Harem Sync: Divine Edition

Chapter 80: Room of Curiosities

"Whoaaa, Uncle Colorful’s house is huge!" Yukihime exclaimed, peeking out the window above Haru’s head, who was also peeking.

The gates opened, revealing a massive mansion, not as large as Valtherion’s, which was still under construction, but impressive nonetheless.

Three stories of white marble with gold accents, perfectly symmetrical gardens, fountains with angel statues, towers on the sides with fluttering flags.

They were at Flavius’s house.

The carriage entered through the gates, following a stone path to the main entrance where the butler, a man of about sixty years old, in an impeccable black and gold uniform, greeted them with a deep bow.

"Welcome to the Elegantius residence."

The Valtherion guard driving bid Haru farewell. "I’ll be back at the agreed time to pick you up."

They nodded and followed the butler, who escorted them through corridors decorated with expensive paintings, red carpets, and crystal chandeliers, until they reached a huge room.

"Mr. Flavius will be with you shortly," said the butler, leaving and closing the double doors.

"What room is this?!" Yukihime ran to one of the decorative suits of armor, a full silver metal knight holding a spear, positioned near the window.

"Don’t touch..." Haru warned.

"Why?"

Haru lightly touched the suit of armor next to him to demonstrate...

The entire suit of armor fell to the floor with a deafening crash, pieces scattering.

Haru froze. "In the movies, this always falls..."

Yukihime’s eyes widened.

"...That’s why," Haru murmured.

There were many things there; it was a room of curiosities, a private collection.

Shelves filled with artifacts: ancient swords, grimoires bound in leather, vials of colored liquids, skulls of exotic creatures, ancient maps, complex mechanical clocks.

They were snooping around.

Yukihime picked up a small, glowing globe. "Daddy, look! Magic ball!"

"Put it back..."

She put it back. The globe rolled and fell off the shelf.

Haru caught his breath before it broke.

"Yukihime..."

"Sorry!"

They reached a large aquarium, not with fish, but with a painting submerged in transparent liquid. Abstract art of vibrant colors that changed depending on the angle.

They stood there with serious faces trying to understand exactly what it was.

"Is it... beautiful?" Yukihime asked uncertainly.

"...I think so?"

"It looks like colored vomit."

"Yukihime!"

Haru turned his head suddenly, instinct screaming danger, and grabbed the bottle that had been thrown at the back of his neck.

Expensive whiskey. Empty.

Another one came flying.

Haru picked Yukihime up and left quickly, the bottle hitting the aquarium, breaking the glass, liquid and paint spilling onto the floor.

Ahead stood a young man of about twenty, shirtless, showing defined muscles, wavy blond hair identical to Flavius’s, golden eyes, expensive dress pants, holding a bottle of whiskey to his throat.

He drank straight from the bottle.

"Intruder." A slurred voice from someone already drunk. "Who do you think you are, snooping through my father’s things?"

"Father... must be his son..." Haru thought.

And then he felt a clear murderous intent emanating from the boy.

It wasn’t a joke, it was real.

He immediately placed Yukihime behind him, his body tensing.

Golden took a half-step forward, his mana beginning to leak.

"ENOUGH." Flavius’s voice cut through the air.

He entered the room in his house clothes, still flashy, a purple shirt with gold details, looking between Golden and Haru.

"He’s a guest."

Golden wanted to reply, opening his mouth...

"Shh!" Flavius cut him off firmly. "You’ve been drinking again... my God, I don’t even know what to do with this kid... Go to your room!"

Golden stood there processing, clear revolt on his face, but before turning, he gave Haru a long stare, not an empty threat, but a promise of future confrontation.

He turned and left, slamming the door.

Flavius sighed heavily, massaging his temples.

"Sorry... that’s Golden. My only son."

"Why are these nobles’ children all so spoiled brats..." Haru thought. "If Isabela were a man, she’d probably be even worse than that guy over there..."

"No, it’s no problem at all." Haru said, adjusting his shoulder in a warm-up gesture, showing he was ready if he needed to fight.

Flavius looked behind Haru. "Look who you brought!~" Tilting his head to the side to peek, it was Yukihime hiding behind Haru.

"COLORFUL UNCLE!" She shouted, running and hugging Flavius.

He picked her up, laughing. "My little one! How are you?"

"Fine! Daddy brought me!"

"Let’s go to another room..." Flavius said, looking at the mess, fallen armor, broken aquarium, "...it’s kind of messy here."

Another decorative armor fell on its own on the other side.

"...Very messy."

They settled into another room, smaller, more intimate, with comfortable sofas, a low glass table, and windows overlooking the garden.

Flavius was wearing casual clothes, but still quite flashy. Haru was dressed simply, sitting somewhat unpretentiously.

They drank tea, Flavius with his pinky raised, Haru drinking normally.

Yukihime ate biscuits that the butler had brought, happily stuffing herself.

Flavius took the Custodians’ golden coin from his pocket and placed it on the table.

"How did you escape them?"

Haru looked at the coin. "I don’t know... I answered everything as I thought. It’s true."

"And in the last test... they asked me if I was a Gamer, and it just so happened that they were informed that I was Valtherion at that exact moment."

"And the connection with Vandris?"

Haru took a deep breath. "Well... I killed him."

Flavius froze, his cup stopping in mid-air.

"You what!?"

"Actually, it wasn’t me... I kind of contributed to his death." He corrected himself. "He fought another Gamer and lost. And I killed the Gamer afterward."

Flavius processed that, completely reconstructing his mental model. "If Haru killed Vandris... or helped... then he’s not his ally. It’s not a necromantic conspiracy."

"But he killed another Gamer too... so Gamers kill each other. Competition? Hunting? Survival?"

"Maybe... I failed in my judgment yesterday. Maybe it’s not a conspiracy. Maybe it’s... war between them."

"And what would your real rank be?" he asked directly.

"Inferior/Lower Maestro Tier I."

"Oh..." Flavius smiled. "Same as Golden. But I’m not here to talk about that."

He paused. "I’m here to find out what the Cathedral doesn’t tell us about you. I’m someone of revolution, if you understand me."

Flavius put the cup aside, looking serious. "I want to be sure I can let you roam around knowing you’re a new race declared dangerous to all nobility."

He leaned forward.

"I keep wondering... how did you get along so well with Baron Valtherion?"

Haru remembered shouting in front of everyone in the mansion that he was a Gamer. And the Baron reacting... sort of accepting it?

"So the Baron always knew what a Gamer was..." he realized. "And why didn’t he annihilate me if he already knew?"

He murmured softly, beginning to think: "He knew... from the beginning..."

"I don’t know..." Flavius said, "...but this Gamer thing isn’t from weeks ago. It’s been going on for months."

He let it sink in.

"As I thought... there are already Gamers who have been here for months. If it continues like this..." he looked out the window, "...I hope their objectives aren’t bad. Otherwise... it’s over."

Haru touched his temples, taking a deep breath.

"Okay. I’ll tell you what a Gamer is."

He paused.

"But first... I need to trust you. A pact of loyalty."

Flavius smiled. "Darling, if I were to annihilate or wish you harm... I would have done it already." He looked at Yukihime stuffing herself with cookies.

"I’m incapable of hurting a child. But okay... what pact?"

Haru remembered Vandris’ pact. "Black Gold Pact."

"Oooh~" Flavius smiled broadly. "You really understand the Vandris house! Hohoho~ You even know their pact!"

The grimoire appeared floating beside him, pages turning on their own until they stopped at a specific one.

"You’re lucky you’re here with an experienced mage."

A magic circle emerged from the hand he extended, black and gold runes intertwined forming a complex pattern.

Haru said: "What is said here should not be heard by others."

Flavius replied: "What is said here should not be heard by others."

They shook hands.

The circle glowed intensely, then vanished, a pact sealed.

Now everything they said there would remain between them. Magically impossible to reveal without consequences.

"Yukihime..." Haru turned to her, "...do you have one of your chalks?"

"Yes, Dad!" She searched in her dress pocket.

She took out colored chalk and handed it to him.

Haru took it and began to draw on the glass table, a rectangle with a screen, a keyboard underneath.

"Everything starts here for us gamers. It’s not just with the PC..." he pointed to the drawing, "...some use consoles."

He also drew a video game controller next to it.

Flavius looked curious. "What is... this?"

Yukihime was also paying attention, eating a cookie.

Haru took a deep breath.

"Where I come from... we have machines. Devices that create... worlds. Not real ones. Simulations. Interactive stories where you control people."

He pointed to the drawing of the PC.

"And one of those worlds... was Aethelgard."

"Take it easy..." Flavius raised his hand, processing. "What do you mean, machines? Devices that create worlds?"

He began pacing the room, gesturing. "Aren’t we talking about illusion? Unreal worlds, simulations where you control people..." He stopped, turned to Haru. "So all this here isn’t real? I’m being controlled!?"

It was already starting badly because he couldn’t understand it at all.

He paced back and forth, murmuring: "It’s not like magical resonance... these are machines that create entire worlds..."

"It’s like a movie, right, Dad?" Yukihime added, also confused.

"Yes!" Haru replied with a sigh.

"We’re not ready..." She repeated her father’s saying with childlike seriousness.

Haru wanted to say something, but Flavius cut her off. "How can I be sure you’re not lying? How can I trust that? The things you said seem so... abstract..."

"I can prove it." Haru stood up.