King Palace

(Riveria POV)

I saw a human boy with gold hair crying all alone in front of a big purple crystal. He just sat there crying nonstop, with no one there to help him. When I try to reach that boy somehow, I can't. The more I try to get closer, the farther away the distance between us gets, but I am not giving up. I try to run as fast as I can but to no avail. I try to scream to call him, but there is no answer. Then fire engulfed around that boy, and he laid his gaze toward me, murmuring something.

"Wa-wait... *sigh* that dream feels so real."

I woke up from my bed and looked around me. I saw a sea of paper.

"I need to finish my paperwork."

Then I wear my clothes and my green robe and wipe some sweets and my face with a hot towel. It has been almost 10 years since I left my home venture outside the Elven Forest. I have learned and experienced more new things compared to the fifty years I spent in the Alf Royal Forest.

Then I can hear somebody knocking on the door.

"Come in"

Then I see a small boy, but he's not a boy; he's a 'Pallum' race that always maintains their child's looks.

"Hey, Riveria Loki, call us for a meeting... She said it was important."

"Sure, Finn, after I finish inspecting this one paper."

"*Sigh*... you are really the hardworking one, then I will go first."

After I finish my paperwork, I am heading to the meeting room. There, gather all the executive members—Finn, Gareth, and me—and then I lay my gaze on the goddess Loki.

"Come take a seat, Riveria. There is an important thing that needs to be discussed."

"Then excuse me."

Then I took my seat.

"Hmm, where to begin? There is so much information that I want to discuss with you all. First, I want you all to know that Freya has already come back from the mission that the guild gave to investigate a monster that causes chaos on the border of Santoria Vega and Wishe Forest."

From what I heard, monsters around that area started to scatter and roam outside, and because of that, many caravans and small villages were attacked by monsters.

"When I heard there was chaos at the border close to Wishe Forest, I was a bit worried. Can you tell me in detail what happened?"

"No need to worry, Riveria. I already talked with Freya, asking her about her encounter and what she found. She said, There is a monster bringing havoc that makes monsters on the surface scatter and run wild."

"Can you tell me what monster causes such havoc, Loki?"

She smiles and opens her eyes.

"It was a monster called the Grey Dragon."

((!!))

"What are you sure? If it is true, how did they manage to defeat it?"

Grey Dragon is not a normal opponent to face; his scale can weaken any magic spell, and his scale is almost as hard as Mithril's.

"Yeah, I did ask Freya how her Familia managed to defeat that dragon without any of his members suffering any wounds. I know Ottar and Mia were strong, but there is no way they can get out of it without any wounds. Then she said she met a young high-elf boy that helped her Familia."

Gareth, silently listening, starts to ask some questions of this young elf.

"Riveria, did you know any young high-elf with such talent?"

"No, I don't know, but a young high-elf boy... he is most likely from Wishe Forest."

Since I left the forest, I am not up to date on any information about what happened in the Elven Kingdom.

"Freya said he was the strongest mage that she had ever known, and he was 11 years old."

"Wh- … If what Freya said was true, he was much stronger than Riveria."

"Kukuku Yes, he is Gareth, and he is not joining any Familia 'yet'. Freya said he would leave his home and most likely head here to Orario soon or later."

"Loki, did Freya know this boy's name?" I ask her

"Yes, she did know his name... His name is Oberon Aendryr Wishe."

"A-Aendryr... that means he is the son of Levos and Viska."

"Ho, do you know his parents?"

"Yes, I did, especially his mother, Viska; she is one of my friends, and I knew before I left she was pregnant."

"That means Freya does not lie about that boy's existent kukuku. Okay, I decided that we would recruit that boy before Freya did."

"I agree, but Loki, about your decision, are you sure that if you do that, Freya will not hate us because we claim him into our Familia?"

'After all, Freya will likely think the same, and there is a rumor that Freya loves to collect highly talented mortals and recruit them into her Familia.'

"I heard all the conversation between Loki and Freya, and she did say that she doesn't mind if he joins Loki Familia as long as we are not trying to restrict or limit his growth," Finn said.

"Now we must keep our eyes and ears open to any information about him and keep this information secret. I don't want that pervert old man Zeus and his wife Hera to hear about this conversation."

Everyone nodded to agree with Loki's plan; all we needed to do was wait and see for any information. I can't help but feel the anticipation of meeting him. I want to know about his magic ability and meet my friend's son.

----

(Oberon POV)

Now I am in my carriage on my way to Alf Royal Forest because of my action in slaying hundreds of monsters with a single spell. King Larfal wants to meet me. It's impossible to deny the King's direct invitation to any noble family.

"*sigh* I just hope there is nothing bad happening."

"No need to worry, master; I will protect you when something bad happens."

"Yes, I know, but please, Orstrid, don't try to attack first. Always attack when they are the ones starting the fight. And even if they did, please try not to kill them on the spot."

"I understand, master."

After one and a half days of traveling, we should have reached the forest gate. It's not an easy trip; some monsters try to lay an ambush, but thanks to Orstrid's detection ability, we are already well aware of their position, so just let the guard fight the monsters.

Then I can see one of the guards who escorted me get close to the carriage window.

"Oberon-sama, we will see the gate soon."

After we pass the watch tower, I can see a 10-meter-high gate and wall. I can sense a strong magic barrier at the gate.

Then the guard starts to shout to open the gate, and then the gate starts to open. I see a city with two big old trees with a height of 300 meters, and there are houses inside the trees. I can see a magic lamp dangling on the tree branch, and there is a river splitting the two trees, but they are all connected by a wooden bridge up the river. There is a buzzing shop selling their products. The population itself is not so dense, and all the elves wear clean clothes.

The architecture is truly a marvel to be seen and admired. There is a gate that looks like a Japanese Torii gate on every bridge gate, and their citizens mind their own business, but when they see my horse carriage, they are all staring because they all notice my family symbol.

I can't help but get captivated by the scene that I saw—the clean water flowing through the city and the dazzling lamp dangling on the tree branch.

"Oberon-sama, we will head to the manor of the Aendryr family; there you can rest until the king can accept your audience."

"I understand. Can I go outside the manor after we arrive?"

"I am sorry, Oberon-sama until you have an audience with King Larfal first before you can freely explore outside the manor."

"*sigh* I understand."

Then we arrive at the big tree in front, and we go inside it. There is an elevator to bring us to the manor. The manor is built inside a tree, and there you can see the beautiful scenery of Alf Royal Forest from the windows of the living room and my bed chamber. When the day starts to get dark, the big lamp crystal on the tree branch starts to shine bright.

'This city is probably the most beautiful city I ever visited.'

There is a strong urge to explore the city, but I can't do that until I meet King Larfal. To cope with the feeling, I started to practice magic and read some books until I felt tired and fell asleep.

----

After having a good rest, I try to cook my breakfast, but sadly, I can't cook something myself because there is a maid assigned to this house when I arrive. The food's not bad at all, but compared to my mother's cooking, it's on a different level. In my house, we had a maid, but my mother was always the one cooking because she felt it was her responsibility to cook her family meals.

Most of the eleven diets were vegetarian meals, but sometimes they did add some meat to their diet. After all, elves are well known for their ability to hunt. There is some seasoning added to their cooking, but there is no soy sauce.

'I hope one day I find the ingredient to make soy sauce.'

After breakfast, I went to the training room. I tried to get used to facing close-combat battles. From what I know, Orstrid did not have any sword technique, but her fighting instinct makes her a more capable close-combat fighter than me. If you ask me to rank her sword ability, she is probably almost as close to that of a King-class swordsman because, from my experience with Eris, I know how to calculate swordman rank ability.

"hufhuf … haa Thank you, Orstrid; I am now getting used to my gravity-increased speed."

I am learning to use gravity magic to decrease my weight, and in exchange, I can make my movements far lighter and faster. I can increase my weight to make my body heavier; it's like Vegeta and Goku's training in the gravity room. Every time I get used to the weight, I will increase the weight.

"You're welcome, Master. I am sorry I cannot teach you any sword skills; I can only provide you with practice combat."

"It's okay, Orstrid; I can recall what my teacher taught and my experience learning a sword technique on my own."

Magic is indeed reliable, but only when you can use it. In the past, I could close my weakness with magic armor, but now I don't have one. I already have the blueprint for how to make one, but I need a blacksmith. The only way I can find a great blacksmith is probably in Orario, where I can gather more material and find a reliable blacksmith. After all, Orario is the place where all the adventure gathers, which means there are many experienced blacksmiths there who are curious to see the famous Babel Tower.

When I and Orstrid was practicing, one of my maids went into the training room.

"Master Oberon, we have a guest who wants to meet you."

"HM, oh maid-san, sure, tell the guest that I need to shower first and make some tea for me and the visitor."

After a cold shower and wearing some appropriate clothing that my mother prepared for me when I left my home, I went to the guest room with Orstrid by my side. When I open the door, I see a beautiful blue-haired elf wearing a blue gown sitting and drinking tea.

"Ara~ finally you finish preparing and... I see that your beautiful servant that guards always talking about it's rare to see an elf with white hair."

Then I take my seat opposite the guest, with Orstrid behind me.

"I apologize for making you wait. Because my training is heavy, I sweat a lot, so I need to clean myself."

"Ara~ you are a strong mage yet you train your body... I see your muscles are well-developed for a mage. *cough* Where are my manners? I need to introduce myself. My name is 'Hyrmr' Nice to meet you."

'Hyrmr, I did hear that name before.'

"You may hear my name, but I will introduce myself. My name is Oberon Aendryr Wishe, the son of Viska and Levos. Nice to meet you too, Miss Hyrmr, and she is."

"My name is Orstrid, Master Oberon's servant."

"Well, nice to meet you, Oberon. Orstrod."

'I remember that Mother mentioned her'

"Now I remember Hyrmr, who is the elven royal guard's main leader and the right hand of the King. My mother always tells a heroic story about you. That means you have come here for the king's order."

Hyrmr is one of the many stories that my mother told me when I was still a child, like a story about how she managed to repeal thousands of invaders alone. Thanks to her abilities in command and magic, she is well respected by the people of the Elven Kingdom.

"Well, yes, the king orders me to escort you to the king's palace, but I want to meet my little sister's son, whom she is so proud of. Before you ask, yes, your mother, Viska, and I are not blood-related. Because of the time we spend together, I see her as my own little sister. I am sorry that I can't pay a visit to your family."

"It's okay, Hyrmr-san. I can see that Mother does not hate you because she understands how important your responsibility is. She told me so many stories about you, and I can see that when she told me about your achievement, she felt so happy and proud."

When I say that, I can see her eyes a bit wet, like she was almost crying, but I can see that she is so happy about it.

"I-I see... Thank you, Oberon, for telling me that. *cough* Now you know my reason for coming here, so you need to be prepared for tomorrow when we will meet King Larfal. I guess your mother already taught you all the manners you need to know. All I want to say is, Oberon, please be honest with King Larfal; do not try to lie or deceive the King that I want you to know."

"I understand, Hyrmr-san."

"Just call me Aunt Hyrmr; I don't like my little sister's son being formal to me."

"Okay, Aunt Hyrmr. Aunt Hyrmr, can I make a request to explore the city before I meet the king?"

"I am sorry, Oberon, you can't. As an apology, I will teach you some of my magic. How about it?"

"Really! Okay, I will prepare the training ground!"

After that, she taught me how to optimize the magic spell and how to use the sense of mana to make my magic spell more efficient and effective. It is useful to know how to minimize the use of my mana to cast a spell, thanks to my race. I can be more sensitive about my mana uses, but I still can't grasp the amount of mana I had when it was at full capacity, but I can sense it more clearly when it reaches half of the capacity.

When she taught me a new spell, I could learn it in an instant. The magic spell that she thought of for me was water-type magic; it's called 'Water Blade'. It's a spell that uses high-pressure water that can cut through anything. Another was barrier magic, but my mother already taught me how to cast that spell, so she tried to teach me how to use it more effectively in battle. Every time I cast a new spell, I can use it without the need for any chanting, but I need to use some chanting to use my wish blessing.

"Oberon, I think I don't have too many magic spells to teach you that can be useful. Your mother taught you how to use Wishe's blessing very well."

"Thank you, Aunt Hyrmr; not all magic spells you teach are useless; some are new to me."

"It's weird though; when you cast the spell for the first time, the speed of the casting was normal, but when you try the second time, it's shortened. Can you tell me how you did it?"

"Well, I can't explain it well, because all I do is remember the feeling of mana flowing when I cast that spell, and then I recall the same feeling without any use of chanting, and then it's just work."

"I see…. Try to describe the feeling of mana flowing through your body, not something that you can teach; you need to experience the process yourself to be able to do such a thing."

"Yes, indeed, Aunt Hyrmr, my mother and father think the same as Aunt Hyrmr. To be honest, I try to hide this technique, at least until I find a way to teach anyone. Because if the others know, they will get jealous and try to ask me to teach them, but I don't know how."

"You are right, Oberon; it will cause some Elven scholars and mages to get jealous and try to force you to teach them. I will hide this from others, so you do not need to worry."

"Thank you, Aunt Hyrmr."

"Now I will take my leave, Oberon; tomorrow morning I will come back and escort you to the king's palace."

I just nodded and watched her leave the training ground.

'I am exhausted; I think I am going to rest.'

"Orstrid, I will go to bed; please watch over the manor when I am resting."

"I understood. Master, leave it to me."

----

I am now walking in a long hall in the king's palace with Aunt Hyrmr on my side, and I left Orstrid at the manor. I don't want to risk King Larfal getting upset because of Orstrid's lack of knowledge of noble formality.

"Remember what I told you, Oberon, Be honest, and don't try to lie."

"Understand Aunt Hyrmr."

She nodded, and then we went to the king's throne room, where I was welcomed by the royal guard with full white armor holding a spear. Then I lay my gaze on the throne, where I can see a man with green hair and green jade eyes gazing at me like he is trying to inspect me.

I followed my aunt's movements as she told me.

"Royal Guard Hyrmr here brings the guest of honor, Oberon Aendryr wishes to meet King Larfal Ljos Alf."

"Hm, good work, Hyrmr. Now you can go back to your position."

Then she went right to the right of the king's right side.

"Now, Oberon, you can raise your head."

"I am glad King Larfal is in good health, and I thank you for inviting me here in Alf Royal Forest as the guest of honor."

"Hm yes... You look like your mother, and you have your father's eyes. You probably wonder why I called you here, Oberon. I just want to meet the son that Levos is so proud of, and I heard from my subordinate that you have a great talent for magic."

"Thank you for your kind word, your majesty."

"I see, then I will go to the main topic."

Then the king ordered the guards to leave the throne chamber, and the only ones left were me, Aunt Hyrmr, and King Larfal.

"I want to talk to you in private, Oberon because I know that you don't like unwanted attention. From what I know, you want to leave the Elven Kingdom when you reach 15, so Oberon, can I ask why you want to leave your home? I already know the reason from your parents, but I want to hear directly from you."

"I-I want to explore this world and learn all the magic and knowledge that this world has, and I want to become much stronger and polish my abilities through experience."

Because of my past, I hate to stagnate and not feel any progress in my power and strength because I already know what will happen when you are too comfy and don't make any progress.

"How much strength do you want, Oberon? I already know that you are already powerful enough that your father declares you are probably the most powerful Elven mage in this kingdom."

'Father... *sigh* He really likes to brag about my achievement.'

"I want a strength that is capable enough to defeat the One-eyed Black Dragon."

I heard from Allen and Anya that their homeland was being destroyed by One-Eyes Black Dragon in one night, which made me feel uneasy, and it amplified when I faced Grey Dragon's

((!!))

I can see Aunt Hyrmr's poker face start to flinch a bit as the king looks at me more seriously.

"You know it's not easy to achieve such a level of power; even the legendary hero Albert Waldstein only managed to injure that monster's eyes... That means you must surpass him to manage to defeat such a monster, Oberon."

"Yes, I am well aware of that, King Larfal; because of that, I have already started training not only my magic but my physical strength as well, but I need an ally that I can trust. For that, I need to travel outside the kingdom."

"*sigh* When I see your resolve, you have reminded me of my daughter, Riveria. She is always curious and wants to explore the outside world. Because of my selfishness, I denied her wishes to travel outside the Kingdom because I knew how dangerous the outside world was. Even now, I am still worried. So, Oberon, I want you to do something for me."

Kings looks a bit hesitant to tell me his request.

"My King, I will oblige to any of your orders and will fulfill the order you give to the best of my ability."

Then he smiles and feels relieved.

"Oberon Aendryr Wishe I wanted you to watch over and aid my daughter, Riveria Ljos Alf."

'W-what becomes a guardian? From all the people, why me?'

"King Larfal, forgive me for asking this; why is Your Majesty choosing me?"

Riveria Ljos Alf is the daughter of King Larfal. From what my mother told me about her, she is an intelligent and resilient mage. Her curiosity about the outside world is known to my mother because every time they meet, she's always talking about it. When I heard she left her home, my mother was not surprised at all.

"Hm, First, I know you are really strong. I know you try to hide it, but Hyrmr knows you are stronger than you look, especially your mana quality and quantity, and your servant named Orstrid is the same; she's really strong, that's what Hyrmr said. Second, you are not only strong; you are willing to travel outside the Elven Kingdom willingly, not like other elves. If I force them or order them to travel outside, they will become hostile to other races. That is the reason why I chose you, Oberon."

'Ha, this is annoying. I can't lie or decline to escape from this. Well, I know that she's now in Orario; it's 2-3 days' travel; I don't need to search for her, and when to get there, it's not so difficult to find her. After all, she's a princess.'

"I understand. I promise that when I leave this forest, I will head to Orario to assist her, but I hope Your Majesty does not inform her about me receiving the mission or request from Your Majesty."

"Hm …. Okay, Oberon, you can make the decision as long as you fulfill my request. Then there is a gift I have prepared to help you on your journey. Hyrmr"

She then nodded and went to take a silver case and give it to me.

"In that case, there is a green cloak that I gave to you as a parting gift. That cloak is not ordinary; it gives you some protection from any critical damage from offensive magic. I was wearing it when I was young. I want to give it to you, Oberon."

"I understand. I will treasure it, your majesty."

"I suggest you wear it when you leave this kingdom. There is a chance there is someone who recognizes that cloak, and I think I don't need to say what will happen when they do. Now you can leave Oberon. Please take care of my daughter."

I bow, then I leave the throne room with the silver case the king gave me.

'*sigh* I need to reschedule my plan. '