AI: Artificial Isekai

The third course is slowly drained, the crisp soup refreshing our palates and preparing us for the first main dish.

Elisa has already finished her glass of wine and begins pouring herself another. A glance to Rak'Na's own empty glass, followed by one to the sovereign herself, earns the elf a nod. Elisa fulfills the request. The two take a few big gulps while still looking at each other, almost as if competing. Maybe her boasts do hold water. Or wine in this case.

Rak'Na is the first to strike again, "If I remember correctly, you were visiting when the attack happened, isn't that right?"

Elisa counterattacks, "I was. Can't say I didn't have ulterior motives, though." Rak'Na quirks a brow. "Someone has to be the voice of reason for that woman. Maybe she'll listen to me a bit more now."

Rak'Na appears genuinely surprised, exhaling through her nose in a subdued laugh. "Indeed. Us elders—relatively speaking, of course—can always learn from our juniors. But stagnation is oftentimes the most convenient state, is it not." The beastfolk breaks eye contact, turning to her glass of wine, picking it up and starting to swish it in thought. "Was Mr. Doe with you, Archmage?"

Elisa answers, "No."

I elaborate, "I was taking a vacation, as well. Though mine was rather uneventful compared to Teacher's."

Rak'Na continues, "Mmm. Yes. Uneventful." She takes a sip of wine and puts the glass down, looking at Elisa again. "You should introduce your dear pupil to your parents sooner rather than later. If they are anything like me, they would be thrilled to know more about your life." She then sighs softly, waving her arm distractedly. "Ignore me. Just the ramblings of a stressed woman in the process of reevaluating what is actually important."

"Not at all, Your Majesty. I will take your wise advice to heart," Elisa says.

The sovereign hums and turns to me with a smile. "Apologies, Mr. Doe. It seems I've arranged another social event for you."

"No worries. I like meeting new people," I say in response.

Rak'Na starts to say something, but seeing the approach of our server, she leaves the words unsaid. At least for now.

He's levitating four larger than normal plates. Each one covered again. The server reveals the dish with the word 'Haze'. On each plate are three pieces of thinly sliced meat, cooked rare. The slices are drizzled with a glossy, red sauce and sprinkled with a yellow powder. I skewer one of the pieces of meat and eat it. The flavor slowly changes from meaty, to mildly spicy, and then to almost sickeningly sweet. But before it can become unpleasant, the bite is already swallowed.

Elisa looks disappointed that the sweet part of the experience was not longer, while the two beastfolk exhibit surprise at the spicy portion, trying to dampen the effects with a few sips of wine. We gotta raise that tolerance up, Khi. Fortunately for you, I know a place.

The princess swiftly dispatches her meal, aiming to get it over with, and as a distraction from the burning pain, asks Elisa a question, "Archmage, what school did you find hardest to master?"

Elisa covers her mouth with a hand and swallows her last piece of spicy meat. "Interested in obtaining the title, Your Highness?"

Khi startles slightly, the presence of the sovereign unbalancing her, or maybe an internal strife tugs her astray. "Oh. No. I don't see myself an archmage. Even if I had as much time as you."

Rak'Na interjects, "Do not limit yourself, Daughter. There are many barriers in life. Do not add any more."

"I agree," Elisa says. "But at the same time, a title is just a title. You do not need to be an archmage to accomplish your goals." Rak'Na nods at her statement, smiling widely. Elisa hums in thought, and after a bit of time, continues again, "I would say... healing was the most challenging for me."

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Khi asks with interest, "In what way?"

"Mostly complexity. But a big part was how inconvenient it is to practice. With most other schools, you just do it. With healing, you need a reason."

Khi nods. "I remember my earliest lessons. My instructor was insistent that while the physical signs of self-harm may disappear, the psychological load can so easily fester."

Elisa runs her fingers through her ponytail. "I must have missed that lesson." She twirls her hair while recounting, "To train, I started with cuts. Then I progressed to stabs, targeting non-vital organs. Then it was removing limbs. Followed by damaging vital organs. And I finished with starving myself."

"Starving yourself?" Rak'Na asks right before eating her last remaining piece of meat with great gusto.

"Yes. And no water, too. The first day, you barely feel it, only a slight inconvenience. But when you wake up on the second day, that's when you know. Your lips cracking. Your mouth hurting. Your skin feeling like paper. Your head throbbing with pain. Your heart thumping loudly in your chest. And through all that, you need to focus. To keep yourself alive. By the end of the second day, you want to give up. The night before the third is so long and so restless, you feel like it will never end. Or it already has." Elisa smiles ominously as she sips on her wine. "When the sun finally rises on the third day, the real trial begins. To stave off organ failure and to stop yourself from losing consciousness, you need to constantly heal. The higher the sun climbs, the harder everything becomes. Even breathing was a chore."

Khi's tail flicks behind her chair. "How long did you last?"

"Six days," Elisa says. Rak'Na laughs loudly, and Khi stares at the elf, admiration evident on her face.

"Thank you for the vivid description, Teacher, but why don't we talk about something less morbid," I say and chuckle nervously. She's lying. It was dark magic of the elemental school. Though she really did do that whole horror show. She just failed to mention that it was under constant supervision.

As our server returns with the second main course, I send the elf a message.

[<LUCIUS>: I implore you to never do anything like that again.]

[<ELISA>: Don't you start with me, mister! *angry* It was hundreds of years ago, and I already told you I was being stupid.]

[<ELISA>: Plus, I know you edited the footage of that C-grade dungeon with the devourers.]

[<ELISA>: Tell me you didn't look like minced meat by the end! *meatball*]

[<LUCIUS>: Ahem.]

[<LUCIUS>: I now see that I was wrong.]

[<LUCIUS>: Please accept my sincerest apologies.]

[<ELISA>: That's what I thought. *person trying to make you flinch*]

The word 'Noon' focuses me back to the table. The local equivalent of a potato has been boiled, mashed, and formed into a stylized sun. My fork breaks the fluffy surface and encounters something underneath. There are small pieces of fried bacon hiding within the core of the star. The potatoes are so creamy, they are closer to butter than a vegetable. But the bits of bacon cut the richness with some much needed saltiness, balancing the dish spectacularly.

Elisa tolerates the course, and the two beastfolk appear neutral about it, simply going through the motions. Whatever... I think it's good.

The sovereign and Elisa start discussing the intricacies of teleportation. Primarily, the mechanics of teleporting to a place you haven't been to before, and how they personally approach the problem.

While they are sharing tips, I turn to Khi. "Your Highness." Her tail swishes. Maybe in irritation due to my unusually reverent tone? A big change compared to our casual discussions. "When are we going to delve again?"

The tail calms itself down. Khi tries to hide her inconspicuous smile even further. "Eager to flex your powers again, Mr. Doe?"

"You know what they say, use it or lose it."

Khi tilts her head to the side in thought. "I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that."

"Is it false, though?"

She sighs, the expression of exasperation turning into one of amusement with a soft chuckle. "No. I've been told the same sentiment many times before." She thinks for a moment. "We'll schedule a delve soon, then." She quickly asks, "You don't have anything pressing, do you?"

"Not at all. But if you want to mix it up a little, we could do some spars."

Khi smiles. "While I would very much enjoy that, I don't think you'll gain anything from facing me."

I wave my hand. "You misunderstand."

"Oh?"

"We are a team, aren't we? So, we'll be sparring against someone else."

She asks with curiosity, "Who would that be?"

"A couple buddies. You'll even be doing me a favor." Khi tilts her head, prompting me to elaborate, "You get to train with strong adventurers. They get to train with someone other than me."

Khi sighs playfully. "If it's a favor for a friend, what choice do I have."

I start telling her how I met Erysis and Nexen, followed by our subsequent adventures together.

After some time, the final main dish approaches. And so does the final confrontation.