes were full of suspicion as she continued. "Unless…" Arashi's ocean blue pupils instantly turned golden as it started giving off a faint glow, she said. "Wanna take this outside? I'll smash your skull inwards. You don't even need to pay me, I'll do it free of charge."
The iris of her eye slowly started to change, Kanzei had his guard up as he glanced at them while patiently waiting for the pot to reach a certain temperature. Kiru raised her hand, which made Kanzei lower his guard, she said. "How cold, especially when I went out of my way to find this piece of information. And considering the future for when we have to work together."
Arashi took a deep breath to calm herself, her pupils turned back to ocean blue. Arashi said. "Oh, I highly doubt that." Kiru maintained her smile, she said. "Aren't you worried about him? He could be in danger, starving somewhere in that seemingly never-ending forest, he could need help as he is on the brink of-." Arashi pointed at Kiru's left cheek, needle-like mana flew past the side of her left cheek breezing through the wind. Arashi said. "You two either get out now in one piece or I carry you both in body bags. You have until the count of ten."
Kiru's smile slightly faltered, she said. "Shouldn't we negotiate-?" Before she could even finish, Arashi started counting. "One. Two. Three." Kiru let out a sigh, she said. "Kanzei pack up our things. It seems we've overstayed our welcome." Kiru stood up from the chair as she calmly headed to the door, Kanzei snapped his fingers as all the items he used vanished. Arashi continued. "Four. Five. Six."
Both of them leisurely took off the indoor slippers and wore the shoes they came in, Kanzei opened the door as Kiru walked out first followed by him. Arashi stood up from the couch as her pupils started to glow gold, she said. "Seven. Eight." Kanzei held the door open as Kiru looked inside and said. "Pardon the intrusion." Kanzei closed the door.
Arashi let out a scoff, she said. "Little bitch gets on my nerves…" A talisman flew out of her pocket as it stayed afloat mid-air, she held it with her right hand as she sat back down. She cleared her throat and said. "Madam." From the talisman Asami said. "Arashi. I have a piece of good news." Arashi's eyes slightly widened, she calmed herself and said. "What kind of good news." Asami, whose voice was coming from the talisman, said. "I have a rough idea where your little friend is… But there's a slim catch though…"
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Luxurious Dining Room
Reiki emptied his glass of water in one go as he let out a satisfied sigh, Elora and Melanor were already gone from the table leaving him alone with Moranor and Enora. He wiped his lips using the sleeve of his tunic, Enora looked like she was trying to burn a hole through him while Moranor was casually sitting on her chair. Reiki thought. Oh yeah… I forgot I had some food from the train…
He rummaged through his pocket and took out the pouch that looked like it was made by dozens of patches stitched together. Reiki placed his hand inside which caught both the elves' attention, he pulled out nine colorful paper containers along with half a dozen small cartons of milk and one medium-sized bottle of water.
Reiki felt the containers were still warm, he thought. That's interesting… He placed all of them down on the table and opened them as all nine of them were emitting some residual heat. Reiki picked up a sandwich that was cut into three, he thought. Feels like it came out of the microwave… Time magic... He started eating and noticed the two elves were staring, Reiki said. "Help yourself."
Moranor immediately picked up a box that had a mini meatloaf along with a carton of milk, Enora picked one up that had some assortment of sandwiches. Moranor used her hands to pick up the meatloaf and took a bite, she said. "Not half bad…" Reiki thought. Considering the cost of the train ride, it better be somewhat decent.
Enora took a bite of a pork cutlet sandwich, she stared at it with scrutiny as she slowly chewed. Enora said. "Passable." Enora glanced at Reiki and said. "That's no ordinary pouch, isn't it?" Moranor continued to enjoy her meatloaf, he nodded and said. "Yep, I just learned it has some form of time properties."
As he ate the sandwich in his hands in one go, opened a carton of milk, and downed half of it. Enora placed the colorful container down, she said. "Where did you get it?" Moranor glared at Elanor using the corner of her eye. Elanor ignored her glare while Reiki was trying to choose what to eat next. He said. "An old man gave it to me." Both of the elf's expressions turned strange, Enora said. "An old… Man?..."
Reiki picked up a pair of wooden chopsticks and separated them, he picked up a piece of pickled cucumber. He swallowed and said. "More specifically an old man sitting on top of a barrel." Enora's eyes narrowed as she placed the sandwich back in the container while Moranor started listening intently and placed the container down on the table. Moranor drank some milk to clear her throat, she said. "Did that old man vanish after letting you look at some… Trash…"
Reiki emptied his first carton of milk, he said. "Inside of the barrel was a single coin that was split in half, a rusty old dagger, a necklace made out of old rope with a single fang of a monster on it…" Moranor's eyes widened, before she could say something Enora stood up from her seat and placed a hand over Moranor's mouth.
Moranor coldly glared at Enora who had a meaningful look on her face. Moranor sat back down and continued eating, Enora said. "And you got this pouch from the old man?" Reiki nodded as he ate another slice of a sandwich in one go and used some milk to wash it down. Moranor turned her head to face him, she said. "And he just gave you that pouch without asking for anything in return?"
Reiki looked up to Moranor and said. "Yeah, he disappeared afterward. No name, no way to contact him, and not even a picture." Enora stood up from the table, she picked up a couple of colorful containers with food. Enora said. "I have something to do. I hope you don't mind me taking these." Reiki shook his head sideways as he used the chopsticks to pick up a rolled Tamago.
Enora vanished from her seat leaving the two of them. Moranor glanced at him a couple of times while the two of them ate in silence, she said. "Aren't you gonna ask?" Reiki opened the bottle of water and took a sip, he said. "It'll be fine." Moranor raised a brow and said. "What makes you so sure?" Reiki flashed her a genuine smile which caught her completely off guard and made her heartbeat flutter. He said. "I trust you." Her eyes widened and with her long ears, Moranor thought she could hear her heartbeat.
She tried to force her lips to not form into a smile as she placed a hand over her mouth, Moranor said. "H-Heh, sweet words won't get you anywhere." Reiki picked up another rolled Tamago and stared at it, he said. "Since it won't get me anywhere, I might as well not say it." Moranor slightly jolted in her seat, she said. "I-I mean since you won't lose anything in the first place… Here and there won't hurt."
Reiki looked up to her and said. "Here and there it is then." He moved the chopsticks that were holding a rolled Tamago closer to her as Moranor allowed him to feed her. Moranor pointed at the water bottle next to him as he passed it to her by sliding across the table while standing. A smirk appeared on her lips, she said. "Neat trick." She took the cap off and took a sip, she placed the cap back on and said. "What are your plans for the rest of the day?"
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Reiki picked up some more pickled cucumbers with the chopsticks, he said. "After all that happened today? I just want to lay on a bed until the sunsets." Moranor nodded in relief, Reiki continued. "Speaking of beds, I wouldn't mind you keeping mine warm-."
[System: User has received 13 Damage.]
Moranor threw the water bottle as it hit his face and landed on the table, she said. "It was nice while it lasted." The door opened as Melanor, Elora, and Enora walked it. They saw Reiki's face was hit with something as it was partially red. The three elves saw the faint blush on Moranor's face, as they walked in the room and sat back on the chairs. Elanor placed her elbow on the table and interlocked her fingers and rested her head on them, she said. "You've been causing quite the storm."
Reiki placed the chopsticks down inside a container, he let out a small burp and said. "I've been known to cause trouble here and there back home." Moranor who was sitting lazily said. "I'm not surprised." Reiki rolled his eyes at her and said. "I was joking." As he let out a chuckle, Enora still looked like she was trying to burn a hole through him by staring.
He turned his head to face her, Reiki said. "Is there something on my face? You look like you're dying to crack my head open to see what's inside." Enora had a slight frown on her lips, she crossed her arms which made her large chests push against each other. Reiki sneaked a glance that Moranor saw as she threw an empty carton of milk at him. The carton of milk hit the right side of his face as it bounced off him, he caught it and placed it beside him on the table.
Moranor let out a scoff as she continued with her meal, Enora said. "You can't be ten years old." Reiki looked up to her and gave her a strange look, he said. "I mean… I can show you my birth certificate if that makes you feel any better…" Reiki glanced at Elora, he said. "Do I have to worry about your daughter freezing me anytime soon?"
Elora let out a chuckle, she said. "No, she's just disturbed at the fact someone younger than her is even more talented than herself." Melanor, who was sharing a couple of containers with her daughter, was eating something and was holding a sandwich in her left hand. She wiped her lips using the thumb of her hand and said. "While we're on the topic of trouble, what do you think about the three elves that are next in line for their households?"
Reiki moved his gaze to the ceiling as he stared at the large light sphere that was somewhat dimmed, he lazily stretched in his chair and said. "Esta Amisra… Shows potential, leaning a bit on the immature and slightly naive side but she'll grow out of it…"
Reiki let out a slightly cold chuckle and continued. "Revilor Haemir… I don't like him, you can practically smell the neutrality and math equations on him. I bet you five platinum coins his motto in life is related to pros and cons… And lastly is Vianola… I don't know which household she comes from." Moranor and her mother were enjoying their meal, Elora also picked up a random container and started eating, including Enora. Moranor wiped her lips clean using her thumb, she said. "Vianola Nueleth."
She picked up another piece of meatloaf and took another milk carton. Reiki picked up a sandwich and was about to take a bite but stopped himself, he said. "Vianola Nueleth… From how that vulture likes to dip his rotting hands into everything and the fact that her father or mother doesn't allow her to take on some form of responsibilities. I can't see her being a capable leader unless something drastic happens."
Melanor and Elora glanced at each other from the corner of their eye, Elora said. "One last thing, elves saw you suddenly turning around in the shopping district. Care to explain?" Reiki thought to himself. That's because I sensed bloodlust… He pretended to think as he stared at the sandwich in his hand. Reiki said. "I felt something dangerous…" Melanor raised a brow in interest, she said. "How would you describe it?"
Reiki placed the sandwich down back in the container, the four elves continued to eat while waiting for him to answer. He said. "It's similar to a venomous viper in the middle of biting…" Enora took a sip of milk to wash down what she was eating, she said. "Why is that so specific?" Reiki moved his gaze onto her, he said. "That's because I was almost bitten by one." He thought. It's technically true...
Moranor had a slight frown on her face, she said. "When did this happen?" Reiki scratched the back of his head, he said. "I was… Camping and was in the middle of looking for edible vegetation, I felt something was looking at him and when I crouched down to pick up a mushroom I felt my blood run cold." Moranor nodded as both she and Elora stood up from their seats simultaneously.
Elora took four of the containers filled with food and walked toward the door while Melanor was just behind her, Melanor said. "We'll see you three at dinner time." Reiki Lazily waves at them, Melanor grabbed Elora's left forearm as they both vanish. Reiki picked up the sandwich and took a bite, he thought. I lost a total of four… Eh, who cares? I mooched off them during my stay. Enora closed the colorful container in front of her as it was finally empty, she slightly pushed it away from her and said. "Are you sure you're completely human?"
Both Moranor and Reiki looked at her oddly, Enora continued. "I can help you with finding your actual bloodline if you can give me some time and a sample." Reiki opened a carton of milk, he said. "Truth be told by this time I would've thought Enrel-san would've already decoded it by now… By the way, what is her full name?"
Moranor twisted the cap of the bottle of water off and said. "Enrel Irithiel." Reiki thought. Sounds like a type of crystal ore… He pointed at the water bottle Moranor was in the middle of taking a sip as she casually passed it to him.
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Queen's Private Room
Elora was sitting in the middle of her bed with her leather boots on the side of it. In front of her were the three containers and a few cartons of milk she took. Melanor was on the side of the bed taking off her thick combat boots and placed them next to Elora's. Elora picked up a sandwich while Melanor reached for a piece of vegetable tempura using her own hands. Melanor stared at it and said. "What do you think about his opinion on the households?"
Elora pondered for a moment as she looked at the golden scepter at the nightstand, she said. "It's identical to the conclusion I have." Before Melanor was about to take a bite of vegetable tempura she stopped herself and said. "To what extent?" As she ate the tempura in her hand.
Elora moved her gaze away from the scepter as she turned her head to face Melanor who was deciding what to eat next. Elora said. "To the point, he sees the same problem we have on hand." She took a bite of the sandwich in her hand, Melanor placed a hand on her chin. Melanor said. "What makes you think he knows the problems we have to deal with." Melanor picked up some disposable chopsticks and took them apart.
Elora watched her pick up a piece of unshelled shrimp, Elora opened her mouth indicating she wanted to be fed. Melanor let out a chuckle as she fed her using the chopsticks, Melanor said. "Did you even hear my question?" Elora swallowed and nodded, she said. "No evidence but my intuition tells me he knows." Melanor picked up another shrimp, she raised a brow and said. "If your intuition said so, then we should give him a simple test."
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Luxurious Dining Room
Reiki was eating a steam piece of fish fillet as he watched Enora and Moranor argue with each other again. Enora said. "Mora you do need to be aware of how crass you act around him." The chopsticks in Moranor's hand started bending as it had small signs of cracking, Moranor said. "Crass? What's the matter if I act the way I want to be? I don't judge you for being pretentious every time you use a new word."
Enora rolled her eyes at Moranor which only infuriated her more. Reiki picked up a sandwich with his other hand as he placed down the chopsticks and tried to open a carton of milk. Enora said. "I'm not trying to demean you-." Moranor placed down the chopsticks that were completely bent on the table as it stayed that way, she interrupted Enora and said. "Then what are you trying to do-!?"
Reiki tapped on Moranor's forearm and passed her a carton of milk he drank from, he said. "How about a moment to calm down and think?" Moranor looked at the carton of milk in his hands as she let out a sigh and took it from him. She drank some milk and tried to calm herself, Enora seeing this was irritated, with a wave of her hand the carton of milk in Moranor's hand appeared in her's.
Moranor let out a long sigh, with a slightly annoyed look on her face, she looked at Enora. Enora coldly said. "Stop that." Moranor said. "Stop what?!" Enora repeatedly slapped the tabletop and said. "That!" Moranor was massaging the temples of her head, she said. "Why are you annoying us?" Enora stood up from her chair, she said. "That's my line!"
Moranor was starting to get infuriated, she slowly took a deep breath and stood up. Moranor said. "Your line-?" Both of them suddenly sat down and acted normal as Melanor appeared at the end of the table. Melanor looked at both Enora and her daughter who were acting normal, Enora was staring at her perfectly trimmed nails while Moranor was trying to feed Reiki with a piece of meatloaf she took a bite of.
Reiki took a bite of the meatloaf in Moranor's hand, Enora let out a soft scoff. Melanor rummaged through her pocket and took out a gold card and placed it on the table near him. While chewing Reiki picked up the card and discovered it was a library card, in black letters it had his name on it written beautifully in elven, Japanese, and English. With a knowing smile on Melanor's face, she said. "To answer your question you can only bring a maximum of one person with you. No more no less."
Reiki thought. It's made out of real gold… As the surface of the card reflected some light as it had some weight to it. He continued his train of thought. Well… some gold was used to make this. Reiki slightly pinched the gold card in his hands as it easily bent like it was made out of paper. Melanor waved her hand and said. "I'll leave you two alone to continue your little fight." As she vanished, Moranor stared at his card and said. "Truth be told, I didn't expect the card you'll get was this one."
Reiki held his hand out for the carton of milk in Moranor's hands, she passed it to him as he took a sip. He said. "What makes it special?" Enora crossed her arms making her large chest pressed against each other, she said. "The card I got you only gave you access to the first floor-." Moranor leaned closer to him, she said. "There are three cards. White, gold, shiny. Gold allows you to enter the second floor with restrictions and shiny allows all-around access along with the ability to invite another person. Though said individual is only allowed inside, if the card owner personally spoke to the elf at the counter inside the library."