Chương 10: Lord Cathartic

"Yip Yip!" Luma says, awakening from her slumber as the vessel starts to move. I reach over and scratch her behind the ears, much to her satisfaction. She jumps down onto my lap and glares at Roxane. Seeing as Roxane doesn't react at all to such a cute fox, it seems Luma isn't visible. Which is good I suppose, saves me the trouble of explaining her. How would I even try to explain her? Guess a cute fox doesn't need much explaining, she is very cuddly after all.

Several minutes pass and then Roxane stands up, "No need to stay seated now that we are en route. Would you like some tea?" She asks politely, as if she doesn't want some herself, though I can see her lips are a bit chapped and she definitely needs something to drink. Wait, since when can I see such things? I don't think I have ever noticed such things before. Perhaps it has something to do with my Spirit Sight. My senses should be a lot stronger than before, and I suppose they pick up on such odd things.

I bet I can use this to make a lot of money. I smile, "Sure." She fiddles with the wall and a compartment opens up, revealing a faucet as well as tea cups. To my surprise, she puts a cup beneath the faucet and turns it, filling the cup with steaming tea. Running water isn't that unbelievable, but they have taps just for tea, and it's hot too?! Just what sort of place is this? She offers me the cup and I take it gratefully. Luma sniffs at it for a moment and then recoils. Do spirits need to eat or drink?

I don't think they would need to, though perhaps they can just for fun. I take a sip of the tea and my eyes widen.

"This is so sweet!"

"Oh, did I put too much sugar in? Forgot that you might not be used to it."

"You mean like, real sugar?" She so casually mentioned the stuff of legends. So I just have to clarify.

"Well of course, sugar is a backbone of the economy. Goes great with just about anything and some even claim it helps with mana regeneration. Though most scholars have yet to prove that last part." Roxane says with a smile.

"Though unfortunately, mages have struggled to cultivate it solely with magic. Something about the plant dying when exposed to such pure mana? That is the main reason people believe it is a magical plant, despite no such thing ever being confirmed." I take another sip of the tea, it is definitely quite sweet. But it is kind of better this way. The sugar really adds an extra kick, that is for sure.

"Well, it is delicious!" Roxane smiles at that and then sits down with a cup of her own. I am not much for chitchat, and while I have many questions, I sense Roxane is not the one to ask. So, we simply sit in silence for the rest of the trip, which takes about twenty minutes. The landing of the vessel is far gentler, thankfully. By the time we arrive, Luma is curled up in my lap and has fallen asleep again. So I put her back in my hood. Then Roxane gestures for us to leave.

The instant I step off the vehicle, my mouth hangs open.

"This is the Lord's estate?" The estate is more like a city unto itself. In fact, the entire estate is larger than the town where my smithy was. Lush green fields roll on for several kilometers before coming to rest at a massive mansion. It is not that grand, but it was definitely expensive and definitely radiates importance. Oh, and did I mention that we are high up in the sky? The vessel attached itself to some sort of protrusion, which connects to a giant floating island that the manor sits atop.

How it floats, I have no clue. But the entire place is quite warm, and there is a gentle breeze carrying the scent of flowers. Off in the distance I can see several similar islands, though far smaller. For lesser nobles I presume. Then, far below us, stretches Loder. It is massive, so much so that it is hard to see the entire thing at once, despite our great height. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

I can see the forest that must be where I landed, and it seems to just go on and on and on forever. The trees simply disappear off the horizon. It is the same in all directions, just endless oceans of trees – no doubt teeming with treasures, and monsters. Roxane giggles, "Indeed, it is a sight to behold. After all, not many are as rich and powerful as our Lord."

"I see." I manage to close my mouth and then Roxane leads the way into another metal carriage. Which takes us to the mansion itself. Of course, it is even more impressive close up. We are met out front by a butler in a fancy black suit. Oh, and he has rabbit ears poking out of his head, since he is a rabbitkin. I already knew they existed here though, since one of the heroes was a catkin, and I doubt the Goddess is cruel enough to drop her into a world without those similar to her.

"Welcome Hero, and Captain Roxane, The Lord is eagerly awaiting your arrival. I am the head butler of this estate, please call me either 'butler' or simply Ferdinand."

"Pleasure to meet ya, Ferdinand. Now, where is this lord fellow that everyone keeps talking about?" Ferdinand flinches a bit, probably at me not using proper forms of address. But it really isn't my fault, I am new here after all. Plus, Roxane did mention heroes weren't really held to such standards. It is a big relief to know I won't be hanged for not addressing people properly, cause I wouldn't last a single day if that was the case. Formalities have never been a particular talent of mine.

"I am sure the Lord would like to introduce himself posthaste, so please follow me." Ferdinand bows and then leads me inside the mansion. Roxane stays behind, saying something about important stuff to do. As we walk through the mansion, we pass by all sorts of people. They are all dressed far better than I am. Definitely nobles or those related. Yet, all of them look at me with respect, and a few even dip their heads as I pass. I wonder if it is embarrassing to show respect to someone in such bad attire.

Like, I literally only have the most basic clothes and the cloak on my back. My boots aren't even that fancy either. Heck, my shirt even has a bloodstain or two on it. Yet none seem to mind. In fact, I notice more than a few people have scars and such, and we even pass by one person that is clearly in a hurry, with blood on their hat. Even the women all seem to be just as battle-hardened. I guess while they might be nobles and such, they are all fighters.

Thus, while they might not respect me for what I am currently, they know what I will become. Or they are all just scared shitless of disrespecting the Lord's guest. Ferdinand stops as we come to a set of ornate doors. The sheer power coming off them tells me that the Lord is behind them for sure. Without further ado, Ferdinand opens the doors and motions for me to enter. The instant I walk in, I feel like I want to give up and die. Not in a depressive way though.

I can feel it all around me, a sort of pressure pushing down on me. As if I do not belong here, and I might as well just crumble into ash. The throne room is ornate to say the least. The floors are plated with some sort of metal that just radiates expensiveness. The walls are decorated with grand murals, all of which depict a man riding some sort of beast into battle. The Lord, should I have to guess. As for the source of the aura, well it is a man. He is tall, and really ripped.

His long blonde hair flows down to his shoulders and only serves to highlight his pure black eyes. He wears a thick red cloak with matching red scale armor beneath. The throne he sits upon is made out of a red rock, and it glints as sunlight filters in from several windows behind him. As for why he has such a powerful aura, well that is where the stars come in. Or so the system informs me. Every so often in leveling there is a threshold, it's very hard to cross, yadda yadda.

But once one does, they become powerful, far more so than any below. This Lord must be at least one star, seeing as I have barely a few levels, his aura makes him seem like an existential threat. Which isn't really necessary, as just by glancing at him, I can tell that I am only alive by his mercy. As are almost all those in the city below us.

"Sir, The Spirit Hero has arrived." Ferdinand says, entering behind me and closing the door. The tension in the room could be cut with an arrow as Ferdinand takes his place by the wall, still as a statue.

"Indeed." The Lord's voice fills the room and nearly deafens me. Ferdinand seems used to it, somehow.

"I am Lord Cathartic, and welcome to my Great City of Loder, one of humanity's last few bastions amongst the scourge that plagues us."

"Uh, pleasure to meet ya. That scourge sounds awfully bad. Please don't say I am here to stop it." I say, shaking in my boots a bit. The aura is scary for sure, but it isnt as if it is physically harming me. It is merely about fear of the fact that he can kill me, not that he will, right? The Lord laughs, shaking the foundation of the room.

"Well, what you are here to do is not for me to decide. I am merely here to offer you a proposition." This whole thing has felt a bit off. I don't know what it is exactly, but something in my gut has been unstable for quite a while now. Now, I have a pretty good idea of what that is. I sigh, I do not foresee this going well.

"What kind of proposition?"