NOVEL FROG Chapter 112: Reveal
Chapter 112: Reveal
Location: Magicon Empire; Magicon System; Terra; Imperia; FBC
I finish my call with Grandma Amelia and ask Clara to send a few things about Alina up to the moon. She happily obliges me, and I step back into the living room. As expected, the others are already gone, so I get back and change my clothes.
It takes a bit, as I even take the time and apply some makeup. After all, I picked a fancy restaurant! That done, I’m ready to go. “Are they there already, Clara?”
“No, not yet, but they aren’t far… If you jump right now, you can probably catch them at the underground train station.”
“That sounds great. Do you have the coordinates?”
“Absolutely, here you go. And I think it’s the right decision to tell Alina by the way… It felt like there was a rift forming between you all.”
Oh, I actually didn’t notice. “Thanks, Clara!”
I use the coordinates and teleport to one of the jump rooms below the entertainment tower. Then I step outside and wait. I don’t have to wait for long, as barely two minutes later, I spot the others walking down the hallway toward the elevators.
They spot me as well. “Hi, Sara,” Lydia calls out and I wave back. Alina looks still a bit out of it, but that’s to be expected. I hope the meal helps before I shock her with the reveal…
Surprisingly, the elevator takes us upstairs with barely any interruptions. We must be lucky. Still, Alina’s eyes go wider and wider the higher the level counter climbs. When it finally stops at level 222, she gasps in shock.
“Are you crazy?”
I just shrug. “Don’t worry, the coupon is a good one.”
The elevator doors open, and I’m blown away. I thought the floor where I was kicked out was fancy. I was wrong! This floor is so much above the other one. Instead of Wesley the butler, a stunning brown-haired woman greets us. She guides us all the way to our table next to a window overlooking the whole city. The chairs are the comfiest I’ve ever sat on. They automatically adjust to my body form and are just so soft! Lucy almost moans in pleasure. A raised eyebrow from everyone of us has her spilling the beans: There is an included massage function!
Our interfaces automatically update and show us the menu. The food is probably the most normal in the whole restaurant and I order a simple noodle dish. Of course, some special ingredients on top almost make my eyes pop when I see the price. Now I’m really happy about the coupon!
As soon as we finish ordering, our drinks appear on the table with a small flash of Space magic. My head snaps to the right, where I notice a young man standing behind a bar. He winks when he catches my gaze and lazily juggles a few bottles of liquor. They disappear one after the other and reappear back on the shelf.
I almost salute him in awe. That’s a position I didn’t expect at all for a Space Mage to have. Anyway, our food arrives soon after. This time it arrives rather normally. By that, I mean that our plates float through the room and settle down before us. Then there is no holding back anymore, and we all dig in. It’s delicious!
When I’m almost finished, I feel a connection forming and happily accept the Communication spell. Luckily, it’s voice only, and I start hearing Grandma Amelia’s voice.
“Hello, Sara, I hope you had a nice meal.”
Of course, she knows that. “Hi, Grandma Amelia, I’m actually still eating. But it’s delicious!”
“Oh, should I call you back in a few minutes?”
“No, it’s all good. I’m almost finished anyway. Now, did you find anything about Alina?”
“Nothing at all. She’s clean. If you trust her to stay silent, you are free to tell her your real name. I would advise against telling her about your Earth adventure, but that’s your decision. I also talked with your parents. They said it’s fine as well and are already working on something believable for Alina’s parents as they still want to keep your identity hidden in the wider galaxy.”
A grin finds its way on my face. “Thanks, Grandma Amelia! That helps a lot. I think I’ll take your advice about Earth for now. I think that would break her.”
Now it’s Grandma Amelia’s turn to chuckle and we both tell each other goodbye. I return to the conversation at the table and find the three others staring at me.
“Everything alright?” Alina asks, and I smile at her.
“Yeah, everything is fine… Better than fine. I just got confirmation about something and that means that we’re going on a short trip right after the meal.”
Lucy and Lydia look at me curiously while Alina is more direct. “A trip? Where to?”
“You’ll see. It’s a surprise but it should help solve your little suitor problem,” I finish with a wink and return to my noodles.
We finish soon after and order some ice cream for dessert. It’s a plain vanilla flavor but with little chunks of chocolate inside. It basically melts on my tongue, and I savor every single spoon of it. Meanwhile, Clara takes care of the check, then we’re good to go.
I decide not to teleport straight out of the restaurant, as this might disturb other customers. Instead, we exit the normal way and once we’re out in the hallway, I expand my spell, grab the others, and we’re gone.
Location: Magicon Empire; Magicon System; VS Stargazer
I decide to take things up to the Stargazer, as it’s the most secure location, I conveniently have access to. Alina looks a bit surprised when we appear inside the ship’s living room and shoots me another curious glance.
“I’ll be right back with you,” I tell her and walk toward the exit. Lucy follows me outside, while Lydia and Alina sit down on the couches.
“Are you going to do what I think you’ll do?” Lucy asks in a whisper once we’re out of the room.
I nod. “Yeah, I think it’s time. But I only tell Alina for now. As our roommate, she’s the closest one to us and well, I hate what her parents are trying to do.”
“Don’t worry, I understand. But I’m glad that we don’t have to hide that much from Alina anymore,” she suddenly snorts. “Can I record her reaction? Please say yes. She literally has Valterion fan posters in her room.”
I try to hold back but a small chuckle escapes my throat. “Sure, go ahead. But try to be subtle or she might notice.”
“Gotcha! Just have Clara give me a sign or something when you’re about to enter the room. You’re going to change your hair, right?”
“Will do, and yes, I’m going to hop into the disguise chamber real quick. I should be back in about five minutes. See you.”
I head to the elevator, and let it take me up to deck 04. There, I ignore the magical batteries and immediately step into the disguise chamber. A tap starts the process, and magic envelopes me. Luckily, I don’t feel a thing when my face gets slightly realigned. My hair also changes back to its original light red color. I look into the mirror and grin. That suits me so much better than those pink hair-tips.
I step back outside and return down to the living room. Just before the door, I ask Clara to notify Lucy and wait for confirmation. When She gives me the green light, I tap the button to open the door and step inside.
Alina has her back to me, and I have to clear my throat to catch her attention. Lucy already grins broadly and gives me a thumbs-up. Lydia on the other hand looks rather surprised.
Then, Alina finishes her turn and looks at me. She stops in her tracks and her mouth drops open. She’s too stunned to even speak. It feels like we’re staring at each other for minutes but actually, barely 30 seconds pass before Alina slowly closes her mouth again.
She turns back to Lucy and Lydia, disbelief evident on her face.
“That…” She struggles to even speak. “That’s… That’s a joke, right?”
I clear my throat again, and her head snaps back to me. The face she’s making is so funny that I have to suppress a laugh.
“Sara…? Is that you? What… What happened to you?”
I sit down next to her. Her gaze follows me, still full of disbelief. She manages to close her mouth this time though.
“My real last name isn’t Green,” I start, just to be interrupted by another gasp from Alina. I think she finally starts to consciously connect the dots. Subconsciously, she obviously must have connected a few of them already, otherwise she wouldn’t be so speechless. My hair color and last name are just so intertwined…
“Valterion,” Alina whispers, but then shakes her head again. “No, this can’t be. I know there isn’t a Sara among them. Wait, is your name even Sara?”
That’s the longest interconnected sentence she’s said since my reveal. But she’s drifting off in the wrong direction. I have to stop this.
“Hold on, Alina. You have to stop that train of thought!” I put an arm around her shoulder to try to comfort her. It seems to work as she doesn’t shy away at least.
“My name is Sara. I didn’t lie about that. And you were right. My last name is Valterion. If you let me, I’ll explain why you’ve never heard of me.”
I put the hand away and lean back. Then I give her time to form a response. Her face goes through various expressions of disbelief for the second time. She turns and looks at Lucy and Lydia who both give her nods of reassurance. Then her gaze settles back onto me.
“For real?”
I nod. “Yes.”
She lets out a long breath. “Wow! I can’t believe it. How?”
“This might take a while.” I look at Lucy and Lydia. “Can one of you get us something to drink?”
Lydia immediately jumps up. “Yeah, I can do that!”
She leaves the room, and I look back at Alina. “Okay, where to start. Now it’s probably best to tell you who my parents are… Better to shock you at the beginning.”
Her eyes start to widen a bit again when I say this. Somehow, I even find this a bit amusing. I let out a weak chuckle.
“My parents are Aidan and Jasmine Valterion…”
This time she jumps up and starts pacing. “No way!” Then she suddenly stops in her tracks and her face freezes. “I had a crush on you brother!” Her face flushes a shade of crimson red. “And I asked you if you found him hot as well. Holy shit! That’s so embarrassing! How did you manage to keep your composure back then?”
This time I can’t hold back and start laughing. “It was so hard. I almost spilled the beans back then. Now, are you ready for the rest of the story?”
Alina leans back. “Yeah, go ahead. But please be gentle. Any more surprises and you’ll break me.”
With that, I lean back as well and start my tale. My kidnapping earns me a hug, and the Estriduros Republic earns Alina’s wrath. In the meantime, Lydia returns with the drinks, and we take a short breath. Lucy takes over when we tell her about Mage Academy and all the knowledge they left out.
“So that’s why you don’t know any attack spells!”
Lucy nods. “Yeah, they didn’t even tell us that they exist. Now I’m missing all the basics… That’s why I’m in the beginner course with you.”
After that, I gloss over most of the things concerning Maja and Earth. Maybe I will tell her later but for now I think I’ve shocked her enough. Instead, I tell her that we managed to get rid of our collars, stole a ship, and escaped.
If I judge Alina’s expressions correctly, she doesn’t believe that little lie, but she accepts it as it is. I nod at her in thanks. She understands. Then I continue to tell her how we met Lydia how we finally arrived inside The Empire with all the shenanigans from border control and how I learned about Mom and Dad. Lydia and Lucy continue to comment on things, and slowly Alina starts to accept all of it.
When I finally finish, it’s already late, and Lucy volunteers to make some food in the kitchen. We gladly accept. Then Alina takes a deep breath and looks at me.
“Now, I understand why you’re undercover and why you were so clueless with Noble things… What I don’t understand is why you tell me now? Things were working with your disguise, weren’t they?”
“Yeah, the disguise was fine. I think Tim’s the closest one to suspect something, but he’s got the advantage of being under disguise as well.”
“Oh, right. Do you know who Tim really is?”
I shake my head. “No, unfortunately not. Grandma Amelia wouldn’t tell me. She said to figure it out on my own…”
I trail off when I see Alina spitting out her food. Oh, right. While she should know about the connection, I haven’t told her about my interactions with the Emperor and Empress. I blush a little in embarrassment and try to cover my laugh with a cough. “Sorry…”
“No, I get it. It’s just hard to wrap my head around everything…”
This time I do chuckle. “Yeah, I know. I wasn’t much better when I learned about all of it. Now back to your question. I think it’s obvious why I told you just now.”
Alina freezes again. “No! For real?”
“Yes, I promised, didn’t I?”
Tears start forming in Alina’s eyes. “Thank you!”
She jumps up to hug me and I return her hug. We stay there for a while. Then Alina manages to speak again. “But how? You want to keep your identity secret.”
I can just shrug. “My parents are working on it… That’s all I know. But it should work out.”
That earns me another hug. “Thank you so much. For everything.”
I just smile. Somehow it also feels relieving. Always lying to her affected me more than I thought.
Now, everything should be fine for a new week at college!