CHAPTER 66: PREPARATIONS

The streets of Astrum Aeternum bustled with the noise of street vendors and civilians stepping on the cobblestone paths, moving in all directions. The scent of candles mixed in the air as the light of the sun pierced through the dense smog of the upper city levels and onto Hermes, who was walking down the street with the rest of the crowd.

After his conversation with Lucien, Hermes was briefed on the mission they would undergo later tonight. When he heard of what the Valencourt Lord was planning, he almost didn't believe him. He even suspected whether the man was trying to bait him into something, but after considering it for a bit, it would make sense that they would prioritize Elizabeth's rescue.

After all, what she discovered with her [Prophesize-Eye] would surely help them to understand what exactly the Empire's future would look like. Since the church was extremely adamant that whatever Elizabeth discovered stays hidden, the forces inside the Noble faction would surely try their hardest to recover that intel.

According to Lucien's sources, Elizabeth was currently being held at the lower levels of Librarium Celestium. Such a revelation didn't come as a surprise to him. Where else would you want to keep an extremely sought after prisoner but inside a holy relic said to have come from god 'Himself'?

Hermes continued to walk down the street when he spotted the familiar hammer and sickle symbol on a door sign. Walking up to the storefront, he twisted the rusty doorknob and entered inside.

The smell of sulfur and ash invaded his nostrils. Unlike the last time he entered the smithy, the sound of hammers hitting sheets of metal repeatedly could be heard. Hermes walked up to the empty counter and rung the bell, signaling that a customer had arrived.

Before long, a young man who he had not seen before came up to the reception desk. Sweat and grime covered his face as he smiled at Hermes.

"Good evening, sir! Would you like to purchase anything, or are you here for a repair job?"

Hermes nodded at him. "I am here for a repair job. I left my weapon with the store owner last night. I am here to check up on it."

"I see, I see! Could you tell me your name, please?"

"Hermes Wilson."

The young man looked through his logbook and located the name. "Ah! You are the gentleman who owns that bizarre firearm sword!" He quickly prodded to the back of the store and brought with him a large object wrapped in cloth.

"Here you go, sir! It has been fully repaired!"

Hermes carefully grabbed it from him and placed it down on the counter. He slowly unwrapped the protective cloth and began to inspect his weapon. The gleaming gun handle attached to the frame entered his grip. It was the same old familiar feeling. He looked at the now shining blade, which he identified as a replacement. Every groove etched into the seamless edge was crafted with mechanical precision. The weight distribution was surprisingly also the exact same. He swung it smoothly, as if it was an extension of his own arm.

Hermes' lips curved into a smile. 'I was somewhat regretting spending so much, but it seems like it was worth every penny.' He looked back up at the clerk. "I am extremely satisfied. Where is your boss? I would like to thank him personally."

The young man chuckled. "Judging by the sound of the hammer, I don't think you should disturb him, haha!"

Hermes nodded. "You're right, make sure to tell him I said thanks. By the way, I also requested him to make me some ammunition for the weapon. Is that also ready?"

The clerk nodded and went back to fetch the rest of the items Hermes had requested. He placed down 5 ammunition boxes on the counter, which Hermes counted to have 100 gunblade shells in total.

It was 100% overkill, but he knew that this was probably the last time he could splurge money in this way; not when he was about to trespass on a holy relic and help breakout a prisoner condemned by the entire empire as a 'Witch of Calamity.' It was truly comical. Here he was shopping about like a normal civilian, when in only a few hours, the chances of him being declared a terrorist were less probable than him dying to some inquisition knight.

Hermes chuckled to himself while he inspected the golden-textured shells. 'I probably can't even use 5% of these in rapid succession. My resistance training still needs work... Being limited to only a few uses of 'Magnum Carnage' won't be ideal when fighting against an army of officers trying to stop me from storming their holy relic...

Although the situation was grim, at least he had some allies to help him with this mission. He still could not fully trust the Valencourt family and the other nobles siding with them, but he knew that he had no choice but to put up with it. Before he had learned of Lucien's plan, he was considering hiring a few mercenaries to help him free Elizabeth secretly. Even though it was extremely foolish and downright suicidal, he knew that he would die anyway if Elizabeth failed the trial.

Thankfully, he didn't need to go down that route. The fact that Elizabeth had predicted his arrival at the Valencourt house told him that she had probably also planned for him to meet with Lord Lucien and coordinate with them to achieve his goal of rescuing her. This only encapsulated his belief in her being a genius even further.

Hermes nodded toward the clerk and swiped his badge to pay for the ammunition made for him. He stepped out of the store, the light of the sun shining brightly on his face. Because of the damage Hermes' armor had gone through, he had no way to strap the gunblade to his back. Luckily, the worker had provided a bag for him to place everything inside. Even with the heavy load, Hermes felt like he was carrying a feathered pillow.

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It was extremely proud of his own growth in the past month or so. His control over his cosmic force had gotten much better and his body was much more fit than before. The fights he had endured were all difficult, and he had no doubt that much more challenging obstacles will soon reach him, so knowing that he was slowly but surely getting stronger assured him greatly.

Hermes swiftly hailed a cab, and within moments, a sleek flying vehicle glided to a stop before him. Its exterior was adorned with intricate embroideries, adding a touch of elegance to its appearance. Hermes opened the door and stepped inside, settling himself comfortably into the plush interior. He quickly greeted the driver.

The driver swiveled his neck to regard his new passenger. "Where to, mate?"

"Saint Wisdom Avenue, Mercenary Guild," Hermes replied.

The driver narrowed his eyes, giving Hermes a once-over before nodding in understanding. Hermes tapped his badge against the reader again to pay the fare, adhering to the driver's proclaimed rate of 200 Sanctum per 10 minutes of travel. Though he harbored a twinge of skepticism about the pricing, Hermes had no means to verify whether he was being taken advantage of, so he opted to accept it without protest.

As the vehicle lifted from the ground and seamlessly merged into the bustling traffic of the sky, Hermes found himself mesmerized by the diverse array of hover machines zipping past in all shapes and sizes. However, it was the upper echelons of the city that truly captured his attention. Overhead, the skyline was ruled by towering spires, their colossal stature casting an imposing shadow.

Entire sidewalks and thoroughfares stretched between buildings, connected by intricate networks of bridges. The delicate stone masonry of their architecture, unlike anything he had witnessed on Earth, added an air of otherworldly grandeur to the cityscape. It was a completely different experience to see it from above versus seeing it from below. If the impending trial hadn't imposed a strict time limit, Hermes knew he would have been irresistibly drawn to explore every nook and cranny of the urban landscape.

Below him, the once bustling streets he had been walking in were swimming with humans who looked smaller than ants, walking toward their numerous destinations. He sighed to himself, 'It's hard to believe that war is brewing in the background of all of this...' He quickly recalled Lucien's words. It was truly difficult to grasp how such a prospering city, filled with the dreams and hopes of millions, would ever have such a dark side to it.

But then again, he thought, Earth was also similar to it. In fact, he was just like the small ants he was seeing outside his window, oblivious to all the corruptions of society. Even when his father disappeared and his family was thrust into poverty, it was still difficult for him to understand the cruelty of the world he lived in.

Hermes had arrived at Astrum Aeternum using a trial. He already knew about the inevitable decline the Marcia empire will face. What he was currently experiencing was a historic representation of humanity's past glory.

'Can I truly change society?' It lingered as the sole beacon in his murky sea of shattered dreams, a question both daunting and invigorating. Contemplating amidst the political labyrinth of the Marcia Empire, he couldn't help but question his own resolve. If even Rudwell couldn't unify the nobles, a king amongst kings, then how would he ever achieve the changes he wanted?

But even so, he knew that there was no path but forward. The fervent desire to sculpt a better world wasn't merely a moral imperative but a survival instinct entwined with his very essence. His psyche recognized the perilous vacuum that would consume him without this guiding light, this resolute purpose. His own mind knew how dangerous it would be without this goal. And so, he simply placed these thoughts in the back of his mind.

To him, this could also be an opportunity to reach this goal of his. He was currently living inside a historic recreation of what could be humanity's zenith. Historians and scholars would be fascinated to uncover the reasons behind humanity's tragic downfall.

A smile tugged at his lips. 'I wonder if Elgacia can read what I am thinking right now...'

...

Back in the Valencourt mansion, Lucien, who was now wearing a white robe, held a wineglass in his hand as he admired the view from his balcony. In the distance, He could spot glimpses of Librarium Celestium, shining brightly with all its glory.

He immediately turned his head to face his daughter, who was standing behind him. "Eleanor, you are smiling so strongly. Did something good happen?"

She covered her mouth and let out a giggle. "I am just remembering Hermes' face when you briefed him on this rescue mission. He went from shocked to excited to afraid, and back to excited. You made him go through a rollercoaster of emotions..."

He smiled. "That young lad is truly smart. He knows when to push and when to pull. A remarkable skill that most mercenaries do not have. If it weren't for his attire, I would have suspected him to be a scholar, or even a fellow noble."

She nodded. "Indeed, his background doesn't reflect his stature at all."

Lucien looked back up at the towering spires surrounding his vision. "How has your sister been doing? Has the trauma from that... Experience went away?"

Hearing his question, Eleanor frowned. "On the outside, she seems better, but I can tell that a dark cloud is still lingering above her at all times."

Lucien twirled his wineglass. "That piece of trash, Trevor. I should have never accepted him as your Guardian Knight. What a disgrace. If it weren't for pressure from the Marcia family, I would have never accepted. Those de Blanc dogs have been eyeing our assets for a while now. Speaking of which, that snake, Phillippe, has he reacted to the news of his son's death?"

Eleanor shook her head. "It has been silent so far. I assume they wish to keep this under wraps."

Lucien stroked his chin. "I suppose that is fine for now. We cannot let anything interfere with tonight's operation. The Saint-Clair family has already sacrificed so much for us, we cannot let them down."

"Is this why you allowed Elara to hear our conversation with Hermes? Are you afraid it may not succeed?"

Lucien stood there in silence for a bit before answering. "Eleanor, you are old enough to understand how much trouble our family is in currently, right?"

She nodded. "Yes... Even if our caravan managed to carry the supplies needed for the Saint Wisdom's Day festival from Franc Castle to Astrum Aeternum successfully, we would still inevitably run out of finances in just 6 months..."

"Indeed, and so, I have always been planning for the worst-case scenario. If the family collapses, Elara will relinquish her name as Valencourt and join the Saint-Clair family."

"I see..." Eleanor looked at the floor while biting her lips. "I am sorry, father, I am too incompetent..."

He shook his head. "Do not be, my sweet child. I was the one who placed this burden on you in the first place."

She sighed... There was no helping the situation. At this point, the empire itself was close to collapsing. A single family becoming ruined was just a small pebble on a mound of problems. Eleanor decided to change the subject.

"By the way, I believe Sir Hermes has huge potential as a Celestial. If given the opportunity to grow, he will truly shine in the future. He is currently indebted to the family. Can we not utilize this? I knew he won't be able to pay it off, so I planned on hiring him."

Lucien tilted his neck back. "Ah, you mean that 7,000,000 Sanctum debt for breaking into our home..." He chuckled, "that alone won't be enough to keep him caged, my dear."

She furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"

A rueful smile plastered his face. He continued to gaze out onto the balcony, unwilling to answer her question.

End of Chapter