Our car proceeded along Dreichel's Plaza, ignoring all the onlookers who were watching on with interest in their eyes. They were wondering where the Imperial Family was heading off to, but from our side, we couldn't care less. Claire ignored everything, and kept her hands steady on the steering wheel. It did not take long for us to pass the trolley connector before heading into our next district, Vainqueur Street. In regards to Vainqueur Street, this place acted very similarly to Crossbell City, just not as grand. It houses several different kinds of traditions and cultures. It also housed the Imperial Chronicle, akin to that of the Liberl News Service and the Crossbell News Service!
The white orbal car entered the main street, merging with the ongoing traffic. While the RMP no longer appeared beside us, the other drivers made sure to keep their pace separate from ours. There were traffic rules set in place, and as one could imagine, they were very similar to the rules of the road of my past life. The one difference is the absence of street lights. The roads here were closer to highways. Very wide, four-way roads where one could enjoy the freedom of driving without interference.
And well, as for me I simply enjoyed the moment. Aurelia positioned my head to where I can be both comfortable, and have a good view out the window, allowing me to see what's going on outside. There was the Plaza Bifrost, a popular marketplace where it brings in goods all across the continent. There is Le Sage Boutique, offering a more choice selection of garments. Near that was the Lumiere Orbal Factory, allowing one to tinker orbal machinery to their heart's desire, including one's Combat Orbments, and lastly, the local weapon and armor shop. We sped along, and soon arrived in another district.
The time was nearing 10AM. We arrived at the Leica District, home to the Imperial Museum. It houses many objects found throughout Zemurian civilization, making it one of the oldest buildings in all of Heimdallr. It even houses one of the ancient bells Crossbell State is known for, to which Ouroboros will eventually use it to enact the rise of the Gral, and trigger the Great Twilight. On top of that, the Imperial Museum will soon hold miniature versions of airships, such as the Courageous!
As we arrived, the white orbal car definitely seemed to have brought some attention from people moving out and about in the streets nearby. All the way on the other end of this street is where the Imperial Museum is held, acting as a dead end. Rean and Class VII would frequent this place, as its basement is connected to a Spirit Vein whose frequency was high and abnormal. Many Ghost-Type and Demon-Type Monsters lurk within its depths. And who knows, it might be a good area to train in. I just don't know if those of the Vander Dojo know of what happened beneath the Imperial Museum.
Sadly, the Imperial Museum wasn't our destination today. Our white orbal car drove along the main street, only to make it about halfway down. While this was the westmost district, it did allow one to traverse outside, if one was skillful enough to maneuver around. It overlooked the other district that actually connected to the west exit of the capital, which eventually leads all the way to the City of Water, Ordis. As this happened, I let Aurelia and Princess Alfin chat away with one another. Instead, my eyes remained on Claire.
I soon saw Claire turn her head toward the building nearby. She stayed silent for a good moment as we drove past it. Time seemed to have slowed down. During this, a man wearing a long and stylish buttoned green and gray coat came out. He was wearing a military cap on his head. The man seemed rather young, perhaps a couple years younger than Claire. He bore a striking resemblance to her. At the same time, the man raised an eyebrow, seeing the white orbal car speed along the building the man was currently walking out of.
"Her Imperial Highness's private car...What in Aidios's name?", The man couldn't help but ask, becoming surprised to see us. It was then the man saw a person he knew all too well throughout his line of sight. He looked at who the person was in the driver's seat. "Claire...", The man murmured, shocked to see a familiar face.
Seeing the man disturbed by his usual stern and strict demeanor, a butler, who approached beside the man, stood beside him with a hint of worry in his eyes.
"Is everything alright, Young Master?", The butler asked. Additionally, this very same butler happened to be in charge of the building these two were standing in front of. On it had a large placard with text visible from afar. Now that I think about it, Leica District did have this building, didn't it?
It read "Rieveldt Co.".
That's right, it is the very same name as Claire's last name! If you put two and two together, once upon a time, this place used to be Claire Rieveldt's home. It was only due to a freak car accident that she had lost sight of what used to be hers. Father offered Claire a new lease on life, only to awaken another form of Enhanced Cognition, similar to what Renne possessed. Instead of having the brain power to perform acts akin to that of a supercomputer, Claire can easily read the threads of fate, quickly painting the bigger picture. It doesn't take long for her to understand what is going on when it may be extremely confusing to others. It was then she became an Ironblood.
Rufus Albarea was the first, albeit in secrecy. Then came along Lechter after his family received capital punishment for instigating the Hamel Incident. Then Claire came along. The Ironbloods will soon be complete once Millium and Altina Orion, or the White Rabbit and the Black Rabbit respectively, awaken inside the Black Workshop. I could be wrong, but now that it is S1200, Millium should wake up in the next year or so. And knowing that Father is heading to the Black Workshop to investigate AI KeA, I wonder if he will wake Millium up sooner than later? At the time, I didn't know how true this was...
As for who this man was, I recognized him well. He first gets introduced in Cold Steel III and becomes one of the Instructors alongside Rean Schwarzer. He is Michael Irving, a very stern man who follows his own set of rules. He works with the RMP later on. And it did not take long for Father to connect Michael to Claire, even if the two share different last names. They're cousins at best. And if I recall correctly, the car accident Claire went through wasn't a mere accident. It was all a ploy from Michael's parents, who wanted the Rieveldt Company for themselves. Or at least, that is how I think it went anyway. I would need to use Vermillion Eyes to go into the past and see the scene play out to confirm.
But to my surprise, it looks like Michael is already in the RMP, seeing his uniform. Unlike Claire, Michael is on holiday with the rest. But even with that, he spent most of his time here at the Rieveldt Company from the looks of it. Seeing the butler looking on with worry in his eyes, Michael calmly shook his head.
"It is nothing. I wanted to step out to get some fresh air anyway, if you'll excuse me.", Michael simply responded, and bid the butler farewell. Seeing Michael do this, the butler's worry only grew. He too spotted the icy-haired maiden in the white orbal car as it sped along slowly.
"Young Master...", The butler murmured, seeing Michael's departing figure, vanishing into the traffic of people. He already left Claire and the rest of us behind. It wasn't hard to see something was going on. I just didn't think I would get to see Michael this early on. Go figure.
'Claire...', I thought as my eyes remained on Claire. 'I wonder if her mind is still in turmoil since that car accident? Does she still hold Michael in contempt?', I continued to think. 'Quite the tragedy...'
Still, I ignored the onlookers. I knew Claire could keep her current demeanor up, so I didn't feel too worried about what just happened. Claire stayed focused, and continued driving. We were nearing our destination anyways, which was about halfway down Leica District. To my surprise again, however, as we approached a different house nearby, I saw a certain family of sorts. I saw a girl whose hair was bright red and had lavender eyes, looking at our approaching car with big interest in her eyes.
If I recall correctly, this girl would eventually join the Imperial Air Force, a fellow student of Thors Military Academy. She was a pretty minor character, so I forget who her name was. My interest wasn't in her. No, my interest was drawn toward a rather well-known cafe across from this house.
I'll just pretend I didn't see them. And yet, that didn't seem to help. My gaze was quickly noticed. It was four girls, and they looked right into Claire's driver window.
It was Renne no less. It was for a brief moment, but she revealed a playful smirk the moment her eyes landed with mine. She seemed to have looked right at me, even though we had tinted windows. Aurelia was quick to notice this.
"Is that someone you know, Naoto? I saw her strolling around Valflame Palace earlier with that group of friends of Her Imperial Highness. She was also beside you all at the dance last night too.", Aurelia mused. Hearing this made me look up at her. It wasn't just Renne either. Next to Renne was Emma, Fie and Musse. I also happened to spot a black cat and a silver-white fox happily gnawing away at their plates.
And they were resting so soundly a couple hours ago, haha! It looks like our Familiars met up with Emma, so Musse's safety is even more secure now. I can leave everything in their care.
I say that, but perhaps looking upward wasn't the best idea...
Aurelia's chest was now right up in my face, so let's just ignore that. Instead, I looked beyond that, and answered Aurelia.
"She is. I will introduce you two to her sometime. She is attending St. Astraia now alongside Sherryl. More than likely you all will be seeing more of her in the future.", I said, nodding my head. And speaking of Sherryl, she also came along with us. She is calmly sitting to the right of Princess Alfin.
"I see. If it is someone you are acquainted with, they shouldn't be nobody. I saw that girl mostly keep to herself during the ball, but if it is as you say, there will be more chances for us to meet one another.", Aurelia said, agreeing with me. "And I must say, I do believe we have arrived at our destination. While this time spent was short, this was still a new experience for me."
I saw Aurelia smile back at me. A smile that could defeat someone. A dangerous one. I say that, but she is right. This was an enjoyable experience. I was enjoying the eye-candy. I know I won't do anything more intense until the next four to five years, but this is a good way to pass the time, is it not? At the same time, it was telling me to sit back upright, so I proceeded to do so. The lap pillow ended.
As that happened, Prince Cedric and Kurt's gazes remained on us, still showing disbelief in their eyes.
"I really don't know what to say here. What in Aidios's name did you do to entice the Demon of Thors?", Prince Cedric asked, frowning.
"Apparently it happened long before I came into the picture. What happened between them was years back. It isn't wrong to say that she has been engaged to Naoto in the past, though the conditions as far as I can tell, it is only on paper. The conditions Miss Aurelia here put forth have not been met yet.", Princess Alfin explained.
"Hmm. Perhaps there are just some things we should not touch upon, Your Imperial Highness. If Lady Le Guin and His Royal Highness have prior arrangements, we should not be discourteous.", Kurt said, looking at Prince Cedric.
"Fair enough.", Prince Cedric responded, and nodded. "Nonetheless, it is as Lady Le Guin has said. We have arrived at our destination. Welcome to the Vander Dojo, Your Imperial Highness. I am very much looking forward to you sparring with the Taito practitioner here."
Sherryl smiled back at Prince Cedric, showing a kind gesture.
"It is as His Imperial Highness says. I have come to a halt. You may now exit the vehicle.", Claire said. "As you all have set aside most of the day to spend here in the Leica District, I will remain on standby and escort you back to Valflame Palace once you are ready to return. Lord Vander is expecting your arrival."
Hearing that, we all nodded our heads at one another, and before long, the passenger door opened up nearby. Roselia stepped out first, with Prince Cedric and Kurt following her. After that it was Aurelia, then me, then Princess Alfin, and finally Sherryl.
As Princess Alfin and I stepped out, I offered my hand, making Princess Alfin raise her eyes at me.
"Oh my. How kind.", Princess Alfin said, smiling at me. She accepted my hand, and decided to hold onto it as she stepped out. She didn't stop holding it either. This isn't some anime meme where hand-holding is prohibited until after marriage. But I'm surprised she went along with it. As for Sherryl, she had a deadpan look in her eyes as she watched this happen.
"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?", Sherryl retorted as she stepped out.
"No comment.", I said, and grinned back at her.
"Teehee. I mean it is only natural, right?", Princess Alfin said, not backing down with the hand-holding.
"You really shouldn't egg him on, Your Imperial Highness...", Sherryl murmured, and sighed. She simply shook her head.
At the same time, we noticed the bakery the four girls were at wasn't too far away. The moment Emma saw Princess Alfin step out of the car and hold my hand, her body tensed up, but didn't say anything. She became distracted once Celine saw this happen from afar. Thankfully Celine briefed Emma about what our group was going to do before Celine and Tamamo joined up with them. I also saw a glint in Musse's eyes, trying to decipher if there was a deeper meaning behind this. Sorry to say, but we're just enjoying the moment.
They began to privately chatter amongst one another as we exited the orbal car. We just disregarded their group, and proceeded along. We soon arrived in front of a large building. Seeing the serious look in my eyes, I felt Princess Alfin grip her hand tighter around mine before releasing it, acting as if she was giving me a boost of encouragement.
And it wasn't just the building itself. We soon saw a towering figure with an imposing look in their eyes. It was as if I was staring Father right in the face. A few Vander Dojo disciples could be seen gathered around him.
"You've done well to make it here, Your Royal Highness. Mueller has already notified me of your arrival and you have already accepted the graces of the Radiant Blademaster. You will continue your training here for the next three months. I will not be kind to you.", The man said, remaining stern and poised.
"Likewise, I don't expect you to, Lord Vander. It is an honor to greet you like this, given your busy schedule.", I said, politely introducing myself to him.
"Mmm.", The man said, nodding his head. He was, of course, the one and only Thunder God. Matteus Vander! "I was also notified ahead of time that the Imperial Family would be arriving today as well. It sounds like you have a personal matter to take care of first?"
"Yes. May I be so bold as to use your dojo to spar against Sherryl here? She has been learning Taito from a high-ranked Bracer. I am sure it would offer some insight to your students here.", I requested.
"Very well. Then I shall see where your aptitude lies. Follow me.", Matteus said, and urged us inside. As that happened, I saw him quickly glance at Kurt, who remained beside Prince Cedric, and a hint of disappointment appeared in his eyes. He didn't say anything. Instead, he turned around, and opened the large doors leading into the dojo and vanished.
"Father...", Kurt uttered, and sighed. Was there a rift between the two? I wasn't sure, but it was a family matter I knew not to butt into.
"Let's head inside.", Prince Cedric said, following after the Thunder God. We could only follow suit, and we all headed inside.
The doors closed, leaving Renne's group at the nearby bakery looking on, wondering how things will go from here.
Once upon a time, I had met Matteus Vander once before. A decade ago, to be precise. And now, he only seemed much more domineering!
Can I say it? As expected of someone who holds the title of the strongest swordsman. Haha!