In the end, Aria, Feidric, and Douglas each ordered a dish with a less intimidating name, while Cipher chose Braised Lion's Head. Eve, of course, remained hidden behind Cipher throughout the entire meal, her small hand gently gripping the corner of Cipher's skirt, barely daring to move.
Well, not completely still—the poor girl was shaking like a miniature electric motor the whole time.
Moments later, the dishes arrived one by one. Everyone's eyes were particularly drawn to Cipher's Lion's Head, only to discover they were just some meatballs. The other dishes, though unfamiliar, appeared quite ordinary as well, showing no obvious signs of human remains. Douglas finally let out a sigh of relief.
Seeing their expressions, Cipher couldn't help but chuckle. "It's just a normal restaurant, really. What were you all so afraid of?"
Douglas shook his head vehemently. "No, no, no! This is food cooked by the Demigod of Strife! How could it not be terrifying?!"
To put it in perspective, Douglas, a War Priest, was essentially having the God of War descend to personally cook for him. "Isn't that terrifying?" he exclaimed.
Cipher chimed in, "Didn't Castorice say that Mydei is actually a very kind and considerate person? It's true."
Feidric took a bite of the dish. He had to admit, the flavor was far superior to anything he had ever tasted before! After a moment of silence, he asked, "Are all twelve Demigods of Okhema... this approachable? Lady Aglaea, the one you call 'Seamstress,' does she really run a clothing shop?"
Cipher took a bite of rice and nodded. "Of course! She loves sewing. Isn't it perfectly normal for someone to open a shop based on their passion?"
Hearing this, Feidric suddenly understood why the Ancient Gods here referred to themselves as Demigods. Normally, a god's Divinity would always overshadow their humanity, but these Ancient Gods of Okhema seemed to possess an abundance of human qualities.
Despite wielding divine power, they lived lives indistinguishable from mortals. They had their own hobbies and dislikes, ate and drank like everyone else, and did whatever they pleased.
Feidric wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing for a god, but for the people of this city, it must surely be a blessing.
Twelve gods, each with human warmth and compassion, protected this place.
While Cipher and Feidric were chatting, Aria and Eve were silently and voraciously devouring their meals, leaving no scrap behind. In the past, if Aria had tasted something delicious, she would have declared, "This is delicious! And this is super delicious too!"
But this time, the food was so exceptionally good that she didn't even have time to comment, simply shoveling bite after bite into her mouth. Watching her blissful expression, Cipher couldn't help but feel her own heart warm with joy.
Sometimes, the greatest praise isn't spoken words, but the act itself.
When she finally couldn't eat another bite, Aria leaned back in her chair, gently patting her stomach with her small hand, and sighed contentedly, "This was unbelievably delicious! I feel like even if I died right now, it would have been worth it."
Cipher chuckled, shaking her head. "Don't be so dramatic!"
After their meal and a short rest, the group resumed their journey. Their next destination was a nearby Magic Engineering Academy, but Cipher deliberately took a slight detour.
Since none of the others were familiar with Okhema, they remained completely unaware of the change in route. It wasn't until they passed through an intersection and arrived at a vast plaza that the four colossal stone statues came into view.
The statues depicted two men and two women. One of the male figures was colossal, towering at least five meters tall. He stood at the center, wielding a Great Axe. Whether intentional or not, the giant's outstretched arms perfectly sheltered the heads of the other three statues from the elements.
The other male statue portrayed a Wizard holding a Magic Book. Oddly, he wasn't clad in the traditional Mage Robe but wore full leather armor instead.
The two female statues stood side by side. One held a longsword, her gaze fixed resolutely forward, while the other, with hair cascading to her shins, gazed tenderly at the other three statues.
Gazing at the exquisitely crafted statues before her, Aria's face lit up with curiosity. "Who are all these people?"
Cipher glanced at the four statues, then at Aria and her two companions. The scene evoked an uncanny sense of temporal displacement.
After a pause, she began her explanation. "Long ago, Okhema was a small and vulnerable Duchy. Forced to flee to this remote region due to certain events, it has since prospered in relative peace."
"The largest statue depicts Tide, a valiant warrior who single-handedly held off tens of thousands of enemy soldiers in an impregnable mountain pass for days."
"The male statue in leather armor represents Jay, Okhema's former Chief Wizard and the most formidable mage of his era. He once single-handedly repelled an Allied Forces from multiple nations on the plains."
"The female statue wielding a longsword is Olivia, Okhema's eternal Princess. Though she was destined to inherit the throne, she relinquished her claim to remain in Okhema's ancestral homeland, guarding it alone."
"It is thanks to these three that Okhema still exists today. They are the heroes of this city."
"Amazing!" Aria exclaimed, blinking in genuine awe. "One person stopping tens of thousands? And another holding off the Allied Forces of multiple nations?! Is that even true?"
Douglas, standing beside her, interjected, "But in normal circumstances, legends like these are usually exaggerated, right? One person stopping tens of thousands... that's just too absurd."
Cipher countered, "It's not absurd at all. These are all documented historical events. They really happened."
Aria then turned to the final female statue that Cipher hadn't yet introduced. "And who's this one?"
"That's Teacher Tribbie, Okhema's Holy Maiden, the mentor to all, and the leader of the twelve Demigods," Cipher explained. "Once you've finished your tour, I'll take you to meet Teacher Tribbie tonight."
While Cipher, Aria, and Douglas were talking, Feidric was lost in thought. The story Cipher had just told him felt strangely familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.
In truth, Cipher had carefully crafted her introduction. She couldn't simply point at the statue and declare, "This is the Demon Lord," could she?
Aria had grown up on tales of heroes, and the notion that "heroes are good people" was deeply ingrained in her worldview. Telling her the historical truth now would be like telling a modern person that the Earth is flat—do you think she'd believe it?
Should the truth be revealed? Absolutely, but it required careful planning and a gradual approach. Perhaps arranging for Aria and her companions to attend history lessons, slowly detailing the events of the past, would be a good start.
After lingering by the statues for a while longer, Cipher suddenly pulled out a smartphone before they left. She instructed Aria, Douglas, and Feidric to stand in specific positions, then curled her tail around the phone and nestled herself among them to take a group photo.
The photo captured Cipher and the trio alongside the four statues. Gazing at the image, Cipher couldn't help but beam with satisfaction.
As expected, Feidric's eyes narrowed with curiosity at the smartphone in Cipher's hand. "What is that thing?" he asked, his expression puzzled.
Cipher casually explained, "It's a smartphone. You can take pictures, record videos, make calls, play games—it's super convenient. Almost everyone in Okhema has one now."
Aria and Douglas merely wore expressions of awe, but Feidric was utterly bewildered. The more he knew about magic, the more absurd this device seemed.
Have they compressed all the magic of the Divination School into this tiny square? And even non-magic users can activate these spells with a mere touch of their finger?
And this is just a simplified explanation! The actual principles must be far more complex!
Most importantly... everyone has one? How can something this advanced be so widespread?
Cipher chimed in, "I'll buy one for each of you later. They're not expensive. Come on, let's move on to the next place!"
Cipher tugged the dazed Feidric along, leading the group to the nearest Magic Engineering Academy. After three centuries of development, Okhema no longer had just one such academy; instead, the city boasted at least thirty of them, scattered throughout its districts.
Cipher led the group to a remarkably ordinary institution called the Okhema Thirteenth Magic Engineering Academy. True to its name, the academy's designation simply reflected its construction order.
Since everyone was wearing school uniforms, the guards at the entrance should have waved them through without question. However, Douglas's appearance made him look far too un-studentlike.
Soon, two black-uniformed security officers approached them and asked, "Which major and class are you from?"
At the question, the others immediately turned to Cipher. As expected, she produced a letter of authorization and handed it to the guards, saying, "We're not students here. We're here for a tour."
This letter had been arranged by Tribios, who had texted the academy's principal late last night. The principal, who had just fallen asleep, was rudely awakened. Irritated at first, he checked his phone and discovered Tribios's message. He remained sleepless the entire night, hand-writing a two-thousand-word statement of consent before dawn.
Even Tribios herself wasn't sure why she had written so much. A signature and "I agree" would have sufficed, right?
Regardless, the moment the security guard saw the document, he was stunned.
It felt as though he were just an ordinary shop clerk suddenly receiving a letter from the mayor, instructing him to give special treatment to a particular guest.
After a brief moment of shock, the guard quickly stepped aside. "Please, come in, come in!"
Upon entering the Magic Engineering Academy, the first thing that caught their eye was the sight of students in uniform, most in groups of two or three, chatting and laughing as they walked.
Cipher considered their options and decided to take the group to audit a class first. She randomly chose a classroom, slipped in through the back, and found an unoccupied corner to sit in.
The lecturer on the platform didn't even notice the sudden intrusion, continuing his lecture on Magitech principles as if nothing had happened.
This lecture seemed to be a basic introduction to reducing Magic Power loss in Magitech devices. While it might have been elementary for the other students in the class, it was anything but for Aria and her group.
After all, the Magic Engineering Academy was essentially Cipher's equivalent of a university from her previous life! Before long, Aria started dozing off, nodding frantically before leaning against Cipher's shoulder.
Cipher wasn't surprised at all. She leaned back slightly, gently supporting Aria's forehead and letting her rest her head on her lap.
Even in her sleep, Aria instinctively nuzzled against Cipher's white stocking-clad thigh, a blissful expression spreading across her face.
Eve, meanwhile, had taken the initiative to simply sprawl across the desk and fall asleep.
Only Feidric and Douglas appeared to be paying attention. Cipher glanced over. Well, Douglas was completely out of it, his body present but his soul clearly wandering elsewhere, as if he had achieved some sort of out-of-body experience.
In reality, only Feidric was listening attentively, his brow furrowed in concentration.
A typical class lasted forty minutes, but since Cipher and Aria had arrived midway through, the lesson ended after thirty minutes. As the bell rang, Aria suddenly jolted awake, stood up abruptly, and promptly banged her head against the desk with a loud thud.
Rubbing the back of her head, she slowly climbed to her feet. "Wha-what? What happened?"
Cipher sighed. "Class is over."
After a pause, she continued, "Almost everyone in Okhema goes through this schooling period. It starts around twelve or thirteen and lasts until their early twenties. Five days a week, six forty-minute classes a day."
Aria's face immediately twisted into a look of terror. "Th-that sounds terrifying!"
Cipher was speechless. Terrifying? This was a million times easier than what she had experienced in her previous life!
-
PS: The Hero stories Aria read were fabrications, and the Hero's Sword she pulled from the stone in her village was a fake. Yet, amidst this grand web of lies, she has unwittingly embarked on the true path of a Hero.