Aether could hardly believe it—they could even be called a tribe, considering what he saw from afar. The Veylorians looked more like an empire.
As Aether gazed at the Veylorian territory from the mountain, he was amazed.
"Wow, Liyara… your kingdom is really beautiful," he said.
Upon hearing this, Liyara looked at Aether. "Hehe… yes. It has grown really big, and the kingdom's equipment has improved thanks to the people up there. This mountain where we're standing now marks the border of Veylorian territory."
Because of this, Aether looked at Liyara. "S-So… that means the land we passed through earlier isn't yours? Does that mean you entered enemy territory?"
Hearing this, Liyara laughed.
"Haha… the land we passed, Aether, is just wasteland. It belongs to no one." She pointed to the vast lands of the Underworld. "We are trying to claim those lands, and we use the river as a passage so we don't get lost."
This made Aether imagine how vast the Underworld was. There was still so much wasteland, while in his world, people fought over every piece of land.
They continued walking toward Veylorian territory, and Aether noticed from afar that the kingdom was surrounded by a wide river.
After several hours, they finally arrived at the Veylorian kingdom gate. Aether noticed how massive the gate was, clearly built for defense in times of war.
He realized that conquering the Veylorians would be extremely difficult because of the wide river surrounding the kingdom.
However, Aether also noticed a weakness: the river was filled with predatory fish, and the wooden bridge was vulnerable. Similarly, the kingdom's gate was also only made of sturdy wood.
"Liyara… don't you use stone to build your kingdom's structures? Using wood is risky, especially for such a wide bridge," Aether said, pointing to a mammoth crossing the bridge with many goods.
"Oh… Liyara, look! That mammoth is too big for the wooden bridge. If the bridge breaks, it would be a huge loss for your trade, and it's too wide to build entirely from wood."
Liyara immediately explained, "The bridge won't break easily, Aether. Mana supports it, so it's not weak. The stone gates are only near the noble districts of the kingdom."
Aether felt annoyed. "But Liyara, you should also consider your citizens. Ninety percent of the kingdom's operations—trade, labor, and so much more—depend on them. You need to treat them well too."
Hearing this, Liyara looked at Aether seriously.
"Aether, it's better if you remain quiet. Even I cannot interfere because this is the kingdom's tradition. Nobles have their own armies, and if they are treated poorly, rebellion is highly likely. It's impossible to build the entire kingdom from stone because Veylorians are often at war with other tribes."
Aether stayed silent, realizing he was new to the Underworld and knew nothing about the Veylorian world.
"Okay… your tradition, I cannot do anything. Besides, I am not part of this kingdom."
Even though Aether's voice was weak, Liyara could still hear him.
Upon entering the kingdom gate, the locals paused in surprise at their presence. Aether noticed the hard life of the Veylorian citizens and also saw that the gate had no guards.
Liyara glanced at him. "What you see is normal, Aether. The Veylorians are at war."
A Veylorian citizen noticed Aether because of his fair skin, standing out among the mostly brown-skinned people.
Aether realized just how vast the Veylorian kingdom was, as it took hours to reach its core.
At the center, he saw the nobles' area: stone mansions with clean surroundings and a quiet atmosphere. The gap between the nobles and ordinary citizens was staggering. Ordinary people lived in wooden houses, in filth and noise, with food often dropped on the ground but still eaten.
Aether thought that if he tried eating the street food sold to ordinary citizens, he would likely get sick.
Aether froze when the soldiers and Liyara stopped in front of a massive stone mansion.
Standing at the gate was a striking woman, with guards behind her holding spears. Aether noticed her immense mana.
Liyara approached her. "Thank you so much, Ysadora, for lending your soldiers."
Ysadora bowed. "It's nothing, Princess. What matters is that you succeeded in expanding our lands into the wasteland."
Aether was surprised to see that almost 60% of the soldiers who came with them left to join Ysadora. He realized that most of the soldiers came from a noble named Ysadora.
He was further shocked to see that the soldiers accompanying them were mostly women.
After Liyara spoke to Ysadora, she returned to Aether. Only 200 warriors remained with them.
"Liyara, are most of those soldiers hers?" Aether asked.
Liyara nodded. "Yes, Aether. That's why nobles receive special treatment. Our palace soldiers are gradually decreasing because of the ongoing war."
Aether realized how chaotic the kingdom's structure was. "I see… but why are there more female soldiers than male?"
Liyara looked at him, puzzled. "What kind of question is that, Aether? Most likely because women have stronger mana than men."
Aether was stunned. "W-What? Seriously, Liyara? Women are stronger than men?"
She nodded. "Yes. Women have more mana in their bodies. Men are physically stronger, but because women have more mana, they become three times stronger than men."
Aether fell silent, realizing the Veylorian kingdom was the reverse of his own world.
"So… why do women have more mana than men?" he asked.
"I don't know, Aether… and I don't know where the mana comes from either," Liyara admitted.
Hours later, Aether knelt before Liyara's mother.
"So, you're the man my daughter chose and gave the Crimson Veil to," the Veylorian queen said.
Aether was surprised. "Uh… I'm sorry, but I don't understand what the Crimson Veil means."
The queen smiled. "Ah yes, you're new here. Your daughter told me you come from the world above. Let me explain the Crimson Veil. It's an ancient Veylorian tradition. The Crimson Veil is water mixed with blood and a part of the woman's spirit. When a man drinks it, he gains some of the woman's knowledge and becomes obligated to marry her because part of her spirit is now in his body."
Aether became angry. "What if I don't want to marry your daughter? She gave me the Crimson Veil suddenly, without my consent."
The queen's gaze turned stern. Aether felt the immense mana radiating from her, like facing a massive mountain.
"You have no right to refuse. If you do, you could be sentenced to death. This is tradition in Veylorian lands, and even ordinary citizens and nobles must follow it. You are lucky—your daughter chose you, so you gain a portion of her abilities because part of her spirit is now in you."
Aether felt terrified. "Death? … I-I don't want to die in this world… I still have a mother waiting for me."
The queen spoke again. "Liyara, make sure you marry him. He is from the world above and can greatly help our kingdom with his knowledge."
Hearing this, Liyara smiled. "Yes, Mother."
The queen smiled. "Good. Now you may leave."
Liyara stood and looked at Aether kneeling. "Aether, get up. I'll take you to our room in the palace."
Aether had no choice but to follow her. As they exited the queen's office, he remained dazed.
"Liyara, when will the wedding take place?"
She smiled. "Hmm… I don't know yet, Aether. The Veylorians are still at war."
Aether felt relieved; he might still have a chance to leave if people from the world above visited again.
Minutes later, Liyara stopped in front of a door and slowly opened it.
Aether was amazed by the room's size and the window nearby.
He approached the window and looked outside, seeing nearly the entire Veylorian kingdom—the lands of the rich and the poor.
Aether grew frustrated. Coming from a modern world, the disparity between the rich and poor seemed glaringly cruel to him.
He stopped thinking when he heard Liyara speak.
"This will be your room, Aether. We will sleep side by side here."
Aether looked at her. "Wait… side by side? We're not even married yet."
Liyara simply looked at him.
"You have no choice, Aether. This is tradition in our kingdom. Once you drink my Crimson Veil, it becomes our shared responsibility," she said with a smile.
Aether gritted his teeth in frustration. *All these traditions… unbelievable…*
He noticed the books in the room. Seeing his interest, Liyara smiled.
"Those books, Aether, can be used if you want to become a warrior. But they may not suit you… I see very little mana in your body."
Aether approached the books and saw skills on how to use mana.
He paused and looked at Liyara, noticing her outfit for the first time.
"Wait… Liyara, why is your outfit better now? Before, you wore tribal clothes."
Liyara was surprised but explained quickly.
"Good question, Aether. It's traditional for us to wear tribal clothing in battle. All soldiers follow this tradition. Over time, it evolved into a better design thanks to knowledge from people above."
Aether understood why they wore tribal clothing.
He noticed Liyara's outfit now resembled a beautiful medieval European princess dress.
He thought to himself, "When will the people from above return to your kingdom?"
Liyara pondered. "We don't know, Aether. They arrive suddenly on flying machines, and that's why we call them 'people from above.' They always arrive riding flying machines."
Aether realized that people in his world used helicopters to reach the Underworld.