After Rei and the others finished reporting to Sierokarte and receiving their payment, they decided to grab something to eat. Both Jessica and Aliza were pretty hungry after everything that had happened.
"Lyria, eat slowly! No one's going to take your food away from you!" Rei's voice rang out as Lyria stuffed her mouth with food.
"Bu-but I'm hungry! Absorbing a Primal Beast makes me hungry!" Lyria tried to say, but her mouth was so full that all Rei heard was gibberish.
"If you get too full from eating, I'll just give your pudding to Djeeta later~" Rei teased.
Lyria's eyes widened, and she quickly swallowed all the food in her mouth, putting down her fork and spoon.
"I'm done!" she declared, wiping her mouth clean.
Aliza and Jessica just stared at her, wondering why she had changed so drastically. Was the pudding Rei mentioned really that good?
"By the way, Aliza, what's your plan after this?" Rei suddenly asked.
"Huh? Well, at first, I was planning to return to the mansion where I was kidnapped from, but now I think it's better to go straight back to my hometown," Aliza replied.
"Your hometown? Where is that?" Lyria asked curiously.
"The country of steel, Valtz Duchy," Aliza answered.
"Valtz Duchy? That's pretty far from this island. How are you going to get there?" Jessica asked, raising an eyebrow.
Hearing this, Aliza turned to Rei. "You're a Skyfarer, right? Can I hire you to take me to that island?"
"I don't know about that. I'm not the captain, so you'll need to talk to our captain about your request," Rei explained.
"What!? You're not the captain?? After seeing your power and charisma, I thought you were the captain!" Jessica exclaimed, clearly surprised.
"No, our captain is someone else—her name's Djeeta. You'll get to meet her after this~" Lyria said cheerfully.
After the "small meal" (as Lyria called it) was done, the four of them started walking toward the Grandcypher.
It didn't take long for them to arrive at the spot where Djeeta had parked the airship.
"Woah, this airship is so big! I'm sure my family's airship is not even close to this size," Aliza said while admiring the Grandcypher.
"Not just big, but the inside is much wider than the outside. Even though there are so many rooms inside the Grandcypher, all of us are not even enough to fill all the rooms," Lyria said to her.
"That's interesting. Is that because of the power of a Primal Beast?" Jessica asked.
"Yeah, it's from Noa. His power makes the inside of the Grandcypher so much wider than the outside," Lyria explained.
Aliza and Jessica just nodded after hearing that. With the power of a Primal Beast, neither of them was surprised that Noa could do something simple like that.
And so, after getting inside the Grandcypher, the four of them walked to the main room where everyone usually hung out—whether for drinking together, eating together, or just chatting.
In Granblue Fantasy world, there aren't many forms of entertainment like TVs or phones. That's why the amusement park Rei created is so successful—it gives people something to enjoy besides going to Auguste Island.
"We're back, everyone!" Lyria said after seeing Djeeta, Katalina, and Vyrn sitting and talking to each other. But Lyria also noticed an Erune man she had never seen before.
"Welcome back, Lyria! Rei, did you manage to rescue the kidnapped people?" Katalina welcomed them, but then she realized there were two new people with them.
"We're back... and yeah, we already—" But before Rei could finish explaining what had happened, Stan interrupted them.
"Lady Aliza! You're finally back!" Stan immediately stood up as soon as he saw her. But as he approached her, intending to check for injuries when suddenly.
*Bam!*
Aliza kicked him in the stomach, sending him stumbling backward before he could touch her. "Stan, I already told you so many times to not call me that!"
"Lady Aliza!? You're a young lady?? Are you from a rich family, Aliza???" Lyria exclaimed, her interest immediately piqued.
"I see... That's why you were wearing that dress. Now I understand why it looked so expensive," Jessica added, nodding in realization.
Aliza looked furious. She didn't want people to find out she was from a prestigious family because their attitudes often changed once they learned about her background.
"Staaaannn!" Aliza clenched her fists and stepped closer to him.
"Ehkk! I'm sorry, Lady Aliz—I mean, Aliza!!"
"I've told you so many times to stop calling me that! But you just keep doing it every single time. Why won't you listen to me? We've known each other since childhood, but you just keep being so formal with me!!" Aliza began kicking him while he was on the ground.
The others just stared at the two of them, unsure of what to do. It was clear that Stan and Aliza knew each other well.
"By the way, tell us about the Primal Beast," Vyrn said, trying to steer the conversation away from the awkward scene.
"Oh, right. But let's sit down first so we can be comfortable while telling the story," Rei suggested.
"And you too, Jessica. Come on, sit down on the chair there, and then we can introduce you to the others."
And so, everyone except for Aliza and Stan sat down, sipping the tea that Katalina had poured, while Rei and Lyria began recounting what had happened during their request.
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"That's kinda scary... fighting a Primal Beast with the ability to steal your soul," Vyrn said after hearing their stories.
"And she can also steal your abilities? That's definitely going to be a problem if normal people fight her," Katalina added.
"At least the one who fought her was Rei. Him and Lyria managed to stop her before she could kidnap more people~" Djeeta said, nodding in agreement.
"Yeah, she's kinda scary, especially with her ability to create multiple ghost hands that other people can't see. I have a feeling those are the hands Nephthys uses to steal someone's soul," Lyria said, shuddering at the thought of what would happen if she had been caught by those hands.
"And so, this is Aliza and Jessica? Nice to meet you two! My name is Djeeta, the captain of this crew. This is Katalina, this is Vyrn, and there's another person here, but she's currently still checking her room," Djeeta said, introducing everyone.
"Nice to meet you too," Jessica replied with a smile.
"Me too," Aliza added.
"Oh, and this is Stan, my supposed-to-be bodyguard. We're from Valtz Duchy and came here to enjoy the festival, but... well, you know what happened with that," Aliza continued, gesturing to Stan, who was still sitting on the ground, being 'punished' by her.
"Huh, so that guy really is your bodyguard? I thought he was just speaking nonsense before," Vyrn said, surprised.
"...I know he's not the most dependable, but... he's really loyal to me, so he's not that bad," Aliza admitted.
"My lady..." Stan seemed on the verge of tears after hearing Aliza 'praise' him like that.
"Except for that, he's basically useless, even during combat..." Aliza added, shaking her head.
"I see... That's why we kept seeing him running away from monsters earlier," Katalina said.
"Anyway, Aliza, didn't you want to make a request before?" Rei suddenly asked.
"Oh, right!"
Aliza then began explaining to Djeeta what had happened to her and Stan, as well as her request to take both of them to Valtz Duchy.
"Hmm, Valtz Duchy, huh? That's the opposite direction from Ravi Island... We've already been on a break for weeks..." Djeeta murmured, thinking about her decision.
She felt a little guilty that she and the others had been taking a break while the rest of the crew was still working on Ravi Island. Originally, she had planned for a two-week break, but it had already been three weeks.
"You... can't accept it...?" Aliza asked hesitantly after a few minutes of silence, worried that Djeeta might decline her request.
"Oh, well, sure! Maybe we can meet the Archduke too and see if he has any messages for Io," Djeeta said, finally agreeing to Aliza's request to take her and Stan to Valtz Duchy.
"Thank you very much!" Aliza said, visibly relieved and happy.
"Huh? You know the Archduke?" Stan asked, surprised.
"Yeah, we know him. We've visited that island before and helped the Archduke, so we're familiar with him," Vyrn explained.
"Wow, that's really unexpected," Jessica said.
"Haha, we know a lot of people. It's our job as Skyfarers, so it's normal to meet a lot of them," Katalina added with a small laugh.
"Oh, right! Speaking of people..." Djeeta seemed to remember something as she pulled an envelope from her pocket.
The envelope was adorned with beautiful accessories and bore a familiar logo.
"Here, Rei. Sierokarte said there's a message for you," Djeeta said, handing the envelope to him.
"Huh? That's pretty random. Who's it from?" Rei asked, curious about the unexpected letter.
But when he saw the logo, his eyes widened. It was from Albion Citadel, and that could only mean one thing.
"I don't know why, but that letter has some kind of scary aura emitting from it..." Lyria said, staring at the envelope uneasily.
As Rei opened the envelope, a familiar, intoxicating fragrance wafted out—a scent he immediately recognized as Vira's. It was a mix of roses and something uniquely her, a fragrance that lingered in his memory. The letter itself was written in elegant, flowing handwriting, but the words carried a weight that made his heart skip a beat.
--
My Dearest Rei,
It feels like an eternity since I last saw you. The days without you stretch endlessly, and the nights are even longer. Do you know how much I've missed you? How much I've longed to see your face, to hear your voice, to feel your presence beside me?
I've heard whispers of your adventures, my love. Tales of your bravery, your strength, and... your companions. Tell me, Rei, how many girls have you charmed since we last met? How many have dared to stand by your side, unaware that you belong to me?
I hope you haven't forgotten our time together. The moments we shared in Albion Citadel, the promises we made... Do you remember? Or have you let yourself be distracted by the fleeting smiles of others?
I must admit, my patience is wearing thin. The thought of you wandering the skies, surrounded by those who don't deserve you, fills me with a burning ache. I've tried to be understanding, Rei, but my heart grows restless.
When will you visit me again? When will you return to where you truly belong? Albion Citadel is waiting for you, and so am I. Don't make me wait too long, my love. You know how I can get when I'm left alone for too long.
Come back to me soon. Or else... I might have to come and find you myself.
From Your Dearest, Vira
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As Rei finished reading, he could almost feel Vira's piercing gaze through the words. The letter was filled with a mix of longing, possessiveness, and thinly veiled threats.
Rei folded the letter carefully, his mind racing. "It's from Vira," he said simply, though the weight of her words lingered in the air.