Versatile: Alternate World

The Argo crew throw the anchor down the harbor, allowing the Argo to slowly descend and land to the landing area. The harbor crew are quick and quickly prepared the landing space that would allow the ship to land without any disruption. I also notice that compared to the people in Sandurk where the people seem to like seeing the sight of the Argo in their harbor, the people in Aquagius, or more precisely, the people in the Insect Kingdom seems to be indifferent to the Argo and treat it like any other ship.

After the ship settled, the passengers leave the Argo one by one. Before I went down the Argo, I decided to meet with the people of the Argo for one last time. Just like the first time I have seen them, Tora is still smoking on the deck and currently, Holia is just relaxing on the side. I thought she was smoking at first but I just noticed that it was just the long hard candies sold in the store inside the Argo's recreation room.

"Oh? Boy, you are also boarding off the Argo in the Insect Kingdom? I didn't expect that you would be among the passengers that are going to the Insect Kingdom. We had quite a lot of requests to board a lot of passengers to go to the Insect Kingdom lately so the news might have been so grand that even in distant lands, it arrived with clarity!" Holia tapped my shoulder.

"Huh? There is an event currently happening in the Insect Kingdom?" I didn't know about this, and even Queen Tanya didn't tell us about it.

"What? Really? You don't know that it is currently the new heir selection for the kingdom after the first heir met their untimely end in Sandurk?"

"This is the first time I heard about it so I don't have any idea about this one."

"Huh... so then you and your companion are just here to visit?"

"Yeah. We didn't know that there is that kind of news but we are not here to witness that thing."

Tora who was just listening to our conversation decided to join in. "Ah, is that so? You guys have other business here that is not even related to the royalty huh? In that case, I bid you guys success on whatever it was."

I talk to them a little bit before I bid farewell and with Lina and Tina, I went down the Argo and headed to the Harbor of the Insect Kingdom.

...

...

"They were the people that Queen Tanya sent here right? I didn't expect her to already know the next move of the royalty of the Insect Kingdom. And to actually send the person holding the weapon that holds the two "sins", is she trying to solve the problem of Aquagius?" Holia bites off the candy in her mouth and although it was very clear that the candy is hard, she seemed like she is chewing a gummy instead of hard candy.

"That's most likely what she was trying to do. That stupid woman is capable of predicting many things and she is just not trying to interfere with it but tries to make sure she is involved in it. From the looks of it, she already knows what is going to happen and decided to intervene. But who would expect that the "dead" princess of the Insect Kingdom would be alive and currently going back to where she was born and where the people who plotted her death lives," Tora puff off a cloud of smoke on his mouth before reducing the remaining tobacco into ashes by igniting it to flames.

"Maybe that is the influence of that thing? I doubt they would do something that troublesome without any influence of outside force."

"Who knows? We are just spectators so we will just watch everything unfold. It's not like it is needed for us anyway. The symbols of "Sins" are outside of our jurisdiction and we are not here to even care about it."

"Heh, I look forward to the show that they will be making after this."

"You are using [Clairvoyance] again huh? Tch," Tora clicks his tongue.

Holia didn't say anything and just responded with a meaningful smile as she swallow the remaining half of the candy whole.

...

...

Insect Kingdom

Compared to Resurgia and Sandurk, the vibes of the Insect Kingdom are very similar to what you can say as the ancestral days of Japan. But only the vibes. It didn't have anything close to the olden days of Japan of any sort as the Insect Kingdom is in the advanced stage that the meaning of the ancestry vibe I am feeling when we first came here is already gone before I know it. Instead, only the vibes are remaining, and other than that, it is just like the same scenery in a city like in Resurgia.

"Huh. So the insect Kingdom isn't much different in Resurgia huh? From the looks of it, the only difference this place has with Resurgia towns," Lina looked around the houses and some buildings in the Insect Kingdom.

"It was normal that it would be like that, Lina-chan. Humans helped the Insect Kingdom create a thriving atmosphere. Although there is a slight distinction that seems to be separating us to the normal humans and the insect people we are just one and the same."

"Is that so? I thought the Insect Kingdom was found by the great leader of the Insect People or something like that."

"There was indeed something like that but it's not just their sole effort, humans were involved too. However, it seems the history seems to have been already revised since most Insect People only knew that humans have nothing to do with the foundation of the Insect Kingdom. It's most likely due to the tampering of the royalty that the history has come to this," Tina explained.

"If that is the case, how did you know about the true story of the history? I doubt there are still many copies of those things in the Insect Kingdom's bookstores or libraries to avoid the people learning about it."

"You are right Lina-chan, the true history is no longer available here. I was fortunate enough to find a book detailing it on Sandurk's royal library. It was much detailed compared to the history I read in the past. No wonder the Insect Kingdom's version of history seems to be lacking in many aspects. I was confused about it but decided to keep the opinion about that matter which is why I forgot about it until I managed to read the original history in the library in the royal castle."

I am familiar with the things here in the Insect Kingdom but since I arrived much earlier compared to the past timeline where I visited the Insect Kingdom while we have the quest for the Pioneers, this time, it is just a normal quest tied up on Tina but since this is a special quest, I doubt this is anything normal. Tina was much more familiar with the place and with her familiarity with the Insect Kingdom's ins and outs, we managed to grab a room in one of the inns before it got really cramped due to the number of visitors appearing to witness the selection.

Since the number of rooms available is close to scarce and some are almost full, we have no choice but to select only one room instead of two rooms for the two girls and one room for me. Besides, I don't need to sleep so it is pretty much a useless thing for me.

"What is your reaction after finding out that the royalties are now having selection for the next heir?" I asked Tina.

"That is to be expected. I am not surprised in the slightest they did this. Father is old and with the seat of the heir vacant after my supposedly "death", he would need to find a replacement as soon as possible."

"They didn't even hold burial rites that should at least bring honors to your name after your death, is this how it is done in this place?" Lina asked.

"No. Just like humans, we also do the same thing. We don't just ignore who died and leave it at it. I already know why it is like that but I can only say that my father seems to be more focused on politics and how his rule can be preserved compared to how his family is faring. If he ever became a caring husband, my mother wouldn't have died. Maybe because of that sword that is always being passed down to the royalties might be the case. Father became like that after he received those Shield and Spear."

"A Shield and Spear?" I frowned.

"Yes. If I remember it right, Father calls the spear the "Spear of Superbia while the shield is known to be the "Shield of Vanagloria". I tried looking at what is the Spear of Superbia and the Shield of Vanagloria and how important the weapons are and the only thing I know is that Superbia and Vanagloria are also known in the well-known sin, Pride.

I was startled when Tina revealed it. A weapon bearing one of the seven deadly sins. So that means, one of the weapons of the "Seven Deadly Sins" weapon series is currently resting and is being used as an ancestral heirloom of the royal family.