Land of Mirriam

The view of the twilight sky was very beautiful, a rare sight for Simon. He had seen this before when he was living in the mountains... Some memories flowed to him.

“Who are you!?” Then the voice of a girl drew his attention from the sky. Luckily, he was looking away from the direction of the voice.

It was a girl, lightly dressed, and the wind was really picking up in the sky gardens. She hugged her body, clearly cold. Simon scanned the area, squinting slightly. He spotted a coat hanging high on a carving on the wall. There seemed to be no feasible way to reach it.

“I’m Simon, are you cold?” Simon asked as the girl instantly raised her eyebrow.

“Ha?” she replied. Simon set down his bag and discreetly examined the wall, avoiding the girl's gaze. With his eyes averted from her, he took out a knife, causing the girl to become instantly wary of him.

He made sure to face away from the girl before opening his eyes. Positioning himself towards the wall, he began dashing and jumping onto it, essentially running vertically with the wind knife's magic providing an air cushion to keep him flat against the surface.

With skillful agility, he successfully retrieved the coat, using his momentum and the carvings on the wall to propel himself and change direction, swiftly returning to his starting point.

He landed, ensuring his eyes remained closed. Slowly, he approached the girl, extending the coat towards her. “What the... how did that? What just happened?!” the girl exclaimed.

“I took your coat?” Simon replied casually.

The girl frowned, puzzled by how a seemingly younger, blind boy could accomplish such a feat. Despite the uncertainty, she felt a flicker of recognition. “Are you a noble?” she inquired. Simon shook his head.

Simon then retrieved the badge from his bag, a token gifted to him by the Dwarves. “Ah! I see... you are a friend of the Dwarves... hmm,” the girl remarked, smiling. “Too bad for you, being blind—you would have seen the greatest view of all times!” she taunted, tossing her hair. She was in her late teens, flowing blonde golden hair, a body that boasted an hour-shaped glass, her face carved by the goddess of beauty herself.

“Hmm... I can still smell you though,” Simon retorted. The girl attempted to strike him, but Simon deftly evaded her blow.

“How did you see that coming? Are you really blind?!” the girl demanded, making another attempt to hit him.

“Please just leave me alone,” Simon said, dodging another slap. He swiftly shouldered his bag and ran away.

…

The sky garden was beautiful, but Simon's desire to take in the sights was hindered by the girl following him. In just a few minutes, the sun had already set, casting darkness over the scene. Opening his eyes, Simon gazed down at a balcony, observing the kingdom below illuminated by magical lights, a breathtaking sight.

The lights also brightened the Sky Terrace, adding to its beauty. The pathways glowed with the illuminations.

“I saw you!! You opened your eyes!! You are not blind!” the girl suddenly accused, noticing Simon's downward gaze. Despite her assumption, Simon was certain he hadn't revealed his sight, knowing she would hate of fear him.

“I'm not blind... but I have to close my eyes since I'm cursed,” Simon explained.

The girl, Diana Elford, naturally didn't believe him, but as strangers, they were both wary of each other. “My name is Diana Elfo- hey! Where are you going?!” Diana protested as Simon attempted to leave while she introduced herself. With darkness enveloping them, Simon knew he had only a few more hours to explore, and he headed toward the museum.

“TAP-TAP”

Simon paused, feeling Diana's presence still trailing behind him. With a resigned sigh, he saw an opportunity. “Can you guide me to the museum?” he asked her.

“What? It will be closed after a few hours?!” Diana exclaimed, surprised by the request.

“I see... it's probably the last time and the first time that I’ll be visiting this kingdom... that’s a waste. Can you at least send me back to the main ground... I have to be back at the inn we are staying,” Simon explained, his words more than he had spoken in a while.

Diana felt guilty for inconveniencing him. “Tsk... okay!! Okay!!! Let’s go to the museum! They'll let you in if you're with me!!!” Diana said.

<--->

The museum stood one side of the sky garden, magic lights was positioned to accentuate its majestic carvings on its wall, it was depicting a bit of history of the castle. The two entered and the guard that was watching the entrance almost jumped off his seat.

Simon felt the tension among the museum staff as Diana entered. Her mere presence injected excitement and energy into the atmosphere. “Please, feel free to stay as long as you like, Lady Diana!” the chief caretaker insisted, despite the museum's impending closure.

Diana, ever polite, turned to the caretaker. “My friend and I would love a guided tour. Would you be our guide?” she asked graciously.

“Of course! It would be an honor, Pri-” the caretaker began, before Diana swiftly interrupted, her hand covering the caretaker's mouth.

“He can’t know that I’m a princess, understand?” she whispered urgently. The caretaker nodded vigorously, realizing the importance of secrecy; she had to inform others too.

Due to museum regulations, Simon reluctantly surrendered his bag and weapons at the entrance.

It was Simon’s first time going into that kind of establishment. The museum had 2 floors; the second floor was more of a balcony, and some parts of the rooftop were made up of glass. The clear glass allowed one to see what was in the sky.

The first floor displayed large artifacts from the dungeon and some statues of past rulers of the Elford Kingdom. The paintings on the second-floor balcony depicted the history of the Kingdom. From the start, their tour guide explained that everything in the museum was a replica and none of it was real.

The museum's interior was adorned with magically operated lights that were positioned to illuminate each exhibit, casting a mesmerizing glow that heightened the allure of the artifacts on display.

What caught Simon’s attention was the weapon of the first emperor. It was a sword with swaying curves. “It is called the Howling Blade,” their guide explained. Simon wondered how the sword worked. After all, it looked quite hard to use because it was a curvy blade. “The real one is made of the legendary Star Ingot” she added watching the face of the 2, Simon had a clapping reaction but Diana was silently nodding.

In the center of the museum, a large table displayed a replica of the kingdom of Elford, skillfully crafted from clay.

“In the old days, this entire continent was called the Kingdom of Talmas,” the guide explained, gesturing with her hands. “It was named after the first Elford patriarch before they were officially recognized as the main nobles governing the entire eastern continent. However, due to the popularity of the Elford family, it became more commonly known as the Elford Kingdom.” She then picked up a piece of clay to show more of the replica's inner workings.

It was another replica of the kingdom, this time depicting its former appearance. Initially, it resembled a citadel, later evolving into a fortress. The bastions atop the walls were strategically positioned as a defense against the monsters that once flooded from the dungeons.

The castle of the Elfords were constructed later on, stood as the crown jewel of the kingdom. “The last king wanted the Kingdom to be visited more that’s why during his time he was more focused on creating attractions to draw more people into the eastern frontier… but there are still more cons than pros on going to the eastern frontier” It was Diana who spoke.

The guide nodded, she was right, as expected of the princess. The princess noticed that she disrupted the guide.

“... Oh sorry please continue,” Diana said.

… Couple of hours passed…

The tour ended.

“This is a freebie, a token of our gratitude for visiting the museum!” the chief caretaker of the museum gave them a replica of the Castle. It was like a toy that could be picked apart: the fortress, the bastions, and the castle could be removed, and the underground part could be twisted and removed also.

The two left the museum. Diana looked more refreshed than before. It was a feeling that she had done something good that day.

“You like swords, do you?” suddenly Diana asked while titter-potting her steps.

“Yes?” Simon answers this like a question.

“Follow me!” Diana started walking faster. Simon sighed... he should be back in the inn now.

<--->

On the Southern side of the sky garden, there was a small stage there, usually nobles in the morning would train there. Since it was already dark, there was no one there, unlike the busy city below them the sky garden was silent, only the dim lights from the magic lamps illuminated the stage.

“Have a spar with me!!!” Diana excitedly said as she jumped onto the stage.

Did she already figure out who he is? Simon recalled her from their first encounter in the forest (CH3-CH4). Squinting, he stole a glance at Diana, who retrieved a wooden training sword from a bunch hung at the side of the stage. She tapped it on the ground, producing a sharp sound, then casually rested it on her shoulder.

“Come on! Are you afraid I'll beat you? I'm sure you'll need 500 years of training to defeat me!” She taunted, tapping the wooden sword on her shoulders. Simon dropped his bag, and Diana immediately tossed him the wooden sword. Impressed, Diana nodded and reached for another wooden sword.

“There's an ancient custom among nobles, a Sword Dance between swordsmen. Typically, it starts with a salute. Put your sword near your chest and…” Diana demonstrated as she spoke.

Simon finished her sentence “Wave and bow,” mimicking the action. “You know the winner is free to ask for anything, right?” Simon smirked, igniting a spark of pride and curiosity in Diana for some reason.

“…How did you know that?” Diana's curiosity about the stranger she'd encountered began to stir, though at this moment, she was more focused on her desire to engage in combat.

“Then you'll be the challenger... but you'll never beat me, not even in a thousand years,” Simon declared suddenly.

Diana not boasting, she was the best swordsman in her family in terms of techniques and skill. The words from Simon were enough for her to launch a sudden attack. “The old man taught me of this… he was a good swordsman,” Simon said nonchalantly as he received the sword strike from Diana.

Not even a dent in his stance. The boy was powerful. “I see… your technique… timing and the sweet spot of the strike… but not enough” Simon said. He mercilessly pushed Diana from their weapon’s lock, Diana was nimble enough to land on her 2 feet.

“Who are you?” Diana asked seriously.

“Simon... just Simon,” the boy replied, planting his feet in the customary stance he always assumed.

“You're going to serve me until you die,” Diana declared, adopting her own stance, pointing her sword with one hand and placing her palms forward.

Simon smirked silently in response…

In a sword dance, the champion adjusts against the challenger, determined by the first strike. The goal of this dance is to disarm the opponent; both hitting and dodging are not allowed.

Only touching swords in a pure battle of skill and wit, Diana exudes confidence in her abilities, while Simon, being a boy, naturally possesses greater strength. However, Diana currently holds the advantage in height, allowing her to potentially pin him down in close quarters.

But Simon didn't even flinch. Using her momentum, timing, and skill, Diana could produce a slashing force without exerting much effort, but Simon effortlessly parried it. Dodging, Simon shifted his stance to the left, poised to attack without encountering any resistance from Diana, but instead, he simply stepped back twice.

“... Are you belittling me?” Diana immediately noticed.

“No... I'm giving you a chance,” Simon said, finally flashing a smile. Diana snapped; it was time to get serious. She reentered Simon's range and began sweeping her wooden sword.

“I win,” Simon suddenly muttered, swiftly advancing towards Diana with his sword held high. Instantly, Diana braced herself to defend against Simon's strike.

Instead, Simon twisted his sword deeper while spinning, weaving a bewildering attack. With a sudden shift, the slash transformed into a diagonal uppercut, striking a sweet spot near Diana’s hands and sending her wooden sword spiraling from her grasp. She stood disarmed, momentarily stunned by the precision of Simon's maneuver.

Diana lost. She was in shock. “What do you want from me?” she suddenly asked, her tone resembling that of a maiden in distress.

“Why are you acting like I’m going to do something bad to you?” Simon asked, noting Diana’s reaction after losing.

“You know that I was the one who challenged you... although it was just for fun, it was a valid sword dance... I will listen to your request,” she bashfully covered her body indicating a worry that was out of the boy’s league.

“Can you send me down using the teleporter?” Simon said as he picked up the wooden sword, placing both back on the rack.

“Huh?” Diana sighed, disappointment evident in her tone.