Rising Utopia

"Come on! We're almost there!"

"Slow down." Roko called as he followed Corissa through the gates of Cordis, capital city of the Physia Kingdom.

Corissa continued to run around the entrance to her kingdom with Varis following her closely. Roko could only watch the excited princess bounce about with a big smile on her face.

"I tried recommending that she take a short vacation to take her mind off what happened to her." Zadkiel sighed, "But she absolutely insisted she was fine. But if she had a friend who needed a bit of help exploring her hometown, I'm sure she would be more than willing to help out."

"Just looking at her, it'd be hard to think she was kidnapped only a day or two ago." Roko sighed, "Well, there is something to be said about how she can still smile so brightly after what happened to her."

"Come on, Roko!" Corissa called over to him again, "The castle's this way!"

"Coming." Roko called back as he followed her through the streets of Cordis. The city was a much more condensed society than Galia. Starting with the tall walls that protected the borders of the city, the buildings were taller than anything Galia offered, taller than most of Memoria Auspice though the architecture was mostly simple. There were adornments and structures to decorate the city but nothing really stood out as an impressive vision of design. Nothing aside from the castle in the close distance. Though even that was equally humble when compared to Memoria Auspice. There were no walls to separate the castle grounds from the people but the castle itself towered everything else in the city, its size serving as its security with its many windows and balconies providing a peek into its many rooms.

"Lady Corissa, is that you?"

"Hey!" Corissa grinned as she greeted a few of her subjects, "I'm just here to help guide a friend! I'm taking a small vacation from school but I'm glad to see everything is fine at home!"

The people greeted their princess with a smile and spoke to her openly and warmly. Many were willing to talk to her though they were careful to not take up too much of her time. It was a comfortable relationship that understood the difference between their positions. Corissa continued to greet random citizens as they continued to travel to the castle.

Roko followed Corissa into the throne room. Much like the city itself, the throne room was fancy enough to qualify and spacious enough to hold a crowd or two but it was still compact compared to what Roko imagined a regular throne room would be like. The king and queen sat on ornate thrones in front of him. If the circumstances were any different, Roko could see them greeting him with a stern or serious demeanor but for now the two monarchs were smiling warmly.

"Mother, father. I'm back." Corissa bowed as Roko knelt in front of them.

"I'm glad to see you again, dear." The queen smiled gently, "I'm relieved to see you so well after what happened to you."

"I was saved just in time by my friends." Corissa explained, "I'm ever grateful."

"And this would be one of these friends?" The two turned to look at Roko.

"Yes your majesties." Roko said, "My name is Roko. I'm here on behalf of Memoria Auspice and its headmaster."

"So you are the special guest." The king nodded, "For someone born of another world you certainly don't look very alien."

"Roko was a big help during my rescue." Corissa grinned.

"Not at all." Roko replied, "Really it was her knight that saved her in the end."

"That's right!" Corissa cried, "Father, mother, listen! Varis was very very instrumental in my rescue too!"

"Is that so?" The king and queen looked disappointed, "Well, I guess that is to be expected."

"But father, mother..."

"Sir Roko. Please. Stand." The king motioned for Roko to stand which he obliged.

"I'm sure you've heard of the reason why I'm here." Roko said, "I'm to help set up a spatial spell for Memoria Auspice to easily travel to the city of Cordis."

"Yes yes." The king nodded, "We are well aware. We are the ones who requested it after all."

"However this will only be a one way connection." Roko explained, "Only from Memoria Auspice to Cordis. Returning to the school will be authorized in advance through the use of a return Gate scroll. Are these arrangements acceptable?"

"Well it doesn't cause us much concern." The king nodded, "However, are you sure this is how you wish to handle it? The scroll might be lost and then you will have to find another way to have your student return."

"While that is a distinct possibility, in light of recent events, methods to easily enter Memoria Auspice is being carefully monitored and considered. In time we might make a full connection but this is the only way to fulfill your request at this time."

"Well you bought our Corissa back so we're already quite grateful." The queen said, "We'd be happy to accommodate you during your stay here. However long it will take."

"It will take a few days to properly set up the spell. Finding a proper location is the first step. Once I send word that we are properly connected, a few tests will be preformed to ensure the travel is stable. Spatial magic can be dangerous so we will have to be very vigilant."

"Of course." The king stood up, "You're welcome to stay as long as you need. We have a room prepared for you in the castle. Don't hesitate to ask us for any help when you need it. For now though, would you perhaps be hungry? I can show you to the dining hall if you'd like."

"I would appreciate it." Roko bowed, "The day has been getting late."

"Corissa, why don't you come with us?" The queen said as she stood up with the king.

"Yes mother." Corissa bowed.

"How are you feeling?" Corissa whispered as they followed her parents to the dining hall.

"What do you mean?" Roko asked.

"I mean you aren't too tired right? It can be pretty intimidating to talk to royalty."

"I talk to royalties all the time technically." Roko smiled, "But your parents have been very friendly so there's no need to worry."

"I'm glad. I know you're only here for business but I hope you enjoy yourself here."

"I'm sure I will."

"Oh. Out of curiosity, have you scanned my parents?"

"No."

"Really?" Corissa giggled, "I figured you'd be unable to resist scanning a king and queen."

"While I can't say I'm not sorely tempted, I'd rather not get on their bad side just in case."

"I'm sure they won't mind. The only one that can even properly use this information is you after all."

"I doubt it'll be that simple."

"Here we are." The queen announced as they arrived at the entrance to a well equipped dinner hall, "You all find a seat. I'll try to order some great Cordisian cuisine."

Bidding Corissa's mother a short goodbye, the king led Corissa, Varis and Roko to a table near the corner.

"How was the travel here?" The king asked as he sat down with his daughter and guest.

"Not too harsh." Roko replied, "The closest point we could spatially travel to was two days away from Cordis. It was the first time camping for me but it was an interesting experience."

"Really? Not much of an adventurer then?"

"I'm afraid I never was one back in my old world and my opportunities to explore this world have been quite limited."

"But you still managed to save my daughter." The king laughed, "Tell me, how'd you do it then?"

"I don't know what to tell you. I wasn't very effective in the rescue attempt. The real work was done by the knights."

"Roko was a very effective strategist." Corissa explained.

"Hey."

"If you're not going to tell the story, I am." Corissa laughed.

"I would have thought you would be more traumatized."

"I am! But I don't want to make anybody worried about me."

"It's your right to do so."

"But I don't want to."

"I won't tell you how to handle your trauma but just make sure it's healthy."

"Mmm. Good, good." The king nodded with a warm smile, "So you're a strategist are you?"

"That's the closest thing you could call me, I suppose."

"How exactly did you do it?"

"I..." Roko sighed, "I sca- used my spell to coordinate the knights that were with me."

"He has a spell called Scan!" Corissa jumped in, "It allows him to view these things called stats for living things!"

"Stats huh? What are those?"

"There's Level, Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma." Roko explained, "Levels implicate the amount of experience and growth that the target has received. Strength defines physical force. Dexterity is physical flexibility. Constitution is physical health. Intelligence...is mainly a definition of magical force. Wisdom is perception and planning. Charisma is force of personality. It also tells me any spells they know and are weak against."

"Is that so?" The king nodded, vaguely interested, "What kind of conclusions can you draw from all this information?"

"Nothing factual I'm afraid. I can hazard a guess as to what kind of person they are like and how they came to be that person but I can't say I know everything about that person or even if I am accurate."

"People are rarely that simple." The king nodded again.

"I have bad news." The queen said as she came over to their table empty handed, "The chef is currently out shopping so there's nobody to do any cooking for us."

"Really?" Corissa frowned, "There aren't any chefs there?"

"Nope. I can't imagine where they could be."

"That's strange."

"But there are still enough ingredients to make a simple meal." The queen smiled, "Corissa, why don't you cook something up for us?"

"Eh? Is that alright?!" Corissa cried.

"Why not?" The king laughed, "It's been a while since I've had your cooking."

"Okay." Corissa said as she stood up, "How does soup sound?"

"That sounds wonderful."

Corissa glanced over at Roko.

"I'm good with soup."

"Alright." Corissa gulped, "I'll see what I can do!"

"I'll help." The queen smiled, "It won't take more than a while so please just relax in the meantime."

Corissa and her mother walked off towards the kitchen with Varis following close behind them.

"Let me ask you something." The king said with a sudden air of seriousness, "What do you think of my daughter?"

Roko was taken aback by the question, "I...I believe she is a very nice girl. Very kind, though very quiet. Maybe a bit too nervous when you first meet her but she is easy to get along with."

"Mmm. Mmhm." The king nodded seriously, "I see. I see. Very astute. Would you by any chance be interested in marrying my daughter?"

…

"I'm sorry?" Roko said, bewildered.

"You seem like a well learned and capable young man. What do you think?" The king asked intensely, "Corissa seems to like you as well. You two would make a cute couple."

"Wait, hold on." Roko said as he covered his face with one of his hands, "You want me to marry Corissa?"

"Yes."

"Sorry, I'm just surprised. Why do you want me to marry Corissa?"

"Corissa is a sensitive girl. I just want to find a proper partner for her as soon as possible."

"Okay but..." Roko sighed, "Have you talked to Corissa about this?"

"Well no, not really."

"Okay." Roko took a deep breath, "Look, Corissa is a very nice and charismatic girl but I don't know if I can see myself marrying her."

"Why not?"

"For one, I really don't want to be king."

"Being a king can be as easy as you want it to be! Just appoint an adviser for whatever you don't feel confident in!"

"That is not how that should work." Roko frowned, "Though it's not untrue."

"See?"

"No no, there are still a long list of problems to deal with. Not the least of which is that I'm not really prepared to get married already."

"That's fine. It's understandable. Please take your time and get to know each other. I'm sure you two will get along swimmingly."

"While I'm sure we will, I don't think that guarantees anything."

"I'm not asking for guarantees, I just want you to consider it. I think you're exactly the type of person that we're looking for."

"So the queen is in on this too."

"Of course."

"Oh god what have I gotten myself into?" Roko muttered.

"We're back!" Corissa called as she returned with a tray of soups, "Here you go."

Corissa placed down bowls of soup for everyone before sitting back down with her mother.

"It's a pretty simple soup but I think it turned out pretty well. Give it a try!"

Roko picked up the spoon, now suddenly very aware of the intense gazes boring down on him from the king and queen. Nervously, he took a sip.

"It's delicious." He replied.

"That's good." Corissa breathed a sigh of relief, "I was worried I might have gotten rusty."

"You're doing fine." Roko gulped.

"It is strange how the chefs are all gone though." Corissa thought aloud as she drank her soup, "There seemed to be plenty of ingredients in the fridge as well."

"T-That's because we're having a party soon!" The king said, "We need to prepare a banquet so we're making preparations now!"

"A party?" Corissa blinked, "We don't usually host parties."

"S-Some nobles are coming by to visit and we want to welcome them properly." The queen explained hastily.

"Is that right?" Corissa nodded, "Hear that Roko? We could go to a party!"

"Y-Yeah." Roko replied, looking down at his soup, "Sounds like fun."