Soul of the Warrior

Chapter 172: Interlude: The Bored Princess

Aeriella held the sword up in front of her. She frowned at the shining blade before tossing it to the side in disgust. She lifted her hand and blasted the group of people who had been sparring with her away. They cartwheeled through the air, blood spraying in their wake.

"Ugh, none of them are good enough," she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

She turned and stomped out of the training grounds. She walked into the open air, not even paying attention to the breathtaking scenery around her. She was focused on her journey across the bridges spanning the floating islands. There were crystal clear streams forming waterfalls, falling from one sky island to another until they ultimately landed on the ground far below.

The palace she resided in wasn't a monolithic structure; it was hundreds of buildings built atop the floating islands found in the Tier 6 Region they had built their capital in. The Capital city was down below, but it wasn't a problem to travel between the palace and the surface. There weren't just bridges spanning the distance between the islands. There were short-distance teleports that allowed one to travel up and down quickly.

If the palace was built traditionally on the surface like so many of the Tier 4 empires, it could take several hours to traverse the entire grounds. As it was with the ease of movement afforded by the bridges and teleportation circles, one could get to their destination within minutes, no matter where one started or ended.

Rainbows formed in the air where the waterfalls fell to the earth. There was a runic system implemented to keep the streams going in perpetuity. The base design mimicked a simple water fountain, but it incorporated Space Runes to send the water from the ground to the top of the islands in the sky.

The stones were alabaster and shone in the sun, and the bridges had a clear strip of magically hardened glass in the center to allow for one to appreciate the view. It was also a test of will for those new to the palace. Aeriella had grown up in the palace, so she had never known anything different, but some new servants weren't able to handle standing miles above the ground with seemingly nothing below them. Those individuals were quickly sent back to the surface in shame.

All of the servants and staff members in the palace were natives of the Tier 6 Region, with the "6" branded on their foreheads. Aeriella ignored those she passed that got down on all fours to bow to her as she walked by. It was easy to ignore them when she had spent her entire life living with such etiquette. Nobody with a brand would dare to look her in the face.

She stomped across several bridges and through several teleport circles until she reached the apex of the floating islands. Her imperial father didn't occupy the highest point of the palace. That honor was left to the elders, one of which was her master.

She mastered her frustration as she neared the doors to her master's abode. It wouldn't do to walk through with an improper attitude. She wasn't in the mood to add punishment to her already bad mood.

She took a deep breath as she paused in front of the heavy double doors, but a voice called out for her to enter before she could lift her hand to knock. She grabbed a hold of the door and pushed it open.

The interior of her master's quarters, while made out of grand materials, was bare and sparse. He didn't believe in surrounding himself with luxuries more than what the building was made out of. That didn't mean he led the life of an ascetic. He just didn't allow himself to get distracted from his own mission: constantly improving himself and the talented scions of the empire. All of the gold, silver, and gems dotting the room were nothing more than mere medals and decorations.

He was seated on some cushions in the middle of an open room. They weren't there for his comfort. They were magically imbued to increase his Mana Absorption and other Mana Skills while Meditating. Aeriella gave a steep bow as she entered the room before walking up and taking a seat in front of her master on a mat.

"I can sense your frustration," her master intoned. "Were the sword-slaves not up to your standard?"

"Of course not!" Aeriella said before she could regain her composure. "Forgive me; I didn't mean to snap, Master. It's just been so long, and all of the searching has been fruitless."

"You should just stick to training with the masters," her master said.

"I know that that is the way to improve my Skills the quickest, but improving my Skills as fast as possible isn't everything," Aeriella said. "There's something inauthentic about it. If I can get someone who's even within a decade of my age that has the same Skill Level as that boy, I feel like I'll be able to spur myself on better. Being able to compete against someone who's clearly more talented will ignite the drive that I'm lacking.

"I'm getting bored, but I don't want to stop. It's a conundrum."

"Why not just take a couple of regiments and bring their empire into the fold?"

"That's not what I want to do. It would feel cheap. If their empire is subdued naturally, then, of course, I would go and retrieve them, but I don't want to target their empire just for those two people. There are better things to spend our resources on."

"Anything that makes you improve quicker is a good use of resources," her master replied. "Speaking of, I still need you to bring that girl to me. You said you detected both Space and Time Mana in her Spells. She's a talent that's worthy of elevation, and I'm the only one that could teach her."

"I know, Master. If nothing else, I'll simply go by myself to invite them here for an extended stay. It's not unheard of, and maybe they'll even agree to stay on their own accord."

"That's an option, and it wouldn't hurt to try. Just be careful that they don't have some sort of resentment toward you from the actions of your subordinates in that dreadful desert. People from the lower Regions are strangely attached to their perceived freedom."

"I don't think they have any lasting anger toward me," Aeriella said after some thought. "I did what I said I would do in freeing the workforce, and I didn't go out of my way to hurt anyone. I'm sure they'll see things my way as long as I can explain it properly."

"That being said, how does your training go?"

Aeriella sighed.

"My Magic training is still progressing apace, but my Swords Skill is slowing down. Even with the greatest blade masters of the empire at my disposal for training, I don't have the motivation. I've stalled out at Level 71."

"Have you considered the other scions?" Her master asked.

"Don't even mention them," Aeriella scoffed. "I'll be lucky to find any around my age that's barely above the Expert Level."

"I didn't mean sparring against them," her master shook his head. "I meant teaching them. It's well known that when one stalls out, teaching others is a way to spur growth."

"I would have to find someone worthy first," Aeriella said. "I'm not going to waste my precious time instructing a lout just for my own Skill growth. They will have to deserve it."

Aeriella was the most talented young scion in the empire. She had grown up constantly being extolled about her greatness and her destiny. Even with her arrogant attitude that had been bred from such a lifestyle, she was still mostly amicable. She just didn't suffer fools, which she considered most of her contemporaries. She got along much better with her older siblings and cousins.

Her oldest brother was over a hundred years her senior, and he had long since reached Transcendence in his Swords Skills and multiple Affinities. He had been lauded as the most talented son in generations until Aeriella had been born. He had never shown any resentment towards her talent, and he even took time out to help her train on occasion.

The mission of their people didn't allow them to squabble over something so petty.

There was only so much time, though, and he had his own life to live. Her other siblings weren't as powerful as he was, but she still got along with the older ones. Getting down to the siblings that were only twenty or so years older than her, though, and she couldn't be bothered. It wasn't entirely Aeriella's personality, either. She had thirty siblings, and the ones closest to her in age were all lazy, relatively speaking.

At least in Aeriella's eyes.

They could be focused on improving the way she was, and if they hit a bottleneck, they could also do what she had done. She had scoured the Realm for any kind of boost she could acquire, and after years and countless man-hours spent on the ordeal, she had discovered an interesting monster in the depths of a lowly Tier 3 Region.

Subduing the creature wasn't just to gain a powerful pet. After building up a certain amount of rapport, she would be able to communicate and delve into the monster's mind and memories. Tier 7 monsters were almost universally sapient, especially ones that had reached that stage through effort instead of birthright. Being able to communicate with their minds would open up a whole new avenue of advancement for Aeriella.

Her siblings had never even considered the possibility. To them, traveling to a lesser Region was beneath them. Even after Aeriella had displayed her Tier 7 monster that she had acquired from such a lowly place, it hadn't spurred any ideas in her immediately older siblings.

"I'm sure you can find a few if you look hard enough," her master said. "Isn't that your thing? If you can't find someone worthy of your time in the nobility, maybe you could expand your search to the established, non-noble families. Wouldn't that Reivyn and Kefira fall into that category, anyway. In fact, they would be in a category below that."

"I suppose," Aeriella said, twirling her pink hair with her finger. "I'll have to get my attendants to do the searching. I don't have the time for it. Maybe they can set up some sort of competition."

"That's not a bad idea," her master said. "Even if you don't find anyone worthy through the effort, just witnessing such a spectacle might give you the motivation you're looking for. Witnessing the struggle of others might be what you need. You're quite sheltered up here in the palace."

"Alright, it's decided then," Aeriella said, standing up. She gave another deep bow. "I'll have my attendants form a competition for the mortals below while I check out some of the lesser nobility myself, and if all of that still proves fruitless, I'll go on a journey to meet with Reivyn and Kefira directly."

"Good, I'm glad you were able to set your mind at ease with a direction. Go with my blessing."

"Thank you, master."

Aeriella left her master's domain, her spirits lifted. Her master had always been like that. He didn't force her to do things his way. He listened to what she had to say and led her in a certain direction with conversation and simple suggestions. He was the most honorable elder in the empire and, thus, the greatest master one could find, but he wasn't the right fit to teach people directly.

Like he had said about Kefira, his specialty lay in Space/Time. It wasn't nearly as rare in the higher Regions as those in the lesser Regions assumed, though it was still very rare. Her master had lived for several thousand years at this point, and he had only met one other person with the Space/Time Affinity in all those years, and that person had been his master.

He had a lot of apprentices to whom he taught Space and Time individually to, but they weren't the scions of the empire. They were the teachers of the scions. He only accepted a few direct disciples, Aeriella being one. He used his connections and status to help her grow more than his own abilities.

That wasn't to say that he didn't give her teachings directly from time to time. Those lessons were more on how to live as a person, though, and not focused on the intricacies of Magic. His Level was so far above Aeriella's that it didn't make sense for him to teach her yet. He would let his apprentices do so until she reached a point where they couldn't anymore.

Aeriella had a pep in her step that had been missing after her Swords training session. She was done with her physical training for the day, so she simply went for a walk within the palace grounds. Eventually, she stumbled across a gathering of other young nobles in a garden.

She walked up with a smile on her face, and all of the other nobles gave her a quick bow at her approach. Each of the young nobles had a "6" tattooed on their hands. The style and placement of the marks were indicative of one's status in the empire.

The Imperial Family had a bold tattoo on their necks. Relatives of the imperial family had the marks on the backs of both of their hands. Dukes and Marquises had the mark on their right hands, and Counts and Barons had the marks on their left hands. Commoners had the brand mark on their foreheads like everyone from the Tier 5 Regions and below. Even the monarchs of a Tier 5 Region had a brand mark on the forehead, though they were in the habit of outlining it in ink to set them apart from their subjects.

"What's everybody doing?" Aeriella asked in a pleasant tone.

She could see the nervousness on the faces of several of the nobles, and she immediately dismissed them from her mind. If they were too caught up in such things, they weren't worthy of her. She had approached them, after all, and that should have been enough to put them at ease. She wasn't bloodthirsty in the sense that she would wantonly destroy the lives of the young nobles for some perceived slight.

"Replying to the Princess, we were simply relaxing while watching the flowers," one of the young men said. He met her gaze, and his own didn't waver.

Her estimation of the young man went up a slight notch, though she still didn't have any idea who he was.

"What's so special about the flowers you were watching?" Aeriella asked.

"Oh, these ones only bloom once a year," a young lady piped up. "We don't have the status to stroll through the more restricted gardens, so this is the rarest spectacle we can see, and it just so happens to be the time for them to bloom.

"I see," Aeriella replied. She wasn't that interested in the subject.

"Does the Princess care to join us?" The first young man asked. He stepped back to make way for Aeriella to enter their circle if she so chose. "There are things one can learn from observing nature. Even though these gardens aren't the most valuable, there is still beauty to behold. Everything has its time and place."

"'Everything has its time and place,'" Aeriella parroted.

A thought struck her at the young man's words.

I've been so caught up in forcing the issue with my Swords training that I've lost the drive to work on it, she thought. There's a time and place for it, though, and I should let nature take its course. This young man has given me some unexpected wisdom.

"What's your name?" Aeriella focused her entire attention on the young man.

He wasn't particularly handsome, in Aeriella's opinion, but her opinion was colored by her impression of Reivyn. The young man was around the same age as her love, but he was much shorter. He had short-cropped black hair, and his face had no stubble to speak of. She liked a more rugged look on her man, but she wasn't romantically interested in the scion standing before her.

"Replying to the Princess, this one's name is Sukai," the teenager responded.

"What's your Swords Skill?"

"Replying to the Princess, this one's Swords Skill is 61."

"How old are you?"

"Replying..."

"Hey, stop it," Aeriella interrupted him. "Just speak naturally. I'm the one that came to you."

"Is that... is that alright?" Sukai hesitated for the first time.

Aeriella rolled her eyes.

"I'm saying it is," she said. "If it makes you feel better, you can use formal speech when any of my siblings or higher-ranked nobles are around, but when it's just us, you can speak informally."

"Uh..." Sukai glanced around at the throng of other youngsters standing around. They were very clearly not "just us" at the moment.

"Don't worry about them," Aeriella dismissed all the other young nobles. "None of them had the balls to speak up when I came to you... Well, except for that young lady," Aeriella nodded her head to the girl that had mentioned the flowers blooming. "She's alright, I guess. None of the others are worth your time, though."

Aeriella nearly laughed at the look of conflict on the young man's face. He was obviously friends with the lot of them, and Aeriella had just said none of them were of any importance. That might be true in her world, but he was their peer. Aeriella wasn't aiming to alienate him from his friends; she was just trying to tweak his mindset for what she had planned.

"Anyway, your age?" Aeriella prompted him.

"Oh, right. I'm seventeen," Sukai answered.

"Excellent!" Aeriella clapped her hands. "We're the same age. It's decided then. You'll follow me after we watch the flowers bloom, and I'll teach you Swordsmanship. That other girl, what's your name?" Aeriella turned to the other young lady.

"Macy, Your Highness," she answered.

"That other girl, Macy, can come with us."

"Umm, I don't use the Sword, Your Highness," Macy hesitantly said.

"What did I say?" Aeriella leveled a glare at the young lady.

"That I could go with you?" She asked more than answered.

"Then that's that. The two of you will follow me from now on."

"Yes, Your Highness," Sukai and Macy both responded with a bow.

He has the backbone necessary, and his Skill Level is higher than his contemporaries, though still quite weak, Aeriella thought. I shouldn't cancel my plans of having my servants host a competition in the capital down below just because I happened to immediately stumble across someone who might be worthy of my time. Maybe teaching more than one could give some added benefit?

She hadn't necessarily approached the group of youngsters to fulfill her goal right away. She had approached them on a whim because she had just been happy. That being said, when she was focused on a goal, she could and would go after it with all her might.

Aeriella stood around without entering the center of the circle of friends. She hung back a bit, closer to Sukai than any of the others, but she didn't engage in conversation. After a few minutes, the others seemed to forget about her presence and began to talk amongst themselves again.

They didn't have to wait long for the flowers in question to bloom. It was preceded by an accumulation of Mana in the already dense atmosphere. A light surrounded the bulbs, and they slowly unfurled to reveal a rainbow of colors. They were all the same species of flower, but none of them were alike. Some were deep shades of a single color. Some had a smattering of different colors at random. Some had the entire range of the rainbow.

Thick, fat bees seemed to materialize out of nowhere, having sensed the new flowering buds. They flitted from flower to flower, pollinating the plants and feeding on the Mana-dense nectar. Aeriella watched the spectacle with an air of indifference, but even she was pleased with the beautiful sight. She just wouldn't show it on her face.

She let her new followers spend some more time with their friends, extolling the virtues of the flowers. When the conversation deviated from the topic, Aeriella finally interrupted the group.

"Is that all, then?" She asked.

Sukai, Macy, and the others paused their conversation and looked back to the forgotten Princess.

"Yes, Your Highness," Sukai answered.

"Good, then let's be off. We have much more fun things to do than watch some plants and insects."

She strode off toward her own quarters. She didn't glance back to make sure they followed her instructions. She had already been more than accommodating in waiting for them, and they wouldn't dare to not listen to her.

We'll see how this goes, Aeriella thought. I doubt he'll make a decent stand-in for Reivyn, but it should be better than the sword-slaves. I might have to make that trip to their empire regardless of whether or not I find what I'm looking for.