Chapter 887: Heading To The Capital
'It's finally time...'
As Rey walked right behind the White Dragon Lord-heading towards the portal that would transport them to the Capital, he felt a small smile tug at his lips.
Lucielle and Adonis were right beside him as well, and while they maintained silence, they both seemed equally pleased with themselves. Rey knew why Lucielle was glad, since their plan hinged on going to the Capital.
But... he didn't know why Adonis was so pleased.
'He intentionally made sure not to stand out among the three of us. Was his plan to be a spectator all along?' Rey couldn't help but wonder.
Why would Adonis want to be a mere spectator in the Exhibition?
He didn't know... and the Hero wasn't the slightest bit interested in revealing his plans.
'I have tried, but... haaa...' Rey shrugged it off and decided to focus on what was important at the moment.
"The Exhibition, huh?'
The Exhibition had two segments-fights between Lords, and fights between Squads. 'Lucielle and I will be joining the White Dragon Lord's Squad and face off against the other six. After that event is concluded, the Lord vs Lord battle will begin, which is pretty much the highlight of the event.' His thoughts flowed as he looked at the White Dragon Lord. 'Her stats appear decently high, but if she's considered weak, I can only wonder how strong the other Lords will be...'
It wasn't like any of those concerned him, though.
'I'll be too busy with the Chamber of Ancients while the Lords are fighting, which is where I'll be able to send Alicia home.'
Of course, he wasn't going to miss out on seeing the sweet, sweet Skills of the Lords, so he would simply use some recording Magic and watch their match live, so he wouldn't miss out on anything while sneaking out.
'I would have loved to calmly observe how they fight as well, but time is of the essence when it comes to this plan.' He sighed. 'Adrien will rendezvous with us there, and we'll finally reach the end of our agreement.'
Needless to say, this was a very important day.
'I still haven't told Lucielle what we'll be doing when we get to the Chamber of Ancients-at least, not in full detail. I... still haven't told Alicia my final goodbye, and... I still don't know if I'm prepared to do that.'
However, there was one major thought that burned in Rey's mind more than the others.
'I still haven't heard from Ater!'
It had been months since his last communication with Ater, and every attempt he tried to reach the Familiar had proved useless. He tried tracking him, but his location showed as nonexistent. Then, he attempted to find out what could have happened to him by returning to the Southern Continent at some point, but he only found Belle and Justin there.
None of them knew where Ater went.
'I might have dismissed it as him being up to some Ater business, or maybe still held some trust for him... but...' Rey's face broke into a deep frown. '... Esme is missing too.'
He tried tracking Esme, but his senses experienced the same thing that happened when he attempted searching for Ater.
-Nothing.
'Wherever Ater went... he took Esme with him.' Rey grit his teeth, feeling rage rising from within his depths.
However, as soon as it appeared... it vanished.
The erosion of his emotions had been happening at a much faster rate than ever before, making it extremely intolerable. However, any fury he would direct at the System would only cause his emotions to wash away that much quicker.
In essence, he was forced to remain calm at all times.
'Has he finally begun to show his true colors? Was The Oracle right about him all along?' Rey couldn't help but ponder. 'Maybe he had a reason for his actions... but why wouldn't he tell me?'
If Ater had only been missing for a day or two, Rey would have understood.
'But it's been months!'
Ater was supposed to handle a few things for Rey during that period, but all of that wasn't possible any longer. As a result of this, he would have to manage with what he had and alter the original plans slightly.
'Let's remain calm, Rey.' He inhaled slowly, keeping his gaze focused as he watched the White Dragon Lord open the doors that led to the Teleportation Chamber. 'Nothing good will come out of dwelling on those thoughts.'
His first priority was making sure the reverse summoning worked and Alicia returned home alongside Adrien.
After that, he would have all the time in the world to search for Ater and Esme-probably having to destroy the former, depending on the circumstances.
"Are you ready?" The White Dragon Lord asked, waking Rey up from his swirling thoughts.
His eyes took in Lord Frey'ja's calm smile and her dazzling appearance. As usual, she wore a pure white dress—almost like she was a bride in an extravagant party. Her accessories only complemented her stunning appearance, giving her even more prestige.
The small blank room that all four of them-Rey, Lucielle, Adonis, and Frey'ja—had entered had a large Magic Circle that practically covered the entire ground. It was no doubt the Teleportation Circle, and once the coordinates had been set, it would instantly transport the designated targets with no margin of error.
Rey had seen this work a few times since he began training under the White Dragon Lord as a disciple. It was really fascinating technology-particularly because it didn't require energy from the targets of teleportation.
It used Mana Crystals as batteries, and the flow of Magic was smooth.
As usual, Rey made sure to turn the process into a Skill.
"Yes, Master..." All three of them spoke in unison. "We're ready."
Rey didn't consider Lord Frey'ja to be his Master in any way, especially since he was stronger than she was. Adonis most likely felt the same way-all things considered.
However, Lucielle seemed genuine about referring to Frey'ja in such a way. Out of the three of them, she was the one who learned the most from the experience... making her a disciple in the true sense of the word.
'Thankfully, she still holds resentment towards the Dragon, so she won't hesitate to do the needful.' Rey smiled to himself.
"Alright then." She nodded slowly. "Let us depart."
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading!
Do you think Rey will forgive Ater? I wonder how their relationship will turn out after this...