Chapter 387: First Recipients

As always Giliath demands your power stones!

*****

Once we all started getting comfortable inside the villa, I got to work. Sending RSVPs out, that is. These aren't just your regular run-of-the-mill type letters. Far from it. It isn't a simple click of a button saying yes or no that you will attend the party that you would find online. 

Each letter is handcrafted, signed and stamped by yours truly. I have an image to uphold, after all. I'm the Crown Prince of Liberl damn it, haha! There's an official channel to go through and all that shit.

But honestly speaking, I'd thought I would hit a little closer to home with these first round of letters. It was three of them, but not a single one went to Liberl. And a point to add, I don't think there will be a limit to how many can attend this party. I decided on a timeframe too and it's a juicy one.

I plan to let this event be a prelude to the Vermillion Trials. But don't you all worry. Those attending the party will be safe from harm. It will begin in Valflame Palace, but the actual banquet will take place at Karel Imperial Villa. That should be a good enough distance aways from when the Infernal Castle rises up from its ashes. I told Heiyue of Crossbell City they'll get a good show if they climb one of the towers, and this will be a second viewpoint for others to watch the incoming spectacle.

And these letters hold weight. I'm a Crown Prince, like I stated. Especially if it's being delivered to a foreign nation, to which the first letter did. Technically you can count the other two as they went to two people who reside in Erebonia, but the first one went even farther away.

All the way to Calvard. To a person I hold dear and don't ever regret calling himself a true bud.

Van Arkride.

While the two of us might have gone our own separate paths, what happened inside the cult didn't up and vanish into thin air. I've been keeping tabs with him too, by sending letters and such. I wasn't the only one to show Van the way, either. There's this travelling priest who calls himself Gunther Barkhorn. Once we left and boarded the Glorious back then, it was this guy who came to pick up Van. He was a character I recognized from the games, and knowing that he has ties to the Church, I figured Van was in good hands. Plus I could tell he was a character with a backbone. He likely knew different kinds of fighting styles too.

The one thing I wasn't sure of was whether or not this happened in the games. I'm pretty sure it didn't. Without me intervening, Van likely would have become a lone cub, wandering Calvard without a care in the world. And likewise, he likely wouldn't have even considered reaching out to his old friends. But since I, along with Mr. Barkhorn, gave him that push, Van found himself enrolling in Aramis Academy without giving any push back on the matter. He even gave me his gratitude for doing so. And now, he's having the time of his life with that Elaine person and Rene person. It would be great if I could meet those two.

And that was exactly why I said that both Van and up to two additional people could accompany him. I want to see what these people are like in person. Because once I begin that Quest to test Van's current potential, I won't be such a nice guy during that. In fact, I might even become enemies with all three of 'em during this Quest.

That's beside the point I'm currently on. Van was the first person to receive an invitation, and will be the first of many to come. Knowing that he's in Aramis High School now, it was what prompted me to make changes to my current study plans.

Originally, I was planning to spend two years at Jenis Royal Academy, and two years at Thors Military Academy. The latter I'm still intending to do, but I'll be changing up my study plans for Jenis. It will be cut by one year, and I will enroll at Aramis High School, so I can meet up with Van and his buddies. Right now, he should be a first-year student. I do know some Daybreak lore and that Van became a drop-out during his second year. Hopefully this time around, he won't be a lost little kitten not knowing what to do.

Part of that is due to what resides inside him. He called it a Demonic Core, as did those cult bastards. I do not know what this core thingy does, I'll need to divert some time to look into it. Right now, the side gig is looking into what that unknown device is and the mystery behind it---what created AI KeA, and all that jazz. Hopefully father can come back with some new knowledge on the matter. All the more signs pointing at me to go to Calvard.

But I know I can't divert THAT much energy presently. I have to focus on the engagement party being held, which by the way starts the same day, being February 1st. There's less than four weeks away from that.

So hopefully by spending a year at Aramis High School, I'll be able to look into what Van has been trying to deal with since we left those caves. That will happen during my second year of studies, which will make Van an upperclassman by that time. I can't wait to see the look on Van's face once he sees a "surprise transfer student", haha!

And from there, I will head on over to Thors Military Academy. Doing this should land me in Crow's Class. He won't be alone either. If it goes as the games will, Angelica Rogner will eventually find her way into this class. The difference this time around is she might have Bracer duties on top of being a student and a noble. Then you got a girl named Towa Herschel, who is basically wonder woman of the Trailsverse. You want problems solved? You go to Towa. You want to know what's happening to so-and-so? You go to Towa. Even her mind is on an entirely different level. She's capable of fighting on similar battlefields to Renne, Tio and Musse. Hell, she even participated in the Western Zemurian Trade Conference.

Then you got a guy named George Nome. Let's just not talk about him. Hahaha!

All jokes aside, George is one but of many sides, in a similar position to me. He's more than meets the eye, as they say.

But that's the study plan now. I'll meet Van whether he likes it or not.

Once that first letter was sent off, so did the following two. I addressed one to Alisa Reinford. Boy where do I begin with her...

It's not like the relationship we share is bad per se. Just more on a tightrope, if I had to take a guess? One wrong move and it's all over. It wouldn't be surprising if she even had some resentment toward me. After all, I kind of crashed her party. She was enjoying some alone time in a bath when the Garden of Swords tried to claim her life. The building being ignited into flames followed suit. And to make matters worse, I carried her solely in a bathrobe being half-naked, jumping up to the rooftop in an attempt to save her life. It was there I had my clash against the One of Swords, Ace Rayne.

Time wasn't on our hands back then, and I left before we could even hold a proper conversation. Alisa's Favorability, as well as Sharon's Favorability did unlock as a result of completing that emergency Quest, but a lot of time has passed since that took place. I hadn't had any chances to sit down and properly have a chat with Alisa. So I figured inviting her to a public event like this one was the way to go, knowing that she had the Reinford Group backing her. I'm sure she's attending many events like this, and this one would just be another for the books for her.

Even if it just lasts a few moments, I hope to engage in a conversation with Alisa. As to whether that will spark anything, that remains to be seen. Hopefully she'll bring that maid of hers with her. I could try to find some way to tell Sharon that I have ties to Ouroboros. Unlike me, though, Sharon's a retired member. She does rejoin them temporarily during the Cold Steel games, but just temporarily.

As for the third letter, it was addressed to Rean Schwarzer. By now, things should have settled with him to find his own proper path. I'm sure his Ogre power has manifested. But there are those around him who care about his well-being, and it's not like he can up and vanish. Not like how I did when I did that little disappearance act from St. Ursula after they checked in on my injuries that I sustained from my fight against the One of Swords.

This will be a good time to gauge how much Rean has improved since I've last visited Ymir. Plus he's the adopted son of a Baron. He has the noble image, and this should be the first of this kind of setting for him. I'm curious to see how he will behave in this environment. Plus it will give me a chance to see if he has grown any stronger. I know he's been sharing a dojo with some disciples under Yun Ka-Fai. One of them I think called herself Shizuna? The individual who was supposed to join up with the Jaeger Corp. that I was warned of that's presently being formed in Calvard and beyond. Ikaruga.

And there you have it. I sent my first three invitations out to Van Arkride, Rean Schwarzer, and Alisa Reinford. And that was just the beginning. I know things are already messed up and a lot is happening out of order. Hell the Infernal Castle is going to rise four years ahead of its time. It won't hurt if I do some more meddling, will It?