Tale of Discovery

Chapter 191: Nephthys ; Gate

"Tiffa?" I say upon entering Tiffania's bedroom.

Getting no response, I look around the room, only to find Tiffa immersed in the Grimoire of Loss which is shining in a greenish light.

Walking over to her side, I pat Tiffa on the back and say,

"Tiffa, I'm here."

As if she just noticed my arrival, Tiffa breaks her sight away from the Grimoire of Loss to directly look at me before saying,

"Come, take a look at what's inside the Grimoire."

Hearing her, I'm about to tell her about my inability to read this world's writing, but the words get caught up in my throat as I take a glance at the page she has opened.

Surprisingly, instead of words and runes, there is only a picture that seems to be moving.

Taking a closer look at the content of the page she's on, I realize that the picture is that of an oasis surrounded by several houses.

"This is" I say while pointing at the book.

"The Holy Land," Tiffa says.

Huh? This was what the Reconquista aimed to conquer? An oasis? Shouldn't it be relatively easy to do so even without the support of other kingdoms?

As if reading my thoughts, Tiffa explains,

"The Holy Land is the term used over here to refer to the elves' homeland."

"Elves?"

"Yes. Most elves live there due to the safety provided by their location as well as the 'Great Purpose'."

"I get the first part regarding the location, but what's this 'Great Purpose' that you speak of?"

"Um" Tiffa hesitates as her eyes wander for a few seconds before she ultimately lets out a sigh and says, "It's what they refer to when speaking of their object of worship."

"Which is?" I ask with an intrigued expression.

Tiffa then begins to explain to me what the Great Purpose is and what significance it holds to the elves.

Basically, the elves believe that the whole planet is one giant living being whom they're tasked to protect at all costs.

They refer to this being as the Great Purpose for reasons Tiffa is unaware of.

Nevertheless, it was a little startling for Tiffa to know so much about elven culture despite being a half-elf that lived far from them. As such, my curiosity got me to ask her about it.

It turned out that her mother told had told her most of what needed to be known about the elves, most likely in preparation for the day she would have to visit them.

"So, what's the name of this oasis?" I inquire.

"Nephthys," Tiffa responds.

"Why is the Grimoire of Loss showing Nephthys? Is there something that needs to be retrieved from there?"

"No," Tiffa replies, "According to the Grimoire, there is supposed to be a gate that will lead to the Lost Continent."

Lost Continent? What's that? Is it a continent that drifted away or something?"

When I asked her about it, she said,

"It's called the Lost Continent because-"

Before Tiffa can finish her explanation, the sound of the door opening reaches our ears, causing the two of us to look in the direction of the door.

There, we find Matilda, who has a tired expression on her face, walk over to the bed and let her body limply fall on top of it.

"Matilda?" I call out to her.

"Leave me alone, prince," she immediately responds while placing on the word 'prince'.

"Come on," I say while walking over to her, "For all you know, I could easily solve your problems."

This time, Matilda completely ignores me, so I approach her and place my palm on her back, startling her quite a bit, as she immediately turns around and hastily waves her hand in the air.

After the failed attempt at slapping my hand away, Matilda glares at me and asks,

"What do you want from me?"

"Nothing," I casually say, "I'm just trying to help you."

A glint of hesitation appears in Matilda's eyes as she glances over at Tiffa, only to find the busty half-elf nodding at her.

Letting out a sigh, Matilda lies down on her stomach and says in a carefree tone,

"Do what you want."

Surprising. I expected her to struggle much more before giving in. Is it because she believes I won't attempt to do anything excessive while Tiffa is present?

Anyway, I place my right on her back and my left hand on her head.

Then, before Matilda can comment on my actions, I begin utilizing Healing Factor.

Shortly, Matilda's body which was stiff for some reason relaxes as she lets out a sigh of relief and comfort.

As I continue to circulate my Holy Essence, I shift my sight over to Tiffa, only to find her focused on the Grimoire once again.

A small smile forms on my lips as I slowly begin to move my right hand toward Matilda's butt.

A few seconds later, Matilda notices that something is amiss as she glares at me from the corner of her eyes, but I ignore her and continue my not-so-innocent actions.

Just as I'm about to reach her cheeks, Tiffa's voice reaches my ears,

"I found something!"

As a response to her exclamation, I lift my hand off Matilda's body and look over at Tiffa who has a slightly excited look on her face.

"What did you find?" I say while ignoring Matilda who has gotten up and is now scowling at me.

"The gate," Tiffa explains, "It's underground."

"Underground? You mean it has been buried?" I ask.

"I don't know," she responds, "All it says here is that it's underground."

"I see. Good work, Tiffa."

---

The plan is a simple one. First, I will head over to Nephthys, then form a gateway connected to my castle so that Krul, Yuno, Siesta, and my angels can come over.

I will also be having Tiffa accompany me as well for numerous reasons, one of which is some guidance around the elves.

Naturally, if the elves dare to take any excessive action against us, we will respond in kind.

Our aim this time is to get to this 'gate' that leads to the Lost Continent and nothing else.

Hopefully, I will be able to find what I seek over there.

Anyway, I should probably these thoughts aside and enjoy watching over the city from where I am right now.

"Father," Irene who's the only one by my side says while looking into the distance, "Someone has been watching us ever since Father brought down Joseph de Gallia."

"Maliciously?"

"Negative. They're just watching and seemingly waiting for something."

"From where?"

"Unable to locate."

Hearing that, I squint my eyes and ask,

"Is it a Code that's not within your range?"

"Affirmative."

Immediately after hearing her response, I conclude that it's the Code that has been controlling vines to aid me.

If that's the case, then there is no problem, however, I feel uncomfortable knowing that something is keeping an eye on me at all times.

Well, if I ever get the chance to meet them, I will rebuke their voyeuristic nature.