New perspectives

Chapter 13

Naoya was resting on a rooftop, watching the Aetheryn Order’s Squires Division handle the aftermath of the hunt for Noctis operatives. They wore simple, long-sleeved uniforms with the Order’s signature colors, providing a variety of support to the Knights. Lance and the others were currently being treated for injuries, while the other Squires were either cleaning up the surroundings or handling the large pile of clones that Naoya and the others had defeated. They transfer the bodies to a remote prison cell, throwing them through a magical door nearby that leads directly to a remote prison cell far, far away.

The fairy beside him speaks in his mind.

Are you okay? You look like you need to go to the bathroom.

“Nah, I was just thinking.”

About what?

“About everything I’ve seen today, and it’s making me realize what this world really is like. I kept thinking of magic as this awesome superpower I have now, and I’m so excited to use it. But after seeing what people can really do with it, I just feel kind of… shocked, I guess?”

Ahh, so you’ve realized this magic isn’t just a cool superpower people have.

“Exactly. Everyone’s magic was all safe and easy to understand so far. Sure, Sir Valiansteel’s test was really intense and immersive, but I still understood what he was doing, and there wasn’t actually any harm to me or the fake Yui. I didn’t realize how dangerous it is until today.

“Like that golem earlier. It was huge! I can’t imagine how someone could control something that big. And then Captain Eiren appears and uses even more massive, reality-bending magic! Did you see how much his spell covered? I thought it would start covering the entire city! Compared to them, the mini-sun we made looks like a party trick.

“And what were those targets doing anyway? Why are they being criminals? Is there, like, some hidden criminal underworld in the city I haven’t seen yet?”

“They’re called Noctis Vindex, and no, the kingdom doesn’t have that kind of underworld,” Captain Bellan explains, suddenly standing behind Naoya and causing him to jump.

“Oh, Captain! You scared me. Is everything okay? Do I need to do something?”

“No, not really. I was just listening to your conversation.”

“Wait, how long have you been here?” Naoya asks.

“Long enough to get the gist of your conversation. You have a lot of questions, don’t you?”

Naoya realizes this was his chance. “Yes, sir! Even more after what happened today, honestly.”

“Hmmm, let’s start with Noctis then, since that’s the one you need to learn about the most,” Captain Bellan starts. “Like I said, there’s no hardship here in Valebryn. Everyone has comfortable lives, which is why we have so many citizens. Noctis Vindex is a group that started appearing a decade ago, not just here in Valebryn, but also in other kingdoms around the world. No one really knows how they started and what their purpose is, and their motives are unpredictable. Sometimes they steal a magical artifact, or try to take over kingdoms, or just destroy things. But there is one thing people theorize about them: that they’re the remains of the Demon Lord’s forces.”

“Wait, the Demon Lord? Miss Selwyn mentioned him to me when I was being interrogated. Wasn’t he defeated like fifty years ago?” Naoya asks.

“He was. But we couldn’t wipe out all of his people, not because they’re all really strong, but because the Demon Lord’s empire was all over the world at one point. Almost every known kingdom were either destroyed or taken over during his campaign, and Valebryn almost fell too. But thankfully the Hero Party defeated him just in time.”

“The Hero Party? They sound cool."

Captain Bellan smiles. “They are cool. A lot of kids had their own favorite members, like me. There were four of them: the Spirit Hero, the Hunter Hero, the Mage Hero, and my favorite, the Sword Hero. You can probably guess what they do from their names.”

“Just like in the stories back in my world. So where are they now?”

“Well, after the Demon Lord’s defeat, they all went their separate ways. The Ranger Hero went back to rebuild his hometown. The Spirit Hero and the Sword Hero both went on their own adventures, and the only one we really know anything about right now is the Mage Hero, because she’s Valebryn’s current Archmage.”

“Wait, she lives in the city? How come I’ve never seen her before?”

“Because no one really sees her anymore. She’s always in her tower at the Silver Crown Palace, and we only see her sometimes at events or something like that.”

Naoya nods, taking a while to process what he learned.

“I see. So the remains of the Demon Lord’s empire survived, and now they’re trying to restart it?”

“Maybe. Like I said, their motives don’t seem consistent all the time, and we don’t even know who their leader is. They just appear now and then to cause trouble, and anyone we capture tells us nothing useful. Just surface-level stuff we can figure out by ourselves.”

Captain Bellan watches the clones being moved to the prison cells. “Maybe these ones will give us something, but I’m not getting my hopes up—not when even Sir Valiansteel couldn’t squeeze anything out of their souls.”

Naoya mulls over everything he learned, then looks at the Captain with a serious expression.

“Captain, when can I start at the Academy?”

The Knight looks back at him with a smile. “In the next month, probably. They’re processing your application now after Sir Valiansteel’s recommendation, and you’re just in time, too. The special course you’re attending is about to start.”

“Oh nice. I guess I should start preparing then,” he replies.

“We’ll be helping you with that, don’t worry. You’ll be attending school before you know it.”

“Thanks Captain. I don’t wanna let Sir Valiansteel down, and I wanna do my part as soon as I can.”

“Do your part? And what could that be?”

“Helping the Order maintain peace. Everyone’s been so nice to me when I’m just a lost person from another world, so I wanna return the favor,” Naoya declares with a smile, looking down at the other Knights who had just finished their check-ups, waving at him from below.

…

Meanwhile, in a distant kingdom...

A small boy approaches a mysterious lady standing on a palace balcony, her back turned to him as she gazes upon the treetops, dimly lit by pale moonlight.

“I’ve successfully returned, my Queen.”

“What happened at Valebryn?” she asks, her voice soft and somber.

“The Aetheryn Order found one of our bases. Luckily, we had time to get rid of our tracks so they can’t—”

“Thoroughly?” she interjects, her voice suddenly sharp.

“Y-yes, your Highness. We’ve overridden the traces of time within the base, and destroyed or hidden anything new that we brought in.”

“Are you sure?” The lady says, and she holds out something to her side so that the boy can see. It was a red crystalline orb, shimmering in the moonlight.

“That- I wasn’t- I didn’t know about that, your Highness! I was one of the people who escaped to distract the Knights—AAAHHHH!”

The boy panics, trying to explain himself, when an unseen force seizes control of his limbs and pulls all of them in different directions, causing immense pain and dislocating several joints.

“I had to retrieve this myself. A relic from fifty years ago that shouldn’t exist anymore. It would’ve given them more information about us,” she coldly replies as the boy screams in pain.

“Forgive me, Your Highness! I don’t know who brought it there. None of us were planning to use Empire artifacts for our operations!” The boy cries out, trying to explain himself.

“At least you still remember our rules. Tell me more about Valebryn,” the lady asks, and the boy drops to the ground, unable to move.

“Yes, your Highness,” he replies, and dull cracks could be heard as his bones snap back to their joints. “We’ve successfully planted several agents in major organizations like the Academy, but unfortunately we could not infiltrate the Aetheryn Order because of the very high risk, especially concerning the Steelstorm Sheriff,” he stands up and shivers when he says the name. “Only that base was found as far as I know, so the other groups are still operational. We followed your orders and caused as much destruction as possible while escaping, and unfortunately, we were all captured, including my clones, but…”

The boy suddenly feels hopeful. “I believe I have found something that you would be most interested in, Your Highness.”

“And what is that?”

“A stranger was fighting alongside the Knights that defeated my clones, and I felt something strange about his magic,” the boy says, and creates a projection from his clones’ memories of the battle with the stranger front and center, wielding a staff and running around.

The lady faces him, a dark veil covering her face and a pair of fox-like ears atop her head. Her tail and dress flutter as she turns to examine the image.

The boy couldn't see his master’s expression, and he waited with bated breath for her response.

“He really is interesting… but I want more information. We cannot jump to conclusions just because of an image, especially not with something this important,” she says as she turns back around. “Send word to the remaining operatives in that kingdom. Find out more about that person, I need to know absolutely everything.”

“At once, Your Highness,” the boy bows to her and quickly leaves.

As she gazes upon the forest and the distant sea, dimly lit by pale moonlight, she recalls certain memories, invoked by the image of the stranger she saw. A tear ran down her cheek as she whispered a hopeful wish into the night.

“Is it really you? Have you finally returned?”