[TWS] Chapter 327 – Trinkets and Vestiges (Patreon)

“So there you were, Camille.”

The young maid turned around as Silvia entered the master bedroom of their castle in Glimmervale.

“Princess.” She showed a gentle smile and curtsied politely, hiding the dusting brush she’d just been using behind her back. “How may I help you?”

Silvia shook her head faintly with a similarly soft expression. “We’ve already talked about it, Camille. You don’t need to bring up those formalities when we are alone. And especially not here, far away from the royal palace.”

“It’s still important to uphold the proper etiquette. One day I might get too complacent and forget myself somewhere amidst an important meeting,” Camille replied, walking up to her. “But I’ll try, Silvia.”

The two girls shared a brief hug and the princess stepped away, glancing around a little. “What are you even doing here? This place is spotless. Don’t tell me you are still trying to compete with Yumi.”

Her personal maid let out a quiet chuckle. “That’s already a thing of the past, of course. No, we have come to a more efficient agreement. There are still times when we check each other’s work, but we try to cooperate as much as we can now. She handles Lord Asterios and some of his women, while I mostly focus on you and the rest of them, like Tina or Bryn.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Though, I hope you aren’t using that arrangement as an excuse to avoid Asterios. I rarely see you around when we are walking together, save for the dining hours.” Silvia squinted at her a bit.

A slightly wry smile painted Camille’s lips before she made a light bow. “I promise I’m not intentionally avoiding anyone. Also, I would like to apologize for being so offensive in the past. I understood that I might have been taking things a little too far and corrected my ways. I can promise that it’s just a coincidence that the two of us rarely run into each other. You may ask Yumi about it.”

“It’s alright.” Silvia placed a hand on her shoulder. “All that matters is the fact that you are no longer mistaken about his intentions. I’m really glad to see the misunderstanding cleared up. Asterios told me that you explained everything to each other properly but he was worried that he might have come out as a bit too intense.”

“We… talked it out…” Camille giggled awkwardly. “But enough about me. You’ve been clearly looking for my person so here I am. Is there anything you’d like me to prepare?”

Turning away, Silvia sighed quietly. “I don’t know what to get him.”

“Pardon?”

“For his birthday,” she continued, glancing at the young maid over her shoulder. “We’ve received so many incredible gifts recently that I have a hard time figuring out something meaningful. Equipment, gear, weapons, trinkets, everything has been taken care of. Other girls already found their gifts, I think, but I’m still lacking any interesting ideas. I was hoping you could offer me some advice since you’ve been observing him a lot in the past and have grown at least a tiny bit closer to him since then.”

“I don’t know if we’ve grown that close…” Camille looked away timidly. “But I’m sure you are just overthinking it, Silvia, as you often do. Remember the last time your father celebrated his birthday? We’ve barely made it in time because you kept changing your mind about that cloak. We almost didn’t give it to him. And what was his reaction? He still wears it everywhere where his attire isn’t required to consist of something very specific.”

A warm chuckle escaped Silvia’s lips as she met her precious maid’s gaze and came close enough to hold her hands. “That was your idea. So, please, aid me once more. And don’t say just get him a cape or a cloak because all men love them and he won’t notice. He can make one himself whenever we ask.”

“Fine. If you don’t want to make it easy for yourself, we can do hard too.” The other girl snorted to the side. “Not every gift has to be something extremely useful and you know it. He already received many gifts from you and your father in the past year. There’s no need to match the lavish present that was Glimmervale itself or his personal treasury will soon start overshadowing even the king’s. Just go with something symbolic. Something that brings up some good memories, reflects on the progress you made, the time you shared. It will be hard for me to find something like that since it’s a very personal category of presents, but also one that finds the most success.”

“Something symbolic for us…” Silvia furrowed her brows, stroking her chin ponderingly. “Something… reflective…”

“Did you figure something out?” Camille smiled at her as the princess’ eyes widened briefly.

“I think I did. Thank you, Camille. You’ve been a great help, as always. I’ll need to pay a visit to the royal castle for a moment to see if it’s still there. Would you like to go too? Visit some of your friends while we are there?” Silvia gave her a quick hug once more and asked.

“It’s alright. Just go and grab it while I return to my duties. Yumi will be waiting for me to help her with something soon. If I’m not mistaken, it’s also linked with the upcoming celebration. I promised to assist her and it would be rude to back out now,” the maid answered.

“I’ll see you later, then. Don’t overwork yourself too much. Asterios won’t be angry if you take a moment to relax a little. The two of you have been doing an amazing job so far. You deserve it.”

Exchanging nods with Camille, Silvia stepped back and deep shadows soon enveloped her figure from bottom to top. With one last wave, she disappeared into floor. Finding herself at her destination, she took one glance at the dresser on the side, flushed a tiny bit, and hastily ran out of her bedroom with a specific direction in mind. The castle servants escaped to the sides after noticing their princess hurriedly heading somewhere.

Reaching the correct pair of ornate doors, she pushed them both in. “Father!”

Welrond jumped a little behind his desk and quickly shuffled through some of the documents he’d been looking at, placing his joined palms over them with a strained smile. “Yes? What is the hurry?”

“I need access to the royal vaults. Would you mind if I took a peek at some of the collections in the northeastern wing?” Silvia asked, stopping in front of him.

The king leaned forward, placing his elbows on the papers too, keeping his gaze firmly locked on her face as the wide smile didn’t falter from his lips. “Of course not. Just don’t forget to let the treasurer know if you decide to take something out, either temporarily or permanently. You know how much the old man hates finding errors in his records. We don’t want him to close the treasury for another ten days just so he can make a complete inventory of it. But, what do you need it for?”

“It’s Ast’s birthday soon. I’m sure you know.” She raised a curious brow at him.

“Ah. Right. It’s almost the time of the meeting…” he muttered under his nose while looking at the calendar hanging off the nearby cupboard.

“Meeting?” Silvia frowned lightly.

“Nothing, nothing.” Her father waved her away. “Feel free to do as you please. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I was just about to head out. There are some important matters I need to take care of. Let me know how your search goes later.”

He collected all the documents in a flash, brought them up to his chest, and stood up. Shooting a last, somewhat awkward smile at her, he walked out of the room through the main entrance. Silvia couldn’t help but smirk in amusement. The bits of a few sketches she’d caught the sight of amongst the stack of papers he was holding looked quite familiar. She wondered if those important matters didn’t accidentally involve the royal artist. A new painting might be joining the king’s personal gallery soon.

Getting rid of any unnecessary thoughts, Silvia sped towards the treasury next. She had to slow down while passing through the guards and various magical arrays protecting the valuable rooms or she risked unnecessarily scaring her people with an accidental triggering of something quite loud and deadly. Though, perhaps not as deadly for her now.

Finally reaching the massive main gate of the artifact vaults, she took a turn to head for the treasurer’s office. Unfortunately, the old man wasn’t at his post. But, considering how obsessed he was with the artifacts under his care, she could guess where he was at the moment. Without further ado, she completed the last steps in opening the gate and stepped into a massive gallery with multiple hallways leading out of it. Numerous display cases, stands, pedestals, racks, and decorative containers filled the impressive chamber.

Since she had no idea where to start looking for the thing she had in mind, she decided that the treasurer was her only hope. The man had definitely memorized every single foot of these vaults. She recalled all the stories she’d heard from him as a young girl and attempted to figure out his most likely location. Picking a few off the top of her list, she jogged east.

It took a while but she managed to spot the ancient-looking man amongst the section with books and grimoires. He was so engrossed in caring for them that it proved to be a real challenge to pull him out of his cleaning trance. The only thing that worked was literally stealing the tome he was focusing on from right in front of his nose, as bad as it made Silvia feel.

“Princess? Such an unexpected encounter. I apologize if perhaps this little old me ignored your polite calls.” The silver-haired old man chuckled deeply. “How may I be of assistance to you? Is there anything in particular that has caught your attention, mayhaps?”

“The Mirror of Callandra,” she stated right away. “Do we still have it?”

An excited spark glinted in his aging eyes, bringing some of the lost life back into them. “Yes, yes we do. How could we not? It was the favorite artifact of… the queen. I would rather give up my life than give up that precious thing to anyone other than you or your father.”

“You would do that for every single item here.” Silvia smiled at him with warmth and respect. “May I see it?”

“After me, please.” He bowed low and began leading the way. “Are you planning on admiring it and its precious memories for a moment, Your Highness, or will you be taking it with you?”

“I won’t lie to you, it is meant to be a gift for my beloved,” she admitted openly. “Do you perhaps know if its ability works with… partially shattered surfaces?”

“That would depend on the level of damage,” the man replied, humming to himself. “It definitely won’t work with something that’s in a thousand pieces. But, it should still function properly when it’s just a crack or two, which might or might not affect the end result. In the end, the perspective is shifted to that of the targeted source.”

“That’s more than enough. And perhaps, even better.” A satisfied smile began surfacing on Silvia’s face as her fair cheeks reddened a tiny bit. “Now, let’s just hope that no one disposed of the one I requested the maids to save.”

※ ※ ※

Loud whirring noise filled the circular chamber as heavy machinery moved and twisted somewhere deep in the walls. Bryn stood in front of a glass panel and watched as multiple streams of steam and colorful mist were shot right at the person in the middle of the short hallway. They wore full-body armor in which pieces were connected neatly to each other with elastic material, leaving not a single point of bare skin visible and unprotected. A helmet with a separate mask also joined together by the same white fabric decorated their head.

After about five more minutes of them standing still with their arms stretched to the sides and legs spread wide, the various jets of enchanted gas finally stopped. Another array came to life with a light blue glow and the fumes spun in a big cyclone before being sucked away to somewhere. The person inside the sealed passage pulled a lever next to them and the gate by Bryn’s side opened.

The armored valkyrja stepped into the small chamber and stopped in front of her. With a few precise movements, she unclasped the top part of the helmet, followed by the tightly fitting face mask, revealing a beautiful woman wearing a delicate, slightly melancholic smile.

“Is it time for my seeing already? How the time flies.” Rota swiped a bundle of her hair behind her ear, uncovering more of her sweat-ridden face. “I would give you a hug, but this armored suit isn’t exactly the most comfortable thing known to our people.”

Bryn laughed a little. “It’s that or the risk of a painful and slow death through an incurable disease so you better not think about ever abandoning it. I know it’s tough, but please, it’s for your own safety. Thank you for your hard work.”

“I don’t think it’s as incurable now.” The other winged lady smirked. “The Descending Spire and its miraculous treatment chamber are back in our hands. A little bit of spiritual poisoning shouldn’t be a problem anymore. How regretful I am for missing out on such a grand battle and event in the history of our race. But, I can’t blame anyone other than myself for that.”

“The healing formation has much more serious cases to work on than some lazy core sweepers who can’t be bothered to wear their protective armor while taking care of their duties.” Bryn shook her head with a soft smile. “Think of it this way, after your sentence is finished, you will be able to experience the Spire and its close vicinity at its best. The renovations will be complete, everything will be fixed and clean, and the sight of the activated Tyr’s Aegis over the bustling city will be unforgettable.”

“Perhaps you are right.” Rota smiled back. “But, right now, the most unforgettable thing is the pain of my wings being crushed by this horrible armor you are so resolute to have me wear. Let’s maybe get me out of it before I lose my mind, please?”

They chuckled together and Bryn accompanied her friend to one of the nearby lockers. She gave Rota a hand at removing all the armored and material pieces connected together. It took a moment as the entire thing came off her like one single piece she had to somehow step out of, but Rota’s wings were soon free and she unfurled them wide, taking a deep breath of relief.

Bryn grazed her feathers with her fingers while admiring Rota’s fully nude figure. “At least your duties will keep you in shape. You’ve been neglecting yourself after taking a seat in the Council. Most Valkyrs prefer their Valkyries slim and thin. Your chances of finding a mate will drop if you let yourself gain any more weight.”

“And look who’s talking. No matter how much weight I gain, I will never come close to the one you carry on your chest.” Her friend snorted, crossing her arms over her petite frame and cocking her slender hip to the side. “If the Valkyrie with the biggest pair of tits on Tyr managed to find someone, there’s always hope for me.”

A deep, rosy blush instantly blossomed on Bryn’s ladylike cheeks.

“Care to join me in the bath? I’m so sticky you would need the help of that man of yours to peel me off you if I stepped any closer,” Rota continued. “We can talk about your problem while I wash myself. And yes, I can tell. Your forehead makes that adorable crease whenever you are troubled by something. You haven’t come just to visit your criminal friend.”

Answering with a simple nod, Bryn also disrobed, shoving her armor and clothing into the spatial storage in her artifact tiara. Rota looked at her a bit weirdly as the two of them headed for the bathing chambers but she decided to keep the magical circlet with the sunny gem on. She really liked wearing it.

She assisted her friend in wiping the other Valkyrie’s body with a soaped cloth while Rota cared for her own hair. After she was thoroughly cleaned up, they rinsed themselves under a chilly waterfall and jumped into the hot pool, soaking in the pleasant warmth up to their chests. Rota took a peek at Bryn as her well-endowed friend kept pouring more water onto her sizable peaks with a thoughtful expression.

“He really does love them, doesn’t he?” she asked.

“Huh? Oh, yes. He certainly does.” Bryn gained a rosy flush after realizing what she was talking about. “It’s hard to believe but I’ve been proven that multiple times already. He really thinks my big breasts suit me. He shows them so much affection each time we make love. Men are so much different from our Valkyrs. In a good way.”

“That must be nice. I would love to meet a kind man too. My breasts have been getting bigger recently.” Rota sighed heavily. “But, enough about silly dreams. What’s troubling you?”

“It’s the day of his birth soon,” Bryn answered.

“Ah. Understandable.” Rota nodded. “Still no gift?”

The golden-haired Valkyrie shook her head. “I tried many things, but none of them felt good enough. I asked other women about a present for a man, but they advised me to just think of him as our Valkyr and pick something with that in mind. I tried to think of the similarities between them, but the thing is, I don’t think they even wear bras, or decorative underwear with bejeweled guards for their genitals, or such. It’s been really hard. I don’t want to accidentally pick up something weird from his realm since I’m too inexperienced in it.”

“Oof. Sounds tough, for sure. That underwear would have been my top pick, most likely. It’s all the boom amongst the most beautiful Valkyrs.” Rota tapped her lips. “Is that all they are similar in, though? I get that he is practically a super flat Valkyr, but isn’t there more?”

“Like what?” Bryn glanced at her.

“What about his wings?” she offered. “I mean, they do look a bit… unusual… but they still work on the same principle, no? I haven’t seen any men with wings other than him, but if he has them, then…”

“He could use that…” Bryn’s brows rose in realization. “And I’ve seen him use that. Well, not exactly, but even if it was a spiritual construct made of my mana, it was still the same.”

“And there you go.” Rota patted her on the thigh under the water. “Go for it and don’t second guess yourself. It’s never worth it.”

“I won’t.” Bryn quickly stood up. “Thank you so much, Rota. I have an idea now. I can’t pick just any for him. I might need to talk with Supervisor Sidr again. This is where I’ll need to leave you. Thanks again. And who knows? When your sentence ends, that dream of yours might not remain so silly anymore. Master is working on something great right now.”

With a bright smile, Bryn nodded at her friend and asked Umbra for assistance. Deep shadows swallowed her soon enough and she plunged into the ground.

Rota shook her head with an amused chuckle. “What love can do to a valkyrja. It’s good that she didn’t leave her clothes in the locker room.”

Less than a minute later, Bryn resurfaced in the very center of Odin. A few gasps and giggles caught her attention and she flushed completely crimson after realizing that she’d forgotten to first dress up and popped in the middle of the city buck naked. Covering herself with her wings, she resummoned her usual attire and soared into the sky, heading for the crystal tower.

Thankfully, it seemed that the Council of Supervisors was present in its usual residing place. They weren’t holding any important meetings so Bryn managed to easily request a personal audience with Sidr. A moment later, she walked into the woman’s office with a hasty step.

“Bryn. Welcome. Did you come to check on the progress we made with the Spire?” Sidr asked with a tender smile.

“Not this time, Supervisor. I have a request,” Bryn answered.

“Oh? I’m listening, then.” The other valkyrja rested her chin atop her joined hands.

“You said previously that you would love to repay me for everything we had done back then but I didn’t know what to ask for so I politely declined. Is that offer still available?” Bryn asked.

“It would never expire. You are our heroes. Just say a word and we will do whatever we can to aid you.” Sidr made a respectful nod.

“Alright. Then, I need something from you.” Bryn took a deep breath before continuing. “Please, allow me to take the Wings of Hope.”

Sidr’s eyes widened instantly. “That’s… unexpected. And a bit difficult.”

“Do you still have them?” Some hints of worry plagued Bryn’s face.

“We do,” the supervisor confirmed. “Do you know their meaning?”

“I do.” Bryn nodded, then winced slightly. “It’s impossible, isn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t say impossible…” Sidr kept her gaze locked with Bryn for a few long seconds, then sighed softly. “You would have to promise me one thing if I were to let you take them.”

“Anything.” Bryn straightened up.

“You need to become the next Sky Queen before anyone notices that they are gone,” the supervisor stated. “And that means before the next Grand Summit, which happens to take place in about a year.”

Bryn swallowed hard. “So be it. Looks like it’s something I can’t escape, so I might as well take care of it early.”

Sidr showed a wide smile at her response. “Very well. Your determination is very admirable. You will make a great Sky Queen one day. But for now, follow me.”