Chapter 5 - Part 13 (Book 1 - Fantasy World)

"Our Master would then be like a beacon to potentially problematic individuals." Helania chimed in. "We already know that this world has divine beings; the issue is that there may be other powers that we are unaware of with abilities that may cause us inconveniences. Our Master would prefer to live life and enjoy his time rather than going from place to place, putting out fires that never needed to be lit in the first place." Her voice was like a teacher scolding a troublemaker student for not doing the daily reading before they arrived for class, on top of forgetting to complete the assignments since the last class period.

Brittany's eyes looked at Helania and then to Queen. But instead of acknowledging Helania's words, her large eyes gazed at Han, "Master, Brittany is sorry for not considering how much trouble it would cause you."

Holding Brittany close to him and appreciating her feelings, Han shook his head, "I know that you did not desire something that would cause me problems."

He ignored the tension in the atmosphere from Queen and Helania, who were both staring at Brittany as though annoyed at the young woman's attitude of trying to gain their Master's attention. He knew it was just their individual attitudes, which were slowly developing and becoming distinct, especially with how they reacted to him.

There were plenty of moments where he'd turn a blind eye, not thinking it was his place to get involved in their competitive and strong spirits. The optics would also not be good, being seen as someone playing favorite. Han knew many of his creations may see his treatment of Brittany as overly favorable. Still, Han knew that the young woman was someone who only had him to rely on. Compared to the Floor Protectors, Brittany had no special abilities. She was closer to humans than she was to Helania and Queen. With this in mind, he knew it would be easy for her to seek his attention out of some apprehension.

"Excuse me, My Lord. I beg your pardon..."

His eyes slowly shifted and landed on Valessandria.

Valessandria's eyesight dropped right before they would've met, though she was able to keep her back straight. Her smile twitched in the corners. "My Lord, now that the students have calmed down, I do believe that it would be a good time for us to move to another location."

Han turned his head towards where the students were lined up, "I assume you are asking me to get into the line and sign up for whatever is part of the admission process?"

Seeing all the students lined up, the image was similar to cultural festivals he'd attended when he was young, with all the local residents lined up to purchase small meals or play games. There was also the atmosphere of people lined up to watch an anticipated movie since they were presently indoors. He couldn't help but breathe in, half expecting to smell freshly made popcorn and order concession items.

Valessandria raised her hands quickly, "Of course not, My Lord."

The male guide who had led them to the second floor stood next to Valessandria, shaking his head while his hands waved back and forth.

Closing a hand and placing it in front of her hand, she lightly coughed as she tried to clear her throat and regain some of the dignity she had lost. This time, her eyes met Han, though they flinched for a moment as though Han's vision had pierced into her soul for a moment.

Taking a slow breath and calmly placing both hands to her side, Valessandria said, "My Lord, considering how much you have provided to our Academy, it would be beyond disrespectful to have any expectations for you to wait in such long lines." She tried to smile; whether for herself or Han was unknown. "I have already reserved a testing room for you to use."

Valessandria turned to the guide next to her.

Noticing the Lady Knight's movements, the man moved closer so as not to let others overhear.

Not caring about the two of them having a private meeting, Han took a moment to enjoy the surroundings. When he first entered the area, he felt he didn't take enough time to appreciate the architecture, brushing it aside with the thought that it was smaller than the first level. Though the area wasn't as grand, he noticed that the ceiling would curve upwards in some places, and some form of light would stick to the ceiling as it flowed down. Compared to the first level, the lighting was significantly softer and gave the ceiling and walls the impression of being made out of some silky fabric that would slide effortlessly to the touch.

"Do you understand?" Valessandria asked.

The guide nodded, "I will follow your orders, Lady Knight."

Turning to face Han, the young man gave a slight bow. "My Lord, I hope that your time here is one that meets your expectations. Please feel free to contact me if you have any matters that need to be taken care of." His eyes met Helania, Queen, and Brittany. "My Ladies." He gave another bow.

The guide then moved away from them in the direction of the center of the tower. Though it wasn't known what type of task he'd received from the Lady Knight, Han imagined it was related to his accidental surge of power. He sighed slightly and decided there was no point in worrying about a matter that had already occurred.

"As they say, there's no point in being concerned about milk that has already been spilled," Han muttered under his breath.

He took a hand to run it through his hair, clearing his vision momentarily.

"My Lord, if you will, I would be happy to show you where you will complete the application process." Valessandria smiled, a slight twitch of the corner of her mouth giving away her inner thoughts.

Queen and Helania gracefully made their way toward where Han stood, slightly behind him, as though they were bodyguards, ensuring that no one would approach him without permission. Though the sight was somewhat ridiculous when measuring against usual societal standards, having a man be followed by two women with the expectation that they would be enough to safeguard him, the presence that leaked from their bodies was more than sufficient at keeping others at bay. Even as they had walked towards Han, students quickly moved away as though a tiger was walking through the hallways of a school.

Slight yelps from female students were heard when they experienced the ominous presence brush past their cheeks like the nail of a deathly cold finger sliding across the soft, delicate skin of the young women.

A few female students blushed, quickly making their way down the stairs as though embarrassed about an intrusive thought that invaded their minds without care.

Valessandria walked with her back straight with an air of confidence around her. No longer was the nervousness she had displayed earlier present.

Watching how the Lady Knight moved, cutting through the crowd of students, Han smiled slightly, seeing the woman he had seen before arriving at the Academy. He was glad that she had recovered.

As they continued through the floor, they soon found themselves in a somewhat wide hallway with a ceiling that could only be seen if they tilted their heads back. The students that passed them by had their outfits slightly worn from whatever activity they had participated in, just like the student he had seen with the singed uniform.

Han would periodically look down hallways that led to other parts of the floor used by the students. Some of the hallways had several students making their way in the direction away from where they walked. In contrast, some hallways didn't have any students.

As though noticing the observations Han had made, Valessandria turned right and into one of the nearly vacant hallways save for a few students in front of them.

Their footsteps bounced off the walls covered in some stone that made them appear smoother than marble, with how they reflected the light that showered from above them. Aside from the light from above, there were no other light sources, creating a feeling of a sterile environment that would be seen inside a building responsible for manufacturing sensitive components used in computers.

"...My Lord, on this floor, we have numerous rooms that allow for a multitude of training available to students who desire to test out the concepts learned in their classes or to prepare for a mission gained from the Adventurer's Guild." Valessandria turned her head so that her voice could be heard.

Han didn't miss the slight hesitance.

"For individuals applying to be a part of this Academy, our institution requires us to uphold the standards that we expect for anyone wishing to become part of our organization, which has helped train countless well-respected names throughout the ages." Valessandria took a deep breath as though attempting to organize her thoughts. "I am currently leading My Lord to one of the many exam rooms used to test out the capabilities of those hoping to be accepted into our school."

"I find your words troubling," Queen cut off Valessandria.

A coolness that could only be experienced deep on the ocean floor where the graves of countless ships would be found, where the light failed to pierce through the countless depths permeated around them. The chill billowed out like a viscous fog creeping along the floor, searching for the warmth of the living.

Valessandria turned around as though sensing a ghostly presence was behind her, too scared to confront the deathly entity. Her eyes were slightly wide in alarm as though unaware of what offense she had made. "My Lady?" Valessandria managed not to allow her voice to squeak.

"You have already seen what my Master is capable of," Queen's words were like the snapping of the jaws belonging to a wild animal.

Though Queen didn't bare her teeth or show any visible hostility, Valessandria unconsciously raised a hand to her throat. Her hand trembled as it lowered before she said, "My Lady, I believe there is a misunderstanding."

Queen's eyes continued to bore into Valessandria's, the only movement being the slight tilting of her head and the darkening of her eyes.

"Queen, I sense that the Lady Knight is not saying I do not qualify for being a student at the Academy." Han didn't even turn around. His eyes locked on the Valessandria. "I would surmise that testing my capabilities is merely a formality."

Nodding more than she should've, Valessandria quickly jumped in as she looked gratefully to Han as though he had appeared on a rowboat in the middle of the arctic sea as she struggled not to be pulled into the icy depths of the water to be eternally preserved by the absolute chill. "Y-yes. Yes. That is correct, My Lord. I have seen more than enough to certify that you belong at our Academy." A bead of sweat slowly made its way down the side of her face despite the chill she felt from Queen.

"I do feel like I am apologizing quite often to you," Han chuckled lightly as he raised a hand and rested it on the back of his neck. "Queen did not mean anything. My servants have served loyally with my family, and they tend to take things a bit far. Unfortunately, as you have seen just now and the last time we talked, they can be a bit protective of my honor and my family name. I do hope you would be understanding of them."

In response to his words, the hallway slowly warmed as though the waters were receding, and the sun turned the area into a tropical beach.

Brittany turned to look at Queen, giggling, "You need to be better at controlling your emotions." She cutely stuck out her tongue a little with a smile. Not even bothering to wait to see if Queen would respond, Brittany turned her head and buried it in Han's arm.

Despite Brittany's attempt to rile her up, Queen merely stood with an expressionless face.

Helania's eyes continued looking ahead as though none mattered to her.

"There is no need for you to apologize, My Lord," Valessandria tried to smile, though it was clear that she still felt shaken by Queen's words. Her smile appeared awkward as if she didn't have any experience smiling in the past and was trying to mimic the motion.

"Thank you for your understanding," Han said.

There was a slight pause before Valessandria said, "If you will follow me, I will continue to show you this area."

The Lady Knight made her way forward down the hallway. Her steps were slightly stilted as she led them deeper into the area. Still, how she behaved as though nothing had occurred only demonstrated her professionalism, not allowing her emotions to get in the way of her duty.

Raising a hand, Valessandria directed their attention to a sign with a colored letter and number that stuck out of the wall.

Han looked at the sign and then dropped his gaze, noticing a door and some kind of crystal embedded into the wall. Above the crystal was the same colored letter and number.

"Due to the number of students who are enrolled at the Academy, we have organized these rooms in a manner that is easy to find and assign to students wishing to rent them out." Valessandria reached between the plate of the armor that seemed to hide a pocket, considering it was moments before she pulled out some kind of card.

Raising what was in her hand, Valessandria revealed a card with an intricate logo. Twirling it around so that the front faces them, the image of Valessandria was clearly visible with some writing next to it. Even without needing to have her explain what it was, it was clear that the card was used for identification purposes.

Valessandria moved the item close to the crystal display on the wall without explaining what the card was. There was a brief pause as she held it close to the crystal before it glowed yellow and then green.

A hiss could be heard as the door slowly slid open.

Valessandria turned to look at Han, a hint of smugness could be seen in her eyes and the way her lips slightly raised up on one side. She held up the card again, "These are identification cards, only used in this Academy and the Adventurer's Guild. With these cards, you will be able to access restricted areas depending on your clearance and other criteria. In this case, your card will be linked to a training room to only allow you or your group to enter the room -- allowing you undisturbed time while you test out the concepts taught in your classes."

Brittany yawned while neither Queen nor Helania reacted to the information.

"Wow. That is pretty impressive. How did you create this technology?" Han opened his eyes wide before he asked, attempting to feign his interest.

Valessandria raised an eyebrow as her eyes darted to the three women close to Han. Her eyes then slowly focused on Han. She took several moments, observing him as though trying to see through what was in his head, clearly understanding the reactions of the three servants. But despite how much she searched with her eyes, her facial expression showed she couldn't find what she was looking for.

Letting out a slight sigh, Valessandria said, "The nobility is truly a mysterious group if even the way I opened the door does little to impress you."

Chuckling a little, Han grinned, "It is just unfortunate luck that I have seen such technology before." He didn't bother correcting the woman's assumption.

Taking a deep breath, Valessandria approached the door, "I suspect that you will be showing me things far more surprising than this door."

Brittany giggled into Han's arm. "If only she knew, right, Master?" She moved her head upwards as her wide eyes and large grin made her appear cute and mischievous.

Han patted her head with his free hand.

The two moved towards the door, with Helania and Queen silently following.

Immediately, the area was similar to the size of an indoor stadium, the ceiling tall enough that a person would need to turn their head towards the sky in order to see the top. Unlike the environments witnessed on the monitors where everyone hung around on the second floor, there was nothing besides the strange tiles that lined the walls outside the hallway. What added to the emptiness was how there were only five of them standing by the entrance to a room that appeared to be able to fit hundreds of people.

Walking over to one of the nearby walls, Han slowly raised a hand and cautiously touched one of the tiles. As his fingers slowly felt the material, the first thought that came to mind was magnets being pressed together even though the poles were the same.

"These feel funny," Brittany moved away from him as she touched the walls.

Brittany's face was slightly scrunched, not enjoying the sensation of the tiles.

"Interesting," Helania didn't even attempt to touch the walls, her eyes slowly absorbing what she saw. Her deep purple eyes traced out each tile in such a methodical manner that it wouldn't be surprising if she were able to paint out a near-identical replica. "I can see why that woman would want our Master to come here despite the one glaring problem." A slight pinch of amusement was sprinkled near the end of her words.

This time, Queen was the silent one.

"My Lord, I can already guess that you have been able to deduce what this place was designed for." Valessandria's voice easily traveled in the open space.

Han turned his head to look at the Lady Knight.