Log 6: The Duke Of Lengeheim

Log 6:

Date: July 6th, 2190 I.C.

Time: 09:04

Location: Imperium City Adventurer's Guild

>>>

I sat in the break room, staring at the Imperial Decree. The red target shaped Sigil blinked a rhythmic cadence on its rectangular envelope.

I fetch myself a styrofoam cup and fill it with cold water from the water dispenser nearby while considering why the Emperor would want to summon me.

What made me so unique that the Emperor would want to call me back?

Plus, that cheeky note at the end. It was definitely the Emperor's informal handwriting. Terrible as always, if I had to say so myself.

Only a few people knew this about the Emperor, but besides his immaculate cursive, his regular handwriting could have been better. By that, I mean barely legible, as it was essentially bird scratch. I'm not sure why he won't just use cursive, but he insists that it serves as a way to separate work matters from life matters.

While I waited in the silent break room, I felt my Liasier buzz.

It was a message from Trevor.

Trevor: Hey, Ari! Did you see the news?

Me: I did. It's hectic over here! Ahhhhhhhhhhh! P:

Trevor: Same. The office is in peril!

Me: Are they still sending you the Lengeheim?

Trevor: Unfortunately, yes. Not for the mines anymore, but to check out some Dungeons. To end with that promotion, the goal is to live! What are you doing?

Me: I've got no idea \(-_-)/. I walk into the office and handed an Imperial Decree.

Trevor: AN IMPERIAL DECREE?! That's right. You're a government worker. Wait! What does our Emperor even want with you :0?!!!

Me: Only the Founders know.

Trevor: :( Oh no, this ain't good. I will be inactive for a while, but best of luck.

Me: You as well. Let's try and stay alive in the meantime.

Trevor: Will do! Talk to you soon!

With that, our conversation ended, and I was sitting in silence.

There are always bittersweet feelings whenever one has to go out into the field. Be it a Topographer or an Adventurer, anything can happen outside the walls of civilization. Countless individuals have suffered at the hands of the Monsters, no matter how strong or well-prepared they were. Hence, when the time for goodbyes comes, it might just be the last one.

Unfortunately, I'm no exception to that, as I've given so many them over the years.

Not once have I've ever been given a peace of mind afterwards.

About ten minutes passed, and the red target Sigil turned a fluorescent green, indicating that my escort had arrived.

I grabbed my bag from my unstable plastic seat and marched out the back door. A ray of sunlight hits my eyes. Using my hand to deflect the blinding ray, I finally made out a few things.

A sleek black Hackney was parked just a few yards from the door. Its long pristine body was so glossy that it bent the sunlight in my direction. I walk around the Hackney, admiring it momentarily, when I come across a familiar metal emblem on the back of the vehicle. There were three mountains. Each one staggered in front of the other. The middle one, also the tallest, was covered in what seemed to be snow formed by the metal used to create the emblem.

Bang.

I heard one of the doors to the Hackney slams shut, startling me. I could not get used to being close to a private vehicle.

"Would you stop staring at the Hackney?" I hear a cold voice coming from outside of the vehicle.

I retrace my steps to the back door of the Adventurer's Guild, where I had come face-to-face with a rather stern-looking man about 70 inches tall. His slanted pitch-black eyes pierced through my soul as if he could read me like an open book. His skin was slightly paler than mine, but his black suit and mantle speckled with silver emphasized his features, giving him an appearance that most girls would drop dead for. To me, though, he just had an aura that screamed posh, especially his gelled back crisp black hair styled in that classic Noble fashion. Other than that, I didn't feel any sort of attraction.

I bowed down, taking a glance at his pin, which had the same three mountains as the car logo, but that wasn't necessary.

I knew who he was, that stern-looking handsome man before me.

"I greet the Duke of Lengeheim, Alan Lengeheim."

>>>

Alan Lengeheim is the young Duke of the Lengeheim Duchy. He was also my classmate back during my Academy days. We shared multiple classes, but our relationship was that of acquaintances. He was infamous for being unapproachable and cold, which appealed to many girls in the Academy since he was 'mysterious.'

In reality, he just had extreme social anxiety and was terrible at expressing himself. I only came to figure it out during my last year at the Academy when I asked to borrow a pencil from him, and he nearly jumped out of his seat, unsure how to respond.

Upon graduating, he inherited the position of Duke of Lengeheim as his father, the previous Duke wanted, but was shortly given an offer by the Third Prince, Alistar Lorain, to become his Advisor. Since the two of them were buddies back at the Academy, Alan did not decline his offer and became his right-hand man. I have not spoken with Alan since graduation, but to see him in the flesh nearly two years later feels weird. He's always preoccupied with his duties as Duke, so getting a hold of him is virtually impossible. Seeing him in the flesh, it feels like he's become different.

A spitting image of the overbearing Duke of Lengeheim everyone expected he would become.

To think he was back in Imperium City so quickly after dealing with the FESC. Well, the FESC was the least of his concerns with this Mass Dungeon Outbreak stuff happening.

>>>

"Come on," the scary Duke moved out of the way, his mantle following the flow of his movements, indicating for me to enter the cabin in all gentlemen's fashion. "The Emperor awaits your arrival."

I nodded and obediently entered the Hackney. The inside was even more extraordinary than the outside. Lights and speakers powered by Ether decorated the ceilings and doors of the cabin. Long black leather seats line the walls. There was even a cooler to store beverages and a miniature snack cupboard. A retractable wall separated the driver's and passenger's compartments, offering privacy. No, I don't mean privacy for that purpose, you dirty-minded hooligans out there. Nevertheless, the entire Hackney was just full of luxuries I could probably never obtain in my life.

I took my seat closest to the opposite door while the Duke situated himself towards the door where he let me enter. We stayed one seat away from each other, making our personal space bubbles clear.

With the simultaneous clicks of our seatbelts, the Hackney made it to the Royal Palace in the Royal Court, the center of Imperium City.

There was an awkward silence between us, but that was to be expected since we hadn't talked to each other in a long time.

"I see you've become a Receptionist." Alan shockingly broke the silence. His head turned towards his respective window.

"Surprised?" I asked, folding my arms.

"A little." He replied curtly, his response sending daggers down my spine. "It's a waste of your talent."

A small smile formed on my face but deep down, those words tugged at my heart.

"I wanted to do something more relaxing. The frontlines aren't for me."

"I beg to differ," Alan said, folding his hands. "You had the skills to become a General, even a 7-Star Adventurer. Everyone knew that."

Alan was more talkative than I was used to.

It was strange.

"Well, that's what I'm doing. What about you? How does it feel to be the Duke of Lengehiem?"

Alan folded his hands together. The Hackney smoothly passes through Trine Passing. The sight of cable cars passing next to us to the point where I felt like I could touch them with my fingertips.

"Expected." He responded flatly. "However, Brandon handles most matters in the Duchy since I'm left to assist the Third Prince. He hasn't changed, Alistar, that is."

I stifle a laugh, agreeing with the Duke's statement.

"Quite an enigma, ain't he? He gets it from the Emperor."

Alan chuckled. His laugh was almost as rare as Blank's, if not more irregular.

"Birds of a feather. Like father, like son."

"Are you still fighting? At the walls, I mean?"

"Sparingly," Alan spoke in his dull tone. "Every here and there as stress relief. Sometimes I regret becoming the Prince's Advisor."

I could see the dark bags under his eyes. He was completely drained from work.

"If anyone else heard you say that, they'd strangle you. Your position is what everyone dreams of having."

He scoffed.

"Kill me, please."

"No can do." I jokingly refused. "If you're gone, then who's going to prevent Alistar from his shenanigans?"

"Hailey, perhaps?"

"That's a dangerous thought." I snicker. "Hailey might end him instead. We don't want to see his dead body in the news."

"I meant to inquire, but how do you know the Emperor? Few people besides the Royals and Parliament know what he looks like."

"Short answer is you can think of him as my godfather. I think Alistar told you at some point."

Alan's body shot up like a stick. His head swiftly turned to his window. I could tell that he was ashamed for not listening. It's understandable, considering that half of what Alistar says is nonsense. However, the Duke being so tense in front of me, different than his usual stern appearance on the Tabloids, was funny.

It's as they say, everyone has a public persona, but around people they know, one's true self comes out.

Alan kept his poker face out in public, but with friends and close acquaintances, he's pretty timid and gets disappointed when he misses crucial information about them.

"It's okay, Alan," I reassured him. "It's easy to forget these things when they're only mentioned once."

His once composed face was now flushed red.

"But I'm sad I didn't pay attention to it."

It took a couple of minutes for Alan to recover from breaking his composure in front of me. By that time, the Hackney pulled up to the iron gates of the Royal Court. Tens of guards clad in thin silver armor, standing only a few yards from each other, staring menacingly at the Hackney, ready to attack when they sense a shred of hostility. Despite how low and defenseless the gates appeared, they were engraved with thousands of complicated Uncials that acted as a security measure against intruders.

If one stepped into the Royal Court without special permission, these Uncials would activate and decimate the person on the spot in one of its ten thousand ways. It would be near impossible to survive an attack triggered by the Uncials, but even if, by some miracle, one survived, the guards would eliminate them, and each guard could go toe to toe with a 6-Star Adventurer.

>>>

Uncials, the formal name for Runes, are another type of application of Arcmagia. Unlike Sigils, Uncials are engraved onto a medium using Ether, whereas Sigils don't require a medium to be used. In essence, Uncials are a specific kind of Sigil. Some common mediums where Uncials are engraved include wood, iron, coal, and Mythril.

In the past, their main application was to enhance weapons, but today, they are used to craft virtually everything. For instance, In my Liaiser, thousands of Uncials are carved into it to make it function. From simple things such as checking the time or sending a message, Uncials were required to execute those functions.

>>>

As the guard walked over to the back of the Hackney, Alan pulled down his window, holding up his identification card. His classic stern appearance and narrowed black eyes, darker than the night sky, caused the guard to flinch.

"My apologies, Duke of Lengeheim."

"No need," Alan replied, gesturing to me with his hand. "Do you need her identification?"

The guard leaned over, staring at me through his visor, which blended with his helmet.

"Ah, Miss Rai!" The guard exclaimed as if knowing exactly who I was. "We've been awaiting your arrival."

I held out the letter I received earlier, the wax royal symbol as clear as day. It never hurts to be too safe. The guard tipped his helmet, verifying our identities and that we were okay to proceed into the Royal Court. The iron gates opened slowly as the guards standing before it moved out of the way, indicating we could proceed.

"Thank you." He said before signaling to the other guards with his two fingers to open the gates. "Enjoy your visit to the Royal Court."

"Gladly."

The Hackney rolled past the iron gates. It was slow, which only hastened my anxiety. It's been a while since I last visited the Royal Court, but I didn't think I would be called back. Especially after all that's happened.

"You seem popular in the Royal Court despite not being a Noble," Alan observed, rolling up the window. "Is it because of Alistar?"

"No. It's for a bunch of other reasons." While I knew the Emperor, that fact remained a secret amongst a few people, including the Duke. However, I've also known Alistar for a long time, which was common knowledge. Hence the Duke must've thought because of my relationship with Alistar, I must've been invited to the Royal Court frequently via his invitations, even if they were to meet the Emperor. Yet, that was far from the truth. "There's a lot of things you don't know about me, Alan."

Alan furrowed his brows, realizing the person before him was not the Arian he thought he knew.

"I suppose so."