WIEDERGEBURT Chapter 31

We didn’t learn anything about the strange Runes that were located inside of the ruins. After staying there for another two days, Kari and I left, but not before being profusely thanked by the girls we had rescued.

The two of us walked through an open field, following the dirt road that led to Midgard, which we could see surprisingly clearly despite the vast distance between us and the city. I couldn’t tell how far the city was from us. I was assuming it was so large that it looked closer than it really was.

“I wish we had been able to discover more about those Runes and what those cloaked people were trying to accomplish,” Kari said as she looked at the sky. The frustrated frown marring her face was one I’d been seeing a lot in the last two days. “I have this really bad feeling that those people were going to do something horrible.”

“You mean horrible beyond killing a couple of innocent girls?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

I glanced at Kari’s profile as I walked beside her. Her blue eyes were still locked onto the sky, but they were glazed over, as if she was looking at something far into the distance.

Thinking back to our battle against those cloaked figures in the ruins, I remembered how the two that had been hit by Kari’s light element burned up until not even their bodies remained. I’d never seen anything like that before. However…

“I don’t think those cloaked figures were even human,” I said at last.

“What makes you say that?” Kari finally turned her head to me.

I thought it over for a moment before shrugging. “While I don’t know everything there is to know about Spiritual Techniques and the elements, I do know that humans aren’t affected by the light element the way those things were. Fire might be able to burn someone until there’s nothing left if it’s hot enough, but not light—at least, not in the manner that you used it.”

“I suppose.” Kari cupped her chin and frowned. “It looked like they had a strong darkness affinity. Maybe their affinity for the darkness element was so strong they couldn’t withstand my light element?”

“Maybe.” I agreed with a slow nod. “Either way, I don’t think a human with the darkness element would have been destroyed in such a… powerful manner.”

As the two of us discussed the matter of those cloaked individuals, the sound of wheels turning and stamping feet caused us to turn our heads. A large carriage with a refined design was being pulled by a pair of Struts. The carriage was red and had golden Rune patterns etched into it. Sitting atop the carriage was a small statue of a bird with its wings spread and large tail feathers flowing behind it.

Me and Kari moved off to the side as the carriage rolled past us. Our plan was to let the carriage go on by and continue walking, but someone from inside suddenly shouted, “stop the carriage!” and the driver sitting in the front yanked on the reins, causing the bird-like beasts to stop with a loud squawk.

The windows were covered by a curtain, allowing no one to see past it. However, someone soon pulled those curtains aside, and the enchanting face of a young woman with hair like raven’s feathers and purple eyes appeared on the other side of the glass window. She had pale skin, a small nose, and full lips. Her features were refined and elegant, though I felt Kari’s more innocent allure was far more attractive.

“Excuse me, but are you two traveling to Midgard?” the woman asked.

“We are,” Kari said after glancing at me.

The woman’s smile widened. “In that case, why don’t you two climb in? I happen to also be traveling to Midgard. However, I currently have no traveling companions, so I am quite bored.”

The two of us glanced at each other, but we didn’t debate for long. At our current speed, it would have probably taken several days to reach Midgard, and that was a kind estimation on our part.

“We would be glad to,” I said for the two of us. “Thank you very much.”

“It is no trouble at all.” The curtain was let down and the door suddenly opened with a soft click. The woman inside revealed more of herself as she gestured for us to enter. “Please, climb on board.”

I realized just how extravagant this carriage truly was after climbing inside. The interior was painted a royal purple color, while the crimson seats were padded and soft. Carpet rested underneath our feet. Furthermore, the curtains were made from a type of sturdy material I’d never seen before that seemed softer than silk and more durable than wool.

Kari and I sat on the opposite side of the young woman. Because her ranseur was so large, Kari had to set it lengthwise across the seat, meaning it was resting across our laps.

Now that I was sitting before her, I realized that this woman was probably a little older than Kari and myself. She was dressed in a type of battle gown. Blue shoulder pauldrons with gold outlining them shifted as she adjusted her shoulders. A corset made of blue steel wrapped around her torso. However, her breasts were clad in only a white top with frills that traveled around her body. The top also didn’t cover much, meaning a good portion of her cleavage and back were exposed. Aside from the armored corset and pauldrons, she also wore gauntlets and grieves that went up to her knees.

“Please allow me to introduce myself.” The woman placed a hand on her chest and smiled. “My name is Erica Kjærlighet. I am the leader of the Battling Valkyrie Sect in Midgard.”

“I’m Eryk Veiger.”

“My name is Kari Astralia.”

The two of us introduced ourselves, though we did not name where we were from. Erica didn’t seem to mind as she smiled at us.

“May I ask what you are traveling to Midgard for? Are you looking to join a sect?”

The carriage began moving again, shaking underneath our feet and bums. I could now see why these padded seats were necessary. I remembered how rough the journey in that cart had been when we first left the Endless Desert. The ground along this road was even rougher, probably because so many people used it.

“We honestly don’t have any plans yet,” I said with some reluctance. “Kari and I had traveled across the Endless Desert awhile back and entered the Northern Plains less than two months ago. Midgard is said to be the largest city in the entire Northern Plains, so we decided to make it our travel destination.”

“So you two do not know anything about Midgard then?” Erica looked between the two of us with some incredulity, causing Kari’s and my face to heat up. A smile soon blossomed on the other woman’s face as she clapped her hands together. “In that case, why don’t I tell you two a little about Midgard as we travel?”

“We would be very grateful if you did,” Kari said. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Erica’s smile turned somewhat devious as she raised her hand and waved a finger at us. “However, this information is not going to be for free. In exchange, I would like you two answer a question of mine.”

“What is your question?” I asked hesitantly.

Erica leaned forward, her eyes practically sparkling as she looked between the two of us. She ignored the bumpiness as the carriage hit a rock. The way her eyes were like two big stars shining in the night sky made her look like a young teenage girl dreaming about romance.

“What is your relationship? Are you two married?”

I glanced at Kari, who glanced back at me. She looked just as confused as I did. It was clear to me that neither of us had an answer to that question. Our relationship had never been defined by conventional methods. However…

“Kari and I were never officially married.” I reached over and placed one of my hands on top of hers. “But I have loved her ever since I was 17 years-old. She and I have been together for several years now, and I can say that she is the woman I intend to spend the rest of my life with.”

Kari’s cheeks turned a startling shade of pink at my shameless announcement, but she gripped my hand back and gave me a wide smile. I know we weren’t connected spiritually or anything like that. However, I liked to think I could feel her love flowing into me.

Erica released a dreamy sigh as she leaned back in her chair and cupped her cheeks. She really did remind me of a lovestruck teenager dreaming of romance.

“That’s so lovely. I knew you two were a couple the moment I laid eyes on you. There’s a strong connection between you both that is hard for someone like myself to miss.” She suddenly glanced at Kari. “To be honest, I am very envious of you.”

“Um… thank you?” Kari’s words sounded more like a question than an expression of gratitude.

“And now that you have answered my question, please allow me to answer yours.” Erica paused for a moment to look at the ceiling, nodded to herself, and then resumed smiling at us. “Midgard is a city composed mainly of sects. There are thousands of sects located within the city, and each one tends to focus on a specific type of Spiritual Power. For example, my Battling Valkyrie Sect has a heavy focus on combining Spiritual Techniques with powerful weapons that use monster cores to enhance our Spiritual Powers. There is also the Poison Sect, which uses poisons; the Alchemy Sect, which is all about refining alchemy pills, etc.”

Kari and I listened to the woman as she talked. There were far more than just the sects she listed. According to her, there were thousands of sects. The Northern Plains were a vast place filled with cities and people, and it sounded like these sects were powerful groups who gathered like-minded individuals together. However, there was something about this that I wanted to know.

“And what is the purpose of these sects?” I asked.

“I suppose that depends on the sect and the sect leader.” Erica tapped her chin in thought for several seconds. “Some sects are all about the pursuit of knowledge, while others like to focus on the practical applications of a specific spiritual ability. However, most sects are formed in order to provide groups of people with a method of employment.”

“Employment? So it’s like a job?” Kari asked.

“More like a family who takes on jobs.” A soft clinking sound issued from Erica’s armor as she shrugged, the segmented plates shifting together. “People who form sects are very close-knit—at least, that is how it is for my group. We gather people together who share our ideals, and then we advertise our services to others. When someone needs something done but can’t do it themselves, they can hire a sect to get the job done for them.”

“And what kind of jobs do sects get hired to do?” I asked.

“Well, that depends on the sect.” For some reason, my question brought a bright smile to Erica’s face. I had a suspicion she was enjoying teaching us for some reason. “The Battling Valkyrie Sect is obviously a sect whose primary purpose is combat. When someone needs to hire a group to take care of Demon Beasts, mercenaries, or bandits, they can hire my sect. That’s actually what I was doing outside of Midgard. I had just finished a solo job to take care of some mysterious individuals who were hanging around some ruins and kidnapping people.”

The two of us were startled when Erica told us what she had been hired for. We looked at each other and, seeing how startled the other person appeared, turned back to Erica.

“These people… were they wearing black cloaks?” I asked.

Erica gained a pensive frown as she looked at me. “They were.”

“And did they have a weakness to the light element?” asked Kari, leaning forward.

“N-now that you mention it, they did indeed have a powerful weakness to the light element.” Erica’s expression grew grave as she stared at the two of us. “Do you two… have some knowledge of these strange individuals?”

Given that this woman fought against the same group of people we had, Kari and I didn’t have a problem sharing what happened to the girls we had rescued. We told her about how a group of teenage girls had been kidnapped and taken to a ruin, how we rescued them, and how we had discovered a series of Runes in the area where the girls were going to be sacrificed. By the time we had finished, Erica’s expression had become even more pensive.

“Those individuals you fought are definitely the same group of individuals I fought,” she said at last. “We don’t know exactly who they are, but Midgard and the surrounding cities have taken to calling them the Cult of the Great Overlord. According to what I have heard from rumors, these people seem to worship a being called the Great Overlord. They had been inhabiting one of the larger ruins inside of the Misty Forest. My job had been to go in and clear them out.”

“The Great Overlord…” I muttered. For some reason, that name sent a chill through my heart. It was as if an icy arrow had pierced my chest.

“Who is this Great Overlord?” asked Kari.

“No one really knows.” Erica’s long hair swayed as she shook her head and sighed. She crossed her arms, a pensive frown causing her pretty features to gain a more mature quality. “There are some historical text that refer to this Great Overlord, claiming that he is a god-like being who came to our world before the Catastrophe. However, all of the texts are unclear on just who or what this figure is, and what they came here for. Some text claim he tried to save our world, while others claim he was directly responsible for the Catastrophe.”

There was a lot of information that Erica had given us, but none of it seemed conducive to anything. This Great Overlord seemed to have existed in the far past. However, the Catastrophe was something that happened at least six or seven thousand of years ago, so there was no telling whether or not this person actually existed. I also had doubts about whether any historical text from that time survived.

That said, I could not help but think this person was real. Something about that name caused my heart to shake. I didn’t know why, but that name—or perhaps it was a title—sent chills through my heart and caused my body to shudder with an emotion I wouldn’t recognize until much later.

***

The day after Lin and I moved into the house I bought, I went back to the Eieran Family’s business center and hired a group of movers to help me move everything in my old lodgings to this new home.

These movers consisted of three burly men. They had thick chests, brawny arms, and legs that reminded me of tree trunks. I wondered how they were able to move with all that extra weight on them. It seemed excessive to me.

Surprisingly enough, they were quite good at handling furniture delicately.

I watched in slight surprise as the group of men carried my furniture onto a flatbed cart with no roof, set each piece down with a gentleness that was shocking, and then headed back up to my room and grabbed the next piece. It was fortunate that I only had a few pieces of furniture. There was just my bed, my bookshelf, the bathtub, and a dresser. Outside of that, the only things I had were my clothes and my alchemy set, which I grabbed myself.

Once everything was loaded into the cart, I was asked to sit in front with the man driving and directed him to my house. I worried on the way there. Before leaving this morning to begin the moving process, I had asked Lin to keep herself hidden when the movers arrived. She had given me this affronted look like I had insulted her, but she did agree to hide herself. My problem was that I wasn’t sure if she even could hide. How did one hide when they were an over 6 meter long snake-girl?

We arrived at my house in about fifteen minutes. I unlocked the gate and the front door, checked inside to make sure Lin wasn’t present, and then allowed the men to begin unloading the furniture.

“Where would you like us to put everything?” one of the men asked.

“Put it all in this room.” I pointed to the second bedroom, which was going to be my room.

“All right.”

The man nodded as he and his partner first grabbed the bookshelf and moved it into the secondary bedroom. They had to be careful about knocking it against the door, but I could tell from how they gently maneuvered themselves that they had experience with this sort of thing. I entered the room after them… and then I froze.

Lin was plastered to the ceiling.

The two men responsible for unloading hadn’t noticed her yet because they weren’t looking up. The ceiling was also quite high and there were several rafters that partially blocked the girl from view, but I noticed her right away. She was literally right above them. All they had to do was look up to spot her.

I wanted to scream. Out of all the places she could have chosen to hide, why did she have to choose my room?

Lin glanced at me, and for the first time since she and I met, I could see her breaking out in a cold sweat. She was clearly aware of what would happen should these two spot her. I felt a little vindictive, but I knew this was a dangerous situation.

“H-hey,” I said to the two movers. “Actually, why don’t you both put the rest of my furniture in the living room? I’m sure it’ll be easier.”

While the two men looked a little confused, neither of them refused my request. I was the client, after all.

“We can do that,” the blond man with a thick beard said.

“Thank you.”

I watched the pair go without even glancing at the ceiling, sighed in relief when they walked out of the room, and then closed the door behind me and turned around. I glared up at the roof where Lin was hiding.

“What possessed you to hide in this room?” I asked with a hiss.

After slithering down from the ceiling, Lin crossed her arms and looked a little indignant. “You told this princess to hide. She could not think of anywhere to hide, so Ishe thought the ceiling was the best option.”

“But why the ceiling in this room?” I asked.

Lin suddenly blushed a little. The light pink hue on her dark skin created a wonderful contrast that made my heartbeat accelerate… just a bit.

“…” she mumbled.

“You are going to have to speak up,” I said. “I can’t hear you.”

“This room has your scent,” she muttered in a louder voice.

Her words caused me to freeze, but it only lasted for a moment before my own skin began feeling hot. It wasn’t just my face that felt hot either. I was pretty sure my whole body was blushing.

I recalled that back when Lin had been transformed into a snake, she had often buried her head in my pillow and flicked out her tongue, which was the organ Lamia used to smell with. Of course, she had a nose just like a human and it could smell things. However, Lin had told me that a Lamia’s tongue was able to pick up tiny particles from the air. Knowing this, I realized she had probably been using her tongue to take in my scent within this room.

“Oh…” I placed my hand against my chest and forced myself to calm down. I wasn’t some blushing virgin who got excited just because of the things a girl said to me, but I also couldn’t deny that a girl admitting she had gone into my room because it smelled like me was a bit embarrassing. “In that case, please stay here. Don’t come out while the movers are moving everything.”

“This princess will remain in your room,” Lin said with a nod.

“Good.” I sighed, though whether in relief or resignation, not even I knew. “I’ll be back once they are gone.”

Since Lin had agreed to remain in my room, I walked outside and closed the door behind me. The movers were just coming back with the next set of furniture, my bed, which they moved into the living room as I requested. It was probably a good thing I only had four pieces of furniture. It only took them fifteen minutes to move the bed, the tub, and my dresser into the living room.

I made sure to lock both the front gate and the door after they left. Then I had Lin help me move my furniture into my bedroom. This was a bit more difficult because Lin’s tail kept getting in the way, but we eventually managed to get everything inside.

The secondary bedroom of this house was about twice the size of my original room, which meant the three sets of furniture I possessed didn’t take up much space. I put my bed in the far corner of the room. My bookshelf was in the other corner. Next to it was my dresser and alchemy set. There was nothing else. I didn’t need the tub anymore since this place had one. I’d have to get rid of it, or maybe I could find some use for it other than bathing. I also wanted to add more furniture to this room. A large table or desk where I could perform alchemy would be ideal.

“Now I just need to buy furniture for the rest of the house,” I said as Lin and I sat in the living room. We had no chairs, so we were sitting on the floor. “We will need chairs, a table, maybe couch… and for your room, we’ll need a large bed at least…” I stared at Lin’s naked chest and then further down, at her completely exposed pussy lips. They were very smooth and surrounded by glossy-looking scales. I took a deep breath. Don’t get excited. Don’t get excited. “We also need to buy a dresser where you can store some clothes.”

“Clothing?” Lin frowned at me. “Why would this princess need clothing?”

“Because I refuse to let you walk around naked anymore. It’s distracting.”

Lin stared at me for several seconds before a smile broke out on her face. Her tail thumped against the carpeted floor as her long, scaled ears wiggled.

“Could it be that you find this princess attractive?” she asked at last.

“That goes without saying,” I muttered.

“This princess is a little confused,” Lin admitted as she continued studying me with her narrowed golden gaze. “You find this princess’ body attractive, and yet you have not done anything to her, even though this princess has willingly offered herself to you.”

“Obviously that is because I’m in love with someone else.” I stood up. “There’s no way I could have sex with you.”

Lin frowned at me. It was clear that she didn’t appreciate my words, and to be honest, I felt bad for saying them, but I needed to draw a clear line. This was the same issue that I had with Fay. Even if I did have some feelings for this Lamia girl, I couldn’t have sex with her. I was in love with Kari.

Those were the words I told myself as I traveled to the Merchant District.

It had been awhile since I’d been to the Merchant District. I didn’t shop much except to buy food, and when I needed alchemy ingredients, I could always head to the Alchemist Association. My current goal was to buy more furniture to fill up my house. I had about 150,000 valis to spend.

The Merchant District had several carpentries that catered to the creation of furniture. Some of the shops did custom work, but most of them sold premade furniture.

I traveled to the carpentry that was owned by Ms. Nadine’s husband, which I had been given directions to after asking my boss if her husband made furniture. He owned a carpentry that was operated by himself, his two sons, and an apprentice. Ms. Nadine told me they did primarily custom work, but they also had a lot of premade furniture.

“So you’re the brat Nadine keeps telling me about,” Ms. Nadine’s husband said the moment I walked in. “My name is Vance. These two brats are Casius and Kaleb. I think you’ve met them before since they sometimes work at Nadine’s library. My apprentice is currently dealing with our lumber supplier, so he isn’t here right now, but I’ll introduce him to you later.”

Vance was a tall, well-built man. He was maybe a few centimeters taller than myself. His sandy brown hair was cut relatively short on the top and formed a short pomp at the front of the hairline. While the hair on his head was relatively short, the beard that traveled along his cheeks and jaw was thick. He wore brown leather pants, an off-white shirt with long sleeves, and a leather vest that matched his pants. Sturdy-looking boots thunked against the floor when he walked.

His two children looked a lot like him, but I could see Ms. Nadine in some of their features. Where this man looked rough, they had a slight feminine quality that softened their facial features. The clothing they wore was somewhat similar to their father’s. The only thing they were lacking was his vest.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” I said.

“Phe. Don’t call me ‘sir’. I’m no ‘sir’. Just call me Vance.” The man crossed his thick arms, which looked like they could squash my head like a grape. “Since you’re here, I’m guessing you need some furniture. What are you looking for?”

“I need a large bed, preferably one that is at least four or five meters in length. I would also like a dresser, a nightstand, a desk that’s large enough to fit an alchemy set on it, several chairs, a table for eating dinner, and a couch.”

As I spoke, Vance’s eyes slowly widened as he realized how much I was looking to buy. His crossed arms quickly uncrossed themselves and hung at his side, having gone almost limp. He looked like he’d been struck dumb.

“You looking to fill an entire house or something?” he asked, while his two children looked back and forth between us.

“Yes,” I admitted. “I just bought a house the other day. However, I only have a bit of furniture since the last place I owned was rather small. I’m looking to fill the house with more.”

Vance blew out a large breath. “How much valis are you looking to spend.”

“50,000.”

“Well, I can definitely get you some top-quality furniture if you’ve got that much.” Vance rubbed his thick beard. “I could even do some nice customer work for you if you’re willing to pay that much money.”

“Currently, I’m looking for premade furniture,” I told him. “My house is practically empty, so I just need something to fill it.”

“Right.” He nodded. “Let’s take a look around the shop and see if there’s anything you like.”

The shop was pretty spacious, but most of that space was filled with different types of furniture being displayed. There were beds, armoires, dressers, nightstands, couches, chairs, tables, desks, all of which looked fairly standard but also durable. My guess was that these sets of furniture were simple because they were premade. Vance probably made most of his money doing custom work.

It took around an hour to decide on what I should get. I eventually bought a table and two chairs, a 6 meter long couch, an armoire, a dresser, and a nightstand. The bed I wanted to buy Lin didn’t exist. There was no bed with the size I was looking for, which meant I had to buy a custom made bed. Fortunately, I had the money. After totaling up the cost of everything, it came to about 29,000 valis.

“I’m assuming you’ll want help moving all this to your house, right?” Vance suddenly asked. “We do offer that service to people.”

His words caused me to suddenly remember that I had not told Lin to hide, which I should have done in hindsight. Of course moving all this furniture was going to require help. That much should have been obvious, but I hadn’t even been thinking about what would happen after I bought all that furniture.

All I could do was silently lament.