"It's done. It won't hurt you anymore," Alaric said, addressing the slightly puzzled but unresisting group. He explained, "Sorry, everyone, there's been a change. I need to take this dragon to my teacher for study, so you can't kill it."
The others exchanged glances. Groselle, the giant, let out a hearty laugh. "No problem. We've already defeated it. If you need it, take it. You've earned it!"
To Groselle, without Alaric weakening the King of the North, their victory wouldn't have been so easy. Plus, since Alaric was here to rescue them, there was no need to quibble over this.
"Thank you," Alaric said politely. Then, as if struck by a thought, he turned to Groselle. "If you want to return to the Giant King's Court, I can help. But the situation there is peculiar. Until it's resolved, it's not safe for you to go with your current Sequence."
Though Alaric had already freed many from City of Silver and Moon City, the true gate to the outside world at the Giant King's Court remained unopened, and the Dark Angel's evil spirit was still a threat. With Groselle's Sequence, it wasn't a suitable destination yet.
"Maybe I should find time to deal with that issue. I'm not afraid of the Chaos Sea's corruption. Hmm, I could bring Sasrir along too," Alaric mused, picturing a meeting between the two Dark Angels with a hint of amusement.
Groselle, excited by Alaric's offer, said, "Really? You can send me back to the Giant King's Court?"
"You'll need to wait a bit... not too long. Once the issue's resolved, I'll let you know," Alaric said with a nod.
"Thank you! You're a good man!" Groselle replied, unbothered by a short wait. He'd already waited far too long... what was a little more?
Alaric smiled, then snapped his fingers. A glowing white door appeared before the group.
"Alright, since the boss is dealt with, it's time to leave this world!"
Alaric paused, glancing at Pallez, who was chuckling nearby.
Pallez hadn't forgotten the main task. Catching Alaric's look, he turned to Mobet Zoroast and the others, who were visibly excited. "Hold on, don't rush off yet. Let me fix the little time problem you've got."
…
Back on The Future, figures emerged from the glowing door. First came Klein's trio, followed by Leonard and Pallez, then the two Hunters, and finally Mobet Zoroast and his companions.
Cattleya, waiting on the deck, curiously studied Mobet and the others. Her gaze lingered on Groselle, her expression tinged with awe.
Giants were rare these days. Acquired giants... those of the Warrior Pathway, like members of the Church of the God of Combat... still existed, as the pathway naturally produced giant-like figures. But pureblood, innate giants had nearly vanished, perhaps not extinct but no longer appearing publicly.
In the Northern and Southern Continents, the most you'd find were people like those in the Feysac Empire, rumored to have distant giant ancestry. Their bloodline was so diluted it was negligible compared to a true giant.
Even for Cattleya, this was her first time seeing a pureblood giant.
Her gaze then shifted to Siatas, noting her slightly pointed ears... a clear elf trait.
Elves still lived on some islands in the Five Seas. Long ago, they'd openly thrived there, leaving behind certain customs. Over time, their numbers dwindled, and they faded from public view. Still, many in the Five Seas carried elf blood, often unaware of it themselves.
Having roamed the Five Seas extensively, Cattleya had met a few elves, so her reaction to Siatas was far less intense than to Groselle.
Beyond these non-human races, the others were clearly pure humans. Cattleya's eyes scanned their era-specific clothing, mentally comparing them to the historical fashion she knew.
"This is Cattleya, captain of The Future," Alaric said, closing the book world's door behind him. "She'll brief you on this era's basics over the next few days. Feel free to ask her questions, though I can't guarantee she'll answer everything."
This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision but a prearranged plan.
Mobet and his companions had been trapped in the book world for so long they were completely out of touch. Before fully rejoining the world, they needed some orientation.
Mobet and the others exchanged glances, finally settling on Cattleya. After sizing her up, no one objected.
Even the fiery Siatas knew she was out of sync with this era. Learning about it was essential before returning.
Most pressingly, they needed to learn the modern common tongue, or they'd be starting from illiteracy.
So, the group followed Cattleya for lessons, while Edwina bid them farewell.
Clearly pleased with her gains from this visit to The Future, Edwina was in high spirits. Before leaving, she turned to Danitz. "Since Mr. Jack wants you to continue as their guide, stay with them for now. Don't worry... if anything comes up, contact me. I hope next time we meet, you'll be a proper Conspirer."
"Captain, I… I'll do my best," Danitz said, clearly reluctant to stay. But seeing her encouraging look and thinking of the Conspirer characteristic Jack hadn't yet traded to him, he couldn't bring himself to say, "I want to go back to the ship."
"Don't worry, Lady Edwina. We'll take good care of Danitz!" Alaric said, patting the visibly deflated Danitz's shoulder and smiling at Edwina.
"I trust you will," Edwina nodded. Her gaze lingered on Danitz as she added, "You've fallen behind on your studies lately. I'll send you some books to read in your spare time."
"…Y-Yes, Captain," Danitz said, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace.
He hadn't expected that even staying behind wouldn't spare him from studying.
---
Hi guys! If you're into Marvel stories and want a different from the usual stuff and aren't full of clichés, feel free to give this new Marvel story a try:
[A Survival Guide to the Marvel Universe]
Synopsis:
Marvel.
A cursed superhero world that even the craziest person alive wouldn't want to visit.
How could they? There's basically an apocalypse every Tuesday.
Only the craziest of the crazy would choose to stay in a place like this.
And Ludwig isn't one of them.
The only way for him to return to his original world is to die.
In this cursed world, dying should be the easiest thing to do.
But there's just one problem standing in his way...
Why the hell do these idiots keep stopping him from dying?!
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