None of this was planned. Claire was also gone... So much so Rain had to use teleport on herself only and then return with her. Awkward.
"Try and survive." I say, tapping Kazuma's shoulder.
"You dragged me into this!"
"Shh." I quickly shushed him and smiled as the mage spoke, a bit awkwardly though.
"W-we welcome you... And we sincerely hope that you make yourself at home here." She said.
The guards and servants of this establishment stood a bit further back the princess and her two guards.
"Thank you."
And so we went inside, through large gates, vast and empty gardens and through long winding halls.
The first stop was where I was meant to reside in... far too big for my taste and so empty... There's just some depressing large bed in the middle of the room, not even up to the wall. And let's not talk about the stupid baby angel statue. I don't dare to complain, because they did say make yourself feel at home, I can make whatever I want here then.
The mage led Kazuma out, leaving me and Iris alone. "So, what else do you want to learn? Cuz you definitely didn't kidnap me just for my presence." I sat down on the bed. It was very soft... "Damn." I pushed a hand down on it, testing. "You have to connect me with your bed makers. This could make a grown man forget his troubles."
Iris gave a small laugh. "You really are strange, Svetislav."
"Anyways, what's your question." I look at her.
"Did you... have any plans for the desert?" She asked, straightening her back and folding her hands in front of her, just how she has probably practiced a thousand times.
I leaned my head on my fist. "Actually, yeah. On my way to - or from - Arcanletia - already forgot... I spotted this bump of a mountain. Gave me an idea: an oasis fortress. Imagine a heavenly garden in the middle of the sands."
Her eyes widened, and I could see that the gears in her head were turning. "That... sounds like something out of a storybook."
"Storybooks are just blueprints for those stupid enough to try them." I say with a shrug. "And I'm that stupid."
We sat in silence for just a bit.
She shifted, hesitant. "...Earlier you spoke of this Бай Ганьо... You said he was like a chameleon, pretending in order to benefit himself. By being friendly to me, aren't you-"
I cut her off gently. "If you lost your position tomorrow, I wouldn't treat you as any less of a person. Sure, there's a benefit to this friendship. I'd be lying if I said otherwise. But if you were just Iris, a girl in the crowd? I'd still be your friend."
Her cheeks colored faintly, her gaze flicking down. That hit home. Respect and something softer mingled in her expression.
l decided to switch the subject. Since there was no agreed upon time, I am preparing for the worse. Or in other words - want music in case stuff become boring.
"Let's switch gears. Wanna learn how to record and play sound?"
"Yes!" She instantly replied.
"I call it a gramophone, it's a needle that traces a pattern on a stone disk. Are you wondering how it gets those grooves in the first place? Well, you engrave it with a needle, while also making a loud sound. The vibration causes the needle to move, in term, locking the vibration as a memory." I start explaining.
Her lips parted slightly, fascinated. "So… it remembers voices? Songs? Like magic, but… not magic."
"Exactly. Pure mechanics. A way of bottling sound in stone. Better than me trying to keep every tune locked up here." I tapped my temple.
Before she could respond, thee door creaked open and Kazuma walked in. His eyes landed on us - me gesturing animatedly with my hands, Iris sitting on my bed, captivated by every word.
"...The hell did I walk into?" He muttered suspiciously.
I looked over casually. "A lecture. Come in, and learn how to store sound."
Kazuma raised a brow. "You're teaching royalty about record players now? What's next, toasters?"
Iris laughed softly behind her hand.
And so he joined in, we began to tell her stories, well mostly him, very dramatic, I even heard of stuff that I wasn't present in. Claire came and told the princess that we are officially honored guests.
Sadly there was an issue, the Devil King's forces were attacking the capital. And there was also a lot of noise. For some reason, during what seemed like a departure, Kazuma caught onto how Iris stated about the moments they spend together. She compared us like her big brother.
For some reason Kazuma was very desperate to get her to call him... big brother. At which point I just told them that I was tired and that I'd like to rest, in peace.
---
In the end I was left alone in my room, lights off. I laid in the bed, in this very large room and simply tried to rest. I couldn't resist the urge to make a pillow nest. After this I laid down and closed my eyes. But then I felt it - a shift of atmosphere.
A presence brushed against me, warm and familiar. My heart leapt before my eyes opened.
"My love..." Her voice was gentle, yet worried.
I sat up, and there she was. Eris, her gentle form shimmering faintly in the moonlight, here face tender and worried.
"Good evening, my dearest," I said softly, my voice dropping without me meaning to.
"You worried me," she said, her brows furrowing, a crease in her normally serene expression. "Please... don't you risk your life like this. What if Iris didn't pardon you? You would have been branded a traitor... hunted until dead."
Her words pierced me, but not with shame - with care. She really had feared for me.
I sat on my knees, moving in front of her. Reaching out, I brushed her cheek with my thumb. "But she did pardon me. And I'm still here, still breathing, still with you. That has to count for something."
Her eyes softened, but she wasn't convinced. "You throw yourself into danger too easily. Do you even think of what it would do to me if..." She stopped, the words too painful to finish.
"If I died, and there was no one to revive me? My dear, if I were gone, you'd probably scold me in heaven until the gods themselves told you to pipe down."
She tried to glare, but her lips trembled into a small laugh. "Don't joke about it."
"I'm not," I said, more serious now. "You give me strength, Eris. That's why I take these risks. Every mad idea I chase, every leap into the unknown - I'm doing it because I want to make something better, something worth protecting. And knowing you're here, worrying over me, makes me feel like it's not just about me anymore."
Her hand tightened around mine. For a moment, she said nothing, only searching my face like she could read every word I wasn't saying.
Then I tugged gently on her hand, pulling her closer to the nest. "Come on. Enough worrying. Rest with me."
Her hesitation cracked, and with a small smile, she let me guide her down, her shoes clacking to the ground. She nestled into the pillows, her head against my chest, her hair brushing my chin. My arm curled protectively around her.
Her body relaxed against mine, peace filling my being, and in term, hers.
---
The next morning came, so did breakfast, I sat at the dinning room, after all, I have more class then to eat normal food in my bed. Iris and Kazuma also came, though quite late. Claire was also there.
I stabbed a piece of bread and dipped it in my soup, before eating it. After swallowing, "I will be making the gramophone today."
Kazuma glanced at me like I'd said I was building a spaceship. "...Of course you are. Because nothing screams 'noble responsibility' like inventing the world's first record player."
"Hey, someone has to give this kingdom proper music. You'll thank me when you're dancing to Mozart instead of humming tavern tunes."
Iris, who was sitting near, tilted her head. "Mozart?"
"Composer from my homeland," I said, waving my hand. "But don't worry, you'll meet him in sound."
Her eyes sparkled faintly with curiosity, but then she jumped, as if realizing something. She then leaned towards Claire, whispering something. The knight's face drained of color.
"B-but Princess Iris-" Claire stammered in a low voice.
Another whisper, firmer this time. Claire hesitated, then sighed and stood, striding out of the hall.
I raised an eyebrow, tearing into my bread. "That looked like trouble."
"Nothing of the sort," Iris replied smoothly, though the faint smile tugging her lips said otherwise.
Moments later, Claire returned carrying a rolled parchment. She set it before with all the reluctance of a soldier surrendering a sword.
The princess cleared her throat, sitting straighter. "After careful consideration... I have decided to grant you the land you asked for. Thee badlands along the highway to the water city. In recognition of your vision and service, I hereby name you Lord Svetislav."
The hall went silent, the weight of her words sinking in. Kazuma nearly chocked. "Wait - you're just making him a noble?! Just like that?!"
"Not just like that," Iris said calmly. "His actions, his ideas, his loyalty - they've earned it. Besides," her eyed flicked toward me, "No one else wanted the land. I would rather see it put to use than left to waste."
I leaned back, letting a small grin play across my lips. "Seems like I have a job to do then. Heaven on earth and all."
Iris' cheeks warmed just faintly at the words, but she quickly masked it with a regal nod. "Then may your heaven rise."
Claire was strongly against it.
---
After breakfast, the mage girl, who I realized was named Rain, came to take Iris to teach her.
Me and Kazuma moved to the middle garden. The fountain in the middle splashed quietly. Kazuma leaned back against the stone edge, arms crossed, eyeing me as I sat at the table and tinkered with the gramophone's spring mechanism.
"So," he started casually, though his tone was sharp under the surface, "why nobility all of a sudden? That's not your thing. Yesterday you were talking philosophy and individuality, and today you're bowing to titles?"
I didn't look up, just tightened the spring. "Because I have visions. Nobility? Eh, I don't need the title. What I wanted was the land. I asked for permission, not for a crown."
His brow twitched. "Still sounds convenient. You- land, a title - while the rest of us are scraping by."
I set the tool down and looked at him directly, eyes narrowing slightly. "Convenience? No. Efficiency. I use what's given and I make it more. Isn't that what you should be doing too?"
He smirked, but there was no warmth in it. "Not everyone gets princesses handing them deserts."
"And not everyone know what to do with deserts," I shot back slightly. I could tell... he envied me. I respected him less for it.
From my astral storage, I pulled a section of a full stone brick, shaping it into... Never mind. I give a sigh, creating a disk which is perfectly circular, the stone compact and smooth.
I made an engraving machine and used it, knocking myself out to seek the full song deep inside my memory, for I believed that all memories are remembered but with some buried deep.
Finally I found it and now I just needed to vibrate the needle, which began engraving the song in the disk. After that... It was done. I placed the disk after lifting the reader needle, and cranked the spring mechanism, which then began to slowly release the tension as I placed the needle back on the disk... It... worked. Yippee!
Iris arrived just as the rhytch hit, her eyes widening. "Is that... Mozart?"
I chuckled. "Nah. Another thing. From home... Deep inside my identity."
She listened spellbound by the unfamiliar yet enchanting beat, while Kazuma folded his arms muttering.