Chapter 11: Chapter 10: A Visit to the Slums

TANTARARA!

The sound of a trumpet rang out, marking Lillian’s arrival. The carriage she was in moved at a steady pace, making its way through the crowd.

“MAKE WAY FOR THE ARRIVAL OF THE 3RD PRINCESS.”

An esquire yelled at the crowd; a path cleared for Lillian’s carriage.

Lillian’s ears turned a light shade of pink as she heard the announcement. She was more than used to the embellished and exaggerated compliments of her from other nobles, but the sheer volume of had embarrassed her.

Leaning back in her seat, Lillian observed the surrounding landscapes of Bronzewall. The people crowding the street, their daily lives going on as usual. The medieval-style buildings, in tandem with the common use of arcane implements; street vendors summoning entire restaurants out of small box-sized carts.

“It’s been 2 months already huh…” she muttered, her pointed toward the ceiling.

2 whole months had passed since she had first obtained her dual memories as Claire and Lillian. She had those months, working, planning, and lying low, doing all the duties she usually did as 3rd princess. She was confident in saying she had readjusted to the lifestyle, early mornings, and late nights. Time flew quickly when you were busy, and even that word was an understatement for the responsibilities of her job.

The ride in the carriage had been pleasant so far, smooth and relaxing. She found moments like this invaluable in the middle of her work the perfect opportunity to relax.

Looking down at her lap, Lillian took out a leather-bound notebook, flipping through its pages until she found the section she was looking for.

“Tree of Ent.” She read off the page.

The notebook Lillian was currently holding was the culmination of 2 months of recollection and notation.

A journal containing information on hidden pieces. At least, the ones she remembered Servant talking about.

She had worked on this journal for 2 whole months, jotting down all the information she could recall once per-day. She had been avoiding going to any of the locations listed in the journal, preventing herself from seeking out any Hidden Piece.

Today was different; She was finally going to attempt to obtain one, specifically a leaf from the Tree of Ent. She had already prepared all she needed to conquer the mini-dungeon that was the Ancient Alchemist’s Lab, borrowing a few items from the royal treasury.

The carriage came to a halt, and the door to her cabin opened.

“Please follow me, my lady.” Dahlia spoke, guiding her master out of the carriage.

“Thank you, Dahlia.” Lillian said with a smile, looking out at the empty field they were now in. This was going to be the venue for the festival she had been working on these past 2 months, and the excuse for her to get the hidden piece.

She spotted large metal beams, and the mages carrying them, their staffs gripped tightly in their hands. There was an entire crew dedicated to furnishing the field, all for the express purpose of making it the perfect venue for the festival.

From some quick observations, Lillian deducted that it would take them a few hours to get it ready, noticing the absent head organiser.

“Dahlia, it seems like it will be a while until the stage is ready, so I’ll wander around the premises until then.” Lillian spoke. These few hours were her only opening to getting to the lab, so she had to move quick.

“Please inform Simon and George of my whereabouts.”

“As you wish, master.” Dahlia replied with a bow, leaving Lillian to wander off on her own.

---

Left alone, Lillian couldn’t help the slight smirk that went up on her face, heading back to her carriage to grab her pouch.

Standing some ways behind the carriage, she looked around her to make sure no one was there, and took off her heels.

Reaching into her pouch, she pulled out a pair of running boots, placing them on her feet. Then she reached back into the pouch and retrieved a large brown clock, placing it over her body. As much as I hate magicians, dimensional magic is awesome.

“Time to head to the slums.” Lillian muttered, fully dressed up. Her face was completely covered by her robe, identity fully hidden. Who needed glasses when she had these?

She turned her attention to a location in the distance, specifying a spot and locking it in place. She then spread the mana in her body, isolating her core and spreading out the small amount she had. A warm sensation enveloped her body, strength filling her.

This was one of the techniques her mother had taught her when she asked for training, a unique skill only she could teach: Strengthening. Mana was used to reinforce her body, improving its characteristics by many folds.

Even without a window, skills are easy. Lillian smirked and crouched down on the ground, her eyes still focused on the same location as before. Just like I practiced. She kicked off the ground, her body flying forward.

Whoosh!

Wind blew through her face and adrenaline through her body, the empty field now out of sight. She stopped moving, her legs in intense pain. Another skill her mother taught her, Rush. The skill came at a cost though, as evident by her aching body.

Right, now that I’ve left. She thought to herself while observing her surroundings. No longer was the field in sight, just as she had wanted. She jerked her head around while searching for something, her eyes eventually locking onto it.

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An alleyway.

She tried another form of Strengthening, this time focusing her mana onto her legs. She then ran again, heading straight into the alleyway.

She made her way through a single straight path, entering and leaving through multiple multi-coloured doors.

This was a shortcut that only she knew about, the only method to get to her hidden home back in Tower of Pandora, and the best path to take when travelling through Bronzewall.

A putrid smell entered her nose as she stepped foot into the slums. Due to her hood, none were paying attention to her, but she still couldn’t shake off the bad feeling she got while she was here. It was disgusting, almost nauseating. She trudged through, eventually making her way to her destination.

She stopped in front of a decrepit house, walking up its steps and wandering around till she found the hidden trapdoor.

“Wehosa, Ailswe, Eunowm.” Saying the password, the trap door creaked beneath her, and Lillian jumped straight inside.

Crash!

Her body fell against the hard ground of the dark laboratory, though she didn’t feel any pain due to the reinforcement of her legs. Channelling mana to her eyes, the laboratory lit up, every detail clear in her eyes.

Picking up a glass beaker from a shelf, she looked at it briefly before placing it back down on a table. Passing by jars filled with alchemy ingredients, Lillian headed deeper into the laboratory.

A short walk later, not particularly long with the use of Rush, she came upon the lab’s indoor garden. Glass walls shaped into a dome, and a large metallic ball on the top, the lab’s very own artificial sun. Rows of plants lined the soil, paths running down each channel of soil, and of course the reason she had to sneak in to the palace’s treasury.

It looked like a bundle of green mist, floating around the garden like a guard-dog. Floating smoky ember eyes with a sharp gaze. This, is why I hate magicians.

The Ancient Alchemist wasn’t foolish enough to leave the garden they spent years working on alone. And out came this thing. The Druid Phantom, an amalgamation that one might call a disaster, or one of the most brilliant creatures to ever trample over the laws of the world.

Lillian placed her pouch on the ground and dug around inside, pulling out a few items. A spear, a sword, multiple daggers, and finally a tinted spherical vial. Placing her hand on the spear’s handle, the sword and daggers hung on her waist. She opened the door into the garden, attracting the phantom’s attention.

“Here goes nothing.”

GRUARH

When it noticed Lillian, the phantom made a disgusting, visceral growl, its misty body turning toward her. She pointed her spear forward, putting distance between her and the phantom. Then, the first move was made, the phantom’s body undulating and rushing toward Lillian.

It’s misty and blobby form wrangled around, a spike of fear striking Lillian’s body. This was only natural when she was faced with a creature many times her level of power.

She kept the spear pointed forward, easing up her mind to focus on battle. Lillian swung her spear sideways, intercepting the phantom’s charge. As the tip of the spear hit it, a portion of the phantom’s body started melting, like acid was splashed upon its body.

Its eyes contorted, and the Phantom stopped moving. The Phantom backed up, putting a distance between it and Lillian. As they were, Phantom’s couldn’t be hurt by ordinary weapons, not even mithril or orichalcum could damage its body.

There were only a few things that could hurt it, more specifically, clerics, or the type of weapons Lillian had on her right now. Incorporeal subjugators. Weapons with an enchantment or modifier placed on them that allowed mana to be funnelled into the it, to gain the ability to directly harm spirits, mists, or phantoms. Who needs skills when you’ve got a treasury?

It was now Lillian’s turn to go on the offensive. Spear still pointed forward; she grabbed a dagger from her waist. Channelling mana through her arm, she threw the dagger forward, aiming straight for the Phantom’s eyes.

Thwack.

Seeing the dagger getting flung at it, the Phantom dodged, its body morphing to the side. Lillian quickly followed up her attack by throwing 2 more daggers, throwing them in two separate directions.

Thwack.

Once more, the Phantom dodged, its body squirming and forming a straight line. It was a tough opponent to hit. Now, with the knowledge that the weapons Lillian possessed could damage it, the fluke from earlier couldn’t be recreated. Still, Lillian couldn’t help but feel like the phantom’s guard was too low, severely underestimating her skills.

She sent mana down to her legs; it was now her turn to charge forward. She placed a hand on her the sword at her hip, ready to use it at any moment.

Lillian let go of her spear, sending it down toward the ground. In those few moments, she launched herself forward, bother her hands on her sword. A light blue wave formed behind it. While she could use every type of weapon, both in-game, and in this life as well, the sword was the one weapon she knew the best.

She thrust her sword forward before making a wide slash. The phantom, having not anticipated this sudden attack, tried to dodge, but part of its body was grazed by the tip of Lillian’s sword.

More of its body melted, its sharp eyes turning a dark shade of crimson. Lillian had a grin on her face, seeing as her surprise attack was successful. She pointed her blade forward, as if to challenge the phantom.

GRUAH!

The roar of the phantom echoed throughout the garden’s glass walls. Lillian bent her blade, both her hands tightly gripping it, and charged forward.

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