Chapter 116: A Jaeger's Call

I got a couple events planned before Estelle and Joshua become Bracers and Naoto & Kloe attend Jenis.

One of them are the Vermillion Trials. But that won't be until the latter part.

Longer chapter. Almost triple length for this one. (:

Giliath demands your power stones!

I'll likely be dropping a poll after this chapter. You may also notice a book cover update (:

*

"T-That blast was in the direction of the Bracer Guild!", Cassius exclaimed with a frown, seeing a large explosion occur toward the south block. As much as the two giant rays of light interested, he knew there was a more pressing matter.

"Let us make haste. For I do not wish to see bloodshed on this lovely celebration. I do not feel any ill will, so perhaps it may have been an accident.", Olivier responded as his eyes turned serious.

"For once, I agree with you. Just do bear in mind that our range of influence is not high here, Olivier. We are visitors. If this becomes a matter of public concern, we will not be able to voice our opinion.", Mueller reassured.

"You needn't worry, Mueller my boy. I know very well about boundaries. In regards to that, you are fine with us going, right, Cassius?", Olivier asked, looking toward the brown haired mustached man. His eyes also were serious now, and he nodded his head.

"Yes. It is likely the patrol guards are already on their way, but it will likely be the responsibility of the Bracer Guild. Follow me.", Cassius answered, causing Olivier and Mueller to nod.

Right as the three were about to dash off, Cassius had one last look at Emma, who still had a worried look on her face as she still looked in the direction of the large explosion and sudden burst of mana.

"I do apologize but I can leave Estelle and our guest to you, right, Emma, was it?", Cassius said as he looked at Emma.

"Of course. Just leave it to me.", Emma responded with a smile. At the same time, Estelle frowned.

"You mean we can't go with you, daddy?", Estelle said with a hint of disappointment.

"Of course not, Estelle. I do not wish to place you in danger. Surely you understand my worry, don't you, Estelle?", Cassius asked in a serious tone.

"I understand, daddy. I did see Naoto and the others take off in that direction as well, if that means anything.", Estelle said, nodding her head a bit reluctantly.

Hearing that, Cassius turned his head back and frowned again.

"...His Highness was seen going off in that direction?", Cassius responded. He then had another look, only to see Kloe not there either. "If that's the case then Her Highness is probably with them too...We should hurry.", Cassius continued, responding in a serious tone.

Olivier and Mueller quickly acknowledged Cassius and the three dashed, leaving behind Estelle, Princess Alfin, Emma, and the two familiars. Once the three were out of sight, a voice spoke out. It didn't come from the three girls, but it still sounded effeminate.

"You were able to recognize that mana signature, weren't you, Emma?", Celine's voice said, coming from the black cat currently beside them.

"Yeah. It was Naoto's mana signature, without a doubt. It's almost like it's tugging to something. But the strangest thing is, I do not feel any struggle. It's almost as if each side is...converging?", Emma uttered softly, wondering.

"Kyuuuu.", Tamamo also responded, as if she was saying not to worry in confidence.

"Hmph. There's that smug face of yours again you stupid fox. Are you saying we don't have to worry?", Celine retorted seeing Tamamo behave like that.

"Kyuu.", Tamamo simply responded as if she said yes.

However, as the three conversed like that, Estelle blinked her eyes and looked at the pretty black cat beside Emma with a blue bow ribbon tied on her tail.

"...Did this cat just talk?", Estelle blurted out.

"It sure did.", Princess Alfin also responded in surprise, observing Celine as well. Hearing that, Emma revealed a smile. Celine and Tamamo weren't with the group when they joined up at the Erebonian Embassy. It was the first time the two heard Celine speak, so to say.

To distract Princess Alfin and Estelle, Emma took this time to finish eating her ice cream.

After, she stood up and reached into one of her pockets, only to take out a fancy black and gold card of sorts, with IBC printed on it, as well as a certain string of numbers and a certain name printed on it. Seeing Emma take this card out, Princess Alfin's eyes turned wide.

"Is that what I think it is?", Princess Alfin asked, still hesitant.

"You know it. Naoto gave me this before he took off with Kloe and Joshua. Why don't we have some fun shopping, all expenses paid? And along the way I can show you two a magic trick.", Emma responded with a light grin.

Princess Alfin finished her ice cream and clapped her hands with a giggle.

"Teehee, that works for me. It's a shame we can't do it all together, but given what's happened, it's better than waiting for them to return.", Princess Alfin said as she stood up. Hearing that, Estelle blinked her eyes again.

"...Are we just going to ignore the fact that this cat just talked?", Estelle retorted.

"Put a sock in it already.", Celine retorted back. "If you are going to be around Naoto more, then this is normal.", Celine continued to say. After saying that, Celine looked toward Tamamo again who could still be seen lazing around "And you, get off your butt already, stupid fox. Or else we're going to leave you behind.", Celine said, which caused a look of anger to appear in Tamamo's eyes.

"Kyuu!", Tamamo replied, hearing Celine say that. Before Celine could do anything, Tamamo stretched and stood up. With a hop, Tamamo leaped right into Emma's arms, only to stick its tongue out.

"H-Hey! Now that's cheating.", Celine retorted.

"If we ignore the fact that you're a talking cat, you two seem quite close.", Princess Alfin responded happily.

"Now now, let us get going. It's past lunch now so we can shop for a bit before we meet up with Naoto at the next spot he has an appointment at. I have a feeling that they will be preoccupied and won't be able to shop with us.", Emma said as she held onto Tamamo.

"Roger!", Estelle responded happily.

Like that, Estelle was the last to finish her ice cream, only to leave the bench they were taking a rest at. They vanished into the stunned crowd of people. It took them a good minute before nearby patrol guards ushered them saying that everything was fine and not to worry. It didn't take long before the flow of people resumed, going about the festivities.

As their group headed inside the east block's marketplace, Cassius, Olivier and Mueller quickly made their way to the south block. By the time they arrived, they saw most of the large street cleared out, along with any orbal vehicles in sight as well. Thankfully it seems any parked vehicles were out of the blast radius, and came out unscathed.

Since the south block was cleared out, it didn't take the three long to arrive at what could be seen as a fiery mess of what used to be Grancel's Bracer Guild. Or some of it at least. Most of the roof was blasted off, but the second and first floors still remained intact. Despite the debris scattered on the roof, a heavy pressure soon encompassed the three.

And yet, contrary to his expectation, Cassius felt colder instead of a blazing heat the closer they got.

"...Strange. Isn't it supposed to be hot?", Cassius wondered as the three got closer.

"The way the world works truly is a wonder.", Olivier also responded.

"Regardless, it looks like Grancel's patrol guards have already started to get the situation under control. We should still be able to head inside since you're with us, Cassius.", Mueller said.

After Mueller said that, the few patrol guard squads quickly noticed their presence, and the closer ones became surprised once they saw Cassius enter their view.

"S-Sir Cassius!", One of the patrol guards exclaimed, which drew the others' attention to him.

"Is everything under control?", Cassius asked, keeping it brief.

"For the moment. We saw a couple Bracers head inside but we've been keeping the outside under control. We haven't gone in yet.", One of the guards reported.

"Good. We came to make sure everything is alright. Wait for your superior officers. I'm with the Bracer Guild now, so I won't be able to give you guys any order.", Cassius said as he nodded his head.

"It is a shame you are no longer among our ranks, Teacher, but you can leave this place to us. We've already secured the perimeter and ensured no civilians were harmed. Please do make sure no harm befalls on Their Highnesses.", A voice called out to Cassius from among the patrol guards, only to reveal a short green haired woman dressed in a blue military garb with a rapier at her waist.

Seeing Julia appear, Cassius let out an inwardly sigh of relief.

"So you were here, Julia. I can leave this to you then. We will be going on inside.", Cassius quickly explained, causing Julia to nod her head. Without saying anything else, Cassius, Olivier and Mueller headed inside the Bracer Guild. As they did, Julia looked at the retreating figures, and glanced her eyes on the golden blonde haired man.

"Strange, I could've sworn I've seen that guy before...", Julia uttered to herself. Sadly she could only shake that thought off, and started to direct the other patrol guards to ensure that any lingering civilians were not to step inside the Bracer Guild.

Meanwhile, the three could now be seen inside the Bracer Guild. Despite being on the first floor, papers could be seen scattered on the sides, likely having from fallen from the Quest Board from the explosion earlier. They also felt more chilled now, despite being it sunny. It was wintertime still but it was pretty warm out. Still, they could even see their breath from the strange coldness spreading in the room.

"It looks like everyone's on the second floor.", Cassius uttered, seeing the first floor empty. However, before the three moved toward the stairs, they started to hear a couple voices speak to each other.

"Just like that, Your Highness. That earlier blast was the result of you trying to force a connection. You mustn't force it, nor must it force you. One mustn't be over the other. To achieve balance, let it reach out to you, and you reach out to it. That's the feeling he and I had.", A man's voice echoed.

"I see...so it's not really a contract then. It's more of a bond...", A second, more familiar voice spoke out, which caused Cassius to blink for a moment.

"...That's definitely His Highness's voice. Looks like he really is here.", Cassius said as a cold breath of air blew out.

"That does seem to be the case. Count me curious, but should we disturb them? Seeing this coldness is not normal either...", Olivier wondered.

"Yes. If anything they are likely not alone. Let us go meet up with the others.", Cassius said, nodding his head to Olivier. After Cassius said that, Olivier whispered something to Mueller, only to cause Mueller to nod his head too. He then parted from Cassius and Olivier, and went to the entrance of the first floor, likely to guard it.

Seeing this, Cassius didn't need to say anything and Olivier followed suit, having the two take the stairs. The closer they got, the colder the room felt. But at the same time they felt an inner sense of warmth, which to them, it was a pretty weird feeling. Yet once the two reached the second floor, they saw a few figures off to the side, which garnered their surprise.

To them though, Cassius and Olivier were immediately hushed, despite the surprise in their arrival. The two saw Elnan, Schera, Kloe, Joshua, as well as Zin, Kilika and a couple other Bracers, but they could currently be seen silent. Seeing them not speak, they joined the group, only to turn to the rest of the room. Cassius raised his eyebrows the moment he saw the ongoing spectacle.

He saw a violet haired boy currently floating in the room, surrounded by a constant stream of blue and red mana, both swirling around each other, as well as a very black object of which appeared to be a bow of sorts, also with the same swirling mana. But one thing was the two mana streams never touched each other as they swirled around respectively.

Thankfully, a second blast didn't occur this time as Cassius saw the violet haired boy seemingly respond the pitch black bow. Slowly but surely, it started to release a pressure the closer it got to the violet haired boy, but it didn't back away. In but a few moments, the violet haired boy reached out, and grabbed the bow with his hand, only to reveal a smile. This time, the bow didn't reject him.

"So that's how it works in the end.", I smiled, seeing the Divergent Weapon now in my grasp. I did take notice of the new arrivals but paid them no mind, only to look back at McBurn.

"Basically yeah. These guys don't work like your normal weapons, so do bear that in mind, Your Highness.", McBurn said, only to stretch his arms a bit while letting out a yawn. As he yawned, I heard a couple notifications sounded off in my mind which caused me to blink for a second.

[Ding! Player Naoto has successfully forged a bond with a Divergent Weapon.]

[Ding! Player Naoto may now equip and use the weapon Verbrannteis. Player Naoto can also view its details and skills in a separate window.]

[Ding! Due to forging a bond with a Divergent Weapon, McBurn's favorability has reached 100%. Granting McBurn's Blessing to Player Naoto.]

Seeing these notifications, I couldn't help but suck in a cold breath of air that was surrounding this entire room. That last one too, being both granted a Divergent Weapon, as well as being able to use it probably made McBurn's favorability skyrocket. I'm sure his blessing will definitely come in handy.

For now, let's test one of the abilities of, Verbrannteis, was it?

Thinking that, everyone saw the pitch black blow release a subtle glow, only to shrink in size. Everyone blinked at this while McBurn revealed a smile.

"Heh. Looks like you're already getting the hang of using it.", McBurn said, revealing a grin. "And that marks the end of what I came here for. I definitely need a nap after this. You caused the damage, so you'll fix it, yeah?", McBurn said, only to have a fiery blue and black magic circle suddenly appear beneath his feet.

"Of course. Don't forget to send my regards. And next time, if you want to pay a visit, you know you can come to me directly.", I said with a smile, only to cause McBurn to laugh a bit. McBurn gave me such a gift, so it looks like I'll continue to work hand in hand with the snakes, huh? In the next moment, McBurn slowly faded out before completely teleporting away. Seeing McBurn vanish like this also surprised everyone again. Afterward, the mana started to disperse, causing the cold air to vanish and flames caused by the blast to vanish.

"I think I'm going to need a nap after this too...", Schera retorted, seeing the aftermath of me initiating a bond with a Divergent Weapon.

"It's definitely something you don't see every day. It's clear that this looks like its a weapon, but I do not see any orbal energy on it. I'd love to inquire about it more.", Kilika responded with a smile.

"Haha, you know we can't do that, Kilika. And you know who it is this matter is involved with.", Zin responded as he looked at me.

After Zin said that, Kloe slowly walked up with a hint of worry in her eyes.

"You're alright, aren't you, Brother?", Kloe asked seeing a smaller version of the bow in my hand.

"Of course.", I responded to Kloe, ensuring her of my safety. I then turned toward Elnan, and scratched my cheek a bit. "I do apologize for the damage I caused here. I'll be sure to mend it so just let me know the costs afterward.", I continued to say.

"It is no problem, Your Highness. I am sure the citizens received a scare, but seeing Cassius here, I can assume most of it is now under wraps?", Elnan said as he looked at Cassius.

"That's right. The patrol guards were quick to clear out any nearby civilians to avoid any damage from the blast radius. It is good that no one got hurt.", Cassius responded with a nod of his head.

"I guess we'll be closing down the Bracer Guild then from the outside to fix the damage, but don't you worry, we'll still be taking on requests to ensure the rest of the week goes smoothly for Her Majesty's celebration.", Elnan ensured.

"Thank you. I know Grandmother would appreciate that.", Kloe responded with a smile.

With that said, the damage was kept to a minimum and the Bracer Guild responded quick and started their repairs on the roof of the building. Thankfully McBurn left shortly after, and after making sure we were safe, we were able to continue about our daily business. We also invited Zin and Kilika to our dinner party later, along with Schera. It was a surprise to see Olivier in his traveling bard garb, but he did say he would likely do this at some point, so I decided to send out an invitation to him as well. And of course, he accepted it without hesitation, despite getting an earful from Mueller.

We were able to meet back up with Estelle, Princess Alfin, and Emma. To our surprise they had Celine and Tamamo with them now, and seeing us rejoin with Verbrannteis now in my inventory, the day of fun continued. It looks like they already did the majority of the shopping, but we were still able to spend a bit of time to let Kloe and Joshua shop around too.

After exploring the marketplace in its entirety, we moved onto the other blocks and showed Princess Alfin around, ensuring a good time spent. In the end, we made our way to the Orbal Factory back in the south block. Seeing that I had an item hand crafted, everyone became curious as they saw it was a specially made combat orbment. However, it wasn't for me, it was a gift I had planned to give to Kloe, which made her really happy to receive it. I also showed her a couple of hidden compartments in it, which contained a couple miniature photos.

Unexpectedly, I received a kiss on the cheek from Kloe for receiving this gift of mine. Seeing the appointment now done, we realized it was now nighttime, and everyone's stomachs started to grumble. We decided to regroup with the other people we invited and had a big dinner party at one of the local pubs.

After dinner, Princess Alfin became reluctant, but still bid us farewell, along with Prince Olivert and Mueller. Along the way, Cassius came by to pick up Estelle and Joshua. The Bracers returned to their activities while Kilika bid us farewell, and departed from Grancel, along with Zin and Sherryl. It seems they were going to take a trip to Zeiss before heading back to Calvard for more training. All in all, everyone's favorability rose a good chunk during the fun time we had.

Now it was just me, Kloe, Emma, Celine and Tamamo, making our way back to Grancel Castle in the north block and with several bags in hand.

"You had a fun time during the celebration, right, Kloe?", I asked Kloe.

"Of course. There was a lot laughs we shared today with our friends. I only wish we could do this more often.", Kloe responded with a smile.

"Right? And are you feeling alright, Emma?", I asked, looking at Emma this time. Her stomach was slightly bloated from having eaten too much.

"I think I'll be fine. I just need to sit down and let this food digest...",

"I warned you, Emma. You should know how much you can handle by now.", Celine retorted.

"But everything looked so delicious. I didn't want to skip out on something...", Emma uttered as she inwardly cried.

"Haha, it's not like we have anything else planned for the moment so you can enjoy a good rest, Emma. ", I replied with a laugh.

"Alright.", Emma responded with a nod, only to let out a small burp. Hearing that, her cheeks blushed a bit.

We arrived in front of the large marbled gate, only to spot the head maid, Hilda. I notified of our return prior, so she quickly guided us back in to the second floor beyond the garden terrace, to where we safely arrived back in our room. Seeing us return happy, Queen Alicia II saw that we had our time well spent, despite the accident that occurred earlier. She was one of the first to be notified that it wasn't an attack, so she knew it was in good hands.

The night soon crept on us. Kloe, Emma and the two familiars quickly got ready for bed, but I decided to stay up for a bit at my desk to record the happenings in my diary. Before I realized it, it was shortly past midnight and I could hear snoring echoing in our large room. Unexpectedly, I heard a few taps from the sliding window of our veranda, which caused me to blink for a moment.

These few taps sounded off in a very specific pattern, one which I hadn't heard in a long while. Hearing these specific taps, my eyes turned serious.

Closing my diary, I slowly stood up, and made my way to the veranda. I opened the sliding window, I made sure not to cause any noise so the others wouldn't wake up. I then slid it again, and closed it. It was quite chilly now compared to earlier today where it was still warm.. It was still wintertime. I could even see my breath a bit.

"Yo. It's been a while. Your Highness.", An aged voice called out, revealing to be an aged man. To the left, I saw a somewhat bulky figure appear wearing a black and purple leather vest, which covered a green shirt and white pants. I blinked seeing this figure standing outside my window.

"...How'd you even get up here?", I couldn't help but retort.

"Haha. I got my ways. I've come to give ya yer next mission, so to say. It's a pretty big buyout this time too. Everyone's on board with this one.", The aged man said, which caused me to turn serious.

"I don't have my ability on all the time, so I really need to give it straight to the security here, if you were able to squeeze into a blind spot.", I said, shaking my head a bit.

"Heh, it's not lacking, I'd say. I just got more experience than them in this sorta thing. After all, espionage is one of things we train in.", The aged man responded revealing a light grin.

"Well, that is true. But a mission already?", I wondered to myself for a moment. It was now the same year to where the cult bases would get raided by the joint cooperation of the police and governments alike...But from the way this person is saying, I don't think this is in relation to that.

Now that I think about it, wasn't this the year a big skirmish happened in North Ambria that tried to disrupt its current government?

"That's right. Even Fie will be partakin' in this raid. I know she'll be happy to fight alongside you. Well I say raid, but we're the defenders this time. We'll be partnerin' up with another Jaeger corp. Ya know the Northern Jaegers, right, Your Highness?", The aged man asked me.

Sure enough, it looks like its related to that.

"I do. They're mostly based out of the country north of Erebonia, right? North Ambria.", I asked back.

"They are. It seems they've discovered a ploy to disrupt several mining facilities and it looks like an attack will be launched sometime in the coming months. They haven't pinpointed who is trying to cause the mining to stop but it is possible Nidhoggr might be up to somethin'.", The aged man explained.

"Nidhoggr, huh? Sounds like a problem is brewing already.", I responded in wonder.

"Right? I also had one of my scouts discover a little somethin' too. Looks like Nidhoggr was recently in contact with the Red Constellation.", The aged man said, which caused my eyes to turn wide a bit.

"Don't tell me...", I tried to say, only to see the aged man nod his head a bit.

"Be ready for a pickup when the mission starts. Ya still got a bit of time though.", The aged man said. Before I could say anything, the aged man turned to the side of the veranda, only to suddenly jump off and vanished from sight. Seeing this caused surprise, but I bet he had a vehicle somewhere further down that was waiting for him. By the time I looked, he was already gone and no orbal vehicle to be spotted.

That man was of course my boss, the current leader of Zephyr, Rutger Claussell. He really likes to do things his way, doesn't he?

After getting my thoughts together, I could now only think of one thing as I felt the cold breeze of the wintery night go through me.

Looks like I'm heading to North Ambria.

Perhaps I'll get a chance to encounter Sara Valastein?