“Welcome to our base, Zelfon. You can reach us all in Eskimos quickly through here.” Xcerox shows the mansion in the dimension after opening the door through his keychain.
Zelfon was surprised by the mansion’s look. It was magnificent and richer than he thought.
“Ah, but Your Highness, all of it is a copy made by Silvert’s power. It’s not real.” Gizelis told him truthfully.
“Copy made?! These are copy made?!” Zelfon was shocked.
“Yes.” Nish chuckled.
“What’s the meaning of those colours?”
After calming down, Zelfon noticed the half-lamp on each door had different colours.
Xcerox explained it to him about it.
“... So make sure you don't open the wrong door.” He warned.
“I understand.”
Xcerox brings Zelfon to the dining hall on the next floor above them. Zelfon chose his room next to the kitchen. Then, Zeliker was found to be exiting from the red-lamp door. Silvert behind him.
“Zeliker, Silvert, where have you been? We’re going to move out soon.” Xcerox said to them.
The demons in the custody were ready to move with them. Their guards were also checking their things and ensuring everything was handled properly. Xcerox, Gizelis, Nish and Trez were waiting for Zeliker and Silvert but they didn't appear after a while.
After seeing Zelfon, Xcerox felt he didn’t want to have a far away communication with Zelfon who came to see them leave. And he just got Zelfon back as his friend. He decided to show Zelfon that they can still meet even if they were staying in a different kingdom through Zeliker’s mansion.
And he didn’t ask for Zeliker’s permission because he thought Zeliker would allow him to. They were going to find more allies and have them gathered in the mansion for a meeting someday. So, it was not wrong for Xcerox to show Zelfon their secret base now.
Zeliker had known Xcerox would show Zelfon their second home so he didn’t mind it at all. He nodded at Zelfon who replied with a nod too and a smile.
“My apologies, Your Highness. We’re inspecting the field.” Silvert answered Xcerox.
“Field?”
“I’m creating a practising arena for us. I can’t have you lingering around the mansion lazily after I’m going to the Miko Kingdom. I hope I can fight you guys the next time we meet.” Zeliker told them like he was just telling them it was going to rain today.
Everyone except Zelfon and Trez had a horrified expression.
“Huh? Why does everyone look so scared?” Zelfon was confused.
“That… You might have not known but before the friendly match, Zeliker had a practice match with Gizelis first.” Xcerox explained.
“No wonder you can avoid my attacks. You had practised with a royal ranked demon.” Trez finally understood.
He had been so confused about why such a human could avoid his attack. He was a high-rank demon for goodness sake. It embarrasses him so much to be defeated by Gizelis.
Gizelis nodded. “It was all thanks to Zeliker but…” His eyes twitch.
For them to have to train again, they felt they were going to have hard days ahead.
“Good, then I want to fight you once more. I won’t lose this time!” Trez fired up.
He then turned to look at Zeliker. “Where is the practice arena, Your Highness? Please show us.”
Zeliker smirks. “Right this way.” He entered the door again.
Nish watched everyone step into the door one by one and he slowly backed away. When he turned his body to escape, he was surprised by Silvert who was behind him.
“Where do you think you are going?” Silvert asked slowly.
“Ahaha… Nowhere… Ah, I think I forgot that I left my wallet in the guest room. I’ll be back soon!” Nish rushed to the stairs.
He almost reaches for the main door. However, Silvert snatched his back collar and slowly brought him to follow everyone.
No!!!
Nish screams internally while he watches himself move far from the main door.
A few moments later…
Nish trembled while watching the wild monsters behind the cage doors around him.
“Why am I the first one?!” He screamed at all of them who were sitting in the spectators' seats.
“Heh! The weakest one should practise this type of training first. Good luck, Nish!” Gizelis cheered him on.
“Fuck you!”
It seems Zeliker had Silvert make a building in the wilderness where they were surrounded by the forest, savanna, cold region, lava region and swamps. Each region seems to be separated by a mysterious field and in the middle of it was the building. It was a small colosseum.
“The beasts won’t hurt you much, Nish. Just try to avoid their attacks for an hour!” Silvert told him.
“An hour?! But aren’t we supposed to move out soon?!”
“Well, we will leave you here and get you later.” Xcerox gave him a sweet smile.
“What?! Don’t leave me!” Nish cried in anguish.
He called all of them evil in his mind.
“Erm, how did you guys take him as a soldier in the first place?” Zeliker was confused.
In his view, Nish was truly a weak person and so naive. A trained soldier shouldn't fear anything coming at them.
Gizelis sighs. “Nish, well, he is like that. He is skilled with swords but his fear… We are unable to cure him. Anything would still scare him to shit.”
"It makes me think how can he survive all these years…" Zeliker facepalm.
“Haha! Never thought he would be a scaredy-cat.” Silvert laughs after hearing it.
“Yeah… But he had money. Lots of money. He is a second rich kid and his father was one of the high-ranking aristocrats.”
“I’m amazed that his father would allow him to become a soldier,” Zelfon said.
“Wrong…” Xcerox shakes his head.
“Huh? What do you mean?” Zeliker asked.
“He was lazing around at home. So, his father wanted him to become a real man and send him to be a soldier.”
“Seriously?! What a comfortable life he had before, huh? I’m jealous.” Silvert feels like he needs to add more misery to Nish in the practice.
So, he let out three beasts at once. Nish was startled by the three gates open around him and then seeing three shapes of four-legs monsters coming out of them.
“Guys, this is not funny at all!” He said with horror on his face.
Xcerox and the others could see Silvert deliberately doing that but they feel Nish deserves this kind of training. He was the weakest one in their group right now. Stiria, Ashla and other girls weren’t included.
“I’ll watch him.” Silvert smiled at them.
Xcerox nodded. “Please don’t let him die. I would be scolded by my father and his, if he does.”
“No worry, Your Highness. I’ll make sure he is still breathing.”
Everyone except the two hurriedly left the colosseum and went back to the hall. They let out a breath of relief after not seeing Silvert again. Zeliker felt funny seeing them like that.
'It was terrible!' They thought.
Silvert looked kind but he could become very wicked inside if he was annoyed with anyone. They need to be careful not to get the latter angry if they don’t want to be like Nish.
“Let’s go,” Xcerox told them and they left the mansion.
A soldier came close to Xcerox after seeing him and bows. “Your Highness, everything is ready.”
“Alright, let’s move out!” Xcerox ordered.
“Yes, Your Highness!”
The soldier went back to tell the others. Xcerox turns his body to Zelfon.
“Let’s meet each other soon.”
Zeliker has explained to them about the mansion door function too. When they leave the mansion, they only need to think about where to appear. It was easy and convenient for them to move from one place to another.
Zelfon now has this information too. He nodded at Xcerox and brought up a hand to shake hands with Xcerox. Xcerox pushes the hand away and hugs him instead. Zelfon was startled before he understood such a gesture. He hugged Xcerox back.
“Please be careful on your way. Send my regards to King Sektar.” He released Xcerox while telling him.
“Don’t worry. I have two expert bodyguards with me.” Xcerox chuckled.
Zelfon looked at Zeliker and Silvert. He smiled. He shakes hands with Zeliker after that.
“Here is the keychain to enter the mansion.” Zeliker telepathy to his mind while popping out a keychain when they shake their hands.
Zelfon nodded and gripped the keychain. “Have a safe journey.”
Zeliker and others with the new groups of demons leave the palace area soon after. Trez was glad to see the residents he had lived with before, were all safe and sound. They too were happy to see him and hugged him the moment they saw him.
The children more so because Trez was the only one with a high-rank level there while the rest were either low-rank or mid-rank demons. The children look admiringly at him. However, they were a little depressed after hearing Trez lost the friendly match.
Yet, they wanted him to be safe more than winning the match. Some children cried after seeing him and Trez gently comforted them. He told them he was alright.
Zeliker was confused about something and telepathy him silently when they moved out.
“Why are you the only high-rank demon here? Where are the rest?”
Trez was shocked by his voice. He immediately answered through telepathy too.
“They escape. I am not sure where they are now.”
“Why did you let yourself be captured by a human then?”
Trez grit his teeth. “I didn’t want to leave these demons. They are innocent. They have not harmed any humans here at all. We have been living quietly in a remote village in the west… But, a Drick soldier found us and captured us.”
Zeliker feels a little strange by the sentence. “You mean the Drick soldiers found you and not one…?”
“No, Your Highness. Only one Drick soldier managed to subdue us except he couldn’t manage to capture the high-rank demon with us. The high-ranking demons and I have tried to kill him but failed because of his strange skills.” Trez explained.
His stories make Zeliker frown.
‘A strong human among the Drick soldiers…? Only a general or a commander might be able to fight the high-rank demons. Who was he then…?’
He felt he might meet that person someday if he continued to have a relationship with the Drick Kingdom.
‘Interesting!’ His eyes showed excitement suddenly.
A few weeks later, they finally arrive in the Eskimos Kingdom's main city, Antonia City. Zeliker went to meet Sektar and announced his wish to travel to the Miko Kingdom straightforwardly.
“Heh! I understand. Do you receive something from the King of Drick?” Sektar asked him.
“He gave me an emblem. Said it was representing his trust. And also a gold pistol.” Zeliker had entered his consciousness into the ring when they were journeying back.
He found a space dimension inside for keeping non-living things. It wasn’t huge and only a cubic small room. The size of the space was only one metre wide. Only the two items were found inside.
"Take this then. If you have ever got blocked by anyone from the other kingdom, show them this and Elamos' emblem." Sektar throws another space ring at him.
Zeliker immediately examine the inside and found another emblem but it was in a different colour. Elamos' emblem shows his kingdom insignia and it was purple. The emblem Sektar gave him was silver in colour with Eskimos insignia.
"Eskimos' Trust Emblem?" He asked.
Sektar nodded. "If you seek help, show it to the merchant division in any kingdom. They would lend you a hand without delay. This is one of the privileges of having a Trust Emblem from us, the kings."
"So convenient. Alright. Thank you for this. Anything you need my help with right now? I'm going to leave tomorrow."
"Don't forget to say goodbye to everyone."
"Heh! I will do that without needing for you to tell me, Your Majesty."
Zeliker then walked out of the throne hall with Silvert. Xcerox was there too and he stays to give his father his report. Only the three of them went to meet Sektar after they have returned.
Zeliker stretch his arms a bit.
"What are we going to do now? Silvert asked him with a smile.
"Let's go shopping. We need to bring some items for our journey."
Silvert stared with confusion. "But we have everything in our dimension."
"Silvert, I want to camp outside. I don't want to stay in the mansion all the time when night comes. We're in human land. We should be adventurous a bit without depending on the comforts of our dimension." Zeliker scolded.
He wants to feel the real night air, not the fake from the dimension.
"I see. Then, let's be prepared for the long journey. We need a big backpack to carry our items." Silvert found Zeliker cute for acting like a beginner explorer.
"Yes. Let's bring the others with us. They might show us something that might help in our journey."
And so, he and Silvert went to meet Miulwess, Stiria and other friends. Unfortunately, only Stiria was free. Miulwess had another study session and he apologise to Zeliker for being unable to accompany them.
As for Gizelis and Nish, they need to help the demons find an empty house for them to live in. Frix and Ashla helped them out too. There were more than two hundred demons in custody.
Trez was training himself in the wilderness to increase his awareness and fighting skills. He went with Enta and the others. So, only Stiria came along with them. She brings Kiara, her personal maid with her.
Silvert looked at Zeliker and Stiria who walked side by side while he walked with Kiara a few steps behind. He suddenly feels that this was Zeliker's chance to be alone with her and so, he whispers to Kiara and requests her to follow him with an excuse to let Stiria accompany Zeliker to the shop.
Kiara was surprised to hear his request. She then realised what Silvert wanted to do. But, Stiria has a fiance and so she feels a bit complicated to let her lady to be alone with a man. It doesn't matter anymore if Zeliker was a royal demon or not but he was a man.
"My prince won't let the princess be in danger. It's a good time to let them increase their relationship for the sake of understanding the human side. My prince is a bit shy to ask and he may not want to talk if we are around. So, can you let them be alone for a while? Just one hour is enough." Silvert pleaded with her.
Kiara thought for a moment. One hour… She guessed it was okay. It's not like her princess would grow affection toward a man so fast after an hour. So, she walked toward Stiria and whispered in her ear. She told Stiria she was going to buy some bread for their evening meal on their way back to the palace later.
Stiria nodded. "Wait for me in the centre if you arrive there earlier."
"Understood, Your Highness. Please excuse me." Kiara bowed to her and then left with Silvert.
Zeliker was confused about why Silvert would leave too and asked through telepathy.
"Good luck." Silvert only answered with that short sentence.
Goodluck? For what?
Zeliker was baffled.