Chapter 91: Bound for Eredor
Two days later, having handed everything over to Olga, who was more than happy to manage two cities at once, a fairly long noble carriage pulled by four horses entered the gated road by morning. The passage was bordered by a barrier and guarded by two soldier golems currently being examined by mages from Mageford. Inside the carriage, Dion sat limply, propping his chin up as he stared out the window.
"What’s with the attitude?" Luna asked.
"I told you guys already, I wanted to help Olga. Why did I have to come along?" Dion muttered petulantly.
"What are you on about? What if something happens while you’re not around?" Cleo asked.
"I can sense whenever you guys are in danger... hasn’t that already been proven?" Dion countered.
"Didn’t you want to go home back then? If you hadn’t heard that we were about to be executed, you would’ve gone home, right?" Aria asked.
Dion went silent and didn’t answer. He simply kept staring at the forest outside the window. Suddenly, Gina flew over and hid behind Cleo. Dion was bewildered by her behavior, as Gina genuinely seemed afraid of him.
"Don’t worry, Gina. We’re here, you’re safe," Cleo comforted her.
"Huh... wait, can you actually understand what she’s saying?" Dion asked, confused.
"All of us can hear what she’s saying now," Luna answered.
"Huh... what? How?" Dion asked in shock.
"Actually... ever since we were bathed in light inside the pyramid while ascending to Mageford... it’s been like that since then," Mei pondered.
"Huh... for real?" Dion asked.
"Yep... I only realized it over the last two days. At first I was confused hearing a little girl’s voice inside my head, but it turned out to be Gina talking," Sheila answered.
"Huh... so that’s how it is. It had that kind of side effect, huh?" Dion noted.
"You’re all wrong. It wasn’t because we were inside the pyramid during the ascent. Long before that... I’ve been aware of it ever since Dion transformed and summoned the eidolon army to slaughter the mountain orcs while Gina turned giant. Since then," Cleo interjected.
"Hmm... come to think of it, that’s true. When I slaughtered that minotaur, I actually heard the voice of a rather talkative little girl, and it only stopped when Gina fell asleep," Aria analyzed.
"Yeah... but the real question is, how is this even possible?" Dion asked.
"Um... because their souls are now bound to yours ever since we activated the Calamity Supreme Monarch, Master. Plus, they are Master’s future wives and my future mistresses."
A little girl’s voice resounded inside everyone’s heads. Dion instantly turned his head to see Gina, who was peeking out from behind Cleo’s arm while staring right at him. "Sigh." Dion exhaled heavily.
"Alright, alright. Isn’t that actually a good thing? Come here, why are you hiding over there?" Dion said.
"But..." Gina replied hesitantly.
"Last night, Gina told us something very interesting," Cleo remarked.
"She spilled everything you did during the week we were locked up in the Minatheras palace," Sheila added.
"That’s right. From the moment you woke up until the end of every single day... oh, including when you moved to the town inn and chatted with the locals," Mei chimed in.
"Gina said you wanted to go home every single day, and she got tired of asking you to wait for us," Aria added.
"And... you were completely ready to head back just minutes before hearing about our execution, saying, ’Let me wait for them at home, Gina’... isn’t that right?" Luna asked.
"Oh," Dion grunted.
Sweat instantly broke out across his forehead, and his eyes glared sharply at Gina until the little dragon buried her head straight into Cleo’s cloak. However, all five girls locked their eyes onto Dion with sharp glares, causing Dion to sweat even more as he forced out a strained smile.
"Um... in the end, I did come to rescue you guys, right? Hahaha," Dion said, rubbing the back of his neck. He then shot Gina another glare that silently communicated, "You absolute traitor."
The five girls went quiet, letting out a collective sigh before settling back down peacefully into their seats. Dion breathed a sigh of relief.
"That’s precisely why you have to tag along this time, and of course, you’re staying with us," Sheila stated.
"Yep... non-negotiable. The decision is final," Aria added.
"So stop complaining already," Cleo chimed in.
"Got it? We went through a lot of trouble forgiving you since last night, you know," Luna said.
"Ugh... fine," Dion conceded limply.
"So am I forgiven, Master?" Gina asked.
"No... get out of my sight," Dion grumbled.
"Sob... forgive meeee... Masteeer," Gina whimpered in everyone’s heads, her face scrunching up like a tiny dragon on the verge of tears.
"There, there, don’t cry. You can stay with us, just ignore him," Cleo said, hugging Gina.
"Yeah, don’t cry," Luna said, patting Gina’s head.
"I’ll buy you plenty of food later," Aria offered.
"If you want to sleep, you can rest on my shoulder. At least my shoulder is broader than his, right?" Sheila added.
"Hooray! Thank you, mommies!" Gina cheered, instantly returning to her upbeat self.
"Huh... unbelievable," Dion grumbled under his breath.
Dion then turned to look at Mei, who remained completely quiet, having offered nothing beyond confirming that she too could hear Gina’s voice inside her head.
"What’s up, Mei?" Dion asked.
"Huh... sorry, I was just spacing out. It’s nothing, don’t worry about it," Mei replied, startled by the sudden question.
"Come on, tell us what’s on your mind. We’re on our way to your kingdom’s capital, after all," Dion encouraged.
"Um... how should I put it... really, it’s fine," Mei replied nervously.
"Hey Mei, could you tell us what the Eredor Kingdom is like? For instance... how many regions is it divided into, what cities are there, and what interesting places can we find?" Luna chimed in, attempting to steer the conversation away from heavy topics.
"Oh... hmm... alright," Mei agreed.
With that, Mei dove straight into the topic, giving them a brief overview of the Eredor Kingdom. The Eredor Kingdom was divided into just three major regions. The first was the Middle Land, home to the royal capital. To the east lay the East Land; there were no proper cities there, only six secluded villages dedicated to producing the Shadow Hand and warriors across six distinct clans, entirely closed off to the general public.
The third region, known as the West Land, featured a major city called Springrock. It was a resort city packed with inns and hot springs, nestled within scenic mountains ideal for a getaway. The culinary scene there was unlike anything found in other kingdoms, though it wasn’t a great place to settle down due to the prevalence of shady merchants who frequented the area to hustle newcomers.
"What about the capital?" Dion asked.
"Well... pretty much like any other kingdom’s capital, crowded, dense, and noisy," Mei answered.
"Oh... but there’s good food there, right?" Cleo asked enthusiastically.
"Of course, though it’s not quite as lively as Springrock," Mei replied.
"Why are you suddenly getting so excited, old hag? Didn’t you say you were only coming along for the ruins?" Aria teased.
"Shut your mouth, you brat," Cleo snapped back dryly, crossing her arms and turning her face away.
"Ah, right," Mei recalled.
"What is it, Mei?" Sheila asked.
"I’m not sure if this is relevant or not... but there’s a reason why the Shadow Hand always enters other territories through ancient ruins... and why no one ever catches on. It’s because there’s a massive ruin, likely an ancient city, located within the East Land. If we take this route... we’ll hit those ruins first before reaching the capital," Mei explained.
Dion instantly recalled his earlier experience. When he and Gina were captured, he had walked down a fairly long corridor with Gina before stumbling upon a cavern housing the Cave Leviathan. Meanwhile, he had initially been abducted inside ruins far behind the estate, though being in his Berserk Monk persona at the time, he hadn’t paid much attention to the actual distance.
"I see. If we wanted to go there with you, would that be allowed?" Cleo asked.
"Isn’t that area strictly off-limits to anyone outside the Shadow Hand?" Aria asked.
"I’m not sure... but I’ll try speaking to my father first," Mei answered.
"Hmm... fair enough. Your father is the head of the Shadow Hand, after all," Sheila replied.
"Even though he’s the leader, he still has to consult the other elders regarding who can and cannot enter," Mei clarified.
"If I remember correctly... there’s a legend in Eredor about a Shadow Hand operative who could kill without batting an eye and moved like a shadow. I feel like you mentioned it back in class," Sheila recalled.
"That’s right... the founder of the Shadow Hand... Their true name is unknown, but everyone called them Shadow. And yes, they were a premier assassin whom even neighboring nations feared. But that legend dates back thousands of years, the current Shadow Hand are merely their successors," Mei explained.
"Hmm... so that’s how it is. Well then, just speak with your father first, Mei," Luna suggested.
"Of course. But I’m warning you all and I’m genuinely asking here, please do not sneak in there without permission... especially you, Dion," Mei warned, turning her gaze directly toward Dion.
"Huh... me? Don’t worry... I won’t," Dion replied defensively.
"Whatever... I’m sleepy. Look, Gina’s already about to pass out," Sheila said, taking Gina from Cleo’s arms to cuddle her.
"Agreed... I’m going to close my eyes for a bit," Cleo said.
"Same here," Aria added briefly.
A quiet hush fell over the carriage as everyone closed their eyes to enjoy the ride. Even Gina ceased her telepathic chatter, fast asleep in Sheila’s arms. However, one person remained deeply unsettled after hearing Mei’s story. Dion opened his "Recall" interface and scanned the list of names under his Persona directory.
"Umm... this is just a coincidence, right? My Shadow Assassin persona isn’t the person Mei was talking about... right? Ah... it has to be a coincidence that the name is Shadow... Please let it be a coincidence... I’m praying it’s just a coincidence... Please promise me, Goddess or whoever is listening, let all of this be a coincidence so we don’t hit any more trouble," Dion prayed desperately in his head.