An hour passed and Harmony opened her eyes from meditation, smiling as she did it. She had reached the peak of the Novice realm, a feat that could take most people a year to do. The twelfth layer. All thanks to Nate. It annoyed her that he didn’t want to take much of the credit for his own teachings. He was the one to tell her to focus on specific mana to take in when meditating. Within the first hour of the trip, he discovered Harmony could actually take in three mana sources, instead of just one. Lucas could absorb earth in addition to fire. Even Alexander was apparently a genius, capable of taking in water and wind.
Chenzu and Milia were the most baffled.
“By the smile, I’m assume you’ve made progress, lass?” Alexander asked.
The special anti-wind bubble Beakwing cast did the boy wonders, enabling him to read and calculate Nate’s inventory without his papers getting scattered. Something the master magician usually did himself, but Milia’s was able to convince him to delegate some of the work. Harmony could tell shopwork was just only one thing within his element. His past as a pirate king likely contained a depth that no one would truly understand without experiencing it.
Nate apparently did so through an intense vision. Sadly, her time in the spiritual room brought no such revelations.
“I finally reached the peak of the Novice,” Harmony said, the excitement pouring from her voice. She pouted and looked at Milia. “But your husband refuses to act like a proper teacher and take credit for his accomplishments.”
Milia laughed. Nate glared at them. Milia rubbed his back in a much too inviting or perhaps familiar way, but the teenager no longer felt annoyed with their public displays of affection. She found it adorable and hoped that during a break from her quest of power years later, she’d have her own small fling.
But now wasn’t the time for romance. She was one of the lucky few noble girls that did not have to worry about marriage arrangements.
She looked down at the clouds below them, feeling the presence of the lightning horses keeping up with them. Nate’s disciples, also known as the hero’s party, had carriages in their storage rings, which took only seconds to install. They’d do so for any travel into the night or if they tired of standard riding. The added weight would slow them down just a little.
“Keep it up,” Nate suddenly said, smiling at his apprentice. “Think about the road ahead as an Initiate. What can you accomplish as a potion and pill maker? Oh, and make sure to purchase a better pill furnace. I can do it for you, but it will cost some contribution points.” He addressed everyone. “Remember the progression path. From Mortal, Beginnings, Novice, Initiates, Adjusting, Midcore, Highcore, Lesser Dragon, Saint, Higher Dragon, King, Emperor, and of course, Master Magician. Don’t be like me and try to face off against someone in a higher realm than you. Remember, we’re not a fighting clan, but I can imagine we’ll see more bandits or Crimson Sect idiots again. Or whatever jealous enemy you make.”
Harmony committed his words to memory, internally vowing to practice even harder. She thought back to the dinner she had with her father two nights ago. The advice given, the encouragement, praise, but also some parental guidance. He didn’t treat her like a child either, recognizing that his daughter was eighteen years of age. Not that that was saying much, since she didn’t yet reach the second ceremony of adulthood, which took place at twenty.
The first step began at eighteen, but unless one attended an academy, the responsibilities of an adult weren’t expected until twenty years. Some noblewomen were married by then. The minimum betrothed age established by the Lord Ruler was one hour after age eighteen. However, some other kingdoms had it as low as fifteen. Queen Cerial openly condemned it, stating it went against Wanda’s will. Not many seemed to care.
Harmony’s father told her how much he looked forward to seeing her new path blossom. She worked so hard and without getting her hand held. Nate refused to do so.
Still, Harmony needed to truly figure out what she wanted to do in life.
Thirty minutes later after my mini lecture, which got the apprentices back into meditation, I found myself trying to talk Milia out of making me rest using her as a lap pillow. She ended up winning that argument, but I was at least still allowed to ponder on the Dao of Creation, a crafter’s Dao that took two forms. The tattoo on my wrist and an ocean’s worth of golden mana that I gazed upon in a few dreams.
I sat up, kissing Milia, before laying back down on her soft lap.
Sometime later, maybe two or three hours, Cheetara meowed something excitedly, patting Wolverine on the back. We all took notice of a massive tree with orange leaves. If that were all, I’d return to the conversation with Milia and Chenzu. We were discussing ways to make Kyushu fun. I snuck in a few things from my world.
Flying around that giant tree of autumn were… winged women with talons for feet and bird-like tails. We were close enough to see details, but not too close.
Real life harpies. They each had two different wing colors. An orange palette that matched the leaves and a dull gray that matched the tree’s trunk.
And here I thought the avian race were the ‘harpies’ of this world, but no, they had the real thing a few hours northeast of Wingston.
In order to communicate with the hero’s party below, I lent Kelvin my ring, after double checking the system’s stupid ‘only lovers can wear this ring’ clause. Turned out I could lend the ring to others, but only the talking function worked. Also, the other ring holder had to be one of the original lovers. The conditions worked for me.
Also, Kelvin and Iris were the most responsible of the others. My first choice had been the elf woman since Kelvin was teaching at the time, but when Nuwa started loudly and hyperactively romanticizing the idea, including breaking the one-wife law and fighting the Lord Ruler in a suicide match, I changed my mind. The naïve blonde girl would likely never drop the topic. Even if I decided to no longer be a friend of the kingdom for some dumb reason, I was still from Earth, not one of those anime hellbent on pleasing its teenage audience.
Kelvin’s voice emerged from Milia’s ring, following my instructions to contact us only if something wrong, weird, or extremely profitable presented itself to them. Yes, if I was going to lend that ring, I wanted a return on that investment if possible. Don’t judge me.
“Harpy swarm down here, and they’re showing signs of hostility. I think something happened. They won’t let us pass.”
“Beakwing, let’s go down,” I said, annoyed that our trip was already getting interrupted. It was a cloudy afternoon with temperatures likely in the low eighties or upper seventies, reminding me again that the summer prepared to end.
The apprentices looked worried and awed at the same time as we left the clouds to approach the hero’s party, the giant tree towering over us.
Descending, we were finally able to see the village surrounding it. Milia’s eyes rested on the tree just a bit longer before she addressed me.
“Let me talk with them,” Milia said. “They’re not usually this aggressive. It is also against Merridon’s law to block roads or prevent travelers from entering town unless they committed a crime.”
“In which, they’d simply be arrested,” Harmony said.
“Exactly,” Milia replied, smiling angelically. She placed a hand on the blue-haired teenager’s shoulder. “Thanks for volunteering to come with me.”
Harmony frowned. “Why do I have a feeling you’re just trying to share the pain?”
“Oh, Harmony, you shouldn’t have such a low opinion of me. You’re a noblewoman. Daughter of a mayor. It is time you learn how to negotiate things, should you find yourself in this position.”
“I know how to—”
“Thank you for agreeing to come with me. You’re the number one apprentice for a reason,” Milia interrupted, which earned her a scowl from Harmony. I laughed.
Mandi wisely kept her eyes closed, pretending the meditate while struggling not to laugh.
Chenzu snorted. “She has a point. Even if you’re not planning to succeed your father, skills like this may still prove useful. Especially for selling your creations.”
The teenager didn’t seem convinced, but couldn’t argue. We were already landing at the side of the disciples and their horses. A few meters ahead, Iris argued with a harpy guard, who argued back. They had crossbows aimed at the humans. Well, except Ronica. The twerp looked bored, though she sat up from her horse when she noticed us and cheerily waved.
“Are they afraid of Ronica or in awe of her?” Lucas asked.
“You know, I could make a short joke, but that would be beneath me,” I said, gaining an eyeroll from Milia and a light swat as she giggled.
Kelvin hurried to us. The harpies flying around seemed to increase, but they didn’t attack anyone. At least not yet.
“What’s going on?” I asked him.
“I wish I knew,” Kelvin said. “Iris only just now managed to get them to talk to us.”
“They were like, you cannot pass,” Nuwa said, making a goofy harpy impression, nearly tripping as she made her way over to us, leaving Ronica and Ramon with the horses. Ramon looked just as bored as Ronica. In fact, he was using this opportunity to take a nap.
“You know, you can just set up the carriages,” Maxus told him, voice annoyed.
Ramon yawned. “I don’t feel like it. Once we get back on the road, I’ll wake up.”
Ronica glared at him. “You’ve dealt with harpies before. Why don’t you make yourself useful and help Iris?”
Ramon ignored her, muttering something under his breath.
“Poor Iris,” Chenzu said. Wolverine barked in agreement.
“I’ll be back,” Milia said. “Come, Harmony.”
The teenager surprisingly got over her earlier display of annoyance and followed at the dryad’s side.
“I was a little worried she’d choose me,” Mandi said and smiled guiltily as I gave her a look.
“You’re probably next,” Lucas told her.
Mandi waved away his comment. “Just because I’m a noble’s daughter doesn’t mean—”
“A Wingston,” Lucas added. “The Red Star’s daughter.”
That gained him a brief scowl. The half-dwarf boy only shrugged, smiling.
“The boys shouldn’t have it so easy on this trip,” Mandi said.
“You and Harmony doing nobility things have nothing to do with—”
“Alright, kids, enough of the bickering,” I interrupted Lucas. “Or I’ll toss you in time out. Believe me, you don’t what to know my version of time out.”
Kelvin gave them an apologetic smile, eyes pitying them. I pat the buff man on the shoulder.
“So what do you and the team know about harpy villages?” I asked.
“I wou… Well, it looks like you’re about to find out. Milia said something. Now I think they’re requesting us to meet with them,” Kelvin replied.
Now it was my turn to frown. “We really don’t have the time for this. But I’d like to have friendly relations with them for the shop.”
Chenzu nodded in agreement. “Harpies are… usually with three traits. Hating everyone, very kind, or murderous. Four, if we found a flock that simply doesn’t care about anything other than money.”
“Money-loving harpies? That sounds…” I paused, looking at Kelvin.
“Yes. It is as odd as it sounds,” the ice magician said. “They’re strong too, which is why we’d rather comply with the guards.”
“Indeed. Wanda’s galloping rear, I’ve barely survived a harpy lightning bolt thanks to being drunken to a stupor,” Chenzu said. “She wasn’t happy that I…” He paused. “Not really an appropriate story to tell out here.”
“And in front of the brats,” I added, grinning at their annoyance.
“We’re not kids, you know,” Mandi said.
“We’ll see,” I said. “Keep proving yourselves and maybe I’ll lower my drinking age.”
“I wouldn’t recommend that,” Kelvin said. I laughed.
We headed toward the gates where Milia was waving. Judging by the cheery expression of she and Harmony, they’d succeeded with flying colors.
“What’s happening now?” I asked Milia.
“The mayor wants to meet with us,” Milia said, perkiness in her voice.
“I take it they’re not simply going to let us pass?”
Harmony shook her head. “They have what they labeled as human troubles, can’t get merchants to travel out here, and are stupidly blaming us. A bandit attack that happened earlier didn’t help. Oh, and Milia’s going to establish connections for the shop.”
It took a bit to process that, but the annoyance I had drained away. “What’s the name of this village?”
Milia’s smiled brightened. “Flutter Village. Don’t ask me why it’s named that way.”
“Sounds like an author having trouble coming up with a… Never mind. Once you’ve heard of weird places like Pen Island, nothing can faze you.”
Milia gave me a confused look, but instead of elaborating, I changed the subject. “So I take it they’re taking us to see the mayor?”
“Flock Chief is what they call it here, and even the Lord Ruler addresses them by such,” Milia said.
“That guy actually respecting other cultures? News to me,” I said, gaining a laugh from Milia. Harmony pouted, wishing again that she could’ve been at the scene.
“No, you don’t,” I said.
Ronica, Iris, and Lucas caught up, letting us know the others stayed back to guard the horses. Not that the harpies would do anything to them.
There was no one on the streets of the village. Instead, they were flying, whether to the giant tree that may actually be a town square of some sort or landing to enter their homes or places of business. No humans or other species were present.
Village houses were made either of wood or polished stone and looked surprisingly gothic, as they seemed to have taken the extra time for details. The color scheme copied the same orange and gray as the giant tree. The same went for the gray road, smaller trees, and even the empty stands. We passed by a few trees that had pumpkin-like red fruit hanging on them.
Following my gaze, Harmony said, “Those are treekins. They’re usually baked and served with beef trimmings and gravy. I’m not sure how harpies eat them.”
The harpies wore an assortment of trousers while flying, for obvious reasons, and long glowing shirts that almost gave them the appearance of wearing dresses.
“Our world had some rather… tragic stories of harpies,” I murmured to Milia so that the guards flying ahead wouldn’t hear us.
“There are some uncivilized harpies in more chaotic lands, but they are fewer in numbers than ordinary harpies,” Milia whispered back. “Despite what Chenzu claims, they’re normally nice people if the flock isn’t agitated.”
A harpy woman suddenly launched from the sky, crashing into Lucas. Black hair, brown eyes, and a somewhat fancier dress over her trousers made up her appearance.
“I’m so sorry!” she cried. “Those damned bandits. They’re attacking us from afar.”
She looked at her bent left wing and I saw the sight of life-ending terror and the preparation to let out a scream. That turned into confusion as she found a potion shoved into her mouth.
After she drank the entire thing, her wing visibly healed within seconds.
Lucas groaned, rubbing his stomach. “I guess the saying of angels falling from heaven is a little stretched out. Rubbish.”
Harmony could not hold back her laughter. “Glad that you’re okay.” She patted his back. “Don’t become too paranoid of the sky. If you want, I’ll walk in front of you.”
“No thanks, I don’t need to be babied,” Lucas said, trying to act tough. Harmony glared at him.
“Th… thank you so much,” the harpy said to me. “Please allow me to pay for that potion.”
“No, it’s fine,” I said.
Ronica pouted. “You’re a terrible businessman.”
“Then allow for me to introduce you to my mother,” the harpy said. “She needs to know about this. She’s the chief.”
I looked up at the guards, who had relieved looks on their faces. One of the two wiped tears from her eyes. What the hell kind of…? I let out a sigh, deciding that we received a lucky break at Lucas’s expense. He listened to my advice, taking one of his personal health potions as a just in case measure. He visibly relaxed, the pain gone.
“Mistress Lilaca, are you sure you want to get involved with this?” a guard asked.
“Yes,” Lilaca said. “I must report the bandit attack to Mother anyway.” She turned to us. “You’re our honored guests. Please follow me.”
“May as well add a week to our trip,” Iris said to me. “No rush.”
“Oh, don’t you start,” I said, laughing. The elf huffed but didn’t complain further.
I gave a bemused smile to Milia, who only shrugged, smiling back. We both knew the elf didn’t mind being away from Kyushu for a while. Their bosses didn’t matter since they were my disciples. Worst case scenario would be me taking over their payroll until they found a new job. Or if they decided to take me up on being additional farmhands.
I didn’t want to make Nuwa a farmhand though, mostly due to her father. Even he’d have to feel insulted. Sure, it’d be her choice, but as the clan leader, responsibility could fall on me. And I really didn’t feel like dealing with any more angry nobles.
Well, at least I didn’t have anything ridiculous as an angry prince or something gunning for my life. Few people should know about me, right? Even the Raider excitement should die down eventually. The Lord Ruler Select title would disappear anytime now.
Lilaca led us to a large manor on top of a hill surrounded by at least fifty harpy guards, some flying, some standing.
Either she was paranoid or excessive. Or Kyushu sucked when it came to security.
“Are you okay with letting me… you know, get business deals for you?” Milia asked, blushing.
“You have a sweet wife,” Lilaca said. “Of course you’ll be okay with letting her do this, right?”
The harpy didn’t know what was going on. She was just a hopeless romantic, I could tell. I had a cousin just like her.
I nodded. “I’d like that. And Lilaca’s right. You are sweet.”
Milia hugged me. “I’ve wanted to do this for a while, but expanding businesses takes time.”
“Announce to Mother that I’m here with guests,” Lilaca said to a guard by the door.
“She’s expecting them, Mistress Lilaca,” the guard replied. “Please go ahead.”
The guard looked at us with that strict motherly look, her brown hair tied in a bun. “You are entering an anti-magic zone, so don’t try anything. We had peace for centuries until those bandit brutes ruined it. Now we’re going to teach them the lesson of the talon.”
Lilaca pouted. “No need to be so… descriptive, Himiki.”
