CHAPTER 88: ASHTON CITY [2]

The words Kai had used when describing Ashton City in THD were as follows: "A city placed upon another. A world trapped in the past, yet holding more memories of the future than any other town."

It was an otherwise vague statement, but to most, it was sufficient to encapsulate everything about the city.

Ashton was a colossal city that didn’t appear much different from a medieval town, but beneath that ancient exterior lay technology more advanced than any other.

It was a city the empire had constructed not to preserve their own legacy, but the history of the world’s greatest hero, who had died to save humanity.

Similar cities existed across other continents and prominent regions, but unlike Ashton, they weren’t nearly as renowned.

The streets of the city were filled with carriages that moved — no, hovered — without any horses.

Kai couldn’t help but gape; it truly was a fascinating sight that exceeded what he had imagined it to be.

The students of Class C had joined up with other classes, and since no one was allowed to bring a foreign vehicle inside, all students had to leave their comfortable buses behind.

At first, Kai had cursed himself for imposing such a rule on the city, but after witnessing its luxury, he changed his opinion.

The students and their homeroom teachers didn’t take long to reach the inn, which was owned by the current headmistress of the academy.

Since the buildings were nowhere near as large as Noctis, students had to share accommodations.

Kai opened his door slowly as he walked into the room.

Two beds sat at the far ends of the room, while the third was positioned along the central wall.

The two edge beds had already been claimed by his two roommates.

Matt placed his bag and dimension ring into the wardrobe built into his bed, then placed his phone on his side table.

Kai was a bit disappointed by the room.

Yes, the candles were crafted using technology, and there was even an AC system.

Still, it resembled every other medieval inn he had seen in manhwas.

Old, rustic, and filled with wood, though the wood in the room appeared rather clean and seemed made from a strange material, which Kai suspected to be the remains of a Drifter or mana beast, or worse, from a demon.

Kai swallowed hard and arranged all his belongings. "I will be back soon."

Matt and Reozaki nodded as Kai exited the room.

The academy had already provided students with a schedule outlining their collaborative activities.

This was because some professors couldn’t see their semester’s curriculum being completed otherwise.

In light of that, all first-years had a joint lecture in the morning from seven to eleven. Afterward, they were free to do whatever they wanted until three, when evening training and small competitions commenced and continued into the evening.

But it didn’t end there — by five, when training concluded, students were expected to participate in group projects until seven and produce something of value to present to the emperor.

Kai had already begun to question how much money Noctis truly had, if they had resorted to making students work during holidays simply because they couldn’t afford gifts.

Kai clicked his tongue in irritation. But still, it wasn’t like they came here to relax.

As Kai passed a group from his class, mostly composed of girls — except for Derick, who wasn’t from their class and looked out of place among them — Kai frowned.

The hazy memories of his dream began resurfacing, prompting him to click his tongue and look away.

Outside the building to the left, Kai quickly noticed the student baths.

They were divided into two main sections, which were further separated into two.

The first was clearly for students, while the other was for faculty, and both were divided by gender.

And just like in anime, the male bath had a red cloth covering it while the female bath had blue.

Kai shook off the unnecessary thoughts and left the area.

Using his threads to form a hoodie over his body, Kai leapt into the air, jumping from building to building.

’This is quite enjoyable.’

One bad habit Kai had developed since entering Meltonia — was the paranoia brought on by lack of knowledge.

Because of that, he was planning to scout the city, locate the position of his predecessor’s orphanage, and determine where his new café was located.

Upon spotting the orphanage, Kai held the side of his hood, though it wasn’t necessary, then used the wind to propel himself downward.

With a deep voice, he said, "That felt cool."

Kai smirked, then stepped out of the alley he had landed in. It was a not-so-peaceful shortcut that led from the main street to the orphanage, which sat at the center of the second street’s road.

Kai had honestly expected the building to be near a grassy field, but his imagination had been off, except for the appearance of the house.

A rundown building with smoke rising from the chimney. Children played football behind the gates, while others played what appeared to be tag.

Kai emerged from the alley, finding a chair that served as a carriage stop and sat, watching the children play.

He knew he hadn’t grown up with any of them, yet something in his heart felt strangely warm at the sight.

The feeling wasn’t simply due to human compassion, but something akin to what he felt for Hari or his family.

’So you cared about them, huh?’ Kai asked himself, gripping his chest tightly. ’They seem like good children.’

He sat there for almost an hour, and only when the children returned to the orphanage did he rise to his feet.

He looked at his watch and sighed. "So much time has passed."

Pulling his hood back over his head, he jumped into the air, using the threads he could weave together as footing before launching fully into the air.

Since time had already passed, he quickly checked out the café and returned home.

At least business seemed to be running smoothly, and the employees appeared competent enough.

Kai slipped into the men’s bath, and after a long soak in the open shower, which resembled a hot spring, he returned to his room.

The moment he collapsed on his bed, he drifted off into sleep.