Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

They walked into the city following Cylona, escorted by the city guards behind them. As they walked, Dion kept turning his head left and right. The city around him looked exactly like the early Victorian era on Earth, not just the brick buildings, but the people as well. Their clothing looked like it belonged straight out of Earth history books, with elegant men wearing tunics layered with vests, trousers, and tall boots.

Several women wore tightly laced corsets that pinched their waists small. Although the bottoms of their dresses weren’t as wide as those on Earth, it was clear they were structured with wire hoops beneath the fabric. The only differences were the long pointed ears and the predominantly blonde hair. Every now and then, Dion pinched his cheek or his arm. Naturally, it hurt every time, confirming he wasn’t dreaming.

"Wow... this really feels like stepping right into a history book... I don’t know what to say... On one hand, I’m glad to see elves, but modern elves? Not really," he thought to himself.

The further they walked, the more absurd everything felt to Dion. Despite being amazed, he felt as if he were back on Earth, and the fantasy elements of his new world had completely vanished. To top it off, he saw several people riding bicycles instead of just walking. Along the way, he also noticed several watchtowers in the middle of the city rotating like surveillance cameras, monitoring the entire city within their range.

He saw many cute, round golems, just like the ones in his territory, working to construct buildings, wearing hard hats that looked suspiciously like World War I steel helmets. Aria and Luna, who were walking on either side of Dion, could tell that he was restless and, for some reason, unhappy about being in this city.

"Is the city nice?" Luna asked, trying to bait him.

"Hm... it’s alright... yeah, it’s nice," Dion stuttered, clearly giving a half-hearted answer.

"There are a lot of golems here, soldier golems, and... what’s that?" Aria asked, pointing to a golem that wasn’t as large as a soldier golem but was holding a rifle, standing perfectly still on the edge of the street like a King’s Guard standing watch.

Dion looked over at the golem, which looked dead and motionless as a statue. Of course, he knew exactly what kind of golem it was, considering he was currently using the Mechanical Crafter and Gunner persona.

"That’s a marksman golem. Its job is to snipe from a distance, but in close combat, it’s terrible," Dion explained.

Naturally, upon hearing Dion’s explanation, Aria turned to look at him. Even Cleo, Sheila, and Mei (who was carrying Gina) turned around from where they were walking ahead of him.

"You built one of those for guard duty when we went camping with our classmates back in the academy, didn’t you?" Luna asked, stirring the pot and sharpening the gazes of the other four girls as they stared at Dion.

"You seem to know a lot about Dion’s golem-making abilities, Luna," Cleo said, going straight to the source.

"Of course! He even made a thing like that up there," Luna answered, pointing to a zeppelin floating above them, which, in truth, was also a golem.

"Wow... it turns out you’ve been hiding a lot of crafting skills... Please teach me," Aria said.

"Huh... um... okay... later," Dion stammered.

"Alright, we have arrived," Cylona announced.

Without realizing it, they had walked right through the city square. Dion looked back and saw that they had passed a pyramid structure in the square identical to the one in Mageford, and they were now standing in front of the giant tree. Before the tree stood a tall, wide, all-white building with a pointed roof and numerous pillars lining the veranda. But what really left Dion speechless was a tower resembling an obelisk, topped with a giant clock and a bell.

"Great... now we’ve met Big Ben. Perfect," Dion muttered unconsciously.

"Big Ben?" Cleo, Mei, Sheila, Luna, and Aria asked in unison.

"Don’t worry about it... from now on, just ignore everything I say," Dion replied.

The five girls gave Dion a meaningful look but didn’t press the issue, following Cylona inside the building. "Sigh... I’m so exhausted," Dion thought to himself. He then followed the others inside.

They entered a large room that looked like a conference hall, featuring a long wooden table polished to a high shine. Dion, Cleo, Mei, Luna, Sheila, and Aria sat on the left side. Cylona sat across from them alongside two elves, while Gina plonked herself right on the table, minding her own business.

A few servants entered the room to serve tea and freshly baked, steaming pastries, which Gina immediately attacked. Once the servants had finished, they exited and closed the doors behind them.

"First of all, I want to thank you, Your Highness, for coming here," Cylona began.

"Um... please don’t call me Your Highness, just call me Dion," Dion replied, raising a hand.

"Hmm... very well, Lord Dion. I will get straight to the point. As the spirit of the Tree of Life, I am aware that the world is currently in grave danger. Therefore, I implore Your High...ah, forgive me, Lord Dion, to immediately fly this city to reunite with its sister cities," Cylona requested.

"We are ready to carry out Lord Dion’s orders," the elf sitting next to Cylona added.

"Ah, apologies. The one who just spoke is Elrond, and I myself am Faranir. We are the two lords who manage this city and execute the orders of our Elder, Cylona," Faranir introduced himself. Elrond bowed in greeting as well.

The room immediately fell dead silent. Dion didn’t know what to say, while Luna, Cleo, Aria, Sheila, and Mei all turned to Dion, waiting for him to speak. Gina, meanwhile, looked ready to take a nap on the table with a full belly.

"Man... having to suddenly make a massive decision like this... how do I even say this," Dion mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Fundamentally, this city belongs to the Emissary of Goddess Hestalia, it belongs to you. I am merely tasked with guarding this city, and once I return it to its rightful owner, I can finally retire and go home," Cylona replied.

Dion, who had previously looked nervous and had his head bowed, immediately snapped his head up to glare at Cylona sitting across from him. His eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched.

"Whoa, whoa, you can’t just do that, Grandma Chiyo...uh, sorry... Cylona. You’re not the only one who wants to retire... I want to retire too!" Dion shot back in annoyance.

Silence blanketed the room once more. Luna, Cleo, Aria, Sheila, and Mei all shook their heads and rubbed their foreheads. Luna immediately turned to Cylona and bowed her head.

"Apologies, Elder Cylona, Dion is just like that. We have no problem bringing this city back to our territory, but before we do, may we speak with King Araki regarding this matter?" Luna asked.

"Right, Grandma... uh, sorry, Elder Cylona. I have to report to both of my fathers about this first, as it concerns them as well," Mei added firmly.

"We deeply apologize, Elder Cylona. It is not that we are refusing, but we need time—at the very least, to speak or send a message to the King of Eredor," Cleo added respectfully.

"Yep... exactly. I don’t think I need to add anything," Sheila agreed.

"Please don’t misunderstand, Elder Cylona. We would gladly accept the return of this city, it’s just that there is some bureaucracy we have to sort out beforehand," Aria added.

"Ah... I understand. Very well, it would be best if you all spoke with my son-in-law first, and then returned here afterward," Cylona replied.

Hearing Cylona’s words, not only Dion but Luna, Sheila, Cleo, and Aria all turned to look at Mei, who was staring down at the table looking like she wanted to bolt.

"Um... Grandma Chiyo is actually my grandmother," Mei said softly.

"Why are you only saying this now?" Dion asked.

"I didn’t think it was important," Mei mumbled.

"Wait a minute, does that mean you are also a descendant of Elder Cylona?" Cleo asked, observing Mei’s face in confusion.

"Ah, regarding that, Mei is indeed my granddaughter, but we share no blood relation. Mei’s mother was my adopted daughter, who was abandoned by her parents when she was a child," Cylona explained.

Silence fell over the room once more, but this time it wasn’t a tense silence, it was peaceful. However, peace never lasts long. A crow flew into the room through an upper window, circling the ceiling a few times before landing on the table right in front of Mei. Seeing a letter tied to its leg, she immediately retrieved it.

Mei’s eyes darted left and right as she read the message, her face suddenly darkening before turning deathly pale. She turned to Sheila.

"Sheila, you should read this," Mei said, handing over the letter.

Sheila took the letter and her eyes began scanning the words. But as she reached the bottom, her jaw clenched tight and her teeth ground together. Her eyes narrowed in fury, and she shot up from her seat, knocking her chair backward to the floor.

"What is it, Sheila?" Dion asked, standing up and turning to face her.

"Damn it... that bastard is really pissing me off... This letter says the Northgard army is marching toward our territory, and their numbers aren’t small. They want war... and their leader is that bastard’s father," Sheila seethed.

"Huh... that bastard’s father? You mean Gred?" Dion asked.

"Yes... General Dhorga... that bastard’s father is leading an army to attack us right now. We have to go back," Sheila replied.