Chương 6: Central Kingdom

Two months passed. Upon leaving Moshan's village, Alicia had zero intentions of even stopping in any Vaelrin settlement. Perhaps it was because Alicia really didn't want anything to do with taking responsibility for the Sinful Races. Perhaps it was because she just wanted to go see the world first and foremost. Yet, when she flew rapidly through Vael, barely batting an eye to the desolate homeland of the demons, Alicia felt the tiniest bit of guilt.

But that guilt was quickly buried in her heart and forgotten when she arrived at Veligrod. Far away from the frigid north, Alicia bypassed the human nations bordering Vael itself, going straight to one of the more central countries. Veligrod was tucked near a tall mountain range with beautiful waterfalls, placed right on the river that was ahead of it. Today, it was a prime trade city owned by the so-called Kingdom of Polonia, a country that didn't exist back in Worldfall Online's latest update.

Indeed, most nations on the map changed. A lot of the cities and landmarks that were famous in the game still existed, but it was clear that after so many centuries, the world had changed. Not just because the Vaelrin was now basically a near non-existent problem for most of mankind, but because mankind itself, the dominant force of the world, seemed to have fractured deeply. Outside of the small strip of land that the Vaelrin called home, a world of many great nations with rich histories existed.

The Kingdom of Polonia was just one of the nations of mankind situated in the 'civilized zone,' which was marked in a new map she acquired in Veligrod itself. The nation itself was well-known for its powerful trading corporations and merchant houses and the fact that its ruling monarch was not only elected for life instead of being hereditary but also elected by a council of the nation's largest merchant houses. In other words, Polonia was a wealthy mercantile nation.

Technology too seemed to have also marched forward compared to Worldfall Online's more generic fantasy setting. Veligrod itself was connected to other cities by rail; the buildings in the city were made out of polished stone, mass-produced bricks, gray slate roofs, and even steel foundations. The streets themselves were lit up with magical lamp posts, and the city architecture itself reminded Alicia of the Victorian Era.

Except, instead of seeing smokestacks, steam engines, and dirty coal, it seemed like everything was powered by spells, rune enchantments, and so-called 'magic crystals.' It was as if this world were having a cleaner industrial revolution. Or, more accurately, it was going through a magical revolution.

As an example, since buying a house in Veligrod—which she easily acquired by simply bribing local officials, considering she wasn't a Polonian citizen—and spending her time with its inhabitants, Alicia came to learn that while the average commoner human here still lived a poor life beneath the nobility and wealthy merchants, many of the children were already being sent to schools that educated them. She'd even seen some commoner children play with basic magecraft on the streets sometimes.

Compared to the more dreary conditions of Vael, Veligrod might as well be a truly different world. Alicia could even use her money smoothly here, because by exchanging the valuables in her inventory with people that could actually buy them—mostly artifacts that weren't too outrageous for a woman posing as a wandering merchant's daughter that still gave her a lot of money—Alicia could safely splurge on luxuries that she was used to in her original world on a day-to-day basis. And she did.

She bought fine furnishings for her new home, which she planned to use as a base for now. Then, she opened a bank account and began proceedings to get Polonian citizenship using her money to smooth things over, and after the arduous work of trying to integrate herself in this place, Alicia found herself visiting all the various fine dining locations in Polonia.

While food was a little expensive based on what the local workers were being paid, Polonia was well-supplied with almost all kinds of foodstuff from across the world. Hauled by high-speed magical trains, frozen by ice magic, and sent to restaurants boasting famous chefs, this place was cuisine heaven. After spending a good time admiring the wilderness and its wild, untamed nature, Alicia couldn't deny that she was still a soft city girl at heart.

She believed that she was barely even truly a vampire at this point, as Alicia only tried drinking animal blood when she was en route to Veligrod, and that was enough to make her largely suppress and forget her appetite for so long. Mentally and culturally, Alicia was more human than vampire, so she found herself comfortable here. This place felt like she was on an extended vacation. Today, she was at one of the restaurants she found rather charming that was only a few blocks away from her home.

It was already evening, and she was simply trying to wind off after having to work on her paperwork with the city officials earlier. Surprisingly, they easily believed her forged identity. They even happily assisted her in filling up the rest that she needed to appeal to higher local officials to be granted citizenship. Once that was done, she'd just have to swear an oath to the kingdom, and she could stay here and retire.

Of course, she was still Vaelrin, and because the Polonian people had a different language from common Vaelrin, Alicia had to use [Linguistic Mastery] for a while to listen to people and quickly become fluent in Polonian at the start. She was further hindered because the city entrance had powerful magical artifacts that allowed them to detect the race of anyone entering, so when she entered the city, on the first day, Alicia had used [Polymorph] to change herself to a human.

It was a powerful spell, an endgame one she only acquired a week before her exams. But it was enough to change Alicia from the vampire Alicia Allister to the original human Alicia in both looks and physique. Though she kept her silver hair and red eyes because they were prettier, in almost every way, she seemed almost 1: 1 to herself back in her home world. It was why no one questioned her and why she was so accepted here. Indeed, she'd come so far from being a wandering foreigner into someone who would fit in.

Right now, to everyone else, she was just a normal human woman happily cutting well-seasoned steak and sipping expensive red wine. She leaned back on her seat, looking to the side, through the wide glass panes of the restaurant she was in. It was already winter, and the atmosphere was rather cozy, and outside, snow already filled the streets of Veligrod. She rested her cheeks on her hand as she stared at the street outside. Even at night, it was so peaceful here. It really does feel like home. She sighed.

That ugly voice at the back of her head was murmuring something again. While it was mild, and she could mostly ignore it, because she was genuinely enjoying staying here with humans, Alicia's inner thoughts revealed that she was still bothered by something. And no matter how hard she tried to ignore it, that thing had an annoying way of cropping up without warning and ruining pleasant moments. Just like right now. She glanced up from her meal with undisguised displeasure at the minor commotion on the street below.

Surrounded by heavily armored guardsmen, who had shields and sticks that resembled batons, was a group of men in ragged clothing. They marched through the streets in anguish, the cold most likely biting through their clothing. Their faces were covered in muck and ashes, and their heads, which had simple steel helmets and a magic crystal that produced light, revealed that they all had curved horns aimed at the sky.

She'd heard that in one of the districts of Veligrod, Vaelrin miners and workers, who were under indentured servitude to one of the local mining corporations in exchange for eventually acquiring citizenship rights, were housed separately from the rest of the population. She wondered why they were being marched like that, and seeing their conditions, it was enough to almost make her drop her fork. She looked away again. She didn't want to see this. She just wanted to enjoy her time here, nothing more.

What did she care about the demons? They were the enemies in-game, and even here in this world, they were known as the "Sinful Races." They were literally born for evil. So what if they were in chains? It was what they deserved for trying to wipe out the humans and the other Virtuous Races. She glanced back at the miners, and her gaze caught on one who looked no older than 13 or so. He was thin to an extreme and stumbled every other step, the fatigue keeping him from walking straight.

They're just demons, she told herself before looking away and getting back to her meal.

"Quite an unpleasant sight, isn't it?" This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Alicia looked up in surprise to see a young man standing a few paces next to her. He was well-dressed, and his glasses looked to be rimmed with gold, and his general demeanor made her think he was probably the son of someone wealthy. He was smiling softly as he looked at Alicia, but she could tell that he hadn't just approached her by happenstance.

Especially when he couldn't quite maintain eye contact, his eyes occasionally flickering downward.

"I can't say I enjoy seeing it," she said cautiously.

"They'll be gone soon enough," he said.

"They aren't allowed in this part of town except during their commutes to and from the mines."

"That's—" she started before stopping herself.

"I see…"

"Was it something else that was bothering you?" Alicia hid a grimace by turning away and looking back down at the Vaelrin procession. Standing out from the midst of the bunch was a massive, six-armed asura trudging along with a dead stare and all three pairs of arms chained behind his back. Unlike the normal imp miners, he seemed to be deemed dangerous enough to get bound.

"It's just…" she started, not sure how to explain her thoughts.

"It's almost pitiful. The asura were once a mighty warrior race, right? But seeing them reduced to this state…" Not that she wanted that asura to be freed and fighting. She had faced enough in the game to know that the demons of Wrath were formidable, and even a single one would wreak havoc on a city like this. But she just couldn't shake the pervasive feeling of wrongness at the would-be warrior's current state.

"Yes, I feel exactly the same." She looked back up at the young man and was slightly surprised to see a hint of excitement on his face.

"The demons may be our enemies, but that doesn't mean we should degrade them so," he continued. An abolitionist? She had heard of a few abolitionist movements here and there that wanted to reverse the universal church's repressive decrees against Vaelrin who lived in human countries.

Not many, since the most recent demon war was still so fresh in the minds of the people, but there were people protesting the rough treatment of the demons and claiming that this sort of thing was exactly what had led to the previous war. The most extreme groups, and the ones that Alicia had found herself inexplicably drawn to, even claimed that the demons should be completely freed and integrated. That while they were, indeed, the Sinful Races, they were not any more evil than humans.

Demons could be good just the same as humans could be evil. These groups were the most reviled, generally, but Alicia couldn't help but somewhat agree with them. After all, she herself was living proof. Even if the game had portrayed the demons as the villains, they had still allowed users to play as defectors like herself. And the demons she met in the other village had seemed ordinary enough.

Sure, they had tried convincing her to rule the demons and lead them in another war against the Virtuous Races, but frankly, that was completely understandable, given their position. She looked at the young man in a new light, wondering if she had perhaps judged him too harshly. Then, the next words out of his mouth made her realize that it was the other way around. She had not judged him harshly enough.

"An asura's potential is wasted on mere mining," he said.

"Their strength is certainly useful, but even so, they don't work that much more efficiently than the others. Especially not the imps who take asura levels. And as you said, it is pitiful. The imps were always a laborer race, but forcing the asura to join them is an unnecessary cruelty."

"But not everyone in the city is as close-minded as the owner of the nearby mines." He looked at her with an excited smile.

"I confess that I had not intended to invite you to this when I approached you, but knowing that we are of like minds, I feel comfortable asking you to accompany me. This Friday, there will be a set of bouts at the Coliseum, and I've heard that these are going to be quite… special. Have you heard about Vikar?"

"Vikar?" asked Alicia.

"Oh, you're in for a treat! You have at least heard of the Veligrod Major, yes?"

"I think so…" Alicia had certainly seen some posters around that talked about something like that. She remembered that it looked like some kind of sporting event. She was never the biggest sports fan, so she hadn't paid it much mind.

"Ah, I forget that you're new in town. Well, the Veligrod Major is one of the largest arena combat events in the world, and my family is an important investor in it. Vikar is the latest rising star. He is an asura who just reached tier 5—that's the highest tier in the arena combat ranking system—and he's about to fight in his final match to earn his citizenship. And his opponent for the match… Well, I won't spoil the fun, but it's sure to be quite exciting.

If you want to see an asura fighting as they are born to do… Well, there is no better time or place, and I just so happen to be short on a date." Alicia fought back the disgust she felt at his words. The slavery alone was already getting to her, and hearing him talk so excitedly about sending slaves to fight for entertainment made her angry. She told herself that it was just how it worked in this world and that the demons deserved it, but the more she said it, the less she believed it.

"Ah, forgive me, I don't think I've properly introduced myself," he said.

"I am Kornel Sikorski. You might have heard of my father's business. May I have your name as well?"

"... Alicia Brooks," she said. She had heard of his father's business. The Sikorski Company wasn't enormous, but it was quite prominent in Veligrod. In fact, she was fairly certain the restaurant she was currently eating at was owned by the Sikorski Company. That would explain why he was here, at least.

"A lovely name," he replied.

"So, what do you say? Care to join me?" Alicia's first reaction was to say no, but something at the back of her mind stopped her. A morbid curiosity combined with lingering guilt. She had no desire to see anyone fight for her entertainment, let alone fellow Vaelrin, but she felt she couldn't keep ignoring things. The plight of the demons was not something she wanted to concern herself with, but at this point, she couldn't deny how much it bothered her. It was something she would have to deal with eventually.

"Alright," she said.

"I'm intrigued. I'll join you."

"Wonderful!" said Kornel.

"Do you mind if I join you? I have already finished my meal, but I figured you might enjoy some company."

"Actually, I'm done," said Alicia, setting her silverware down and standing up.

"But—" protested Kornel.

"I've just received news of an urgent matter I have to attend to," she lied.

"I'll be going now. But we can meet back here on Friday. What time is the event?"

"Eight," said Kornel.

"But we should arrive a bit earlier. How about we meet here at 6: 30?"

"Seven," said Alicia.

"I will be here."

"I recommend you dress nicely," said Kornel, stopping her as she turned to leave.

"We will be sitting in a private booth with some other important folks. Best to make a good impression."

"I understand. Seven o'clock on Friday, then."

"Sounds good."

"Then I must be off. Goodbye."

"I look forward to seeing you again!" Alicia ignored him as she hurried out of the restaurant. The entire conversation had made her uncomfortable, and she wanted to leave as soon as possible. And while she had not been close to full, her appetite was more than ruined. Though she had no need to sleep, as she could shift back to her vampire form at night, she still tended to relax and enjoy the peaceful quiet of the city after dark, something that she was not able to do that night.

Her thoughts kept drifting back to the enslaved demons she was constantly seeing around town. She had been pushing them to the back of her mind as she traveled around, but now, she was really going to have to confront the issue, alongside what else she wanted to do in this world. It was becoming increasingly clear that she would not be able to live comfortably in the human cities.

She tried to tell herself that slavery, blood sports, indentured servitude, and many other atrocities were just part of this world and that the demons deserved it, but it really wasn't working. And with the recent war, there was no nation in the world currently willing to treat the demons fairly, or even just ignore them. Maybe I should just accept Moshan's offer, she thought idly. I don't want to go to war, but I always did like city-builder games. At least then I wouldn't have to be around all the slaves…

As her thoughts drifted and she imagined what being the demon queen would be like. She felt that her demon nature and Pride Trait might have been influencing her a bit, but it didn't sound too bad. Being a ruler and being served by the demons sounded like it could be fun. And her inner gamer was beginning to get bored of exploration and wanted a more concrete goal at which to dedicate her efforts.

Living the lazy life of a rich heiress was fun and all, but when she was already max level and could perform most magic effortlessly and had more wealth in her inventory than she could ever spend, a lot of other things seemed bland by comparison. The next few days passed quickly as Alicia did a bit more exploration of the world by abusing some of the [Warp Anchors] that she had placed, and then finally, it was time to join Kornel at the event.

She arrived just before the allotted time, wearing an outfit that had cost her a few hundred dollars in-game and had been worth every penny. It was a soft pink dress with tasteful ruffles and frills and light makeup, complemented by ribbons, earrings, a brooch, and a necklace. Her hands were covered by white lace gloves, and she had high-heeled shoes.

It was perhaps a bit much, but she hadn't had a chance to dress formally yet since arriving, and even if it was for such an unpleasant event, she might as well look good while attending. Kornel was already waiting for her, dressed in an elegant suit that complemented her own outfit quite well. When he saw her, he was rendered speechless by her appearance for nearly a full minute before breaking out into a wide smile and offering her his arm.

"Shall we be off, then?" he asked. Alicia suppressed a grimace as she linked her arm with his.

"We shall."