It was 9 o'clock in the morning. The Helikon District, which was normally quiet and orderly—reflecting its nature as the academic and religious heart of the city—was strangely noisy and crowded today.
The Lenburg National Museum, where books, prototypes, relics, and statues were housed. This historic museum saw the streets surrounding it filled with people eager to enter.
The sheer number of people on the street made it hard to even see the sidewalk; the colorful attire of the crowd and the various police carriages maintaining order made it seem as though some kind of event was being celebrated.
Not even the light drizzle could dampen the excitement in the air.
All of this was for just one thing: a temporary addition to the old building that had been awaited and fought for over 50 years.
Hanging from the marble pillars of the National Museum, a banner bore an inscription in lenburg that made everyone's hearts beat faster.
GRAND OPENING OF ROSELLE'S MEMORIAL
Through one of the large windows on the museum's third floor, Ikanser Bernard, Deacon of the Machinery Hivemind, looked out at all the people who had not yet entered and sighed wearily.
This was typically the scene during the first few days the memorial opened in other countries and kingdoms. The desire to see the Emperor of Intis's various works and inventions always drew crowds. But even in those cases, no previous visit compared to the number of people outside right now.
'The citizens of Lenburg are always in pursuit of new knowledge, after all…' Stepping away from the window, Ikanser turned around and walked past one of the exhibits.
The Machinery Hivemind knew that, while the Lenburgians were respectful of everything related to knowledge and relics, the sheer number of them attending would, one way or another, cause problems if strict order wasn't maintained. Likewise, others could easily take advantage of the large crowd to steal. Whether they were ordinary people or beyonders.
With guides and marked routes, while also limiting the areas where they could move freely, the problem with ordinary people was solved. Meanwhile, the problem with the beyonders was solved by the Machinery Hivemind's various sealed artifacts.
After walking for a while and reaching a secluded room, Ikanser entered without much haste.
The occupants of the room looked at the newcomer, all seated around a table on which rested the famous mirror, covered with a simple sheet.
"Any trouble with Arrodes?" Ikanser asked.
Skiper, who was accompanied by three other members, shook his head: "No change, it's pretty calm today."
The man nodded: "Let me know if anything changes."
If something went missing, the best way to find it was through Arrodes, so it was vital that it didn't cause trouble. If it did, all the blame would fall on him. And Ikanser was already in a precarious position; he couldn't afford any more problems.
Having confirmed there were no problems, Ikanser left the room and went down to the first floor, where the Memorial was being held.
As he descended the stairs, he took a crystalline object out of his pocket and, after wiping it with a handkerchief, placed it over his left eye. It was a monocle.
With his unruly brown hair, this object gave him the air of a somewhat clumsy professor.
This was a sealed artifact created specifically to monitor the Memorial. Code 3-1328, named the Crystal Eye. With it, Ikanser could see the spiritual body directly, as well as ghosts and shadows. There was no need to fear Beyonders who used these usually difficult-to-detect entities to cause chaos or engage in theft.
Of course, this had a significant downside; it could easily attract monsters like wraiths and shadows to the area. Also, if worn for a long time, one's vision would suffer irreversible damage.
Through this artifact, he observed several groups entering and touring the first floor.
Groups of about twenty were led by various guides along designated paths; some people carried cameras and took photos of the exhibits, probably reporters taking photos for the next day's newspaper.
His gaze settled on one of these groups in the first exhibition hall. The intense emotions revealed by the Crystal Eye were like a beacon in the darkness.
'If they keep this up, they're going to draw attention.' Narrowing his eyes slightly, Ikanser adjusted his hat and walked over there.
To move around the room without drawing attention to himself, he was dressed as a guard. Naturally, this meant he had to act like one.
Upon arriving, the murmurs of the group, which until now had been nothing but meaningless chatter, finally made sense.
"My daughter can't stop talking about your movie. How did you do that? She never likes my stories."
"Mr Wayne. Do you have plans to make a new movie in the future?"
"Are you planning to make another movie? I can help with the voices! I've always been told I have a good range! Listen; Ah la lala"
'Harvey Wayne? He came here?' Ikanser stopped, somewhat dazed. There was no one in Lenburg who didn't know the name of the creator of 'animation.'
Watching the man of the moment as he approached, he could tell that he was certainly hard to ignore.
He was taller than him and better built. His face was handsome and masculine. His black suit gave him a mysterious air that, combined with his white overcoat, made him look like an elegant man with curious tastes. This was made even more apparent by the W-shaped buckle.
His presence did not go unnoticed; the man, surrounded by questions and praise, noticed him. With an elegant smile, he stepped forward: "Ah, Mr Guard. Is there a problem?"
Ikanser maintained his role as a guard while responding cordially, "The commotion caught my attention; I came to check that there were no problems."
"Oh. Well, thank you for your service, but everything is calm around here," glancing aside, Harvey chuckled softly. "Isn't that right, Mr Guide?"
The group's guide, an older man with a beard, nodded. His somewhat stern gaze fell on one of the several women in the group. "I was about to start the tour when the lady recognized Mr Wayne. Please excuse the disturbance."
The guilty mother coughed lightly, looking away to the side.
Ikanser looked at the woman and was about to say something about it when someone intervened.
"Oh, please, don't blame her, sir. It's normal for people to have that reaction when they see me," Harvey laughed unconcernedly, "let's not let this ruin this beautiful day, gentlemen."
Maintaining a slight smile, he pulled a thick wad of yellow bills from his jacket and, in front of Ikanser, handed it to the guide.
"We've all been waiting years for this opportunity, after all."
Faced with so much yellow paper that easily exceeded 1,000 sassem, the guide named William could only take it with trembling hands.
Feeling the weight of the sassem, confirming they were real, William looked up and asked, dazed, "A-are you sure, Mr. Wayne?"
The man in the black suit raised an eyebrow, "Is that too little? I can give more if you like."
Before the guide could say anything, another stack identical to the first was placed in his other hand.
Friendly patting the incredulous man on the shoulder, Harvey sang happily: "The Memorial has a donation box, doesn't it? This is my contribution. Think of it as an incentive for you to visit Lenburg more often."
The people around them shared a range of emotions similar to the guide's. For all of them, this was the first time they'd seen so much money handed over as if it were worthless.
'I'd heard rumors that he had deep pockets, but I didn't expect him to be that rich…' Ignoring the twitch in his eyelid, Ikanser tipped his hat, nodded, and walked away.
There was a bit of bitterness in his heart, not because of the clear economic disparity, but because he hadn't been able to speak with the man personally.
If he hadn't had to keep an eye on the hall, he would have loved to chat with the man about his projector and the reason he created a new art form. And if he has any new invention to show to the world.
'Lenburg's greatest entrepreneur, huh?' Without stopping, Ikanser glanced quickly over his shoulder.
After being visited by a guard, the group had calmed down and was following the planned route in better order. The mother thanked the entrepreneur, but he only laughed in response, dismissing the gesture.
Shaking his head, the deacon continued to keep watch over the rest of the memorial.
On the outskirts of a city whose inhabitants were fiery humanoids in armor, a pair of scarlet eyes watched the guard leave. The corners of his lips curled upward.
"We meet again, Mr. Red Panties. How have you been?"
Faced with a familiar face from his days in East Borough, Adryan couldn't help but feel a little melancholy.
What a day that was.
'Anyway, what's a Deacon of the Machinery Hivemind doing in Lenburg? Shouldn't he be in Backlund? Don't tell me that because he failed to catch me, he was punished and demoted to temporary guard of Roselle's toys?' After thinking about that for a few seconds, Adryan ended up shrugging his shoulders.
'Well, it's not my problem. You should have done your job better, Mr. Red Panties. At least now that you're here, that means that helpful, faithful dog is here too, which, I suppose, is something. I thank you for that—you've reunited a lost puppy with its master'
He conjured several crimson fireballs in his palm. And as if they were marbles, he began spinning them and performing tricks with them.
Although learning new details about the life of the Great Caesar was interesting in a way, that wasn't why he had come here. While he waited for that to happen, he preferred to play around with his powers a bit while listening to the educational talk in the background.
The group was already passing through the first section of the tour. The bearded guide introduced and explained the Emperor's daily life, the clothes he wore, his velvet quilt, and the golden glassware he used to drink his wine.
Before leaving, they stopped in front of a specific exhibit.
Pointing to the display case with its thick glass wall, the guide spoke with a certain gleam in his eye: "This is the toilet he used. The first toilet in the modern sense.
"The sewer system it brought with it changed the phenomenon of filth being all over the streets of Trier. Among his numerous contributions to human civilization, this is one of his greatest achievements."
Behind the glass, gleaming with golden light, rested a toilet with a flushing system. It seemed to have a layer of gold foil on its surface, and it was engraved with an exaggerated and artistic pattern.
"…That's a throne," Adryan pointed out with a blank expression, one eyebrow twitching.
It had been described that the 'emperor's throne' was extravagant, but he hadn't expected it to be to this extent! Was it even comfortable?
After the Emperor's Daily Necessities exhibition, there was a display of the original versions of the important documents Roselle had issued, including the Civil Code and other extremely valuable historical relics.
The guide began describing several of these, along with their history, but Adryan didn't pay much attention. He could always ask Ignir to relay the information later.
Not that he was ignoring the exhibition itself, though—after all, the diary behind the glass wall was very tempting.
The man's horrible, simplified Chinese greeted him like an old friend whose face looked better in nightmares.
June 2. I visited a new restaurant yesterday; their apple pies were delicious.
June 9. I went back to the restaurant; I had to try that apple pie again. It was just as delicious. Although I'm against tipping, this time I decided to be generous and left a good amount…
June 29. I've made up my mind. When I get married, that apple pie will be one of the main dishes at the wedding.
"Why am I not surprised that this guy likes apples?" Sighing a little, the redhead relaxed in his chair.
If he could, he would take the diary to see what other secret or curious detail he could learn, but unfortunately, he didn't have the means to do so.
These two exposed pages would be all he could read today.
"This is the basic education textbook that he improved to educate his children. Each word has its own corresponding picture. It was a little game he had invented for his children, similar to Intis chess, but somehow it didn't become popular. These are the toy blocks he invented; these were also for his children." The guide spoke with emotion about the first part, but when he got to the toys, it vanished without him realizing it.
Like any 'older' Lenburgian, unless it fostered knowledge, it wasn't worth talking about.
"I wonder if he created Lego sets. If not, I know another way I can make money..." Muttering to himself, the redhead was about to continue playing when something stopped him.
The fiery marbles vanished in an instant just as the man sat down on the edge of his beach chair.
From the third-person perspective of his soldier, Adryan saw that at some point someone had stood next to Ignir-Harvey. A woman.
None of the other members of the group seemed to notice her presence, not even the other soldier playing the role of 'Abigail Rhodes'.
She stood silently, observing the display with the various-colored blocks and books.
This woman was a little taller than Flora; she had chestnut hair that reached her waist and a perfectly proportioned body.
She wore a lace dress that gave off a young-girl vibe, but she also wore a black, out-of-fashion bonnet, and a fishnet veil hung down, concealing her face.
"Have you come to take something from here?" she asked in a soft voice.
'Time to dance.' A small smile appeared on Adryan's face, and without much haste, he deepened his connection with the soldier.
Harvey Wayne looked at the woman who had suddenly appeared beside him, his expression unchanged.
Unlike a normal person, he wasn't alarmed or frightened by the sudden presence beside him. He simply watched her in silence.
If this was strange, the woman said nothing about it. She just continued observing the various objects on display in front of them.
Soon, the corners of Harvey's lips curved upward.
"How long have you been watching me?" he asked, curious, his dark eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Since you entered the museum." The reply was just as gentle, but devoid of emotion.
The veiled woman turned her head slightly, her attention now completely focused on him. And before he could say anything, she repeated the question in the same tone: "Have you come to take something?"
The fishnet veil might have hidden her face, but Adryan could sense an immense weight that was impossible to contain. Emotions that, despite being hidden, peeked through the cracks.
Harvey turned to look at the display, his face softening somewhat.
"This is a memorial; it would be in poor taste to take something from here. Anyway…"
The man turned back to look at the woman and winked: "How could I look my niece in the eye if I stole something from her father right in front of her?"
The veil may have hidden her expression, but the way her shoulders tensed was something Adryan—who was controlling Harvey and speaking through him—found endearing.
Eager to stir things up a bit more, he whispered to her in a playful tone, "Nice to meet you, little Bernadette."