Butcher's Graffiti 11 At The Palace

The Will of the World is a fickle thing, whimsical and unpredictable. It is not an almighty G.o.d that governs this dimension. Rather, according to recorded archives as far as the history of this world is concerned, it is a collective intelligence born of all the mana that flows within the World of Arkenheim, constantly trying to reach equilibrium.

Now, there are three types of Mages.

The Somatics are the most common type, able to manipulate mana and perform magic by expending their own mystic energies. It is the power of their will and intensity of their focus that shapes their spells, tantamount to the quality of their magic and their credibility as a mage.

The Nexites on the other hand, are a rare variation and are considered to be superior over the Somatics in terms of learning. They are unable to manipulate outside forces, however, they are able to infuse their bodies with magic and alter it's properties. They can become swift like the wind, solid like the earth, burn like fire, versatile as water, quick as lightning, etc.

And lastly, The Psychics. The Church of Totheph refers to them as "Divine Prophets" and it is well-known how the Pope herself, is one as well.

'Those loved by mana and blessed by the world.'

They are born with their nucleuons specially placed in their head, allowing them to control mana with nothing but a thought. As far as history has gone, they've all been women and are undoubtedly the rarest out of the others with only 6 currently known to exist.

The potential and growth rate of an individual is not only defined by being one of these types, but also by their race. And when a mage reaches the limit to their growth, they will go through what's called a "Phantasmal Baptism".

It is a trial of the ego and mental fort.i.tude, the Will of the World itself bearing witness as your soul is put through an imaginary tribulation of your personal h.e.l.l.

If the mage is somehow able to satisfy and convince the Will of the World, he/she will be rewarded fruitfully. One would be a deeper understanding of magic leading to an overboost in affinity with mana, thus the mage becomes unparalleled in their own right.

And finally, an Original Skill. A personal quirk bestowed to them as the World deemed best to fit their bearers.

Failure, on the other hand, may reult to getting crippled, insanity, disability, paralysis, and a good chance for your soul to prematurely return to the Great Cycle at worst, meaning 'death'.

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"...I'm confused." said Dr. Jekyll, wiping his gla.s.ses.

"Of course you are. Otherwise you'd either be a genius, a liar, or me." Phillis replied. "I'd say you should start praying to whatever deity you worship, now that we know Mr. Sylver Tongue is alive."

The Container Cell whirred away back into the endless array of collections, everything cleaned up with snap of the vampire's. He gestured for Nikolai and the empress, cueing them to leave.

"Actually, I'm atheist. I'm sorry, who is this 'Mr. Sylver Tongue' and why does it seem like you're so wary of his presence?" the doctor chased after them as they exited the Experimentation Zone and were back to the underground bazaar of tiny winged people.

"Ivan Trevor Adrenosk, aka Sylver Tongue, is a most Devout Pract.i.tioner of the Forbidden Arts and Ma.s.s Murderer. A deranged psychopath who's undoubtedly the culprit behind that Ghoul Swarm and many other disasters in the past. Oh, you remember Agatha the Witch? That was his pet." He sighed, stopping on his tracks.

"Speaking of pets, that ugly hag was the one who reduced this dog-loving grimace into a two-bit t.w.a.t. The point is, Henry my boy, he's bad news. We're about to discuss how fabulously we should go about kicking his a.s.s, again, while also making sure there's no next time for his evil c.r.a.p.

So why don't you go treat yourself to a hearty meal with this and get some rest afterwards, sounds good? Good." Phillis inserted some cash into the doctors pocket, not giving him any chance to rebut.

Nikolai grunted at the remark, reminiscing about the past battle. Memories of his wife, Johanne, flashed through his mind, warming his heart and all the more fueling his determination to eliminate the reanimated pest.

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The Orophurus Palace was built atop one of the tallest mountains of the Killian Mountain Range near the pier. There was no road leading up and it was surrounded by nothing but cliffs, rocks, greenery, dangerous mystic beasts, a few high-tier magic traps and pitfalls.

Intended to be strategic and seige-proof architecture designed purely by the Empress herself, famed for the ingenuous marvel she's built that has stood tall even throughout the duration of the Great War.

The only thing that connects the Palace with the rest of it's cities are the Portal Gates at the base of the mountain. It could be activated and deactivated at any moment by the Empress's command and allowed quick transport to and from her residence.

It gave off the feeling of an indomitable fortress, yet Seffa couldn't be more at home.

The overlooking view was really comforting as it reminded her of how she used to observe the various creatures creeping around in the Miren Woods high up in the b.u.t.te with Matros.

But there were a few things that were different.

u003c'...I think I've lost them! Thank goodness.'u003e Seffa thought, cautiously looking out at the empty corridor.

She was carrying a book that she had borrowed from the Palace's library and was now on her way back to her room. However, she was in quite a predicament.

"Young miss~!"

She flinched, slowly turning her gaze upward towards the origin of the soft, sweet voice calling out to her. Up in the shadowy corner of the ceiling was a woman in a victorian maid outfit, comically sticking to the wall on fingertips and boots.

"Found you~♡"

"WAAAAAAAAA!!!" the child bolted away with a terrified look.

Being a telepath had a lot of inconveniences such as all the silent thoughts people make that Seffa couldn't block out. For the past few days that she had been in the palace, Seffa has learned about multiple secrets unintentionally.

Her father has taught her how to shut out those noises, but a child is still a child. It allowed her to be hyperaware of all the presences around her whether they were visible or not.

Yet that woman was strangely different, she didn't emit any mental noise.

"There's no escape!!" Rael called out gleefully as she gave chase to the youngster.

Rael was an Oni, an evolutionary variation of the Demon Race who tend to be more docile than it's cousins. She had neck-length blonde hair, a freckly oval face and almond-shaped blue eyes. Her most prominent feature, however, would be the slim horns that protruded in between the hairline and her temples.

u003c'd.a.m.n, this kid can move!'u003e she thought.

The Oni, other than their horns and superior physical prowess, were indiscernible from humans. Even with the uniform hindering her movements, Rael was confident she could catch one little rascal who's still wet behind her ears.

Even so, she was getting left behind.

The Palace was dizzyingly wide to say the least. Coupled with few floors up and it was basically a terrestrial t.i.tanic, so Seffa had plenty of place to hide.

u003c'They won't leave me alone if they catch me. I'll be their dress-up doll again if they do and I won't have any moment of peace to read.'u003e she recalled her previous encounters with the sisters with annoyance.

u003c'Wait...where's the other one—!?u003e she thought, making a sharp turn at the end of the corridor.

BOING

Her face was met with a pair of voluptuous buns and was bounced off in one dramatic motion, successfully foiling her escape.

"Fufufu~♡. Please refrain from running in the corridors, Ms. Seffa. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." giggled the maid Teal, Rael's twin sister.

"Come now. Let's get you tidied up."

"Muu~...fine." Seffa replied in surrender as she took Teal's hand and stood, staring with disbelief at those bouncy things.

Teal looked just like Rael, but she had black hair and eyes, didn't have freckles, and was clearly more well-endowed in certain departments compared to her sister.

"Ah! There you are!" called out Rael, coming out of one of the corners, sweaty and gasping for air.

"Sister, please. You have to set an example to Ms. Seffa as an adult instead of acting so immature." Teal said in stern scolding.

"Ahahaha! Sorry! It's just been a while since I had so much fun on this job. Besides, it's like we have a baby sister, now that the Young Miss is here." Rael laughed, jogging towards them.

"Though I can't deny that, it isn't a reason for you to become a bad influence for her. She's a growing child! What if she grows up to be unladylike because of you?"

"How rude! Surely a little s.p.u.n.k wouldn't be bad for her. Am I right, Young Miss?" The two turned to Seffa.

She sighed. The quarrel only made her cringe, making her contemplate how Teal would react if she knew how many curse words Phillis has taught her already.

.

"Did you know my mother? Her name is Johanne Mein, my papà said she was a Paladin of this kingdom."

It was a question she'd been meaning to ask since their arrival. Seffa had learned that this place is where her parents first met and how her mother was actually a human.

At first she had suspicions, what if the Empress was secretly her mother. She could tell that the Empress was like her, a psychic, and they had similar slightly pointed ears. However, they looked much too different overall so she dismissed the idea.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Seffa. Unfortunately, we only started working here as the Lord's personal maids about 5 years ago, so we didn't really get to meet your mother." Teal answered, slowly brushing Seffa's curly auburn hair as they sat down on her bed.

They were back in Seffa's room, one of the few accommodations in the highest level of the palace near the Lord's Tower. Bastian the Head Butler, like a doting grandfather, had the room renovated and reconstructed into a comfortable haven.

"It's alright. I was just curious." she said putting together the stuffed bunnies she got from when they went to the festival. They were like a little happy family of three, giving her mixed feelings.

u003c'I wonder how it's like to have a mother.'u003e she thought as she held one of the dolls, a lonely look in her eyes.

"Well, if I were to say. I'm quite confident that your mother would be delighted to see you all grown up. Here." the maid said, trying to lighten the child's mood.

Teal had finished fixing Seffa's hair into a braided bun and had her observe it on the mirror.

"It's so pretty! Thanks." the little girl embraced Teal, burying her face in her clothes.

"...back in our hometown, we believed that loved ones who've returned to the Great Cycle are still watching over us. Some even say that they visit us in our dreams. So until your mother does visit you in one of yours, you have to accomplish things that you think will make her proud. Alright?"

"Mm."

She had gotten attached to the child. But it wasn't just Teal, Seffa had met most of the people in the household department and it was easy to say that they were captivated by the brilliant little girl.

Perhaps it was because of the fact that she tragically lost her mother that they felt the need to look after Seffa.

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"A Summit between Nations, you say?"

Currently, two messengers from the Church of Totheph were in the Throne Room delivering an invitation to the Empress.

They wore the cla.s.sic clergy apparel with a white Mitre designed with a black insignia of the sun with a yellow eye inside. A purple Amice lined with the same hue of yellow, a beige Chasuble, and a purple veil covering their faces.

They also had a few priced accessories and what Amira judged to be Magic Items.

"It is as you say, your highness." an elderly voice sounded from the one who was wielding a staff.

"We are requesting all of the recognized sovereigns within the Continent of Verochka to gather. This is in the hopes of a fair discussion in between the nations on what we should do to avoid a repeat of the unfortunate disaster that befell the Kingdom of Hovarin." he described.

"We do implore you to attend."

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