The journey was quite annoying, although there were moments of delight where he could tease his mother-in-law or flirt with Veronica when Alizée went to refuel the car; sadly, nothing was interesting; the nice view could only keep one interested for so long.
Zell wasn't interested in a place that would soon be destroyed.
However, this was all until the moment he saw the actual city where the summit was being held, a small floating island linked to the mainland of Europa II, the city was named Berlia and used to be a huge size, but nobody had any idea how it managed to keep floating.
After the great war, it became a tourist place for the wealthy.
"What... this? Why is it so awesome!?" Zell whispered to himself; their car was being checked, so he currently leaned against a wall, sitting down as they looked at the city from just outside the heavily guarded border; Zell could see various huge craters from what seemed to be remnants from the last demon invasion, huge cracks in the giant black wall.
'I remember this wall was originally something that split Europa II apart, a horrible symbol of oppression... Yet now, it had been recreated to protect and stop the country's fall... A sad tale, why does the eastern part of my world suffer a more intense invasion than the west? Is there something special here, something that the demons wanted? I need to make sure and look into these things when I manage to get the chance.'
The city was a strange mixture of modern European design and fantastical, almost magical elements. The streets were wide and clean, bustling with the hum of electric cars and the chatter of people rushing to work. The sleek, towering skyscrapers stood next to ancient castles and grand palaces as if they had always coexisted. But amidst the modern hustle and bustle, hidden alleys and winding cobblestone streets seemed to lead to another world entirely.
Trees lined the streets, branches arching over the road and forming a leafy canopy above. But these were no ordinary trees.
They seemed to glow with an inner light, and their leaves shimmered in the sunlight as if made of precious metals. Flowers bloomed in vibrant hues that seemed to defy the laws of nature, their petals swirling and shifting like flames.
As the sun set, the city transformed again. Lights flickered to life in the windows of the ancient buildings, casting a warm glow over the cobblestone streets.
Street performers emerged from the shadows, their costumes and instruments as unbelievable as the city. The air was filled with music and laughter; for a moment, it felt like anything was possible in this strange and wondrous place.
He had been surprised at how quickly they'd reached their destination and even more surprised by the size of the castle—he hadn't expected it to be this big.
He couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed by all of it. The whole thing seemed like something out of an old movie set. It looked like it belonged on a film set in the Middle Ages rather than somewhere real.
"It's beautiful," Alizée said, looking around herself. "I've never seen anything quite like it." She turned her head towards him. "You're not bored yet?"
Zell shook his head.
"Good, it will be a while before we can enter the main city, while the outer city is fine. Many secrets and important people reside inside, not to mention the floating island we must visit. How about you take your little girlfriend and visit the town? I'll give you my card, so don't worry about cash. Alright?"
Beep! Beep!
The sound of a phone ringing filled the air, her black card slipping into Zell's outstretched hand as Alizée took the call, her face turning sour for a moment as she seemed to treat Zell like her child or something, her spare hand stroking his cheek and hair, before she turned away, seeming to want to lower her foul language.
"Hah, the fuck are you are talking about, you eastern pig? Didn't you promise me the best room? You do know whom I represent, right?" Alizée was speaking to the Europa II city mayor, she didn't give a fuck who they were, and unless it was family, she was a fierce and terrifying demon.
"Listen here, if you don't get me a better room, top class on the floating island, I'll make sure my mother comes before the end and drops some of her little presents on your fucking capital? Capiché? My important son-in-law is here, and if you make me look stupid, I'll kill you, you dirty rat."
Zell looked at the aggressive woman and began to pace away slowly; how did this woman not break his hand before?
He even pushed his luck and enjoyed the feel of her most private and hidden spot; the warmth and feel of her silky curled hair were amazing...
'I am lucky to live... Maybe she is going to kill me after it's over... Me and my lustful nature...!'
"Zell..." The soft voice of Veronica sounded, her silver twin tails swaying as she looked up to his face, her beautiful eyes glowing like they were always filled with magic causing her to grasp his attention and heart with a single word. He knew this girl was neglected too much; Zell wanted to be more efficient in the past, but only recently did he feel he could take a breath, no longer on a tightrope between the death of everything he loved and cared about.
'To think this girl... This girl is the one from back then...' He thought about the more detailed information Yinfra gave him; no longer a goddess of the divine side, she told him almost everything she could remember, from how Veronica was one of the main aspects that allowed them to help give him so much help in this life, the fact she acted that way because she was a young goddess and didn't know how to deal with feelings of affection.
Unlike Yinfra and Yanfra, who were normal mortals before becoming divines, those who were born divine struggled with emotions as they were a mainly logical race, but when they began to experience emotions, it was a devastating blow; they would sometimes become crazed, reckless or do stupid things, like how she abandoned her remaining powers as a goddess to stay beside him, quietly observing and waiting until Zell seemed to have time for her.
'I need to treat all my girls better... Now I have a little bit of leverage... Let's start with the girl who started everything!'
The distant cursing of Alizée began to leave his ears; he looked at the beautiful woman stood before him, his face smiling gently as the moment of his past death faded, no longer a trauma but rather able to see it as a 'new beginning' for himself and his pets.
"Veronica." Zell's voice was magnetic and smooth, her little eyes like gems looking at him as he reached out and offered his hand palm up, a smile forming. "Would you please allow me the pleasure of a date? In this wonderful Berlia city?"
She stared at him for a few seconds before nodding. Her tail twitched behind her, and she smiled.
'Why is he being so strange? Doesn't he know that I don't mind waiting... I am not like those other girls vying for his love. Hmph....but it's good that he offered! Hehe~ I wonder if we will eat at a nice romantic place, visit some cute stores... then maybe we could get mistakingly booked into a single room and have to share a bed.... hehe....'
Since she gained her own body in the human world, apart from spending time at Zell's for free food or playing the game, she became addicted to eastern drama, especially the female aimed romance types.
"Yes, I would love to go on a date with you, Zell. And thank you, I'm glad you remembered my name. Though I doubt, I'll be very good at it, I'll try to behave myself."
Veronica tried to make herself sound more well-behaved and stopped any snarky replies that came to her mind, gently grasping his hand as the pair began to walk down the street away from Alizée.
She watched them through the wind mirror, her wry smile as she thought.
'Did I encourage my son-in-law to date another woman... ah, what a bad mother I am~ Tessa; I like seeing the cute you; let me see your little tears as you run to mommy for comfort... it's okay... I will punish the bad man, fufu~ we were only offered a couples penthouse suite after all; let's see if that little man slut tries it on with me; I'll crush his stupidly oversized cock!'
A sly grin on her face as she watched his back, the woman trying to ignore the feelings deep in her body, doing everything to reject the fact she too is like her mother and daughter, a fairy... Her pride as her grandfather's kin, a demon, was too strongly ingrained into her chest.