[Kiryuu Aika: "Wait! I found it!!! Check this out!]
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[SR] The Hanging Gardens of Babylon: Aerial Garden of Vanity
Owned by the Wise Queen of Assyria, a legendary figure said to be born from the Syrian mermaid goddess Derketo and a human man, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is an enormous flying fortress capable of housing thousands of soldiers, assembled with systematically ordered floating masses, covered in floors of marble, stone balconies, many pillars, and every kind of plant life entangled and intertwined over the construct in a manner described as a "unification of unsightly disorder and luxurious beauty."
Though, rather than the description of a garden, or even a fortress, it is more aptly described as a floating weapon, manifested as an "enormous fortress hanging in the air" in line with its name.
Inscribed with countless magical runes of protection, deadly traps – especially extremely lethal poison she was known for– and immense power capable of leveling castles and cities, the Garden of Vanity exudes both breathtaking beauty and terrifying lethality in addition to a nigh-impossible to conquer flying fortress.
Cost: 28,000 GCP
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'This is…'
Yuuji raised his eyebrows and read the item description more closely as he laid on the bed with the sword spirit and twin slimes.
All three of them were in their human loli forms. Alice and Aria were hugging his sides while Est rested on top of him, placing her head on his chest as she wrapped her arms around him.
He was completely stuck, but thankfully, he was still able to move his hands to use his phone.
[Chiba Erika: "There's actually a magical flying fortress!!"]
[Satoru Suzuki: "Wow, this is amazing…! I wonder how the scenery would be from up there."]
[C.C: "It seems amazing, but it's really expensive… 28.000 points is almost as expensive as an SSR."]
[Lelouch Lamperouge: "Yes, this might be one of the most expensive SR ranked items in the shop.]
[Tsubakihara Yuuji: "Hm… This would've been perfect, had been cheaper. I also can't use my free support item ticket since it's above Rare rank."]
In all truths, after reading the description of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Yuuji became quite interested in it.
After all, it's a flying fortress! Something that only existed in fantasy. And now that he was actually living a fantasy, he'd love to see it and be in one. especially when it is described as being such a beautiful place.
Moreover, with its features and firepower taken into consideration, it'd be more than suitable to be a base for their operations. After all, they wouldn't be able to take a giant sci-fi ship like Amaterasu to a fantasy world like Aika's. Though perhaps, if it's a world like Satoru's, which barely had any technology except for the power suits from Yggdrasil, they could use it…
[Shiba Tatsuya: "The items sold in the shop had always been worth its price. But we're not clear on the extent of this fortress's features and capabilities. It'd be a gamble to buy it."]
[Albedo: "Indeed. Since we are not in a dire need of it, I believe it'd be best to hold on from buying it.]
[Kiryuu Aika: "No no! I'm not saying to buy it! Read the item description! It's said to be created by the Wise Queen of Assyria!"]
[Chiba Erika: "Yeah, so?"]
[C.C: "Hm? Are you saying…?]
[Kiryuu Aika: "Yes! We can have Yuuji summon her, and maybe she'll be able to create the magical fortress with magic! We'll get it for free!!!]
Messages stopped coming into the group chat as Yuuji and the rest of the members all reeled back from the realization.
She was right… If the Akashic Record of Divine Spirits could really summon these mythical spirits and make their legends a reality, then they might be able to get the Hanging Gardens by summoning the Queen of Assyria, its owner!
[Kiryuu Aika: "Hm? Hello? Did you guys got disconnected or something?"]
[Kiryuu Aika: "Wait no, that's not possible! Where are you guys?!]
[Tsubakihara: "...No, I'm just really shocked. It sounded too good to be true…]
[Shiba Tatsuya: "I agree… We have no idea how Yuuji's Akashic Records work. We'll only know once we summon her."]
[Suzuki Satoru: "Even if she could create the Hanging Gardens, I think she'll still be a strong ally to have. As a daughter of a Goddess and an Empress, she might have magical capabilities and offer us wisdom for future missions."]
[Lelouch Lamperouge: "According to the description, she is also knowledgeable regarding poisons. While we may not have use for it, having someone knowledgeable about it would help us prepare against it."]
[Albedo: "I agree with their opinions, my love. Even if she were unable to create the Hanging Gardens, I believe she would still be of use to us."]
[Chiba Erika: "Well… I guess we have nothing to lose either.]
[C.C: "I'm fine either way. As long as we don't spend points, we'll only be gaining something."]
[Tsubakihara Yuuji: "Alright. Then, I'll be learning more about her until we get to Aika's world for the mission. I'll see if there's information on the history and legend of the Queen of Assyria in my world."]
[Tsubakihara Yuuji: "Aika, can you send me information about her from your world as well? ]
[Kiryuu Aika: "Sure, darling~! I also found the anime version of her from an anime called Fate Apocrypha! I'll send it to you so you can use it as reference!"]
[Tsubakihara Yuuji: "Thank you. I'll check it out."]
Links and texts began appearing in the chat room between Yuuji and Aika. And he spent the rest of the night reading about the history and legend of the mythical Queen of Assyria, Semiramis.
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Mira sat behind the desk in her bedroom, basked in the light of the moon that entered through the window to her side.
She was dressed in a dark red evening gown, the strings around her slim waist tied loosely, revealing much of her cleavage, with a slit that stretches down from her thighs, revealing her soft milky white thighs and long slender legs. It was an evening gown meant for comfort and seduction, rather than warmth.
She swiped through the screen of her phone, from right to left, pausing for a few moments as she thoroughly took in the picture displayed.
'Fufu~ They were so cute back then~'
Her lips curled into a warm smile as she looked with her crescent eyes an old picture of Yuna and Nina holding the hands of Yuuji in between them. They were dressed in their elementary school uniform, posing in front of their school after graduating.
Then, another was a picture of herself and Aika with the kids.
She had been swiping through the galleries of pictures in her phone for a while, starting from when she first adopted her beloved baby boy. Then slowly going through the chapters of her life with her beloved little sister, her daughters, and Yuuji.
Then soon, she finally reached the moment when Yuuji changed.
'I can still remember clearly how shocked I was…'
His change was drastic and abrupt. Although her baby boy was cute before, he changed into a completely different man overnight. Not even puberty would be able to explain it.
He was handsome beyond words. So much that she was sure her baby boy would break countless hearts by simply existing.
Moreover, he also suddenly became extremely skilled in investments and many other things.
She had always thought of it as shocking and strange. However, since Yuuji didn't seem keen on revealing the reason, she held back.
And now, she knew why he held back, for the reason behind his change was even more unbelievable.
A multiverse group chat which allowed him and his friends from other worlds to go through different worlds to complete missions and gain rewards.
It was something that would only exist in fiction. And yet, when Yuuji showed the magical items he brought back, showed his magical abilities, and showed her Alice and Aria, it was impossible to deny.
Her shock quickly turned into worry.
He seemed to be quite strong and confident in his abilities, but no matter how strong he was or if he had friends that could take care of him, she was still worried.
But, it was impossible to stop him.
She knew, just from one look into his beautiful eyes, that he'd never stop. She knew her baby boy well.
'Hah… He grew up so quickly… And so amazingly~'
He grew up to be the amazing man she always knew he would be. And now… now that he has become so amazing, so mature, and so loving, it's making it harder and harder for her to hold back.
Her cheeks warmed as she started dazedly at his picture.
'No, I need to be patient. It's not time…' She shook her head, snapping herself out of her daze.
From the start, she had decided to let her daughters be first, then, she would let her little sister be next. Only then would she finally give him her love as a woman.
'Hm~ But maybe, I can give her a nudge in the right direction~'
She mused mischievously, swaying her legs forward and backwards.
After all, Aika's always been slow at things like this. So as a good big sister, she should give her a nudge to the right direction so she could have her turn sooner~!
'Fufufu~ I need to start planning~ I can't wait~'
She closed her eyes and pressed her lips softly to his picture, right on his lips, and placed her phone on her breasts, near her heart.
For now, the few sweet moments she shared with Yuuji would be enough. Though, she wouldn't know for how long it would be.
*Buzz* *Buzz*
Suddenly, her phone vibrated from an incoming call.
"Hm? Who's calling this time of night?"
She looked and saw a familiar name that brought a smile to her face as the caller, and quickly picked up.
"Hana-chan~? I didn't expect for you to call me today~ Especially this late in the night~"
["It has been a while, Mira. Excuse me for calling this late. Though, it's morning where I am…"]
The familiar beautiful voice resounded from the other side of the call. A voice Mira hadn't heard from in a few weeks.
"It's fine~ So? What does the ever-so-busy Madam Flower need from me~?"
["...Don't call me that."]
"Fufufu~ But it's cute~"
["..."]
Mira couldn't help but giggle as she spoke with the best friend she had always been with since high school.
It had always been a mystery to others how they could be best friends. After all, when looked from the outside, they couldn't be more different from each other.
Mira was soft, gentle, kind, and friendly, always with a smile on her face as she greeted everyone warmly.
While Hana had an intimidating presence that was further emphasized by her frankness and strict personality.
But deep down, they were both extremely caring people, which was how they became best friends throughout highschool.
Unfortunately, with both of them getting married, having their own families, and building their careers, they rarely got the time to chat. Especially now that Hana had become a world renowned business consultant who kept the world's finances in balance.
Still, from time to time, they would still chat. Hana would always be the one to call her first, since it was easier for Mira to spare her time. And during these calls, they would chat just like they were still in highschool.
Mira would also remind her to take care of her health and call her husband and daughter once in a while, which thankfully, she seemed to have taken to heart since she would occasionally talk about them with her.
But today's call was still something she didn't expect.
They've had their call a few weeks ago, and normally, their next call wouldn't be so soon. It would normally be at least a month later.
["Hah… Anyway, there's something I'd like to ask."]
"What is it?"
["It is about your son."]
"Yuuji? What about him?"
["I just had a video call with Chitoge yesterday. And when I brought him up, she immediately turned into a flustered mess. I've never seen her face turn that red before."]
Mira couldn't help but froze at the words of her best friend. But quickly, she immediately connected the dots and giggled.
"Oh my~ Really~? Fufu~ May be she is interested in Yuuji~ He's my amazing baby boy, after all~!"
Hana snorted softly. She was already more than used to the son-complex tendencies of her best friend. She was also aware of her hidden desires.
But, considering they weren't blood related, although it was still a bit strange, she considered her best friends' happiness first and foremost.
["Well, no matter how amazing he is, I've always preferred if she were to marry your son instead."]
Instead of Issei's boy, she'd rather have her daughter be with Mira's son so their family would be even closer.
She'd also be the mother of two more cute daughters, which was definitely an added benefit. She had always dreamed of going on a vacation with her daughter as well as Mira and her daughters.
["They also made that "promise". So if everything goes well, they would end up together."]
"Fufu~ I'd love that~"
At that moment, an idea came to Mira.
"Also, if you wish to see your future son-in-law, let me send you pictures of him~"
["Hm? You've sent me plenty. It's eno-"]
"Nope~ It's a new series~ Tell me what you think okay~ See you~"
Mira hung up and immediately sent Hana pictures of Yuuji after his change.
On the other side, Hana received the images, and opened it, if to only satisfy her best friend.
She froze.
'Ah… Now I understand why she fell in love all over again… This is dangerous.'
She smiled helplessly and shook her head. If even she had her heart skip a beat upon seeing him, she couldn't imagine how her naive, innocent daughter would be facing him in person.
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AN: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter~! Please comment your thoughts~! I would love to hear what you think about it~!!!!
Also, if you'd like to read additional chapters ahead and get a pdf version (Light & Dark), please feel free to check out my at patr_eon.com/verglasx ~!
Thank you~!