"We saw the abysmal performance of the Imperial Guards during the attack on Blazewing," Dame Luna sharply says, "Would it be wise to send only a division of them-the youngest one, might I add-to investigate such an important thing?"
"They single-handedly killed off a kraken in that incident, and they have grown much. Remember who trained them, Luna. Queen Seira might intervene multiple times when we were training the other divisions, but this one is purely mentored by Fronica and Agusman," Mr Arctus replies.
The communication orb on the table rings. "Sir Surya, there is some commotion on the harbor!" a soldier reports.
"The Purists again?" Sir Surya asks.
"No, Sir! It's someone related to Blazewing Academy's ship!" the soldier reports dutifully.
"Blazewing's ship?" I ask.
"Blazewing is having a tour from Erwing to Maladur," Mr Arctus answers.
"Can't you handle this yourself?" Dame Luna scoffs.
"Pardon, Dame Luna! He claims to be the uncle of John Anderson of Irvine's Twelfth Imperial Guard Division!" the soldier replies.
"Hahaha!" Dame Luna laughs, "What next? Is he a brother of Fronica Moonray? Or perhaps a cousin of King Wilhelm? Hahaha!"
The soldier says again, "Pardon, Dame Luna! According to his identification card, he is indeed his uncle!"
John sweats heavily and his left hand won't stop trembling even with Aelita holding it. Dame Luna stops laughing. "It won't hurt for us to go there," she says.
We climb the stairs. The situation seems somewhat urgent, so we make use of flight magic. John and I have wings; so do Dame Luna and Sir Surya.
"Nature Summon: Griffin!" Aelita summons a pair of griffins; one for herself and one for Mr Arctus.
"What's the problem here?" Sir Surya asks as we reach the port.
"Why in the hell is the ship waiting here!? It should've gone an hour ago!" Mr Anderson shouts.
"Silence!" Dame Luna barks, "Soldier, what happened?"
"Yes, Dame! The arrival of Royal and many merchant ships has slowed down Blazewing's ship's resupply!" the soldier replies.
Naturally, Mr Anderson's mad gaze sends John hiding behind Aelita. "This is not a complicated matter, and I believe Madam Rita is the captain, no? We'll communicate everything to her, and not you," Sir Surya says coldly.
A few soldiers hold back an angry Mr Anderson. "This ends our meeting tonight," Dame Luna mutters to us, "We wish you luck, and if you ever need a safe haven, Erwing will always welcome you."
"Thanks, Dame Luna," I reply. The three siblings leave, their steps as light as air.
"John!" a distinct voice is heard.
"Joe! Are you okay? Have your wounds healed?" John hugs his brother.
"I'm fine! Hahaha!" Joe laughs. Nala and Agatha are behind them.
"Nala! Agatha! You're here, too?" I ask.
"Doctor Nawal recommends us to go on vacation to, er, relieve the shenanigans that happened some time ago," Nala answers, "And as part of his program to relieve our addiction to Madu. I say it's pretty good!"
"Ooh! I know! Why don't we rent a room for six of us?" Aelita cheerfully offers.
Aelita's eyes meet mine. "That sounds good if the three of you agree," I give my nod of approval.
"Well, why not?" Agatha agrees. Joe and Nala also agree.
I need to ask Madam Rita's permission, so I fly to her ship while Aelita and the others go to the hotel.
"Oh, hello, Vio. Nice to meet you here," Madam Rita greets me. She is an old lady, not unlike Madam Felicia. However, she is tall, and her flaunting black hair makes her seem energetic.
"Hello, Madam Rita. May I borrow Nala, Agatha, and Joe for now?" I ask.
"Sure, you can," she leans forward to me.
"Well, thank you," I mutter, preparing to return to Royal to inform Alice.
Madam Rita whispers slowly to my ear, "The Order has sent me here to provide backup. Don't hesitate to ask help. All the Order's communication orbs are linked."
"You're in the Order, too?" I whisper back.
Just how vast is the Order? They have members in the education sector, too?
She smiles thinly before leaving. I leap on Royal.
"Alice, we're going to stay on a hotel. Do you wanna join?" I ask.
Alice, still with her expressionless face replies, "I'll stay in the ship."
I wonder what happens to Alice, but perhaps she merely needs to readjust.
The hotel is quite grandiose. Untouched by the Purists, the interior has elegant white paint, decorated with paintings of flowers and plants.
"I have been informed of your arrival, Ms Vonville. Your friends are waiting in the dining room," the receptionist kindly says as I enter the magnificent building.
"Oh, well," I reply, "Thank you very much."
Halfway through the corridor to the dining room, I can feel a formidable aura.
"You're here, too, Vio?" I hear a faint voice: Remi's.
"Remi," I greet her shortly. She walks, bypassing me.
"Thanks for the warning," she whispers softly, "That drug was dangerous."
"Any time," I whisper back. Remi throws me what she has never given to me: a friendly smile.
That aura must have been hers; she's definitely training pretty well.
I take a seat next to Nala. "So what's in the menu today?" I ask.
Aelita grins widely. She likes to do so-but this grin feels somewhat more malevolent.
"Local cuisine," she answers shortly.
Joe, Agatha, and Nala don't know Aelita like me; when that damn grin is out, she is going to do something mad.
"Don't worry, Vio, it's just some soup with meat and tofu and vegetables," John calmly explains.
"Yeah, just some soup with meat and tofu and vegetables," Aelita repeats without fail.
"So where exactly are you going with Blazewing?" I ask Joe, Agatha, and Nala.
"A visit to Maladur's harbors, then a short trip to Francia," Agatha answers, "And we'll visit Maladur's igloos!"
Igloos? As far as I know, igloos only exist in the northernmost part of Maladur-suspiciously close to our area of operation.
Maladur's freezing weather has long forced most of the dwarves who live there to build underground cities. Those who refuse to do so build igloos to keep themselves warm.
"Here's your meal," a waiter approaches us with a huge pot of soup and raw ingredients.
"What-what is this?" I, horrified by the soup, ask Aelita.
"Soup," she mischievously answers.