Chapter 365: Winding Down

"Ding-dong! We will be closing the boarding gate in just a few moments. Please make sure your baggage is safely secure, and seats taken. Our terminus for today's flight is the capital city of Erebonia, Heimdallr. You will need your passports while disembarking the airship once we land.", The intercom's voice said.

Most passengers went toward the main deck while we were on the upper deck, enjoying the scenery. The sunset was in the middle of going down the mountains to the north where Mainz Town was. It was quite pretty if you ask me. Thanks to the hidden waves of the orbal energy surrounding this ship, first-class passengers could enjoy the view during take-off. There weren't many on this flight. Lechter, Tio and I took our seats.

"Did you have fun today, Tio?", I asked. It wouldn't be farfetched to say that this was Crossbell's Longest Day, haha! A little pun, as that was the name of Zero's final chapter. I woke up super early today, took a flight here to Crossbell City, attended a couple meetings, met with some friends, and even tested out my Gamer System some more. I even entered a new relationship. I am not sure if I am counting Emma as the third one as I have yet to respond to her fully, so Elie would make it the third girl to join the harem!

It is a shame I can't stay in Crossbell City for longer. I would love to spend some more time with her, but there are other pressing matters to attend to. I need to enter focus mode, and start prepping for the Vermillion Trials. I hope my foundations will get a good foothold from the Thunder God training me. That training excursion is set to start Monday, January 8th. That will go all the way till January 22nd. The evacuation of Heimdallr is going to take place during this time, and I will plan to enter the Vermillion Trials on February 1st, which was the time I gave Heiyue.

"Mmm. Tio had a blast today. You really have some mysterious abilities that I cannot perceive, Naoto. I am quite curious about the extent of your ability's influence on our surroundings. We'll get to see the full force of that in those trials, right?", Tio questioned.

"That's a big "should", but in theory. I have a feeling it will limit all of our strengths in some way. ", I responded, nodding my head.

"That would be interesting to find out. Sadly, even if I get the approved day off, I don't see myself being there with you, Young Master. I don't want to get yelled at by Lucy again, haha!", Lechter retorted.

"Take this time to see how she feels, alright? She has your best concern in mind. I could see that bright as day. I'm sure it was a shock to her to know you're working for Erebonia's government.", I said with a more serious look.

"Boy you can say that again. Lucy didn't take that so well. She's even more stern on me, so I can finish my studies. I fear she'll try to walk all the way to His Excellency's front door, demanding what I do and all that jazz. You needn't worry about me, Young Master. If anything, I'm very much looking forward to you enrolling next year. School starts up in April, yeah?", Lechter asked.

"Should be the case, yeah. My enrollment has already settled, so I just need next year to come. The plan is to study two years at Jenis, and then transfer over to Thors Military Academy. Considering the unique placement I'm now in, it is only right to do so.", I answered. Most schools here behaved like how Japanese schools were in my previous life. They start enrollment in April. Kloe transferred in in May, but if I'm being proactive here, the both of us will properly start in April. 

"Jenis and Thors. I assume you'd want to study military logistics, and perhaps finance? Likely tactics too.", Tio wondered.

"That's only the tip of the iceberg. I'm expecting a lot of courses to be sent my way. Especially etiquette. I'll have to carry myself in certain ways so others won't get the wrong idea. That's going to be something getting used to...", I responded, shaking my head. I held equal anticipation, yet somewhat fearful of the school life that is to come soon.

I don't have the freedom to become a Bracer like Estelle and Joshua will eventually do. I have to enter school, be knee-deep in study books, and ace those tests that everyone at Jenis struggles with. One could see that first-hand with one of Kloe's flashback episodes when she first transferred in. No matter who she inquired about, every student said the same thing. Those periodic tests were torture. I am not sure if Jenis or Thors had it worse.

The school arc is going to come in full force soon enough, and I can't wait for it. It'll be good times to meet with even more characters from the games!

"Thors huh? I could totally see you going there, Young Master. I'm sure His Excellency will fill out the required papers. He attended there, so you lookin' to follow in his footsteps?", Lechter questioned.

"Hahaha, not exactly. Just mostly for the broader perspective of things. Given the chance, I would not mind spending at least a year in Aramis High in Calvard either. It might be worthwhile as a show of goodwill, seeing that President Rocksmith wants to initiate that forum with us.", I replied, wondering if that was a good idea or not. If I enrolled at Aramis High for a year, it'd likely let me come across more of the Daybreak characters. I do want to get to know them. Presently, it is mostly Van. He does talk about Elaine in our conversations, but I have yet to meet her in person. Will she truly trump Sara in becoming the youngest A-Rank Bracer?

Only time will tell for that. Sara's well on her way of becoming A-Rank, if not already.

Wondering that, the three of us felt a jolt, only to see the airship rising up into the air.

"Lots of things to look forward to, at least. We are now in the air, so before long, Heimdallr will be within view. It is quite big, kiddo. Definitely worth visiting at least once in your life, heh.", Lechter replied. He kicked back in his seat, making himself comfortable.

It was beyond 7PM now, and it took a couple hours to fly all the way to Heimdallr. It wasn't like my previous life where flights took a lot longer. Orbal energy really did wonders on the technology in this world. It made travelling around much smoother and easier.

"Mmm.", Tio replied with a simple nod of her head. She has seen inside Valflame Palace thanks to the orbal net calls with her, but this will be her first time visiting Heimdallr in full. Her expression remained deadpan, but I could see growing anticipation. Wanting to enjoy the airflow of the ride, Tio placed her head against my shoulder. She is younger than me, so this long day must have tired herself out. She was quick to close her eyes.

As Tio started dozing off, Lechter glanced back my way.

"Oh and this probably shouldn't come as a surprise, but do keep note of your status, Young Master. Claire will be at Heimdallr Airport waiting to receive you. A car has already been prepared.", Lechter said to me, before his relaxed look returned.

"Of course. I am expecting as such. I am at the end of the day, a prince of a country. Each side must do their due diligence. Right now, I am still being treated as a foreign emissary looking to strengthen friendly ties with our neighbors.", I replied with a serious nod. It's not like I was a commoner here. The actions that I took held weight to them. While I could hide my identity like how Prince Olivert does, that will eventually come through with its own troubles. I like being upfront most of the time.

"Good to know you still know your place. See you on the other side~", Lechter teased.

"Heh. There is no other side for you. You're turning right back to Crossbell City. You'll stick around until I get passed back to Claire, yeah?", I questioned.

"You know it. I'm going to catch some zzz's. You can enjoy the flight, Young Master.", Lechter responded. Before I could do anything, Lechter did his Lechter magic, and he passed out right then and there. I could hear his snoring louder before Tio began her rest. As for me, I just enjoyed the calm breeze.

I feel like I could finally wind down for the time being. I had five days to relax before things were going to ramp up into high gear. I should make the most of this down time and relax. I don't know how the Thunder God's training is going to go, so I need to be ready for it.

And what's better to relax than getting a full tour of Heimdallr? My previous visits here couldn't tour the entire city from either side. Hopefully these five days will be enough to see what all Heimdallr has to offer. Even in the games, you could only explore parts of the city. It never became fully accessible.

Before I realized it, we were well in the clouds, reaching a cruising altitude. It was almost time to see Princess Alfin again. And more importantly, checking up on how the situation is at Valflame Palace. I know a certain someone with a large, fluffy tail is eagerly waiting to return to my side, hahaha!

*****

As always, Giliath demands your power stones!