Zero Fate Against the World (New Version)

10K words, thank you for reading!

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After verifying their identities, drinking, and eating a few snacks, Philip and Viera were led to a slightly bigger room, where they calmly waited for their turn to be granted access to the city.

Philip seemed calm and composed. However, Viera seemed a bit confused about all of this…

"So uh… What are we waiting for exactly?"

Despite having no windows, the room was extravagantly furnished. The couch, on which she sat, was, in her opinion, the most comfortable she had ever experienced. The tea was exquisite, and the wall-to-wall tapestries were of exceptional quality. The lavishness of this secluded room only deepened her confusion.

Why were they here? And how could Philip possibly afford such a place?

"We're waiting for our turn to descend into the city." He replied with a slight yawn

"Descend?"

"You'll see soon enough; guards heavily monitor passage in and out of the city, so even we will have to wait a little while. Not really that bad, seeing everything they've given us for free."

'Free huh… For us I guess, Fabrin paid for all of this, so the price of the services is on him.'

Philip shrugged as he talked.

"Theres an expected level of quality when you pay this much for a service. That's how Nobles see things… Nobles that value their wealth."

"If you say so… It doesn't explain why they treat us like this… I'm no Noble! I gave them an identity, but those were my student papers!"

Philip smiled smugly.

"That's thanks to me, I suppose."

She rolled her eyes, "Wow… Look at you…"

Philip shrugged, "Look, it doesn't matter much. Their treatment is based solely on the value of their services. I doubt this is the best service they can offer, but it's good enough as it is."

"I told you before. As a noble, I must comply with certain formalities… usually initiated by others, of course. I rarely mind about such trivialities, but you understand that not all think like this."

"If I am to use this identity, then I must follow the decorum attached to it. If I want to or not."

"… That's why you spoke like that?"

"Yes… That's why I changed my accent and spoke more formally… In fact, this is a good reminder. When in public, you should learn how to address me in such a way as well."

"This isn't because I want to portray ourselves to others, its doing the contrary. If we don't, we'll stick out, so be mindful of your surroundings when speaking with me and I'll do the same… my'lady." He added with a smirk as he took a sip of his tea

"Urg… Enough of this frivolous speech… It reminds me of those fools…"

"How odd, I thought women liked this kind of tone… That book of yours…"

"Why are you still thinking about that?! FORGET IT!"

/Chuckle…/

"Where were we again?… Ah, yes. The reason for their treatment…"

"We already understand why they treat me well, but what about you?… Isn't it obvious?"

"Who in their right mind would ridicule the partner of a Noble before them?"

"…"

"… Don't look at me like that."

"Yeah… I think I know someone who'd do that. Actually, scratch that. I know someone who already did that."

"Ahem!… Moving on… Because of the absurd amount of money necessary to bring you with me, they must either think you're my maid. Such arrangements are rather common."

"And do I look like a maid to you?!"

"Who knows? Do maids need to walk around wearing their uniforms all the time? If you want to, I won't stop you. I know a shop…"

"I won't!"

"That's that then… Even if you aren't my maid, then what? You could be a close friend, a relative, someone I fancy, or…"

"Or?"

"My wife."

/COUGH COUGH!/

Viera choked on her tea… Brushing her lips as her face flushed.

"Is it that surprising?"

"A… A little bit." Viera replied as she recovered her demeanor

"Well, I don't think so. Nobles do it all the time, no? Fabrin told me that this city is pretty famous for that…"

"That?"

Philip pointed toward a pile of beautiful and decorated papers on a side table, "Didn't you read the pamphlets they gave us? Take a look…"

"Well… Alright."

Viera looked at their Titles: Famed and Historical sights to visit, Hotspots loved by the youth, Visit the best craftsmen within the Free City! And more…

But one stood out for her…

'The most Romantic places to visit with your partner…'

"..."

Her face became redder, "I… I think I understand now…"

Philip smiled. Just when he was about to continue their little conversation, he was interrupted:

/Room 07-A, Your scheduled time has arrived/ Said an angelic voice coming from a speaker in the corner of the room

/Flash!/

As she spoke, a green square materialized on the table in the center of the room. /Shake…/ A slight tremor shook the room, barely enough to disturb the tea in Viera's cup. Only Philip felt the vibrations; however, Viera sensed the underlying magic.

Then, the speaker announced, /Welcome to the Free City; may you enjoy your stay!/

With those words, three walls, excluding the entrance, became transparent, along with everything beyond them, affording Philip and Viera a view of the outside.

/Shine!/

Light peered into the room, illuminating it quite brightly... It took a little while for Viera to get used to the sunlight, but when she did...

"Wow…" Viera said, entranced by the view

Philip, rising from the couch to join her, added, "It's pretty cool."

'This is it… Where I'll remain for the next few months…'

Before them lay a magnificent city in all its glory. Viera breathed deeply, "It's so… pretty." Philip agreed, "It is."

Such architectural marvels were normally impossible, but extraordinary materials and magic made these buildings possible and nothing outside the ordinary.

The city itself was built within an unnatural ravine, its creation shrouded in mystery. Or so most believed; Philip knew the truth, a clash between two reckless individuals had resulted in the deep chasm that sliced through the Never Ending Mountains, connecting the two continents. Although according to Dae's notes, even that was often conflicting, as events dating so far back were often shrouded in unreliable narrators and facts.

The city, a breathtaking display of intricate architecture, featured diverse buildings lining both ravine walls, with a few smaller structures nestled in the center, looking like a well-developed metropolis from afar.

Numerous walkways high in the air connected both sides of the city like floating roads, though not large enough to cast extensive shadows on the streets below.

He failed to see any large structures above the city, aside from the roads. Which was great, given it did not affect its beauty.

Artificial lights illuminated the city with the powerful sun above. Philip could see and feel magic everywhere, almost too much for his senses to bear. Floating carriages and what appeared to be holograms adorning the sides of the many buildings, some almost a dozen floors high.

He looked to the left and right. The ravine was approximately five kilometers wide, the other wall so distant the houses built on its surface seemed as tiny as his fingernails, making him think he was out in the open. Yet, the oppressing height of the ravine being between six hundred to seven hundred meters deep reminded him of where he stood. Deep inside a mountain.

Philip and Viera stood on the upper section of one of the walls, inside a massive elevator shaft, enjoying the spectacular view.

Focusing his gaze, Philip could see both ends of the city and its infamous gates. His estimate placed the city's length at over fifty kilometers, with their current location near its center.

This city alone was large enough to be considered a nation. And from a certain perspective, just like the Academy, it was.

"Since we're here… " Philip said with a smile, interacting with a floating green cube, "let's enjoy the view a bit longer."

/Crank!!/

Suddenly, the room descent speed decreased drastically, almost slowing to a halt. Even then, Philip could tell it was speeding up slightly.

"Is this the maximum it can go?"

'Its speeding up too, it seems they don't want us to remain here gazing at the city for a whole hour… Neither do I.'

Philip looked to the side to see another elevator just like his. In fact, there were several translucent shafts just like his, but he could only see a few moving around.

He looked at the one closest to him, passing by as they descended. At their speed, it wouldn't take long for them to take over. Not everyone had the time nor the desire to gaze at the city like him... Perhaps from their perspective, Philip was the so-called country bumpkin...

Inside the room, he saw a beautiful and exotic platinum-haired lady and several guards standing near the back wall, waiting… The beautiful lady looked at Philip with her sky-blue eyes... And her eyes darted open for a moment, it seemed she had seen something unexpected…

She averted her gaze timidly, Philip found this strange, the color of her thoughts was odd, one he hadn't seen before. Still, he knew this world was full of strange occupances. He was about to continue on his way when a blond guy suddenly jumped in front of his gaze, looking at Philip with violent and aggressive eyes. His thoughts glaring red.

"%$^*!... ^%$!... $#%!!"

"…?"

'What is he saying? Doesn't he know these rooms are soundproof? Could there be some sort of communication function to these elevators like a radio? Maybe its common sense to keep them open for some reason?…'

The young man seemed extremely pissed about something. Unfortunately, Philip's language Skill wasn't enough for him to interpret lip gestures, so everything the man said came as air to him… Still, he memorized his words for a time when he could interpret it.

'I should've brought my glasses with MT. It would've been able to translate his words.'

Philip had left his modified glasses inside his storage tool because he went straight from training to his operation. There wasn't a need to take them out, and right now wasn't proper either.

Seeing that Philip did not reply, the young man seemed even more offended, and he pointed at him in anger, making one of his guards' gaze at him as well…

The young man said something as he pointed at Philip, but the guard barely moved. However Philip could feel the intense emotions hidden in his gaze...

"Oh, no…"

'I know this pattern…'

Philip rolled his eyes and looked elsewhere, ignoring them as they descended first.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, just saw something pretty funny."

"Where?"

"It already went by…"

'And hopefully far away from me...'

…

/Around ten minutes later.../

For a few more minutes Philip and Viera enjoyed the ride. But as they dove onto the buildings and the view was covered by the city, Viera took the time to ask, "Is this truly it? I never thought I would be visiting it… They say it's a rather hard place to enter, and even if you do, you can never come back…"

"You are partly correct. For ordinary folk, entering the city is nothing short of dream… Protection, and the promise of a better life… Its very enticing."

"But the city just doesn't let any enter… Only the most capable among the common people may enter, and it's true that once access is given to them, they'll likely never step out…"

"This place is both a cage and a paradise… Depending on what side of the city you live on or who you ask."

"Side? Cage?" Viera asked as she looked below, the city looked so beautiful…

Philip grimaced, "That's why I said you're half right, what you see is barely the tip of this city…"

"Every house is supported by columns. So in this case, where do you think they are? Everything is shining, there are no shadows in its alleys… There is no such paradise in the world, for as pessimistic as I'm being."

Viera became pensive, she still couldn't believe there was something wrong. Still, she put her mind to it and replied, "If were talking about columns… Below?"

"… Correct."

"Are you saying there's more… Below us?" She asked in disbelief

"Not just more… A lot more… By making a conservative estimate, I would say that what we see, from the ground to the top, even at the highest point, it doesn't surpass nine hundred meters."

"However, the average height of this Ravine is supposed to be over two kilometers..."

"What?"

"… What you see is just another wall… What for us is now the ground… For those below, it is the ceiling."

"The rich rule below the golden sun, while commoners live below, so close yet so far from it… But that's not all. What about the poor and the unwanted? Criminals and thugs? Every city has those. It's impossible for them to not exist…"

"They're here… They just live beyond that, and even further below…"

Viera was shocked by this revelation, "Below? Can we go any further than that?"

"Have you forgotten? This city was originally built by the Dwarfs before they had a crisis long ago, during their Golden age. Even to this day, most of its infrastructure is based around what they left behind."

"When they were forced to abandon this place, the Humans took over, and over successive generations, the people simply occupied and modified the husks they left behind based on their necessities… Although part of this truth is written in those pamphlets, they would never admit the disparity between classes, not so directly at least."

Philip put his hands on the glass of the elevator, looking down as they approached the ground.

"The rich live at the top where the old residences of the Dwarfs were once located. They built majestic palaces and fancy structures to show their power and prosperity. Wealth for multiple generations…"

"Many Clans and groups from both the South and North of the Continent would have some sort of property here, from almost all races wealthy and influential enough to do so... The fact alone is a form of status to some."

"Beyond just status, this city is known to be the top producer of weaponry and similar crafts on the Continent thanks to its incredibly high concentration of craftsmen, smiths, and such…"

"The common folk lives below, where the Dwarven factories were once located. Some still are, either repaired or modified. They're the people who work and make all of this possible."

"The poor live further down, underground. In the mines and risky areas where monsters and contamination from dangerous ores and broken Dwarven relics lay…"

"Someone has to gather materials and handle the city's waste… Although, there are always exceptions… You would think only the capable would live on the topmost floor, but that is not always the case, sometimes, a Master may live out of prying eyes, or a rich person may try his luck dominating the poor…"

"Many of the capable people, in fact, live in the middle section of the city, or close to it at least… All for the prospect of adventuring into the forgotten ruins of the Dwarves…"

"There is even a profession called for this… Cave Raider, the people who brave the underground in search of lost relics and treasures, fighting against the monsters and the dangers left behind by the fallen civilization of the Dwarves…"

Philip turned to her again.

"This city… Its only brilliant for those that can afford it."

"..."

All of this made Viera see the city in another glance… It wasn't that pretty anymore. Instead, she saw the exploitation of the people…

Philip saw this and poked her cheeks, "Dont make that face, you're making me feel bad for ruining the magic… Its not like life below is that bad, most should be quite comfortable with it."

'Thankfully enough, the City would not fall in the future because of mismanagement or inner conflict. The city fell due to external forces… In fact, what may very well be my final act in this city is investigating some clues related to its destruction.'

'But that's not on my mind right now.'

"…I believe the problem is within those that do want to leave and with those that live deep underground… The exploited."

"I have no sympathy for criminals sent down there to work in the mines, but are all down there deserving of such? I can't say… But you know how Nobles treat others."

"…"

"That said, for those people, I suppose having something to do is better than trying their luck outside… Most of them had to have a reason for finding themselves down there. Maybe even if we gave them the chance, they wouldn't want to leave."

Of course, Philip omitted a lot. What about those that were born there? What choice did they have if not to live far below, never to see the sun?

What about slaves sold to work in the mines? Not all of them deserved to be there... What about those that are exploited by gangs and even the powers that were supposed to protect them?

Who do they have to rely on?… But he kept his mouth shut. He had soiled the mood enough already.

"You are right… Perhaps it is better to have a roof over your head than none at all…" Viera said as she shook her head

"If it has worked for a thousand years… Maybe it's best left as it is."

Philip smiled faintly before sitting down, relaxing in his chair as they continued to descend…

…

As they neared the ground, the elevator once again began to slow down, and Viera, her thoughts setting, asked:

"Last time you didn't answer, but why did we come here?"

"Hm? Oh, we came here to meet someone."

'More like find.'

"A friend of yours?"

"… Hopefully one to be."

"..."

'He's always like this…' She thought with as she smacked her lips, "And after that?"

"After?... That will depend. I need him to come with me."

Viera frowned, "This is getting complicated… That's not something I'm familiar with…"

"Hm?… If you're worried, don't be… I have no intention of relying on violence. Think of it this way: we come in, talk with the guy, bring him back, and it's done. We're free to do what we wish in the meantime."

"I'm only here to confirm something, that's all."

'Although there's plan Z... Lets hope it doesn't come to that.'

"…"

'What if he doesn't want to go with you?… I… I don't think I want to hear that answer…'

"After all that's done… Well… Let's leave it to when the day comes."

'Getting back shouldn't be too difficult. I only need to find an agent and show my intent to return. That said, after what I did last time, they're probably in a hurry trying to understand what's going on.'

'It wouldn't be beyond them to know I'm here since I booked the passage days before.'

Viera looked at Philip for a moment before asking softly, "Then… What about… ahem… me?"

"What about you? You're coming with me until your master says otherwise."

"Not that… I'm asking… you know… My identity?"

"Ohh that… I suppose that is something we need to decide while we still have time… That's up to you really. Just tell me what you're most comfortable with and I'll make it work." Philip said with a shrug as he looked at his empty teacup

However, Viera didn't seem satisfied…

"But what if people ask and they notice something's wrong?... Wouldn't they apprehend me?"

"Apprehend you? That's a bit extreme. You came inside legally, your current identity and documents are perfectly viable to most scenarios, so if a problem arises, you can simply show your entry badge. No need to overcomplicate things."

"But I can understand your worries. You aren't a Noble, just a nameless commoner student. That in itself is a weakness some are more than willing to exploit… you know how it is…"

Philip looked outside, his eyes distant as he spoke softly: "When a tree grows taller than the forest, the wind will break it."

"…"

"In any case, as long as it's socially acceptable, you can pick any identity associated with mine, I'll handle the rest."

She adjusted her hair, looking at the side, "Uhum… What do you think is the best option?"

"Hum… For you to be my Fiance."

"!..."

Veira tensed… "And the reason?..."

"Because it would prevent the most issues… Our age matches, even if I'm a bit older…"

'What is considered young varies in species, but for a Human, Viera is already an adult. If she were a Noble, being married of to an older man is standard.'

'I thought about this before. Many students would often walk in pairs with their maids and fiances. At least a quarter of the students were like that.'

"A fiance is also a rather unique position... in a political sense. But I doubt we'll need to rely on that."

"... Is that so?..." Viera replied, slightly deflated

"Is something wrong?"

She smiled awkwardly, looking at him, "No. I think it's a pretty good idea. So… from now on, I'm your Fiance?"

"Yes? Do you need some papers to go along with it?"

She wasn't interested in his jokes. She turned to the outside, replying without much enthusiasm "Whatever."

And the conversation ended right there.

/Silence…/

"..."

'Did I say something wrong this time?'

Philip felt something was missing, but he couldn't pinpoint what.

So the elevator continued its descent…

…

/Just a few more minutes later…/

/DINN!/

The elevator finally reached the ground floor, opening into a grand building that led straight to a wide and luxurious market.

However, Philip wasn't here for shopping; the elevator's multiple stops on other floors only increased his anxiety. Worse, a longer stay risked an encounter with that man.

He could explore the city another time, right now, it was time to leave.

"Lets go." Philip said as he stepped forward, leaving the elevator and Viera behind

"Where are we going in such a hurry? Aren't we going to visit the city first?"

She looked around as she said that, marveling at the strange and exotic shops around her. Tapestry, clothes, unusual items… even the makeup shop enticed her faintly.

"Not now." He replied stoically, 'There's much I would like to go after. Like the Academy, there are many "hidden pieces" to be uncovered in this city and a few of them have drawn my attention.'

'Their exactly location isn't defined, so I'll have to spend some time going after them… But one thing at a time.'

"We'll have all the time in the world to go sightseeing later, but now we need a place to sleep."

'Preferably somewhere others can't reach to come and bother me… and somewhere I can train and experiment on in peace.'

'I can never lose track of it; my training continues every day. I have a lot to do if I want to complete my martial arts… Even after my training, I have only solidified my understanding of them and my power in this world.'

'Where I fit in all of it is rather vague. I have excellent assassination potentiality due to my speed and power. But in direct combat? That would be another story.'

'Still, I'm not discouraged. It's impossible to win them all after all. No matter how much I train, there'll always be someone or something out there that'll take me down with little effort… Just as the contrary is true.'

'I just need to keep pushing myself and training. Now that I'm done with the Academy... A lot of free time fell into my hands. Four real-life months... Or eight months in this world's time. A total of sixteen weeks to do my business.'

'Find the Dwarf and convince him.'

"As such, my lovely fiance, can you tell me where the nearest real estate institution is ?" Philip asked as he scratched his chin

Her eyelids twitching, Viera took a deep breath, "I… Phew… Are you planning on buying land? Can you even do that?"

"Yes, and also yes."

"..."

"We need a place to call home, and I can because the laws allow me to do so..."

'My identification papers covers the necessary basic documents for this much. Even if it did, I could just go after the Chains' branch in this city and request an update on my identity. I might have to do that for Viera later…'

'Although the laws are quite fluid in this regard, it's a both-way street. They could confiscate my land too at any moment. It's not really a safe place to invest in real estate... but none of it matters to me.'

'I'm not staying here long-term.'

"Sigh…Give me a moment then... Let me see…"

She opened the pamphlets and skimmed through its pages while Philip led them outside.

Thus, the duo made their way across the City, and once Viera found what they were looking for, they b-lined to their destination.

Viera spent most of her time sightseeing, but Philip kept a close eye on those tailing them…

…

/The sun encroached on its summit…/

"Are you sure it was the right call to spend so much money acquiring this place?" Viera asked, her eyes wide as she recalled the price, a shiver running down her spine

Now, gazing at the beautiful manor, built into the city walls with its magnificent gates and a charming front garden, she felt a different emotion, "Yes, it was." he affirmed

High above the ground, with marble walls and a road dedicated to it, this ground alone was likely more valuable than anywhere she had ever slept on in her life combined.

And that's not taking into account everything she could see from the entrance alone… Some decorations were more valuable than everything she had ever gotten her hands on in the last sixteen years of her life… with some exceptions…

"This place is perfect, not overly flamboyant, yet possessing everything I wanted, and discreetly situated. With enough space for expansion as well… It's ideal."

"Unless you can find anything better, I'll go with this one."

"In that case, shouldn't we have just rented it? That was an option…"

"Yes, it was, but I don't want to deal with someone renting over us. Even if we rented this place for half a year, given the ridiculous taxes and other fees attached to it, the total price wouldn't be that far from what I just spent."

"The market here is odd. They seem to value the price of land itself less than the price to borrow it… So I'd rather buy it above market price, even if it locks me in an unfavorable contract."

'Besides, this is pocket change for the massive wealth I have… I barely saw a difference when they debited it from me. I don't like losing money, but I think my senses have dulled a little. Even if I bought ten more manors like this, it probably wouldn't do as much as nick of of the dozens of chests worth of rare gems I have stored.'

'It just goes to say how much the Chains owed the Polters… Or one of them did. I'm thankful anyway… These procedures are usually so boring, but when a lot of money is in-game, people suddenly become very efficient and hardworking.'

"… What if they end up enforcing that contract? Or demanding something ridiculous?"

"Hum? Then I can just pay them off and be done with it… Or not pay them at all. What are they gonna do if I don't anyway? Kick me out? Good luck putting me in jail…"

'If war breaks out, this city won't last long. And I want to see what those in charge will do when they realize they've been trying to scam and profit off one of the Empire's Heroes.'

'The Free city is technically part of the Empire. It may be mostly independent, but a vassal scamming a high-ranking member of the Empire is an immeasurable offense.'

"Urg… It's your money…"

She looked around, and Philip connected their mind together.

{But say…. just how much money do you have?! Are you sure you aren't a Noble?} She asked in suspicion as she tried to keep her expression cold

Philip shrugged, {You're getting better at this, the bridge is far more stable than last time… Now, I ended up this way. What can I say? Some people are just meant to be rich}

"-_-"

Viera didn't know what to feel, so she just shook her head and asked:

"What now?"

"Now? Do I really need to spell it out to you?"

He walked to the doors, where a butler was waiting for him.

That's right, as part of this house, he would get a head butler and eight maids. They weren't property, just people working in this house. They were all quite capable and knowledgeable, being able to perform rudimentary repairs on the manor's mechanisms and systems and recognize issues in all of its sectors.

Elite maids to maintain an elite property. Although now Philip had the authority to replace them whenever he wished… all aside from the butler.

Before the gates, an old man waited for their arrival, "Welcome to the Ultrer Manor MiLord and MiLady, I'm Sebastiano, the Head Butler of the Manor."

He was wearing what Philip thought to be butler clothes, with only a few exceptions to its fashion.

(No image for now)

He smiled confidently in reply, "Thank you for welcoming us, I'm Polter, Philip Polter. And this is my Fiance, Viera Ert Almon."

"So it's Lord Polter and Lady Almon. It's a pleasure."

"Head Butler, how about you introduce us to the others while showing us more of the inside? We've taken a short look before, but another one with you wouldn't be bad."

"It would be my pleasure."

It may sound strange Philip was asking for this when he just bought this home, but the thing is, he already had a pretty nice idea of its interior through the many holograms and 3D images shown to him by this real estate seller.

Nobles rarely inspected the quality of their real estate in person. It was considered a breach of trust and etiquette… And while he considered many of those things a bother; it was something Philip thought necessary to adhere to.

His common sense was still lacking, but this much he was knew.

…

/Another hour later…/

After a long hour walking around, hearing the manor's history from Sebastiano while also fully familiarizing himself with this space, Viera and Philip went to a private office to talk and sit down.

Their luggage had already been sent to their respective rooms, and there was even a slightly awkward moment where Sebastiano asked if the luggage should be moved to the same room… But all went well in the end.

"Phew… I feel beaten after walking for so long." Viera said as she crashed down on the comfy couch at the center of the office

It was similar to Fabrin's couch if a little more… squarish-looking.

"We did do a lot… As I said before, let's take the rest of the day off. We can start exploring the city tomorrow once I go over some procedures…" Philip said as he walked to the door

There were still a few documents left for him to sign and read, there were all neatly piled up on the Office's table, but he didn't even spare them a glance.

When Viera wasn't looking, he took out MT's controller and scanned it. He also took this chance to download all the Data Viera's modified glasses had gathered in their short venture.

He was thinking of leaving it to MT to analyse the paper so he could rest a little longer that night. He felt he needed it after the last three weeks.

Seeing him leave, she crawled to the edge of the couch, resting her head on her hands, "Erm… Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the training room."

Philip took off his jacket and hanged it near the door, talking as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"..."

'Really? Weren't we supposed to rest?… Right… This is "resting" to him… Still…'

"Take a break, will you? You already trained for three weeks straight…"

'You need to give your body time to rest…'

Philip turned around, smiling.

"This is my break… If you need me, you know where to find me."

/Clack/

Philip closed the door, leaving poor Viera alone…

"That dunce. He really left… Sigh…"

She put her face against the couch, pensive as she thought about the last month. She rolled and looked at the ceiling… 'What is even happening with my life?...'

'Its always the same thing… me being dragged around somewhere by someone… It was like that when I met my master… with my parents… and now him…'

"Haa… What am I even talking about? It was never like this…"

'Why am I even thinking about this? I never even bothered to…'

Viera looked at the ceiling, thinking and realizing the reason why she was thinking about so many useless things.

As if reaching an epiphany, she suddenly sat straight on the couch.

"... I need some sweets… as many as I can get…"

Viera left her room in her search for something sweet to eat. Wishing to purge her desires from…

…

Simultaneously, Philip entered the training room, withdrawing a makeshift sword, a dull, unremarkable practice blade from Fabrin, from his inventory box.

Despite its unassuming appearance, the sword weighed an impressive 400 kilograms, a truly formidable weight. Yet, Philip lifted it with ease, as if it were ordinary.

The room itself was simple but adequate, a spacious 10x10x5 meter area with weapon racks in the corners. The walls were covered in thick metallic slabs cool to the touch, and the ground was covered in bolted plates with few scratches on them, if any.

While the Academy's training room boasted similar features, they greatly overshadowed this one, a stark reminder to Philip of his loss and the superior training environment he had left behind.

He could simulate everything he desired, but it was far from being enough.

"Whatever..."

Philip shook his head and scattered those useless thoughts into oblivion... He focused, gazing at a metallic dummy right in front of him…

"I need to reach this Class' limit as soon as possible."

'I have no time to waste. I only have five months to accomplish this, and with everything on my plate, I may as well only have a few weeks' worth of time to dedicate to training.'

'I don't know when the System will return nor if it has any impact on this fact, but I can't wait for it to come back to life. I must take the next step and soon… So that I wont regret it when its too late.'

'Until the System returns, the only clue I have is completing the nameless sword art and the inhuman martial arts. While I'm not there yet, I've already seen what the goal of both techniques is.'

'The nameless sword technique is technically already beyond the Class' original scope, but I can't just focus on the other. I must strive for balance.'

/THUD!/

Philip moved to the side of the training room, withdrew MT from his inventory, and gave it some orders. The unit beeped in response, scanning and processing its surroundings before settling down. From now on, he'd leave it outside his inventory so it could work in peace.

Being limited by the storage box wasn't ideal, as it also inhibited many of its functions. But above all, he needed to find a reliable way to charge it, for its reactor wasn't going to last that much longer if he kept drawing so much power every day for its calculations and simulations.

He then retrieved a translucent barrier, a metal dome he'd purchased with Fabrin's help, from his inventory and placed it around MT for protection.

Throughout their training, Philip frequently allowed MT to observe him, a practice that frustrated Fabrin, who repeatedly questioned him about it. Philip only offered vague answers, a reticence stemming from his already considerable self-disclosure.

This didn't come due to his efforts in keeping his secrets, but from his doubts… Philip doubted further explanation would alter their dynamic, and even if it did, he wondered if Fabrin would truly understand what MT was. Silence, therefore, seemed preferable.

Finally, with everything prepared, he moved to the center of the room, assumed a fighting stance, lifted his blade, and the world… slowed down.

[CLICK!] A timer, activated at his first movement, appeared above MT as requested.

/Swoosh! …/ Yet, in the mere 0.001 seconds that elapsed, the Dummy already bore a white mark on its chest. Even a bullet traveling at 370 m/s would only have moved 37 centimeters in that timeframe.

/BAM!/

A loud sound echoed in the room following this display, not the sound of his blade cutting the air or the metal, no… it was the sound of the sword returning to its hilt.

But like most things, it eventually dissipated.

Unlike before, he felt no pain in his hands or wrist. However, that only meant he could push himself further.

"Again."

Determined, he slashed again, and another mark was left in the dummy, this time, deeper and longer…

"Again…"

/Fwush!/

The echoes would continue throughout the day…

…

/Meanwhile…/

"… Jiu? Jiu… Are you there?… Anyone?… Sister Dinna?… Aunty?…"

"Okay!"

Back in the Academy, Princess Larin looked around her dormitory wearily, looking for any signs of life. Once she confirmed there wasn't anyone around, she excitedly locked the door to her room and laid in bed.

"Alright!… Now there's no one to bother me."

'I've been running around the place with Dinna ever since that emergency notice. Now I can finaly have some time for myself.'

'Jiu should be with Dinna to report to the Academy, this leaves me free!'

'Let's see, how do I do this again?'

"I think it was…"

'Simuru… Si… Simumu… Urg…Simulation Room?'

/SHA!/

In the blink of an eye, Larin saw herself transported to another world. White, translucent lines reached to the edge of infinity, forming a cube amidst a bleak void.

"T-This sensation again… Calm down… It's safe… safe… I think."

An intense feeling of dread soon fell upon her, but before losing her composure, she closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down.

She looked around in confusion before remembering what she had to do. Before her, the command panel stood, full of strange commands and principles she couldn't quite make sense.

Words foreign to her, not in shape, but in meaning. What did Menu, Video, Multi, and so on mean? Much less all the strange symbols… Well… She knew where to start.

Her fingers reached to the edge of the console, pressing the (+) sign Philip instructed her to.

/Swoosh…/

But nothing happened…

"Erm… Did I do something wrong?… Let's try again… EH?!"

But when she looked, there was nothing there.

"Oh no…"

"That was fast."

"?!"

A voice suddenly rang behind her, causing her to jump as she threw the console high in the sky.

"Woah there, carefully with that. One wrong command and who knows what will transpire. Last time I did something like this I got stuck having to clean it up for half a year." Philip said as he reached for the console in the air

It slowly floated to him, resting beneath his palm in front of his chest before he pulled his arm back, leaving the console floating between them.

"What?! You…"

"Yes, it's me. Your favorite Human, Philip."

Philip made a simple gesture as he greeted her.

"But… you… How are you here? You… left…"

"That I did. But first, this place is directly under "my" control. And while "I'm" uncertain we can communicate through here, given that we are talking, I imagine everything went fine."

He reached for his chin, pensive.

"I hope "I" have the time to test this… Now… Second… I know you must've wished for otherwise, but unfortunately, I'm not the one you long for."

"W-W-W…"

Larin's face went beat red at Philip's teasing, prompting to laugh loudly as he held his stomach.

"HAHAHAHA! Really… It's been a while since I laughed like this."

"You…"

Larin hesitated as she held the edges of her dress, but soon jumped at him, delivering a fatal series of soft blows at his chest. She tried pinching him at first, but his skin was too hard for that. In the end, she only ended up hurting her own hands.

She went to the side, clenching her flaring hands, "… Meanie…"

"Alright… My bad. This form makes me a little… how do I put it?… On guard? Tense? When I'm like this, I end up doing things my real self wouldn't have the recklessness to do."

Philip looked at the console as he spoke, scratching the back of his head as he checked some configurations.

Larin, however, had her thoughts elsewhere…

'Real self?'

"Yup, you're not speaking with the real Philip. I'm his clone."

"A clone?… Wait, that doesn't matter right now. You can read my thoughts?!"

"Technically it's not me. I'm just a… 'Continuous Clone'. This place, Simulation Room, gathers all the data about you and feeds it back into me. I could potentially read your mind the traditional way, but I'm not that skillful."

"You got that?"

"… No."

"Honest. Well… I didn't expect you to get it so soon, you wouldn't be the first… But don't worry, we have a lot of time to go through it all."

"You may also feel a little odd, but it's normal, getting used to this place takes time. Above all, Simulation Room tends to have difficulty simulating more complex factors it lacks information on, especially if you've grown used to outside factors like items and magic in general…"

/Swoom!/

The surroundings changed, and there they were… In her room?!

Philip sat beside her without much care, causing her to flinch as her face went crimson.

"Let me go through it all… I'll teach you everything~…"

He approached her, very, very slowly…

"S-STAY AWAY!"

/BLAST!/

Philip was sent crashing through the wall. After a moment, he crawled back inside as he cracked his neck.

"What's with girls blasting me away? Get a grip, it's just some light teasing, sheesh…"

/Swoom!/

Philip snapped his fingers, and the room changed again. This time, it was the park where they'd talk from time to time.

"Let's talk. Like real adults this time." He said as he took a seat on the table

He gestured for her to sit, and after a moment of confusion, she did. Her face still slightly flushed.

"I… Humph… You deserve it. Toying with others…"

'I need to focus, this is unlike me… Why do I feel so unfocused?…'

"I know, I know… Just wanted to have some fun. I hope you don't take it on me, the real me… This isn't how I usually act."

"…"

'I wasn't complaining… AH!'

"Heh…"

Larin flushed again, but this time, she only looked away before looking back at him with slightly trembling eyes.

"Can we… move on?"

"Consider it done… So… where was I? Ah, yes… Clone."

Philip opened his arms, pointing everywhere:

"Let's go through it all in simple terms. This place you're in right now is a simulation. That being an accurate, almost perfect recreation of anything based on input Data."

"In other words… This is a fake world within your mind. Like a dream, but far more complex and useful than just lucid dreaming."

"The place that created this simulation, the room we were originally, is consequentially called, Simulation Room. So far so good, your grace?"

"Yes… But what is Data?"

"I was about to explain that. You see, Data is… everything we experience. The things we read, the sensations we feel, the memories we've forgotten… Simulation Room is an ability that is constantly active. It collects everything you experience and allows it to be transcribed here with exact accuracy."

"The only thing it can't accurately recreate are things beyond one's senses… For example. If you were to be deaf, Simulation Room would be unable to recreate a memory you experienced with sound… Albeit this isn't quite accurate either."

"Simulation Room can recreate with precision some of the most basic aspects of "our" world… the "human" world… But it cannot go any further, and if it tries, it may not be entirely accurate."

"I'll expand on this…"

"Imagine you're a swordsman without affinity for magic, Simulation Room won't be able to show you the tracings and feelings of a spell in a past memory even if you gain those senses in the future. It can try to, but that wouldn't be any different from you inferring how it should've been…"

"Same goes for, let's say, you go to a haunted place. You may see no ghosts, but it doesn't mean they aren't there."

"You know they are there, but don't know how they look and feel. Even if you gain the senses to see one and understand their principles, you will never know how those ghosts you first met were because its already something in the far past."

"Even if some details can be inferred through rigorous research, just how far can you infer until it becomes inaccurate? Simulation Room is exactly that, something reliant on your senses. But it will adapt and improve to each and every experience you add to its Database."

"Thus, Simulation Room can be seen as the ultimate collection of "you". It'll constantly engrave the world you live in itself and allow you to experience it all again… and more."

He pointed at himself and smiled.

"As you're seeing with me right now… You've never seen me say any of these things, right?"

He then changed his clothes with a snap of his fingers.

"What about these clothes? What about these things? Have you ever seen any of them?… These memories belong to me and the sensations you experience are a mix of everything I've experienced plus Simulation Room's own simulations…"

"Just like how I've never seen your room either, yet there we were. It reacted to us and more…"

"You may ask, what makes me fake? Well… I'm not alive. I just am within this place, a memory, a fragment… I am Philip's clone. I have most of his memories and interests. Habits and goals…"

"Although… part of myself cannot be properly simulated... So I hope you forgive my previous explanation. There are some things Simulation Room can't simulate, and even more things it's 'learning' how to. So I suppose that would be the more conclusive answer."

"Wait… you lost me there for a moment. So you aren't him?"

"Not at all. I'm a clone with his memories, a simulation. I am like your imagination of someone. If you think about someone really hard, does that make the being you imagined, real?… No."

"Perhaps to you it'll be the one you envision… But it'll never be the real one, for there is no way for one to ever know how someone really is… and impossible for one's memories to hold true and remain unbiased."

"Erm… from what I understood, my memories are now inside this place?" She asked deeply as she began to piece things together

"Yes… Please, don't feel pressed. If you dislike how some of these things work, you can opt to disable it as I told you before. Simulation Room is extremely versatile and it can probably do anything you want. Be it erase all data of yourself and prevent more from being gathered, or something else if you feel like it."

"Although… For the sake of its development, I'd ask you to sincerely leave some memories and knowledge about the world and magic so its Simulations can grow even more precise… But we can go over everything calmly later."

"And also… You just can't modify what's already there… That is something only the one in charge can do."

"… What you're saying is that… If he is to enter this space, he could theoretically summon… I mean, simulate me, and… and…"

With each word, she grew redder and redder, imagining things better left unsaid.

"…"

'For a legendary elven princess of fantasy, she has quite the… "imaginative" mind… Are those things common in elven courtship? I'd find it hard to imagine even half of those…'

'Then again, her memories are… Complex. I think I understand now why she has shown such interest in me. What her life was and more… Maybe even… What Dae wants from me and this girl's relationship.'

'At this rate, I don't think I'll be able to preserve this information… Is there a way to relay it to the original body without risking breaking her trust? I can't deny the original's orders, but this kind of information goes beyond his expectations. I'm certain he wouldn't mind, but creating a precedent for this… again…'

Lost in thought, Philip quickly sorted his thoughts and continued:

"Ahem… That's why I said you can opt to keep your memories hidden. A clone created here is based solely on experiences. Philip could simulate you before, yes, but it would only be a husk based on what he experienced with you… It wouldn't be a faithfully replication, not even close."

"As I said, if you imagine someone in your mind, would it be the real person? Do you think everything you've showed me fully represents who you are?"

"… No…"

She seemed dejected if not frustrated, her thoughts running wild as she thought about his wrods.

"That said… With you connected, things change."

"How?…"

"Can't you tell already? With you being granted access to this ability, like me, a near-perfect clone can be created…"

'In fact, if not for some of the conditions to share Simulation Room with others, this skill would be the ultimate interrogation tool… There might be ways to bypass those conditions. I could mind-control someone to fulfil the conditions, get them here, and then get them out… This way, I'd be granted access to a perfect clone of them.'

'However, that might risk Simulation Room's existence. If someone learns how to control it, they could even usurp control from me, potentially learning things about me they shouldn't, or worse…'

"With that said, do exercise caution. Perfect clones are exactly that... One wrong move and they'll think they created you and not the other way around. That's why it's best always to leave some form of failsafe when creating exact copies of someone."

"If you're unlucky, you could end up experiencing something rather gruesome… So please, pay attention, this is no toy." He said as he shook his hand to the side, a definite no

"I'll teach you the ins and outs of everything in due time. For now, we're trailing off course with this."

He then smiled mischievously, knowing full well what she implied before.

"Now, if you think he has ever gone… let's say… a little bit "deeper"…"

"S-Stop… I-I-I don't wanna hear it… (@#(!@#*$)@…"

Her ears turning red, she began whispering in her natal tongue. Unfortunately for her, Philip understood everything she said from the memories imparted to him from Simulation Room.

Still, he ignored her.

"As his clone, I can say with certainty that no, he has never done nor thought about that even once. You can change my configurations if you want, but the truth will remain that."

"…"

At her unusual reaction, he looked at her with a complex expression, but shook his head.

"Now…"

However… There was one thing Philip forgot to consider…

"From what you're saying… If I choose to delete everything we talked about here before I leave… He'll never know about it, will he?"

Larin's expression was hidden by her hair as she looked at her hands, her fingers darting around left and right…

"Yes? You see, memories aren't transferred to those using this room. For he to learn anything, he'd have to simulate someone and then load the room's Data onto this figure and ask them directly. In that form, the simulated individual would be a form of Avatar to this room…"

'This goes into what I've said before. If I can bring someone here like her and then get them to leave, I can still simulate them perfectly with all available memories.'

/Slam!/

She slammed her hands on the table, interrupting him.

"I don't understand, yet I think I do. I can always ask you for another explanation, that much is clear… What I want to know is that if I delete this scene…"

"Erm… Larin? I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I'll…"

'Her thoughts… Oh no…'

"Take off your shirt." She asked domineering as she looked straight into his eyes

"… Woah… That's… a little, ahem… fast. Don't you think?" Philip asked as he adjusted his colar

She got up from her seat, looked around, and reached for his shirt.

/Swoosh…/

But Philip evaded her, jumping back from his seat.

"P-Princess. Let's calm down a little…"

"… Take off your shirt, that's an order!"

"I refuse such order!"

"Then teach me how to make another "you" that will!"

"I… Damn…"

'Even though most of my memories are sealed so neither her nor Ivia can peer into my past, that doesn't mean they can't recreate my body… Even that girl was curious, that I don't mind, it's inevitable…'

'But this…'

He thought about her complex memories and grimaced.

"… Fine. If you want to take a look, then open your eyes!"

He pulled off his shirt, throwing at back at the grass as he let his hair sway in the wind.

"Take a look at my peerless, masculine body…"

He smiled proudly, and took a deep breath, ready to continue where they had left off…

"Now take off your pants." She asked as her face flushed even harder

"T-This… Princess… Simulation Room is meant for training…"

'She's lost it… Just like me in the past… Although from her gaze it looks like she has fallen quite a bit deeper than me…'

'This isn't the first time this has happened. Ivia showed similar reactions, albeit far tamer. I had the believe Simulation Room may remove some of the mental inhibitions within someone similar to when someone dreams due to its nature as a form of Mental construct… It seems those fears are true!'

'And that's not considering whatever mental protection she had in reality. Be it items, spells, or even skills and Traits like me will likely all fail to be simulated! This can be said to be someone's true self… and I don't think I'm ready for it…'

Larin stepped closer to him, her eyes sparkling with purplish light…

"This… This is training… F-For when I see the real 'thing'… Now pull it out!"

"A-Ahem… What are you referring to, exactly?! That's very un-princesslike!" He replied as he stepped back

'I've already been depraved once by Ivia and I know that merely by the fact she deleted most of our previous interactions! Does she think it's not suspicious at all that there are multiple gaps in the logs?!'

"I don't care! All my life, I was forced to be calm and collected, "ladylike", "refined", "noble"… and I'm tired of it! Tired, tired, tired!!"

"Finaly for once I can do something I want without being wary of others! You told so yourself!"

"… By the Great Ones…" Philip muttered as he cleaned the sweat from his forehead

'She's lost it for good… was her mind unable to fully bear this world?… Nothing bad will happen but… Once she's outside and realizes what she's done… She'll definitely die of embarrassment.'

'People always regret when they do things while drunk… As for me, I've underestimated her. I have given far too much power to a suppressed girl…'

'A girl whose whole life was based on oppression, dreaming of a world inside her head… Now the power to make those dreams materialize is right here...'

"Princess, get yourself together. If you do that much, then Philip will know! Don't you care about his opinion of you?!" The clone asked as he took a step back in the grass

"I do, I care deeply. Mr Philip has been so kind to me and yet… here I am doing something so vile… and that… makes me feel so… weird…"

Philip's face went ashen…

"You're right… Unfortunately… I can just have it all deleted. He'll never… never know."

"…"

'Dae you son of a bitch…'

She raised her left hand, strange magic surging across her body.

"Don't worry, I just want to see it… I'll leave the rest… for another time…"

She smiled deeply, her face flushed.

"…"

'She's gone. I expected her to lose her composure like Ivia did, but she was a little different… This isn't good, but what do I do?'

'Wait… Why do I even care anyway? It's not like I've ever been shameful about showing my body. I'm proud of it! Yeah! Whatever then… If this is enough to fulfil her curiosity, then so be it!'

Philip took off his belt and slowly pushed his pants down.

"… Stand ready for my… arrival…?"

/Thud… Shaa…/

Just when he was about to reach for his underwear, Larin lost conciousness, and Simulation Room slowly began to deactivate.

"No way… Come on. At this point its almost anticlimactic!"

'Was her excitement that great? Ivia fainted from training and pain before, so I guess this is the same. Just on the other side of the entire spectrum…'

He reached for the console, deactivating all Simulations, including his.

'I'll call this a victory. First, I'll save all Data on a separate folder and keep it secret so she can't delete it. She'll likely delete this meeting and our of future interactions, but at least this much will be saved.'

'I didn't predict a situation like this to arise, but it works for my advantage since I'm technically not breaking her trust. It's her mistake for not completing the introductory lesson… Call me a liar or worse, I don't care.'

'Anyhow, ,y original simulation is saved on the console, so we can continue our conversation from where we left off next time we meet… next time… ?!'

"… Wait a minute. If she deletes this conversation and everything about it tomorrow or next time she enters… How will the original one know there even is such Data hidden? He'll just assume she deleted it all like Ivia… How can I tell him about it?…!"

Upon this enlightenment, the clone attempted to find a way to contact the original so he would know, but before he could do so, the console vanished.

"… Crap. I really fucked up this time…"

/Sha…/

And immediately after, so did he.

…

.

.

.

Notes

I kind of liked the interactions between the clone and a half-dreamy Larin. I wanted to show how she truly felt, although exacerbated by her unusual conditions.

There will hopefully be more interactions within Simulation Room and beyond, more POVs to be!

Peace, good night.