Chapter 166: The South
"This is....the South?" Conan asked as he walked down the bus that had just come to a stop.
"It is," Darius, who walked down behind him, answered, "pretty cool right?"
"Yeah," Conan nodded, "it’s a lot different from the capital."
It had been a month since Adrian accepted the invitation to represent the Academy in the Convergence Festival, which, as it turned out, was hosted in the South.
Though they had learnt of the four dukedoms back at the academy, actually seeing them in person was a different experience.
The South was known for its Volcanoes and fire spirits, a fact which became quickly obvious the moment their bus crossed into it.
The moment the doors of the bus opened, a wave of warm air washed over the group.
It seemed like the complete opposite of the Ardent’s dukedom....and it was.
Unlike the North’s freezing winds and silver-white landscapes, the South felt alive in an entirely different way.
There was also heat....waves of heat, but it wasn’t too uncomfortable, at least to Conan.
The skies were clearer here, painted in brilliant shades of orange and blue as smoke drifted lazily from distant volcanoes scattered across the horizon.
Even the mana in the air felt more active.
It truly was different from the capital.
The streets were wider and far louder than those in the Capital’s marketplace.
Music echoed from open taverns, merchants shouted from colorful stalls, and unlike the heavy layered clothing common in the capital, the people here dressed far lighter.
Loose shirts, sleeveless outfits, decorated fabrics, and jewelry made from volcanic crystals were common sights.
There were also far more dark-skinned people in the South compared to the capital.
Some had long braided hair while others wore thick dreadlocks decorated with rings or glowing beads infused with mana.
The entire atmosphere here felt a lot freer.
Even the architecture differed greatly.
Rather than the elegant stone structures of the capital, the South favored black volcanic stone mixed with crimson wood, giving the buildings a rugged yet beautiful appearance.
And finally, fire crystals illuminated the streets even during the day.
It truly was different from what most here were used to.
"Wait till you taste the food here," Darius said with a grin as he watched Conan continue looking around with stars in his eyes.
As if proving the point, the smell of grilled meat, spices, and roasted seafood drifted towards them which made the first year’s mouth water.
"We’ll do that later," the headmistress’s voice came from behind them and they turned around, noticing that she was also exiting the bus.
Unlike them, the headmistress seemed completely prepared for the heat, as she had on a light white shirt with folded sleeves and dark trousers instead of her usual academy attire.
Even her long black hair had been tied up loosely.
It seems she was here for a vacation rather than the festival.
"I refuse to melt simply because the South enjoys pretending it’s a furnace," she muttered as she adjusted her glasses.
Darius let out a laugh, "You’re just weak to heat, old lady."
Evelina smiled at his words, a smile that didn’t truly seem like one, as she looked directly at the red-haired idiot, "and you’re one sentence away from being buried in a volcano."
"U-understood," Darius stuttered out with a nod, the most logical part of his brain told him that he’d have regretted saying anything else besides ’understood’.
Behind the headmistress were Renelle and Adrian who were also dressed as if they were here for a vacation.
Adrian already knew where the festival was going to be held, so he prepared in advance.
Between the two was Isla, also dressed lightly....which meant that only Conan and Darius came unprepared.
Not that the heat bothered them anyway.
Renelle let go of Isla’s hand and she moved towards Conan.
The two hadn’t seen each other in quite a while, especially with their respective trainings and she was asleep half the bus ride, so this was technically their first proper meeting after they had been separated for training.
Conan looked at the little girl approaching him before crouching slightly with a smile on his face.
After reaching him, Isla simply stared at him for a few seconds.
"You’re taller," she finally muttered.
"Yeah," Conan answered with a chuckle, "and it seems you still can’t keep awake for a while."
"Hmm," Isla nodded, "teacher said it’s an escape mechanism I naturally developed...she also said the dreams I have are created by me."
"I see," he answered with a nod before adding, "that’s pretty cool."
"I can even do this," Isla muttered opening her palm and closing her eyes for a while.
The next second, the space a bit above her palm, and the next second, what seemed to be a spherical orb appeared above it.
Conan was a bit surprised as he stared at the small orb floating above Isla’s palm.
The sphere looked almost like glass.
Inside it, however, was something impossible.
Tiny stars flickered endlessly within the transparent orb while silver streams spiraled around each other like galaxies in motion.
"What is that?" Conan asked quietly.
"A universe," Isla answered innocently.
Her answer caused both Darius’s and Conan’s eyes to widen.
"It’s not a real universe," Isla explained after noticing everyone’s expressions.
"At least, not yet," Adrian also muttered as he looked at the orb in her hand.
The two turned toward him.
"What Isla creates are miniature reality spaces," he explained as he looked toward the orb floating above her hand.
"Think of them as incomplete worlds formed from her perception."
"Inside that sphere, Isla establishes temporary laws."
Conan’s eyes widened, "So...she’s creating dimensions?"
"Not fully," Adrian corrected immediately, "the space inside the orb is still dependent on her mana and consciousness."
"If she loses focus, it collapses."
As if on cue, the stars inside the orb flickered unstably for a moment before stabilizing again as Isla puffed her cheeks as she regained her concentration.
"See?" Adrian said.
For now, that was only an orb of galaxies that essentially wasn’t real until Isla figured out a way to permanently anchor it to reality...
Similar to how she had created an anchor within the reality she trapped Adrian in.
A part of their training that the headmistress hadn’t touched on yet.
"Still," Conan muttered as he patted her head, "that’s so cool."
Isla smiled at that, Conan being proud of her was exactly why she tried so hard in her training.
Speaking of training, she then looked at his eyes and asked, "D-did your training hurt?"
Conan paused briefly before nodding, "A lot."
"But now I’m strong enough to even protect you," he quickly added, a smile appearing on his face, "so it was completely worth it."
Isla looked at home for a while, tears forming in her colorful eyes before she suddenly hugged him.
"I missed you," she muttered, gripping him tightly.
Conan was a bit surprised, but he quickly recovered and hugged her back.
"I missed you too," he answered quietly.
Renelle watched the scene with a small smile while Adrian stood beside her.
Unfortunately, the butler’s attention kept drifting toward her.
The casual clothes she had on were very distracting but then again, this was one of the rare few times he truly appreciated the author of the manhwa.
She had on a sleeveless black top that exposed her shoulders and collarbone, paired with light white trousers that contrasted beautifully against her pale skin and silver hair.
The clothes themselves weren’t overly revealing.
In fact, compared to what people in the South wore, Renelle was still dressed rather modestly.
But that didn’t matter to her obsessed idiot of a butler.
Anything she wore was a test of his self-control.
And unfortunately for him, his self-control was currently fighting for its life.
"..."
A tiny trail of blood suddenly slipped down his nose and Renelle immediately noticed.
"Adrian?"
"I’m fine," he muttered honestly, "I’m just struggling to process how beautiful you currently look."
"..."
The surroundings suddenly went quiet, as attention turned to the two.
Even Headmistress Evelina paused mid-step before turning around with visible interest.
Renelle herself froze completely as she stared at Adrian.
The butler, meanwhile, calmly took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from beneath his nose... professionally even.
Unfortunately, the action only made the situation worse.
"You..." Renelle started before stopping halfway as her face had already begun turning red.
Fortunately, she was saved from the embarrassment by a luxurious black like vehicle which approached from further down the street before stopping in front of the group.
Unlike normal vehicles, this one bore the emblem of the South.
A crimson dragon surrounded by flames.
The door opened shortly after and a tall man stepped out.
He had dark skin, braided crimson hair tied behind his head, and a loose sleeveless coat that exposed numerous burn scars across his arms.
The mana radiating from him alone was enough of a testament to his strength.
The man looked at them all before his eyes finally rested on Darius whose expression had immediately changed,
With a smile, the man spoke,
"Hello, little brother."
