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 embarra.s.sed.
"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 s.h.i.+p 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 Arvil 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 sh.o.r.e in the distance, bathed in sunlight and br.i.m.m.i.n.g 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 n.o.ble scions from va.s.sal 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 amus.e.m.e.nt.
‘Wait, it can’t be... is this the legendary arrogant young master encounter? It is, isn’t it? G.o.ds, the legends are true!’
He reminded himself to remain calm.
’Keep your cool. Be polite. Don’t start trouble.’
Sunny smiled politely,
"I am 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…”