Chapter 51: Visiting The Heroine's Home Town
.....
Nathaniel sat in the student council room going through reports as usual. His duties as council president were now less due to Oliver's assistance.
The schools budget had significantly improved. Lunches are more balanced and health wise as well as priced according to market value instead of importantinf fancy confectioneries.
The school is now accepting new and better alternatives such as a powdered beans beverage, rumored to be called instant coffee.
The school has taken a real liking to it as demand for the commodity increased drastically.
To Make matters more interesting, their supplier is none other than Hoshiko trading company.
"My my, my darling shiori, how much more are you going to squeeze out of the school's budget...." Nathaniel smiled to himself.
"Here you go.." Oliver said setting down a freshly brewed cup of black coffee, extra cream with two sugars.
"Thankyou Oliver, this strange beverage really helps in replenishing my energy..."
"Indeed, to think you'd only need to add in hot water to prepare it is remarkable. Lady shiori really thinks of incredible things..." He mused
"Classy yet affordable, even students as low budgeted as lady amber can afford it. The way her products just keep changing the economy is quite terrifying " he trembled with a knowing smile.
"And Despite not being from any known lineage, noble or otherwise. She still was able to accomplish deeds even us royals could only dream of...." He added
Oliver only chuckled, his burgundy earring catching the light.
"That reminds me, when did you start wearing such trinkets, Oliver?. It's not really your usual style "
"Oh...lady shiori gave it to me as a present, in fact she gave one to all her friends. Did you not also receive one?" He queried
The temperature in the room dropped instantly. Nathaniel's eyes darkened with an emotion he could quite name.
"No...I didn't receive one..." He smiled politely yet his aura said a completely different story.
"My, it seems that I've stepped on a rather triggering topic..." Oliver sweatdropped.
I don't understand, I'm not interested in piercing my ears, so why am I so upset?
...
We sat at the Terence for tea time as usual. I was indulging in lovely snack. Mochiko sat on the ground playing with flowers
"Yummy..."
"You really are something else, your product sales of these coffee are through the roof..." He complimented
"Thanks, I wasn't expecting them to be such a hit but that worry was unfounded..." I said pouring more milk into my coffee.
It's more milk than coffee at this point.
Nate thought staring at the cup in front of me.
"By the way shiori, do you have something you wish to give me... ?" He asked with a knowing smile
I froze, stiffly looking away like I'd been caught.
"I don't know what you're talking about..."
"Well I heard from Oliver that you've been handing out custom earrings to everyone else... I'm only curious to why I haven't received anything....yet."
Busted!!!
"their special earrings that are infused with high defense level mana. They block out any form of manipulation magic. Amber's behavior has been on my mind lately, I don't trust her at all, this way I can be rest assured that the others wouldn't be manipulated by her in anyway but figured you wouldn't need it...." I explained
"I do, I need it..." He said firmly
I don't understand. I've never cared for jewelry, much less earrings. Then why does the thought of Shiori giving everyone else a gift except me leave such an unpleasant feeling in my chest?
"Ok, but I got a little... overconfident with the design- hah?!" I was took by surprise as he reached my way and pulled out the locket around my neck.
"Hey! Give it back" I squeaked embarrassed as he opened the locket, reveal a pair of matching earrings, one was yellow with a splash of purple and and the other was white with a splash of bluegreen.
She mixed our hair and eye colors together, honestly, shiori thinks of the most adorable things when it comes to accessories
He grinned while my face was probably hotter than the tea before us.
"Their beautiful..." He mused as he took the white one and put it in on my piercing, before taking the other and putting it on his.
"You think so?. I mean, It looks good on you..." I managed to say as I try to calm my burning cheeks.
"Same, my darling shiori..." He nodded as peck my cheek.
My tail was practically generating wind at how fast my tail was wagging. Nate tried so hard to conceal his smirk
The school bell rang as the wind blew calmly around us
"Look at that, it's time for class. Guess this is where we part for the day...." He got up and started heading for the building
"Wait, your wearing that inside?! Take it off right now! Nate I'm serious, take it off before someone see!" I panicked at the thought of him walking around with that on him.
Nate smiled at her protests, greatly enjoying her flustered expression.
My.... her reactions are so amusing. I wanted to hear the explaination from her first, I'd admit it's way more entertaining that listening from someone else.
He kept on walking with a genuine smile on his face
...
A few days later
"Um, why are you dressed like that?" Eliot asked as he stared at me questionably.
I was wearing a simple cream colored Long sleeved shirt with a long brown skirt and a pair of brow high thigh, low heeled boots
"Well it's our day off today so I figured I'd good see the fields... "
"The fields? What for?" He blinked
"My backup plan. I wanna know more about farming and harvesting just in case. You never know, I might need to be prepared for when the need arises..." I grinned proudly
"Wow, I....i don't even know where to start with that one..." He let out a short humorless laughed
I adjusted my glasses as the carriage rode across the trails.
"The village were heading to is called moonlit village if I'm correct. I've heard they are skilled in crop farming..." I ranted
"I see, as a matter of fact, that's lady Amber's home town if I'm not mistaken..."
"Huh?! For real?!" I stared at him in disbelief.
"Oh well, let's just hope we don't run into her..." I sighed. Mochi patted my shoulder in simpathy.
"Why do you dislike her so much, she seems like a nice girl.." he asked
"Something just feels off about her, it's clear that she dislikes me but acts like some saints, it's creepy....."
"If you say so..."
We arrived at the village marketplace, it was busy with people walking freely amongst the streets.
"Let's go to the Fields!" I squealed as Eliot tried desperately not to lose me in the crowd.
We managed to get to the wide open crop Fields. The farmers there were super nice and welcoming.
They showed us around, I was taking detailed notes on how they did their routines. We gazed at the large carrots and pumpkins and other crops as they allowed our to take a few seedlings to use. It was all so much fun.
...
We finished our excursion and headed to a cafe for lunch.
"Incredible, so many seedlings, I can't wait to plant these in my garden back in ethereal city...."
"I'm glad you had fun...."
I turned to flag down a waitress
"Um excuse me, can you take our order now."
She nodded as she held up her notepad.
"For starters, I'll have a the roasted chicken and asparagus, a set of toasted sandwiches, one strawberry milkshake, doughnuts, a tiramisu, and a vanilla cheese cake for dessert, oh and can I have some cupcakes to go for later...." I smiled
The waitress was dumbfounded by my order as she turned to Eliot.
"I'll have a sandwich, and a glass of orange juice please" he smiled politely.
She nodded and headed for the kitchen. A few minutes later, coming out with trays of our food.
I was already drooling at the feast before me. I waited till everything was served before picking up my fork and digged in.
"Yummy " I smiled
"You know I'm curious, is there a magic that prevents you from gaining weight from all the food you eat?" Eliot deadpanned
"Is there such magic?" I asked honestly
"Nevermind..." He sighed.
He picked up his sandwich and ate as he stared out the window. After a few minutes he froze as someone familiar passed by.
"Hey, isn't that lady amber?" He blinked
"Huh?" I immediately stared out of the window to see amber dressed in casual clothes, browsing the items in a gift stall.
"Why is she here?!"
"This is her home town you know" he rose a brow
"I wish we could listen in on their conversation..." I pouted. that's when an idea struck me.
I tapped on my skill stats and opened the language barrier option.
Technically it's only used to translate but i believe this will work similarly.
Do you wish to access this skill?
{Yes} {No}
I tapped on yes, a ripple waved through the air, we were now the only ones listening to their conversation.
////////////////////
"Satin ribbons are quite rare, miss. Are they a gift?" The seller asked
"Yes, it's for someone dear to me. They usually wouldn't care if I present a gift or not, but I wish to make an amends" amber smiled.
The seller was charmed by her smile and nodded.
"If the receiver is from the magic academy, might I advise a magical gift instead, try the magic market..." The seller advised
"Magic market? I guess that's more of his taste." She smiled and walked off
///////////////////////////////
"What's a magic market?" I asked
"It's a place where you buy magical items, as well as cursed objects. It's a very dangerous place... But why does miss amber wish to go?"
"What? That's practically a grounds for basic kidnapping, and knowing that native bitch has the survival skills of a basket, she might be in trouble!"
"Do you want us to follow her?"
Ppppp
"Nah, it's really none of our business, plus i'm not interested getting involved with her." I flagged down a waiter to pack up our food to go.
We walked out of the cafe and headed in the opposite direction as She walked into one o tof the several magic stores.
We walked past it , my blood went cold. An settling aura lurked around, causing my ears to remain upright. I looked around frantically as Eliot gave me a strange look.
"Is something wrong?" He asked.
"I handed Mochi over to him before sprinting down the road.
I've got a bad feeling
...
Amber gazed at the enchanted jewelry before her.
"Maybe this one?" She thought holding up a silver bracelet, it's center gem, a silvery blue diamond sparkled magnificently
"You've got a keen eye miss" a voice spoke. Amber turned around to see a A tall brown-skinned man dressed in an immaculate black coat stood beside her. His smile was warm, yet something about his golden eyes made Amber uneasy.
"Hello, who are you" she smiled politely
"You May call me Thomas, What's your name beautiful..." He asked with a sly grin
"I'm amber hunt..." She curtsies
"I see, and what do you have there?"
"It's for a friend from the academy," Amber answered shyly.
"An aqua bracelet, how lovely..." He smiled, putting his hand behind his back as dark mana oozed from his palms and sneakily entered the gemstone of the bracelet, causing it to turn dark purple for a moment.
"I'll take my leave now, goodbye Mister" amber walked away ignorant about what was about to unfold.
May the games begin. He laughed before walking away into the alley way.
As a few minutes past, the bracelet glowed brightly, releasing it's dark mana into air.
People watched in confusion as the mana moves in a circular manner, fussing together.
A beggar sat close by, cursing at his predicament, he looked as The mana flowed towards him.
"What in the?" before he could even speak, it immediately fussed with his very soul.
He screamed in pure agony as the mana feed on his flesh and sanity. People watch in horror as knights were rushing to the scene.
The man transformed into a creature of destruction and hunger.
"A phantom!" Someone screamed and the crowd immediately went into panic.
Amber froze in place, fear stopping her legs from moving. She clutched the gift box tighter against her chest as The phantom charged towards her with grim intentions.
"Please don't, I believe your still in there!" She begged, activating her light magic to heal him. The phantom embraced the warmth before immediately shaking it off and charged.
"What, it didn't work?" She was stunned. Light Magic was said to have the ability to heal any injury or sickness.
She closed her eyes, Bracing for her death, but nothing happened. She opened her eyes in surprise to find shiori in front of her, shielding them with an advance mana shield.
....
"Are you alright?" I asked
She nodded. "Something is wrong, I can't heal him..." she frowned
I just stared at her blankly.
"It's not your magic that's the problem. I can't really explain why, but Phantoms aren't a diseases...."
"What?...."
"I told you, you're goody two shoes ideals are baseless in this world without practical planning. Phantoms aren't going to care about your intentions. Worry about staying alive first. You can't save anyone if you throw your own life away....." I turned my face to her while still holding up the barrier, my eyes were sharp and unfazed by her hurt expression.
I turned back to the creature, summoning my scythe as I removed the barrier.
"It's a shame your life has to end this way.." I took in a breath.
"No!" Amber pushed me out of the way, hard. I stumbled backwards before I landed on my ass in surprise
The Phantom lunged the instant I lost my footing, its claws barely missing Amber's face as she stumbled backwards in terror.
"What are you doing?!"
"I won't let you end an innocent life!" She yelled, tears building upon her eyes, refusing to fall
"Are you nuts, if we don't kill this thing, it's going to kill us!"
"Can't we try to save him! Possessed or not, it was a human life. We can't just treat lt like something invaluable..."
{Webber activated}
She was stunned to see her limbs tied together by my webs
"Listen here lady, this isn't some fairytale, once a phantom is formed it's basically a walking corpse. I'm not going to stall and give false hope because of your believes...."
I wrapped my webs around the phantom and sliced it to pieces. Amber stared in horror as the phantom's blood splattered across the floor.
"There you are!" Eliot's voice boomed as he ran my way hold our stuff.
"What happened?" He asked looking at the scene
"Nothing important..." I shrugged
"You killed...him..." Amber said trembling with heartache.
"You killed him like he was some nobody! He had a family! Friends! You monster, i'll never forgive you, Shiori Koromi Hoshiko !" She screamed like she pledged a vow.
I remain unfazed as I released her.
Eliot, there was dark energy here right before the phantom appeared, we best investigate.
Understood.
We walked away as amber knelt down praying for the corpse.