A Journey Unwanted

[Realm: Álfheimr]

[Location: Heart Kingdom]

[Pulchritudo]

("Things are going as planned so far.")

The thought passed through Goiim’s mind as she made her way along the expansive streets of Pulchritudo.

The city was busy even at this hour.

People moved in every direction around her, some walking in small groups while others hurried along somewhere specific to be. Carriages rolled steadily through the streets alongside self-moving vehicles, their passage accompanied by the occasional sound of machinery and the conversations of pedestrians.

Goiim paid little attention to any of it.

The bustle of the city was simply background noise.

She remained on the sidewalk, moving at a slow pace, her expression as impassive as ever. The crowds parted around her naturally enough, though not always because they were consciously giving her space.

Some looked at her; some looked a little too long.

Others allowed their eyes to linger in ways that made their intentions obvious.

Goiim noticed; she always noticed. Her expression shifted by the smallest degree. It wasn’t enough to be called anger, nor did it approach genuine irritation. It was simply a minute tightening around her eyes, a small dissatisfaction that appeared and disappeared almost as quickly as it came.

She wasn’t normally someone who became easily annoyed. There were simply certain things that managed to get through even her considerable patience.

She shook her head slightly.

The movement caused her tied hair to sway against her back before settling again.

Her expression returned to its usual neutrality.

("This feeling isn’t going away...") Her thoughts returned to the sensation that had been lingering in the back of her mind. ("Is it unease? Unease about the plan?")

She turned a corner without breaking stride; the thought continued to bother her.

("It is a risky plan. That much is undeniable.") Her eyes remained forward. ("But I’ve accounted for most of the variables.") That should have been enough; she had considered the people involved. She had considered the obstacles and what might happen if certain elements deviated from the expected course.

Yet the feeling remained, Goiim’s brow furrowed. She couldn’t quite put it into words; it wasn’t fear, nor was it ordinary suspicion. It was simply the persistent sense that something about the situation was not sitting correctly.

("Am I being watched...?")

She considered the possibility.

For several seconds, she allowed herself to examine the idea. Her eyes moved across the street. There was nothing obvious, no one following at ground level and no suspicious figure standing still while everyone else moved. She does not spot a repeated face appearing in the crowd or footsteps consistently matching her own either.

("No.") She dismissed it. ("I may not be the best at covert operations, but I’m hardly incapable of recognising when someone is watching me.") Her pace remained unchanged. ("If someone were actually following me this closely, I’d have noticed something by now.")

The possibility seemed unlikely; she continued walking.

But above her, on a comparatively short building that appeared to function as some kind of manufacturing store, someone had been watching her for several minutes.

Robert remained crouched near the edge of the rooftop; he took another slow breath, then another. His breathing was heavier than he would have liked. His body remained low, one knee against the roof while one hand supported him against the surface. His emerald eyes stayed trained on Goiim below, though his vision had briefly begun to blur around the edges.

He blinked, waited and then steadied his breathing.

("The fairies’ Phase Shift ability truly wasn’t made for humans.")

The thought came with a degree of frustration.

Robert drew another deep breath through his nose; his lungs expanded as he held it, then slowly he released it.

The strain was still there.

Phase Shift was, by its nature, an ability far better suited to fairies than humans. The technique involved moving through dimensions without requiring the body itself to physically transform to accommodate the transition.

For fairies, that was considerably less troublesome.

Higher-dimensional movement could normally be achieved through ascending into those dimensions, and fairies possessed bodies naturally capable of withstanding the transition. Their physiology allowed them to exist through the process without suffering the same degree of strain.

Humans were not built for it; Robert knew that firsthand.

For a human to reliably utilize Phase Shift, the process had to be approached from the opposite direction. Rather than ascending from the third dimension into a higher one, the user had to descend. From the third dimension into the second.

That was where the real problem began.

A human body could not properly be contained within the lower-dimensional space. The result was an incompatibility between the body and the dimension it was being forced into. The body resisted; the dimension resisted. And somewhere between the two, something had to give.

That was where the tear formed.

A forced rupture through which the third-dimensional body could temporarily pass. It was neither natural nor comfortable, and every time Robert used it, he could feel that fact.

("That’s why I can only use it in short bursts.") His fingers tightened on the rooftop. ("Anything longer and my body starts fighting the transition.")

Robert’s breathing gradually settled; he looked down again.

Goiim was still walking and unaware, or at least she appeared unaware; that distinction was rather important to him.

Robert had learnt long ago that appearances could be dangerous.

Especially when dealing with someone like her.

He slowly shifted his weight; despite the strain, there was still one advantage. He was a thief, sneaking around buildings, avoiding attention and moving through places he wasn’t supposed to be in – that wasn’t exactly unfamiliar territory.

Phase Shift might have been poorly suited to his species, but the rest of his skill set certainly wasn’t.

("Still, Shuten-dōji was right to have me tail her.") His eyes narrowed slightly. ("This Goiim woman is suspicious no matter how you look at her.")

There was something about her; Robert couldn’t quite explain it. She didn’t behave like someone who was simply involved in their affairs by coincidence. Too much seemed to be happening around her, and too many pieces seemed to move in directions that benefited her.

And she had been far too willing to involve herself with Echidna, Mikoto, and everyone else.

Robert didn’t trust it.

He carefully rose; his knees protested somewhat. He ignored it; moving towards the edge of the building, he lowered his centre of gravity.

Goiim was beginning to move farther ahead; Robert couldn’t afford to lose her. He took one quick step, then another. His body launched forward; for a brief moment, he was airborne. His hand caught the edge of the neighbouring building. His body swung beneath it as he pulled himself upward and landed in a low crouch.

He immediately continued.

The distance between the buildings wasn’t large, but the constant movement still required concentration. Another short leap was followed by another landing.

Robert kept Goiim in sight through gaps between rooftops and structures, always careful to remain far enough away that even a sharp observer would have difficulty identifying him.

("I really would rather not be taking risks like this.") He glanced briefly at his hands. ("But I suppose I should earn my keep around here.") There was small bitterness in the thought. ("Mikoto still rescued me from that fortress because Gretel asked him to.") His expression shifted. ("I don’t like owing people.")

He moved again and landed silently and immediately lowered himself.

Below, Goiim continued walking.

Robert watched her for several seconds, then his gaze hardened. Whatever this woman was planning, he intended to find out.

With Goiim, the young woman eventually turned into one of the storefronts lining the crowded street. Robert watched her disappear through the entrance and immediately narrowed his eyes.

The place itself looked familiar.

He remembered the strange establishment where Mikoto had spent an unreasonable amount of time devouring sweets, and from what little he could see through the glass, this place possessed much the same sort of layout. Tables were arranged throughout the interior, people sat and spoke over meals and drinks, and the atmosphere was far more subdued than the streets outside.

Robert frowned.

If Goiim had simply entered a café or some ordinary store, there would have been little reason to care. But by now he had learned that with Goiim, ordinary explanations were rarely worth trusting.

He shifted his weight; the building beneath him offered only a narrow ledge, barely wide enough for his boots. He looked down toward the street, judging the distance before lowering himself over the side.

One hand caught the edge; slowly, he began descending. One foot searched for another section of masonry; his hand moved lower, then his body followed. He kept himself close to the wall, minimizing the chance of being noticed by anyone looking upward.

Once he reached the lower section of the building, he released his grip. His boots touched the ground with barely a sound; he had landed in a narrow alley. Robert straightened, briefly checking both directions before stepping out.

The crowd swallowed him almost immediately.

That was one of the advantages of Pulchritudo. There were enough people moving through the streets that a person could disappear without having to do much more than look like they belonged there. Robert lowered his posture slightly, allowed the flow of pedestrians to carry him forward, and avoided making eye contact with anyone who might remember his face.

He eventually reached the storefront Goiim had entered.

Robert stopped beside the wall.

From the outside, the windows provided only a partial view of the interior, but it was enough. He leaned against the wall as casually as he could manage and angled his head toward the glass.

Inside, Goiim was already approaching a table occupied by another woman.

Robert’s attention sharpened.

The woman was difficult to overlook.

Her hair was predominantly black, but vivid streaks of electric blue ran through it, framing her face and falling over her shoulders. Long bangs crossed her forehead and partially obscured her eyes, though Robert could still see enough of them to notice their brightness. Her eyes seemed almost unnaturally vivid.

Her eyebrows were sharply arched, giving her an expression of constant displeasure. Dark lipstick emphasized the shape of her lips. Her clothing looked old-fashioned compared with much of what Robert had seen elsewhere in Pulchritudo.

A high black neckline framed the upper portion of the outfit, leading into a white pleated garment that resembled a dress. Over it sat a dark-blue sleeveless vest extending down toward her chest, its front secured by two blue fabric closures. The shoulders of the white garment were puffed, each side decorated with a small blue bow.

Robert stared for several seconds; he did not recognize her.

He shifted closer to the window, careful not to put his face directly against the glass.

Then he strained his ears.

The noise of the city made listening difficult. Voices from the street mixed with the sounds coming from inside the establishment, dishes clinking, chairs shifting, and conversations overlapping one another.

Robert adjusted his position as he watched their mouths. It was an old trick, one he had relied on before when listening from a distance was impossible. He did not need to hear every word if he could piece together enough from their movements.

The seated woman spoke first.

"Tch. Took your sweet ass time showing up."

Her irritation was obvious even from outside.

She leaned forward slightly, staring directly at Goiim as the young woman took the seat opposite her.

Goiim, naturally, looked almost entirely unaffected.

"You’re Morgan’s Lieutenant, Elena, right?" Goiim asked, her tone not changing. "I was under the impression her Legatus would be the one meeting me."

The woman—Elena—gave an annoyed scoff.

"I am her Legatus now," she replied. "The former old shitstain couldn’t cut it, so he was replaced. You should be grateful you’re dealing with me instead. I’m far better anyway."

Goiim’s expression did not change.

"Hm." That single sound seemed to acknowledge the answer without giving Elena anything else to work with. "Did you bring it?"

Elena’s expression shifted slightly.

"It ain’t here."

Goiim remained still.

Elena continued before the silence could settle.

"Not because I can’t get it to you. I can bring it whenever I need to with my Null Schema. Morgan spent a lot of time with this thing, though, so she didn’t want it going to waste." Her blue eyes narrowed. "Everyone knows how loose-minded you can be."

Goiim gave a small shrug.

"It’s for a good cause."

The response was so casual that Robert found himself staring harder.

Goiim continued.

"Snow was lamenting over what a danger this Angel was. If she is so concerned about him, then perhaps the concern is justified." She paused, her expression remaining unreadable. "But what of our Lady Ereš? What are her thoughts on all of this?"

Elena’s expression became somewhat flatter.

"She said to do as you please." Goiim waited as Elena leaned back slightly. "But she probably thinks it’s a shitty plan."

Even from outside, Robert could almost feel the bluntness of the statement.

Elena continued before Goiim could respond.

"She also said not to worry too much about recovering the artifact. We’ve already sent some of our people into the other realm to find that Ancestor. If we can find her, we should be able to replicate her unique magic." Her mouth twisted slightly. "Of course, sending people across a whole ass universe is a real pain in the ass."

Goiim made a quiet sound.

"Mh."

That was all; she simply absorbed the information as though Elena had told her something mundane.

Robert remained frozen outside the window.

His eyes moved between the two women. He had initially followed Goiim because Shuten-dōji had considered her suspicious. Now he was beginning to understand just how justified that suspicion might have been.

Whatever Goiim was involved in, it went considerably deeper than he had expected.

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