Vol.5 Ch.87- The Decision.

And here we are, Vol.5. This is my biggest volume yet. A lot goes on here, and the ending is...well something else.

But I want to thank you for reading up to this point, it means a lot, and I hope you have enjoyed the story.

Look forward to more. I also have some artwork for Vol.5 characters coming up soon :)

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I woke up surrounded by blissful warmth and a sea of white. The room we stayed in at Curia was luxurious, but it was technically just a single super deluxe suite. On the other hand, Bowen's "second" house was a veritable mansion. The two weeks Sylvia and I spent here were some of the most relaxing I've had in years. It's a shame today would be my last day in this home.

I slowly dragged myself up while scanning the room. The bed fit for five was awkwardly situated in the middle of the room and had its very own black lace canopy that came down from the ceiling. Also… the sheets of this bed were entirely made from manaweave from Tel'an'duth.

Luxury in every department.

I was tempted to ask how much this bed setup cost, but the exact number scared me. This was just the bed as well… the entire two-story house was like this. I put on some fresh clothes and went to the bathroom to wash my face and teeth. I slept well enough that I managed to wake up early enough to get a solid workout in before Sylvia eventually crawled out of bed.

She threatened me last night, saying if I woke her up for training during her last morning of eternal peace, she would make me regret it. Of course, if she didn't want to wake up, she didn't have to threaten me to get her point across.

I would never force Sylvia to do something she didn't want to do. I only pushed her hard during workouts because she had willingly joined them on her accord, so I wasn't going to let her slack off.

Now that I think about it, I don't really mind Sylvia's playful violence. Besides our very rough first encounter in the dungeon, I genuinely don't believe she wants to hurt me. And oddly enough, somewhere deep inside my mind, I've recognized that she was no longer a threat to me. When did that happen exactly, though? I'm not certain…

I used to be able to count on one hand how many people I would let touch me, let alone strike me in even a playful manner. But now I have to add an extra hand.

The occasional shoulder pats Nick or any of the other adventurers gave me never bothered me either but… I'm not sure. Maybe I just don't understand myself enough to come to a solid conclusion. Ugh…

Once I finished my morning routine, I put my mask back on and watched as my features slowly changed from Kaladin to Voker. Despite being safer in this mansion and even in this country than I have been in years, I was still a wanted man. Bowen guaranteed my safety since Sylvia and I decided to become students, but I wasn't so trusting to believe him outright.

Despite his power, I was also inclined to believe that somebody would make an attempt on my capture if I went public. Bowen can't be everywhere, and although I admit this University's security is incredibly high, it's not perfect. All it would take was one desperate or confident student to try and capture me.

I can be as cautious as possible, but if somebody managed to pull a well-thought-out ambush on me at the end of the day, I might not be able to survive it. I've been relying on Sylvia for a long time as well but there is no guarantee she will always be there for me. So remaining as Voker Winterheart, for the time being, is the best course of action.

Not to mention whatever is going on with Dad. Bowen also suggested that I remain as Voker for the time being. No need to complicate things.

I took my morning jog around the campus and passed by a few of the earlier risers. Some of the students were carrying a large amount of luggage, most likely coming in from an early morning carriage ride and moving into the dorms. The weather was excellent, and although winter was coming to an end in the next few weeks, it was still lightly snowing outside.

Bowen had taken us on a guided tour of the facilities, and I was more than impressed with this place. When I had the thought that money was going into the correct areas, I was right. The facilities at this University were top-notch, and classrooms were maintained and stocked to the brim with supplies. Even the student dorms Sylvia and I were moving into were far nicer than I was expecting.

I've only been to one other school of similar quality and that would be Sandervile's Academy, and comparing the two is a night and day difference. Sandervile's goal was to raise the nobility to a slightly higher degree. Forward University was here to raise the people above heads and shoulders.

And it showed.

Here at Forward University, there was a class for just about everything. All known languages, smithing, crafting, and even farming are offered classes. There were general studies as well and a whole plethora of other courses from magic theory to even rudimentary casting. There were even lectures for learning to become an adventurer or a soldier.

This place is hundreds of years ahead of its time. I'm starting to wonder if this is just the natural course for things or if Bowen was influenced by someone…

Either way, this place would serve its purpose for me until Dad made contact with us. Bowen gave Sylvia and me both tests to see where we sat amongst the other students, and of course, I passed. I was expecting Sylvia to struggle but… I was mistaken. With just a few days of preparations and studying she had managed a respectable grade. Her language and math skills were on the higher end, which surprised me. I'd have to ask her about her skills one of these days.

Although Bowen gave us options of what classes we wanted to accept, I made it clear I had no intentions of taking that many useless courses. I didn't particularly care about farming or being a carpenter.

However, this was a problem. Being a "student" meant the two of us had to meet specific requirements. Although we were put on a scholarship, so there was no need to pay for our schooling, our statuses had to be maintained through taking and passing classes. The passing part wasn't a problem because Bowen can always pull strings at the end of the day. But that meant we had to take courses and physically show up to them.

Before that… what should I do today? Mmm, perhaps a push day, yes.

So in order to meet our requirements, Bowen placed both of us in a general studies section. This schedule was closer to what most schools are like in this world. The course included basic classes such as mathematics, languages, physical education, and training all rolled into one. Essentially, non-specialized classes. The best part about this was that this class only went to around noon which meant it was roughly only four to five hours long.

Which was perfect.

This gave me enough time in the mornings to wake up and train, go to class for a few hours, then have the rest of the day free to do whatever I please. I, of course, planned to take full advantage of this newfound free time where I had a marginal amount of safety.

Training twice a day was now going to be a staple in my routine. Mornings would be physical training, and evenings would be dedicated to combat and or magical training. And Headmaster Bowen himself was more than happy to give me access to facilities that would help me meet my goals. He was even kind enough to let me use the small man-made forest at the back of the school so I could train in relative secret.

And to make things even sweeter.

This school also had a full-blown kitchen that was open at all times of the day. So even outside the usual breakfast, lunch, and dinner times, any student could walk into the cafeteria and leave with a full meal. And in my case, sometimes two.

I scouted the cafeteria's available options yesterday, and there were far more than I could ever imagine. Some things might be seasonal, but for the most part, I'll be able to have the first proper diet I've ever had since being reborn in this world. I feel somewhat bad about abusing Bowen's hospitality as technically students had to pay for their food but… I'm not going to say no to this. What am I, stupid?

This will be a glorious mission. I can finally see what my body is capable of with a proper workout and diet. I might only have a few months, but hey, it's better than nothing.

I rolled my neck around and tore down my makeshift earth magic gym in the backyard. While walking back to my room, I felt a slight pang in my chest.

I started thinking about my family and how I felt so relieved to know that Mom and Dad were both alive. That Dad has indeed been looking for me for over five years. I'm not sure what Mom is doing but knowing she is alive is all I care about.

Cerila…Padraic…Grandpa… if Mom and Dad made it, then I imagine you guys did as well, huh?

However, that pang in my chest was both from happiness and a bit of sadness. A part of my brain told me to continue onwards, leave a message for Dad here and get home as fast as possible.

But I can't bring myself to do that. I know he is coming. It's only a matter of time. Even if he gets delayed somehow, it would still only be another year. Getting home from here would take almost the same amount of time. That means another two years without Dad.

Not to mention Mom… if Dad is looking for me then there is a good chance she is as well. What if I return to an empty home?

And what if Dad doesn't make it? What if he sees that I was here and makes a mistake and gets caught because of his past? Or what if he rushes things and doesn't make it home because I just didn't wait for a few months?

Thinking about it makes my stomach churn. I hate myself for even thinking it's a possibility but… home has never been closer. Family has never been closer. Waiting a few months for Dad is the right choice.

The cleaning staff gave me small nods or waves, and I returned them so as not to appear too brooding around people. Although I'm sure it wasn't helping much. My appearance and masked face did plenty to draw people's attention.

There was only so much hiding I could do after all.

The maids had already prepared water for me in a tub, so heating it to the perfect temperature with magic was a simple task. From here, I would eat breakfast, and then Sylvia and I were to meet Bowen to move into what would be our new home for the duration of our stay.

Sylvia had asked why we couldn't just stay in this home, but Bowen made it clear that this was temporary and he needed this house in case of other visitors. He also assured us we would enjoy the other rooms… added bonuses.

—

"What is this place? This building isn't even the same style as the others. Why is it so far away from everyone else?" Sylvia complained out loud.

At least it's nice. I thought she would prefer this over the regular dormitories. Or maybe she is just sour about leaving the other house… stupid Blood-Sucking Empress.

Bowen let out a small sigh but managed a smile nonetheless. "Despite my yearning for equality and such, there are… certain people even I have to bow before. I managed to win many battles for students. You will find royalty and nobility taking classes with the lowest of commoners. Facilitates will be shared by both. However… I could not convince people to allow them to share the same sleeping quarters. Therefore this dorm was created especially for those of nobility."

"And you are just going to let us stay here? Isn't that going to cause problems?" I asked.

Bowen winked at me and guided us into the building. The place was luxuriously furnished. A massive common room sat in the center with couches and chairs for lounging. The doorway arches were created with black and gray marble while tapestries and paintings hung on the walls. Busts made of gemstones sat on pedestals next to suits of armor. This place even had genuine carpet and a gray marble path to walk on.

I guess nobility has its standards…

While climbing up the white wooden stairs, Bowen gestured around the room. "You can thank your status as "students" for this. Technically speaking, I can allow any student into this dorm. I just chose not to as not to anger people. As for you two specifically, I've taken great care to ensure you won't be bothered and needlessly investigated. Of course, if someone were to dig very deep into your backgrounds, they would find that you two were adventurers. However, the trail will go cold after that. I've made sure of it."

"So at worst we get outed as some backwater adventurers?" Sylvia questioned.

"Exactly. And thanks to the guild your track record has been duly noted. Killing an adult Wyrm and clearing a dungeon is plenty enough to make most people second guess bothering either of you. There is the off chance that a particularly vengeful noble will target you but… I wouldn't worry about it. Most of those people didn't survive the war and those that did didn't last very long after."

A purge, huh? It always happens so it's not a big surprise. The new guys come in and the old ones have to be removed. I guess that's how this country has changed so much in two decades.

Bowen said the last part with a surprising amount of venom. I suppose if he was friends with Dad and he is alive today that means he probably sided with the War Gods, to what extent I can't be sure. And right now was hardly the time to ask him. The man looks stressed and I imagine it had to do with school starting tomorrow.

We made our way through an awkwardly placed door in the stairwell that had another flight of stairs going up it. It was a weird design choice and it meant that this building was more extensive than it appeared since this would be almost a "secret floor."

Despite seeing windows while walking down the hallway if my observations from the outside were correct, this section of the building didn't have any windows. So…

"Why are there windows here when I didn't see any from the outside?" I asked.

Bowen looked over his shoulder with a playful grin. "About that… this entire floor isn't on any of the blueprints and although is not really a "secret" it's a more… private… section of the building."

Bowen stopped at a large white door that was far too thick to simply be made of wood. He gave it a quick slap that gave a metallic ring to it and turned to us with a wide smile. "Welcome to your new room, I hope it's to your liking."

"Why is that door made of metal?" Sylvia questioned.

Bowen chuckled and his grin got even wider. "Oh, don't worry about it. That's not the only security feature this room has to offer. Come then, allow me to show you."

Upon placing a key into the lock and turning it, the door became almost weightless as Bowen pushed it open with ease. I hadn't even seen or heard any mechanisms at work as it was completely silent.

"Wow…" Sylvia let out.

Wow indeed.

"You see, this room was actually the prototype for a certain pair of nobles. Their security was of the highest importance, even for me. The door is layered with Blood Iron plates and even has a single Mythril plate at the core. Runes are engraved internally on the door to allow it to swing open effortlessly upon placing the key inside the mechanism. Although I must admit this door is far from impervious, it should net you enough time not to be surprised if an attack occurs."

I don't think we were surprised by the door, but if that is what the door is capable of, everything is starting to make sense. The room was a mini royal palace. Fur rugs lined the gray and black marble floors. A black marble fireplace was lit on a wall surrounded by luxurious red and gold couches. Banners of the same color as the couches with the country's emblem emblazoned on them hung on the walls.

This place is entirely over the top.

There was even a small kitchen in the corner, and a black marble dining table fit for almost ten people. The chairs were carved in the same white wood with red cushions. I could see that the kitchen was fully stocked with silverware in the glass cupboards just from the front door.

Sylvia looked over at me, then at Bowen. "Sir… I don't mean to complain but isn't this just a little too much? This place is nicer than your spare home…"

Bowen let out a happy chuckle. "I told you that if you accepted my offer to become students, I would do my absolute best to make you comfortable while you wait for Kala— I mean Voker's father. So anyways… where do I even begin?"

We were given a full tour of what was supposed to be a room in a dormitory at a university. Instead, we were shown around a luxury suite at some high-end hotel. This place would have even wowed people in my previous life.

The entire room was soundproofed with wards, and once I asked, it was indeed created during the war for the express purpose of combating Elven hearing. Bowen had also played a part in the creation of the wards. The walls were not just inscribed with wards either, but had Blood Iron plates inserted into them to give certain resistance to magic.

The room was lit from the windows spread out evenly throughout the room, and it turns out they too were inscribed with runes. These runes maintained an illusion over the outside of the building giving it the appearance of just a stone wall, which was why I didn't see any windows walking in.

The room also used the transparent wood from Syn'nari instead of glass just to give it that much more security. They even had steel bars on the windows, wrapped in their own illusion runes so that you couldn't see them. And all of these were just some of the security features…

We were given an apartment with a kitchen, living room, and three bedrooms. Two of which were far larger than any bedroom should have been. Each bedroom also had its own bathroom… which was another trip down memory lane for me.

"Headmaster… what is this?" Sylvia asked while staring into a hole in the bathroom's floor.

"This right here is a toilet. Unfortunately, they aren't all that special as most of the facilities at the university use these now. I just haven't had a chance to renovate my spare house…" Bowen said.

Most? You mean to tell me this entire school has a functional clean water system? I knew there is a sewer system, but this was unexpected.

"And what do you do exactly…" Sylvia mumbled.

"Well, you see, this is where you go to the bathroom. You just take a—"

"Okay, that's enough… I get it… a manual will do just fine," Sylvia said with a certain level of disgust.

"If you have this… that means there is a system for all this? And wouldn't the pipes freeze?" I asked, trying to poke answers out of Bowen.

The Headmaster's swirling brown eyes practically smiled back at me. "I'm glad you asked! Since this is your first time in the capital, I'll be the first to tell you that I haven't only been focusing on this school. Since the end of the war, I've taken on many projects. Building the underground sewage system and aqueducts is one of those projects. It's been about fifteen years since the first section was complete, and we did have a certain amount of problems in the beginning."

"Problems?" Sylvia asked.

"That's right. As Voker said, the copper pipes we were using to pull from the aqueducts and act as disposal for the sewage would freeze and burst. Iron was too heavy and unreliable. Using Dwarven Steel for that much piping was also out of the question, and neither of them fixed our problem," Bowen grumbled.

"So, what did you do about it?" Sylvia asked again.

"First, we had to stop the temperature from getting too low around the pipes. It turned out that focusing on this alone fixed our problems. That's why there are so many wards that don't let a lot of the snow and cold in. All products of my design, by the way," Bowen said a little too proudly.

"I'm aware. Dad told me that you played a part in the creation around the wards that surrounded our village," I said.

Bowen gave me a surprised look. "I see. Your father actually remembered that, huh? I do remember selling the information to Krunbar, so there is a good chance Syn'nari got ahold of it as well. Well, if it made the world a better place, then it was well worth it."

"Do you mind if I ask you a question, Headmaster?" I said.

Bowen gave me a wry smile and a light chuckle. "When it's just us, you can call me Bowen, Voker. Although I do ask that you please call me Headmaster in public, I won't ask you to do such things in these cases. But what is this question you have for me? Hopefully, I can answer it."

I cleared my throat and prepared myself to sound like I was doing my absolute best not to offend him. "I don't mean to question your intelligence, but where exactly are you getting these ideas from?"

Bowen's eyes went wide then he started to laugh. "You know if you have to start a sentence with you not wanting to offend someone, you will probably end up offending them."

"I'm sorry..." I grumbled.

Bowen waved his hand at me. "I don't really care. I'm just messing with you, Voker." Then he put a single finger to his chin and smiled at me. "However, I can't answer your question, sorry."

So, he is getting it from somewhere else. Interesting.

"Anyways, this is your new—"

"Where is the secret exit?" Sylvia asked.

Bowen rubbed his head awkwardly. "I don't know… you know what? It doesn't matter. Here, let me show you the royal escape path."

Well, at least that confirms something else.

Bowen led us to the other large bedroom and started fiddling with a dresser. "So, this room was built for the princesses then?" I asked.

Bowen reached deep inside the white wooden dresser and made sure to point to the false switch on its side. "Just press this button, and the passage will open up. But yes, this was the first prototype room for the twins. They moved out of it and into another room down the hall."

Just like the door, the dresser slid open on hinges revealing the back wall. Bowen casually grabbed a doorknob through the illusion that was being maintained and swung a black metal door open. "This will lead down into the sewers. To get out, just follow the water going 'down,' and you will make it out no matter which path you take."

"How many people know about this? And what's stopping someone from using this against us?" Sylvia asked.

"How many people? Three, well, five now. I'm the only one aware of this place outside of the two princesses. And to answer your question, this entire exit is laced with traps. The only way to deactivate them is to open this door and start walking from here. If someone were to attempt to come up the passage without opening the door, they would die from the traps or you would hear them coming."

That's good. Having an escape route just in case something goes down is always a plus. I imagined there was one here, but finding it would have been time-consuming.

Bowen bounced his shoulders up and down a few times and gave us another broad smile. "This concludes your tour. Both of you should have your things already so… enjoy your new home. Your uniforms will be delivered later today, and classes start tomorrow morning at the third bell, any questions?"

"Nope."

"No."

Bowen's smile turned wry as he handed Sylvia and me two keys to the room. With a wave and goodbye, we bid our new Headmaster a farewell.

"So… this place is really nice, huh?" I said as we stood silently in the room.

"Yeah… it is," Sylvia agreed.

"Is it nicer than what you were used to back in Nul?"

"Uh, huh…" Sylvia mumbled.

I looked over at Sylvia, and her ears' tips were ever so slightly red. "What's the matter?" I asked.

"Nothing… what room do you want? I kinda want this one," she said quietly.

"Okay, that's fine with me."

Sylvia finally looked at me, and her ears were turning more and more red. "What are you doing just standing there?! Get out of my room and go set yours up or something!"

"I uh… okay?" I squeaked.

What did I do this time?