Brandon Varnell
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WIEDERGEBURT Act V: Chapter 7
🕑 Added 2020-08-24 15:16:20 +0000 UTCAs the largest city located in the very center of the Northern Plains, Midgard not only possessed the highest population, but there were more people coming and going than in any other city. That explained why there was a massive line of carriages, wagons, and groups standing around outside the gate. Every person present needed to be inspected by the Midgard Spiritual Knights before they could be let in.
Kari was driving the wagon the day they arrived in Midgard. It had taken around five days after myself, Erica, and Siv had gone to defeat the Silver Ice Emperor Ape to arrive in Midgard. Of course, it had only taken five hours for Siv and I to fly from Vesperia to Midgard. We had actually flown to the closest town over and waited for the others to arrive before proceeding to Midgard together.
Karen and Janet had been shocked.
While her two companions were rather astounded, Erica had become surprisingly calm about the whole situation after I defeated the Silver Ice Emperor Ape. I didn’t think she was calm, however. Not really. I think the most appropriate term to describe how she felt was numb.
“We finally made it to Midgard,” I said with a smile as I observed the large crowd of people.
Our wagon was not the only one being carried by a Demon Beast, though our Giga Beast was the largest Demon Beast present. A few carriages in front of ours was an ornately crafted carriage made of gold being pulled by a pair of Qilins. The majestic Demon Beasts were normally used as flying mounts, but it looked like whoever owned that carriage had turned them into decorations. There was another wagon even further up front that was being pulled by a Land Dragon. It was a C-rank Demon Beast that resembled a Giga Monster in that they were both reptilian in nature.
“We have indeed.” Kari wore the same smile on her face that I was sure I was wearing. Midgard was where the two of us had started our new life together before I’d gone back in time. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen those beautiful gates.”
The gates Kari was talking about were the majestic gates the protected Midgard. They were about three times larger than the gates leading out of Nevaria. At present, the obsidian gates were open, but everyone had to stop at the front so they and their cargo could be inspected. On either side of the gates were two massive watchtowers, which had ballistae sitting on their tops.
“Fay, Lin, Siv,” I called out. “You three should get outside so you can see this.”
“Have we arrived?!” Lin asked, peeking her head out of the small glassless window near the front. When she saw that we had indeed arrived in Midgard, she disappeared from view, though it was not long before she climbed onto the roof and slithered over to us. She was also joined by Fay, Siv, and even Raul came up, held in the arms of his mother.
“So this is Midgard,” Fay murmured in surprise, cupping a hand to her forehead as though blocking out the sun to get a better look. “You two have often described it to me, but hearing about it second hand really does the city no justice.”
“Big,” Siv added.
“Big,” Raul mimicked Siv.
“There are so many people!” Lin exclaimed in excitement. “Look, darling! Look! There are lamia over there!”
Indeed, there were several lamia up ahead. Judging from the matching uniforms they were, I believed they were members of the same sect. Actually, come to think of it…
“Is it just me, or are a lot of the people here from a sect?” I asked of no one in particular.
“It is not just you,” a voice said to my left.
I turned my head to find Erica climbing up the driver’s seat, so I moved aside and allowed the woman some space. She cast me a grateful smile as she sat down.
“So all these groups are from the various sects scattered throughout the Northern Plains?” asked Kari.
“I’m sure not all of them belong to a sect, but certainly, most of these caravans are from the numerous sects who wish to participate in the upcoming Council of Six Selection Tournament,” Erica said.
“This princess is confused,” Lin said. “Couldn’t they just use one of those Warp Gates that Darling told us about?”
“Maybe if they were only sending over a few people, but they cannot use Warp Gates constantly like that,” Kari was the one who explained the matter to Lin. “Warp Gates are incredibly useful, but they are also quite delicate and require a lot of power to maintain. One monster core from an A-rank Demon Beast can allow a Warp Gate to be used one thousand times before it must be replaced. A-rank Demon Beasts are rare, so their cores are expensive. Also, Warp Gates require maintenance the more they are used, and that is even more costly than the monster cores since very few people understand how a Warp Gate works.”
“You know an awful lot about Warp Gates,” Erica said.
“Of course!” Kari puffed out her chest in pride. “Runes are my specialty!”
The line moved slowly but efficiently. It seemed the Midgard Spiritual Knights had been prepared to receive a great many people that day because there were almost twice as many of them guarding the gate. They would come up to a carriage and inspect their cargo, then allow the carriage or caravan to pass through. In only an hour, it was our turn.
The person who had come up to inspect our carriage was a man with a confident swagger that bordered on arrogant. His demeanor did not surprise me in the least. The Midgard Spiritual Knights were, after all, the largest force within Midgard. Even if you combined all the Six Great Sects together, they would not have the same number of forces inside the city as the Midgard Spiritual Knights.
A hungry leer appeared on the man’s face as he came up to our group. I could tell from that expression that his intention for coming to us were anything but benign. However, he was still on duty and still had a job to do.
“Sorry for the intrusion, ladies, but I will need to inspect you and your cargo before I can let your group through.”
“Please feel free,” Kari said with a gesture toward the wagon.
“Don’t mind if I do,” the Spiritualist said.
I glared at the man as he swaggered around to the back of our wagon, no doubt already entering our wagon to “inspect it.” I was sure he’d inspect it good, the bloody bastard.
“You don’t seem pleased with our inspector,” Erica said.
“Why should I be pleased that some man is snooping around our wagon?” I asked.
“Eryk is very territorial,” Fay said with a blush. “He dislikes it whenever another male intrudes on our, um, private space.”
“Is that so?” Erica gave me an amused smile, lips curling in a way that I could only describe as sinful. “I suppose it is a good thing I’m a woman.”
“It is,” I agreed. “Had you been a man, I would have never let you stay with us.”
Erica blinked as if surprised that I straight up admitted she only got a pass because she didn’t have a dick.
It wasn’t necessarily true that I wouldn’t let another male into our wagon. I had allowed Zane to travel alongside us while we trained him, but he was also a special exception. He’d done a lot for Kari and me in my previous life. There were only a few other people who I had the same level of trust and respect in.
The inspector came back around, and I noticed that he was sporting a new black eye. Janet and Karen were currently sitting in Erica’s carriage. My guess was the man had run afoul of those two, tried to take advantage of them, and received a fist to the face courtesy of Janet. That girl was a firebrand.
“All of your cargo checks out. You are free to enter,” the man said stiffly before moving on his way.
“Huh?” I mumbled.
“What is it?” asked Kari.
“I didn’t even have to do anything.” I scratched the back of my head. “I had prepared a number of measures to deal with that man in case he decided to try and use his authority to sexually harass any of you, but they ended up not being needed.”
Kari’s lips curved into an amused smile. “Are you feeling disappointed?”
“Well… maybe a little,” I admitted, which caused everyone else to laugh at me.
Since we had been permitted to enter, we did so without delay, driving past the massive gates and into the city.
Lin, Fay, Siv, and Raul remained on the wagon’s roof as we traveled into the city, which allowed them to fully experience the wonder that was Midgard. The buildings were two and even three times larger than the ones in Nevaria. While the architecture here was similar to other cities like Vahn, it was many times more majestic. There was simply no comparison.
“Wassat?” asked Raul, pointing at something.
“That’s a building,” Fay answered.
“Wassat?” Raul pointed at something else.
Fay answered again. “That’s a window.”
“Wassat?”
“A street sign.”
Erica looked back at the little boy nestled within his mother’s arms and lap, smiled, and then turned to me again. Ever since I defeated the Silver Ice Emperor Ape, she had shown me a lot more respect—no, I suppose reverence would be a better word. Until now, she had been polite and respectful, but after that battle, she had begun looking at me like I was one of the Great Overlords.
“What are you all going to do now?” she asked.
“First, we are going to drop you, Karen, and Janet off at your sect’s branch office here,” I said. “After that? I guess we’ll get a room at the Antiquity Inn.”
“Just one?” Erica didn’t look too surprised.
I nodded as Kari said, “We’ve all been sleeping together for a long time. It would feel weird if we suddenly slept in separate beds.”
“Wassat?”
“That’s a catperson.”
“I suppose it would at that,” Erica agreed with a nod. “However, there is no need to travel to the Antiquity Inn. After all the help you have given us, the least we can do is let you and your family stay with us.”
“Are you sure there’s room?” I asked.
Before I’d gone back in time, the Battling Valkyries had become one of the Six Great Sects, but that was not the case now, which meant their branch office was one of the smaller ones located within Midgard.
“Do you really think so poorly of my sect?” Erica pouted at me. “We might not be one of the Six Great Sects, but we are still a vast and powerful sect with over five thousand members. The only combat oriented sect with more members than ours is the Paladin Sect. And that’s only because they accept members of both sexes, whereas we only except women. In either event, just follow my directions. I will help you get to my sect’s branch office. My sect leader is probably there, and she will want to speak with you anyway.”
“I do appreciate the offer, but I think we would still like to have our own room and board for the sake of privacy,” I said at last. “However, I would like to meet your leader.”
Erica sighed as if she was disappointed but nodded anyway. “Very well. Please follow my directions. I will lead you to my sect’s branch office.”
Since it sounded like Erica was adamant on having us accompany her, we had no reason to refuse. Kari cracked the reigns, which got the Giga Monster moving, and she listened to Erica’s directions as we traveled toward the Battling Valkyries branch office.
I was curious to see what kind of branch office they had before becoming one of the Six Great Sects.
***
Midgard was shaped like a giant circle. While similar in some ways to Nevaria, Midgard was about ten times bigger. I had never been able to explore this city in its entirety in my past life, and even the residents who lived there had probably never seen all there was to see of this massive metropolis.
As a city with a population of somewhere around 20.5 million people, Midgard could not divide itself into districts like Nevaria. My old home had a merchant district, an entertainment district, a noble district, a peasants quarters, and even an education district. It was impossible to divide a large city like Midgard in this manner since it would take too long to travel from one district to the other. For that reason, Midgard was like a mishmash, where shops and vendors mingled with residential buildings and government offices. Bazaars were located all across the city. I think there were something like two thousand different bazaars located within Midgard’s borders.
The Battling Valkyries branch office was located on the main road leading to the gate, situated between a housing unit for commoners and a mercantile sect called Geschäftsleute Company. It was a five-story building that was longer than it was wide. There wasn’t much in the way of decoration, but the sturdy pillars carved from granite contained motifs of women dressed in armor. A sign hanging over the front door with a young woman dressed in armor and wielding a giant battleaxe signified who this place belonged to.
“We have our own stables,” Erica said. “It’s just two buildings down. That way.”
Erica directed Kari toward another large building, but this one was a stable that contained several types of Demon Beast, including mares, land dragons, and even a qilin. I glanced at the qilin, who seemed notice my presence. It looked at me with haughty arrogance in its eyes. Then it lowered its head.
I was nonplussed.
“That qilin is Alexis Mutig’s mount,” Erica told me with a strange look in her eyes. “Rumor has it our leader managed to subdue this mount in single combat and made it submit to her. It has never lowered its head to someone else like this.”
This was something I had never heard before. I was also shocked. Subduing a qilin was a difficult task and something that normally required an entire squadron of Spiritualists. Even our Giga Monster was only under our control because of the collar we had wrapped around its neck. It would have gone crazy were it not for that.
“Your leader sounds pretty strong,” Fay said, a gleam in her eyes. Raul was still in her arms, but he was looking at the many different beasts of burden in the stable.
“She has reached the Third State of Spiritualism like all of you,” Erica said proudly.
Fay deflated. “So it’s just the Third State, then?”
“Why do you sound so disappointed?!” Erica shouted.
We hadn’t told Erica that all of us except for Kari had reached the Fourth State of Spiritualism, and I wasn’t sure she’d believe us even if we did. Well, maybe she would. Even someone who had reached the Third State of Spiritualism would not be able to defeat an S-rank Demon Beast on their own so quickly.
I frowned for a moment. The fact that an S-rank Demon Beast had entered human territory bothered me. Demons Beasts of that caliber never strayed far from their territory, so I was curious to know why this one had been on the move. I wondered if I should head up north some time to investigate, but those were thoughts for another time.
Our Giga Monster was massive, and the stable did not have an area large enough to fit it. Erica told us to just leave it in the back outside of the stable. After unhooking all the harnesses from the Demon Beast’s body, it curled up like an overgrown cat and fell asleep.
“I guess we have been working it pretty hard,” Kari said as she patted the giant lizard’s nose. “Its been with us since we left Nevaria two years ago, traveled through the Endless Desert with us, and now it’s finally got a nice place to rest. I’d want to be lazy too.”
“This princess wishes she could curl up around Darling and sleep like that,” Lin added, which caused Erica to choke on her laughter. Janet did not look as amused.
“We’ll be able to curl up like that soon,” I said. “But first we have to meet with Alexis Mutig.”
I was kind of excited by the idea of meeting such a legendary figure. We had never met in my previous life. By the time Kari and I had arrived in Midgard, Alexis had basically retired from active duty and refused to meet with people. She became the sect leader in name only and left most of the work to Erica.
We were led back to the Battling Valkyries’ branch office and entered through the wooden double doors. The spacious entrance hall reminded me of a reception room. There was a counter all the way in the back, next to a set of double stairs leading further into the branch office. Numerous support pillars composed of wood and stone lined this room. I looked up at the vaulted ceiling, then back down at the many people currently inside the room.
This place was packed with individuals from many walks of life. There was a young man dressed in the ostentatious outfit of a powerful merchant, a pair of commoners waiting nervously for their turn to file a quest, and several women dressed in armor similar to Janet and Karen standing over by the quest board. As we walked through this group and toward the stairs, the scent of several different perfumes and body odors pervaded my nose.
“Erica!” someone called out before we could reach the stairs.
Our group turned around to find a young woman walking toward us with a bright smile. She looked vaguely familiar… but I couldn’t quite place her. I was certain she was one of the many young women Kari and I had dealt with before.
“Rinne,” Erica said with a warm smile. “I had not realized you were also here. Is Alexis letting you take part in the tournament?”
“Of course!” Rinne blushed under Erica’s smile. Oh boy. I’d seen that reaction before. “I may not be as strong as you, but I won’t let myself be a burden. Lady Alexis has been carefully selecting the remaining participants.” She paused, then, her eyes lighting up. “By the way, did you hear about the Silver Ice Emperor Ape that attacked Vesperia just a little while ago? They say someone with incredibly strong Spiritual Powers swooped in and killed it with a single blow!”
“You don’t say…” Erica muttered while glancing in my direction.
“I’d love to meet whoever this strong person is.” Rinne clasped her hands together.
Erica’s smile became fixed. “I’m sure you’ll meet him eventually.”
Rinne tilted her head. “Do you know who he is?”
“I couldn’t say. In any case, is Lady Alexis in?” Erica quickly changed the topic.
“Yes. She’s been at the branch office for the last seven days. I actually arrived in the caravan with her. Everyone is very excited for the upcoming tournament.”
This tournament really was a huge deal. I mean, it would be the tournament that decided which sect became the latest member of the Six Great Sects and earned a seat on the Council of Six, so of course it was a huge deal, but seeing how excited everyone was really hammered this fact home.
After Erica managed to part ways with Rinne, she led our group up the set of stairs. Karen and Janet parted ways with us. They both said they had things to do, and I had a feeling Janet did not want to remain by our side any longer than necessary. She still did not like how I was married to four women.
We arrived at a door. It was simple and unadorned. However, Erica had an expression of the utmost respect on her face as she knocked.
“You can come in, Erica.”
The voice that came from the other side sounded younger than I’d expected, but I didn’t let that bother me as Erica opened the door and gestured for us to enter.
As far as offices went, the one we stepped into was fairly standard. The interior wasn’t spacious, but I think that was mostly because this place was lined with numerous weapons. Battleaxes hung from racks, claymores rested against walls. Not only did I see many conventional weapons, but I even saw a few unconventional ones like the morning star and the chain-sickle that were hanging from the back wall.
There was a desk in the center of the office, stacks of paper sitting on top of it, and sitting behind the desk was… a young girl. Well, she looked young. If I had to place her age, I’d say she looked like she was maybe fourteen or fifteen years old. Her hair was silver, her eyes were red, and she had the palest skin of anyone I’d ever seen. Albino. I’d heard of people like her. They were often considered cursed children, but it was really just a lack of pigmentation in the eyes, skin, and hair.
As we stepped into the office, the young-looking woman glanced up from her work.
And then she froze.
She did not look at Erica first, but instead turned to me. I felt a subtle pressure bearing down on my soul. Spiritual Pressure. It wasn’t enough to cause me discomfort, but the fact that I could feel it at all was a sign of this woman’s incredible might. She had definitely reached the Third State of Spiritualism, and she’d done so at a very young age, which explained why she had the appearance of a teenager. After looking at me, she glanced at Fay, Lin, Kari, and then Siv.
Finally, she looked at Erica.
“It seems you have been keeping some interesting company,” she said at last before turning back to me. “Tell me, boy. Are you the one who killed the Silver Ice Emperor Ape that was attacking Vesperia?”
“I am the one who killed it,” I admitted. It wasn’t like I had a reason to hide it.
The young woman gave me a hard stare like she was trying to see through me. Erica wore a somewhat fixed smile as she stepped forward.
“Lady Alexis, these are some traveling companions I met during my journey. Karen, Janet, and I ran into a bit of trouble, and they helped us and agreed to escort us to Midgard. This is Eryk Veiger, and these are his four wives: Kari, Fay, Lin, and Siv.” Erica then pointed at Raul. “And that is his son, Raul.”
Alexis shifted to study us more thoroughly as the women in our group were introduced as my wives. Polygamy was generally accepted here in the Northern Plains, but it was not as big here as it was in Nevaria, where having multiple spouses was often seen as a symbol of power and status.
“You four look impossibly content with your current situation,” Alexis said at last. “Does it not bother you that you have to share a man?”
“Why would it bother this princess?” asked Lin, who looked genuinely confused. “Darling is amazing, so of course he would have more than one wife.”
Alexis looked like she wasn’t sure whether she should be amused or appalled.
Kari smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she stepped forward. “Eryk’s marriage to us was something I had personally incited. There are reasons behind it that you do not need to know or understand. That said, you should know that I will not tolerate you speaking poorly of him or my sisters.”
At that moment, an incredible Spiritual Pressure pushed down on Alexis, who grunted in surprise at the sudden feeling of gravity increasing. She pushed out her own Spiritual Power to counteract the effects. However, while the two of them had comparable power, Kari was still a little stronger.
“You don’t need to become so defensive.” Alexis waved Kari off as a small trickle of sweat left a trail down the right side of her face. “I was not badmouthing him or you. I was merely curious to know why four women of your power were willing to follow this man.”
“Isn’t it obviously because we love him to death?” asked Lin. “This princess would not follow a man she did not love.”
Even Fay decided to offer her two valis on the subject, though she was blushing as she spoke. “You might not understand, but Eryk has supported all of us through many hardships. We grew to love him because of how strong, reliable, and caring he is.”
I really didn’t think this kind of conversation was necessary right now. I mean, I was grateful they all felt this way, truly, but it was causing my face to feel like someone had smashed it into a furnace.
At least their words seemed to satisfy Alexis, who leaned back in her seat as her body relaxed. “Well, I’ll not judge you all on your relationships. Everyone is different. You also have my gratitude for helping Erica during her time of need.”
“If you are truly grateful, then do you mind if we asked you for a favor?” asked Kari, a cunning smile suddenly appearing on her face.
Oh, boy. I wondered what sort of concessions Kari was going to try and wring from this woman whom we had only just met.
