WIEDERGEBURT Act V: Chapter 28

We were sitting around a table inside of our room. The bedroom we were using was more than just a simple bedroom. It was more like a house within a house. One door leading into the master bedroom was on our left, but on our right was another door that led into the personal shower. The room we were in right now was the main living space. There were also a door connecting our room to a second bedroom, which was where Raul slept.

A wide array of breakfast foods sat on the table in front of us—and also foods that were decidedly not something normal people ate for breakfast. The large stacks of meat were for Siv and Lin, our resident carnivores. However, everything else was simple breads, cheeses, and fruits. There was also a dish made of egg whites, but I didn’t know what it was called.

The food had been prepared by Karen. I had not known she could cook until now. She had decided to stay here and help us out of gratitude for me saving her during the Council of Six Selection Tournament.

“What’s on the agenda today?” asked Kari, looking at me.

Kari was sitting on my left. She was dressed in her usual blue and white blouse. The black tights stretching across her legs had a glossy shine that drew my attention to her magnificent thighs and calves. She wasn’t wearing shoes right now, which meant I could also see her cute toes through the semi-translucent fabric.

“Today is Alexis’ inauguration into the Council of Six,” I said.

“Ah. So, I guess that means there’s going to be a parade?” asked Kari.

I nodded. “The parade is scheduled for early in the afternoon. It will travel all throughout the city. All the main streets have been closed for the day, and none of the sects are accepting work. I was told the other five members on the Council of Six and Commander Ashten will also be taking part in this parade, so we don’t have anything to do right now.”

Alexis being inaugurated into the Council of Six should have been done months ago, but the damage to Midgard had taken precedence. How could they hold a parade when several kilometers of city had been destroyed? Alexis had been the one who said they should hold off on having an official ceremony until after the city was repaired, which caused her standing among the other council members to grow.

“Does this mean I won’t be heading to the Alchemist Association?” asked Fay.

Fay was sitting on the couch opposite me and Kari. Siv was also sitting on that couch, and Raul was sitting between them, munching away on a slice of toast with that egg white concoction on it. He seemed to like it, judging from the happy smile on his face.

“Even if you headed there, I doubt anyone would be present,” I said with a shake of my head. “What we should be planning is what to do after the parade and everything else is over.”

“What will we do after the parade is over?” asked Lin.

Lin sat on my left, her chest covered by a very thin piece of fabric that I hesitated to call a shirt. It was a rust-red color that complimented her dusky skin. A skirt of similar color but longer in length covered her hips and hid her pussy from view.

“There are a lot of things we need to do,” I admitted with a sigh. I reached out and grabbed an apple slice, popping it into my mouth and chewing thoughtfully to buy myself some time. Only after swallowing my food did I continue. “Fay here will need to head over to the Alchemist Association and take their alchemy test to be admitted as a partial member of their sect. I would also like you and Kari to travel to the Spiritual Research Sect’s library and begin looking up information on higher level concepts like space, time, dimension, and void. Siv and I will need to pay a visit to the dragons and procure their aid for when we travel to the floating island where the Great Overlord of the Seventh Plain is currently sealed.”

“Do you think they will agree to help us?” Kari grabbed a slice of toast, added the egg white substance to it, and began taking small bites. She swallowed, then added, “I don’t know much about the dragons since we never had dealings with them in our past life, but I have heard that they do not like to get involved with the affairs of humans. That is why they live so far north.”

“I believe they will.” I glanced at Siv as she cut a slice of beef and placed it in her mouth. Her eating was far more refined than Lin, who literally grabbed whole slabs of meat and ate them without concerning herself over table manners. “After all, the dragons have the blood of the drakvar race, and we have a drakvar with us.”

While Kari had never met the dragons in our previous life, I had met them once before… though our meeting had not been what I would call pleasant. I’d journeyed into their territory and stole their sacred treasure because I heard it could help increase my strength. However, during my time there, I did learn that the dragons worshiped the drakvar. So long as Siv was with me, I should be fine.

“It sounds like you two will be going there on your own.” Fay frowned at me. “I thought we agreed to go together.”

“We did… but sometimes things don’t work out like we planned them.” I gave her a helpless smile. “We all have so many tasks to do that we can’t afford to delay too much, especially since we haven’t been able to accomplish anything in the last five months.”

Everyone had been focused on rebuilding Midgard. Since the rebuilding had taken precedence over everything else, we had not been given the chance to accomplish any of our tasks.

After breakfast, our group was ready to move out. We met up with Karen, who escorted us to where a viewing platform that would let us watch the parade.

During our walk through the city, I walked with Raul on my shoulders and observed all the people who were milling about. The streets were now completely clear of traffic, sectioned off by members of the Midgard Spiritual Knights, and so the many citizens of the city were standing on the sides. This meant the area was very crowded. There were people shoving and pushing others away to make room for themselves, which made it very hard for our group to pass through.

We briefly considered flying, but Lin vetoed the idea since she hated flying. I remember when we entered the elevator in the Midgard Spiritual Knight’s headquarters and she had flipped out. With flying out of the question, we had no choice but to push our way through. Fortunately, we were stronger than anyone else there.

The viewing platform was blocked off by members of the Midgard Spiritual Knights, but they let us through after Karen informed the guards of our identities. While I didn’t show a single emotion on my face, I could not lie and say the looks of awe they wore didn’t bother me. I think I might have become even more uncomfortable if I wasn’t already used to people looking at me like that.

Viewing platforms like this were located throughout the city. They were more like balconies than viewing platforms, but they were located on the roofs of buildings and extended over the street. This particular platform had several tables for us to sit at.

It was a long while before the parade began. With nothing left to do but wait, I studied my wives.

The most enthusiastic of our group was Lin, who stood near the edge of the viewing platform and looked at all the people below us. Raul was currently riding on her shoulders and looking down as well. Fay and Siv were talking quietly to each other about something. I wasn’t sure what they were discussing, but I didn’t try listening in. Women needed their secrets. The person I found myself the most concerned about was my First Wife.

Kari was abnormally quiet. While I doubt a parade like this would make her very excited, she normally had a more vibrant personality than this. She was always talking about what she wanted to do next, what Runes she was studying, or what invention she had made. Right now she was completely silent, biting her lower lip as she stared at the table, her beautiful blue eyes looking introspective.

“What are you thinking about?” I asked.

As if she had been startled, Kari jerked her head up and looked at me, eyes wide. She settled down a moment later and shook her head.

“A lot of things. I have a lot on my mind right now.”

This wasn’t the first time Kari had gone abnormally silent. She’d been doing this more and more often. I hadn’t asked about it yet because I assumed she would tell me when she was ready, but maybe that had been a mistake on my part. Just like matters of the bedroom, I could not always rely on her to make the first move.

“I have noticed that something has been bothering you,” I said after a moment. “Will you share it with me?”

Kari looked like she was about to tell me not to worry. I could see it on her face. However, just as she opened her mouth, she stopped, her face shifting into a complicated expression as if she was debating with herself. Finally, she sighed.

“Since Fay already knows, I guess it’s only fair I tell you too.” She paused, then smiled wryly. “I am just lamenting my own weakness.”

“Your own… weakness? What do you mean?” I asked.

“I mean I am the weakest person here,” Kari explained. “Everyone else has reached the Fourth State of Spiritualism, but I’m still stuck in the Third State.”

“But that’s not your fault,” I pointed out.

“I know that, but it doesn’t change the facts,” Kari said. “The fact is I am weak. That weakness almost killed me and Raul. If I remain weak like this, I am afraid I won’t be able to help you…”

So that was it. I had heard about what happened during her battle with Dunherr, how she had been completely overwhelmed, and of course I remember how she and Raul had almost been killed by a stray attack. I shudder to think of what happened if I’d arrived even a second later.

Given what happened, I couldn’t say I didn’t understand her feelings. I knew she needed to become stronger. Even I felt like I needed to become stronger ever since learning about there being a state of spiritualism above the Fourth State.

“I understand,” I said at last. “On top of searching for information on higher level concepts, I’ll pay a visit to the Monster Tamers Sect and ask them to help me find an S-rank Demon Beast with the light element. We’ll try our best to find one for you, so that you can reach the Fourth State of Spiritualism soon.”

“Thank you,” Kari said with a soft smile.

My words seemed to put her at ease. Kari became much more lively after our talk. She stood up and made her way over to Lin and Raul, then began enthusiastically pointing things out for Raul to see. I watched her with a smile before feeling a pair of eyes on me. Curious, I turned to look at Karen, who had been staring at me with a strange look. Her cheeks turned a startling shade of pink when she noticed me looking. She looked away.

The parade started not long after my conversation with Kari finished; it began with the pounding of drums, which echoed across the street. A group of Spiritualists wearing gleaming steel armor marched down the wide road. They were members of the Paladin Sect. Behind them was a float that looked like a giant man wearing a suit of armor. Rainere and Tungsten were standing on this float. While Rainere waved his hand and waved at the crowd, Tungsten silently stood by his side.

After the Paladin Sect came the Poison Sect. The members were wearing black and green robes that made them seem both refined and dangerous. Like with the Paladin Sect, most of the members were walking, surrounding a float shaped like a snake with its mouth open wide. Sitting on the float was Ming Shen and his daughter/apprentice. While many people cheered as they past, I noticed it was not as loud as it had been for the Paladin Sect.

The light blue robes of the Healer’s Sect appeared in my view after the Poison Sect’s float, the members all walking with a dignified posture. They were a lot better received than even the Paladin Sect. Many people cheered for them. When Dagan Fauste and a young man with brown hair and green eyes appeared on a float that reminded me of a hospital, the citizens went crazy.

Most of the hospitals in the Northern Plains were owned and operated by the Healer’s Sect. While it was not free to use their services, the price for having someone from the Healer’s Sect help you was affordable even to middle-class citizens. They also had apprentices help out the poor as a means of gaining experience. This meant everyone received aid, which made the Healer’s Sect beloved by the people.

The Alchemist Association came next. Their float looked like an alchemy pill that had been cut in half. Standing atop the float was Cathrine Hildre, who looked at all the people present and waved. She did not seem as popular as Dagan Fauste, but a lot of Spiritualists relied on her Alchemist Association for help refining pills. After all, alchemy pills were indispensible for cultivation.

After the Alchemist Association was the Spiritual Research Sect, who were the group that got the least enthusiastic reception. They were well-known, of course, as no sect could be a member on the Council of Six and not be known to everyone. At the same time, their focus was on researching Spiritualism and nothing else. Regular citizens did not hire them for quests at all. The only people who relied on this sect were Spiritualists.

The Spiritual Research Sect’s primary focus was on studying Spiritualism, but they also created numerous Spiritual Techniques for various sects. This was how they kept themselves operating. Before I learned how to create my own Spiritual Techniques, I had often relied on the Spiritual Research Sect to make techniques for Brave Vesperia in my previous life.

Finally, after the floats for the five sects came and went, behind them arrived another float. This one was the most elaborate of the group. It looked like a castle. A large spire rose from the center of the float. Archways were located on the front and back. At the top of the spire was a throne, upon which Alexis sat as she raised her hand to wave at the crowd. Erica was behind her. The beautiful woman stood there with a cool look on her face, her claymore in front of her and resting on the ground as she rested her hands on the pommel. She looked very heroic. I was sure that was why the people watching this were yelling so loudly.

“It looks like everyone loves them,” I murmured.

“It certainly seems so,” Fay said, having heard my softly spoken words.

Surrounding the float were dozens of beautiful and strong women, all of whom were decked out in gleaming silver armor. I had once heard people refer to members of the Battling Valkyries as war maidens. In my previous life, these women were held up as maidens of war, especially when the war against the Sekbeist really began. Looking at them now made me remember why they were called that.

The last members of the parade was the Midgard Spiritual Knights. Their float was far more reserved than everyone else’s. I suspected they only had a float because they needed to play their part in this parade. Commander Ashten and his generals stood on the float, which was unadorned with decorations and very simple. Even though it did not have anything in the way of decorations, everyone who saw the commander and his generals cheered.

The parade soon moved past our viewing platform. Our group stood up and left. I would learn later on that the parade lasted for a full six hours before ending.

***

Several days passed after the parade. During that time, aside from fooling around with my wives and playing with my son, I did very little. I’d heard from Karen that Alexis and the Council of Six were busy with official duties, which was why they didn’t have time for me. I was a little miffed. At the same time, I did understand that the process of swearing someone into an official position involved more than just having them take part in a parade.

Finally, after waiting for everything to settle down, Alexis and Erica paid us a visit.

The two women looked tired as they sat on the couch. Their posture had not slouched at all, but I noticed the bags under their eyes, showing me how hard they had been working. I sat on the couch opposite of them, Siv and Lin sitting on either side of me. Fay was currently playing with Raul so he wouldn’t interfere with our conversation.

Kari was also present. However, unlike Siv and Lin who sat by my side, she had made us all some tea and very efficiently served it to us.

“Here. This blend should pep you up a bit,” Kari said with a smile as she placed two plates in front of Alexis and Erica. Each plate had a delicate cup sitting on it. Steaming orange liquid rippled inside the cup. When she placed the same type of tea in front of me, Lin, and Siv, the spicy blend entered my nose and made me sit straighter.

“Thank you,” Alexis said as she grabbed the cup and drank without ceremony. Her posture straightened a little like she had received a slight jolt. Erica also took a sip of her tea, but she drank more slowly.

“I’m guessing becoming a new member on the Council of Six has kept you busy,” I said.

“Too busy,” Alexis admitted with a sigh. “Even before the official inauguration, I have been attending meetings almost every day. I was told this won’t always be the case. Right now we are still dealing with the fallout of the attack on Midgard. Learning there is a warlike race such as the Sekbeists has left us on high alert. We have had to change and modify numerous policies and even set several new policies in place in the event something like this happens again.”

I did not say anything, but that wasn’t because I didn’t understand her position or what was happening. A very similar instance had occurred back in Nevaria. I fortunately had nothing to do with putting new policies in place. The one who dealt with all that was Empress Hilda.

“In either event, the reason I am here is not to talk to you about my hardships,” Alexis continued. “It is to inform you that the Nevarian Braves has become an officially recognized sect. Here is the official documentation. You can begin recruiting members now.”

Alexis held out her hand and a large scroll appeared on in. It was almost like it had materialized out of thin air. Only people who understood what a storage ring was would know how she summoned this scroll.

“These storage rings are very useful,” Alexis said as she handed the scroll to me.

The scroll was held closed with a wax seal. I broke it and unrolled the scroll, then set it on the table so Lin, Siv, and Kari could also look at it. There was a lot of really tiny writing on the scroll. Most of it was political jargon, but the scroll essentially said that the Nevarian Braves had been recognized as an official sect of the Northern Plains, was allowed to establish a branch office in Midgard, and could begin accepting quests and recruiting new members.

“Thank you for doing this,” I said, looking up after I finished reading the scroll.

Alexis snorted as she crossed her arms. “After everything you have done for me, helping you establish a sect was the least I can do. Speaking of, your Warp Gate is currently in the process of being built. It should be ready within the next month or so.”

“That’s good.”

Once the Warp Gate was built, we would have to travel back to Nevaria, which would take me about one month if I journeyed straight through without stopping. I planned on heading to Nevaria by myself. It would take less time that way since I was just going there to set up the Warp Gate. Of course, once it was set up, Kari and the others could use it to travel to and from Nevaria and Midgard whenever they wanted.

“We have also contacted the Monster Tamers Sect,” Alexis continued. “They have agreed to search for an S-rank Demon Beast with a light element.” Those words caused Kari to perk up, though the woman’s next words did not contain much enthusiasm. “However, do not expect them to be capable of finding a Demon Beast like this anytime soon. S-rank Demon Beasts prefer living in remote locations. Finding one, and one with the rarest element at that, is going to be very difficult.”

“We know,” I said.

Our group had explored the entire Demon Beast Mountain Range in search of one, and while we had found several S-rank Demon Beasts, none of them had a light element, showing just how rare such a creature was.

“So long as you know.” Alexis and Erica finished their tea and stood up. “While I would love to stay and chat for a little, I’m afraid we do not have the time right now. There is still a lot of work that we need to do. Don’t worry about seeing us out. Also, the Alchemist Association and Spiritual Research Sect have both asked me to tell you that you can visit them whenever you are ready.”

“Thank you for letting us know,” I said.

Alexis and Erica soon left, and our group heaved deep sighs as we slumped onto the couch.

“Our sect has finally been recognized,” Lin murmured as she leaned into me. “This princess was beginning to get impatient. If they didn’t recognize our sect soon, she was planning on going to meet the Council of Six and giving them a piece of her mind.”

“It’s a good thing you didn’t,” I said dryly. “Even if they didn’t kick you out, I’m sure they would have been more obstinate about recognizing us.”

“Hmph. This princess would have kicked their asses if they gave us trouble.”

“Now that we have been recognized as a sect, we need to hurry up and begin transporting people over here,” Kari said. “Alexis said it will take a month before the Warp Gate is finished. Should we begin recruiting members from the Northern Plains in the meantime?”

I considered her suggestion for a moment before shaking my head. “Let’s hold off on recruiting new members for the moment. What we need to focus on right now are our current tasks. Helping the Alchemist Association, learning about higher level concepts, and meeting with the dragons. Once we’ve done all that, we can begin recruiting people from the Northern Plains to join the Nevarian Braves. Also, you have that meeting with the Merchant’s Guild tomorrow, don’t you?”

“Ah.” Kari blinked several times, then blushed. “I almost forgot about that.”

“Big Sis, how could you forget about something like that?” asked Lin.

“I’ve just had my mind on other issues,” Kari muttered as she looked away. I knew what those other issues were, but I didn’t say anything. Sometimes it was better to let matters lie when you didn’t have a solution to resolve them.