[Third Person POV]
About 3 months had passed since Riser had changed.
Daily training with Erza had pushed him physically, magically, and mentally to the limit, improving his combat skills by leaps and bounds.
Riser hadn't learned any new spells, but had taken the time to train his control using the Naruto methods, teaching Erza and his mother so they would become stronger.
His mother, thanks to Riser's need for Phenex tears, had increased her magic reserves a few days ago, increasing the amount of tears he would get daily.
With a total of 871 points, Riser had bought a second summon earlier in the week to prepare for something he'd been thinking about for a while now. Riser felt it was finally time to go to Earth.
The memories he had of the place made him nostalgic, but since he'd never actually been there personally, he figured he'd make a trip out of it.
It would allow him to fight against any strays they came across, show Erza more of the world, and take time to acquaint himself with his new summon, Viola, who cost him 716 points.
Viola was a character Riser felt made a strong impression for a few reasons, but the main one was her ability, the Glare Glare Fruit. It gave her the concept of 'sight,' letting her see thousands of kilometers away, giving her x-ray vision, and allowing her to read thoughts, literally.
Her Devil Fruit powers actually made it possible for her to use them in public, thanks to their lack of telltale signs. The only 'strange' thing that would tip anyone off would be her putting her hand to her eyes, and even then, since she can use x-ray vision, she can hide behind a wall, making it practically untraceable.
Her abilities, while not flashy or strong, were incredibly useful and made her the ultimate spy, and she still had potential to grow with Haki and awaken her fruit. In theory, a translation ability like the X-Men's Cypher was a possible awakening, which would work perfectly with runes.
Out of all the potential summons, she was one of the few support-based ones. Her abilities could put him in the best position, no matter the situation.
Compared to Erza, Viola assimilated knowledge of the underworld much faster. Her powers were all about gathering and processing information, and one of her abilities allowed information to be mentally transferred. Viola had a lot of catching up to do, but she had the basics down enough to function in Earth society.
She was also quite interested in magic since it would work really well with her Devil Fruit abilities. Some magics worked based on line of sight, something her powers generally bypass.
The three of them packed their things for the trip.
Viola, who had gotten new clothes yesterday, was the first one to finish packing, having almost nothing to bring.
Erza, as expected, brought way too much stuff at first, eventually lowering her luggage to two suitcases, plus whatever she hid in Requip.
As funny as it might look, walking around with a giant bag would broadcast that they knew magic, something Riser wanted to avoid. It wouldn't be impossible for someone to find out through sensing them or some other method, but at least they'd have to put in the effort.
Riser just packed a single bag with a few sets of clothes. If he needed more, they could teleport back, buy new clothes, or wash them, whichever was needed. He also bought a 1 cubic meter spatial ring, like in cultivation novels, for 100 points, storing anything that might be important, like spare Phenex tears, money (of several varieties), more clothes, food, and some emergency gear.
Hopping onto the train, it pulled away from the station toward their first destination, the British Isles.
Riser was interested in other factions and mythologies given their prevalence in media, so his trip was going to be a tour across Europe to enjoy and learn from them.
Despite the general dislike of devils from pretty much everyone, devils weren't banned from most places due to their large investments in mundane companies everywhere. Rather, there were places considered off-limits.
Italy was a perfect example. The Gremory clan has a large tourism company under its name, with several dozen hotels across Europe and 5 in Italy. They aren't banned from their own property because the Church is based in that country. Instead, you need to get the magical equivalent of a passport stamp so they know who might be blamed if anything happens, which it usually does.
Riser, Erza, and Viola all sat down, with Erza and Viola talking about their own respective worlds.
"Really?" Erza asked, leaning forward, invested in the story.
"Yes. After my brother-in-law achieved his three-thousandth victory, my father recruited him to become the captain of the royal army." Viola explained passionately, as expected from a Dressrosan.
Riser listened in. He was familiar with the story, but there were clear differences from Viola's telling, namely in the details. Viola's memory was exceptional, only enhanced by her Devil Fruit, allowing her to recall every moment in vivid detail.
Her descriptions wove a narrative tapestry that hooked both Erza and Riser.
Viola talked about Doflamingo's invasion of her country. How he tore apart her father and his men as if it were all a game struck a chord with Erza.
She explained how she spent the next decade working for him to keep her family alive and safe, providing what little value she could to feed his sadism and leave Rebecca and Riku alive.
Erza joined in, telling her own stories about her time in the Tower of Heaven and describing some of the horrors she experienced there. She talked about her friends and the time they spent together, and about the guilt she felt when she escaped, leaving them behind.
Hearing Erza talk about how she mourned their deaths reminded Riser of something.
"Erza, you know how I told you I know about your character?"
"Yes?" Erza questioned, tilting her head, unaware of where this was going.
"One of your early arcs involves dealing with the Tower of Heaven and your friends. Jellal got brainwashed, and the others, unaware of it, followed his plans until his defeat, though he does go back to normal eventually," Riser explained.
From there, the rest of the ride involved calming Erza down with some emergency cake he packed and telling her about the fates of her friends.
After nearly 12 hours of talking, relaxing, and eating, the train finally stopped in a station in Dublin.
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Author's Note:
Thanks for reading; I'll see you next time!