1701-1702 eng

1701 Illusory Castle

After they disembarked at the Castle, Effie bid them farewell and went away, giggling as she walked. Sunny and Nephis stared at her back until she disappeared from view, both not in a hurry to say anything.

'What do I even say after that?'

Sunny sighed and decided not to say anything. Nephis seemed to be of the same mind.

...His thoughts, however, were on fire in the wake of Effie's antics. So, while Sunny kept quiet, his imagination was running wild against his better judgment. He did not know what Nephis was thinking about, but he was definitely thinking about all kinds of things that he probably should not have been thinking about.

He threw a furtive glance at Neph. Was she really calm?

Was he imagining things, or did her cheeks seem a little pink? 'No, that is definitely my mind playing tricks on me.'

There was no way Nephis would be phased by mere words. It was just his wishful thinking... it was all Effie's fault!

That Effie! She really had not changed at all!

He would have thought that being a married woman with a child would curb her wilder tendencies, but alas. Having a loving family only seemed to embolden the vivacious huntress even more, as if having a safe space to retreat to gave her wicked tongue more power.

'It's a miracle that Little Ling is such a sweet boy, despite being raised by that miscreant...'

Sunny inhaled slowly.

Nephis lingered for a few moments, then looked at him with a deadpan expression. After a while, she said in her usual impassive tone:

"Don't mind Effie... Saint Athena. She's always like this."

Sunny chased the improper thoughts out of his mind... or at least tried to... and chuckled.

"That's alright. I'm rather accustomed to it... I used to have a close friend who was just like her. In fact, as much as I hate to admit it, I miss it a little."

She smiled faintly.

"I can't quite imagine."

The two of them started walking and left the pier. Instead of passing through the crowded gate of the castle, Nephis led him to a hidden postern, where two Knights bowed deeply before letting them in. The pass through the thick outer wall of Bastion was like a long tunnel with walls built of white stone.

Walking through it, Sunny wondered what could have brought this mighty wall down and left it laying in ruins, like it lay in the hidden realm that was imprisoned in the reflection of the illusory castle.

But then again, that terrible foe had even shattered the moon, so why would Bastion fare any better?

The Castle... was a city in and of itself. It was gargantuan, with somewhere around a million people living between its walls — almost half of them Awakened. There were hundreds of Masters here, as well, and at least a dozen Saints were always present, either guarding the stronghold or visiting from their own Citadels on business.

Sunny felt quite peaceful and comfortable living in the sprawling city on the other side of the lake, but here in the Castle, he couldn't help but feel a little tense.

Soon, they left the tunnel and entered a lively street.

"It's quite amazing, isn't it?"

His voice sounded a little stifled.

Nephis nodded.

"Indeed. Bastion is not called a Great Citadel for no reason."

From their point of view at the lowest and outermost ring of the great stronghold, the place they found themselves on looked no different from a city street — granted, both the wide paved road and the buildings standing opposite the monolithic barrier of the outer wall were made of the same white stone as it.

There were residential buildings, merchant stalls, commercial establishments, and people hurrying on their daily errands. However, all of it — except for people and later additions to the original architecture — seemed a little too grand in scale, as if built for creatures that weren't quite giants, but also not quite humans.

However, really, this street was a natural part of the defensive fortifications. Bastion was a marvel of military engineering, designed to withstand the most terrible siege. There were all kinds of courtyards, keeps, towers, and auxiliary buildings here, placed in a seemingly chaotic manner... but all of them followed a thoroughly purposeful design.

If viewed from above, Bastion resembled an artificial mountain separated into distinct levels, with concentric circles of inner walls protecting each of them and the main thoroughfare piercing each of the walls as it scaled the mountains in a spiral. If one wanted to reach the main keep from either of the outer gates, they would have to circle the mountain many times, passing many lesser gates in the process.

Even things like the direction of the thoroughfare were full of purpose. If someone managed to breach the outer wall, they would have to follow it clockwise, which meant that their sword hand would be to the next wall, while their shield hand would be away from it, letting the defenders rain arrows on the attackers more effectively.

All in all... Sunny did not envy the warriors of Clan Song, who might have to siege this castle one day. Even he felt that the task was much too daunting.

Bastion seemed truly impregnable.

But, of course, it wasn't. The ruins hidden in the moonlit reflection were proof.

Nephis led him deeper into the ancient castle, making sure that they would be seen by everyone who had time to look. The reactions people were giving them were much more intense than those at the lakeshore settlement — mostly because much more of them recognized who Nephis was.

Sunny could practically feel the veneration and admiration they felt for her. Wherever Changing Star went, people's faces suddenly looked bright and inspired, as if just seeing her gave them strength. Well... it made sense. Nephis had become somewhat of a symbol after the Forgotten Shore, and her fame only grew further in the last four years.

Especially for the people of the Sword Domain, she was a champion of peace and prosperity. A radiant figure who defended them from the horrors of the Nightmare Spell, and whose light illuminated all of humanity.

Princess Nephis... one of the two invincible Sword Sisters of Anvil's Domain.

The nickname Effie had given her in the Dark City was not that outlandish anymore, if at all.

So, Sunny could understand the gazes of adoration directed at Neph.

However...

The more intensely people admired her, the more confusion and simmering hostility his presence by her side caused them.

Who was that dainty stranger walking by Changing Star's side?

Who does he think he is, being so close to our princess?

Suddenly, he felt a little uncomfortable.

'I've... might have underestimated the consequences of playing Neph's secret darling."

He might have underestimated it severely!

As a passerby glared at him with obvious hostility, Sunny made sure that Nephis could not see, and glared back with a cold menace.

You can glower all you want, but are you worthy?

All of you wretches combined are not fit to stand by her side, only I am!

Well, that was what his glare was meant to convey, at least.

1702 Legendary Encounter

Sunny was not unfamiliar with the Castle, since he had to come here every time he wanted to return to the waking world without raising any suspicions. However, he would usually spend quite a lot of time following the main thoroughfare to the main keep, where the Gateway was located.

This time, Nephis led him on a shorter path to the pinnacle of the stronghold, across narrow stairs and hidden posterns that he had not even known existed. There was no need to waste time at each checkpoint, either, so their progress was rather fast.

Who would dare to stop the Transcendent daughter of a Sovereign? After a while, Sunny asked with a hint of curiosity:

"By the way, Lady Nephis... where, exactly, are we going?"

He knew that they were about to sign a contract, but wasn't sure where the signing would take place. Was he going to make a deal with Clan Valor, or with the Fire Keepers directly? Who else would be involved?

She looked at him with a hint of confusion, then suddenly seemed a little embarrassed.

"Oh... please forgive me. I have forgotten to explain properly."

With that, Nephis raised her hand and pointed to one of the tallest towers in Bastion. The tower was not much different to all the others, with one big exception.

There was a graceful flying ship floating in the air near it, moored to the higher floor of the tower with thick cables. A beautiful tree was growing around its main mast.

'The Chain Breaker...'

Sunny unconsciously looked up, at the beautiful visage of the Ivory Island drifting in the air high above the lake.

"I see."

Nephis lingered for a moment.

"Very few people have ever visited my Citadel, but you don't have to worry. Everyone there is a trusted friend and ally. It is... it is also quite peaceful there. We won't be disturbed."

'Right.'

Sunny was not supposed to have ever been in the Ivory Tower, so he had to act as if the whole experience was new to him.

He put a sufficiently believable expression of wonder on his face, making sure to keep a proper level of decorum, of course.

"I've long heard about the beauty of the Ivory Tower. It is my luck to be able to visit it."

A faint smile appeared on Neph's face.

"I'm sure you'll like it."

They continued on their way, soon reaching a lesser courtyard in front of the tower. There were quite a few people here, although most of them were different from the crowd at the lower levels of the castle.

The closer to the pinnacle of the stronghold one was, the fewer mundane people there were around. At this point, Sunny could not see anyone but Awakened, with plenty of Masters mixed among them.

However, the gazes directed at him were not in any way friendlier.

Well, it was natural. He was an outsider, after all, and people were wary of outsiders.

Just before they entered the tower, a tall man wearing the colors of Clan Valor — a Knight, from the looks of it — approached them and bowed deeply.

"Saint Nephis, if I can have a minute of your time..."

She frowned slightly.

"What is it?"

The Knight hesitated for a moment, then said in a dignified tone:

"There is a slight problem with the supplies you requested. They were delivered on time, but the specifications... I'm afraid you will need to inspect them personally. If everything is in order, I'll give a command to immediately load them on the Chain Breaker."

The matter concerned the inner working of Clan Valor, so he was being vague around Sunny.

Nephis remained silent for a bit, then glanced his way. Eventually, she said:

"Please wait for me a little, Master Sunless. I have to deal with this issue... my apologies. I'll be back in ten minutes."

He smiled.

"It's no problem."

He had no doubt that someone would inevitably try to bother him as soon as she left, but it was really of no concern to him. Unless Anvil himself decided to come and stir trouble, Sunny was confident in his ability to send any potential troublemaker on their way without any commotion.

Nephis hesitated for a few moments, then nodded curtly and walked away with the tall Knight.

Sunny was left alone, thinking that it was a good opportunity to compose himself.

Smiling faintly, he walked over to the lakefront ramparts of the lesser courtyard and gazed into the distance. He could see the young city stretching along the shore in the distance, bathed in sunlight and brimming with vitality.

The lake was calm and radiant. It was a beautiful sight.

As Sunny enjoyed the view and the warm breeze, he sighed. He could sense two shadows approaching him from behind.

'That was fast.'

Turning around, he saw two men younger than him by a few years walking toward him. One was walking with purposeful strides, while the other was trying to hold him back with a troubled expression.

Both were Masters and wore enchanted armor, but neither donned the colors of Clan Valor. So, they must have been noble scions from vassal Legacy Clans.

'Legacies...'

Soon, the two scions reached him.

The one who had been purposeful gave Sunny a glare and said, his voice full of arrogant indignation:

"I am Ascended Tristan of the Aegis Rose clan. This is Ascended Mercy of the Dagonet clan. Who might you be?"

Sunny blinked a couple of times, looking at them in amusement.

'Wait, it can't be... is this the legendary arrogant young master encounter? It is, isn't it? Gods, the legends are true!'

He reminded himself to remain calm.

'Keep your cool. Be polite. Don't start trouble.'

Sunny smiled politely.

"I am called Ascended Sunless. How may I help you, gentlemen?"

Master Tristan frowned.

"Ascended Sunless? Of which clan?"

Sunny remained silent for a moment. Why was everyone so insistent on waving their family name around?

"...Of no clan."

The young man scoffed, while his friend tried to pull him away;

"Tristan, drop it... come on, we are going to be late for practice..."

Master Mercy of the Dagonet clan seemed to have a little bit of brain, at least. But the scion of Aegis Rose clan did not want to listen. Scowling fiercely, he moved a step closer to Sunny and asked, his voice harsh and domineering:

"Master Sunless of no clan seems to have some business with Lady Changing Star. But that doesn't give you the right to... to... don't think I didn't notice you ogling her with lewd eyes, scoundrel!"

'...What eyes? Huh?'

The second Legacy gave Sunny an apologetic glance and tried to pull his friend away harder. He seemed exasperated, hinting that Master Tristan had a habit of saying rash things.

Sunny took a deep.

'Be polite. Don't start trouble. Be polite...'

He calmed himself down, then opened his mouth and said:

"Why does a moron like you have the confidence to open his mouth and spout nonsense? If you were born brainless, at least have the decency to keep quiet. Better yet, get lost altogether. Don't think I didn't notice you being dropped on your head as a child, you cretin..."