The bright morning sun shone through the window and hit Akira right in the face, waking him up from his deep sleep.
He slowly opened his eyes and let out a long sigh, feeling the soft bed beneath him. His body still felt a little heavy and tired, but his magic power had finally recovered after a good night's rest. Sitting up, he stretched his arms, making his back pop with a satisfying crack.
'Man, using Take Over magic and maintaining that spatial domain at the same time really drained me,' Akira thought, rubbing his messy hair as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.
Through his link with the slime clone, Akira could keep analyzing Irene's curse to uncover what was truly going on with her. After studying Dragon Slayer Magic for so long, he had always felt her condition was strange. His research proved that turning into a dragon didn't naturally take away a person's ability to sleep or taste food. Akira himself had come close to dragonization, yet he could still taste his meals and sleep normally.
Erza's situation had actually given him the biggest clue.
When Granny Porlyusica made Erza's fake eye, the artificial eye couldn't shed tears. Porlyusica was confident in her medical skills and knew the eye itself wasn't broken. She believed Erza subconsciously rejected the eye because she saw it as fake, preventing it from producing tears.
Akira realized the same thing applied to Irene.
Irene's inability to sleep, taste food, or feel human wasn't purely physical—it was a mental block caused by four hundred years of deep trauma and self-loathing. Because she believed she was a monster, her magic made her body act like one. Her own mind was holding her back from feeling human again.
'If it's a mental barrier, then normal magic won't fix it completely,' Akira thought with a sigh. He figured he might as well learn some psychological knowledge and become a therapist.
" Well, for now, let's hurry back to Ishgar " Akira muttered as he took a comb and began to comb his hair and got ready to leave. After placing his mask back on his face, Akira opened the door and left the inn.
Grammy and Brandish had already moved to a different inn. This was something Akira had asked just in case they were targeted. And since the time he had arrived was very late, he didn't go to disturb them.
Akira then went downstairs to eat some breakfast. But to his surprise, he found that Grammi and Brandish were waiting for him.
"Good morning, slowpoke," Brandish said lazily, resting her cheek in her hand as she watched him walk over. A plate of half-eaten breakfast sat in front of her, while Grammi gave him a warm, gentle smile.
"Good morning, Akira," Grammi greeted, setting down a cup of hot tea. "We figured you may be alright after your clone told us you were fine, so we decided to wait for you here."
"Morning," Akira replied, pulling out a chair and sitting down. He took off his mask just enough to eat, ordering a quick meal from the innkeeper. "I see you two slept well. No trouble last night?"
"None at all," Grammi nodded, though her eyes held a bit of curiosity. " But can I ask you what really happened yesterday? Who did you have to meet yesterday? "
"Well, to be honest, the one who came to meet me was my mother, whom I hadn't seen for a long time. We just had a small meetup to catch up with each other." Akira said casually, taking a bite of his food.
"So, what's the plan now?" Grammi asked, leaning back. "Are we heading back to Ishgar right away?"
"Yeah," Akira said, wiping his mouth and pulling his mask back into place. "We've stayed in Alvarez long enough. It's time to go home."
….
After eating their breakfast, Grammi, Akira, and Brandish left the inn. And Grammi then began to escort them towards the place where Grammi had decided to meet her contacts. Soon they came to a alleyway and entered an old building that no one would take a second glance.
Inside the dim building, the smell of old paper and dusty wood filled the air. Grammi led the way down a creaky staircase that went under the ground, stopping right in front of a heavy wooden door covered in hidden magic runes.
She knocked on the door in a special pattern—three slow taps, two fast ones, and a final heavy knock.
The small metal slide on the door opened, showing a pair of sharp, cautious eyes. After recognizing Grammi, the heavy locks clicked open, and the door swung inward.
Inside was a cozy, secret room filled with glowing lacrima lights, map scrolls, and various magic items. Sitting behind a large desk was a tall man in a dark hood, writing something down on a piece of parchment.
"Grammi," the hooded man spoke, his voice low and raspy. "You're back sooner than I expected. I assume you brought the people you mentioned?"
"I did," Grammi nodded, stepping aside so Akira and Brandish could enter. "Is everything ready for our transport back to Ishgar?"
The hooded contact set down his quill and looked up, his eyes instantly fixing on Akira's masked face. He could feel the heavy, hidden pressure around him, making him sweat slightly under his hood.
"The boat is already waiting at the hidden harbor near the southern cliffs," the man explained, opening a drawer and pulling out three special pass tokens made of dark metal. "It's a stealth ship protected by illusion magic. It will bypass the imperial navy patrols and drop you off safely near the coast of Hargas."
"Good," Akira said, taking the tokens from the desk. His masked head turned slightly toward the corner of the room. Through his unique skill, he understood this guy was legit and would not scam them. Thankfully, Grammi was still reliable in finding her contacts.
"We leave right away," Akira added, tossing a small bag of golden coins onto the desk. "Let's not waste any time."
The hooded man caught the pouch of coins, feeling its heavy weight in his hands. A quick peek inside showed bright gold coins glistening under the lacrima lights. A wide smile spread across his face beneath the dark hood, his previous nervousness instantly vanishing.
"A pleasure doing business with you," the man said, quickly sweeping the pouch into his desk drawer. "Just follow the underground passage behind that curtain over there. It leads straight to the hidden dock."
Akira gave a short nod, leading the way toward the dark red curtain at the back of the room. Grammi took Brandish's hand and followed behind them.
Pushing the heavy fabric aside, they entered a narrow stone tunnel lined with faint, glowing lacrimas. The damp air carried the distinct, salty smell of the sea, growing stronger with every step they took down the sloped path.
After walking for a few minutes, the dark tunnel opened up into a massive, hidden sea cave. Resting peacefully on the dark water was a medium-sized wooden ship. Strange, silver magic runes rippled across its hull, bending the light around the vessel and making it blend almost perfectly with the surrounding rocks and shadows.
"Not bad," Akira muttered, looking at the illusion magic covering the boat. "At least we won't have to worry about lower-level imperial scouts bothering us."
" Thank you; we aim to please " the hooded man said with a flattering smile. What can they say? Akira gave them a big tip.
"Alright," Akira said, stepping onto the wooden plank that connected the dock to the ship. "Let's get on board and head back to Ishgar."
****
Author's Note: I'm currently balancing my university studies with writing, and things can get pretty tight. If you enjoy my work, even a $1 donation on P.a.t.r.e.o.n makes a massive difference in helping me cover my education expenses.
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