Chapter 252: Taking my Mind off.

Chapter 252: Taking my Mind off.

The damage that Griffonpeak had sustained during that entire day of fighting could only be described as unbalanced. What I meant by that is how it was spread. The upper city and merchant district were completely fine; in fact, if you only looked at those two areas, you wouldnt even think the city was attacked. The nobles and wealthy merchants got off well enough.

On the other hand, we have the rest of the lower city. Even as I was making my way to the orphanage, I could see the area where Saori fought the necromancer and where I had my berserk moment against the demonkin assassin. The area around the front gate where we fought the geisenlarg was also terribly ruined. There was so much rubble.

Thankfully, it seems that the three weeks I spent asleep were pretty busy for the city from the looks of it. I could see quite a lot of construction work going on between the builders and mages, especially for the walls. Builders would transport large amounts of bricks up the walls through an elevator driven by equerochsen, where they would place them against the wall and apply a cement-like sludge to stick them together.

Meanwhile on the ground, the mages were busy creating more bricks and that sludge stuff. Earth mages would tear out small rocks from boulders using [Rock Blast] or some similar spell, which would then be pulverized by other earth mages. Laborers would place these ground rocks into two areas, where they would be turned into either bricks or that sludge.

In another area, water mages would start drenching this powder, making it easier for laborers to mould it into a brick form. In the other one, earth mages began grinding everything once again before handing it over to the wind and fire mages. The former would create a tornado for the powder to circulate in like a rotating kiln, while the fire mages began heating everything up.

After all of this was done, the brick would be sun dried while the cement-like substance was turned into a sludge for use. Once everything was on the wall, wind mages began cooling it down while earth mages fortified it.

All of this happened in a rotation. Those who were exhausted were replaced by the resting ones. There werent too many mages and they had limits to their mana, so this process wasnt as fast as you would think. Well, it probably was fast for the people of Artorias, given their technology level.

Fire mages are participating, but they arent doing much.

I sadly didnt have much knowledge on any of this. I never learned how cement or bricks were made as it just wasnt interesting. However, even I could see that fire mages would be great for drying stuff. Why were only wind mages used? Is it cause wind spells do a better or safer job with it? I had no idea.

Still, just looking at how the mages worked together with the builders and laborers to repair or build something was quite fascinating. I hadnt had the chance to watch a full construction work up until now. Just watching the amount of work earth mages had to do during a single construction job made me aware why they were so popular, not to mention how useful earth magic was for farm work.

Earth was good for anything related to civilization, wind magic for scouting and transportation, and water mages were most likely very popular around ports or any body of water. So, what use does fire magic have for a city or town? I could imagine quite a lot of uses, especially with anything metal, so why werent fire mages more popular?

At the end of the day, maybe the prejudice against fire magic really is from the stigma around the church of Danterno. Well, too bad, Shiterno. Take better care of your followers.

So why was I able to give a detailed description of the construction site? Well, flying with rocket boosters was quite fast, especially when I was trying to get away from Melloxtressa. I had initially ignored the construction work around the city and quickly made it to the orphanage, where I then noticed the city wall behind it was being repaired. I had been staring at it from a random roof for quite a bit now.

I needed time to think. Find myself, you could say. Unlike how I could speak with my parallel minds, I couldnt just speak to my other half. For some reason, I could imagine her feeling vindictive at what just happened. A new mother? Perfect time to forget about my previous one, right? Yeeeeah, no.

I realized that I overreacted a bit. It wasnt even Melloxtressas fault. She wasnt really forcing the whole mother-daughter thing too much. I guess it was just bad timing? I did just wake up from that dream with my other half, so meeting Melloxtressa just after that made me a bit prickly.

Even my parallel minds told me that my memories of my Earth mother and dragon mother aren't being merged together. It was just a side-effect of the stressful and surprising situation. I could perfectly think of Mamas shadowy silhouette and Melloxtressas face without any problems now. I probably should return and say sorry but its awkward.

Besides, I had to find the kids first. Make sure they and the caretakers were okay.

I jumped off the roof and made my way to the orphanage's construction site. Well, its more like the whole neighborhood required repairs. Eshes fight with the demonkin followed by my own really did a number on this whole area. Aside from the construction workers, nobody else was here.

As I approached the construction site, a laborer quickly noticed me and ran up to stop me.

Hey, hey, lass, this really isnt Oh shit, a blue blood priest?! The moment he tried to stop me, he quickly noticed my draconic features and white robe. O-Oh, damn! Please, forgive me, Champion Hestia! Please, have mercy on me! I didnt mean to offend you!

Hold on, Champion?

Please, calm down. You know me? I stopped moving to ask him.

Y-Yes, of course, your Highness! A friend told me about your music performance and I attended it with my wife and kids! He then pointed at one of his co-workers, prompting them to stop eating and give him a dont drag me into this expression.

So, is this person maybe a fan? Thats kinda cool to meet one here.

I see! Well, I hope my concert was to your liking. He nodded, exclaiming how much he liked the pastries and food with the whole festive atmosphere.

Not really what I was aiming for but Ill take it.

Well, alright, thats good to hear. Uhm, you just called me Champion Uh, where did you hear that? I was pretty sure that should still be a secret.

Huh? W-Well, didnt you announce that to the whole city, your Highness? That you were one of the Goddesss blessed? I also heard from some adventurers how you announced yourself as royalty or something. A princess, right guys?

Uurk!

Now that I thought about it, I did announce that to everybody fighting at the gates, right? Once I admitted my royalty status, there probably wasn't any way for anybody to stop the rumors. Well, except for that one way that Duke Greenveil suggested after the Cedaraille battle permanent silencing.

People of Griffonpeak! I, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor, party leader of the C rank adventurer party Aurora stand with you! I said. Muraina and King Drangleic even went out of their way to support me and publicly support my statement. You only needed one person versed in how dragon culture functioned and boom, you would know I was a member of the royal family. Muraina even called me a Champion.

I did all of that to motivate and bring hope to everybody. I was pretty impulsive when I said all of that, but it wasnt as if I had another option. I had to be in my dragon form for that battle. I had to give people some kind of explanation so they wouldn't be afraid of me. If they thought of me as just another adventurer helping out, we could work together better.

Well, whats done is done. My secret was out. In that case, it wouldnt be good to hide it any longer.

Also, I think the city criers announced how you were one of the citys heroes with her Holiness, Saintess Eshe. So, uhm, thank you very much for saving us, Champion Hestia. May the Goddess bless you. The worker and his four co-worker bowed deeply, showing their gratitude. I had to quickly stop them, as it made me feel flustered.

Still, hero, huh? I wasnt sure if that word really fitted me. I wasnt a hero, Eshe was. The ideal hero would be someone who could lay their life down to help others unconditionally. I, on the other hand, couldnt always do it for random strangers I think. I was reckless, sure, but I still thought of myself more as an entertainer.

Then again, words were cheap, actions spoke louder. The song I dedicated to Eshe was a bit cringey, now that I thought about it. It was so good, up until I mentioned picking up her torch. Argh, so embarrassing. Calling myself something like the Heir of Hope, despite not being that super inspiring like Eshe, is just too pretentious. If I could change the lyrics right now, I would, but the Idol system didnt allow for that.

System, I would like to change [The Heir of Hope]s lyrics.Ñ00v€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

The lyrics of a spell song may not be changed

Verdammt.

Ignoring what just happened, I asked the workers what happened with the orphanage kids and caretakers. They told me they were currently being accommodated in the cathedral, under Duke Olivuss and High Bishop Theodores orders, where the two of them were in charge after the death of Cardinal Bennard.

Yeah, what a day that was. Not only did Saintess Eshe have to leave us for the Goddess, but its been announced that the cardinal fell to his death on his way back to the Olivus duchy. Damn shame.

As if. If you ask me, that has to be the Goddesss punishment. Suddenly leaving the city on the day the Saintess died? Its not like the church sent anybody to help the adventurers at the gate, and they sided with the merchants and nobles who blocked us from being able to escape to safety in the merchant district. The Goddess had to be mad! One of the other workers rambled.

Oi, shush, you idiot. Champion Hestia, please forgive this idiot here! Hes not the brightest!

Ah, I see. So the King hid the cardinals execution with a convenient lie, huh?

Saori mentioned before that the cardinal had left the city for the Olivus duchy on the day the geisenlarg attacked. Most likely, Hamil had warned him ahead of time. Fleeing didnt really help the Cardinal that much, however, as he was arrested in his familys mansion after the attack and brought back to Griffonpeak where his trial and subsequent execution were held.

The nobility probably knew this open secret. To prevent having people lose faith in the cathedral, they probably spun this lie to keep the common people ignorant. Well, not like I really cared how they handled this. The cardinal and the nobles who supported him got what they deserved. None of this would have happened if it werent for those backstabbing, sabotaging bastards.

I said my goodbye to the workers and flew over to the cathedral, where I turned into my fully human form so as to not attract attention. I threw my white robe into my storage for a moment and hoped nobody associated crimson red hair with me.

[Humanize (Major)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]

I sadly didnt get too far. The whole cathedral area was filled to the brim with people using their lunch breaks to pray to a memorial in Eshes and her knights honor. Everything was wide open and the clergy were making sure to accommodate everybody around.

I could see High Bishop Theodore giving a sermon from afar and I saw the kids and the caretakers. They werent crying, thankfully, but they didnt seem to be happy about things. Eshes mourning period has lasted for three weeks now, and it didnt look like it would end anytime soon.

I decided to leave. I was just happy to see the orphanage doing alright. I didnt want to push myself onto other people when they were mourning. Ill meet up with them later when I was in a better mood.

For my next destination, I chose Shaturein. Specifically, Hamils hidden base. Tasianna already mentioned that Hamil escaped before she could capture him, and, since they havent mentioned him today, he probably hadn't been caught afterward. I wanted to see the place where this maniac lived and also check on the damage I did to the undercity in general.

[Humanize (Moderate)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]

Since the entrance to Shaturein probably changed and asking around was too hard, I decided to take the easy path, if it was still open. I flew over to where I made that hole, noticing quite a few mages, knights, and other workers there.

[Humanize (Major)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]

Excuse me, sir, are you currently working on repairing that large hole? I asked a random worker, acting like a curious human girl.

Huh? Lass, you shouldnt be here. The mages can get quite cranky if you meet them. But, yeah, we are and its been going on for a while now with little progress, he answered, so I asked him why the mages were irritated. So, you see, have you heard the rumors that there is a whole undercity underneath the city?

Ehhhhhh?! Really?! You arent messing with me, right, sir?

He believed in my acting. Nah, overheard it from the mages and knights. I guess those red-light district guys probably knew the truth, too. No idea why the king and nobles hadnt dealt with it, but whatever I guess. Anyways, that hole leads directly down.

Really?! Shouldnt it be super deep? Thats a pretty scary thought if you fell there.

I checked it. Dark as the God of Darkness. We laborers are only allowed to get close to it with a mages or knights supervision. Dont want a sudden death, he explained. In any case, the mages down in the undercity are constantly arguing with the mages on our side. There is normally this thick fairnite plate separating the two cities. Heard it protects us from all the unmonitored magic experiments down there. Goddess, help us.

He then pointed at the giant hole for me and the knights guarding it. Were finished constructing the fairnite plate and are ready to attach it, but the mages have been arguing how to do it. Their way or our way, you see. Honestly, those mages are so stubborn, but I guess it comes with the profession, huh? I would be pretty up my own ass if I could create earth from nothing, ha!

Oooh, I feigned curiosity. So, so, that plate hasnt been installed yet? If one of those knights were to fly into it, they could end up on the other side, right?

Guess so, he shrugged, uninterested in considering my question. Anyways, you should get out of here, lass. If you get hurt, your merchant family might get me in trouble. Okay?

Yeah, sure. Sorry for bothering you, sir.

Hmm, my clothes are still too flashy. Well, they were made by Saori so being confused for a merchants daughter is the least they could do!

Satisfied with his answer, I walked away from him, only to turn around and sneak through the construction site. It might have been sunny but sneaking past was still easy when everybody was busy. Humans werent like Belzacs beasts, after all.

[Various Spell Buffs] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]

After identifying a good path, I cast [Haste] and [Swift Winds] on myself and dashed towards the hole from everybodys blind spot. I was only a few feet away from the hole when one of the knights hippogryphs noticed me and warned its rider.

Why not. Thats what adults do, right?

I flapped my wings and made my way to the middle district, to the area around the hunters guild. I looked around, deciding not to enter the guild nor its inn next to it. Once I located a tavern, I landed and entered it.

I looked into my storage once inside, realizing I only had 185 Davi inside. Saori and Ellaine were our partys treasurers. Sure, I usually carried most of our funds with me if I was going around shopping, but if I wasnt it would be in Saoris storage. Her mana has reached an amount where her carrying our money was viable for her. As such, I had no money on me except for the amount Saori gave me all those weeks ago.

This was the money Saori presented to me as a Christmas gift after she worked her ass off in Carine village. It wasnt a lot, but it had a lot of sentimentality attached to it.

Cant believe Im using it to buy ale, but I guess its my pocket money. None of this needed to be announced to Ellaine. 185 should be enough to buy a few pints to get drunk and forget the shit today.

As I sighed once again, I began to look for an empty table. I never understood why adults drank alcohol. I even hated the taste, but I guess I could try drinking my sorrows away for now. Not like I would get addicted to the horrid taste.

Come on, Tatsuya, its still noon! Sensei will be livid if she learns we drank for lunch!

Oh, shut up, Kyouya. Were adults! Segawa-sensei may still be our sensei, but she cant exactly scold us when were legally able to drink now.

Hmm? Tatsuya? Kyouya? Arent those Japanese names?

I walked towards those voices, becoming curious at what they said. I could see two young adventurer-looking men ordering food and drinks from a waitress, arguing about if they should be drinking or not. As they turned their heads around and began gesturing whenever they spoke, I noticed how their complexion looked pretty Asians. A literal rarity within Peolynca.

The only Asian people I knew were Saori, Tamae and her party, and me

and now I knew two more.

Hey, there, I said once I was standing next to their table.

O-Oh, hey! The taller dude with dirt blond hair addressed me nervously. He looked as if he had dyed his hair.

When I turned my eyes to the shorter guy with the spear, all I saw was a frowning face.

Do I know you? he asked.

A note from AbyssRaven

Oh no, they met! Coffee boy and dragon girl!

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Monday, January 24, 2022 3:41:05 AM Germany [Member of Zard Skwad]

Bio: Hey there, AbyssRaven here. I'm just an avid Light Novel and Fantasy story reader who randomly thought of a story and began writing about it.

I eventually found out that I've been spending a bit too much time with building, planning, and researching for the story, that I've decided to just share it with others.

Writing is mostly a hobby for me, but I would still love any kind of criticism to improve on it.

I'm also german, so please excuse anything that sounds a bit weird...I wouldn't mind you pointing it out though.

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