A Degenerate's Tale

A small group was gathered in prairie which was located right outside Venroris. There were blades of grass that were wonderfully green everywhere. Remnants of the morning dew glowed brightly from the sunlight. Small animals could be seen gathering near the flowers.

The people gathered were the residence of the Roth household and the mother-daughter pair of Saryll and Alea.

Earl was with Alea for a moment. Per the words of Saryll, what was about to happen was important enough to skip training for the day.

"Any hint for what's happening?" Earl nudged Alea on the shoulder.

Alea nudged back and replied, "Find out for yourself."

Perhaps it was the blossoming of a young lady. Alea looked especially pretty on this particular day. Earl was thoroughly immersed in her elven charms.

"Boring."

"Say whatever you want." She smilingly said back.

As there was no hope with Alea for the moment, Earl returned to the accompany of his two servants.

The morning sun continued to glare down and there was a severe lack of clouds.

Aria and Lily were in their working mode and wore normal expressions.

"Kyuu..." A sound leaked out from Lily's mouth when Earl pulled on her cheeks. "Myun. Myun."

"Are you guys hot?" Earl asked.

"Aria brought along a parasol just in case," Aria said and pulled out a parasol from who-knows-where.

"Ah, Aria is so thoughtful."

Aria lightly smirked. "Of course."

"It's a shame there are no trees around. Shall we sit down?"

"Lily brought a mat!" Lily proudly said with her chest out. She had an expression that begged to be praise.

For this, she earned several head pats from Earl.

The three ended up seated comfortably on the ground with the shade provided by the parasol over their head.

The daughter-mother pair soon noticed what they were up to and came by.

Saryll appeared speechless. "You guys..."

"Would you care to join us?" Earl smilingly invited.

"Sure!"

"It's a little cramp though. The parasol is rather small after all."

"No worries, I'll take Lily onto my lap. Right, Lily?"

"Uhh... Master?"

They made eye contact and a silent agreement was made. "Then I'll take Alea."

"Oh? You are finally doing what we promised?" Saryll chuckled.

"Wait Alea. Your mother is speaking nonsense."

"Is that so?" Alea's voice was stale without emotions but Earl knew it was an act. That was because everyone had bright and smiling faces. They were all enjoying each other's company.

The original count of three on Lily's mat had now turned into five. Earl was in the middle with Alea on his lap. At his side, Saryll had replaced Lily's position and was having the time of her life tormentin- loving Lily.

This lasted until Ari finished her preparations. She flew over from the distance and it was obvious that she was in an excellent mood.

"Hello!" She greeted.

"Hi~ Everything is ready?" Saryll gave her a knowing look.

"Yes. Ready?"

"If anything happens, I have Alea as my shield."

"That is not chivalrous of you, Earl. Lily is safe in my arms. Right, Lily?"

Lily gave a small nod at Saryll's cue.

"Aria will be using Master as her shield then."

After Aria's announcement, Alea turned around and said seriously. "Don't worry, Earl. I am strong."

"..."

"You guys sure are energetic~" Ari laughed. "Here I go then~"

The next moment, her voice turned emotionless. "Archmagic: Hymn of Earth"

Her voice echoed throughout the prairie and it was also at this moment, everyone knew to keep their eyes peeled.

Ari remained flying in the air, her robe dancing with the wind. Her runic halo detached from her head like it was the most natural thing while at the same time expanding.

It expanded continuously until almost half of the prairie was covered and sank into the ground.

1... 2... 3...

Long seconds passed.

Boom!

And the act of true magic happened. A large shadow loomed over them. The earth before them was lifted up by its core by the halo. It was as if an invisible giant hand was forcefully digging the earth up. A huge trench remained in the ground from where the earth was dug.

The piece of earth which was dug up floated higher and higher until it turned into an island in the sky. For some strange reason, it did not look unusual in the slightest. In the sky, it looked steady and unshakeable. Not a hint of debris dropped from this former piece of land.

When its position was completely solidified, a small purple halo flew out of it and landed exactly at the crown of Ari's head.

She waved her hand and the ground rumbled. The recently formed trench began to close up right before their eyes and it was as if nothing ever happened.

"My academy... will be built on that land," Ari announced.

"Excellent. This is magnificent!" Saryll was the first to break the silence.

"Once again, I thank you for your assistance."

"The era is shifting right before my eyes. It is only natural for me to help."

"Congratulations, Master." Alea stood up from Earl's lap and said.

"This is only the beginning, Alea," Ari said back fondly.

"Mom."

"My Earl."

"Can I make a request?"

"What is it?"

"Your academy. Let me attend it when it's done."