WIEDERGEBURT Chapter 27

The area surrounding Midgard was known as the Northern Plains. It was a vast space that supposedly spread out for 10-million square kilometers. In this regard, at least, it was not that much smaller than the Endless Desert… relatively speaking.

There were many cities, towns, and villages along the way to Midgard. These areas where humans gathered and formed communities ranged in size from being no more than maybe a couple thousand people to consisting of tens of millions of individuals. During this time, me and Kari had experienced and witnessed many new sights.

The architecture of the Northern Plains was very different from Nevaria, which consisted of buildings made from logs and stone. Many of the buildings here were made of a substance called stucco, which was a material made from aggregates, a binder, and water. A lot of these buildings tended to have unique decorations as well. Motifs designed along the interior and exterior of buildings was not an unusual sight in these communities.

Our current location was a place called Vahn. It was a large city that had even more people than Nevaria before it was destroyed. The buildings were all packed closely together and made from geometric shapes like squares and rectangles. Many of these buildings featured flat roofs. I could see people lounging on these roofs when I looked up.

Vahn was built around a mountain, an inactive volcano. This caused the city to be built in tiers like a layered cake. The first tier spread out from the foot of the mountain, with each tier after that being built one level up. The top of the mountain featured something like a temple. There was a large structure up there, which was more majestic than anything else I’d seen in a long time. It could easily compare to the Imperial Royal Palace.

“Look at all these buildings.” Kari was staring at the numerous buildings with a sparkle in her eyes. It was as though her eyes had captured the lustre of binary stars. “I wonder how old they are. Do you think the architecture of this region is based on ancient or more modern building techniques?”

“Most of the buildings look new,” I responded. “However, I can see a few that appear to have been refurbished.”

“Which building should we check out first?” asked Kari.

“Let’s find a place to sleep for the night first,” I laughed. Kari looked like she could barely restrain herself.

I made sure to keep a tight hold of Kari’s hand, both so we wouldn’t get separated, but also so she wouldn’t run off. Given the looks she was sending the buildings we passed, I was sure she’d forget herself and rush into one of them. Kari had always wanted to travel the world and explore new things. I guess coming to a city that was vastly different from Nevaria held the same appeal as ancient ruins.

We asked for some directions to an inn from a random passerby and were told to travel to a place called the Warrior’s Refuge. It was a large building that stood at least three stories tall. Motifs decorated the outside walls, each one so impressive I wondered if they had been created by a famous artisan. Most of the motifs depicted a variety of warriors with burly bodies and bushy beards.

I swear it looked like Kari had hearts in her eyes.

“W-what wonderful architecture! The design is so symmetrical and fluid, and those motifs gives this place a powerful aesthetic!” She turned to me. It looked like there were hearts in her eyes, but I was sure that was just my imagination. “Isn’t this building beautiful, Eryk?!”

I couldn’t help but laugh as I leaned down and kissed her. “It is. However, before you start hyperventilating, let’s go inside and grab a room.”

“Right.”

Leading me by the hand, Kari dragged through a set of sturdy-looking wooden doors.

The room we entered appeared to be a bar/restaurant of some sort. Illuminated by the glow of numerous lightning element monster cores that hung from the ceiling were quite a number of round tables. There were a lot of people seated at these tables. Several groups of armored men laughed as they drank ale and ate wine. They looked unruly with their flushed faces and raucous laughter, but I never judged a book by its cover. That said, I couldn’t help but think they were mercenaries.

A number of waitresses walked between tables, serving meals and treating customers. Some of those customers would try to flirt with the waitresses. However, I could tell after one man became a little too grabby that they were not normal women. I watched in something resembling shock when, after a man had grabbed the ass of a passing waitress, she grabbed the offending limb, yanked the man out of his chair, and slammed him onto the floor. A pained squeal erupted from his mouth as his arm was painfully pulled out of its socket.

The other patrons laughed.

“Ha! That idiot must be new! Everyone knows you don’t touch the waitresses here!”

“What a fool! Gya ha ha! Did he really think he could lay his hands on a woman like Alexis and not suffer the consequences?”

“I can only shake my head at that man’s stupidity. Everyone knows that all the waitresses here are powerful Spiritualists. Only a moron would try something.”

Me and Kari watched as the waitress who’d dislocated the poor fool’s shoulder dragged the whimpering man to the door and tossed him outside. As she clapped her hands as though ridding them of dust, she noticed us and turned around. There was a cheerful smile on her face. It was like the whole incident with that man had never happened.

“Hello! Welcome to the Warrior’s Refuge! Are you two here to eat?”

“Uh…” It took me a moment to regain my bearings. “Well, sort of. We definitely plan on eating soon, but we’re also here to rent a room for the night.”

“You’re in luck! I believe we still have several rooms available! I’ll talk with Demeter and make sure that’s still the case. In the meantime, why don’t you two sit down anywhere you’d like. Someone will definitely come by to take your order!”

“Thank you,” Kari and I said with a smile.

“Tee-hee. You two said that at the same time. So cute.”

With those parting words, the woman walked back into the crowded bar. We watched her as she greeted several passing patrons, who appeared to be regulars from the way they spoke to her, and then disappeared through a door in the back. Once she was gone, we looked at each other.

“I guess we should just sit anywhere,” I said.

“Let’s find an empty table,” Kari agreed.

We wandered into the crowded area, catching the eyes of quite a few people, though I realized most of them were not looking at me. There were more men here than women. All those men were staring at Kari. I couldn’t rightly blame them.

At this moment, Kari was wearing one of the outfits she had gotten in the Endless Desert. Her top was a black and gold cloth that wrapped around her chest and back in an X-pattern. It went all the way around her body, and then came back to the front where it moved over her hips and formed another X in the front. Two long tails extended from the front and back of her clothing like a gown, swaying with the motion of her walk.

“Who is that?”

“I’ve never seen clothes like that before.”

“Damn, that woman is fine. You think she’d drink with me if I offered?”

“No dice. Check out the guy with her. They’re obviously together.”

“Huh?! That’s a guy?! I thought it was a really manly girl!”

I twitched at the last comment made by the peanut gallery, but I did my best to ignore them. Even now, after my body had been hardened and strengthened by the harsh environment and a lot of training, I still had a feminine appearance. This wasn’t the first time I had been mistaken for a girl. It probably wouldn’t be the last time either.

Kari and I eventually found and empty table and sat down. Once we did, most of the patrons ignored us and restarted their original conversations. I sighed in relief. After having spent two years in the Endless Desert, I wasn’t used to being around so many people anymore. Judging from the uncomfortable expression Kari wore, she was feeling the same way.

A plucky young waitress came up to our table several minutes after we sat down.

“Hey there! What can I get you two?”

“We don’t know,” I said for the two of us. “This is our first time here. What do you recommend?”

“Oh! First timers, huh? Well, in that case, I definitely recommend our Lava Crab Special!”

I glanced at Kari. She tilted her head for a moment, her appearance thoughtful, and then she nodded.

“We’ll have that,” I said to the waitress.

“Okay! That’s two Lava Crab Specials! Would you like anything to drink?”

“Just water please,” Kari said.

“Okay! Just wait right here! Your orders will be up in a jiff!”

As the cheerful girl walked off with a skip in her step, Kari and I turned our attention to the numerous people within the bar. I glanced at a group of women several tables behind Kari. They were decked from head to toe in barbaric-looking armor with fur lining the outside. It looked uncomfortably hot in the sort of mild weather found in this region, but it also gave them an intimidating aura.

All of them were looking at me.

Several of them licked their lips.

I grimaced.

“Is something wrong, Eryk?” asked Kari when she noticed my actions.

“Naw.” I sighed. “I’m just experiencing what it feels like to be a piece of prime beef hanging in front of a butcher’s store.”

Kari tilted her head in obvious confusion, but she didn’t ask me to clarify. Instead, the two of us began listening into the various conversations going on around us. Most of them seemed to be the latest rumors about events that were happening within the city, but there was also some information being bandied out about ruins located some distance from Vahn, which caught Kari’s attention and caused her to lean in as if to listen.

“Hey, did you guys hear about those cultists who appeared several years ago?” a voice said somewhere to my left.

“Oh, yeah. You mean the strange shadows who’ve been seen exploring all the ancient ruins, right? Rumor has it there are these people dressed in cloaks so big it hides their entire bodies. I heard they recently began inhabiting one of the ruins in the Misty Forest,” another voice said.

“Those are the ones. Rumor has it they’ve been kidnapping people from small towns and villages all across the Northern Plains. No one knows what happens to those people who’ve been taken. No one hears from them ever again.”

“Kidnappings, huh? What do you think they’re kidnapping people for?”

“Don’t know, but it’s pretty creepy.”

“Come on, man. All of that is just a rumor. Shit like that gets spread around all the time. I doubt anything like that is happening. Midgard’s various sects would have put a stop to it if it was.”

“Maybe…” The voice who’d first spoken didn’t sound convinced.

Our food arrived some time later, and the two of us conversed as we ate. I put the knowledge I had acquired about the cultists out of my mind. I had no way of knowing that in the years to come, this cult would eventually become one of the greatest banes of my existence.

***

The day after deciding that I needed to find an actual house with enough room to accommodate at least two people, I found myself visiting the Alchemist Association. It was late in the afternoon, and I had just gotten off work from the library. Ms. Nadine had sensed that something was wrong with me and asked if I was feeling okay before I left. It must have been the bags under my eyes.

I hadn’t been able to sleep much last night. The reason for that was obviously the Lamia girl, Lin, who had been living with me since before I realized she was a Lamia. Since I had taken her in, I couldn’t throw her out. I mean, I could, but the guilt I’d have felt would have been more than I could bare. However, we only had one bed, and it wasn’t even that big.

Sleeping with a beautiful Lamia was something of a novel experience. I wouldn’t say it was unpleasant. Lin had wrapped her snake-tail around my body like we were lovers. At the same time, she had snuggled herself against me, pushing her bare, smallish breasts into my arm, which had been pinned to my side by her tail. As a cold-blooded creature, her body had been a little chilly, but I would at least admit to myself that I enjoyed it.

The problem I had about sleeping with Lin was partly because it was so enjoyable, but it was also because I loved Kari. While I had allowed her to share my bed because we only had the one, I didn’t want this to become a habit.

Everyone in the Alchemist Association was hard at work when I arrived. The stands inside of the walled off square were bustling with a lot more people than the first time I had come there. People in rich mauve alchemists robes stood behind their booths and sold off the pills they had made, smiling as each jar filled with pills was exchanged for quite a few valis.

Most of the people buying alchemy pills were obviously Spiritualists, which I could tell not only because I could sense their Spiritual Power, but also because they were wearing armor. Gleaming breastplates shone in the light. The clothing underneath was made mostly from wool, thick and durable. Vambraces and greaves protected their forearms and shins. Each person had a weapon of some kind either strapped to their back or hanging at their waist.

I ignored these people, wove my way through the crowd, and entered the main building through the double doors. It didn’t take long for me to reach the Refining Hall on the second floor. There were a lot more alchemists present than there were last time. I counted at least thirty new faces.

Feinrea was not in the Refining Hall. I figured she was in her office, so I walked around the edge of the room to avoid disturbing the alchemists working. I knocked on the door when I reached her office at the other end of the room.

“It’s open,” a voice called from inside.

I entered the room and found Feinrea hard at work. Her desk had been cleared of parchment to make room for her advanced alchemy set. Several of the beakers and flasks were filled with various glowing liquids. Feinrea was studying each of them, a pair of glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose. She would stir some of the liquids, add some new ingredients that changed the color, and then nod before taking a small quill and jotting down notes in a leather bound book.

“You seem to be hard at work,” I said as I walked further into the room.

“Eryk.” Feinrea greeted me with a smile. “Ever since you taught me how to make those alchemy pills, I have been experimenting with the various effects and reactions that certain ingredients have to each other. For example, it seems that you cannot mix ingredients with the flame and water elements together without a catalyst to act as a coagulant. Since the two elements are in opposition to each other, you need to use a non-elemental base that can subdue the violent reaction that happens when you mix them.”

I nodded a little at her words, but I didn’t comment too much on it. I wasn’t really an alchemist. I could make alchemy pills, but I only knew how to make specific pills because they were something I needed to know how to make at the time. I had never studied the various reactions in depth. All the knowledge I had came because of necessity and not actual interest, unlike Feinrea who seemed to live, breath, and dream alchemy.

Feinrea was what I would have called a true alchemist. She could spend hours researching the various effects that happened when certain ingredients were mixed together, jotting them down in her leatherbound book, and then mixing more ingredients to see how they interacted. I was certain that it wouldn’t be long before she began creating original alchemy pills.

“Are you here because you need more ingredients?” asked Feinrea.

“No.” I shook my head. “I’m actually here to learn about how the Alchemist Association is doing… and also because I am thinking of buying a house.”

“A house?” Feinrea blinked, startled by my sudden proclamation, but then she shrugged as if it didn’t concern her. “In that case, I assume you are here for your share of the valis we’ve accrued. You are in luck. Within the last two weeks, the Alchemist Association finally began really churning out a real profit. It seems the alchemy pills we’ve been creating have finally caught on. We’ve reached a point where I’ve had to hire on a lot more people.”

“I noticed,” I said. “It seems your brother and a few others are teaching the new alchemists how to refine pills.”

“Those new students are nowhere near the point where they can work efficiently,” Feinrea admitted. “However, I am hoping they will be able to refine some of the pills within at least the next month. If they can’t, we won’t be able to keep up with supply and demand.”

I spoke with her for a little while longer, but I couldn’t afford to stay for too long. Once I learned about how the Alchemist Association was doing, Feinrea moved over to a safe that was sitting behind her desk. She undid the lock on the safe and pulled out a large bag of valis.

“This is your cut of the profits.” She set the bag on the desk, which produced a jingling sound that could only come from money or metal clicking together. “Our current profits for the last two weeks equaled about 600,000 valis, which is more than our annual income for the last ten years. After subtracting the cost of the ingredients, our own cut, and the cut that the Valstine Family received, your cut comes to about 150,000 valis.”

After buying clothes for myself, I had 50,900 valis from when I auctioned off the Five Finger Flame Whip Technique at the Valstine Family’s Auction House. With this, I now had 200,900 valis. I didn’t know how much a house would cost, but I was pretty sure this amount would be more than sufficient.

“Thank you,” I said as I gratefully accepted the bag.

Feinrea smiled as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. The action was elegant, but it also cost her massive bust to heave. Maybe it was a consequence of her own absent mindedness, but she didn’t seem to be wearing breast bindings.

“We should be thanking you. My Alchemist Association was on the verge of collapse when you showed up. Had you not done so, we would have likely disbanded within the year.”

I nodded. After seeing the state they had been in when I first arrived to buy that alchemy set, I could only conclude that she was probably right.

“In either event,” Feinrea continued, “If you want to buy a house, I recommend finding a landowner who has properties for sale. Your best bet will likely be the Eieren Family. They’re one of the Three Heavenly Families. Unlike the Leucht and Kriger Families, who focus almost entirely on maintaining their martial prowess, they’re best known for owning a lot of real estate. I can give you a map that displays all of their businesses if you’d like?”

“I would appreciate that,” I said.

Feinrea went over to a shelf on her left, grabbed a scroll from one of the cubby holes, and walked back over.

Her desk was still covered by her alchemy set, so she had to place the scroll on the edge. It turned out to be a map of Nevaria. It was a basic map that showed roads and buildings, along with several historic landmarks. Feinrea took her quill again, dipped it in a bott of ink, and circled several of the buildings, which were represented by squares and rectangles.

“Here.” She handed me the scroll after rolling it up. “I’ve marked down the buildings where the Eieren Family does business. If you go to any one of these locations and tell them you are looking to buy a house, they should be able to help you.”

“Thank you.” I nodded to her. “I really appreciate the help.”

“Not at all.” Feinrea gave me a devilish smile. “Come to me anytime you need help.”

I thanked her again and soon left the Alchemist Association, but I didn’t head straight to one of the Eieren Family’s business centers. As much as I wanted to hurry up and buy a house, there were other things I needed to do that were just as important. Fay was likely waiting for me at our new training spot. I couldn’t neglect her training or my own.

***

Our training had completely changed. Where before, Fay and I would work on building our strength, stamina, speed, and strengthening our Spiritual Pathways, now we were working on practicing Spiritual Techniques and exhausting our Spiritual Power to increase our capacity. To that end, I had Fay practicing the Flash Step.

While the Flash Step was easy to learn, it was hard to master. The difficulty of the Flash Step lay in the precise control required to move from one point to another at incredibly high speeds, training your eyesight to clearly see while moving at high speeds, and training your brain and body to respond quickly during high speed movements. Currently, Fay was still having trouble landing on the exact point of her target. Either she overshot the target, or she didn’t move far enough.

“It’s very frustrating,” she said as the two of us sat and relaxed. We’d been training for about three hours. Both of us had already exhausted our Spiritual Strength and taken a Spiritual Recovery Pill. While the pill helped refill our reserves, the two of us discussed the Flash Step.

“It certainly can be.” I nodded as I leaned against a tree. “Aside from requiring precise control, you also need to have very sharp eyes so you don’t miss your target. It takes a lot of effort and hardwork to really master.”

“You don’t seem to have a problem,” Fay muttered a soft complaint.

I smiled. “I also created this technique myself. However, even I had issues when I first began using it. You are honestly really lucky. You haven’t broken a single bone while trying to learn the Flash Step.”

“Urk. I suppose you have a point,” Fay admitted.

A moment of silence passed between us. The gentle sounds of the forest echoed all around, the chirping of songbirds, the sound of crickets, the croaking of frogs, all of it blended together to create a soft music. It was almost enough to put me to sleep.

As I sat there, I glanced at Fay, who sat close enough that she was right by my side, but far enough that she wasn’t touching me. I wondered if she was doing this on purpose. It felt like she was trying to discover what our boundaries were. She had yet to sit close enough that our thighs touched, but she had been sitting just a little closer with each day that passed. I wondered if she knew I was onto her.

I discarded the thought. Fay was too straightforward, so I doubted she was capable of this kind of subtlety. It was more than likely that she was unaware of what she was doing.

“Hey, Fay,” I began suddenly, “Are you planning to enter the Spiritualist Grand Tournament?”

While Fay looked surprised, she still nodded. “I am. The Spiritualist Grand Tournament is an important event that can grant people a lot of prestige. Spiritualists who prove themselves to be strong are often given more power than other people.” She looked at the canopy of leaves above our heads as her fingers dug lightly into the ground. “If I can prove my strength at the Spiritualist Grand Tournament, then I will be able to properly decline the Leucht Family’s marriage arrangements.”

“When I first met you, you were training for this, right?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“I see.”

I think I was beginning to understand more about Fay’s desperation back then. The Leucht Family had appeared suddenly, just as the Valstine Family’s financial problems and desperation had reached their peak, and then they presented the family with a hard to refuse offer in exchange for having Fay marry Grant Leucht as his Second Wife. Of course the Valstine’s had refused, but that only caused more problems. The Leucht Family put pressure on their businesses.

In a desperate gambit, Fay had begun training so she could enter the Spiritualist Grand Tournament. There was just one problem. Fay’s Spiritual Pathways had not been very big. During her training, she shoved too much Spiritual Power through them, which resulted in her pathways getting blocked. That was how she’d gotten Spiritual Poisoning.

Fortunately, I had come along before the Spiritual Poisoning had crippled her. Now her Spiritual Pathways were wide enough and strong enough to withstand having plenty of Spiritual Power pushed through them. I still shuddered a bit when I remembered how bad things had been before I cured her.

“You are also entering the tournament, right?” Fay asked suddenly. When I looked in her direction, I saw her wearing a smile that was both pleased and resigned. “I heard about what happened between you and Grant Leucht.”

A part of me wondered what had happened to Fay in my previous life, but the rest of me didn’t want to know.

“So you’ve already heard about that, huh?” I scratched the back of my head. “It’s only been a few days since that happened.”

Fay shrugged. “The Nevarian rumor mill is very impressive. Word of what happened spread to most of the noble families within a day. I myself learned about what happened just last night.” She paused for a moment, and then spoke in a hesitant voice. “I heard that the bet you made was over the marriage between Lady Kari and myself to Grant Leucht, that if you won, he would have to cease his marriage talks with our two families and never bother us again.”

“That is correct,” I admitted.

“And also…” Fay continued in an even softer voice, “there was a rumor that you were accompanied by Lady Kari when it happened.”

“That is also true.” While I hesitate for a moment, I saw no point in hiding what happened. It was impossible to hide a truth like this.

“The person you love… is her, right? Lady Kari?”

“… Yes.” I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. “I met her awhile before I met you. She had traveled to the library where I work, and we ended up talking. We’ve been seeing each other every day that she doesn’t have classes or training. I fell in love with her during that time.”

Fay nodded without speaking. I closed my eyes because I didn’t want to look at her, to see the possible dejection on her face. Every time I saw that rejected expression she wore, my chest ached. I wished I could make her happy. I wanted her to be happy. However, I had already given my love to another.

“You should know that I still haven’t given up.” I opened my eyes and looked at Fay. She was staring at me with a determined smile. “I won’t give up on you. You can reject me a hundred times, and I will just come back a hundred more times.”

“I really do admire that determination of yours,” I muttered softly. “I can’t stop you if this is what you want, but I wish you would look for love elsewhere. You deserve to be with someone who will treat you like a queen.”

“You are right. I do deserve someone like that.” Fay’s response caused me to chuckle, but that noise became lodged in my throat with her next words. “However, the only man I want to share my life with is the one sitting next to me right now.”

A silence appeared after her words. Fay, seemingly having said her piece, stood up and stretched her arms. She was no longer wearing the weighted vest, which didn’t have much of a use right now. Her current outfit was one I had seen her wear before. It was a sleeveless green shirt that showed off her stomach and had a large dip around the chest. She wore a pair of simple shorts that hugged her hips. Adorning her legs were brown boots.

“I’m going to begin training again,” Fay said.

“I guess that means I should begin training again too.” I stood up.

The two of us wandered off to our separate training fields. However, while I trained hard, a small part of me couldn’t help but constantly replay Fay’s words in my head.

***

I was lucky. One of the Eieren Family’s business centers was only half an hour from my current residence. After leaving the still sleeping Lamia girl in my bed, I traveled to the building where the family did their business.

It was a simple building made from stone, only one-story tall, and possessing a shingled roof made of ceramic tiles. Perhaps due to this building being owned and operated by one of the Three Heavenly Families, it had glass windows instead of wooden shutters.

I walked into the building and found that it was mostly empty. There were only a few people present. I glanced at the middle-aged man speaking with a young female dressed in a nice tunic. The man’s clothing was more threadbare but still decent. He was probably a middle-class merchant. The woman, on the other hand, looked like a member of the Eieren Family. She had a polite “business smile” like the kind you see on waitresses.

“Excuse me,” a voice said in my ear. I turned around to find a young man in a similar tunic to the woman standing a few meters from me. He was smiling. “I noticed you walk in. Can I assume you are here to buy a house?”

“That is correct,” I said.

“In that case, please come this way.” The man gestured toward a door several meters away. “It will be easier for us to talk if we are not standing in front of the door.”

“Of course.”

I followed the man over to the door, which he opened and gestured for me to enter. I did. The man then walked a short distance to another door. This one led to a small office space. It didn’t have much. There was a desk, a cabinet, and that was about it.

The young man sat behind the desk.

“Now then,” he began, “what kind of house are you looking for?”

“I’m not too picky about the details,” I said. “I am looking for something in the northern section of Nevaria, preferably one that is within a few minutes walk from the Nadine Library. I’d like this house to have at least two bedrooms, a bathing room if possible, a kitchen, and a gathering room with a fireplace.”

“Fortunately, we have plenty homes like that available,” the man said. “What kind of price range are you looking at?”

I thought about that for a moment. At this moment, I had 200,000 valis to spend, but I didn’t want to spend all of it on a house. You never know what might happen in the future, so it was important to save valis whenever you could.

“I currently have 50,000 valis to spend,” I finally said.

The young man looked quite shocked. His eyes widened and his mouth opened but no sounds came out. I wondered what the heck his problem was, but then he took a deep breath, centered himself, and smiled.

“That is quite a bit of valis, good sir. With that much money, I can definitely find a great house that will meet all of your needs.”

I wasn’t sure why, but the gleam in this man’s eyes sent a shiver down my spine. I really hoped I wouldn’t come to regret deciding I needed to buy a house.