Volume 3 Chapter 65: Tesea

“Sierra? Who’s that?”

The girl in front of me tilted her head in curiosity. I, momentarily stunned, quickly shook off the daze and composed myself.

Of course, Sierra couldn’t possibly be here. Looking at her more closely now, while the resemblance was uncanny—no, not just uncanny, but beyond mere coincidence—there were still notable differences. First, her hair was short. Sierra wore hers long, cascading down to her back, but this girl’s hair only reached her shoulders. Secondly, there was a beauty mark under her left eye, something Sierra didn’t have. Upon closer inspection, I could spot other tiny, almost imperceptible differences in their features.

And the most obvious distinction, the one even a casual glance couldn’t miss—her chest. Their heights and overall builds were nearly identical, but that particular area was undeniably different.

This wasn’t Sierra. There was no mistaking it.

And yet, the resemblance was so striking that—

“I’m Tesea. Tesea… Sugehargen.”

“Sugehargen…?”

The girl, who had previously been clad in white robes, introduced herself hesitantly. Tesea Sugehargen.

Sugehargen… wasn’t that Aizon’s family name?

“…Yeah, I’m his daughter. Sort of.”

Tesea spoke with thinly veiled contempt, her expression twisting into one of pure disgust. I was shocked to hear she was Aizon’s daughter, but what disturbed me even more was how much she looked like Sierra. It wasn’t her fault, but… it just didn’t sit well with me. It raised all kinds of questions.

“I’m—”

“Noil Arlens, right?”

“Huh?”

Before I could introduce myself, Tesea smiled mischievously and said my name. How did she know who I was? I had no memory of ever meeting her. The only possibility that came to mind was—

“Are you friends with a spirit?”

“No. What kind of question is that?”

So, it wasn’t a case of me being stalked by a spirit. Then how? I had no idea. While I stood there, puzzling it out, Tesea sighed and handed me the white cloth she had been wearing.

“For now, just wear this while you’re with me. Have you forgotten what you’re wearing right now?”

“Oh, uh, right.”

She was right. I had been walking around without even trying to hide Noil Jr. It felt pointless after so many people had already seen everything, but leaving him free like this in front of a lady was definitely not okay. Not that Tesea seemed particularly bothered, but still.

Since we were likely about to have a serious conversation, I figured being naked wasn’t the best choice. Setting aside my questions for now, I took the cloth she offered and draped it over myself. It didn’t fit well, but it was better than being stark naked. Well, maybe. A man wearing an ill-fitting white cloth that barely reached his shins wasn’t exactly fashionable. If anything, it probably made me look even more suspicious—more like some kind of eccentric.

Was there seriously no better clothing in this city? Tesea herself was dressed in something similar—a white cloth wrapped around her body—and she wasn’t even wearing shoes. Was white cloth the only attire available here? As someone who had gotten used to being naked, I suddenly longed for the proper clothes I’d left behind.

“Pfft… Well, I guess it’s better than being naked. Pfft.”

See? Even Tesea, the one who gave me the cloth, was laughing. Anyway, that wasn’t the main issue here.

I turned to the girl, who was struggling to stifle her laughter with her hands, and asked, “How did you know about me?”

“Pfft… Oh, stop with the formal tone! Pfft… I can’t…! Pfft… Sorry, sorry. It’s just… Pfft… too funny!”

Stop laughing! It’s not like I wanted to play the role of some naked god.

“Um…”

“Ah, sorry, sorry… Pfft,” she said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes before turning to face me properly. Though she still seemed amused.

“I didn’t know about you specifically. But… Analyze Insight.“

At that moment, a pair of black-rimmed glasses materialized on her face. Adjusting them with both hands, she leaned in close and examined me intently.

“Let’s see… Noil Arlens. Member of the Humankind race, age twenty. Height: 177 centimeters. Weight: just over 63 kilograms. Likes: fishing. Family: father and… a younger sister? Hmm… unclear. No blood relation, it seems? Graduate of the Nail Magic Academy. Current occupation: jack-of-all-trades? Hmm… Your Magis Gear is White Road… Wow, what incredible specs. Huh? There’s something else, but I can’t see it. Why is that? Hmm… Mana reserves are average, but your capacity is fragmented, so the maximum value is unknown? What does that mean? Hmm… Too many unknowns. Rank unmeasurable. Current title: ‘Demon Lord’s Companion’? What’s that? I don’t really get it, but you seem reliable enough. Hostility level: none. Phew.”

Tesea exhaled, and the glasses disappeared. She smiled brightly at me.

“That’s how.”

I clapped my hands together.

“Ah, I see… A Magis Gear.”

“That’s right. My Analyze allows me to read the information of anything I observe. The closer I get, the more details I can uncover… but there’s a lot about you that I just can’t figure out. Well, it’s not like I can see everything anyway,” Tesea said nonchalantly.

“So, you used that Magis Gear to observe me from the beginning?” I asked.

“Secretly, yes.”

She pressed a finger to her lips with a sly smile, winking before turning to walk deeper into the room.

I followed Tesea. The area beyond the entrance of the Grand Sacred Orb was a small chamber, and beyond that, there was another door identical to the first. While manipulating the spherical control panel next to the door, Tesea continued talking.

“It was obvious to me from the start that you—Noil—aren’t a god. Actually, I don’t believe in gods at all.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be a Child of God?”

“Yeah, but I hate this place. Sacred Heavens, Lumelherc? Give me a break.”

With a scoff, Tesea’s voice dripped with disdain as she struck the control sphere with a little more force than necessary, causing the door to silently slide open. She turned back to me, clasping her hands behind her back.

“That’s why I’m thinking of hiring you, Noil. Get me out of here—jack-of-all-trades?”

“Take it up with the Manager,” I replied, brushing off her sweet, playful smile with a wry one of my own.

◇

“Let’s start the meeting.”

In the shop of White Road, the peculiar painting by Milis Albama had been taken down and replaced with a whiteboard. Standing before it, Elshan Farseed spoke in a frosty tone.

Present in the shop were all the members of White Road and Spirit Wind except for Milis. Each person was scattered about, listening intently to Elshan. The tension in the air was palpable; no one dared utter unnecessary words.

Usually, Fiona Maybell might have challenged Elshan’s leadership, but the circumstances today allowed no such luxury. Sitting on a sofa, Fiona pressed her hand to her Lover’s Bond (Ai Lover) and closed her eyes, her expression deadly serious.

Elshan addressed her calmly, though anger boiled beneath the surface. Fiona likely felt the same way. For now, they needed to remain level-headed and analyze the situation—because whoever had abducted Noil Arlens wasn’t an opponent they could crush with brute force alone.

“Fiona, do you know where he is?”

“…No, I don’t,” Fiona replied through clenched teeth, frustration evident in her voice.

“I heard there was no response from the Resting Place (Repose Realm) even when Noil was inside it,” Elshan continued.

“At that time, though, Noil was visible in Milis’ Desire Mirror. But now… I can’t see him clearly,” Fiona’s companion, Noel Sialsa, interjected. She peered into the Desire Mirror, her brows furrowed in concentration. The image reflected within was blurred and distorted, filled with static. While Noil’s outline could be made out, no discernible details were visible.

“In that case, it seems Noil is trapped within a Divine Relic even more powerful than the Resting Place,” Elshan said, drawing three circles on the whiteboard and writing within them as he explained.

“There’s a possibility that an unidentified Divine Relic was used. However, it’s more likely he was taken to one of the Three Perilous Cities—places considered Divine Relics themselves: the Floating City Pharmament, the Hidden City Hiding, or the Undersea City Deepsea. These cities are exceptional even among the Divine Relics. Their interiors cannot be easily observed, even with other Relics. It’s no surprise Fiona’s Magis Gear and the Desire Mirror are being blocked.”

Elshan paused, tapping one of the circles with his pen.

“Milis and I believe the culprit is in the Floating City. While the Hidden City is a haven for rogues, many consider them noble thieves, and they always leave evidence of their activities. The Undersea City operates solely underwater. As for the Desire Mirror, it vaguely shows Noil in a white environment—consistent with the white cityscape of the Floating City. Additionally, they possess the means to summon objects from afar. Not even the Kingdom of Elist or any other nation has been able to counter them. The ability to abduct Noil so swiftly, even before Milis could intervene, points directly to the Floating City. There’s no doubt about it.”

“Makes sense. What about information from the spirits?” Mina Carat, leaning against the counter with her arms crossed, asked as Elshan erased the other two circles.

“Nothing yet.”

“Allies?”

“The Moonlit Grace is currently tackling an excavation site, the Twin Dragons are as elusive as ever, and the Azure Dolls have their leader absent,” Kreis Tialre answered on Elshan’s behalf, shrugging. His usual carefree demeanor remained, but his sharp eyes betrayed his seriousness.

Mina clicked her tongue. “Tch… half-baked forces are useless anyway.”

“This is a monumental task the world has yet to accomplish. Ideally, we’d collaborate with the kingdom, but there’s no time. Even so, I’m going to bring down the Floating City—for Noil,” Elshan declared, closing his eyes for a brief moment. When he opened them again, his gaze was resolute as it swept across the room.

“Let me be clear: our enemy is a Divine Relic. In other words, we’re challenging something akin to a god. Not just any god, but one of extraordinary power. I don’t know if we can win. Even Milis, who usually acts on impulse, has chosen not to make a rash move against them. There are no guarantees for your lives.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

The sharp voice came from Sierra Arlens, who had been sitting silently opposite Fiona. She slowly stood and stared directly at Elshan, her voice strong and unwavering—a stark contrast to her usual demeanor.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Agreed. While I still have my thoughts about Sierra-san, I’m with her on this one,” Fiona said, nodding with her eyes closed.

“Yeah, it doesn’t matter. Who cares what the enemy is or what happens to us?” Noel added, still staring into the Desire Mirror.

“Indeed… this is a perfect chance to repay even a fraction of the debt I owe to Lord Noil,” Sophie Charmil, standing beside Elshan, placed a hand over her heart and gazed at him firmly.

“And it’s not just Sophie-chan who feels that way!” Kreis chimed in, flashing a grin as he spun around dramatically.

“Right. Everyone in Spirit Wind owes him. There’s no way we’re sitting this one out,” Mina said with an uncharacteristic smirk of agreement.

“Doesn’t matter if I owe him or not,” Letto Clyster said, pushing off the wall he had been leaning against. He slammed a fist into his palm, grinning. “You don’t need a reason to fight for a friend—or someone who’s important to you!”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Even Mina, though she seemed briefly flustered afterward. There wasn’t a single voice of dissent in the room. Both White Road and Spirit Wind were ready to take on the Floating City for Noil’s sake.

Despite her lingering frustration about how much her husband was adored, Elshan couldn’t help but smile faintly.

“Thanks… I had to confirm, just in case.”

Just as Sophie mentioned the lack of the Floating City’s current location, the door to White Road swung open. Entering was none other than the shop’s owner—Milis Albama.

Her expression was calm, yet the atmosphere she carried was as sharp as an unsheathed blade. Elshan felt an unconscious shiver run down his spine. The sheer presence she exuded overwhelmed the room.

Milis Albama was undoubtedly their trump card.

“What’s the situation?” 

“I know where it is. Prepare quickly.”

“You heard her. Noil’s location has been confirmed. Let’s move. Prepare yourselves on the way,” Elshan directed, setting the group into motion.

Elshan had a sinking feeling about the means Milis had used to pinpoint the Floating City. Rumors pointed to a Divine Relic housed within the royal castle of the Kingdom of Elist. The fact that Milis could negotiate for its use—likely with King Raygas Lewall Elist himself—only raised more questions about who she really was.

Milis… just who are you?

Elshan quietly swallowed hard as he continued his preparations.