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Volume 5

Chapter 3: Prince Volga

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Remembering that fear-inducing cinematic video that looked almost real, noting the face of ‘Siva’ that he will never ever forget… Garin couldn’t help feel that that the ‘Siva’ he met was actually an extremely lucky bastard.

Not only he had Cassiopeia as a follower, he also had to encounter the ‘key’ to trigger the Grand Quest, making him a target by everyone who’s envious of him all over Terroa.

Just imagining millions upon millions of people targeting you… the thought of it was giving him the jitters.

Of course, even him, he would go after Siva… but considering his competition, he just couldn’t rally the courage to go against that number.

“We have to be the first to find The Providence or Pegasus will succeed.”

Hearing the ‘old man’ called Janus talk, Garin took note of the parts ‘The Providence’ and ‘Pegasus’ parts on his speech.

He knew that what he had put his nose into was as big as the circle of Illuminati and its clients… he knew that being around these guys were as serious as the circle that Gats –the celebrity, was moving around his tail as well.

Garin knows this because the one who requested him to be part of this team was ‘AG’.

Everyone knows that whoever ‘AG’ sets his eyes on always… ALWAYS… has something interesting on them and this interesting part of them is what makes his investments somewhat dangerous.

And to all this… Garin had no choice but to accept.

Both as a gamer and also for the sake of his ‘job’ in this world and the real world to continue, he had to do his best. And so, he had to listen to them closely and attentively, and to take note of things that he can.

Gabriel violently rubbed his silver hair, “Ack! I’m going to age more with this guy. As soon as I get out of my cave, all I’m hearing is him and his antics of destruction! Why can’t we just make it all stop and start all over again?”

After this man spoke, he looked at Garin and gave him a disdainful look. Garin knew that he was no match for him and that his ‘role’ in this group had been officially just an overseer with an excuse that all new members of The Illuminati, especially for groups like theirs, had to be accompanied by an overseer to grade their overall strength.

This will ensure the grade of the requests that they can handle for their clients.

Hearing this, Janus only chuckled as he looked at the five youthful teenagers playing at the back.

“We can’t.” He said and then looked up to the sky as if looking at something. “When the kid came back, he also opened up a gateway that allowed the demon to enter through his means. I did what I can to protect the balance but the ‘future’ path is still opened and now he’s woken up. I could only guess as to how disappointed he is with how his vessel and his mission had become. But, you saw it too, Gabriel, that despite that fact, he still did not come into being. Instead, he still gave the kid a second chance. This only proves that he was aware of our quest and so he decided to wait for me to play my cards.”

After he spoke, he momentarily smiled at Garin who, on his side, treated this information as probably the most shocking he had ever heard.

It wasn’t long ago that they saw the cinematic of Siva and the words spoken by him and the girl about ‘the future’ and the destruction of Terroa, so when Janus spoke of it as if he had seen it in a past ‘event’, doesn’t that mean that they had been chasing a quest that had something to do with Siva’s Grand Quest?

Doesn’t that mean that there are two paths on this quest?

Or perhaps… doesn’t that mean that this group is chasing a Chain Quest that ultimately leads to them to either butt heads with Siva’s own quest or team up with him in the future?

Garin’s mind spun as he microscopically trembled to catch up to his thoughts.

How unbelievable would it be that while he was doing his mission as an overseer for AG, he was also going to be part of a picture that even in his wildest imagination cannot take form…

All he could do was close his eyes. Close his eyes as to calm himself and not let his emotions take the better of him. He can’t reveal the plans that –far from his thoughts– had always been known by these two immortal beings at his side.

Gabriel looked at the spy and snorted then looked at Janus with a helpless sigh.

Janus, on the other hand, only nonchalantly gave him a smile as he watched the direction where the Cyclone went.

He murmured, “This world will come into being soon and the prophesy of The One will be known to both worlds…” Janus closed his eyes and then looked up, looking like an old man whose reminiscing about a far distant nostalgic past. Opening his eyes with a look of pleading and hope in his expression, he spoke, “By the Gods, if Pegasus still insists on his plans, I don’t think I can still protect him from the monster that he created.”

By these low toned words, Gabriel who heard it couldn’t help but stop the emotions swelling up in his chest. “Oh, Teacher is just too kind… too kind…”

Janus looked at him and smiled in resignation. “I really am, am I? Sigh…”

Garin, oblivious, looked on with confusion.

Janus walked over towards the youths and the two grownups followed. They were preparing to leave. But before that, Janus glanced back at a departing group heading towards the southern seas before he smiled warmly and spoke.

“Let’s go now, Gabriel.”

Gabriel only looked on towards that direction but didn’t give it much attention. “Yes Teacher.”

Garin looked on towards that direction but did not see anything unusual at all. The five youths beamed at Janus where Gabriel, sensing they’re all in range, flicked a finger up and activated his bloodline magic, Teleporting them away.

*****

Far to the southern seas, with gloomy faces and worried expressions, the passengers of The Archangel returned to their damaged ship along with five stunningly beautiful guests.

By now, the ship had been 90% better and was already operational that all it had been waiting for was for the passengers who left to come back.

And yet, as soon as they came back, they were forced to stand guard and put themselves on Red Alert. Because they brought along them five distinguished guests that they can’t afford to not protect and serve with utmost sincerity.

In the Captain’s Lounge, Loni and Fuma, along with Samara, Cassiopeia, and Kathleen Brew, sat down with the five guests as they sipped tea in a circle of awkward silence.

Loni and Fuma exchanged glances, “Should we tell her about the Archmage?”

“No. As we’ve already told her about the situation with The Destroyer then the lead part probably is already on her hands…”

Samara and Kathleen Brew met their eyes and a nod so minutely small transmitted the message they wanted to tell each other.

In contrast to the main VIP guest, her four companions silence were considered to be normal for they are only assistants to the representative of the Circle of Magi.

Her name was Eleanor, a high priestess of the ever so secretive yet substantially famous NPC Guild made up purely of Witch and Wizards…

The Circle of Magi.

After sipping her tea, she elegantly put down the cup on the saucer and smiled amiably. It was a smile that, paired with her beautifully gorgeous blondeness and those distinctive pointy ears –a distinction only visible for the Maven Race that has a pure bloodline, which seem to move according to her mood, was enough to cause wars to erupt between many countries that want to possess her.

Right now, in accord to her noble aura and feel of elegance multiplied by her downcast ears, the presence she exuded gave the impression that she was enjoying the tea.

It was enjoyable to the eyes. In fact, this level of charm was enough to even give everyone here the notion that aside from the natural and ‘real’ beauty that Scion possessed, perhaps every girl in the world would have committed suicide from despair… and ask: What was the point of competing in beauty pageants if it can easily be toppled by an NPC?

Up to this point, the quiet and reserving self-control Loni was holding in couldn’t hold out any longer.

“Lady Eleanor…”

“Loni.” Her soothing calm voice rang and the bespectacled Fuma on the side couldn’t help but close his eyes and smell the air as it seems that every time she speaks, a fragrant aroma always escaped from her body as part of her noble and grand aura. “The things you’ve told me earlier, about Siva wanting to destroy the world… I feel that it is true.”

“It is, Your Excellency, and right now even us who is connected to him by… fate… cannot help but wish that this is doubtful. Alas, we have seen the visions and I believe that The Oracle is mistaken at his identity to have the entire Order help him on this mission.”

Eleanor, a priestess and the representative of The Oracle –leader of The Circle of Magi– could only frown as she too was conflicted.

The Circle of Magi is an organization that exists in secret and is privy known only to some very powerful and informed individuals. In fact, if you have not been able to receive a strength comparable to an S-Rank by not being a Mage, one will never be able to get any clues and leads to the existence of this organization on NPCs.

Regarding their mission, this organization had vowed to protect the world from the Demons and to all powers that will try to ruin its peaceful living in all the generations of its members.

It was a group that exists for the sole purpose of eradicating all evil existence in the world.

Of course, for it to declare that they will help the God of Destruction to actually destroy the world is unthinkable and perhaps is a mistake in the first place.

And yet, when the argument and confusion was brought up, Eleanor closed her eyes. When she did, lines and tattoos emerged on her skin and it shined in a distinctive blue hue before this light vanished and the tattoos disappearing after a moment later.

Watching this scene made them all gasp in full and utter admiration but also layered with fear and astonishment. The Mana coming from her intensified and they almost felt that they were submerged in a deep dark well with only the sweet taste of its clean spring water left in your mouth before drowning.

It was a sensation both good and alarming to the senses. To this world and its sense modalities mnemonic engine responsible for imitating the five senses, this kind of phenomena was beyond what they all knew with the game standards. The amount of information transmitted back to their brains all told them that this feeling of drowning was close to what it feels like in the real world. So of course, all of them were alarmed.

“The Oracle had decided.” Eleanor declared. “I am to take the side of The Great Teacher and follow the instructions as spoken before.”

“But Your Excellency!”

Eleanor calmly sipped her tea and then looked at the protesting Loni. “Child, you have to trust The Teacher as do The Oracle. He is wiser than all of us and even more knowledgeable than The Oracle that led The Order… He had seen the truth of this world and is more experienced in the changes that affect it than any of us. If he says that we have to follow Siva… then we will do so.”

Even though she spoke these words, she was still a bit dubious. A frown can be seen on her face but she still said those words and held the conviction that it is righteous and true.

“Trust the Great Teacher’s wisdom.” She said when no one spoke. “He knows the truth of this world and is more concerned to it as anyone else does. If he says that we have to follow, then even The Oracle has no say to his words.”

Eleanor’s voice became serious and solemn, the tone of dignity and conviction was clear. She did wholeheartedly believed in the wisdom of The Great Teacher and speaking of those words is also because she was retelling it to herself.

The listeners exchanged glances, they, too, had the same doubts. They have no idea who this Great Teacher was but if a priestess of The Order, an exalted Magi, says that he is wise and even revere to him on this degree, then there is no need to actually doubt it. Furthermore, it was even a source of information for them.

Especially for Fuma who was the TOS Guild’s walking and talking Wikipedia, the name Great Teacher in itself had sparked endless interest to his part.

Who could guess that this was perhaps a lead to a great quest for the TOS Guild?

And of all the people… it was them who met the Emissaries of The Circle of Magi. One could only treat this as fate, and luck, and perhaps still part of them being tangled in this mess with a very deep knot and thus had no say to anything in the matter.

Loni, of course, knew about this… but there was something in her mind was bugging her so. It was at the part where he saw that face of the person named Siva.

She wanted to log out for a long time now but can’t find the opportunity to do so. She could only grit her teeth and endure the time… and also understand where the emissary was coming from. After all, this includes the world she had long learned to love and vowed to protect.

Faced with this silence, Eleanor looked at Loni then to Cassiopeia. This immediately made the people around her focused and alert.

“I feel that you are in some way connected to Siva. Tell me, are you one of his followers?”

Prompted, Cassiopeia hid nothing and spoke in a proud manner. “Yes, I am.”

Samara and the others felt… awkward. If only the exalted Eleanor would know the entrailing facts of the question she asked, she would have punished her for being indecent and immoral.

Eleanor stood up and went to sit beside her with elegant and gentle strides, then gently tapping Cassiopeia’s head as if to flick a silly girl’s forehead because she was cute and adorable.

After a while, Eleanor pulled her hand back and then smiled warmly. “I feel love, a very deep kind of admiration, powerful sense of respect, and a lot of… heat coming from your heart and body that is connected to Siva by many threads of… emotions... little girl, you’re wholeheartedly devoted to him.”

Spoken as such, Cassiopeia seemed to be in the verge of crying as she teary-eyed nodded. “As long as I live, I shall serve my master.”

The one spoken to declared proudly with no shame and even clenched her fist and cocked it.

Samara and Loni’’s brows convulsed, Fuma’s lips curved into an innocent smile, Kathleen Brew’s illusory whiskers twitched, and the other four Magi followers simultaneously heaved a secret sigh as they thought to themselves in order:

“Priestess is really so innocent.”

“Sometimes, I envy the mistress for being this innocent of the world.”

“Ah! Innocence is bliss…”

“Being assigned outside The Order had soiled my innocence. I wish I could turn back the time to when I was still as innocent as The Mistress.”

They all heaved a sigh at the same time.

*****

Looking outside the window, at a view of a lush mountain range at the edge of a bright blue sea, she heaved one sigh after another.

From the outside, it looked like a floating five-walled castle built above a huge natural chunk of Blackrock surrounded by eight hexagonal-shaped smaller castles that formed a formation of structures connected by blackiron chain-bridges above a large lake.

The lake was a crater and in the entire Southern Continent of Heartilia, this volcanic remnant was a special place conquered and developed by the continent’s most powerful guild.

Its entire region encompassed a total of 60ha.

This was the floating fortress of the Blue Card Legion: Apus Epirus.

It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago, she was this close to meeting him again. But then, Hubert appeared and kidnapped her.

If this was the real world, then she would have called the cops and made him arrested. But alas, this was the world of Terroa and the laws of the real world does not apply here.

In this place, once you die, you don’t actually die in the real world as well.

After all, this is just a game.

But she also understands thanks to Alice. Her friend, named FlowerLord in this world, told her that there are people who ‘live’ here and treat the other side as if it exists as a hindrance. The laws of the real world does not apply here and in this place, the more violent you are, the more you are respected because the law of the jungle is the one law that runs this world.

Strength decides everything.

But not only that. Since the real world cannot do a thing to the players of this world, they can do almost everything they wanted and thus… when it comes to women, everything will look and feel like it was real. To such people, when driven by lust, anything is possible.

In the middle of her calm thoughts, the silence of the room was disturbed by three knocks.

She turned her head to hear a man’s voice with a gentle tone. “May I come in, Your Highness?”

“No. You may not.” Scion angrily declared. “Why did you kidnap me anyway? I have no interest in this game and how you play it so please, release me now. My friend is worried about me.”

Alas, even if she had declared it, and even if she was confused as to the reason why she was even called ‘a highness’ like a royalty by the man on the other side of the door, the doorknob still turned and a man in golden knight armor came in carrying a tea set over a tray.

Seeing her, the man’s eyes seemed to have delighted and he carefully placed the tray on the table near the large window where Scion was looking at earlier.

With graceful movements like that of a real royal dignitary, he made a bowing gesture of a western aristocrat, introducing himself.

“My name is Prince Volga of the Sovereign Land of Utopia… to inform you in advance, you are now hereby announce as my future queen and as well as the destined ruler of this world.”

From what he said, if any player was present, it would be possible to think that he was an NPC.

But this Prince Volga was, in all respect, a user.

He is a «Player» of RPG: Terroa.

When Prince Volga saw her during the Elders' Call meeting, he fell in love at first sight.

He knew that he just had to meet her as soon as possible. No matter how the Blue Card Legion wanted to use her, they are still going to give him the proper consideration because Prince Volga is the reason why there is a Blue Card Legion in the first place.

Volga had every right to demand something off of the Blue Card Legion in exchange for his full cooperation to their plans.

No matter what use they have of her, they would still be able to do that if she was his wife.

Looking at the man right now, Scion could guess without thinking and consideration that the man was being led by his greed and lust. He was one of the people FlowerLord had warned her to be warry of.

Prince Volga doesn’t really care about the inner workings of the Blue Card Legion and how they want to carry out their plans because for a very powerful person like him who also happens to have authority as well, an NPC is just an NPC with limited use in the game.

Seemingly, he thought that Scion was an NPC!

When she was presented in front of the Elders, Volga couldn’t help but to drool over her for she was the girl of his wet dreams.

Many times Volga had viewed the videos of the Fairy of the Lake in the net and for as many times as well, he had fantasized about her. So when she was suddenly brought to his presence just like that, why would he not use his authority and power to take this NPC for himself?

As such, he disregarded how he would treat her with respect, or without… he must make her his woman.

Scion displayed a frightened expression as soon as she saw the lust in his eyes.

Volga was looking at her body that was outlined so perfectly fine by the Gown she wore. Her trembling lithe figure was like a weak lamb that’s more enticing to the senses, more alluring and addictive than cocaine or meth! The way she covered her chest and body boiled his desire to conquer her even further.

Seeing her in this adorable expression, a thrill run through his body as he unwittingly forgot all pretenses and restraint of his status and rank, taking a large step towards her.

“Don’t come near me!” Scion declared and took the furthest part of the room from him.

With open arms, Volga took another step while wearing a royal smile that betrayed his burning lust for her. If it was made outside the game and used against any woman, considering his status and handsome face, Volga will definitely become the Harem King in an instant.

With the step taken, he paused his assault.

“Please, don’t be scared.” He said with the smile that betrayed his intentions. “I won’t hurt you. In fact I just want to share a few good stories with you. Perhaps see you smile? Make you feel good in ways that you will never imagine.”