Chương 9: Birth of the High Priestess

Reinglas stood at the wall of the courtyard of the kingdom's castle. From above, he observed the four heroes being trained by the Royal Knights. Drake was designated as the swordsman, Alexander as the spearman, Yumi as the priestess, and Tiffany as the ranger. Sadly, the party was incomplete, missing one person to take the role of the mage. The woman, Alex, if she remembered her name correctly, was supposed to be the perfect fit. She didn't need to have a high starting prowess.

The starting prowess of 20 was already stronger than an average adult male. Her body even caught his eye the most, compared to the other two. The way she dressed was different from the other four, who had similar outfits. She wore something similar to a dress that hugged the curves of her body. Her foxy eyes captivated Reinglas along with her perfect unblemished skin. A pity she had to be thrown out. It wouldn't have been fun either way due to the way she used that mouth of hers.

She was unlike anyone they'd ever summoned in the past. One wrong word from her mouth, and it would've been off with her head even if she was a summoned hero. Reinglas wasn't one to play with the head of an already dead person either.

"Father, it seems the training is progressing well," Alizia said.

"Drake has just reached a prowess of 41. If his words are correct, he put most of his effort into tenacity and aura." It has only been a month since grand summoning and the boy, barely an adult, had achieved a prowess of over 40. Most aspiring to be part of the Golden Generation would have started training at the age of 12. By the time they were 18, a minimum prowess of 50 was required to even aim for the title.

Yet the boy in front of him, training with one of his top royal knights, had reached it in under a month. What a surprise. Maybe this was the generation that would finally end the reign of Pandor.

"Good." Reinglas smiled.

"What about the others?" Alizia cleared her throat.

"Alexander reached 34 prowess, Yumi is at 32. Surprisingly, Tiffany is close behind Drake at 38." Reinglas' smile widened.

"I would've thought the spearman would be the second to Drake."

"I thought so as well. Tiffany was a welcome surprise."

"Does Klaus have a prepared expedition for them?"

"Yes, father. They are set to subjugate the southern Hadstead mines in a week," Alizia grinned.

"Speaking of Hadstead, I do have news of the one who ran away."

"Tell me," Reinglas said.

"The woman, Alex, had been spotted around Hadstead mountains. It seems some merchants and adventurers described her exact apparel."

"And how is that?" Reinglas asked, more curious about her current state, whether she was still usable or not.

"It seems she comes and goes out of the southern bandit camp," Alizia chuckled.

"A pity," Reinglas frowned. Indeed it was. If she was going in and out of the bandit camps, she must be whoring herself out just to keep alive. Living off 100 gold coins would prove to be difficult. A lot of gold pinching was necessary to even keep afloat, especially with no source of income. She might be stronger than an average adult male, but that did not mean she was stronger than the men who trained their prowess. In the end, he had already seen that coming.

For being the lowest prowess summoned hero in history, her only worth was her face and body. Presenting her body to those richer or stronger than her was her only way to live in this cruel world. With the knights on a mission to subjugate the southern bandit camp, she could be lucky. One of the knights might take pity on her and use her before killing her or take her as a pet. However, who would want to have a foul mouthed pet? None of the Dragus knights would tolerate disrespect.

Loud footsteps from the right of them stomped loudly on the stone floor of the courtyard's walls. Glancing at the direction, Reinglas saw Klaus in full mithril armour with his helmet off. Once he arrived at their side, Klaus knelt on one knee.

"My king, I have news you must hear." Reinglas sighed. This fool was always one for dramatics. Everything was an emergency to him. Nevertheless, fools were useful.

"What is it, Klaus?" he asked.

"The knights sent to subjugate the southern camp..." Klaus's face contorted.

"Tell me already."

"They've not returned yet, my king. We've sent 55 and they should've been back by dawn. And our scouts have noted that the bandit camp still remains."

"You're telling me all 55 of my knights died?" Klaus didn't answer. The veins on his temples became more visible as he clenched his teeth. 55 knights that averaged above 160 prowess couldn't possibly just disappear without a trace. With that kind of firepower, they'd be able to take on all of Hadstead Mountains and then some. It would even give the kingdom of Lyra a headache should he station those knights at their border as a show of force.

"What about their armours? Their bodies? Were any recovered?!" Reinglas asked, almost yelling.

"They... there was no sign of conflict at all in front of the bandit camp walls. I'm afraid they've simply disappeared," Klaus managed to say through his gritted teeth.

"So they've abandoned us."

"No! My King! Theodore would never abandon his kingdom. He grew up in the castle since he was a baby!" Klaus shouted.

"That's not what the evidence is saying," Reinglas's face contorted.

"Father, it might be a mistake. Instead of jumping to conclusions, shall we send a scout from the Court of Mists?" Alizia asked. Reinglas sighed in relief. His daughter's always been smart, just like her mother.

"Right. Klaus, order a Mist Assassin to look for clues on our missing knights in the mountain."

"I shall do as you say." Klaus bowed his head, still kneeling. After finishing his confirmation, Klaus stood up and stomped back to where he came from. Instead of jumping to conclusions and being dramatic about it, he should really just do his job and let his king and his daughter do the thinking for him. Klaus would've been the perfect soldier if it weren't for him thinking too much. Such a fool indeed.

☕︎ ☼ ☕︎ ☽ ☕︎ Beside a table and chair, sitting in the field of Star Seeking flowers, Aurora's eyes couldn't believe that she now owned this garden. The beauty of the mountain as the backdrop to the sea of blue petals felt all the more surreal. Never had she ever dreamed that she'd have her own field as a garden. Her tears almost dared to fall as she held up one of the baby Star Seeking flowers. These little babies only took 11 nights to germinate and break through the layer of soil.

Once broken through, they immediately look for the stars. Should a seed be planted in the daytime, it would reach the surface in the daytime. Therefore, the best time to place them was at night. After another 11 nights, they'd bloom, allowing the fin bugs to pollinate them and fertilize their seeds. The high mountain winds would carry the seeds towards the tilled soil, allowing them to repeat the cycle.

And just as she thought of that, a wave of wind passed through the field of petals, making the baby Star Seeking flowers sway against it. Maybe it was their way of saying how happy they were at being able to see the stars immediately once they poked out of the ground. Aurora was truly happy that she'd be able to cultivate them the way they were meant to be. And to add to that happiness, the other plants that she ordered Yulka to fetch from Dragus started to finally get used to their new homes.

Most of the 1 km by 2 km mountain field was used for the Star Seeking flowers. And then there was a small 50 square metre patch for the new neighbours of the flowers. It had Arabelum trees that produced sweet berries, Latia bushes that produced an odd type of bitter berries that, when grown together with Hadstead stalks and prepared in the proper method, would produce a special type of drink that the kids and adults would love. Hadstead stalks had a special kind of syrup.

When harvested and boiled, it would produce a type of powder that could be put in the juice of the bitter berries that would create a complex sweetness. The Arabelum sweet berries were also good for digestion and calming down the nerves. At the same time, they could be used as a sweetener for drinks, which the Lady called 'caffeine water'. She hoped that the Lady would find the product of the Star Seeking flowers more palatable if she chose to mix it with boiled Arabelum berries.

The sound of the creaking could be heard from the bandit camp's rear door. It was the entrance to the flower field, causing Aurora turn her head quickly in its direction wondering who it could be, but there was only one person who came so often. Every four hours, the Lady would collect at least 140 flowers from the field. It was a lot, but due to her diligence, irrigation, and fin bugs as pollinators, the Lady could take 140 flowers every hour, and she'd still double the flower field every month.

And just in time, the Lady yawned her way down to where Aurora was. It was time for her evening caffeine water.

"Aurora, how's the field doing?" Lady Alex's eyes turned to the freshly tilled field on the left. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"My Lady, the tilled area has been freshly seeded by the wind," Aurora smiled as she stood up to greet the Lady, even slightly giggling.

"By the 11th night, they should sprout. By the 22nd night, they'll bloom once again, and we repeat."

"That fast, eh?" Lady Alex said, turning her head to the patch of different plants.

"And what're those thingies?"

"My Lady, they are..." Aurora gulped, smile now forced.

"I've planted Arabelum trees, Latia bushes, and Hadstead stalks. The berries from the trees and bushes will provide—""Did I tell you to plant them?" Lady Alex asked.

"No... my Lady."

"And was it your idea?"

"Yes, my Lady. I thought it would've been a great addition to the garden," Aurora took the cup of boiled Arabelum berry syrup mixed with water and presented it to Lady Alex. Before the Lady took it, she did her usual gathering of the Star Seeking flowers. It always amazed Aurora at the precision with which she took each one, only selecting the ones that had spread their seeds already. The next moment, fine dust particles separated from the petals, swirling down into the cup that she extended.

Finally, the Lady took the cup and took a sip.

"Aurora," Lady Alex said. Aurora knelt down immediately on one knee.

"If I have disgraced—" The Lady knelt down to meet her eyes, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"What do you want?"

"My Lady... I do not understand..."

"A reward." Aurora caught on. It was the same event that happened to Grey when the Lady was satisfied with his work. Sudden pride swelled up in her chest, suppressing her own tears at the Lady's recognition.

"I wish... to expand the patch, my Lady. I wish everyone could taste the berries and the stalk's flavour in our product."

"That's not a reward. You have to do that anyway. Give me something else, something material you want," the Lady said. Truly, the Lady was benevolent. The expansion of her patch wasn't even considered a reward, but more as something she must do.

"I wish for a kitchen, my Lady."

"A kitchen?"

"Yes... I wish to have my own kitchen so I could use it to cook for the employees and children."

"You really do belittle me, Aurora," the Lady smirked.

"I dare not!"

"I'll give you a house with a kitchen, bed, and living room in this field. How does that sound?"

"That sounds too amazing, my Lady. Maybe I don't deserve it." But before she could even finish her sentence, in a sudden flash, 20 full plate armours appeared out of nowhere, hovering above the flower field. The metal of the armours turned red, then orange, then white hot, yet the heat did not reach down to where the flowers were. Once it was white hot, Aurora saw it deform and form square plates. The square plates were stacked into a cube with a triangular roof.

Rocks from the mountainside flew from all sides, forming a base where the thing that now looked like a house sat on top of. A large orb of water formed on top of the still glowing orange hot metal. Falling on top of the hot metal, steam hissed, exploding outwards as the heat was quenched from the metal walls of the house. The wind blew again, allowing for a clear view of the house. Yet the Lady was not done yet.

A dizzying amount of runes and patterns that Aurora didn't know the meaning of etched themselves onto every part of the base and walls. The house floated on top of the fields. Naturally, the Lady created sturdy stone steps, etched with the same number of patterns, and railings to prevent falling. Lady Alex took the first step, testing the first staircase stone step. It didn't even budge as she put her weight on it.

"Come, Aurora. Your new home's done," Lady Alex said. Aurora took the first step, also testing the floating stair step. Surprisingly, it was completely solid, as if it was built on solid ground. The next steps came easier as she confidently took the 16 steps to the floating house. Turning the doorknob, Lady Alex gestured her in. Aurora went in first, looking around everywhere. There were exactly two rooms, and it looked wider on the inside than from the outside.

To her left was a room with a sofa and a rectangular black object stuck on the wall. Straight ahead was what looked like the kitchen, but not with a stone stove she was used to. It was made of metal, and there was nowhere to put the wood in. Then, moving through the room with the sofa, the other room looked like a bedroom. Entering the bedroom, Aurora saw a panoramic view of the field. Putting her hand on the glass, it was so clear that she couldn't believe that it was even solid.

Not even the greatest glassmakers of Pandor could replicate this 'invisible glass'. Looking up, there was a small window on the ceiling that allowed her to see the stars. Aurora smiled at that. It would confirm that the Lady had been closely observing her as well.

"My Lady, I want to cry," Aurora said, tears starting to fall.

"Cry all you want," Lady Alex said. And she did. Aurora couldn't stop the tears from falling even though she knew very well the Lady did not like inefficiency. Yet all the Lady did was sit on the sofa while drinking the Arabelum caffeine water mix.

"I'm gonna call this Star Cubs Refreshers, hehehehe," the Lady started laughing. Whenever she did laugh, it sounded evil to Aurora. But how could a benevolent being laugh with malicious intents? It wasn't possible. Moving back to the sofa room, she said, "My Lady, I'm sorry for my unsightly tears."

"Huh? You actually cried?" Lady Alex asked.

"Anyway, let's move."

"Move where?" Aurora asked, tilting her head.

"To the chemical reactor facility," Lady Alex smiled. A blue outline formed around Aurora, and suddenly, she was dragged from her new home towards the bandit camp. In a couple of seconds, they arrived. Aurora had to comb her hair with a hand to unfrizz it. Observing where she had arrived, there was now a third building beside Distillation Facility #1 and #2. The new building sat beside them and had a sign that read 'Chemical Reactor #1'.

"Come on. Come on. Come on," Lady Alex waved her in. It seemed Lady Alex was in a bright mood. Aurora followed her with a slight skip to her feet. Entering the chemical reactor building, it was all just empty space. But again, without wasting time, the Lady materialized 35 full armour plates in the building. They turned red hot, glowing orange to white molten metal. She began forming them into shapes, similar to the vats she had made before in Distillation Facility #1 and #2.

But this time, she created 4 sets of cylinders from the 35 armour sets, each one thinning out into metal sheets that formed the perfect cylinder. She stacked the four cylinders one on top of the other, placing them in the middle of the facility. The last finishing touches she added were the instruments. She included gauges that would tell them the bottom temperature, but it wasn't just one. More and more instruments appeared out of thin air.

She installed a pressure gauge near the base, its dial marked with numbers Aurora didn't understand, but she had heard Elador's ramblings about them. A network of smaller pipes snaked into the main tower, and at each junction, she placed a strange, flat crystal-like object that pulsed with a faint light, which she called a flow meter. A question formed. How was the Lady able to do all of this? Her prowess was only 20, yet everything she did defied the number. Was she perhaps outside the Spirit Sign or...?

A headache suddenly formed in Aurora's left eye, but she must ask the question regardless.

"My Lady... are you operating outside the Spirit Sign?" Lady Alex looked back at her with her signature sharp eyes and smile. She looked back and continued forming what she called 'the chemical reactor'. Yet her smile itself was the answer. The Lady was operating on the truths of the world, a separate reality from all of the citizens of Nulfrae. The etchings, the strength, the undeniable, unapologetic, efficient handling of everything. Grey was wrong. Lady Alex did not see multiple steps ahead.

She saw the truth for what it was.

"Lady, I must excuse myself," Aurora said. Not bothering to confirm whether she could leave, she left anyway, knowing that the Lady was still busy with her creation. Aurora ran towards the rear door of the bandit camp and to the Star Seeking flower fields. Falling to a soft patch of soil, a sort of melancholy took over her. This was supposed to be a happy day, yet why did she feel this bitter feeling? The Lady was so far away, the one who gave her freedom and her dreams.

Yet Aurora knew that she'd never be able to reach her feet, nor would they ever stand side by side. The feeling was frustrating. She had honed her botany to the limit. No one in all 6 kingdoms of Nulfrae could match her wisdom and knowledge of plants, trees, flowers, anything that grew on the ground. From rare plants to flowers that would only bloom once every half a decade, she could grow them in captivity should she choose to.

Yet such feats could not compare to the feats of understanding the truth of reality that the Lady had. Was there really no way? Even if she could reach just a tiny portion of what the Lady could, she'd be happy. For once in her life, Aurora desired strongly to one day be able to stand beside her. Maybe not as equals--hopefully as equals--but definitely so that she would no longer be cast out again. Prove her value to the benevolent goddess.

Plucking one of the flowers, she held it up to her nose, smelling the fragrant scent of the flower, which was a paradoxical bitter honey.

"Was there really no way?" Aurora asked the stars. And the stars answered. Twinkling grains of dust fell from the sky that looked as if the stars were a waterfall. They formed a river of stars, swirling into her heart. Aurora could feel something flowing into her. Energy thicker than mana while also being more organic. Pain lanced throughout her spine that spread out to her limbs. It felt as though she was being burned alive. Was this the punishment for those that dare to desire touching the stars?

Yet Aurora persisted. Gritting her teeth, she still wanted to stay with the Lady. To work for her, to achieve dreams together. She was the very first person to say that her mind was the most important part of her self, not her body. Let the stars break her body; her spirit will never break. Seconds passed that felt like forever, that turned into minutes. She didn't even realize that she now floated above the ground, laid up towards the stars. After an hour, the burning gradually simmered down.

Her body floated back onto the ground, as her back touched the field of flowers. For a while, she didn't move, mostly because she couldn't. Her whole body was sore, unable to move any limb. It was still her win. She lived through the ordeal. A green glow slowly encapsulated her. In her view, Lady Alex looked down on her, kneeling down to pat her head. The soreness subsided as the warm green massaged all the parts of her body, just like she had cleansed away her hurt in the first meeting.

"Good job, Aurora," the Lady said.

"May I ask why, my Lady?"

"Look at your Spirit Sign." [Name: Aurora Sayon] [Class Type: Unique Legendary] [Class Name: Druid Archon] [Mana: 50/50] [Attribute Points: 0] [Tenacity: 10] [Perception: 7] [Dexterity: 3] [Aura: 1] [Mana Heart: 5] [Mana Brain: 6] [Total Prowess: 16. 05]"This is..." Aurora sat up in a hurry.

"My Lady... I've heard of the rumours. Usually, a class is only assigned when one reaches a prowess of around 150. When a class is earned, the person becomes part of the Golden Generation."

"Oh shit, was that how it works?" Lady Alex asked.

"Yes, my Lady." Pride once again swelled up in Aurora's chest. She shouted, "I've become part of the Golden Generation!"

"Cool. What class you got?"

"It says I'm a Druid Archon. However, I've never heard of any of the Golden Generation becoming an Archon before."

"Oh fuck yes," Alex laughed. Again, her laugh sounded evil, maniacal even, as she used her full chest with the laugh. Yet, how could such a benevolent being be evil? It was impossible for such a benevolent being to have such thoughts. Aurora smiled, knowing full well she was just given a chance to stand with the Lady, and there was no way she would let the chance slip. Surprisingly, the chance to test out her new class was already here. The class gave her an intuitive understanding of what she could now do.

From the grass, trees, and plants around the southern Hadstead mountain range, she could see a single fellow climbing up the mountain shrouded in mist. Unfortunate for this fellow. Evil intentions were strictly punished. And she knew just who to call to capture this evil doer. Aurora's smile turned sharp. The Lady need not even lift a finger on this problem.