Spiral of Madness: Ascension of the Villainous Dragon Prince-Chapter 61: Traveling Abroad [1]

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First Monday of July, 8 AM.

Louis tapped his crossed arms with growing impatience as he watched his companions scramble to pack everything they wanted for their journey to City District A. That vast city, encircled by even larger farmlands, was controlled by several families responsible for producing all kinds of magical goods and food crops.

Today was the day. After more than a month of rigorous training with Anastasia, Louis had finally resolved to visit Agustina and fulfill the promise he had made to her, a promise he had failed to keep in the previous timeline, where death had claimed him before he could even reach her.

Now, with the future rewritten, he was prepared to step into a different district and witness for himself what was truly unfolding there, especially the District Alliance and the shady dealings they were conducting. He intended not only to aid Agustina but also to expose any schemes those ungrateful nobles had been quietly brewing behind his back, shielded within their distant districts far from the Frostbane Capital.

Agustina had already been notified of their arrival today. She was deeply excited to see Prince Louis again after so long, particularly with all the companions he was bringing, whom he had assured her would help resolve her troubles.

"What’s taking you so long, Mirai? Melisa? Selene?"

Louis rolled his eyes as he watched the girls stuff dozens of clothes into their dimensional storage suitcases. They were thrilled about traveling to another region and eager for sightseeing and a touch of tourism.

"It seems they weren’t completely prepared," Zorba remarked. He had been ready for over an hour. "I suppose we could leave them behind, Master Louis. We don’t really need them. Especially those two brats—what use do children have on this trip anyway?"

"It will be a good opportunity for them to explore the outside world," Louis replied. "Selene has finally started to open up. This journey could help her form a genuine bond with us, which in turn will stabilize her heart and allow better control over her abilities."

"Huh... I see," Zorba muttered, a familiar trace of jealousy in his tone. He said nothing more and fell silent at his master’s side.

"You’re very impatient, Lord Zorba," Anastasia sighed. "I wonder if we could buy some fresh vegetables there. Perhaps they’re cheaper than here."

"I was planning to make some purchases indeed," Louis nodded. "But that’s not the main reason we’re going. The Red Leaf House is suffering from a devastating crop-killing disease, and the Dimensional Rift that opened five years ago still hasn’t been sealed for some reason. When I asked Aunt Helena, she said the nobles of the District Alliance had quarantined the rift and were keeping it under control. She would have intervened if she hadn’t been so busy traveling from one crisis to another, solving every urgent problem she could. After the initial tragedy, it didn’t seem as pressing as the others."

"I believe the Red Leaf House lost its head—Agustina’s father—correct?" Zorba asked.

"Yes. He died during the Dimensional Rift Break," Louis explained. "Entities swarmed the farmlands, contaminating everything with Miasma and slaughtering the workers. Lord Red Leaf happened to be inspecting his crops that day. He died defending his people and buying them time to escape. He’s now hailed as a hero across City District A."

"I see... Poor Lady Agustina. I had no idea she had endured so much," Anastasia said softly. "And if it weren’t for you, her mother would have perished as well... eventually."

"Hm. She suffered a severe case of Fantasium Poisoning and was slowly crystallizing," Louis continued. "Fortunately, I managed to secure a drug that reverses the effects, though it’s incredibly expensive and not yet available to the public because it hasn’t been fully perfected."

"Fantasium Poisoning..." Zorba murmured, his eyes distant as though recalling something painful.

"What’s wrong, Lord Zorba? Do you remember something?" Anastasia asked. Even after becoming a soldier, she still carried herself like a maid, addressing everyone with deep respect as "Lord" or "Lady."

"In my country, Fantasium Poisoning was far more common than here," Zorba answered quietly. "Probably because we lacked these massive Ice Walls that absorb Fantasium and purify the air of its concentrations. Walking the streets or alleys, it wasn’t rare to see crystallized people groaning, sometimes barely crawling, trailing crystal dust behind them."

"A-And the government did nothing?!" Anastasia asked, horrified.

"They certainly did," Zorba replied with a faint, bitter smile. "They would take them away, and you would never see those people again. Some rumors claimed the government crushed them into fuel..."

"How horrifying... Do people have no rights in the Vultarn High Dominion?" Anastasia looked terrified.

"They do," Zorba said, still smiling brightly. "Only if you’re strong enough. Or if you belong to one of the great houses. Otherwise, it’s no different from a dictatorship."

"Hm..." Louis sighed. "The Vultarn High Dominion must be dealt with eventually... but not yet. We lack the strength. That’s why we must keep growing stronger, Anastasia. Your talent with the sword can become hope for many innocent lives. If you continue training diligently, you will one day save countless people."

"Yes... I am well aware, Lord Louis," Anastasia replied, clenching her fists tightly. "It was a tiring month, but... I am glad I accepted your offer. I will use this strength to serve you and protect you."

"I don’t need your protection," Louis said plainly. "Simply continue polishing your swordsmanship. I will catch up to you soon enough... Hm, Mirai, are you ready?"

"Yes, almost... okay!"

Mirai came running down the corridor, Selene and Melisa at her side carrying their storage items. They looked ready to depart. Louis nodded, motioned for them to follow, and led the way outside the castle.

"So how are we getting there? Through a teleportation array?" Mirai asked.

"If it were that easy, I would have done it already," Louis answered. "There used to be a teleportation array in City District A, but the Alliance dismantled it. Clearly a way to prevent the capital from interfering in their affairs. Those bastards betrayed the kingdom the moment my mother fell into a coma... I won’t forgive them."

"Soooo what are we riding then?" Mirai wondered.

"This," Louis said, gesturing toward the terrace.

A large flying ship crafted from Spirit Wood and Orichalcum awaited them, radiating a brilliant golden light.

"This is my mother’s Celestial Vessel, a Divine Transportation Artifact used by the Gods of Yggdrasil. It’s strong enough to carry us anywhere on the globe, though it will take some time."

"Ooooh! How magnificent! An incredible piece of craftsmanship!" Zorba exclaimed in awe, gazing at the Frostbane banner etched on its side. "It is truly a worthy vessel for my great lord!"

"It’s amazing, yes!" Mirai agreed.

"Look, Selene! That’s what we’re riding today! Isn’t it incredible?" Melisa asked excitedly.

"Waow!" Selene stared in wonder.

As Louis led them inside, Catrise, Juliette, and Robert greeted them at the stairs leading into the Celestial Vessel.

"You’ve finally arrived," Robert said. "Today I will have the honor of riding this vessel. In the past, I was taught many things by the Goddess. Among them was handling such artifacts. Although some require bonding to a divine soul, this one has an independent divine soul inside called ’Fuyu’—or rather, a fragment of her soul. This is the ’daughter’ of that Ancient Artifact crafted by the Dragon King, a gigantic floating ice castle."

"Wow, there’s an ice castle that floats in the sky?!" Melisa asked.

"That sounds so amazing!" Mirai said.

"Silence now," Louis quickly cut in. "Robert, does that mean this Celestial Vessel has a soul of its own? Can it talk?"

"Yes, I can, Your Majesty. It is a pleasure to finally meet you after many years."

A voice suddenly echoed from the motionless artifact. Everyone turned toward it.

A golden divine aura emanated from the vessel, slowly shaping into the faint humanoid silhouette of a woman with long starlight hair.

"My name is Celestina, a Divine Artifact Spirit," she explained. "I was born from a fragment of my mother’s soul and granted this great Celestial Vessel as my physical body."

"I see. How fascinating," Louis nodded. "I wonder if we could have asked for your cooperation against Soma..."

"It took a week for me to get ready to depart as I was in a dormant state," Celestina sighed. "I am sorry for not being able to help. Although I am more equipped for fast travel, I do have the ability to battle if necessary. My size and height would make it difficult to face foes that move rapidly."

"Hm..." Louis nodded, silently noting the existence of the dormant Divine Artifact Celestina for any future regressions, should they occur. "If I can awaken her ahead of time, she could indeed help somehow. If she’s truly made of Divine Materials, then she could be sturdy enough to take some blows from Soma and even temporarily stop the Abyssal Mother... damn it, there are so many hidden things in this Kingdom."

Unfortunately, the Frostbane Kingdom had been glossed over in the Sinners Academy game, so Louis couldn’t rely on William’s memories to uncover all the secrets hidden in plain sight.

"Shall we depart? I have already set the coordinates. At high speed, we can arrive in District A within three hours. I am so sorry, it could be even faster if I had Divine Power infused by Master Benladra, but she... well..." Celestina sighed.

"No, that’s quite alright. Three hours is already incredibly fast for the distance we’ll be traveling," Louis nodded. "By car, it would take us several days or perhaps over a week if we had to avoid dangerous Fantasy Fields or Wild Monsters. Although the skies are by no means safe, they’re safer than the ground... for the most part."

"I agree," Celestina said. "And don’t worry—if a creature ever appears, I shall quickly dispose of it."

"Thank you," Louis replied. "Very well then, what are you all waiting for? Let’s go inside."

Louis led his crew inside. The gate closed swiftly behind them, sealed with magical runes. The interior of Celestina was astonishingly vast, almost as large as the castle itself.

She had three floors: the deepest housed her core, the upper level contained guest rooms, and the middle floor held storage areas and more.

"Wow, it’s so luxurious!" Mirai marveled.

The interior was breathtaking: white marble floors and walls, large pillars adorned with golden patterns, paintings of the dragon family, and more. The rooms were spacious, each with its own bathroom, large beds, and additional comforts.

However, since the trip would be short, they had no need to settle in fully. Everyone moved to the waiting room, which featured large, comfortable red couches and plenty of snacks ready for them.

"Indeed, it is quite luxurious. Enjoy your stay here, even if brief," Celestina said warmly.

Catrise and Juliette brought additional snacks and drinks while Celestina began accelerating across the skies, transforming into a beam of bright golden light.

Louis’ father had already said his goodbyes earlier that morning. He was still working on a machine that would allow Louis to safely train his Five Elemental Spirit Roots without self-torture.

Of course, Louis had not waited. He continued his daily training, steadily growing stronger through sword duels with Anastasia and increasingly intense sparring sessions against Mirai, and now Zorba, who had joined despite being easily beaten down.

"I would like to know more about Lady Agustina, Your Majesty. Would you care to tell me more about her?" Mirai asked.

"Fine..." Louis replied, gathering his thoughts before explaining the situation in detail.

Agustina was the young lady of House Red Leaf, a noble house founded by elves specializing in Magical Herbs and Spirit Trees in City District A. Her father, a noble elf, had died from a disease after a Dimensional Rift opened in the farmlands five years earlier.

Since then, she had lived with her sickly mother, a dwarven woman who had once been a renowned Blacksmith and the love of her father’s life. In a land predominantly ruled by Humans and Elves, dwarves were often looked down upon. Many nobles had repeatedly visited Agustina, pressuring her to sell her land. Agustina, proud and defiant, had thrown them out in true dwarven fashion, only worsening relations.

Lately her crops had suddenly fallen ill, and this year’s yield had been disastrously low. If things continued this way, she would soon lose all income and the funds needed to buy expensive elixirs for her mother, who suffered a milder version of Queen Benladra’s affliction.

"After her visit, I gave her a cure for her mother’s sickness. Now that her mother is recovering, she has been much kinder than before," Louis explained.

"I see. So your goal is to gain her favor and use her territory to cultivate all the ingredients and materials you need to continue growing..." Anastasia nodded. "Your Majesty, you’re quite shrewd."

"What’s shrewd about it? I was being kind, I swear," Louis said. "No ulterior motives at all... More importantly, her mother will also prove to be quite a useful asset—I mean, a valuable ally. Spirit Artifact Crafters are incredibly rare in the Kingdom, after all. And... well, there’s a certain young man I must meet who lives there. I plan to recruit him."

"A young man?" Zorba asked. "Who is this young man, Lord Louis?"

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