Chapter 320: A Visit To Endless Horizon [Part 2]
The runes beneath their feet glowed softly as the magic circle activated, enveloping the group in a gentle light before sending them directly into the spacious clubroom above.
When they arrived, Charles, Renard, Chuck, Nessia, and Lumi immediately turned their heads toward the newcomers.
The sudden arrival of the royal prince and princess, along with their escorts, instantly made the atmosphere more formal, prompting everyone to straighten their postures.
"Your Highness," Nessia greeted respectfully as she rose from her seat. "Welcome to Endless Horizon."
Renard, Chuck, and Charles followed with polite bows, though their gazes lingered curiously on the elven prince.
Lumi, on the other hand, crossed her arms and tilted her head as if scrutinizing Kaelen’s presence.
Kaelen’s sharp green eyes swept across the room.
The enchanted interior of the clock tower impressed him—the floating lamps, the enchanted bookshelf, the round table with engraved sigils, the large bed at the corner of the room near the windows, and even Dim Dim, who hopped on top of the table and waved its hand at the visitors in greeting.
Caelum, Serenya, and the two other elves looked around them, taking in the sights of the clubroom where their Princess stayed during their club activities.
"This round table..." Prince Kaelen’s gaze landed on the round table with the intricate design.
He could see and sense the powerful runes that were embedded in the table, which gave it additional functions.
As if to test it, he rested the palm of his hand on top of it and activated one of its runes.
Immediately, a projection of his sister, Aeris, who was currently talking with the other elves from the Faelarun Delegation, appeared in front of everyone.
"Remember, do not offend or antagonize Alex Stratos," Aeris warned the elves in front of her. "As you have seen earlier, he’s not a pushover. Also, he is called the Blackmail King for a reason. You’d better not cross him, no matter what. Do I make myself clear?"
""Yes, Your Highness!""
Alex’s smile stiffened. He didn’t think Prince Kaelen would be able to activate one of the secret functions of the round table.
Of course, Alex knew about that feature.
But he kept it a secret from his club members, except for Nessia, who had already discovered it when she learned about the high-level runes from the Codex that she found in the hidden dimension within the clock tower.
In the game, their club room served as a temporary headquarters of the Heroes and the Heroines when they were dealing with the attacks that happened within the academy, as well as the capital city of Harmonia.
This was also the reason why Alex had asked for the clock tower to become their clubroom. With it, Heroes who were now part of his group would be able to use its secrets without needing to meet certain conditions.
Chuck, Renard, Charles, and Lumi all looked at Alex in disbelief, as if wanting to know if their club president was aware that their round table had this feature.
Alex sighed and nodded his head before lightly tapping the round table and dispersing Aeris’ projection.
"Your Highness, please ask for permission before you activate any of the spells you will discover inside our clubroom," Alex said in a solemn tone. "While some of them are harmless, there are defensive runes here that might accidentally kill you if they identify you as an intruder."
Alex wasn’t joking.
There were indeed special defensive runes inside the clock tower, which would automatically attack anyone who tried to fiddle with them without permission.
Only the registered members were not affected by these defensive measures.
Knowing they had guests, Alex had temporarily disabled them to ensure that no one would get hurt and cause trouble for him and the academy.
"I’m sorry," Prince Kalen said. "I was just curious if the runes on this round table are working."
Suddenly, Alex sensed the arrival of his other club members: Lavinia, Latifa, Vaan, and Lotte.
Sensing the four club members appear behind the elven delegation, the elves moved to the side so the ladies could enter without interruption.
Lotte carried Latifa to her bed, and the latter didn’t hesitate to close her eyes to sleep.
Vaan and Lavinia sat on their respective seats on the round table and looked at their guests with curious gazes.
"I sure hope you don’t use that projection feature to spy on my sisters whenever you please, Mr. Stratos," Prince Kaelen stated.
"Of course not," Alex replied. "In fact, I haven’t used that feature yet. After all, I respect the privacy of others. Even my club members are only seeing it for the first time."
"Really?"
"Really."
Prince Kaelen stared at Alex long and hard, trying to discern whether he was lying or not.
As the future King of Faelarun, he had been strictly taught how to read the eyes and body of the people who wished to have an audience with him.
His senses told him that Alex wasn’t lying, and from the reaction of the young man’s club members, the prince could tell that this was indeed their first time seeing the round table’s ability to show the projection of others in real time.
"By the way, what does your club do?" Caelum asked in curiosity.
"Good question." Alex smiled. "Actually, we are more of an expedition club. We plan to explore ruins, dungeons, and other places that might hold secrets that no one else discovered.
"In our last expedition, we went to Heracle Mountain and spent a few days hiking."
Of course, Alex had no intention of telling their guests about the trial that they had faced in that same mountain.
"I see, so this club functions similarly to my sister’s club," Prince Kaelen nodded. "So you mean to compete with her, right?"
"Not really," Alex answered. "I don’t want to brag, but comparing us with the Obsidian Fang is like comparing heaven and earth."
"Oh?" Prince Kaelen smiled faintly. "So who is Heaven, and who is the Earth?"
"Of course, our club is the Heaven, and the Earth is Obsidian Fang," Alex answered without hesitation. "That is why we are called Endless Horizon because our potential is endless."
Chuck almost choked at Alex’s shameless answer, while Charles covered his face with his hand.
Renard, however, smirked faintly as if enjoying the bold declaration, and Nessia simply shook her head with a helpless smile.
Lavinia crossed her arms, clearly satisfied with Alex’s confidence, while Vaan’s lips curved into a mischievous grin.
Latifa smiled in her sleep, and her two Alters smirked at the same time.
Lapiz pressed her lips together, but her faint blush betrayed her pride in Alex’s boldness.
Dim Dim smiled and nodded in agreement because it believed that Alex would take everyone to greater heights.
Prince Kaelen, however, narrowed his eyes. "Strong words. But words alone are meaningless unless they are backed by strengths and facts."
Alex was unperturbed by Prince Kaelen’s comment and simply sat at the head of the round table.
"Then, how about we play a little game, Your Highness?" Alex proposed.
"A game? What are the stakes?" Prince Kaelen, feeling a little competitive.
"At the end of this month, the Headmaster will take the First Years on a Dungeon Expedition," Alex stated. "No one knows what kind of Dungeon it will be, and only the Headmaster knows about the details.
"He plans to let the students explore it, and there will be a point system. The higher the number and quality of monsters killed inside the dungeon, the higher the points their teams will get.
"If the Faelarun Team scores higher than my Club, then you win. But if my Club scores higher, then we win. Very easy to understand, right?"
"Indeed." Prince Kaelen nodded. "So, what are the stakes?"
"If I win, I want you to assist us in the expedition that we will do in the Kingdom of Faelarun half a year from now," Alex replied.
"An expedition in Faelarun?" Prince Kaelen frowned. "And half a year from now? Wait... are you thinking of going there during the World Tree celebration?"
"That’s right." Alex nodded. "The Inter-Academy Events, including the Inter-Academy Singing Competition, will be held at Faelarun this year, right?"
After hearing the words Inter-Academy Singing Competition, the Elves, with the exception of Prince Kaelen and Lapiz, all shuddered.
Their trauma resurfaced once more, making their bodies shake uncontrollably for a period of time.
"H-Hey, what’s wrong with you guys?" Prince Kaelen noticed that Caelum, Serenya, and the two elves with him didn’t look so good.
In fact, all the colors seemed to have disappeared from their faces.
"W-We can talk about it later, Your Highness," Caelum replied.
Thinking that his fellow students weren’t comfortable with the subject, Prince Kaelen decided to change the subject.
"And what if I win?" Prince Kaelen asked.
"You can ask me to do anything for you," Alex answered without hesitation. "As long as it doesn’t go below my bottom line, I’ll do it without fail."
"Interesting." Prince Kaelen smiled. "Very well, you have a deal. If you win, I will assist you in the expedition that you will undertake in my Kingdom. But if you lose, do not forget to keep your promise, okay?"
"I won’t," Alex answered. "In fact, why don’t we sign a magic contract? That way, this will become an official bet between us."
"You sure have guts, but I don’t mind dealing with gusty people," Prince Kaelen, who was inspired by Alex’s battle earlier, wanted to beat the young man in a fair match.
Unfortunately, the match they were about to have wasn’t fair.
Alex already knew what kind of dungeon the First Years were going to explore and had already made his preparations to score the highest points.
Although he felt bad for tricking Lapiz’s little brother, Alex believed that his assistance would be greatly appreciated when they traveled to the Kingdom of Faelarun, where the second part of the Chain Quest was waiting for them.