Chapter 5 - Part 7 (Book 1 - Fantasy World)

The carriage slowly approached the entrance to the Tower, making its way down one of the numerous lanes designed specifically for wagons and other vehicles to offload their passengers. The lanes allowed the vehicles to line up orderly while not posing any dangers to the students walking about. Considering the sizeable number of students heading into the Tower and those leaving the structure, it was clear that such a method had to be implemented in order to not cause an accident.

Han casually glanced at one of the carriages decorated in gold to advertise the passengers' status. As he peered inside it, he saw two women dressed not in the uniforms of the Academy but instead wearing what appeared to be outfits worn during the Middle Ages by nobles on Earth. The difference was with the women not wearing wigs and instead having their long hair elaborately braided.

As if sensing Han's gaze on them, one of the women turned her head with her eyes meeting Han's. Her penetrating sky-blue eyes moved away from Han before glancing to look at his creations. A single eyebrow rose. The only reaction from seeing them.

The woman sitting next to the one observing Han moved close, whispering something into the blue-eyed woman's ear.

Soon, Han couldn't see the woman anymore as the carriage continued moving past the other carriages parked to the side, waiting their turn. Thinking of how the woman showed barely any emotion but clearly judged his status within moments made him smirk with amusement.

"Master, would you like me to find out who that woman is?" Queen asked, her eyes trained on the carriage they passed by.

Slightly shaking his head, Han chuckled before saying, "If we are meant to meet again, I am sure we will find out then. There is no reason to rush something if it is fated to be."

"As you wish," Queen bowed.

The guide let out a deep breath, wanting to avoid getting involved in the games between the nobility.

It wasn't long before the carriage pulled to the side and stopped where people were getting out of their carriages. A few people glanced at Han, confused as to why his carriage was allowed to skip past all the others. But none of them made any attempts to confront them, as though aware that Han must have some influence for him to be able to skip ahead. Though a few leaned close to whisper something to one another, their behavior made it evident that such events weren't out of the ordinary.

The guide quickly exited the carriage using the door they had used to enter the vehicle. While not running, the guide tried to retain some professionalism but still navigated his way around the carriage hurriedly. Upon reaching the other side, the guide deftly opened up the vehicle. "My Lord and Ladies, welcome to the Tower. I hope that the journey was not too strenuous on your body."

One by one, Han's creations made their way off the carriage before Han stood and proceeded out of the carriage.

"The ride was quite enjoyable. I am sure my Master appreciated your vast knowledge, informing us on Illumin and what the Academy has to offer." Helania gently smiled while bowing her head slightly in appreciation.

"You humble me, my Lady," The guide bowed low.

Closing the door of the carriage, the guide made his way ahead of them. He turned his head back to Han's group. "I will now guide you to where the Lady Knight awaits you."

"Please lead the way," Han smiled.

Han and his creations followed the guide into the Tower.

Despite the considerable number of students, Han was impressed with the design of the structure's numerous doors of various sizes. A few of the doors were large, similar to the ones found in industrial businesses where large machinery needed to be able to enter and exit. These allowed the greatest flow of students to enter and exit as though they were shopping at a warehouse store.

"Are those students bringing in monsters?" Han asked, pointing at students pushing long carts with monsters whose size could rival lions and bears stacked on top.

The guide looked at Han and saw where he was pointing. Then, seeing the students, the guide nodded and said, "As mentioned, we provide opportunities for our students to become adventurers by signing up with the Adventurer's Guild. Since the main location for the Adventurer's Guild is inside the Tower, at least within the Academy, many students bring the monsters they hunt here. This also makes it convenient for them to take care of other matters that need to be handled here as well."

Han observed the monsters, some of which were massive insects and one that appeared to be a sizeable wolf. He switched his focus back to the student, raising an eyebrow and impressed that they were able to push a cart that had close to a thousand pounds, if not more, on top. Seeing the expression on their faces, the students were like independent contractors returning from a project they had completed.

There was an air of confidence that emanated from them. It wasn't difficult to see that they were individuals who were used to hunting down creatures that the average human on Earth would find terrifying. Just seeing the colossal insect and the wolf that likely reached an average person's shoulders, they were monsters that only specialized individuals could handle. Such beings would simply devour anyone from Earth that crossed their path as conveniently as a student were to eat crisps while studying in a library.

"I can sense some kind of energy from those things," Han felt something in the air.

Concentrating on the flow of energy, Han's eyes widened slightly, connecting what he felt with the monsters on the cart as the students walked into the Tower.

Raising a hand to his temple, a part of his mind felt as though it was remembering something he had seen in a dream, causing him to try to force his mind to release the information. But just like with a dream, whatever thought that had left a spark soon faded as quickly as mist.

"My Lord?" The guide focused on Han, an eyebrow raised from curiosity. Still, his mouth sealed, not wanting to intrude into the territory of someone as high up in the nobility as Han.

Waving a hand in front of his face as though brushing aside the thought, Han chuckled, "I must have imagined something."

While Brittany stuck close to Han and didn't seem to find her Master's words strange, Helania and Queen said nothing but merely watched their Master.

Queen glanced towards Helania, who met the undead woman's gaze before slightly shaking her head.

Unaware of the unspoken words between two of his creations, Han tried to ignore the feeling as though his thought was on the tip of his tongue. Han sighed before nodding to the guide.

The guide moved towards the nearest door, pulling one of them open before waving for Han and his companions to enter the Tower. There was a glimmer of pride on the guide's face as he waited for them to walk through the door to see what was inside.

Seeing the confidence in the guide, Han chuckled. Even without seeing the interior and only seeing the Tower from the outside, it wasn't difficult to imagine that what was inside would be wondrous for not only the average individual but even for those who lived inside their individual jeweled lives. But, Han supposed that it would be rude towards the guide who had treated them with such respect, much of it likely genuine and not out of responsibility.

Even Brittany hadn't made any snide comments. Instead, she treated the experience as a child getting to experience the movie theater for the first time as she entered through the door.

A single word came to Han's mind upon entering the Tower. Huge. Even though he knew that the awe-inspiring structure was massive, some of him didn't fully embrace the idea due to his biases against what he knew humans could create. But the thought engulfing his consciousness was the equivalent of standing inside a park and staring at a majestic scenery. Despite the countless students entering the building, Han merely stared at the empty space above them. The corner of his lips raised unconsciously as he took in the sight of the interior.

"I do not think I have seen something made by humans quite as remarkable as this," Queen's silent words drifted upwards towards the ceiling that was high enough where it felt as though it were the sky. Her eyes flickered toward objects hanging as though they were floating in the air. "What are those?"

"Yes. I am curious as well. Are they lights?" Helania tilted her head up to look at the hanging spheres that caused rays of light to split into a spray of rainbows.

As Han's eyes slowly searched above them, he appreciated how the people who designed the Tower incorporated the natural light and allowed it to flood the interior. He was impressed with how they understood how the light would disperse into the colors that made up light, adding a subtle mystical air to the interior. But as the sun naturally set, what he imagined were mana stones contained inside the spheres would illuminate the interior to create a romantic and surreal warmth for the students to enjoy. The atmosphere of the lobby would be magical as the transition was made.

Their group slowly navigated through the ocean of students.

Half listening to the guide, Han was impressed how, even though they were inside, there were plenty of spaces where beast people were able to relax. Just like how there were small forests in the large grassy fields as they rode into the Academy, what looked like miniature forests were cultivated for those who preferred to be around nature. This could be seen with the students that rested in the branches of the trees. A few had a feline appearance; some looked human with cat ears, while others were humanoid animals.

As he took a deep breath, the air inside the building had the faint smell of nature. The fragrance of the trees had a calming effect that would be appreciated in such a dynamic environment.

Ahead of them were long rows of counters with students who worked for one of the many divisions and departments the guide had told them about. The sight was similar to walking into a bank or any other corporation when needing to talk to someone. If it wasn't seeing beast people either working as staff members or the students waiting to get assistance with their tasks, the scene would've made it too easy for Han to forget that he wasn't in a fantasy world but instead back on Earth waiting to get help either at a bank or some corporation due to them messing up with the monthly bill. Each of the workers had smiles on their faces, dressed in uniforms that were primarily black with white highlights.

Above one of the rows of desks was a sign. The nearest row to them had the word Assignments written on the sign.

"What are all these students waiting to do?" Brittany curiously asked the guide. Her eyes casually observed while she smiled slightly at how delightful she found the entire location.

The guide looked back from where he walked ahead of them, "My Lady, this is one of the many locations where students can turn in proof that they have completed an assignment for a class they're attending."

Tilting her head, Brittany raised her right hand, placing her index finger cutely on her lips. "Would they not turn in their assignment during the class?"

"Though that would be an option, sometimes the assignment has students search for items outside the city or hunt down monsters. This would cause many issues as students took up a lot of valuable space inside a classroom in such a confined location." The guide patiently answered. Pointing to a different location away from where they stood, "Though it is not easy to see, the Adventurer's Guild has one of their locations inside of the Tower nearby, and one of the rows of counters in that area is where students can turn in their monsters while providing proof of the monster subjugation on their student card."

"Where do they take the monsters?" Queen turned to see where the Adventurer's Guild was located in the vast lobby.

"Inside the Tower, there are numerous floors far larger than this floor. The Adventurers' Guild has a dedicated floor where they store the monsters and process them to either be sold to the Academy or sent to the logistic teams and transported to other Adventurers' Guild locations in one of the nearby kingdoms or the Empire."

Queen turned her head to look at the guide, an eyebrow raised. "The Adventurer's Guild has such an organized process?" Clearly impressed with what she heard.

Nodding, "The Adventurer's Guild is an organization that spans a large area. They even travel through The Great Desert, south of Illumin. Traveling through such an inhospitable area is not an easy feat, and few have tried. The Empire had attempted to send troops through The Great Desert. Still, rumors have it that they had forfeited over ten thousand soldiers and all the logistical support that carried water and supplies."

Han remembered the guide mentioning the Tower being the tallest structure north of The Great Desert, making him curious about what such a place would be like and if it would serve any use for him. He couldn't help but imagine that a desert would be a valuable location to stay out of sight while he explored the extent of his powers. So far, there hadn't been much of an opportunity to see the limits of his ability. However, Han imagined that his imagination and the human mind would be a major restricting factor.

A frown formed on his lips, thinking about how his mind would likely act as a barrier due to how humans were naturally finite creatures. There were many things that a human would be unable to grasp. This was especially the case with large numbers. The only solace was how Han was beginning to sense something was different about himself aside from the obvious. He would occasionally catch himself realizing how fluid ideas were flowing and allowing him to see things at a much larger scale.

"My Lord?" The guide reached for his handkerchief, mopping up the sweat beginning to form as his mouth formed a smile that shivered as much as his body.

The guide's eyes searched Han's face, attempting to understand what had happened. When Han's eyes snapped toward the guide, the guide instinctively took a step back as though he had caught a predator's attention with the capacity of unfathomable violence.

Just as quickly as a summer storm in an arid environment. Han cracked a grin. "I must have been lost in thought. I could not help but try and imagine what it would be like to attempt such a journey across such dangerous terrain."

Raising both hands, whether to dismiss the Lord's thoughts or to use them as a barrier to protect himself, the guide stuttered, "T-there is no need to explain yourself to an individual as lowly as myself. I h-hope, I did not ruin your concentration with my needless babbling." He let out a nervous laugh in an attempt to relieve some of the fear he experienced before lightly pulling on his collar -- making it appear as though he were casually adjusting it instead of releasing the fear that bubbled underneath the fabric.

Neither Helania nor the Queen reacted to how Han behaved. The two casually observing their surroundings, whether out of genuine curiosity or the appearance of the role that he had taken up as a reclusive noble from a mysterious family. Even Brittany clung lightly to his arm, her eyes filled with joy from seeing how the humans and beast people went about their day as though she were a child taken to an amusement park but still clung to her parent's side, too shy to venture alone. She occasionally pressed her face into Han's arm just as a cat would.

The guide's eyes darted from Helania to Queen and then to Brittany before he cautiously looked at Han. His mouth opened a few times like a fish, and his words were a hook that was caught in his throat.

"My Lord," The guide, with his handkerchief still in hand, raised the cloth to his mouth as he attempted to cough and clear the nervousness from his voice. "If you are ready, I can continue to lead to where the Lady Knight is waiting, eager to see you again, I am sure."

Han couldn't help but mentally smile when the guide raised the woman's title as though trying to use it as a shield to defend against the perceived anger the guide detected in Han's mannerisms.

Lightly laughing, not minding the cowardice of someone who understood where they stood in the social order as a product of a society that valued hierarchy and power, Han used his free arm to wave the guide to continue the tour.

A few of the nearby students attempted to be casual as they tried to understand what was happening, seeing someone from the Administrative Division who appeared far higher up than those they would've been able to interact with being used as a simple guide. As though unaware of how obvious they were, even some of the nearby elven students looked at them out of the corner of their eyes as they made their way toward their own destination.

Seeing the elvish students on top of the other non-humans made Han slightly curious about what they were like. He couldn't help but look at a few female students who gracefully walked away, their hips lazily swaying back and forth.