Chapter 165: The Only Difference

Aurora looked in the mirror and sighed slightly uncomfortably.

In the reflection was a young black-haired young woman wearing a light blue ball gown.

She had a delicate face and a light blue dress dazzling to the eye covered her slim figure.

And for Aurora, it proved to be uncomfortable.

Cithrel gave her this dress, saying that as her ‘escort’ she had to live up to the heiress of the Falion Empire.

A cheap excuse to force her to wear an extremely luxurious dress with magical qualities and designed by a Terra nova craftsman.

To say that this dress was not useful in battle was a blatant lie.

If someone could move in heels and a long dress, then most certainly she could use this dress to protect herself thanks to the powerful barriers.

The discomfort came from it not being her style.

However, in the end, she sighed again, and leaving the room, she made her way to the living room.

“Wow!” Cithrel exclaimed with a big smile at the sight of her, but did not approach because others were present.

Clémentine was also wearing a ball gown, and the difference was that she had the atmosphere and attitude to wear it and it looked great on her.

Next to her was Érica who was dressed in the elegance of an aristocrat, and the only one who could share in any way in the awkwardness was Leslie.

Not so much though, as Leslie was wearing a short dress that matched her style.

Even Nicole looked comfortable in her dress.

For her part, Alice was wearing a long black dress and was eating her chips. as she nodded as she saw her coming.

“I think I’m having second thoughts,” Aurora murmured honestly.

This was why she wasn’t going to Zerzura City’s anniversary parties!

If she was forced to wear dresses in this glamorous and luxurious style, it only reduced her intention to go.

“Come on, it’s not that big of a deal,” Cithrel said with a smile as the others looked on, amused.

“Can I take some pictures? I’m sure Akira would enjoy it,” Clémentine asked with a smile.

“Oh, yes, that’s a good idea!” Cithrel exclaimed and started taking some pictures with the holographic clock.

Aurora’s expression quivered and instead of futilely resisting, she let them take whatever pictures they wanted.

She was already close to the party, she couldn’t regret it now.

As for the dress, once she was next to someone like Cithrel, anyone would be in the background, and it was impossible not to happen.

Cithrel wore a simple white dress with small decorations, and what stood out was that she wore it.

The flowing blue hair gave her a few extra points, but it was Cithrel’s attitude, atmosphere, and elegance that could dazzle anyone.

In the end, Aurora had to do her job, whether she was wearing a dress or something simpler.

The advantage of this party, as opposed to the anniversary party at Zerzura, was that she did not need to interact with other guests, because, after all, she was not the special guest.

At least, such an idea was what Aurora desired, wanting to pass as an extra.

When they finished the photos they shared with Akira, Cithrel cast a space magic spell and, after the surroundings were distorted, they arrived in the hotel room.

“No one wants to walk around in these dresses,” Cithrel pointed out, and everyone nodded with a sigh.

The venue for the party was a distant mansion and the nice thing was that Emperor Victor allowed them to go with space magic and Cithrel offered to bring them all there.

In the hotel lounge, the other classmates who would be attending were waiting for them.

Some male students like Edward, Niels, Alexey, Marc, or Gregorio were wearing fancy suits, each with a different color or design, which made them look different, but equally important.

However, if there was to vote for the most handsome gentleman, such award was won by Venali, who wore a suit and combed her hair in such a way that she looked like a handsome, cool, and elegant gentleman.

If they didn’t know her, anyone would think she was an elven ruler who came from Terra nova.

Maybe it was an exaggeration, but Venali could look more handsome than any of the male students and such an idea was not held by Aurora, but by the male students, who gave strange and defeated looks.

The only one who went on behalf of the female students was Rachael, who wore a red dress that occasionally glowed as if it were on fire.

Since all the other students did not want to attend the party, the group became quite small.

“I didn’t think the goddesses would descend today!” Niels exclaimed with an impressed tone.

It was a compliment in general, but his gaze was on Leslie with a smile.

“...”

What was returned to him was a piercing look that Leslie rarely gave.

That look gave Aurora the feeling that if Leslie had a gun, she might shoot him.

However, that cruelly rebuffed compliment was the best way to break the ice, and both groups approached each other with smiles.

“I’m sure the male students from other academies will be envious of our group,” Edward said, giving a casual smile.

Watching those present, his gaze settled on Aurora and she could tell how his lips quivered rising upwards.

This was the first time he had seen her in such a dress, so surely she was having fun at his expense.

Even though he was looking at her with a smirking expression, Aurora was not embarrassed.

“We’d better get moving,” Cithrel said, and when everyone nodded, she cast a space magic spell.

Space distorted around them and before they could realize it, they were in a garden at the front of a large mansion.

A few students were nearby, and they were all heading for the large main entrance.

The mansion was huge with a beautifully lit garden and although it was a nice mansion to look at, they all hesitated because of the number of students approaching.

“Is this the place?” asked Nicole curiously.

It was a naïve question when everyone could see the other students approaching, but the hesitation was honest.

The mansion was huge, still, not huge enough to accept so many guests in the rooms.

“Yes, but it doesn’t feel like the right place,” Clémentine replied and looked at a guest carrying a winged lion as his companion.

At the party, everyone and many people were invited, so those magical beasts with intelligence were also invited.

Increasing the confusion of the size of the room and the answer to the doubt was quickly answered.

The main entrance to the mansion opened as the tamer approached and the doors increased in size to allow passage.

A thin, light blue layer covered the entrance and did not allow a proper view of the other side, making it clear that it was a portal.

“Shall we go?” asked Nicole excitedly.

Everyone else was also excited and curious about the party, so, following Cithrel and Edward, the group approached the entrance.

Due to the size of their group, the entrance grew, and the doors opened, revealing the portal.

The students looked at each other and, though hesitant, took a step into the portal.

They needed two steps for the vision to adjust to the other side.

“...”

No one could say anything about what was revealed before their eyes.

They were not inside a mansion, but inside a gigantic and magnificent palace.

White pillars stretched high above and on the ceiling was revealed a large painting of a huge white dragon.

This was the first room, and it was huge, filled with students and waiters sprawling around the area.

The architecture was striking, however, it was the white walls and pillars of the same color that most caught everyone’s attention.

There were no chandeliers, but rather small white spheres that illuminated the surroundings in a simple and pleasant way.

Natural lighting highlighted the white of this immense place.

“The ‘White Palace’,” Cithrel murmured, impressed.

It wasn’t as if she was naming it, but she seemed to know that name.

Walking to get away from the entrance so as not to disrupt the passage, the students moved around, looking at the surroundings.

This was the first room, but if one went to the end and up the stairs, one could find the main room.

On the walls were magnificent paintings as decoration and the white knight armor on the sides caused everyone to believe they traveled to a fantasy palace.

They were not the only ones stunned, as the students and guests who had already entered were also dumbfounded and all the newcomers were stunned.

“Is this inside the mansion?”

That was the first question everyone had, and it was voiced by Nicole, whose expression was overly impressed.

“Cithrel, do you know this place?” Clémentine asked the princess, who seemed to know about this place.

Cithrel checked the surroundings and, at last, nodded.

“I never saw it myself, but I have learned of the ‘White Palace’ from my space magic teacher,” Cithrel replied and, with a strange smile, he explained. “Belonging to a Mythological Dragon known as the White. The palace is a work of architecture and a feat of space magic that all mages wish to imitate.”

There was a silence that Cithrel herself interrupted.

“It literally is a white palace in a small dimension,” Cithrel said and, looking around, muttered. “I didn’t think I saw it. No, I didn’t think anyone could have.”

The students fell silent.

Dragons for earthlings were creatures of fantasy and, as fantastic as they were, they existed.

Extremely powerful creatures, each of them being stronger than others and those called ‘mythological’, were on the bottom rung of strength.

Basically, it meant that they lived for thousands of years and were individuals that in strength would be categorized as SSS-Rank... Only at the pinnacle of that grade.

As far as Aurora knew, the sizes of those beings were impressive, measuring dozens of meters.

“So... Did he steal it from a dragon?” Rachael asked with a serious expression.

“That’s a question only Emperor Victor can answer,” Alice replied, and understanding the look on the students’ faces, she added. “It’s a ‘treasure’ well recognized for being architectural work, but actually leaving its monetary value aside, it’s not that important.”

It was an architectural and magical treasure, not a monetary one... At least, not for some rich people who were able to afford fancier palaces, let alone for races that lived for thousands of years.

“That’s true,” Cithrel replied, and regaining her composure, she detailed. “This is called a ‘treasure’, but it is in the eyes of humans. To a mythological dragon, it may seem insignificant.”

The difference in perspective between the different races was something very apparent.

To some, this palace was impressive, but to others, it was just an insignificant site.

When talking about ‘dragons’, that difference stood out even more.

Some dragons could build their own palaces, and others raided the palaces of kingdoms and empires.

To live for thousands of years, these creatures not only had strength, but some had the knowledge and great wealth.

These constructions were something easy for such beings to accomplish.

“More importantly, Emperor Victor is not a highly regarded player... At least, that was my understanding,” Cithrel muttered, setting her eyes elsewhere.

Much was said about the players and some were highly recognized, such as the sage Su Chin, who at one time was an extremely strong player.

Another individual of such power was the King of the United States of Arabia who at one time in Terra nova had formed a guild or the King of Madagascar Ronald Einhorn, who was publicly known as a former player.

The Enemy of Mankind was the best known of all, but that did not mean that there were no other individuals of great power.

The information people had of Terra nova in their time of ‘play’ was very superficial, and that was most noticeable among the young.

Also, since several of those notable players did not ‘awaken’ abilities or the ability to use magic, they lost importance as time went on.

That the ‘players’ could have a ‘character’ similar to them in appearance meant nothing when they could change their faces using other types of magic and items.

In that sense, Emperor Victor, as a player, was not known, or at least his achievements were not known in public.

The only thing that was known was that he was powerful, but in that sense, other players were strong and were left out of the ‘story’.

“Being a player is for some a form of social stigma and nowadays the term ‘player’ is used with a negative connotation. It is for that reason that many hide that they are players.” Edward explained without looking too perturbed.

Director Vincent was a former player and although he did not have a history of great achievements, some recognized him.

Nonetheless, being a player nowadays was related to being a lunatic.

A very simplistic and biased way of looking at that term, when most of humanity, at some point in life, entered Terra nova and played the ‘game’.

Still, Aurora could not deny those words.

“Well, while we may not know the accomplishments of someone like Emperor Victor, others similar to him would surely know him better,” Alice added with a shrug.

Just because they didn’t have information about that time didn’t mean others didn’t.

It was just that it was more common for people not to talk about the player’s time, either to hide traumas, shameful actions, or darker things.

However, between individuals of the same ‘species’, they would get to know each other better.

******

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Emperor Victor asked his two companions.

Director Vincent and Elder Harris stared at him as they walked down a hallway of the palace.

“How did you get this?” Elder Harris asked with unbridled curiosity.

Emperor Victor laughed and replied. “I stole it from a dragon...”

The duo’s expressions changed for a moment, which caused Victor to chuckle in amusement.

“The truth is, I simply received it as a gift,” Victor replied with a shrug.

He messed with some pretty shady stuff in his time as a player, and even though he hid well; he interacted with all sorts of unimaginable beings.

This was part of the wealth he prepared when he discovered Terra nova was real and what was about to happen to earth.

“Mine is not that big of a deal. Some others have flashier stuff,” Victor commented, and looking at his companions, he pointed out. “Yukimura Kageyasu, it’s Viscount Alturia!”

Viscount of a powerful empire.

No matter if he said it was just a title, in Terra nova, that title of nobility held both authority and prestige.

It was true that in the Falion Empire the royalty controlled everything and kept the nobles in control, but that left Viscountess Alva’s ability in evidence.

Surviving turbulent times was a sign of skill and surely, with that skill, she gained a great deal of wealth.

Those players who achieved great feats during Terra nova and survived the turbulent times of the Great Cataclysm could receive their reward when the portal connecting to Terra nova was opened.

The restrictions for Terranovians were high and Terrans could not go to the other side, however, people close to any player traveled to this world.

Players were reunited with their children, their families, subordinates, wives, or lovers.

“If I knew what would happen to this world when the machine started, then I would have tried to create a kingdom or a trading company,” Victor muttered and strangely, his companions nodded.

While it had been several years since the Earthlings had interacted with Terra nova and it was until the God of Time and Space connected the two worlds, the truth was, if someone had made the right preparations, they could have gained enormous wealth.

Perhaps the plans would fail during the time they were absent, even so, with the right preparations, they could have made a profit.

In the end, Emperor Victor discovered the truth slightly too late.

“Although I don’t really regret what I did and what I achieved.” Emperor Victor said as he reached the end of the hallway.

Ersin was wearing a secretary’s uniform, and Victor immediately smiled at the sight of that woman.

He was not a ‘good player’, but on the contrary.

He performed too many evil deeds... To a level that would leave an evil warlord as a naughty child, a pretty good one.

But in that sense... What player didn’t commit atrocities?

The only difference between him, with those players who were categorized as dangerous, was that he hid quite well and...

“Your Majesty, the guests have already arrived,” Ersin reported with a professional expression.

He won.

In the end, he ended up winning thanks to his patience and when his time came instead of trying to ‘conquer the world’ like an admitted idiot who ended up dead, he conquered half a continent.

He was now known as the Emperor of a great empire.

“Good. Let’s go and greet the guests. We will have very important presences from all over the world today.” Victor said with an amused laugh.

Even if people knew the truth about him, it didn’t matter in the end.

He was powerful enough to silence them all with force alone.

That’s why he showed a great treasure for this party... It was proof that his power was greater than normally thought.