Fantasy Realm [One Piece] [Harry Potter] [Naruto] - [Progression] [LitRPG]

Chapter 36: The Beauty and the Hut

Alex wakes up late and, after eating from his food stash, leaves his temporary residence, leaving the still-snoring Jack behind.

"I'd better not be late... This feels like job hunting back in the day. I even feel a bit nervous. At least I can always fall back on the most obvious choice and join the temp workers preparing the castle for the play."

Standing in front of the castle gate, Alex tells the soldiers he's waiting for Jaine. They eye him curiously but let him stay.

After a short wait, Jaine, the soldier he met a few days ago, appears, greeting him with a curious look. "There you are. Come on in," she says.

The guards at the castle entrance smirk at her. "Sneaking your boyfriend in right through the front gate? You've grown bold, Jaine," one jokes.

Jaine just laughs. "He's not here for a date with me but for a meeting with our boss."

The two soldiers look somewhat shocked. "Really?"

Jaine replies, "Apparently, the queen spoke to our general personally about him. This man has piqued their interest with some unique abilities they think might be useful for the secret project everyone's heard rumors about but that none of us really know anything about."

Alex looks confused, thinking, "So the common soldiers don't know about the black mages yet... or they wouldn't be joking about this right out in the open where I and anyone else can overhear."

Jaine leads Alex through the castle, introducing him to key areas like the guard house, the training hall, and several other locations. After a short walk, he asks why she's showing him around.

She just laughs and replies, "The general and the queen want to meet you, but they may need a few more minutes. I'm just showing you around to pass the time... or, to be more honest, they're interested in your special kind of black magic. The queen has recently taken an interest in black magic overall, and when she heard about your new spell, unlike anything in the usual arsenal, she was immediately intrigued. Apparently, she has something planned for the next few months. We don't know exactly what, but we're preparing as if war is on the horizon... Anyway, after that, she intends to conduct detailed research on black magic."

Alex gulps, but thankfully realizes that, for now, Queen Brahne, the female Jabba the Hutt of this world, wants to complete her takeover of the entire Mist Continent, including Lindblum, Burmecia, and Cleyra first, otherwise he would be screwed!

"Any advice on what I should do to get hired as a knight?" Alex asks.

Jaine replies, "Not really. Brahne isn't interested in you, only in your unique magic. You'll need to show her what it can do, or she'll not only be disinterested but probably annoyed that you wasted her time."

"And what about General Beatrix? I don't stand a chance against her... I probably can't even see her moves."

"Beatrix values her soldiers' skills and attitude," Jaine explains. "Recklessly using black magic for maximum destruction is the last thing she'd want you to do."