Chapter 106: Anderson

    “Hello, hello!”

    “What? What do you want?”

    “Nice to see you too.”

    I pushed open Maxwell’s gilded doors, receiving an enthused greeting and an even more enthused glare.

    If he wasn’t always like this I might actually think he didn’t want me here.

    I stood in front of his desk and smiled.

    “What do you want?”

    “Do you have a house or anything? I only ever find you here.”

    “I do, but I can’t bring you there or you’ll start bothering me there too.”

    “Man, you didn’t even sugarcoat it. Whatever. Check this out.”

    With a grin, I brought out the head of the Royal. Maxwell narrowed his eyes.

    “A Royal?”

    “That’s right. It could shoot lasers out of its eyes like the Cyclops Scout. What do you think about making it into a Crown?”

    “...Well, it’s even more suitable than the Scout. But how did you get this?”

    “A simple story...”

    I gave him a quick explanation of my most recent expedition. He seemed rather unbothered by the fact I had even acquired such a unique material.

    “You’ve stumbled yourself into another very lucky situation, haven’t you? I hadn’t expected you to be back so soon... Very well, you have a suitable medium, and the sooner it gets processed, the better. Looks like I need to make a visit.”

    “Where to?”

    “An old friend with the Church. Hold on to the material and come back here tomorrow morning. We’ll leave then.”

    “Cool. And that reminds me, I have a friend heading to his Peerage tomorrow. His name is Vetsmon Verga.”

    “A Verga? That’s a valuable friend to have. Their knights are exemplary. The wife of their current Head was a student of mine as well. Nevertheless, if it’s a Peerage, then we’re going to the same place. You’ll get to see him.”

    “Groovy. I’ll head back for now then.”

    “Mm.”

    We talked for a bit longer, then he rushed me out of the study. Chee?ck out latest novels at novelhall.com

    As I made my way back to my room, I notified Vetsmon that I would be heading to the Peerage as well, wherever that was.

    We talked for a bit, and I found out that the Church controlled its own massive city that rivaled the Capitol. That’s where all the Peerages were located, and from a cursory description, it seemed to be an incredibly rich place.

    I learned that Vetsmon would be using the Capitol’s teleporter to head there. After a call to the mentor, I learned that Maxwell and I were planning on doing the same. Perhaps we would run into each other, but Maxwell had made it clear that he wanted me to stick with him for the duration of business. He said that his presence within the Church was sensitive, and he didn’t need to make his arrival a big deal. I would need to keep my head down so long as he was there.

    I couldn’t go see Vetsmon immediately, but I would later once we finished all our business.

    After hanging up those calls, my walk lapsed back into silence until I got back to my room.

    I told Umara the recent news.

    “You’re going to the Peerage?”

    “Yea. Maxwell apparently has a friend there that can help me with my Crown. Vetsmon is going too.”

    “I see. Well, I was talking to Tana and she said that she’ll be visiting the Vergas at the Peerage after she’s done with her parents.”

    “Oh? Then maybe you should come with me. We can all meet up.”

    “Will that be fine?”

    She asked while taking a seat beside me, bringing over a package full of treats.

    I grabbed one and chomped down while nodding.

    “I don’t see a reason why not. Worst case, you just stay with Vetsmon until I’m done. I’m not sure how long business will take, but it can’t be that long.”

    “Alright. Let’s do it then.”

    She smiled and threw a cookie into her mouth.

    I watched her for a second, the two of us just staring at each other.

    “You’re so pretty.”

    “So are you.”

    “I am quite the looker aren’t I? By the way, I have a question.”

    “What’s that?”

    She scooted as I thought back to our recent battle.

    “During the fight with the Royal, you never brought out your Flicker Companion. I haven’t seen the pup in a while at all. Was there a reason?”

    “Oh, yea.”

    Umara waved, the six legged wolf jumping out of her body and appearing in front of the couch.

    My eyes widened. The snowy blue wolf with horns and wings was now twice as big as it was before, clearly stronger.

    “Turns out, there''s a period of time that the companion needs to spend assimilating with you. Bringing it out minimally is best for a while until that assimilation period has passed. As for how long it takes, it entirely depends on the age of the Flicker and the difference in power between it and the host. I’m quite a bit stronger than him, so it’s taking a while to fully assimilate. It’ll be less than a month until we’re both on the same page, but that also meant I couldn’t take him out.”

    “Was it just because he was weak?”

    “Yes, and the fact that he’s even more vulnerable than normal while assimilating. There was a high risk of death if he had engaged the Royal, and his speed wouldn’t have helped me much, so I just decided that he was better off staying put.”

    “Makes sense. Come here.”

    I waved to the wolf, the creature trotting over before nudging my hand with its snout, tongue flopping out and tail wagging.

    I messed with it for a bit while conversing.

    “Have you played with him at all?”

    “Not really. He’s not a pet. Although the way you interact with him has me questioning that.”

    She muttered as I pushed the beastly canine to the floor, rubbing his belly.

    I chuckled.

    “Well, do what you need to do. If it makes no difference, might as well bring him out more. I can''t imagine isolation inside a cold dark mind is very nurturing.

    “Excuse you, but I think my mind is plenty substantive, thank you very much.”

    “Come on, look how deprived he is. I can almost see his ribs.”

    I poked his chest, having to reach through a thick layer of fur just to hit skin. Even then, it seemed there was a huge layer of muscle coating his entire body.

    Umara rolled her eyes.

    “Uh-huh. Unfortunately, the pup needs to stay inside. Assimilation is fastest that way.”

    “Well then I guess the pup needs to hurry up, doesn’t he? Yes he does!”

    “Haarrr!”

    The Flicker let out a small howl in response, making Umara laugh.

    Maxwell walked up and kicked the door, making them sound like a gong that shook the hall.

    A yell came in response.

    “Who the hell is it?! Is courtesy a forgotten fucking art?!”

    “It’s me, you wrinkly old ass!”

    “...”

    There was a terrifying silence while I processed the fact that Maxwell could actually be aggressive. Suddenly, the doors flew open, revealing a short old man with a slight hunch.

    His most outstanding feature had nothing to do with his person, but rather what he wore. Several incredibly high quality and intricately adorned robes covered him, making him seem like he was wearing an entire suit of armor. He looked like a greedy king, even more so than Maxwell, which was saying something.

    His eyes were wide when he saw Maxwell.

    “...Albarain?”

    “Terrace Gold. You don’t seem to be enjoying retirement. I don’t see two dozen women wrapped around your crotch.”

    “Fuck, you just made this reunion a lot easier on me. Can I expect to be questioned by a fucking Paladin after this?”

    “Not if you have any common sense. At least tell me you haven’t been pissing away the last years of your life.”

    Maxwell barged into the room, looking around to see tall shelves filled with books and stacks of paper.

    There were a dozen different tables as well, all filled with what I could only assume were alchemical tools and supplies. Most sat dormant, but some bubbled with life, small flames ignited under glass baubles and clear tubes twisting and turning around containers.

    He scoffed, stepping away from the door and presenting an opportunity for me to slip in. I decided I should blend in with the background for a bit.

    “Of course I haven’t. You think any of the kids these days are smart enough to replace me? I swear, it’s like the only thing their parents are good for is teaching them how to wipe their own ass. Otherwise, I need to fill their tiny heads with everything imaginable. God forbid they figure some things out on their own.”

    “You were cut out for a lot of things Terrace. Teaching wasn’t one of them.”

    “That just means I’m still the best at my craft.”

    “Humility obviously hasn’t grown on you either.”

    “Heh, you’re one to talk. Now what do you want? I can’t imagine you’d come here unannounced if it weren’t a big deal. Not after almost 30 years of silence.”

    “...”

    Maxwell was silent, observing the room a bit more before turning to his friend and nodding toward me.

    “The kid. I need you to concoct a Crown for him.”

    “And who the hell is he that you’d come out of hiding just to get him some lousy Crown?”

    “My name is John Cooper sir. Pleasure to meet you.”

    “So he’s a kiss ass. What else is new with young ones these days?”

    “...”

    My smile twitched, my approach to the interactions threatening to flip on its head. The only thing that held me in check was the fact that this man actually had to do something for me. I didn’t need him turning me into a blob in the process just because I pissed him off.

    Maxwell rolled his eyes.

    “He’s my successor. That’s all you need to know. And all I need for you to do is make him a crown and perform the procedure.”

    “Successor...”

    Terrace faced me, his sharp eyes scrutinizing my body.

    I could feel his Aura wash over me in the process. It wasn’t threatening in the slightest, but it was incredibly precise. It felt like there were a thousand eyes observing me, even capable of seeing through me like I was under an x-ray.

    Then, he cast a spell that enveloped me with runic formations, Mana scanning through every inch of my body before disappearing.

    “Well, he certainly has fantastic integrity. Honestly, it’s one of the best I’ve seen, despite being just an Authority 4 summoner. A strong Crown won’t be an issue. What’s the basis for it?”

    “A Royal descended from the Scouting lineage. John, show him the head.”

    “Mm.”

    I raised my hand, the head of the Royal appearing.

    He waved and it flew out of my hand. He scanned it like he did me and shrugged.

    “Decent, so long as he wants a sensory type Crown.”

    “He does. Vision is his most important tool. Think of him like an archer.”

    “Perfect. Vision is rather important...”

    “I have the rest of the necessary materials as well.”

    “I saw that, but don’t bother. Crown technology has advanced significantly since three decades ago, my pickled friend. I’ll take some of yours, but you probably don''t have the rest. Don’t worry, I can get them.”

    “Thank you.”

    “Don’t thank me yet. You used your badge to get up here, so someone will-”

    “Someone already has.”

    I snapped around to lay eyes on the new voice entering the room.

    The man I laid eyes on, in a word, was massive. He was even bigger than Vetsmon, standing over 7 feet tall, and was built like a wall. At least, that’s from what I could see from under the large black coat he wore.

    Despite the wide grin he wore on his face, he felt dangerous. A grizzled face marred by scars spoke to volumes of experience. He was by far the most dangerous man I’d ever met, and yet, I couldn’t actually detect anything from his Aura. He felt like he didn’t exist and still managed to have all too powerful of a presence.

    Maxwell cleared his throat.

    “Anderson...”

    “Heretic. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, least of all here. And to think you have a successor now. A little heretic. Of all the things, that’s not something I’d ever believe unless you showed me.”

    “My protege has nothing to do with my past, and you know that.”

    “That doesn’t change what you’re teaching him, Albarain. You know that.”

    “And none of it will change the fact that you will not get in my way!”

    Maxwell roared in a way I had never seen him doing. The rest of the room seemed equally stunned, falling into silence for a few moments.

    Yet Anderson never stopped smiling.

    “...You’re right, Maxwell, I won’t get in your way. You know that.”

    “It’s been 30 years Anderson. I don’t know, and I needed to make sure. There are few I can trust.”

    “Oh yee of little faith. How could I possibly change so much that I wouldn’t at least pay homage to the greatest summoner to ever live?! You know me well enough, don''t play dumb.”

    “Hm.”

    Maxwell harrumphed as Anderson walked over and patted his shoulder.

    “I mean, I’ve even saved you the trouble of erasing your entry into the upper levels. And here, use this for now.”

    “Your badge? Why are you interfering? You’ve never been one to help.”

    “I’m not helping you. I’m helping your successor. The poor kid needs at least one advantage if you’re going to turn him into a heretic. Letting him slide through here undiscovered can be considered a small favor. Besides, I’m curious to see why you of all people chose him.”

    “Because if anyone is capable of breaching the Great Barrier, it’s him. If I could ask for anything Anderson, it would be as you said, to let him remain undiscovered. You better hope he’s allowed to grow.”

    “High praise. For now, I’ll wait and see.”

    After staring into what felt like my soul, Anderson turned around and walked out, the door clicking closed softly behind him.