ã€ŠSpirit King&#x27;s Incarnationã€‹


 Prologue: Reincarnation

    There was something I always asked myself when I was in high school.

    What makes someone a genius? That was a question I asked myself countless times when I was a high school kid. A genius is defined as a person who has remarkable intellectual or creative function, or other natural ability.

    I was never one of those people. I was surrounded by them, however. Entering one of the most prestigious schools in my city was both good and bad. My self-esteem took a nose-dive. Each and every day I¡¯d see the gap between the normal people such as myself and the geniuses. It was¡­ very large.

    However, just because you were born normal did not mean you¡¯d remain a bland human being forever. If you worked hard and put in the effort then there¡¯s no limit to what you could achieve. I never believed those words. They were said by people who already achieved great things in life after all.

    I failed tenth grade twice. I didn¡¯t take school seriously when I was younger. Why did we need school, was the question I¡¯d ask myself.

    I began getting serious in life once I realized my mistakes. I put in an effort to improve myself. I even did a math degree in college. Yet what did that bring me in the end when the pillar that guided me left? Homeless, broke and jobless.

    I had to live with my ex which was humiliation of the highest degree.

    "Deadline is today..."

    I packed up the papers with the character sketches I finished just a few hours ago. Since I was a night owl, I tend to focus better during the night.

    "Ah, fuck..."

    I ran to the train station only to find it packed with people. There were even several lines.

    I decided to walk. It''s always busy in this city during the mornings. I can''t remember the last time I got into a train without any problems.

    I saw the cold air exhale from my mouth when I sighed.

    "Did you hear about this morning''s news? More kids disappeared last week."

    "Yeah. It''s strange how they don''t find any leads."

    I heard the conversation of two people as I stood at the traffic lights and waited for the light to turn green.

    It was as Stranger A said. People had been disappearing for reasons we couldn''t fathom. First it was at the local high school near our apartment then it started happening to all the high schools. I wondered what it could be. Some said it might be mass kidnapping, yet no traces get left behind.

    "What the hell is going on with traffic today?"

    I grumbled as I saw the cars pass by.

    "Huh?"

    I saw three boys push around a girl on the sidewalk. The weather was cold and the sidewalk was slippery.

    "Give it back!"

    She had tears in her eyes as she jumped to take the bag from the boy.

    I turned my attention away from them but couldn''t help but hear a noise.

    HONK¡ª!

    A honk grabbed my attention followed by the sounds of crashing.

    ''What''s going on?''

    It was coming closer down the steep road. The traffic was way too much for me to cross so I could only stand on the sidewalk.

    SCREECH

    I heard the sound of tyres screeching on the road and looked in its direction.

    "RUN!!!"

    People started screaming when a car was toppling over the other cars. It smashed down the poles that stood in its way and nearly hit a person.

    ''What the hell. Why is it not stopping?''

    Maybe it was because the street was a small hill that the car couldn''t slow down.

    That girl I saw earlier was still trying to get her backpack back.

    "SHIT!!"

    They were still unaware of the danger behind them.

    I dropped my laptop bag and dashed toward the girl who was in the range of the chaos. The boys were frozen in fear when they finally saw the approaching car.

    Many other vehicles crashed into each other creating a chain reaction.

    "Out of the way!!"

    I grabbed the girl and tried to throw her onto the pavement.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    "---!!!"

    I slipped on the icy road but managed to get her out of harms way.

    "Run¨C"

    Before I could finish speaking, a heavy impact crashed into my body.

    My vision blurred in and out of consciousness.

    ''Huh? Why is my head spinning?''

    I couldn''t hear anything besides the ringing inside my head. It felt like I was flying.

    BOOM¡ª!

    I felt an impact on my back and only then did the pain come.

    "GYAAAH!!!"

    I screamed at the top of my lungs.

    The gathering pedestrians hurriedly called for help.

    "Kuk!! Guh...!"

    I could barely speak. When I looked down...

    "...?"

    My entire lower half was gone.

    "!!!!"

    A shriek came out of a nearby pedestrian''s mouth as she pointed upwards. I looked as well.

    ''Ah, man... why does it feel so peaceful...?''

    I was strangely calm inside my mind even as I felt agonizing pain.

    The location I landed in was a construction project of a new building.

    The objects falling towards me were pillars.

    "Fuck..."

    I shut my eyes tight as I clenched my jaw.

    The heavy objects fell on top of me. The pillars crushed my head and then my body.

    I died.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ''Huh? Where am I?''

    I was surrounded by darkness and it felt like my body was restricted of its movements. It was like I was in a tight area.

    ¡®Did I manage to save the girl at least?¡¯

    Moments before the accident, I ran to save a high school girl. Did she make it out? I couldn''t see her before my death since I was thrown into that construction site.

    My consciousness faded to black when the impact from the objects¡ªeach weighing a ton¡ªlanded on top of me. I wasn¡¯t even able to feel any pain. All I felt was a squishy sensation before I entered the land of the dead¡­.

    Or so I thought.

    Where am I?

    I felt myself moving in a tight area. My hands and feet were like jelly and I tried grabbing onto anything I could latch on to. I could only move my fingers and toes. It was too difficult to open my eyes for some odd reason.

    ¡®How am I moving when I already died? Is this a dream?¡¯

    A vibration, followed by the movements of the walls of which I tried latching onto. I felt like I was getting pushed out of something. Were the walls constricting? A type of fluid was making it easier for me to move outwards. I could also feel folds.

    However, I felt uncomfortable as a type of liquid kept trying to suffocate me.

    Was I underwater or submerged somewhere? I could feel my throat vibrate but I couldn''t hear my own words.

    ¡®This is strange¡­¡¯

    I shouldn¡¯t be alive. I should¡¯ve died when the pillars fell on top of my body. Could it have been reincarnation? I never believed in such concepts like reincarnation exists. If you die then you die. You vanish into dust. We go back to where we belong.

    ¡®¡­Light?¡¯

    At the end of the tunnel I could see a bright flash.

    I heard a scream but since my ears felt clogged up I couldn¡¯t make out where it was coming from. I could barely move my neck to see where I was. But since my eyelids didn¡¯t brighten up. I could tell that I was in a place filled with darkness.

    After what felt like an eternity of being pushed by a force, I finally felt free.

    My eyes wasn¡¯t used to the light. I couldn¡¯t keep them open since it was too strong.

    My ears began clearing up and I started hearing the voices. It came from all around me. They were unfamiliar voices.

    Looking around I saw many people entering the room when I opened my eyes. They were all wearing old middle age clothes.

    ¡°It¡¯s a boy, madam!¡± A woman wearing maid clothes shouted while holding me in the air.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    There was a lot of people who entered the room. All of them were looking at me.

    My voice didn¡¯t come out. Rather, I had no voice.

    ¡®Why can I not speak? No, more importantly. Why am I still alive?¡¯

    ¡°Thank you¡­ everyone¡­¡±

    A woman¡¯s mumble caught my attention.

    ¡°Goodness. I was so excited that I suddenly grabbed him. Here, madam.¡±

    ¡®Hm?¡¯

    The maid handed me over to another person.

    ¡®Whoa¡­¡¯

    I saw a woman with dark brown hair and green eyes look at me with a tired smile. Her entire body was covered in sweat and she was breathing heavily. Nonetheless, she didn¡¯t lose the warm light in her eyes as she held me.

    Her robe was slightly open that I could almost see everything. Droplets of sweat trailed down her cheek.

    She held me in her arms and wiped her tears.

    ¡®I¡¯m a baby¡­?¡¯

    Since I could see how small I was, I was convinced.

    ¡°Ah¡­ You have my eyes and my nose.¡±

    She poked my nose softly.

    ¡°Congratulations, El. He¡¯s such a beautiful child. I can see the resemblance between you two. And look, he even has a beauty mark below his mouth. The same as you."

    A woman with long grey hair came up to my mother and held her hand.

    ¡®Huh? Why are her ears so long?¡¯

    I saw two long ears sticking out from behind her grey hair.

    ¡®An elf? No way¡­¡¯

    I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes when I saw her ears. I was sure that she was an elf. But, elves didn¡¯t exist on earth though¡­

    ¡°Thank you, Miss Solphia. Although, I¡¯m a little confused. Didn¡¯t the doctor say that it would be a girl?¡± My supposed mother squeezed the elf woman''s hand.

    I saw a man with a bald head and glasses awkwardly smile. He was wearing a doctor¡¯s coat.

    ¡°My apologies, ma¡¯am. It seems that the magic sensor organ was mistaken. Maybe I calibrated it wrong. Goodness¡­ I should quit before I make a mistake during surgery at my age.¡± He mumbled with a troubled expression on his face.

    ¡°Everyone! We need to give the couple some alone time! I can hear the father coming now.¡± The elf shouted at everyone.

    All of the people that were gathered in the room sighed in disappointment. They abided by the old woman¡¯s order and left the room.

    ¡°I¡¯ll inform the magic shop that you¡¯re resting after your pregnancy.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, miss Solphia.¡±

    ¡°Haha. Don¡¯t mention it. I¡¯ll visit you later today again.¡±

    A noise similar to galloping horses entered my ears.

    ¡°Seems like he¡¯s here. I better get going.¡±

    She waved one last time before leaving the room.

    ¡®First things first¡­ Where am I?¡¯

    It was a world different from earth. No, it was rather similar in many ways. Except a few things. I didn¡¯t see any modern lights but instead I saw lamps and candles being used as light.

    There was also the fact that the house I was born in was built using bricks and wood. It was built in a way I¡¯d never seen before on earth.

    How should I say this¡­ it was like the house was built in an old design.

    ¡°Are you ready to meet daddy?¡± The woman sat me up against her chest while looking at the door of the room.

    ¡®My father?¡¯

    ¡°Eleanor!¡±

    The door opened with a bang. A man wearing knight attire burst into the room. His hair was light brown while his eyes were black. He had three swords hanging on his waist.

    ¡°You missed his birth."

    My supposed mother glared at the man.

    ¡°S-Sorry. I was in Hurge city with lord Mason. I had to steal a horse to get here.¡±

    The woman chuckled.

    ¡°Come meet your son, George dear.¡±

    The man came towards me as he took off his armour.

    Tears gathered in his eyes.

    ¡°My baby boy¡­ Ah, he¡¯s so cute.¡±

    ¡°Fufufu.¡±

    The woman laughed while patting my head. I could only gaze at them in confusion.

    ¡°What should we name him, George?"

    The man, George, looked at me with a big grin.

    ¡°How about Clyde? That was the name of my late grandfather.¡±

    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s perfect! Clyde Astley. Yes. My baby boy Clyde.¡±

    The two of them finally cried tears of joy as if they couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore.

    Reality kicked in and I realized that nothing I experienced thus far was a dream.

    ''I was born into another world.''

 Chapter 1: History of the Five Heroes and Magic

    "What a pleasant surprise. Sword King Alucard. Saintess Merlin. Arash of the Divine Bow. Great Sage Odette. And finally. The being the elves worship, the Spirit King."

    Inside a castle bathing in the lava of the demon world, a thunderous voice boomed. Those who heard his voice shivered.

    His voice reached his servants who were near his throne. They shuddered as they felt his power being released to intimidate the intruders.

    The four heroes and the Spirt King.

    The latter stood in the lead.

    "Even in your state, you are still a threat to humanity."

    He was a man who could be described as having reached the peak of the humanity''s perfection. His white hair fluttered in the wind and released a scent similar to nature after it rained.

    The spirit king was what they called him.

    "We heroes were tasked to slay all evil. Why did you abandon your humanity?"

    A man cladded in divinity unsheathed his sword. The sword was covered in the blood of those demon scum he slayed in the name of the great goddess, Sol.

    "Ah, Alucard. Your righteous mouth still makes me nauseous."

    The Demon Battle God Rodion stood up from his thrown.

    "M-My lord! You do not need to stand up for these mortals!"

    His servants desperately tried to make him stand down.

    "You are not fully healed!"

    It was three hundred years before that he battled against the Dragon God after her planet was destroyed. She escaped to this planet with her children.

    Rodion had to battle the Dragon God after she entered his domain. He succeeded in killing her but was left with a scar that would need to heal for a few more hundred years.

    Rodion''s massive figure stepped down from his throne of bones. The muscles on his body bulged and released a powerful aura.

    As he looked at the four heroes and the Spirit King, he pondered.

    ''This may be my final battle. If I had to estimate then I am at fifty percent of my full power.''

    He was known as the strongest out of all the Evil Gods in the North Solar System. Even his father, Surtr had to kneel before his might.

    He was an evil god that could make the divine gods themselves tremble from hearing his name alone.

    Rodion looked up at the sky as the heroes came closer.

    A red moon reflected in his eyes.

    It was caused by the red miasma the Red Abyss dungeon released during its active period.

    He spoke when the heroes were a few metres away.

    "I have lived for a million years on this planet. If I wanted to then I could destroy all life in this world."

    "Then why didn''t you?"

    A woman spoke as she held her staff. She was the Great Sage of this era.

    "Because this is my home."

    "...Your home?"

    "Indeed. In my years of conquest I have only wanted one thing...." His entire body released a heavy pressure. "Peace."

    With a loud roar, his red body enlarged several times as horns and wings grew from his back. His face turned into that of a goat. The Demon Battle God took his true form.

    -But as along as you who try and hinder me from my ideal future, I can never be at peace. I have watched my children be killed by you only because they have my blood.

    "We will slay all evil. That is the teachings of the goddess, Sol."

    Alucard summoned his Holy Sword without flinching at all at Rodion''s figure.

    -That goddess is truly annoying. When I finish with you then I will pay a visit to the God Realm.

    "You will not!"

    With a loud roar, Alucard activated his holy sword''s first release.

    "Keep him busy while I perform a spell."

    At the Spirit King''s words, Odette, Merlin and Arash, the divine archer nodded.

    All of them went full power and approached the Demon Battle God, Rodion.

    -With this prayer to the Celestial Realm, I command you...

    Spirit King, Xio made a praying gesture with his hands. His entire body was covered in a white aura as tens of millions of spirits entered his body.

    Odette casted a spell along with the help of her sister, Merlin.

    "[Solar Storm]!"

    The clouds spread apart and bathed the dark demon world in light. A yellow ray fell down and shot through the magic circle above the Demon Castle of Rodion.

    -Gyaahahaha! Do you think a spell that weak can harm my flesh!?

    With a harrumph, the giant Rodion grabbed the spell with his bare hand. Alucard was flung away when he tried to attack him.

    Even while that was happening, Xio still prayed to the Celestials.

    -With this prayer to the Celestial Realm... I command you... Spirits of the laws and nature ...

    BOOM¡ª!

    The spell was thrown towards Alucard.

    "Alucard!!"

    It landed causing a massive explosion to rise.

    -Impressive.

    Even after an Upper High rank spell was thrown against him, he remained unscathed.

    "I''m fine! Why are you using such weak spells!? Xio ordered us to hold him back so use your most lethal magic!"This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    All three of them nodded.

    Arash summoned his Divine Bow.

    Odette''s endless pool of mana drew a magic circle of the God rank.

    Merlin used a divinity buff to increase their power output.

    -Hoho. Bring it on, heroes!

    Rodion arrogantly roared and opened his mouth.

    A dark purple cluster of energy formed, spinning at violent speeds of light.

    It was natural that nothing would stay standing while all this pressure from so many techniques were being released. The castle walls crumbled, the residences disintegrated and the entire demon realm broke apart.

    Even the God of Order who must balance all the power of the world was scared to stop them.

    "Now!"

    Alucard changed his holy sword into its second form. A torrent of light fell from the sky.

    All four of them used their strongest moves against the strongest evil god to ever exist.

    RUMBLE...!

    BOOM¡ª!

    The entire continent felt the power of their battle. Even the residents from the spirit realm felt it.

    ¨CGod rank magic-[Wish]. [I wish for the angel of miracles].

    While the heroes'' spells were clustering against Rodion''s power, a bright light appeared from the sky.

    An angel with six arms, holding three grimoires flew down to the mortal realm.

    Rodion''s eyes opened up wide.

    He was aware of what it was.

    The archangels of the Upper God realm.

    ''What? Who summoned it?''

    His focus was on the four heroes all this time.

    He forgot about the strongest member of the hero party.

    Xio.

    -Thank you for answering my call.

    Xio spoke in spirit language.

    The angel flapped its wings and casually waved a hand.

    -I will make one sacrificial wish to you.

    The angel nodded and let go of one book. The book manifested into a type of energy.

    The angel opened its mouth.

    -

    What is it that you want to wish for, young one?

    -

    It was a voice they felt ring inside their heads. Even while he was standing there, Xio felt his knees would give up on him from the pressure being released from a being of the Upper God Realm.

    "Sacrifice my soul to slay Rodion."

    He pointed at the Evil God who was still holding the heroes'' spells at bay.

    ''Sacrifice?''

    Alucard looked towards Xio. There was a smile on his face.

    ''Do whatever it takes to win. I have but a fraction of my true power. Fighting the immortal god took a lot out of my body so I am willing to sacrifice to save this world.''

    That was his words to Alucard before.

    -NOOOO!!! You beings must not interfere with the mortal realm! You upper angel scum!

    Rodion shouted as he felt himself being pushed back.

    -

    Commencing implementation of wish. You have permission to use a covenant.

    -

    The energy from the grimoire formed a rune.

    "Good..."

    With one last chuckle, Xio turned towards his comrades.

    All of them were looking at him as well.

    "This is goodbye to all of you, but do not worry for I will reincarnate in the future."

    He looked towards Odette as his figure was slowly turning into light.

    "Odette... I will give you the chance to kill Rodion."

    Rodion powered up even more and broke free from the spells.

    "You are the light of humanity. Be there for them in my last few breaths."

    The torrent of power flew towards Odette. It entered her body, sending power she never knew she could have into her core.

    As if being controlled by something, she raised her staff and mouthed the words.

    The angel was the one controlling her body because of the wish of the deceased soul.

    "God Rank Magic-[Graponia]."

    Rodion attempted to kill the angel before it finished chanting. Before he could, a black cluster of energy formed above Odette''s hand.

    Both her and the angel''s mouth opened at the same time.

    "Disintegrate."

    -

    Disintegrate.

    -

    WHOOONG

    That day a universal law was broken when all the elements within the universe formed a single destructive force.

    The entire world was thrown into disarray when history itself was shifted.

    The strongest evil god, Rodion was slain.

    -------

    ¡°¡ªAnd that was the tale of how the five heroes slayed the all-powerful Demon God. Everyone lived happily every after. The end~ Did you enjoy it?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    My eyes were wide open as I looked at my mother.

    ¡®That... That was so awesome!¡¯

    I thought that she¡¯d read me a boring nursery rhyme or something but the depiction of the five heroes was quite enjoyable the more I listened. The way she imitated the voices of the people inside the story was kind of funny. I wanted to hear more but I was saddened by the fact that it was something that happened a thousand years ago. There wasn¡¯t even a kind of sequel.

    Although it might''ve been tweaked to make a story, I still enjoyed listening to their battle. There were even pictures of them fighting the demon god.

    She closed the book and put it aside. After wrapping me up in cloth, she pulled up her sweater.

    ¡°Time for food~¡±

    Her perfect oval shaped jawline, her pointed nose and beautiful smile. I couldn¡¯t even describe her in any other way. She was just stunning.

    Her sweet breastmilk went down my throat.

    ¡°Such a good baby, aren¡¯t you? I thought I had to stay up all night to watch over you but my baby didn¡¯t cry once.¡± She kept speaking to herself as I greedily sucked on her milk. Her eyes were filled with love as she gazed at me.

    While feeding on her, I glanced around the room. Almost everything was made of wood. The walls, the window pane, the floor and the toys lying around.

    Plus, the house was so quiet. Normally at home when I¡¯m trying to sleep, the neighbours next door would be blasting their awful music.

    What¡¯s going on? Where was I? My questions were only left unanswered. I couldn¡¯t even speak to ask this woman either. Speaking of which, she called me Clyde, right?

    That was my name? It does sound like a good name for a boy.

    ¡°There we go~ My little boy must be sleepy now, right?¡±

    My mother smiled gently and kissed my forehead. She was right. I suddenly felt this feeling of wanting to sleep when my belly got full. I couldn¡¯t resist the urge to close my eyes.

    ¡®Ugh...I can¡¯t think straight...¡¯

    Her lovely voice soothed my ears as I embraced sleep.

    *

    Months passed by and I was finally able to crawl on the floor. This was the moment I was waiting for. I could finally move on my own!

    My mother¡¯s name was Eleanor and my father was George. They are just your average people that became independent at a young age. I wasn¡¯t really sure what they did in the past.

    Anyway, the land we live on belonged to an earl affiliated with the Kingdom of Colchis located 10km to the west of our village. There was a map in our house so I could study it from time to time when I get bored.

    I witnessed something out of the ordinary when father came home with an injury on his shoulder. Mother used some kind of light that permeated around the wound and instantly healed it.

    It was really magic.

    That was my answer to my previous question. I was reborn into a fantasy world. Actually experiencing this felt normal. Why didn¡¯t I meet a god that gives me an important mission to save the world? Or perhaps a princess who offered up herself so I can defeat the demon lord and save humanity?

    Did that mean I wasn¡¯t the protagonist of this world? I didn¡¯t feel any stronger power within me. Maybe it took time to unlock.

    ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯

    When I was spying on my mother who was making food in the kitchen, I saw a book lying underneath a cupboard. It was a book with a brown hard cover and strange letters on its front page.

    ¡°...!¡±

    I struggled to get it out with my short arms. My mother turned around when she heard me and quickly approached.

    ¡°Oh dear, is something there that you want?¡± A blue type of dust came out of her hand and went underneath the cupboard.

    From what I could see, she released her mana into the atmosphere. I wondered what uses it had other than picking things up.

    ¡°Hm? Ah... it¡¯s my old magic spells book that I got during my adventurer days. ¡ºElementary Magic Introduction¡». I haven¡¯t seen this in a while.¡±

    She picked me and the book up and put me on the couch after giving it to me.

    ¡®She was an adventurer?¡¯

    Her magical abilities weren¡¯t as flashy like I sometimes imagined magic would be. Judging by how tired she looked after using a couple of spells, her talents might¡¯ve been average. Father was a knight who protected our village from what I¡¯d heard. He always complained about bandits when he came home.

    Mother then left me on the couch and went back to cooking. There was a portrait of a woman with white hair on the cover. She was holding a staff in her hand while a magic circle was in her other hand.

    I opened the book with its strange letters.

    ¡¾¡ºIntroduction of Magic ¡»Where did it all begin? ¡¿

    That was the first title.

    I could strangely read it for some reason.

    ----

    What is magic? What¡¯s its driving force that allows it to manifest into the world? For that to be answered, let¡¯s go back to the days of the old. The era where the four heroes were born 1000 years ago.

    The Great Sage was born into a magic-less world. Only swordsmen were the dominant people in this world.

    People had mana but they had no idea what to do with it.

    The question everyone had was how did she become the first mage in existence?

    One day when she saw one of her neighbour¡¯s house burn down from a forest fire, she used it. She used magic for the first time. At that time it was called Manipulating nature instead of magic.

    When she saved the family from their burning house, everyone asked her for her teachings.

    Naturally this was the birth of the first ever mage academy to exist. The Royal Academy of the Colchis Kingdom.

    It is one of the oldest known academies in the world.

    -

    Royal academy? I heard mother and father talk about this kingdom as well. They mentioned something about their family living there.

    The name of father¡¯s uncle is Duke Luxembourg. He was the lord of a city called Hurge. The city was fairly far from our village so I hadn¡¯t seen our extended family yet. Apparently, we were one of the Luxembourg¡¯s branch families. The Astley Baron family.

    I read further as mother was distracted with cooking.

    ---

    She became the first director of the academy. Her goal was to change the world.

    Her words were:

    ¡°I want to use my power to protect my people and get rid of evil.¡±

    The Great Sage and the Saintess. They were two sisters that became legends in this world.

    The Sword King, Alucard that heard her words also became tied to her.

    She amassed many achievements over the years of her lifetime.

    One of those achievements was her magic books.

    It lists all of her spells that she used throughout her lifetime¨C

    --

    I closed the book and sighed inwardly.

    ¡®Can I also use magic?¡¯

    It was worth a shot.

    ¡°Time for your milk~¡±

    As I sat there with my arms folded, thinking seriously, mother picked me up and opened her apron for me again.

    ¡®I¡¯ll think of this another time.¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    Three years went by. Time flew quick since I was a baby. I had no responsibilities and only had to eat and sleep. I couldn¡¯t do much since my body wasn¡¯t developed enough to go outside. I only had to wait. That was the best thing to do at the time.

    I haven¡¯t been out of the house much either. The only people I¡¯ve seen so far were mother and father. They were seriously protective of me, their only child.

    That aside when I saw my mother dozing off on the cluch, i used that chance to sneak out of the house. My legs weren''t as strong as I had hoped but I could at least drag the magic book with me. It was a relief that it wasn¡¯t heavy.

    When I walked through the open door, a vast plain of grass spread out before me at the back of our house. My destination was the tree on top of that hill.

    It took great efforts to make it but I was finally able to each after a few times rolling down the slope.

    ¡®Is that the kingdom?¡¯

    In the distance over the horizon and forest, a huge wall that could even be seen from where I sat came in my view. I could also see multiple big buildings.

    The building that caught my eyes the most was the castle in the centre of the kingdom. Even from where I sat, I could see the white castle¡¯s majestic design.

    A strong gust of wind then slapped my face and made my bangs flutter.

    I turned my attention back to the book on my lap.

    ¡¾Basic Elementary Magic¡¿

    The most basic and easiest magic to learn. After a person succeeds in the spells in this book then they move on to the Intermediate magic book and then onto the Advanced(or High) rank magic book. Mother lost hers a few years ago. She told me during one of her monologues. She¡¯s a good conversation partner, even if I don¡¯t reply. I mostly get all of my world knowledge I currently possessed from her.

    I opened up the book and began reading the first paragraph.

    The text should''ve been hard to understand for the average child but I could read it just fine. Normally eight year olds start with this book if they have the aptitude for magic. And here I was, a three year old reading and understanding the theories of the book.

    ''Maybe the god who reincarnated me gave me the ability to understand.''

    I was at least grateful that they weren''t a piece of shit that didn''t want to give me anything.

    ¡°First spell... ¡ºGale¡»"

    I wondered what this could be used for.

    ¨CBreath of the wild.

    I spoke the basic chants that acted as a activation for the magic circle that should form.

    ¨CManifest the particles of wind to create a weapon crafted by nature.

    As I held up my hand, a small green breeze manifested and kept getting bigger by the second.

    WHOOSH

    It was getting harder and harder to keep my eyes open from the accumulated wind.

    ¡®It worked?¡¯

    The ball was getting bigger and bigger as more mana got sent into it. I was beginning to feel drowsy.

    ¡®No way. Am I that weak that my mana reserves are so little?¡¯

    I thought my life this time will be filled with enjoyment as I become a strong mage capable of blowing away my enemies.

    My anger caused me to send more mana into the spell, which intensified the drowsiness I felt. The gale of wind was beginning to feel heavier by the second.

    I scrunched my face and aimed my arm at the nearest tree. Since I was leaned against another tree, I wouldn¡¯t fly away from the force of the spell.

    ¡°¡ºGale¡»!¡±

    The spell flew towards the target at lightning speeds and tore apart the ground as it flew. I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes by what happened next.

    BOOM

    The force of the spell was so powerful that it broke apart two more trees. The poor trees fell over onto the ground.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    But my shock didn¡¯t last as I fell down against the tree as my head felt like it was spinning. My consciousness faded after a few seconds.

 Chapter 2: History of Magic

    I didn''t know what happened after passing out from using my first spell. When I woke up, I found myself in my cottage.

    My eyes took awhile before they were fully opened. I felt so drowsy that I wanted to take a nap right after waking up.

    ''So I really can''t become a legendary mage...''

    I felt like crying but I held in my tears like a man.

    Why is my mana so little?

    What did I do to deserve this?

    Will I have to become a farmer now? Ploughing the fields every day until I die from old age or have a stroke after taxes suddenly went up?

    ''I can at least become a knight with my body alone, right?''

    Knights are people who use physical strength to fight. If I can''t use magic then my only path in life is that or become a politician. Though I don''t want to dabble in politics or economics. I usually get lazy if I don''t find things interesting even if I''m capable of doing it.

    I sat up on the cottage bed and looked around. My entire room was decorated with things that cater to an infant. There were games for babies and pillows on the couch where my mother always breastfeeds me. In my cottage, there''s a lot of stuffed animals.

    Their designs are straight out of a nightmare but I appreciate my parents'' thoughts. It might be that things needed for babies are expensive and they instead had to make it themselves.

    "!!!"

    Why I was grumbling to myself, a hot sensation spread in the depth of my stomach. It felt like drinking water on an empty stomach.

    The ''something'' was so great in mass that I thought it was impossible that it came from this small body.

    ''Could it be?''

    I tried meditating and imagined releasing my mana just like mother always does. It was fairly easy for me.

    And then I felt it.

    ''So much!''

    I concentrated on peering into myself. Seeing the energy within my body.

    ''Be the void within my body. Focus on my core...!''

    I was standing in a space where an endless stream of something was reaching up to my knees. The colour of it was black and it smelled odourless.

    I cupped my hands and looked at it closely. It was a dust that strangely had no mass or a structure. It flowed like water and yet it was like dusts of sand being blown by the wind.

    This strange substance... I immediately recognized it even though it''s my first time seeing it inside my body.

    Mana.

    My mana. But why was it black?

    And why did it seem so endless?

    A gigantic black sphere entered my vision when I turned my gaze up.

    ''Is that a type of core?''

    Another bright light was about the same size and had white mana instead of my black mana.

    I approached it and tried to put my hand against it.

    ''!!!''

    I was suddenly thrown back into reality. My whole body was drenched with sweat. If the black sphere was my mana then what was that strange white core?

    Instead of the odourless smell I got from the black mana, the white mana flowing out of it smelled like the air after it rained. Like nature.

    The quantity was far more than my black mana. Should I try and read some books again?

    Maybe some of the books lying around the house can help me figure out what that mana was. I should try meditating in order to understand it a little more.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    When I returned to reality, a large mass of power surged within my body. I couldn''t seem to control the flow of a majority of the mass of mana. It''s so much that I could literally dive into my mana pool if it were a lake.

    Mother''s singing voice still came from the kitchen while she was cooking.

    I stealthily tried using [Psychokinesis]. This was a spell many great mages could use upon being able to use magic. I already read the description in the magic book.

    Surely I could do it too, right?

    "..."

    I aimed my hands at the stuffed bear that was in my cottage and tried moving it.

    A failure.

    I tried again.

    Yet another failure.

    The consumption of my mana was large but I barely felt exhausted at all. I only managed to move the bear a little bit towards my feet.

    I sighed and sniffed a putrid odour.

    I was unable to vomit on my own from the smell.

    It was coming from my diaper.

    It was so irritating that I naturally had to cry in frustration. My limbs were barely developed so I couldn''t take it off completely. The most I can do was lift my legs up so it doesn''t smear my entire behind.

    The door then opened, revealing my mother.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    She smiled gently and approached me.

    "Looks like someone made a mess~"

    "..."

    I averted my eyes and cursed inwardly.

    ''Damn this stupid baby body.''

    Eleanor moved me to the couch and quickly went to go fetch another diaper from the cabinet. Even while sniffing the rancid odour from my excretion, her smile never once broke from her face.

    She also never lost that warm glint in her eyes. Did my mother from earth also treat me this way when I was born?

    I wouldn''t know. The treatment I received from them was anything but special throughout my childhood. There were few happy moments. Like when I graduated high school and was able to pursue a degree in math.

    I knew they weren''t actually happy for me. They would look good in front of other people as they brag over things like:

    ¨CLook at my son''s grades. Isn''t he amazing?

    ¨CHe is always on the dean''s list for having the best behaviour and highest grades.

    Things like that. It was like showing a new species to curious human scientists. I felt like my efforts I went through were only for them to brag about.

    I used to watch a lot of motivational videos and learned how to study effectively. If it wasn''t for that then I wouldn''t have succeeded in life.

    My parents weren''t part of my self-improvement. Not at all.

    If I feel that my parents from this world are the same as my previous parents... then I''m leaving this house once I become of age. I might not have a destination in mind. The only thing that would matter is leaving a house with no love.

    It''s only an ''If''. Now that I know I have the capabilities of a mage, my life will get easier as I grow up.

    Maybe I''ll life a slow life like those overpowered clich¨¦ reincarnation novel mc''s. Or I''ll become an adventurer and find party members to bond with, find a beautiful swordswoman to make her my wife, have lots of kids and grow old together.

    Mother finished putting on my diaper and picked me up.

    She held me to her chest and hummed as she danced slowly.

    I might be overthinking about family too much...

    ''So sleepy...''

    I yawned as I heard mother''s gentle voice.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    Throughout the next couple of months, I practiced my magic spells in secret. My father is rarely home so I don''t have to worry about him finding his baby play with dangerous spells. My mother is always sleeping most of the day since she''s up all night attending to me even though I don''t need it.

    I''m a strange baby. Normal babies would cry during the night. They''re selfish creatures that want attention day in and day out. I''m glad I''m not like other babies otherwise my mother would have to stay up all night to attend to me.

    She already has to work in the fields to look after our crops which they always sell to pay taxes or for extra income. Her other job involves enchanting items for amateur mages or for adventurers.

    I usually sit and watch her through the window from our house. What else can I do? I couldn''t even walk without stumbling down. The best I could do was crawl on my knees.

    Anyways, I sat on top of the hill against the tree yet again today. Eleanor already fell asleep after noon arrived which means I have time to read through the magic book. I also brought a book of this continent''s history.

    The title of the book in my hand was:

    ¡óIntermediate Rank Spells and introduction to multicasting.¡ó

    I found this book lying in an old bag of my mother. It seems to have been her old adventurer bag since a tattered old mage robe was also inside of it.

    I plopped down on the soft grass and read the lines I stopped at last.

    ¨CGRAPONIA Royal Academy.

    It was the first ever academy to exist on the continent. The Sage and her lover Alucard, the Sword King wanted their teachings to pass on to the next generation. Peace was already upon us when they slayed the Demon Battle God Rodion 950 years ago.

    Using the treasures they received from the great archdemon''s castles, they bought a single plot of land.

    That land was the kingdom we know of today.

    An ambitious low ranking knight came up with this idea to start their own city where the academy can be built in. He was a companion of the heroes and also the one who proposed to the Saintess, Merlin.

    That city is now the entire kingdom of Colchis today and the low ranking knight was the first king.

    The great sage , Odette fertilized the lands to create farms. The sword king, Alucard gathered nomads that would want to live and work in their future kingdom. He trained them and passed down all his knowledge to the future generations.

    This would continue for millennia until the academy finally becomes what it is today.

    The name Graponia is the God Rank Spell the Saintess and Great Sage casted together to slay Rodion.

    Many of the world''s spells that are recorded today in records are from the Great Sage herself. Many alterations were made to divide spells in categories. Namely, Low, intermediate, High and Upper High ranking spells.

    God Rank Magic has never been casted by anyone other than the Saintess and great sage.

    -

    If I were to train diligently, would I be able to achieve something as amazing as god rank magic? God rank magic can literally alter the reality of the world and defy physics. Scientists would lose their minds if they saw even one of the god rank spells in action.

    Ragnarok. Its origin is unknown.

    This was the strongest spell in existence and was used by the Great Sage when she destroyed ten nations that killed many in order to get the Saintess. It was written in books that the reason for her outrage was because her sister killed herself to stop the nations from fighting each other. The Saintess'' power to use god rank healing magic was a valuable asset to many in those dire times.

    She is able to heal fatal wounds and cure any and all diseases. Her abilities has limits if she can''t determine the main injury or she doesn''t know the disease. In order to heal, she must pray to the gods and receive their divine power. There are many minor gods in this world as I''ve read in the history book. Many churches are also spread across the culture of different religions.

    The god with the most followers in this world is the Light Goddess, Sol.

    After the Great Sage destroyed so many nations using a god rank spell, she disappeared never to be seen again.

    They say that the spell caused her to lose all her infinite mana as punishment by the gods for the genocides she caused.

    -

    I flipped the page again and read as if to absorb everything. I didn''t like reading history back on earth but I strangely liked reading about this world''s history. It might just be because this is a world of magic and many other phenomena. I used to read novels that involve magic and fantasy elements so it''s a fresh feeling experiencing all this myself.

    I have yet to slay a dragon though. Dragons are too powerful in this world so I might have to scratch that off my do-to-list of meeting one.

    ¨CTHE GOD OF LIFE, THE BEGINNING AND OF SPIRITS, THE SPIRIT KING.

    "Spirit King?"

    When I flipped the page after reading the previous page, a name caught my attention.

    ''Spirit King... The hero who was worshipped by the elves.''

    While I was mulling over the name, a shout came from the house.

    "Clyde, dear. Where are you!?"

    ''Shit. My mother is already awake?''

    I used [Flight] to fly towards the back of the yard and play in the dirt. I''m not very into playing in dirt but I had to act like a stupid baby.

    Mother seemed to have heard me throwing rocks at the back as she came to pick me up.

    "Come. There''s someone I want you to meet."

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    When she brought me to the house, I saw father''s horse neighing outside.

    He''s back huh.

    We entered the house.

    "Ah, there he is."

    Father turned around with a big grin. I ignored him and saw a little girl of maybe 7 years of age looking at me as well.

    She had red hair and big blue eyes. This would normally be rare in our world since only 1% of the population can have this combination. I bet she''ll be a beautiful maiden in the future.

    The clothes she was wearing was damaged and tattered. Her skin was also covered in filth.

    She averted her eyes awkwardly.

    "This is Brielle. I found her in a destroyed village when I was helping Lord Mason clear out a guerrilla group. She was underneath rubble hiding away from them. A small battle occurred there near the borders a few days ago leaving only destruction."

    Father patted her head.

    "I hope it''s not too much to bring her home. She was all alone that I didn''t know what to do."

    "No, no." Mother put me down and approached her. "It must''ve been scary, huh. Don''t worry. We''ll find your parents. Can you tell us what they look like?"

    At mother''s question, the girl began crying. Her voice carrying sorrow and grief.

    "T-They''re d-dead..."

    Both mother and father gasped.

    ''She''s a war orphan?''

    Orphans never get good treatment in any kind of world. Even if it''s the middle ages or modern society. They are viewed as insignificant humans. Only few are generous enough to help orphans who lost their homes.

    I was on the verge of becoming one since I wanted to leave my house in my previous world. My parents were just too unbearable. They said things that no parent say to their child.

    But I held on because I wanted to become independent from them after finishing college.

    Mother hugged the girl even though she smelled like garbage.

    She clung to mother''s clothes as if to not let go of finally finding warmth.

 Chapter 3: The voice seeking help

    Eleanor took Brielle to the bathroom to clean her up. They came back a few minutes later to the living room.

    ¡°What do you think, honey? I¡¯m sorry that this is the only thing we have for girls. I wore this when I worked at the bar in the town.¡±

    Brielle wore a maid outfit the same as those outfits from maid caf¨¦s.

    She blushed and straightened out the dress.

    I don¡¯t know what it is but I find the way she was dressed very cute.

    ¡°Oho~ Look at Brielle~ So adorable.¡±

    Father clapped his hands making Brielle blush.

    ¡°Can you go make food without me, George? I have to feed our little Clyde.¡±

    ¡°Oh. No problem. Save a bit for me too. Ehehehe.¡±

    ¡°Just go.¡±

    My mother chased father out of the room and picked me up.

    Brielle was gazing at us while she sat on the couch.

    ¡°If we can¡¯t find a suitable home for you then you will have to stay here for the time being. How does that sound?¡±

    Mother casually spoke with Brielle. She lifted her sweater and took out one of her humongous breasts.

    I greedily grabbed it and put it in my mouth.

    ¡°O-Oh, my. Slowly, Clyde.¡±

    I saw Brielle in the corner of my eye touching her chest while looking at me.

    ¡°Is something wrong, sweetheart? Does your chest hurt?¡±

    ¡°N-No. Why is he sucking on madam¡¯s chest?¡±

    ¡°Oh, this? It¡¯s a type of bonding for mother and child. I¡¯m also feeding him. Look at how cute he is sucking on his mother¡¯s milk.¡±

    ¡®... please let me drink in peace...¡¯

    I grumbled inwardly.

    ¡°Do you want to feel?¡±

    Mother took out her other breast.

    ¡°S-So big... and plump..¡±

    Brielle¡¯s small hands could barely lift mother¡¯s giant boob.

    ¡°Haha. They are filled with milk given their huge size. They shrink whenever Clyde drinks on my milk. However, they¡¯re this large the very next day again.¡±

    Brielle gulped.

    ¡°W-Will I also have breasts as big as these?¡±

    ¡°Hmm... it has to do with eating healthy foods that makes you grow. So maybe?¡±

    A bit of milk oozed from mother¡¯s other breast.

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s leaking.¡±

    She wiped it off with a napkin.

    ¡°That¡¯s better.¡±

    She put it away. Brielle looked at me drinking on mother¡¯s milk.

    ¡°Will I have to feed him too with my breasts if ma¡¯am isn¡¯t around?¡±

    Mother spat out a bit of saliva out of surprise and laughed.

    ¡°Heavens no. You¡¯re still a child yourself, darling. And besides to produce milk you have to give birth first.¡±

    ¡°Is that when a man and a woman sleep in bed together and do the deed?¡±

    ¡°Where have you heard of such things? But yes.¡±

    ¡°So Clyde is a boy and I¡¯m a girl. If we do it then I can make breast milk too?¡±

    Mother face palmed herself.

    ¡°Goodness, where has this child heard of such things...¡±

    Mother instructed Brielle to go make a bed. We don¡¯t have many mattresses so she had to sleep in my room.

    ..

    In my room on my bed, Brielle looked up at the ceiling. I just silently gazed at her.

    She then turned to me and pinched my cheeks.

    ¡°Such a good boy~ whose a good boy~¡±

    I¡¯m not a dog, miss.

    She picked me while I kept silently looking at her.

    ¡°You¡¯re so cuuute~ Look at your small feet. Kyahaha~!¡±

    I sighed inwardly at the brat that kept bothering me.

    I had to play with her for 30 minutes before she fell asleep that night.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    Brielle began taking lessons from our village chief¡¯s residence. Seeing as how she could help mother around the house, she had to learn duties of a maid. The village chief has about four girls in service in her house. Brielle could learn a lot from them as they could show her the ropes about being a maid.

    It wasn¡¯t that my mother told her to do the duties in the house, she herself said she had to earn her keep since she¡¯s staying with us. It seemed she was from a very strict family.

    I¡¯ve been busy training my magic. I¡¯ve been noticing the presence inside myself getting bigger by each month. It¡¯s like something was growing.

    That second core is still a mystery to me. I¡¯m doing my best to find out what exactly is that.

    A carriage often comes to our village to seek out any children aged 12 and older capable of magic. They are sent from the mage tower to find talent in the rural villages.

    Is the mage tower taking a different approach than the academy? They take village kids regardless of their status. As long as they can cast magic, they are welcomed in the tower. The academy has a lot of nobles so I guess the commoners aren¡¯t treated very well by them.

    The court mages always bring a crystal ball to measure the child¡¯s aptitude. It would usually show the kind of grade their mana is at already. There were a lot of ones and twos. They are given badges which state their mana rankings. I even saw some older children with rankings 3 and 4.

    I wasn¡¯t sure how far I was. I usually rank myself by the type of spells I can cast. There was also an old book that had a table of contents. It might not be accurate since it was from 200 years ago.

    The contents were as follows:

    Elementary ranking spells¨COne and two.

    Intermediate ranking spells¨Cthree and four.

    High ranking spells¨Cfive

    Upper High ranking spells¨Csix, seven, eight.

    God-rank magic¨CNinth grade.

    There have been no records so far of anyone possessing mana equalling seventh and eight besides the members of the White Order. Not to mention ninth. No one other than the Great Mage of the past who they call the Sage, has achieved mana of that ranking.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    They used to rank mana by their colours but stopped after it was tested to not be accurate according to the descriptions.

    It took me three years to reach Intermediate magic. Considering the fact that I¡¯m still a toddler, this growth is abnormal.

    I reached a bottleneck in my self-training though. The descriptions, runes and even drawing the magic circles were becoming more difficult. I needed magic book¡¯s knowledge far better than the current one I possessed.

    ¡°Hm? Is something the matter little Clyde?¡±

    My mother picked me up with a gentle smile.

    ¡°Book...¡±

    I held it out to her.

    ¡°Ah, is it too difficult to read the paper? I did buy this back in my teenage years after all...¡±

    She then fell into contemplation.

    ¡°Maybe I should buy you a new one? I sense magic power inside my baby so maybe that will be helpful in the future.¡±

    I froze when I heard her.

    ¡®She can tell I have the aptitude for magic...?¡¯

    Is it because she¡¯s my mother that she can tell? There¡¯s nothing in the scripts that tell me of mages being able to sense another¡¯s mana. Well, unless you release your mana yourself.

    ¡®Ah, shit...¡¯

    So that was why. My mana was leaking throughout my pores without my knowledge. It has nothing to do with her being my mother. It¡¯s just that my body isn¡¯t adapted to holding mana inside itself. It¡¯s the same as babies not being able to control their excretion.

    ¡®Another downside of being reborn as a baby.¡¯

    So she knew all along. My father isn¡¯t a mage so he wouldn¡¯t be able to tell.

    I frowned.

    ¡°Why is my little Clyde looking at me like that~? I¡¯ll buy you the book so don¡¯t worry~ mommy will be sad if her baby hates her~¡±

    ¡®You¡¯re misunderstanding something..¡¯

    All the sneaking around I¡¯ve been doing was useless. It seemed to be normal for babies to leak mana through their bodies since their bodies aren¡¯t accustomed to keeping the mana inside their cores.

    I had to find a way to control this body¡¯s wastefulness of mana. This was why so many children of the academy had such little pools of mana. They never learned to control their usage when they were younger.

    No wonder I feel so lethargic after casting about ten Intermediate spells. Since my mana pool was large, I assumed I¡¯d be able to hold out longer.

    My mana grew significantly after I turned four years old. I was able to learn something called chantless magic which meant all I had to do was infuse mana into my magic circles and chant the spell inside my head.

    That¡¯s as far as I got before my progress stalled. I didn¡¯t understand magic completely just from reading books. This world is foreign to me so I need to be taught by someone.

    ¡®I need someone who can guide me. Someone experienced...¡¯

    My talent in magic is useless if I can¡¯t make it bloom early on. Seeing as how I¡¯m of common birth, hiring a tutor would be expensive.

    I heard that the best teachers cost hundreds of gold coins. How much money would a thousand gold be worth on Earth? Do people just have that kind of money lying around?

    ¡®Man, why did I have to be born as a commoner?¡¯

    My name is Clyde Astley of the fallen Astley household. My father¡¯s parents were the last of the family to have the name Astley to fall from status.

    I never met my grandparents before. Usually, they¡¯d come visit during their grandchild¡¯s birth right?

    I only read the diaries my mother wrote during her younger years so I know very little. She mostly ranted about wanting a better life for herself. She met prince charming, aka George Astley, their territory¡¯s young master who courted too many village girls.

    He was the son of a noble family. He had six older siblings so he had the lowest standing in the household.

    The two of them occasionally went out to meet each other in secret. A noble with a commoner wouldn¡¯t look good in front of others.

    Anyway, the two of them left home when they were both 15 years old.

    I read in Eleanor¡¯s diary how they had their first child when she was 18 but what happened to it? The pages that came after the mention of that baby were torn out. Maybe they didn¡¯t want to let anyone know they abandoned a child...

    If I calculate... father is twenty-six and mother is twenty-seven. That would mean they had their first child nine years ago. So my sibling would be nine by now...

    ¡®Do I really have an older sibling out there?¡¯

    If so, where? Maybe I should ask them in the future.

    **

    I was finally able to leave the village today. Mother and I went to the town called Lapel. It¡¯s a fairly large town located in the outskirts of the kingdom.

    The carriage ride was safe since no bandits attacked us. I had this thought that villages are more prone to attacks from bandits than a city but it seemed father was doing a good job as our fief lord¡¯s knight.

    Our fief lord¡¯s name is Mason Bentinck. He is an earl who has employed father for over ten years ever since they came to this village. I heard that he was also the one who build our house. No wonder our house looked better in comparison to others.

    Only the village chief¡¯s residence was far larger and more modern, at least to this world¡¯s standards.

    Anyway, I heard my father saved Lord Mason when they were on their way to their newly bought territory. He saved Lord Mason¡¯s entire family from a horde of monsters. My father is a knight with higher than average skills compared to others.

    If I were to rank him then he¡¯d be an A rank adventurer. My old man is pretty strong.

    When we arrived at the town, I checked out everything there was to offer of this world. There were many different races in this world like Demihumans, elves, humans, dryads and even demons.

    There are still four demon lords remaining in this world. But they are neutral towards society unlike their predecessors who killed for no reason.

    I wonder why they stopped seeing humans as their enemies. Could that mean there¡¯s a higher power that¡¯s threatening them?

    Anyway, Demihumans have received more equal rights compared to in the past. They are spreading their influence from the Beast Dominion into the human nations. There has also been protests to stop demihuman slavery. This world is truly the same as Earth¡¯s history when blacks were discriminated against.

    I began sucking the popsicle my mother bought me. I wasn¡¯t sure if it really was a popsicle but it looked like one.

    It¡¯s a fairly new product from a merchant firm that opened up a few months ago. I¡¯ve eaten five on my own so far.

    Since the town is fairly large, we booked a coachman to ride us around town. It was a little similar to taxi¡¯s.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    I saw something strange in the town. A crowd of people were standing around the front gate.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    I saw smoke coming from multiple directions. Buildings were even burned down and bodies were strewn across the ground.

    -----!!!

    A yell suddenly caused me to look towards the town gate. I infused mana into my eyes and saw the source.

    A man was violently shaking the gate to make them open it up.

    More people followed behind and did the same. The guard seemed to be confused and froze.

    ¡°What is this? Mister coachman, please back up.¡± My mother held me tighter.

    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±

    ---!!!

    The neighing of a horse caught my attention.

    I saw a cavalryman of the Royal Army ride his horse towards the people by the gate. A large platoon of knights came out of the forest and blocked our path of escape. We had no choice but to get down after they drew their swords.

    ¡°YOU DARE COMMIT TREASON!?¡±

    He swung his sword once and cut off the head of two people.

    ¡°...Huh?¡±

    I didn¡¯t realize I dropped the popsicle on the open page of my book.

    My mind was filled with confusion.

    Why did he say they committed treason?

    With haste in my steps, I climbed down the carriage and ran towards the crowd of people. My mother followed close from behind to stop me. I had to see what was going on.

    More cavalrymen came with the first one and lined up in front of the gate.

    One person stepped forward after climbing off his horse.

    He was a handsome man with blonde hair and a tall built. He didn''t look a day over 20.

    Everyone who heard the commotion came to the front gate. We entered through a different one so we couldn¡¯t tell what the chaos was about.

    ¡°I have received word that a certain noble family has deserted the nation to side with the Republic. The Vitian household¡¯s head, Cleve has gathered the surrounding villagers to fight for his selfish cause. These monkeys are trying to flee to this town after their failed attempt. We have received word that there were many other villages joining him as well."

    He looked at everyone present.

    ¡°Are any of you intending to join him because of your disapproval of the new tax rolled out by the royal court?¡±

    Everyone shook their heads.

    He nodded with a smile and took out his spear. Its blade released an ominous white aura.

    ¡°Bring the fools who ran away.¡±

    The people who ran to the gate were thrown onto the ground. There were six in total.

    ¡°Hold their heads.¡±

    The knights nodded and held all the people¡¯s heads.

    I wanted to scream for them to stop but I couldn¡¯t. That was the first time I saw people being killed right in front of my eyes. When mother arrived, she hurriedly closed my eyes. But I could still see through the gaps of her fingers.

    ¡°Please...!¡±

    ¡°W-We were forced¨C¡°

    In one clean arc, he severed all their heads. A white trail was left behind after his swing before vanishing.

    People started screaming in fear as more of them got suspected.

    Magic warrior.

    They are people who use aura to strengthen their bodies. Aura is a form of mana with a different structure. My father is also an aura user but his wasn¡¯t as violent and strong as the man wielding the spear.

    The man swung his spear again.

    Thwack

    Another head was sent flying.

    ¡°We were ordered to exterminate anyone who dares to go against the Kingdom¡¯s Law. A resident must never disobey the rules of the land they live on. Some of you have broken that rule and attempted to flee with the Count. This is similar to treason. Which is why we must eliminate anyone involved. I, Clark, the captain of the Knight Order will personally deliver your judgement. Bring them all forward. Look at those bodies ¡° He pointed to the headless corpses, ¡°This will be an example to all the traitors hidden among you.¡±

    All the knights grabbed the people and shoved them towards a mage wearing a wizard¡¯s hat and robe.

    ¡°Gared will use [Lie detection]. If any of you try to lie then I will send your head flying.¡±

    The wizard nodded and began chanting a spell.

    People were lined up in a long row. I heard multiple screams echo from inside the town.

    Speaking of the town...

    ¡®Why is no one outside?¡¯

    It was strange how all of the people suddenly vanished when the knights of the Royal army showed up. Only those who were too late to run were present. Could it mean that there were some who worked with this traitor they mentioned?

    ¡°What was your reason for arriving in a carriage?¡±

    My mother was up next.

    ¡°Um, I wanted to buy some essentials for our house. I also came to look for books for my child.¡±

    ¡°Books for a three year old kid?¡±

    "He''s four."

    The wizard laughed with amusement.

    He placed his hand above mother¡¯s head to confirm it.

    ¨C¡°Leave him alone! He wasn¡¯t involved!¡±

    I heard a voice.

    It was a voice that seemed to scream at someone. A female voice.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    No one else seemed to hear the voice.

    ¡°Mom! Dad!"

    There was also the sound of a boy screaming for his parents.

    ¡°...?¡±

    I left mother and began looking for the voice. Since I was a toddler, no one cared where I walked.

    My mother also seemed to be unaware that I left since she was busy talking with the wizard.

    I quickly ran towards that voice seeking help.

 Chapter 4: That Strange Power

    The wind seemed to carry the sound of voices.

    A single breeze circled around me as if leading me to the voices.

    I heard multiple crashing sounds followed by more screaming.

    ¡°Run, Arthur!! Don¡¯t worry about us!!¡±

    I quickened my steps when I heard the voice getting closer. The next moment, a squashing sound reached my ears. It was similar to smashing meat.

    ¡°Little bastard really ran! Well, whatever... Let''s loot this corpse. This woman might have some valuables."

    I saw a huge man point at the person lying on the ground with a sword sticking out of her chest. The person was already dead.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    ¡°See? This wedding ring is fairly high quality."

    ¡°Oi, you¡¯re the worst. This is why your wife left you.¡±

    ¡°Hahahah! I don¡¯t care what anyone thinks!"

    He was with two other men who wore armour and helmets.

    ¡®Hired soldiers?¡¯

    There was no way that these bastards would be good people since they were hired by the army. The Royal Army must''ve been lacking manpower and had no choice but to hire mercenaries.

    I backed away as the three of them were busy looting the corpse.

    ¡°Where did that boy go?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I suspect he ran back to his village.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t Raizen¡¯s men there?¡±

    ¡°Kekeke. Yeah. You said earlier I¡¯m the worst but you have never seen the captain of that squad raid a village. Only corpses remain.¡±

    I froze when I was about to back away.

    ¡®The boy ran to his village? Shit...''

    I hurriedly ran towards the village.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    It wasn¡¯t that far from our village so I knew where to look. They are our neighbours so some of their residents frequently visits Harz village.

    I used the wind to accelerate myself and not fall down from exhaustion.

    I wasn¡¯t even 100m from the village when I caught sight of a wagon of corpses standing outside the gates.

    ¡°Urrk...¡±

    I held the vomit down by closing my mouth.

    The smell of dead bodies was even reaching to where I stood.

    There was also the sound of screaming and neighing of horses.

    Multiple soldiers were standing outside the village. All of them were busy cleaning their swords.

    ¡®That boy came back here? Is he insane?¡¯

    I thought to myself as I moved through the bushes.

    I was afraid there would be a mage who could use detection magic so I didn¡¯t cast invisibility on myself. The spell only lasts ten seconds anyway.

    ¡°We should hurry before Lord Clark comes back after finishing his order.¡±

    The soldiers were having idle chatter as if they were drinking in a bar and not slaughtering innocents. I sneaked through a broken fence.

    ¡°Bah! You should tell that to our captain, Raizen. Do you think he¡¯d stop in the middle of a raid? Plus this village is on the verge of becoming a town so they have a lot of resources.¡±

    ¡°True. Is our captain at the lord of this region¡¯s mansion?¡±

    The other soldier nodded.

    ¡°He apparently took about fifty soldiers to completely clean that place of valuables. It''s a huge mansion after all."

    ¡°Hahaha. Captain is the same as ever. Money is always the most important. Should we go?"

    ¡°You go on ahead. I need to finish finding the ¡®traitors¡¯.¡±

    The two waved to each other and left in different directions.

    I followed the one going to the lord¡¯s mansion.

    There were blood, guts and corpses of people everywhere. They even slaughtered the livestock and skinned them.

    ¡®Is this what war looks like?¡¯If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    I¡¯ve heard of many wars that took place in our world. The second world war was one of the worst in history. Millions died either from starvation or from fighting other soldiers.

    What was happening wasn¡¯t on a scale of a war but still...

    I was convinced that was what war would be like. Death everywhere. The only good thing about war would be its ending.

    I picked up a staff which was lying on the ground near a dead mage. Judging from the clothes of the deceased, some of the civilians didn¡¯t just idly sit by and get killed. Some actually managed to kill the enemy soldiers.

    ¡®But it¡¯s still a massacre.¡¯

    ¡°Oi! There¡¯s a kid here!¡±

    When I neared the mansion, I saw a silver haired boy being pulled by a soldier. His face was bruised and swollen.

    ¡°Another one? Fuck, we should do a proper sweep of this town. These damn villagers actually built bunkers. There could be more in hiding.¡±

    One man with fancier armour said.

    ¡°You kill the boy.¡±

    He handed the boy over to a young female soldier who was trembling while looking around.

    The boy could barely walk and only fell by her feet. I wanted to throw a spell but the boy would be in the blast radius since I didn¡¯t have good control over my mana usage.

    ¡®Should I use water magic instead?¡¯

    Since water doesn¡¯t do that much damage, I could only use it to distract them while their guards were down. In that moment, I¡¯d be able to run towards the boy and use lightning shock on the opponents.

    It¡¯s just that the girl didn¡¯t look like she was willing to fight. I didn''t want to hurt her too.

    ¡°What are you doing!? I said kill the boy!¡±

    ¡°B-B-But he didn¡¯t do anything wrong. No one in this village did! They were forced! That must be it!¡±

    She went down on her knees and pleaded.

    ¡°Please convince the captain to stop. I¡¯ll do anything he wishes but please don¡¯t kill any more¨C¡°

    Shiiiing¨C

    Thwack

    Thud

    ¡°....!!!¡±

    My eyes widened when I saw him unsheathe his sword and cut off the begging girl¡¯s head.

    My eyes followed where her head rolled. Her face was still tearful and scrunched up.

    ¡®...¡¯

    ¡°Useless bitch. I knew women are useless when it comes to war. They should stay at home and cook our food. Such emotional creatures, right? Ahahaha!¡±

    ¡°Y-Yeah...¡±

    His companion awkwardly laughed with him.

    The boy on the ground also looked dumbfounded at how the man could murder someone without hesitation.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll handle this.¡±

    He turned towards the boy.

    ¡°!!!¡±

    The boy struggled to get up from the ground, while moving backwards. The man walked with nonchalance and waved his sword.

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    That was when I stepped out of the bushes.

    ¡°Huh? Another one?¡±

    ¡°A little toddler!? Gyahahaha!!¡±

    They turned towards me with amusement on their faces.

    ¡°Hey, hey. You''re a little far from home. Judging by your clothes, you can''t be a runaway slave."

    The man stroked his chin in contemplation to his comrade¡¯s words.

    ¡°Umu. You¡¯re right. Hey, little boy~¡± The one who killed the girl looked down at me, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go for a little walk? Don¡¯t worry about what happened just now. That girl almost caused trouble for us.¡±

    He grabbed my right arm with a smile.

    ¡°...Are you kidding me?¡±

    Lights gathered around the arm he grabbed. My forearm began glowing white.

    ¡°W-What?! Damn, that¡¯s hot!¡±

    He staggered backwards and began blowing on his hand.

    I didn¡¯t know what that was or why it happened. But, I couldn¡¯t sit by and watch them kill people.

    This might be foolish of me trying to be righteous even though I¡¯m a toddler but...

    This power in my belly was giving me confidence that I¡¯d win.

    ¡°GYAAAAH!!!¡±

    The man¡¯s body was slowly getting thinner and thinner as I absorbed the moisture in his body. The fluid turned into pure mana when it entered my fingertips.

    ¡°Uuug....uuuuggh....¡±

    His dried up body collapsed with a wheeze. I drained him of blood and water which meant he could die at any given moment if he didn¡¯t seek help soon.

    ¡°What the fuck!? How can a little kid do this!?¡±

    The other guy fearfully stepped back and began swinging his sword around in a threatening manner.

    But I still approached him.

    I lifted my right arm and had this name whispered to me by unknown voices inside my body. It was like the devil whispering into my ears.

    The name was...

    ¡°[Particle Cataclysm]¡± I aimed my hand at his legs.

    ¡°Wha¨C¡°

    The man¡¯s legs turned into particles when the lights entered his body. He fell down with a loud roar and thrashed around on the ground.

    ¡°MY LEGS!! YOU DEMON SPAWN!!¡±

    I casted sleep magic which made him fall down with a thud.

    Thud¨C

    The boy also fell on his butt and looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.

    ¡°Err...¡±

    I snapped out of my dazed state.

    ¡®What was that?¡¯

    It was like my emotions were controlling me. Those strange lights were also being effected. What kind of power was that? I felt much stronger than I initially did before.

    ¡°Are you okay? You shouldn¡¯t stick around here. It¡¯s dangerous.¡±

    I felt weird reprimanding him when I was far younger than him.

    I extended a hand to him.

    ¡°Ah... ah...!¡±

    He hysterically ran away with a look of urgency on his face.

    ¡°...¡±

    I stood there awkwardly with my hand still extended.

    ¡®I guess that¡¯s the right reaction. Why did he come back here anyway?¡¯

    The boy ran into the forest without looking back.

    ¡°Grr!! What was all that noise!?¡±

    I heard a deep, husky voice shout from behind me. I looked towards the lord¡¯s mansion.

    ¡°...?¡±

    The two of us made eye contact.

    He was as big as 2m and had arms which looked thicker than my waist.

    ¡°A kid...?¡±

    He tilted his head.

    ¡°Huh? What is this power I feel?¡±

    The gorilla stepped towards me as I stood frozen.

    He was too big to be a human. If someone told me he was a breed between a gorilla and a human then I¡¯d believe them.

    ¡°Oho. So you were the one who did that to them? I can feel a sort of power within that tiny body of yours.¡±

    He pointed to the two lying on the ground. One had foam come out of his mouth as he lied unconscious. The other one looked like a dried grape. His hoarse breathing could still be heard.

    ¡°And that killing intent too. Could it have been you? Are you a demon imp who transformed into a kid or something?¡±

    He put his large hand on my head and looked at my face.

    ¡°Err... I was just looking for my mommy. ¡° I hid my right arm behind my back and innocently looked up at him, ¡°Mommy said she¡¯d be back to fetch me. She¡¯s very strong so mister shouldn¡¯t mess with me. Strangers are bad she says.¡±

    ¡°Kukuku. Is that so?¡±

    !!!!

    ¡°GUH!!!¡±

    His large fist flew into my stomach. My consciousness faded once before coming back again.

    When I woke up two seconds later, I felt a pain in my back.

    I flew into a tree¡¯s direction.

    ¡®Ah, fuck. Did I break something?¡¯

    ¡°Hnngh...¡±

    ¡°I may be a son of a bitch who slaughters for fun but I won¡¯t overlook a demon imp freely running around...¡±

    I wanted to refute his words but my body lost all strength. The power from before was fading ever so slightly.

    I could see blood running down my right eye where I hit the back of my head.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a...¡±

    He unsheathed his giant great sword. The thing was literally taller than the tree I was thrown against.

    ¡°Demons shall not be overlooked¨C¡°

    ¡°Demons?¡±

    Another voice interrupted him.

    I shakenly looked towards the familiar voice.

    George Astley, the strongest guard of the Bentinck territory arrived with his stallion horse.

    ¡®So cool...¡¯

    I felt like a damsel in distress when I saw him.

    ¡°You dare hurt my son, kill innocents and refer to him as a demon?¡±

    My father¡¯s eyes were filled with killing intent.

 Chapter 5: A fathers regret

    (George POV)

    ¡°My lord, we will take care of the other enemies.¡±

    One of my men said after lining his horse up with mine. I answered without looking at him and only gazing forward.

    ¡°Make sure none of them escape. We have the right to kill them for harming innocent people. Killing civilians as someone who swore to protect them is a crime.¡±

    The entire village was destroyed. Many houses were still on fire and corpses lined the streets. In the distance I could see a wagon with even more corpses piled up.

    ¡®These bastards make me sick.¡¯

    Were it not for the fact that he hurt my son then I would¡¯ve given him a painless death. But I felt like tearing off his arms and legs.

    ¡°Oho. Reinforcements! Bentinck sure is helpful!¡±

    He pointed to Clyde spewing blood on the ground.

    ¡°I found a demon spawn. There must be others¨C¡°

    ¡°Demon?¡±

    My voice sounded deep as I held in my anger.

    ¡°You killed innocent people, burned down villages and hurt my son. Yet you call him a demon?¡±

    I unsheathed my sword.

    ¡°Get moving. I¡¯ll slaughter this bastard.¡± My men nodded and headed for the other enemy soldiers, ¡°Clyde.¡±

    I climbed down from the horse and walked towards Clyde. After bending down, I patted his head and spoke softly.

    ¡°Go to the other exit of the village. Your mother is waiting at the barracks.¡±

    ¡®I¡¯m going to sleep outside today for not arriving sooner...¡¯

    I gently pushed his back and sighed as I remembered how his mother almost threw spells at me out of anger.

    He nodded silently while looking at me. And then he broke into a run.

    ¡°Oi! You¡¯re letting that demon run away. Did you not feel that magic from awhile ago!?¡±

    The giant man grabbed my shoulder and shouted into my face.

    It¡¯s true that I felt that pressure which came from this direction. The mana I sensed was so bottomless that I thought mages were casting spells together. Although I am a swordsman, I can pick up on faint mana traces if I focus hard enough. I learned that from my wife.

    I also sensed that Clyde had mana ever since he was born. We may be fortunate that our child was born with mana.

    It¡¯s rare for our family to born with mana. Duke Luxembourg¡¯s household doesn¡¯t have any mages in his family either. Only Miss Kimberly is a mage. It was the same with the Astley family. It might be because Clyde has more of Eleanor¡¯s genes than my own.

    ¡®Could that pressure from before have come from his body?¡¯

    I looked at his tiny back as he ran further.

    ¡®No way.¡¯

    ¡°GUH!?¡±

    I punched the man in the face causing him to stagger backward. A popping sound entered my ears. I may have broken his nose.

    ¡°Stop spouting nonsense. You have illegally chosen to slaughter a village while on a mission from the Order.¡±

    The White Order deals with most of the war related things of our kingdom. They chose to send out captain Clark of the Spear Arts to handle the mission. He is the youngest captain for the Knight Order and also one of the strongest youngsters in the kingdom. I might lose to him even if I fight full power.

    ¡°I would¡¯ve just let your superior, Clark have dealt with you but after seeing what you did with my own eyes...¡± I cladded my sword in blue aura, ¡°I¡¯m killing you myself.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Kukukuku.¡±

    He moved his lower jaw sideways and chuckled.

    Afterwards he took a deep breath and then¨C

    ¡°-----!!!! YOU DARE HIT MY FACE!? DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LAST PERSON WHO DARE TO HIT MY FACE!?¡±

    RUMBLE

    His roar shook the entire village.

    ¡°DO YOU THINK I¡¯LL LET YOU GET AWAY WITH¨C¡°

    I kicked him in the face using the heel of my armoured boots.

    He rolled backwards on the ground and crashed into a house. The entire roof caved in and fell on his head.

    I didn¡¯t want to waste time with cannon fodder.

    ¡°Kuk...!¡±

    ¡®What a resilient bastard.¡¯

    He stood up with his head lowered and reached for the great sword on the ground.

    ¡°Ptooey.¡±

    He spat a mouthful worth of blood and grinned.

    ¡°Kekeke. That tickled.¡±

    CRACK

    The next thing I saw was him jumping with such speed that everything behind him crumpled from the power of his jump.

    WHOOSH

    BOOM

    His sword struck past my neck after I evaded it. The sword ended up collapsing the ground instead.

    ¡°Oi! Why are you dodging? Did you not see me take your punches? A warrior must have great endurance.¡±

    ¡®So he could¡¯ve dodged it , huh.¡¯

    I felt it was strange that a man as big as him would just stand still and take a punch. It seemed he preferred the way barbarians duel.

    ¡°Come! We shall settle this with our swords. Now that I know you do not have a warrior¡¯s heart, I will crush you! Kiiieee!!¡±

    He shouted and ran towards me. He lifted his great sword and swung it towards me.

    ¡°Kuh.¡±

    I took the full brunt of his swing with my sword. Since my body was coated in aura, I was able to remain standing. It only took his raw power to push me back.

    CLANK

    CLANG

    CLANK

    He released a flurry of attacks with a mad smile on his face.

    ¡°Guh!¡±

    I kicked his leg but then suffered from a shoulder blow from his giant sword.

    ¡®Fuck, something popped.¡¯

    I felt a stinging pain on my left shoulder.

    ¡°Whew. That kick had some power. Kukuku.¡±

    He tapped his leg with a laugh.

    ¡°Why are you only defending?¡±

    He took slow strides towards me as he swung his great sword.

    I sent aura towards my entire body instead of my arms and legs. My body bulged underneath my armour and I could feel my senses heightening.

    ¡°Hoho.¡±

    He took a sword stance instead of charging like before. He must be aware of how reckless it would be to get hit after making one mistake.

    I poured a healing potion over my burning shoulder.

    The wound burned for a few seconds before closing. Although the wound closed, the internal damage could not be healed entirely.

    I gazed at Raizen.

    The bastard¡¯s smirk never left his face. It¡¯s like he baits his opponents by smirking.

    Even though he is known to be one of the most dangerous criminals on the continent, the Knight Order still recruited him. He¡¯s the leader of a bunch of barbarians who enjoys slaughter as much as him.

    I almost lost my child to this bastard. I didn¡¯t want to lose another child.

    We had no choice but to abandon our first child after Eleanor gave birth. It was a hard decision to make for us who were first time parents. Annette didn¡¯t do anything wrong. She was just a baby.

    We originally came from the Holy Kingdom. That¡¯s where the Astley family are from as well. Living conditions were hard back then since the Holy City came out of a war when we decided to leave home.

    It was a hard but necessary decision to make.

    I wonder if my brother was able to build our family up again? We were a Baron household and a vassal of a Count so we had some influence in the kingdom. Since my brother was destined to become the head, it left me few options to continue living.

    I spent most of my days as a young child visiting our fiefs and villages. I took many girls and older women to bed to escape from my eventual fate.  Since I was blessed with a handsome face and some academic ability, it wasn¡¯t hard to get anyone I wanted.

    But Eleanor was different. She was a village girl who would get up early in the morning to plough the fields, tend to the livestock and wash clothes.

    She was the most stubborn woman I¡¯ve met in my life.

    There were many women on par with her in terms of beauty. But still, I wanted to court her as my own. The pride I would feel of taking such a woman into my bed would be immense. That was how I felt before I developed actual feelings for her.

    It took a long time before I was able to ask for her hand in marriage.

    I was rejected two times but it was worth it. I did everything I could to build us a home in our household¡¯s territories. Since my brother didn¡¯t want me on his lands, I had no choice but to take Eleanor along with me.

    Her parents rarely cared about her so it was an easy decision for her to make. Life wasn¡¯t easy for people living in a war struck land anyway.

    And then on one of our travels, Eleanor fell pregnant. We were still in the Holy City by that time.

    We made a decision we may regret for our entire lives.

    Annette, our first child.... we left her at an orphanage door. We waited a few minutes to see if someone came out, though.

    After that we left the Holy Kingdom for good and came here. I received some money from Duke Luxembourg since I¡¯m his nephew. We¡¯re not actually related by blood since our family, which is the Astley household are from a different branch of the Luxembourg family.

    There are two other branch family heads whom I¡¯ve never met before. They are the Nordt household and then there¡¯s the Roberts household. Viscount and Marquis respectively.

    I truly hope Annette was taken into a good house. It would¡¯ve been torture to her as a child to live with us who were living on scraps to survive back then. Looking after a child takes planning and financial stability.

    That is the reason why we waited before we had another child. I became a knight of my best friend¡¯s(Kyle) father, Mason Bentinck. Eleanor took studies in enchanting items which made enough money to be called a stable job. She completed her training at a magic school in Hurge city. Afterwards one thing led to another and then Clyde was born.

    ¡°Hora! Come on!¡±

    The big gorilla hit his chest with a hearty laugh.

    ¡®As an apology we¡¯ll make steak tonight, son.¡¯

    I brandished my sword and charged at Raizen.

    ¡ó

    (CLYDE POV)

    When I reached the barracks, mother suffocated me in her bosom while bawling her eyes out. She told me that she¡¯ll lock me in the house until I¡¯m 15. The injuries on my stomach made it even worse.

    Talk about over exaggerating.

    ¡®Man, that really hurt.¡¯

    I was sitting on the carriage which was on its way to our village. My mother said I didn¡¯t need to worry about George.

    Why would I when he could totally kick that guy¡¯s ass?

    I¡¯ve seen my father throw hands with many people before. I would sometimes sneak out of the house to watch him train at the Bentinck manor near the village. He would train the household¡¯s recruits every morning.

    It may have been my imagination but when I saw him talk to a young girl at the back of the garden, it looked like one of them was confessing. The girl was all fidgety and blushed like crazy while speaking to him.

    ¡®That bastard. If he cheats on my mother then I¡¯m burning the woman''s family¡¯s house down.¡¯

    I may have been mistaken though. My father may be a hunk but surely he wouldn¡¯t be such a bastard to cheat on his wife while he has a son, right?

    Anyway, I¡¯ll go check tomorrow if everything has settled down by then. I actually enjoy watching the knights spar. On earth, I¡¯d watch livestreams to keep myself entertained.

    Seeing as how this is a world with elements of the middle ages like on earth; sex, plays, coliseum battles and watching duels are the only source of entertainment. What a boring world.

    Where are the major villains with dark backstories? And also the hero who vowed to slay the villain who causes suffering for others? Surely one of the demon lords are itching to invade us?

    I might have been too fixated on fantasy novels back in the day. I expect too much from this world. And since I¡¯m living in this world, it¡¯ll be too crazy to wish for something which could put me in danger too.

    ¡®I have to stay humble until I become a full-fledged mage.¡¯

    Only then will I be able to become an adventurer. My dream of fighting strong monsters is still very much alive.

    ¡®I wonder what happened to that kid...¡¯

    He ran away the instant he saw my face. I may have overdone it too much with that display of power.

    I need to learn what that power is though.

    The horizon passed by us as we sat on the carriage riding towards our village.

 Chapter 6: Promotion

    Three days later.

    The chaos finally ended.

    The Knight Order found the last of the traitors trying to escape over the borders. It was the count and his family. There were also many people from the villages who joined his cause. People were just too unhappy with the new tax they implemented.

    The peddler usually came around villages to announce news to everyone. Newspapers weren¡¯t in this world so they had to resort to telling the news by mouth. Maybe the Magic Empire did since they were far more advanced than any other kingdom on this continent.

    I didn¡¯t know much about them even after reading all the documents about the kingdom. They were an independent nation who cut off all ties with the other nations. They¡¯re pretty similar to North Korea.

    Anyways, the body of that woman(who was that boy¡¯s mother) was gone when I went back to find it. I wanted to at least bury her. It¡¯s unknown where the father was. I saw a few other corpses near that site but I couldn¡¯t be sure if his father was amongst them.

    The soldiers killed many people that it took at least two days to clean all the corpses. They littered the streets as if a massive pandemic hit the villages. I could describe it the same as the French Flu¡¯s era. There were hundreds of bodies that littered the forests as well. I saw workers dragging bags when we returned to Harz village with the carriage.

    Carriages arrived from the church to pick up all the corpses which might have caused diseases if left as is.

    My father actually won against that gorilla guy. The Knight Order arrived before he could deal the finishing blow though. My father was in tears when he arrived home. He was even worse than Eleanor when she bawled her eyes out and kept telling me to never go anywhere dangerous again.

    I never got that magic book with high ranking spells though. It was a shame but I¡¯d need to wait for awhile before I get one. Even the magic store of that town was destroyed. We may have to go to Hurge city to find one next time.

    That aside, after I visited Brielle earlier in the morning to check on her training, I came to the usual hill to watch the knights fight.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    I spotted someone swinging a sword on top of my spot, imitating the shouting recruits.

    It was a boy.

    He had gunmetal silver hair and wore rags for clothes. His expression looked determined as he kept swinging his sword.

    Wielding that sword only made him look cute.

    ¡°Hiya! Ouch!¡±

    ¡°Heh...¡±

    He hit his leg and crouched down with a hiss.

    As if hearing my laugh, he turned around with tears in his eyes.

    ¡°Oh, hey. I didn¡¯t mean to spy.¡±

    ¡°...I-I-It¡¯s you...?¡± He got up and looked at the ground, ¡°I¨CI was just...¡±

    He hid the sword behind his back. I noticed cracks on the sword¡¯s blade. He might¡¯ve taken that from one of the dead soldiers.

    ¡°I was just¨C¡°

    ¡°You want to become a knight?¡±

    He nodded with his head still lowered.

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of cool.¡± I sat down on the grass. The manor of our fief lord entered my view. A massive manor with the design of those middle age European houses.

    ¡°Y-You think so?¡±

    ¡°Yip.¡±

    The recruits were sparring with the knights of the territory.

    ¡°You see that handsome guy with the brown spikey hair?¡± I pointed at my father beating down multiple knights, ¡°That¡¯s my old man.¡±

    I remembered the form the kid used.

    ¡°Weren¡¯t you copying my father just now?¡±

    ¡°...Yes.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s amazing, isn¡¯t he? Although his fatherly skills could use some work.¡±

    Back when he got home, he offered to mother to bathe me.

    It was horrible. He talked about the monsters he hunted with his old adventurer buddies and the women he courted when he was a young man. Do fathers normally tell such things to their toddlers? Couldn¡¯t be, right?

    He even had beer in his hand.

    By the time we were done, he was already snoring in the bathtub.

    ¡®What a shitty father.¡¯

    ¡°They call him our territory¡¯s strongest knight. He even stood up against the soldiers who....who invaded my village...¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ¡°You were still there? I thought you ran away.¡±

    He shook his head.

    ¡°I was just surprised when you fought those bad people. You face also looked scary.¡±

    ¡®Really?¡¯

    My heart lost all emotion in those few moments that I had that power. That was why I felt nothing hurting those guys.

    ¡°Did you bury your mom?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    He looked towards the training grounds in silence for a few seconds.

    ¡°...Yes.¡±

    ¡°O-Oh.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know how to talk to a kid since I¡¯m a grown man inside.

    ¡°By the way...¡± He turned towards me, ¡°I¡¯m Arthur. 5 years old.¡±

    ¡°Clyde. I¡¯m four years old.¡±

    We sat in silence and watched the recruits train.

    ¡°Oooh~¡±

    A beautiful lady came out of the house with a few maids following close behind. She wore a white dress and had blonde hair underneath her sunhat.

    Edith Bentinck.

    She¡¯s the wife of my father¡¯s employer.

    ¡®Look at that smile.¡¯

    She walked up to my father first and offered him a drink, ignoring the other people. The maids gave the recruits beverages.

    ¡®That bastard. Are you cheating or something?¡¯

    They looked so intimate laughing and talking with each other.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    Another little girl came out of the house and started pulling on her dress. Miss Edith put her hand on her cheek as if troubled.

    ¡°Does he see us?¡±

    Arthur squinted his eyes. I followed his eyes and saw father looking at us.

    ¡®What the heck. We¡¯re so far away.¡¯

    He waved and then shouted.

    ¨CPerfect timing, son! Come on over!!

    All the other recruits also waved at us.

    *

    ¡°This is my son, Clyde.¡±

    ¡°Oh, my. So you¡¯re Lord George¡¯s son. What a cute boy.¡± Miss Edith took me into her arms and hugged me.

    My face was squished into her boobs. The scent of roses entered my nose.

    ¡°Hehehehehe~¡±

    ¡°And who is this fella?¡±

    One of the senior knights patted Arthur¡¯s head.

    ¡°I¡¯m A-Arthur.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re the boy who always watches our sparring from that hill?¡± My father asked.

    ¡°You knew, father?¡±

    ¡°His warrior cry is loud so how wouldn¡¯t we notice? Seeing him practice his swings so diligently shows us he¡¯s got the potential to become a strong knight.¡±

    The recruits gathered around Arthur who was blushing and fidgeting.

    ¡°Oho, his muscles seem to be growing a bit even though he¡¯s a kid!¡±

    ¡°Your swings were excellent! Don¡¯t feel down when you see other knights fight. You have the room to grow as well!¡±

    Arthur looked dizzy from all the people who surrounded him. All of them started talking to him and praising him.

    ¡°Haha. What a good kid.¡±

    My father then turned towards me who was still in Edith¡¯s arms. I was gripping her chest and acting as a normal baby.

    ¡®Lady, if you knew I was a grown man then you would freak out.¡¯

    She only went ¡°Oh, my¡± and chuckled while patting my head.

    ¡°I have someone to introduce to you, Clyde.¡± My father spoke to me, ¡°This is Diana. She¡¯s the heir to the Bentinck household.¡±

    He lifted the little girl who was wearing a cute pink dress.

    She tilted her head while looking at me.

    ¡°Ah, yes. My husband said he wanted the two of you to meet. I wonder why~¡±

    The girl¡¯s brown hair was made into pigtails which looked cute on her. Her mother¡¯s hair was a dark green.

    ¡°Yes. He said so to me as well. Why don¡¯t I leave him here for a bit? Surely the lord won¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°Of course not. He wanted to meet his best knight¡¯s son. Maybe the son is as amazing as his father?¡± Was that flirting?

    The girl, Diana was chewing on my finger. I sighed inwardly.

    We left the training grounds and headed into the manor.

    The Bentinck household may be of an Earl status but their wealth exceeds their status. Mason Bentinck owns several territories across the continent which he bought throughout his lifetime.

    He¡¯s a 56 year old man with greying hair but a fit warrior¡¯s body. My father said that back in the day, Mason was a martial artist who practiced several arts he learned over his younger years.

    And due to being such a strong person back in the day he was able to perform excellently in war and managed to raise his household¡¯s status from Count to Earl.

    ¡°Hohoho! So this is Georgie¡¯s boy!¡±

    Georgie?

    I looked over at my father and saw him smiling awkwardly.

    The old man was walking on a cane. It seemed his old age was catching up to him.

    ¡°He definitely has his father¡¯s eyes!¡± Mason said with a hearty laughter.

    ¡°And handsome face.¡±

    ¡®Um, miss Edith?¡¯

    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the study room. There is something I want to discuss.¡±

    My father nodded and took me into his arms.

    ¡°Come.¡±

    We walked down the hallway and up the stairs until we reached the end of the corridor.

    ¡°Do not disturb us unless it is important.¡± He said to the knights who stood at both sides of the door.

    ¡°Come on in.¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°So, sir may I know why you wanted to see me?¡±

    I was seated on miss Edith¡¯s lap along with Diana. She doesn¡¯t speak much. Despite being a toddler, she doesn¡¯t speak much. Toddlers would annoy the crap out of you by shouting random things.

    Diana only continued playing with my hair and fingers.

    ¡°Ah, about that...¡± Mason sat down on his chair and poured two glasses of whiskey. He offered one glass to my father and chugged down his in one gulp.

    ¡°How long has it been since you joined my personal army?¡±

    He was looking at my father.

    ¡°Ten years.¡±

    Mason nodded with his eyes closed.

    ¡°My son is currently a commander on the border to the Holy Kingdom. I can¡¯t expect to see him anytime soon. His mother keeps sending him letters to come home already and spend time with his family. Do you know what he sent back?¡±

    Mason poured another glass.

    ¡°He said in his letter-¡®I must defend our house¡¯s honour and not throw dirt on my father¡¯s name by abandoning my post¡¯.¡±

    The Earl¡¯s eyes seemed to glisten with tears.

    ¡°Honestly, that boy of mine should¡¯ve become the head instead of a captain for the Knight Order.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s a good man.¡±

    Mason nodded as if agreeing with my father.

    ¡°He is. And hey, he protects our family name while you protect our lands. If I remember correctly... he saved you and your wife from dying on a battlefield, didn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. He even offered complete strangers like us a place to sleep.¡±

    ¡°Well, the Republic was very active during those years so the battlefield was dangerous. I might sound crazy but I¡¯m glad the two of you ran into each other.¡±

    ¡°On a battlefield, huh. Yes, that does sound crazy.¡±

    ¡°Huhuhu. But, that aside...¡± He looked at me and smiled, ¡°Let me get to the point. Knight George...¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    My father¡¯s expression turned serious as he straightened his back.

    ¡°I will give you your own territory. This comes with a promotion.¡±

    ¡°A promotion!?¡±

    The earl nodded with a smile.

    ¡°I will appoint you vice captain of the knight order. Since I own enough shares, I ought to be able to get you in.¡±

    ¡®The knight order...?¡¯

    I looked up at my father. His eyes were wide as he looked at his lord.

    ¡°B-But to bestow such a title upon me...¡±

    ¡°That cocky little bastard, Clark will leave the 1st unit anyway so I was chosen to appoint a new vice captain. Who better to choose than a man who I trust with my life? Plus, the 1st unit is under my control anyway.¡±

    ¡°Sir...¡± Tears collected in father¡¯s eyes.

    ¡®Stop that. I don¡¯t want to see a grown man cry.¡¯

    The earl looked at me.

    ¡°As he is your son I will also take care of the fees needed for him to go to the academy. This is not a loan. It is a gift for your long years of service.¡±

    ¡°Y-You¡¯d do that, sir? Isn¡¯t the academy expensive...¡±

    The earl then puffed out his chest with an arrogant harrumph.

    ¡°Who do you think I am? My pockets are more than enough to support your boy¡¯s future and the rest of your children, if you choose to have more.¡±

    ¡°Wow...¡±

    My father¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    ¡°Okay... but there are some conditions, sir. This title requires me to be away from home a lot and face many dangers.¡±

    ¡°Excellent. You may let me know what those conditions are later on. For now, sign this. Read carefully now. The captain of the knight order, Elsa will be moving to get everything ready as soon as your name is on that dotted line. She will guide you once you are under her leadership.¡±

    The earl slid over a scroll and a feathered pen.

    My father dunked it in the ink after he finished reading.

    The earl got up with a big smile on his face.

    ¡°Welcome aboard, Captain George Astley.¡±

    ¡°I am honoured to be the one to receive such a title.¡±

    My father and the earl shook hands.

    ¡°Tell everyone it¡¯s a day off tonight! We¡¯ll celebrate tonight like there¡¯s no tomorrow!¡±

    He hugged father with a hearty laugh.

    ¡°Oh, dear...¡± Miss Edith shook her head at her husband. ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t drink at your age.¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°You¡¯re still here?¡±

    I came back to the hill and saw Arthur cleaning his sword with a dirty piece of cloth.

    ¡°You¡¯re back.¡± He pit the sword down and got up, ¡°Where were you? Those soldiers told me they¡¯ll offer me lessons if I come every day!¡±

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s nice of them.¡±

    Arthur went back to cleaning his sword.

    ¡°Hey, Clyde!¡± I heard my father¡¯s voice and saw him calling out to me on his horse, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±

    I looked at Arthur again.

    He¡¯s a five year old boy who lost his family in a skirmish they had no control over.

    ¡°Your dad is calling you...¡±

    He said with his head lowered.

    I couldn¡¯t see his expression but I could, however see tears fall on his hands cleaning the sword. There was a sling bag next to the tree. I saw clothes sticking out of it.

    I looked at my father who was waiting for me. My gaze landed back on Arthur again.

    ¡°EH!?¡±

    I then grabbed his hands and looked into his eyes.

    ¡°Come live with us.¡±

    ¡°H-Huh? W-What?¡±

    Arthur became flustered and his eyes darted all over the place.

    I spoke again.

    ¡°Join our family. I¡¯m sure my parents won¡¯t find that so difficult to accept, right?¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    He looked at my father down the hill. He was still smiling while looking at us.

    Arthur is all alone. Isn¡¯t he quite similar to me? Only the fact that he¡¯s all alone now. I lived on the streets for months before Clementine found me and gave me a helping hand.

    ¡°Come.¡±

    I pushed his bangs aside and saw his face properly.

    I was sure he¡¯d become a handsome man in the future.

    ¨CWhat¡¯s the hold up!? Lets go, boys!

    Arthur¡¯s eyes opened wide.

    I smiled.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±

    ¡°...Y-Yes...¡±

 Chapter 7: Task to save the world

    Back then I fell asleep right after I explained to my parents about Arthur¡¯s situation. He would be my adopted brother.

    He¡¯s still shy so it might take some time before the two of us become closer. He was my first friend and also my new brother so I wanted to make him feel welcome.

    My parents didn¡¯t agree with the idea at first. My mother even said we should rather take him to an orphanage. Some orphanages have a tendency to make the orphans suffer from child labour and even abuse from the others orphans.

    My father listed all of the ¡°why¡¯s¡± and ¡°why not¡± of sending him to an orphanage. In the end they decided to let him stay.

    Since Arthur is aiming to become a knight, my father would be able to teach him the ropes. My father was also promoted so money should come rolling in unlike before.

    ¡°Where am I?¡±

    A white space spread throughout my vision when I opened my eyes.

    ¡°THERE YOU ARE!!¡±

    A roar suddenly came from behind.

    I turned and saw a yellow beam heading towards me.

    ¡°Is that a person¨C¡°

    ¡°Suffer the judgement of this divinity hammer, you scoundrel!!¡±

    The female figure dressed in a white robe then summoned a giant hammer out of nowhere.

    ¡°Oi!!¡±

    It was heading straight for me.

    CLANK

    Rumble

    ¡°Eh!?¡±

    She then exclaimed when a vibration shook the space we were in.

    I opened my eyes and saw a large white barrier blocking the woman¡¯s strikes.

    Clank

    Clank

    ¡°GRRR!! Why isn¡¯t it disappearing!? How can a barrier survive a god¡¯s strike!?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Did this crazy loli just say god?

    ¡°What did you call me, immortal scum!?¡±

    She kept bashing the shield protecting me. She was releasing so much power that could crush any normal person.

    Yet how was I still standing?

    ¡°What is an immortal?¡±

    She stopped for a moment and looked at me.

    She looked at me as if she heard the most absurd thing in her life.

    ¡°...What is an immortal... he said...¡±

    She then pulled her hair and shouted.

    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know your tricks, immortals scum!? You high jacked a soul! Did you think we wouldn¡¯t figure it out!? Hah!?¡±

    BAM

    BAM

    RUMBLE

    The space broke apart a little from the god¡¯s hits.

    ¡°W-Wait! I¡¯m not an immortal! I don¡¯t even know what that is!¡±

    What the hell is even going on?

    I woke up and saw a white space filled with nothing then get attacked by a crazy loli?

    ¡°...¡±

    The bashing finally stopped.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    She looked at the runes on the shield that shone in golden light.

    ¡°No way...¡± The giant hammer disappeared, ¡°No way!¡±

    ¡°W-What?¡±

    ¡°This is the shield of a Primordial god! How the hell do you have it!? There¡¯s no mistaking the ancient god language used to craft them!¡±

    For a god she sure liked to swear.

    ¡°Primordial god...?¡±

    ¡ó

    ¡°So that was what happened.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    The goddess ,Sol blinked her eyes.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    I was expecting a beautiful big sister with giant boobs but instead got a little sister loli goddess. Is she really the god whose religion dominates the majority and has the most followers?

    My disappointment is immeasurable.

    ¡°Then how did you...¡±

    I explained that I was actually a reincarnated person.

    ¡°How did you land in this world?¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    ¡°Ah, I tried saving a girl who was about to be run over by a car.¡±

    ¡°...?¡±

    Sol¡¯s eyes opened wide and blinked repeatedly again.

    ¡°WHAT!?!?¡±

    ¡°Guh! My ears!¡±

    She shouted with such a loud voice that it caused my head to ring.

    ¡°You stole the reincarnation of a hero, you idiot!¡± She hit my head repeatedly, ¡°How could you! This world is doomed without her!! Idiot! Idiot!¡±

    ¡°W-wait!¡±

    ¡°Mother left her domain up to me and yet I failed in even controlling the destiny of a hero properly!¡±

    ¡°Destiny?¡±

    I held her hands. She thumped her head against my chest and screamed.

    ¡°You doomed this world! You should¡¯ve never saved that girl, you idiot!!¡±

    ¡°Would you stop....¡±

    I sighed and scratched my head.

    ¡°Can you explain what you mean without screaming?¡±

    ¡°Uuuu...!¡± She pouted with her head down, ¡°You changed the destiny of this world.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±

    Sol then placed her hand on top of my head and closed her eyes. Her hands glowed for a second before disappearing.

    ¡°Do you remember how your mother and father were told by the doctor they were expecting a girl?¡±

    Come to think of it, I do remember something like that. I found them in the living room that one time talking about what the doctor said.

    ¡°That was not a mistake. Although, the baby was an empty cell that had to be filled with a soul. This world is doomed...¡±

    Goddess Sol said with a face as if the sky had fallen.

    ¡°The strongest hero was saved and is living a normal life as a high school girl... Why does this sound so strange to my ears...?¡±

    Tears streamed down her face.

    ¡°What do you mean she would have become the strongest hero?¡±

    Sol wiped her eyes and started to explain.

    ¡°There was a prophecy which involved the chosen one and the hero of another world. The Elder God had a vision which showed her two people; a man and a woman standing together and fighting gods. These gods are the immortal descendants who used a certain core to ascend to godhood.¡±

    ¡°What are these immortals?¡±

    ¡°I do not know. None of the gods of this dimension know. We cannot search their origins or where they come from. The only thing we know is that your world, the world I govern has a thick smell of these immortals coming from it.¡±

    ¡°That high school girl was the saviour of this world...¡±

    I did the right thing which caused this world¡¯s doom?

    Sol then got up with a mad expression.

    ¡°You! Clyde Astley will save this world!¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    What did this loli just say?

    ¡°Me? A toddler, saving the world?¡±

    ¡°Of course not now, when you¡¯re older!¡±

    ¡°Please let me go back now. I feel like the stuff you want me to do is too crazy.¡±

    ¡°But you were the one who caused all of this!!¡±

    ¡°How was I supposed to know? Doesn¡¯t it sound messed up that you intentionally kill a person just so they can save your world!? Are gods really that selfish!?¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    ¡°Why should I take this responsibility when I had to die in her place? Can¡¯t you just kill her again, you crazy goddess?¡±

    ¡°Wha¨C!? You dare call a goddess crazy!?¡±

    Sol pouted.

    ¡°All you have to do is fetch the girl. You don¡¯t have to fight a demigod or slay a titan.¡±

    ¡°Fetch her?¡±

    Sol nodded confidently.

    ¡°I can use Star ranked magic to teleport you back to Earth!¡±

    My mind blanked.

    I could go back to earth.

    ¡°Star ranked?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a grading system for the magic of us gods. It¡¯s similar to your magic systems. Anyway, will you do it? There¡¯s no danger involved other than the pain of seeing your past loved ones.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Did I really want to see them?

    I looked down. It was only then that I noticed that my body was the same as back on earth. Similar to a fat man older than his appearance suggests.

    ¡°You are special. That is why I want you to take this task. Even though you¡¯re standing before a goddess, my divinity cannot crush you like other mortals. And there¡¯s that shield of the Primordial god as well... Many mysteries surround you. This is why I suspected you of being an immortal. I cannot even see your future or your past. Hell, I didn¡¯t even realize the hero wasn¡¯t born until now.¡±

    ¡°...How long will this take?¡±

    ¡°16 years. Be ready by around twenty years of age. I can only use this magic once without permission from my father. You¡¯ll have to do many other things like¨C¡°

    I held up my hand.

    ¡°If this can save the world then what do I get? I should be able to benefit too since I¡¯m the one who has to go to Earth.¡±

    ¡°Um, that¡¯s...¡±

    ¡°I only wanted to live a normal life and now I have to do a task which is normally given to protagonists? Sure it¡¯s just fetching her on earth but shouldn¡¯t you think about how it¡¯ll affect the both of us mentally?¡±

    ¡°L-Listen...¡±

    I turned my back on her and crossed my arms.

    ¡°Technique... magic...¡± She mumbled from behind me, ¡°Ah! I got it!¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°I can give you a technique!¡±

    ¡°Ho? Really?¡±

    I turned back towards her.

    ¡°Yes! How about a technique that can stop time? Its seems you have authority over space and gravity so this is perfect for you!¡±

    She rubbed her nose looking proud.

    ¡°Stop time...?¡±

    My mouth was wide open in shock. There was actually such a thing?

    ¡°This technique has to mature before you can take full control of your space element...¡± She made hand signs and then a golden light appeared in her hands, ¡°Space magic users are rare in this world. Time mages are even rarer. If you can nurture this technique to its fullest potential then you¡¯d become invincible. That depends how long it¡¯ll take, though.¡±

    She pushed the light towards me.

    ¡°I call this technique [Lightborn] covenant of time! Do you like it?¡±

    The light entered my chest and moved through my entire body.

    Green lights flickered around me at that moment.

    ¡°These lights again?¡±

    They were different from the blue lights that circled around me last time.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know what those are?¡±

    I shook my head.

    ¡°Those are time spirits. You have the ability to control spirits. In short, you¡¯re a spirit mage.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    The little light shook its body and released its energy towards me. It was then that the breaking of glass entered my ears.

    The entire open white space turned grey with black lines all around the area.

    ¡°See? This is the technique. I¡¯m not sure how far you will come with it, though. It depends on the person.¡±

    ¡°Whoa...¡± It was like I was looking at a grey world.

    ¡°This is your world in the Lightborn technique.¡±

    Sol also looked around with amazement.

    ¡°No one has ever been born with two cores in this world before. You surely are an anomaly, Clyde." Sol then clapped her hands. ¡°So! Before I send you back, I would like to apologize for suspecting you of being an enemy. I really was trying to kill you.¡±

    ¡°I-I see.¡±

    ¡°You are about to swear on the God¡¯s Code that you will do this task for me. Disobey it then your soul will disappear.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s that serious...¡±

    ¡°We must use these rules for mortals favoured by gods. Two very strong beings, by our standards, are protecting you from me.¡±

    I wonder what this Primordial is. Who is this second being anyway?

    Sol held out her hand. I placed mine against hers.

    A golden light wrapped around our bodies and grew smaller until it covered our hands.

    ¡°With this pact, you are to return to earth and retrieve the saviour of this world by any means necessary.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±

    ¡°Good. [Sol¡¯s Code-God of Light].¡±

    A red rune wrapped around my pinkie finger.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the ultimate pledge of promises amongst us gods. Break it then a million divinity judgement poles will impale your body.¡±

    The white world suddenly began breaking down.

    ¡°What the!? These damn beings are even interfering in this too!?¡±

    Sol stomped her feet in anger. Her body was also turning in particles.

    ¡°I will summon you 16 years later. Become a member of my religion and pray everyday!¡±

    With that, her body disappeared.

    ¨CDamn Loli.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    I heard a voice before my consciousness faded.

    It was the voice of an old man.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Hmmm....¡±

    ¡°A-Ah, you¡¯re awake?¡±

    When I opened my eyes, I saw a face right above mine.

    Arthur.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    He hurriedly backed away.

    ¡°N-Nothing.¡±

    ¡°...?¡±

    I scratched my bed hair without thinking too much about his odd behaviour.

    ¡°Lady Eleanor said she¡¯ll be back with breakfast later on.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not Lady Eleanor.¡± I pinched Arthur¡¯s cheeks, ¡°It¡¯s mother.¡±

    ¡°B-But that¡¯s embarrassing...¡±

    Arthur was dressed in casual hunting clothes for some reason.

    ¡°Where are you off to?¡±

    I stood by the closet and began undressing.

    ¡°Mister George said he¡¯d take me hunting. He said it¡¯s important to learn to catch your own food on a battlefield.¡±

    ¡°The heck? You¡¯re six.¡±

    A year has already passed since he came to us. He was getting used to living with us. It¡¯s just that he keeps referring to my mother and father with formality.

    ¡°Are you coming with?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass. I want to try and see if I can learn any more spells.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡±

    Arthur¡¯s expression turned sad.

    ¨CArthur, let¡¯s go!

    ¡°Ah, in a minute!¡±

    Arthur quickly grabbed his short sword and turned the doorknob.

    ¡°Um...¡± He turned towards me before going out, ¡°Your right arm was acting weird last night. It was shining like a lamp.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It wasn¡¯t anything serious but you should still tell Lady¨Ctell mother. I don¡¯t understand magic so much so I didn¡¯t know what to do.¡±

    Arthur then left through the front door .

    ¡°My right arm was glowing?¡±

    I looked at the small hand belonging to a toddler.

 Chapter 8: Two cores

    I wasn''t able to learn anything by myself. I decided to visit the village chief''s residence today.

    It was inevitable but it was time for me to get a magic teacher. I wanted to try and see what this spirit magic was but didn''t get very far. That technique the goddess gave me was the only spirit related skill I had.

    "I oftentimes see blue lights roam around my body when I near a pond."

    "Those are called water spirits, boy."

    ''I knew it.''

    Inside the village chief''s residence, the old elf lady gently explained to me. I bought a book once and it explained that elves are naturally born spirit users.

    This woman is the village chief of our village, Solphia.

    I came to her when I heard about elves possessing spirit magic.

    "It was smart to come to me first. Humans with spirit magic are rare on this continent."

    Solphia drank the tea Brielle brought earlier.

    "It''s important to keep this a secret between those you can trust. Has a mage arrived to check your aptitude yet?"

    I shook my head.

    "Hmm... I will explain to your mother that this will be necessary. She should contact a mage from the tower instead of the court mages."

    "Why the tower?"

    "Clyde boy, do you know how many nobles have their claws sunk into the court mages? I say this because they can forcibly take you away from your parents when they find out about your magic potential. I have never seen anyone through my thousand years of life have this much mana."

    She looked at me with both shock and amazement.

    "Were you really able to achieve intermediate rank magic by seven years old?"

    "Yes."

    "Truly outstanding talent. Haa¡­ if only you were an elf... We need such power in that kingdom."Solphia took another sip and leaned back on her chair. "Only the Great Sage and our god, the Spirit King were users of both arcane and spirit magic."

    "That name again¡­ Can you tell me of this spirit king, Lady Solphia?"

    "Hmm¡­ what would you like to know?"

    "Can you tell me everything about him? No matter where I go, no shop has books that explains who this Spirit King is."

    "Goodness. Would my memory be able to remember our scripts¡­"

    Lady Sophia then leaned back on her rocking chair.

    "Some of the things related to him may not be true so you''ll have to choose what to believe. One fact stands though and that was that he did exist¨C"

    The Spirit King was a being who was sent to this world to become the ruler of all elements and protector of nature.

    He possessed powers strong enough to shape oceans or form mountains with a single call to his spirits.

    A being of his might was sent here for a reason.

    To stop the evil god who invaded this world. Many believe his goal was to conquer this world.

    One night when the red star that was always blinking in the night sky disappeared, HE appeared.

    They say the star was actually a planet which was the home world of dragons. They say the evil god destroyed the planet and sought to get rid of its inhabitants as well.

    No one knew who this being was that was powerful enough to slay the god of the dragons and chase away the true dragon lords from their own world.

    What made it possible for the true dragon lords to come to this world was the phenomenon known as the Red Abyss. Many mysteries surround that dungeon. They call it the Labyrinth of Worlds because there are millions of worlds and portals inside the dungeon. Many disaster class monsters roam the dungeon as well.

    It was suspected that the evil god came from one of those worlds as well.

    "Did he manage to kill it?"

    Solphia nodded.

    "With the help of the Dragon Lords of course. He was just too powerful to take on alone. His power made the gods question why the Primordial would allow such beings to roam around our universe."

    "Wow."

    "We don''t know what actually happened to him. The four heroes of the past were able to fight alongside him. They say he disappeared after the Red Era ended."

    "What was the Red Era?"

    Solphia smiled awkwardly.

    "Not a very good period to be born in, that''s for sure. Since you have done research on magic, you probably heard of the Red Abyss?"

    I nodded.

    "Well, at the beginning of the Red Era 40000 years ago, the red abyss dungeon formed it our world. It was a giant hole spamming thousands of kilometres across. During its formation, strange creatures poured out of the dungeon wave after wave. There was no end to them. I was a child back then when the first demonic monster attacked our village. It was so powerful that just one killed thousands of our people. That was when the heroes first appeared."

    "The four heroes?"

    "Yes. Odette, the most powerful magic caster, Saintess Merlin, Alucard the Sword King and another hero who never named themselves to the public. The heroes saved the continent, but the real damage was what happened after the Red Era ended. Hunger struck from the damaged caused by the invading monsters. Many were also left homeless.

    Ten nations were destroyed by the Great Sage. The Saintess killed herself and there was also discrimination against those who can use magic. Magic was banned for a certain period because of the power Odette showed out of revenge."

    "What happened to the other hero and Alucard?"

    "Well, both of them disappeared. People have been saying they see Alucard roam around the continent acting as an adventurer and saving people using the Light Sword. What a bunch of crap. At least we could receive new heroes after they disappeared."

    "Do you mean the White Order?"

    The White Order are an organization who protect the continent against underworld monsters which pour out of the Red Abyss.

    "I''ve been meaning to ask, how did they get so strong? I thought it was impossible for anyone to ascend past 7th grade mana stage."

    "That is why it is a good thing the Red Abyss appeared when it did."

    "Huh? What does that mean?"

    Didn''t she just say that dungeon was the cause of the continent''s suffering during her childhood?

    "Many don''t know this. It is because the reason they are so strong is because of the runes found in the Red Abyss. The first rune discovered was able to force a person''s growth to abnormal heights. The current leader, Iris is the only person in the continent to reach power similar to Alucard. That is excluding the power of the Light Sword. Well, Alucard was strong even without the sword."This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Solphia took another sip from her tea.

    "Each of the three nations on this part of the continent has three members of their race part of the White Order. It was done like this so all of us would be equal in strength. This prevents the nations from attacking each other using the super soldiers we have. Although it is so, we recently lost one of our race''s members during a mission."

    "Let me guess, it was the Red Abyss."

    "Yes. Even to people of their strength, that dungeon poses a threat to them as well. Only Laura and Eredhel are still part of the Order. They have yet to fill the eigth and ninth seats." Solphia then smirked, "We might have one right under our noses."

    She nudged me with her elbow.

    "I wouldn''t want to take such a responsibility¡­"

    "Oh, come on~ If you work hard then you can be part of our continent''s heroes. Her Highness, Miya might also become your wife. She''s one of the only living high elves, you know? A real beauty."

    Before I could retort, I heard the neighing of horses outside.

    "What''s that?"

    Solphia and I looked out of the window.

    "A white carriage?"

    I saw an extremely luxurious carriage outside our house.

    "Hmm¡­ Duke Luxembourg''s crest."

    "Luxembourg?"

    I frowned.

    ''Why are they at our house?''

    "They must be visiting a noble territory nearby. Before I forget...take this."

    The old lady gave me a thick book.

    "What''s this?"

    "That''s what I''ll give to you as an early birthday present. It''s a book with high ranking spells inside of it. It is from hundreds of years ago and recorded spells not written down in today''s scripts. That means that no one else has a book like this other than you."

    "You''re giving me something this precious?"

    "You kept this old lady company so it''s the least I can do for you. Now run along now. I hope you find the book useful for your path as a mage."

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    "Who''s that?"

    While I was walking, Arthur came running towards me. He was making friends with the other village children. It''s a relief that he wasn''t shy to approach others.

    "That''s my distant relatives'' carriage."

    "Ah..."

    Arthur looked like he realized something.

    "What''s wrong?"

    "Oh, n-nothing."

    ''What a strange reaction.''

    We walked past the carriage and avoided the red carpet strewn on the lawn.

    "We''re back! Huh?"

    When we opened the door, I saw a head of whitish silver hair. The person was standing in the middle of the room.

    "Do you not have any shame!? You dare ruin this dress!?"

    She threw the juice inside the glass in Brielle''s face.

    "I-I''m sorry."

    "You ought to be disciplined, servant!"

    The girl lifted her hand.

    "Oi!" I stood between the silver haired and Brielle. "What are you doing to Brielle?"

    "Hm? This servant spilled the juice on my dress. Do you know how much this costs!? Are you her young master? You better pay up soon or else!"

    It looked like the silver haired girl was about to slap me even though I didn''t do anything.

    The door to the living room opened.

    "Oh, my. It seems Arielle met the boys."

    A woman with silver hair and green eyes came out with mother.

    "Huh?" I looked towards the girl again. "This is Arielle?"

    I wasn''t expecting a rude brat like this.

    "That''s right! I am the second daughter of Henry Luxembourg! Humph!"

    The girl flicked her hair and arrogantly harrumphed.

    The woman laughed softly and patted Arielle''s head.

    "Yes. This is my and lord Henry''s daughter. My name is Kimberly. The two of you must be Clyde and Arthur!"

    She pulled both Arthur and I into a hug and kissed our cheeks.

    "Such cute boys! I want to eat them up!"

    ''Slow down now, lady.''

    "There''s someone I brought over after I received a letter from your mother."

    I looked at my mother with curiosity.

    "Mister Francis. May the boy come in?"

    ¨COf course. I set everything up.

    An old man''s voice came out of the living room.

    "Wait..." The girl, Arielle spoke up, "This is the kid with magical talent in our branch family? He doesn''t even look strong."

    She looked at me with a strange expression.

    "No need to be rude, sweetheart. The three of you will be living in the same house after all. El asked us if we could educate the boys at our residence. The three of you must get along."

    We quickly moved towards the living room.

    I saw an old man wearing a long wizard robe sitting on the couch drinking tea.

    By the way, the tea cup was actually levitating. The old wizard was reading a book and drinking the tea.

    "So this is the talented mage I heard so much about from little El?"

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    The old man''s name was Francis Hadley. He was a former professor at Graponia Academy and later became the head wizard at the magic tower.

    Eleanor and old man Francis seemed to know each other quite well. My mother explained that he was the one who employed her to enchant items at the magic tower before she left.

    "Thank you, Kimberly. I appreciate your support."

    Mother said to aunt Kimberly as Francis set up the magical aptitude orb.

    "No need for thanks. We are family after all. I was originally planning on sending Clyde to a school to learn politics with your permission. To think a mage would be born in our families."

    "Are mages rare for our bloodline?" I asked her.

    "Yes. There hasn''t been a mage in the Luxembourg bloodline for quite a while. They say it''s like a curse since the first ancestor wielded a sword instead of pursuing magic." She smiled at me. "But you are one of the few children to be born this way. It might be Eleanor''s blood. I think the last mage to be born was two hundred years ago. "

    She then patted my head.

    It seemed the only way for them to have mages in the family bloodline was to marry nobles capable of magic. Aunt Kimberly seemed to be a capable mage herself.

    Mages are ranked based on the color of their mana and are given a ranking. 1st grade mana is the weakest while 9th grade mana stage is the strongest. There are at the moment four 8th grade mages and four people who reached Master rank, in the Order. They are the people who protect the nations.

    As Solphia has mentioned before, they are called when adventurers and the Holy Knights cannot defeat a calamity that came from the Red Abyss or even the Demon Realm.

    "Now, then. Francis, please proceed. I will trust your husband''s judgement on Arthur''s talent for the sword, Eleanor."

    So it seemed my aunt brought a Magic Tower senior mage today to measure my exact stage of mana. It''s funny how my mother thought this far ahead. Solphia was planning on telling her to do it anyway.

    "Certainly, Madam. Please prick your finger with this."

    The old man took an orb onto his wrinkly hands. He then stabbed a sharp little needle into my index finger. The pain subsided after a few seconds.

    GLOOP

    A sound similar to water-dropping came from the orb.

    WHOOOSH

    "¡­Huh?"

    The old man looked at the orb sharply.

    "Francis? What''s the matter?"

    My aunt asked.

    "H-He¡­ he has¡­"

    The old man had sweat drippingping down his face. His face was painted with disbelief.

    "Francis!"

    "Yes! Just a moment, madam!"

    The old man grabbed my shoulder.

    "Boy, you said you''ve recently started using magic, right?"

    "Y-Yes."

    I was confused at his vigor after checking my mana.

    "Hold on. I''ll quickly disperse the barrier."

    A barrier forms around the orb when someone''s aptitude is checked. Only tower mages can see the orb''s reaction.

    "What!?"

    "Two cores!?"

    Both mother and aunt Kimberly, jumped from their seats.

    "Eleanor, your boy''s potential¡­"

    "I can''t believe it¡­"

    **

    "Two cores?"

    I asked the old man when we sat down.

    ''Does that mean what I saw inside the domain where my core was is real?''

    That second core wasn''t my hallucination after all.

    Arthur was looking at me with sparkling eyes while Arielle was looking at everyone''s faces in confusion.

    "That''s correct," Francis wiped the sweat on his face with a handkerchief. "You are capable of both regular arcane magic and spirit magic. The other core besides your mana core is what we call a spiritual core."

    "Spirit magic? What is that?" Arielle spoke up with a clueless look on her face.

    "This boy has the same power as the Great Sage that lived 900 years ago. In summary, he has power that will someday be able to change the state of war." The old man laughed heartily. "To think such a splendid mage was born out here. His potential is indeed limitless."

    He then looked at everyone seriously.

    "For now, keep this a secret. Many complications might arise while this boy is still in his growing phase. His spirit mana grade is 8th grade stage indeed, but it''s still in the Imperfect form. I suggest not using those two together even if your regular mana is in the 4th-grade stage. Difficult obstacles shouldn''t be a problem for you since your mana pool is by far one of the largest I''ve recorded to this date."

    "El, you can trust that Francis will keep this a secret."

    My mother looked unsure. Noticing that, aunt Kim reassured her.

    "Yes, please trust me. I''ll do a Slave ritual if it''s what you require to gain my trust."

    He stuck out his chest.

    "N-No. Thank you, senior Francis. I trust you."

    The conversation switched to Arthur after Francis wrote down my mana readings in a magic diary. A magic diary is something that only opens if the user who bought it infused their mana inside of it. Miss Solphia was right. The tower mages are indeed trustworthy.

 Chapter 9

    I woke up to the sound of birds chirping annoyingly at my window.

    ¡®Today¡¯s the day.¡¯

    My parents sat me down last night and began discussing what will happen in the future. What will happen today is that aunt Kim will fetch us and take us to the residence of the duke in Hurge city.

    I was planning on asking for my parents if they could hire a teacher for me but it seemed they thought farther ahead. The person who will become my teacher is also part of the tower.

    Francis said that the young man named Jacob was also known as a prodigy in magic. I wonder how strong he is.

    ¡°Morning.¡±

    Arthur seemed to be up earlier than me every morning.

    He was already dressed in his formal clothes.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally awake.¡± Arthur then came towards me and grabbed my hand.

    ¡°W-What?¡±

    ¡°Your parents told me to bring you to the kitchen when you wake up. They got you something!¡±

    ¡®Got me something?¡¯

    Thinking it wasn¡¯t a big deal, I got up and went with Arthur to the living room.

    ¡ó

    ..

    We came out of the room and noticed how quiet the house was.

    ¡°Morning~!¡±

    ¡°M-Mother?¡±

    My mother¡¯s head peeked out of the kitchen. She had a big grin on her face and was wearing her usual frilly apron. Her brown hair was up in a ponytail and swayed as she danced while cooking.

    ¡°We have a surprise for you, little Clyde~¡±

    I tilted my head in confusion.

    ¡®It¡¯s not my birthday though?¡¯

    I sat at the table with Arthur still wondering what mother meant. Arthur also had a smile on his face.

    -----!!!

    I heard horses neighing outside and the galloping of hooves.

    ¡°Oh~? Look who¡¯s up~¡±

    Father came inside with a big grin on his face as well.

    His hands were behind his back.

    ¡®This is getting really frustrating!¡¯

    ¡°Clyde, we¡¯ve been thinking¡­ Since you were blessed with mana we thought it would be better to give you something to help your magic in the future. You were able to use magic earlier than anyone else so it wouldn¡¯t make sense to wait until your 15th birthday to gift you this.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t I be seen as strange?¡±

    Only a few people know I could use magic at the level of a second year student at the academy. Wouldn¡¯t people be freaked out by me?

    ¡°I can see what you¡¯re worried about, son.¡± Father patted my head. ¡°You seem to be far more mature than me when we moved here. So©\¡±

    He brought out the thing from behind his back to his front. It was an object with the length of a pole wrapped in cloth. He removed the cloth gently.

    ¡°!¡±

    What I saw next was a giant jade ruby when he removed the cloth from the top. The ruby was so beautiful that I was mesmerized by the color.

    A staff. And an expensive looking one at that.

    ¡°This is the new addition to the Hermit Sage collection.¡± Father placed it on the table in front of me, ¡°This will help with you in the future when you become a splendid mage.¡±

    I felt my chest tighten and my eyes water.

    ¡°Lord Mason was kind enough to get us this opportunity to buy this at an auction. I had to fight some really crazy mages to get this staff.¡°

    ¡°Hic¡­¡±

    A sob came from my throat.

    ¡®They did all this for me¡­¡¯

    This is the love I never received from my previous life.

    ¡°Haha..¡± My father laughed softly. ¡°To think I¡¯d see my son who didn¡¯t even cry his whole life, cry now¡­¡±

    His wiped his tears.

    ¡°¡­Don¡¯t cry¡­¡±

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    Arthur hugged me from the side.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be a splendid mage, my little boy.¡±

    Mother kissed my cheek and wiped my face.

    ¡°T-T-Thank you, mother¡­ father¡­ I love you...¡±

    ¡®I¡¯ll call it Redheart.¡¯

    The atmosphere turned bright again during our time of eating breakfast. My father said that in the letter he received from Lord Mason, it stated that after my training, I¡¯d be allowed to enroll in the Academy. But that¡¯s only in 6 years since I¡¯m still 7 years old. For that duration I¡¯d be staying over there.

    Arthur was also given permission to train under a tutor that the duke will be hiring for him.

    ¡®They went really far for me. And to think they even thought of Arthur as well¡­¡¯

    ¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Are you ready, sweetheart?¡± My mother came up to me.

    I wore noble boy¡¯s clothing since it would be embarrassing to be seen wearing commoner clothes. My light brown hair was also patted down with some gel since it was always so spiky. My staff was in my hand, still wrapped. I wore my new grey mage robe above the clothes.

    Meanwhile, Arthur also wore noble clothing which was shorts and an undercoat over his shirt. He looked completely different from his unkempt appearance from the time we met.

    ¡°Yes, mother.¡±

    I responded and put my luggage on the carriage.

    Mother seemed to be holding in her tears.

    I hugged her and then she kissed my forehead.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to send letters, mother. And also, tell father that he shouldn¡¯t worry.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be expecting your results. Your sisters won¡¯t be seeing their brother so much as they grow¡­¡±

    My mother was holding two baby girls on her arms. Both were one year old.

    Chloe and Jessica. Sadly, I couldn¡¯t be there to watch them grow. Well, there might be time for both of them when I get back.

    ..

    We departed after Arthur did his farewells as well. The carriage began moving after the coachman lashed the reins.

    I looked over at Arielle, my distant cousin. She was looking outside the window with a bored face.

    Arielle had silvery white hair compared to Arthur¡¯s gunmetal hair, her skin was white and looked youthful, almost as if she bathes in milk. The hair ornament does its job right by making her hair more dazzling.

    She had thin red lips and big blue eyes. She might turn into a beauty one day. Even if she is so rude, I have to protect her from any creepy guys.

    ¡®Does she even need protection?¡¯

    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Arielle stopped my train of thought. Her face was looking at me as if smelling a heap of trash.

    ¡®Ah, I was looking for too long.¡¯

    ¡°It seems Clyde has fallen in love. Haha.¡±

    ¡°Wha¨C!? That¡¯s not¨C!¡±

    I tried refuting. Arielle¡¯s face stiffened up.

    ¡°Disgusting.¡±

    ¡®Guh¡­!¡¯

    ¡°Hey, now Arielle. You can¡¯t say that to a boy as his first love. There might be a chance. You two haven¡¯t known each other for long anyway.¡± Aunt Kimberley proceeded with the misunderstanding that I¡¯ve fallen in love.

    ¡°Uh, but I¡¯m not in love¨C¡°

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be shy! See? His face is flushed red while he¡¯s denying it!¡±

    Why are adults so annoying when it comes to things like these?

    ¡°Tch.¡±

    Arielle scoffed unpleasantly and moved further away from me.

    ¡°Hurge is the city my husband¡¯s retainers rule.¡±

    Aunt Kimberly pointed to the city in the distance.

    ¡°We still need to stop by a shop to get you boys new clothes.¡±

    Hurge is a city located 20 kilometers away from the capital. It specializes in diamond trade and has one of the biggest mines on the continent. Despite this, its economy isn¡¯t as developed as it should be. Why? Because the fief lords and the Kingdom own it. The noble¡¯s family who built the city had no choice but to give up on it and instead accept the money from the people who bought their mines. Duke Luxembourg obviously monopolizes these profits the most since he owns about 2000 acres of this land. He owns more of the land than the kingdom does.

    It¡¯s like some countries in my world. The big bosses take over the businesses of the original owners in order to profit. It seems it¡¯s the same in every world. That¡¯s why some countries stay developing countries while others thrive.

    ¡°There are the gates, Madam!¡±

    The coachman shouted and then I leaned out of the window with Arthur.

    ¡°Go straight towards the shopping district.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    The carriage then began speeding up. Since we had the crest of the Luxembourg house which was a golden lion, the carriages in front of us moved out of the way.

    Nobles have the authority to be dicks I guess.

    I looked out of the window to see huge defensive walls surrounding a huge city.

    The people instantly gave way and we rode inside without waiting in a line. The second wife of the duke who owns the city is in the city after all.

    ¡°So this is Hurge city.¡±

    I said in admiration as I looked at the big castle standing majestically in the background.

    We finally arrived at one of the wealthiest cities on the continent.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Morning~!¡±

    I felt an arm wrap around my neck and saw Arthur smiling happily.

    ¡°O-Oh, hey.¡±

    He seemed to have been training since he looked so wet with sweat.

    ¡°Our masters will arrive about noon. Miss Sadith told me. Come on! Breakfast awaits!¡±

    He led me through the large manor as if he¡¯s been exploring the place. Many of the servants greeted us with respect as we passed by. I couldn¡¯t help but notice the amount of unnecessary luxury this place has.

    ¡®Like what¡¯s up with people being obsessed with appearances?¡¯

    Having a big house alone is enough.

    ..

    ¡°Clyde and Arthur.¡±

    The head of the household Cliff J. Luxembourg and Duke of the Kingdom greeted us when we entered the dining room.

    We bowed respectfully causing a smile to surface on his face.

    ¡°Umu. You two are mature indeed. Sit down, food will arrive momentarily.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    There were about six members already seated on the table. One is the first wife, Sadith, Arielle, the first son Eric and the first daughter Kenia. Kimberly is the second wife and also Arielle¡¯s mother so she¡¯s sitting on the duke¡¯s right side.

    ¡°Ah? Welcome, little boys~¡±

    The main wife greeted us with a smirk.

    ¡®I don¡¯t like your smile.¡¯

    Her smile gave off this impression that she looks down on people a lot . Lady Kimberly told us in the carriage yesterday that she was apparently a princess from the neighbouring kingdom, although only the sixth. She heavily emphasized to not disrespect the first wife.

    ¡®Damn, she is hot though¡­¡¯

    I couldn¡¯t help but glance at her giant bosom that kept shaking as she blew her food colder by fanning with her hands. I thanked the chefs for making hot soup tonight so I could enjoy this show.

    I stopped staring and then began eating.

    Anyways, the first son, Eric is a 16 year old young man with blueish short hair. His cold expression and his glasses give him the air of an intellectual. He and his father kept talking about business even though they were at the dining table.

    Now the first daughter, Kenia. She is a 15 year old girl with long silky black hair. She has the air of a cool beauty type that every girl her age would feel jealousy or envy towards. Her body doesn¡¯t have the shape of her mother¡¯s yet but it¡¯s obvious since she¡¯s a swordswoman. Her body has more of a fit shape than a busty one.

    Both of them are enrolled in the Royal Academy. Arielle will be going in about two years.

    ¡°I hope you two do not disappoint George and Eleanor. They took a big risk giving their children to us. Remember that when you enter those Academy gates then you¡¯re on your own. My influence doesn¡¯t reach the Academy since the headmaster himself prohibits any and all noble authority being forced upon students. The kids must defend themselves.¡±

    Arielle''s father sternly spoke to Arthur and me.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    ¡°For the time being, grow into fine and strong men. Maybe one of you can get my little girl, Arielle.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    Arielle nearly don¡¯t out the food she was chewing.

    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± The duke laughed heartily. ¡°I am kidding. I allowed you to pick your own partner so I stand by that rule.¡±

    ¡°Humph. As if...¡±

    The dinner continued in a merry mood. The duke asked many questions involving our livelihood like how much he¡¯d give us per week. He also gave us tips on how to spend our money properly.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    Arielle and Arthur have the same teacher so the two of them left towards the training grounds while I was taken to the backyard at the eastern side of the manor¡¯s property. A lake was located there along with a huge forest far into the distance.

    Duke Luxembourg¡¯s castle city is located 2km away from the Kingdom. His castle stands in the middle of his own city called Brastle. He has hopes that his city would become a Duchy one day.

    My master was waiting for me with a magic book in hand.

    ¡°Let¡¯s first see how far your spells have evolved, Clyde.¡±

    The handsome young mage with blonde hair said after giving me a small staff. The one my parents gave me is in my room and would be overkill for training.

    The young mage¡¯s name is Jacob. He is a prodigy mage who received a 6 star ranking at the age of 17 years old. He¡¯s 18 so he¡¯s relatively still a new elite mage. Fortunately he had a residence in the city and happily complied when the Duke asked him to train me. I don¡¯t exactly know why he was so happy. I will never understand these magicians.

    ¡°Alright.¡± I chose a spell called ¡®Toxic mist¡¯ which is a Low-Intermediate spell.

    PSSSSSSSS

    A dark green mist spread from the magic circle I conjured. The ground eroded and died from the extreme toxic mist.

    ¡®Good. Next is fireball.¡¯

    I left the mist to linger in the air and prepared the spell. The fireball would be stronger if I combine the two.

    ¡°N-No chanting!?¡±

    Jacob came up to me with a surprised look on his face.

    ¡°Uh, yeah? I recently managed to do this¡­¡±

    ¡°Clyde. ¡°

    ¡°Yes..?¡±

    ¡°How long have you been practicing magic?¡±

    He had a restless look on his face.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ two years?¡±

    ¡®Actually it was six years, but I can¡¯t tell him that.¡¯

    Is this the benefits of reincarnation?

    ¡°I will absolutely make sure you become a splendid mage, Clyde! Ah~! To think I¡¯d meet a fellow prodigy! I only started my magic when I was nine, you know! To combine two spells and chanting!?

    Jacob shouted while shaking my shoulders.

    I couldn¡¯t help but get scared at my master¡¯s enthusiasm.

    Four hours later I was completely spent. My muscles which had an ample amount of mana through my veins were screaming in pain after I was done. Jacob was satisfied with the results and told me he¡¯d come back tomorrow with a stage 3 test.

    Stage 3 is apparently for those who have mastered my level of mana control and magic spells. He brought a stage 1 today which are used for beginners.

    ¡®How would a stage 3 feel if I already feel like this for stage 1? Man, and here I was getting a big head for being able to learn magic faster than others.¡¯

    It was never really just about the kind of spells you can cast. Master Jacob specifically pointed that out to me. He said that the control you have over the spells matters most. If your control doesn¡¯t balance with the amount of mana you sent into the spell then you¡¯re left with a half-assed spell that has less damage than it should.

    I learned after the lesson that people like my master are the real talented people. I¡¯ve been using magic wrong all my seven years of life.

    I¡¯m beginning to hate how slow humans grow. Demi-humans grow the same speed but they have naturally stronger bodies than humans.

    I went upstairs towards the bathroom when night fell. We finished eating a few minutes ago.

    I had to use the smaller bathroom since the big bath was undergoing construction.

    I was quite satisfied with master Jacob¡¯s teachings. I was even itching for more.

 Chapter 10: Academy open day

    Several weeks passed by. It felt like it went in a blink of an eye since we were so busy with training. It was obligatory to study economics and politics with Arielle as well. I couldn¡¯t see Arielle signing a bunch of documents, not by a long shot. She struggled so much in class that I had to explain to her what everything means.

    ¡®Seriously, isn¡¯t she older than me?¡¯

    I had a degree in college before dropping out so I¡¯m knowledgeable about a lot of things. I could do complicated mathematical and scientific formulas better than most noble children. It wasn¡¯t that this world¡¯s formulas were the same as earth, it was just that I was able to learn them right after receiving the lessons. Arthur also seemed to be good at his work, unlike Arielle.

    Her brother may be the eldest but he¡¯s still not the successor. Things aren¡¯t like the medieval stories I read in my past life where the firstborn gets the house even if he¡¯s incompetent.

    In this world only power and ability matter. Even a bastard son can inherit his father¡¯s legacy. All this started because of the current King. Philip Ilion Colchis. He was the fourth prince who rose to the top, achieving the throne before his siblings could.

    The amazing thing is that he did it with ability alone. He didn¡¯t shed blood at all to get to where he is. The man may be the current Colchis¡¯ king but he already has his name written in history. I read about his history when I was 4 years old.

    I adjusted to my life at the Luxembourg Manor. Arthur could even compete against the knights of the manor in speed even at his age. He showed tremendous growth throughout his training with Captain Kennedy. The latter is a knight who works under The Order. Duke Luxembourg used his influence to hire such a great man to train Arielle and Arthur. With the Kingdom at peace, he agreed without hesitation.

    I also participated sometimes and managed to improve myself with the sword too. Although I have to enhance my physical strength with mana to make up for my weak body. I can fight equally with the two of them with this. But I¡¯d lose if they used aura against me.

    Training with the sword was only if I ran out of mana, so I can protect myself. I¡¯m not sure how long it¡¯ll take for me to run out of mana though.

    I asked Arielle to duel with me the other day and got pummeled. She¡¯s not so bitchy anymore, thank god since she even helped me to the medical room.

    Anyway, it was a little past 9 am when we were called to the duke¡¯s office. Arielle, Arthur, and I stood in front of his door.

    Lithia, Arielle¡¯s maid knocked on the door.

    ¡°I have brought the children.¡±

    ¨CLet them come in and leave us.

    ¡°Understood. Please behave yourself, young lady.¡±

    ¡°Why are you only telling me that?¡±

    Arielle grumbled and went into the office first.

    Arthur and I walked in afterward.

    Cliff Luxembourg was overlooking his territory with an observing gaze. It was like he was looking at a trophy of his.

    ¡°The three of you may sit.¡±

    We did as he said. He turned towards us and sat down on his office chair as well.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Clyde .¡±

    He turned towards me first.

    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±

    ¡°While we are family, I feel like you¡¯re being too modest. As a commoner, I thought you¡¯d be spending the money I give the three of you. That amount is something not many people see in their life.¡±

    The duke always gives us pocket money. It amounts to ten gold for us each per week. Indeed, I never spend my money that much.

    ¡°Well, I was saving it up for when I need it. I don¡¯t have a lot of things I want.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha. It¡¯s okay to be a little greedy with the money you have. Think about investing in the land when you¡¯re older. Anyway, that wasn¡¯t why I called the three of you here. This matter concerns your future forward.¡±

    All three of us nodded our heads.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to know what you want to do when you join the academy. I¡¯ve already heard it from Kimberly and Eleanor. But I¡¯d like to know what the children in question want to do. I will still support your future as the duke of the kingdom no matter what you choose to pursue but as a father and a sponsor, I am concerned.¡±

    He looked at Arielle.

    ¡°What do you want to be?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Arielle lowered her head.

    ¡®She¡¯s not certain yet?¡¯

    ¡°I see. Kenia has been influencing your life so now you are uncertain.¡±

    Arielle held her dress tightly.

    ¡°What about Arthur?¡±

    ¡°I want to join the Knight Order and work to protect the kingdom, sir.¡±

    ¡°Ohoho! A future knight. Hmm, I see!¡±

    The old man looked excited as he read Arthur¡¯s rating stats which were measured by Lord Kennedy.

    ¡°Except for your attack power, all other stats are assessed to grow to S rank one day. Most impressive. But as a knight, speed is not the most important. I hope you know that.¡±

    He placed Arthur¡¯s testing papers down and looked at me.

    ¡°The person who outranks many of the mages in our kingdom in mana pool alone. What do you want to become? Jacob has been screaming in my ear that it will be best to send you to the mage tower. But is that truly what you want?¡±

    I shook my head.

    ¡°That¡¯s one of my choices at the moment.¡±

    ¡°I see. I guess there is still some time left before you decide. Anyhow¡­¡± The duke opened his desk drawer and pulled out three envelopes. ¡°This was sent here for the three of you.¡±

    ¡®Isn¡¯t that the royal crest?¡¯

    The candle wax was in the form of the Royal family crest.

    ¡°The king has invited the three of you to attend her highness, Charlotte¡¯s birthday party.¡±

    ¡°Charlotte?¡±

    Arielle¡¯s voice sounded somewhat displeased.

    ¡°As the four of you are close in age, the king suggested the four of you become friends. He heard the two who recently came to my residence were quite the talented duo. Her 10<sup>th</sup> birthday party is happening this weekend.¡±

    As with many noble children, they are given a special birthday party on their fifth and tenth birthdays. It¡¯s a sort of custom before the child¡¯s age of coming ceremony. I never had anything of the sort since we didn¡¯t have the luxury to throw birthday parties left and right.

    Now that I think about it, I never had a birthday party on earth either. I was alone each year.

    ¡°You cannot refuse otherwise that will make me look bad for not accepting the king¡¯s kindness.¡±

    I opened the letter and read the contents. It was only a bunch of greetings followed by ¡°I sincerely hope the aforementioned person attends.¡±

    ¡°You may leave now. I have important duties to take care of.¡± The duke opened his desk drawer again.

    It was a big bag of silver coins with a few gold pieces.

    My eyes sparkled.

    ¡°Enjoy the rest of your day, children.¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°So, how should we spend the money?¡±

    Arielle asked as we walked towards the carriage. Lithia was following us from behind.

    It¡¯s great that Arielle and Arthur were getting along. The two always compete when it comes to sword practice.

    ¡°I heard they are holding an open day for the academy. Should we go there?¡±

    ¡°An open day for the academy?¡±

    ¡°It means anyone can enter the academy for the next few days. They want children to see how experienced the students of the academy are.¡±

    The dark elf, Lithia answered my question.

    ¡°Entry isn¡¯t expensive but the most exciting events fees are. I heard there were open classes for the mages as well. Maybe young master Clyde will be interested?¡±

    ¡°Oh! They allow that! I wonder what it feels like to sit in a magic lecture.¡±

    ¡°What enthusiasm.¡±

    Lithia laughed softly.

    Attending a magic lecture will benefit me earlier on. I always wondered what kind of questions they ask or the spells they teach.

    ¡°Come now, we must hurry before long lines form. I must still sign young master Clyde¡¯s name for the magical lecture. Lady Arielle and young master Arthur will be attending the duelling arena for knights.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!!¡±

    Arielle ran toward the carriage with an excited expression on her face.

    After climbing the carriage, we left the property of duke Luxembourg and headed for the capital city of Pira.

 Chapter 11: Lecture

    Pira city is the largest of the five cities in the kingdom of Colchis. The entire kingdom is basically in a shape of a circle with a square separating the cities. That is how it looks from the sky. The square separating the cities are known as defensive walls.

    Unlike the holy kingdom that¡¯s separated into two sides; north and south, our kingdom is separated into five cities.

    The names of those cities are Pira, Calo, Zluxford, Storvine, and Prester.

    Pira houses the most population counting up to two million people. It is also one of the most prosperous cities on the continent. You can find the noble districts as well as many famous merchant guilds everywhere you look. The entire city is filled with businesses or buildings belonging to people who have immense wealth.

    Many of the prominent academies and training camps also exist here. Including the Graponia Royal Academy. You can find everything from entertainment down to luxurious residences. No wonder it¡¯s called the capital city.

    Calo is the city near the south gate of the kingdom. It¡¯s nearer to the ocean as well so it can be called a port city where many people aiming to get rich by fishing can live in.

    Zluxford is the city where temples and churches spread the influence of the goddess Sol and Minra. Speaking of Sol, I should visit Sol¡¯s church when I have time. She said I had to pray for her. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m that much of a churchgoer, it¡¯s just that I¡¯m grateful for the skill I received so I¡¯ll do as she said and pray.

    Storvine and Prester aren¡¯t worth mentioning since both cities have worse living conditions than the others I mentioned. Storvine is a city overrun by gangs and criminals. Prester is an abandoned city where most of the people of the slum live. It has a mayor but I doubt that person would be able to fix the city¡¯s problems.

    Anyway, we finally arrived at Pira city¡¯s royal academy. All I could say is that it was vast and majestic.

    It was like seeing castles built on the same property. A clock tower was in front of us when we got off the carriage.

    ¡°Young master Clyde, will you be fine on your own?¡±

    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m only going to the lectures anyway.¡±

    Lithia smiled and then turned towards Arielle and Arthur.

    ¡°Then we will be on our way.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare be late!¡±

    Arielle shouted sternly at me.

    ¡°Okay, okay.¡±

    I wouldn¡¯t want to get hit so I should make it back quick.

    ¡°We have the entire day and there are lots to do. We might arrive later than we promised the duke.¡±

    Lithia took Arielle and Arthur towards the battle arena in the distance.

    ¡®Gladiator battles for kids... doesn¡¯t get more PG than that.¡¯

    I sarcastically thought and looked at the booklet Lithia gave me.

    With the crest of Luxembourg, no one should be bothering me on the account of my age.

    <ul>

    <li>Lecture held by Viria Sterling.</li>

    </ul>

    <ol>

    <li>Magical thesis</li>

    <li>Demonstration of spell fusion</li>

    <li>Destruction magic explanation</li>

    </ol>

    ¡°Viria... the current head mage.¡±

    She¡¯s a woman who was given the title of Head Mage at the age of 20 years old. They say she can cast Upper High-rank spells.

    Let me explain what¡¯s the disparity between High rank, Upper High, and God rank magic.

    High-rank magic makes it possible to change the weather for example. You can cause mini disasters or floods.

    Upper High-rank magic users can cause a large disaster that can destroy cities within mere minutes judging by the type of spell that was cast. [Hellfire] is an example of this. When casting the spell, a barrier of flames appears around the area you want to destroy and slowly draw near each other. The spell has limits, however, like the right conditions have to be met.

    God rank magic... it¡¯s fairly obvious how powerful magic of that rank is capable of. People on that level can break common sense. Lifting a large chunk of a continent¡¯s land is not impossible.

    Viria would be near the level of an Upper High-rank mage.

    People often call her the strongest mage alive today but others say that title belongs to Eredhel. The latter didn¡¯t seem to want the title of Head mage. Maybe she¡¯s not interested.

    ¡°Sterling... no way. Master Jacob¡¯s sister? Or is it a coincidence that they have the same surname?¡±

    ¡®I¡¯ll have to as him later on when we have another class.¡¯

    ¡ó

    When I finally managed to make it into the corridor of the academy, I began looking around for anything of interest before the lecture starts.

    ¡®It¡¯s 2 pm at the moment.¡¯

    I checked my pocket watch and verified the time.

    The entire academy was filled to the brim with people of different statuses. You could tell who were rich nobles from their demeanours. I was even pushed out of the way by a noble brat. I wanted to burn his face so much with a spell but I held it in.

    ¡°...¡±

    I looked through the hall of wizards which shows all the famous mages who were born throughout the history of the continent.

    ¡°Odette Essex.¡±

    The name everyone knew of. The strongest mage to ever exist. A portrait of the Great Sage was behind the reinforced glass.

    She had white hair and wore a purple robe.

    ¡°Is this real?¡±

    I looked at the staff which was near her portrait.

    I wanted to verify how powerful the staff was. Breaking the magical defenses around the glass would be easy for me as long as no one finds me¨C

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    A cold voice called me from behind and made my shoulders jerk up.

    When I turned around, I saw a mature woman wearing glasses and holding books in her hands.

    ¡®A milf teacher.¡¯

    ¡°Ah... I.. err...¡±

    ¡°Were you wondering if that is the real  Chaos staff?¡±

    ¡°Chaos staff? That was what she named it?¡±

    What a chuuni name.

    ¡°Yes.¡± The woman walked towards me. ¡°This was the staff the great mage of the past used to save our continent from evil. Some say her soul rests within this staff.¡±

    She looked towards me with a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°What are you doing alone when you¡¯re this young? Your parents are irresponsible for leaving you here.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± I showed her the crest and brochure. ¡°I¡¯m here to observe. I¡¯m family of Duke Luxembourg.¡±

    ¡°Aha...¡± The woman then cleared her throat. ¡°Pardon me then. Are you here for the magic lecture?¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re in luck. I¡¯m on my way there now.¡±

    ¡°Eh? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the teacher of the first class.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡®This is Viria? The one they call the head mage?¡¯

    I was expecting a nerd wearing goggles for glasses with acne on her face and a large wizard hat.

    To me, she looked more like an intellectual who passes all her exams with flying colors and is the diligent type. Maybe that¡¯s too specific.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Lady Viria!! My name is Clyde Astley!¡±

    I bowed at a ninety degree angle.

    ¡°Hahaha. It¡¯s nice to meet you too, Clyde.¡±

    She held out her hand.

    ¡°Come. I¡¯ll take you there.¡±

    ¡ó¡ó

    Lady Viria told me that she teaches a fourth-year class. That meant that Kenia was also in her class.

    Kenia doesn¡¯t use magic. She¡¯s the kind who is interested in many things so that¡¯s why she also stayed for the magic class.

    Students from other subjects besides swordsmanship and magic can observe either of the aforementioned lectures. Kenia studies administration and business as her main courses.

    ¡°Greetings, students!¡±

    And as expected, I saw her sitting in one of the seats.

    The class responded with enthusiasm.

    ¡°¡±¡±¡± Greetings, Lady Viria!!¡±¡±¡±¡±

    ¡°Please call me teacher today.¡±

    Viria organized her notes and then drew a magic rune circle with her wand.

    ¡°Can anyone explain what type of rune this is?¡±

    ¡°Intermediate magic called Water Cluster!¡±

    ¡°Good job!¡±

    She flicked her wand and then the spell vanished.

    ¡°It''s good to see everyone awake for this lecture. Some find theory boring. I¡¯m not one to point fingers since I do as well.¡±

    The students laughed at her random joke.

    ¡°Anyway, I assume everyone has already read the history of magic. Since that is the case today I will handle how far magic can advance forward. We¡¯ll discuss the basic elements down to the spatial elements found everywhere in our universe besides on this planet¨C¡°

    The lecture continued at a snail¡¯s pace.

    I took down all the notes Viria wrote on the board. It was amazing to see her write and talk at the same time. It was like seeing a human with two different brains teaching the class.

    I learned interesting things like mending magic into raw mana by breaking the basic veins in the magic circle itself and forcing the mana out. Wouldn''t it seem kind of overpowered to be able to absorb any person''s mana no matter how much they try?

    Well, the technique doesn¡¯t seem that popular amongst students.

    It was apparently too hard to implement that sort of technique on any spell higher than low rank magic.

    ¡®Why create such a technique if no one uses it, Great Sage?¡¯

    When I heard the name [Mana Bending] I was expecting the technique to make people able to steal mana from an entire army of mages. Yet, it can only be used for lower ranked mages?

    Maybe I should try strengthening this technique for homework. Everything seemed so interesting to me that I wanted to learn them right after getting back home. I was never even excited for homework on earth. I¡¯d always say my dog ate it.

    ¡°For this next demonstration I would like one volunteer. Please note that the student must be a person with mana.¡±

    Although she said volunteer, her eyes landed on me.

    ¡®Seriously?¡¯

    I just wanted to be a mob amongst the protagonists and side characters¡­

    I stood up as everyone¡¯s eyes landed on me.

    ¡°A kid?¡±

    ¡°Tsk. Lady Viria should¡¯ve picked me.¡±

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t even look like much.¡±

    There were multiple complaints flying over my head as I walked towards the stage.

    Viria smiled when I stood in front of her. Her eyes narrowed in delight.

    ¡°Many of you may be wondering why I chose to pick this boy¡­¡± I saw the professors who also joined the lecture nod their heads. ¡°That is because this boy has more than enough mana to help me with this demonstration which normally requires ten of my fourth year students.¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡­.¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±

    The entire hall went silent.

    Viria smirked and took out a brush and paint.

    I curiously looked towards the items.

    ¡°What I will demonstrate is synchronisation. This boy right here will be my fuel.¡±

    She rubbed the brush in the red pain and drew a rune on her right hand.

    ¡°Please open your hand as well.¡± I did as she said. ¡°The reason I am doing this is because we must have the same wavelength to be able to sync with each other. This rune will force our veins to regulate thus forming the same waves.¡±

    She painted a circle with a dot inside, on my hand.

    ¡°Now then.¡±

    Viria walked backwards a few meters and held out her hand with her palm facing me.

    Many of the professors leaned forward with interest as they watched this process. I¡¯ve also never heard of synchronization. Perhaps it was something she came up with herself.

    ¡°I will now cast a High rank spell called Giga flame.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what?¡±

    ¡°I will now set up barriers.¡±

    When she said that, multiple shields appeared in front of everyone. One appeared around my body as well.

    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t force your waves to rise then the spell will succeed. I want this demonstration to be everyone¡¯s homework as there are many other mechanisms to do this. I am trying to implement this technique without using runes. This will be my first time using another person to help me with this rune spell.¡±

    After she finished speaking, a heavy pressure weighed down on the entire classroom. Dense mana started to flicker in different colours and gather around each other.

    A ball of flames appeared out of Viria¡¯s hands.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    I felt my mana rapidly being sucked up by the spell.

    I clenched my hand and concentrated.

    ¡°See how the energy come out of his hand? The rune is the medium to extracting his mana. Neat, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    I saw the rune let out a type of energy out of my hand.

    ¡®So that¡¯s my mana?¡¯

    The spell grew in size until eventually¡­

    WOOONG

    A giant cluster of energy measuring 10m in diameter appeared between us.

    Even though I was protected by a barrier, the heat of the flames reached the skin on my hand. Even the oxygen I breathed made my lungs burn.

    ¡°Truly magnificent. You even beat the exchange student from the Magic Empire in mana pool alone.¡±

    The person she was referring to was the mysterious girl who came from the Magic Empire. I broke her record for having a larger mana pool.

    She¡¯s famous in the academy for being such a beauty and is also sought after by many of the seniors as well despite being a first year student.

    I heard she joined the disciplinary committee a week after coming to Graponia.

    ¡°I already described the purpose of this rune and I¡¯m glad to say it worked. I don¡¯t feel an ounce of exhaustion nor did I feel like my mana was being sapped up.¡±

    Viria shouted from the other side.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    I noticed something strange about her body.

    Being this near the spell, I could see mana seeping out of her body as well. Her body was letting out particles. Threads of mana appeared in my eyes when I infused mana into them.

    ¡®A clone or perhaps a puppet? Is she controlling it from somewhere?¡¯

    I didn¡¯t know. All I knew was that humans don¡¯t randomly glow and turn into mana.

    She secretly got the particles under control using weaving magic and turned towards everyone.

    ¡°As you can see, anyone will be able to cast high ranking magic or any other form of magic so long as they have this rune and enough mana.¡±

    Viria bowed and cancelled the spell.

    The classroom was silent for a moment before everyone erupted into applause.

    ¡°Magnificent! I¡¯d expect no less from the Head Mage!¡±

    ¡°She managed to decipher another rune of the Abyss!¡±

    ¡°Lady Viria is so awesome!¡±

    Students and professors alike started kissing Viria¡¯s ass with praise. She closed her eyes in satisfaction and then spoke again.

    ¡°I appreciate your sincere praise.¡± She turned towards me. ¡°Thank you for helping me out with my demonstration, boy.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yeah.¡±

    I was able to confirm that Viria was indeed a puppet being controlled. Without the distraction of that spell, I could sense her mana clearer.

    I wiped my hand and looked at her in suspicion.

    ¡®Where¡¯s her real body then?¡¯

    ¡°My next demonstration will involve Anti-Magic and the Destruction series. To my students, please do pay attention as I will include hints about the upcoming exam as well in my lecture.¡±

    I went towards my seat only to find Kenia sitting down.

    ¡°Hello, little Clyde.¡±

    She scooted over so I could sit down. When I sat on the bench, she moved close and patted my head.

    ¡°Err¡­¡±

    ¡°Excellent performance. I didn¡¯t believe my father when he said you had magical talent above average but I was wrong. Who knows? Maybe that could be you on that stage teaching the next generation one day.¡±

    She continued patting my head.

    Viria continued with her demonstration while Kenia spoke with me the entire time. I didn¡¯t have the energy to speak a lot since I felt a little exhausted.

    That confirmed that I wasn¡¯t ready for High ranking spells yet. I felt tired after just casting one.

    ¡®If master Jacob arrives tomorrow then I should ask him why that was the case.¡¯

 Chapter 12: Authority over time

    After a gruesome four hours of talking, the lecture finally ended.

    "To the spectators, I hope my lecture helps with your future. I hope to see you all in the Mage Association."

    The Mage Association refers to the council of mages who govern all things magic-related. They are the ones who either approve or reject new spells that were created to add to today''s magic spellbooks.

    They are against the use of forbidden magic and necromancy. That''s because forbidden magic involves messing with the souls of others and using their powers after death and necromancy involves using the dead as your army. In other words, both are related to the dead.

    The Magic association consists of many high-ranked mages who rank at the 7th stage and have seven elite stars from the Mage Association each. The stars represent their exact mana grade stage. My master is at the 6th mana grade stage which means he''s pretty strong. There''s a significant gap between the 6th, 7th and 8th mana grade stages.

    The students quickly got up and said farewell to Viria. After she left, Kenia and I left along with the other students.

    "Will you be fine on your own?"

    Kenia patted my head with a smile.

    I nodded.

    "I''m still going to the battle arena later on."

    "I see. Don''t wander too far now. Someone might kidnap you because you''re so cute~"

    I smiled wryly as she waved and walked away.

    "What''s next¡­"

    I checked the leaflet for any other interesting things. The time was already late afternoon. The battle arena started in ten minutes.

    ''I am kind of hungry.''

    I rubbed my belly which made growling noises.

    "Hmm¡­" I took out a silver coin and looked around. "Could there be a food stand somewhere?"

    I curiously looked around as I walked past the crowd gathered around the many attractions.

    ''They even have a student council.''

    I saw a young man along with other students gathered around their table.

    On it stood "Student Council".

    I was a prefect at school once. I was never a person who was born to lead others so it wasn''t a good thing that I was selected. There were much more talented people with better leadership than me. The only reason I even stayed was because of a girl.

    I shrugged.

    ''It''s not like I want to join when I enrol.''

    After walking for a while, I realized I was lost.

    ¨C¡­!

    I heard voices coming from the back of a gym building.

    ¨CYou dare bump into Lord Alfred and think you''d get away, huh!?

    I saw three students of the academy ganging up on a little girl. I could tell from their clothes that they were first years.

    ''Is that a noble''s kid?''

    I looked at the haughty brat who stood there while his two lackeys kicked the girl.

    "I-I''m sorry! T-They wanted to take me. They were bad people."

    "Shut up!"

    The kid they called Alfred shouted and grabbed the girl''s face. He checked her face out with a discerning gaze.

    "Ho. You''re pretty cute. Hey boys."

    "Yes?"

    "Let''s raise this girl then we can make her our toy. Whaddya say?"

    "Kukukuku."

    "Perfect."

    The girl trembled and hugged her body.

    ''What the fuck¡­''

    It was so creepy the way he said it.

    With a sigh, I walked towards them.

    "Hey."

    "Huh? Another kid?"

    One of the bigger lackeys noticed me.

    "Leave her alone."

    The young master looked at me with a smirk.

    "Hah! Look at this guy playing hero. Oh! Is this the development where the MC saves the princess in distress?"

    He arrogantly walked over towards me and placed his hand on my head.

    "Run along before I cut you."

    He showed his short sword on his waist as did his lackeys.

    I sighed and smacked away his hand.

    "What the¨C!? You little bastard¨C"

    BOOM¡ª!

    I threw a small flame into his face. The flame exploded with a small boom followed by his scream.

    "Lord Alfred!"

    "Little bastard!"

    Before they ran at me, I casted an intermediate rank spell.

    "[Ice Lance]"

    Three ice lances appeared out of thin air.

    They stopped in their tracks.

    "Leave now."

    My voice carried a hint of coldness.

    "What the hell¡­ isn''t this just a kid?"

    "How the hell can he cast silently¡­?"

    They walked around me towards their screaming young master who was holding his face.

    "You little shit¡­ Y-You''ll regret this! You better prepare yourself to be killed when I find you next time!"

    The young master shouted when they were a few metres away from me. When I lifted my hand, they hurriedly ran away.

    The girl looked up at me silently.

    I helped her up and dusted her clothes. She had blonde hair and green eyes. The robe she wore looked worn out and tattered.

    "Are you okay?"

    She nodded and awkwardly averted her eyes.

    "T-Thank you¡­"

    "It''s okay."

    Before I could ask her name, two people called out to me.

    "There you are!"

    "Clyde!"

    Arthur and Arielle ran towards the two of us.

    ¡ó¡ó

    The girl''s name is Erica. She apparently snuck into the premises and was chased down by the guards and had to run away.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    She bumped into that bastard, Alfred by accident but the latter took that as reason to hit her.

    Arielle said that Erica should join us. The latter refused in a fluster thinking she''d be a bother. In the end, she came with us.

    "Waah."

    Erica looked around in amazement as we entered the stadium. There were thousands of people already gathered in their seats, ready to watch the students fight.

    We eventually ended up at the fighting arena where the first to fifth years will be doing their demonstrations. It''s randomly matched so there''s a chance that a mage could be in battle with a warrior type or archer.

    We were able to get our own seats.

    The goal of these demonstrations is also to help the children by showing them how to fight. It might have that goal but that doesn''t mean it isn''t any less bloodier than a real duel. Opponents even break each other''s bones or burn each other. Healing magic is extremely effective against these types of injuries so there''s no worries there.

    """""OOOOOOH!"""""

    A beautiful elf girl walked up to the stands. She had gorgeous white hair that fluttered in the wind. Her face looked like it was painted or sculptured by a master artist.

    ''Wait, a high elf?''

    Granny Solphia mentioned something about their princess being one of the only living high elves today.

    High elves have longer ears that are far droopier than regular elves. They are also extremely rare but have exceptional magical abilities. They are much more efficient in magic than humans. It''s no wonder they are loved by nature and mana.

    Naturally my eyes were drawn to her peculiar eyes. She had this type of lime green eyes that I''ve never seen for the first time in this world.

    Well, having such eyes means that you''re adept at spirit magic. That''s what granny Solphia told me. Judging by her kind of green eyes, she must be at the 5th grade mana stage. As expected from an elf.

    By the way, no one will know I can cast spirit magic by my eyes alone. Spirit magic is supposed to be an elven ability so it''s not that common for humans to be capable of it. I''m not sure why my eyes aren''t as bright as hers. Mine would probably be as bright as gazing at the afternoon sun since my mana is at the 8th grade mana stage.

    I have yet to test my powers.

    ''I wonder how powerful I am¡­ Can I perhaps summon a Monarch Spirit?''

    The elf was up against another mage girl.

    ''They''re balanced. Only skill will matter at this point.''

    Although spirit mages are certainly cheats, they only experience a power boost once they reach 6th grade mana stage. Since I acquired 8th grade mana immediately after reincarnating, my power is sealed for the time being. If I remember correctly, the old man said that my power would even one day change the tide of a war.

    ''Isn''t that an exaggeration?''

    "We should put on a show for the children. So do not hold back." The elven princess said and smiled. It could be taken as an insult since she''s blatantly telling her opponent she''ll never win if she doesn''t use her full power.

    Sure enough, her opponent flew into a state of rage and conjured ice spears.

    "Low intermediate magic ¨C"

    "Too late!"

    Vines shot up from the ground and flew towards the other mage girl.

    "Kuh!"

    The other mage hurriedly took out a barrier scroll. Scrolls exist for mages who can''t cast fast enough so that was a smart move instead of dodging.

    The elf girl summoned two guardian spirits. One glowing red and the other blue.

    Lesser Spirit Monarchs. These types are two ranks below the absolute monarchs like Undine and Ifrit which are capable of changing the very physics of the world.

    "Go! Heat and Depth!" the elf girl screamed their names to attack.

    "----!!" The spirits stopped and turned their gazes up.

    ''Fuck. Don''t look at me like that! They''ll be suspicious!''

    They had such a strange look in their eyes when they made eye contact with me.

    "What are you doin¨C!"

    Before the elf girl could finish, a fireball hit her body, causing huge explosions.

    The spirits regained their focus and dispersed the smoke.

    "WHAT!?"

    The opponent screamed since her spell didn''t work on her foe.

    The elf girl looked where the spirits were gazing at earlier. She met my eyes and then her face looked at me and the spirits in confusion.

    She then shook her head and then spirits gathered around her.

    "Get ready!!"

    Her spirits combined their spells which is amazing considering that they are fire and water. The opponent had a panicked expression but then it turned into determination.

    "Flame storm!" The elf shouted.

    The opponent fired an ice attribute spell.

    It looked like that girl wasn''t thinking of the consequences and wanted to show off. The high elf''s spirits fired their spells.

    The spell collided causing smoke to rise into the air.

    The elf girl wasn''t finished and didn''t wait for the smoke to settle.

    "Burst forth! Heat!"

    The red spirit fired a torrent of flames towards the smoke.

    "Oh, no."

    Erica whispered besides me.

    ''She sensed it too.''

    I sensed an abnormal amount of mana inside the smoke when I heard something similar to porcelain being snapped.

    My worries were correct.

    ¨C!!!

    A giant blue ball of flames instantly headed for the elf girl. It seemed she didn''t expect her opponent to keep resisting as she tried to dodge.

    Blue flames mean the energy of the heat are extremely dense and concentrated. Blue meant the fire was at its strongest. That girl must''ve used all her mana to throw that spell.

    "Stop the spell, Depth!"

    The elven girl called forth her water spirit and tried casting a spell from behind. The spirit threw water spell at it.

    But¨C

    With an agonizing scream, her two spirits vanished.

    "T-The people!"

    Erica pointed at the direction the spell was going. I saw the mage girl finally appear from the smoke. Her entire body was covered in blood. Yeah, she definitely used a drug to force her mana to increase.

    A little light flickered above Erica''s finger but I couldn''t pay attention to it.

    I saw the girl mouth the words: "Die, filthy elf."

    ''She''s one of those people who hates demihumans huh.''

    Was she actually planning on killing the girl and making it look like an accident?

    I quickly got up. The people were trying to escape from the spell which was fast approaching.

    Judging from the intense heat, that spell was equivalent to a High ranking spell.

    ''Shit, they''ll die if someone doesn''t do something!''

    I got up.

    A clock sounded in my ears. I saw a little green spirit in front of my eyes.

    "Huh?"

    A familiar gray light blinded me for a second.

    Lightborn.

    Did it activate on its own? Or did the spirit activate it for me?

    The world seemed so slow and empty even as there were people around me.

    The ability to stop time. A technique given to me as a gift. I wasn''t happy about being given such an important task like fetching the hero though.

    I slowly lifted my hand and pointed it to the spell''s direction.

    ''Should I blast it with stronger firepower? Or get the people out of the way?''

    The technique only slowed down time to a millionth of a second for four seconds so I didn''t have many options.

    "If it''s the former then people might get hurt but if it''s the latter than it''ll take too much time."

    It might be four seconds but that doesn''t mean I can hold it for that long since it''s my first time casting Lightborn.

    My voice sounded cold in the abyss of time-space.

    "Huh?"

    My mind suddenly shifted its gears and formulated a rune inside my head.

    [Mana Bending]. Despite the name, the effects are simply to break down the core structure of the spell and turn it into pure mana. The technique only works for lower rank spells.

    ''But I''m not like everyone else.''

    Maybe it was my ego talking or something. I believed I could shape the rune spell on my own and strengthen its effect.

    My right arm subconsciously started glowing white.

    ¨CAbsorb

    ¨CTake into body!

    The childish voices resonated in my mind.

    "Absorb¡­? I can do that?"

    Break down its veins which shaped the patterns. Release the mana nucleus inside the spell''s core to force its energy out. Absorb that energy and make it my own.

    I didn''t know why I knew what to do. It''s just came to me somehow.

    TSSSSSS¡ª!

    The blue flames started breaking down at my will as the white light from my right arm entered the spell''s core.

    It wasn''t long after that I successfully managed to perfect Mana Bending and even improve it.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    "Huh?"

    The elven girl, Miya who was crouching in hopes to avoid the spell looked up.

    "¡­"

    The entire arena was still in chaos but the source of all that chaos seemed to have vanished.

    ''Where is it?''

    She only saw people running out of the arena in fear of the spell hitting them.

    "Huh? What happened?"

    A few high ranking mages of the royal court arrived on the scene immediately after they sensed the dangerous spell.

    "T-T-The wand¡­" The one who was the cause of the spell was muttering in disbelief. "My precious wand¡­ I had to sacrifice my precious wand to cast that¡­"

    She already knew the consequence of trying to kill a royal. She wanted to kill the Elven princess and make it look like an accident since the smoke was covering everyone''s vision. Despite the treaty between the nations, some still hate other races.

    "You¡­"

    The head official glared at the girl.

    She quietly lowered her head.

    The worst punishment she could receive is having her mana core destroyed. If that doesn''t satisfy the elves then her entire family might be executed.

    The knights quickly took the girl away by her arms.

    Miya who was still sitting on the ground sensed a familiar sensation in the air.

    ''Spirit Magic? From where? There shouldn''t be any other elves besides me in this kingdom¡­''

    With confusion in her heart, Miya exited the arena.

    -

    We came outside the arena after what happened. I was able to successfully absorb the mana from the spell using Mana Bending.

    Needless to say I was exhilarated. I was able to perform a rune spell not even a day after learning it. Rune spells are a type of pseudo magic crafted by humans of the past. What they do is take runes from the Red Abyss dungeon and create their own spells out of those runes.

    This naturally means that all runes that are found and deciphered are different.

    There have never been any findings of God rank magic in runes though. The entire continent would be in an uproar if another god rank spell was found.

    "That was so scary. I thought someone might get hurt." Erica muttered and sighed in relief.

    ''What was that light she used?''

    It was strange that a small light similar to the sun appeared above her finger.

    "This is my stop."

    When we were walking around the commoner district with Erica, she spoke to us.

    "This place?"

    Arielle asked in disbelief.

    The place we ended up at was the slums. There have been a few homeless people who tried to follow us. After showing them I could cast magic, they instantly ran away.

    ''This place stinks¡­ How can such a girl live here?''

    "Yes. I''m glad I made it back in time. Uncle Danny would get mad if I stay out too late." Erica turned towards me and fidgeted. "Thank you for what you did¡­ That young master was really scary."

    "No problem." I smiled.

    "Well, I better get going¡­ Um, is it alright if we become friends?"

    Arielle chuckled.

    "Of course!"

    Erica made a relieved smile before running into the dark alley.

    "Poor girl¡­"

    "¡­"

    Arielle muttered but I kept quiet.

    We were on our way back to the carriage that was waiting for us.

    "Is something wrong?"

    Arthur spoke to me as I was deep in thought.

    "Ah? Oh, it''s just..." I thought about what I saw on top of Erica''s finger. "Did you guys feel the power Erica almost released in the arena?"

    Both of them tilted their heads.

    "What power?"

    I thought about how I should say it. Wouldn''t people freak out if they knew of this?

    I stopped walking and looked both of them in the eyes.

    "I saw Erica use holy light magic."

    "Huh?"

    Both looked at me in confusion.

    The holy light attribute is one of the rarest attributes in this world. Even rarer than human spirit mages. That light in the divinity magic proved that it wasn''t normal divinity. Divinity is mainly used by the church. Throughout history, there have never been anyone capable of casting magic of that caliber.

    The only one who could, however¡­

    "The Saintess¡­" I whispered. "I think Erica is the next Holy Saintess of this generation."

    "What!?"

    Arielle shouted before I covered her mouth. We were surrounded by prying ears.

    I didn''t know if Erica knew of her powers or not.

    "For now, keep this a secret. Okay?"

    The three of us quietly made our way back to the carriage where Lithia waited for us.

    ''I just encountered a living legend.''

 Chapter 13: Charlottes birthday party(1)

    (Arthur POV¡­)

    A few days later.

    "Okay, we''ll stop here for today."

    Master Kennedy told Arielle and I. We just finished with our daily training at around the same time every day.

    Both Arielle and I have different type of swordplay. Her style focuses more on power output while mine revolves around choosing speed instead of power when I attack. I prefer it this way even if we''re equally powerful.

    ''I wonder what Clyde is doing?''

    I grew excited at the thought of the two of us exploring the capital. It''s been a few years since we came to the duke''s residence in the noble district. Despite that, we haven''t hung out much since we must train daily in order to become strong.

    I don''t hate that but the thought of not spending time with Clyde is annoying. I always finish my training at sundown but today we were able to finish just after noon. The knight captain complimented our growth and left soon after. We decided to explore the city before going to Charlotte birthday party which begins at 5.

    "You finished yet?" A familiar voice spoke from behind us.

    I turned around and saw a cute boy with light brown hair approaching us with his usual smile.

    "Yip. Where are you going dressed like that?" Arielle asked with a frown.

    "Ah, this?" He looked down at his formal attire. " Me and Arthur are exploring today. I heard from the maids they opened a zoo in the entertainment district. Since her highness'' party is tonight anyway, we have enough time to spare."

    "You two made plans without me!?"

    Arielle pouted with puffed up cheeks.

    I breathed deeply to get my heart beat normal. I''ve been overdoing it in training these days. Even my master says that I should take it easy. I didn''t listen though. Even if my speed is among the top in the kingdom''s recruits, I still needed to work on my physical strength.

    "Then let''s go together. I thought you''d be busy¡­"

    "What would I ever be busy with except training?" Arielle put her hands on her hips and harrumphed.

    "Well then. I''ll wait for the two of you to finish."

    ¡ó

    We got permission from the second wife and embarked on our journey through the capital.

    Our first stop was the clothing store. It was obviously Arielle''s idea. She grumbled that she doesn''t have a lot of clothes she likes since her maid buys stuff for her. She ended up buying six dresses and gave the clothes to the porter we brought along.

    Clyde bought himself a dark grey magician''s robe. The robe had a heating effect for the cold nights and also has a bit of defence magic to divert an arrow''s direction. The shopkeeper seemed puzzled at a little boy buying such a robe. Well, he might look weak if you looked at his body but he''s definitely not one to underestimate. His magic power is far greater than anyone in the kingdom or the whole continent for that matter. Senior Francis said that if Clyde could gain control of all his mana, he''d be one of the strongest people on the continent, excluding the White Order.

    ..

    Our next destination was a cake shop. Clyde''s eyes sparkled when he looked at the assorted sweets. He is into sweet things after all.

    There were students of the academy also sitting down and chatting happily. There were actually more couples than there were single people.

    I avoided looking at them feeding each other like six year olds.

    "Huhuhu~" Clyde laughed with drool on his mouth. His face then saddened when he looked at the price tag.

    "4 gold for a slice!? It''s not even that big!"

    He grumbled and argued with the shopkeeper and called her a scammer. She looked at him as if finding him cute while he complained and told her to call the manager.

    The two of us don''t get that much money anyway. We usually got 10 gold when we were at the Duke''s city residence but now that Sadith controls the finances, we only get half that. I was about to take out some money for him¡­The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    "Here." Arielle shoved 4 gold coins into Clyde''s face.

    "Y-You can use this."

    "Hic¡­. Thank you!"

    He hugged Arielle making her push him away in a fluster.

    "G-Gross!!"

    ''Dammit! I was too slow!''

    I felt like throwing the plates of cake onto the ground when I saw the two of them acting so close. It''s like I was a third wheel interrupting their date.

    A couple of academy girls came to our table since they recognized Arielle. They seemed to have known her sister. Arielle was speaking to them with a wry smile the entire time since they were just praising her elder sister the whole time.

    Kenia is known for her strong leadership skills and intellect. Despite being a fourth year, she has shown that her capabilities in business far exceed even the seventh year seniors. She was quite famous in the academy. I couldn''t remember how many times noble boys would come visit the Duke''s household with the pretext of a formal visit.

    The group of friends soon left our table. Arielle smiled brightly.

    "Big sister is amazing, isn''t she? Even those fifth years came to praise her."

    We finished our sweets and also left the store.

    Arielle seemed quite happy even though she wasn''t the one who they praised.

    "Hm?"

    Arielle stopped and looked upwards. We followed her gaze and saw a big billboard advertisement saying:

    -All demihumans receive equal rights at the National Summit. As proof of that claim, demihumans will from now on be allowed in every kingdom. The mermaid queen has agreed to send members of her race to perform a traditional dance on the night of the Blood Moon.

    "A mermaid show?"

    Arielle''s eyes sparkled. Despite her harsh personality, I''ve come to learn that she likes things like dancing and other forms of entertainment. I sometimes hear her sing in the bathroom as well.

    "When will they perform?"

    Clyde looked at the billboard.

    "In about a year, huh. I''m interested in what kind of dance they refer to here."

    "Should we go?"

    Arielle asked excitedly.

    "What do you think?"

    Clyde turned towards me.

    "I think it''ll be fun."

    Mermaids are said to be the most beautiful race . It''s a misconception thinking elves are the most beautiful. Mermaids are rarely seen so people are often mistaken about that fact. Mana enriched waters can keep their skin looking youthful even in their final years of life.

    Mermaids are semi-immortal depending on how rich the mana is in their environment.

    Arielle wrote down the date in her notepad before we started walking again. We visited many others shops before going to the zoo.

    My day with the two of them was enjoyable indeed.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    (Clyde Astley POV)

    It was finally time for her highness, Charlotte''s birthday party.

    "Why are you like this!?"

    Just when I was about to enter the corridor after practicing spirit magic in secret, I heard yelling around the corner.

    ''Arielle and Kenia?''

    The latter was angrily glaring at Arielle.

    "I-I''m sorry, big sister¡­"

    That was the first time I''d seen Arielle on the verge of tears.

    "Guh. Seriously! You embarrassed me in front of my friends! And what is this!? You look up to me!? This is weird!"

    "Hiirk!"

    She threw a stack of papers at Arielle.

    "B-But I do, Big sister. You''re s-so beautiful, smart and¨C"

    "Stop! You''re so goddamn annoying! Don''t approach me again. And if I catch you visiting me at the academy then I''ll hit you again, little shit!!"

    ''What the hell?''

    Was Young lady Kenia always like this? I only ever saw her as a cool beauty who always wore a gentle smile. Compared to the image in my head, she looked like the villainess in those otome games.

    Arielle meekly lowered her head and picked up the papers. Kenia then stepped on her hand.

    "Ow!"

    "It''s plain creepy having a shadow as you follow me around so much. Look up to me? I find that bothersome for my rival to do that." She spoke venomous words.

    Her gentle nature on the surface made me think she would either marry into another family or fight the other nobles in the war of politics.

    ''I forgot one thing. She''s the daughter of that snake first wife.''

    No wonder I thought her real side looked familiar. I didn''t interact with Sadith much but I always saw her scream at the servants or hit them if they made mistakes.

    "B-Big sister¡­ I.."

    "Shut up!"

    Kenia kicked Arielle in the face and spat on her face.

    "You are a lowly second daughter, beneath me. You will listen to whatever I tell you to do."

    She then left, leaving Arielle crying.

    I walked up to her. Her sister was kind of scary so I hid instead of stopping her actions.

    "Are you alright?"

    "¡­how long have you been watching?"

    She glared at me with hateful eyes.

    "I won''t judge you, Arielle. I look up to someone too. She probably isn''t used to having her sister whose also her rival for the head of the household, shadow her like this."

    I pushed aside her bangs and took out a handkerchief.

    Arielle lost the hatred in her eyes and a tint of red was on her face when I wiped her tears.

    "Don''t worry about her. Focus on improving yourself. How do you think it would feel to surpass your rival? There''s still hope."

    I said with a smirk and then her eyes brightened.

    "Come on. The Madam would worry if you caught a cold out here."

    "¡­o-okay¡­"

    We walked towards the fountain where the carriages were lined up. I felt strong killing intent from behind but it disappeared when I looked back.

    ''What was that?

    Anyway, when Arielle and I arrived, Kimberley approached us.

    "Oh, my, my. Such a cute couple."

    "Wha¨C?!" Arielle looked at me, then pushed me away. "Gross!"

    ''Ah, this pain in my heart from being called gross by a girl¡­ it hurts¡­''

    Her mother laughed.

    "Stop denying it. I always see you spying on little Clyde when he gets tutored by Jacob."

    "W-What are you talking about!? I never did that! Humph!"

    Arielle ran towards the carriage, leaving us behind.

    "Hahaha. What a shy girl. Remember, I want two grandchildren."

    Kimberly teasingly said and took me to the carriage as well.

    ''This woman speaks such shameless lines to kids.''

    Arielle must have it hard.

    "We''ll be going to the Royal Palace. A sacred place where nobles of the highest authority meet." The first wife spoke when we entered the carriage. "Do not tarnish this household''s name by acting immature."

    ''But we''re kids¡­''

    Sadith smirked.

    "If you do then punishment awaits."

    After she finished talking, she left the carriage we were in and boarded the second one. Only the first wife, the duke and her children were present in that carriage.

    The rest of us were in the second one. It must be a custom to this world, I guess.

 Chapter 14: Charlottes birthday party(2)

    The carriages rode through the busy capital city. There were lots of other nobles who attended today as well.

    The birthday party is just a premise so nobles could make connections with the royal family and the Northern and Southern dukes.

    The Southern Dukes are the four dukes who occupy the south. Hurge city is also located in the south as is the territories of other dukes. Duke Luxembourg rules over those four since he is a grand duke. Due to his duties involving the mining of precious minerals, he was ordered by the king to create a mining area that focuses on extracting the diamonds in the ground. Hurge city isn''t a small city either.

    The amount of people living in his city exceed one hundred thousand. Duke Luxembourg is in the process of building a new castle so we had to move to his residence in the capital a few months ago.

    The Northern side is ruled by the dukes under Duke Rosenberg. He doesn''t have the political power of Arielle''s father but he can at least compare in other things like wealth.

    The Rosenbergs handle the trade networks which is a very profitable business in this day and age.

    While sitting in the carriage, I tried summoning those blue lights I saw at the lake at the back of the duke''s residence.

    ''Maybe there isn''t any water spirits in this part of the city.''

    I''ve been feeling someone''s gaze on me whenever I try and cast spirit magic. The gaze would vanish when I cancel my spirit magic. I should try and investigate the next time I go to the back of the manor to train again.

    "We''ve arrived, Your Grace."

    The coachman shouted as we pulled up a hill.

    ''Whoa...''

    There were many people dressed in fancy clothing standing outside in the palace garden. All of them looked like they were of high status.

    ''They must be the high ranking officials of the kingdom.''

    "Duke Luxembourg!!"

    When we exited the carriage, several noblemen approached Arielle''s father. There were so many people just for one person''s birthday party. Well, she is a princess after all.

    I looked up at the massive white palace of the kingdom. My gaze moved to the large tower located next to the palace.

    They say Odette used to live there when she officially became one of the kingdom''s founders.

    "The noble children are playing in the garden." Kimberly whispered to us. "Go make some new friends."

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    "Why did you call me here?"

    In the garden, a blonde haired girl stood haughtily in front of the noble children. They ranged from age 8 to 13. There were about seven of them.

    "U-Um, thank you for coming, your highness." The eldest bowed. She showed extreme courtesy to a girl younger than her.

    Charlotte snorted.

    "Are you going to speak or not?"

    "Y-Yes!"

    They rummaged in the bag they brought along and gave what was inside to Charlotte. It was a crumbled up piece of paper.

    Charlotte frowned.

    "T-That''s the planning we did to start our own retail business by building this to help with transporting. A vehicle that can travel fast speeds to any location so long as we have tracks to keep it going. A-All we lack are funds for this project."

    One boy pointed at the paper.

    "If we''re successful then we can expect ten times the profit! Anyone would want a vehicle fast enough to deliver faster than ordinary carriages or ships!"

    Charlotte still didn''t look impressed.

    "If we needed this then we would''ve built our own airship. Speaking of an airship, do you know how much the resources to build one costs? The Magic Empire is blocking us from mining the necessary minerals and metals needed for such a project." Charlotte threw the paper down. "The same applies to this stupid idea. Vehicles that can reach such speeds would only empty our pockets. And how are we supposed to reinforce the vehicle so that it doesn''t break down from the extreme wind pressure? Who the hell had this stupid idea even though the kingdom is still recovering?"The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ''Stupid?''

    All of them felt heartbroken when they heard those words. Everyone dreams of overtaking the trade networks of the Rosenbergs. This was the strategy of their households.

    One boy raised his hand.

    "I-It was me. I proposed the idea."

    "Hoh? And did you think this through before bringing it to me? Did you think just because I''m younger than my siblings that I''d agree with your stupid project without thinking it through?"

    "N-no! We¨C"

    "Shut up. You lower class trash should stay there where you are. At the lowest class. If you want me to even think about helping you in the future then rise in rank first. I know all of your parents'' faces and I can remember that all of them are Viscount and lower."

    In the kingdom of Colchis, only nobles ranked count and higher are given additional benefits by the royal family. This is because they trust higher ranking houses more than the lower ranking houses. Viscounts are excluded from this since they are known as starting nobles.

    "You wasted my time. Go back to your little manors in the countryside and die on a real battlefield." Charlotte tore the paper in half when she picked it up. "I missed my chance to dance with a prince tonight. Tch."

    She walked away after throwing a complaint. Driven by rage and emotions, one boy rushed towards Charlotte.

    "You!!!!"

    "Steven, stop!!"

    They tried to stop the 12 year old boy but it was too late.

    "---!!"

    A brick hit the back of Charlotte''s head.

    She fell down with a pained scream and held the back of her head.

    "We had to sacrifice our own wealth for the future to buy the workshop to make this! Do you know what we had to eat to survive!?"

    The boy angrily gripped Charlotte''s throat with tears in his eyes.

    "Steven!"

    The others tried stopping him.

    "No! Let me go!"

    He shoved them away and began slapping Charlotte''s face repeatedly.

    "I hate you! I hate you!"

    All of then were frozen as they saw their friend beat up a royal family member.

    In contrast to her haughty and rude attitude, Charlotte had tears in her eyes as she tried escaping. Her body was naturally weaker than the boy who practises swordsmanship.

    The boy was about to throw another blow but was kicked in the side of his head.

    It was the heel of a girl with black painted toenails that kicked him.

    "Good grief. This again?"

    A silver haired girl along with two other boys stood there in front of Charlotte.

    Charlotte grabbed Arielle''s dress while crying.

    "D-Death! I''ll have you hanged!"

    The boy was being held back by his friends.

    "Let me go!"

    Clyde quietly approached the ripped paper on the ground.

    "[Restore]"

    He chanted an intermediate rank spell. Lights flickered around the piece of paper before its torn remains restored itself.

    ''Huh? Isn''t this a train?''

    He was puzzled by what he saw. Were even trains in this world?

    "Here."

    He gave the paper to the children with a smile before walking back to Charlotte.

    She was still shouting at the children.

    "Your highness!!"

    Just in time, her maid ran towards them and shrieked when she saw Charlotte''s blood on her hands.

    "Pina... tell father to execute these miscreants..."

    "W-Who did this!?"

    She pointed at the boy.

    "Knights! Throw that boy in the underground dungeon!"

    "Yes!"

    Her head maid then wiped Charlotte''s bloody face with a cloth.

    "I''ll heal you."

    Clyde said before holding her face in his hands.

    "H-Hey! Don''t touch her highness!"

    "Calm down, Pina. Geez. If you''re so overprotective then you should''ve been here before." Arielle said with a sigh.

    She went silent at Arielle''s words.

    Meanwhile, Clyde chanted a healing spell. A green warm energy radiated Charlotte''s face. She closed her eyes to appreciate the warm feeling.

    "W-What happened!? Why is Char on the ground?"

    The door to the royal hall burst open revealing a beautiful mature woman with the same colour hair as the princess.

    Melodia Colchis.

    The current queen of the kingdom of Colchis.

    "Your Majesty!"

    The knights bowed upon her arrival. Many other nobles were with the queen when they heard the commotion.

    "Who are they?"

    Melodia pointed to the children.

    "They''re the ones who proposed an idea to her highness." Clyde explained. "It seems that boy was too emotional and started hitting her when she rejected their proposal."

    ''She was actually very rude and bitchy but I can''t say that.''

    He felt like he would also be thrown inside the underground dungeon too.

    "Hitting?"

    Melodia''s face distorted.

    "I''m fine." Charlotte got up with Clyde and Arthur''s help. "Really."

    Melodia sighed in relief and hugged her daughter.

    "Let''s go inside. You children can come with.

    She pointed at Clyde, Arielle and Arthur.

    She recognized them when she saw Arielle. The latter''s brother, Eric is engaged to the second wife, Olivia''s daughter after all so that makes them family.

    "Pina. Bring us some refreshments. I''ll take the children inside."

    "Yes, your majesty."

    Pina quickly left.

    "Thank you for saving my baby, kids."

    Melodia thanked them.

    "I know how much trouble Charlotte gets herself into. We were glad to help."

    Charlotte glared at Arielle who casually said that.

    It was true that Charlotte needed some help controlling her overbearing attitude towards other children. She''d often insult any children who tried to approach her. Even if they wanted to be friends, she''d still chase them away. She only let children with promising futures approach her and breathe the same air as her graceful self.

    Tonight was not the night to do that. A cornered rat engaged the cat out of desperation.

    Melodia laughed softly.

    "This is why she doesn''t have friends yet. I specifically asked His Majesty to invite the kids from the Luxembourg household."

    "I don''t need friends..."

    "That''s too much coming from a ten year old. Everyone needs friends in their life. Luckily, three arrived for you tonight!"

    They finally arrived at a table and sat down. The people were slowly dancing to the soothing music that was played before the real dance started.

    "Oh, I have an idea!" Melodia spoke to Charlotte. "Why don''t you dance with these boys? They must be first in line for saving you after all."

    Charlotte frowned.

    "I don''t want to dance..."

    Her entire mood was ruined after what happened. She wanted to quickly take care of that boy''s household.

    He dared to touch her with his dirty hands.

    ¨CEveryone!

    At that moment, a voice roared on stage. Everyone''s eyes shifted towards it and saw the king of this kingdom.

    Philp Colchis, the current monarch of the kingdom gave his speech.

    ¡ó-¡ó

    "Any luck, Miss A?"

    About a thousand kilometres above the sky, three figures were seen floating and looking down on the kingdom of Colchis. One was a woman with black angel wings. The other was a man with sharp features wearing a gentleman''s suit. The last one was a man who could only be described as someone covered in miasma. Even though the moonlight shone on them, they still couldn''t see his face. Only his eyes were visible.

    The woman the man called Ms. A shook her head. Her blue hair shook with the wind.

    "There seems to be no one in the south who has the core." The woman turned towards the man who has been quiet till now. "Have you found anything, Mr. S?"

    Mr. S turned towards her.

    "You already know I cannot use mana sense like the two of you. I am not a mage."

    The woman shrugged.

    "I thought you''d at least torture some people to find out anything useful. You''re wasting your power by remaining so docile."

    "I hate meaningless slaughter." The man retorted.

    "Well, maybe we should check the Magic Empire after all."

    "And risk getting involved with heroes from another world? No thanks." The man in the black suit replied. "I will monitor this kingdom for the time being. The two of you will stay in your assigned locations as well."

    Mr. S and Ms. A bowed towards the man.

    "As you wish, Lord Zero."

    The two instantly vanished.

    "Could father''s vision have been incorrect? I have a gut feeling that our goal is closer than we think."

    The man, Zero fixed his suit when he saw the accumulated dust.

    "Tch."

    He clicked his tongue and looked up at the moon. The night sky was filled with billions of stars. He closed his eyes with another sigh and began weaving dark mana, causing a rip in space.

    The cold wind caressed his face and blew his hair.

    "I will see how it goes before taking matters into my own hands."

    Before he entered the black hole, he felt a gaze on him.

    It was tens of kilometres but the person still had their eyes in his direction.

    It was a boy with light brown hair. It wasn''t that he could see Zero but instead felt a strong presence in the sky, and gazed up.

    "Hmm... what exceptional sensory abilities. Humans get interesting every era."

    With a chuckle, the man entered the hole.

 Chapter 15 part 1

    (Clyde POV)

    ''What the hell was that?''

    During the king''s speech, I sensed a powerful aura coming from the sky. I couldn''t exactly see what caused it but I could feel it. The presence disappeared a while later.

    ''Fuck.''

    I felt goosebumps rise on my skin when I felt its eyes on me. It was only a curious gaze so that was a relief.

    It seemed no one else besides me sensed it.

    ¨CMy little girl, Charlotte. From the bottom of my heart, I wish you a happy birthday.

    The entire hall of nobles applauded. The princess bowed respectfully to the king.

    "Thank you for making this possible, father."

    ¨CUmu. As it is her birthday, she may have the first dance with whoever she chooses.

    "E-Eh?"

    Everyone''s eyes landed on Charlotte.

    The entire hall went silent as they anticipated who Charlotte would choose as a dancing partner. All the noble boys puffed out their chests to make themselves stand out. I think I saw a familiar face. That Alfred guy from back then.

    I felt an itch in my nose and was about to scratch it¨C

    "You''ll do."

    "E-Eh?"

    The princess suddenly grabbed my arm and took me to the dancing floor.

    "W-Wait¨C"

    "Are you refusing a dance with a princess?"

    She whispered menacingly. I felt the killing intent of the boys on my back as we made our way onto the dance floor.

    "Move along with me."

    Charlotte pulled me towards herself and held my arms out in a waltz pose.

    ''Oh, my.''

    "Yes, your highness."

    I wasn''t adept at dancing but I''d at least be able to not make any blunders.

    Charlotte began moving with the flow of the music that entered our ears. She led me around and around as we stepped along with the flow.

    "So you are a mage?"

    While we were dancing, Charlotte casually spoke.

    "Yes."

    "Your magic is impressive. You''re good at your age. I truly mean it."

    "Thank you very much."

    We continued dancing to the music. People gradually moved with their own partners and joined us on the dance floors. I saw Arthur and Arielle pout at Charlotte and I.

    I smiled wryly.

    As the dance continued, I began getting used to the moves and began leading Charlotte.

    "!!!"

    She gasped when I spun her around and held her close.

    "Kuh!"

    "That little bastard."

    I heard a few of the older boys mutter amongst themselves.

    "D-Don''t be so rough. I almost tripped."

    "Ah, sorry."

    She averted her eyes. The music was coming to a close as the hall was slowly lit up and the music started softening.

    "Gaaah!!"

    A pained shout suddenly caught my attention. The owner of the voice fell onto the ground, pulling the contents on the table with her.

    "Huh?" Charlotte also looked towards the person who fell down. "Mother!!"

    She shoved me out of the way and ran towards the queen.

    "Stop the music and light the hall!"

    The king shouted when he saw the queen vomit blood.

    "Aaaaah!!!"

    "The queen!"

    "Your majesty!"

    The nobles ran towards the queen.

    "Get away! You''ll only make it worse!"

    A woman wearing a maid uniform pushed the nobles aside and rushed towards the queen.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    I also made my way towards the scene.

    "Belle..."

    The queen grabbed the maid''s hand.

    "Your Majesty¡­"

    The maid cried and held her hand.

    "Find this bastard who did this!!"

    The king roared at his knights who stood like idiots.

    "Y-Yes!!"

    The knights hurriedly formed a formation and closed the entrances. Everyone was thus kept locked inside.

    "Move the children out of the hall. Immediately."

    The servants hurriedly moved at Arielle''s father''s command.

    "Let''s go."

    Arthur grabbed my hand. The servants took all of us outside the hall and blocked the exits.

    ''Did someone poison the queen?''

    I saw a purple tint in her blood which she spat out.

    "No¡­" Charlotte hit the door with a shout. "Let me back in!!!"

    The knights blocked the door and didn''t respond to her crying.

    "Charlotte¡­"

    Arielle rubbed the princess'' shoulder and hugged her. The latter kept crying as she held onto Arielle.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    "What a mess¡­" Aunt Kimberly muttered.

    "Who would have the audacity to poison the queen of a kingdom? Whoever did this won''t be left alive if they are caught."

    Since we had to leave in a hurry , the duke insisted on taking us back to his residence before going back to the palace. It seemed the king trusted the duke''s family and didn''t want his family involved in that mess.

    An investigation might take place once the grand duke goes back.

    ''It hasn''t even been two hours and the night was already a mess¡­''

    I sighed as I looked up at the sky when I leaned my head out the window. The princess stayed in front of the door of the hall even as we left. Her eyes were unfocused as she kept muttering for them to let her back in.

    The knights looked sad that they had to hold the princess back.

    "Don''t leave the house unless I say so. Understand?" The duke sternly spoke to us. "The perpetrator might be after our whole family as well. Until they are caught, don''t leave the house."

    He repeated his words to which we nodded.

    "Yes, Lord Cliff. Please rest assured. I will make sure the children stay in the manor. By the way, where is miss Sadith?"

    "She said she''d help in finding the suspect. Do not worry about her. She''ll he fine."

    Aunt Kimberly nodded her head at the duke.

    The carriage rode quietly through the capital city of Pira. The Knight Order made a perimeter around the entire palace so that the suspect doesn''t escape. I didn''t sense any magic so they shouldn''t have used teleportation scrolls.

    Maybe they''d use the secret royal tunnels? In every palace there''d be entrances for the royal family to escape through if there was a war for example. Only high ranking members of the royal court or those closest to the victim should know of this.

    ''Wait¡­ if that''s the case then any of the high ranking nobles or servants could be the suspect.''

    I didn''t think any further of the situation and chose to leave it up to the king to figure out. Although it was sad for the queen to be poisoned, I wouldn''t be able to help anyway nor did I have any reason to.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    Charlotte sat at the side of her mother''s bed as the moonlight shined on her figure.

    "¡­"

    No matter how many times she called out to Melodia, the latter wouldn''t open her eyes nor would she open her mouth.

    All she did was lay there.

    Her chest moved up and down in a smooth rhythm. That was the only thing that made others relieved knowing that she was still alive.

    The usual energetic queen who would be kind to everyone no matter their status was like a corpse as she laid in bed unmoving. Her face which was said to be of the most beautiful in the kingdom was pale and blue.

    The poison used was of unknown origin. The doctors around the continent confirmed that the poison was not in the medical books. Not even the Holy Kingdom''s queen who adored Melodia, could help. Divinity of the highest calibre was no use .The two of them became friends shortly after Melodia''s visit to the holy kingdom.

    -She was a person I could enjoy being with.

    The Holy Queen herself said those words when people asked her what she thought about Melodia. She was someone who could talk to anyone and make them feel comfortable. It didn''t matter if they were of the highest or lowest status, she''d always find a way to make them enjoy her company.

    Even the holy queen who was said to be the coldest person anyone has ever met fell for Melodia''s charm.

    Charlotte shook her mother several times in an attempt to wake her up. She knew it was useless since the doctors said Melodia was in comatose.

    "You''ll wake up again, right...?"

    Charlotte finally broke down and cried when she let her mother''s hand go. The hand was so cold. It trembled every few seconds.

    "...Kuh..."

    "Your highness..."

    A boy with blue hair entered the room. He knocked several times but didn''t receive an answer. He decided to go in nonetheless.

    He was 13 and the eldest son of the Rosenberg family. He was also the one destined to become Charlotte''s knight.

    "I''m sure her majesty will recover."

    It was already early the next morning at 3. The party ended abruptly after the chaos that ensued before. The doctors who arrived through the portal gates were still finding a way to save the queen. Many people were running outside the halls every few minutes.

    "Take me to my room, Ryan."

    "As you command."

    Ryan took Charlotte hand and guided her out of the room. The arrived in the dark corridor where no lanterns were lit. Ryan only had one lamp tied to his waist. He searched for Charlotte and had a guess that she would''ve been in her mother''s room.

    "Wait..."

    She pulled his sleeve.

    "Yes?"

    Before he could ask what it was, Charlotte hugged him and buried her face in his chest.

    "Let''s stay like this for a while."

    "...As you wish."

    Ryan stroked Charlotte''s head and hummed. She allowed his touch. To her, he was the only person allowed near her. The two were childhood friends.

    "Do you remember the promise we made?"

    "How I will become your knight when you officially become queen?"

    She nodded.

    "Even if I am the queen by then, you must protect my mother as well... She... She''ll definitely recover..."

    "I will serve you and obey. Do not worry."

    Charlotte smiled and slowly moved away.

    They then heard footsteps approaching from the top of the stairs.

    "Who would roam around this late?"

    With quick thinking, Ryan grabbed Charlotte''s hand and hid behind a pillar.

    A light was coming down the stairs.

    ''Huh?''

    Several priests along with the Pope and two more women walked down the stairs.

    ''Isn''t that Lady Olivia and Sadith?''

    Ryan thought as he leaned closer to hear their conversation.

    The pope was smiling brightly as he spoke with the concubine of the king and the duchess of the Luxembourg family.

    "Excellent work, lady Olivia. I did not expect you to go through with it."

    They stood at the bottom of the stairs. The priests who were with them left before them.

    "Thank you. If not for Sadith helping me gather everything then I would never have been able to succeed."

    Sadith laughed softly.

    "Anything for you."

    Sadith took Olivia''s hand and pulled her into a kiss.

    "...?"

    Ryan couldn''t believe his eyes.

    ''Why are they kissing? They should be happily married, right?''

    Ryan thought and covered Charlotte''s eyes before she could take a peek. The latter was too innocent to know what was going on.

    Sadith slid her hand in Olivia''s bra and lowered her strap. Their curvy bodies hugging each other was giving Ryan eye candy which he somehow wanted to continue watching.

    Their saliva mixed and trailed down their mouths.

    "Hohoho¡­"

    The Pope enjoyed the show while rubbing his nipple secretly.

    "N-Not here..."

    Olivia quickly covered her chest.

    "Ahem... That''s inappropriate. We will continue when there''s time."

    "Yes, your majesty."

    Sadith licked her red lips with a seductive gaze. Olivia hurriedly fixed her blonde hair and turned towards the pope.

    "Please do not forget about your role."

    ''Role?''

    She instantly regained her composure.

    "Of course, Lady Olivia. Well, then. I should be going now. The church''s business never rests."

    He fixed his hat and went down the stairs. Sadith gave Olivia one last kiss before descending as well.

    Olivia smiled in satisfaction.

    "One step left."

    She walked away with a satisfied expression on her face.

 Chapter 15 part 2

    ''One step?''

    Ryan pulled Charlotte out of the corner.

    "What happened?"

    Since Ryan covered her eyes, Charlotte couldn''t see who was gathered at the stairs.

    "Let''s get you to bed."

    Ryan couldn''t look at Charlotte''s innocent eyes.

    ''What would she think of Lady Olivia?''

    He decided to keep it to himself as well. Nothing good would come out of telling anyone of their relationship. Plus, they might not even believe him because he was still a young boy.

    They may just assume he wanted to see some lesbian action between two ladies as beautiful as Olivia and Sadith. As is traditional with nobles, they make their sons experience their first sexual experience when they turn 12.

    He still didn''t understand how it works since he only let his maid lead him.

    ''I mustn''t tarnish the mind of the princess!''

    She was still too young for things like that!

    After many turns, Ryan and Charlotte finally arrived at her room.

    "Hm?"

    He noticed the door was open.

    Voices also came from inside.

    -Why did you call me here?

    It was Belle''s voice that Charlotte heard when she was about to enter.

    ¨CW-well, shouldn''t we wait for her highness first?

    ''Pina?''

    Charlotte hurriedly opened the door.

    "Pina!"

    "Ah? Princess!?"

    Charlotte leaped into Pina''s arms and hugged her.

    "Please stay with me tonight! Please! Please!"

    She jumped up and down.

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    "E-Err¡­ Um¡­"

    "What are you doing here? Get out."

    Belle coldly pushed Ryan out of the room.

    She shut the door and turned towards the two of them.

    "Since her highness has arrived. Please tell us what you want to inform us off."

    Charlotte ran to her closet and started putting on her favourite sleepwear. It had bunny ears and a bushy tail at the back.

    Although she was sad about her mother, by being in her sister''s arms tonight she thought she''d be able to bare the nights ahead. There wasn''t a day that she went without being with Pina and her mother.

    The candle light lit all of their figures inside the room.

    Whoosh

    The wind blew the curtains and brought in a cool breeze. The light of the candle flickered every few seconds.

    Pina cleared her throat.

    She put a small bottle on the nightstand.

    Belle and Charlotte curiously gazed at the bottle.

    "Before I tell you, may I know the status of her majesty?"

    "Well, she peed blood when I tried taking her to the bathroom earlier. Whenever I try and speak with her, she would repeat her words as if forgetting what she said." Belle''s eyes were trying its hardest not to water. "¡­And when I tried to wipe her body since sweat was accumulating I saw that her skin came off¡­."

    Pina lowered her head. Her heart was beating so loud in her chest that she heard a ringing sound in her ears.

    "The doctors told me that she''ll need to be fed through a tube for the first few months. She also can''t seem to control her bowels. I couldn''t check her condition again since her highness was inside the room earlier. All of that happened in just a few hours¡­"

    The time was already past midnight in the morning. Maids were going back and forth to see if Melodia''s condition worsened. Even if the king wanted to stay but he still had to investigate and find out who the culprit was.

    "¡­I see¡­"

    Pina''s voice was quiet.

    She clutched her dress and looked directly into Belle''s eyes. She raised both her hands and put them together.

    "It was me."

    ¡­

    ¡­

    Silence loomed in the room as the temperature seemed to drop.

    "¡­Pardon?"

    Belle couldn''t understand what she just heard.

    "It was you¡­?"

    Pina bit her lips and nodded her head.

    "I-I was the one who poisoned her majesty''s drink¡­ T-They said that since I was trusted by the entire royal family I could pull it off."

    "Pina."

    "If I-I didn''t do it then they would''ve hurt the princess and my family."

    "Pina."

    "Argh!"

    When she tried to speak further, a pale hand of a woman gripped her throat.

    It was Belle.

    Her eyes glowed red as she took off her glasses.

    "Pina. The queen of this kingdom was almost murdered if she continued drinking that wine. And you claim to be the one who poisoned her? Who are these people you speak of? If you''re lying¡­"

    "Kuh!! I''m not!"

    Her hand was being filled with even more strength.

    She didn''t mishear anything.

    Charlotte stood blankly as she stared at Pina.

    I was the one who poisoned her majesty.

    "Pina? No¡­ No¡­ It couldn''t be, right?"

    "¡­"

    Belle silently let go of her throat. Pina fell down to the ground and coughed violently.

    "It can''t be, right?"

    Why would her maid, the one she called her sister do something like try to kill the light in her life? Her mother?

    "¡­"

    Pina bit her lips as Charlotte gazed at her with hollowed eyes. Her lips trembled and her breathing quickened. Charlotte had a weak heart since she was born prematurely. She felt like fainting right when she heard Pina''s words.

    "¡­"

    Pina nodded as tears streamed down her eyes.

    Charlotte''s arms fell weakly to the side.

    "¡­Your highness?"

    Belle tried touching Charlotte''s shoulder.

    "Belle."

    "Y-Yes?"

    Belle was startled by Charlotte''s sudden cold voice.

    "¡­!"

    When Charlotte looked at her, all she saw was a sad smile.

    "Pina must be lying¡­ right? She would never do something like¨C"

    "I just told you that it was me! What else do you want to hear!?"

    Pina screamed at the top of her lungs.

    "¡­sob¡­"

    Charlotte fell on the floor as the tears streamed down.

    A ten year old girl just heard the most devastating news she could ever hear in her life.

    "Take her to the dungeon, Belle. Take Pina and lock her up¡­ I don''t want to see her right now¡­"

    Charlotte silently climbed into bed.

    She turned her back towards them.

    "Will you be coming after me?"

    Belle asked carefully.

    "Go, Belle."

    She didn''t deny or confirm it.

    Belle silently picked up Pina who wasn''t resisting at all.

    It was like she had no other hope left in her life.

    "Y-Your highness¡­"

    Before they left the room, Pina called out to Charlotte.

    "I-I''m truly sorry for not being able to tell you who it is¡­ I had no choice. There is a seal on my mouth that will cause my head to blow up if I say the name¡­. If you order me then I will reveal¨C"

    "Get out!"

    Charlotte threw a lamp at the wall.

    "¡­"

    Pina obediently left with Belle.

    The good thing was that they managed to find the culprit a day after. The bad thing was that culprit was the one who raised her.

    There was hesitation in her heart. Maybe someone forced Pina to say that.

    "I don''t know! I don''t know!"

    Charlotte hit the wall with her fist and shouted as she pulled on her hair.

    The smart thing to do was tell Pina to reveal who ordered her.

    But the price for that was the death of her sister.

    The ten year old girl laid in bed and looked up at the moon through her window. The night sky was peaceful unlike her chaotic mind.

    It wasn''t something a girl her age should even be going through.

 Chapter 16: Future self

    I had a dream that night we returned to the manor. I didn''t bother eating since I was too tired.

    ''Where am I?''

    My dream ended so abruptly that I didn''t even remember what it was about.

    "You''re finally here."

    A deep voice echoed inside my head.

    "Huh?"

    There was a white space spreading before my eyes farther than I could see. My gaze wandered¡­

    "----!"

    I stepped back subconsciously from what I saw.

    A rather bulky built old man was sitting there on a chair. His eyes looked sleepy and fierce. There were multiple scars along his upper body and even one on his face. He was wearing a magician''s robe with extravagant runes sealed inside it. One arm was out while the other one was inside a sleeve. The staff he was carrying¡­

    "Wait a second! Who are you!? And why do you have my staff!?"

    There was no mistaking that jade gem embedded above the tip of the staff. It''s the gem infused with space magic that holds the crystals in place. Although it does have a few rough edges, it''s unmistakably the one I received form my parents.

    My precious Redheart.

    "Who am I?"

    The old man stroked his beard with a rather nostalgic look on his face. His green pupils shook a little as if he remembered something sad.

    "If my memory hasn''t let me down, my name is also Clyde. I am from the future."

    He sat upright and let go of the staff. The staff remained in its standing position.

    "Huh?"

    This old man is me? Does a future exist?

    "Why else do you think gods can use destiny magic to ''predict'' the future?"

    He seemed to have read my mind.

    "Wait¡­ that can''t be true¡­"

    He looked at me with a small smile.

    "If not for the fact that I lived the same life as you then how do you explain it? Both of us died trying to save that girl." The old man grunted and then lifted the sleeve of his right arm. It began glowing white the same as mine. But the difference was that his was far denser and stronger than mine.

    "Do you believe me now?"

    I nodded my head. There''s said to be no one besides myself who can cast spirit magic. The lights gathered around his arm was proof that he was me. It was the same as that time I fought those two soldiers.

    "But¡­ how can you be here right now?"

    To my question, the old me leaned back and looked up.

    "I have ascended after losing my humanity. You could call me a type of god at the moment. Many things led to this that I cannot reveal since the god code prohibits that."

    "What?"

    "In my timeline the world was destroyed. Unnecessary wars started piling up year after year. Conflicts between humans and the humanoids destroyed our world before the Immortals could even lift a finger. I thought we settled for peace that day when the National Summit was held."

    ''Immortal?''

    That word again.

    "It would be against the God Code if I tell you what happened specifically so I can only tell you parts."

    "¡­okay.."

    I sat down obediently on the floor since the old man had the only chair.

    "First. Remain friends with Arthur. Sh¨CHe is a valuable asset to the future of this continent. And second Arielle, she will do great things in the future as well which would only lead her to ruin if you don''t stick by her side."

    He started fiddling with his fingers. There was a silver ring on his left ring finger.

    "I have lived for a thousand years, Clyde so I could tell you all this. I cannot tell you what as it will break my promise to the Primordial. Multiple disasters will happen in the future. Something will lead me to kill everyone in the Kingdom. The reason will bring you to the brink of rage and you''ll play right into the palms of a certain someone. That will sever your relationship with your loved ones."

    I killed everyone in the kingdom?

    "That''s where things will escalate. I did the task I was asked to do only because it would''ve helped my family¡­."

    "Your family?"

    "Yes."

    His face showed how painful it was to remember.

    "After they heard what happened, I was feared by the ones I loved. Who I called family. They were afraid I would turn my fangs at them. They left one by one, I helplessly looked at their backs¡­"

    He held his face with his right hand as tears seemed to collect in his eyes.

    "Only Arielle was with me till the day she died. I lost Arthur before all the chaos."

    "Wait, Arielle? What does she have to do with that?"

    The Arielle who would boss me around and curse at me every time I make a mistake?

    "This is also something I must keep to myself, Clyde. But I can tell you this¡­ she had undying love for me. She was willing to sacrifice herself that day the ''Incident'' happened."

    A smile surfaced on his face.

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    "She was really my true love¡­"

    ''The two of us get together in his timeline?''

    "So she died¡­?"

    He nodded.

    "She died of old age. I was glad to see her off back then while holding her hand in mine. Although I am glad for her, my soul can never rest unless I kill that immortal scum. I never had my revenge. Even though I''m this powerful in the end, I cannot bring Arielle back to life. Breaking past 9th grade mana stage is meaningless now..." His voice trailed off.

    He wiped his eyes.

    "You may have found out about the two mana cores already, haven''t you?"

    To his question I nodded.

    "Do not act arrogant with that knowledge. Even if you do have limitless potential, it only amounts to that in the end. You are still weak and must work harder in order to grow stronger. Reaching my level is impossible if you don''t go through the same means but¨C"

    I held up my hand to stop him.

    "Tell me something, how long until the first disaster occurs? This may have a butterfly effect if I don''t have a way to stop it."

    "Even that I cannot reveal."

    He smiled wryly.

    "But it would be beneficial to get stronger now. Grow up as a normal child even with the information I just told you."

    "Before you continue, there''s something else I want to know."

    "I''ll answer if it''s within my capabilities."

    I nodded and showed him the rune on my pinkie.

    "Can you tell me if what Sol said was the truth? She summoned me a few years ago to tell me that I needed to do a task for her."

    "Hnng¡­"

    He stroked his beard as he looked at it.

    "I do not remember going to fetch the hero from Earth. As I said our histories are different. It was actually good that Sol summoned you. That means my intervention worked."

    "Intervention?"

    "Do you remember that barrier?"

    I nodded.

    He was talking about that god rank soul barrier that didn''t break even when a goddess hit it.

    "That was something me and another god crafted to protect your soul during your reincarnation. I will reveal why the next time we meet. There are a lot of things I want to tell you. I had to lower the strength of the barrier so she could detect you."

    "She was ready to kill me, you old idiot¡­"

    "Hahaha. It was just a misunderstanding. But it was necessary. Since I do not want you to experience the same things like me, the only way for that world to be saved is if the hero is summoned."

    "So you were that voice that was in my head moments before I left that white plain¡­"

    "Indeed."

    We sat in silence for a while. I noticed that there was a planet similar to earth floating beneath us.

    "What is that?"

    I curiously pointed to the planet.

    "Ah, that''s the planet you were reincarnated on."

    "It''s like earth¡­"

    "It truly is. See that red eye over there?"

    He pointed to a dark red cloud in the middle of the ocean.

    "Hm?"

    "That''s the Red Abyss dungeon."

    "What the hell¡­ it''s massive¡­"

    It was so large that it was connecting to two continents.

    "It is at least two thousand kilometres. It''s actually smaller than it was during the red era. They say it swallowed up a quarter of the world."

    "What the heck¡­"

    "Legends depict that our world was born from the red abyss. It might be plausible since so many worlds are inside of it. I haven''t even visited half of them in my prime back then. There are way too many."

    His face looked like he realized something.

    "That''s right. You''ll meet someone later today. You plan on going to the forest, right?"

    I was about to ask him how he knew that but then remembered that he can read my mind.

    "Who do you mean?"

    "Ahaha¡­ it''s someone eager to meet you. That''s all I can say. Remember to not slack off on your training and¨C" The old man suddenly started glowing. "It seems my time has run out this time. Listen, master your spirit magic then we''ll be able to see each other again. I have left you a gift that will help you with that. She will also be able to sense you better when you call the spirits. Remember, you are not the protagonist of this world¡­ The real one has yet to show herself."

    "Hey! Old man!"

    I tried reaching out but when the darkness vanished, I saw the luxurious room I was given. My right forearm was completely glowing white.

    When I looked to the bedroom mirror, my once brown hair was completely white while a strange red tattoo was extending around my right arm.

    "What is this¡­?"

    I inspected my arm from top to bottom but then the glowing subsided.

    "Hm?"

    He said he''d give me a gift. Is this what he meant? It was the same glow from back then when I fought those two soldiers.

    For some reason I could sense all the life force, spirits and mana all around me.

    Arthur and Arielle''s life-forces looked especially enormous.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    I got up from the bed. It was a little past 4am when I looked at my pocket watch on the bedtable.

    Arthur was sleeping soundly next to me yet again.

    "You might as well move here."

    He was clinging to me like a koala bear.

    I quietly took off my sleepwear and put on my new magician''s robe. It''s so boring at the mansion now that I''m finished with my training. My mentor said I''ll need to wait until I graduate before joining the Mage Tower''s elites. I never planned on joining them anyway.

    Anyways, my plan today is to go out of the city to battle some monsters. I always dreamed of adventuring on my own. Being from a modern age where technology is all over the world, I get bored sometimes in this fantasy world where everything is lacking compared to my previous one.

    Sure there''s entertainment like acting, plays, circuses and dancing, but I want to do something more fun. It might be dangerous but that somehow heightens the fun a bit. Noble children sometimes indulge themselves in the taste of women if they have nothing else to do. I don''t even have such luxury. I''m too scared to go to the brothels alone since I''m still a little boy.

    "Wow~"

    The gate was packed with people when I arrived there. The sun wasn''t even up yet but the people were already opening their shops. It was so dark that I had to bring a lantern with me.

    I snuck past the guards safely and walked the dark path. I''m not really scared of what could be out there since my spirits keep telling me that they''d protect me.

    Recently I''ve been having these strange dreams. I''m not sure what it is but in every dream I die when it ends. There were even times when I dreamt of fighting in a war. Those dreams could only have been my future self''s memories or something. He said we''d meet again if I managed to gain control of my unstabel spirit mana core.

    "Hm?" While I was walking down the road, I heard movement. I acted as if I didn''t notice them.

    Goblins. I caught a glimpse of them during our carriage ride here a year ago when we left the duke''s city residence. Green, short and ugly are the right words to describe them. They have the intelligence of a baby without a higher ogre leading them.

    There were three following me so I could guess they were fairly experienced at hunting humans.

    The sun just rose bathing the horizon with light.

    "Kireuk!!"

    "Gigigi!!"

    Two of them rushed towards my flank. I hurriedly lifted my sleeve.

    "-----!!!"

    "!!!"

    Along with the sound of something being drained, I sucked out the water out of their bodies with the help of the spirits making them collapse on top of each other.

    WOOOSH

    An arrow grazed my cheek.

    "Blaze!"

    A huge blue fireball shot out of my hand.

    "Gyaaaaaaaah!!!"

    The archer goblin was burned alive along with the surrounding vegetation.

    "Phew. What sloppy attacking."

    My white arm gradually returned to its original form. I have two other reasons for coming out to the forest alone besides entertainment.

    First ¨C to test my spirit abilities.

    Second ¨C Practice my new combo magical attacks.

    I wanted to try casting with both spirit and arcane magic. I have an hypothesis that if I do that, that I might be able to gain control of my spirit mana core''s insane amount of mana. I haven''t been able to train my spirit magic much since we were in the capital city Pira of the kingdom instead of the countryside.

    Compared to Pira and Hurge city, the forest had far more spirits roaming around.

    -Kya! Kya!

    -Play!

    -Whoosh! Pew! Pew!

    All sorts of lights were flying around each other seemingly playing. They all gathered around me when I walk past them and also stick to my clothes. Some even gathered around my spirit arm.

    I felt even more mana burst into my body. It''s like my spirit mana core is an never-ending abyss that has no bottom.

    A Spirit mana core. It''s far different from a normal mana core since you can constantly supply it with spirits. I read in books that having a spirit core means you can have an infinitely supply of mana as long as there are spirits around you.

    "Wow¡­"

    Like now. Millions of lights were flickering as they headed towards me. Under the cacophony of voices, my voice gradually disappeared. The happy voices of children grew even more and more but then it stopped.

    "Hm?"

    My arm was so bright that I could light up the dark surroundings of the forest with it alone. An extraordinary amount of power was inside my body that''s filled with spirits.

    The lights suddenly gave way for a blue light headed for me.

    "...?"

    A beautiful woman with blue skin and transparent blue hair walked towards me with a gentle smile. Her swaying hips made her look alluring.

    "My King~~~~!"

    The beauty suddenly jumped towards me and hugged me in her giant chest.

    "W-W-Wha---!!"

    It caught me so off guard that my childish body reacted to her touch.

    "How long I''ve waited for this day?" She sniffed my hair with a deep breath.

    ''Who the hell is this!?''

    She hugged me so tightly that I was buried in her massive jugs. A sweet smell of flowers cloudedy mind. Something in my pants was reacting to the smell of this woman.

    "Ah. I-I apologize for my sudden outburst of emotions¡­"

    The woman then knelt before me.

    "My name is Undine, My King. I am the Elemental Monarch that controls one of the elements that are in this world."

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    "I-I see."

    I kind of got the gist of what she just told me.

    Undine told me that she was able to manifest out of the spirit realm into the mortal realm to meet me after sensing the spirit mana inside my body. I now understood what the old man at the Mage Tower meant by "Spirit Users are loved by nature and the spirits".

    ''So old me meant this person...''

    "So I have full control of the water element?" I asked after she caught a fish for me. Well, she just flicked a finger causing a fish to jump out of the river. I cooked it after lighting a fire.

    "Yes, although not perfectly."

    Undine suddenly got up and grabbed my hand in both of hers. "Oh! Let''s get master stronger!"

    Undine suddenly blew out the fire and summoned something in the shape of a horse from the water.

    "I know where we can find a dungeon. Please leave it to me, master!"

    ¡ó

    During the whole day, Undine and I hunted the troublesome monsters. We, or rather I met up with adventurers who also seemed to want the treasures of the dungeon if there was any. Undine seems to be invisible to people other than me if she wishes to do so.

    We fought a Chimera monster at the bottom of the dungeon. I easily won with the help of Undine and her water spirit magic. I always thought water magic was weak in offense but I was wrong. If you just add an element of depth imitating the force of the deep ocean then it can become a powerful weapon. Undine''s magic ripped holes through the Chimera with her jet streams.

    In the end I was useless with spirit magic since I couldn''t reach Undine''s level of control.

    She was like a big sister that comforted me when I was feeling down about being so weak in my trait that should''ve been the strongest.

    "Will these sell?" I said after picking up the dirty gold coins that was in the treasure box.

    I did, however find a precious red gemstone. Undine said I had to take it so I could install it in my staff after taking out that gem. I was kind of reluctant since my parents bought me the staff and I didn''t want to ruin it. Undine reassured me that the magic seals inscribed inside the staff will react better with the new gem. In the end I took it and was surprised by the results.

    It felt like I could channel mana more easily with the new red jewel imbedded in my staff.

    ''I should do this more often.''

    Senior Francis says it''s better to wait until I use my spirit magic in front of people. The Sage was born with both spirit magic and ancient magic. Her sister was the Saint who controlled the Light Attribute just like that girl from the other day. The light attribute is a rare element that can be used for healing effects, buff or offensive magic.

    I heard that the Saint could cure millions of people with one prayer to the gods with her abilities even if her offense was weak. No one can be amazing in all their abilities, after all. The amazing thing besides her healing were her buffs. She could increase the strength of her comrades by tenfold or even hundredfold if they were numbering in the thousands. She was eliminated by the enemy nation for being too much of a threat back then. Seeking revenge, the Sage destroyed those nations that plotted her sister''s death. She disappeared after that never to be heard from again¡­

    While I was deep in my thoughts, we arrived at the front gate. It was already past midday when I came back. I had to wait in line this time since I''m entering the capital without an adventurer license.

    I should go to the adventurers guild and apply for an adventurer ID when I turn 12.

 Chapter 17

    "H-How do I look?"

    Arielle asked me after she came down the stairs.

    Today will be the opening ceremony for the first years at the Graponia Royal Academy. Arielle looked really cute in her school uniform.

    Her silvery white hair which is usually braided is now loose and resting on her shoulders. The uniform shirt stuck tightly to her small chest while the skirt fluttered in the wind, revealing her pure white legs and stockings. Arthur and I showered Arielle with compliments.

    "Let''s go, dear."

    Arielle''s mother smiled in amusement and guided us to the carriage.

    I was given an early invitation to the Academy as well despite being 11. It''s because of earl Mason''s influence that I was able to get in. They made an exception ignoring the academy laws which states that a student must be 13. I told my parents over a letter which pleasantly surprised them.

    Their 11 year old son will be taking the mage course in one of the most prestigious academies in the world. It''s obvious that I will be looked down upon by the older students since I''m far younger than the school allows.

    Francis reassured me that with the academy''s backing, I''ll be an elite mage by the time I''m 16 years old.

    ¡ó

    Hey, look."

    Arielle pointed outside the window of the carriage.

    The direction she pointed to was an object embedded into the academy grounds. It was fairly large rusty sword with intricate runes on its hilt.

    "What is that?"

    "That''s the legendary sword that fell from the heavens thousands of years ago¡­" Arielle sat back down. "The academy was built around it since the first king was the one who wielded it. Since the kingdom was built around the sword, it naturally ended up as a landmark. I heard from Papa that the sword could split mountains in half from just a flick of a wrist."

    ''Dropped from the heavens, huh?''

    "No successor to the sword has shown up from the millennia the kingdom and the surrounding nations have existed. No one from the Order could even lift it. There was a theory that it had to do with physical strength but that claim wasn''t correct after the three leaders of the Order tried lifting it. Some claim that you have to be worthy of the sword."

    "What do they call it?"

    "''Heaven Piercer¡­" Arthur answered my question.

    "Yes, that''s right. Although the real name isn''t known just yet. That''s the name given by the first king after all."

    Duke Luxembourg has been quiet for a while now. He had other matters to handle after all, so Sadith, Kimberley and their children along with Arthur and I moved to the capital. We are living in one of his mansions in the Kanzu noble district in Pira city.

    "¡­"

    I''ve been feeling a gaze on me this entire ride.

    Lithia, Arielle''s personal maid was gazing at me with serious eyes. I mentioned something like this to senior Francis when he came to check on my progress. He said to me:

    "The majority of Elves are originally spirit users while it''s rare for a human. Elves can perceive the amount of spirit magic you can use and they are aware of how powerful a human can be if they were to inherit the love of spirits. In your case, if you manage to break through your chains, you might even become the Spirit King which is a divine entity that mated with Goddess Varian to conceive elves. "

    The Spirit King was, in a way, a god to the elves. He had the power to control all life regardless of your origins and could shape the sky with a simple call to the spirits. Old man Francis said my spirit core was unusual though. Not only can I influence spirits of the elements but also the space around me. That''s why I could stop time during my technique. Sol said I had partial control over space magic as well.

    After a while of driving the carriage, we arrived. Lithia''s gaze finally left me after we entered the academy grounds.

    "I''ll miss you."

    Arthur hugged me.

    ''I swear if we were older then we''d look like gay lovers.''Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    "Good luck impressing those stubborn old men at the Knight Division."

    I flicked his forehead and went after Arielle. The two of us waved Arthur and Kimberly goodbye.

    The carriage then drove off passed the crowd of students.

    ''Ah~ to be young~''

    I thought to myself when I looked at the girls walking around. They looked so pure and innocent as they laughed while talking to each other.

    ''My soulmate might be walking around here~''

    "Come to me if anyone bothers you alright? Commoners don''t exactly get good treatment since this was once a school for nobles."

    Arielle said to me when we arrived at one of the halls. We''ll be going at opposite directions and will only be able to see each other during lunch breaks.

    Arielle will be studying Economics, Business, accounting and swordsmanship while I''ll be learning Magic theory and Apothecary.

    "And check your door mailbox alright? For some reason when I always send a maid to deliver you a note, it just disappears at home."

    "Alright, Mom." I casually waved.

    Arielle turned around to look back one last time, she smiled and then left.

    I also took my staff and luggage up to my assigned room at the dorms.

    ¡ó

    "Oh. You must be Clyde Astley."

    A boy with flaming red hair was doing something in front of my door room.

    He then got up and extended a hand. I noticed that he was scraping something off the door.

    ''He''s being bullied huh.''

    "Yes, um¡­ you are?"

    "Ah, you can call me Nate. I''m a first year and I specialize in flame magic. I come from the Alexander Family."

    "Why does your clothes look like that? I thought you were a commoner¡­"

    His shirt looked like it was stitched together.

    "I''m the fifth son of the family so my standing is pretty low. I don''t receive much money from father so that''s why I look like this."

    "I see."

    Nobles in this world are ruthless to lower ranking children. Judging by the low amount of mana I sense from this guy, I''d guess he''s not very talented in magic either.

    ''Well, at least I have a roommate and fellow mage.''

    I settled in pretty quick since I didn''t bring a lot with me. Nate seemed to be a hardcore nerd since there were so many books strewn on his bed.

    "You know, I thought each student had a big room but looking at it now¡­" I sighed as I looked around the room. Our room was pretty small.

    "Only the most exceptional of students of the first years and up are given special rooms. I apologize for not welcoming you properly."

    "Ah, don''t mind it."

    "You should see the room that student who got a recommendation has."

    "Huh? Who do you mean?"

    "You probably don''t know anyone, huh? Her name is Erica. She enrolled here at the start of the semester. She has an amazing memory so she aces Magical theory every time. Everyone is pissed that such a slum girl was recommended to our academy. Recommendations are only allowed if the individual who sponsors the student is from a wealthy house or has a high standing in the noble circle."

    Nate showed me a scroll. On it were the rankings for the first years in magic theory.

    1 ¨C Erica

    2 ¨C Charlotte

    ..

    "The princess was beaten? She must be pissed as well."

    "Believe me, she was. Even though she''s groomed from her childhood to be a leader and capable person, she lost to a commoner in theory. I know I would''ve been pissed as well. Maybe the fact that the queen was still bedridden caused her performance to plummet."

    "What were you scraping off the door earlier?" I asked, diverting from the previous topic.

    That girl Erica is already strange no matter how I think about it. She somehow managed to get into the academy despite being from the slums. That could only mean that she had a strong backer. The question remains who it is.

    "Well, my siblings tend to mess with me. I always get bullied by the dogs that keep sucking up to them. I swore to mother that I''ll become a successful mage and carry on our legacy of the Flame Mage arts. Ah, sorry. I speak too much sometimes."

    "It''s alright. Not the first time I''ve heard of something like this."

    Arielle is going through the same as well.

    "Shit! Look at the time! We have to get to class now!"

    Nate hurriedly grabbed his uniform and packed his things.

    "Eh? I didn''t notice the time."

    I also grabbed all my stuff. My staff will have to stay here for the time being since all the mage students get their own little wands for class.

    "We''re class A." Nate spoke as we walked down the hallway. "You''ll have to be careful around all those noble children. They act all high and mighty just because they were born with silver spoons in their mouths. They walk around so proudly as if we should lick their shoes."

    "Right¡­"

    A lot of students were glancing my way as we walked. I saw both curiosity and mockery in their eyes.

    We arrived at our class, which was located on the top floor of the biggest building. It seemed all of the class A''s are on the same floor.

    At that moment¡­

    "---!!!!"

    I felt like I was choking on my breath.

    "Err, Clyde? Are you alright?"

    I couldn''t reply to Nate as I felt a heavy aura behind me. I looked back and saw the source.

    "Hahaha. Big brother is sorry~ the director is a slave driver, you know. I promise to take you next time, little sis."

    "Humph!"

    A tall handsome young man wearing a white military uniform was holding the hand of a little girl wearing the same mage uniform as us.

    I couldn''t believe my eyes when I saw the logo on his exquisite white mantle.

    The Order.

    ''Wait a second¡­ Doesn''t that guy look familiar?''

    "---!!!"

    At that moment we made eye contact. He smiled at me with narrowed eyes but all I saw was observant eyes that were calculating everyone''s level of strength.

    They then passed by us and the girl entered our classroom.

    The heavy aura that was choking me instantly disappeared when he left.

    "You look pale. What''s wrong?"

    "W-Who was that?"

    "Ah, him? That''s Lord Clark. He''s of the Order. His specialty is the spear. Some call him the Spear God. As for why he was here. Well, he always drops off his sister, to make sure she''s not in any danger."

    ''Who would want to pick a fight with that guy.''

    The spirits around me trembled and went into a frenzy when that guy came passed us. I couldn''t even gauge his strength. Did future me really have the strength to kill guys like that when he destroyed the kingdom of Colchis?

    "Come on. Homeroom is about to start." Nate said and pulled my hand.

    ''How was the captain of the Knight Order able to become member of the White Order? Is he that strong?''

    I calmed down my breathing and prepared myself for my first day.

 Chapter 18: The descendant of the Holy Saintess

    After we entered the classroom, I felt several gazes on us.

    "The commoners..."

    "Ugh, why are they here?"

    Many complained amongst themselves with snarky remarks. Nate seemed used to their mockery and insults as he confidently strode towards his seat.

    "My name is Clyde Astley. I come from a small village called Harz."

    I stood in front of the teacher''s desk and did my introduction.

    """"""¡­..""""""

    The whole class was quietly looking at me.

    ''Fuck, this is awkward. At least wave your hands...''

    I cried inside my heart while smiling stiffly.

    "Thank you, Clyde. You may sit right there." Professor Gunther pointed towards my left.

    It was next to the window in the corner of the room.

    "!"

    It was a seat next to the same girl who was the sister of that Clark guy.

    ''Is this a coincidence?''

    "A-ah, okay."

    I hid my awkwardness by coughing a few times and went to my seat.

    "Hello. I''m Isabella."

    The girl next to me greeted me with a smile. She had pale blonde hair and green eyes. Despite being older than me by two years, she was far shorter than me.

    I greeted back a little stiffly.

    ''Getting involved with this girl is a little dangerous. What if I upset her in some way and then her precious brother comes after me?''

    Something was strange about the girl herself though. I couldn''t put my finger on what.

    "Since everyone is gathered, I will begin class."

    Professor Gunther taught us the basic knowledge of magic. That was to confirm if all of us were taught the three stages of learning magic from tutors.

    I was taught by an elite mage so I might be far ahead of the rest of the class. I lack a lot of knowledge regarding magic so I shouldn''t be too lazy just because I''m far ahead of first years.

    Maybe the other families were also looking forward to hiring a 6th star mage from the tower. Jacob has many achievements behind his name even though he''s still so young. Even now, he''s still my tutor. I still have to visit him in a few days anyway since he told me that he wanted to talk about something.

    Most of the tutors would leave right after their students enter the academy but he''s still my tutor at the manor. I still have some work I need to finish for him before going to the tower though. I''ve lately been preoccupied with mastering my spirit magic.

    It''s definitely not an easy thing to master. It''s even harder than arcane magic. If not for Undine''s help then I would''ve been stuck at my level.

    Even if I''m so talented, I still can''t even  control the earth element. They say that the transfer student from the Magic Empire is a quad elemental mage.

    It would be beneficial to me to get along with her since she might be able to help me. It''s not every day that a person from the Magic Empire chooses to visit other nations. I heard the emperor made a rule that people from other nations are forbidden from entering her empire.

    Maybe they are hiding a big secret from the rest of the world. They are far technologically advanced than all the other nations after all. Our kingdom only has the mage tower to supply us with magic items.

    The elves don''t really use technology unless it''s to build or craft things. In our kingdom we can even send messages to others places using [Message] magic. It''s a fairly convenient type of magic that fits into the utility forms of magic.

    The Elca kingdom has their own fair share of secrets as well. Rumour has it that they might have found someone to fill the ninth seat of the White Order. Solphia said the previous ninth seat went MIA when the Order went on an expedition.

    It''s unknown if he''s dead or not. They haven''t even found a body yet. Even if the people from the Order are so strong, there are many monsters in the Red Abyss that can even threaten them.

    This is why the leader, Iris would always accompany them whenever they must enter the deep of the dungeon. The deep refers to where all the more bizarre monsters are located.

    The reason they must go to the deep is because there are even more rarer resources inside that place. Some don''t even exist in this world. By the way, they said in one of their reports that habitable worlds also exist within the Red Abyss.

    The White Order might one day explore those worlds. I''m kind of excited of what they can find there.

    Back to the Magic Empire. They say strange magical waves were detected a few years ago from the Magic Empire. The spies who were there weren''t able to enter the nation since security was so strict to outsiders.

    They say it was a bright white light that poured down in the centre of the nation. Maybe that girl knows what it is.

    Professor Gunther didn''t talk much about magic since it was our first day. All we did was answer a quiz based on what we''ve learned from our tutors. As expected I got a perfect score.

    After class ended, we were told to go to the back of the academy building. Our second class was a physical test.

    After the first class was over when lunch break came, I went towards Nate. He was busy reading a book.

    "Hm? Something up?"

    "Yeah. You want to grab a bite? I invited Arielle but it would be awkward to be alone with a girl."

    "Really!? Sure!"

    He packed his things and stood up.

    We left the classroom that was still filled with students.

    As we walked to the cafeteria, I thought to myself.

    ''Why did Arielle play a major part of future Clyde''s life?''The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    The way he looked emotional while talking about her showed how deeply in love he was with Arielle. Arielle tends to avoid me a lot whenever we''re alone so that''s why I brought Nate to be the middleman.

    I was sure that we''d only eat in silence if we were alone. Arthur would always be around us but he''s not around anymore.

    Nate and I sat down on the seat. The cafeteria was filled with students who were lining up by the counter.

    ''Huh? Is that Charlotte?''

    I saw the princess heading towards our table. Arielle was next to her.

    A bunch of others students were also following behind. They must''ve been the people in Charlotte''s faction.

    ''A bunch of first and second years. She must be struggling to gain support.''

    I heard her siblings already has the support of the final year students as well.

    "Your highness!?"

    Nate got up in a hurry when he saw them. The students that were behind Charlotte took nearby seats.

    "Hello." Charlotte gave a short greeting. "May I sit?"

    "O-Of course."

    Nate offered up his seat and sat next to me.

    "Someone looked lonely so I thought I''d bring her over."

    Arielle said sarcastically.

    "I wasn''t lonely."

    Charlotte pouted.

    A first year arrived and put a tray of food down for her.

    "Thank you. You may go."

    The student bowed and quickly left.

    "Lord Clyde." The princess smiled when she looked at me.

    I bowed my head.

    "Hello, princess."

    "Please call me Charlotte. I consider you a friend as I do Arielle as well."

    Arielle also sat down on my right side and began eating.

    "I heard you were getting married."

    I saw Charlotte face stiffen up when I spoke.

    "Yes. You are correct."

    That guy she was engaged with is from the Rosenberg household. A family who has the exact same power and wealth as the Luxembourg house despite being a newly promoted ducal household.

    Ryan Rosenberg is the next head of the household. He is also the princess'' future guardian knight.

    "Did something happen that you hate the guy so much?"

    Arielle curiously asked.

    "Well, you could say his obsessions creeped me out. I didn''t want to stay close to such a person."

    "His obsessions?"

    Charlotte sighed.

    "¡­He tried his luck twice when the two of us were alone. It happens on several occasions that I''m getting sick of it. Just because we''re engaged, doesn''t mean we should do those things now."

    Arielle almost choked on her steak.

    "H-He did what? Is that guy crazy?"

    Charlotte smiled wryly.

    "I try keeping him at arm''s length but he was too persistent. I''m experiencing ambivalent feelings regarding him. I just had enough and ended contact with him completely."

    ''Isn''t she like 14¡­?''

    It was creepy and ridiculous but that was normal in this world. Girls can get married at age 12. The age of coming ceremony is only proof that you became an adult. That doesn''t mean kids won''t be curious about the opposite gender at an early age.

    I''m from earth and still remember the morals of society. A guy would be arrested for sleeping with a girl more than two years younger than him if he''s 18. Some laws on earth are pretty stupid.

    Some countries allow sexual intercourse by age 13. Maybe it was the same in this world. I was never really interested in the laws of this world but maybe I should study them?

    ''That guy Ryan should be kicked in the balls.''

    By the way, he''s three years older than the princess.

    "Anyway, Clyde Is it alright if I invite Charlotte to the mermaid show? She''ll waste away in that villa of hers if she doesn''t get out more."

    "¡­Stop pitying me¡­"

    Charlotte glared at Arielle. The latter laughed.

    "But it''s true. Isn''t her majesty getting better? She wouldn''t want you sulking like this!"

    "Ah¡­"

    Charlotte had a troubled expression on her face. She sighed and rubbed her head.

    "You''re right. Mother is finally recovering after these last few years. I should be happy, not sad."

    "That''s the spirit!" Arielle turned towards me. "Is it alright? Arthur said he''d be going on an expedition with the knight order anyway."

    ''What? I never heard of this.''

    That''s a bummer.

    "I guess it''s fine if she wants to come."

    "Where are we going?"

    Charlotte curiously asked.

    "We''re going to a mermaid show that''s starting in a few days. They''ll do a traditional dance for the kingdom''s people. They say that the entire plaza will be filled with people attending the festival."

    "Oh, my. It does sound wonderful." Charlotte pondered. "Alright. I will accept your invitation."

    "Great! You better lend me a dress because I hate the things Lithia buy me."

    "Alright, alright~"

    Nate was the only one who was left out of the conversation. He seemed to he overwhelmed by the fact that two high ranking young ladies were with us.

    After lunch break ended, the two of them bid us farewell. We were doing a practical test for our next class.

    "You alright?"

    "Hm? Yeah¡­ How can you talk to them so casually?"

    "Well, we''ve known each other for a while. I''ve been living with Arielle for four years now. I met the princess at her 10th birthday party."

    "Huh? Wasn''t that the night the queen was poisoned?"

    "Yip. They still haven''t revealed who the culprit is. Arielle told me that it was someone the whole royal family trusted."

    As we went to the training grounds, I saw many students already gathered in a circle.

    ''There she is¡­''

    I saw someone I haven''t seen in quite a while.

    "Clyde!"

    Erica ran up to me with quick steps.

    "Whoa!?"

    She hugged me tightly with a smile on her face.

    "I heard you were enrolled but couldn''t find you during lunch break. Who''s this?"

    "Oh, that''s Nate. He''s my roommate. This is Erica, she''s part of the Magic Tower class."

    The two exchanged handshakes.

    The magic tower class refers to a separate program where they do lectures for those who want to join the Magic Tower one day.

    Erica was apparently enrolled there.

    ''I wonder how she will hide the fact that she has holy light magic¡­''

    Everyone would freak out if they saw her able to cast holy light magic.

    Welcome, children." When I got my staff from my room and came back, a new teacher wearing light clothes was standing in the middle of the training grounds.

    "I will be the one supervising your magical training."

    She must be a magic arts user. What differs them from ordinary mages are that they use their mana to strengthen their bodies instead of firing spells. They are far different from martial artists that naturally have stronger bodies.

    "What''s up with that large staff?" Just then, the teacher pointed to me.

    "Ah, this? I just thought I''d need it."

    My magic power needs a special kind of wand or staff to control my magic. Some even break when I try them out.

    "The academy distributes wands for use so why use your own?" The teacher looked at me like I''m an idiot. The others laughed at me and mocked.

    I popped a vein but hid my anger.

    She lost interest and began teaching the class.

    "If you are able to destroy those Earthen Golems then you have a passing grade and that''ll convince me you''re qualified for this class. Destroy half then it''s a C. If you can''t even give those things a scratch¡­" She then smirked. "You''ll be expelled. Every class determines your success from day one so get serious. Magic schools can''t compare to an academy like Graponia."

    I heard several gulps.

    The first person went up and used [Higher Gale]. The person managed to destroy golem by half and then slumped down.

    I forgot how minuscule the mana of growing children are. I shouldn''t compare myself with others since I''m an abnormal case.

    Since there were other first years as well, it took some time for everyone to finish.

    Just then, Erica walked past me towards the golems.

    She had a plain appearance. Her hair was kind of unkempt while her clothes were a little dishevelled.

    The girl who is the descendant of the Saintess.

    "Tch. These commoners. Just because they have a little magic power, they think they have the right to join us elites."

    "Just look at her face. I''d rate her a 3 out of a 100."

    "Hahahaha!"

    ..

    While the peanut gallery were mocking the girl, she was busy muttering something while moving her hands.

    ''Hm?''

    I noticed what she was doing. Light particles were gathering around her fingers and changing their fundamental structure when they entered her hands. The light turned into fire particles.

    ''How is she altering the nature of an element? Is that how she hides her power?''

    The teacher was watching everything, amused at the cackling students. I could guess that all the teachers know why this girl was accepted. But they must not know what power she had.

    ''To think this girl is so talented. I have to find out who recommended her.''

    It''s just curiosity but still¡­

    The girl finished her chant and pointed her hands at the golems.

    "[Sapphire]."

    A giant flame shaped like a rose manifested itself when she lifted her hands.

    I was left dumbfounded. She managed to do something an elite elder mage couldn''t even do even until death. Magic Spell Altering.

    ''Fuck. Is Erica that talented?''

    How does she compare to me? I felt a little curious.

    It''s kind of like changing the nature of a spell using the raw mana particles hidden within the spell.

    ''Who the hell taught her that?''

    The teacher''s smile was even bigger as Erica shot her spell towards the moving golem.

    Boom

    Boom

    """""¡­.."""""

    "Did you see~!?"

    Just then she turned her head towards me and looked at me with sparkling eyes.

    "Y-Yeah. It was amazing¡­"

    "Yaay~"

    The entire class was silent when they saw the destroyed golem. It was only chunks of rocks when the dust settled.

    It''s true what they said. The Saintess is a highly talented individual.

    ''I bet she just read it somewhere and got it right.''

    I grumbled and also went up onto the platform.

    At the end of my demonstration I destroyed a chunk of the ground and made the golem vanish into nothingness with my spell. That left the students who mocked me, speechless.

    By the way, I received the same grade as Erica. We were ranked the highest.

 Chapter 19: Farewell for now, Clyde

    The inner Palace ¨C The late Sage''s library.

    Iris Linding, a woman given the title of Ice Queen walked down the hallway of the Kingdom''s Castle.

    She had white hair which resembled snow. Her beauty was of the top ten in the kingdom while her swordsmanship was second to none.

    Her talents earned her the position of leader of the Order. Her family was but a normal farming family.

    Never in her life would she have believed her future self if she heard then that she''d be joining the heroes who protect the human kingdoms. She was born with the talent as a magic swordsman. Her specialty is ice magic which she can use to freeze anything no matter the structure or its nature. Even the hottest flames can turn to ice in mere seconds due to her Eternal Frost skill which made her name so deadly throughout the continent.

    "My Lady."

    A maid opened the door for her and she stepped inside.

    The place was as usual, dark and quiet except for the frequent sound of pages turning.

    Iris came to a stop and knelt.

    "You grace me by¨C"

    "Oh, shut it."

    As Iris was about to do her greeting, an old woman''s voice entered her ears.

    It was the voice of a dying person.

    The light shone on the figure on the bed. She had a wrinkly face, her hair was grey from old age and her body looked weak judging by the flesh and bones.

    The Great Sage. The woman who could cause all the nations to cower just by hearing her name.

    Odette.

    "If I may ask, why do you not use age restoration to alter your biology?" Iris asked carefully.

    The old woman chuckled.

    "I have already laid eyes upon the descendant of my sister. That was my only wish and reason for living."

    The other reason is because her mana has been exhausted. The curse that was placed on her soul after her revenge prevented her from recovering. She only has 1% of her total mana from the past. Odette didn''t really tell the few people that know of her existence why she never used magic ever since that day of her revenge.

    It was reasonable why she was given this curse.

    She was much too dangerous so the gods had to act.

    "Surely the girl will need your guidance¡­"

    Odette held up her wrinkly hand to stop Iris from speaking further.

    "She should figure out how to use those powers herself. I''m sure having an old hag like me teach her wouldn''t be a good idea. I am already at the last years of my life."

    Iris had a shocked expression on her face when she heard her words. She''s a woman who rarely shows emotion.

    "Surely you do not think you, the Great Sage is unqualified to teach that girl!?"

    "Our natures are different. And stop screaming." Odette rubbed her earlobes.

    "I promised my sister I''d join her in the afterlife so that''s what I''ll do¡­ Anyway, give me a report. Sitting trapped in this tower is boring for an old fossil like me."

    "Understood. Please listen to this. We sensed a disturbance of magical energy a few months ago. Although we aren''t sure where the person is because a powerful barrier is blocking our magical detection."

    Odette nodded for her to continue.

    "The person you believed will inherit the powers of the Spirit King."

    "Whaat!? Why do I hear of this now!? "

    The old woman screamed causing her spit to fly in Iris'' face. Iris quietly took out a napkin and removed the spit.

    There was a prophecy involving the Spirit King''s descendant and the person who receives the power of a Holy Saintess.

    The two must conceive a child in order for the prophecy to come true. Legend has it that the child that will be born from the two will be the saviour of the world.

    It will be a God''s child. Descendants of the Angel Race and the Spirit Races are really rare so it was never really proven if this fact was true or not.

    However, Odette saw a vision one day where the world was in chaos. A dark figure stood atop the world that was burning from its destruction.

    A being from the immortal race.

    The vision wasn''t very long since it was the glimpse of the future. Seeing into the future despite not being an oracle is much too dangerous for a person. Odette had to forcibly wake herself up since it looked like that being saw her peeking.

    Just before it crushed her head, she disappeared. If the past is changed, the future will change as well after all.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    God''s Child or its other name, the "Chosen One" will be powerful enough to defeat a true immortal.

    Odette predicted that it was roughly 200 years before the immortal arrives.

    Odette had many visions through her long lifespan. She even saw a prophecy about how a hero will be summoned by their goddess.

    "Find out who that person is, Iris."

    ''The prophecy of the God''s child or the one where the hero summoned by goddess Sol comes to this world. I wonder which one might come true. I should at least stay alive until then.''

    "I must know if that person is the incarnation of Xio."

    ''He promised to reincarnate in the far future. Could it truly be him?''

    ¡ó

    Jacob Sterling entered the Mage Tower.

    He was ecstatic at the moment when he heard his pupil will be enrolling in the Royal Academy. Clyde Astley was by far the most talented person to emerge ever since the founding of the Magic Tower.

    His abnormal amount of mana makes him the perfect person to enlist as a AOE mage leader for a mage unit in the army. Who knows, he might even be a direct subordinate of Viria, the continent''s only head mage.

    ''Although, I''d prefer you''d join the Magic Tower as an official mage¡­''

    Jacob thought as he read Clyde''s letter. He had grown fond of Clyde during their time together.

    It was almost like having a little brother and teaching him stuff.

    Jacob was always called a prodigy, he was always isolated since so many of his friends and peers were jealous of his talents. His magic was so incredible that he rose to an elite of the Magic Tower at such a young age.

    But it wasn''t talent that made him this amazing. It was effort. And also a large amount of money to improve his foundation. The Purple Elixir is known to be an incredibly popular potion that could be used to heal broken mana veins.

    The other effect is that it can partially improve your mana core''s pool. However, this effect is only a meagre 0.3% increase. Jacob had to work hard in order to achieve money so he could get where he was today.

    -Your sister will be coming today. You better get here or else¡­

    Father

    _

    He crumpled up the letter that was sent to him by his father.

    His rage flew up to his head and it felt like he wanted to burn his whole office.

    Viria, a member of the order is also his sister.

    He was always compared to her.

    "Look at what your sister has achieved."

    "Why can''t you be more like her?"

    "Humph! What is there to celebrate about you entering the mage tower?"

    Those are the things spoken to him by his father. No matter what he did throughout his life or how many achievements he gained, his family never recognized him or saw him as his own person. He was always compared to his older sister.

    But now he found someone far more talented than his sister. A boy with exceptional talent for magic was trained by him. He wants to nurture this boy to make him become what he couldn''t.

    Jacob''s mood instantly lifted as he thought about the future of Clyde Astley. He hummed as he prepared his material for teaching his class.

    A knock suddenly came from the door.

    ''Ah, that''s right. I called Clyde.''

    He sent a letter to the duke''s manor to see Clyde at the tower.

    It was regarding a certain letter he received.

    "Come in."

    Jacob sat up straight while a golden envelope was placed near his hand.

    An assistant mage brought in a boy with light brown hair.

    ''He''s wearing the robe I sent him.''

    Jacob felt touched when he saw the robe he bought Clyde a year ago. It was his gift since Clyde completed the third stage of magic training.

    "You wanted to see me, master?"

    Jacob pointed to the chair. Clyde sat down quietly.

    "Clyde."

    "Yes."

    Jacob slid an envelope over to Clyde.

    ''!!!''

    There was red candle wax with a magician''s hat symbol.

    "The Magic Empire?"

    Jacob nodded.

    "Open it. You''ll know soon enough why I called you here."

    RIIIP

    Clyde tore off the top of the envelope and took out the note.

    ¨CThe Magic Imperial Academy.

    Clyde''s eyes opened wide when he saw the sender.

    ©\We of the Magic Empire wish to invite Jacob Sterling of the Marques Sterling household to come to our academy and teach as a fourth to final year class professor. The contract will last ten years but if there comes a need to update it then we shall let the receiver know.

    As the Red Abyss dungeon is close to becoming active in the next decade, we need powerful and intelligent professors to lead the leaders of the future. The Magic Empire wishes to instate Jacob Sterling as a professor of the academy and a tutor for the Imperial children.

    -

    "¡­"

    Clyde silently looked up.

    "Surprised?"

    "¡­Not really. Anyone can see that you''re worthy of this position."

    "Haha. You flatter me. The problem is that it''s in another nation. The Magic Empire ,in fact ,which is known as a nation no one from the outside can enter."

    "Why did that change? Was it because of the prediction that the Red Abyss will become active soon?"

    Jacob nodded.

    "There was probably another reason but I''m not sure. If the red abyss is close to becoming active then that''s a big problem." Jacob tapped his thigh with his finger. "They''d obviously want strong allies in the future that must be led by a capable professor."

    "And you were one of them."

    "It''s embarrassing but yes."

    "But¡­ why was I called here? Don''t tell me¡­"

    Clyde looked Jacob suspiciously.

    Jacob cleared his throat and leaned forward.

    "Clyde. I want you to become my assistant once you graduate from the academy."

    "¡­"

    Clyde narrowed his eyes.

    "I knew it."

    "But¡­"

    Clyde''s ears perked up when Jacob spoke again.

    "Considering that you have a happy family waiting for you back home I cannot expect that of you."

    Clyde still had a family that loved him. He had something back home. He wasn''t like Jacob who had no one who was waiting for him back home. Sure, he might have a fianc¨¦ but the two of them rarely meet so there''s no connection.

    He only keeps contact with his older sister. Despite the fact that they were rivals in the past, Jacob still appreciates her being there for him.

    "Then I guess this is farewell."

    Jacob nodded.

    "I might not come back. This is a one in a million chance for me to start a new life. I''m still 22 so I still have a lot to life for."

    The two sat in silence.

    Clyde gulped audibly.

    "Our relationship as student and tutor still continues even without the pay. I like teaching a fellow prodigy the way of magic. And you actually like the lessons so that''s what makes it even more worth it. Some of my previous students never even listened and didn''t respect me just because of my age. If the teacher sees his student enjoying his class then it''s obvious that he would want to continue teaching the student."

    Jacob stroked Clyde''s head.

    "I''ll keep in touch. Even if we''re still so far apart I still want to know how far my student progresses. With your potential, you might even catch up to me in five years."

    Clyde smiled bitterly.

    "You overestimate me."

    "Hahaha. But I''m serious!"

    Jacob patted Clyde''s shoulder.

    Before he packed up his things, Jacob spoke again.

    "¡­If I ever find myself facing a problem involving magic¡­. Can I rely on your help?"

    Jacob held out his hand.

    "Of course."

    Clyde shook Jacob''s hand.

    "Well then. I''ll keep in touch."

    Jacob took his case and walked past Clyde.

    He left a few words before leaving.

    "Become splendid mage, Clyde."

    After leaving those words, he left. Clyde heard the footsteps growing ever faint as he looked at the door.

    ''He left. My master I''ve known for four years¡­.''

    The two were always together daily during his stay at the manor of the duke. There wasn''t a day that he missed his lectures or forgot to finish his homework.

    He enjoyed it. He enjoyed learning magic from such an amazing teacher.

    "¡­"

    Clyde silently looked at the tear that fell on his hand.

    "Crying over a goodbye¡­ I really am a kid."

    He cried for a while inside the quiet office of his master.

    The next time they meet, Clyde might''ve caught up to him.

    "One day I''ll be master''s equal."

 Chapter 20: Miya

    I haven''t spent so much time with Arielle lately.

    She''s apparently too busy dealing with matters of their house. She''s also been travelling a lot lately. Arthur sends me letters almost every week so I always know what he''s up to. He never forgets to say he misses me either.

    It seems training to become a knight has been going well for him. We''ll be meeting each other before the academy reopens again.

    I picked up the package that I found lying outside our dorm room.

    It was a white robe.

    I picked up the letter that came with the package.

    -With a little persuasion to a certain tailor I managed to get him to make you this. I hope you like your birthday gift. Even if it''s a little late. I had to get this ready for you last minute and had to let my assistant at the magic tower take it to you.

    My heart was touched when I read the letter.

    I needed a robe for adventuring anyway. The Academy announced that in our third year, we would be entering a dungeon. That''s the first time students of the academy are allowed to enter a dungeon. But the dungeon we would enter isn''t any normal dungeon. Some dungeons are not available to the public so they get used by institutions like magic schools and such. Dungeon exploration is one of the most profitable businesses around. For most people, guilds and companies, it is one of their sources of income.

    There exists millions of dungeons on this world. Lots are undiscovered while others are well known. The biggest and most difficult dungeon to explore is ''Red Abyss''. It''s not surprising since they say that the grave of the Demon King is buried there. It''s just speculation since a lot of demonic creatures are in the dungeon.

    The World Serpent and other monsters like Leviathan roam the seas around the red abyss.

    "Alright!"

    "Ugh! Why are you screaming so early in the morning!"

    Nate threw his pillow in my face. The time was currently 5 in the morning.

    "Ah, sorry."

    "Where are you going so early in the morning¡­ dressed like that?"

    He looked at my white robe.

    "I''ll be trying out adventuring today. You want to come register with me?" He shook his head and yawned.

    "Maybe another time. For now I want to sleep so get out."

    "Alright, alright~"

    I quickly left the room.

    The vacation will last two weeks so I have plenty of time to explore the world out there. After I''m done, I might visit our village.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    I inhaled the fresh outdoor air and put on my hoodie after I shivered from the cold.

    The aunties and uncles who were busy setting up their stalls, greeted me when I passed by. The people were lively so early in the morning.

    I saw an airship from the Magic Empire pass over our kingdom.

    "I can''t wait to slay some monsters." Even if I am an adult in mental years, my excitement to explore is that of a child''s.

    I checked my gear and nodded with a wide smile. My preparations were done.

    Ting

    The adventurer guild''s front doorbell rang when I walked in.

    "Hm¡­"

    I only saw a few people in the guild when I looked around. The ones here must be those that couldn''t afford to pay for an inn so they used their Adventurer ID to book a night for a discount.

    There were many people who were sleeping in the corner of the pub. The adventurer guild is free to the public so they allow anyone to sleep inside for shelter.

    "Welcome!" A cheerful greeting came my way. I looked to the front desk and saw a young woman waving at me.

    I came up to the desk.

    "Are you lost, little one?"

    "Ah, no. I want to become an adventurer."

    "I see. Usually when people go adventuring at such a young age, they''d have companions. Are you confident in your strength, little one?"

    I took out my first year badge. This is to show I have an ample amount of experience.

    Her pupils shook when she saw the card.

    "O-Oh? I apologize for my behavior. I didn''t know you would be from such a famous academy."Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Her tone turned polite and kind of stiff. I just smiled and let it go. I''m not a noble so I''m not one who enjoys being flattered so much or having my ass kissed by people wanting to gain favor with me.

    "Ranking up is simple." The lady proceeded to explain to me. "Increase your merit in the capital, hunt stronger monsters or undertake escort missions for nobles and merchants. Now, hunting monsters is the most important job for an adventurer. By getting rid of these threats, you protect the surrounding regions while also improving your reputation. It''s not like killing monsters is the only way to rank up, so consider doing the other quests as well."

    She brought out a book.

    "Read this before going out of the field. It''s important to have a little knowledge before starting a quest."

    ''Nah, I''ll just ask Undine. As a spirit, she should know more than the writers who wrote this book.''

    Despite what I thought, I took the book with a smile.

    "If you feel confident enough and you''re at least B-rank, head to the HQ located in Pira City."

    Pira city is located in the center of the whole Kingdom. The duke''s manor is located in the Kanzu noble district.

    "Have you understood so far, sir?"

    "Yes. Thank you for the information."

    The girl smiled and took out something which resembled a card.

    "Documentation is needed for normal people but since sir has an academy''s card, that won''t be needed."

    It was a copper plate. I showed my student id and she copied the name and affiliation on it.

    "Done. If you would like comrades, come in the afternoons. The guild is packed with people by then. Maybe you might find yourself lucky."

    I left the guild after throwing the book in my storage dimension ring.

    Undine appeared next to me. Thankfully no one could see her.

    "Undine. Can you tell me about dragons?"

    "Why the sudden interest?"

    "Well, I''ve been reading a book about them lately. It mentioned something about dragon lords. Can you tell me what those are? Surely you''ve seen them before."

    "Ah, I see. I do know some things about them."

    Dragons Lords are the highest existences in this world. Only demons and gods are of the same rank as them. As with any race, there is a more superior species, namely dragon lords.

    They have the strongest physical and magical abilities in this world. Their magic could even destroy an entire nation if they''re serious.

    "There are seven dragon lords at the moment. They served the Spirit King thousands of years ago."

    "They''ve been alive that long?"

    We were conversing through telepathy. It would look strange to others if I spoke to myself.

    "Yes. As with all mana born beings, dragon are immortal and have no predators."

    "Who would even have the guts to take on a dragon."

    Undine was quiet while looking at me.

    "Don''t tell me it''s that old man."

    "He did cause destruction on the continent, after all. It''s only natural that dragon lords¨Cwho protect the seven countries¨Cwould interfere. The oldest ancient dragon is located in the Draconic Kingdom. They say he wants to die slowly with the nation he protected."

    Protect the seven countries? Those arrogant species?

    Our conversation was interrupted by a large explosion.

    I was already out on the plains and was about to head into the forest.

    "What the¨C"

    A beautiful young woman, wearing our official academy clothes was decimating a Mountain bear that seemed to have followed her.

    "It''s the high elf girl."

    I frowned when I saw that familiar white hair. It was indeed the first princess of the Elven Kingdom, Miya.

    "Hm?"

    ''Crap.''

    I told Undine to mask her presence. If this elf found out I was contracted to a Monarch spirit then all sorts of troublesome things will come my way.

    I was about to stealthily leave her alone but due to Undine''s massive amount of mana, I was seen.

    She came up to me.

    "W-Why are there spirits around you?"

    ''Ah, crap.''

    I forgot about the water spirits that always follow me around whenever I come to the forest.

    I hurriedly covered her mouth and looked around. Thankfully, no one was around.

    "Could you like, not talk so openly about this? Things might get dangerous if people know I can cast spirit magic."

    She nodded.

    "Do not worry. We elves know how troublesome that can be."

    I sighed in relief.

    ''She''s surprisingly not that bad of a person.''

    She quickly understood my situation.

    "Anyway, what is your highness doing out here?."

    "I came out here to get stronger¡­"

    She said and clenched her fists.

    "Get stronger?"

    "Yes. The spirits aren''t responding to me. For some reason, even the higher spirits are ignoring my calls. Heat and Depth are nowhere to be seen¡­ Could I have lost my ability to communicate with them?"

    ''Ah, that''s probably because of me.''

    She seemed to have made a big misunderstanding thinking that the spirits lost their love for her.

    "What''s up with your robe, though? It''s a little flashy for hunting monsters, you know?" She chortled.

    "Ah, this was a gift. I stopped myself from throwing it out of the window when I read the note that came with it."

    We decided to hunt monsters together. Even if the high spirits were ignoring her, her spells were still incredibly powerful. If she couldn''t take out an orc with the lesser spirits then I would be backup.

    We were completely in sync the whole time. It was like we could tell what the other one was about to do. To what I said, she told me:

    "Spirit mages and elves are connected by a link. That link is the spirits around us. This is how I noticed that you were a spirit mage when I saw how the water spirits were gathering."

    It was weird being in sync with a person I met for the first time. Maybe it was because both of us use the same type of magic.

    The sun was at its highest when we were finished hunting this region of a certain Count''s.

    "By the way, do you plan on hiding your spirit magic forever? As an elf, I can understand why you''d want to hide it but¡­" Miya spoke to me from behind. We were about to split up since the boys dorm is on the right while the female dorm is on the left.

    "Not forever. The senior at the magic tower said that it''s dangerous to show it in my growing phase. I might attract unwanted attention. I masked my spirit mana whenever I cast spirit magic."

    "How were you able to summon spirits more efficiently than me? I have trouble just summoning one with you around¡­" Moya pouted.

    We finally arrived back at the academy using the path leading to the forest. Since the academy is located on the edges of the kingdom, they decided to build a path so students can go to the forest whenever they need to. We didn''t have to travel all the way to the gate. I didn''t take that route this morning. I took the route through the eastern gate of Prester.

    "I better get going then."

    Miya took hold of my sleeve when I was about to walk away.

    "Can we do this again? Maybe I could give you some guidance in spirit magic as well."

    "That sounds good. I struggle to summon any other spirits besides water spirits anyway. Maybe you could help me with that?"

    "Of course!" Miya looked at her watch. "I have to meet a friend in a few hours. I''ll see you the next time we go adventuring again, okay?"

    "Got it."

    Miya turned around and waved at me.

    "Bye!"

    She dashed towards the female dormitory.

    ''It would be better for me to learn spirit magic from an elf.''

    Since she is an elf, her specualty lies in spirt magic as well. Elves are able to control all the four spirit elements of nature

    Undine could help me with my water magic while Miya helps with my other elements.

    I yawned as I walked towards our dorm. I was completely exhausted.

 Chapter 21: Arrival of a God

    A vast darkness spread ahead of my vision.

    ''Ugh, I was just about to sleep for our off day. What is this?''

    I couldn''t speak with my mouth because it was covered by something. Something like black mist.

    "Perfect."

    A gentleman''s voice rang in my ear. I turned around and the surroundings instantly changed.

    ''What the¡­''

    Carnage, destruction and chaos were spread within my vision.

    "Hopeless humans. If only you stayed obedient and served as my slaves. I do believe that losing valuable resources is a waste. I could''ve used you as my guinea pigs."

    Amidst the blood and gore was a dark silhouette. The person was near me but all I could see was a black static with a human form. His hair was ash black and his eyes glimmered in a red light.

    A cacophony of cries rang out from around me. It seemed the person or whatever that thing is couldn''t see me.

    "Pitiful creatures. Humans are so easy to manipulate. And just look what happened to my lover for siding with them."

    The dark silhouette picked up a severed head by the hair.

    It was a ''once'' beautiful woman but with her eyes gauged out.

    I fell to the ground as the dark figure seemed to move his head towards me.

    ''D-Does it see me?''

    My whole body trembled. This man, or thing''s presence is far more terrifying than Isabelle''s brother.

    Can a being like this really inhabit a mortal world?

    "And you..."

    The man''s voice was somehow filled with anger.

    He walked towards me.

    ----!

    I could only cower before such a powerful being. I covered my head with my arms but when I thought he would grab me, nothing happened.

    ''¡­Huh?''

    He walked through me. So I had an astral body, huh¡­

    The pressure on my body weakened but soon my head blanked when I saw where It stopped.

    ''No way.''

    It was a rather handsome young man with pale brown hair. His entire face was filled with blood.

    ''C-Could it be¡­?''

    There''s no mistaking that it''s me. The unique beauty mark below my chin and those bright green eyes. What''s more¡­

    ''The staff¡­''

    He was also gripping ''Redheart''.

    "You, those six and that angel were the most troublesome of them all." The man''s hand morphed into a long black blade, "Die."

    The man choked out a few words before his head was severed.

    "You cowered. That power isn''t yours¨C"

    TCWACK

    ''My'' head went flying and then the surroundings changed again.

    "Don''t give up! Damn it! Why aren''t you holding your weapons!!"

    What I saw before my eyes was a vast army. Although the figures were also blurred.

    The flag that the army held was of the Colchis Kingdom.

    ''Huh?''

    The one shouting was a beautiful woman with angel wings extending out of her back. She was holding a lance in one hand and a sword in the other. Both weapons were shining golden.

    "We must save ''----''!"

    I couldn''t hear the name because it sounded like a tape recorder being rewound. The woman''s words were left unanswered. The army was still standing still while a type of dust fell from the sky.

    Just then, the woman took off her tiara and, in frustration flew into the air.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    "I''ll kill you ''---''! And take back ''---'' !"

    ¡­

    ..

    "CLYDE!!"

    "¡­!"

    I suddenly woke up.

    Before my eyes I saw Nate holding my shoulders.

    "What¨C"

    Then I saw that my arm was glowing white. But the weird thing was that the white spread to my upper chest .

    .

    "So that''s what happened, huh?"

    Nate told me that I suddenly started convulsing while a strong force was coming from my body. The light coming from my arm woke him up and he tried waking me up for ten minutes.

    The walls were also cracked as well as the ground.

    "Man, every day it''s something weird with you." Nate looked at me strangely as I scratched my head, "What was that anyway?"

    I couldn''t just say it''s my spirit magic malfunctioning.

    "Err, bad puberty. I suppose?"

    "¡­.forget it then." He threw a pillow into my face. "Now go to sleep. History exams are tomorrow."

    I tried falling asleep but my consciousness refused to cooperate with my will.

    **

    I barely got four hours of sleep before I was woken up by a large eagle. The eagle is called Sun. He''s a mana beast contracted to Nate and his specialty is fire as well.

    "Ugh¡­ get off." My face was full of his feathers.

    ¨CIs that dunch awake yet? I told him to meet me in the cafeteria!

    I heard voices coming from the front door. With a groan, I got up.

    ¨CAh!? Lady Arielle!? You mean Clyde?

    ¨CWho else lives here then?

    ¨CH-He might be awake¡­

    I heard footsteps enter our dorm room as I got up.

    The person who entered through the door was Arielle. She was wearing a beautiful casual dress and a large sun hat.

    "Why are you up so late!?" Arielle screamed in my ear.

    "Ugh, give me a break. I didn''t get much sleep last night."

    ''That dream kept me up all early morning and had me thinking.''

    "Here. A uniform for you to wear. It''s weird seeing you wear the same robe every day to class and for casual wear."

    "Hm?"

    Arielle threw a package towards me.

    "No way! A robe made in the Hermit Sage collection!? It''s perfect for Redheart!"

    I hugged Arielle with a big grin.

    "Thanks so much!"

    The Hermit Sage collection is an extremely sought after franchise for mages like me. They offer anything from staves, magic items, wands etc...

    "W-Well, this is thanks for coming with me to the show. B-Be grateful!"

    Arielle left so that I could get ready. She told me that she''d be waiting by the fountain this time.

    I left the dorm room a few minutes later.

    As we saw on that billboard a year ago, demi-humans have received more equal rights in this kingdom. In the past, a war between all the races took place.  Every day a nation or village would fight amongst each other. The reason was that they wanted to slaughter all demi humans so that only humans can reign supreme.

    It seemed that no matter which world it is, discrimination is everywhere.

    ¡ó

    High above the clouds near the highest point of the troposphere.

    "Who are you?"

    A handsome man carrying a spear on his back demanded as his body was glowing in white. Signs that his aura has entered the Master realm.

    "All of your sensory abilities are truly amazing as I have heard."

    The figure that was invisible a few seconds ago revealed itself. What appeared was a young man with charcoal black hair wearing what seems to be clothes of unknown origin as the quality was so high. Even higher than Clark has ever seen royals wear.

    ''Invisibility magic on this degree? He must at least be a 7-star mage.''

    "Patience. I am not here to fight." The man''s voice was calm and collected even though he stands before one of the strongest people on this continent. Perhaps the world.

    ''They are nowhere as strong as my subordinates or my clan¡­''

    The young man thought with disappointment. Even one member of his clan could wipe of this entire kingdom off the face of the planet. His subordinate Albedo would be the perfect example. She''s a swordsman who has entered the demigod realm and can hold her own against Bane, their strongest warrior.

    The man sensed two other figures floating close by. It seemed they intend to take him in if he tries anything funny.

    "I shall introduce myself then." His coat fluttered in the wind, "I am Zero. I am from the race of Immortals¨Cthe new gods. And my goal is finding the Star Core."

    Instantly a heavy pressure pressed down on ''Zero''. When the members of the Order heard his race, they decided then and there to kill him.

    "You do not belong here, evil god."

    Iris spoke with a cold voice as her ice magic activated. Her white sword released a cold pressure.

    Clark activated his Sonic Burst which would allow him to shoot forward about 100 meters in 0.5 seconds.

    Viria prepared her most deadliest spells.

    Laura activated the World Tree''s will. Four extremely powerful individuals glared at Zero. Two more were on their way. One of them was as powerful or more powerful than Iris.

    "I honestly did not come here to fight."

    ''It is inevitable. I''ll risk losing the person if I use lethal magic to fight these children.''

    Zero made up his mind. In order to avoid killing the person that has the Star Core. He must avoid direct confrontation with the Order.

    Then how about this?

    "God rank magic..."

    Viria shook greatly when she heard the level of his magic. Having learned her magic from the Great Sage book, she saw countless God rank spells in it. She could not cast any of them since she''s reached the limit in her potential.

    And only she knows how deadly these degree of spells can be.

    "Even I don''t know the effect this spell will give out. It is random. Who knows? The person that has the Star Core might be sent to another dimension. Haa... but I can fetch them again anyway. I do not know the name of this spell so I will call it [Ra]."

    "We must stop him!"

    "Roger!"

    Clark shot forth like a kamikaze pilot diving into an enemy plane.

    But it was too late.

    A crack followed by a strong shockwave resonated.

    Crack

    A sound similar to the breaking of glass rang out and then¡­

    A shift in the Universal laws occurred.

    **

    "What is this!?"

    A goddess shouted when she suddenly saw a large line form across a certain part of the continent. A huge chunk of land instantly disappeared.

    "A-An immortal has appeared!"

    The goddess hurriedly called for a meeting with the other gods. Since gods are artificially made by the Primordial through energy, they are His children. Same with gods, immortals were once gods who abandoned their positions to either find the meaning of life or¡­ cause total destruction to all worlds.

    Since there are so many planets that are naturally created , it is impossible to predict where they are. They suspected that there still exists four immortal descendants somewhere in the  universe.

    Naturally all of them are siblings having the same father.

    The goddess bit her nails as she thought of how much trouble she''d be in for not noticing an immortal invading a world she governed.

    Utter chaos ensued on the kingdom of Colchis as half of all life and land of the kingdom suddenly disappeared. Only black charred ground was left on the kingdom''s east side.

    Milith, The North Solar System God awaited her punishment with a panicked expression.

    ''Big sister Sol will kill me¡­!''

 Chapter 22 part 1: Battle against a God(1)

    When the four members of the White Order looked around after the spell was cast, they were left dumbstruck.

    About half of the kingdom''s lands turned ash black in colour. Looking ahead, they saw Zero wiping his coat of the dust that landed on him. His face looked extremely unpleasant.

    "How could you!?"

    Iris shouted as her mana violently pressured down on Zero. She sensed a lot of life forces disappear when the spell ended. That could only mean one thing.

    All of the citizens died.

    The latter replied indifferently.

    "For my goal."

    "...Goal...?"

    Iris muttered in disbelief.

    "Crazy bastard."

    Clark felt like cutting off Zero''s head but had to remain vigilant. Their enemy was able to cast god rank magic and not tire himself. It was a wrong deduction that he made when he thought Zero was at least equivalent to a seventh star mage. He was at least 8 or even 9-star¡­

    That could only mean that his power far exceeds them individually. If they wanted to win then they''d have to work together.

    "I can tell that you won''t quietly let me go." Zero spoke as he looked at the four of them.

    Every single one of them had different expressions on their faces. Iris'' was the most severe. Her face looked like she was itching to kill Zero. That was understandable as she is a person who believed that all evil should be eradiated and the weak must be protected.

    Typical justice hero.

    They were the type he hated the most.

    ''I still can''t forget that fight with that unknown swordsman.''

    During one of his ''collections'' for new experimental guinea pigs in a remote village, Zero and Albedo met up with a strange swordsman who shouted Sol''s name. Although the stuff he shouted was cringe worthy, his strength was not  to be underestimated.

    He literally pushed back Albedo, one of Zero''s strongest subordinates. Since Zero was a being filled with malice, the sword the man used was even more effective against him. Zero even lost an arm during their battle.

    In the end they had to retreat. That was because they couldn''t cause a ruckus near the Magic Empire. Rumour has it that four very powerful individuals were in that empire.

    It was better for them to leave quietly then cause any further trouble. But now that it''s over, Zero vowed to kill that man if he meets him again.

    He cannot act rashly with his power in this world. Since they are not accustomated to this world, their energy recovers far slower than in their world.

    Zero decided that he had no choice. If he wanted to escape and go find the star core''s host then he must use his full power.

    "If you will not let me go even after seeing my power then I have no choice."

    Zero''s body released a thick ominous aura. He took off his coat and threw it casually while keeping his eyes on his opponents.

    !!

    Before Zero could take off his gloves, a sharp blade was thrust near his face. A man covered in white mana instantly appeared before him.

    Clank¡­!

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    He manifested a sword using his aura and blocked the spear.

    "Kuh¡­!"

    ''Such power!''

    Clark clenched his teeth as he felt the sheer strength behind his opponent''s blade.

    Zero still had an indifferent expression on his face.

    "As expected of barbarian mortals. You don''t even have the decency to wait for your opponent."

    Zero twisted his body and tried to kick Clark''s leg.

    "You''re wide open!"

    A shout came from behind followed by a vibrating sound.

    "Ugh!"

    Viria used a spell that imitates a human''s heartbeat but a thousand times stronger. Zero''s ears rung as the deafening screeches assaulted his brain.

    Even if he had the body of a demigod, he was still vulnerable to such attacks.

    The shockwave surrounded Zero in the shape of a sphere.

    The sounds were so loud that Zero felt that his ears would burst if he didn''t do anything.

    The other two who were on their way to help were floating high above them. They were the ones who would stop Zero if he attempted to escape.

    They must not let him get away.

    ''My suit will get damaged if I release my seal.''

    As someone obsessed with cleanliness and neatness, he hated the fact that his suit was on the verge of being ripped apart.

    Viria was smirking as she held the spell and controlled its power.

    ''Just have to amplify it a little¨C''

    Before Viria could even finish her thought, a fist came for her face.

    ''Huh? How the hell?''

    Iris saw Laura inside the sphere that Zero was in a few moments ago.

    ''Dammit. He can use space magic.''

    Space magic is a rare talent in this world. There have only been three people in the entire history of the kingdom that were born with that attribute.

    One fact stands¡­

    ''Spatial users are truly troublesome.''

    They have control over the second strongest element in this world. Depending on the user, the spells they could cast can be dangerous.

    Zero switched himself with Laura. The latter''s armour was torn apart inside the high rank spell''s radius.

    The fist of Zero was approaching.

    Viria couldn''t think of any way to stop him. As a mage, her close combat abilities are lacking. As long as she stays behind her comrades then she''ll be invincible.

    BOOM¡ª!

    An even larger fist stopped Zero''s fist. It was cladded in a white aura.

    Jasfer Fang. A warrior from the wolf beast tribe who possesses immense physical strength and agility.

    "Hoh?"

    The clouds which were peacefully hovering in the sky all scattered away from the force of their punches.

    Zero tilted his head as he looked at his mangled up fist which broke during the impact. His dark mana was slowly fixing it.

    "It appears I have to be careful while fighting you."

    Zero quickly gained distance.

    In a line while hovering next to each other, at least six members of the White Order were before Zero.

    All of them were the continent''s strongest.

    "Buhahaha! Your fist broke from a measly punch!? I thought you were a god!"

    Jasfer laughed with his hand on his stomach.

    "Keep your guard up, you idiot."

    A young woman with white hair and long elf ears reprimanded her teammate.

    She was Eredhel Regulus. A thin blade was on her waist which shone with a blue light. Judging by the amount of mana being sent into the blade, she was ready to strike Zero down if he approaches her.

    ''This is much harder than I thought.''

    Zero was in a dilemma. He confidently left their world in order to seek their goal which was the Star Core. As this world holds many mysteries, it was advised by the elder of their race that each of their members must travel in pairs.

    ''I should''ve asked Sync to accompany me. I am at a disadvantage against that wolf demihuman.''

    Possessing a body stronger than the strongest metal and raw power that he could use to lift mountains, Sync would be the perfect match for Iris, Clark and Jasfer as they are all enemies with skills focused on physical strength.

    Zero is more powerful in magical abilities.

    While Zero was calculating his next action, the members of the Order all surrounded him. There was literally no escape.

    Laura was already back to full health before he knew it.

    Zero sighed and stretched his fingers when his hand recovered. He used weaving magic to fix his broken cells and produced new ones. His body was crafted to be perfect but since it hadn''t been that long since the experiment that was done on him, he had less power than expected.

    Iris made eye contact with all her comrades.

    All of them nodded.

    All of us go in at once!

    With a rumble that shook the sky, all of them burst forward to attack Zero.

    Their enemy spread his hands into the air and smiled.

    "God rank magic-[Skyfall]."

    All of them stopped when they saw large shadows instantly appear out of nowhere.

    ''Huh?''

    Iris gazed blankly at the sky.

    There were at least hundreds of meteors that fell down through the giant magic circles.

    Before she could even think to stop them, a kick landed on her face.

    "Kuh!"

    Zero attacked her in the midst of their confusion.

    "ORA!!!"

    Jasfer''s large fist flew at Zero''s face with terrifying speeds.

    His fist was near Zero''s eye¡­.

    "!!!"

    But he hit the wrong person. The person who received his blow was his partner, Eredhel.

    "Argh!"

    She flew into a mountain after receiving his blow. The landscape itself was destroyed by her landing.

    ''Oh, shit!''

    Before he could look for Zero a blow landed on his throat. Zero landed two more strikes before punching Jasfer''s face.

    He choked and held his throat.

    Zero''s body was releasing a purple energy.

    Star energy.

    Known to be the origin of mana.

    Although he had little left, it was worth it if he can find the star core. The most important thing at the moment was surviving so he used his trump card.

    Zero summoned two blades surrounded in dark aura and burst toward Clark. The latter took his blow head on with his own aura.

    Wooooong!!

    Clank¡­!

    Clank¡­!

    Clang¡­.!

    A series of slashes rained down on each other.

    Black aura versus White aura.

    Clark was a spear wielder but he had experience in fighting swordsmen. That said, Zero wasn''t exactly an experienced swordsman. He only used textbook blows which Clark could predict to some extent.

    But the power behind those blows were the real problem.

    "Gah!"

    Iris joined in Clark in attacking Zero.

    It was useless. It was like the bastard received a massive power up when he released that strange purple energy.

    Viria was hesitating to shoot a spell. With the approaching meteors which were slowly getting closer, they had no idea what to do.

    Even if they managed to destroy the meteors, they still had to worry about the debris that would fall from the wreckage.

    The kingdom was still beneath them so they had to think of something fast.

    While Clark and Iris were battling against Zero, a voice came from Viria''s back.

    "Hey."

    "Huh? You''re alright?"

    Eredhel didn''t even have a bruise on her face. It was only that her clothes were a little dirty.

    "You think a blow from him could hurt me?"

    Viria looked at the mountain which was greatly damaged. It seemed Eredhel hit the ground a little too hard since there was a crater as well.

    "Do you want to synchronize our mana? I think I have an idea."

    "Synchronize?"

    Eredhel held out her hand.

    "Let''s cast the continent''s first Upper High rank spell so we can destroy those meteors."

 Chapter 22 part 2: Battle against a god(2)

    ''Upper High rank?''

    Viria''s eyes opened wide.

    As someone who studied magic all her life, she knew how powerful those spells could be. Upper High rank magic is extremely difficult to cast. It can drain an entire mage unit''s mana right out of their cores. There have been several upper high spells that have been recorded but none of them had successfully been cast before.

    Even if the spell manifested, it was still unusable since it demands too much mana. The people attempting to cast it would be deprived of their mana right away.

    ''Now that I think about it, I''ve never seen Eredhel''s mana pool record before.''

    Eredhel looked confident as she held out her hand to Viria.

    "...Can we really do that?"

    Even if she was given the title of Head Mage by the Mage Association, she wasn''t sure her abilities would allow her to be able to cast Upper High rank spells.

    "It''s worth a try, right? Aren''t the two of us the best mages on the continent? Surely, there''s a chance."

    Viria nodded.

    There wasn''t any need to hesitate. The meteors were still on their way down.

    While the two of them were synchronizing their mana, Zero was still fighting with Iris and Clark. The two seemed to be overwhelmed by their opponent.

    Even though two people was attacking him, Zero wasn''t hit once. The two black swords he wielded blocked all of Iris and Clark''s strikes.

    ''Hmm¡­ It will take a while to recover my energy. I might not be able to come to this world until then.''

    Star energy was a precious power for his race. The heads of the clan are the ones who provide all their members with star energy. Their current source was rapidly running out after using it for hundreds of years.

    If they can find the star core then their entire race can become true immortals like the one who fought the Dragon God. Zero''s father, Azal Lokes had a vision that told him that the star core exists.

    This was why Zero and his subordinates were monitoring each nation. If the person who has the star core releases a tiny bit of star energy then they''d know immediately.

    Unfortunately, even after monitoring for twenty years they still couldn''t find anything.

    "Kuh!"

    Clark blocked a strike from Zero''s sword and was sent flying from the power behind it alone.

    CLANK

    Iris attempted to hit him while his back was turned but failed. He was faster.

    ''This monster.''

    Even though it was six on one, their chances of winning was looking grim. It just showed that someone who can cast God rank magic shouldn''t be underestimated. He had been by far their biggest threat.

    "Ora!!"

    Jasfer was surrounded in a red aura as he attempted to hit Zero. But the next moment he felt like he was hit a thousand times.

    Zero''s hands which hit him was so fast that he couldn''t even react in time.

    His eyes peeled back as he fell unconscious for a moment.

    "You keep jumping me yet you never succeed."Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Zero parried Iris'' sword again. Her face was covered with restlessness.

    ''How the hell is he so strong?''

    Why hadn''t these immortals invaded their world if they were so strong?

    If that were to happen then Iris was sure that the White Order wouldn''t be able to stop them alone. Even one member of the immortal race was giving them that much trouble.

    His agility and strength far surpassed them all. Luckily, since they were all attacking him at once he had no chance to kill any of them.

    ''Is it my imagination or is he getting weaker?''

    His response to her slashes was getting slower and the power behind his kicks were getting weaker.

    Since Laura and Jasfer joined the fight, his movements were also getting sloppier.

    ''So his power-up was only for a certain duration.''

    Iris'' body gave off a chilling aura as she activated her full power.

    ''How are the two of them doing?''

    Viria and Eredhel''s mana combined and began drawing a large magic circle.

    With a deep sigh, Viria opened up the magic book that was written by the Great Sage. It was something given to her after she received the title of Head Mage. All the spells of her era was recorded inside of it.

    Viria and Eredhel chanted the words after finding the spell they wanted to cast.

    Magic Missile. It was a spell that releases bolts of pure energy from the multiple created magic circles. The spell was created to target multiple targets at once, with multiple missiles released as more mana gets sent into the circles.

    Their targets were a hundred meteors.

    As it was an ancient magic spell, they chanted the words in the language of the old.

    "----"

    Clusters of mana formed above each of the magic circles that they summoned.

    "---"

    The clusters of mana violently spun as runes were drawn inside the magic circles.

    The torrents of mana formed cylinder shaped energy that automatically locked onto the meteors.

    The easy part was done which was casting the spell. But the hard part was to keep the spell under control.

    Both Eredhel and Viria felt their mana cores being slowly drained out by the spell. But the two didn''t stop chanting even as their noses began bleeding.

    Iris managed to injure Zero by cutting his arm. She was right. He was slowly losing his power-up.

    His entire body was covered in sweat as his breathing was getting hoarse. They felt like they could win.

    Since Zero was getting slower, Jasfer was finally able to hit him.

    As someone from the demihuman tribe of wolves he was blessed with physical power that exceeded nearly everyone on the continent. Only his fellow members of the Order could compare to him.

    Zero was hit with such force that he felt his bones break.

    "Guh!"

    "Where''s your cockiness now!? Ora!"

    Another fist hit his face as he was flung away.

    Viria and Eredhel managed to sustain the spell.

    "Ugh¡­ after this I''m taking a break for an entire month."

    Eredhel squeezed out those words.

    The spell was successful. It was the first time anyone has ever succeeded in casting an Upper High rank spell.

    The two of them pointed their hands upwards.

    ""Upper High rank magic-[Magic Missile]!""

    The conjured missiles they summoned all shot towards the meteors.

    BOOM¡­!

    BOOM¡­!

    A series of explosions rang out as the missiles hit the meteors. Since each missile packed tremendous power, they didn''t have to worry about debris falling onto the kingdom. The debris was disintegrated along with the meteor.

    ''This doesn''t look good.''

    Zero was slowly losing the little star energy he had left. It was only for a brief moment that he was able to overwhelm his opponents.

    Now the tables have turned.

    Another blow came from Jasfer. He was slowly losing consciousness as he was beaten to a pulp.

    The meteors he summoned to keep the mage busy was quickly being destroyed.

    His plan was slowly falling apart.

    But¡­

    Before they could strike Zero again, a tall dark figure appeared behind Zero. He was surrounded by a type of miasma that covered his entire body. They couldn''t see his face. Only his eyes.

    Zero''s subordinate, Sync.

    "¡­I thought I told you to remain at your assigned locations."

    "I apologize, Lord Zero. I sensed your life force becoming weaker so I suspected something was wrong."

    All the six members of the Order looked at the man. The explosions slowly settled down as the meteors were destroyed and the sky cleared up.

    "It seems Lord Zero needs my help."

    Sync''s figure became dim as he disappeared.

    ---!!!

    A strong impact hit Jasfer''s stomach. It was one hit but it was enough to make him faint.

    Rods shot out of Sync''s hands and impaled themselves in Clark''s body.

    "GUH!!!"

    Along with the rods sinking into his flesh, a strong current of electricity shot into his body. His eyes peeled back as he fell down from the sky.

    "Clark!"

    Laura was about to go and catch him but was also hit by a strong impact.

    Eredhel and Iris were next. Both of them were too slow to even act as the dark figure quickly incapacitated them.

    Sync hit the back of Viria''s neck causing her to lose consciousness.

    In under a minute all of the members of the White Order was defeated.

    Sync flew towards Zero. His entire body was covered in scars and blood.

    "Should I finish them?"

    His body was covered by the same purple energy as Zero.

    His lord shook his head.

    "We don''t have much time for that. Leave them be for now."

    "¡­Understood."

    Sync put Zero''s arm around his shoulder and opened up a portal gate.

    The two disappeared before the gate vanished.

 Chapter 23: The 8th time will be different

    "Lord Clyde! Please wake up!"

    "¡­eh?"

    I suddenly felt a shaking on my body. Looking towards my right, I saw Charlotte''s tear filled face.

    "Thank goodness. You''re alright."

    Just then I felt a throbbing pain.

    "Ugh¡­ why does my head hurt so much and¡­ where the hell is this¡­?"

    When I looked around, all I could see was snow. Lots and lots of snow. We seemed to be in a forest. A big one judging by the huge trees. The two of us were inside a cave.

    "I-I''m not sure what happened. A flash of light embraced us and a powerful force similar to being exposed to wind magic sucked us somewhere." She held my hand tightly and trembled. "Shouldn''t it be summer in the kingdom? How can it be snowing?"

    It was strange indeed. What happened?

    ''Fuck.''

    "Huh? Where''s Arielle?"

    I remembered Arielle was the one who led us to the mermaid show so I was sure she was with us.

    "She insisted on hunting for food when you didn''t wake up after a day."

    "I was¡­ asleep that long?"

    The throbbing in my head must''ve meant I had a concussion after hitting something.

    I saw Charlotte shivering and blowing into her hands. I took off my robe and put it on her shoulders. The heating effect should help her warm up.

    "Thank you."

    "I''ll light a fire so endure for a while."

    She nodded.

    Since both Arielle and Charlotte don''t have magic power, I was the only one who can start the fire. Arielle and I are the only ones with experience outdoors since she used to hunt with Arthur all the time during their training.

    "When does the first disaster occur?"

    "Even that I cannot reveal¡­"

    ''That old man should''ve given me an estimate at least...''

    I cursed inwardly for not persisting with my questioning back then. Maybe he could''ve told me in a way that the god code wouldn''t notice.

    ''What happened to my parents? Is mother okay? Also, why isn''t Undine answering my calls?''

    My younger sisters, Chloe and Jessica were born five years ago after I left so I was worried. If something happened to mother then I don''t know how they''d survive. Not knowing how my parents were doing was causing my heart to beat in fear. My father was already bad at parenting so how much of a wreck would he be if something happened to Eleanor?

    This is something I never cared about on Earth. I just saw my parents as people that have a responsibility to take care of me. Would I have felt the same way if a disaster occurred on Earth?

    "We must find out where we are first. Maybe a passing by merchant would come along this path."

    Charlotte looked scared as she said that. When I thought about it, she never left the kingdom''s lands once in her life. A royal outside their own country have no power. There might even be a possibility that her siblings will send assassins after her.

    I held her hand to reassure her.

    "Don''t worry. I will protect both of you."

    Charlotte''s life was already hard to begin with. There was already four assassination attempts on her ever since her birth. Just imagine how a child must mature at such a young age after experiencing danger so much. Her mother was also poisoned right in front of her.

    Thump

    "Finally awake?"

    A cold voice came from behind. I looked and saw Arielle standing there after she threw an animal that looks like a deer on the ground.

    I withdrew my hand awkwardly.

    "Your dress."

    Charlotte frowned when she saw Arielle''s ripped formal dress.

    She bought it for her after all.

    "Running in this deep snow would''ve ruined it anyway." She dragged the huge deer with one hand and took it to the back of the cave. "Can you help me clean this?"

    She asked me. I nodded.

    Arielle seemed to be prepared for outdoors anytime since she brought a dimensional ring with her. She always carries a lot of stuff around so I was relieved she did it this time too.

    "Let''s eat and sleep first and look for people tomorrow. Does that suit you two?" Charlotte''s voice came from behind.

    I gave my agreement while Arielle just silently cut the meat.

    ¡ó

    "Guys! I found someone!"Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    When Arielle and I were still lying down on the hard stone ground, Charlotte came running into the cave.

    "Where were you? It''s dangerous to go out alone."

    She blushed when I asked.

    "I-I had a bladder problem¡­" her face reddened further, "A-Anyway! I saw an uncle struggling to get his carriage out of the ground! Please follow me!"

    Charlotte came to pick me up and Arielle grabbed her sword.

    ..

    "Children? Why are the three of you alone out here?" Asked a man that looked like he was in his 50s. He was wearing a scarf and a long coat that blocks the cold.

    ''He really is struggling.''

    I looked at his carriage and saw that he was carrying something like salt in bags.

    "We got lost on the way to a party. Mother told me that I shouldn''t wander with my friends but I didn''t listen¡­" Charlotte put up a sad face and tears streamed down her eyes.

    Her acting deserved an Oscar.

    The old man''s eyes opened wide.

    "Goodness. How long have you been out here?"

    "Two days, sir." I answered as I held up my staff.

    "Wait, what are you¨C"

    "[Quagmire]."

    The ground instantly softened after I infused mana into my staff and casted the spell.

    "Huup!"

    Arielle lifted the edge of the carriage that was stuck in the ground. With one hand¡­.

    THUMP

    "A-Amazing¡­"

    The old man''s mouth hung open in shock.

    ''Yeah, I''m pretty shocked about Arielle''s strength too.''

    "Can you please tell us where we are, Old man?"

    **

    YEAR - HE1512(Holy Era 1512)

    The area we were thrown to is in the western Continent. In the centre of this continent there are four kingdoms. The one we ended up in is the Kingdom of Habsburg.

    In the history book that I read once, it said that the Habsburg kingdom is on the decline because of their small resources compared to other kingdoms. The only reason they haven''t been invaded yet is because Habsburg has the strongest military force on the continent. Even if they combine forces, chances are that they''d lose more than they''d gain from the battle.

    The old man drove us through the dense snow covered forest after flicking the reins.

    "By the way boy¡­" He looked toward my staff, "Mages are a valuable resource in this kingdom. Only nobles have the potential to be born with magic power."

    "Really?"

    It''s just like our family''s bloodline. I was the only one to be born with mana.

    "Umu. It''s quite rare for people out here to be born with it. I suggest you ladies keep this young man safe."

    "Hm? From what?" Charlotte spoke from behind.

    "The village folk will try and consummate with the boy. Having a child with magic power will greatly change their lives, after all."

    The old man pointed to the speck in the distance.

    "There''s the kingdom right over there."

    The carriage sped up when he flicked the reins again.

    We were riding down a long row of forest trees. I looked to my left and saw a village. It looks like any ordinary village that may have about 1000 residents or even less. I could also see many workers out in the snow busy shovelling.

    After exiting the pathway of trees, we took the main road where other merchants passed by.

    ''It truly does look small for a kingdom with 700 years of history. How bad must the villages be if the kingdom looks so small.''

    Straws and wood were the main materials to build the village houses. I was lucky to be born in a brick house and have warm food even during winter.  Those people probably had to hunt their own food from a young age.

    Some of the people there looked malnourished. Yet despite that ,the children are happily playing in the snow and throwing snowballs at each other.

    We passed by the village and headed for the kingdom.

    "It''s refreshing see you smile like that, lord Clyde." Charlotte stood next to me at the window, "You always have this serious attitude towards everything."

    "Well, I''m just happy we''re still alive. We''ll need to find out what happened two days ago when we return."

    I felt strange saying ''when'' and not if. Chances were that we might not even make it back. We''re still children, after all.

    ''I wonder how Arthur is doing¡­''

    ¡ó

    Knight corps training base.

    "Ugh!"

    Arthur mercilessly swung his sword at his opponent. Seeing as how no child his age could take his strength, the adults decided to take him on. Despite that, none of them even managed to scratch Arthur. His talents became known to all knights of the kingdom and many knight corps are in a struggle to see who''ll get him under their wing.

    "Err¡­ shouldn''t you be taking it easy, Arthur?"

    A girl approached him and handed him a towel.

    Her name was Lilia. She was from a commoner household and aims to become a knight to support her family.

    On the day she enrolled, she found it hard to keep up with the other recruits. In her eyes, they were the real deal.

    Not even being able to run 14 laps around the forest which spans 500m across made her think about quitting.

    But one day this boy with his silver hair told her something she''d never forget:

    "You came here with half-assed determination. That''s why you''re giving up. Support your family? You should aim higher, like me. I aim to become the strongest knight!"

    That happened before the disaster struck. Since the strange disappearance of both land and people shook the Royal Family, they had to accept foreigners into their kingdom. Something like this would not have happened in the past.

    As a result of that decision by the king, new recruits came rolling in not even a day after the announcement. Talents were among the many and the majority of the enrolees were wastrels.

    "I don''t see my superior complaining, so why should I?"

    It''s been two months already since they met. Compared to the gentle Arthur back then, the Arthur now was cold towards her.

    "Listen up!" Just then the vice captain that was in charge of training the recruits spoke, "The order is looking for new talent. Those of you who have the determination, raise your hand to apply! This training won''t be easy as the little tests we did at this institute. It''ll be a thousand times harder!"

    Just then, Arthur''s hand immediately rose up. Lilia looked blankly and subconsciously raised her own as well.

    "Tch."

    Arthur quietly clicked his tongue in annoyance. Ever since Clyde''s disappearance his mood hasn''t lifted up at all. Normally boys his age would already have looked for girls to marry in the future but all he can think about is¡­ Clyde.

    It was only a month ago when Clyde, Arielle and Charlotte went to go see how the mermaids perform. The Kingdom made an Act for Demihumans that makes them equal to humans. They could now enjoy equal rights and not experience discrimination anymore.

    Naturally, they wanted to celebrate the enactment of the law.

    Arthur was too busy so he couldn''t join them.

    He regretted it.

    The girl thinking she had a chance was but a hindrance to him now.

    ''Should I kill her¡­?''

    His thoughts suddenly turned ominous.

    ''No, no¡­ since when have I become like this? What would Clyde think?''

    He went to his room, ignoring the shouts of Lilia.

    Opening a special suitcase he snuck under his bed, he pulled out something. It was a bundle of light brown hair.

    "Haaa¡­ haaa¡­"

    He sniffed it crazily imagining the owner. A boy with light brown hair and a beauty mark on his chin. His green eyes look as beautiful as a jade crystal.

    The smell of the boy''s hair was faint. Arthur wrapped the hair up begrudged.

    His mind then shifted somewhere else.

    Heaven''s Piercer. It was said that no normal human could lift the sword. How crazy must you be to actually think the sword will become yours?

    "If I have that sword ''again''¡­ then¡­"

    Arthur didn''t want to do the same things again like he did in his past life. Picking up that sword created chaos and all sorts of trouble for her and her loved one.

    "B-but if it''s to protect my Clyde then I''ll do it¡­"

    "Never again¡­ will I allow you to die¡­ again¡­ ehehe~ m-my first time will be yours again~"

    Arthur¨CArtoria''s eyes were dark and hollow. Her head was tilted while drool leaked down her mouth. If anyone saw him now, they''d run away after seeing that twisted evil face of his¡­

    ''The 8th time will be different¡­ Clyde, wait for me¡­''

    His mentality was so messed up that the only one he can think of is his past life''s loved one. This is the penalty of regression. Slowly losing your mind and rationality.

    Only the dark figure that was repeatedly swinging his legs, making the bed creak, staring at a wall with dead eyes and muttering to himself remained in the quiet dorm room.

 Chapter 24: The Kingdom of Habsburg

    The old man dropped us off at the guard post to tell them that we were foreigners. We were asked a bunch of questions. We were only let out after the questioning which felt more like interrogation.

    ¡°Finally.¡±

    We passed by many adventurers that also gave us pointers and advice of areas we shouldn¡¯t go to.

    ¡ªHabsburg Kingdom¡ª

    A kingdom with eight generations of kings and queens throughout their history. The kingdom was still far too small to be called big since the previous monarchs never invested in the kingdom¡¯s walls and economy. They we so paranoid that they only invested in the military. I heard that the kingdom of Habsburg was always invaded back when the second king ruled the kingdom. He was the one that started all of this.

    Even if the size of the kingdom is small, their military power shouldn¡¯t be underestimated. Possessing both aerial and land armies, their only weakness are sea attacks since they don¡¯t have a navy. That said, the sea is mostly frozen throughout the year so they wouldn¡¯t need to worry about sea attacks anytime soon.

    Another thing the old man told me was that the kingdom was one of the best trader and manufacturer when it comes to magic items and artifacts. They are far inferior to the Magic Empire but still sell many amazing items and artifacts. The mage tower produces all the items and sells it to the kingdom or auctions for higher prices than the standard price.

    Speaking of mages, they are pretty rare in this kingdom. The people in the kingdom believe that the only people they need are knights and archers. Mages are just cowards who read books and shut themselves in their rooms.

    I took a cursory glance at my staff. Since it¡¯s a limited edition from the Hermit Sage collection, it would be stupid to openly walk with it. I covered the top of the staff with a piece of cloth I ripped off from a blanket.

    I thought it would be a good idea to buy a gemstone here for my staff. The one I had at the moment was on the verge of breaking apart. I still didn¡¯t have good control on my magic power consumption. It was like my body was telling me there was no need for that since my mana pool was already large.

    I looked at all our equipment. Arielle thankfully had a sword the day we left to go see the mermaids. The only one I was worried about was Charlotte. She wore the same dress she wore on the day of that phenomenon. The old man had some dresses which belonged to his niece but she didn¡¯t look satisfied with that.

    From where I walked she looked extremely peeved and unhappy.

    ¡®I¡¯ll have to work hard for our provisions. My magic will go to waste if I don¡¯t put it to good use.¡¯

    We arrived at the east gate of the kingdom and stood in line.

    Many people wearing different kind of clothes stood in front of the gate awaiting entry. I saw many kinds of races too. It was a spectacle seeing humanoids with facial features resembling animals. They were unlike demihumans who only have the ears and tails of their counterparts.

    Despite the cold weather and endless snow that was streaming down, many people who were owners of shops were advertising outside.

    The infrastructure of the kingdom couldn¡¯t be compared to ours since the buildings look like buildings out of the dark ages from earth depicted in paintings.

    We found it hard to walk in the streets that were covered in snow. I had to melt the snow to make it easier for us to walk.

    ¡°I guess this is good enough.¡±

    Arielle said as we stood in front of our chosen Inn. Since our budget was limited at the moment, we had to settle with a cheap inn that was located near the slums.

    Nothing much stood out from the building¡¯s architecture aside from the many damaged areas that needed fixing.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside. This time of the day shouldn¡¯t be too busy.¡±

    We then entered the inn and instantly felt warm air which was better than the outside. The warmness might be coming from mana heaters. They sell for cheap anyway so anyone could buy one.

    The inn wasn¡¯t big to say the least nor was it luxurious by any means. Just ordinary. As Charlotte said, they really didn¡¯t have customers. Only one guy was dining on one of the seats.

    Ting

    I rang the bell on the counter.

    ¡°Oh, customers! Welcome!¡±

    ¡°Hello. Two rooms. Exclude meals please.¡± Charlotte spoke for all of us.

    He gave us two keys. The three of us went up the stairs and felt the floor creak.

    ¡°We¡¯ll need to find someone that can help us. We¡¯ll visit the Mage Tower since I heard from the old man that they grant access to all individuals.¡±

    Charlotte then took her bag and opened the door to the room on the other side of the hallway.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to prepare for the worst if we can¡¯t return home.¡±

    She then went inside and began unpacking her things.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go look around the city. Can you take care of her, Arielle?¡±

    ¡°Okay. Where are you going first?¡±

    ¡°The adventurer guild or the information guild if they have one.¡±

    An information guild is similar to news studios from my previous world. They broadcast important news to the continent using magic holograms. I couldn¡¯t expect something like that in a small kingdom like this, though.

    I was worried about Charlotte that¡¯s why I asked Arielle to take care of her. No matter how smart or mature she was, she was still a child at her age.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be off then.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t wander around!¡± Arielle shouted before I shut the door.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    I bought a map from the uncle who dressed as a peddler. The map highlights all the important buildings and areas of the kingdom.

    I checked the map several times to make sure I go the right way.

    ¡°Are there any information guilds around?¡±

    I asked the peddler as he was about to pack up.

    In response to my question he pointed east.

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to go to the duchy east from this kingdom to find one.¡±

    I didn¡¯t want to leave the two of them at the Inn while I go to that duchy just from hearsay. It¡¯s possible they won¡¯t even sell real news to me and I might just end up wasting a lot of money.

    That¡¯s what we were sort on right now so I couldn¡¯t just spend it carelessly. While Arielle and Charlotte sought information, I¡¯d be the one securing our funds.

    What better way than to go the adventurer¡¯s guild?

    Ting

    The bell above the door rang signalling all the people inside to look towards me.

    Despite it being so cold outside, everyone was drinking beer as if they were drinking coffee.

    A silence loomed.

    I heard multiple people laugh as I took off my hoodie.

    ¡°Oi, kid. This isn¡¯t a playground for you!¡±

    ¡°Damn kids think they can become professionals like us just because they have a little power.¡±

    ¡°I bet he can¡¯t even cast basic elementary magic. I can¡¯t even sense mana coming from him.¡±

    The ridicule continued as I made my way to the counter. I ignored them all even as they threw things at me. Things wouldn¡¯t end well if I retaliate. For them, that is.

    ¡°Welcome. How may I help you?¡±

    Unlike the ridicule from the crowd, the uncle behind the counter spoke with a smile. His smile looked like a smirk though since his face was filled with scars.

    ¡°Hello, can I register using this?¡±

    I took out my current adventurer id. It was the one I made back home.

    ¡°Hoh? You¡¯re a foreigner.¡±

    He examined the material.

    ¡°You can tell by that alone?¡±

    ¡°I used to travel a lot during my prime as an adventurer. I¡¯m already 58. As a result I have three different Adventurer ID¡¯s. Yours is something I haven¡¯t seen around here though. I won¡¯t pry. It¡¯s your business where you came from.¡±

    He¡¯s retired, huh? And how the hell is he 58 years old? Those muscles made me think he was twenty years younger.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be marking this by punching a hole through this. That will let everyone know that you are a foreigner. And don¡¯t pay attention to those idiots. From what I can tell. You look like an experienced mage at your age.¡±

    I was starting to like this uncle more and more. He didn¡¯t treat me like a kid at all. He then took out a cylinder object and warmed it up after burning a fire scroll. The hot rod went right through the badge. He then soaked it in the water making steam rise from the intense heat.

    ¡°The one who made you this ought to have explained how everything works.¡±

    I nodded.

    ¡°Good. I¡¯d like to remind you that if there¡¯s a large scale emergency request then rookies like you can also participate in hopes of improving your reputation. Another thing, the achievements you gathered at the previous guild mean nothing here. That means you¡¯ll have to begin as F rank once again.¡±

    A magic laser printed the letter ¡®F¡¯ on the ID card. He held it out to me.

    ¡°We¡¯re looking for baggage carriers for our party! We¡¯ll be entering an orc nest today! The rookies that want to watch our party fight, step forward!¡±

    A roar came from the entrance. I looked over and saw a blue haired beauty wearing an armour skirt. She had a saber on her waist.

    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s Helen Redfield. She¡¯s one of the most skilled adventurers around these parts. You¡¯re in luck, kid. She¡¯s the leader of the party so head over to their table.¡±

    The uncle gently pushed my back with his large hands.

    ¡°Hm? Are you interested?¡±

    A male archer. with green hair spoke towards me. All four party members looked at me at once.

    ¡°Yes. I just registered. It would be an honour to join the party.¡±

    ¡°I see. Well, I didn¡¯t set any requirements so it¡¯s not like I can refuse the kid.¡± The leader stood up with a smile. She extended her hand, ¡°My name is Helen. This is Billy.¡±

    She gestured to a man in leather armour holding a spear.

    ¡°I¡¯m Paula.¡±

    The girl wearing light clothing with a breastplate said. Judging by her attire, she seemed to be a martial artist. So she fights with her fists.

    ¡°Raymond.¡±

    The archer from earlier smiled as he greeted.

    ¡°And this is Lucy.¡±

    Helen pointed to the curvy young woman wearing priest clothes. She had a gentle smile on her face as she looked me up and down.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have a magician?¡±

    ¡°Sheila cancelled on us to go on a date with her fianc¨¦. We don¡¯t have the time to look for someone competent right now. Raymond bought magic scrolls in case we need a spell in a battle.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    I was expecting to be accepted as a mage but it seemed like they thought my staff was for decoration.

    ¡°Are you ready to head out right now? We have to leave by noon, after all. Dungeons sometimes have a lot of other people inside. We have to hurry lest we lose the treasures to other adventurers.¡±

    I checked the clock on the wall of the guild. 10:45.

    ¡®I should tell Charlotte and Arielle where I¡¯m going first.¡¯

    ¡°Can I be excused for ten minutes? I have to inform my comrades where I¡¯m headed.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I need a drink anyway so take your time.¡±

    Helen and the others sat down.

    I quickly ran back to the Inn. Thankfully the guild wasn¡¯t so far from the Inn so I made it there in couple of minutes.

    I caught them just in time before they got ready to leave. Arielle told me to be careful and Charlotte said:

    ¡°Clyde, be back before 6. Lights out are at 7 at the Inn and I want to discuss our plans for the future with the three of us together. Checking the map will be impossible in the dark, after all.¡±

    Since we didn¡¯t have the luxury to afford lamp oil, we had to resort to the Inn¡¯s lamps which are taken each night at 7. I didn¡¯t have any magic related to light attributes so we had no choice. Fire is a no-no.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Are you a foreigner?¡±

    A sweet voice came from the front as I walked with everyone¡¯s bags. It was the healer, Lucy.

    ¡°Hm? What do you mean?¡±

    She ran her fingers through my hair.

    ¡°Your hair is different. I¡¯ve never seen anyone around here with light brown hair. Dark brown perhaps but not light.¡±

    So you¡¯re identified as a foreigner if the pigmentation of your hair is lighter?

    ¡°Yes¡­ I got lost along with my companions.¡±

    ¡°Poor boy.¡±

    She stroked my head and hugged me.

    ¡°Keep your claws off the kid, Lucy.¡± A cold voice came from the very front of the formation. Helen looked at Lucy with a glare.

    ¡°Tch.¡±

    Lucy walked faster back to her position.

    ¡°She snatches all kinds of men every night. If you know what I mean. I suggest you stay a bit away from her, kid. Raymond and Billy have also landed in her bed. Nothing stops her from preying on innocent little boys. She must feel proud of herself tarnishing the innocence of pure boys like you.¡±

    The martial arts girl said when she turned to me.

    ¡®I-Is that so? I¡¯m not a pure boy though. I had sex before. Well, not in this world.¡¯

    ¡°We¡¯ll be meeting up with Jered¡¯s party tomorrow for a joint raid. If you want to be our porter then as well, you should come to the guild at noon. Put your game face on, we¡¯re about to hunt an Orc colony.¡±

    Helen ran ahead to scout for enemies.

    She raised her hand and gave a signal to move quietly.

    I also duck a little as I heard gurgling noises and loud grunts.

    ¡®An orc nest huh.¡¯

 Chapter 25

    We approached the clearing in the forest quietly. I looked around and saw many makeshift tents with its inhabitants sitting around. Some were eating while others were crafting things.

    ¡®It¡¯s weird seeing monsters craft things. Isn¡¯t it only a matter of time before they have the ability to evolve like humans?¡¯

    Helen walked around the fence while the others walked through the tents. It seems their numbers are few today. The leader, Helen probably predicted this.

    ¨CKireuk~

    Four orcs were sitting in a circle devouring something. A foul stench emanated from the thing they were busy eating. I looked closer and almost puked.

    ¡®A human...?¡¯

    And by the looks of the wrist guard around the severed hand... whoever that was, was an adventurer as well.

    My fists tightened. Monsters view humans as either food or prey. Seeing another person eaten in front of me... it gave me the chills thinking if that were me.

    This is what I¡¯ve been growing stronger all these years for. Protecting my family and friends, my future lover and myself.

    ¡®But i¡¯m nowhere near strong enough to protect everyone.¡¯

    I vowed time and time again to get stronger.

    ¡°¡ª¡±

    Helen raised her hands when she entered through the fence. She was standing next to the biggest tent. The chief must¡¯ve been there. An orc chief is classified as an A rank monster. How a chief is selected is different from humans. Orc chiefs must have red skin instead of the usual dark green. Red means something like a symbol of the Demon Battle God, Rodion that lived hundreds of years ago.

    That evil god was a being that also had a huge mana pool. He killed millions of people and was the first to commit genocides that almost made humanity go extinct. He was a human born with devil blood apparently.

    ¡°It¡¯s starting.¡±

    Lucy, who also stayed back, whispered and prepared her spells. She casted a buff and sent it through the whole camp. The orc were then alerted but it was too late.

    The martial artist, Paula, smashed the head of an orc with the heel of her foot.

    The orcs were then sent into disarray. One even fell after tripping on something.

    ¡°Go!¡±

    Billy bashed a shield with his spear,  taunting the enemies.

    The Orcs that heard the shouting exited their makeshift tents and came outside. They looked toward Billy and roared.

    ¡°Come on, bastards! Get a taste of my muscles!¡±

    He dashed forward and bumped into an orc. The poor orc, despite being taller than him was thrown into a tree¡¯s direction. He mercilessly swung his spear and stabbed another in the face. The red strings around the handle must be confusing the orcs since their ugly faces had what seemed like confused expressions.

    A total of twelve orcs were taken down after a while.

    A series of thumps soared through the forest. Helen was standing in front of the tent, wielding her saber.

    A giant pushed aside the cloth acting as a cover and exited.

    He roared loudly and swung his club in an aggressive manner. The ground shook as he threatened Helen.

    Although she hasn¡¯t moved an inch. She kept her fighting stance making the orc leader go even more crazy.

    He roared louder than before and charged at Helen.

    After a while....

    ¡°Well done, everyone.¡±

    Helen wiped the blood from her face after I took out a cloth. The others were busy taking out magic cores from the orcs. Magic cores can either be found in dungeons in the form of crystals or inside monsters as a sphere. They are a concentration of magic power that accumulated over time and acts as fuel sources.

    Cities can also be powered up by them. They might be similar to batteries from earth.

    ¡°Unlike the previous porters, you stayed behind when you saw the orcs. Some just faint or run away and get killed by a stray monster.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    The big guy that used the spear, Billy came up to me.

    ¡°I used to hunt monsters back home in my free time.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s it. No wonder why you¡¯re familiar with monsters already.¡±

    Helen finished resting and stood up.

    ¡°We managed to get rid of the orcs in just an hour. I haven¡¯t slept in two days so let¡¯s go.¡±

    Her face definitely looked fatigued. It must¡¯ve been that long that she had to take to make preparations.

    **

    I received two cores as payment even though I haven¡¯t really done anything besides hold some bags. Billy said that the extra core was for my courage as I stood standing even when an orc tried to rush me.

    I sold the cores for 20 silver coins. It wasn¡¯t much considering I have to take care of two girls who were also from nobility.

    ¡°I¡¯m back.¡±

    I shouted in the hallway when I got to the top of the stairs. I heard voices coming from the other room.

    CRRRK

    Just then, the door opposite to mine opened. A familiar face was there gazing at me in surprise. No actually two.

    Erica and Nate.

    ¡°¡±Clyde!¡±¡±

    Both ran up to me.

    ¡°Huh? How are you guys here?¡±

    The two got all emotional and hugged me.

    They took me into the room where Arielle and Charlotte resides in. The two of them were sitting on their beds with smiles.

    ¡°When we just entered the magic tower, these two exited.¡± Charlotte spoke.

    ¡°It¡¯s been so long since we last seen each other.¡± Nate cried like a little baby as snot came out of his nose.

    ¡°Long? Didn¡¯t we see each other a week ago?¡±

    ¡°Lord Clyde, listen to this.¡± Charlotte got my attention, ¡°The two of them have been here for an entire month.¡±

    ¡°What? How is that possible?¡±

    Arielle also looked confused. I wasn¡¯t sure if she was even following.

    ¡°Just like Her highness said. We¡¯ve been here for a month and ten days. Whatever happened in the kingdom was not normal according to nature.¡±

    ¡°So it was someone¡¯s doing.¡±

    ¡°Good deduction, Clyde. We might¡¯ve been somewhere where time stops for us. Even if we landed here a week ago, our thirst and hunger wasn¡¯t any different from when we were on the carriage back then.¡±

    ¡°Where time stops, huh...¡±

    I rubbed my arm that always turns white with spirit activation.

    That technique had been malfunctioning ever since that phenomenon. I found that weird since the backlash was far stronger than other times.

    ¡°What have the two of you been up to all this time?¡±

    ¡°We were asking around for a way to go back home. We actually came from the duchy that¡¯s near this kingdom. That¡¯s how we found out that this was the other part of the continent.¡±

    Nate answered.

    ¡°We were attacked by bandits and monsters a lot of times. Luckily, miss Erica and I managed to deal with them with teamwork. Can you believe the fact that she could strengthen spells? Since I have little mana, I had to end battles quick. She¡¯s really amazing! Now I know why she was given a recommendation.¡±

    I looked over to Erica. She was blushing while scratching her cheek.

    ¡®She¡¯s not used to praise huh? She¡¯s kind of cute.¡¯

    ¡°Were you guys able to find anything at the information guild?¡±

    Erica shook her head to my question. Her blonde pigtails bounced.

    ¡°All the rumours we heard there were fake. No one could even tell us what teleportation is similar to the one we experienced.¡±

    ¡°Damn, what is the Order doing? And here I thought they were elites¡­¡±

    Arielle grumbled to herself.

    ¡°We might be able to find something. Arielle and I will try looking around for anything useful again tomorrow. In the meantime miss Erica and Nate can look around to see if there is a way to contact the kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Considering our location can we reach the kingdom?¡±

    Erica voiced her thoughts.

    ¡°Well, we can try. We should get a message to the palace at least. After that we¡¯ll have to wait. I¡¯ll send a letter to the information guild in the duchy to see if they can help.¡±

    Charlotte stood up and opened the door.

    ¡°We¡¯ll continue tomorrow night. Please have a good night¡¯s rest everyone.¡±

    While they try to establish communication with the kingdom, I will be joining the party tomorrow for their raid. Helen gave me a piece of paper that had the location written on it where I should meet them. The directions were also there since I didn¡¯t know the geography of the city yet.

    We dispersed after night time arrived. Nate will be sharing a room with me while Erica will stay with Arielle and Charlotte.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    It was late at night when Charlotte woke up.

    ¡®Not again¡­¡¯

    Lately, she had been waking up every night to relieve her bladder that¡¯s been giving her problems. She didn¡¯t know when it started.

    Charlotte mechanically got up and yawned. She stretched her muscles before walking out of the door. The inn was quite dark so she had to use a tiny bit of lamp oil to light a candle.

    ¡®I keep remembering that night¡­ Why does it still haunt me¡­¡¯

    That night her former maid confessed to her crimes. It was the same night that her mother was poisoned.

    And the one who did it was none other than her maid. The one who she called her sister.

    Pina.

    Charlotte hadn¡¯t visited the palace dungeon in over a year. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t want to. She wanted to see Pina but the bitterness in her heart prevented her from doing so.

    A voice on the inside kept telling her to order Pina to reveal the name of who told her to do it. That would mean Pina¡¯s head will explode and she¡¯d die if the seal activates.

    Charlotte didn¡¯t want Pina to die so she never went through with it. She was forced to commit that crime by someone of high status. The person must be an influential person in the kingdom.

    Was it perhaps a duke? One of the noble ladies?

    Charlotte knew that her mother had enemies even if she was loved by many. There was a duke who refused to cooperate during her father¡¯s battle for the throne. One of them kept the others in the dark of what happened in the kingdom so the king could die without their help.

    It wouldn¡¯t be strange if that duke held a grudge against Melodia for saving the king.

    They knew that Belle was a competent fighter that could protect the queen well so they didn¡¯t sent assassins. Belle was a former S rank assassin after all. She was more than enough to deal with people of the same class. They used someone from the royal family servants to go through with their plans.

    Charlotte clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.

    ¡®If I ever find out who it is then I will kill that person¡­¡¯

    She asked one of the servants to draw the seal on Pina¡¯s tongue . She wanted to see if anyone could help her break down its runes. She had been unsuccessful so far.

    She wasted a lot of resources and money to get people to break the seal.

    Charlotte sighed before flushing the toilet.

    ¡®I¡¯ll think of another way¡­ I always do¡­¡¯

    She headed back to her room through the silent corridor embraced in darkness.

 Chapter 26: Red dragon(1)

    I woke up early the next morning. The noise coming from downstairs was too hard to bear. Even though it was early, I could hear loud voices coming from the pub.

    I got up from the creaky bed. I looked to my right.

    ©\¡±We had to leave early to look for information. Please enjoy the sandwiches I made. I hope you like them.

    Erica.¡±

    ¡°Ooh~¡±

    I dug right in and lavished in the delicious taste of turkey on bread. Sauce in this world is expensive so there was only seasoning on the bread.

    After putting on my robe and packing my lunchbox, I headed out.

    Nate apparently left with the girls. He might be fishing for points with Princess Charlotte. Who wouldn¡¯t? She could even become queen in the future and that means the people she trusts the most will get the most benefits.

    ¡°Erdall street¡­?¡±

    I looked at the drawing of the building Helen drew. The building was next to the South gate.

    ¡®Am I too early?¡¯

    No one was there when I arrived.

    I ordered milk from the uncle that worked in the bar while I sat and waited for them.

    ¡°Ah, he¡¯s here.¡±

    Just then, a friendly voice came from the door. I looked and saw the martial artist, Paula standing there. She had a big smile on her face.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, kid. The whole team gathered.¡±

    I quickly finished my milk and left after paying.

    ¡°Wow.¡±

    There were about 14 people from what I could tell. None of them looked weak.

    ¡®So these are adventurers.¡¯

    ¡°Listen up! I¡¯ll be explaining further how we will raid this dungeon! Yesterday was just the strategy for the battle to come. I hope all our mages are prepared!¡±

    I saw about three mages in the joint party. A woman with brown hair and two other men from the other party.

    Is that woman Sheila? She was wearing a badge similar to the one our leader was wearing.

    ¡°Sorry we¡¯re late!¡±

    Billy and Lucy came running towards us. Their appearance looked messy. Bill passed by me and I noticed a smell of sweat and other bodily fluids.

    Helen looked at Lucy in utter disgust. The latter just acted like she didn¡¯t notice Helen¡¯s glare.

    ¡®Paula mentioned that Billy and Raymond have tasted her before¡­¡¯

    I thought she meant like only once. I never expected them to be those kinds of friends.

    ¡°Miss Sheila over there is an Intermediate rank mage, so the two of you will be under her command.¡±

    ¡°¡±Yes sir!¡±

    A guy wearing luxurious armour pointed at the mages.

    ¡°Is that alright with you, miss Helen?¡±

    He asked with a charming smile.

    ¡°Whatever. I don¡¯t have the qualifications to lead mages anyway, Jered.¡± Helen spoke coldly and prepared her weapon and armour.

    So his name is Jered, huh.

    I looked to the one named Sheila. She wore a clich¨¦ outfit amongst mages. A purple robe and a magician¡¯s hat.Stolen novel; please report.

    Intermediate rank mage. It meant she had the same power and knowledge as a fourth year student at the academy.

    Not only that, she gave off the aura of a veteran as well. I could tell that she was an experienced adventurer.

    ¡°Let¡¯s depart, everyone!¡±

    I picked up the bags along with the other porters and we set forth for the dungeon raid.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    My staff was attached to my back in case I need to fight during an emergency.

    ¡°What a strong magical essence.¡±

    Undine appeared next to me and whispered as she looked around the dungeon cave. We came to a dungeon located in the forest near the capital.

    -What do you mean?

    I spoke to her in my mind.

    -Well, normally with dungeons of this rank the energy should be weaker but this is unnatural. It¡¯s like the dungeon boss grew stronger after being affected by some strange supernatural energy.

    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me the Red Abyss¡¯ miasma is already affecting monsters.¡¯

    The dungeon is known to be the biggest in the entire world and connects all dungeons together. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if strong monsters were attracted to its rich mana.

    -So the danger escalated?

    -No, I can¡¯t be sure. Most times it¡¯s just a very big mana core inside a dungeon giving off this much magical energy. I can¡¯t ask the spirits since they aren¡¯t as abundant as outside.

    ¡°Game faces on!¡±

    The leader of the other party, Jered shouted and glowed in a blue aura. He unsheathed his sword and charged at the goblin soldier that came around the corner.

    ¡°Think that the monsters are lurking around every corner so be careful.¡±

    I saw a few of his members look at him in admiration. The girls were looking at him as if they had hearts in their eyes.

    Lucy¡¯s stare was also passionate.

    ¡°Lets proceed further.¡±

    Helen grumbled.

    Jered followed after us with his party.

    We encountered many different monsters. Although not very big ones. I found this weird because stronger monsters are mostly many in number in a dungeon.

    We rested occasionally when our scouts went to check around the area. About four hours passed by with nothing special happening.

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s that light?¡±

    Sheila, who put mana into her eyes remarked.

    I looked as well and saw a type of gold light shining on the cave walls. It was a brilliant ray of light that illuminated the tunnel.

    ¡°Treasure!¡±

    Billy ran ahead and went through the door the light was coming from.

    We ran from behind. Since I had bags on my shoulders, it took awhile for me to catch up.

    I heard several people gasped when we entered the huge space.

    What appeared behind the door was countless treasures. Gold, silver, diamonds, and all sorts of other items. There were also robes and armour. The weapons had a high quality shine that makes it look expensive.

    ¡®Who the hell brought all this here?¡¯

    ¡°What is this¡­?¡±

    While the others were playing around I the gold coins, Helen had a dumfounded look on her face.

    At that moment, a boom followed by a strong rumble rang out.

    ¡°Shit!¡±

    It was a huge fireball heading for the ones playing in the treasures.

    ¡°I can¡¯t cast fast enough! Get out of there!¡± Shelia shouted at the others.

    -Undine!

    -Yes!

    When they were looking at the huge flame ball dumbfounded, a huge outburst of water shot towards it.

    SPLASH

    PSSSSS

    The fireball was then extinguished. A smokescreen covered the entire room.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°What happened to the fire?¡±

    I was standing there with my arm raised holding my staff in my hand. Sweat dripped down my chin.

    ¡°Phew, made it.¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±¡±¡­..¡±¡±¡±¡±

    All of them were looking at me with widened eyes.

    ¡°Focus in the monster! That attack earlier could¡¯ve killed them so I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a strong monster!¡±

    Grrrrr¡­..

    A low growl rang out. Just that single growl reached into the depths of my stomach.

    Then just as I looked to where it came from, a huge pair of red eyes stared right back at me.

    I shivered.

    -Dragon! We must get out of here!

    Undine shouted.

    -Shit. Can¡¯t you take it on?

    -Yes but if I do, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to protect everyone. Water magic is weak if I use too little but if I use too much then this cave will collapse.

    ¡°D¡­Dragon¡­¡±

    Billy stepped back fearfully.

    He fell on his butt when the dragon¡¯s head peeked out of the darkness. I didn¡¯t notice it, but the lighting was very dim. Instead of being cautious, we went into the room without any suspicion of a monster hiding.

    -Undine, what is my chance against a dragon of this type?

    -I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s only 4%, master.

    ¡®Fuck, we need to run while Undine takes care of it.¡¯

    I was about to warn Helen but then I saw her eyes. It was the eyes of a killer.

    ¡°Battle formations¡­¡±

    She said with a dangerous tone in her voice.

    Grrr¡­..

    The dragon slowly rose to its feet.

    It was at least 20 metres tall.

    ¡°Battle formations!!¡±

    Helen then unsheathed her saber and got into a stance.

    ¡°You heard her! Battle formations!¡±

    Jered shouted with equal vigour.

    ¡°You may sit back. I acknowledge your skills from earlier but¡­ this is unexpected. Run. All of you!¡±

    Helen looked at me and the porters that stood next to me. They had pale expressions while looking at the dragon. One even peed herself while crying.

    I gripped my staff.

    Roooooar!!

    ¡°GO NOW¨C¡°

    WHOOOOSH!!!

    BOOM!

    BOOM!!

    BOOM!!

    Three large compressed balls of winds were thrown at the dragon. It was so strong that the dragon lost its footing and crashed against the wall. A large boulder fell on top of its tail.

    ROAR!!!!!!

    ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting all this treasure go.¡±

    The activation of Lightborn would have to wait. I could only use it once without repercussions. I didn¡¯t know what would happen if I use it a second time after that. Undine kept telling me to not do it.

    ¡°Clyde¡­¡± Helen then smiled. ¡°Then let¡¯s do this!¡±

    Rooooar!!!!

    The dragon didn¡¯t attempt another Dragon¡¯s Breath and only recklessly charged.

    Its aim was me. Well, I was the one who threw him with three powerful wind magic spells.

    Before it could even swipe its claw at me, I release another ball of wind.

    ROOOAR¡­.!!!

 Chapter 27: Red dragon(2)

    (HELEN POV)

    I come from a noble family called the Redfield household. Father was a general that always had to go to the front line. He was a skilled swordsman and was respected by many.

    I wanted to be like him. I wanted to he respected too. But that slowly changed. I wanted to be different from him. The words I always heard were:

    -As expected of General Redfield¡¯s daughter.

    -The perks of being born from the Redfield bloodline.

    -She is just like her father, isn¡¯t she?

    I cursed those people over and over again inside my head.

    I wanted people to see me for who I was and not because I was the daughter of a famous general. That¡¯s what I wanted.

    I had a new goal. To become better than father instead of walking in his footsteps.

    My childhood friend and former fianc¨¦, Jered told me that he¡¯d help me on my journey. I never asked him to do that. He always meddles in my business. I found him to be annoying and a busybody.

    We¡¯ve known each other for pretty much our whole lives. He was the son of a viscount household. His household was affiliated with ours for 200 years ever since becoming a noble house. Mother decided one day that the two of us should get married when we turned 15.

    I was 14 at the time when I became an adventurer. My main weapon was the saber. Completely different from my father that uses a double handed sword. Though I wanted to be different from father, the techniques of the Redfield bloodline that I learned since childhood was still engraved in my body.

    My first adventurer party had Jered, Sheila and I in it. Sheila is my second cousin and comes from a knight peerage house. She would¡¯ve been able to succeed in pursuing her career as a mage further if our kingdom didn¡¯t lack the funds to keep the mage tower standing. She only managed to learn spells of intermediate-Low and had to self-study to get to Intermediate-Mid. Sadly that was her limit. But she¡¯s still a valued member of my team that I trust and love.

    Our kingdom¡¯s former monarch was always obsessed with strengthening our military power more than investing in our cultural needs and developing lands. That decision led to the death of the former king since he was killed by his son who was then killed in war and only the daughter survived out of the entire family, the current queen.

    After that happened, the kingdom stabilized and the adventurer guild also grew. After that, many more people joined our kingdom¡¯s adventurer guild and that¡¯s where I met my current teammates, Lucy, Paula, Billy and Raymond.

    We grew up together and have been in the same party for 4 years.

    My life was bliss with my teammates. I even developed feelings for Jered although I wasn¡¯t sure if they were strong enough to be called love. Maybe like?

    Sadly, that had to come to an end after the kingdom was invaded. The neighbouring nation sent their entire army in an effort to take down our kingdom.

    The entire snow filled lands was full of blood.

    Then one day when I returned home to our territory mansion, I only saw charred remains of what was left.

    I heard from one of the people that survived that a dragon flew into a rage. Dragons are beings that view themselves higher than any other lifeform .That particular dragon wanted to destroy our kingdom while we were at war.

    The good thing was that it caught the enemy nation off-guard and our side managed to win overwhelmingly.

    The lesser dragon was heavily injured since our strongest knights battled against it but I was still not satisfied. The dragon escaped before the killing blow could be delivered.

    It killed my entire family and destroyed all our assets and lands. Dragons have a large pool of mana so nearly all our lands were burnt down from its [Dragon¡¯s Breath].This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    I changed since then. I wanted to grow stronger and earn the title of an S rank. After that I would slay the dragon that destroyed my home and the people that were my family.

    That was my goal. I pushed any other thing aside and focused on getting stronger. I pushed Jered away because he would¡¯ve gotten in the way of my goal. My path in life was only laying the dragon.

    Whatever happened after that... well, I¡¯d leave it up to fate.

    My feelings for anything disappeared and only one path remained. My teammates sometimes called me similar to a homunculus. A being that is only programmed to do things its creator told it to. I was fine being seen as one as long as I get my revenge against the dragon.

    Today was that day.

    ¡ó

    Clyde released a large amount of mana and sent it into the ground. The entire cave trembled when his spell activated.

    The spell he used spread out through the entire cavern. It softened the ground the dragon stood on.

    ¡°NOW!¡±

    I sent a nod to Clyde and pounced forward.

    The dragon¡¯s foot was lodged into the ground as if mud was underneath it. Clyde summoned tentacles to push its legs further down.

    It was about to fire its dragon¡¯s breath when a shield appeared before me. It was a familiar barrier spell Sheila always used.

    ¡°I¡¯ll focus on supporting you!¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Sheila!¡±

    I activated my first art.

    ¡°---!¡±

    Particles of light emerged from my sword and formed a huge spiralling circle.

    The priests cast buffs as Jered and I moved in to attack the dragon. It was still fighting our martial artist that has superhuman strength and the boy we met yesterday that has a white glowing arm. I couldn¡¯t understand why his spells look so different to Sheila¡¯s.

    Compared to Sheila that had to use chants, he could cast without chants. It just goes to show that he is from a splendid noble family of mages. No wonder his mannerisms and attitude are that of a noble. I could practically see Sheila had a frustrated face in the corner of my eye.

    The dragon swung its claws at me.

    Kwung

    Jered blocked just in time and I jumped on his back and ran up the dragon¡¯s arm. I used the spiralling light behind my back and severed the flesh of the dragon.

    ROAR¡ª!!!

    Its roar was so loud that I could feel my insides tremble alone from the echo.

    My plan was to sever its eyes while the others kept it busy but I failed because it looked like it knew what I would do. This dragon had surely faced many humans before. The barrier of Sheila could only stop magical attacks. If the dragon bit the shield then there¡¯s no doubt that it would shatter due to its strong jaws.

    This dragon may not have recovered fully since then but it was still so strong.

    ¡®I have to find an opening.¡¯

    I had to retreat to the back line. Jered was protecting the mages along with the other warrior while Clyde was using massive amounts of water to hold the dragon back.

    I couldn¡¯t understand how he could produce that much water with mana alone. It would make sense if there was a pool of water nearby but there currently wasn¡¯t.

    My anger grew as I got ready to use my full power. I looked towards the other party that joined us. Jered¡¯s team.

    Why was he so keen on participating? He¡¯s fighting with his life on the line here.

    Our plan today was just to clear the dungeon but we received an unpleasant surprise. I couldn¡¯t help but think he was a fool for putting himself in danger when he could¡¯ve just run away.

    The dragon, seemingly frustrated at having its movements sealed by large quantities of water, suddenly raised its snout into the air.

    Its target was the cause of his sealed movements.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me! Finish it!!¡±

    He shouted at the rest of us. I hesitated because he was still a little boy with a bright future.

    But that confident smile told a different story.

    ¡°Miss Sheila and the others, freeze the water!¡±

    ¡°Intermediate rank-[Frostbite]!¡± Sheila glowed as a blue light flew towards the water.

    The water then rapidly froze. A cold wind followed in the next moment.

    I took that as a signal. The dragon was then pushed against the cave wall from the massive amounts of frozen water. It struggled behind the wall of ice. Since magically manifested ice was harder than original ice, it would take a lot of work to get out of there.

    ¡°Here!¡±

    My friend, Paula stuck out her arms.

    I jumped onto her hands with my feet as I wielded my saber.

    WHOOOSH

    As expected of a martial artist. She threw me with such force that I found it hard to balance myself mid-air. I flew straight towards the dragon.

    ¡°-----!!!!¡±

    The dragon gave a loud roar as it fired its Dragon¡¯s Breath. I narrowly avoided it mid-air but it managed to graze my shoulder. But I didn¡¯t falter.

    I only saw my enemy before my eyes. Its wide opened eyes looked amusing.

    ¡®Dragons are superior to humans, huh?¡¯

    ¡°Taste this, you bastard!!¡±

    The dragon, not being able to handle the intensity of its own energy blast, violently turned its head. A tremor shook the cavern when the beam hit the ceiling.

    ¡°GYAAA¨C!!¡±

    ¡°AAH¨C!!¡±

    ¡°AAAAARGH!¡±

    I couldn¡¯t hear the screams that followed.

    All my eyes could see and my ears could hear was the dragon.

    ¡°[Cross Strike]!!¡±

    The circle that was rapidly spinning behind me fused with the Ki of my blade. I swung my sword horizontally and vertically, imitating a cross.

    ROOOOOAR

    ¡°High rank-[Flaming Star]!!¡±

    A boy¡¯s voice echoed as I watched the dragon¡¯s face get sliced in half. After I was out of the strike rang, a large blood red fireball blew up the head of the dragon. The ice melted causing the dragon¡¯s corpse to fall.

    BOOOM

    BOOM

    RUMBLE

    I fell towards the ground at rapid speeds. All the energy in my body seemed to leave as I dropped my saber.

    ¡°Miss Helen!!¡±

    That was the last thing I heard before I lost consciousness.

 Chapter 28: Aftermath

    ¡°Kuh!¡±

    TSSSSSS

    ¡°M-Master!¡±

    Undine ran up to me with tears in her eyes after she collected the spirits in the area.

    ¡°Y-Your arm...¡±

    She looked toward my left arm which was no longer there.

    I smiled bitterly.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t make it in time...¡±

    I looked to my left side.

    There was a huge hole in the wall with charred remains. It was during Miss Helen¡¯s attack when the dragon started violently turning its head. Because it did that, the beam that was fired out of its mouth nearly killed me too. I sacrificed my the arm which didn¡¯t have spirit mana strengthening it.

    ¡°...This is a mess...¡±

    While Undine was numbing the pain in my arm using her natural abilities, I looked around.

    Four bodies... there were four people that died.

    Helen was lying on my lap, unconscious.

    A few minutes later she started waking up.

    ¡°Hmm... Hm? Is i-it over?¡±

    I nodded.

    Undine¡¯s magic was healing Helen as well. Since the spirits were too little here, her full abilities were sealed.

    She then got up and held her head.

    ¡°He... Hehehehehe...¡±

    She began laughing like a crazed person. Her eyes looked dead while her smile reached her ears. She pulled her hair as tears streamed down her eyes.

    ¡°I-I finally avenged them. Hehehe~¡±

    She then coughed when she realized I was still here.

    ¡°Thank you for the assistance even though it was so dangerous. I¡¯ll definitely compensate you for your help. Your arm...¡±

    I just waved my hand so she shouldn¡¯t have to worry. I could¡¯ve escaped from the blast if not for the spell from earlier that I casted. The only reason I had no worries about my arm is because I have the Saintess as a companion. She could heal my wounds even if I lost all my limbs. I had a feeling I shouldn¡¯t risk myself in the future again like this.

    ¡°The temples should have an Elixir Healing Potion. I¡¯ll buy one later.¡±

    I lied through my teeth. Erica¡¯s existence should be kept quiet. Nations would fight over having the Saintess in their hands. They say that the holy Saintess is the only God rank healer in existence. Look what ensued in the past when the Saint killed herself just to end the wars.

    ¡°But aren¡¯t those things expensive¨C¡°

    Helen spoke as she looked around. Her eyes landed on a particular place.

    Her entire body stiffened.

    ¡°Guys!!¡±

    She fell down when she tried getting up. With no other choice, she crawled over to the corpses.

    Sheila, Billy, and Raymond died along with a mage from Jered¡¯s party. Paula managed to survive thanks to her tough body, albeit barely. She was missing a leg. The other ones to survive were Lucy, Jered and the rest from his party.

    ¡°Hic...¡±

    Helen sobbed as she held Sheila¡¯s body in her arms. Sheila¡¯s entire head was gone along with her right shoulder. It was quite horrific to look at. Chunks of meat were lying around a particular large body. Judging by his spear, I could guess it was Billy that died.

    Paula, despite having one leg left, comforted Helen.

    The entire open space was filled with sobbing for the loss of comrades.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Don¡¯t Jered. Just don¡¯t.¡±

    When Jered was about to touch Helen¡¯s shoulder, she coldly swatted his hand away.

    He gnashed his teeth but obliged with her. She just lost her comrades along with her cousin. How devastated must she have felt?

    The others were silently picking up all the treasures. They earned it after all. Despite having so much money right in front of their eyes, no one was cheering or celebrating their victory.

    The horrific battle was over thanks to Helen¡¯s final attack and their support. Everyone was happy to just live. It would¡¯ve been the same even if the reward wasn¡¯t so immense in the first place.

    If the adventurer guild heard of this then they¡¯d immediately send out teams to salvage the corpse. Dragon material is a truly rare but useful product. Its metallic scales could be used to make impenetrable armour and its blood could be used to make all kinds of potions.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    There¡¯s no doubt that there will be an uproar of this. Thus, Helen instructed everyone to take the needed materials before they left. Everyone¡¯s bags were stacked full of treasures. Both teams brought dimensional storages to lessen the burden on their heavy loads.

    They managed to procure a fortune worth 50 gold coins each. Along with the dragon¡¯s gold, they amassed a total of 100 worth of white gold.

    White gold had a value of 10 gold coins per coin. White gold isn¡¯t necessarily gold since it¡¯s of a different substance. No one knows what the raw materials are called except that the United Empire that fell 1000 years ago used to make the currency. The unknown resource used to make the currency became rare after the United Empire fell.

    Add the dragon¡¯s body materials to the mix and the amount would increase even more. But the officials would certainly not allow the party responsible to take the corpse when the battle happened in their territory. Clyde had finally made enough money for their journey home.

    Since everyone was so exhausted, they had to rest before leaving the dungeon.

    The freezing cold and the snow made everyone shiver when they exited.

    It was an hour after noon when they left the dungeon. They still couldn¡¯t believe they survived that hellish battle.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The entire group walked in silence as they carried the corpses. Their first destination would be the dead¡¯s family and then the temple to get their wounds treated.

    ¡®Usually when you earn money with your own hands you should be happy, right? This atmosphere is suffocating.¡¯

    Clyde held his shoulder that was still burning from the fire that was used to stop the bleeding. Undine gave Clyde herbs that could help with his injury even if it¡¯s temporary.

    They walked through the snow that seemed to fall from the sky nonstop.

    Finally, they reached the gate of the kingdom.

    Clyde¡¯s heart grew heavy as he thought of how he¡¯ll be scolded by Arielle. Not only did he take on a dragon and not escape immediately seeing the danger but he also got injured in the end.

    It would cost a lot of money to buy an elixir from the temple and usually there¡¯s a wait list if there are many buyers.

    ¡®Is it alright to let them know?¡¯

    Only Arielle and Arthur knew of Erica being the Saintess. Both seem far more mature and trustworthy than what their ages suggest.

    But the thing that was bothering him was that Nate and Charlotte were also with them. If he suddenly grew back his arm, it would be strange no matter what. Erica might also be unaware that they know of her secret.

    ¡°This is where we¡¯ll depart for today. Check in at the guild in about a week for our next mission, okay? We have to take care of some other arrangements for the next few days.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

    Helen stroked Clyde¡¯s head. He had been a big help in the battle of before. She can¡¯t help but see her little brother in him. Cute, mature and polite. All those categories described her late brother. Her hand trailed down his face before leaving his cheek.

    She smiled weakly before walking away with her companions.

    Clyde watched them leave and felt the heavy sack of coins in his arm. Helen gave him more than he thought he would receive. With this her team would be promoted to the highest rank for defeating a Disaster Class monster¨Ca dragon.

    Creak...

    The front door of the Inn opened quietly. Arielle and the others weren¡¯t back yet it seemed.

    ¡®Now I can finally rest.¡¯

    It was the first time he felt mana exhaustion. Battling a dragon was an achievement of itself, not to mention defeating it as well.

    Using his most strongest spells naturally exhausted him to the point that he felt drowsy.

    He collapsed on the bed and instantly embraced sleep.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°We¡¯re back~!¡±

    Nate swung open the door to his and Clyde¡¯s room.

    ¡°E-Eh?¡±

    He then spotted a big bag that looks overloaded from something. Curious as to what it might be, he opened the bag and almost screamed.

    It was gold. A lot of gold.

    ¡®How did he even¨C¡®

    He looked to the bed where Clyde is resting but¨C

    ¡°---!!!¡±

    He saw Clyde lying there but the odd thing was that he only had one arm.

    ¡°W-What¡­?¡±

    He went to check if Clyde is dead but sighed in relief when he saw Clyde breathing.

    ¡°Why did you suddenly jump into the room? Clyde could be exhausted from today.¡±

    Arielle looked at Nate as if looking at trash but froze when she saw the spectacle on the bed.

    ¡°Is Clyde back?¡±

    Charlotte took off her hood. Her silky blonde hair carried a rather sweaty smell since they couldn¡¯t afford luxury items such as soap.

    ¡°Clyde?¡±

    She ran towards the bed and looked at Clyde¡¯s left side. His arm was missing and only his sleeve of his robe remained.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Similarly to the others , Erica froze by the door. Her mind blanked when she saw Clyde¡¯s injuries. His face looked pale and sweat was dripping down his chin as he slept.

    ¡°C-Clyde¡­!!¡±

    She shook Clyde¡¯s shoulders repeatedly to wake him up. The poor boy couldn¡¯t even sleep two hours as he opened his eyes.

    ¡°Who did this!?¡±

    Even as he opened his eyes, Erica kept shaking him. Tears welled up in her eyes. Her pupils burned with a golden light as if her power was daring to come out at any moment.

    ¡°W-wait. Don¡¯t shake him.¡±

    Arielle held Erica back. She was also wondering who could¡¯ve done this. Was the quests too difficult? Was he abandoned after being hurt?

    ¡°O-Oh. You guys are back.¡±

    Clyde yawned and instinctively lifted his left hand to scratch his head but realized what happened this morning.

    ¡°H-Hehe. Surprise~¡±

    His smile was weak as he saw the three girls that all have dangerous expressions on their faces.

    ¡®The dragon¡¯s bloodlust is nothing compared to these girls¡­¡¯

    Erica¡¯s face was completely scrunched up.

    ¡°I knew I should¡¯ve put a mind control spell on him¡­¡±

    She was mumbling something he couldn¡¯t quite hear.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    Nate choked out the question.

    ¡°Well¨C¡°

    Clyde told them about their accidental meeting with a dragon.

    ¡°Are you stupid! Why didn¡¯t you run away!? You haven¡¯t even known those people for long but you chose to stay and fight!?¡±

    Arielle gripped Clyde¡¯s collar. Her anger was valid since she was right about them being strangers to each other.

    ¡°S-Sorry.¡±

    Clyde dropped his head with a red face. He¡¯s embarrassed about what happened. He only wanted to test how far his magic has progressed but ended up almost dying. His entire body was screaming in pain from using spirit magic for so long.

    Arielle lost her fury seeing Clyde meekly drop his head. For some reason she also felt bad. She and Charlotte are supposed to be the eldest and the most responsible for watching their younger companions. Charlotte was quietly sitting on a chair with a look of disbelief.

    ¡®Clyde almost died¡­ why didn¡¯t I give him an order to stay away from dungeons¡­¡¯ Is what she thought.

    ¡°Still¡­¡±

    Arielle blurred the end of her sentence and thought.

    ¡®If he died, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell him¡­¡¯

    Erica¡¯s head was dropped and her face was pale. If the dragon wasn¡¯t already dead then she¡¯d march down to that dungeon and kill it herself. What puny dragon could survive a [Divine Blast] from the Saintess¡¯ successor?

    She quietly chanted under her breath. Her eyes were hollow and her lips trembled.

    ¡°[Divine Restoration]¡±

    Erica held out her hands and in a few seconds¨C

    CRACK

    Clyde¡¯s left arm¡¯s bones started forming.

    PSSSSS

    Followed by muscles and skin.

    Nate and Charlotte doubted their eyes. Clyde¡¯s limb regenerated from magic alone?

    Arielle stood there as if she already knew Erica¡¯s abilities.

    When the rest of the spell ended, Erica held Clyde¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything dangerous again...¡±

    She firmly held his hand.

    ¡°O-Okay.¡±

    ¡°H-How¡­?¡±

    Charlotte stood up from the chair and walked over to Clyde.

    ¡°How is this possible? Even Elixirs need time to grow back limbs.¡±

    Erica looked at Charlotte as if finding her nosiness unpleasant.

    Clyde bitterly smiled.

    ¡°Princess Charlotte meet Erica the new Saintess.¡±

    He patted her shoulder.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    Both Nate and Charlotte looked shocked.

    ¡°The what!?¡±

 Chapter 29: Her Knight

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    I smelled the delicious aroma of the bread in my arms. With our newly accumulated wealth, we booked a stay at a better Inn with a three star rating.

    They cater to lower class nobles as well so it¡¯s fairly luxurious there. The cost was 1 gold a week though. But I couldn¡¯t complain when we had three growing girls in our group. And two were from nobility.

    Charlotte¡¯s mood had brightened a little now that we could afford clothes and soap for ourselves. Speaking of her now, I wondered how she felt about what we shared with her. Both her and Nate were unable to process what I told them. The proof was there so I wasn¡¯t accused of making a lame joke.

    Charlotte tried to ask Erica to join her faction many times. The latter only ignored her.

    ¨CMaster, don¡¯t look but there¡¯s a little pixie following you.

    -Huh? What do you mean?

    Undine spoke through telepathy.

    ¨CThe Saintess¡¯ eyes are peeking through. Is this her Holy Clairvoyance? It¡¯s been up for quite a while now...

    ¨CWhat!? Why are you telling me this now?

    ¡®So Erica has been watching me? I-I was even at the public bathhouse this morning!¡¯

    ¨CI apologize. It looked like any other spirit before but when I tried pulling it into my body, it heavily rejected me. When I peeked in through the light, I saw Madam Saintess¡¯ golden eyes.

    ¡°Ugh...¡±

    ¡®Was this why I felt like I was being watched?¡¯

    I tried not to focus on the speck of light as I walked in the afternoon sun and enjoyed the bread I bought. The snowy streets and cold air reminded me that I was still in the Habsburg Kingdom. It snowed yet again last night like any other day.

    The poor people on the streets were huddled up together by a fire.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    It then went out. They desperately tried to start it up again.

    I took out a pocket wand and casted a flame spell.

    They looked awed at the sight of magic and thanked me repeatedly. I shared some of my bread that was a little too much for me to handle alone.

    I bid them farewell and left the alleyway. I didn¡¯t have any errands per se, it¡¯s just that I wanted to explore the city for a bit.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that...¡±

    When I passed by a block and caught a glimpse of golden shining hair in the sun, I hurriedly looked again.

    Charlotte Colchis. The third royal princess and a full blooded royal born from the Queen and King.

    She was overlooking the city with a look of longing in her eyes.

    I didn¡¯t have to worry about her getting assaulted since she bought magic scrolls. Those things come in handy for people without combat abilities. The city is peaceful anyway except for the slums.

    ¡°Princess?¡±Stolen novel; please report.

    I saw her flinch when I called her. She turned her neck and gazed at me. There were still tears remaining after she wiped her face.

    ¡°So this is where you disappear to so much.¡±

    ¡°I needed some space to clear my head...¡±

    Her gaze returned to the mountains in the far distance.

    ¡°Mother and I used to walk up to high hills like this and look over our kingdom. Going outdoors so much with her child is unexpected of a queen. But I enjoyed those days when I could spend time with her.¡±

    Charlotte spoke with a sobbing tone. Her graceful appearance was ruined by her tears.

    ¡°I fall asleep at night wondering if mother is still alive.¡±

    I stayed quiet. Instead of blurting out things like ¡®I¡¯ll get you us home no matter what!¡¯, it¡¯s best to do things within my capabilities. Like protect them. I wasn¡¯t some overpowered main character out of those wish fulfilment isekai novels. I''m only a person born with slightly better talent than most. This is my reality.

    ¡°You know, Father was never a person that looked after his children. That¡¯s expected since he is the king but... I wished each and every day that he¡¯d at least visit mother.¡±

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t her Majesty bedridden in their chambers?¡±

    Charlotte shook her head.

    ¡°The second wife ¡®persuaded¡¯ father to move mother to the Inner Palace where she could have a room of her own and some peace and quiet. Any fool can guess that they want to dispose of mother quietly and make it look like an accident. But they¡¯ll have to get through her maid, Bell first.¡±

    There was a story I once read about how that particular concubine also killed of the rest of the wives and children so she can rule the kingdom. But in the end, her son killed her because his wife manipulated him into believing his mother wants to kill her.

    I honestly find such ambitious people disgusting. To kill people in order to rise through life. To think I was born into such a world. That was expected of a world ruled by nobility.

    ¡°You know Pina, right?¡±

    Charlotte spoke again after a long wait of silence.

    ¡°Your previous personal maid?¡±

    She was different from the one Charlotte had now. I occasionally saw her with Charlotte at parties in the past. We met at Charlotte¡¯s tenth birthday party.

    ¡°Yes. She was the one that poisoned mother.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°You heard right. The one that raised me and that I could call my true sister was the one that almost caused the death of mother... It was that day on my birthday when my father locked everyone in the palace.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Tears streamed down her face. I took her into my arms.

    ¡°Each and every night I remember how I tortured her... When I heard her confess that she was the suspect, all I could see was red in front of my eyes. I had my knights cripple her and I threw her into our castle dungeon. She was part of the second wife¡¯s faction...¡±

    ¡®What the hell...¡¯

    The castle dungeon had many horrors that even the bravest of people wouldn¡¯t want to enter. In history books on Earth, many torture devices are mentioned that caused multiple deaths for those who wronged.

    ¡°She was... hic... the one that always used to sing me lullabies when I get lonely... hic... my second mother and sister...¡±

    My shoulder was beginning to get wet from her tears. I stroked her head and buried my nose in her hair. I whispered softly.

    ¡°Everyone has a past they want no one to find out about. What you did was something that she deserved for belonging to the second enemy concubine¡¯s faction.¡±

    ¡°But I lost the one I trusted the most... The worse thing was that I feel betrayed. Did she truly not have a choice? That was the question I never found an answer to...¡±

    I then pulled Charlotte away softly. Her blue eyes met mine. I saw my own reflection in her deep blue eyes.

    ¡°W-What are you doing?¡± Charlotte said in a fluster when I got on my knee.

    I then took her hand.

    ¡°If no one is at your side then I shall become the one to share the burden on your shoulders.¡±

    Her eyes widened.

    ¡°Princess.¡±

    She nodded as she realized. Her eyes were filled with determination.

    ¡°Do you, Clyde Astley, accept becoming my knight and shield?¡±

    ¡°I, Clyde Astley vow to become Princess Charlotte¡¯s sword and shield. Her life is my responsibility. I will train my body and magic to ward off the enemies that so much as try to harm a hair on her shoulders.¡±

    ¡°Do you pledge your loyalty?¡±

    ¡°I do, your highness.¡±

    ¡°Do you pledge that you will from now on follow my orders and accept punishment when orders are not obeyed?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Do you pledge your complete obedience?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Oh, yes princess.¡±

    I looked up and saw Charlotte smiling widely. Her eyes almost looked closed from her smiling face. Her expression turned to normal a moment later.

    ¡°Ahem. I, Charlotte Rosemary Colchis, third princess of Kingdom of Colchis accept your pledge.¡±

    ¡°From this day forth, I swear to become your sword.¡±

    I kissed the back of her hand. That was the closing of the pledge. Her hand felt so soft and delicate.

    Her silky blonde hair blew in the wind. It carried an intoxicating shampoo scent.

    When I got up she jumped into my arms.

    ¡°...Thank you...¡±

    Her voice was soft and timid but I could hear it.

    She was smiling which I hadn''t seen in a while.

    The two of us stood there for a while before we walked back to the inn.

 Chapter 30: A way to get home

    It was exactly a week after the fight with the Lesser Red Dragon.

    Lately I haven¡¯t seen much of Arielle and the others. They visit the other cities around the kingdom in hopes of finding information that might help us get home.

    All of us were busy lately. In the past, Arielle and I would be together every day of the week since we used to get classes together. Charlotte occasionally visited the manor in the capital if she finished with her duties as the leader of her own faction. People in the modern world would think it¡¯s absurd that a young girl of 15 would be a leader of a bunch of nobles.

    They would be right to think that. But Charlotte doesn¡¯t act like any normal 15 year old from the modern world. Kids her age would be childish whereas she¡¯s far mature than I was in my previous life.

    Four assassinations on her life had been attempted thus far. She got hurt on the second and fourth and that made the queen execute the ones that couldn¡¯t protect her. I hope Charlotte doesn¡¯t do something that absurd to me if I ever failed on protecting her and she managed to live.

    ¡°Welcome!¡±

    When I entered the Magic Store, an old lady greeted me. She was wearing a magician¡¯s robe.

    I looked at the catalogue that she took out under the counter.

    Today I wanted to buy a new gemstone for my staff.

    ¡°Geez...¡±

    Everything I saw was at least 5 gold or more.

    ¡®5 gold for a stone!? You should know that gold doesn¡¯t grow on trees you hag!¡¯

    Even the staff my parents bought me was 3 gold at the most since there was a discount on the limited edition ones.

    I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder.

    I looked and saw a slender blue finger tapping me.

    -What is it?

    ¨CI apologize for disturbing your thoughts but look...

    She pointed at a corner. I looked and saw sunlight reflecting on a blood red gem.

    ¡°You¡¯re interest in that piece of crap? These youngsters only worry about money and not quality. Tsk.¡±

    The old woman lost interest in me as I approached the gem.

    I don¡¯t know how to put it.

    ¨CThe energy its releasing...

    ¨CIs overwhelmingly powerful than the others...

    Naturally my inner mage was drawn to this gem.

    ¡®Wait, the old lady said that it¡¯s a piece of crap though...¡¯

    I looked over to Undine. She had a serious expression on her face as she looked at the gem.

    I picked the gem up. It was so big that I had to hold it in both my hands.

    ¡°You want it? 1 copper then.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Why so cheap?¡±

    How can she give something this valuable away for 1 copper? Do all old people in this world have screws loose?

    ¡°Why? It¡¯s unusable. The boy that said he found it in a ruin he was exploring with his knights said that it can¡¯t be used for his training at all. That was many years ago. This thing has been rotting away for that long. It¡¯s useless.¡±

    ¨CNo. That¡¯s not the case at all. It has to do with compatibility. I believe master will be able to use it effectively.

    I paid for the copper and put the gem in my bag. Even though it¡¯s covered up with cloth, the intense energy is still releasing itself from the gem.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Miss Helen...?¡±

    When I entered the adventurer guild by noon, I saw a young woman with her usual geared attire sitting on a table drinking alone. Her blue hair was noticeable from the door.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here.¡±

    Her smile looked weak and tired. On the edge of her eye, I could see a bit of red which meant that she might¡¯ve cried. But why?

    ¡°Where are the others?¡±

    I sat across from her.

    ¡°Gone.¡±

    ¡°Gone?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Paula said she¡¯ll be enlisting as a guard for one of my connections in the noble circle. No one would refuse her since she is one of the best martial artists in the kingdom.¡±

    ¡®So she must have used her money to buy an Elixir huh.¡¯

    Elixirs are generally charged at 40 gold a bottle. I pray that I would never need to use that as long as Erica is still friends with me.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Being a mess as I already am, I shouted for Jered to stay out of my life. That was really shitty of me...¡±

    She took a sip of her ale.

    ¡°It was the night of the same day we cleared the dungeon. I was ready to go to sleep when Jered entered my room after knocking. The words he said were so sweet but they never registered like that in my brain at the time. I was a mess. I shoved him out of my room when he started to undress me while saying sweet nothings. Like honestly, how can that punk think about sex when we lost our teammates...¡±

    ¡®Is the effects of the alcohol kicking in that she¡¯s confessing so many things? Do people normally tell others of their sexual activities like this?¡¯

    ¡°So he left too?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Would you like to know what I told him that night? ¡®I already lost my feelings for you yet you still try and push me into a relationship?¡¯. I can¡¯t forget how shocked his face was before he went out of the room with tears forcing to come out.¡±

    No man would chase after a woman for so long no matter how much he loved her. If Helen led him on on purpose then she would¡¯ve been a bitch in my eyes.

    Since it seemed like the two were close in the past, perhaps they knew each other for a long time?

    ¡°The bottom line is that we disbanded the party. I lost my childhood friend and all my friends. I¡¯m alone now. Isn¡¯t that just pitiful?¡± She laughed self-deprecatingly. ¡°Anyway, can I hear your story? Since we¡¯ll be separating soon I thought it would be nice to share some stories. How did you end up in a place like this? Mages like you are rare and few.¡±

    Separating soon, huh...

    ¡°Well¨C¡°

    I told her about what happened.

    ¡°There¡¯s an actual princess in your group?¡± She looked at me in surprise, ¡°What kingdom are you from?¡±

    ¡°About that... we¡¯re from the southern part of the continent.¡±

    ¡°That far? Wait, then how did you... end up here?¡±

    She scrutinized with a blank look.

    ¡°Ah, you won¡¯t believe me if I tell you, miss Helen.¡±

    ¡°Try me.¡±

    ¡°We were actually thrown across space and kept in a certain pocket dimension for a month¡¯s time before landing here.¡±

    Helen had a confused look on her face. Her eyes kept blinking in wonder.

    ¡°Pft... Hahahahahhahahaha!!¡±

    And then she began hitting the table while laughing unlady-like.

    That continued for a while before she calmed down. When she saw my face, she looked even more confused.

    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re serious?¡±

    ¡°Yes, miss Helen.¡±

    ¡°S-Sorry I laughed....¡±

    I smiled silently and drank the juice I ordered from the bar.

    ¡°You know, there might be a way to get back home.¡±

    ¡°Keuk!¡±

    I choked on the juice as it went down the wrong pipe.

    ¡°Really!?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t get excited now. It¡¯s something father told me about long ago.¡±

    I nodded.

    ¡°The Habsburg royal family wishes to expand their weak political power to other nations. In exchange for a system that can help other nations train their troops into super soldiers like they have. The method... well, it¡¯s something the United Empire used to create in mass production...¡±

    She took another gulp from her ale.

    ¡°A teleportation gate...¡±

    ¡®Those things exist here? I guess that it isn¡¯t strange since something like reincarnation even happened to me and I even met my future self. I wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if aliens existed or if there really are parallel universes.¡¯

    ¡°The art of making one is extremely difficult. Each and every failure either caused someone¡¯s death or the gate shuts down before it even activates. A lot of reports have been made throughout the years and they say that if you touch a defective gate then your skin and bones will melt. It¡¯s like poking lava if it¡¯s 1000 times hotter.¡±

    ¡°Our kingdom never revealed something like this to the public...¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a heavy cost for entering through one since the fluid required for the gate has an astronomical price. The fluid is made from crushing and mixing high quality magic stones together with rare mythical plants. Only noble families have the privilege to use it.¡±

    I fell on the chair deflated. I was so excited hearing we found a way back. Did fate really have to screw our asses this hard?

    ¡°But there¡¯s an alternative way of getting the qualifications to enter the gate¡­¡±

    ¡°What is it¡­?¡±

    ¡°Get support from another noble family.¡±

    ¡°How will we even do that? We barely know anyone here.¡±

    She smiled meaningfully.

    ¡°Did you forget? I was a noble before as well. We were called the Redfields. I can introduce you to someone.¡±

    ¡°Really!?¡±

    ¡°Yes. A city ruled by one of my father¡¯s previous connections have been having trouble fending off monsters recently. The city is a trading point for all the territories. That means that supplies are abundant during delivery times. Villages from around the area send their crops to that city before the crops get sold to the kingdom. The monsters are quite aggressive when hunting down the carriages that has meat being delivered. You¡¯ll have to hear the rest of the details from the Count himself if you manage to meet him.¡±

    She then went ¡°Hm...¡± as if she was thinking of something.

    ¡°Can I ask something? What¡¯s your relationship with the princess in your group? Are you two close or is she just ordering you around?¡±

    ¡°Well, we¡¯re pretty close. We¡¯ve known each other for a long time now. I¡¯m her protector and knight.¡±

    Helen then rubbed her chin.

    ¡°If it¡¯s not a bother. Can I meet Princess Charlotte?¡±

    I nodded. She gave me this much information so a meeting shouldn¡¯t be a big deal.

    ¡°Before that though, have a drink.¡±

    She pushed the ale towards me.

    ¡°I¡¯m still 12...¡±

    ¡°What does that matter? Is the age of consent in your kingdom not 12 like in ours? You¡¯re such good company despite being a kid. Come on, drink it. I rarely let loose to keep up the image of a distinguished party leader.¡±

    I vehemently refused as she pressed on.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Clyde, who is this?¡±

    Charlotte asked with a stiff smile on her face.

    We were having lunch at the Inn¡¯s dining lounge. There is a hunting season going on so most nobles have left for that. The Inn had been quiet for the entire weekend.

    Erica was busy reading a book she bought a few days ago. Arielle was wolfing down her food unbefitting of a girl from a noble household. Nate¡¯s eyes were on Miss Helen¡¯s chest the entire time.

    ¡®They are fairly big indeed.¡¯

    ¡°Thank you for agreeing to meet me, your highness.¡±

    Helen bowed. She was still standing while we were seated. A kind of etiquette I guess.

    ¡°The title ¡®Your highness¡¯ has no power for me in this foreign nation, miss. Can you tell me why you asked for a meeting?¡±

    Charlotte cut into the pork and put a tiny piece into her mouth.

    Helen smiled wryly.

    ¡°Well actually¨C¡°

    ¡°Please get to the point, miss. We¡¯re awaiting an important message from an information guild. It can arrive anytime so we have to be ready.¡±

    ¡°Actually, princess.¡± I spoke to Charlotte, ¡°We found a method already.¡±

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    All four of them looked at me.

    ¡°I-Is that true¡­?¡±

    Erica asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡± Helen answered. ¡°I believe it¡¯s unwise asking information from a guild like that.¡±

    ¡°Why is that?¡±

    ¡°They already know the answer to your questions. They¡¯re just stalling to squeeze more money out of you, your highness. Common folk or foreigners always fall victim to their schemes.¡±

    Charlotte clenched her fists stealthily.

    ¡°Really now¡­?¡±

    Her voice sounded sharp and cold.

    ¡°Then, can you tell me what you know?¡±

    Helen then recited what she told me.

    ¡°Something like that huh¡­ The United Empire¡¯s technology was well sought after so it¡¯s not surprising that other nations are replicating it like we have. I¡¯ll handle the meeting with the noble. Clyde, can you accompany me?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    Charlotte then smiled again as she looked at Helen.

    ¡°So? Can I hear your business now, miss? Your information is appreciated so whatever you need shall be granted if it¡¯s within my limited power.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Helen bit her lips and then knelt.

    She raised her head and looked into Charlotte¡¯s eyes. Her eyes were filled with determination.

    ¡°Please allow me to become your knight as well, your highness.¡±

    Her declaration caught me off-guard.

 Chapter 31: Confession

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    I reflectively exclaimed.

    Charlotte¡¯s brows were raised a little.

    ¡°Why would I appoint a second knight when I already have a capable knight with a lot of potential for the future? Not only is he someone I trust but he¡¯s also stronger than you.¡±

    Charlotte¡¯s tone sounded fed up.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Speak. I do not simply appoint someone as my guards just because they are strong. What if that snake Olivia gives you an even juicier offer? Won¡¯t you kill me then without hesitation?¡±

    Charlotte pressed on as her eyes narrowed further.

    ¡°That won¡¯t¨C¡°

    ¡°Miss, I¡¯ve done this before in the past when I was na?ve. That ended up becoming the third attempt at my life¨C¡°

    ¡°Princess.¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    Charlotte glared at me when I spoke.

    ¡°I trust her.¡±

    ¡°Clyde.¡±

    She massaged her forehead.

    ¡°People don¡¯t usually trust others so easily, I know that. But the two days I¡¯ve spent in her party, I¡¯ve noticed the honest person she is. I believe she¡¯ll be a reliable ally in the future. I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll just blatantly kill a person just because the a bigger shark offered better prey.¡±

    Just like when she let out her feelings about Jered without hiding anything. Sometimes a person with an honest personality can be ruthless. They¡¯ll tell you all your faults without knowing how you feel. I also thought she¡¯ll be useful to Charlotte in many ways.

    Charlotte silently looked at me. She sighed after a while.

    ¡°On one condition, Miss Helen.¡±

    Helen¡¯s eyes sparkled.

    Charlotte¡¯s slender finger pointed to Arielle.

    ¡°If you can win against her then I will make you my knight.¡±

    ¡°Hey! Why must you include me in this!? Can¡¯t you just accept and be over with it!?¡±

    Arielle screamed while holding two drumsticks in her hands.

    ¡°As Clyde said. I can trust her. But the issue is how she will protect me in the future. How strong is she compared to someone that is called a prodigy in swordsmanship?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not...¡±

    Arielle¡¯s sentence blurred at the end.

    ¡°Alright. Fine.¡± Arielle sighed.

    ¡°Thank you, Arielle.¡±

    The two of them usually argue whenever the chance arises. It was a first seeing her agree to Charlotte¡¯s requests.

    ¡°So when will the battle take place?¡±

    Miss Helen asked after dusting her knee off.

    ¡°Obviously it¡¯ll happen now. I want to see your full power so I can prepare to improve your weaknesses should you have any.¡±

    Charlotte wiped her mouth with the napkin and threw it on the plate.

    She gracefully got up and walked to the counter.

    ¡°We¡¯re checking out. Please look after our luggage.¡±

    ¡°Certainly.¡±

    The servant bowed and accepted our keys.

    We exited the Inn. Erica said she wasn¡¯t interested in the result. She shows indifference to a lot of things so I wasn¡¯t surprised.

    ¡­

    ¡°Are you ready?¡±

    Nate held up his hand as he looked at the two. He insisted on being the referee of the duel so we agreed.

    We came to an open plain near the forest. Nate and I melted the snow so both of them could have even footing when they fight.

    I finished blowing the ground dry using wind magic.

    ¡°Start!¡±

    WHOOOSH

    RUMBLE

    Just when Nate swung down his hand, both of them immediately exerted a powerful force from their bodies. Miss Helen was glowing like she was back in the dungeon. A blue light was seeping out of her sword.

    Arielle¡¯s entire body was exuding a silver aura. Her long hair was waving as if they were silvery flames.

    Both lowered their bodies, ready to jump.

    WHOOOSH

    CLANK

    ---!

    In a blink of an eye, Miss Helen appeared in front of Arielle and swung her sword. Maybe due to being used to Arthur¡¯s inhumane speed, Arielle blocked the strike reflectively. Surprise only appeared on her face for a second before she glared at her opponent again.

    CLANK

    CLANG

    Helen went for an overhead strike.

    ¡°What!?¡±

    Arielle¡¯s sword struck air. Her silhouette faded away and then Helen appeared at Arielle¡¯s side. A feint for the actual attack huh.

    ¡°Kuh!¡±

    Arielle¡¯s body released more silver aura making the ground crack underneath. But that didn¡¯t stop Helen from going in to attack.

    I activated a barrier to ward off the shockwaves. The thing was sucking my mana by the second. I looked towards my right where Charlotte was standing.Stolen story; please report.

    Her face was full of shock and disbelief. Her tone was so sharp and her face was cold when she was speaking with Helen. Now her entire demeanour was collapsing as she watched the two fight.

    In the past, she also asked Arielle to become her knight but she refused. She wants to choose a different path for the sword instead of becoming someone¡¯s dog.

    -¡°Many of the students in my class wants to be like the Sword King, Alucard. What¡¯s so great about a guy that received all that power from the gods? Has he ever worked hard in order to do something? No, just a flick of his wrist could split an entire ocean. I¡¯d rather create my own path.¡±

    Arielle¡¯s words were unexpected. What different path will she take, I wonder.

    My future self said that Arielle will achieve great things when she gets older. That old man better fill me in on the details of the future the next time I see him.

    ¡°[Lightning Sword]!¡±

    Miss Helen¡¯s saber glowed purple followed by a cacophony of chirping noises. The two of them already took distance and are powering up their skills to take each other head on.

    I sensed disturbance in the forest as the smaller critters moved deeper into the forest.

    Arielle¡¯s sword also vibrated as it released condensed energy.

    The two¡¯s conflicting powers was so powerful that I even felt it from behind the barrier.

    BOOOM

    BOOOM

    WHOOSH

    ¡°STOP!¡±

    A roar came from my side.

    Charlotte stepped forward.

    Arielle and Helen both had their blades at each other¡¯s necks.

    ¡°I remember what I said. But¡­¡± She looked at the two of them and then at the destruction they caused, ¡°I think that¡¯s enough.¡±

    Arielle sighed and sheathed her weapons.

    Miss Helen¡¯s breathing was far worse than Arielle¡¯s.

    I looked to Charlotte.

    ¡®She knew Helen would¡¯ve lost but still stopped the match.¡¯

    ¡°I shall accept you as my second knight, Miss Helen.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    ¡°Please pack your things and come to the Inn. If I succeed as queen in the future then you will be my second guardian. Do not disappoint me.¡±

    Charlotte walked away gracefully.

    Helen had a relieved smile on her face.

    ¡°Thank you, your highness.¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°So this will be what I¡¯ll be doing for the time being? Taking care of her?¡±

    Helen whispered to me as she came in with a bucket of water. Charlotte elegantly took off her boots.

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    I didn¡¯t do anything like this though¡­

    Charlotte spoke after she placed her boots on the ground.

    ¡°As no danger is currently near us, I believe it¡¯s only fitting for me to enjoy my luxuries. You¡¯ll be compensated, after all.¡±

    She laughed with her hand on her mouth and held out her glass. I quietly poured the juice.

    I stepped to the corner of the room as I watched Helen wash Charlotte¡¯s feet in the bucket she brought.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think just because I accepted you that I already trust you to protect my back. For you to stand equal to Clyde, you must work even harder. You must remember that you are not ordinary guards. The palace will be the most likely place that I want you to protect me.¡±

    She held up two fingers. Her index and middle finger.

    ¡°First, there are multiple passages hidden in the walls and secret rooms that only few know about. I do not know how far my enemy¡¯s claws has sunk into the noble circle yet. If the current acting queen managed to bring the old nobles to her side then all my secret passages can also be discovered. That would force me to move out of the palace since I could be killed from any direction.¡±

    Secret passages are used during emergencies. For example, if there were murderers indiscriminately killing the royal family members or court nobles then the victims can escape using the tunnels. Charlotte showed me one the other day when I visited the palace. Of course the king saw it as nothing but kids playing around but Charlotte had a different goal.

    She appeared childish to her parents and the rest of the people outside her own faction. They would regret underestimating her.

    ¡°As for the second. The good thing. Using Clyde¡¯s genius, I asked one of the mage tower seniors for teleportation scrolls. Clyde learned these spells and placed about 6 runes around the Palace to outside the capital. If we had to use a last resort then that would be our best chance to escape with our lives.¡±

    She then said ¡°Assuming we manage to get back.¡±

    ¡°Wait, I need to go to the toilet.¡±

    She then stepped out the room with her feet still soaking wet.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with her?¡±

    I sighed.

    ¡°Would you believe me if I said she had stress?¡±

    ¡°At this age? Didn¡¯t the princess turn 15 a few weeks ago?¡±

    ¡°Being a princess isn¡¯t all about buying cute dresses and having authority. It also comes with responsibilities. She may be worried about all the things she has to do to win against her siblings.¡±

    She has been having a lot of health problems lately. We visited a doctor in this city and he said Charlotte had severe cases of stress. Even he was surprised to find that out. Lack of stomach acid in her belly, high blood pressure and less intake of food. She¡¯s been having frequent headaches as well and can¡¯t sleep properly without someone in the room. Arielle had to sleep with Charlotte for most nights.

    Each and every time during our three meals, she¡¯d eat at less than half the full course.

    ¡°I should¨C¡°

    Helen then got up.

    I stopped her.

    ¡°I think she¡¯d want to be alone. I know you feel worried as the eldest but empty words would mean nothing. I¡¯m also not an idiot to promise that I¡¯ll get her back when I¡¯m not strong enough. I¡¯d rather protect us all than do something beyond my limits.¡±

    Helen then bit her lip with a regretful expression.

    Charlotte was in the bathroom for a while before she came into the room again. Her face was full of sweat while her hair was a mess.

    ¡°Charlotte, are you¨C¡°

    ¡°I¡¯m alright, Clyde.¡±

    She cut me off. It was the kind of thing she¡¯d always do if she was irritated.

    ¡°Let¡¯s focus on the noble you mentioned, Miss Helen. Can you give me any of his likes and dislikes? If I know that then I can prepare suitable presents for the occasion. It¡¯s important for a general as well to have all the details before going into war.¡±

    Helen said that the noble¡¯s house name was Steinburg. The city we¡¯ll be going to shared the same name. They are a household that have a big role of protecting the border from enemy soldiers.

    Charlotte and Helen went into more detail which honestly bored me to no end. I asked if I could leave since I have no point being here.

    When I got out into the hall, I saw light coming from our room.

    ¡®Is Nate not sleeping?¡¯

    I opened the door and saw a girl sitting on my bed. Arielle. She was busy reading something.

    ¡°Huh? Arielle?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±

    She smiled and put the book down. She was wearing a night dress with a lot of exposure.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Nate?¡±

    ¡®Did he see her in this?¡¯

    ¡°I gently asked him to leave us alone for a while.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    I went towards the closet and took off my robe after taking off my gloves.

    My back was turned on her as I took off my shirt.

    ¡°Here we are. Safe. But I wonder if my whole family managed to survive. Chances are that they were scattered throughout the world just like we have. What if they managed to land in the Beast Zones? Father is a retired knight so I don¡¯t think he can defend himself completely. Mother can only cast spells in the Intermediate Low tier. While we are already preparing to go home, they could be suffering somewhere.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a chance they could be alive and well. I feel that way about my parents. Don¡¯t you feel the same?¡±

    I turned my head and smiled at her. I saw tears collect in her eyes.

    ¡®Without her foul mouth she is indeed a beauty.¡¯

    Long silky silver hair. Her silver eyes look like diamonds shining in the Sun. The body she trained for years could be considered better than any athlete in my world.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel alone, Arielle. I¡¯m still here.¡±

    ¡°Clyde.¡±

    I felt two arms wrap around my neck. Arielle¡¯s hot breath blew against my ear.

    ¡°U-Um, Arielle?¡±

    Arielle¡¯s hands touched my arms as she breathed against my neck.

    ¡°When all this is over¡­¡± Arielle then averted her eyes, ¡°Can we start a family together?¡±

    Her arms around me tightened.

    ¡°A-Are you serious?¡±

    She chuckled.

    ¡°Of course I am. I¡¯ve been thinking of ways to tell you how much I love you every day. I¡¯ve felt this way for a while... Mother said when I become 15 then the two of us can do it."

    She backed up.

    ¡°P-Please look¡­¡±

    I turned around and saw her lower the straps of her bra. Her entire face was beet red. It was the kind of defenceless expression I hadn¡¯t seen before.

    It was only a little bit then I would¡¯ve been able to see everything.

    Hesitation filled her face before she bit her lips.

    ¡°¡­As expected. Not yet¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s cuddle instead, okay?¡±

    She pulled me close to her body and stroked my head. I put my hands around her lower back.

    The two of us went towards the bed and hugged each other.

    ¡°This kind of makes us like fianc¨¦es, right?¡±

    ¡®Is it just me or does it sound like Arielle¡¯s breathing is like that of a wild beast?¡¯

    ¡°All we need are the rings. Hahaha¡­¡±

    I laughed awkwardly as I felt her warm body against mine.

    ¡°Huh? Arielle?¡±

    She gave me no response. I looked at her and saw her sleeping face.

    ¡®She must have exhausted herself a lot in the battle against miss Helen.¡¯

    ¡°Haa¡­ do you trust me that much?¡±

    She was so defenceless right now. I laid her down on the bed. She was turned to me as I gazed at her sleeping face.

    ¡®My heart is beating like crazy... When was the last time I felt this way...?¡¯

    I pulled Arielle close after covering the both of us with a blanket. She was the one who insisted we cuddle anyway. The night was cold, after all. Even now I could feel the cold of the rain outside. The blanket we had was thin and could barely provide warmth. I had to buy extra firewood earlier just so the room could warm up a little.

    I held Arielle¡¯s hand and kissed it. Her hand was strong and hard but it undoubtedly had the warmth I sought.

    ¡°Maybe I wanted this too... To have a lover to comfort me and hold me in her arms.¡±

    I finally found someone like that.

    Before closing my eyes, I saw a smile on Arielle¡¯s face.

 Chapter 32: Water Spirit magic

    A white space spread throughout my eyes yet again.

    I¡¯ve been having these crazy dreams like this a lot lately. They keep repeating themselves.

    What is it this time?

    ¨CGeneral! The --- army has infiltrated our ranks!

    A squire dressed woman entered through the door when my vision warped.

    The ¡®general¡¯ was standing on a porch overlooking the entire army. I can¡¯t see the person¡¯s face or make out their voice. All their faces were blackened out.

    ¨CThat fucking Archangel just had to act like a little child. If we had her right now then this battle would¡¯ve already been over.

    She then let down her hair and then I gasped. Silvery white hair spread on her back. It reached all the way down until her lower back. She made her hair into a ponytail.

    ¡®Is that Arielle? Can¡¯t be right?¡¯

    The woman took off her military jacket and I saw all the scars and muscles on her upper body. She began putting on her armour.

    ¨CRecall all the troops. It¡¯s time for me to take care of the rest.

    ¨CUnderstood!

    The scene then changed after she grabbed her sword.

    ---!!!

    The general which I presumed to be Arielle had her chest pierced through by a black lance. The enemy holding her by the head looked just like the one I saw in my previous dreams.

    A tall muscular figure. Ash black miasma surrounding their body while the static prevents me from seeing their face and body.

    ¡®Are these the enemies the old man mentioned?¡¯

    ¨CHe and that child who uses black mana killed one of our most strongest warriors. I believe it¡¯s only right that I kill the one precious to him.

    With that the dark figure¡¯s hand turned into a sword.

    ¨CExcalibur!!

    But then a golden light swung down on him and crushed his shoulder. For some reason, I could see that person¡¯s entire body.

    Golden blonde hair, blue eyes, adventurer attire and a tall handsome figure. The sword in his hand was glowing gold with a dense energy spreading out of it. The entire horizon was bathed in its light.

    ¨CYou!!!

    ¨CAlucard...

    ¡®Huh? Alucard? The Sword King?¡¯

    He was one of the four heroes that defeated the Battle Demon God, Rodion along with the Great Sage Odette, Saintess Merlin and the other hero.

    He was the second strongest hero. The Saintess was far stronger than him in pure ability and skills instead of strength.

    ¨CYour treachery ends here, villain. As the servant of the great Goddess of Light, Sol. I...

    His entire body released power that could crush you just by touching it. I looked around and realised the other dark figures that were rampaging earlier are dead.

    No way, was he that fast?

    ¨CShall crush you! [Sword of Heaven]!

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    I took in a deep breath when I woke up. My arm was glowing white yet again. The glowing has reached my entire chest.

    ¡°Ugh.¡±

    I¡¯m never informed when those episodes will happen to me. It didn¡¯t have a time schedule. The last one happened four weeks ago and the first one was more than two years ago.

    I looked to my side.

    Arielle was still soundly asleep. She was still sleeping sloppily with her arms around my body.

    I put my hand on her inner thigh. She moaned in her sleep and unconsciously opened her legs.

    ¡®It should be fine right? I mean, she confessed to me last night.¡¯

    ¡°...You can¡¯t expect a growing boy to not be curious about a girl that¡¯s already an adult.¡±

    I lifted her night dress and touched her breasts from under the fabric.

    I could feel abs on her stomach. Her body was thick in all the right places while still being thin. I kind of liked the hard texture.

    Although I said I¡¯d wait for her, my puberty hormones were raging right at that moment.

    My hands softly gripped her butt and massaged it. It felt incredibly satisfying.

    ¨CKnock, knock. Clyde, are you awake? Are you not coming out? We have to depart soon.

    RattleThis tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Rattle

    Erica¡¯s voice came from the door. She was pushing the door violently as if she was impatient. I¡¯m pretty sure I didn¡¯t lock the door last night. It must¡¯ve been Arielle.

    I hurriedly let go of Arielle¡¯s straps when I was about to lower them.

    ¡°...tch..¡±

    A soft click of the tongue entered my ears.

    ¡°Coming.¡±

    I sighed and put on my robe. I forgot to wear a shirt last night after what Arielle did.

    ¡®Ugh, now I feel a cold coming.¡¯

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°We¡¯ll be heading to the city by noon. Please buy any necessary items you may need before we embark on our journey to the city.¡±

    Charlotte told us as we ate our breakfast.

    ¡°As a non-combatant, I will stay at the lord¡¯s mansion. I¡¯ve calculated multiple plans to handle the hordes of monsters that appear near the plains.¡±

    She took out a map and spread it on the table. It had markings of monster sites on it.

    Erica is our strongest combatant but her Holy Power isn¡¯t infinite . Even if she is this strong, she¡¯s still growing. She said It¡¯ll probably take a decade more before she can fully control all her power. Things are never convenient in this world.

    ¡°Clyde and I will talk with him.¡±

    All of us left the Inn after the meeting. Arielle asked if the two of us could go together. Of course I agreed. We held hands as we walked through the snowy streets of the Habsburg Capital city. The snow fell on top of our heads as we walked.

    We might¡¯ve looked like an innocent couple that recently got engaged. Arielle looked so happy and wore a smile I rarely see on her stoic and menacing face.

    ¡°Hey, Clyde.¡±

    On a bench, overlooking the sea. Arielle spoke to me as we ate our ice cream.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    When I replied back I saw Arielle¡¯s red face was in front of me.

    She puckered up her lips with her eyes closed.

    With no hesitation, I kissed her. She was really sloppy since she bit me multiple times. After ten seconds, we pulled away. Arielle was gasping for breath.

    ¡®I just took her first kiss...¡¯

    ¡°S-since we¡¯re l-lovers anyway, it should be alright to k-kiss, right?¡±

    She fidgeted and averted her gaze.

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    I smiled and held her hand as we finished our ice cream.

    I felt a fluffy feeling in my stomach when I held her hand.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°That city? Are you kids sure?¡±

    The coachman said in disbelief after we told our destination.

    ¡°Yes. We are sure.¡±

    ¡°That city is already a warzone, you know? Merchants have to use secret tunnels to transport supplies. Those everlasting waves of monsters might get you killed.¡±

    He then went silent when Charlotte held up five gold coins.

    ¡°Ahem, I guess I could pull a few strings. You can climb on board in the meantime.¡±

    He called to his friends and gathered them together. I wasn¡¯t sure what they were discussing. He kept pointing at our group while shouting something to them.

    In the end of their discussion, all of them nodded with serious expressions.

    We already placed our luggage on the carriage. Helen will be riding a horse to look for any danger on our way there.

    We departed a while later and then night-time arrived. Erica and Nate was already asleep.

    Arielle joined Helen for night watch.

    ¡°By the way...¡±

    Charlotte started speaking as she looked at me.

    ¡°How long has that relationship between you and Arielle been going on?¡±

    Her eyes were narrowed as she folded her arms.

    ¡°Eh... last night she confessed...¡±

    I laughed awkwardly.

    ¡°I want you to understand that my safety is the most important thing when we arrive back at the kingdom. It is a crucial time where my siblings will act regardless of the consequences. I do not want you distracted.¡±

    She glared at me.

    ¡°I appointed you as my knight because I feel safe when I¡¯m with you. You could have refused my offer back then even if I¡¯m against it. If you were too distracted with love during my critical times and I end up injured then you should be prepared for the consequences. You already know that great rewards can be given to you if I become queen. My life as the legitimate daughter of¨C¡°

    ¡°Charlotte...¡±

    She flinched when I called her by her name.

    ¡°Just because Arielle and I promised to start a family doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll ignore my duties as your knight. We¡¯ve known each other for a while now so I can tell that you¡¯re worried. I won¡¯t leave.¡±

    Her head was lowered as she gripped her dress. I put my hand on hers.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry for being so meddlesome...¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll all be there for you princess.¡± Arielle¡¯s head peeked though the window.

    ¡°Hiirk! How long have you been standing there!?¡±

    ¡°Pretty much the entire time through your complaints about our relationship which has barely begun yet.¡±

    Charlotte¡¯s face was bright red in embarrassment.

    ¡°Look at you acting flustered. You should rest now. You don¡¯t want your drowsiness to affect the negotiations tomorrow.¡±

    With that Arielle left again towards her assigned guard post.

    ¡°Rest now, princess.¡±

    She nodded silently and laid down after I spread out the blankets. I left the carriage since only the girls should sleep there. The coachman we sleeping in his own tent while we had ours set up.

    I called Undine when I went deep into the forest.

    ¨CYes master?

    ¡°I want to train my water magic. Is there a pool of water nearby?¡±

    Undine¡¯s face then brightened.

    ¡°Please follow me!¡±

    Since my mana hasn¡¯t completely recovered yet, I can only use spirit magic against monsters. I¡¯m thankful that Helen and Charlotte aren¡¯t mages. Nate¡¯s magic ability is too weak to sense a difference between mana natures.

    I haven¡¯t had free time to train my spirit magic. Tonight was the perfect time to sneak out.

    ¡°Okay. Here we are.¡±

    Undine brought me to a lake.

    ¡°I wonder how good my efficiency is.¡±

    My arm then began glowing white and spirits instantly gathered around me.

    ¡°Why not try lifting all the water?¡±

    Undine then said something absurd.

    ¡°Err... are you serious?¡±

    She nodded with a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯ll wake the rest of the water spirits up.¡±

    ~~~~¡ã¡ã¡ã

    Undine sang something in a language I couldn¡¯t understand. When she finished¨C

    WHOOOSH

    RUMBLE

    A large cluster of energy came in my direction. I thought it was an enemy but then heard the childish voices.

    ¡°This many...?¡±

    ¡°You are loved by the spirits as if you were a monarch just like me, master.¡±

    My body was so full of power that the drowsiness and fatigue I felt before instantly vanished. I felt like I could take on a whole army.

    ¡°Now, concentrate. You must have a purpose for calling the spirits. They are more than happy to comply as long as you have a reason. This time the goal is lifting all this lake¡¯s volume of water above the forest.¡±

    I closed my eyes and concentrated.

    ¡°Can you feel it, master?¡±

    Undine¡¯s hands were on my cheek. I could feel a type of warm energy entering my body through her hands.

    ----!!?

    ¡°I-I can feel it.¡±

    I could sense all the creatures in the huge lake.

    ¡°Good, good.¡± She stroked my head. ¡°Now imagine what I said earlier. The goal.¡±

    ¡°The goal is¡­¡±

    My endless stream of mana then mixed together with the lake¡¯s life energy. There was no rejection. As if the lake¡¯s own spirit was allowing me access to its body.

    ¡°Very good, master.¡±

    Undine circled around me as I had my eyes closed. She wrapped her arms around my neck and clung. Her hot breath reached my ear as she whispered.

    ¡°Now you¡¯re ready. Lift all the water using the spirits. Do not worry about the others. I have set up a barrier to not alert them.¡±

    RUMBLE

    RUMBLE

    A strong vibration rang out from the lake. The lake had bubbles rising from its surface. It looked like the lake was boiling as steam came out of it. But what is actually happening is that the water is condensing first. After a few more seconds a large volume of water rose from the lake. Followed by an even larger volume.

    Two minutes later¡­

    ¡°Holy shit!¡±

    I succeeded in lifting all its water. Even the sea creatures were inside it.

    ¡°See the amazing thing about being loved by spirits?¡±

    Undine chuckled.

    I looked at the huge and deep hole where the water was previously. It was so deep that I could barely see the bottom even though the moon was right above us.

 Chapter 33: Request(1)

    The large volume of water was high in the sky, blocking the entire forest.

    No one would probably believe me if I told them I did this on my first try.

    ¡°Well done~!¡±

    Undine hopped up and down with excitement causing her blue voluptuous chest to bounce as well.

    As I was pouring all the water back, Undine spoke next to me.

    ¡°Master this is very important so do remember it. We monarch spirits who are of the highest species have wills and a conscience. Now, look at this water spirit.¡± She held up her hand and then a little blue light bounced on her finger. ¡°They don¡¯t. They are influenced by the person who wields them. If the person performing the spirit magic has a pure heart like master does then naturally the spirits will be the same. However,¡±

    She let the spirit fly away.

    ¡°If you were to experience anger or any other negative emotion then it will influence the spirits inside your body. As I said, they are simple creatures influenced by their wielder. The angrier the wielder, the more emotions and strength the spirits have.¡±

    ¡°But isn¡¯t that a good thing? Powering up with negative emotions...¡±

    ¡°Master...¡± Undine¡¯s voice was serious unlike her usual cheerful self. I looked back from the lake at her and saw her sharpened blue eyes.

    ¡°If you were to feel absolute anger then the spirit mana core inside of you will either forcibly fully awaken or it¡¯ll be destroyed. It depends how much master can control its power. If it were the former then you will fully unlock the abilities of all the elements in this world but if it were the latter...¡±

    Undine averted her eyes.

    ¡°Then?¡±

    ¡°At your current level, you will die.¡±

    WHOOSH

    The cold night wind brushed my bangs into my face.

    ¡®I¡¯d seriously die if I experience absolute anger or any kind of strong negative emotion...?¡¯

    Undine¡¯s eyes were filled with sadness as she looked over the lake.

    ¡°Undine, did the past me¨C¡°

    She held up her hand and shook her head.

    ¡®Ah, that¡¯s right. The pact with the God code will destroy my soul if I listen to the future events.¡¯

    I could already tell by her sad expression even without hearing her answer.

    I died in one of the futures she saw. Then again, how many futures exist?

    ¡°When a time comes that you experience negative emotions, you shouldn¡¯t use the spirit magic at that moment. Please remember that.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes...¡±

    Her tone of voice and words were telling me that something like what she mentioned happened in one of the futures.

    ¡°Master, there is another power that you currently have besides spirit magic...¡±

    ¡°Eh? Seriously?¡±

    Undine smiled faintly.

    ¡°You possess the light attribute as well. Although only a percentage.¡±

    ¡°Huh? I have the light attribute!?"

    ¡°But you can only use a percentage of the light attribute. It¡¯s unknown why that is. Perhaps there¡¯s a purpose for your fated meeting with the Holy Saintess and this light attribute could be involved.¡±

    ¡°Can you teach me anything related to my light attribute?¡±

    Undine shook her head with a regretful expression.

    ¡°My limit is only water and gravity magic. It would be a different story if the light Monarch spirit gave me covenant over the light attribute. That¡¯ll allow me to unlock some of its powers.¡±

    ¡°Maybe Erica can help...¡±

    ¡°No, master. Keep this a secret. Having both light and spirit magic will not bear only good things but also bad things if it were revealed to the wrong people. Let us strengthen your existing abilities and focus on the light attribute in the future.¡±

    ¡°I guess I still need to work on my spatial magic.¡±

    ¡°Very well. As I am well-versed in gravity magic, I can be of some help.¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    Undine and I practiced until the sun rose. Even though I never got a bit of sleep, I didn¡¯t feel tired at all. It must be because the spirits in my body were so abundant in number. I could even use Lightborn two times before they were exhausted and left my body.

    My time limit has risen to 3 seconds at the moment. Undine told me that my technique can further be developed if I just train harder. Training during my childhood would be beneficial to the future.

    Will I be able to see a few seconds into the future? I want to make that possible using my talents. Senior Francis said that I have limitless potential for the future so I should be able to do something like that or perhaps similar.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    Being able to read an opponent¡¯s moves will be helpful if I fight a non-mage.

    Wiiiiing¡ª

    ¡°What the hell is up with this staff...?¡±

    Each and every time I use the staff, it would reject my power if I use spirit magic. This damn inanimate object!

    The density is coming from the gem crystal I bought from that hag¡¯s shop a few days ago. Even without magic perception, I could feel the power the giant crystal is giving off. I couldn¡¯t even shave it off to make it spherical because the blacksmith said that the energy released from it is too powerful.

    ¡®How am I suppose to use this thing then?¡¯

    Spirit magic is my trump card. How am I suppose to protect myself and my companions with normal magic alone? My normal core might be at the 5<sup>th</sup> phase but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that my spirit magic is my strongest card.

    ¡®Maybe it¡¯ll get better over time?¡¯

    I hoped so.

    ¡°Where have you been?¡±

    Arielle came up to me just as I exited the forest. She gave me a good morning kiss.

    ¡°Ah. I was training my spirit magic.¡± I whispered to her.

    ¡°All night?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re leaving now!¡±

    Just the a roar came from the carriage. The coachman was already packed and ready to go.

    We boarded the carriage soon after preparing all our stuff. When the spirits finally left my body, I fell down exhausted. Arielle lent me her lap to sleep on.

    I dozed off after burying my face in her legs.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¨CWe¡¯re here.

    As I slowly woke up, I heard distinct sounds. The sounds were similar to cries, screams and the slashing of metal.

    ¡°Clyde, wake up.¡±

    Arielle gently shook my shoulders.

    ¡°This is as far as I can go. You kids will have to defend yourself from now on. I did my part by bringing you to the underground entrance.¡±

    When I got up and rubbed my eyes, I saw a huge wall extending 10 metres. The massive defensive wall blocked the rays of the sun and set a shadow over us.

    I looked left and saw a cloud of dust and within it, I heard sounds of battle.

    ¡®That must be the monsters trying to enter the city.¡¯

    How many supplies must this city have to transform into such a danger zone?

    ¡°The civilians are still evacuating. There are monsters inside the city as well so you have to be careful not to run into any one of them.¡±

    The coachman left behind those words before leaving with the carriage.

    I pushed Charlotte behind me as I brought out my staff. After removing the cloth from the gem, I poured mana into it and casted a powerful wind spell.

    Arielle and Helen stood by either side of the thick steel door ready to open it. Nate finished his chant and pointed his hand towards the door as well.

    We both nodded.

    CREAK

    ¨CKIIIIII!

    Boom

    Boom

    Whoosh

    One large primate jumped from behind the door when Arielle and Helen opened it.

    Before it could jump towards us though, Nate and I fired our spells. My spell tore holes on its body while Nate¡¯s spell burned it alive.

    ¡°Phew. He wasn¡¯t kidding. These monsters are smart to ambush their prey.¡±

    Charlotte said as she stomped the primate monster with her heel.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Be on the look out for any more in waiting.¡±

    Nate and I spread out our raw mana into the surroundings. This will help us locate any enemies in hiding. A few creatures were scouting from the top of the city but other than that, there were no others.

    Erica¡¯s eyes were glowing golden also on the lookout. Since her light mana pool isn¡¯t as large as mine, we¡¯ll only be relying on her if a large and powerful monster emerges.

    ¡°No one is around...¡± Nate said next to me.

    ¡°I never expected the city to be this overrun. But we need to do this in order to get the lord¡¯s approval for usage of the Transportation gate.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m curious. What is your kingdom like?¡±

    Helen asked Charlotte. We were on our way to the middle of the city. The city lord¡¯s castle was standing there majestically in the distance. A huge barrier was warding off the flying monsters by shocking them.

    ¡°Our kingdom huh... Well, we have many excellent knights and mages. There is a organization of people that we call the heroes of our continent.¡±

    ¡°Heroes?¡±

    ¡°Yes. They are called the Order. The person I look up to and was to be like someday is the leader. Her name is Iris. Although my mana and swordplay is basically non-existent compared to her, I admire her leadership and seek to become like her. She doesn¡¯t use her power alone to keep her fellow members of the Order in check but ability to judge and leadership skills.¡±

    Charlotte had a nostalgic expression.

    ¡°It¡¯s because of them that our kingdom prospers. We only continue to grow bigger.¡±

    ¡°Hah. I wish that were the same for this kingdom as well.¡±

    Helen smiled wryly.

    ¡°The Habsburg family is near extinction. The only full blooded Habsburg left is the current Queen. She¡¯s only 12 years old and managed to show some ability in kingdom management. If it wasn¡¯t for her most loyal and powerful warrior ,Schwartz protecting her then she would¡¯ve been killed a long time ago. Some say that Her Majesty might revive the royal family by conceiving children with Schwartz. Either that or the entire lineage of the kingdom dies with her.¡±

    ¡°In short, it¡¯s over.¡± Nate said form the side. Helen nodded.

    ¡°That¡¯s why so many people are leaving the nation. I have no lingering attachments to a kingdom that¡¯s already dying.¡±

    ¡®A revolution may take place if that so-called Schwartz guy dies or is killed.¡¯

    There are a few republicans in the noble circle in our kingdom but they can¡¯t win against the nobility system. Charlotte is aiming to eradicate the republicans.

    I didn¡¯t notice that we already arrived in front of the castle gate. I was so absorbed in the conversation.

    ¡°What the hell...¡±

    Arielle cursed as she looked at all the monster corpses outside the gate.

    ¡®Seems this is the safest place in this city at the moment.¡¯

    ¡°You were the ones that contacted?¡±

    Just then, a voice came from the other side of the gate. A young knight was standing there looking at us in doubt.

    ¡°Yes. We are the ones that will take care of the monsters.¡± Arielle proudly said as she puffed out her chest.

    The young knight, still not convinced, brought us in regardless.

    ¡°There are currently many of the city¡¯s residents in the castle. I apologize on behalf of my lord that we cannot give you suitable accommodation.¡±

    He spoke we walked through the garden. You¡¯d expect flowers to beautifully stand out inside a garden. However, there was only blood and guts all around. The snow was stained with red.

    ¡°Those are the remains of the stronger monsters that managed to get through the magic defence set up around the perimeter.¡±

    The knight spoke as he saw where our gazes went.

    ¡°We¡¯ll clean everything once the monster are all dealt with.¡±

    CREAK

    When we entered through the main door which was the doorway to the Great Hall, many eyes gazed at us.

    ¡®So many people...¡¯

    There were many people of different races inside the Great Hall. Maids were running around distributing food to the people. I could see many young and elderly people.

    ¡°As you can see, we don¡¯t have much room. Watch after your things if you put it down. Who will be the ones to meet my lord?¡±

    Charlotte stepped forward.

    ¡°Me and my knight will meet with the lord.¡±

    ¡°Your knight?¡±

    He looked at her in confusion. She pointed to me. The young knight looked like he was about to laugh judging by the ridicule in his eyes.

    He shrugged.

    ¡°Very well. Follow me.¡±

    We handed our stuff to Arielle, Helen, Nate and Erica to look after. Everyone¡¯s eyes were on us as we walked up the stairs of the huge castle.

    The four of them chose a random spot near the stairs and sat down.

    I looked to the wall and saw many portraits of men posing with a sword wearing armour. These must be the current lord¡¯s predecessors.

    The young knight then came to a stop in front of a luxurious door with golden engravings.

    He turned to us.

    ¡°The lord is awaiting our ¡®saviours'''' arrival. Please head inside.¡±

    He bowed before leaving.

    ¡°Pretentious bastard. How dare he underestimate us just because we¡¯re children.¡±

    Charlotte¡¯s soft smile vanished.

    ¡°Huu... He¡¯s just a low ranking knight. Nothing to get worked up about.¡±

    She muttered to herself as I grabbed the door. After giving me a nod, I pushed open the door.

    ¡°Ah! Welcome my esteemed guest!¡±

 Chapter 34: Request(2)

    The fat noble wearing an extravagant white suit was busy eating a whole pork.

    He licked his pudgy fingers that were covered with sauce and wiped his mouth with a napkin. He tapped his plate with his cutlery which alerted the servants of his finished meal.

    The maids in the corner swiftly took all his plates and left the office.

    About twenty knights were inside the office which was similar in size to a classroom at the academy.

    All the knights present here were Count Steinburg¡¯s most promising and strongest guards. He had to take extra precautions since there were some parasite monsters that could even turn a normal human into a savage monster.

    The fat nobleman stood up and looked Charlotte up and down. No matter how he looked at her, she was but a frail pretty girl . Judging by her soft looking hands and milky white skin, she must¡¯ve never even held a sword in her hands before.

    But she was drop dead gorgeous. Being a noble, he can order any woman in this city to become his woman if he just throws money at them. That method had always worked.

    Charlotte had a maturing body that was pleasing to look at. Her face wasn¡¯t bad at all. She charmed many of the knights when she walked in.

    ¡°Please do not look at her with such vulgar eyes.¡±

    The boy behind her frowned when he noticed the noble eyeing Charlotte¡¯s body.

    ¡®Is this guy a lolicon? Well that doesn¡¯t apply in this world but it''s still creepy.''

    Count Steinburg chuckled and waved his hands to his knights that raised their swords. The boy dared to speak out of line when he was but a guest in this castle.

    ¡®I wonder how she tastes¡­¡¯

    ¡°Can we get to the point now?¡±

    Despite his vulgar behaviour, Charlotte seemed unfazed. She faced many men like him in the past after all.

    Clicking his tongue, Count Steinburg sat up straight on his seat.

    ¡®A feisty one. I like her.¡¯

    He wore a business-like smile.

    ¡°When are reinforcements coming along? We must make haste if¨C¡°

    ¡°There are none.¡±

    ¡°Hm? What did you say? You¡¯re saying this kid and the others downstairs are the warriors you mentioned?¡±

    The noble exclaimed in bewilderment.

    Charlotte nodded.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    A brief moment of silence descended. The knights and their lord started laughing loudly. The entire room was filled with their loud laughter. A few seconds later, all of them sharpened their eyes at her.

    ¡°Listen little girl, this is no time for jokes. Do you want me to throw you outside of my castle walls to be eaten by monsters?¡±

    Charlotte gritted her teeth. Speaking with a noble without her title of a princess was meaningless.

    ¡°My knight.¡±

    Charlotte addresses Clyde only with ¡°lord¡± when they are alone. When he is performing his official duties then she refers to him as her knight. The reason she calls him lord is to maintain a certain distance in their relationship. This is so that the two of them don¡¯t become too familiar with each other.

    Anything more than a friend is not allowed.

    ¡°Yes, milady.¡±

    He was standing behind her the entire time. After arriving at her front he bowed towards her.

    ¡°Show them why they shouldn¡¯t underestimate us.¡±

    Charlotte had a cold smile on her face.

    Clyde nodded and pushed his bangs out of his face. His green eyes turned blue as his power was released.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    WHOOOOSH

    Suddenly a cold breeze came from his body. The windows were tightly shut yet it was so cold that everyone shivered.

    Then¨C

    ----!

    ----!!!

    Thump...!

    Thump...!

    Many of the knights fell on their knees as a heavy pressure bore down on them. Charlotte was surrounded in a barrier so she didn¡¯t feel the affects of Clyde¡¯s killing intent with his full power. Spirit mana and his arcane mana. It was the force released from an 8<sup>th</sup> spirit mana grade core combined with a 5<sup>th</sup> grade core.

    Clyde then made eye contact with the count.

    ¡°Hiiiih!!!¡±

    The count fell from his seat as the boy with light brown gazed at him. The knights couldn¡¯t even pull out their swords from the suffocating atmosphere alone.

    How the hell does he have such killing intent, is what everyone was thinking.

    It was like looking at ¡®Him¡¯ again. The knight who swore absolute loyalty to the current queen of the Habsburg kingdom. Even looking into his eyes was bound to make anyone scared and imagine their death if they were to touch a single hair on the young queen, Elphemia.

    Clyde¡¯s mana felt so bottomless that the people with magic perception downstairs thought that about a hundred mages were releasing their mana into the air.

    Yet it came from a single boy. The knights who were proud in their strength felt helpless as they saw the endless mana seep out of the brown haired boy¡¯s body.

    Charlotte raised her hand signalling Clyde to stop. The heavy pressure instantly disappeared.

    After bowing again, he returned to Charlotte¡¯s back.

    The count was profusely sweating. The pressure disappeared as if it never existed.

    ¡°Can we discuss our plan of action right now, lord Steinburg?¡±

    The count nodded as he wiped the sweat from his face.

    ¡®This kid is a monster. How can a little kid like her have a leash on a mage as strong as him. Are they related?¡¯

    He made all sorts of assumptions but stuck to the story that she must have had something on him. Judging by her speech and mannerisms, she might¡¯ve been a child of a noble family and he might¡¯ve been her slave. But he had never heard of any families with blonde hair in Habsburg before.

    ¡°Good. First¨C¡°

    The meeting then began. Now that they knew the power they held, Charlotte could proceed with her original plan without complications.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    (CLYDE ASTLEY POV)

    We came out of the office and I noticed the sky had already turned dark.

    Charlotte had an exhausted look on her face. She took out a piece of candy and chewed on it.

    ¡°Things went well¡­¡±

    She muttered to herself.

    ¡°Well done, princess. Now all we need to do is rest.¡±

    I patted her shoulder with a bright smile.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ Let¡¯s go. The others must be sleeping.¡±

    ¡®Well, Erica isn¡¯t. She¡¯s been watching us for a while now.¡¯

    We entered the Great Hall once again. Some looked like they were unable to sleep. It made sense since they had the fear of the monsters invading the castle.

    Once morning arrives then Arielle, Nate, Helen and I will set out along with the count¡¯s knights and mages. We¡¯ll be heading into the forest¡¯s centre. A merchant that was heavily injured said that the source came from there since he passed by there once before. The monsters killed his entire family and only he managed to survive.

    Charlotte said that she¡¯ll be staying back at the castle. The count guaranteed her safety. I must¡¯ve frightened him good with my full power. To be honest, I was exhausted since I let out so much power. It was the first time I felt this way. Not physically tired but mentally.

    It wasn¡¯t even a second later when I laid down that I fell asleep.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°This route will be safer but also very long. Stick to the group unless you wander off!¡±

    The commander of our small unit shouted. He was the eldest son of Count Steinburg. A total of 100 people were gathered when we left the castle gates. Some were knights contracted to the count and the rest were volunteers from the city residents. Quite a few of them are capable fighters and mages.

    The mages were enlisted under my command while the knights followed the count¡¯s son. Arielle and Helen were serving as his second and third in command.

    Just like his dad, he was a mass of fat. Even the poor horse carrying him looked like it was about to collapse every few seconds. Our group was slowed down immensely because of this fat pig.

    ¡°There¡¯s a scouter.¡±

    One of the mages said as he infused mana into his eyes. A scouter didn¡¯t refer to a human but a monster.

    In other words, they are the lookouts for monsters. Why have monsters suddenly joined hands together?

    The scouter had two big beady eyes and a small mouth. It¡¯s the kind of thing you didn¡¯t want to flash a flashlight on in the dark. Its way to inform enemies is its unique cry which is similar to two turtles making love with each other.

    The sound itself isn¡¯t the problem. The sheer volume at which the scouter can shout, is.

    There were quite a few of them around. Many of the archers and wizards worked together to take them down.

    If they alert all the monsters in the forest then we¡¯re screwed.

    ¡°I sense a strong presence deep within the forest.¡±

    Arielle suddenly spoke.

    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t put my finger on it but the aura this particular monster is releasing is incredible. Should we assume it¡¯s the leader of the monsters?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Erica shook her head. ¡°This might be monster that¡¯s forcing the monsters weaker than it to do its bidding. There is a possibility that they are being manipulated with mind control as well.¡±

    She¡¯s been quiet for a while now. If the Saintess herself was so worried then it was necessary for all of us to put up our guards.

    Erica¡¯s role will be applying buffs to everyone. I had to lie and say that she¡¯s a Holy Priest from a fairly well-known temple. Even the people out here would cause a ruckus if they found out that she is the Saintess.

    Erica¡¯s [Blessing] can multiply your mana by two times the amount and magic attack power by three times at her current limit. Her buffs on swordsman can increase their muscle strength and agility. Nate did mention that that¡¯s how the two of them survived. His destructive fire magic could be utilized much better with her buffs.

    He kept asking me questions nonstop when he saw Erica heal my arm that day. It¡¯s good that he¡¯s trustworthy enough to be told this secret about her powers. She saved his life countless times too.

    Erica will be our trump card for the boss that resided in the forest.

 Chapter 35: Request(3)

    ¡°What the¡­¡±

    Hundreds of different monsters were surrounding a type of tomb.

    ¡®Are they perhaps protecting it?¡¯

    I saw a wolf demihuman who joined our unit scrunch up his nose when he sniffed. A low and unpleasant growl leaked out of his mouth.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I asked him after approaching.

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s a smell of death coming from the tomb. I¡¯m not sure what it is but its smell is definitely the smell of a corpse.¡±

    ¡°Corpse? There¡¯s an undead in there?¡± The commander came up to us when he heard us talking.

    ¡°That¡¯s highly likely, lord Steinburg. If it¡¯s a Lich then we¡¯re screwed.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true. They can summon many dead people as their offense and defence.¡± I said with a sigh.

    ¡°Everyone! There¡¯s a possibility of an undead being in there! Focus on protecting the priests! They will be exorcising it!¡±

    The commander screamed even though we were in hiding. Luckily, the monsters seemed to be making too much noise themselves.

    I took off the cloth from my staff and prepared to cast my first spell.

    I already told the commander that I will be launching my first attack. Surprise attacks works best with more firepower.

    [Lightning Dragon]. One of my many high rank spells. I always find interesting spells in the magic book Solphia gave me.

    I mumbled the chant and sent my mana up to the sky.

    Tsssssk

    Tsskkkk

    BOOM

    The monsters seemed to have noticed the ruckus since they were running around and looking for us.

    But one thing was certain¨CThey weren¡¯t moving from their position for some reason.

    ¡°Erica.¡±

    Erica got my signal and sent her power into my staff. The sheer scale and power of the spell increased immensely with her buff.

    The people with us were quiet for a second. The commander was the first to break out of his daze.

    ¡°When he drops his spell, we¡¯ll charge! Everyone understand!?¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±¡±¡±Yes, sir!!¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±

    The power output reached its limit. If I sent any more mana then it would cancel the spell. It¡¯s almost like filling up a storage unit to its maximum capacity. Sadly, this was the limit of the spell even with a buff.

    ¡°----!!!!¡±

    Along with the swing of my staff, dozens of manifested dragons roared and rained down on the monsters.

    RUMBLE¨C

    BOOM

    BOOM

    Huge tremors and shockwaves spread throughout the forest.

    A dust cloud formed from the charred remains of the aftermath. Hundreds of bodies laid around the snow. The ground and a lot of the trees were caught up in the spell and was destroyed.

    ¡°GO!!¡±

    With his shout, all members of the unit charged. The martial artists rammed the entrance and broke apart the boulder blocking it.

    Arielle, Helen, Erica , Nate and I were in the front. The entire cave was dark and misty. Even without the demihuman sniffing the enemy out, I could feel the touch of death in the mist that¡¯s low on the ground.

    ¡°Strange. I was expecting bodyguards to¨C¡°

    THWACK

    When the commander said in a confused tone, a sound of something slicing the air rang. I was then pulled down to the ground from the behind.

    ¡°GYAAAA! MY ARM!!!¡±

    ¡°T-The commander¡¯s dead!¡±

    Just when I looked behind me, I saw Arielle on top of me.

    ¡°Stay alert, Clyde. There are many traps.¡±

    She murmured and helped me back up.

    I looked around again to see what was the cause of the noise and saw multiple people¡¯s bodies on the ground. Some had missing heads while others were battered with a blunt object that flew out of the wall.

    The commander¡¯s head was freshly sliced off.

    ¡®What just happened?¡¯

    ¨CYou dare enter my home, humans?

    A cold feminine voice came from deep within the cave. The voice alone could tell me how strong the owner was.

    Arielle stood in front of me.

    ¡°Stay behind me from now on, Clyde.¡±

    ¡°O-Okay.¡±

    My eyes couldn¡¯t follow the activation of the traps so I¡¯m glad Arielle was with me. Helen seemed to have saved Nate in time too since he had a pale look on his face while looking on the ground.

    There were two arrows filled with poison in the ground between his legs.

    ¡®Yikes.¡¯

    Erica simply casted a divine barrier around herself.

    Anyways, we started advancing forward, ignoring the voice constantly telling us to leave. The people with us have no choice but to take care of this now. Whatever undead there might be had to be eliminated so they can take back their city.

    **

    As we walked, I saw a pale blue light up ahead.

    ¡®Strange, it wasn¡¯t night when we arrived so what is that blue light?¡¯

    As we got closer and closer, I began to feel the pressure of whatever was in there.

    ¡°¡­eh?¡±

    When we got through the light, I was blinded for a second before opening my eyes again.

    ¡®W-Whoa¡­¡¯

    Further up ahead, two red eyes were glaring at our group. The owner was a young woman with pale white skin and white hair. Her body looked like she had been in a coma for months without proper meals.

    The dress she was wearing was pitch black along with her heels. She would be considered beautiful if she didn¡¯t look like someone who had AIDS.

    She then began to speak.

    ¡°I warned you humans many times since you entered but you never listened. My hunger has been satiated so I was planning on letting you bugs leave anyway.¡± Her voice sounded childish now that I was actually hear her. ¡°You have tested my patience long enough.¡±

    With the flick of her wrist, a sword appeared in her hands. It was an ominous black sword with a red tint on its hilt. I squinted my eyes to look at the coffin on the ground next to her throne of bones.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Brynhildr?

    Is that her name?

    The knights and residents clutched their weapons and gritted their teeth.

    ¡°Despite the difference in our abilities , you insects still refuse to back down? Well, I can satiate my hunger for another 10 years before hunting humans again after killing all of you.¡±

    ¨C¡°Many people have been disappearing at night so others took refuge in my castle.¡±

    The count told us that in the meeting we held.

    ¡°Wait, were you the one that was kidnapping people?¡± I took a step forward but Arielle still stood in front of me.

    ¡°Kidnapping? What are you saying, boy? I drank their blood and dumped threw them over the mountain range.¡±

    ¡®Shit¡­ she really is a vampire.¡¯

    Vampires are known to have superhuman strength and agility that surpasses normal humans. They are more closely related to demons than undead even if they are technically not alive.

    Erica sent her buffs throughout the entire unit. Everyone roared with vigour and started attacking the young woman in the black dress.

    WHOOSH

    ¡°GYAAAH!¡±

    ¡°---!!!¡±

    ¡°AAAAH!¡±

    As she swung her sword, it left behind a blurry image because of how fast she was attacking.

    ¡®Fuck.¡¯

    A few were cut in half when they entered the range of her sword. She twirled around as if dancing and cut off a head with each of her swings. A few managed to survive longer against her power but were ultimately beheaded.

    ¡°We need to stop her before she kills everyone.¡±

    Arielle body exuded silver Ki causing her hair to flutter like a burning silver flame. She unsheathed her sword and took a stance in front of me.

    ¡°Clyde, cast one your strongest spells to assist once I make an opening for you to blast it at her.¡±

    I nodded and began chanting. I just learned this spell recently so I can¡¯t cast it chantless yet.

    [Trishula]¨CA water trident possessing the pressure of 10000 meters underwater. Undine taught me this a week ago. The spell can be used as a lethal missile weapon with its spiralling tip. It can be used as a melee weapon too but since I¡¯m a mage, that¡¯s a bad idea against that vampire.

    The only downside is that this cave had little water spirits so I could only use water spirit magic in small quantities. Since I was manifesting a powerful weapon like [Trishula], I could only use it once.

    ¡°I¡¯ll support.¡± Nate spoke and started chanting his own spell.

    His magic circles were larger than usual since Erica was supporting us from behind.

    Speaking of her, she was the perfect match for an undead like that vampire. The bad thing was that she was buffing everyone up at the moment so she couldn¡¯t attack the vampire. If she were to use her power to kill the vampire then she¡¯d exhaust herself. That would mean we¡¯d be attacked by monsters from all directions. I wasn¡¯t sure if we could make it out alive.

    I heard if mind control is broken forcibly then the affected will lose consciousness. We plan to kill the vampire and achieve that. That would give the knights and mages back at the castle enough time to kill those monsters. That was the original plan but as fate is a bitch we had to change plans.

    ¡°Clyde. Nate. Now!¡± Arielle shouted and dashed towards Brynhildr.

    The latter swung her sword when she saw Arielle approach.

    However, Arielle was but the distraction while the mages were the main force.

    ¡°!?¡±

    With a heavy rumble, countless spells flew in the vampire¡¯s direction. All the fighters fled from her as the spells came soaring through the sky. I threw mine a couple of seconds later.

    ¡°Humph!¡±

    The vampire just lifted her slim, white hand and spoke.

    ¡°Did you think spells of this calibre could kill me, a true vampire? [Break Magic]!¡±

    Along with her shout, all the spells instantly disappeared.

    ¡®That technique is almost the same as Mana Bending.¡¯

    The principles were far different but the uses were the same. Mana Bending breaks down the spell at its core. If the spell¡¯s core is broken down then there would be no structure maintaining the spell itself. That would cause the mana inside to break free, ultimately causing the spell to break apart.

    The technique she used broke apart the patterns of the magic circles supporting the spells. It was an excellent move against multiple mages while mana bending cannot be used agaisnt the same number of mages.

    She smirked mockingly before her face froze.

    ¡°I-Impossible!¡±

    My spell was still soaring towards her.

    ¡®Is it because it¡¯s spirit magic?¡¯

    Spirit magic does not need chants nor does it need magic circles. All I need to do is call for my spirits.

    ¡°Gyaaaaa!!!!!¡±

    The trident pierced her stomach and a sound similar to something melting came from the wound.

    ¡°AAH! What is this¨C!!!¡±

    Before she could finish speaking, Arielle and Helen both kicked her at the same time.

    Boom©\!

    She crashed against the cave wall.

    The entire cave shook. How powerful were those kicks of theirs?

    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t anger Arielle, ever.¡¯

    I sighed in relief since our attack was successful.

    ¡°You inferior humans¨C!¡±

    ¡®S-She¡¯s still alive!?¡¯

    A powerful gust of wind came from her direction. It swept all the smoke away revealing her figure.

    Her eyes glowed red and ominous black mana came from her body. Her fangs grew bigger along with her nails.

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you all!¡±

    Her figure then disappeared and then a thud came from my right. I saw a person whose head was sliced right off.

    ¡®Shit!¡¯

    I subconsciously stepped back. She was hiding this much power?

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to summon all the monsters here to kill you all. Forget about drinking your blood before killing you. I¡¯ll let the monsters eat you alive.¡±

    Her gaze then landed on me.

    She must¡¯ve remembered the attack coming from me. A vein popped on her temple.

    ¡°....!!!¡±

    With a strong jump from her legs, she flew towards me with her arms crossed.

    I was about to activate Lightborn but then a familiar silver haired girl came in front of me. Arielle.

    ¡°Out of the way, bug!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ll have to go through me before you lay your hands on him, undead bitch!¡±

    Clank¨C

    Shiiiing

    Arielle skilfully parried and blocked her menacing nails from reaching her. She was parrying instead of taking the attacks head-on.

    The others could only look at their fight blankly. I could tell it was only because of Erica¡¯s help that Arielle could somehow match the vampire.

    THUNK

    ¡°UGH!¡±

    But then Brynhildr punched Arielle aside using the black mana as arms.

    ¡®Shit. Using spirit magic on a large scale would break apart this cave.¡¯

    In summary, I was basically useless.

    Brynhildr then flew towards me again. Her steps were so powerful that it shook the entire ground.

    Just before she reached me, I used wind magic to forcibly push myself out of the way

    But her nails managed to my cheek. A scar opened up.

    I clutched it painfully as blood dripped down my cheek. An iron taste spread through my mouth.

    A lot of thumping noises came from outside. The monsters were here.

    The vampire got up shaking in rage once again. Her face was distorted.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    She started sniffing something.

    ¡°What is this intoxicating aroma?¡±

    She lifted her arm and sniffed her nail. Her eyes widened.

    ¡®Eh? She suddenly stopped attacking?¡¯

    She looked at me as she sniffed her nail.

    ¡°¡­Pure blood¡­¡±

    Her eyes then changed from red to purple. It looked like she was about to move towards me again.

    ¡°I think you should stop right here.¡± A sweet voice came from my side. Erica was standing there with her right arm pointed at Brynhildr. There was a light beam releasing dense energy on her fingertip.

    ¡°Erica¨C¡°

    ¡°Saving you will be more worth my time then saving all these useless fools that can¡¯t even fight against this trash vampire.¡±

    She said so with an emotionless tone. I never knew she could also be this cold. She¡¯s always so youthful and outgoing.

    Brynhildr said as she licked my blood on her nail.

    Her complexion then changed. Her body that originally looked like a dead person gained vitality. The skin that looked pale turned milky white and healthy.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Why did she stop attacking?¡±

    The people around us were also confused.

    ¡°T-Truce¡­¡±

    ¡°Truce?¡±

    Brynhildr suddenly spoke.

    ¡°Yes. I will let you leave¡­ if¡­¡± She pointed her finger at me. ¡°If you stay by my side.¡±

    WHOOSH

    The wind was the only sound as silence dawned on us. Even the footsteps of the monsters were gone.

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    Her black mana then vanished into thin air.

    ¡°You shall stay by my side as I consume your blood to keep on living. Do you accept? To vampires, a human with pure blood is far too valuable to kill¨C¡°

    ¡°Are you fucking kidding me!? You must be crazy in the head! There¡¯s no way you¡¯re taking him! He¡¯s mine!¡±

    Arielle screamed as she got up with one arm dislocated. She then popped it back into place with no hesitation.

    ¡®Did that not hurt?¡¯

    Erica¡¯s eyes were also dangerous and they glowed in a golden colour.

    ¡°P-Please listen!¡±

    Brynhildr then got flustered.

    ¡°F-For vampires we must consume pure blood to stay healthy. The trash blood I¡¯ve been consuming makes it harder to survive. To survive on their blood, I must consume more!¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s still no way I¡¯m staying here! You already killed so many people! And for what? Blood!?¡±

    Did this vampire grow retarded during her long lifespan?

    ¡°T-Then¨C¡° She put her finger on her lip. ¡°Blood Sacrifice.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Give me a portion of your blood then I shall let you leave. You must know that you can¡¯t survive all those monsters outside, right? Right?¡±

    ¡®Is it just me, or does she look desperate?¡¯

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Silence loomed again.

    ¡°How much?¡±

    ¡°20%¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t I die!?¡±

    ¡°For someone with your quality of blood, that should be replaced within a day.¡±

    ¨CIt¡¯s true, master. It¡¯s actually good that she brought this up. I would¡¯ve used anything in my power to help you escape if things went the wrong way. The cave might collapse but that would be solved with the Lady Saintess barrier. Although, casualties above the agreed limit will be lost.

    Yeah. We were trying to avoid more casualties. That¡¯s why using spirit magic was stupid when I didn¡¯t even have full control of it yet. There¡¯s not much water so my power would only be limited to collapsing the cave using the water in here. Thereby crushing the vampire.

    My mana from that time with our fight with the dragon still hadn¡¯t recovered enough to manifest water the same way as before.

    Erica¡¯s current barrier would only be able to save 20 people. There¡¯s a chance that even if we succeed then the Count would refuse to give us something as valuable as a teleportation gate pass. There¡¯s about 70 people left now.

    ¡°We accept.¡±

    ¡°Clyde!?¡±

    Both Erica and Arielle looked at me.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the only way to avoid more casualties then that¡¯s fine.¡±

    I rolled up my sleeve.

    Brynhildr smiled in satisfaction.

    ¡°Before that. How do I know you won¡¯t just kill the others?¡±

    ¡°Believe it or not. Vampires have pride in their promises to the ones with pure blood. It is said that if we break it then our heart will stop and our souls will collapse. That was the curse of the first Vampire Lord herself.¡±

    ¡®I wonder what pure blood is.¡¯

    Brynhildr fetched a cup from her coffin. It looked oddly cute how she held it with both hands in anticipation.

    ¡°Mmm~¡±

    Her fangs dug into my skin and she began draining my blood. I felt a sensation similar to something flowing out of me. It wasn¡¯t that unfamiliar.

    After a few seconds of greedily drinking, she let the blood from the wound fall into the cup.

    Drip¨CDrip¨CDrip

    She smiled in satisfaction when the cup was full. I felt a bit drowsy when I rolled my sleeve back down.

    ¡°You may go.¡±

    She waved her hands and then the wave of monsters standing by the cave entrance instantly made a path to walk through.

    ¡°I will keep my promise and send those monsters away from the city. I hope to see you again, pure blooded human.¡±

    She said with a seductive smile.

    ¡®I hope that day never comes.¡¯

    I sighed in relief. It might not have been perfect but we managed to succeed.

    I could feel Brynhildr¡¯s eyes were on me the entire time before we exited through the entrance.

 Chapter 36 part 1: Conference(1)

    ¡°Did you find anything?¡±

    El asked her husband after he entered the house and put his bag down.

    He shook his head with a defeated sigh. It had been well over a few weeks ever since the mysterious ¡°Half¡± or ¡°Divide¡± incident occurred. This name refers to what happened to the kingdom and some of its people. Half of all the kingdom¡¯s land and resources had disappeared from the face of the continent. Many people also disappeared along with it.

    Clyde Astley. Arielle Luxembourg. Third royal princess Charlotte Rosemary Colchis. These are three of the many that disappeared without a trace.

    ¡°...¡±

    Eleanor held her hands on her face as she cried. Her two six year old daughters, seeing their mother sad, went up to her and patted her hair with their small hands.

    They¡¯ve already thought about the worst possibility. What if he¡¯s dead? What if he¡¯s in a land that¡¯s impossible to reach through normal means? Or even worse; what if he landed on the Demon side of the continent ruled by demon lords?

    The current king was also going through the same turmoil as El and her husband. Charlotte¡¯s mother¡¯s illness has even worsened after she heard her daughter disappeared.

    Duke Luxembourg gave George multiple soldiers to aid in finding their children but it bore no fruit. It would take months to get permission to cross the Republic¡¯s lands. Even the king had to wait that duration because of the damn republicans. If anything ,they are happy that a potential successor to the throne is missing and that the kingdom lost half its land. This greatly weakened their opponent and allowed an opportunity to strike to appear.

    Philip Colchis received help from the Holy Kingdom¡¯s matriarch. She and Melodia were close friends so she wasn¡¯t reluctant to aid the kingdom while the queen was bedridden.

    Due to that aid, the kingdom managed to recover, albeit slowly.

    Thankfully, not a lot of their military was damaged by the ¡°Divide¡±. The council called for a conference to hear what happened from the leader herself.

    They already told the public what happened but left a few things out. They only said that the enemy was powerful enough to be a threat to the entire continent.

    Eleanor and George went to attend the event.

    Clark, the Spear God who was the representative speaker informed everyone of an enemy even they could not defeat.

    Although they couldn¡¯t catch him for his deeds. It was now the ideal time for everyone member of the Order to undergo their training to improve themselves.

    Every nation considered training important if there were more enemies like Zero in this world.

    **

    ¡°This is her...?¡±

    In the Sky Fortress reception room.

    Philip Colchis was reading a report of the ¡®incident¡¯ that recently took place. The sword ¡®Heaven Piercer¡¯ had finally found its wielder.

    It was a boy named Arthur. He comes from Duke Luxembourg¡¯s house and underwent training at the knight order recruit camp.

    For some odd reason his gender changed right after he took the sword. After the surrounding witnesses looked at the boy glowing with a bright light, a beautiful maiden wearing a white robe and a golden tiara was holding the sword.

    Breath-taking. That was the word to describe her beauty. The girl looked about 18 years of age compared to her previous gender which looked 13 at the most.

    ¡°What is this...?¡±

    Philip had a look of disbelief on his face. Not only had someone finally managed to wield that sword, but they even switched genders? Magic to change your gender must be ranked in the Upper High rank. That is magic right below God Rank.

    There are no mages capable of casting magic like that in this kingdom.

    Transformation magic exists but it still had flaws like being unable to copy another person¡¯s voice. It also had many limitations.

    ¡°That¡¯s concrete evidence supporting what happened, your majesty. She is currently resting at my manor.¡±

    Duke Luxembourg was the one in front of the king. After he heard what happened to the kingdom, he hurried to the palace to offer his help and resources. And yet another incident happened which involved that boy that came to his residence years ago.

    ¡°What is she doing at the moment?¡±

    The king put down the documents.

    ¡°He¨CShe is currently resting so I couldn¡¯t get out any information. Her physical condition is good even though she¡¯s been asleep for a whole week already without receiving food or water.¡±

    Many of the nobles of the court whispered amongst themselves. They were also awaiting permission to enter the conference hall.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Even the White Order¡¯s two leaders Eredhel and Iris were interested in this mysterious woman that took the boy¡¯s form. The sword was in her possession which meant she was the one worthy of it.

    They didn¡¯t know how to react to this incident. Many suspect that it¡¯s a fluke and that she¡¯s an agent sent by the Republic.

    Many others disagree with this since the boy grew up in this kingdom and even trained under the Knight Corps.

    There were a lot of arguments over what was the truth of this incident.

    Is she an enemy? That was the question on everyone¡¯s minds right now.

    Chances are that she¡¯s as strong if not stronger than some of the members of the White Order. If she managed to lift the sword of legend and she¡¯s not an enemy of their nation then they might have already found a new member of the White Order to fill in the 9<sup>th</sup> seat.

    *

    ¡°Did you beat him up at least?¡±

    A familiar old voice spoke to Iris when she was about to turn a corner.

    ¡°No, master.¡±

    Iris fell on her knee and bowed her head.

    The woman who she called her master sighed.

    It was a few weeks ago that Iris called her.

    -Please help me train.

    The woman before Iris was the one who was one of the Sword Kings of the continent.

    Rosetta.

    Even at the age of 60, she was still as strong as she was in the past. No, after living so long and polishing her skills she could even be stronger than the younger Rosetta.

    Her first debut was during the war that happened 45 years ago. It was the war against demihumans.

    Many powerful warriors from the beast tribes fell before her power.

    Rosetta¡¯s name struck fear in the hearts of many. She was one of the few who was able to ascend to the Master realm in swordsmanship.

    ¡°I¡¯ll scold you later. The council is waiting.¡±

    Rosetta pushed open the two large doors. What appeared behind the doors was a clear view of the sky.

    They were in the Sky Fortress that was located right above the Red Abyss dungeon. It was built there to make it impossible to enter through normal means. Even flying over the sea is forbidden since S rank monsters could potentially try to hunt you.

    The Sky Fortress is a stronghold that is used to house national threat prisoners. If Zero was defeated then they would¡¯ve brought him here as well.

    Iris could see her fellow members who were already standing at the corner of the room. All of them had their heads lowered in shame.

    The powerful heroes of the continent lost to the enemy. This was a disgrace in the face of many who aspired to be like them.

    Many lost their trust in the White Order after what happened.

    The conference members all turned towards the door when it opened.

    Their eyes instantly sharpened when the leader of the White Order came in. Iris faced their animosity head on without flinching. It was her fault for not being able to protect their kingdom.

    ¡°Iris.¡±

    Rosetta looked at her.

    ¡°Do not feel ashamed. All they did was sit behind their desks while they ordered people around. All of you did what you could against someone of Zero¡¯s might.¡±

    ¡°Yes...¡±

    Rosetta went to the corner of the room.

    All of the continent¡¯s leaders were present.

    The Mage Association.

    The Holy Paladins of the Holy Sol Kingdom plus the matriarch.

    The Council members that included all the monarchs.

    The scholars of the Graponia Royal Academy.

    Three nations¡¯ leaders were gathered there. The demihumans, humans and elves. Since the dwarves seclude themselves from the rest of the world, they were not present.

    ¡°Your report, Iris.¡±

    A warm and gentle voice spoke to Iris. It came from the Holy Queen, Rosalinda IV. She was a woman with golden blonde hair and green eyes. Her curvy body could be seen above her white robe. A crown rested on top of her head.

    Two individuals wearing white cloaks with their faces covered were beside her seat. They were the Holy Paladins.

    Iris nodded.

    ¡°The enemy...¡± Iris looked at everyone present before speaking. ¡°Can use god rank magic.¡±

    The entire conference room was thrown into disarray. The ones who made the most noise were those from the Mage Association.

    ¡°God rank!? We have to fight an enemy on the level of the Great Sage!?¡±

    Fear was seen on the robed man¡¯s face.

    It was unthinkable for any god rank mages to exist within this world. Odette who heard Iris closed her eyes with a sigh.

    ¡®They came earlier than I predicted...¡¯

    She used Destiny Magic to send herself 150-200 years in the future. She was certain that that was the expected timeframe for them to arrive.

    ¡®What changed...?¡¯

    She quietly listened to Iris who spoke again.

    ¡°I know that it sounds preposterous but it¡¯s true. He used two spells of that rank so far. First, it was the spell he called [Ra]. The spell was the reason the Divide happened. The second one was when he summoned those meteors using large magic circles. Miss Viria confirmed that magic circles of that scale was something no normal person could summon...¡±

    ¡°Weren¡¯t all of you supposed to be 8<sup>th</sup> stage mages and Master Rank!? How the hell were you so weak against one 9th rank mage!?¡±

    Another person shouted.

    The White Order could be called the heroes of the continent. They were the ones tasked to protect the people against disasters or fight against the Magic Empire who had their own powerhouses.

    ¡°I...¡±

    Iris lowered her head.

    Another person spoke.

    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t think a 9<sup>th</sup> stage mage could be dealt with just because they were 8<sup>th</sup> stage and master rank.¡±

    It was the Holy Queen.

    ¡°There¡¯s a significant gap between how powerful an 8<sup>th</sup> rank mage is compared to someone of the Great Sage¡¯s level. All of you know her legend, right?¡±

    She was a mage herself and studied magic during her youth. Rosalinda knew quite a bit about the nature of magic.

    ¡°This is why we have a magic system. It is to determine how powerful the individuals are that we rank. God rank is something on the level of gods.¡±

    The person who argued with Iris stood down. Despite him being a member of the Mage Association, she quickly shut down his words using logic.

    Iris bowed her head slightly.

    ¡°But that wasn¡¯t what made the man dangerous...¡±

    Everyone¡¯s ears perked up at her words.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°A strange purple energy was the reason for his immense strength.¡±

    ¡®Purple energy?¡¯

    Odette felt like she remembered something but she couldn¡¯t put her finger on what it was.

    ¡°His power grew significantly after he used it. It was thankfully only a temporary power-up. We managed to match him in strength again after he lost that power.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Then how did you lose?¡±

    A high ranking mage of the Mage Association asked.

    ¡°There was another person who was with Zero...¡±

    This was what they should¡¯ve been worried about.

    There wasn¡¯t just one of them. There was an entire race of those immortals somewhere out there.

    The conference room was silent.

    ¡°He looked exactly the same as those homunculi described in history books. A dark figure covered in miasma.¡±

    A hologram appeared behind Iris. On it was a picture of the figure she mentioned.

    ¡°This is the constructed video we managed to make. It was crafted using memory magic. It is in the perspective of Viria but we couldn¡¯t capture a lot since she was knocked out as well.¡±

    The video played.

    Everyone felt a chill up their spines when they laid eyes upon the man.

    A purple energy came out of his body before he disappeared.

    !!

    In a blink of an eye all of the members of the White Order was knocked out.

    They lowered their heads in shame when they saw how they were one-sidedly beaten.

    ¡°No way¡­¡±

    Odette muttered in disbelief.

    ¡°It¡¯s the same as Him.¡±

 Chapter 36 part 2: Conference(2)

    The man in the video was undoubtedly the same as in the vision she saw.

    Rods that shoot out of his hands. A towering muscular body that stood over 2m.

    His destructive power could be observed as they continued watching the video.

    ¡°¡±¡±¡±......¡±¡±¡±¡±

    The entire conference room was silent when the video ended. No one could utter a word. The only sound was the ticking of a clock for a while.

    ¡°...Monster.¡±

    One of the knights who were stationed by the door muttered. He had never seen such destructive power before in his life. Sure, he knew the strength of his captain of the Knight Order, Elsa but this was on another level.

    Iris heard his mutter.

    ¡®He was a monster indeed.¡¯

    But she didn¡¯t feel fear. She was determined to bring this enemy down.

    ¡®No matter how many of them there are, we were given the role of protecting the three nations.¡¯

    ¡°I propose that all of us enter the Red Abyss dungeon.¡±

    To that everyone showed a strong reaction.

    ¡°What!? What about the worry of nations invading us!?¡±

    Duke Rosenberg got up from his chair and roared. He was a handsome middle aged man with combed hair and a trimmed beard. His body was covered in muscles that it would make one question why he is not a warrior.

    ¡°I¡¯m in the process of building tracks to the nations on the order of His Majesty! What if bandits get out of control and decide to steal the resources!?¡±

    ¡°Please calm down. Not all of us will be going at once. We will be going in pairs. The others will share their duties with each other. If I go then Eredhel will be responsible for my duties as she is the sub leader.¡±

    Eredhel came up to Iris and looked at everyone present.

    ¡°Please allow me to make up for the shame of not being able to keep up with your expectations in the last fight. I will surely grow stronger as the sub leader of the White Order.¡±

    Both of them bowed with their right hands next to their hearts. It was a sort of pledge as the members of the Order.

    ¡°Hmm... Very well.¡±

    Philip J. Colchis, the monarch of the kingdom of Colchis was the first to raise his hand in favour.

    The next ones to raise their hands were the dukes of the North, along with the grand duke, Henry Luxembourg.

    ¡°I do as well. If this means we¡¯re able to strengthen our kingdom¡¯s heroes then let it be so.¡±

    The Southern dukes also raised their hands in favour.

    ¡°Without Clark leading the forces, I¡¯m basically a sitting duck. You better send knights from the Knight Order to protect the production of the tracks.¡±

    Richard Rosenberg harrumphed and raised his hand as well.

    ¡°I do hope all of you come back stronger. Who knows if the Magic Empire will send out their own protectors of that nation to invade all of us. Those four are the second problem we have to deal with. There is the worry of the Republic as well.¡±

    Rosalinda looked troubled but raised her hand regardless. She was worried that the Magic Empire will send those ¡®Four¡¯ to their nations. They are strange individuals that suddenly landed in the Magic Empire one day. Not much was known about them other than the fact that they are on the level of the White Order¡¯s strength.

    Especially one of them who was a threat all on their own.

    ¡°Do not worry. They will not be a threat once we finish our training.¡±

    Iris replied firmly.

    More and more people raised their hands in favour. The entire room was filled with words of encouragement or worries for them to get stronger.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Only one remained sitting quietly.

    The senior Wizard of the Mage Association and the chairman of the Royal Academy, Rezar. He was an old man with a sharp glare in his eyes and wrinkles on his face. His wisdom of the supernatural phenomenon known as magic is second to none.

    ¡°I have some concerns, Lady Iris.¡±

    ¡°...Yes.¡±

    Iris obediently listened. What was important at the moment was getting the support of all the council members.

    ¡°You have already used the national treasure known as the 98<sup>th</sup> rune to ascend to your current level of strength. The ¡¶ascension¡· caused all of you to be bedridden for an entire month so the rune¡¯s power could manifest. I am worried that it will be worse this time. Who knows? It may even cause death.¡±

    Iris gulped hard.

    She knew what he meant.

    ¡°Yes, but¨C¡±

    ¡°As the chairman of the Royal Academy and the leader of the Mage Association, I was the one who personally activated the last rune. Correct me if I¡¯m wrong but I¡¯m the only one who knows how dangerous these ascension runes can be.¡±

    The entire conference room was silent as everyone listened to his words.

    ¡®He¡¯s not wrong.¡¯

    Eredhel thought as she looked at Iris.

    The latter was standing stiffly next to her with her head lowered. Eredhel was about to speak before Iris spoke up.

    ¡°Chairman Rezar.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°If we cannot do something as simple as withstand the power of a rune then we do not deserve this title. We must take risks to become stronger so we may protect the continent.¡±

    The old man smiled meaningfully.

    ¡°Very well. I will prepare the rune for all of you. The Mage Association gives our support.¡±

    With that said, he raised his hand with a small smile.

    Iris felt the tension lift from her shoulders. She sighed in relief.

    ¡°May I ask one more thing of his Majesty?¡±

    Iris went on one knee as she addressed their king.

    ¡°Hm. What is it?¡±

    Philip nodded his head for her to speak.

    ¡°Please give us authority over what to do with the girl called Artoria.¡±

    ¡°Artoria? What are you planning?¡±

    ¡°...As she was able to wield the sword of legend of the first King I am certain that she will be a great asset to our kingdom¡¯s forces. Please allow me to nurture her.¡±

    Iris¡¯ real goal was to recruit Arthur as the ninth seat of their organization. After the previous holder died, they had been unable to find a suitable candidate. One strong enough had appeared. They hadn¡¯t really seen her fight before but Iris was certain.

    Artoria was a curled up dragon waiting to emerge.

    ¡°Hmm...¡± Philip closed his eyes in contemplation. ¡°We still don¡¯t know much about her which is why I told Duke Luxembourg to keep her in his residence for the time being. He was sent there to train when he was a child, after all.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°But if you believe that she will become a valuable ally in the future then I will allow it. Take the necessary precautions before allowing her inside this Fortress¡¯ offices.¡±

    Iris¡¯ eyes brightened.

    ¡°Thank you very much, your Majesty!¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡±

    Philip stood up and got the attention of the other leaders of the continent.

    ¡°As all matters have been resolved, I believe this meeting is over. Once another threat big enough to threaten the continent arises then we shall gather again.¡±

    ¡°All rise!¡±

    The knights stationed by the door shouted.

    All the leaders of the continent stood up.

    ¡°Great work, big sis.¡±

    Eredhel lightly nudged Iris.

    The latter smiled.

    ¡°Now that all preparations are complete we can focus on getting stronger.¡±

    The leaders moved out of the conference room one by one. It wasn¡¯t long before the White Order were the only ones left.

    Rosetta was also present in the room. She was quietly observing the monsters gathering in the sea. There were all sorts of huge creatures down there.

    ¡®My bones need some stretching. Perhaps I should head down there.¡¯

    ¡°Iris.¡±

    Rosetta called out to Iris as she was busy handing out instructions.

    Iris asked Rosetta to train her before. Naturally this will happen in the worlds of the Red Abyss. The two of them will go as a pair. Even if she looked like your regular old woman with a fit body, she was actually one of the powerhouses on the continent.

    She was more than capable of protecting herself.

    ¡°The Red Abyss at its current state is nothing like it was in the past. I¡¯ve experienced its active phase before so I know first-hand of its dangers.¡±

    It was 30 years ago that the Red Abyss suddenly went active. The reason was unknown. Although its scale couldn¡¯t be compared to the Red Era, millions still fell victim to the monsters that was affected by the Labyrinth of Worlds.

    ¡°The training I will give you if you survive the ascension will be nothing like you had before. You will wish you were dead.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that basically what we always did in the past when I was a child?¡±

    Iris smirked.

    ¡°I can still remember how I used to go to bed every night with aching bones.¡±

    Rosetta chuckled.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be the same this time.¡± She patted Iris on the shoulder. ¡°Only much worse. You said all of you had what it takes to protect the continent, right?¡±

    All of them nodded their heads.

    ¡°Good. Don¡¯t you dare give up.¡±

    She walked past them and exited the room.

    Iris¡¯ back was still turned to the door.

    ¡°Everyone.¡±

    She spoke while her back was turned. All of them listened to her words.

    ¡°It was a shameful thing for us, who swore to be humanity¡¯s sword and shield, to lose.¡±

    ¡°Iris...¡±

    ¡°Today is the day the White Order carve our path. Our goal will be to defeat whichever enemy stands before us.¡±

    She swung her white cape and turned around. Unlike the emotional mess she was in a few days ago over their defeat, her expression was calm and composed.

    ¡®This is the true leader of the Order.¡¯

    Viria thought as she smiled.

    ¡°If you do not have the resolve then leave now.¡±

    Naturally, none of them moved an inch.

    Iris nodded her head as she saw their determined expressions.

    ¡°With our weapons we will crush our enemies. This is an official order as the leader.¡± She put her right hand near her heart. ¡°You will do whatever it takes to get stronger. Giving up is for the weak.¡±

    ¡°For the honour of the Four Heroes!¡±

    All of them held their right hands beside their hearts.

    ¡°Let us become stronger and slay the Immortal race.¡±

    Iris and the rest of her fellow members exited the room with renewed vigour in their hearts.

    This was their true journey to becoming the protectors of the continent.

 Chapter 37: Going back home

    ¡°Hahaha. What an interesting way to complete the mission.¡±

    The count said heartily as he drank his wine.

    Clyde and the others came back yesterday with the survivors. Since he was so drowsy, he fell asleep immediately when ge laid down. It felt similar to when he used to donate blood in his previous life. Well, the good thing was that they were successful on their mission.

    Charlotte was also relieved to see them back again.

    ¡°Now¡­¡± The count set down his glass and gazed at Clyde and Charlotte. ¡°What would you like as a reward? Gold? A title?¡± He then glanced at Clyde.

    ¡°Women?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m still 13 years old...¡± He muttered with a sigh.

    Charlotte shook her head. She took a deep breath.

    ¡°You know about the teleportation gates that were recently set up, correct?¡±

    ¡°Of course. All the nobles of the kingdom contributed to its development. Only the lower class nobility couldn¡¯t sponsor its creation. Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°We would like you to write us an entry pass.¡±

    The count raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°You should be aware that just operating it once each time can cost 1000 gold. I have only used it once before.¡±

    Charlotte bit her lips.

    ¡°Consider the loss you would have gotten if not for our intervention in your crisis of taking on a vampire. Vampires are said to be strong undead that can collapse an entire nation if they are a True variant. If you lost people important to the growth of your city then you would have lost thousands of gold¡­.¡±

    ¡°I could just hire more people. You even let my son die.¡±

    ¡°I¨C¡°

    He held up his hand with a bitter smile.

    ¡°Do not worry. I will arrange it for you. The next gate schedule is in a week. This is great news to you since I must inform the Queen of our success in saving my city and tell her of my decision to change my daughter into the head of the house since I lost my son. We shall go together.¡±

    Charlotte¡¯s eyes brightened.

    ¡°Truly¡­?¡±

    ¡°Indeed. All of you must go get ready as we will leave tomorrow morning in my carriage. I will give a separate reward later on.¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡®We can finally go home¡­¡¯

    Charlotte thought as she laid down in the warm bath.

    ¡®Mother¡­ are you still alive? You must be, right?¡¯

    She felt it in her heart. Rather, she believed her mother was still alive. Melodia was a woman that fought her way to the Queen seat. She was once a commoner waiter in a bar that had no chance to further her studies due to their dire financial traits. People always called her bright and intelligent.

    Her parents were but normal farmers that managed to get her a job in the kingdom. That was how it was before she met the first prince.

    It was a cold starry night. A civil war was ongoing for 6 nights at the time.

    An injured young man came knocking on the only remaining building standing in the district.

    The bar where Melodia worked.

    Charlotte always used to hear her mother tell her this story when she was little. She always had a warm glint in her eyes when she spoke about their love story.

    The injured young man was none other than Philip J. Colchis. The first born prince that was on the path to becoming king. The nobles turned against him since he was such a weak prince.

    ¨CI want to become king without shedding blood.

    Those were his own na?ve words. The nobles, taking advantage of this turned against him and sided with the first princess faction.

    The White Order were on an important mission to take care of a disaster class monster from another world that could destroy nations. That was the perfect chance for the people to rise up against the crown prince. Many died by the hands of the princess faction.

    The prince was a weak man despite uttering such bold words: ¡°I will not shed the blood of my people¡±.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    Many were touched by this but there were also those that took advantage.

    Melodia was given a choice.

    Abandon him or protect him until he asked help from the Northern Dukes.

    She chose the latter. She was an adventurer before becoming a bar maid. Her former rank was A.

    She defended the weak man known as Philip for six nights. Even with all the injuries piling up, she still protected him.

    They succeeded. Three of the four northern Dukes were close with Philip originally. They believed in his words thus they were kept in the dark about what happened by the remaining duke.

    They won the succession war. Philip kept true to his words. He didn¡¯t kill his sister but kept her locked up in the Inner Palace on the top most floor. She was already 56 years old but kept pushing to ascend the throne.

    Since she was heavily guarded by strong knights of the Knight Order, there had been no worries of her being a threat to the royal family.

    After the chaos, Melodia returned back to the village where she grew up. The enemy nobles were bound to kill her if she stuck around. She was the reason the king managed to survive, after all.

    But then a white horse came to their village; accompanied by knights . On the horse, a handsome man with a royal military uniform descended.

    ¨CMiss Melodia!

    He screamed for the one he was seeking.

    The villagers couldn¡¯t believe their eyes. The king personally visited their village. And that was right after his coronation. And for who? The girl everyone called a smartass.

    He proposed when Melodia came out of her house with a shocked face.

    The man who couldn¡¯t even lift a sword and had to be protected like a maiden in distress came to confess to her. Naturally¨C

    ¨CNo.

    Melodia refused him.

    Philip proposed countless times. He truly loved Melodia. He used all sorts of things to win her heart.

    After countless failures, he succeeded in the end. That was all her mother told her. But Charlotte wanted to know why her mother accepted him in the end even though she kept denying his love.

    She told Charlotte:

    ¡°You¡¯ll understand someday my child. That¡¯ll happen only if you were to fall in love too. I only thought of protecting me and my family by denying your father¡¯s proposal. Remember my words¡­ If you ever find the man you love, bring him to me. Then I¡¯ll tell you why I accepted your annoying father.¡±

    Little Charlotte never forgot her mother¡¯s words.

    ¡®Bring him to her¡­¡¯

    As a princess fighting for the throne, there were many inconsistencies if she married. If she were to choose to marry for political reasons then her husband will have too much power as the king. He could even overthrow her by using his power even if Charlotte was the one that fought for the throne of Queen. She could become his slave that only does his bidding.

    Her only options to give the throne to another generation was to either adopt a noble child or find a lover and have children with him.

    Charlotte was never the type of person to have a strong libido. They say that when dealing with such pressure like being a princess, then they choose to have multiple lovers to ease their stress. Many of the girls in her faction do the same. For her, she found it disgusting that women can be so weak-willed and have a harem of men.

    But that¡¯s only her opinion. It¡¯s not like she could change that.

    So far she had only been surrounded by female attendants to avoid rumours such as her having male servants for sexual relations from circulating. Even her guards were female.

    Clyde was her first male knight. The two are actually more like friends in private and lord and knight in public. They grew up together, after all.

    ¡®Clyde¡­ wait¡­ could it be?¡¯

    She felt her heart beat. It was quicker than her normal heartrate. This hadn¡¯t happened once before in her life.

    ¡°C-Could I be it be that I have feeling for him?¡±

    They¡¯ve been together for 5 years now. Charlotte watched him grow up. She knew that he could become even more amazing.

    ¨CIn a few more years he might be the next Head Mage of the Mage Association.

    Philip, the monarch of the kingdom said those words. If it were any other person then they would be laughed at. But it was the king and his words held a lot of weight.

    Head Mage.

    Viria was the most gifted mage on the continent. But, her talents were limited unlike Clyde. She was only able to unlock her current power with the help of the [Ascension rune]. His potential was limitless unlike hers. There¡¯s no telling what he¡¯ll achieve in 20 or so years.

    Charlotte definitely made the right choice to make him her knight. The one that¡¯ll protect her once she sits on that throne.

    ¡°Haa¡­¡±

    Charlotte let out a hot sigh as she got up from the bath.

    ¡®We¡¯ll finally be able to go home tomorrow¡­¡¯

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    (CLYDE ASTLEY POV)

    We departed early the next morning. The sun was glaring down on us but the snow still didn¡¯t melt. It¡¯s like this nation had a curse that made it snow all year round. Luckily, the roads were maintained and easy to pass through.

    The ride wasn¡¯t bumpy at all. It was even smooth as we rode behind the count¡¯s carriage. Since it was etiquette, Count Steinburg told us we should get on another carriage.

    It took a week but we were finally back at the kingdom again. The kingdom¡¯s defence walls looked so old and crumbly. Like it¡¯ll collapse from one earthquake.

    It¡¯s a shame that the previous king was killed just like he killed his father. He died before he could fix the kingdom. There was no choice but for the current queen to take the throne.

    Many call her incompetent but would never dare do that in her face. The knight that swore to protect her was merciless to those that oppose his queen after all.

    We travelled so slow. I wished this damn world would develop their technology already. I miss modern transport. Should I bring those ideas over here?

    As I pondered seriously, we finally arrived at the palace. A bit smaller what you would expect of a monarch of a kingdom. How the hell was their military not fighting the surrounding nations to take their supplies?

    War was meant for profit, after all.

    ¡°Act proper in front of her Majesty. She might be a child but she¡¯s still the Queen.¡±

    Count Steinburg gave us a warning as we waited in the reception room.

    To that we all nodded. I noticed that Helen looked a bit nervous.

    ¡®Well, it¡¯s the first time she¡¯s leaving the kingdom. And for good too.¡¯

    Considering her skills, she could become a famous knight in no time in our kingdom.

    The second thing I should do when I get home was train. The first was spending time with family after all.

    The question was: How do I get stronger?

    ¡°You stand before the matriarch of the Kingdom of Habsburg!¡±

    The knight captain shouted as we were led through the big throne door.

    I looked around and only saw an inferior version of our kingdom¡¯s throne room.

    Sitting on the fairly large throne was a little girl. No, she looked about my age. She had blonde hair and a childish body that hadn¡¯t finished with puberty yet. She was wearing a red royal dress. A golden crown rested on top of her head.

    ¡°Count Steinburg.¡± The little girl smiled. ¡°Are you leaving the kingdom once again?¡±

 Chapter 38: We finally made it back

    ¡°Are you leaving the kingdom once again?¡±

    She had no aura of a royal at all. If not for that huge hooded figure of a man with a great sword standing there by her side, anyone would laugh at her childish tone of voice.

    The eyes under that hood were glowing red. His eyes alone told me how powerful he was.

    Although not as powerful as Brynhildr.

    There were officials on the high seats on either side of the room. All of them stopped whispering when we came in.

    ¡°No, Your Majesty.¡± He gestured to us.

    ¡°These children will be using my annual gate pass.¡±

    The little girl¡¯s face scrunched up.

    ¡°Who are these¡­ peasants?¡±

    A vein popped on Charlotte¡¯s temple but she managed to control her anger with a polite smile.

    ¡°A-Ahaha. Regarding that¡­ I sent a report a few days ago about why I¡¯m coming.¡±

    ¡°O-Oh¡­¡±

    ¡®She didn¡¯t even read it? What kind of queen doesn¡¯t read the formal letters of her subordinates?¡¯

    ¡°Kuhum! I must have forgotten due to the fever I had a few days ago. Kuhum!¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. It is not a problem.¡±

    The count had ridicule in his eyes for a second.

    ¡°But still! It doesn¡¯t state in the Kingdon Laws that outsiders can use the gate!¡±

    ¡°If I remember correctly, the one who holds the pass decides who can go with him or her. The limit is just about six people even.¡±

    The queen looked at the nobles on the high seats. Is she looking for someone to clarify? All of them nodded their heads.

    ¡°I-I see. Ahem, it was father that set them up, after all. There were so many that I forgot most of them.¡± She crossed her small legs that didn¡¯t even reach the floor.

    I heard a few sighs. This Queen¡­ how do I say it? She¡¯s not fit for the title. By the looks of it she was a massive pushover.

    ¡°I shall allow with my authority!¡±

    ¡°Pft.¡±

    I laughed softly. Her acting was just too cute. She probably heard me since her eyes turned to me. Even her glaring face looked cute. I wanted to pull her cheeks.

    ¡°T-Then we shall make our way towards the Palace Mage Tower.¡±

    We all bowed down.

    ¡°Thank you for your permission, your majesty.¡±

    We bid the queen farewell and made our way out of the throne room.''

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    We arrived at the Palace Mage Tower in about ten minutes.

    ¡°Take this as your compensation.¡±

    Before us was an endless abyss of darkness. That was how the portal looked when it¡¯s not activated.

    The count gave us a bag of coins as the mage was busy chanting the long spell for the teleportation.

    I tried memorizing the words and jotted it down in my notepad. It was ancient tongue since it was from the United Empire era but I could understand most of it.

    ¡°Thank you for everything, Count Steinburg.¡± Charlotte accepted the bag of coins with a smile and bowed.

    ¡°No. Thank you for saving my city. I might¡¯ve acted calm and collected back then but I was actually anxious and desperate. I didn¡¯t want my servants to think less of me as their lord. Hahaha. Please be safe on your journey.¡±

    WOOOOONG¨C

    A blue light manifested in the endless abys, creating a whirlpool.

    The count was standing a few metres away as we approached the portal.

    ¡°Where would you like to go?¡± The mage asked.

    ¡°The Northern Continent¡¯s Kingdom of Colchis.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ that won¡¯t be possible with our current resources.¡±

    ¡°What!?¡±

    We all turned to glare at the mage. He then got flustered.

    ¡°T-The only nation I can send you to is the Elca Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°The elven nation?¡±

    He nodded his head.

    ¡°It is the closest but I cannot be certain where in the elven territory you might end up.¡± After chanting a few words he waved at us. ¡°Please be safe on your journey.¡±

    After he infused more mana, we stepped through the portal simultaneously¨C

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    The feeling of going through a portal was not pleasant at all. It felt like worms were crawling on my skin as the slimy substance touched me. But that was but an illusion.

    ¡°F-Fresh air¡­ finally!¡±

    Nate fell on the ground and cried tears of joy.

    ¡°Did we make it¡­?¡±

    Charlotte still looked uncertain.

    ¡°Hey.¡± Helen pulled my robe. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Her finger pointed to the humongous tree in the distance. It was so high that it stretched past the stratosphere.

    Charlotte gasped when she looked as well.

    ¡°W-We finally made it¡­¡±

    Tears collected in her eyes as she held her hands on her mouth.

    ¡°Yggdrasil. The World Tree.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the real legendary tree!?¡±

    All sorts of spirits were roaming around us. Only I could see them, though. It looked like they were shy to approach me. Even the larger Lesser Monarchs hid behind the rocks and trees.

    ¡®How cute.¡¯

    We were surrounded by a dense forest with the taller trees reaching 100m.

    As we began moving to the village nearby, I detected presences above us.

    ¡®Spirit Mages? These must be elves. Anyways, that was a quick response.¡¯

    ¡°Halt!¡±

    A young woman¡¯s voice made us stop and look ahead.

    In our field of vision, an elven woman with white dazzling armour and green hair was standing there in our field of vision.

    ¡°You¡¯re¨C¡°

    There was no mistaking the mantle she was wearing. The White Order. The most elite and strongest on the continent. Each nation, besides the elven nation that only had two, had three members. The Beastkin Dominion, the Kingdom of Colchis and Elca Kingdom.

    They are the ones sent out to investigate dangerous places or stop a disaster.

    This woman must be Laura, the one they call the wielder of the [Tree Spirit]. It is said that she can manipulate wind and earth spirits despite being a swordswoman. All elves can manipulate spirits regardless of their profession.

    ¡®Even after facing a dragon and a True Vampire¡­ the people from the White Order still feel this powerful.¡¯

    ¡°Princess Charlotte?¡±

    It seemed she had a good memory as she ran up to us. Her previous cold expression vanished and was replaced by a caring older sister vibe.

    She touched Charlotte¡¯s cheeks and around her body to see if she was injured.

    ¡°We finally found all of you. Everyone! Lay down your weapons! They are not enemies. Can you introduce yourselves first?¡±

    We introduced ourselves one after another. She quickly took out a communication crystal and made a call to someone.

    ¡°I apologize. Please come with me. When we arrive at the palace then we will contact the kingdom of Colchis.¡±

    Charlotte then grabbed her hand.

    ¡°B-Before that¡­ um¡­ is the queen..¡±

    Laura smiled gently.

    ¡°She is still fine. Although, she is still worried about her daughter.¡±

    Tears came out of Charlotte¡¯s eyes. It looked like a load was lifted off her shoulders.

    **

    ¡°So you are the one Lady Miya has been talking about.¡± Laura suddenly appeared next to me as we walked to the Elven kingdom.

    ¡°Did she say anything about me, ma¡¯am?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes. Lots of things. Hm, like the fact that you¡¯re contracted to a monarch rank spirit.¡±

    I froze. How the hell did she know!?

    ¡°Worry not. We elves don¡¯t like seeing people with good hearts get in trouble. From what I heard about you from Lady Miya, you¡¯re quite the capable mage. Capable is an understatement though.¡±

    She left those words before walking towards the front of the group.

    ¨CShe¡¯s lying , master. Lady Miya isn¡¯t the one that knows. It¡¯s just that this woman found out through her sensory skills.

    ¨CHow strong is her sensory skills to be able to identify a spirit of your power?

    ¨CJust don¡¯t do anything that might inconvenience them, master. She is trustworthy so do not worry.

    ¨CY-Yeah.

    Undine then disappeared. I felt Laura¡¯s gaze on me before it disappeared.

    ¡®This woman is scary. Being able to see through Undine¡¯s invisibility magic.¡¯

    We boarded a carriage that was standing in a clearing in the forest and made our way to the kingdom gates.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Your Majesty!¡±

    When Philip was busy filling out documents brought by the nobles around the table, a knight barged right into the throne meeting room.

    ¡°You bastard! How dare you break inside!?¡±

    The first prince, Lyle, screamed as he unsheathed his sword. The knight spoke in a hurried tone.

    ¡°T-The princess has been found!¡±

    Philip froze. The ink on the pen fell onto the paper and ruined the contract. He turned his shaky eyes upwards and looked at the knight.

    ¡°Is that true?¡±

    The knight nodded his head repeatedly.

    ¡°The Elven King sent a letter! Princess Charlotte along with Lady Arielle Luxembourg, Clyde Astley...um another unknown girl with blue hair called Helen, Nate Alexander and another student from the academy!¡±

    Philip stood up and walked over to the knight. The latter was afraid of being punched but was instead patted on the shoulder.

    ¡°Good work coming to inform me. When did they arrive?¡±

    ¡°T-Three days ago.¡±

    Arielle¡¯s father also stood there with a blank look on his face.

    After a full year, his daughter had been found. He was worried sick that Arielle and Clyde must¡¯ve died.

    His composure returned. He felt like dancing in joy but couldn¡¯t since he was still in the presence of the king.

    ¡°Are they headed back?¡±

    ¡°No, your majesty. All of them are currently resting at the royal palace of the elves. They looked quite exhausted from what Lady Laura said.¡±

    Philip took the report document and read it through himself. It was from Laura, the female elf from the White Order¡¯s handwriting.

    ¡®My baby made it¡­!¡¯

    Naturally he couldn¡¯t cry tears of joy in the meeting room so he regained his composure.

    The six of them were still resting and will be sent back by carriage with escorts from the elven nation.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    The residence of Duke Luxembourg. In a huge canopy bed lay a maiden so beautiful that an artist could not replicate her beauty. Her gentle breaths and the up and down movements of her chest made it clear that she was asleep.

    Her lashes quivered ever so slightly as if she was having the best dream ever.

    However¨C

    ¡®!!!!¡¯

    Her eyes shot open as a familiar presence drew her consciousness awake.

    It was a power so familiar that she¡¯d never forget it, ever. One sensation was that of a gently flowing river and another was the violent winds of a solar storm. It was coming from a boy she¡¯d known throughout all her lives.

    She could sense his large pool of mana even as she laid in bed.

    Clyde Astley. The only human left in existence that could cast spirit magic.

    ¡°H-He¡¯s here¡­!¡±

    Artoria tried getting up but her body was still weak from her awakening. The sword near her bed that was protecting her drew closer as if to support her legs.

    She grabbed it and held it tightly.

    Clyde. Clyde. Clyde.

    She kept muttering his name over and over as she tried to put on her armour.

    There was suddenly a knock on the door.

    ¨CUm, Lady Artoria? Are you awake?

    It was a familiar voice. It was a maid that had worked here for 6 years by now ever since she was a 17. It was weird calling the person that was a boy not too long ago with ¡®Lady¡¯. Artoria herself said that it was the result of touching the sword that she was able to awaken her true self which was a member of the extinct Angel Race.

    The other thing that made it weird was that she had a crush on him when he was Arthur.

    ¨CI heard a commotion inside so I thought you¡¯d finally be awake.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¨CErr, the master will be arriving soon to deliver good news. He didn¡¯t mention what it was but he said everyone must gather. Please head down if you are feeling better.

    The maid had a lonely tone as she was only met with silence. Her small footsteps disappeared after a while.

    ¡®News?¡¯

    Artoria¡¯s mind was still groggy from sleeping for weeks. Her body might be fine but it took a toll on her mental health.

    ¡®The bath! I have to bathe first!¡¯

    She couldn¡¯t head to where Clyde is smelling like a corpse.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Mama?¡±

    As Eleanor read the letter that George brought, tears fell down her eyes. Her husband was also clutching his eyes while tears fell down.

    Jessica, one of the twins thought something was wrong with her mother. But then her mother suddenly hugged her.

    ¡°Y-You big brother is coming home!¡±

    ¡°E-Eh? He¡¯s coming back!?¡±

    Chloe, who also heard what¡¯s going on came inside the living room. She was holding a wooden sword in hand and was sweating profusely.

    They were only told that Clyde went on a long trip. Even if they told the children that their brother was caught up in a disaster then they wouldn¡¯t understand anyway.

    ¡°1 year¡­¡±

    George muttered as he sobbed.

    Clyde and the others had been missing for 1 year already. Although, to them it was only two months. The phenomena that happened shifted time in a wrong direction and delayed everyone¡¯s teleportation. The magic scientists and scholars were determined to study this phenomena caused by a spell of the highest rank.

    This was only proven later by a survivor that made it back a few weeks ago. For Clyde is might have just been four months but to everyone else it was a full year.

    That meant that Clyde should close to 14years of age.

    ¡°Uncle Henry says that we¡¯ll have to wait for them to come back on their own. The Elven Royal Family are keeping an eye on them.¡±

    Eleanor just nodded with tears in her eyes. She couldn¡¯t even speak properly.

    Cloe and Jessica didn¡¯t have much memory of their brother since he¡¯s always away so much. They only saw him a lot when they were little. After it was discovered that he had talent for becoming a mage, he had been away from the house a lot.

    He only visited a few times a month. When he got into the academy, even that decreased.

    ¡°I-I''ll prepare our things. You contact the duke and tell him we''re on our way there.¡±

    Eleanor told her husband as she went into their bedroom.

    Their son had finally come back.

 Chapter 39

    ¡®What¡¯s this sensation?¡¯

    I felt something soft on my face. Something was also wrapped around my body as if not to let me go.

    ¡°...¡±

    I opened my eyes in silence and looked up.

    ¡°Morning.¡±

    It was Arielle. She was gazing down at me with her big blue eyes. She tucked her beautiful silver hair behind her ear and gave me a good morning kiss.

    ¡°Good morning..." i stretched my arms. "My body is all stiff.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it was because you were asleep for two days. We were worried something was wrong.¡±

    Arielle helped me sit up straight.

    She was wearing the same nightie she wore on the night she confessed.

    ¡°Thankfully, it was just mana exhaustion.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t feel that tired when we arrived.¡±

    It might have been Undine that was sharing her vitality with me to keep me standing on my feet. I battled against a dragon and a vampire lord. It isn¡¯t that strange that I slept for two days.

    Arielle then kicked me out of the room so she could get dressed.

    I walked through the halls of the Elca Royal Castle.

    Unlike us humans, they combined nature and their own construction together. There was even multiple trees inside the castle. But that didn¡¯t make the castle any less majestic.

    Everywhere I looked, it was white all around. The floors, the walls and the furniture.

    Since I wanted some alone time, I summoned wind and used it to propel myself into the air. I landed on top of a rooftop as I looked up at the World Tree.

    It was often described in books as the tree of life. Just looking at it made me feel much less insignificant than I already was.

    I overlooked the Elca Kingdom. The sun was in the process of rising in the distance. The weather had been getting cold so there was a bit of mist covering the kingdom.

    I noticed something strange about my core. I couldn¡¯t put my finger on it but somehow... my mana core seemed denser than before.

    ¡°Undine.¡±

    ¨CYes, master?

    Undine replied inside my mind but didn¡¯t manifest. They could detect her if she did.

    ¡°Can you quickly check my core? It seems to be different from before.¡±

    The last time I had it checked was at the levelling stage that the academy had for all mages. It was something they often make students do whenever they pass a year.

    My core was still at the beginning of the 5<sup>th</sup> mana grade stage back then. As your mana goes from black to white, it didn¡¯t really mean that it makes you stronger.

    That just meant that your body can absorb more mana from the atmosphere. Your veins also grow much more stronger to support all that mana entering your body. So in the end you become stronger not from your core changing but your own growth.

    ¨CHm... you seem to be on the brink of unlocking 6<sup>th</sup> grade, master. You are at the bridge between the 5<sup>th</sup> and 6<sup>th</sup> grade mana stage.

    Undine¡¯s voice flowed into my mind.

    ¡°Huh? Already?¡±

    ¨CIt must¡¯ve been due to using your mana consecutively during battle. Master has never fought much in the past but you¡¯ve gone up against many foes.

    It was true that we ran into a lot of trouble in the Habsburg kingdom and on the road. That Lesser Dragon and Brynhildr wasn¡¯t the only problem we had. We had to constantly be aware of any monsters creeping in the night or bandits hoping to get the jump on us.

    ¡°So that means it¡¯s not long before I¡¯m at 6<sup>th</sup> stage.¡±

    I wondered how many times I could activated Lightborn and for how long.

    ¡°[Lightborn].¡±

    The entire world turned grey as a time phenomenon soon engulfed it. I sat and looked at the grey and dull colour of the world. The birds nearby were unmoving in mid-air.

    ¡°The world of Lightborn. It¡¯s still amazing no matter how many times I see.¡±

    My voice sounded cold and emotionless in this void of the stoppage of time.

    The technique wasn¡¯t perfect yet but at least it could be used in a fight against a stronger opponent. To escape for now that is. Control over time is dangerous depending on the opponent.

    The time spirits then began to fade as the world slowly regained colour.

    ¡®I¡¯m pretty sure I can hold it for four seconds now.¡¯

    ¨CThey¡¯re looking for master in your room.

    ¡°Hm? Oh.¡±

    I activated [Spirit Sense] and saw one individual inside the room with Arielle.

    ¡®It looks familiar.¡¯

    I jumped off the building and flew to the palace again.

    **

    ¡°Princess Miya?¡±

    When I opened the door, a beautiful high elf appeared in my view. She was drinking tea at the table by the window. The wind on her white hair made it flutter.

    She was busy talking with Arielle but turned towards me when I entered.

    ¡°Clyde Astley.¡±

    I bowed respectfully. She is a princess after all. I was only familiar with Charlotte because the two of us had known each other for years now.Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°No need to be so formal. We¡¯re friends, aren¡¯t we?¡±

    It was nice talking to her after so long. She was the only elf I was familiar with and the two of us share a connection through spirits. It was like the two of us were soulmates through the connection that we shared with each other. I was sure that I didn¡¯t have a spiritual bond with any other elf.

    Arielle said she was going to see if she could ask Lady Laura for tips in swordsmanship so she left.

    Miya asked me where we were and what we did. She was like a little child listening to a fairy tale when I mentioned how we battled against a dragon.

    I almost died though. I shouldn¡¯t have overestimated myself. I might¡¯ve been stronger than an average mage my age and stronger than a few adults but I was still weak.

    I shouldn¡¯t make dumb decisions like back in my previous life. In this world you have to gain success by working with your own hands. Your path is already decided when you¡¯re born. If you have mana then you could become a mage, alchemist or a wizard. This is different from a mage since wizards tend to study the meaning of magic and create more spells with the help of history books and modern scripts. Whereas mages are a type of warrior that either enrol into the army or join the mage tower.

    For people born with Ki or Aura, they fight by using their bodies like swordsmen, martial artists etc...

    Ever since casting my first spell back when I was a toddler, I came to love magic and wanted to improve to become a better person than I was before. That meant that I should work hard on gaining complete control over my two cores. Undine told me that I had the potential to rule over all spirits and matter.

    I could only use water and space matter at the moment. The partial control over space matter allowed me to stop or slow down time.

    ¡®I wonder how powerful my future self was.¡¯

    Imagine killing people from the White Order with your own hands. He did mention that he had to go through a lot to get that power. Betrayal, loss, pain, grief. Who knows what kind of pain he went through.

    Now he was just an empty cell of what he once was. A god without a realm to govern.

    He lost the family that raised him and the loved ones that were important to him.

    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t go down the same path. No matter what happens to me. The first disaster has already concluded but what about the others?¡¯

    My question would only remain unanswered for the time being. It was scary not knowing what the world had in store for us but I need to see it through regardless. We managed to survive this one, I wasn¡¯t sure if we¡¯d be able to survive the next.

    Anyway, Miya told me that her parents would like to talk to me. This was my first time meeting royalty in this world.

    I read about how nobles and customs work in fantasy medieval novels. Although that may have just been authors scribbling together the research they had on hand into something original. The King is always above the chaste of society while the archduke, duke, marquis, earl, count, viscount and baron titles follow.

    There are many other sub class noble titles but they are only acquired if you have worked and showed incredible skill in politics or gained merit in battle. You can immediately gain a title of Baron if you were to participate in a war and reap benefits.

    There are few occasions where these nobles other than Earl and higher can meet with the king of their nation.

    Miya and my footsteps echoed throughout the halls of the royal palace.

    ¡°By the way, Clyde...¡±

    Before we approached the throne room which was at the end of the hall, Miya spoke to me.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Remember how we said we¡¯d go on more adventures in the future? I won¡¯t be able to attend the academy this year because I¡¯ll be doing a Spiritual Bond with the World Tree¡¯s spirit.¡±

    ¡°I thought you¡¯d go with us since we¡¯re going back today anyway.¡±

    She shook her head with a bitter smile.

    ¡°This is important for us high elves so I cannot go with you. I¡¯m only waiting for Lady Skyrith. Once she gives the go-ahead then I¡¯ll be in deep sleep for the time being. My abilities are lacking. I have hopes that the bond with the spirit will make me stronger.¡±

    A knight stood at the throne door as we approached.

    ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when we can do quests together again.¡±

    ¡°How long will the bonding process take?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll probably take a year if luck is on our side. The dryad queen is still in slumber so it depends if she wakes up.¡±

    The knight knocked on the throne room door.

    ¡°The princess has arrived, your majesty!¡±

    A female voice shouted from inside after hearing the knock. The knight opened the door for us.

    My eyes were almost blinded by the intricate decorations around the room. Two huge windows were the walls on either side and you could see the beautiful landscape from inside the room.

    A huge golden table was in the middle of the room and sitting around it¨C

    ¡°So you¡¯re Clyde, huh. The so-called Spirit King¡¯s incarnation.¡±

    An elderly elf wearing a white robe said sarcastically.

    The elven woman wearing a royal dress and a crown on her head smiled at me when we made eye contact.

    ¡®So that¡¯s the queen...¡¯

    She was gorgeous. She looked like the older and hotter version of Miya, just a little bit mature. I didn¡¯t really know how old her mother was. If someone said that they were sisters a few years apart in age then I¡¯d believe them.

    ¡°I am Zefra Ivy Mary-Ann Elca. I am the queen of this kingdom. Next to me...¡°

    She pointed to the man who was probably Miya¡¯s father and the current king.

    ¡°My husband Elion Zach Driffon Elca. The grumpy old man right here is my father and former king.¡±

    ¡°Oi! Why aren¡¯t you introducing me by saying my name!?¡±

    The old man screamed as his spit flew. His daughter ignored him and looked straight at me.

    ¡°And you are?¡°

    ¡°Ah, Clyde Astley, Your Majesty.¡±

    ¡°So you are the one that was born with the only human spirit core in existence.¡±

    Her face turned serious.

    ¡°How many people know of this?¡±

    ¡°Uh... That would be Miya, Arielle, Arthur, my mother, my father, old man Francis and aunt Kimberly. That would make seven people.¡±

    ¡®Erica might know but I¡¯m not sure. She¡¯s disinterested in a lot of things after all.¡¯

    The queen nodded.

    ¡°It¡¯s good that it¡¯s only a few people. Things would be more complicated if the Mage Association also knew.¡±

    The Mage Association wouldn¡¯t hesitate to cut open my body and experiment on me. They would do whatever it takes to find out the reason for why I was born with two cores. If they heard I was born with spirit magic then things would get even more complicated.

    ¡°How far have you gone, child?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m only able to use water spirits and a little bit of space magic at the moment.¡±

    Her eyebrows went up in surprise.

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Gaining the love of the world¡¯s laws themselves is astounding for a human.¡± She then pondered something. ¡°You want to unlock your abilities, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±

    ¡°Then how about this. Stay here and we shall help you.¡±

    ¡°Huh? B-But that isn¡¯t necessary.¡±

    ¡°Guiding you would be our greatest honour. That power inside of you must bloom.¡±

    All three of them nodded at each other.

    ¡°We have techniques that no other kingdom can teach you. Would you like to train here?¡±

    ¡°What about the academy? I haven¡¯t seen my family in a while either...¡±

    I didn¡¯t even know whether they were alive or not.

    ¡°Well, that is indeed worrisome. Just remember the quicker we unlock your hidden potential, the better. Our meeting was short but I hope to have a longer chat with you in the near future. Even from where I stand, I can feel the love the spirits have for you. You have a pure heart, Clyde Astley.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your kind words, Your majesty.¡±

    She smiled.

    ¡°Think nothing of it. Please be safe on your journey. Oh, and please eat before leaving. Miya prepared a feast for all of you.¡±

    Miya smiled brightly and took my hand when we left the throne room after bidding farewell.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    She wasn¡¯t kidding. There really was a feast in the dining room. Meals of different kinds were prepared for all six of us. Since I hadn¡¯t eaten in two days, I dug right in.

    Arielle and Helen ate the most out of us all. How big were their stomachs to finish four plates each and ask for more?

    Charlotte told me that she spoke to her mother through a communication magic crystal. It was great that she was feeling better so Charlotte didn¡¯t have anything to worry about. I wished I could share her feelings. I had to smile and pretend everything was okay.

    We¡¯ll be departing later today since it was still morning. I wanted to tour the elven kingdom but that can wait until I come back.

    If the Queen herself said that there was a method to get stronger, was the academy even necessary?

    ¡®No. I shouldn¡¯t just focus on my spirit magic. Arcane magic is also important to my path as a mage.¡¯

    I¡¯d be imbalanced if I was more used to my spirit core than my mana core. The two should be equally trained so that meant I must go back to academy at some point. There must be an equilibrium between the two.

    We departed shortly after our meal. Our transportation was already outside when we exited the palace gates. Princess Miya saw us off on her griffon.

    ¡°Please be safe on your journey. If the chance arises, please allow me to show you the amazing sites of our kingdom, Clyde Astley.¡±

    Miya left those words before our carriage departed.

    ¡°You two seem close.¡±

    Arielle glared at me with her arms crossed.

    I laughed awkwardly.

    It¡¯ll take about a week to get back to the Kingdom.

    ¡®I wish they¡¯d advance their methods of transportation...¡¯

    I grumbled as leaned out of the window. The beautiful landscape of the mana rich Elca Kingdom past by us.

    It was refreshing to feel the summer heat on my skin once again. Being surrounded by snow everyday wasn¡¯t my ideal kind of weather.

 Chapter 40: The two timelines

    The kingdom of Colchis ¨C Pira city.

    Residence of Duke Luxembourg.

    Two weeks later.

    Arielle and I stood at the front gates.

    I held her hand since she was sweating nervously next to me. Nate went back to their territory which was near the borders. Erica went back to the academy dorms. They still keep the dorms open to those that can¡¯t afford housing. It¡¯s sad that she doesn¡¯t have any relatives. I should probably ask if she needs anything.

    That light spirit is still following me around, though. I now knew why I can see it. It must be because I can control light spirits to a certain extend.

    Anyways¡­

    As for Charlotte and Helen... Well, since Helen didn¡¯t have anywhere else to go, Charlotte said she¡¯d arrange proper arrangements for her once they arrive at the palace.

    We stopped by our village first when we came back. Although, the house was empty. My neighbours were so emotional when they saw me back. It was a happy moment for me knowing they prayed for my safety.

    I asked where my parents were and they told us that mother and father came to the Duke¡¯s residence in the capital.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    She nodded and linked her arms with mine. The manor and its property looked just as majestic as always, not even a single stone was misaligned. The grass was neatly trimmed and all kinds of flowers bloomed this spring.

    ¡°Young Lady!!¡±

    A scream then came from the manor¡¯s backyard. I looked over and saw a beautiful brown elf with her typical long dress maid uniform.

    She had tears in her eyes as she ran up to Arielle.

    ¡°Forgive my rudeness!¡±

    ¡°L-Lithia...¡±

    She said so and hugged Arielle tightly. The latter didn¡¯t seem to know how to react.

    ¡°Young master Clyde. I am glad you are safe.¡±

    She bowed respectfully to me and held my hands. This woman rarely showed any emotion in the past but it looks like that¡¯s changed after Arielle¡¯s absence.

    ¡°Lithia, is everyone inside?¡±

    We walked around the glorious fountain with an angel spitting out water.

    Lithia nodded with a smile.

    ¡°Yes. The entire family is gathered in the living room awaiting your return.¡±

    She opened the door with a proud smile.

    ¡°¡±¡±¡±Welcome back, young lady Arielle and young master Clyde.¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±

    Servants were bowing on each side of the long hallway. Some were crying but hid it with quiet sobs.

    Arielle went red in the face as she greeted them all.

    We walked the long row of servants that eventually stopped by the huge living room.

    There they were. I spotted our entire family inside when we entered the room.

    It was quiet for a second.

    ¡°... We¡¯re back.¡±

    Both me and Arielle cried as we headed into our families¡¯ embrace.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    We came outside to the garden to have tea and talk.

    ¡°My little boy! You look so healthy! Ah, you¡¯ll be a handsome young man when you grow up!¡±

    Mother hugged my head tightly with tears in her eyes. I was the same. I missed them so much and thought about them every night.

    Father also had tears when he hugged me but it looked like he was restraining himself from crying like mother.

    ¡°He really has grown up.¡±

    He stroked my head with a smile.

    ¡°Girls!¡±

    Mother then waved to the two girls that just arrived.

    ¡®Is that Chloe and Jessica?¡¯

    The two twins had gotten so big since the last time I saw them. Naturally I hugged them like a good big brother. Jessica was the eldest and had a darker shade of brown hair than Chloe. The two were twins but it seemed they disliked wearing matching outfits.

    They were so uncomfortable around me. That¡¯s understandable. The last time we properly spent time together was when I was 8 years old.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Now I¡¯m constantly disappearing to somewhere.

    ¡°So that¡¯s what happened.¡±

    My parents explained what happened on that day of the incident. The people call the phenomena the ¡®Divide¡¯. They call it as such since about 50% of the entire kingdom¡¯s land and resources disappeared. Many people also disappeared like we had. Some returned and others were still missing.

    The king managed to recover all that land in a matter of months with the help of the neighbouring kingdom. I wondered how the land looked like back then. The White Order released an official document that explained who did this.

    The individual didn¡¯t have that much information but they at least knew his name.

    Zero. Apparently he himself said he¡¯s a descendant of the past immortals that lived on this planet.

    ¡®That word again.¡¯

    Immortals. My future self mentioned them in that void he summoned me to. So they are the threat we¡¯re up against. No, their descendants are.

    The bizarre fact about this Zero person was that he could cast God Rank Magic.

    I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes as I read the article my parents showed me.

    Shouldn¡¯t this guy be treated as a national threat? They said that the surrounding nations refused to get involved with this mess. They weren¡¯t targeted like we were after all.

    Selfish bastards.

    Another thing I heard was that Aunt Kimberly left. Arielle¡¯s sister, Kenia was expected to become head of the household. Eric will take up a position of lord in one of their territories.

    This meant that Arielle and Eric already lost.

    ¡°Oh, right. Where¡¯s Arthur?¡±

    It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve seen my best friend.

    To my question, my parents had troubled expressions.

    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll have to¨C¡°

    ¡°Clyde!!!!!!!¡±

    A thunderous roar came from the castle gates. My entire body shook for some reason.

    When I looked towards the entrance from my seat, I saw a silver haired beauty looking around the premises. She looked like she was running all over the kingdom judging by her ragged breathing.

    ¡°W-Who¡¯s that?¡±

    Can such a beautiful woman exist? She beat Melodia in terms of pure beauty.

    Our eyes then met.

    My mother broke the silence.

    ¡°That¡¯s Arthur¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡®Did I perhaps mishear?¡¯

    ¡°Clyde!!!¡±

    I blinked only once but then saw her right in front of me.

    "Ugh!"

    Her arms were basically strangling my body.

    She kept screaming my name as she rubbed her face in my hair.

    ¡®What the hell!?¡¯

    It felt pointless to try and escape from her arms. How could a woman be this strong?

    ¡°¡­Clyde¡­.¡±

    She grabbed a hold of my face and looked at my lips.

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Before I knew it, her tongue insulted my throat wildly. She kissed me as to not let me go. It felt like I would suffocate because of how wildly she insulted my mouth.

    ¡®I¡¯m being tainted!¡¯

    ¡°Ahem.¡±

    A sharp cough came from my parents. The woman then released me with a red face. Her blue eyes looked like it¡¯d be hearts if this were an anime.

    ¡°Introduce yourself. Properly this time¡­¡±

    She let me go in a fluster. I held my hands on my mouth while looking at her with widened eyes.

    ¡°It¡¯s me, Arthur¡­¡±

    ¡°...Huh?¡±

    ¡°W-Wait!¡±

    This girl who called herself my best friend, Arthur then grabbed me as I attempted to run away.

    ¡°It really is Arthur, dear.¡±

    Mother had a wry smile on her face.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I sat down on the seat, awaiting an explanation.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°The sword?¡±

    ¡®Artoria¡¯ nodded.

    Heaven Piercer. That sword was the cause of all this.

    After the disaster happened, Arthur went up to the pillar in the academy that held the Heaven Piercer sword and took it out. She said that she didn¡¯t really know why she did it. It¡¯s just that she had a feeling that told her she had to do it.

    The results were her unlocking her true form, as she called it.

    Arthur brought me to a secluded spot and began explaining to me.

    ¡°I¡¯m the last survivor of the Archangel race. The Valkyries. The sword is the last known divine relic on the planet. Divinity is needed for us to take our true forms. And also, there¡¯s something else I want to tell you.¡±

    She took a deep breath and looked into my eyes. The wind blew so strong that I had to close my eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± I opened my eyes after it subsided. ¡°I¡¯m a Regressor. This is my eight time¨CHey, d-don¡¯t look at me like I¡¯m insane¡­!¡±

    Artoria had tears in her eyes and hit my chest.

    ¡°This sounds too ridiculous.¡±

    ¡°T-Then how do you explain how I knew that divinity would be able to gain my true form!?¡±

    ¡°Maybe by asking that incompetent light goddess?¡±

    ¡°The goddess would never tell anyone where Divine relics are being kept! Plus, that sword¡¯s output was so weak that the church didn¡¯t notice its divinity. The sword was only treated as an artifact that the first king wielded.¡±

    ¡°Can you make any more sense?¡±

    Artoria looked like she was about to cry.

    ¡®Stop that. It invokes the sadistic nature within me if I see a beautiful girl cry.¡¯

    ¡°But¡­¡± I scratched my head. ¡°I believe you.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You do?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. A lot of crazy things happened after all. That guy that can cast God rank magic, the phenomena, my spirit core and mana core that coexist. And also¡­¡±

    I hesitated whether I should tell her.

    ¡°And also?¡±

    ¡°I met my future self.¡±

    ¡°Already?¡±

    ¡°What? You knew about this!?¡±

    I was momentarily dumbfounded by her reply.

    ¡°And I¡¯m a reincarnated person¨C¡°

    ¡°I know that as well.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    ¡®Either she can read people¡¯s minds or she really isn¡¯t insane and is actually a Regressor.¡¯

    ¡°Do you believe me, Clyde?¡±

    I nodded to which she sighed in relief.

    ¡°So we were together in your previous lives¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes. But only in five of my seven lives. You weren¡¯t in the second and the fifth. I suspect it was because you didn¡¯t reincarnate or that you were reborn as someone else and not Clyde Astley.¡±

    Probability. I had the thought that it must¡¯ve been that. There was no guarantee that her previous lives would¡¯ve been the same as this one. Just look at old Clyde. He didn¡¯t meet Sol and he was probably born during wartimes when every day brought a new struggle to survive. Maybe the person who gave him power was the one who betrayed him in the end.

    He or she wanted the old man to lose the trust his family and loved ones had for him. To think he was a merciless monster that would point his gun at anyone he wished. After losing everyone he loved then he¡¯d become their loyal slave.

    I could only fill in the gaps myself since he was vague in his explanations.

    I suddenly realized.

    ¡°Oh, fuck...¡±

    I cursed when I remembered the words of that loli goddess.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Artoria tilted her head.

    ¡°Hey, Artoria. If you met my past selves, can you tell me something?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not able to remember everything but I¡¯ll try.¡±

    ¡°...Have I ever told you about meeting the goddess Sol? The daughter of the previous Light Goddess?¡±

    She tilted her head again while drinking her juice.

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember such a thing. I only know that you met the old version of yourself.¡±

    ¡°Ah... I know now why I didn¡¯t exist.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You do?¡±

    ¡°Was there a hero that was suddenly born from George and Eleanor in those two versions of the timelines and defeated national threats while spouting Sol¡¯s name?"

    Artoria stopped slurping on her juice and looked at me.

    ¡°...How did you know that...?¡±

    I sighed yet again. It became obvious when I heard about myself not existing within those two timelines.

    ¡°The two of us switched places when I saved her the day I died. In the second and fifth reincarnation I didn¡¯t exist which means that I didn¡¯t save her. I grew old and lived my life to the fullest.¡±

    Sol managed to succeed despite being an incompetent goddess in this timeline.

    ¡°Which nation summoned her here? Do you remember?¡±

    Artoria was frowning while thinking of something. She gazed at me.

    ¡°...I think it was the Magic Empire. They were the ones that succeeded in bringing back the Summoning Rituals.¡±

    I spat out the juice I had in my mouth when it went down the wrong pipe. I coughed violently.

    ¡°WHAT!?¡±

 Chapter 41

    (Arielle Luxembourg POV)

    When was it when I felt that I was inferior to my older siblings?

    We¡¯re from the same family and have the same genes yet I can¡¯t seem to catch up to them as I had hoped. My only talent was for the sword.

    Before Clyde and Arthur took lessons at our mansion I tried studying diligently everyday to improve myself. No matter how many times I tried to understand administration or how economics works, I always fail.

    You¡¯re so stupid. I can¡¯t believe I have a sister like you.

    Those words that my sister said to me stung my heart. It felt so painful being insulted by the one I look up to most.

    Kenia Liliana Luxembourg. Aside from the second princess, Denise(Charlotte¡¯s older sister), she was known to be one of the brightest minds on the continent. Her marks at the academy were always at the top, she had excellent wind attribute magic, her beauty turned the heads of all the people regardless if they were married or not, old or young ,male or female.

    She was the perfect woman. That¡¯s what I¡¯d say if someone were to ask me what I thought of her back then.

    And my brother?

    He had talents related to strategic planning and tactics for war. His first ever campaign was when he was 12 years old. What did I achieve when I was 12?

    Basically nothing.

    That¡¯s what separated me from them. I had to work hard to become as strong as I am today. And I¡¯m not even close to Arthur¨CNo, Artoria. But that¡¯s fine with me. She had far more talent than me.

    I had another motivation for working hard besides trying to become a better person.

    The one I came to love, Clyde. I only saw him as inferior to me because I wanted to vent out my pent up frustrations on him. Whenever he talked back to me, I¡¯d hit him.

    It¡¯s really embarrassing remembering my old self. Was I really that much of a clich¨¦ spoiled noble brat? The kind that picks on commoners to prove their superiority?

    I wondered why he stuck by my side despite how I was towards him. He¡¯d always help me with the work we received from the instructor. He¡¯d even comfort me on my rainy days. The two of us spent every day together. That counted for our off days as well.

    I wouldn¡¯t forget that day when he gently wiped my tears away and looked into my eyes.

    Don¡¯t cry. I¡¯m still here with you even if your siblings aren¡¯t there to give you love.

    It was funny. He was still 10 years old but could say such lines to a 12 year old. That was the first time my heart beat so much in my chest. I only ever saw him as a brat that needed to be ordered around and pummelled by my fist. But day after day¡­ I saw him as a man and fell for him.

    It¡¯s odd how I can remember the day so vividly three years later. A person would normally forget their interactions from years ago. But I still remembered it clearly.

    His tone. The sparkle of his green eyes that had a bit of blue light within. I came to love everything about him day by day.

    The two of us grew up together and that¡¯s a memory I¡¯d want to keep forever.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Arielle?¡±

    When I knocked on the door, I received an answer a minute later. I came here straight after asking Lithia to dress me up after I was done bathing.

    I wore a dress that emphasized my cleavage and showed my collarbone. My hair was let loose on my shoulders. I even had a bit of makeup on my face.

    Clyde¡¯s eyes widened and his face flushed a little red. That was the reaction I wanted out of him. It was hard walking in this tight dress, you know?

    I put my hands on his chest after I approached him. I could see his Adam¡¯s apple moving up and down as he gulped hard. His glaring gaze was making my body hotter and hotter.

    I put my arms around his neck and gazed into his eyes. His breath quickened and I could see a tent pitching in his pants.

    ¡°I came to say goodbye.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­.?¡±

    His eyes then widened.

    ¡°N-Not forever. Just¡­ until I can find the path I want to take in my life. I know this is selfish of me but can you wait for me?¡±

    Clyde¡¯s pupils shook as I continued talking.

    ¡°Mother is missing. She left me here alone. I feared that this would happen. She has no allies in this house aside from me. Father is never around and it feels suffocating being with Sadith and my two siblings. I¨C¡°

    Tears fell from my eyes and I averted my gaze. I was too much of a coward to gaze into his eyes.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°I¡¯m all alone¡­¡±

    I put my head on his shoulder and cried. He stroked my silver hair gently.

    ¡°I can¡¯t really say that I understand what you feel but you can¡¯t say you¡¯re alone. You still have me.¡±

    His words were the same as that day he found me crying on the floor after I was insulted and beaten up by my sister.

    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t mean it like that¨C¡°

    ¡°I know.¡± His eyes scanned my body.

    I blushed and lowered the straps of my silver dress. The lingerie I bought was a sexy red.

    ¡°Wow.¡±

    He looked at my chest and slowly put his hands on them.

    ¡°Mmmm¡­¡±

    The candle light was slowly burning out as the moon shined down on us. Clyde lowered the straps of my bra and then my bare chest could my seen. He pushed me onto the bed and put hands above my head.

    His gaze went to my valley that glistened with the lotion I put on before I came.

    My heartbeat quickened in expectation.

    He opened my legs and slowly kissed me upwards until he reached my mouth.

    It felt so pleasurable feeling the person I love grope my body.

    His tongue was so sweet and squishy. His body was so small compared to mine since I was older.

    ¡°Mmm?¡±

    His hands went further down my belly and reach my privates. He gazed into my eyes as if to seek confirmation.

    I nodded with a feverish sigh.

    He pulled his pants down and I saw the thing that will connect the two of us.

    Clyde¡¯s hands were so experienced that I couldn¡¯t stop moaning from his touch. My body was so sensitive after he finished.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    My pained but pleasurable moans and his grunts filled the entire manor as we engaged in the play of intimacy between man and woman of the highest degree.

    After Clyde¡¯s groin touched mine, I felt him pierce my insides. It was painful but I could endure it.

    I never wanted the night to end. Rather, I wanted to stay connected with him and be held in his arms

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    (Clyde Astley POV)

    I woke up only to gaze directly into the sun which blinded me.

    My right side didn¡¯t have the warmth I felt last night anymore.

    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±

    She really left.

    It¡¯s not that I was angry.

    I know what it feels like going down the wrong path. I didn¡¯t want her experiencing the same and dying somewhere after someone¡¯s blade pierced her body.

    I recalled last night.

    Arielle¡¯s debauched expression. The way she locked her legs around my waist while keeping my eyes locked with hers. It was a loved-filled gaze. Our bodies made obscene sounds as the bed shook.

    I could still smell her fragrance in the air.

    I slapped my cheeks and looked around.

    There was a letter on my folded robe on the chair next to the bed.

    I stretched my upper body first and opened it up.

    ¨CI¡¯ll be heading to the Rusa Empire in the east. They nurture the best swordsmen on the continent. I can find Rosetta, the Sword King there. I¡¯m not really good with expressing myself with words so I can only say:

    I¡¯ll miss you.

    I hope to finish my training quickly and come back to start a family with you.

    --

    ¡®Who would¡¯ve thought that she¡¯d be writing things like this.¡¯

    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you too.¡±

    Arielle¡¯s gone now.

    ¡®Will Eleanor and George head back to the village today?¡¯

    I didn¡¯t have anything to do until the academy reopens in a week so I¡¯ll go with them.

    After cutting out the stained sheet of Arielle¡¯s blood and pocketing it, I went downstairs for breakfast.

    I saw our bags already packed when I past by the huge living room. Mother seems to have been up early to prepare our stuff before we leave.

    Noises and voices came from the dining room. I fixed up my hair and tidied my clothes and entered.

    After greeting everyone present, I took my seat next to Kenia. She smiled mysteriously as she looked at me. She put a bacon strip from her plate in mine.

    ¡°Good morning, little Clyde. Did you sleep well?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yes, I did.¡±

    ¡®I was boning your sister so I didn¡¯t get much sleep.¡¯

    Did she know that Arielle and I were in a relationship already?

    ¡®She must think that I¡¯d interfere with her position of head. I have no interest in political strives.¡¯

    I ate my breakfast and ignored her suspicious gaze.

    ¡°Hello, lord Henry.¡±

    I greeted the head of the house after sitting down.

    ¡°Haha. Lord Henry? Call me father-in-law. Did you enjoy your night?¡±

    I fake coughed and avoided the eyes of my parents.

    ¡°A-About that¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will not interfere in your relationship. I¡¯m rather happy that Arielle picked you instead of some other noble brat. That aside, a letter arrived for you.¡±

    Duke Luxembourg spoke to me as I was about to finish up.

    He flicked his finger to a maid in the corner. She went to go retrieve something and came back a minute later.

    ¡°A letter¡­ from who¨C¡°

    I saw the sender. Even the fancy letter and candle wax with the Royal Crest can immediately tell you that it¡¯s from Royalty.

    ¡°Now this is interesting¡­¡±

    I heard Kenia mutter something as I opened it up.

    ¨CYou must want to spend time with your family so I can¡¯t expect you to visit me so often. I¡¯ll make arrangements for you to attend my class so we can be together. Someone might be from Olivia¡¯s faction in my class so it¡¯s natural that I have my strongest knight with me, right? Anyway, when you visit the kingdom again, please come to my villa. I¡¯ll be staying there with miss Helen for the time being.

    ¡­

    It was good that she didn¡¯t act too intimate with me in the letter. Others might mistake our relationship that way.

    When I closed the letter, I even felt Eric¡¯s gaze on me.

    ¡®Do I look like a monkey in a zoo?¡¯

    Both of their eyes looked at me with interest.

    After we finished our breakfast, the entire family saw us off at the door. Since the duke had to get back to his territory, he will be riding behind us.

    I found Artoria underneath the shade of a tree.

    I approached her.

    ¡°Are you not coming?¡±

    She shook her head.

    ¡°The White Order is keeping a close eye on me. I can¡¯t really disobey them since my power is still limited at the moment.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering something since our conversation yesterday¡­ How long were the two of us together?¡±

    Artoria tilted her head as she pondered.

    ¡°I can¡¯t remember anything past 22 years old. My memories are sealed whenever I get regressed. I can only remember something if it¡¯s mentioned just like that time when I remembered this sword.¡±

    She tapped the white sword on her waist.

    The [Heaven Piercer].

    ¡°I can only recall a few things about the future. Although the memories of anything important are filtered out.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    I rubbed my forehead.

    ¡®It¡¯s quite actually similar to the dreams I have.¡¯

    ¡°Clyde, I know we can¡¯t immediately become lovers¡­ Can we try at least? We were lovers before and I hope we can be like that again. I-I want the two of us to be together again¡­ well?¡±

    She gripped my arm.

    The words of my future self.

    So Arthur was this Artoria he mentioned. If I had known, would my behaviour have been different?

    I averted my gaze from her eyes.

    I only saw him as a brother and my best friend¡­

    Her grip on my arm loosened.

    ¡°Is it no good?¡±

    She had tears in her eyes.

    ¡°¡­Alright¡­ I¡¯m still trying to process everything that happened so far¡­¡±

    Her empty smile vanished and was replaced by a bright one.

    ¡°¡­T-Thank you¡­ I won¡¯t disappoint you¡­¡±

    I didn¡¯t hug her when she spread her arms. She awkwardly lowered her arms.

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s goodbye for now¡­¡±

    I nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll miss you¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I stepped away without a word. Mother and Father looked at me worriedly when I came into the carriage.

    Artoria looked so lonely beneath that tree as she gazed at our carriage.

    But she didn¡¯t cry. She held it in.

    I turned my gaze away from her figure as the manor grew smaller and smaller as we rode in the carriage.

 Chapter 42: Artorias thoughts

    (Artoria POV)

    I can¡¯t really remember much from my first life aside that by the day I died, there were wars and death everywhere.

    That¡¯s the only memory I have of the first timeline.

    I also remembered ¡°Him¡±.

    The figure that can¡¯t be described other than calling him a monster. He had a male body but I couldn¡¯t make out his face since his entire body had this dark miasma covering him.

    Was it to hide himself or was his figure just naturally so?

    I couldn¡¯t tell.

    I can remember a few pieces of my other previous lives. Clyde always used to tell me his life before he reincarnated. I never got bored of it no matter how many times I listened to him.

    It was around a campfire where the two of us shared our stories. I was an angel of the highest race, the Archangels. We were variants that¡¯s why I was called a Valkyrie. I can¡¯t use magic and can only use my body as a weapon.

    I was banished because I wasn¡¯t born with deity blood. That¡¯s about the only thing I remember from my life as a divine deity. My mentality as a deity shrank through my regressions and my many deaths. I could even be classified as human now.

    It was so frustrating that I couldn¡¯t remember anything past a few years.

    Clyde was an ordinary person from earth born with ordinary talent unlike in this life. He died when he was 25 years old on earth but in his previous lives it was different. Sometimes it would be when he was 34, 50 or 13.

    Fate and the way of destiny is weird. I couldn¡¯t understand why the future or the past were never the same.

    Yesterday when Clyde looked at me like I was a stranger, it really saddened me. The way he distanced himself from me was different before I changed into my real form.

    The negative emotions started to rise. I knew that I couldn¡¯t do the ¡®thing¡¯ I did from my last regression.

    I knew it was wrong but it was only to keep him from danger and hide him from the rest of the world. My jealousy reached its peak back then. He was always surrounded by beautiful women that would throw themselves at him, the strongest mage to ever exist after the death of Odette.

    I hated that. I wanted him to stay with me alone. So what was the stupid solution I came up with?

    I confined him. Yes, I confined him after destroying his cores. The spirit core and his mana core was destroyed by me. His life as a mage was over. Did I care enough to worry about that?

    No. The memories where I saw him die many times still remained within my regressions. Why is it only the bad memories that remained?

    I saw him die by beheading from the King. Killed by aliens that invaded our world after its destruction. Died by the hands of that shadowy figure. He was killed from poison by his own lord, Charlotte when he was heavily injured and useless to her.

    That¡¯s the reason I hate that princess. She might not look like it but eventually she¡¯ll throw Clyde away after he loses his worth. I wasn¡¯t sure what would happen if I intended to tell him of that. I still remembered that Divine Punishments are given to Regressors if they tell certain things to humans of the world they regressed in.

    I know why she turned out like that since something devastating happened to her to change her entire personality.  But that¡¯s still not an excuse.

    My solution was the best choice to me of that time.

    I cut off his limbs so he couldn¡¯t escape.

    His eyes broke my heart.

    It was the eyes of looking at the person he hated the most. But I didn¡¯t care and only kept him for my own enjoyment and wish fulfilment.

    He was mine finally. There was nothing stopping me from doing whatever I wanted.

    Without his arms, he couldn¡¯t hit me.

    Without his legs, he couldn¡¯t run.

    Without his tongue, I couldn¡¯t hear the insults hurled at me.

    I got what I wanted. But at what cost?

    ¡°Do you have any intention of invading our kingdom?¡±

    The leader of the White Order, Iris, was on the opposite chair to mine. We were in a Sky Fortress that is above the clouds of the impossible dungeon called the ¡®Red Abyss¡¯.

    We came here using flight magic.

    I was in a completely white room, having to answer questions with an oath magic circle drawn on my hand. It would glow red if I lied and white if I tell the truth.

    ¡°No.¡±

    It glowed white when I said no.

    ¡°Are you an agent from the Republic sent to start a revolution?¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    It glowed white yet again.

    ¡°Hm... so all 50 questions are white marked. His Majesty had to do this to calm down the nobles. I hope you understand, ¡®Miss¡¯ Artoria.¡±

    I smiled wryly.

    ¡°Last question. This is my own question. How did you know you were worthy of the sword? And what is this sword?¡±

    ¡°I had a dream telling me to pick up the sword.¡±

    She nodded as if accepting my explanation.

    ¡°The sword is a weapon crafted by the Old Gods a billion years ago. It was deemed ineffective and was thrown to some far-off world. This world. At least that¡¯s what was written in the tabloids of the Angel Temple.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    She snorted.

    ¡°Even something like an oracle would¡¯ve been more believable.¡±

    She tidied up the documents and stood up. Clark, the Spear God moved away from the corner. His eyes were on me the entire session.

    It was doubtful eyes directed at me.

    It was obvious why.

    None of my statements made sense even though the magic circle itself is confirming that it¡¯s the truth.

    I¡¯d need to stay a lot longer until they finally finish with their tests.

    It would be a few years before I could unlock my powers from before so all I could do was follow their instructions.

    I want to see Clyde.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    (CLYDE POV)

    We arrived at our village a week later.

    ¡°Young master!!¡±

    When I entered our house after my parents, two pairs of arms wrapped around me.

    ¡°Miss Brielle?¡±

    It was our maid that always used to look after me when I was a child.

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    She hurriedly bowed her head with tears in her eyes.

    ¡°We sent a letter but it seems she¡¯s still in shock. Did you miss my son that much?¡±

    Father snickered.

    ¡°I-I apologize for my rude behaviour.¡±

    She meekly lowered her head.

    She¡¯s a 21 year old girl that began working here when I was three. She mostly looked after Jessica and Chloe since I was always away. I could still remember the day she came to live with us.

    It was when I was a toddler when she arrived in our village. She was a war orphan after her village along with countless other regions were destroyed by armies from the Republic. My parents took her in. She wasn¡¯t around much when Arthur came to our house since she was completing her education at a school for young ladies.

    Her short red hair still had that same unique scent I always loved.

    Jessica and Chloe went to their room to unpack their things.

    Mother asked Brielle to help her with dinner preparation.

    I was left with George.

    ¡°Hey, son! Want to spar with your old man!?¡±

    My father brought me out to the courtyard and threw a wooden sword at my feet.

    ¡®Is... is this what they call bonding in this world?¡¯

    On Earth, fathers normally play catch with you.

    I picked up the sword and winched at the weight of it.

    I immediately called the spirits to gather in my body.

    ¡®Ah, that¡¯s better.¡¯

    ¡°Let¡¯s see how much stronger you¡¯ve gotten. Magic is allowed but only elementary rank spells. You win if you can hit me with a spell.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You suddenly grew arrogant in your old age.¡±

    ¡°Tch. You little brat. I¡¯m not even 40 yet.¡±

    Father got into a sword stance. It was a familiar style I¡¯ve seen him perform in his battles in the past.

    His previous playful side vanished and I could only see a knight looking at his enemy.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the only way to win, then...¡±

    I poured mana into my veins and tightened my grip on the sword. I¡¯m an amateur when it comes to the sword so I can only imitate what I¡¯ve seen Arielle do.

    ¡°Once this coin falls to the ground then we begin.¡±

    He flicked a coin. It flew into the air and spun. I looked at it intently but kept my guard up just enough to escape if George suddenly appeared before me.

    Ting

    When the coin fell, I created more distance between the two of us. He looked like he expected it as he didn¡¯t look surprised in the slightest.

    ¡°[Fireball]!¡±

    He said no spell above the lower rank but what about lower rank spells enhanced with my spirits?

    His eyed opened wide.

    ¡®You should¡¯ve been more precise, father.¡¯

    I threw the gigantic fireball as he was about to chase after me.

    He didn¡¯t dodge though. He used his own Ki to slice the fireball in half.

    ¡®My old man is not weak at all.¡¯

    He dodged the ice lances I threw at him with fluent movements. Not one lance hit the target successfully. Those that managed to reach him were crushed by his Ki barrier.

    TAK

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    George and I exchanged blows and I felt the heavy weight in his strength. He was trained as a knight ever since he was a little child.

    They always hire my father for difficult missions like subjugating monsters, taking down bandits etc¡­

    Now I know why the people trust him so much to protect them. He was the strongest knight of the Bentinck family¡¯s territory.

    ¡°Kuh¡­!¡±

    George¡¯s blows were heavy and fast. I had to pour mana into my eyes just to dodge his slashes that were aiming for my arms. His intention was to knock the sword out of my hand. But won¡¯t that cause my bones to break if he succeeds?

    ¡®That¡¯s not very fatherly of you, George Astley.¡¯

    The swords we¡¯re using were at least 200kg. Even I, a mage can lift something a person from Earth would need years to build muscle for. People with mana and Ki are naturally stronger in this world.

    The only reason I hadn¡¯t lost yet is because of the constant supply of mana into my veins. My mana is being rapidly consumed as the fight drags on.

    Father¡¯s attacks are relentless.

    ¡°[GALE]!¡±

    I managed to dodge a strike and aimed my wind spell at his ribcage. It would shatter a person¡¯s ribs if it hit but father is different.

    ¡°!!!¡±

    ¡°AAARGH!!!¡±

    He literally grabbed my hand. The wind spell did nothing against his reinforced skin.

    It felt like a steel hand was pushing me to the ground.

    ¡°Give up?¡±

    Father smirked.

    This cocky old man.

    ¡°Heh.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°You forgot one thing father.¡± I looked into his eyes. ¡°I can use magic chantless.¡±

    His eyes widened.

    I casted [Quagmire] and his feet immediately shank into the ground.

    His expression was enough to let me know that he didn¡¯t think ahead.

    Well, that¡¯s natural. When warriors fight mages, they assume mages can¡¯t fight at close range. It¡¯s true. But only for people that can¡¯t use chantless magic.

    I smirked.

    ¡°Shit! You little rascal¨C!¡±

    BOOOM

    RUMBLE

    I threw a giant fireball just like earlier into his face.

    I then gained distance. My hand was numb from his strong grip on it. I¡¯m definitely at a disadvantage if I don¡¯t use big spells.

    ¡°Hahaha. I guess I lose.¡±

    When the smoke dispersed, father was grinning from ear to ear with a black face covered in ash.

    ¡®He doesn¡¯t even look injured¡­¡¯

    ¡°Good work, son.¡±

    He ruffled my hair with a smirk.

    ¡°But don¡¯t think your surprise attack will work twice. Gyahahaha!¡±

    He walked away with a laugh and his hand on his belly.

    ¡®His hair is still burning.¡¯

    ¡ó¡ó

    I spend a while outside training my spirit magic before I went back home. The sun was already setting over the horizon creating an orange hue over the village.

    It¡¯s moments like these where I think that this world is far more peaceful than Earth. There¡¯s wars nearly every day in third world countries.

    The kingdom¡¯s last big war was 30 years ago. That was because of the succession war that took place in the kingdom.

    The past royal family members started a civil war that killed thousands of people that supported their enemies. The only surviving members of the previous royal family is the current king and his elder sister¨Cwho is on house arrest 24/7 in the tallest tower of the palace.

    It would¡¯ve been a disaster if she were to become queen of Colchis. How much would our entire family suffer? Duke Luxembourg supports the king so it¡¯s only natural that we would¡¯ve been slaughtered.

    I hope nothing like that¡¯ll happen in the future.

    When I opened the door, Brielle greeted me and led me to the bathroom. I was still covered in sweat from training.

    She offered to wash me but I refused with a firm shake of my head. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m embarrassed. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m already old enough to do things on my own.

    Think about it, wouldn¡¯t it be weird for a grown woman to wash a boy going through puberty? I might push her down¡­

    When I got out of the bath, dinner was already on the table. My family was only waiting for me to arrive.

    Brielle was also invited to dine with us before she went home.

    We did a short prayer to goddess Sol to thank her for our family¡¯s safety. I never believed in this world¡¯s gods but I still prayed with everyone regardless. Sol did say I must pray for her every once in a while.

    Brielle also attends the church so it would look bad if I disrespected the goddess she believed in. I used to go with her sometimes but only because I wanted to spend time with her. I was needlessly clingy back then.

    The atmosphere was nice. I truly felt glad to have come back safe to my family.

    Family. It was something I took for granted back on earth. It took me 39 years of my life to realize the importance of having loved ones by your side.

    Our dinner proceeded in a merry mood. We had great company and delicious food thanks to our chef, Eleanor.

    Later that night.

    I entered the room of my two sisters.

    Both of them were soundly asleep. We played after dinner together so the two of them must¡¯ve gotten exhausted. I was never really close with my two sisters so I decided to bond with them a little.

    I stroked their small heads.

    ¡°Your big brother will always be there for you in the future. I promise that I¡¯ll make time for the two of you.¡±

    I kissed their foreheads before leaving the room.

 Chapter 43: Arielles path(1)

    (Arielle POV)

    _Welcome to my dojo_

    ¡®Is this the place?¡¯

    My previous master, Captain Lloyd Kennedy spoke about this dojo in the Rusa Empire that produces the finest swordsmen on the continent. This nation was a bit far from Colchis and it took me six days to get here by carriage.

    The competition for dojos in this kingdom is huge since many aspired knights are picky when they want to enrol in an institute to their liking.

    My master says that the quality of the teacher is far more important than the academy or dojo itself.

    Rosetta. She¡¯s the only person on the continent that can rival the leader of the White Order in swordsmanship. In fact, she was the master of Iris back when she was still a trainee knight.

    ¡®I can¡¯t wait to meet her.¡¯

    I knocked on the large door. As I waited, I looked around the vicinity.

    Large trees were all around the huge property of Madam Rosetta¡¯s dojo. The dojo stands out quite a bit even though it¡¯s located in the slums of the Rusa Empire.

    The walls look newly built and sturdy for defense. The entire building of the dojo seemed to have been built with expensive materials.

    Quiet footsteps approached the door. I readied myself for meeting the woman they call the ¡®Tigress of the Sword¡¯ or ¡®Fierce Sword God¡¯. Just hearing her name can incite different emotions in the hearts of people that know of her.

    Creak

    The large door swung open. I didn¡¯t notice it before but it looks like the amount of materials used to build the gate would naturally make it heavy.

    But a single woman pushed it open with one hand. She¡¯s¨C

    ¡°¡­huh?¡±

    I rubbed my eyes when I saw the legend herself opening the door.

    ¡°You must be Arielle. Come on in, child.¡±

    The old woman had her hands behind her back as she guided me through the garden. I looked towards my left where people were shouting and saw a bunch of small children practicing their swings.

    ¡®Is this old hag really the legend herself? She has the body shape of a woman in her thirties but the skin of a 70 year old woman.¡¯

    ¡°Little Lloyd said you¡¯d come but I didn¡¯t expect you to arrive so early. How has he been lately? The little brat stopped sending me letters.¡±

    I snapped out of my confused state.

    ¡°Well¨C¡°

    Just as I wanted to answer¨C

    SHIIIIRK

    !!!!

    A long thin blade almost stabbed me in the throat. Luckily I was saved thanks to my instincts.

    I deflected the blade with a dagger I had at the back.

    ¡°Hoh.¡±

    The old woman retracted her sword and sheathed it. All the disciples looked our way.

    ¡°You seem to have disbelief on whether I¡¯m the real master of this dojo.¡±

    ¡°H-How did you¡­¡±

    I looked at my hands. They were shivering uncontrollably. In that split second, she managed to unsheathe her sword and direct the blade towards my throat.

    Is this what it¡¯s like to feel fear?

    ¡°Your abnormal instincts saved you today, child. Although, I wanted to cut off a little from your eyebrows.¡±

    She chuckled.

    ¡®S-she really is Rosetta.¡¯

    After I saw the strike of her sword, I instantly realized¨C

    ¡®I¡¯m standing in front of a monster.¡¯

    She led me through a huge building that was built in a classical way. I couldn¡¯t help but notice that there were only females everywhere I looked.

    ¡°Um, master Rosetta?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°Why are there no males?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that. There have been many here before but there were also many complaints from the females about them.¡±

    ¡°What kind of complaints?¡±

    ¡°Assaults. Sexual Assaults.¡±

    What¡­

    ¡°There have been ten cases so far. I personally punished them but the damage was already done. I decided to make this a female only dojo. One of my disciples from the past take in males. He is just as skilled as Lloyd so there¡¯s no worry about the drop in quality of the teacher.¡±

    We came towards the backyard. I already put my bags down in my room. Madam Rosetta pointed to the middle of the backyard. There was a lone girl standing there.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    She had black silky hair that fluttered beautifully in the wind. A little bit of her bountiful chest could be seen through her kimono.

    She was standing there with her eyes closed.

    ¡°She¡¯ll be the one that¡¯ll determine whether you¡¯ll stay or leave.¡±

    ¡°What? There was something like this?¡±

    I never thought I¡¯d fight someone minutes after arriving. My master never said something like this.

    ¡®Could it be that this was meant to be a surprise?¡¯

    Maybe this is like the saying ¡®Adapt to whatever challenge you may face¡¯. It¡¯s something that is frequently experienced in war or in life itself.

    I¡¯ll just think of it as such.

    The girl¡¯s eyes met mine. Her pupils were blood red and her eyes were narrowly sharpened. She had a stoic expression on her beautiful face. A beauty mark is above her lip, heightening her beauty.

    ¡®Ugh, she¡¯s so pretty. I should also take care of my appearance from now on.¡¯

    I never really cared about how I looked like. My maids dressed me up anyway. I felt bitter as the cool beauty made her way towards us.

    She bowed to Rosetta.

    ¡°Master.¡±

    ¡°Mmm. She will be your opponent.¡±

    To Rosetta¡¯s words, the girl tilted her head.

    ¡°I understand.¡±

    She went back to the centre, after taking out a wooden sword from the racks.

    ¡°Go on now.¡±

    I nodded my head and quickly chose a weapon.

    I chose a double bladed sword.

    ¡°I am Celina. What is your name, fellow disciple?¡±

    She extended her hand for a handshake. I put my hand on hers and felt how hard her hand was. The bandages on her hands must be to prevent callouses from developing on the palm of her hand.

    ¡°Arielle Luxembourg.¡±

    Her face twisted.

    ¡°I see. A noble.¡±

    She roughly shook off my hand and took some distance away.

    ¡®What was that all about?¡¯

    After moving 10 metres away, she got into a stance I¡¯d never seen before.

    I also got into my own stance.

    ¡°Either win by making your opponent give up or make them unconscious.¡±

    Madam Rosetta acted as the referee.

    She then said in a low voice.

    ¡°Ki and Aura is allowed.¡±

    Doesn¡¯t that sound too extreme for a practice duel?

    I wanted to protest but instantly shut off all thoughts when I saw the Celina girl cover her body in Ki.

    It was like a gentle ripple on the surface of a pool of water.

    ¡®Alright then.¡¯

    Rumble

    Compared to her calm Ki, mine was the chaotic type that focused solely on power and destruction. The aura was the same as violently shaking a glass of water.

    She had purple Ki while mine was silver. Her expression remained the same even as I poured all my power into my Ki infusion. All my senses sharpened and a new sense became accessible to me.

    A sixth sense.

    Normally, young knights like me would need to train for years to be able to get it. But I was training alongside a real prodigy. We fought every time to see the results of our training.

    Compared to Artoria, this Celina girl looks like she was holding a wooden stick.

    But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll let my guard down just because this girl is weaker than Artoria.

    ¡°Begin!¡±

    Both of us dashed into each other and interlocked our weapons. I was momentarily surprised by the strength behind her sword but quickly recovered.

    ¨CStrength isn¡¯t always important in a fight.

    Those were my master words whenever I throw a fit during training. He¡¯d pummel me whenever I chose to fight with strength alone without using any techniques or sword skills.

    CLANG

    TAK

    WHOOSH

    If I have strength and my instincts then Celina has strength combined with speed. How long has she trained under Rosetta?

    Could she be the Dark Sword Maiden my master was talking about? The one that Rosetta saved from a battlefield and raised.

    Judging by how everything she¡¯s wearing is black, that might¡¯ve been the case.

    ¡®That doesn¡¯t matter. I must win or at least make an impression.¡¯

    I¡¯m ready to go through hell to get stronger. I made a promise with my beloved.

    I¡¯ll get stronger. Strong enough that I could protect him.

    ¡°What¡¯s important when training your skills with the sword?¡±

    Rosetta spoke as we exchanged blows.

    ¡°Is it for strength? No. Willpower? No. Is it perhaps a promise?¡±

    A hit landed in my shoulder since I was too distracted by her words.

    ¡°That¡¯s also a no. The truth is there¡¯s no real answer to this question. We can have many reasons as to why we want to become stronger.¡±

    Celina released more Ki as I took distance since my arm was numbed a bit.

    ¡°When making up your mind to become a swordsman, you must have the qualifications. And I¡¯m not talking about where you come from or how much money you have. What matters most is what¡¯s in your heart. If your sword and your heart become one, then there¡¯s no telling how powerful you can become with the sword.¡±

    Tak

    Tak

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    I finally landed a hit on Celina. Although she quickly dodged my second attack. That girl was really something else.

    ¡°Arielle, what is your reason for becoming stronger?¡±

    Celina stood still, seemingly also interested.

    I tightened the grip on the wooden sword and declared.

    ¡°Power.¡±

    ¡°Kek.¡±

    Rosetta snickered but stopped when she saw my face.

    ¡°You¡¯re serious, huh.¡±

    It felt like my senses heightened as we fought for a longer duration. A few more minutes and then this battle would be mine to win.

    Celina then shortened the distance and swung her sword in an arc. Her sword may be made from wood but the sound of the air being cut instantly made me heighten my guard.

    ¡°The girl you¡¯re fighting is different.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t understand what Rosetta was talking about.

    ¡°She has no goal for becoming stronger.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point when I have nothing like a family to protect? Or have no need of power?¡± Celina spoke after she swung her sword.

    The power behind her slash was even stronger than before.

    Did Rosetta purposely mention Celina?

    ¡°Parents left.¡±

    Her strike aimed for my head but I blocked it, although with a little difficultly.

    ¡°The people that said they¡¯d protect me from harm sold me!¡±

    Her eyes glowed a fiery red as her calm Ki began to ripple.

    ¡°I had to kill my first person when I was 8! And that person was my father! I hated him!¡±

    My eyes widened.

    ¡°Celina. Stop.¡±

    Celina¡¯s sword was inches away from my throat. Her face was all scrunched up and it felt like she was looking at the enemy of her parents.

    She gradually lost her anger and glared at Rosetta.

    ¡°Please do not play with a person¡¯s feelings by bringing up my past. This is why so many of your disciples hate you when they finish their training here at the dojo. I hope someone kills you in your sleep, you old dog.¡±

    ¡°Kekeke. Impossible.¡±

    Celina threw down the sword and bowed to me after our match ended.

    ¡°I approve of her becoming a fellow disciple. She will one day become a strong swordsman.¡±

    Celina cracked a small smile as she walked past me.

    She left the courtyard with quick steps.

    Only Rosetta and I remained.

    ¡°I might have gone a bit too far. Ohoho!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    This old hag. That¡¯s what I was thinking but there¡¯s no way that I¡¯d say it out loud.

    ¡°Let me tell you the rules before you head back to your room.¡± She held up a finger. ¡°First. You complete whatever training I throw at you no matter what it is. Second. You are responsible for your own breakfast, lunch and dinner.¡±

    ¡°What? So I receive lodging but not food?¡±

    She nodded her head.

    ¡°Who do you think will look after you on a battlefield? Let me tell you this now, we swordsmen are different from knights. Knights belong to a certain group. They receive funds while under a contract. And us? We live independently without a lord. We are nomads.¡±

    She unsheathed her sword and swung it. I couldn¡¯t even see it move.

    ¡°Take this stray leaf for example.¡± On the tip of her sword, a leaf was pierced through it. ¡°And look at the tree over there. This leaf is you and that tree full of leaves are the knights I spoke of. Knights protect, we fight to survive this world.¡±

    She then shook the leaf off and sheathed the sword.

    ¡°You will catch your own food like I said. There¡¯s a big forest outside the city walls so you have enough food wandering around there.¡±

    She then turned her back on me.

    ¡°Oh, right. Lights out at 10 sharp otherwise you¡¯ll be punished.¡±

    She smiled and then walked away.

    ¡°This is my life for now¡­¡±

    I looked at the hand that¡¯s still trembling from my fight earlier.

    ¡®We fight to survive, huh?¡¯

    I couldn¡¯t really go along with her reasoning. I guess it was different for me since I have something to protect.

 Chapter 44: Arielles path(2)

    (Arielle POV)

    Cold water was poured on my face as I was sleeping.

    ¡°Kuh¡­!¡±

    It was so cold that my heart felt like it¡¯ll explode.

    I grabbed my sword and aimed it at the neck of the intruder.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Celina was standing there with a bucket in her hands.

    ¡°Why the fuck did you have to wake me up like that!?¡±

    I felt like punching her beautiful face.

    She calmly spoke, ¡°You weren¡¯t waking up even though I was shaking you so much.¡±

    ¡°Tch.¡±

    I got up while grumbling.

    It¡¯s true that I¡¯m a heavy sleeper. That¡¯s how Clyde got away with touching me so much at night.

    ¡°Madam Rosetta is looking for you at the gate.¡±

    Celina walked out of my room and closed the door shut.

    ¡°First day of training.¡±

    My previous master said something along the lines of ¡®Whatever you do, don¡¯t give up in the middle of training. Miss Rosetta doesn¡¯t like quitters. I learned that the hard way.¡¯

    Whatever training she throws at me, I shouldn¡¯t give up. This is necessary for my growth to become strong with the sword.

    "Hm?"

    I saw a tray of food next to the bed.

    ¨CThis is all I''ll give you for your first day. From tomorrow onwards, hunt your own food like the rest of us.

    Celina

    -

    I must say, she''s kinder than she acts. The meat was a little burnt but it tasted delicious regardless. I wonder if it was Celina that made this. Or do they have a cook here at the dojo?

    After I finished eating my breakfast, I put on my training gear which was a black robe with short sleeves.

    A knock came from the door followed by someone¡¯s voice.

    ¨CWe have to line up, Miss Arielle. The master does roll call in the mornings.

    The person walked away afterwards.

    I might be punished if I don¡¯t go now.

    There was already the sound of someone getting whacked in the head.

    ¨CBe on time when I get here!

    ¨CY-Yes!This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    It was Lady Rosetta.

    I quickly went outside. All my seniors were lined up outside their door, with tensed expressions.

    Rosetta did the roll call by reading off piece of paper. For some reason we were all assigned with numbers. I was number 46.

    Maybe I got the number since I¡¯m the 46<sup>th</sup> person to come to this dojo. I¡¯m not sure how many disciples are currently at the dojo. I was too tired to socialize with anyone yesterday.

    Rosetta led us all to the back of the dojo covered in vegetation. There was a spot big enough for training on the flattened grass.

    ¡°Well then.¡± Rosetta spoke. ¡°Everyone get your swords.¡±

    She went to the middle of the training ground and unsheathed her thin blade.

    ¡°Master, what kind of training are we doing today?¡±

    One of the disciples curiously asked.

    Rosetta smirked.

    ¡°All of you will be fighting me. Not one on one. All of you can come at me at once.¡±

    She swung her sword, causing a thin gale to dance with her sword¡¯s direction afterward.

    I could barely see her doing any large movements but her sword created such a strong shockwave.

    She released her own Ki and directed that power towards us.

    Many were shook by her power that no one dared to move.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I thought my disciple would be more brazen than this¡­ I knew I should¡¯ve asked the older students to stay here instead of going on a trip. They would be far better opponents than you little kids.¡±

    She made a disappointed expression.

    Among the many hesitating disciples only one person stepped up.

    Celina.

    Her sword was unsheathed and pointed straight at Rosetta. She released her own Ki and spoke.

    ¡°Talking condescendingly to us huh.¡±

    I didn¡¯t notice that I also stood next to Celina when I came to my senses.

    My body subconsciously moved.

    ¡®Huh? I don¡¯t feel the fear from before.¡¯

    Rosetta smirked.

    ¡°Then come at me then. I might die from old age from waiting.¡±

    Celina shot forward with a powerful jump. Her jump created a crater in the ground.

    ¡®She¡¯s using her full power right at the start?¡¯

    Rosette stood her ground and pointed her sword at Celina. There was no fear etched onto her face. Even her Ki was gentle like a lake during the midst of summer.

    ¡®Is she that confident in her strength?¡¯

    That was a stupid question I asked to myself. Because¨C

    CLANK

    Rumble

    Celina went for the strike but was fended off with extreme power from her opponent.

    It was only a split second. It was exactly the same as yesterday.

    That Rosetta person drew her blade, twisting her muscles and tensed her body in a split second.

    I trembled seeing such power and skill from a real veteran.

    I didn¡¯t notice the smile on my face.

    ¡°Ho?¡±

    Rosette looked at me with amusement in her eyes.

    The other disciples stood by and watched, no one daring to interfere in our two on one.

    In certain cases this would be considered unfair. But the person we''re facing a damn monster. No ordinary person can stand up to her.

    My Ki burst out of my body and I unsheathed my sword.

    ¡°I was wrong after all.¡± Rosette spoke as I stood next to Celina. Both our Ki were spiralling into a chaotic mess.

    I was sure of it. Celina was also excited as we stood in front of a real master swordsman. A person that integrated their body with the will of their sword.

    Both of us roared, causing the ground to rumble. Both our Ki made the entire dojo shake.

    Rosetta still had a smirk on her face.

    ¡°One day I''ll wipe that smirk off you face, you arrogant hag.¡±

    Celina shot forward first. I followed suit afterwards.

    I was excited.

    I was excited meeting such a powerful person. A person that I wanted to surpass. Who I could make my goal. And if I surpass her then I¡¯ll just make someone stronger my goal.

    For power is my only driving force.

    I want it. I want to taste show it feels to be at the peak of swordsmanship.

    How strong is Iris of the White Order? How strong is that vampire lord?

    ¡°Oh, my. Your face tells me you''re excited.¡±

    Rosetta disappeared from where she stood. Celina''s sword cut nothing but air.

    Rosetta appeared on my side. I swung my sword with a ferocious roar causing more of my Ki to exit my body.

    It was my first day but I was already fighting the master of the dojo.

    Clank

    The power behind her strike felt real.

    But the fear I felt yesterday was gone.

    Rosetta''s eyes opened wide.

    ¡°Come on, Lady Rosetta. I bet you can hit harder than that!¡±

    I released a flurry of attacks under the astonished eyes of my fellow disciples.

    How strong will I be in the future when I become a master swordsman?

    What did my master say other than the fact that Rosetta hates quitters?

    ¡®Ah. Now I remember.¡®

    ¨CBut if a determined swordsman enters her dojo then she will do whatever it takes to let that person ascend to the peak of swordsmanship. I couldn''t because my talent was limited. Arielle, will you be that person?

    I clenched my sword, ready to fight our master along with Celina.

    ¡®I will¡­¡¯

 Chapter 45

    (Charlotte POV)

    The Inner Palace.

    I stood in front of the door to my mother¡¯s bedroom.

    The maids that led me already left to give me private time with my mother. I spoke to her immediately after coming back but that was not enough for me.

    I wanted to hear her voice again. To feel her touch. To gaze at her beautiful visage. The last time I visited, she was sitting on her bed with a warm smile. Her skin was still so milky white and pure from blemishes despite being sick. The same as it was a decade ago.

    The tears that I held in fell down and I ran into her embrace while tugging her clothes.

    She only patted my head with a smile.

    I told her all the things that we¡¯ve been through on the other part of the continent.

    From the beginning until the end. I was so invested in letting her know what we did that I lost track of time. When I finally finished talking, it was already past midnight. Mother didn¡¯t even seem to mind.

    I really dumped all that info on her despite not asking her how she was doing.

    Had Olivia and the others make their move yet? Mother might be a former swordsman, but she was still weak from the illness.

    It pained me to see her break into a fit of coughs whenever I come talk to her.

    The disease was barely manageable since many priests visit the palace everyday. I was hoping miss Erica could perhaps help mother but I was filled with hesitation.

    Clyde made me promise to keep her being the Saintess a secret and I¡¯ll keep that promise with him.

    Something was telling me that she was hiding more power than she showed. We were all called in for questioning at the Sky Fortress as a group.

    Despite the members of the White Order exerting that much pressure on her, she never once changed her expression and calmly answered their questions.

    A normal human would choke under their aura. I also found it hard to stare any of them in the eyes.

    Creak

    I opened the door after calming myself down.

    Mother was drinking tea by the porch of her room, overlooking our kingdom.

    A white blanket was thrown over her legs to block the chilly wind. I could see that it was the blanket I made her three years ago when I learned to knit. It¡¯s not even perfectly made but she still used it.

    Her long blonde hair danced with the wind. The robe she wore emphasizes all her curves. I wished that I could become as gorgeous as my mother someday. She was 42 years old and yet she didn¡¯t look a day over 30.

    Father usually sneaks to the Inner Palace a lot to spend time with mother. Not to make love, though. Mother always gossips about these sorts of things about the two of them.

    I wonder, if she gets cured, does that mean I¡¯ll get a new sibling?

    If that¡¯s what will happen then I¡¯ll look after him or her properly once I become queen. Not even a strand of hair on their head will touched by anyone.

    ¡°You came, dear.¡±

    Mother¡¯s sweet and melodious voice flowed into my ears. Her warm voice instantly made me relax of some of the tension I felt.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    I sat on the opposite chair to her and gazed at her. She was looking at me as well.

    She smiled warmly.

    ¡°Now, let me hear what you¡¯ve been up to this week.¡±

    ¡ó¡ó

    (Clyde POV)

    I practiced my magic all day and depleted all of my mana for the first time in awhile. It¡¯ll take a few days to recover completely so I can only rely on spirit magic at the moment.

    There¡¯s a spell I¡¯ve been trying to cast.

    It¡¯s a God Rank spell. And as expected, I couldn¡¯t cast it. I didn¡¯t have the mastery over all magic like the Great Sage did.

    I was hoping that I could at least cast something similar. Maybe something with a lower rank, the same formula and effects but with a lower power output.

    The spell¡¯s name is Graponia. This was the first ever god rank spell in the history books before others were recorded in ancient times. It¡¯s not the strongest but it¡¯s the most famous one.

    It was used by the Great Sage to kill the Demon Battle God, Rodion, after all. It¡¯s an old legend of the past.

    Graponia is a word from the old language of the continent meaning [Accumulation of Elements]. The spell uses all attributes as its fuel source and main power. Thus, creating a new attribute. Dark matter. Dark Matter makes up most of deep space. About 80% of space. That¡¯s what my science teacher told us during a lesson.

    The spell uses that dark matter and turns it into a weapon of destruction. An entire ocean was destroyed after the spell was thrown on the all powerful Demon Battle God.

    They say it took nearly two hours for the ginormous gaping hole to be filled with ocean water again.

    The Great Sage was born in this kingdom back then so we had rights over the name of the spell.

    Not much is known about the strongest spell in existence.

    Ragnarok. That is the name. The phrase associated with the name is ¡°Destroyer of Worlds.¡±

    They say the Spirit King casted this spell to kill the Aliens or Immortals that invaded this planet. Legends depict that this spell could actually destroy worlds if the Spirit King decides to call for Celestial Spirits. I¡¯m not sure what Celestial Spirits are but I can guess that they must be as strong as gods judging from the name alone.

    The immortals must be the reason why the Dragon Lords had no choice but to come to this planet since their world was destroyed. The seven¡¯s locations are unknown but they are still alive and only appear when an immortal appears.

    I didn¡¯t know why they couldn¡¯t detect Zero. Viria said in the article that it was thanks to Laura¡¯s abilities that they were able to sense Zero¡¯s strong presence.

    I wonder what this Star Core was that they were searching for.

    I hope the god that made me reincarnate isn¡¯t a shrewd and cunning piece of shit like a certain Human-God from a certain story I read on Earth. I was certain that Sol wasn¡¯t the one who reincarnated me. Even she didn¡¯t notice my existence until the day she called me to her realm. Old me was also excluded since he wasn¡¯t a true god of the deity realm.

    Aside from my ramblings, I received a letter from Arielle.

    She said that training had been getting harder and harder each day. She had to dodge logs rolling down mountains and catch arrows blindfolded.

    Could that even be counted as training?

    I wasn¡¯t a swordsman so I wasn¡¯t sure.

    A month already passed by before I received the letter. The Rusa Empire is far from the Kingdom so it¡¯s understandable.

    ¡ã

    ¡°Are you ready, young master?¡±

    When I was busy putting on my new second year uniform of the academy, a voice came from the door.

    Brielle came inside and checked to see if I packed everything.

    ¡°Yes, Brielle. I¡¯m ready.¡±

    She came up to me and began fixing my hair.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t I cut your hair? It¡¯s been a while ever since I did that.¡±

    She brushed my bangs a little out of my face and tied my hair tighter at the back.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±

    I actually loved the look. Long hair, green eyes, a handsome face. Aren¡¯t I the full package? Now my face just needs to mature. I still have the baby fat of a little kid since I was still 14.

    ¡®Well, I¡¯m only a child who¡¯s still growing.¡¯

    ¡°Hm... you¡¯ve grown a lot while I wasn¡¯t looking, young master.¡±

    Brielle gazed into my eyes with her ocean blue eyes.

    ¡°Young master...¡±

    I gazed into her eyes and saw my reflection.

    We gazed seriously into each other¡¯s eyes. She put her forehead against mine.

    She sighed deeply.

    ¡°Please be safe on your journey. We will be awaiting your return after vacation starts.¡±

    Brielle turned around without another word and left the room.

    ¡ó¡ó

    After I wrapped my staff with cloth, I took my bags and went out the door. It was still 6am in the morning so it¡¯s fairly early. Brielle came for her duties early so it¡¯s only her that¡¯s awake. Mother and my sisters were still sleeping.

    Father went to Hurge city to discuss some things with the duke.

    I walked down the village with my suitcase. Many of the people greeted me as I passed by them.

    ¡®Still?¡¯

    When I boarded the carriage, a little white light was flickering around me.

    ¡®Isn¡¯t this going too far, Erica? What danger can I possibly run into at home?¡¯

    If I talk to her about this then there¡¯s no hiding the fact that I can use light magic too.

    I couldn¡¯t use any light abilities yet but I could still see light spirits. They play hard to get since they¡¯re not the same as the elemental spirits.

    I¡¯ll just leave it be for now. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s stalking me or anything. It¡¯s just for my safety. Yeah...

 Chapter 46: First day(1)

    Clyde finally arrived at the kingdom. Instead of going to the Luxembourg residence located in the noble district, he decided to go to an Inn.

    Since he had gold to spare, he chose one with high quality services. The insignia Charlotte gave him as her knight made the Innkeeper give him a discount.

    Before actually going to his room to sleep to be ready for the next day when he goes to the academy, he went to a magic store. The store was right next to the adventurer guild that he hasn¡¯t seen in a long time.

    The red gem had been giving off magical radio waves of extreme density. He suspected that the core must¡¯ve been contaminated with dark miasma.

    Even after paying 10 gold for the best appraisers to look at it, he still didn¡¯t find the solution to fix the damaged gem.

    The gem itself had excellent magic control. It¡¯s far different from casting magic with his hands. To put it into words; it¡¯s like shooting water through a hose instead after putting it on the faucet. It¡¯s focused on control rather than power alone.

    The flow of his mana, the precision of the spells and the basic structure of the raw mana shaping the spells are all controlled by the master craftsmanship of Redheart made by the famous Hermit Sage. The gem played a huge role in making this all work out smoothly.

    Due to its size, he could cast high ranking spells in rapid succession. His most powerful spell, [Supernova], has yet to be tested. He was hesitating to use it since the gem was giving off weird mana waves.

    It was early the next morning when he woke up to the singing of birds outside. The bed creaked when he pulled himself up and yawned.

    Looking to his left, he saw the black uniform for his second-year class. It was similar to military uniforms on earth, only in a smaller size. It had golden tassels on the shoulder, a four-strap button lining in the front, and the symbol for Graponia Royal academy.

    The pants are ordinary black school pants.

    After brushing his teeth, eating breakfast, and meditating; he put on his uniform and placed his luggage into the dimensional storage ring. Those rings were useful since they store items in a pocket space.

    Through difficult magical equations and formulas, humans were able to create something similar to space magic. Expensive ones can store up to 1000kg while the cheapest one can only hold 4kg. It can only hold inanimate objects and not living beings.

    After buying a fresh steam bun at a local stand, he went up the elevated hill to the academy through the main district.

    ¡ó¡ó

    Graponia Royal Academy had a history dating back to the founding of the kingdom.

    The academy was built from right after the defeat of Rodion and the death of Xio. The Sage wanted to teach magic to people regardless of their age, status or social standing. If they have magic power then they qualify for her studies.

    This has changed throughout the eons, however. The nobles who are classified as elitists believe that commoners must not attend the same class as them, eat on the same table as them or talk to any of their kind.

    If a talented commoner was among them then they¡¯d either control that person to their own benefit or simply kill them. This even happens among the young children that are taught earlier on by their parents how they should act towards commoners.

    This led many to become afraid of the noble children and professors. If they are not of noble lineage then they don¡¯t belong.

    ¡°...¡±

    Many eyes were on me as I entered the classroom of the highest floor. This was floor A of the academy and had the second-year class A which I belong to now.

    Charlotte made it possible for me to enrol into her class.

    How do I say it?

    ¡®This atmosphere is suffocating...¡¯

    I was one of the commoners in this class. Did I do anything amazing while attending here? No, that would be impossible since I was missing for so long.

    What did they do to get here? They worked hard, used many resources, sweated and bled. Even the commoners are glaring daggers at me.

    And yet I, who had no achievements on my name entered the best class of the entire academy.

    A is the highest class rank at the academy so you get a lot of benefits too. I even got my own dorm house.

    I didn¡¯t need an introduction since everyone knew me as Charlotte¡¯s knight.

    50 pair of eyes followed my movements as I walked. I kept my head high to not appear weak to the noble children.

    Even the fat noble professor was glaring at me.

    ¡°My knight~¡±

    Charlotte whispered to me from across the hall. She waved with a smile.

    ¡®Huh? She cut her hair?¡¯

    Charlotte¡¯s long blonde hair was no more and was now a medium cut hairstyle.

    I waved back with a smile.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    I felt a tap on my shoulder.

    A boy was sitting next to me. He had black hair and golden narrowed eyes.

    ¡°You should pay attention to Professor Gus while he¡¯s teaching. The pig has a short temper. By the way, my name is Damian. You must be the famous Clyde Astley. The one they say has a white arm.¡±

    He snickered and pushed his textbook in the middle of our desks.

    I noticed that I didn''t buy any books yet.

    ¡°If you need any help then don¡¯t hesitate to ask me. I might look like I¡¯m glaring at an enemy with these eyes but I¡¯m still a nice guy. That¡¯s what I think though.¡±

    Just then the professor spoke to all of us:

    ¡°Listen up! This formula is a recent one discovered in the first floor of the Red Abyss. Our most talented wizards of the Magic Tower and professors from this academy took months to decipher this. This will be your project. Work in groups to decipher the first rune. Those that succeed will receive a passing grade. If you give your solution too late then I will fail you. You there! Yes, you two!¡±

    The professor pointed to me and Damian. We were talking softly but it seemed he noticed us. Both of us said ¡°oh, crap¡± at the same time.

    ¡°The two of you will receive only two weeks instead of the regular month.¡±

    He glared at the two of us.

    ¡°What!? We were paying attention! There are some of them also talking loudly but you ignore them! What¡¯s up with this discrimination against comnoners!?¡±

    Damian shouted after punching his desk.

    ¡°You dare speak out of line to me? You were lucky enough to even be accepted in this class, you disgrace of the Minerva family.¡±

    The professor released his mana. As expected of a professor. His mana seemed powerful and domineering.

    ¡°Kuh...!¡±

    Damian glared at him after sitting down. I noticed that there was a dent in the bench he punched.

    ¡°And you.¡±

    He then looked at me.

    ¡°Y-Yes?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare disrupt this class. You were never supposed to be here. The nerve of the chairman to put a first year in a second year class when he never achieved anything.¡±

    ¡°Pardon me, Professor.¡±

    Everyone looked towards Charlotte.

    She glared at the professor.

    ¡°All of us are equal in this class. No status matters here. That¡¯s the rule the Sage implemented. Have you forgotten to memorize the rules?¡±

    A few students snickered.

    ¡°Princess Charlotte... you speak out of line for someone who says everyone is equal in this class.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t just sit back and watch you scold the commoners in our class when there were clearly more of us who spoke during your announcement. And watch your tone with me. I may be below you in this class but outside, I am a royal family member.¡±

    A vein bulged on the professor¡¯s head. His bald shining head began sweating.

    He smiled stiffly.

    ¡°I apologize for my outburst earlier.¡±

    Charlotte sat down with a nod as if proud of herself and the professor narrowed his eyes.

    His eyes seemed to say ¡°This little bitch.¡±

    Class continued smoothly and it was time for the next class.

    Damian and I left the classroom together. It was time for practical magic.

    ¡°Hey, you.¡±

    When the two of us were about to head to the courtyard, a voice called out to us.

    A handsome young man with blue hair stood there with a glare on his face. He looked somewhat familiar.

    ¡®Was it Ryan?¡¯

    He is also a distant relative of the Luxembourg house. That made us family in a way but we¡¯ve never officially met.

    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±

    Damian calmly spoke to him.

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you, filth.¡±

    He came up to me and looked down on me.

    His eyes seemed to say that I¡¯m his enemy from his intense glare. The surrounding students all looked at us.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Lord Ryan?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s he doing with those two? Wait, isn¡¯t that princess Charlotte¡¯s knight?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°Seems to be a fight or something.¡±

    ..

    ¡°So you are the one that became Charlotte¡¯s knight.¡±

    ¡°Err, what?¡±

    Did he just informally call the princess by her name?

    ¡°How far she has fallen. I trained my whole life to be able to become her knight and yet she chose you.¡±

    He put his finger on my chest and almost made me stumble to the ground. Damian was about to intervene but I held up my hand and shook my head.

    ¡®So this is the alleged rapist who tried to lay his hands on her.¡¯

    ¡°Ryan Rosenberg...¡±

    A cold voice came from among the crowd.

    The students gave way for a blonde haired maiden. She walked elegantly towards us and glanced at me before looking at Ryan with a frown.

    ¡°Why are you also seeking trouble with Clyde Astley today?¡±

    ¡°Charlotte, have you not reconsidered cancelling the engagement? You know that I trained diligently for you to accept me¨C¡°

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear anymore from you. I already expressed my desire to not have a husband. You don¡¯t need to know the reason why.¡±

    He closed his eyes.

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    !!!!

    ¡°GUH...!¡±

    His fist flew into my stomach. It was so powerful that it felt like my organs were about to explode. The blood instantly rushed up my throat and escaped my mouth.

    The students gasped but no one intervened.

    His hand was surrounded by a type of aura.

    Magic swordsman.

    A person that can use both swordsmanship and combine it with magic power. The spells magic swordsmen cast are different from arcane magic.

    They don¡¯t chant the words for a spell. Just by concentrating and infusing mana into their magic swords, they can perhaps conjure blazing flames.

    Ryan¡¯s eyes glowed red as he glared at me on the ground.

    ¡°Ryan! This is unbecoming of you!¡±

    Charlotte stood in front of me and angrily looked at him. He only scoffed.

    ¡°This is something that concerns our future. The future where you¡¯re the queen and I your knight.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s no our!¡±

    ¡°When we were little, you promised to make me your knight. Why have you chosen to take this little shit instead of me? His arms can¡¯t protect anything.¡±

    I spat out the blood out of my mouth.

    ¡®This bastard. It¡¯s my first day but I already have to deal with trouble.¡¯

    I felt like burning this bastard to ashes with a [Supernova]. His childishness was slowly pissing me off.

    Something then landed on my head.

    I took it off and saw that it was a glove.

    ¡°The two of us will duel. I cannot accept that he will become the one that will protect you. You are too precious to me.¡±

    Charlotte¡¯s breath stopped.

    ¡°Heh.¡±

    She then snickered coldly.

    ¡°You¡¯re really crazy. And didn¡¯t I tell you at the engagement dinner that you should stop referring to me so informally? I am the third royal princess.¡±

    He turned his gaze away from Charlotte and glared at me again.

    ¡°We¡¯ll settle this with our own hands then.¡±

    He grabbed me by the hair and lifted me up. My mana wasn¡¯t fully recovered so I was vulnerable to attacks like this. My only option is spirit magic or my mediocre swordsmanship.

    A black dagger was then held against his throat as he held onto my hair.

    ¡°Let go.¡±

    It was Damian. The dagger was conjured with mana. Black mana.

    ¡®No way... he uses dark magic?¡¯

    Ryan smirked.

    ¡°You¡¯re lucky that we¡¯re surrounded by people otherwise I¡¯d have cut off your entire arm.¡±

    He then roughly threw me down.

    ¡°Fine.¡±

    I got up and clutched my aching stomach.

    His glove was then thrown on the ground again.

    ¡°If you pick it up then we will duel. You can¡¯t refuse though. I¡¯d still hurt you regardless if you accept or not.¡±

    ¡°Ryan¨C!¡±

    ¡°Princess.¡±

    I stopped Charlotte from interfering.

    ¡°Alright.¡± I picked up the glove and wiped off the blood from my mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll accept.¡±

    He grinned.

    ¡°When I win then the position of knight becomes mine. Even his majesty acknowledges my skills. If you win then you can keep the position. Not that you¡¯ll win anyway. I¡¯ll let you know when and where.¡±

    He then left after throwing his robe over his shoulders.

    ¡°What a scumbag.¡±

    Damian said with a frown.

    I spat out the blood that was left in my mouth and stood back up. The spirits gathered around my injury and tried healing it after I gave a command. They¡¯re lesser spirits so they won¡¯t be noticed by others.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m okay, princess. We need to get to class now.¡±

    Both of them nodded.

 Chapter 47: First day(2)

    We came to the courtyard of the academy.

    ¡°Today I¡¯ll be having all of you fight each other.¡±

    ¡®Huh? On the first day?¡¯

    ¡°This is to show me how much you¡¯ve progressed from last year. Show me how you¡¯re grown and if you actually paid attention in class.¡±

    Her name is Andrea. She was a retired adventurer from a fairly famous noble family. Her attributes are wind and earth.

    She brushed her auburn coloured hair aside and made a ponytail at the back of her head.

    ¡°And those who lose will receive a failing grade at the end of the term.¡±

    She smirked and called a student to hand out notes.

    It was a tournament sort of ranking.

    ¡®A group battle, huh.¡¯

    Coincidence or not, Damian was in my team.

    He laughed evilly as he gazed at the other students.

    ¡°Let¡¯s kick their asses.¡±

    He whispered in my ears.

    ¡®This might be a start of a wonderful friendship.¡¯

    ¡°It will be three on three. Sadly, neither of you get to see how the other teams battle since I¡¯ll be splitting you up and sending you to different parts of the forest. The teams are written on the paper right there. Get together and plan your strategies. The non combatants are obviously not fighting.¡±

    Some non-combatants are only here to observe magic because they were interested in it.

    ¡°Isabel?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s me~¡±

    A cheerful voice answered me.

    A familiar girl with red hair and red eyes was standing beside Damian.

    ¡°It says here you¡¯re in our team?¡±

    She nodded with her fists pumped.

    ¡°I won¡¯t disappoint you two!¡±

    She was awfully cheery that it almost seemed fake.

    She brought out her wand and showed us her wind magic.

    Damian and I applauded when she managed to cut off a leaf from a tree. She pouted unhappily.

    ¡°I-I can still help out with other things!¡±

    I looked at Damian. He shook his head in disappointment.

    How can the sister of a White Order member be this damn weak? I was sure he was asking the same question in his mind.

    The other teams had already left the vicinity into the forest.

    Gula was looking at us from afar in a tree.

    Damian spoke to Isabelle to find out her weaknesses and strengths and jotted it down in a book.

    I saw that she has little mana but abnormally high magic attack.

    ¨CWhy not try to synchronize, master?

    ¨CWith her? Why?

    ¨CHer attack power is far stronger than master¡¯s arcane magic. Master has far more mana so she definitely can¡¯t win against you in a fair fight. By combining your strengths by synchronizing your mana natures, I believe you should be able to make up for any faults. That boy over there can act as your physical damage dealer.

    I rubbed my chin in contemplation. It was true that Damian looked like a close range combatant.

    ¨CCan I perhaps synchronize with Damian as well?

    ¨CThat¡¯s impossible. Black mana and arcane mana are two different things.

    I¡¯ve only ever synchronized with Miya back in the forest when we adventured together.

    Should I give it a shot?

    I then approached them.

    ¡°Miss Isabelle, can I try something?¡±

    ¡°Hm? Yes?¡±

    I grabbed her arm and sent my mana throughout her body through her mana pores.

    ¡°Hiirk!? What is this!? Ah! Ah!¡±

    She wobbled on her knees as cold sweat formed on her skin.

    ¨CThe overwhelming amount of mana is making it hard to accept her. Keep trying.

    I sent even more mana into Isabelle. Her body was heavily convulsing as her eyes were peeled back.

    ¡°...¡±

    D-Did I overdo it?

    Her eyes then shot open.

    ¡°I¡¯m brimming with power!!! Hohohoho!¡±

    It worked?

    ¡°How does your body feel?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a little much but I can feel a lot of mana in my core! How can you have so much!?¡±

    I noticed a sharp icicle heading for Isabelle. Damian instantly moved and materialized a dagger again.

    SHIIIIING

    CLANK

    ¡°Attack!¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Damian and I pushed our back together to look both ways for the sign of an enemy.

    ¡®Really? Not even a signal?¡¯

    Isabelle¡¯s childish behaviour also vanished as she narrowed her eyes at the surroundings.

    ¡°Enemy to our 6.¡±

    Her voice sounded deeper and more mature than her voice from earlier.

    ¡°I-I mean, someone is coming towards our backs!¡±

    There it is again.

    ¡®Let¡¯s forget her weird personality first and focus on the enemy team.¡¯

    It was two guys and one girl that appeared before us.

    Before I could grab my staff, Damian moved first. He went to the guy wearing armour manifested with mana.

    The guy got ready to receive Damian¡¯s attack.

    I unfurled the cloth from my staff and my majestic red gem appeared.

    I chanted several spells as the opponent mage girl approached me. They seem to know what is sportsmanship in fighting since they¡¯re not ganging up on one of us after another.

    Damian seemed to be overwhelming that tank guy. The latter had a frustrated expression on his face even though the fight barely began a minute ago.

    Isabelle took out her wand and chased down the remaining person towards another location.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It¡¯s just me and my enemy right now. Gula must be watching us from somewhere. I could feel her gaze on us.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to finish this quickly, commoner. And no need to introduce ourselves, I don¡¯t want to give my name to you.¡±

    The girl with drilled blonde hair flicked her wand and then a piece of the ground broke apart.

    She wiggled her fingers and then the rocks turned into sharp spikes.

    ¡°Time to¨C¡°

    ¡°Would you shut up? [Firestorm]¡±

    I casted my first Intermediate rank spell. I had the advantage in both spells and mana. In short, I was stronger than everyone here even without my spirit magic.

    Her eyes went wide as she lost concentration of her spell. The rock faded into dust.

    ¡°E-Eh....?¡±

    ¡°I suggest running from this. It would suck to kill you.¡±

    ¡°Aaaaah!!! I©\I admit defeat!!¡±

    The girl ran away with tears in her eyes.

    WHOOSH

    RUMBLE

    My spell tore through the trees standing tall in the forest. Only ashes remained from where it passed. It was fortunate that it didn¡¯t hit the girl from before.

    ¡ó¡ó

    ¡°What was that!? Did you use an artifact to increase the attack power?¡±

    Damian came back and asked me with sparkling eyes. His innocent face was covered in blood.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s just that my mana is more than enough to increase it on my own.¡±

    ¡°I wish I was a mage.¡±

    Damian had tears in his eyes.

    ¡®Don¡¯t cry with a face covered in blood.¡¯

    ¡°Even though I have magic power, I can only do this.¡±

    He materialized a sword this time. A pitch black sword.

    ¡°The energy feels strong enough for battling enemies with mana but I¡¯m useless in long range fights. I can only conjure things.¡±

    ¡°Come to think of it, why can you use dark magic?¡±

    Dark magic isn¡¯t exactly taboo. But it isn¡¯t viewed positively either. There exists many forms of Dark Magic.

    Be it Reanimation, summoning undead armies or even turning people into undead. There are many other forms of uses for that magic but I¡¯m not well versed in that short of magic. I only ever saw Brynhildr use it back then.

    But hers was far more powerful than Damian¡¯s.

    ¡°You ever heard of the Minerva Assassin clan?¡±

    ¡°Huh? I think so...¡±

    ¡°I was...part of that clan. They use us for single person assassinations or even to slaughter a nation if they call our entire family.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    This guy next to me was part of an assassin clan?

    Isabelle wasn¡¯t back yet so we could speak without reserve.

    ¡°Ah, you give the same reaction to everyone that hears my clan name.¡±

    Well, I can¡¯t not be scared of a cold blooded murderer. If the two of us fought, who would win? Well, we have no reason to fight since we only met today.

    ¡°I was the first to be sent to this academy out of my whole clan. Father gave me permission to enter on the grounds that I accept any order of assassination he gives me... I just want to live a normal life and not become cold blooded killers like them.¡±

    I patted his shoulder. He gazed up at me with his golden pupils.

    ¡°How about the two of us go for ice cream when this is over?¡±

    I smiled.

    ¡®Ah. He¡¯s crying again.¡¯

    His face was scrunched up so much that he formed wrinkles. He turned his head and sobbed.

    After a few seconds...

    ¡°Yes....¡±

    We walked through the forest in search of any sounds of battle. I could faintly feel magic power so they might be far from us.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    Philip J. Colchis and Oliva Arianne Colchis laid there in bed after a steamy session. Olivia wiped her mouth of the excess fluid and came up from under the blanket.

    Olivia drew circles on her husband¡¯s chest as she innocently gazed up at him.

    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Olivia asked.

    ¡°Sending out my precious daughter¡­.¡±

    In his hand was a letter from the Polomine Border.

    It clearly stated that they needed reinforcements.

    ¡°If we send out little Charlotte and she successfully completes this campaign then she¡¯ll receive even more achievements. Won¡¯t that be good for the succession line? I avoid spoon-feeding Lyle and Emma and let them do things on their own. Speaking of them, both fulfilled the tasks given to them.¡±

    Philip¡¯s eyebrows went up in surprise.

    ¡°Lyle managed to help the Duke and Emma saved that foreign princess successfully?¡±

    Olivia nodded with a bright smile.

    Philip¡¯s face then looked troubled.

    ¡®It is true that Charlotte barely has any achievements as a princess. She has been missing for a while so many of her tasks have been given to her siblings.¡¯

    Charlotte also lost a lot of support from the nobles she had in her circle. Since she refused to marry any foreign royalty, things got even more complicated without foreign influence. Basically, she had to fight for the throne with her own hands. Philip admires his daughter¡¯s will to work for something with her own hands but he still thought she needed help.

    ¡°She has capable guards by her side, no? That Clyde boy and that foreign knight girl.¡±

    Philip put his hand on his chin as he sat by the fireplace and read the report.

    ¡°I think this is necessary as well. It might even give her the support she needs for the succession war.¡±

    Olivia grinned widely from behind his back.

    Philip looked at the sun rising outside and then frowned.

    ¡°It seems our night has come to an end. I truly enjoyed our time together, my love.¡±

    The king kissed his wife again before putting on his robe.

    Official duties as a king begins early for him. He exited the door to enter his real bedroom next to his wife¡¯s bedroom.

    A bunch of maids instantly approached before closing the door.

    ¡°Heh.¡±

    Olivia wiped the excess spit from her mouth with a disgusted expression.

    ¡°Things are looking good so far, Lord Arius. The continent isn''t far from being in your hands.¡±

    She got up and stood by the window, overlooking their kingdom.

    At only 38 years old, her body had reached the peak of maturity for a woman. Her curved hips swayed seductively to induce lust in any man. Her breasts were big but firm. The white unblemished skin makes one think she hardly ever goes outside.

    Olivia had been called one of the beauties of the continent and ranked in the same rank as the Holy Queen, Rosalinda. Melodia was obviously number 1 in the beauty rank. She was called the Sunlight Flower because of her warm and gentle nature similar to the breeze of the summer wind.

    Her beauty was almost inhuman.

    Olivia sniffed her body and only smelled the stink of a man. She¡¯s a natural man-hater. She¡¯s only putting up an act for this farce of a wedding so she could have power as a queen. There was no love for her. She can never love a man.

    Melodia was not an obstacle anymore and couldn¡¯t interfere with her plans. The plan to rule the kingdom on the orders of her lord.

    ¡°Clark, are you there?¡±

    Olivia spoke in a commanding voice.

    ¨CYes¡­

    The voice of restraint answered her back. She smiled in amusement.

    ¡°Have all preparations been handled so far?¡±

    ¨CYes. They agreed to take the job.

    ¡°Good work.¡±

    Her eyes narrowed in delight.

    It was a few months ago when Olivia managed to ensnare one of the strongest men of the continent around her finger. This was enough to make even the Spear God submit.

    She poisoned his sister.

    ¡°Fufufu.¡±

    Olivia cut off the line without another word and laughed in amusement.

    Before becoming the second concubine of the king, she was an amateur doctor in a rural village. This meant that she had knowledge to a lot of medicinal properties.

    Like poison.

    Little by little, she sends Clark a container that contains a temporary healing potion instead of the cure itself.

    It¡¯s a poison she came up with so naturally no one has access to its cure. It was the same poison used on the former queen, Melodia. The only difference is that she doesn¡¯t give Melodia a potion.

    She will eventually die. And when that day comes¨C

    She¡¯ll be the queen of Colchis.

    She¡¯ll make the kingdom hers and find a way to kill her husband.

    The sister of the king is helping her towards that goal. Although, helping would be the wrong word to use. Olivia is convinced that Matilda is just using her.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine because¨C¡° Olivia poured a glass of wine and crossed her legs while still being naked. The sweat on her skin glistened in the morning sun¡¯s rays. "I¡¯m using her too.¡±

    She snickered quietly as she closed her eyes and imagined the future where she rules over all. That all powerful overlord who watches over her will continue to do so as long as she is useful to him.

    Her plans had proceeded in a favourable direction thus far.

    Olivia looked towards the sun as it bathed her kingdom in sunlight.

    ¡°All hail Lord Atrius. The overlord of the Immortal race."

 Chapter 48

    I just came back from our last class. The practical class wasn¡¯t that fun since no one was able to survive one spell from me. Damian is also overpowered.

    It took him only a few blows to end our classmates without injuring them too much.

    Isabelle kept disappearing when she had to fight someone. We only saw her at the end of the class. Thankfully, she wasn¡¯t that hurt. My mana I synchronized managed to help her.

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    I looked at my staff in disbelief when I saw a large crack on the crystal.

    ¡®No way, it¡¯s close to breaking?¡¯

    I might have to buy a backup crystal in case it did.

    A letter caught my attention.

    It had the royal crest embedded in the red candle wax.

    I picked it up and saw the sender was Charlotte.

    ¨CHello, my knight. I have received news from father. He¡¯s sending me to my first ever campaign. I¡¯ve never done one since my duties had to be placed on hold because I had to gain supporters for the future. He said that the army stationed at the Polomine Border have no head commander at the moment. Please be ready to depart in a few days. Since you and miss Helen are my guards, I¡¯ll need you there. I¡¯ll first arrange some things with the chairman since we have to leave the academy once again.

    ¡°First campaign?¡±

    Maybe this will be a good chance for Charlotte to gain recognition. The king might¡¯ve had this in mind when he gave her the order.

    Charlotte lost a lot of support from the nobles that she tried so hard to get on her boat. A few loyal ones stayed but they won¡¯t be enough against her siblings who already have nearly half of the kingdom as their supporters.

    Crack

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    While I was reading the other information Charlotte sent, I heard a crack under the cloth on my staff.

    Crack

    Crack

    ¡°No, no , no!¡±

    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me my precious crystal is breaking!¡¯

    It might have been one copper but it¡¯s still one of the best mana crystal I¡¯ve ever used.

    Even as I tried to use mana bending to reattach the broken pieces, the crystal kept breaking.

    ¡°Shit. Stop breaking¨C¡°

    -----!!!!

    A large amount of energy was released, sending me flying against the wall.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    It was so powerful that it burned a hole in my uniform and caused an injury.

    I was hit there earlier this morning and it was not fully healed yet. Just my luck.

    I turned my gaze up and was met with pure blue eyes right in front of my face.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    The blue eyes narrowed in happiness and spoke.

    ¨CMy human.

    Pitch black wings flapped happily behind its back as it licked my face.

    I was in a daze.

    ¡®W-What?¡¯

    I grabbed it and held it at arm¡¯s length like a puppy and got a good look at it.

    Small pitch black scales as dark as Vantablack. Small horns extending above its head. Big blue eyes and the body shape of a lizard.

    No. Not lizard.

    A dragon.

    ¡°Is this real¡­?¡±

    The crystal was nowhere to be seen. I saw fragments of red dust on the little dragon¡¯s head and instantly realised.

    It came from the crystal.

    ¡°Y-You are¡­.¡±

    It gave a cute harrumph and flapped out of my arms into the air.

    ¨CYou may call me Edna. The daughter of the Dragon Lord, Sapphire. Since you are my human, I will not order you to kneel.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    It spoke without even moving its mouth. Telepathy?

    It gave off another arrogant harrumph and landed on the bed.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Right. I¡¯m dreaming. There¡¯s no way a real dragon that calls itself the child of a true dragon lord is in front of me right now.

    ¨CH-Hey! Where are you going!?

    I stood on the window pane with my hands on the window.

    ¡®Maybe if I jump and die then I¡¯ll escape the dream.¡¯

    ¨CHey! You can¡¯t jump! I didn¡¯t order you to die!

    The little dragon bit my ear.

    ¡°Ouch! What the heck!?¡±

    Blood dripped down along with a sharp tingling pain. I grabbed my ear with a grunt.

    ¡°What the¡­¡±

    Normally, when you experience pain in a dream then you shouldn¡¯t feel anything.

    ¡®I¡¯m not dreaming?¡¯

    ¨COf course not! You¡¯ll give me a heart attack even though I¡¯m only 4 years old!

    The dragon landed back on the bed and looked at me.

    ¨CTell me your name, human.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    What is this power I feel?

    Somehow, this little dragon gave off the same aura as Clark and Laura who. They were the only members of the White Order I¡¯ve met so far.

    ¡°I¡¯m Clyde Astley¡­¡±

    The dragon nodded.

    ¨CNow give me food. I have been crystalized for many years so I am hungry.

    ¡®How can it be four years old if it was trapped for that long?¡¯

    The dragon started looking around the room for any signs of food.

    ¡°Err¡­ The food is kept downstairs.¡±

    I was on the third floor. I lived with three other students in this house the academy provided.

    ¨CThen lead the way. My stomach will eat itself if I don¡¯t consume nutrients.

    The dragon, Edna scratched at the door.

    ¡°Hey! You can¡¯t go outside!¡±

    If people saw me with a dragon, wouldn¡¯t that cause trouble? Dragons are rare and if you keep babies confined then you will be arrested. That counted even if it was a wyvern. They might misunderstand that I kidnapped this dragon. Even worse than that, it¡¯s the child of a true dragon variant.

    No one would want to piss off a Dragon Lord. They were beings labelled with the word destruction.

    People view dragons the same as the national animals like back on earth.

    ¨CWhy? I do not sense any being that can threaten me.

    No. That¡¯s not the problem here.

    The little dragon glared at me. It looked oddly cute.

    ¡°S-Stay here. I¡¯ll see if I can find something.¡±

    I didn¡¯t want to upset this dragon. It might have a short temper and could instantly obliterate me. Every dragon had a personality that differed from others.

    ¨CHumph. I¡¯ll wait for you then.¡±

    The little dragon patted the sheets and moved in a circle before laying down.

    I hurriedly left the room.

    ¡ó¡ó

    I emptied out the entire fridge artifact since I didn¡¯t know what the dragon would like.

    Crunch¨C

    The dragon broke the bone of an ox with one bite and swallowed it up.

    Gulp¨C

    It then drank the milk I brought along.

    I brought so much food that five people could enjoy it but this little dragon ate everything.

    No, what I was looking at was a mature beauty eating the food like a pig.

    I don¡¯t know what happened. When I entered the room, this unfamiliar black haired woman was inside.

    It was the dragon¡­ in human form. She looked like a college student even though she said she was four years old.

    I gave her my robe which she put on without complaining. The eye candy was appreciated but there were limits.

    I read in books on earth that dragons can take forms of any animal and even transform into a human.

    ¡°I-Is it good?¡±

    I rubbed my hands together sheepishly.

    My eyes kept glancing at her stomach. wondering how the hell all that food fitted in there.

    ¡°Hm. I applaud you for providing me the necessary liquids and nutrients to quench my thirst and satiate my hunger.¡±

    She rubbed her stomach with a burp.

    ¡°Now rub my belly, human.¡±

    ¡°Of course, madam. Hehehe.¡±

    I shouldn¡¯t anger this dragon. I shouldn¡¯t anger this dragon.

    I kept repeating that phrase to myself as I rubbed her belly.

    ¡°~~~¡±

    She made cute noises as I stroked her chin too. It was like petting a dog. A very sexy dog.

    ¡®Crap. I was distracted.¡¯

    I still have to ask why she was here. And how she was here.

    She pouted at me when I removed my hand.

    ¡°C-Can I please know why your esteemed self was within that crystal that cost me only one copper coin?¡±

    ¡°Copper? I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what you should be focusing on¡­ May I know how you were able to emerge from the crystal?¡±

    She tilted her head and closed her eyes as if recalling something.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not proud of retelling the fall of our race but I will tell you since you are my human.¡±

    This dragon keeps saying that as if saying to a dog ¡°You¡¯re my dog.¡±

    -

    It was one thousand years ago when their planet Draconia fell. They were attacked by a celestial deity that wanted to eradicate the dragon species and destroy their world.

    The dragon god fought against this being as his people escaped from their burning world.

    They used an ancient wormhole to escape the planet which sent them here.

    But not all of them managed to escape. Edna¡¯s mother, Sapphire, the Flame Dragon along with the thirteen other dragon lords fought with the Dragon god. Her mother used [mana crystallization] to seal Edna in a mana core strong enough to last eons without breaking. It was also crafted from her own blood so no one could break it apart.

    From what I knew, only seven dragon lords exist in our world.

    Edna landed on this planet when the United Empire was still around.

    -

    ¡°The connection between mother and I was broken off immediately after I entered this world¡¯s atmosphere.¡±

    Her cheeriness from before was gone. She had a sullen expression on her face as she recalled that day.

    ¡°So you never forgot even after all these eons?¡±

    ¡°[Mana Crystallization] is a technique only us dragons can cast. When mother used it on me, I lost all my senses. I remember everything as if it were yesterday even if it wasn¡¯t.¡±

    It¡¯s almost like that God rank spell that froze our time when we were within a pocket dimension. The principle is the same even if the method is different.

    ¡°Then how were you able to recognize me when you came out?¡±

    ¡°It is because of your mana which was sent through the crystal. Since us dragons are the embodiment of mana, your control in your spells surpassed any normal crystal. In fact, it was your mana that woke me from my vegetative state.¡±

    ¡°It was?¡±

    She nodded as she chewed on a piece of meat.

    ¡°Since you can use spirit magic, our connection was strong even on your first try.¡±

    ¡®Ah, that¡¯s right. Dragons can also use spirit magic.¡¯

    Although their magic is far different from elves and humans. They can perfectly use all elements even from birth. I can only use water and space magic.

    ¡®I wonder if she can teach me about spirit magic.¡¯

    ¡°I can.¡±

    ¡®She can read my thoughts!?¡¯

    It¡¯s like I¡¯m naked in front of somebody when my thoughts are revealed. It¡¯s the same as when I met future me.

    ¡°I can do this because our mana has slowly but surely fused to be able to synchronize without any limits.¡±

    ¡°We can?¡±

    When she was about to answer, a knock came from the door.

    ¨CClyde, you there?

    It was Damian¡¯s voice.

    I forgot the two of us still had something to do.

    ¡°Be right there!¡±

    I shouted to the door and look at Edna.

    ¡°Listen. Don¡¯t leave the room no matter who knocks when I leave. Understand?¡±

    Her face scrunched up.

    ¡°Who are you to order me around?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring more food later on.¡±

    Her mouth closed shut.

    ¨CYou done yet?

    I hurriedly grabbed my uniform and put my hand on the doorknob.

    ¡°Behave.¡±

 Chapter 49: The Faceless White Being

    Damian brought me to a bar in the slums. Did he live around here? He led me to this place as if he had been here before.

    Well, I did say I¡¯d leave the destination up to him. Plus, even if someone tries to rob me, I can just blow them away. Since I don¡¯t have a staff to control my power, I might just blow an entire building away.

    I¡¯d been going to bars a lot even though I didn¡¯t drink.

    Damian ordered alcohol and chugged it down as if he¡¯s used to drinking it. I ordered orange juice. I don¡¯t like the taste of ale anyway.

    ¡°Sigh¡­¡±

    Damian sighed after chucking the ale down. I then proceeded to speak.

    ¡°So how did you end up going to the academy despite being from ¡®that¡¯ clan. I thought they hated being around nobles. But if you don¡¯t want to talk about something like that¡­¡±

    They are contract killers so they don¡¯t kill indiscriminately. That seems to be normal around here. They are what us Earthlings call hitmen.

    He closed his eyes for a second.

    ¡°No. It¡¯s actually nice to talk to someone about my problems. Anyways, I purposely made it so that my father can kick me out of the clan. It was a cold winter night of four years ago. I received my first mission to assassinate a high ranking noble of the court. This order came from an anonymous tip. They said that the man kidnaps boys and hits them to fulfil his sadistic tendencies.¡±

    He swirled the mug with his hand on his chin.

    ¡°I cut his throat. The blood from his neck splattered into my face. I felt nothing seeing a person like him die. The boy he beat to near death was right there when I killed the man. He was more afraid of me than he was of that man.¡±

    He looked up.

    ¡°That boy was from the academy. I always heard the wonderful things you can do and the careers you can pursue if you finish your education there. After that day, the boy and I became friends. I regularly visited him at the academy. I even attended a class. Those days were good until a certain point though¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­What happened?¡±

    ¡°I was too busy with enjoying life that I didn¡¯t complete any orders from that moment on. I was a real child for the first time in my eleven years of life. Not a killer that killed my first when I was five. That boy¡­¡± He sighed again. ¡°Father killed him.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    ¡°He said I had no right to be a regular human being. I was only a tool. His words. You know what I did? I went up to him one night and tore off the family insignia on my jacket in front all of the heads of the clan. That was the first time anyone has ever done that and it¡¯s the most disrespectful way to leave the clan. Normally, those that leave will immediately be killed so they don¡¯t tarnish our clan¡¯s name. Nonetheless, I took my older sister and fled from that deranged family.¡±

    I sat there in silence. He grew up in such a family yet I have the nerve to think my family from Earth sucked. I wasn¡¯t forced to kill like he did. I lived an ordinary life.

    ¡°Ah, sorry for talking so much. You¡¯re the first friend I had after my previous friend¡¯s death. And I rarely talk with people besides my sister.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can¡¯t say I understand what you went through. I hope I won¡¯t be mulled to death by one of your family members though.¡±

    He laughed.

    ¡°They don¡¯t care who I associate myself with anymore anyway. And if it comes down to it then we should just kick that person¡¯s ass.¡±

    We continued speaking as night fell over the slums. Damian said him and his sister rent a room from a family of five. He has to leave her there since he has a dorm house on the academy. His sister helps out in their inn as a waitress. Damian also does adventuring so they have enough money to support themselves.

    He said he was born with dark magic. It¡¯s an ability just as rare as the light attribute.

    ¡®I wonder if he can summon undead like a necromancer.¡¯

    ¡°Hey, you want to go somewhere fun?¡±

    Damian grinned and grabbed my arm.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°This is somewhere fun?¡±

    We arrived at the red light district. The heavy scent of perfume stung my nostrils. Many woman were coyly calling out to men from their establishments.

    ¡°What cute boys.¡±

    ¡°Look at him blush.¡±

    A few ladies laughed as they passed us. They were wearing revealing clothes that hid basically nothing.

    Damian led me to one of the more expensive looking brothels.

    ¡°Rooms for two please~ You aren¡¯t a virgin, right? I¡¯d feel bad to let one of these women take it.¡±

    I shook my head hurriedly.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    A thick woman holding a long cigarette came out from the counter.

    ¡°Huu. That will be two gold coins. Oooh? Academy students?¡±

    She looked at our uniforms with a raised eyebrow.

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am! We¡¯re second years.¡±

    ¡°Huhuhu. The ladies here will enjoy cute boys like you two.¡±

    She poured magic power into a crystal and spoke.

    ¡°We have two very important guests up front. Those available please come to the front desk.¡±

    She told us to sit on the couch and wait.

    Damian looked awfully excited.

    ¡°You come here a lot?¡±

    ¡°N-No. I¡¯m just looking forward to taking a milf into bed. The girls at the academy are too inexperienced. The mature ladies are better than the young ones. Ehehehe.¡±

    He went to the hall with an impatient expression.

    Just then the door to the other room opened.

    I gulped.

    A lot of beauties came through the door wearing different kinds of extravagant dresses.

    ¡°Ladies, please make sure they enjoy their night.¡±

    Damian chose three women while I only took one to bed.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    It was a little past one in the morning when we came out.

    ¡°Haa¡­¡±

    I let out a hot sigh. My clothes smelled like thick perfume.

    ¡°Hic.¡±

    Damian hiccupped on my shoulder. I had to drag him out of the room since he overdid it. I couldn¡¯t believe that he managed to handle three woman without rest. Well, he was trained from childhood to be agile as an assassin and have a lot of stamina. They also drank alcohol throughout their play.

    My time with my partner was kind of awkward since I only ever had sex once in this world. It took a while until I got into action and managed to make the girl orgasm four times. My moves were a little rusty. I Was glad Arielle was an inexperienced virgin who didn¡¯t know what sex was.

    The girl was a complete mess when I finished. That shotacon tasted her own medicine for underestimating me just because I was a kid.

    I dragged Damian to the academy as the moonlight shined down on us.

    The streets were quiet except for the occasional people passing by. A few tried to rob us but it took only showing them a flicker of flames on my finger before they backed away.

    Mages seem to be feared by the populace. I wondered how strong I was compared to the average mage.

    Whenever I disperse my raw mana into the air, it gives of a combined colour of Blue with a little silver, although not too much. That must be a sign that my mana is busy with its growth refining process. If I were to wait naturally then it might take months before my mana enters the realm of the 6<sup>th</sup> stage.

    By constantly draining myself of mana, that could quicken the process but that¡¯s not a very bright idea. Since I was still growing, it took longer for my mana to fully recover. I wasn¡¯t even fully charged yet even though I was going on Charlotte¡¯s first campaign in a few days. Who knows? Maybe I¡¯ll unlock the rest of my sealed mana before I turn 20.

    I took Damian to his dorm house. He lived alone which kind of made me jealous. I had to live with snotty noble brats that constantly smear their household name in my face. Maybe I should move in with him if they¡¯d allow it.

    ¡®You¡¯ll have to forgive me for this.¡¯

    I took a few parcels of food for Edna when I get home. I forgot to go to the shops yesterday.

    After leaving a few silver coins, I left the house with the bag of food.

    Edna was, as expected, mad when I got back. She at least listened to me and didn¡¯t leave the room like I asked.

    She didn¡¯t touch the food though since she was too sleepy. Did she wait for me?

    When I climbed in bed with an exhausted sigh, she changed her form and laid on top of my legs. She curled up like a puppy in the cold.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    It was few minutes after three in the morning as I looked up at the ceiling.

    So many things was happening in my life. I wasn¡¯t even 15 yet and already had to survive on another continent, fight mythical monsters and became a knight to a princess of a kingdom. What did I achieve on earth before 15? Basically nothing.

    I only ever got serious in my studies when I failed 10<sup>th</sup> grade twice. That earned me a scholarship. I even entered a math competition and came second out of the entire country¡¯s participants.

    People only then began seeing me as the Liam Foster I was born as. It wasn¡¯t that I wasn¡¯t bright, it was just that I was an unconfident person that always feared that my efforts would be for nothing. So I never put in any hard work before failing twice in school.

    I met Clementine for the first time at our valedictory. She was there for her brother¡¯s since she was already finished with school. I was ashamed of who I was before we met again.

    It took only a few months before we hit it off again and started dating. Why was I suddenly thinking about her? Well, she was the one that helped me become a better person. The two of us shared many mutual interests.

    She was the one that came first in the competition. I chose her as my motivation. I wanted to catch up with her. And what happened after I lost my only pillar in life?

    I became a piece of shit. A waste to human society. I became depressed just because of one girl.

    Am I not pathetic? The gods must¡¯ve found my live pitiful and decided to reincarnate me into this kid¡¯s body. I feel partly guilty for killing him before he was even born by inhabiting his body. Well, saying that I killed him was too much.

    I was thinking of telling my parents when the time comes that I was a reincarnated person. Not really sure what their reactions would be if they heard that I was once a 25 year old man that reincarnated into their child¡¯s body.

    I should be 39 by now if I counted this life and my life on Earth.

    I stared into the flickering flames of the candle as my heavy eyelids slowly closed.

    -

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    When I opened my eyes again, I was surrounded by darkness. This familiar place... It was the dome that contains my two cores.

    When I turned around, I saw it yet again.

    Two giant spheres of pure energy floating next to each other. One was blue while the other was white.

    ¡®Huh? Why do they look closer than before?¡¯

    The two cores looked far closer than when I came here as a baby. A strange purple smoke was encircling my spirit core.

    I approached the spirit core and put my hand on it.

    !!!

    A white flash blinded me for a second.

    ¨CWere you the one that killed him?

    An emotionless voice rang out.

    When I lifted my head, I saw two human feet next to me. The strange thing was that the person¡¯s entire body was white and when I looked up...

    A faceless white mannequin was what I saw. That was the only way how I could describe it.

    I hurriedly backed away to get a good look at it.

    Three spheres were encircling behind its back. All three of them were releasing different kinds of energy.

    Water for the blue one.

    Fire for the red one.

    Space for the pitch black one.

    The figure was looking up ahead.

    I followed its gaze.

    There he or more like it is again. A muscular dark figure stood there with a giant lance shaped as his hand.

    The two of them were busy talking but I could hear nothing since many rewound sounds overlapped to filter out their voices.

    ¡®Fuck! What is this!?¡¯

    I couldn¡¯t understand why I always saw these visions. What was the meaning of this? Was this a scene from a different universe?

    The white figure¡¯s body began.... releasing a dull and grey light.

    No way.

    No way.

    ¡®That¡¯s what happens when Lightborn activates!¡¯

    The figure disappeared and instantly appeared before the dark man.

    He swung his fist to the confused and startled enemy.

    That was all I saw before my consciousness faded away again.

    **

    ¡°Human!!¡±

    A pair of small but strong hands shook me awake as my consciousness returned. I hurriedly took a deep breath as I gasped.

    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s already morning?¡±

    When I looked up, I saw Edna on top of me.

    She sighed in relief.

    My arm was glowing white again. This time the glow reach up until my neck.

    Why was that being able to use the time technique I received from Sol?

    "...Precognition?"

 Chapter 50: Polomine Border(1)

    At Charlotte Rosemary Colchis¡¯ villa in Pine district.

    We were getting ready to depart. That Ryan guy hadn¡¯t approached me for our duel yet. Did he get scared? I didn¡¯t even know where he is right now. He had been quiet ever since.

    I haven¡¯t seen much of Erica either. They gave her a scholarship for the Mage Tower. Jacob told me that to enter the Mage Tower and gain access to their archives and plethora of spell books, you have to pass a difficult exam. The exam lasted two weeks for that single test. That must¡¯ve meant that the exam was so hard that students had to have time to relax and mentally recuperate.

    I couldn¡¯t even visit her during the exam so I only left her a few letters. I left them just to let her know where we were going.

    That aside, I sent a letter to the Elca Kingdom stating that I will immediately head there after my return from Charlotte¡¯s campaign. Charlotte also gave me her permission since she also wants me to become stronger.

    ¡°Is the princess not done yet?¡±

    Helen spoke tiredly. Charlotte had been in her room the entire morning. We finished with our preparations a few hours ago already. The soldiers were getting impatient outside.

    ¡°She must be nervous for her first campaign, miss Helen.¡±

    Servants were also nervously waiting outside for Charlotte to come out.

    I sighed at my lord.

    ¡®Is she not ready yet?¡¯

    After telling Helen that I was going to check on her, I approached Charlotte¡¯s door.

    ¡°Princess?¡±

    I didn¡¯t knock and only entered. We would be late for the departure if she kept brooding like this.

    When I entered, I saw Charlotte standing by the window overlooking the backyard of the palace.

    She was wearing a military uniform specially made for her.

    As she heard my voice, she glanced back.

    ¡°It¡¯s rude to enter without knocking. Not what I¡¯d expect from a subordinate.¡±

    ¡°You were taking a bit too long.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    She looked a the clock on the wall.

    ¡°What¡¯s got you down?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± She bit her nails. ¡°What if I fail? I might lose the rest of my support for the future. Many of the nobles that joined my circle are great talents that might achieve great feats in the future even if they are only barons and viscounts. What if I don¡¯t meet their expectations? This anxiety is driving me insane.¡±

    I patted her shoulder.

    ¡°You¡¯re still young. Even if you fail, you could just try again. Well, if you don¡¯t succeed the throne, will you agree to marry that Ryan guy and become Duchess Rosenberg?¡±

    I spoke with a sly smile.

    ¡°Never.¡±

    She spoke with a disgusted expression.

    ¡°That licking dog can go die.¡±

    That¡¯s a little harsh.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t succeed then I might as well leave this kingdom with my mother. That¡¯s the promise we made. Olivia might get rid of us if we don¡¯t leave, after all. Even if I don¡¯t become queen then I can at least have a long happy countryside life with my mother. I can look for a husband and raise our children on the farm. Maybe I could become a teacher at an orphanage?¡±

    ¡°I-I see. You¡¯ve thought that far ahead already.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s obvious. I have to be ready for when things go awry.¡±

    I wonder what the queen was like. I haven¡¯t officially met her yet. I only saw her once during Charlotte¡¯s birthday party. That was only for a few minutes.

    ¡°Okay!¡± Charlotte then slapped both her cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m done brooding like a little child. I¡¯m the future queen of the kingdom so I have to act like it!¡±

    She swung her hand down, causing her cape to flutter.

    ¡°My knight! Today I lead the army against our enemies and secure our future! Will you join me?¡±

    I took her hand. After taking off her white glove and kissing the back of her hand, I declared:

    ¡°We shall dominate the battlefield, princess.¡±

    Charlotte nodded energetically.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go! My knight!¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    We boarded an exquisitely decorated carriage with the Royal Crest on its back.

    I used [Sleep] magic so Charlotte could fall asleep since she barely rested last night. The carriage had spatial magic casted on it so that made the inside bigger than the outside. Charlotte was resting in the corner behind a curtain.

    By the way, I brought Edna along. She acted as my squire since there was no other excuse I could give. Damian also insisted on going along since he could show his power to Charlotte. He was riding on a horse outside. The princess didn¡¯t fully trust him since he¡¯s from an assassin clan.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Helen didn¡¯t come along because she must look after Charlotte¡¯s villa. Nate also agreed to help. It might just be that he has a crush on her and wants them to work together. His advancements are so obvious but Helen is too dense to notice.

    A total of 300 men joined us to head to the Polomine Border. Charlotte¡¯s duty is too lead the army and negotiate with the enemies so they can return the commanders they kidnapped. If their letter of negotiation was a lie and they end up killing the commanders¡­ well, the entire kingdom will invade the Republic. This battle was to take over a large plot of land from the Republic anyway.

    Anyway, Charlotte found three spies in our ranks when she interviewed everyone during this week. She pretended to not know since it would be more beneficial to watch their movements. They might lead us to their ambush location.

    One of the captains of the Knight Order and my father¡¯s superior, Elsa that was in charge of a platoon of 100 men was ordered to capture those three and interrogate them if they make any attempts of going back to their camp. Charlotte deliberately excluded them from the meeting when she presented her plan to the other generals. If word got out that Charlotte isn¡¯t as incompetent as they think in her first campaign then things will get even more difficult when we attempt to attack the Republican army.

    They will be on guard and that would be bad for us.

    If anything does go wrong then I could just escape with Charlotte. She might be executed for abandoning her position as a commander. I¡¯ll have to leave the decision up to her when the time comes. The fact is that I didn¡¯t plan on dying on a battlefield at this age. I would even use my spirit magic if it meant protecting my life.

    I¡¯d been working on a lot of spells so I didn¡¯t think any mage squadron would pose a threat to me. If I could make up for my weaknesses in the future then I might become unstoppable so long as the environment had spirits.

    It took me an entire day gathering spirits at the Spirit Waterfall in the forest near Hurge city. My body could hold up to a million spirits at the moment which was more than enough.

    Damian opened the window next to me and spoke.

    ¡°We¡¯re arriving.¡±

    I looked through the window and saw a huge fence made with large logs lining a perimeter. Large white tents were built around the camp.

    ¡°Princess.¡±

    I gently shook Charlotte. My eyes kept glancing at her exposed chest through her shirt. She looked so defenceless.

    ¡°¡­Hmm?¡±

    Her drool fell onto my hand as I helped her sit up straight. I took a brush from the cabinet next to the bed and began brushing her medium length golden hair.

    She yawned and began buttoning up her shirt.

    ¡°Why did we stop? Did we arrive?¡±

    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why I¡¯m trying to fix your messed up appearance. Didn¡¯t one of your maids take a few hours just to perfect your hairstyle?¡±

    Her medium length hair was already a complete mess.

    She chuckled.

    ¡°I was so tired that I forgot to put on the satin cloth on the bed. Now my hair is all springy and tangled.¡±

    I sighed. Arielle and Charlotte had this in common. Both sleep sloppily in bed. It wasn¡¯t once or twice that Arielle¡¯s foot ended up in my mouth in the morning when I wake up. She¡¯d also crush my with her arms while still asleep.

    With the help of the maid that entered the carriage, Charlotte looked just like she did when we left.

    We were already in the middle of the camp. A lot of noise came from outside. It was the excited voices of the soldiers and generals. They must be expecting someone from the White Order.

    Charlotte took a deep breath and nodded at me.

    I pulled aside the curtain, revealing a lot of eager faces awaiting our arrival.

    ¡°We have arrived to give aid to the Royal Army. I am Charlotte Rosemary Colchis, the third royal princess!¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    I poked Edna who was munching on a piece of steak. She gazed up at me with a face full of meat.

    ¡°Hwaat?¡±

    ¡°Since I was the one that took care of you during your hibernation in that crystal, aren¡¯t you¨Cin a way¡ªmy pet?¡±

    She spat the food out and glared at me.

    ¡°How dare a lowly human call me a pet!? I am an almighty dragon with potential to become a dragon god! I am a child of a dragon lord! And yet, you call me a pet!¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡±

    What kind almighty dragon enjoys being scratched behind the ears and lays on someone¡¯s lap when they sleep and not be called a pet?

    Edna and I were walking around the camp after getting our food in line. Charlotte was in an important meeting with the generals so I couldn¡¯t stay there any longer.

    The entire camp was rowdy even though their enemies could attack from anywhere.

    The smell of sweat was so strong everywhere you go. There were also less women than men around here. I even saw a group of six guys being led into a tent by a single prostitute. Since men¡¯s lust accumulate during war, women can make a lot of money if they sell their bodies here.

    The maids and female knights on duty could also get extra coins in their pockets that way.

    ¡°Hey, kid!¡±

    When Edna and I was passing by with our empty plates, a group of men called us over.

    The fat guy with his yellow stained shirt put his arm around my shoulder. Since I wa so short, I could literally taste his sweaty armpits through my nostrils.

    ¡°Y-Yes?¡±

    He led me to their table. A bunch of grown men were doing arm wrestling and betting their good-time girls or money.

    The adult men were grinning from ear to ear.

    ¡°How about a little game? Hm? Our captain over there is interested in your squire girl you have there.¡±

    A guy among the eight guys with a scar through his eye waved at me.

    I stood there with a gaping mouth. I glanced at Edna and at the huge hulking man.

    ¡®I-Is he serious?¡¯

    ¡°She¡¯s a 12 year old girl, though¡­¡±

    I tried reasoning with them. All of them laughed at us. Edna seemed to be clueless about what was going on since she was looking at them with a confused expression.

    ¡°Come on~ Just a little game. And if you win, you can have any girl we have here. Hell, we¡¯ll even pay you.¡±

    He pointed to the women who coquettishly pushed up their breasts for me to see.

    ¡°Ahem.¡±

    I averted my gaze and looked at the guy that called me. He grinned widely showing his yellow teeth.

    They seriously want me to arm-wrestle them? Can they not tell from my robe and wand on my waist that I¡¯m a mage?

    ¡°If you say no then we might have to find another way to deal with this¡­¡±

    All of them snickered as some began cracking their knuckles. What a bunch of muscle heads.

    They¡¯re underestimating me just because I¡¯m Charlotte¡¯s knight.

    ¡®Well, I was getting bored anyway.¡¯

    I sat down on the crate and rolled up my sleeves. A skinny right arm appeared.

    ¡°Kek.¡±

    ¡°Kukuku.¡±

    The gorilla lolicon sat across from me.

    He lowered his right arm onto the table. A big veiny arm of pure muscle appeared.

    His eyes were narrowed in amusement.

    ¡°Shall we?¡±

    I nodded.

    He put his hand on mine and squeezed hard. My entire hand was swallowed into his.

    ¡°10¡­ 9¡­¡± The girls were holding our hands down and doing a countdown. ¡°4, 3, 2, 1¡­ Go!¡±

    ¡°!!!¡±

    With a beastly roar, the guy swung down his arm.

    ¡°¡­?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°What the¡­¡±

    But he didn¡¯t even move my arm an inch. It was covered in a bright white light.

    I had over a million spirits within my body so that naturally meant that my body was far stronger than usual.

    ¡°Huh? Why isn¡¯t it moving!?¡±

    The gorilla kept pushing my hand down.

    ¡°Can I try now?¡±

    ¡°¡­.Huh?¡±

    !!!!!

    CRASH¡ª!

    BOOM¡ª!

    ¡°GYAAAAA!!!!¡±

    With a loud crash, the entire table broke apart followed by the scream of a grown man.

    When they picked him up, all they saw was a mangled arm completely bent in the wrong direction. His fingers were broken and even his bones tore through the skin.

    ¡°It hurts! Kuk!! Guh!¡±

    The joints where it broke was already purple and swelling up.

    ¡°H-Hey. Are you okay?¡±

    I approached him while scratching my head.

    ¡°Sorry about what just¨C¡°

    ¡°Hiiirk!? Stay away!¡±

    The guy moved backward on the ground as snot and tears streamed down his face. After gaining his footing, he ran away like the wind.

    When I looked around, the guys from earlier were also backing away from me.

    ¡°E-Err¡­¡±

    Then they ran as fast as they can.

    ¡°What about my reward¡­?¡±

    Even the girls left¡­.

    Edna laughed with her hand on her stomach.

    ¡°You inferior humans do strange things just to mate.¡±

    ¡®Ah. I went too far.¡¯

    A day hadn¡¯t even passed yet and now they were already afraid of me.

 Chapter 51: Polomine Border(2)

    (Charlotte POV)

    There seemed to have been a lot of problems even before the commanders were kidnapped.

    The location they chose before was much too dangerous to stay at. Many people lost their lives due to monsters attacking them during the night. These particular monsters have excellent stealth abilities and have even been referenced in some spy technology of today.

    They are called Creepers.

    We lost a total of 200 men to their attacks. They¡¯d either mull the person to death for sport or eat them alive after cutting off a person¡¯s limbs. They are truly the stuff of nightmares.

    The other issue that arose was the urgency for supplies. Since many regions were destroyed by the enemy army, refugees had come to live in the camp as well. We had more refugees than soldiers in our camp.

    The refugees were expected to receive aid from Duke Luxembourg once they finish building the refugee camp in his city. Some of the refugees have also volunteered to join the army so they can get revenge. I¡¯d been hearing a lot of shouting outside followed by the slashing of wind.

    The soldiers train the refugees that volunteered. Many were also adventurers in their respective village or town. Adventurers rarely get involved with the army. They only move for profit while a percentage fight for the people.

    I always hire adventurers as escorts whenever I attend a tea party with one of my connections. I couldn¡¯t even trust the palace knights to protect me from danger since there¡¯s a chance that one of them might be that danger I should be protected from.

    To avoid being targeted like this in the palace, mother asked father if he could have a villa built for me. That was a few years ago after the fourth attempt on my life.

    The villa was located at the back of the Palace grounds. The grounds are about 100 acres wide since a field stretches at the back of the Royal Palace. A giant magical fence surrounded the entire vicinity. My villa was located in the corner of that field next to a lake.

    I could sleep peacefully at night in the villa as opposed to my room in the palace. My bladder problems had somewhat eased so I didn¡¯t have to go to the toilet every hour if I drank something.

    I couldn¡¯t exactly call my life wonderful or what I wanted. My mother was still struggling to fight the disease she had and I had trouble gaining connections for the future. I couldn¡¯t rely on father otherwise I might seem like an incompetent leader to my subjects.

    What would Lady Iris do if she were in the same position as me? She was once a commoner but today she¡¯s the strongest swordswoman on the continent. She was perfect in every way.

    Even though I said I wanted to be like her, we were completely different people. I¡¯ll have to use the strengths I had instead of dreaming to become someone else. Life wasn¡¯t that convenient.

    I tossed and turned in the bed as I looked at the bright moon through the gaps of the tent. Since the soldiers were so noisy outside, I couldn¡¯t fall asleep. It might¡¯ve been that I was too anxious to let my guard down. There was that possibility that we might be attacked through the night.

    The three spies were already questioned and disposed of afterward. We now knew where our enemy was. Our first attack is happening tomorrow. Since they had no intention of negotiating, we might as well force our way through their ranks.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    My hand subconsciously moved between my legs. I always do this when I can¡¯t sleep at night.

    ¡°¡­Mmm¡­¡±

    The sound of splashing and squishing echoed in the room as I quivered on the bed. My hand moved faster and faster.

    It continued for a while as I squirmed in bed.

    My body grew hotter as I reached my climax. Just a little more¨C

    BOOM¨C!

    When I was almost there, an explosion shook the entire camp.

    ¡°Princess! We¡¯re under¨C¡°

    Clyde pushed aside the curtain and entered.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    One of my hands was still on my breast while the other was between my legs.

    ¡°GET OUT!!¡±

    He ran away when I screamed in a fluster.

    ¡®Oh god! Why did that have to happen!?¡¯

    I stood up and hurriedly put on my clothes. The generals would surely gather in the meeting tent so I had to attend as well.

    Shouts and screams came from outside the tent. Did they already start attacking us?

    ¡®A night assault¡­¡¯

    Clyde was already waiting outside for me when I exited. The two of us were silent as we headed to the meeting room. The entire camp was in a frenzy as soldiers ran around carrying buckets of water.

    The assassin, Damian and Clyde¡¯s squire, Edna also joined us halfway to the meeting tent.

    ¡®Did the earlier explosion cause a big fire somewhere?¡¯

    I could faintly smell traces of smoke so I assumed there really were fires throughout the camp.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    My knight was in front, wary of our surroundings as he chanted for the first time in a while. I never saw him casting before unless it was a very powerful spell.

    There are only a minority of wizards in the kingdom that can cast magic chantless. It had nothing to do with talent; rather it¡¯s suitability. Basically, can you cast magic chantless or not.

    Even the most genius of people of the kingdom cannot do it while a child from the slums could perhaps achieve it.

    My knight¡¯s entire body oozed with power. Even the nearby warriors gave way for him as we ran towards the meeting tent.

    How did he get such a huge power boost in less than a week?

    ¡°Princess Charlotte! You¡¯re here!¡±

    When I entered the large white tent, about four men in military uniforms gazed my way.

    All of them were in a mess just like I was. It was 4 in the morning so it was understandable that we couldn¡¯t prepare ourselves properly.

    I immediately sat down and began talking.

    ¡°First of all, don¡¯t panic. We might make unnecessary mistakes if we up act with our emotions rather than our judgement.¡±

    All four nodded.

    ¡°Did any of you perhaps see any suspicious activities?¡±

    The general with a bald head and a moustache nodded.

    ¡°A maid came up to me last night, asking if she could entertain me¡­ When I drank the drink she prepared for me, I was knocked out. I suspect it was a drug. The next morning, the supply documents were stolen out of my safe. Now our enemies may know our supply routes.¡±

    ¡°Ahh, fuck¡­¡±

    I scratched my head in frustration. We didn¡¯t have enough information to predict our enemy¡¯s actions.

    Could that be their main goal? Is the Republic even the culprit?

    ¡®This is why men are such easy targets during war.¡¯

    ¡°But fret not. We have sent one of our best units to that location where our supplies are being held!¡±

    To the general¡¯s words, all of them nodded.

    ¡®¡­Are they idiots¡­?¡¯

    Anyone could see that this could be a plan to divide our forces.

    ¡°A-And who might these forces be¡­?¡±

    The general thumped his chest proudly.

    ¡°It was the very knights our households raised. The ones we enrolled into the Knight Order.¡±

    All of them nodded in satisfaction. Not a hint of urgency on their faces.

    ¡°We have sent the captain to lead our army.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I felt like throwing dung at his ugly face. I just said that we shouldn¡¯t make hasty decisions¨C

    ¡°How stupid of you, general.¡±

    A cold voice echoed as the flags of our army were shredded.

    All of us flew into panic. My knight also got his staff ready. His squire who was in the corner of the room looked at the top of the tent pillar.

    I also gazed up.

    ¡°!?¡±

    An upside down man was looking down at us. His golden eyes released powerful killing intent.

    ¡°Brother¡­.¡±

    Damian muttered under his breath.

    ¡°Who are you!?¡±

    ¡°Intruder!! Where are the knights!?¡±

    The generals unsheathed their swords. Damian and Clyde were standing in front of me, both releasing their mana.

    ¡°Oh, them? I had my subordinates take care of them.¡± the man jumped down and landed on the ground lightly.

    ¡®Now that he says that, isn¡¯t it quieter than before?¡¯

    While we were shouting amongst each other, the noise from outside slowly disappeared.

    ¡°Do not resent me for this, I am only here for the princess and her protectors¡­ Oh?¡±

    The man clad in black seemed to be looking at someone.

    His eyes narrowed.

    ¡°Now if you would kindly accept death. We were only paid to do this. That is our specialty.¡± The man took out two ominous looking swords. They glowed in a purple light.

    ¡°O-Only them, right?¡±

    The cloaked man nodded.

    ¡°T-Then we best be on our way. You won¡¯t k-kill us, correct?¡±

    ¡°Like I have said, we only kill for money or if you get in our way.¡±

    ¡°Ehehehe. T-Then we¡¯ll be going.¡±

    The shameless generals walked away and left the tent.

    ¡°These fucking bastards¡­¡±

    I started cursing in anger as I watched them leave.

    So I was his target? And why was Clyde a target as well?

    The man cladded his body in aura and crossed his arms. His body gave off a suffocating aura¡ªif I were alone, I would be trembling without anything to say. My knees were already shaking as he looked into my eyes.

    ¡°Edna, take Charlotte and go.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What about you?¡±

    ¡°This guy will chase us down if we all went. He¡¯ll chase us down as long as the contract still stands. Make it to the kingdom then their missions fails.¡± Damian answered in Clyde¡¯s stead.

    ¡°Damian¡­Is he¨C¡°

    ¡°He¡¯s part of the clan, yes. And he¡¯s my eldest brother."

    The man sighed.

    ¡°So you do remember me, after all. And that brash way of speaking hasn¡¯t changed. Have you no respect for the manners we taught you?¡±

    The man swung his sword and cut the air.

    ¡°Manners? You call hitting someone with a blunt sword manners?¡±

    ¡°If words is not enough then violence is, little brother."

    ¡°Go fuck yourself, Aubrey.¡±

    The man¡¯s expression twisted.

    ¡°You still don¡¯t call me honourable older brother. No manners even after leaving the clan. You were lucky that grandmother forced us to not lay a hand on you. You were always her favourite. You know that even father and grandfather can¡¯t disobey her.¡±

    Damian gritted his teeth as he glared at his brother.

    ¡°Stop talking, you fucking bastard¡­¡±

    Clyde glanced at me. His blue eyes were serious unlike the usual gentle glow he had in them.

    I nodded.

    The little girl called Edna grabbed my hand and pulled me outside. I was surprised by the strength in her small hand that I almost tripped not expecting to be dragged like that.

    The person called Aubrey didn¡¯t give chase like I expected he would.

    ¡­

    When we were outside the tent, I saw multiple corpses on the ground of soldiers, servants and horses alike.

    ¡°They could be anywhere. We have to keep our eyes peeled.¡±

    When I looked back at miss Edna, I saw a mature woman with black wings on her back. A tail was behind her back. Her breasts were so huge that I couldn¡¯t help but gulp. Is this the kind of body humans possess? Even her beauty was artificial.

    ¡°Miss Edna?¡±

    Why did she suddenly transform?

    ¡°Don¡¯t ask questions now. I know of a cave near this border. I saw it last night. My human entrusted you to me so do as I say.¡±

    ¡®Her human?¡¯

    The mature woman pulled my hand and then ran with me again. Her black silky hair fluttered in the night sky.

    The black wings on her back and the tail swishing behind her told me she wasn¡¯t human.

    A dragonkin perhaps?

    Dragons do breed with humans sometimes but cases like those are rare even in the Draconic Kingdom where Dragons are the divine beasts of that country.

    Only strong humans could breed with dragons. Dragons only obey the strong and it is said that they even offer their bodies to warriors as a reward for defeating them. This is a reward that is considered sacred for their race.

    What relation did this woman have with my knight?

    ¡®Aaah! I can¡¯t process all of this!¡¯

    I have to ask both of them later¡­If we survive.

    **

    The camp was fairly large so we had to resort to sneaking after exiting the open area of the tents.

    I had some skill in sensing mana which made me pick up several traces of people. Miss Edna seemed to know where our enemies were by the way we were moving cautiously.

    I had been hearing explosions and rumbling since awhile ago when we escaped. They must be engaged in battle.

    The rest of the cloaked individuals were roaming the camp searching for survivors. Miss Edna took out the few that noticed us. Her strength was undeniably reassuring to me right now.

    Someone dared to try to assassinate a royal. When I get back to the kingdom then I will have father mobilize an entire unit of Royal Knights to catch the one that ordered a hit on me.

    I couldn¡¯t die now. I must become queen and kill those that want to inflict damage to the royal family name. I had already killed several people that wanted to start a revolution.

    I cannot let something like that happen. Things will end up like the Republic where they believe in their own ideals. Even the common folk can start a change with a simple vote to the government.

    I won¡¯t let something like that happen to our kingdom.

    Dogs must have leashes. And I¡ªthe future queen shall be the one to hold those very leashes.

    Even if it meant using people to get to that dream.

    ¡®So until that time comes¡­ protect me everyone.¡¯

    We continued our escape out of the border camp.

 Chapter 52: Powerlessness

    (Clyde Astley POV)

    ¡°Clyde, you ready?¡±

    Damian conjured pitch black daggers in his hands and looked at me.

    I infused mana into Redheart. My spell was already cooking and was only waiting to be thrown.

    ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±

    ¡°Then¨C¡°

    When Damian was about to reply, his face was smashed into the ground after being kicked in the back of his head.

    ¡°Keugh!!¡±

    ¡°Pay attention to your opponent, Damian!¡±

    Aubrey swung down his two sword which Damian managed to block after rotation his body on the ground.

    ¡°Clyde! Throw the spell!¡±

    I nodded and aimed Redheart at him.

    ¡°[Rock Bullet]!¡±

    Tiny little rocks appeared in mid-air while rotating at insane speeds.

    WHOOSH...!

    Aubrey quickly dodged the barrage of bullets that tore through the tent. He did back flips to dodge the bullets.

    When he got up, he literally swatted away all the bullets using one of his swords.

    ¡®What the fuck?¡¯

    His eyes followed each and every one of the bullets that flew at him.

    ¡°Shit! [Bolt]!¡±

    Magic circles appeared above my hand. Purple lightning manifested and flew towards Aubrey.

    ¡°I got him!¡±

    The lightning struck his body causing him to convulse. But...

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    His own mana dominated the lightning causing it to disperse.

    This Aubrey guy is fucking strong!

    How the hell was he still unscathed?

    How much of a monster can you be!?

    ¡°Damian.¡±

    The two of us took distance from his brother. I used about 15% so far of my total magic power.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Is your brother a shaman who uses a doll to negate magical attacks? My attacks aren¡¯t working!¡±

    I might have to use [Supernova].

    Damian shook his head and wiped the blood from his mouth.

    ¡°He always used to be disciplined by out mother with her magical attacks since childhood. I suspect it was actually to fulfil her sadistic tendencies but overall, he gained a strong magic resistance. No mage can defeat him if he uses his full power. No one has thus far.¡±

    ¡°Shit. Damn protagonist level bastard.¡±

    ¡®Will spirit magic perhaps work? I have to try using high pressured water spirits and maybe then I¡¯ll be able to deal enough damage to this guy.¡¯

    He switched to duel wield swords after a few exchanges with Damian and me. His speed and power far surpassed Damian. If I wasn¡¯t with him, providing support from behind, he might¡¯ve been stabbed a few times.

    Damian had black mana while his brother had purple. Both colours were indications that the person could use dark magic.

    ¡®This means that he¡¯s the same as Brynhildr.¡¯

    Although not as strong or fast as that vampire who could be called a real monster, he was still troublesome to deal with.

    SHIING

    Damian deflected a throwing knife. I moved towards his back and began chanting.

    The two of them both put their hands behind their backs, seemingly searching for something.

    Both took out a lot of throwing knives strapped to ropes.

    Where did they pull that out of?

    ¡°I guess I can take this slow and see how my little brother has grown. Those two won¡¯t get far anyway. It¡¯s only a matter of time before gramps and father arrives.¡±

    SHIING

    SHIING

    Both threw their throwing knives at each other. The knives hit each other but were deflected by pinpoint accuracy.

    ¡°Hoh?¡±

    CLANK

    SHIING

    CLANK

    CLANG

    Sparks flew as the two rapidly threw their knives at each other. It was like a dance of sparks. Damian and Aubrey¡¯s hands were barely visible as they threw with monstrous speed. Their eyes glowed golden as they rapidly moved along with the knives¡¯ trajectory.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    All the knives fell onto the ground as none hit their mark but were deflected instead.

    Many of the knives ripped the curtains to shreds. A few almost hit me but I managed to protect myself with the barrier I casted.

    My spell, [Supernova] was still busy charging up as the two engaged in throwing knives at each other.

    Clank

    The knives just kept coming. How many did they have?

    I closed my eyes and searched for the space spirits.

    ¨CTime will stop!

    ¨CKya~!

    ¨CDon¡¯t push! Don¡¯t push!

    They were busy playing with each other as my senses were enhanced by spirits. They seemed to not be affected by the battle between two brothers.

    I was slowly pulling them towards my body and absorbing them. There was no resistance from them whatsoever. I could barely remember the first time I managed to control time itself.

    I slowly opened my eyes and saw a the world similar to that of a grey panel of a manga through my eyes. Only black, white and grey exist within my technique.

    [Lightborn].

    Everything seemed to have stopped but that wasn¡¯t it at all. Time was only decreased to my will.

    ¡°Even though I casted this so much, the world is indeed strange without sound.¡±

    Only my emotionless voice echoed. Even my breathing sounded loud.

    I looked at my hand which was covered in a white glow.

    The runes were even more complex than last time.

    I walked towards Aubrey who was frozen in time as his eyes looked at his younger brother.

    ¡°High rank magic-[Supernova]...!¡±

    I pointed my staff which had a blue orb of mana above it, at Aubrey. The mana started to wildly flutter as I released my grip on the magic.

    ¡°Turn to cinders.¡±

    WOOONG

    The spell enlarged as it was about to burst forward.

    It shot towards Aubrey.

    ¡°!!¡±

    But what I could never predict was that someone could actually move in my prison of time.

    His body dodged the spell which was in point blank range.

    I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes.

    His golden eyes met mine even in my void of space-time.

    I felt shivers up my spine.

    ¡°Fuck!!¡±

    I instantly ran and stood next to Damian.

    This guy was a monster. He could even dodge something in this dimension? Was it coincidence? Or...

    BOOM¨C!

    My spell destroyed a chunk of the entire camp as it furiously flew and blew everything away in its path. The ground itself was grovelled up and broken down as the spell penetrated the soil.

    The world returned to normal again.

    Aubrey dodged Damian¡¯s knives.

    His eyes turned to me once again.

    His one eyebrow went up.

    ¡®Fuck... fuck...¡¯

    Not even Lightborn worked? Was I arrogant to think it could?

    Fuck. I had no choice but to use spirit magic to escape.

    ¡°Err, Clyde... What was that just now?¡±

    Unlike Aubrey, Damian looked at the destruction my spell caused in confusion.

    What sort of hellish training did his brother go through to dodge a spell that came flying at near light speed?

    ¡°Your brother is a monster ,Damian.¡±

    Even though his eyes were just as calm as before, all I saw was the eyes of a demon. A tamed monster.

    How could a human like this exist? Could any of the White Order members be this strong? Or is it just people like him that actually achieved all that power through hard work and training? I say that but I hadn¡¯t actually seen any of the White Order members in action before.

    I gulped audibly and gathered the spirits inside my body.

    Only then did Aubrey show a hint of surprise.

    This is the only way I can think of to beat him. Overpower him using a million spirits.

    Damian began releasing more mana and burst forward with his daggers.

    Clank¨C!

    Aubrey received the attack head-on with his swords.

    The two seemed equally matched in power at first glance.

    Both of them engaged in close combat. The sheer power of their blows sent strong shockwaves that shook the ground as their hits were blocked by each other. Damian was slowly being pushed back as I continued to watch their fight.

    ¡®Is that guy so confident about being able to resist my spells that he doesn¡¯t even do anything about me¨C¡®

    ¡°AAARGH!?¡±

    Just as I was about to summon Undine to aid Damian, a searing hot pain came from my abdomen after I heard a piercing sound.

    Why did I feel like I was slowly losing my strength?

    ¡°...Ah...¡±

    I looked down and saw a thin white hand that was covered in blood. A woman¡¯s hand. Her beautiful fingers were dyed crimson in a familiar purple aura.

    I looked over my shoulder and saw her.

    The same golden eyes as Damian and Aubrey.

    ¡°You should¡¯ve been paying attention to your surroundings.¡±

    With that said, she pulled out her arm causing the pain to intensify.

    ¡®N-No way...!¡¯

    I fell down on my knees and clutched my stomach. It felt like something was leaking out of my body. Not bodily fluids but something else. I hurriedly tried healing myself before I lost any more blood.

    ¡°A-Ah... a-ah...!¡±

    ¡°Clyde!?¡±

    Damian seems to have noticed my state as he looked towards me with widened eyes. Aubrey kicked Damian again causing the latter to crash into the ground.

    ¡°You were taking longer than expected, Zelda.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault. I couldn¡¯t find that princess. The person helping her escape has excellent mana interference and stealth.¡±

    The two chatted even though they were out to kill us.

    The woman, Zelda looked down at me.

    She put her boot on my head and whistled.

    ¡°You¡¯re still alive? If you were to stick around any longer, you would¡¯ve been an obstacle for us as well in the future.¡±

    She put strength into her foot, crushing my head.

    The pain from having my head crushed and the heat from my chest from the damage to my cores, was causing my consciousness to fade ever so slightly. Due to the damage to my mana core, even my spirit core was effected and slowly breaking down. I assumed that since I was living with two cores from the start, my body was rejecting the fact that the spirit core alone was keeping my mana veins intact. It was the same as having two kidneys but the worst thing was that both were dependent on each other.

    ¡°Well, that worry is gone now. Since I destroyed your core in a not so gentle way, your life as a mage is over. You¡¯d want to be dead just knowing that. As they say, few survive. Some kill themselves due to despair and others just die due to trying magic again without a core.¡±

    The woman snickered before kicking my face.

    It felt the same as being hit by a truck. Due to my core being pulverised by her aura, my spirits couldn¡¯t be kept inside my body. My body was slowly losing strength.

    ¡®Ugh!!! I can¡¯t die now!¡¯

    I covered my face as the woman repeatedly kicked me.

    ¡°Come on! Why are you resisting? At least let me have fun before you die!¡±

    Her kicking didn¡¯t stop once.

    ¡°Sister, you sure are ruthless. The boy will already die. Can you not let him go in peace? If father and grandfather arrives after destroying the Republican camp and sees you like this...¡±

    ¡°Nah. I prefer letting him taste my pent up frustration from not killing anyone recently.¡±

    Aubrey pierced his sword through Damian¡¯s shoulder but didn¡¯t finish him off immediately. It seemed he still had a soft spot for his little brother.

    ¡°Clyde...¡±

    Damian¡¯s hand reached out to me. His left eye was destroyed from the earlier impact on the ground.

    It seemed he too, was at his limit.

    ¡®Ah. I wanted to live a little longer.¡¯

    Just to see Chloe and Jessica get married. I wanted to be there for their age of coming ceremony too.

    Arielle. I wanted to see her again. I¡¯ll miss her silvery white hair and her slanted blue eyes.

    Mother and father. I wanted to tell them that I came from another world.

    Even if I was dying, I¡¯d want to write it to them in a letter. I didn¡¯t have the courage to tell them that I killed their real child and twisted fate when I saved that girl.

    And lastly. Future Clyde. What would that old bastard say if he saw me amongst the sea of souls?

    Disappointment for believing in himself? Thinking I could become a better him? Or anger that I didn¡¯t do things the right way?

    I should¡¯ve run away with Edna. Even if it meant leaving Charlotte behind and valuing my life more.

    When I was about to lose consciousness, a loud boom echoed, followed by a large rumble.

    ROOOOAR¨C!

    A giant black dragon, almost the size of the red dragon which I fought all that time ago was there. Although it was smaller in size, the aura it was releasing was far more powerful than the red dragon.

    ¡°A-A dragon!?¡±

    I heard Zelda¡¯s startled voice.

    ¨CHow dare you hurt my human? My human!? I¡¯ll tear your flesh apart after baking it with flames!

    The last thing I saw before sinking deep into unconsciousness was Edna gathering mana in her mouth to attack with [Dragon¡¯s Breath].

 Chapter 53: Ruins(1)

    "...."

    I was staring at a certain someone while standing in a completely black space. It was a fat young man nearing his thirties. He still had acne, higenic problems and unkempt apperance.

    The person spoke.

    "All that has changed is your face. You''re still nothing."

    It was the me from my previous life.

    I suddenly remembered something.

    I tried multiple times to become a better person.

    But in the end, I was a piece of human trash.

    Many memories flashed theough my mind. How I had to live alone and cope with bullying. I was cast aside by my family for being a failure.

    That person was so utterly stupid that he had no direction in life. Yes, I¡¯m insulting myself as I gaze at my past life. That stupid person was me.

    After growing up in this world, I came to realize why family was important to a person. You need them to push you forward in life. Instead of forcing your love on one person, there are a lot of people you can direct that love to if you had true friends and a family.

    My will to live resonated within this dark space. I closed my eyes as I felt a rather unfamiliar feeling in my body. The memories from my past faded away as I gained understanding I didn¡¯t have then.

    Find peace with your past self... Only then will you be able to live on as Clyde Astley.

    The words of Sol.

    My vision distorted once again.

    I was in the domain of my two cores. One of which was destroyed.

    The broken mana veins were slowly being repaired and binding with my spirit core¡¯s channels. It regained the white glow it always had before.

    I could clearly see that my core began functioning as it should. Although slowly, it was fixing itself.

    A mirror was in front of me.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re still as fat and ugly as ever.¡±

    The image of my past self was slowly fading away. In his place was a handsome young man with green eyes and light brown hair. A beauty mark was below his lip. He was wearing a white robe while holding a staff in his hands.

    It was probably old Clyde back then as a 25 year old man. The image vanished a few moments later. And there I stood.

    A small boy of 14 years old was looking right back at me.

    His mouth moved.

    Are you going to die pitifully? Did you not say that you¡¯ll become a mage greater than the Great Sage?

    My will to live was so strong that it went against the world¡¯s natural laws again.

    When was the first time I went against common sense and the world¡¯s natural laws?

    Ah, that¡¯s right.

    ¡­ When I died and reincarnated in this world.

    ¡­

    ¡­The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    You better not die this time, kid...

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Human!!¡±

    A mature woman with black hair was crying as she held onto Clyde¡¯s body. Her red eyes and those black wings¡­It was Edna in her transformed state.

    He realized that it wasn¡¯t a dream when he saw his body rejecting the world¡¯s laws.

    ¡®I feel so weak¡­ but¡­ I¡¯m still alive.¡¯

    ¡°E-Edna¡­¡±

    ¡°Clyde!¡±

    She called him by his name for the first time in a month since she manifested.

    His face was buried as she hugged Clyde¡¯s head with loud sobs.

    Damian was next to Clyde. He was also unconscious after the pursuit.

    ¡°What happened¡­?¡±

    Edna quickly wiped her tears and began explaining.

    It was when he lost consciousness when Edna fired a ferocious Dragon¡¯s Breath. She nearly destroyed the entire west wing of the camp with her power.

    Just before she did, however, two men blocked her attack from harming the rest of their members.

    Zexel and Indra.

    The head and the former head of the assassin clan.

    They were tasked with taking out Clyde, Charlotte and the entire Republican army. Clyde had the ability to become an obstacle in the future so Olivia decided that now would be the best time to kill him and his lord.

    ¡°J-Just from looking at their eyes, I could tell that I was no match for them in my infant form.¡±

    Edna shuddered as she remembered those two monsters. Zelda and Aubrey were hard enough opponents but then they had to show up.

    Edna had no choice. She took Clyde and Damian to where she told Charlotte to hide.

    They didn¡¯t give chase since they were confident that their strongest subordinates could handle a mere dragon. Edna might not be any dragon of normal birth but she was still in her infant phase. At the level she was now, she could barely compare to an average adult dragon.

    Edna got injured while she was flying with them in the sky. She lost one wing and had to run all the way to this dungeon cave.

    Clyde listened silently and then spotted Charlotte sitting in a corner staring at the cave wall blankly. Her eyes were devoid of light.

    She remembered the words the current head of the Minerva assassin clan, Zexel said to Edna who told Charlotte afterwords:

    ¨C¨CThe queen is on the verge of death. Even worse than before you left the palace. Do you want to know who placed her into that state? As a present to when we¡¯ll eventually kill you¡­ It¡¯s the one who gave us this job. And I must say, it¡¯s one of the most highest kill contracts I had in a while. That woman was either desperate or very generous.

    It wasn¡¯t words meant for Edna. The words were for her to tell the princess. The one whose mother was at death¡¯s door.

    From his words, she knew that it was a woman that ordered the kill on them. And naturally she knew a few suspects.

    She had many enemies but only one individual had ever showed her hate for Charlotte in the absence of her father and mother.

    ¡®It was Olivia¡­¡¯

    She might be wrong but a certain part of her was telling her that she was right. That woman must¡¯ve been the one that ordered for her mother to be poisoned and ordered a hit on them.

    Charlotte¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t calm down as she questioned if her mother was dead or alive.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    A pair of thin but muscular arms wrapped around Charlotte¡¯s neck.

    It brought her warmth and shook her out of her dazed state.

    ¡°Clyde¡­¡±

    Clyde held Charlotte without saying anything. Edna already told him what that man told her.

    The queen was on her death¡¯s bed. She might¡¯ve had a year left. Maybe less time.

    ¡°I failed as a knight today. My lord almost got hurt and I wasn¡¯t able to defeat our enemies.¡±

    He hugged her tighter.

    Defeat wasn¡¯t the right word. Rather, he was no match for Aubrey even if Zelda didn¡¯t intervene. He now knew that every single person of the Minerva clan was a monster.

    What would¡¯ve happened if they continued fighting and then those other two also came along? They would¡¯ve been killed no doubt.

    As Damian said, his father hated his guts so much that he would tear his own son apart if they ever saw each other.

    ¡°No¡­You did your best¡­¡±

    Charlotte held his hand. Different from her gentle voice, her head was a mess. Complicated feelings arose.

    As Edna said earlier, Clyde¡¯s mana core was destroyed. She didn¡¯t know of his spirit core but even his spirit abilities were limited. He can only use lesser spirits to heal minor injuries or boost his overall strength.

    ¡®Her cheerfulness from before was a lie¡­¡¯

    She was too excited to speak with Melodia again that she didn¡¯t see her mother acting as if everything was alright.

    She would die soon since the poison had already spread and caused multiple diseases inside her body. Her immune system was on the verge of collapsing.

    No positive thoughts entered Charlotte¡¯s brain as she sat there while Clyde embraced her.

    ¡­

    After a while¡­

    ¡°Where are we?¡±

    Damian woke up.

    It was amazing how he was able to recover so fast from his injuries. His shoulder was already healing.

    When he looked around, all he could see was a dark cave.

    ¡°Ah, I was only looking around blindly to find a safe place. This cave caught my eyes. I-It was earlier that I realized that I can¡¯t find the entrance anymore¡­¡±

    Edna lowered her head in embarrassment. As a young dragon, she had little knowledge about the world so she didn¡¯t know the dangers of dungeons.

    The dungeon looked like a safe place at first. She thought that the assassins wouldn¡¯t be able to find them inside.

    Her plan worked but the same could not be said for them being able to find an exit. With no other choice, the four of them got up and started looking for an exit.

 Chapter 54: Ruins(2)

    (CLYDE ASTLEY POV)

    We walked through the dark cave with nothing but our clothes on our backs. We were left with only the food in our dimensional storage rings.

    I wasn¡¯t sure how much I packed but it should be enough from the amount of mana I feel imbedded into the ring. Speaking of mana, I could barely feel my own magic power after my core was destroyed. The mass of mana I had before already leaked out through the injury in my core.

    The only energy I could feel were the spirits. Not normal spirits but the lesser spirits. They were desperately trying to fix my damaged core with their weak healing abilities. Unlike normal spirits they couldn¡¯t talk.

    I couldn¡¯t exactly hear their desperation but I could feel it.

    We stopped a few times so Edna could heal Damian and I. Dragons are born with natural healing powers apparently. That would explain why my body felt less tired from before ever since she healed me.

    I wasn¡¯t able to feel Undine¡¯s presence anymore meaning my spirit senses were also weakened. If I couldn¡¯t even feel her then that meant I was like any ordinary adventurer now. I was an ordinary person¡­

    ¡®If Erica were here¡­¡¯

    I had this hope that she¡¯d be able to heal me with her overpowered abilities. I was just so shameless that I could only rely on her since we were friends. Since getting a Holy Heal from the Pope would cost thousands of gold, I could only turn to the Holy Saintess. Which was better actually. The church may charge me far more for an inferior healing spell to an actual [Holy Healing]. They pull that stunt on many commoners and low ranking nobles. In the end, Erica was my best choice.

    ¡®She must be fed up with healing me for free¡­¡¯

    I¡¯ll have to make it up to her if she could heal my wounds. Maybe I should take her to lunch?

    That aside, the cave we were in felt like we were walking for hours in circles. The damp smell of moss permeated the air.

    Damian was the one in the front, leading us. He said that he had a bit of skill in being a ranger. He hunted many animals and people alike using only the tracks and his own wits. The people part was unnecessary. Looking at a kid talking about things like murdering others makes me feel disturbed.

    It was strange how the entrance suddenly disappeared when Edna brought us in. Could it have been another teleportation? I had enough of teleportation already.

    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me we entered a Warp Dungeon¡­¡¯

    Usually in a dungeon there¡¯d be mana crystals everywhere you look. The crystals were necessary for the dungeon to operate since it absorbed mana from the atmosphere.

    So calling this a dungeon was ruled out then.

    Then what was this mysterious cave?

    Edna hasn¡¯t picked up any signs of monsters. Was this place truly safe?

    We walked through the dark caves and finally saw light.

    ¡°Is it the outside?¡±

    Damian muttered with hope.

    Edna told us to stay here so she could go ahead and scout. She transformed into a dragon and flew off the edge of the cliff.

    ¡°By the way, lord Clyde¡­¡±

    Charlotte pulled my sleeve.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°How did you get along with a dragonkin during that time we were at the kingdom?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m also curious about this, Clyde. I¡¯m thankful that she saved us but¡­¡±

    Charlotte¡¯s serious eyes peered into mine. I averted my eyes, not being able to tell her the truth.

    She sighed.

    ¡°As you hold a lot of my secrets, I shall keep yours as well. We wouldn¡¯t want any attention from troublesome people.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, princess¡­¡±

    She walked past me after giving me a small smile.

    Edna came back a few minutes later. Where was she all that time?

    ¡°The area is safe. I don¡¯t feel any monsters with an aggressive nature.¡±

    So that meant there were monsters but not ones that could pose a threat.

    She urged us to follow her.

    ¡°What the¡­.¡±

    ¡°Oh my¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­where is this¡­?¡±

    Me, Charlotte and Damian respectively expressed our astonishment.

    Why?

    Because an entire underground civilization was spread out through our view. I could barely see the end of this ginormous cave. Only darkness spread beyond the far reaches of the cave.

    ¡°A capital¡­ defensive walls¡­ and this rock.. no way¡­¡±

    Charlotte muttered as she looked at a piece of rock in her hands. It was a kind of golden clay with a high mana density. Even with my weakened senses, I could feel the energy.

    When she rubbed the fragments, they vanished into nothingness after sparkling a few times. The dust stuck to her fingers.

    ¡°A mana stone¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you serious?¡±

    Damian picked up the other rocks lying around. There were many on our path towards the capital as Charlotte called it.

    ¡°I-I study history at the academy as well so I have heard of this stone before. This¡­ this material was deemed non-renewable by our kingdom¡¯s records. They said that the raw resources were used up ever since they discovered that it could be used as an energy source for cities¡­¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    Edna asked with a clueless expression.

    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure if I¡¯m right but¡­ I think we¡¯re in the United Empire that disappeared centuries ago¡­¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    United Empire.

    Many would say the old civilizations were actually far more advanced than the modern era. In the olden times, resources like the mana stones were abundant even though they are rare today.

    The United Empire was also called the nation where magic thrived. Science wasn¡¯t that common around here. The United Empire¡¯s magical science, however, was widespread and even more advanced than Earth¡¯s own technology.

    The reason the United Empire fell was really a joke to me. Why?

    On earth, there¡¯s this saying that robots could one day destroy our world. Well, in this case it was homunculi. Millions of artificial life destroyed the United Empire. No matter how powerful they were, they were destroyed by the very soldiers that they created.

    It was unknown what happened to the homunculi after they destroyed that all-powerful empire.

    There was a law written down in the Magic Tower¡¯s books:

    ¨CAnyone that is found guilty of creating artificial life will be imprisoned or receive even harsher punishments. Death is also included in extreme cases.

    It was even worse than necromancers who could summon undead. I never thought in my life that Necromancers would be less evil than something.

    Since a will was given to the homunculus created from a human¡¯s flesh, they could become more like humans. The bad side of humanity. That could cause the homunculus to act on its own. And look what happened to an empire that many feared going up against.

    We roamed the dark streets of the buried empire. A lot of eyes were staring at us along the way but Edna said that they were just critters seeking shelter from stronger monsters. Other than that, we hadn¡¯t met any danger other than a few jump scares they usually use in cheap horror movies.

    It wasn¡¯t just once or twice that an animal jumped out of a corner.

    It was amazing how these buildings haven¡¯t broken down throughout the centuries that the empire had been buried. They only lost their original colour ever since erosion took place.

    ¡°Princess, where are we going?¡±

    I spoke to Charlotte who was eagerly looking for something. Her eyes roamed around the entire underground cave. She would jump onto any building easy to climb onto and look around.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for the Four Palaces.¡±

    ¡°What kind of strange name for a palace is that?¡±

    Sounded like a teenager came up with the name in the middle of his essay exam.

    ¡°It¡¯s not the real name. The real one is just too difficult to pronounce. I can only write it down but I doubt any of you would understand it. Now what the name actually signifies is that four royal families stayed in the united empire palace. They say that four brothers became kings of their own territories. Well, lord is the right word to use. They had an idea one day. ¡®What if we merge our kingdoms?¡¯¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I refrained from retorting and listened quietly.

    Charlotte continued.

    ¡°Since all their territories were too far away from each other, the brothers slowly built their kingdoms together. I¡¯m not sure how they achieved this since the book didn¡¯t have much detail. Anyways, the brothers built the gigantic palace fit for four royal families. All the treasures they had gathered throughout their lives had been stored there. Now as to why I want us to head there, well¡­ there¡¯s a myth that the palace magic tower had the blueprint to craft an elixir even better than the current existing Elixir that the holy temple in the Holy Kingdom sells. I could call our situation the perfect coincidence if we can find that blueprint with the ingredients.¡±

    She held her hands close to her chest and closed her eyes.

    ¡°If I can find that [Divine Elixir] here¡­ I can perhaps heal my mother¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­ Ah, the queen is¡­¡±

    I heard from Edna what Zexel said before she flew away.

    Deathbed¡­ queen¡­

    The queen didn¡¯t have long to live. How did her condition worsen? Could Zexel be lying just to get Charlotte riled up to enjoy her despair?

    This Divine Elixir. I wondered if it was even real. It could just be a myth as she mentioned before.

    ¡°Let¡¯s stop here for the night.¡± Damian came to a stop.

    ¡°Huh? Why?¡±

    ¡°I sense strong hate of the dead. Moving at night will be dangerous unless we want to be caught by a Spector.¡±

    Well then, we better follow his advice. I¡¯m not stopping because I¡¯m scared of ghosts. Not at all.

    We chose a building that was in far better condition than the rest. There was even furniture that was still standing inside.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    (Charlotte Colchis POV)

    I woke up in the middle of the night. Well, I couldn¡¯t really tell the time since we were underground where everything was dark and gloomy. Not even moonlight reached this cave.

    Many things ran through my head as I tossed and turned in bed trying to fall asleep.

    The assassins. My supposed campaign that was actually a setup. Almost dying today. Lord Clyde losing his powers¡­

    And lastly¡­ how much time did my mother have left? That had been my only worry after hearing the words of that man, Zexel. When I was back at the kingdom, I could finally focus on gathering support for my rule in the future. But¡­ did mother lie so that I didn¡¯t need to worry about her?

    I forgot how good she was at acting as a young adult. She told me that in order to please the customers in the bar she had to put on a persona that made others see her as cute. Her true personality was actually far more mature than that image she put in people¡¯s minds. She was extremely intelligent and cunning unlike the dumb and clumsy way she acted in the bars to appeal to the males.

    As a person born with such talents, she deceived a lot of people in the court of nobles as well.

    ¨CShe¡¯s just a stupid countryside girl.

    ¨CWas it actually true that his majesty was rescued by that immature brute?

    These were but some of the things people said about her. They were the ones that were in Olivia and my aunt¡¯s faction. Meaning, our enemies.

    Their goal back then was to interfere and hinder mother from becoming queen before her marriage to my father. Their actions were so inconspicuous that my father never noticed.

    It was as I heard from the noble ladies from our faction. Mother killed all of them that hindered her from becoming queen. A commoner that read books through her childhood achieved the title of queen through her own hands.

    What was her secret? I could guess that she used deception as her main tool.

    I couldn¡¯t believe she used her tricks on me too. I really thought she was getting better but it was the opposite actually.

    She was really dying.

    My knight¡¯s core had been destroyed.

    Two things I believed will turn out good actually turned out this way in the end. I expected a lot from Clyde¡¯s development in the future.

    He could¡¯ve become a member of the White Order and achieved the title of Head Mage of the Magic Association. A person so powerful in the magic arts that they could literally fight an entire army on their own.

    Now that future was nowhere in sight.

    He had infinite potential for growth. I always bragged about this to my circle of friends. Not one of their houses had a mage enlisted that surpassed Clyde in talent.

    They even set up a test for him to see if my words were true. It was a difficult test, popular among many mages and wizards. He had to calculate the 27<sup>th</sup> rune of a spell found in the Red Abyss dungeon 50 years ago that was discovered by the Beastkin Dominion.

    He succeeded. The spell had an effect that could temporarily grow a mana core within a person and allow them to use magic. However, this only worked on non-mages.

    No one outside my circle of friends knew who fixed the rune and casted the spell. I forced them to do a Slave Ritual so they couldn¡¯t let others know. I couldn¡¯t let others know of how talented my knight is. The Magic Empire might take him away from me.

    That happened to many other talented children that were discovered at the Graponia Royal Academy.

    The rune¡¯s true effect caused a huge commotion throughout the continent.

    What was the best thing about Clyde?

    He was still growing.

    I dare say that he could¡¯ve actually become the next Great Sage. Yes, he ¡®could have¡¯.

    I didn¡¯t notice when I moved to straddle Clyde while he was sleeping. I looked at his face as he peacefully slept. I had these thoughts¡­ Thoughts I didn¡¯t know I could have.

    SHING

    I unsheathed the dagger that Damian gave to me back when we came to the border. It was given in case of emergency. To protect myself.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    The dagger drew a line across Clyde¡¯s neck when I put it near him.

    I held the blade at Clyde¡¯s sleeping face.

    I suddenly recalled something.

    It was in a private meeting with me and Olivia when we were having dinner together. It wasn¡¯t a friendly dinner per se. It was because I needed answers after a murder case was reported to the Palace.

    I asked her a question.

    ¨CWas it you¡­?

    She only silently smiled at me.

    ¨CJust why¡­ why did you kill that girl? She was so determined to be your sword and shield. Didn¡¯t you adopt her at an orphanage?

    She only scoffed before drinking her wine.

    ¨CI get rid of the fools who won¡¯t benefit me after losing their usefulness. Tools are meant to be thrown away when they lost the benefits they offer.

    Back then, I didn¡¯t agree with Olivia¡¯s words.

    But¡­ could I be of the same kind as Olivia? Just when Clyde seemed to have lost all his potential, I found him useless to my goals?

    I gasped when I realized what I was doing.

    The dagger fell onto the pillow. There was a stain of blood since the sharp blade touched his neck before I came to my senses.

    ¡°What¡­ what is happening to me?¡±

    My hands were trembling and I had the illusion of seeing blood on my hands.

    Since when had I been a person that viewed people as tools? I¡¯ve never felt this way before. In the past when one of my female knights got injured then I would send them off home with a smile and extra money for their hard work. If one of my maids accidentally broke something or made a mistake then I¡¯d laugh it off¡­

    Where did this all begin?

    ¡°How could I forget¡­¡±

    It was the day I tortured Pina to near death. The one I called my sister and best friend. That¡¯s¡­ when I changed¡­

 Chapter 55: Ruins(3)

    (CLYDE ASTLEY POV)

    We started moving after getting up and leaving the building. Edna was too exhausted after using her transformation for so long so she turned back to a little dragon. She was lying on top of my head. She slept with no care in the world as if there was nothing that could threaten her.

    It was the same endless rows of buildings that we encountered like yesterday. This entire district might be about the same size as two of the five cities from our kingdom.

    ¡®I wonder what scratched me last night.¡¯

    There was a slash on my neck this morning.

    The cut wasn¡¯t that deep. Although it was bleeding a bit. Even my makeshift pillow was stained with blood.

    Anyways, we continued our journey through the dark cave. Along the way, we found a lot of rare gems and stones that could be sold in our kingdom. This place was a treasure trove for people from the modern age.

    A single stone can go for 10 gold and increase to 100 gold if a noble was that eager to have one of these. Anything considered ancient was valuable to them.

    It was a shame that they weigh 40kg each. We couldn¡¯t store so much inside our rings. We still need the other space for food and water.

    ¡°I assume that if we reveal the fact that we discovered the United Empire ruins to the public then millions of people will flock towards this cave in competition over who gets all the resources.¡±

    I casually spoke to Charlotte. She had been quiet since a while ago. She¡¯d usually order me around to do stuff for her but now she just walked silently in a daze.

    ¡°Hm? O-Oh. I thought that far ahead at least. I hope all of you will keep this place a secret.¡±

    ¡°Naturally. Why would we let others know of this place filled with treasure?¡± Damian said with a big grin as he cleaned a gem with his sleeves.

    ¡°Once I officially become queen then I will restore this empire to its former glory.¡±

    ¡°Is that even possible?¡±

    ¡°It might take a few decades. I hope to restore at least 20% of the United Empire before passing it onto my children when I die. Many people will take advantage of¨C¡°

    Charlotte suddenly stopped.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    Charlotte shakenly pointed upwards.

    I followed her finger.

    ¡°We¡¯re here¡­?¡±

    It was a giant skyscraper that appeared in the distance. There was at most over twenty connected buildings on the same property.

    ¡°It took us only 3 days¡­ I was right to let us tread on this path.¡±

    Charlotte broke into a run, leaving us behind.

    Damian was still in a daze as he looked at the ¡®Four Royal Palaces¡¯. We followed after Charlotte soon after.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    CREAK

    It took Damian , Edna and me just to open the giant front door out of the many others. The fences were destroyed so we easily got towards the main palace. I had no other words to describe this place other than majestic.

    No building on earth could compare to this skyscraper. How deep underground were we that we couldn¡¯t even see the top of the largest tower? Total darkness covered the top of the Palace.

    Charlotte walked around as if she was familiar with the palace.

    It was kind of dark so Edna had to illuminate the torches hanging on the hallway walls. There were things hanging on the walls that may have been portraits. Not all paintings last hundreds of years anyway, especially the kind from olden times.

    It felt like we had been walking for hours around this place.

    ¡°Princess, are you sure you¡¯re going the right way? Surely, this palace wasn¡¯t designed as modern palaces.¡±

    Damian conveyed his thoughts.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s this way. We just have to follow this hallway.¡±

    How did people get around this place back then? Did they have hover boards or something?

    My knees were already weak and my arms were heavy. The fatigue accumulates faster without my mana core. I was basically a normal 14 year old boy.

    We walked for an entire hour further. I knew because I had been counting the seconds out of boredom.Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°There! A bridge!¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Charlotte ran towards the bridge she mentioned. It was the kind of bridge that connected buildings to each other.

    ¡°That is indeed the place.¡±

    Edna stretched and yawned.

    ¡°Truly!?¡±

    Charlotte was hopping up and down like a little child. We had to wait to cross since Damian was inspecting if the bridge was safe to cross.

    ¡°Yes. Even after hundreds of years, the artifacts haven¡¯t lost their mana.¡±

    Damian came back a few minutes afterwards. He was gone for a long time since the bridge stretched an entire 500m.

    This empire went a little overboard with the definition of big.

    Charlotte basically ran across the concrete bridge, leaving us behind again. If her expectations were betrayed then I wonder what kind of expression she would make.

    Thud¡ª!

    When she tried opening the door, the door unhinged and fell to the ground with a loud crash. The fragments of wood scattered as it broke apart.

    It was strange that only the Magic tower door was made of wood while anything else built around here was made from an unknown material harder than steel.

    What we saw when stepping into the tower was darkness ,obviously. Edna flew around to find torches and lit them up. The entire building then brightened. I expected it to look like a mess¡­

    ¡°Whoa¡­¡±

    There was a plethora of books scattered around and set up in piles on the floor.

    ¡°This place managed to survive since there¡¯s a type of spatial element that kept everything as it was during the disaster.¡±

    Edna spoke from on top of my head. So that was why all the books and shelves stayed upright. Even the potions and cauldrons were neatly lined up.

    Charlotte immediately started looking around.

    ¡°I¡¯ll look for anything related to core restoration.¡±

    I said before diving into the books as well. Everything was covered in dust which caused me to cough so violently.

    Nonetheless, I had to find a way to restore my core. This place could be called the real treasure trove for wizards. They said that this tower belonged to the person that was the Great Sage¡¯s disciple.

    She was the second person to be able to cast God Rank Magic. If I could find her magic spells book that had all her knowledge and the meaning of magic, then even that could help me with improving as a mage.

    I was told time and time again by Undine to use my potential to its fullest. I shouldn¡¯t waste my talent when I could become a powerful mage in the future. But that comes after I found a way to restore my core.

    There might even be a few spells our kingdom or the entire continent for that matter, hadn¡¯t heard of before.

    I kept digging through the stacks of books that had uninteresting information written down. Since the books¡¯ covers were covered in dust, I had to wipe away the dust to see the titles. It¡¯d take forever to find something good in here.

    THUD

    When I heard a thud from behind me, I looked over. Princess Charlotte sat there on her knees with a dazed expression.

    ¡°I-I can¡¯t find it¡­ Dammit!¡±

    She punched the floor in frustration.

    ¡°H-Hey, maybe we have to look more carefully?¡±

    She shook her head as she gritted her teeth.

    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t put something as valuable as a blueprint for an [Divine Elixir] underneath these books¡­¡±

    ¡°Maybe we should head down to the alchemy lab?¡±

    Damian gave his thoughts. He was standing next to a stairwell going down.

    Charlotte gasped.

    ¡°Of course! Something like that wouldn¡¯t be put up here for all eyes to see!¡±

    She regained new vigour and ran towards the stairs. She urged us on to follow.

    ¡®The greater your expectations, the greater the disappointment.¡¯

    I wanted to say that to her but I couldn¡¯t. I could only keep those thoughts inside my head as I saw Charlotte happily skipping down the stairs.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°It smells horrible¡­¡±

    Even if time-space magic had been used on the mage tower, the inside of the lab still reeked of chemicals and body parts.

    What kind of crazy experiments did they do back then? Many kinds of glass containers had strange eyes, brains and genitals inside of them.

    Charlotte didn¡¯t seem to notice this monstrosity as she ran towards the offices at the back of the lab. Even Damian had a disgusted expression on his face.

    ¡°These alchemists are fucking weird. Who does this shit?¡±

    He threw a small deformed body he was holding away.

    They do things like this on Earth too though. I remembered in biology class how we dissected a frog to see how its body worked. We¡¯d also visit real labs and see the experiments they do on Earth.

    At this point, I wasn¡¯t surprised anymore that the two worlds shared some similarities.

    We walked down a long hallway after entering another door. Only the path that we walked was lighted up. I could barely see what was up against the walls. Judging by the dark outlines, I could assume that there really were things lining the walls.

    Edna was still flying around, finding torches like usual.

    We entered another door which had a sign saying ¡®Apothecary Laboratory¡¯. There was no doubt that we could find something in here.

    Only when all the torches were lit were we able to see all the documents in the chamber.

    ¡°Why is this place a mess? These crazy alchemists.¡±

    Trash was strewn everywhere we looked. But at least the place smelled better than the first room we entered.

    As I looked at the scrolls and labels, I noticed they were written in an unknown language.

    ¡°What the hell is this scribbling?¡± I threw the paper down.

    ¡°Princess, can you understand this?¡±

    Damian asked as he showed Charlotte a piece of paper.

    ¡°-------¡±

    She started talking in a different language as she looked at the paper. Her eyes then opened wide then she grabbed the paper Damian was holding.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? It¡¯s sounded like you were summoning demons.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡±

    Her hands trembled.

    ¡°It¡¯s here¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°The blueprint¡­ we found it¡­ The legend was real.¡°

    I sighed in relief. So it was true after all. Now all we need to do is get this back to the kingdom in peace.

    ¡°Guys!¡±

    Edna suddenly came flying in the room.

    ¡°Where were you?¡±

    ¡°You have to see this!¡±

    She pulled my hair and started flapping her wings.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    I followed her through the hallway again. Charlotte and Damian also came after us with curious expressions.

    When we came back the way we came, I heard low grunts from several directions.

    ¡°Look!¡±

    Edna fired a fireball to a torch, lighting it ablaze.

    ¨CKiiiieeeee!!!

    ¡°Uwaaah!?¡±

    I reflectively fell on my butt when I saw the thing Edna showed us.

    ¡°Kyaaa!¡±

    Charlotte also stepped back and then her back hit something behind her.

    I then saw a hand touch her shoulder.

    ¡°KYAAAAH!!!!¡±

    She ran into my arms and stuck her head inside my robe.

    ¡°What¡­¡±

    I looked at both the figures against the walls.

    ¡°This is¡­¡±

    Damian was the only one not affected. Fuck, I screamed like a little girl earlier.

    ¡°Humans¡­¡±

    I awkwardly got up and dusted off my clothes.

    The creature, whatever it was now, was human. Its eyes were gone and its body was covered in black slime. All I could say was that such a disfigured creature shouldn¡¯t live on this planet.

    ¨CKoooo!

    It kept gnashing its jaws and reaching out to us.

    We then turned towards other one on the opposite side. I took the torch and looked at the being.

    It was lodged into the wall with strange black rods. Its breathing was distorted.

    Its body was exactly the same as that strange man I kept dreaming about¡­

 Chapter 56: Ruins(4)

    ¡°My goodness..¡±

    Charlotte¡¯s hands were on her mouth. Instead of the violently thrashing creature behind us, the one in front of us just groaned as it looked at us.

    Its eyes weren¡¯t the eyes of a human despite having the body of one.

    ¨CK-K-Kill...

    It was saying something but it couldn¡¯t form words and only spoke incoherently. Damian was on high alert as he took out his black daggers.

    ¨CM-M-Me...

    Black fluids came out of its eye sockets.

    ¨CP-Please...

    And then it sobbed.

    I got goose bumps all over my body.

    That thing¡¯s body was completely black and covered with slime. It was unlike the one I saw in my dream but I felt like they were similar.

    A disfigured mouth. Two yellow eyes. Body ash black in colour.

    It was missing both its legs. The rods were impaled into both arms and its shoulders.

    We heard several other groans. I heard both Charlotte and Damian gulp.

    ¡°Edna...Light all the torches.¡±

    She nodded and did as I said.

    I clutched my stomach to stop the vomiting from coming out.

    ¡°A-Ah...¡±

    Charlotte fell on the ground as she also saw the horrific figures impaled into the walls just like the one who begged us to kill it. The figures thrashed as they groaned and screeched.

    It was like watching someone being tortured by the way they were screaming.

    ¡°Did... did the light wake them up? Are they that sensitive to light...?¡±

    It was a scene of horror seeing heavily distorted beings still alive. Many were missing their heads but were still somehow moving. There were even severed arms grabbing at our feet with weak attempts.

    None of us said a thing as we looked at all the black slimy creatures. Charlotte held my arm and trembled with her head on my chest.

    Some had all their body parts while others were just a head. Each and every one of them was a different shape.

    ¡°What in the hell...¡±

    ¨CHooooaaaoa

    ¨CHieeeek

    ¨CKieeee

    All of their heads turned in our directions.

    A few tried speaking but all we heard were gurgling sounds and sounds similar to pooping.

    ¡°What the fuck is this!?¡±

    Damian took out his daggers and surrounded himself in black mana.

    ¡°How the fuck are these things alive!?¡±

    It made no sense to me either. This was something that shouldn¡¯t exist. If a human was responsible for this then they wouldn¡¯t be classified as human anymore.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    I then noticed a pillar with a sign on it. The sign was badly rusted but I could make out the name. It was written in our continent¡¯s language.

    ¨C¡®Experiment is a failure¡¯

    These people or whatever they were before were a result of experiments gone wrong.

    Out of the many, only one had a mouth and could speak properly.

    ¨CKill me... P-Please...

    Its voice wasn¡¯t feminine nor was it masculine. It was a monotonous voice that sounded as if listening to someone scrape chalk on a black board.

    It felt like a snake was licking my skin.

    I approached it and looked into its eyes.

    ¡°Who did this...?¡±

    It opened its mouth and sucked in air a few times. But it couldn¡¯t speak.

    Even more black fluids which I assume were tears streamed down its face. I stopped Damian from killing it.

    I touched its chin. It felt so disgusting how my fingers sunk into the slimy mess. The figure looked upwards again.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    It met my eyes.

    ¡°It must¡¯ve been hard for all of you...¡±

    The black tears fell onto my hand. It felt cold on my skin.

    ¡°Not being able to die...¡±My hand gently touched its cheek. It closed its eyes and nodded.

    ¡°A-Ah...¡±

    The figure then started speaking more coherently when I got closer. A female? It certainly sounded like it.

    ¡°A-A-A¨C¡°

    I didn¡¯t even know what she was trying to say.

    I took out a leather bag filled with water and poured it into her mouth.

    The female drank the water with big gulps.

    Her yellow eyes gained a little light. She exhaled deeply.

    ¡°Arius... I-Immortal Race... Homunculi...¡±

    ¡°Lord Clyde. What is it saying?¡±

    Charlotte kept away from the creature while I was leaning with my ear near its mouth.

    ¡°Homunculi?¡±

    She nodded.

    She tapped on my shoulder with her disfigured hand.

    ¡°H-Human and Homunculi... fused cells...¡±

    She coughed, causing black fluid to fall out of her distorted mouth.

    ¡°Injected.. with immortal... blood... combined... create tools...¡±

    Then she pointed to herself with her stump.

    ¡°They used both human and homunculi DNA together and injected them with immortal blood?¡±

    She nodded. That was the only way I could construct the words to make sense.

    ¡°How...?¡±

    Her finger pointed down to the lab we came from.

    ¡°Underground... more experiments... documents and plans there...¡±

    Her eyes were starting to lose their light again.

    ¡°Hey! Stay with us!¡±

    I shook her shoulder. Her eyes opened again.

    ¡°What happened to the United Empire? Who could¡¯ve done this?¡±

    ¡°First success... Sync... abandon...¡±

    Her body started decaying.

    What happened? She was talking just a second ago...

    The other monsters¡¯ screams were the only noises that remained.

    ¡°She held on this long...¡±

    Edna¡¯s ears drooped as she looked at the dust that fell down.

    Only the black rods remained in its place.

    That was once a human?

    ¡°Clyde?¡±

    Damian put his hand on my shoulder. I didn¡¯t notice the way my body was trembling. But I knew what I was feeling.

    Anger.

    I turned my gaze upwards. The distorted figures made noise as they looked at me. They probably didn¡¯t even have a brain left to think.

    Could they still be called humans?

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    I nodded my head at Damian.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. This might be the clue as to why this empire fell.¡±

    Damian and Charlotte followed close behind as we ignored the screaming figures. My spirit core was slightly shaking from my emotions.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    We came back to the lab and managed to find documents that were left intact. Only Charlotte could read the ancient language while Damian, Edna and I stood there listening to her.

    ¡°This is a diary from an alchemist and scientist that was part of the experimental operation. It was before all of this happened. It says ¡®We were only a group of small scientists interested in evolving humans even further. Why wait for evolution when we can hasten it ourselves? I gathered many of my comrades that also shared my same ambition. My wife left me calling us crazy but that didn¡¯t matter to me.

    I wanted to change the way us humans think, feel, grow and evolve. It was one day when a strange gentleman wearing a completely black suit entered our lab. He goes by the name of Mister Z. He told us he was a rich merchant that wanted to prolong his life by supporting our project.

    He supported us. He supported our cause while everyone called us crazy. Those bastards will be begging us for our potions of evolution when we finish our final product. He even gave us our first test subject. I will call that man Mister S. Mister Z said that Mister S was like a brother to him so he wanted us to fix him up. He wanted powerful subordinates to aid him in his goal.

    We created our first potion. It was a failure. The injured man¡¯s body rapidly aged and even his skin burned off. We luckily managed to save him. Although he was still a mess even more than before. Mister Z scolded us saying that we had to do tests before attempting the real thing.

    He bought us something we could never afford. Slaves. We received hundreds of them. People with nowhere to go. Wouldn¡¯t it be perfect for them to work for us so long as they receive food¨C¡°

    Charlotte then frowned.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I have to skip this. Even talking about this gives me chills.¡±

    I wonder what she meant.

    She continued reading after flipping the page

    ¡°Day 708. We managed to create a potion that managed to work. Using Homunculi and human DNA plus the blood from Mr. Z himself. He said ¡®This will be important as our blood will deepen our brotherhood¡¯. I felt really fuzzy hearing his words. He cares so much for his brother that he¡¯s willing to risk this much. We were successful. However, the previous slaves he brought all failed. We only had two successes so far.

    Well, I had to use my wife since we couldn¡¯t ask Mr. Z for more slaves. She managed to survive at least. I proved her wrong. I could do it. The result was that she turned into a hideous creature with ash black skin. Out of the many, only she regained her sanity. Mister S was our real success. His body grew stronger and his mana skyrocketed. I never thought I¡¯d see such a powerful being in all my life and such a being was created by us. He was even more powerful than a dragon.

    His main power is using materialized mana and controlling the space around him. Mister Z rewarded us handsomely for our efforts. We gave him the instructions to creating what we call immortal humans. Beings fit for war. The next evolution of super soldiers.¡±

    Charlotte¡¯s eyes opened wide.

    ¡°T-This last line...¡±

    ¡°What does it say?¡±

    ¡®What else did this crazy scientist write down?¡¯

    ¡°Day 1010. Beings with bodies similar to humans covered in a black miasma invaded the United Empire the day the Red Abyss¡¯ red mana dyed the atmosphere blood red. It was a day of carnage. Not even our strongest dragons could defeat them. We were all reduced to human cattle. Did we create these Immortal super soldiers only to be wiped out afterwards?¡±

    Charlotte closed the book.

    She looked at us.

    ¡°It ends there. Multiple pages were ripped out...¡±

    I pondered on something that Charlotte said.

    His wife... The slaves that failed the experiments.

    I suddenly realized...

    ¡°That creature that just died... she was the wife of this crazy scientist.¡±

    Her only wish must¡¯ve been to escape this hell. A hell where she was reduced to a bottom feeder that had to remain in the dark for several hundred years.

    ¡°This Mister Z... who is this person?¡±

    ¡°He could be the mastermind behind everything that the dairy just described. Who are these immortals he spoke of?¡±

    I kept my mouth shut. Could this Mister Z be an immortal? It mentioned his blood so that was the only plausible reason I could come up with.

    That meant that they were of the same sort that attacked the kingdom a year ago.

    That woman who died earlier also mentioned immortal blood...

    ¡®I see. There¡¯s no doubt about it. This Mister Z guy really is an immortal. If that¡¯s the case then he should still be alive somewhere.¡¯

    For some reason, I had an ominous feeling about the future.

    We left the chamber and the lab behind since we got what we were looking for. I grabbed multiple scrolls about mana cores. Maybe I could learn something that could explain how I could fix my core.

    Charlotte also took the diary of that scientist.

    ¡°Where should we go now?¡±

    Charlotte was the one in front, leading us.

    ¡°Let us head down to the treasury. We might find ourselves lucky.¡±

    Anything was better than that hellhole they call a lab. Even though we came to the Palace already, I still heard the cries and screeches of those nightmare creatures.

    It was hell incarnate.

 Chapter 57: Complicated feelings

    It was the same endless stretch of darkness outside every time I looked out of the windows. Only our footsteps echoed in the quiet palace.

    Charlotte found a map of the Four Palaces which was still intact. We didn¡¯t have to walk blindly anymore.

    Just like the Magic Tower, the throne room looked completely intact when we arrived there. Charlotte said that the treasury of a palace was usually behind the throne. This was something no one apart from the Royal families know.

    It fits perfectly with the phrase ¡®hide in plain sight'' where no one would look.

    It didn¡¯t take us long to find the treasury. All we had to do was move the four throne 180 degrees to activate the trap door.

    Rumble...!

    The giant steel door opened and revealed even more doors. Edna infused magic power into the magic circles on each of the doors.

    We managed to enter soon after.

    ¡°As expected...¡±

    Charlotte sighed when we entered.

    There was literally nothing like white gold coins or gems around the huge space. I could only spot a few coins.

    ¡°The royal family emptied their treasury before leaving...¡±

    All that was left was junk like royal gowns and crows scattered on the floor. I saw a few books focused on magic but the contents weren¡¯t fascinating to say the least. Either they took all the magic related knowledge they had or they destroyed it and only the most basic magic books were left unharmed.

    Unlike the palace, the inside of the treasury was brightly lit up. As I said, there was nothing shiny and expensive looking inside the room but something caught my eye.

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    It was a piece of wood the size of my staff. It was a literal piece of wood. There was nothing special about it.

    Damian was busy checking out the swords while Charlotte looked at the dresses in the corner closets. There were many rooms inside the treasury besides the circular space.

    ¡°Hey, Clyde. Isn¡¯t this perfect for you?¡±

    Damian came up to me and showed me a robe. It was a blue robe perfect for mages. There was even a pair of gloves with it and some runes for defensive magic.

    ¡°The colour''s a little worn out but a few scrubs here and there then you should be able to wear it.¡±

    He put the robe into my hands before walking away.

    ¡®Is he trying to cheer me up?¡¯

    Well, I lost my mana core which made me similar to a person that couldn''t walk even though he had legs. I had knowledge of magic but I couldn¡¯t cast spells anymore.

    I smiled a little as I looked at the robe.

    ¡®I guess I¡¯ll keep it.¡¯

    I put the robe inside my bag and looked at the tree stump in my hand.

    I wasn¡¯t entirely certain what it was but since my spirit core was faintly reacting to it, it might become useful in the future. Well, assuming I could cast magic again. If not, then I¡¯d sell it to the elves.

    I found two white gold coins on the ground. Even one coin can feed an entire family of ten for a year(assuming they eat the same meals everyday). One coin equals 10 gold coins. One gold is already 100 silver. 1 silver is 10 copper.

    Charlotte seemed to have found a dress to wear. She excused herself to the next room and came out a few moments later. She took quite a few dresses and had to dump some stuff just to fit all those clothes inside.

    The materials used for the clothing were something similar to Earth¡¯s fashion. This Empire really was far more advanced than the modern era.

    I usually saw clothes that were stitched by hand instead of a machine. Only those belonging to the richest families could afford garments crafted by stitching machines since they¡¯re so rare.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±

    Damian looked at a faint glow on the ground.

    He walked onto the glow with a curious expression. But in the next moment, he disappeared.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    ¡°Huh? Damian!¡±

    I ran over but stopped right before the glow.

    ¡®A magic circle?¡¯

    Charlotte also came running over after she noticed something was wrong.

    ¡°Where did Mister Damian disappear to?¡±

    The moment Damian stepped inside the magic circle, his body gave off particles of light before vanishing.

    ¡°Judging by how the runes intersect over each other...¡±

    I cursed inwardly.

    ¡°Another teleportation circle?¡±

    Charlotte also groaned.

    ¡°Assuming we can¨C¡°

    ¡°Hey, guys!¡±

    ¡°Uwaah!?¡±

    ¡°Kyaaah!!¡±

    Both of us were startled by the voice that suddenly called out to us. When I looked at the source, I saw Damian''s handsome face.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    He stood there on the magic circle.

    ¡°How?¡±

    He scratched his head.

    ¡°Well, I was freaked out for a minute before seeing where I was. Since there were glowing rocks around, I could assume that it¡¯s a dungeon.¡±

    ¡°A dungeon?¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°I think the dungeon is right above this underground empire. I heard a few adventurers walking by which is why I ran right onto the magic circle again.¡±

    He disappeared and appeared again.

    ¡°It''s really a way out...¡±

    I shed tears of joy. We hadn''t been here for more than a week but I still wanted to get back home.

    Charlotte exhaled a sigh of a relief.

    ¡°I can finally cure mother...¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    Our vision was blinded for a second when we stepped onto the magic circle. That familiar feeling of having my body licked wasn¡¯t present this time. It was probably because we didn¡¯t use a portal this time.

    When I opened my eyes, I heard the dripping of water and the sound of shouting a bit away from our position. Sounds of clanking of swords and of battle.

    There were people which meant we were finally out.

    I plopped down onto the cave wall.

    We sat there for a while relishing in our return before we started moving. The previous voices of people disappeared further down the dungeon.

    We walked for a while before seeing a bright light up ahead.

    When we got outside, I took a deep breath of the air. There was a city right next to the dungeon which relies on dungeons for income so it smelled anything but fresh. Nevertheless, I was glad we managed to make it back.

    After arriving at the city, we searched for anyone who could take us to the kingdom. Well, before that, we went to a restaurant first. It had been ages since I last had a good meal. My stomach was like a pit since we had to save our rations so it could last.

    I literally cried when I got a taste of soup again. It was a little hot but that didn¡¯t matter to us who had to eat little to have enough for later.

    ¡°Hey, Clyde.¡±

    Damian called out to me as we rode on the carriage. We bought cloaks to hide our faces just in case to not get discovered.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°What are you going to do about your core? Will you still continue going to the academy?¡±

    I smiled bitterly.

    ¡°What else can I do? I can at least become a wizard or alchemist who studies magic using catalysts. But I can¡¯t give up hope yet. Perhaps the library will have something...¡±

    ¡°I doubt they¡¯d keep something as valuable as a way to restore cores just lying around.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. And the Sage¡¯s tower is off limits to everyone except people like the king.¡±

    Out of everyone of the White Order, only Iris could visit the tower. It was unknown what she does there. I was sure that something like magic cores restoration might¡¯ve been there. Alas, I had no authority to access the Great Sage¡¯s tower.

    I looked over at Charlotte.

    Her expression showed guilt. I touched her hand which made her flinch.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault, Princess.¡±

    ¡°Lord Clyde...¡±

    ¡°It was my own for letting down my guard when we were surrounded by enemies.¡±

    ¡°Yes... I don¡¯t know what I can do to help but I have no choice but to relieve you of your position for the time being. Protecting me without your mana core would be dangerous...¡±

    I sat back in my seat with a long sigh.

    ¡®Of course she¡¯d say something like this...¡¯

    But that was the right action to take. I lost my powers which was the reason she kept me around. I had to admit, I do feel bitter about our relationship being this platonic even though we¡¯d been together for so long. Maybe I was thinking too much into it. She might¡¯ve been worrying about me.

    ¡°I¡¯ll still give you compensation when we arrive at the kingdom. You protected me this far after all.¡±

    Charlotte¡¯s voice sounded emotionless as she spoke.

    Why did she look so guilty? The way she was widening the distance between us felt weird.

    ¡®Ah, man. Now I know why people hate royalty.¡¯

    They throw you away the moment you¡¯re deemed useless.

    I tried talking to her throughout the ride but she always gave short responses. In the end I gave up after clicking my tongue in annoyance. I got even more pissed off as I thought of the cause of all this.

    Zelda Minerva. Damian¡¯s older sister.

    How the hell did she appear behind me when I was busy releasing my raw mana into the atmosphere? Even an ant could be detected that way.

    ¡®Fuck. What¡¯s up with all the overpowered bastards showing up?¡¯

    Damian told us that if we managed to make it back to the kingdom then their mission already failed. It was an ironclad rule that if you allow the target to return to their residence then you¡¯ve failed your mission. That meant that the moment we set foot inside the kingdom gates, we¡¯d finally be safe.

    The Minerva clan had been the most famous assassin clans ever since the kingdom¡¯s founding. They only move for money which was why they were docile even during wars. Some of them kill for pleasure even if there was no money involved. But those psychopaths are controlled by the head of the families so they don¡¯t get go overboard with their killing.

    They were so dangerous that even the White Order had to keep an eye on them. The current head was rumoured to be as strong as a disaster class monster.

    If I were to rank him then he¡¯d be the sixth strongest person in the kingdom. Lady Iris was obviously number one while Viria was number two.

    One thing occupied my mind as I thought of Damian¡¯s sister.

    I¡¯ll get my revenge on that bitch. This was the first time ever since coming to this world that I feel this angry at someone. That person destroyed my future with a smile on her face.

    My future as a mage was over.

    I thought my spirit core would work after a while but it was still not allowing me access to spirit magic.

    What kind of expression would my parents make?

    I just knew that they¡¯d feel sad instead of angry.

    I sent them a letter telling them how I¡¯d be going on my first campaign. I was too scared to do it earlier since they might be adamant on me to not go.

    Now I regretted ever coming.

    Who was the one that ordered this hit on us? Charlotte had a lot of enemies but she seemed to know who it was judging by the complicated look on her face. But she never told me. That was alright with me since I wasn¡¯t her knight anymore.

    I soothed my emotions by petting Edna who had been sleeping for hours already.

    The important now was to find a way to restore my core.

 Chapter 58

    (CLYDE ASTLEY POV)

    Holy Era ¨C Year 1514

    Month ¨C Dawn of the Mana Lake.

    Graponia Royal Academy ¨C Student Council Building ¨C President¡¯s office.

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    I threw the paper onto the desk of the Student council president.

    On it was the list of the nominees to enter the council.

    The young woman with dark purple hair glanced at the paper once before continuing with her work. She was the current student council president, Victoria Arden. She was the daughter of the Marquis Arden Household.

    ¡°That¡¯s the nominee list. Is something the matter?¡±

    ¡°I can see what it is. I want to know why my name is on the list.¡±

    In fact, it was at the very top of the list. Even the most prestigious noble children lay underneath my name.

    She tilted her head.

    ¡°Do you not know how this works? Students vote who they would want in the student council. You¡¯ll be a third year in a few months. That¡¯s the year we pick our council members from. We still need a vice president since Lord Ryan is currently missing. There was also the fact that the transfer student from the Magic Empire refused because of other responsibilities.¡±

    ¡®Huh? Ryan¡¯s missing?¡¯

    ¡°And then there¡¯s the fact that we don¡¯t have enough members. There are only three other members aside from me. I¡¯ll be finishing my duties as president in two years so there¡¯s that as well...¡±

    I thought presidents only got selected in their final years but that was different in this world¡¯s academies.

    If an incompetent person was selected as president then a test was held to determine if that person was suitable for such a position as student council president of an entire school. Victoria won overwhelmingly against the former president even if she was a year younger.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard but my core was¨C¡°

    ¡°Yes. I know that there was some trouble during Princess Charlotte¡¯s first campaign. I had someone from my house join her ranks. She is the one of the students who are most likely to take my place so I spared no expense to make sure this news spreads fast. This will hinder the one that ordered the hit on her in the future. His Majesty will also not idly sit by and watch his daughter be killed. The good thing is that they¡¯ll hesitate to order another strike on her highness.¡±

    ¡®She really thought ahead...¡¯

    ¡°Losing your mana core doesn¡¯t mean your grades worsen. We aren¡¯t like those brutes from the Student Disciplinary Committee who take people for their strength alone.¡±

    She got up from her seat and took something out from the cupboard.

    It was a stack of documents.

    ¡°These are all your test papers ever since coming to this academy.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why does a student have this?¡±

    She smiled.

    ¡°I have my methods.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    I stayed silent and looked at all my test papers.

    ¡°It¡¯s weird how every single one of your results end in the tenths. And it¡¯s even more weird that your grades are always second in your class year.¡±

    She sat on the desk and crossed her exquisite legs wrapped in tights. I swear I saw a garter belt. Her sweet fragrance entered my nose.

    Fuck. I¡¯m all pent up.

    I felt guilty after going to a brothel so I held myself back. I made a friend in the academy so I couldn¡¯t refuse him. I was scared he¡¯ll think I¡¯m lame after refusing.

    Is Victoria intentionally sitting like this? My seat was a few centimetres away from her desk. Her legs were right in my licking range.

    She crossed her legs again as she looked at one of my first year papers.

    ¡°80 out of 160. That¡¯s considerably low if we were to rank the top students throughout the years. In your case, it¡¯s different. You are able to correctly answer whichever question was given on the paper. You intentionally left the others blanked out.¡±

    I cursed at myself inwardly. This is why I hate smart people.

    ¡°Some say it¡¯s a coincidence that someone with your brains always scores lower. But there¡¯s a possibility that you do it intentionally. That¡¯s what I think. Are you doing it to stay away from the eyes of the elitists and the other nobles?¡±

    I lowered my head and nodded.

    Victoria clicked her tongue.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°As expected. It¡¯s always them. It¡¯s because of them that our most brilliant commoners enrolled into the academy leave before completing their studies. They either get a job at a noble¡¯s house or they go missing. Even if we share the same statuses of noble children, I honestly hate them. This is why I always intervene in matters related to cases such as yours. One of my friends lost her position in the academy after she was targeted. I don¡¯t want the same to happen to brilliant students like you.¡±

    She took the papers again and put it back into the cupboard. She sat back in her chair again.

    ¡°Are you here to reject the position of vice president?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    I averted my gaze. Now that I was an ordinary student with no power of my own, I was vulnerable to people like them. Erica and Damian said they¡¯ll protect me inside the academy but I wasn¡¯t sure if they¡¯d able to do that outside as well.

    Something may even happen to me if I try and go home to our village. Edna was still recovering from her injuries and mana loss so I couldn¡¯t rely on her for the time being. The two of us will part soon as well.

    ¡°Well?¡±

    Victoria tapped her finger on the desk.

    She looked like a loan shark cornering a poor man with heavy debt. Is this my only way out? Either I continue my path as a student and become an official for the Mage Tower or I leave the academy.

    I looked into Victoria¡¯s eyes and took a deep breath.

    ¡°If I win, then please look after me.¡±

    She smiled brightly.

    ¡°Excellent.¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re back.¡±

    When I exited the Student Council building, I saw Erica sitting on a desk underneath a tree, reading a book.

    Her pigtails were no more. Her medium length hair was let loose on her shoulders. And who wouldn¡¯t notice her body maturing already?

    Had she been changing her diet?

    ¡°Sorry for taking so long. I had to sign a few things.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Anyway, you wanted to see me?¡±

    I sent a letter to her after she finished her exam. I was expecting to wait at least a week since the examinees had to rest but I didn¡¯t expect her to reply so quickly. The vitality of a Saintess was frightening.

    I sat on the bench with her. Lunch break was still ongoing at the moment.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just get to the point. I told you in the letter that lost my mana core... so I was wondering if you can help me fix it. You know, with your divine power...¡±

    I felt shameful while asking her that.

    In response to my request, her face looked troubled.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I can¡¯t help...¡±

    ¡°Ah...¡±

    What was I expecting anyway...

    ¡°I-It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to! It¡¯s just that my power cannot restore things that aren¡¯t alive. I could perhaps restore organs and flesh but that¡¯s the extent of my power. Manifestations of energy are out of my league at the moment...¡±

    She held my hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯ll keep looking for anything in the Magic Tower that might help.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Erica.¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    I feel a little bit better now after speaking with Erica. She told me that the exam wasn¡¯t as hard for her as it was for others.

    She even scored full marks. How difficult would an exam be that made the professors give students two weeks in order to finish it?

    During those two weeks, she managed to answer all the questions. Even the chairman couldn¡¯t achieve that back when she started as an apprentice mage at the Magic Tower. She scored 4890 out of 5000.

    That itself is impressive for a graduate mage. But Erica scored the full 5000. Sponsorships arrived for her the very next day when she exited her room to check her mailbox.

    She told me that there were quite a lot of noble houses that tried reach out to her. The elitists are keeping an eye on her. She said that dangerous people had been stalking her and one even jumped her when she was alone. By the way, she crippled the poor guy. He lost both his legs and was thrown into a dungeon the next day for attempting to kill a student from the academy.

    The boy was said to be a slave of someone. Before investigators could decipher the seal and the magic power used to make it, it disappeared the next day.

    These nobles really piss me off. I had to deal with them in the future.

    ¡®I¡¯m more worried about them than Erica.¡¯

    She was strong enough to look after herself.

    My next destination was the library. We had practical classes now which I was going to be useless for anyway. Observing others fight would be boring. I might lose credits but that couldn¡¯t be helped.

    The library had lots of students busy studying for the upcoming exams.

    There was an old woman with white hair behind the desk when I came up to her.

    ¡°How may I help you, young man?¡±

    ¡°Ah, hello. I¡¯m looking for any books about mana cores. History books can be included.¡±

    She told me to wait one moment before going to the back of her office.

    The library looked as large as the palace from inside. How do people reach the books in the 100 meter tall bookracks?

    ¡®Maybe flight magic?¡¯

    Then what about normal people?

    I continued thinking about trivial things until the old woman came back.

    Thud

    ¡°...¡±

    She brought at least ten books with a cart.

    The number wasn¡¯t the problem. The sheer number of pages of each book, however, was.

    ¡®What the heck...¡¯

    I counted at least ten thousand pages in one of the books.

    ¡®How much information about mana cores are there?¡¯

    ¡°It¡¯s rare seeing young people interested in books. I¡¯ve read mostly all the books here so this might help you with your...¡± She looked at me up and down. ¡°Problem...¡±

    She waved me goodbye after she gave me the cart.

    ¡°Okay! Now where should I begin?¡±

    I looked at all the dates the books were written.

    HE230

    I groaned.

    I have a lot of research to do.

    _Mana cores. Where did they come from?_

    ¡ªEver since humanity existed, we have been born with the ability to cast magic. Before the Great Sage¡¯s birth, no one knew what magic actually was. Some call it manipulation of nature after hearing how she saved her neighbour¡¯s house from burning down using water magic. It was the first ever spell recorded in history called [Hydro]. She told scholars at the opening of Graponia academy that she never casted magic before that time.

    She could always remember sensing mana in the atmosphere ever since birth. This was after she discovered she had a strange orb within her body. It was but by natural instinct that she could control it.

    Many people over the continent also discovered mana cores within their bodies. Unlike the Sage, who was born with whitish mana, others started with black unrefined mana. The colour of the mana influences the core which is why there are phases for a mage.

    The Great Sage was the first 9<sup>th</sup> rank mage after they, the heroes defeated Rodion. Her mana was a mix of black and white which made her ascend to a new class that had never been created before.

    She, along with the other three heroes were the ones that created the Dragon Order which is today called the White Order. They only consist of 8<sup>th</sup> class mages or master class warriors.

    There can be two leaders since there are only nine seats. There is a sub leader along with a leader. If the leader is absent then that means the sub leader must take the position to lead their comrades.

    -

    So if you¡¯re a head mage then you¡¯re classified as an 8<sup>th</sup> class mage. How big was the gap from 8<sup>th</sup> to 9<sup>th</sup>? If even the current Head Mage couldn¡¯t cast god rank magic then that meant the gap was considerably large.

    My master had the nerve to say I could become the next Head Mage in the future.

    Even the king said so. That was too much pressure on someone like me who couldn¡¯t even stand in front of people and talk.

    There were multiple volumes of [Understanding the Mana Core]. I took a few home which the librarian was nice enough to lend me.

    I still didn¡¯t find anything useful.

    But... It was still too early to give up.

 Chapter 59

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±

    It was early morning. The sun hadn¡¯t come up yet so only the night sky was visible if one looked upwards. Every breath I drew was followed by cold air.

    Edna was next to me in her mature human form instead of her dragon form. It''d be bad if others saw me with a dragon.

    Damian was the one who called out to me. He stood at the kingdom gate. Meanwhile, Edna and I were in common attire while we carried bags on our shoulders.

    ¡°Are you stalking me or something¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you leaving right after finishing the exams?¡±

    I nodded to Damian''s question.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it seem pretty cowardly of you? You can still live on as a wizard¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re misunderstanding something.¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°Listen, I received an invitation to join the Student Council.¡±

    Damian¡¯s eyes opened wide.

    ¡°Sorry for not telling you and the others. I only told Arielle in the letter I wrote to her.¡±

    He snickered.

    ¡°Congratulations. Well, I knew they¡¯d scout you anyway. So, where are you going?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± I looked toward Edna. ¡°I¡¯m going to the Elca Kingdom. Edna and I will part ways. She¡¯ll head to the Draconic Empire.¡±

    Edna spoke after I said my bit.

    ¡°I want to head there to ask the Elder Dragon if he knows the whereabouts of my mother.¡±

    Damian then wondered, ¡°You¡¯re going to find your mother?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I have no idea how big this planet is so I might take a while. I want to find my mother¡­ if she¡¯s still alive.¡±

    I smiled. It¡¯s not good for Edna to stay with me while her mother could be out there. Her best bet would be visiting the Dragon Mountains in the Draconic Empire where the oldest dragon resides.

    He¡¯s a dragon that had lived for close to 10000 years and was the first of his kind to witness the battle between the Immortals and Spirit King. He might have come into contact with Sapphire.

    Regrettably, the two of us have to part ways for now. We promised to meet again in the near future.

    ¡®She doesn¡¯t belong in a human nation anyway.¡¯

    She¡¯s part of a species that are close to gods. Their alpha was a literal god as well.

    ¡°What are you going to do in the Elca Kingdom?¡±

    ¡°The Elven Queen might have a method for me to restore my core. She mentioned that they can help me get stronger.¡±

    Damian¡¯s eyes met mine. He walked towards me and gazed down at me.

    ¡°Clyde¡­ Do you want revenge?¡±

    My fists tightened.

    ¡°Of course I do¡­¡±

    I gritted my teeth and nodded.

    Even if I couldn¡¯t restore my arcane core, I might be able to learn how to use my spirit core alone.

    Damian smiled.

    ¡°Breaking into our manor is one of the most difficult things to do on the continent. Not only are there strong guards, but the servants themselves are also strong. The first obstacles would be the monsters and then the traps.¡±

    I knew that already. No one comes out of that manor alive. People are killed on sight. It doesn¡¯t matter what status they carry. Even the king should be wary of them.

    ¡°But¡­ I know how you can get inside.¡±

    ¡°Huh? How?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s also a difficult decision to make.¡±

    ¡°Just tell me!¡±

    He sighed.

    ¡°A life for a life.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    He put his finger against my chest.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°if you lose then it¡¯s your life in exchange for Zelda¡¯s. We have made such rules for outsiders. If they want revenge on the one who killed their loved ones or destroyed their life¡­ then they must kill that person.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°The head, my father will personally kill you if you fail to kill her. They believe that every person must handle their own problems. If you request a duel then you won¡¯t be denied. But if you lose¡­ well, just like I said. You¡¯ll be killed.¡±

    The sun came up over the mountains, basking the horizon in light.

    I gulped hard.

    If I don¡¯t fail to kill her then I¡¯ll die. Is it normal for a 14-year-old to feel this much hate for a person to the extend of killing them?

    I remembered the smirk on her face as she kicked my face. Erica was able to heal the hole in my stomach but the fragments of my mana core could still puncture my organs if I wasn¡¯t careful. She wasn¡¯t able to remove the fragments with her power.

    ¡°I have a grudge against Aubrey as well so we¡¯re even.¡±

    Damian put his hand on my shoulder and smiled.

    ¡°When you get back, I¡¯ll be waiting for your decision. Come by our residence in the capital.¡±

    After he spoke, he walked past me.

    I looked up at the sky and sighed.

    Damian¡¯s footsteps faded away the moment he walked past me. It was the skilled footwork of someone with the main assassin class.

    ¡°Shall we go?¡±

    I took the worried Edna¡¯s hand.

    The carriage I bought was parked right outside the stables.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Thanks for bringing me this far.¡±

    ¡°W-Well, it was a request from my human.¡±

    Edna scratched her cheek with a blush on her face. It looked weird seeing a dragon blush.

    She was in her dragon form. I leaped down from her back and looked at the Elca Kingdom. The world tree was so massive even from where we stood.

    ¡°Be safe and don¡¯t anger the other dragons. And another thing, don¡¯t casually throw around the fact that you¡¯re a child of a Dragon Lord. Only let the Elder know, okay?¡±

    I patted her head. Her wings fluttered and her tail wagged like a dog¡¯s.

    ¡°This is goodbye for now. We might see each other in the future.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ if you don¡¯t find a way to fix your core then I can have mother give you a new one.¡±

    ¡°Do you mean¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a bit different from you humans. We don¡¯t have a name for it so we only call it dragon cores. We can cast destruction magic which is also different from arcane magic. But the thing is that you¡¯ll lose your spiritual core. The other thing is that you will turn into a dragon-human breed...¡±

    Destruction magic was the magic dragons can use. They could use all the elements in the world and could even fuse two or more natures to create a new one.

    Take Firestorm for example. It was a mixture of fire and lightning.

    ¡°Your body is familiar with my mana so it could¨C¡°

    I held up my hand to stop Edna.

    ¡°Thanks for your consideration, Edna. But I want to continue my path as a spirit magic-user.¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ll see you.¡±

    Edna flapped her wings after she spoke.

    She propelled herself into the air and roared.

    The entire forest shook from her roar.

    She then gazed back at me and smiled.

    Then she flew off to the Draconic Kingdom after giving another roar.

    I stayed there and looked at her figure flying away.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    In the monster infested waters of the danger zone...

    The impossible dungeon known as the Red Abyss released boiling hot mana through the entrance.

    Going further down to the fifth world.

    ¡°Lady Eredhel.¡±

    A muscular man wielding an axe called out to a woman calmly sipping on her tea.

    She was the sub leader of the White Order, Eredhel Regulus.

    ¡°What is it, Jasfer?¡±

    Her voice carried her annoyance. The brute demihuman wolf interrupted her break time. They already had to take down a monster which was forcing its way through the crust of the planet.

    Jasfer was the team member assigned with her on their training program.

    He bowed to his superior.

    ¡°I apologize for my interruption of your relaxation time. I have found more traces of energy similar to Zero¡¯s mana.¡±

    Eredhel stopped drinking the tea. Her eyed narrowed.

    ¡°That guy again...¡±

    Jasfer smiled bitterly.

    ¡°He seems to slip through our fingers each time. It¡¯s similar because we can¡¯t determine its source.¡±

    Eredhel sighed.

    ¡°So there¡¯s a chance there could be more people like him closer than we think...¡±

    ¡°He said something about his clan searching for something called the star core.¡±

    ¡°If only we knew where they reside then we¡¯ll be able to attack them right on their own lands.¡±

    ¡°I believe that would be too dangerous. Considering the fact that Zero didn¡¯t kill people blindly, we can assume that there¡¯s a higher being that ordered him to go to our kingdom.¡±

    Eredhel nodded as if accepting his hypothesis.

    ¡°Right... it took six of us to push him back. But that other man...¡±

    Eredhel¡¯s face scrunched up when she thought about Zero and that other man¡¯s power. It was a kind of power none of them had seen before. Usually when they take down disasters, one or two of them were enough but it took literally four people to injure Zero. Not to mention the fact that the second immortal managed to take them out in seconds.

    All of the members of the White Order agreed that all of them need training. Even if all of them are classified as master class swordsmen and 8<sup>th</sup> class mages, they couldn¡¯t stop a disaster like the Divide incident from happening.

    Iris ordered them all to take turns visiting the Red Abyss and travel through its worlds. The Red Abyss wasn¡¯t just a single dungeon. If you were to enter it, then you¡¯d see teleportation portals numbering in the millions. This is only a rough estimation since they can¡¯t see where the portals end.

    And each and every one of them is a different world. Many call this abomination of a dungeon the [Labyrinth of Worlds] as well.

    It¡¯s rare but sometimes there are creatures which can enter this world through one of those portals. This was why the Sky Fortress was built right above the Red Abyss, roughly 1km in the sky.

    About 98% of the Red Abyss remained undiscovered. Many of the worlds inside it weren¡¯t classified as danger zones full of monsters. They even sent teams there to gather the resources of the Abyss¡¯ worlds. Many resources had been exhausted on their continent so they chose to enter one of the Red Abyss¡¯ worlds to salvage more.

    ¡°Monsters are also reacting to the energy for some reason. We always do the clean-up after those damn immortals.¡±

    Eredhel couldn¡¯t tell how many times she had sighed already.

    As she was born as a half elf, the natural spirit mana elves are born with wasn¡¯t the case for her. She was born with arcane magic seeing as how her father was a human mage.

    ¡®Immortal Clan...¡¯

    Why do they seek this strange thing called the star core? What are their goals once they locate it? And also why have we only detected one immortal when Zero said there¡¯s a clan of them?

    Eredhel kept asking herself these questions. Even though she was the brightest when it comes to magical knowledge, she had never heard of a Star Core before.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to enter the worlds with national rank disasters. Fighting S rank monsters isn¡¯t going to be enough.¡±

    Jasfer shook his head when he saw Eredhel smile. She never smiles or makes any other kind of expressions unless she¡¯s excited.

    ¡®Good grief. If she were to fight full power then no S rank monster can survive against her.¡¯

    The two entered a dungeon world filled with Lava.

 Chapter 60: Training(1)

    (Eleanor POV)

    When I was busy in the kitchen making breakfast, the sound of hooves came from outside.

    I asked my husband to continue with the rest and quickly cleaned my hands.

    ¡®It must be a letter.¡¯

    I haven¡¯t heard from Clyde in the past few weeks. The last letter he sent stated that he was off to his first campaign with Her Highness Charlotte.

    I could understand why it was necessary but the fact that my own son went to a battlefield still made me anxious. I felt angry over the fact that he didn¡¯t personally come and see us.

    ¡®Well, we would¡¯ve done anything to stop him from going.¡¯

    He¡¯s my precious boy so naturally I want him to avoid dangerous places while he¡¯s still growing. My life was harsh ever since leaving home, I don¡¯t want my boy to experience the same.

    ¡°Ah, a letter came directly from the academy, miss.¡±

    The old courier for our village handed me an envelope.

    I could see the golden ¡®G¡¯ logo that stood for the academy.

    And the sender¡¯s name¡­

    ¡®It¡¯s Clyde¡­¡¯

    I was so overcome with relief that it felt like all the stress in my body melted away.

    ¡®He¡¯s alive.¡¯

    ¡°Madam, I could¡¯ve retrieved the letter.¡±

    Brielle¡¯s voice came from behind. When she saw the golden G, she ran up to me.

    ¡°Is that from Clyde?¡±

    She looked like she wanted to tear the letter away from me in excitement.

    I opened it without a second thought.

    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±

    The contents were just too ridiculous that I doubted my eyes.

    ¨CSorry for not coming to say goodbye in person.

    I have something I need to tell you guys.

    I can¡¯t reveal much but at least I can say this:

    When we were ready to start the battle, assassins hired from the Minerva clan were sent to kill us. Does mother and father remember the boy I befriended named Damian?

    Well, he was part of that clan. When his brother showed up to kill us, the two of us engaged in battle with him.

    Be it my arcane magic, spirit magic, time manipulation technique¡­ nothing worked¡­ I didn¡¯t have the courage to face all of you after my defeat. Was I too arrogant that I thought I could win?

    Maybe.

    My mana core was destroyed by Damian¡¯s sister, Zelda Minerva. Even my spirit core isn¡¯t working independently. I¡¯m sorry for letting all of you down.

    I¡¯m heading to the elven nation. The queen said that she can help me recover. Well, I hope they can..

    Anyways, I hope all of you are doing well. I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ll be away. Hopefully I¡¯ll be able to come back when my third year begins in two months¡­

    -

    ¡°His core was destroyed¡­?¡±

    Brielle asked in disbelief.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    I read the contents again. I wasn¡¯t seeing things.

    My boy lost his mana core to this Zelda person.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡±

    I didn¡¯t realize that I fell onto the couch. My gaze went up to the ceiling.

    For a mage, they need their core to absorb mana from the atmosphere into their veins. Atmosphere mana isn¡¯t always purified, which is why humans and elves have cores to purify and refine the mana as they grow.

    If you forcibly blocked a vein and try absorbing mana then your body will explode from the inside due to mana that¡¯s unrefined.

    There have been many people brazen enough to cast spells without a mana core. All those people have either lost a body part of they simply died. If that didn¡¯t kill them then they¡¯d fall into depression and kill themselves.

    Such is the life of a mage if it was your dream to become one.

    I was right to worry about Clyde. No mage was safe from falling into depression after losing their ability to cast magic.

    He might¡¯ve been smart but he was still a growing boy. Ever since childhood, he¡¯d read all the books around the house. We even had to buy new ones to keep him occupied but it only took a year before he read them all as well.

    It was like he was bored of life as a child. Do children normally behave that way? Chloe and Jessica hadn¡¯t. They were born as normal crying babies unlike Clyde.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    How could I forget how strange he was during his childhood?

    Some nights when George and I made love, we¡¯d see him standing in our doorway looking at the two of us. My husband would always say:

    ¡°Ah, leave the kid. He doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s going on anyway.¡±

    That wasn''t all. When Brielle used to undress, he¡¯d hop onto her lap and shake her breasts for milk. Brielle probably didn¡¯t know this but I caught her actually giving him a bite. I didn¡¯t interrupt her since she was smiling too much looking at my cute baby on her lap.

    My child was weird. He was unlike any other baby.

    I then remembered what I just read. I was too nostalgic for a second, thinking of how Clyde was in his first years of life.

    Brielle ran to show George the letter.

    I heard him putting on his armour and taking his sword, ready to go out. It took both Brielle and I a while to dissuade him.

    He wanted to go kill that Zelda woman. But¡­ she¡¯s from a dangerous clan of assassins. How can he just walk up to their manor and demand Zelda to face him?

    I felt the same as him. How could I not?

    We can¡¯t even ask Duke Luxembourg for help. It¡¯s a known fact that anyone that interferes with the Minerva clan¡¯s business are dealt with by force. No one is brave enough to challenge a clan of monsters. If it wasn¡¯t for their ancestor  choosing to fight only when money is involved, would they still he the same today?

    Even though I called my husband an idiot for trying to face those monsters, I too feel resentful of them.

    But how does my baby feel? He suffered the most after all¡­

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    (Clyde POV)

    I opened my eyes smelling the fresh air of nature.

    Modern infrastructure combined with the essence of nature intertwined within my vision. There was even a tree hanging down from the ceiling that grew delicious fruit.

    I arrived at the Elca Kingdom two days ago. It took awhile to get into the palace since the knights were so wary of me since I¡¯m a human.

    It seemed the aura I exuded as a spirit mage was gone since my spirit core isn¡¯t absorbing spirits anymore. That means that I¡¯m just like any other human out there.

    Her majesty Zefra¡¯s behaviour towards me hadn¡¯t changed though. Would that mean there¡¯s a way to fixing my spirit core even if I remain without a mana core or could I get a new core?

    It¡¯s inevitable that I¡¯ll have to reveal the fact that I¡¯m a spirit mage if it¡¯s the former.

    I¡¯ll have to earn Charlotte¡¯s favour again if I do. If I do then I¡¯ll ask her to protect my family from any danger that arises from my revelation.

    I put on a silky robe along with green pants. Green seemed to be the most popular among elven clothing.

    ¡®Did they receive the letter yet?¡¯

    What kind of expressions did they make when they read the contents? The loss of my mana core. Me almost dying to that overpowered cheat character, Aubrey. I excluded the part about how we located the United Empire.

    Since Charlotte ¡®fired¡¯ me, I¡¯ll have no choice but to keep quiet about its location unless I want to be taken out.

    ¡°Master Clyde, are you awake?¡±

    ¡°Ah, miss Camilla¡­¡±

    A sweet voice came from the door. The dark elf, Camilla stood there with a smile.

    When she bent down and poured some milk into my glass, I could see the deep valley of chocolate sweetness. Her dress lifted a little which made her plump thighs even more visible.

    I was making a vulgar smile when she wasn¡¯t looking.

    ¡°Her Majesty asked me to tell you that you should meet her on the highest floor of the palace.¡±

    That¡¯s where the first branch of the World Tree was located. When I say branch, it doesn¡¯t mean a little stick extending into the air. The World Tree¡¯s branch is literally the floor of the entire top floor. They¡¯ve even built a fence around it. Miya told me that when there¡¯s a special party then it¡¯s held on the topmost floor.

    That¡¯s like 100 metres into the air.

    I¡¯m a person who¡¯s really afraid of heights so I don¡¯t do well with high places.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be there in a minute.¡±

    ¡°Very well. I shall await you at the door.¡±

    Camilla left after taking the plates and glasses.

    I looked over at Redheart. The other staff was currently in my dimensional ring at the moment. Should I ask Zefra what it is?

    It is a part of a tree anyway. The aura it¡¯s releasing can¡¯t be identified by my damaged senses so I wouldn¡¯t know.

    After about 10 minutes I left the room.

    Camilla was at the door just as she said before. She led me through the palace. I couldn¡¯t help but notice that she was the only dark elf I¡¯ve seen.

    ¡°Miss Camilla.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    We stepped onto a platform that had a mechanism similar to elevators on Earth.

    She tilted her head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to sound rude but why aren¡¯t there any other dark elves?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that. We weren¡¯t always so rare back before the Four Heroes fought the Demon Battle God. He had powers that could control those with genes similar to the demons. Naturally, we the dark elves have those genes. Our ancestors, the mountain elves occasionally mated with demons to keep our population stable. Humans were more rare after the demon war.¡±

    We finally arrived at the top floor. A vast white space spread throughout my vision.

    ¡°Every dark elf was used to fight against the humans. We have spirit magic which is far stronger compared to our elven counterparts. Mind control is different for demons unlike normal beings. When their link is cut off forcibly then it disrupts the brain of its senses, thus causing brain damage which leads to death.¡±

    ¡®Oh¡­ so that explains it¡­¡¯

    ¡°We are regarded as demons by the elves so the treatment towards us isn¡¯t good. But Lady Miya saved me from a sex slave ring which were run by humans.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re princess Miya¡¯s maid?¡±

    ¡°Yes. She ordered me to assist master Clyde throughout your stay. I could also be of some help during your training. But if you are looking for help with night activities then I¡¯m sorry. Please ask princess Miya first.¡±

    Camilla blushed.

    ¡°N-No. I won¡¯t be needing such services.¡±

    ¡®Hmm¡­ I should thank the princess.¡¯

    We spotted two individuals in the distance.

    Zefra and another old elf.

    How old was that elf that even her wrinkly skin was showing?

    ¡°Oho. So this is the young one you spoke of.¡±

    The old lady spoke when we approached.

    ¡°Yes, Lady Skyrith. He is the one harbouring the will of our Spirit King.¡±

    Camilla already left after bowing towards them.

    ¡°Come, Clyde.¡±

    Zefra took my hand and led me to a giant white crystal ball.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see if what you spoke of is the truth, little Zefra. We¡¯ll need to do this before I even think of training him.¡±

    With doubt etched on her face, the old lady took my hand and guided it onto the crystal.

    GLOP¡ª!

    That was the only sound it made. It was similar to something dropping into water.

    I heard a disappointed sigh from the old lady. But when I looked at Zefra, she was smiling silently.

    ¡°Like I said, he can¡¯t be¨C¡°

    RUMBLE

    A shockwave so powerful that the entire floor shook, resonated. My ears were ringing from the sound alone.

    When I turned my gaze up towards the crystal ball, all I could see was an abyss. The white crystal was engulfed in a thick layer of darkness. And when I looked around, I could see that even the previous white floor was covered in darkness.

    ¡®What is this¡­!?¡¯

    I couldn¡¯t even remove my hand. The darkness¡¯ grasp on me was too strong to loosen.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening!?¡±

    Zefra shouted and tried pulling my arm out.

    ¡°This¡­ this is¡­¡±

    Skyrith¡¯s pupils were shaking as she looked at the darkness.

    Her eyes were slowly losing light as disbelief filled her expression.

    A certain something was entering my body. To that, my body heavily tried rejecting it but to no avail.

    ¡°Clyde! Don¡¯t lose focus!¡±

    Due to Zefra¡¯s shout, I managed to snap out of my daze.

    PSSSSSS

    The black smoke disappeared when I came to my senses.

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    I groaned when I felt the darkness leave my body.

    The crystal turned white once again.

    Zefra sighed in relief and Skyrith fell on her knees.

    ¡°Are you alright, elder?¡±

    She nodded at Zefra¡¯s question and got up.

    She glanced at me with an unreadable expression. I could make out the fear on her face.

    ¡°Well¡­ how was it?¡±

    I asked timidly.

    The old elf laughed softly while she shook her head.

    ¡°Everything Zefra told me about you being a rare genius born every thousand years was an understatement.¡±

 Chapter 61: Training(2)

    (Skyrith POV)

    We had Clyde meditate in the fountain of spirits located inside the palace. It¡¯s not the original. We only took the water from the original and poured it into a hole. The amount wasn¡¯t that much. If we took too much then we could be cursed by the Dryads.

    The goal of that is so that the spirits start assimilating with his damaged core. I reckoned that when his core got damaged, the spirits got confused and left his body. Spirits aren¡¯t hostile towards non-spirit mages. They¡¯re just shy.

    They rarely come out even when an elf spirit mage calls out to them. That boy was special. Spirits gathered even if he didn¡¯t call them.

    ¡°What happened back then?¡±

    Zefra asked with a worried expression.

    Her eyes remained on the light brown haired boy sitting in the water as fairies flocked onto his shoulders. They pulled his mouth and ears while laughing innocently.

    Despite that, he didn¡¯t lose focus. What a diligent boy.

    ¡°Well...¡±

    I remembered what I saw.

    ¡®What can I even call that?¡¯

    It was a gaze of a being that shouldn¡¯t exist in this world. The being should¡¯ve been gone a long time ago.

    ¡°Zefra... I want you to promise that you won¡¯t tell anyone about this. Not even the council.¡±

    She nodded with a serious expression.

    ¡°I... I think I saw the Spirit King.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Zefra¡¯s eyes grew wide and darted to the boy.

    ¡°...Huh?¡±

    ¡°You heard right. It might¡¯ve been our god.¡±

    ¡°Lady Skyrith... Are you drinking your pills the alchemist suggested?¡±

    ¡°You little brat!¡±

    I hit her with my staff on the head.

    ¡°How can you think I¡¯m going crazy!?¡±

    ¡°But to say you saw Him...¡±

    I shook my head at her disbelief.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it actually was him. The figure was a female being. Doesn¡¯t our scripts state that the Spirit King was a blue humanoid man? He was also similar to the Titan Giants.¡±

    ¡°What...¡±

    ¡°Little Zefra, even I am not sure. She was a large white humanoid figure that looked down on me. When I looked at the figure on her hand, I saw Clyde in a balled up position. She looked like she was protecting something dear to her holding him like that.¡±

    Even I was baffled by what I saw.

    ¡°I might actually be going crazy...¡±

    I had lived for one and a half thousand years and this was the first time I¡¯ve seen someone like him.

    ¡°You said he has high potential, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I used my Spirit Eye and saw all the threads connected to his body.¡±

    I nodded. The Spirit Eye her mother gave her that rests in her necklace was never wrong. It could detect the potential of spirit users. The item was more efficient than those aptitude orbs at the academy.

    ¡°Did you see anything else?¡±

    She shook her head.

    ¡°I see... his potential isn¡¯t just high. It¡¯s endless.¡±

    Zefra looked at me as if looking at a crazy person. Her face showed her confusion.

    ¡°I¡¯m being serious. That darkness that spread throughout then entire room represented his potential. ¡®Dark where there is no end to the light¡¯. The darkness is his potential and the light his growth. There is literally no end to his growth.¡±

    I sat down on the chair and fanned myself. My mental health couldn¡¯t handle such overwhelming events.

    I saw no end to his future.

    If he had the lifespan of a high elf that lives 2000 years then his very soul could enter the realm of the deities. Did that being that looked down on me release all that power on purpose as if to brag or to instil fear in our hearts?

    If it was the latter then it worked. That boy could¡¯ve become a great threat if he was raised in the wrong hands. From what I heard from Zefra, his heart was pure and his only determination for growth was to protect his family.

    He had both a mana core and a spirit core. It was something that never happened before in this world.

    Why was he born with two cores?Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    That¡¯s something I pondered on ever since hearing of that boy.

    ¡ó¡ó

    (Clyde POV)

    I opened my eyes when I heard two figures approach me.

    ¡°Let us begin.¡±

    Skyrith gestured for me to go towards her.

    ¡°Before we begin training, there is something I need to tell you.¡±

    Her serious tone made me nervous wondering if I could continue being a mage.

    ¡°There is no way for you to live with your spirit core alone.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    My shoulders drooped.

    ¡®What does that mean...¡¯

    ¡°The only one who knows why you were born with two cores is the very god that made you. Since we have no way of contacting a god, we can only hypothesise.¡±

    ¡®So it was the being that reincarnated me.¡¯

    I was sure that it wasn¡¯t the old man or Sol that reincarnated me. The latter was too incompetent to handle a soul properly. Future Clyde only steered my destiny so I could change the past.

    We arrived at the balcony of the palace.

    The World Tree extended further into the air even though we were at the highest building in this kingdom.

    ¡°Here¡¯s my theory. Your mana core and spirit core were made to work together. It might not be now but perhaps in the future. As we have little knowledge at hand, I want you to try using spirits to cast arcane magic. We will first get your body used to casting spells before moving further. Since you can use spirit arts, you can do the reverse of that too. Cast arcane magic using spirits.¡±

    ¡°I-isn¡¯t that too dangerous?¡±

    I heard people could explode from the inside if they use magic without a core.

    ¡°Fret not.¡± She took out a scroll. I was caught by the surprise when I saw the rune inscribed on the paper. ¡°This is the 27<sup>th</sup> Abyss Rune deciphered in the kingdom. The unknown wizard only calls himself ¡®Light¡¯ so we have no way of knowing who he is. You will cast magic while using this artificial core.¡±

    While she was imbedding mana into the rune, she muttered ¡°That person is truly amazing. I wish I can at least meet them. To be able to decipher a rune all of his own...¡±

    ¡®He¡¯s right in front of you...¡¯

    Of course I couldn¡¯t tell her that. The Magic Empire might abduct me and dissect my body to study my core. Even if Charlotte didn¡¯t order me to keep it to myself, I would¡¯ve kept quiet anyway.

    PSSS

    The spell gave off smoke and formed the shape of a purple circle.

    ¡°Take off your shirt and push this core into your body.¡±

    I nodded.

    The temporary core shouldn¡¯t be too difficult to control. It was only basic space and calculation that made it so easy to decipher. But it all had to do with suitability. And the fact that the person wanting the artificial core had no mana core inside their body. My mana was able to accurately intertwine the veins in the pattern of the rune.

    By the way, there exists 101 runes discovered in the Red Abyss dungeon. Each of them have their own effects. There was even one that could mimic a person¡¯s voice if they applied it to their neck.

    It felt like I chewed mint gum and drank cold water when the core entered my body. It was a refreshing feeling.

    ¡°Ho? Your body is cleansing itself.¡±

    I heard squirting noises and saw puss coming out of my pores. The slimy murky stuff looked so disgusting the way it fell down on the ground.

    It reeked of impurities causing me to hold my breath.

    ¡°Does it feel familiar having this core?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Somehow, my broken fragments are merging with the artificial core.¡±

    ¡°Splendid. That means the rune works. Ah, that person is a genius.¡±

    I smiled thinly while focusing on connecting my mana veins to the new core.

    ¡°As Light has stated in their notes, this core can only last two days. These things are fairly cheap that even commoners can enjoy casting magic if they were born without cores.¡±

    Skyrith began muttering with sparkling eyes.

    ¡°There was a case where one person even grew a small core after using the rune for a few months. Lord Light is truly magnificent. That arrogant Viria woman must¡¯ve went into a frenzy when she heard a mage other than her was able to decipher a rune.¡±

    They said that the [Core] rune was one of the most difficult runes to decipher in the entire world. If the theory of magical world hopping was number one then the temporary core would be at number ten.

    ¡°Remember, don¡¯t cast arcane magic using your temporary mana core. If you do then I won¡¯t help you fix your core.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes. I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

    I closed my eyes and gathered spirits around my body.

    ¡®She¡¯s right. My spirit core is reacting to the new mana core.¡¯

    It¡¯s sharing its energy just like it was back when I had my original core.

    The childish spirits began gathering around me.

    ¨CKing?

    They floated around me and released their energy to bind with mine. Were they checking to see if I was really a spirit user? Their little bodies jiggled with sparkly dust.

    ¨CKing! King!

    ¨CPlay! Play with us!

    A flock of spirits landed on my body and began playing with the fairies.

    Skyrith chuckled.

    ¡°They really do love you. What differentiates you from other spirits mages in our race...? Hmm...¡±

    She took notes while glancing at me. I was still on the ground, absorbing the little spirits. They entered my body little by little so as to not injure my sensitive spirit core.

    !!!!

    I felt a rush of pain in my chest and clutched it. The throbbing was even ringing in my ears.

    ¡°Don¡¯t panic. This is your first time using arcane magic with spirits. Unfortunately, you have to do the chants.¡±

    I nodded and wiped the blood from my mouth.

    ¡®I know that much...¡¯

    I only ever used chants for my strongest spells. Or if the spells wee new and it took time getting used to them. In that case, it was usually spells intermediate class and higher.

    If I could describe what I was going through, then I¡¯d say it was similar to writing with a hand you¡¯re not used to writing with or learning a new language. I did the chants of the spell, finding it harder to cast it than usual.

    Back then, I could cast magic with my eyes closed after reading the spell chant only once. This must¡¯ve been what it felt to be an ordinary mage.

    After doing the chant, I felt my body searching for the something that¡¯d act as the fuel for the spell.

    I found it. A little spirit was aimlessly wandering inside my body. I pulled it into the temporary mana core and extracted its energy.

    It rejected me a few times but after getting familiar with me, it allowed me to use its power.

    ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±

    When I opened my eyes, I saw a gentle ball of wind hovering above the magic circle above my hand.

    It was the first spell I casted upon learning magic in this world.

    Elementary magic-[Gale].

    My magic circles were usually green but for some reason this particular one was purple.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to fire the spell. Keep it in your hand and slowly get used to the new feeling.¡±

    Skyrith corrected my posture when I was about to lower my arm. The spell continued blowing like the wind. I felt the spirits slowly fuel the spell when they sensed it.

    ¡°By letting the spell continue burning like this, your spirits will get used to applying energy even to your arcane magic. Now remember, this is only possible because of the love they have for you as their master. Arcane magic is far different from spirit magic. It would feel like they¡¯re in a pool of bugs applying energy to such a spell. They want to do their best for their master to carry out his will.¡± She pointed her staff at my chest. ¡°Your will.¡±

    She manifested a chair using wood style magic and sat down. She placed down a tea set after rummaging inside her bag.

    Her attitude was like someone sitting at a beach.

    ¡®Shouldn¡¯t she be seriously teaching me!?¡¯

    After taking a sip, she spoke, ¡°As you are someone with a large spirit vessel and we are in a mana rich environment, continue keeping the spell up for the entire day.¡±

    ¡°WHAT!? The entire day!?¡±

    ''This old hag!''

    ¡°After this then we move on to your other spells. Each and every one of the spells you¡¯ve learned so far. This is important should you lose your mana core again the future. The next step will come when you finish step 1.¡±

    She smiled and took another sip.

    I cried silently and did as my master said.

 Chapter 62: Training(3)

    I was still on the ground maintaining my spell. My entire body was drenched in sweat. I was near mana exhaustion. The core from the rune was already gone even before the duration it normally lasts. It lasted only a dag and a few hours.

    It was exactly two days and 369 spells later.

    ¡°What the...¡±

    Skyrith, that demon hag that made me go through all that, came back.

    She looked at me with a shocked expression.

    ¡°You really held on for two days?¡±

    The last spell which was a fireball finally disappeared after I broke the magic circle.

    I took a long and deep breath.

    Her words were as follows:

    ¨CIf you can hold out until I get back then I will skip the process of refining mana and head straight to the last step. Which is quite difficult.

    She didn¡¯t mention what I had to do. But that¡¯s better than having to refine my mana core all over again.

    It literally took me 14 years just to ascend to the level of 5<sup>th</sup> grade mana. I was close to 6<sup>th</sup> grade before all this chaos happened.

    ¡°Hmm... your spirit vessel is as I said. Huge. Even as I speak, multiple spirits are entering your core to fill it up.¡±

    Can elves naturally see the spirits? I have to concentrate really hard to see them.

    ¡°Can we skip to the last part now? I did what you said, after all.¡±

    ¡°Before that, rest first. You¡¯ll need all the rest you can get for the next step.¡±

    I sighed.

    I was indeed tired. Physically and mentally.

    I looked up at the skies.

    ¡°What are those strange things flying around the World Tree?¡±

    I asked Skyrith and narrowed my eyes as I looked at them.

    ¡°Oh, those? They are the troublesome fairies that steal the fruit from our World Tree. They have no respect for our God¡¯s seed. Damn insects.¡±

    ¡®Fairies huh...¡¯

    ¡°But if you hate them so much, why are these little guys here?¡±

    I pointed to the little fairies chasing the bugs. They had been annoying me the entire night.

    ¡°It¡¯s not that we hate them. They are simple creatures that only know how to survive. They are unaware of the harm they do to our forests.¡±

    ¡°What harm?¡±

    ¡°They unknowingly suck the mana from our grounds and cause trees to lose their energy and natural form. Since they are crafted by nature, they constantly need energy to sustain themselves. They are also drawn to the delicious taste of the World Tree fruit. We only serve those for our most important guests and yet they pluck them every day.¡±

    Skyrith and I walked down the flight of stairs towards the palace.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just kill them?¡±

    ¡°Goodness no. Our dryad queen would be sad.¡±

    ¡°Dryad queen?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s related to that task I mentioned. We¡¯ll need to hear from Zefra what the task will be. The Dryad of the world tree only communicates with the elven royalty after all.¡± Skyrith held my shoulder and whispered, ¡° I¡¯ll tell you a secret about our Dryad queen.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    Her expression turned serious.

    ¡°She can unlock someone¡¯s hidden potential using ancient spirit magic.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Do what you will with that information.¡±

    Skyrith patted my shoulder before walking away again.

    The Dryad can unlock someone¡¯s potential?

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    The next morning.

    ¡°How is training coming along?¡±

    Zefra asked with a smile.

    We came to the bottom of the World Tree. The tree was at least 1km wide. I could even see its giant roots. Only Skyrith and Zefra accompanied me.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°We barely did anything useful.¡±

    I pouted. All she made me do was sit in the same spot and hold my spells.

    ¡°This little brat. How can you say we did nothing!? Didn¡¯t your core recover at least a little bit!?¡±

    ¡°I can barely use the mana from the spirits. It looks like this old elf that has lived for hundreds of years is losing her mind.¡±

    Skyrith threw me with a book against my head.

    ¡°Ouch! You old hag!¡±

    ¡°...What did you say...?¡±

    Mana burst out of her body as a magic circle manifested in her hand.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a meaning to what she taught you.¡±

    Zefra smiled wryly and tried to calm her down.

    ¡°Humph! What can an arrogant brat like him know anyway. What good is having a brain if you don¡¯t use it.¡±

    Skyrith harrumphed and walked ahead of us.

    ¡°Tch.¡±

    I¡¯ve barely known her for a week and yet I already find her hard to deal with.

    ¡°Regarding your task for our dryad...¡± Zefra spoke to me, ¡°We need you to get rid of a few undead.¡±

    ¡°Undead?¡±

    ¡°The thing is... Well, we are natural enemies. Undead being the evil brought forth by forbidden magic, they have no desire for the three needs of life. They also live longer than us which could eventually be a threat to us if we don¡¯t stop their numbers from increasing.¡±

    ¡°Our dryad queen told Zefra that there¡¯s an undead army moving towards our world tree from the south. The world tree can provide infinite mana to them which is a bad thing since the litch can infinitely power his forces.¡±

    So the undead army is the task assigned to me, huh.

    ¡°But how will I fight them without my core?¡±

    Zefra and Skyrith smiled as I looked at both of them.

    ¡°That¡¯s what our Dryad queen, Xantha will help you with.¡±

    We stood in front of a large door.

    The door opened revealing a vast garden inside a tree.

    ¡®How is this even possible?¡¯

    There were a variety of flowers I haven¡¯t seen before.

    The flowers were especially abundant in one certain area.

    It was a wooden bed with leaves as its bedding.

    And on it?

    A beautiful woman with large breasts. Her breasts were even larger than her own head.

    ¨CAh, my children. You¡¯ve come.

    She had long green hair similar to vines and a robe made with flowers. Her face was the same as any other human. It¡¯s only by looking at her ears that I could judge that she¡¯s not a human.

    Her ears were similar to Zefra and Miya¡¯s ears. Her skin was far paler than that of elves.

    ¡°¡°Queen Xantha.¡±¡±

    Even the queen of Elca Kingdom, Zefra kneeled. Skyrith followed suit.

    ¨CHmm~ My little girl, Zefra. You are still so young and full of life. But you should smile more.

    ¡°T-Thank you. I will remember it...¡±

    ¨CSkyrith. I hope you are taking your medication. Remember that old age can be a threat to any race. Even if they live long.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    When the woman turned to me, she smiled.

    ¨CYou must be the one who harbours the will of our King.

    ¡°Ah, nice to meet you... um... queen Xantha.¡±

    ¨CYes.

    She walked towards me making her boobs bounce with every step.

    She held my face with her hands and spoke. Her eyes glowed with a green light.

    ¨CAh. You do have the will of our king. I can see it in your soul. It¡¯s so clear and filled with purified life force. This might be the purest I¡¯ve ever seen inside any being.

    Her breathing sounded hoarse and quick. A red flush appeared on her pale skin as her lips parted. Her green eyes were dazed and unfocused.

    I could smell the flowers between her valley of milk.

    ¡°Ahem.¡±

    Zefra coughed.

    ¡°We are here for the task, my queen.¡±

    ¨CAh! Yes!

    She hurriedly released me.

    ¡°...?¡±

    ¨CAhem. Skyrith must¡¯ve mentioned the task I assigned to you in order for your wish to be fulfilled. I sense that your core was destroyed by an external force. Was it someone else¡¯s doing?

    My face scrunched up in anger when I thought about the cause of all this.

    Zelda Minerva.

    If not for her then I would¡¯ve been at home teaching magic to my sister. That was something I swore to myself since I haven¡¯t bonded with them so much. My mother said that Chloe has the potential to be a mage. As for Jessica, she has a high IQ for a seven year old and also loves to read. She might become a politician or businesswoman one day.

    ¨CAh, I see. I touched a sore spot. I deeply apologize.

    ¡°N-No. It¡¯s fine.¡±

    I stopped Xantha when she was about to bow.

    It doesn¡¯t feel right to have a queen ranked dryad like her bow to lowly me.

    ¨CDo not worry. If you can do what we ask of you then your wish will be granted. It might not be the same as before but your cores will indeed be fixed. I crafted this one especially so your two cores can work separately.

    I sighed in relief.

    I was worried whether I would be able to fix my core when I arrived at the elven kingdom. Why haven¡¯t they shared this with the humans yet? I guess they don¡¯t have such fondness of my race.

    Xantha took my hand and guided me to a pond. Zefra and Skyrith were a few steps behind.

    ¨CLook there.

    Xantha swirled her finger in the clear water and then an image appeared.

    No. It was more like a video.

    ¨CThat is what we must get rid of.

    My eyes widened.

    Hundreds upon hundreds of undead were lined up and headed straight for the World Tree.

    An undead litch who was larger than the others was in the front. He was riding a large skeletal horse.

    The robe he wore was exquisite and had a very expensive design. A pitch black sorcerer staff was floating next to his horse.

    ¨CThat is the Litch King. He is a powerful magic caster that has lived ever since this kingdom was built.

    The video disappeared.

    ¨CWe don¡¯t know much about him other than that. He has come time and time again to our World Tree. Laura and Eredhel are too busy to handle him this time. Our royal army is also focusing on defence at our forests.

    ¡°Huh? Then how come I¡¯m given such a task like wiping out an entire army?¡±

    Xantha smiled.

    ¨CWhy? It is because you are the vessel for our king. The true ruler of all elements. You have the power to fight against evil.

    ¡°No, no. I can¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll explain, Your Majesty.¡± Skyrith stepped up, ¡°What she means is that you have the potential to use ancient spirit magic. No one besides our dryads can use it. The dryad queen is the last one of their kind since the others died out long ago.¡±

    Xantha nodded with a sad expression.

    ¡°She cannot leave the World Tree otherwise her body will be damaged from the lack of mana in the atmosphere.¡±

    ¨CDryads are bound to the World Tree. We are a part of it.

    ¡°That is why only you can use ancient spirit magic.¡±

    She pointed to Zefra¡¯s chest. There was a necklace between her bosom.

    ¡°The Spirit Eye can see all. Even the potential of a mortal creature.¡±

    I looked at the rusty necklace in the shape of an eye.

    ¡°Our Dryad queen can use all attributes that exist in this world but she cannot leave this place. The only option is to give a piece of her own life force to you. That will allow you to receive a temporary power up. That will be the seed to fixing your cores. After the seed has been planted and you come back then the real process of restoring your core will commence.¡±

    ¨CIt will be an honour to sacrifice my life force energy to strengthen the son of our king. Once you fulfil the task we ask you to do then I will gladly heal your injuries.

    Xantha knelt and placed her hand over her chest.

    ¡°Clyde. No one in this world knows other than our race. They are forbidden to speak of the powers Dryads have. Nothing would stop the Magic Empire from tearing apart the World Tree and discovering the secrets our race hold...¡±

 Chapter 63: The truth

    ¨CLet¡¯s move on. Do as I say.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¨CPlace your hand on my chest.

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    I gazed at her giant boobs with a confused expression.

    Where am I supposed to touch if her chest is so massive?

    ¨CPlease do as I say...

    ¡°O-Okay.¡±

    She took my hand and put it on her breasts.

    ¡®Guh...¡¯

    ¨CAh~ Now pour your energy into me. It must be inside before I can send you my energy.

    I breathed to calm myself and focused.

    ~~!

    My arm glowed white and entered the partial spirit form.

    A warm white dust flew through my arm into Xantha¡¯s pores.

    ¨CAh! Oh, goodness!!

    ¡®W-Why is she moaning?¡¯

    She pushed my hand further into her chest and gripped hard.

    I felt the soft bouncy ball of flesh change shape in my hand.

    ¨CHere I come!

    ¡°W-What?¡±

    I misunderstood her words for a second but soon felt the warm green mana entering my body soon after.

    It was an unfamiliar sort of energy I¡¯ve never felt before.

    ¡°Think back to when you were fighting Aubrey. What did you feel back then?¡±

    Skyrith¡¯s voice came from behind me as Xantha¡¯s energy flowed into my body.

    The energy was still filling my mana veins and forming a new core inside me.

    ¡°I©\¡±

    ¡°Did you ever think of yourself as perfect? The ideal human. Born with the power to change the very world one day if only your life span wasn¡¯t that of a normal human being.¡±

    I tried speaking but Skyrith cut me off. Her words were filled with thorn.

    When I looked at her, I saw her serious gaze focused on me.

    ¡°Tell me. Did you think of yourself as perfect before all this happened? Speak, Clyde Astley.¡±

    ¡°I...¡±

    I admit it.

    I was blinded by my own talent. I thought that I could defeat Aubrey because I thought of him as any other third rate villain. But...

    When I saw his power, I lost the will to even fight against him.

    He was a true powerhouse. I was scared. Scared of dying and fighting him. I thought I was prepared but in the end I was still a child.

    Up until that very moment when I witnessed him move at a speed no human should be able to move... it frightened me. My mistakes almost cost me my life.

    ¡°Do you understand why the phrase ¡®All beings are made by their creator but can never be as perfect as them¡¯ is relevant to your problem?¡±

    I nodded as her words.

    ¡°Sometimes it takes another person to tell you of your own flaws. Let me ask you something... When you see untalented mages, what do you think to yourself? Maybe they have far too little mana to even cast a proper spell. It took their parents a lot of money and time to even get their child into a prestigious academy such as Graponia. They must sacrifice everything just so their children could have a better life. Have you ever looked down on such a person?¡±

    The energy stopped flowing into my body. It felt like time stopped as I heard my own heartbeat. My mind was flood with difficult thoughts.

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¨C...Haa... haa...

    Skyrith and Zefra¡¯s eyes were focused on me while Xantha was out of breath. Sweat trickled down her forehead as she sat on the ground.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°Clyde. Did you look down on them?¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    I didn¡¯t know why I was smiling. It was a self-deprecating smile.

    Nate. He was the child of the legendary mage ¡®Dragon Storm¡¯. His father was ranked among the top strongest of the kingdom. Yet his son was a boy with so little mana that he cannot even cast an Intermediate class spell at his age. That was the average magic a student in his year should¡¯ve been able to cast.

    ¡°I did... I saw them as someone below me. I don¡¯t know why I didn¡¯t notice it back then... I was arrogant ever since I was born with the power of both humans and elves. Seeing others less fortunate than me was actually a relief... There was no one that could compete against me.¡±

    Tears streamed down my face.

    This wasn¡¯t like my past life. I wasn¡¯t an average person who had to work hard to get what I wanted. I thought I changed in a good way.

    Was I really throwing dirt on other¡¯s efforts just because they were born less fortunate than I?

    ¡°Fuck... I¡¯m scum...¡±

    I fell on my knees as I realized.

    ¡°Your life has been too perfect. The gods must¡¯ve wanted you to realize this. There is always someone above you. No matter how talented you are.¡±

    I could see their figures.

    The Spirit King.

    The Great Sage.

    Sword King, Alucard.

    Saintess, Erica.

    That man inside my dreams.

    The people of the White Order.

    Zelda and Aubrey.

    And finally, Zero.

    All of them were like shadows threatening to overwhelm my tiny existence. They reached the peak of humanity.

    They were the real powerhouses.

    I was but a cat in front of real lions.

    ¨C¡°It is only potential in the end....¡±

    The words spoken to me by my future self. It was because I didn¡¯t understand his words that my judgment was clouded.

    ¡°Hahahaha....¡±

    I laughed bitterly.

    ¡®Was he the same?¡¯

    I swept back my hair and leaned my body against the wall.

    ¡®Of course he was. He¡¯s me from the future.¡¯

    Zefra patted my head and spoke warmly.

    ¡°Know your limits of your current self, Clyde. Don¡¯t fight battles you cannot win from now on. Listen to others before fighting with your life on the line. You¡¯ll only be known as an idiot who wanted to show off if you die.¡±

    The gloomy atmosphere instantly disappeared.

    ..

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    I helped Xantha to stand up. Her entire body was drenched in sweat. Could that even be called sweat? It smelled as sweet as honey.

    ¨CY-Yes.

    ¡°How does your body feel?¡±

    ¡°I still feel a little numb but that should wear off in a while.¡±

    Skyrith nodded with a smile.

    ¡°Um, Miss Skyrith.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Thank you... you know, for making me realize the kind of person I was...¡±

    ¡°Not ¡®was¡¯. You still have a lot of work to do to change yourself.¡±

    ¡°Haha. You¡¯re right...¡±

    I¡¯ve been treating life as a fantasy for too long. I treated everything as a simulation and thought that I¡¯ll get whatever I want. Was I stupid to think I could get stronger without actually training my butt off? Was my ego that huge? It felt that way ever since I was born and started using magic.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try hard to change myself from now on.¡±

    I thumped my chest and confidently stated.

    ¡°Huhu. We sincerely hope so.¡±

    Zefra patted my head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re a bad person just because of what you thought of others. Your heart is still pure in front of the Spirit Eye.¡±

    My heart calmed down. I was worried I¡¯d turn into the typical villain that wants to force his own ideals on people. Now that I knew heroes really exist within this world, I had to thread carefully in the future.

    I was not the protagonist of this world. I was bit a mere mob.

    ¡°Before you go and face the Litch, let me test your power first.¡±

    Skyrith grinned and threw off her robe.

    She had a small wand in her hand.

    Xantha was still gasping for air while Zefra stood by in the side-lines.

    ¡°Shall we, O spirit son?¡±

    Spirit son?

    After clenching my fists, I released my raw mana into the atmosphere.

    It was far more than I could conjure up in the past.

    ¡°This is new.¡±

    ¡°Get ready!¡±

    Skyrith manifested multiple magic circles as I stood there in a daze over my new power.

    ¡°Here I go! High Ranked magic¨C[Phoenix Feathers]!!¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    I realized why Skyrith was chosen to train me.

    ¡°Multiply magic¨CAsh storm! Firestorm! Water storm!¡±

    Three different kinds of spells manifested inside the dome of the World Tree. Skyrith was what we knew as a Multi-Caster Mage. She could cast multiple high rank spells and have complete control over every single one of them.

    The only reason I could keep up was because of my innate talent which allowed me to turn magic spells into raw mana. If it were anyone else then they¡¯d have been cooked long ago. That and the fact that I could cast magic chantless.

    Boom¡ª!

    Crash¡ª!

    I could only dismantle one magic circle  and dodge the rest.

    The dome¡¯s damaged parts all started healing itself. Even the hole in the tree regenerated. Could that be the effect of the large amount of mana inside the atmosphere?

    ¡°You¡¯re keeping up well! I haven¡¯t gone to a standstill like this ever since facing Aldion.¡±

    She used summoning magic to summon fire spirits in the form of snakes. I casted multiple barriers on top of each other with rapid succession.

    ¡°Aldion?¡±

    I shouted back.

    ¡°That¡¯s my father¡¯s name.¡±

    Zefra shouted from behind.

    ¡®That old man?¡¯

    Was he that powerful? I could barely keep up with arcane magic alone. Now I knew why I was told to know my limits.

    If I could find a way to combine both....

    ¨CCome now, Skyrith. If you continue fighting then my life force will disappear. I cannot expend any more if that happens.

    ¡°...Ah. I apologize... I was too excited.¡±

    Skyrith bowed and then turned towards me.

    ¡°Your magic control is splendid. Just work on your mana consumption. Even if you have more mana than one hundred mages combined, you still have to control the minimum amount required to cast spells.¡±

    ¡°Thank you...¡±

    I sighed afterwards when Skyrith walked out of the dome.

    ¡®I have a lot to improve about myself.¡¯

    I haven¡¯t even given any thought about sparing my mana. Since my mana could compare to a lake , I didn¡¯t have to worry about sparing it during battles.

    ¡®Fuck... I wasn¡¯t even thinking...¡¯

    Many people have called me a genius at the academy and yet now I felt like I became several times dumber.

    My ego really was at its highest. No wonder why some of my classmates ignored me.

    Zefra, Xantha and I were walking to the bottom floor of the World Tree. There¡¯s an underground passage apparently which could lead me straight to the undead army¡¯s location.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Clyde?¡±

    Zefra looked at me and asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s just...¡±

    How can I say this...

    ¡°What¡¯s so likeable about me that Arielle even confessed to me? Sure, I have better looks than others and I¡¯m a little smart but...¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re struggling to understand her feelings, huh. I suggest not trying to understand them. Who knows? She might see something in you that others don¡¯t. Maybe she¡¯s trying to help you fix that.¡±

    Could that be the case?

    ¡°Many people fall for their childhood friends. They know about each other the most so that could be the reason why she¡¯s determined to be with you.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    I stayed silent as we walked through the underground passage.

    I decided that I will embrace Arielle the same day she comes back. She really had to put up with me for so long. I had to change myself.

 Chapter 64

    Zefra and Skyrith had important business to attend to so they left the moment we came to the bottom roots of the world tree. They¡¯ll be watching the battle with holograms and will send people to help me if I struggle.

    ¨CPlease be careful.

    ¡°Y-Yeah.¡±

    Xantha hugged my head, causing me to suffocate inside her jugs.

    ¡°Before I forget..¡± I took off my dimensional ring, ¡°Can you perhaps tell me what this is?¡±

    It was the tree branch I found in the Four Palace.

    Xantha¡¯s eyes opened wide.

    ¨CThis is...

    Xantha took it into her hands and examined it.

    ¨CThis staff has pure spirit essence inside of it.

    Pure spirit essence?

    ¡°What is that?¡±

    ¨CThis is what our race calls the mana of the World Tree. Pure essence is mana of the purest quality. Where did you find this artifact?

    ¡°Ah, I err... found it at an auction...¡±

    I couldn¡¯t really reveal the United Empire¡¯s existence.

    ¨C...What foolish humans. They sold an artifact that could change the very nature of magic. I believe that this staff was crafted when the World tree was still a small sapling. Its mana was far more abundant than it is now.

    ¡°...?¡±

    I looked at the giant tree a few meters away from us. How huge would it have been when it was a sapling?

    ¡°Does that mean it would be effective as a staff?¡±

    ¨CYes. Your mana circulation will be better and your control will slightly improve. As for spirits magic, it can increase the capacity of spirits you hold up to two fold.

    So that meant I could hold two million spirits inside my body if I can use the staff effectively.

    ¨CThere¡¯s a problem though...

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¨CThe overall frame of the branch is crumbling. It might last a few more days before it crumbles down. If that happens then the ancient power it holds could be released.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a way to fix it?¡±

    Being able to have a staff that increases my spirits capacity would indeed be helpful.

    ¨C...Hmm... if I can find a suitable host for the essence then perhaps...

    She then looked back at me.

    ¨CDo you have another staff on you right now?

    ¡°Ah? Oh, yeah.¡±

    I took Redheart out of the dimensional ring. I forget time and time again to buy a suitable magic crystal. I already knew that I¡¯d never find one as good as Edna¡¯s again.

    ¨CI will see what I can do with this. The craftsmanship is excellent so I will find a way to fuse the two.

    ¡°Thank you so much, Lady Xantha.¡±

    I bowed politely.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    She¡¯s already the one who¡¯ll fix my cores after I get back and now she¡¯s doing this favour too.

    ¨CThink nothing of it. I am glad to help. Oh?

    She looked behind me. I followed her gaze.

    ¡°There they are...¡±

    ¨CIt seems we have run out of time. Please be careful. I won¡¯t be of much help to you in this battle. Please use my life force wisely.

    She kissed my forehead before walking away with the two staves.

    I breathed deeply to calm myself.

    I was about to take on an army.

    The undead seemed to have noticed me standing near the World Tree.

    He was big unlike his soldiers of skeletons.

    ¨CA human in the land of the sacred elven race?

    A thunderous voice carrying both authority and sovereignty reached my ears.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    The Undead King looked at the single boy standing in his army¡¯s way.

    He was expecting to fight an entire platoon of elves to make his way down to the World Tree¡¯s core. If he can obtain even a fraction of the core then he will greatly expand his own powers by consuming the fragment.

    Since he is an undead, consuming in his case would mean to absorb its power by planting it in his chest where his heart used to be. It can act as his heart as an undead and the source of his power. The knowledge and wisdom of the World Tree¡¯s spirit could also become his to obtain just by reading the scripts left behind by the Ancient Elves that went extinct millennia ago.

    It is said that if the World Tree Spirit awakens then the end of the world is near. The Dryad Queen said this herself. No one believes it since nothing like that has ever occurred even if the Four Heroes are no more.

    The Undead King who they refer to as the Litch King has a goal for doing this. He is in search of his comrades who seemingly disappeared when the ¡°Red Chaos¡± happened back then.

    The Red Chaos had many names. What occurred during such a crisis was related to the Red Abyss dungeon. Millions of monsters would pour out of the worlds of the labyrinths from the Red Abyss. The entire continent was almost wiped out when the Disaster monsters were released.

    Disaster class monsters are monsters that have lived for thousands of years. During all those years their strength would grow to incredible heights. This differed from species to species, however.

    Monsters like dragons, titans, giants and undead like vampires are all included in Disaster class.

    Only Alucard was the one who helped fight against this threat. The Saintess was long dead since she killed herself. The Great Sage disappeared after destroying many nations and cities. The third hero....

    The Undead King has no clue who this third hero is. But whenever he hears the names of the heroes, he¡¯d have a physiological reaction. A shiver down his spine.

    This might just be an illusion since he is undead. He does not know who his comrades are but he knows they existed and he¡¯s determined to find them.

    Over the years, his memories and power dwindled from what they once were. He could even classify as a disaster class being back when he was alive. That meant that he was similar in strength to people like The White Order....

    ¨CWhy have you chosen to stand in my way, human?

    Undead King, Rolath asked with majesty.

    ¡°I was given a task to eradicate the enemies of my allies.¡±

    Rolath snorted in his mind.

    He doesn¡¯t know why they¡¯d let a boy do such a thing.

    ¨CThey underestimate my power.

    He broke the seal on his mana and then¨C

    ¡°Guh!¡±

    A heavy force of pure killing intent reached Clyde¡¯s body. It felt suffocating.

    It was something he has never felt before.

    But he does have an advantage.

    Ancient spirit magic.

    A thin golden film wrapped around Clyde¡¯s body.

    ¡°[Spirit Mana Armour]¡±

    As its name suggests, it¡¯s fuelled by the spirits in the atmosphere.

    Rolath expressed his astonishment.

    ¨CHo? Spirit magic?

    He can¡¯t remember the last time he saw a human spirit mage. That¡¯s even more rare than finding Supreme Undead such as himself.

    He upped his guard after finding out his opponent is a spirit mage.

    Spirit mages are known to be the most effective against large armies and disaster monsters. Seeing as how he has an army, he¡¯d have to constantly focus on defending and attacking.

    Spirit mages can literally destroy a city using only water element alone. They are classified as a special kind of AOE mages.

    Rolath walked out of the protection of his army and stood before Clyde. He was a towering giant reaching 3m. His robe touched the ground but there were barely any stains. One could see that the robe itself has excellent magic runes imbued in itself.

    Rolath¡¯s voice sounded much more clear now.

    ¡°I will give you one last chance to surrender and go back to your human nation...¡±

    Dark mana circulated around Rolath as his eyes glowed red.

    Clyde didn¡¯t waver at all. He also gathered spirits around himself.

    Both sides had overwhelming amounts of mana that seemed to be infinite.

    Crack¡ª!

    Parts of the ground caved in from the force of their colliding mana.

    The sky itself seemed to change from sunny to dark clouds. A sound similar to lightning struck deep within the clouds.

    ¡°Very well. I admire your courage and bravery.¡±

    ¡®This guy really likes to monologue.¡¯

    ¡°But you will regret it after tasting my vast knowledge of magic. Prepare yourself.¡±

    He took the black staff floating next to him and struck the ground. Even more mana burst out of his body.

    His mana manifested a giant summoning magic circle.

    ¡°---!!!¡±

    An undead dragon crawled out of the summoning circle.

    ¡°Oh, shit...¡±

    ¡°This is a corpse of an ancient dragon.¡± The dragon let out a loud roar, ¡°Will you be able to touch me before this dragons annihilates you?¡±

 Chapter 65: Clyde vs Undead King(1)

    The dragon roared causing the entire area to vibrate. Just from that alone I could tell how strong it was.

    The litch called it ancient dragon.

    That would mean that before it died, it lived at most 1000 to 2000 years. As with all creatures on this world, the longer they live, the stronger they become.

    I could even tell that Skyrith was holding back on me yesterday. I was only acting tough.

    My goal was wiping out the undead army.

    My hair turned partially white as my senses heightened. I gathered spirits inside my right arm and underwent ¡¶Partial Spirit Manifestation¡·.

    The world underwent a change as everything seemed to lose colour.

    The approaching dragon also stopped moving entirely.

    ¡°What should I call this?¡±

    I contemplated on my new move which was obtained from ancient spirit magic. The great thing was that I could use light magic to strengthen this technique.

    ¡°Kek.¡±

    I then chuckled and made a blade shape with my hand. A golden light spread through my finger and formed a giant golden blade.

    ¡°With the love of the spirits!¡± I lifted my arm into the air with a chuuni pose and both my feet spread apart, ¡°The light shall vanquish evil and bring relief to the good! Bring upon this mortal the power to rid impurities from the mortal realm!¡±

    The light ripped through space as it grew in size. A giant sword manifested which released a tremendous amount of energy.

    ¡°With the destruction of light, comes the power to crush my opposition!!¡±

    I remembered something I heard in my dream and in fiction back in my old world. It¡¯s a sword spoke about in many legend on earth. Many of the Isekai MC¡¯s are able to use the sword¡¯s power once they become cheat swordsmen.

    ¡°Become my light and cut the darkness! [Spirit Excalibur]!¡±

    My icy cold voice resonated throughout a world with no sound. Even the golden sword had no sound.

    I swung down my arm and along with that the manifested giant blade called ¡¶Spirit Excalibur¡· followed.

    WOOOOOOING¡ª!

    Only two seconds had passed in the real world.

    Crack¡ª!

    The sky broke apart like glass and then¨C

    Boom¡ª!

    Boom¡ª!

    The dragon was sliced in half along with a majority of the undead army. A humongous tear was in the ground they stood on.

    A large arc of light was left behind since time was still catching up to the light sword I conjured with spirits.

    I think I destroyed about 40 percent of his army along with the undead dragon.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    The world returned back to normal after space broke apart my technique.

    The litch looked around with an open jaw. He didn¡¯t have a face so I couldn¡¯t tell his expression very well.

    Is it surprise? Or perhaps fear?

    No, it was neither¡­

    ¡°Ku¡­ Kukukuku.¡±

    I stood there with a confused expression when I saw the undead laugh.

    ¡°Kukuku. I do not know what skill you just used but¡­¡± His mana skyrocketed for some reason, ¡°OUR BATTLE SHALL BE LEGENDARY!!! Come! Shadow monsters!!¡±Stolen novel; please report.

    Shadows rose from his feet and formed strange shapes of monsters. There were even some that looked like humans.

    ¡°Attack!!¡±

    Multiple magic circles formed around him again.

    ¡®Shit, another multi-caster mage.¡¯

    I gained distance from the shadows that ran towards me.

    ¡°Come forth, Undine!!¡±

    A wall of water appeared out of nowhere; revealing a mature woman with blue skin and transparent hair.

    ¡°Yes, Master!!¡±

    Undine summoned multiple water serpents that took down several shadow monsters.

    ¡°Summon Spirit Beast-[Hydra]!!¡±

    Undine made a summoning magic circle which was as big as 20m.

    WHOOOOSH¡ª!

    Smoke spread out from the circle and revealed a giant shadow.

    ROOOOAR

    A monster possessing multiple heads called a hydra. They are cousins of the World Serpent which is classified as one of the strongest monsters in this world.

    ¡®Whoa, I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d be this strong¡­¡¯

    ¡°It is because we are in the rich environment of the elves! I feel invincible!¡±

    Oh, right. She could read my mind.

    Undine seemed terribly excited to fight alongside me. It has been a few months since we last saw each other, after all. I was worried whether we lost contact with each other.

    Her serpents and hydra fought against the monsters of the undead king.

    I then saw a small red flickering spirit flying in the air.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    It stood out amongst the blue and white spirits floating around.

    I tried absorbing it into my body.

    ¡ª!

    When I did, I saw a completely different sight from before. Along with the light and water spirits, even fire spirits roamed around me and tried synching their energies with mine.

    ¨CKing?

    ¨CBurn them all! Die! Die!

    ¨CAsh! Burn them down! Suffer in the flames of Hell!

    They were spouting some really crazy lines unlike the playful water spirits. If I were to compare the two; the water spirits were the disciplined students while the red spirits were the delinquents.

    I felt a powerful gaze amongst the fire spirits.

    A red giant of a man with a burning beard crossed his arms. He grunted when he saw me. I thought I was hallucinating.

    ¡°Master!¡± I then heard Undine calling out to me, ¡°Ifrit has agreed to give you authority over fire!¡±

    I shivered.

    The monarch of the most destructive element really wanted to synchronize with me.

    I then heard his voice.

    ¨CI shall burn their very souls to ashes, my lord. Please allow me to materialize in your world. You shall not regret having my flames by your side.

    ¡®Undead are weak against fire, right? Maybe it could work...¡¯

    Maybe it was only possible for me to see Ifrit because we were right below the World Tree.

    A powerful heat spread through the surroundings.

    A bright light then landed in the middle of the undead king and us.

    ¨CYOUR ANGUISH SHALL BECOME THE FUEL OF MY ELEMENT, YOU SPAWN OF FORBIDDEN MAGIC!

    A muscular man with red burning skin and flaming hair appeared.

    ¡°Onwards, Ifrit!!¡±

    ¨CYes, my lord! [Dragon¡¯s Breath]!¡±

    His chest swelled up as he inhaled.

    BOOM¡ª!

    A powerful force of energy came out of his mouth and headed for the litch. The surroundings was bathed in the powerful surge of flames.

    ¡°Two spirit monarchs!? What the hell are you!? You can use human magic and elven magic!?¡±

    His surprised voice reached me within all the chaos.

    He casted a giant barrier that seemed to be strong enough to block Ifrit¡¯s attack. But that was useless.

    Probably knowing that undead was weak against fire, he used [Flight] to fly into the sky. A few hundred more of his skeletons were burned to ashes.

    ¡®Damn. He¡¯s overpowered.¡¯

    I had never seen such destruction. I was positive that I wouldn¡¯t be able to cause that same amount of destruction if I casted that spell. It¡¯s pretty amazing that he copied a dragon¡¯s technique. There was this legend that fire spirits were the ones who taught dragons how to use dragon¡¯s breath. It sounded stupid but after comparing Ifrit¡¯s breath with the Edna¡¯s, I started to believe that legend.

    Then again, the consumption was a lot. I felt my spirit core being drained by half from that single attack that wiped 20% more of the undead army. My core is used as a fuel tank for them to cast their magic.

    Since it was a contract, it was my responsibility to gather all the spirits inside my body so they could fight for me. The downside of that was that I couldn¡¯t use arcane magic. I might break my concentration of gathering spirits. I had to switch between the two.

    ¡°Magnificent, human. You truly exceeded my expectations. Here I thought I didn¡¯t have to use my strongest spells.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    A giant cluster of energy appeared behind him. The dense sphere was black and releasing a force similar to spatial magic.

    I tilted my head and lifted my arm.

    ¡°Now taste a spell similar to a black hole¨C¡°

    Whoosh¡ª!

    The spell vanished into nothing but mana.

    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±

    The mana gathered around my white spirit arm and was absorbed. I felt the mana enter my body and made it my own.

    ¡°¡­What just happened¡­¡±

    The undead litch was staring at me with a fiery gaze.

    My two spirits were still fighting his summoned monsters.

    I also flew into the air using [Flight].

    ¡°You are quite the troublesome fellow. Your technique that allows you break apart magic is outstanding but...¡± Dark mana circulated into a magic circle, ¡°Why have you not used it against my undead yet?¡±

    Shit. He noticed that I couldn¡¯t dispel his undead army. Since the undead army was summoned with black magic, I couldn¡¯t break it apart. My Mana Bending didn¡¯t work for black mana.

    ¡°Fuck...¡±

    I chanted my next spell in my head.

    High rank magic¨C[Element Vortex]

    I could combine all three nature elements; which is water, fire and wind in a single spell. Earth magic is excluded since it¡¯s a physical manipulation of an element. Throwing some rocks wasn¡¯t impressive. And even if I wanted to then I could just use [Telekinesis]. Sure, water was the same but the difference was that water could be combined with other sub elements. Take space for example. Using my control over space, I could amplify its power. I could perhaps alter the spell to be similar in power to underwater pressure of 10000m. That depth could literally crush human bones.

    With fire, the hotter the fire, the more destructive the power.

    ¡°[Abyss].¡±

    ¡°[Elemental Vortex]!¡±

    Both of us threw our spells at each other.

    BOOM¡ª!

    Rumble¡ª!

    The air itself became several times heavier when our spell collided.

 Chapter 66: Clyde vs Undead King(2)

    BOOM¡ª!

    Our spells collusion caused multiple explosions which caused even the weather to change drastically.

    The opposing spells dyed the sky in a mixture of colours.

    The undead and I threw our most deadliest spells in rapid succession.

    I¡¯ve never ever fought anyone that could match my pace and my mana in a battle. Each of his spells pack tremendous power that destroyed my own by simply overpowering it. The only advantages I held were a wider range of spells and techniques.

    The undead litch uses pure skill and his large mana pool to match me. No, not match.

    ¡®Shit, his spells are becoming stronger.¡¯

    I was sure that without the power up known as ancient spirit magic control, I would¡¯ve been fried a long time ago from his spells.

    BOOM¡ª!

    ¡°Hmm...¡± While we were playing catch in the air, he suddenly fell into thought in the middle of our fight. This bastard had too much leisure, ¡°How have you survived this far? Usually, humans and elves alike should have exhausted their limits even after passing it.¡±

    I also stopped attacking.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never encountered a human like you in my thousand years of life. Are you truly a boy?¡±

    ¡°Why are you refusing to believe I can match you?¡±

    He snorted.

    ¡°Match me? Preposterous. I have only been keeping my power to your level. Since you are obviously not used to battling other mages, you should wouldn¡¯t know that in a fight between mages, one must study the other. This is to find their weaknesses. Be it a second delay in their casting speed. Any opening could present a chance.¡±

    The undead put his hands behind his back. He really likes to talk too much.

    ¡°I am Rolath. What is your name, boy?¡±

    ¡®Rolath?¡¯

    ¡°Why are we suddenly exchanging names? We¡¯re enemies.¡±

    ¡°Kukuku. This is but for me to remember you by after I slay you.¡±

    This arrogant prick. He kind of resembled someone.

    ¡°Clyde Astley...¡±

    He nodded. I saw the lights in his eyes vanish which probably meant he closed his eyes in human terms.

    ¡°Hmm... I don¡¯t seem to recall any mage by that last name. It might just be that my memory is clouded by other things. I fought many foes when the United Empire still ruled the continent.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You were around back then?¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°I was an adventurer who travelled with my comrades during those trying times. The world back then was far from the peace we have today. We had to watch our backs if we entered a new city or settlement. Food was scarce so we plundered from the weak.¡±

    His gaze somehow sharpened.

    ¡°Those three heroes might have saved the continent from many disasters but what others don¡¯t realize is that their immense power caused far more destruction than it did good.¡±

    I silently listened to him.

    ¡°The homunculi war was the day everything fell apart. Who knew heroes of their strength would fall to mere creations. Even after the Demon Battle God fell, peace was but a dream. His kind still existed.¡±

    He chuckled.

    ¡°You were there as well during that disaster?¡±

    My heart pounded. There was something I needed to find out.

    I suddenly heard a small voice call out to me.

    ¨CTime... future... death...

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    ¡°I am only ranting my frustrations since my memory was reminded of the past. If you would like to hear more of my tales then try to defeat me. I would be happy to share my tale as I am an immortal who wanders these lands alone.¡±

    I frowned when I saw a light behind his back.

    ¡°You bastard... Did you just distract me?¡±

    ¡°Silent chanting. Using the mind to chant the words even if your mouth is speaking. Now I know that you are but a hatchling when it comes to battles. [Concentrated Beam].¡±

    ¡°Shit¨C¡°

    BOOM¡ª!

    He pointed his finger at me causing the blue cluster of energy to shoot towards me in near light speed.

    ¡®Fuck!¡¯

    I really do need to grow up. I never thought his monologue was to distract me all this time.

    ¡®What is this ¡°silent chanting¡±?¡¯

    I had never heard of such a thing.

    ¡®Now¡¯s not the time for that!¡¯

    I hurriedly released the spirits inside my white arm and casted [Lightborn]. Somehow, my body seemed to know what to do before I could even think.

    Screech¡ª!

    The spirits seemed to scream in pain from activating this time related technique for a second time.

    ¡®Please work...!¡¯

    The world quickly turned grey.

    ----!

    The spell stopped right in front of my eyes.

    I gasped and heard the loud beating of my heart in this world with no sound other than my own voice.

    If I was a second later then my head would¡¯ve exploded.

    ¡°Dammit...¡±

    My spirit arm lost all feeling and limped down. I could feel my arcane mana running out faster than when I used Lightborn before.

    My vision became cloudy.

    ¡°Ugh... for fuck sake... It hurts...¡±

    ---!

    Then a flash suddenly happened.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡®Is that me?¡¯

    It was like seeing a rewound of a video.

    I could see myself and Rolath flying in the air.

    He released his spell while I was still flustered over his trickery.

    --!

    My head exploded into nothingness.

    Undine and Ifrit screamed out to each other as my body fell to the ground. Rolath laughed victoriously.

    Undine and Ifrit turned into particles when they lost our connection.

    Five seconds.

    That was how long it took for all that to happen.

    I could see little golden lights fly around my body in this colourless world.

    ¨CMaster?

    The little spirit shook its body and connected its energy with mine.

    I almost died.

    And this little guy saved me.

    Was that a glimpse into my future...?

    ¡°If... if I didn¡¯t listen to its voice...¡±

    I would¡¯ve died.

    I felt my knees tremble and my throat clog up.

    I looked at Rolath¡¯s frozen state. An undead mage with unparalleled mastery in forbidden magic. Not only necromancy, but he could even cast ancient magic; a magic that died with the United Empire.

    This was my second time feeling my death almost approach.

    The sky turned a vibrant blue. Undine and Ifrit continued pushing back the undead army.

    Rolath¡¯s spell roared past by me and destroyed a large area of land of the forest.

    BOOM¡ª!

    ...

    ¡°That technique again... I will have to set up countermeasures in the future...¡±

    I silently stared at him with widened eyes.

    ¡°Hm? You sure a sneaky rascal. Instead of attacking me using your speed, you dodged the spell. Truly an idiot.¡±

    My heartbeat started to calm down.

    ¡°Change...¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°I have to change...¡±

    My voice sounded cold and emotionless as if my very soul had died.

    I could say it did after seeing my death approach two times.

    My fists were so clenched that my nails dug into my palms. Blood dripped down my hand as disbelief flooded my mind.

    ¡°...¡±

    Without even thinking of the consequences, I gathered all the spirits in the atmosphere.

    ¡°That bloodlust... You¡¯re finally getting serious. Well, let me as well.¡±

    I remembered reading a spell inside one of my magic spell books. A book out of the many my parents bought me.

    It was the only one I could find involving spirit magic.

    Accumulation of Elements.

    A spell equivalent to upper high class arcane magic.

    Surely I could go past my limits... right?

    With hesitation still remaining , I chanted the words in spirit language.

    ¨CAncient gods of creation...the world as you have made it harbours the fuel of my power.

    A rift in space occurred in my palm when I lifted it. Rolath was chanting something as well in an unknown language.

    ¨C Let these spirits heed my call and follow my will.

    Blue, red, white and golden particles gathered inside my magic circle.

    It was working.

    ¡®It¡¯s working!!¡¯

    ¨CAccumulated elements, be my power and create a new element...

    The spell cooked for a few seconds.

    TSSSSK¡ª!

    TSSSSK¡ª!

    Black lightning came out of the magic rune forming the magic circle.

    Water, fire, light, space, wind and earth.

    Six of the many elements made up of our world.

    Rolath¡¯s spell was releasing equal amounts of power similar to my own.

    I underestimated my opponent too much.

    He was the only one in my way. If I could kill him then I could cast [Mass Exorcism] to destroy the undead army.

    ¡°[Accumulation of Elements].¡±

    A variety of colours were spinning around in a large sphere above my magic circle. The thin film was the only thing keeping the power contained inside. All I have to do it aim it at my opponent.

    ¡°Truly a magnificent magician in terms of potential. You must work on your abilities in the next life before challenging someone like me again...¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t plan on dying.¡±

    Not again.

    ¡°Hoho. Then...¡±

    He raised his arm into the air causing lots of magic circles to form.

    ¡°Upper High rank magic¨C[Hell dragon¡¯s flames].¡±

    Upper High vs Ancient Spirit Magic.

    Although incomplete, my spell was releasing the same aura as that of Rolath¡¯s.

    ¡°Damn...¡±

    Thousands upon thousands of black dragon heads formed outside the magic circles. All of their mouths opened wide.

    A heavy pressure fell onto my shoulders almost causing me to cancel my spell.

    ¡°Kuh...!¡±

    ¡°Your death shall not be in vain. You have survived this far after facing an Undead King such as I. I am honoured to fight you.¡±

    ROOOOAR¡ª!

    The thousands of black flames fired towards me.

    I tore off the thin film keeping the chaotic spell contained and fired.

    ¡°AAAAAH!!!!!!¡±

    ...

    ...

    **

    BOOM¡ª!

    RUMBLE¡ª!

    Even the dark clouds were blown away from the shockwave of the spells colliding.

    The forests¡¯ animals sought shelter as they cowered from the heavy force from two very powerful magic casters. Even the lesser dragons flew deeper into the mountains mistaking the colluding spells for two ancient dragons fighting.

    The lights could be described as beautiful from afar but to those near it, they only thought the world was ending.

    The elven villages around the World Tree strengthened their barriers protecting their people.

    A giant hologram was displayed in each of the majors regions of Elca.

    ¡°Is he alive...?¡±

    Someone asked with hope among the crowd. They were holding on to that hope that the one born with the blessing of their god would make it out of this fight.

    Seeing as how Eredhel and Laura do not possess potential for ancient spirit magic, more casualties would have occurred if Clyde refused to fight Rolath. They¡¯d have to use their Royal army just to kill all the undead army while the two members of the Order fight Rolath.

    It was unknown why he could come back every decade despite the fact that he was killed every time. There were some who said they¡¯d have to look for his tomb to put an end to his immortality.

    Others speculated that he could also be from another world and that there were millions of other copies just like him. They were comparing him to the immortal homunculi from the Red Era back then.

    ¡°There!¡±

    Miya pointed to the hologram.

    A tattered boy with light brown hair was still floating above the sky. The only problem was that he was missing a leg. His face was stained with blood. The blue robe he wore before was in tatters and completely burned off. His arm was comparable to a twisted branch.

    ¡°Oh my goodness...¡±

    Dryad Queen Xantha thought of the worse case scenario.

    What if he failed?

    ¡®He made it out...¡¯

    ¡°Miya, where are you going!?¡± Zefra shouted.

    Miya casted [Flight] on herself and ascended into the sky.

    ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem to have any power left. That undead could also still be alive!¡±

    She flew off with a few Royal knights.

    ¡°The boy did it. What do you think now?¡±

    Skyrith smirked at Aldion, Zefra¡¯s father.

    ¡°Humph! I could¡¯ve wiped the floor with that undead too and come out with both my legs.¡±

    He gave an arrogant harrumph and crossed his arms.

    He was the only one who doubted Clyde up until now. He said it was too early to plant the seed that could somehow revive their god inside of Clyde. If that seed grew then it could awaken a power inside that boy not yet recorded before in this world.

    ¡°The ¡¶Seed of Spirits¡· was too precious to give to a boy like him. Weren¡¯t those your words? And yet he could cast ancient spirit magic immediately after acquiring it.¡±

    Velian coughed a few times at Skyrith¡¯s teasing remark.

    ¡°My memory seems to be cloudy at the moment. I cannot remember uttering such words.¡±

    ¡°Ah, is that so~?¡±

    The Spirit Seed was the seed that was left after the death of their god. He died in the very depths of the World Tree 1000 years ago. No one had heard his voice before or seen his figure inside their dreams but they believed he existed.

    The Spirit Seed that lied in the roots of the World Tree was proof of that.

    Legends depicted that he fought the very first true Immortal who wanted to conquer this world. After his defeat, the immortal vanished into one of the worlds of the Red Abyss dungeon.

    No one knew if he survived.

    ¡°I still believe he might become the next Spirit King if the seed grows inside of him. He managed to pass the test we set up for him with flying colours.¡± Skyrith saw dazzling lights embrace the undead army. Their shrieks reached everyone¡¯s ears.

    The undead lost.

    ¨COOOOOOH!!!!!!!

    Everyone cheered when they saw Clyde perform [Mass Exorcism] using the ancient spirits. He chanted the words while releasing the golden light from his remaining arm.

    If the spirit seed did indeed grow then his very race will change, along with his lifespan, his power and then....

    He will become the Spirit King¡¯s Incarnation and possibly the next Spirit King.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    (CLYDE POV)

    ¡°Here you are...¡±

    I saw the undead king who I defeated a few moments ago.

    His entire body was broken apart. His core was broken and it looked like he was on the verge of death.

    ¨CI am dying... which means I lost... huhu...

    His voice sounded so far away as if it was fading.

    ¨CDo you still want to know of my knowledge of the past?

    I nodded.

    ¨CI see.

    He lifted his bony hands and started taking off the many rings on his fingers.

    ¨CAs you are the victor, you may have these.

    I took the nine rings in my palm and held them. They were the nine colours of the rainbow. The dense mana I sensed meant that those rings were extremely powerful artifacts.

    ¨CKeep them safe. I raided many dungeons to acquire them. Ah, my time is near. As I cannot verbally inform you of what occurred so take this book.

    He chanted something and then a big book appeared.

    ¨CRolath Diary¨C

    ¡°Your diary...¡±

    ¨CUmu. I have lived for a long time so I recorded all my findings in that very book. With old age comes wisdom as they say so I wanted to keep mine in that book.

    His body started turning to dust.

    ¨CYou were truly a wonderful opponent. Seeing as how you have used light magic on me, I fear I would not be able to achieve my goal. My immortality ends here.

    ¡°Goal?¡±

    ¨CTo find my comrades. Ah, why do I remember now...? There¡¯s Alu...

    His voice started cracking.

    ¨CMer....

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    What was he saying?

    ¨Cette...

    ¡°Hey! What are you saying!?¡±

    The light vanished in his eyes and then his skull turned into dust.

    ¡°...¡±

    I silently gazed at the book before putting it along with the nine rings in my dimensional ring.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    My consciousness suddenly started fading away as a pain hit my head.

    ¨CClyde!?

    I saw a white haired girl running towards me.

    ¡®Princess Miya...¡¯

    My body shut down again due to mana exhaustion. I was paralyzed from my neck down.

    Just before I fell onto the ground, a soft sensation enveloped my face as I was held by someone.

    ¡°Thank you... You did well...¡±

    Miya smiled gently and stroke my hair. I could hear the footsteps of knights in armour approaching us.

    ¡°Ah, man... I¡¯m so hungry...¡±

    That was the last thing I said before I lost consciousness.

 Chapter 67: Charlottes day(1)

    (Charlotte POV)

    ¡°Where is Olivia at the moment?¡±

    I approached the nearest Royal Guard and asked him. He flinched and sweated profusely.

    ¡°U-Um, her Majesty is currently at the Grigant Empire visiting the Empress.¡±

    I gritted my teeth. That clever bitch.

    She knew that if I die then all fingers will point to her. Father would most likely go mad and blame anyone he sets his eyes on after my death.

    She went regardless if they succeed in killing me or not. Does that bitch not care about a human life?

    I can¡¯t say I¡¯m the same. I¡¯d honestly kill her in cold blood too. My evidence may be lacking but I¡¯m sure she was the cause for mother¡¯s illness.

    No one of my faction is aware of what happened yet since I¡¯m been in my villa all month. Even if Damian said their mission failed, I was still wary of my surroundings. After Elsa did a clean sweep of the kingdom and found no other enemies, was I able to relax.

    Father has been trying to get into contact with me for a while now. I ignored him because of how blinded he is by that witch¡¯s beauty and not see her twisted side.

    I told him countless times not to make her queen and he thought it was as innocent as not being used to my stepmother. How is he that blinded? Or could it be that Olivia is simply too good at acting as the perfect wife?

    ¡°Charlotte!?¡±

    I stormed into father¡¯s study and slammed a piece of paper down.

    ¡°My baby girl.¡±

    He approached me but I only pushed him away. With a sad expression, he glanced at the scroll.

    ¡°Ahem. Ancient language? Also, where were you all this time? Captain Elsa reported that the Minerva Clan was ordered to attack you. Those bastards!¡±

    ¡°Do you have any leads as to who it might be?¡±

    He shook his head.

    ¡°Haa... Please read the paper.¡±

    Since father also studied ancient language during his younger years, he should be able to read it.

    His eyes widened when he read the contents.

    ¡°How is this... possible?¡±

    He looked at me.

    ¡°Please have the palace doctor concoct this. We must go to my mother as soon as possible.¡±

    He nodded and began operating the communication orb.

    After he finished with the call, he gestured for me to follow him.

    He walked out of the study room still wearing his night robe. It seemed he was also worried about mother¡¯s condition. The head maid told me that she has to take him food everyday since he stays in the study if there is nothing important that involves his attention.

    After walking for a few minutes, we ran into the Pope that came with the royal doctor.

    ¡°Pope Rondart. I don¡¯t remember calling for you.¡±

    They were following close behind us as we speed walked to mother¡¯s chambers in the Inner Palace. The other concubines also peeked their heads through and greeted father. He ignored them and only glared at the Pope.

    The latter only smiled.

    ¡°Ah, I apologize. I was in the middle of a meeting with Doctor Ulan when I heard you mention that you finally found a cure through the orb.¡±

    Father grunted. The doctor lowered his head apologetically.

    The Holy Temples and the Church aren¡¯t affiliated with the kingdom. They are an independent organization located in Pira City. They had branches all over the continent with the Holy City being the HQ. The pope was visiting our kingdom to help those in need.

    He must be looking to steal the information regarding this cure.

    ¡°Very well. But you will stay back during the making of this drug.¡±

    The Pope¡¯s expression hardened for a second at father¡¯s words. The king was blatantly telling him that he doesn¡¯t trust him.

    ¡°Hahaha. Very well, your majesty.¡± Pope Rondart laughed as cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

    The old man kept glancing at the scroll in the doctor¡¯s hands. Only Royalty should learn the Ancient language. It¡¯s a sort of password we need for all our treasures. We can open the royal vault for example simply by chanting a name in ancient language.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    I already translated the contents for the doctor. If he finished then I¡¯d have him burn the contents.

    The Pope shouldn¡¯t know what was written on the paper.

    ¡°Charlotte, you will explain to me everything in detail later.¡±

    Father¡¯s words reached me.

    Should I tell him about the United Empire? If I do then I must ensure that he doesn¡¯t take my plans away from me. I wanted to be the one who would restore the United Kingdom to its former glory. To do that, I¡¯d need to find trustworthy allies.

    Bam¡ª!

    ¡°Oh, my.¡±

    Mother flinched when all of us entered. She was busy reading a book and tilted her head at all the people. Even the other wives came along.

    ¡°Dear?¡±

    She looked at father and I with a confused expression

    ¡°There¡¯s no time to explain, Dia. Let¡¯s get you to the infirmary room.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±

    Mother pretended to look fine. I could tell by her quick breaths that she was forcing herself to not cough in front of us. Now that I knew was acting, I could catch small details like this.

    I went to her.

    ¡°Char? Where have you been...¡±

    ¡°Mother... seeing you act like everything is okay is even worse then seeing you pale and gasping for breath.¡±

    Her eyes widened. So she didn¡¯t expect me to notice...

    She bitterly smiled.

    ¡°My end is already near. There¡¯s nothing anyone can do about it now. I didn¡¯t want all of you to feel hurt while seeing me suffer.¡±

    Her eyes fluttered as she gently spoke to me. Her skin lost colour and then she broke into a fit of coughs.

    The blood from her mouth stung my heart when I saw it. It felt like needles were piercing my heart as she began showing her real state.

    Her hair was already falling out. Her body looked weak and skinny. I could even see her sunken cheekbones and eye sockets.

    ¡®Ah...¡¯

    She pressed a switch underneath her bed.

    An illusion stone. A stone that can paint a picture the user wants others to see and feel. They are expensive but very effective.

    She really faked it all along.

    ¡°Miss Melodia...¡±

    ¡°Oh my goodness...¡±

    ¡°S-She¡¯s so pale...¡±

    The other consorts gazed at mother with shocked expressions on their faces. Only three of them are on good terms with mother. The others were only here to act concerned. I ignored them and clenched my fists.

    Mother¡¯s smile didn¡¯t carry radiance nor did her voice sound pleasant to the ears.

    ¡°I-I couldn¡¯t show such a side to my child...¡±

    A gravelly tone of voice came out of her mouth. It even looked like breathing was hard for her.

    I shakenly took her bony hand. I felt her trembling as her warmth reached me.

    Even my own words were struggling to come out. I then noticed my vision was blurry.

    Oh...

    I¡¯m crying..

    Father knelt and gazed sadly at mother.

    ¡°We can fix this. When this is finished then you can run around the garden again. We can visit all the places you want to go.¡±

    ¡°Aah, that would be nice...¡±

    She smiled before coughing again.

    Priests arrived with a stretcher a few minutes later. The doctor was still busy making the elixir. It shouldn¡¯t take too long now.

    My mother fell asleep after one of the mages casted [Sleep] on her.

    ¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Will you tell me now how you acquired a blueprint that should¡¯ve been a fairy tale?¡±

    My father and I were speaking in his office. The doctor was still busy making the elixir so we had time to talk before the treatment.

    I hesitated even as my father narrowed his eyes. Maybe out of consideration for my secret, he asked the other nobles to stay outside.

    I thought whether telling my father would be the best course of action.

    Bam¡ª!

    His fist hit the desk.

    ¡°Charlotte Rosemary Colchis.¡±

    My father looked at me with a cold glare.

    I gulped audibly before speaking hesitantly.

    ¡°Father... the place we got it from¨C¡°

    **

    ¡°...¡±

    My father¡¯s face looked both amazed and shocked at the same time.

    ¡°I wanted to wait until I become queen before revealing what I found...¡±

    ¡°And since you revealed that scroll, it would be obvious that it was found in that very empire... That or someone faked it.¡±

    He rubbed his temples.

    ¡°Never mention this to anyone. Make sure that Clyde and Damian stay quiet.¡±

    ¡°Do not worry. Both are taken care of.¡±

    ¡°Come to think of it. Where is Clyde?¡±

    I felt awkward hearing his question.

    ¡°Well...¡±

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    I nodded.

    ¡°He went to the Elca Kingdom in hopes of finding a method to restoring his cores.¡±

    ¡°Do those elves really have such a method? I hate elves more now for not sharing something like that with our tower mages. Does that mean he¡¯s not your guard anymore?¡±

    Part of the reason I did it was that I still felt guilty. I actually had a thought of killing him as if throwing away old food.

    ¡°Yes...¡±

    My father sighed and smiled wryly.

    ¡°I do not have so much power to protect you, my child. You must gather your own strength. That is why I send you more funds than I do to your siblings. They are already fully supported by stronger backers. And I do admit, it¡¯s favouritism at play as well.¡±

    ¡°I know that...¡±

    ¡°I was looking forward to making Clyde my son-in-law! I wanted such a capable mage in our family! Hahaha!¡±

    My face scrunched up when I heard him. He coughed once before continuing.

    ¡°Anyway. I need to discuss something else. My birthday is around the corner and I decided to make a big event. I wanted to celebrate your mother¡¯s recovery as well.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    My eyes sparkled.

    Many people could use father¡¯s birthday party as an excuse to make connections with the royal family.

    There¡¯d be many people I could win over as well. I¡¯ve calculated and mulled over the problems many of the fief lords and nobles of the court are faced with. I was positive that they¡¯d come once I send over a letter to each of their houses.

    ¡°So, how does that sound? I want you to help me with organizing it.¡±

    I nodded my head and hid my excitement.

    ¡°Very well.¡± Father got up and took the communication orb on his shelf, ¡°I¡¯ll have to let the Sky Kingdom know of this. The prince was eager to see you, after all. You may leave.¡±

    My excitement died down as I stood up.

    ¡®That egotistical human being will also come to the event?¡¯

    We have met on several occasions in the past. I could describe him as the typical young master with the title of a prince. He is arrogant, selfish and egotistical.

    I¡¯m not good with people of his sort. They think the entire world should revolve around them. I¡¯m sure that the only reason he¡¯s into me is because our kingdom is the reward if he can court me and help me to become queen.

    I¡¯d say he¡¯s like Arielle¡¯s brother. The two can be best pals since they are exactly the same.

    I looked at the scroll with the list of the guests that will be attending the event.

    A name caught my eye.

    Kenia Luxembourg.

    ¡®So she was also given an invitation...¡¯

    She also sent me letters inviting me over for tea. I was curious about what she wanted to talk about. The contents of her letters were extremely vague.

    Whatever it was, it wasn''t simply talk about girly stuff. I found it hard to believe she could even be into tea parties.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You can leave."

    ¡°Ah, yes...¡±

    ¡®I¡¯ll need to go to her residence immediately.¡¯

 Chapter 68: Charlottes day(2)

    (Charlotte POV)

    ¡°We have arrived, your highness.¡±

    My coachman spoke after stopping the horses.

    I looked through the window and saw the manor of the Luxembourg Family. It¡¯s located in Pira City, one of the richest cities on the entire continent. Throughout the ride, I hadn¡¯t seen one commoner or beggar on the tidy streets of Pira City.

    Many merchants and young lords who were managers of their own supply stores would call out to me when I passed by them. I had already invested in a merchant firm so I wasn¡¯t interested in wasting my time with them.

    Miss Helen opened the door for me.

    ¡°I will be three steps behind. If something happens then duck when I say the word.¡±

    I nodded. Whenever she had to do her duties, her entire personality changes. One moment she¡¯s the usual Helen then the next she¡¯s a strict knight fitted to guard a person with authority.

    She showed a strange reaction when I told her I removed Clyde as my knight. She reverted into a cold person after that day. I¡¯d always complain about the people I usually met and she¡¯d reply in an appropriate manner.

    Now whenever I try and speak with her, she would only give me short and quick responses.

    ¡°I will guide you.¡±

    The dark elf, Lithia¡ªArielle¡¯s personal maid¡ªapproached us after we arrived inside the gates. She bowed and led us upstairs.

    ¡°Lady Kenia is eager to see Your Highness. Please follow me.¡±

    I nodded silently.

    The entire manor seemed quiet. There¡¯d always be many servants running around the house keeping it sparkly clean. A manor of this size was bound to have at least fifty servants after all.

    ¡°Where is Lord Luxembourg?¡±

    ¡°Ah, he is currently on vacation with Lady Sadith. The King has not given any orders for his return yet. They left a few days ago. All of the servants also mysteriously left so I am the only one left.¡±

    I heard the echo of our steps as we walked to the large office at the back of the hallway. It felt eerie walking inside such a quiet manor with not a single soul.

    The only thing that reassured me was the clanking of Miss Helen¡¯s boots. I knew that she could protect me so long as assassins on the level of the Minerva clan didn¡¯t show up again.

    ¨CKnock, knock¡ª

    ¨CCome in.

    A calm voice came from inside the room.

    Creak¡ª

    ¡°Your Highness.¡±

    Kenia Luxembourg, the next head of the Luxembourg family stood in front of her desk and bowed. Her silver hair was neatly cut into medium length. The formal dress she wore was both fancy and extravagant.

    ¡°I must say, I¡¯m amazed at your fashion. I¡¯m very jealous.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for the compliment. It is obvious that I must dress appropriately when meeting a royal.¡±

    Helen went to the corner of the room and closed her eyes. That was a sign that whatever we say here, stayed here. Only knights that receive a lot of trust from their lords may enter a meeting room.

    ¡°I hope it is not a bother to have my knight stationed in the room.¡±

    Kenia laughed softly.

    ¡°Of course not. I assume your highness is still shaken by what occurred at the border camp.¡±

    I nodded and sat down. Lithia brought in a tray of cookies along with a teapot and cups.

    The next head of the Luxembourg household sniffed the warm tea.

    ¡°I hope it is to your liking. They picked these leaves in our own territory. These tea leaves are one of the few things I am proud to say are from our territory.¡±

    I smiled.

    She was different from what I Imagined. Her gestures, tone of voice, posture... all of that revealed how proud she was of her house.

    Arielle would always complain about how evil Lady Sadith was so I was expecting the same of her daughter. I was taken aback by her gentle disposition.

    ¡®Her sunny disposition has a way of rubbing off on those around her.¡¯

    It was no wonder why the noble girls in my faction said they liked her. I was feeling affected by her gentle nature as well. Only a little bit.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    I thought that nobles like her that achieve the title of head of their household tend to use deception, sophistry and any other forms of pretentiousness to hide their true selves.

    I might be reading too many political science books.

    ¡°Hmm...¡±

    It was as she said. The taste was both sweet and bitter. It tasted delicious that I couldn¡¯t help but take big gulps.

    ¡°Fufu. I see you are enjoying it.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Very much so.¡±

    I alternated from taking a bite from the cookie and drinking the tea. Now that I know my mother could get better, I started eating more than I did in the past. I''m embarrassed to say that I even put up some weight. I explored delicacies of the capital¡¯s shops with the girls from my faction just yesterday. I was itching for more of that sweet dark forest cake I had yesterday.

    Besides my ginormous appetite, my stress levels had died down by quite a lot. I was able to sleep properly without needing to hold someone¡¯s hand. My bladder problems also disappeared. I felt like a completely different person.

    ¡°How is her Majesty doing?¡±

    Kenia spoke after a while.

    ¡°We have recently found a way to cure her....¡±

    ¡°Oh, my! That¡¯s very good news!¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. She took the medicine so we¡¯re waiting for it to do its work for now.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s truly vile that someone poisoned her Majesty. How could they do such a thing?¡±

    I smiled silently.

    ¡°I hope my concern fades away once we receive the results. I am forbidden from entering her room during her resting time. I can only roam outside her room looking in. The day when I get to see her will be on the day of my father¡¯s birthday event.¡±

    ¡°Please tell me if you need anything. I will absolutely make it happen if it¡¯s within my power.¡±

    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±

    Only the sound of our cups clinking and the crunching sound of biting resonated for a while. I called for another batch since the cookies were too delicious. Clyde was a bit of a sweet tooth as well so he recommended many types of desserts.

    ¡®I should meet with him in the future again.¡¯

    I wanted to overcome the guilt I felt back then. Even if his core was destroyed, that didn¡¯t mean that the two of us should stop being friends. I¡¯ve known him for six years after all.

    ¡°Come to think of it... why have you not supported a faction yet?¡±

    I cautiously asked her.

    It¡¯s strange how they hadn¡¯t chosen anyone yet. Even the Four Dukes from the South are still quiet about who to choose. Duke Luxembourg is the leader of their circle, after all. They would first see what political move a grand duke would make before deciding what to do.

    ¡°I wonder. My father only said he¡¯ll see how things go before giving his support.¡±

    Bullshit.

    I have a feeling it¡¯s because of one of them. Kenia and Eric. No noble would want to support a losing side but still... I had a feeling that they¡¯d never support any of us. Not even my siblings had a duke in any of their factions yet.

    If the head of the Dukes isn¡¯t supporting anyone then that means none of them will side with any of us.

    It is likely that our succession war might cause tremendous damage to our kingdom.

    What is the reason for this? I couldn¡¯t read minds so I can only assume and point fingers.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t been given the title of head yet so I cannot support any of the Royal successors yet.¡±

    Kenia said with an apologetic smile.

    ¡°... It is alright. We cannot force you to lend your aid anyway.¡±

    I gazed seriously into her eyes.

    ¡°May I ask why you have sent me so many letters?¡±

    She put down her cup and cleared her throat.

    ¡°I wanted to hear two things.¡±

    ¡°Such as?¡±

    ¡°Firstly... Have you completely let go of Clyde?¡±

    I looked at her in confusion.

    ¡°Why are you interested in that?¡±

    ¡°Nothing much. Seeing as how he¡¯s a splendid mage , I thought you¡¯d try and keep your hands on him.¡±

    I could see Helen partially open her eyes in the corner. She closed her eyes a few moments later.

    ¡°All his scores are intentionally so low so he doesn¡¯t stand out among the others. I had a meeting with Victoria earlier this month...¡± She tapped her cup and closed her eyes with a sigh, ¡°And I can¡¯t believe he took my chance of becoming vice president. Truly a shame but I can¡¯t blame anyone other than myself and lacking abilities.¡±

    ¡°Vice president?¡±

    ¡°Oh my. Have you not heard? Even if his core is destroyed, the academic prowess he possesses is more than enough for him to be worthy of the title. Many are comparing him to the student of the mage tower who scored full marks. I wonder how much he¡¯d score if he took the test?¡±

    Am I seeing things? Her eyes had a type of warm glint while she spoke of Clyde. A blush also became visible on her face.

    ¡®There¡¯s no way she fell in love right?¡¯

    ¡°Ahem, anyhow. I would have liked to personally ask you this... would you stop me if I assigned Clyde a position in our ranks?¡±

    Somehow, her eyes sharpened as her voice turned serious.

    ¡°...¡±

    I hesitated before answering.

    ¡°I like the idea of making him my personal knight too. I barely have anyone to tell my problems to. None of the servants are willing to spare me a single second of personal talk. They¡¯d always make excuses of having to finish a task assigned to them. Hmm... I make it sound like I have no friends~ isn¡¯t that sad?¡±

    She continued speaking as I tried to answer.

    ¡°Do what you want.¡±

    I spoke a few moments later.

    ¡°Oh? Thank you very much. Now, I wonder what will work to pull him over to my side...¡±

    We had a lot of small talk. As this was not a personal visit, we spoke of things related to the kingdom. Lady Kenia seemed to have started her own trading network. They were still busy building the roads in their territory which will be used.

    Even if their house is superior in military power to the Rosenbergs, the Luxembourg household cannot compare to their supply routes and trade networks. My guess was that Lady Kenia wanted to make their household better in economic strength than the Rosenbergs.

    By the way, Arielle had been keeping contact with her as well. It¡¯s just to let her sister know she wasn¡¯t dead. Arielle will inherit a large territory too since she cannot stay in Hurge city with her sister in the manor. I knew that even if she didn¡¯t inherit a plot of territory, she¡¯d still stay away from this family.

    It¡¯s funny. There was a time when she admired her sister. She¡¯d always follow her around like a duckling following its mother.

    Although I looked for signs, there was no delay in any of her expressions. She gave sincere answers to all my questions and never made any jokes.

    It was really fun talking with another person over the problems involving my faction. I did leave out a few things though. I can¡¯t be revealing all our weaknesses.

    ¡°Thank you for your wonderful hospitality.¡±

    ¡°I enjoyed your highness¡¯ company. Please do come again.¡±

    Helen grabbed the doorknob. Kenia suddenly spoke again.

    ¡°Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    I turned towards Kenia. Her blue eyes glowed with the sun on her back.

    ¡°You will not change your mind, will you?¡±

    I silently gazed at her.

    ¡®Even if you ask me, Arielle will never agree to this...¡¯

    I then gave an appropriate answer.

    ¡°I will let Lord Clyde decided who he would like to serve in the future.¡±

    Kenia¡¯s eyes narrowed before she smiled.

    ¡°I see!¡±

    Kenia clapped her hands with a satisfied grin.

    ¡°I assume you know your way?¡±

    ¡°Of course.¡±

    ¡°Safe travels, your highness.¡±

    Kenia waved at us from behind her desk.

    It was a split second but I could see her expression change from behind the door before it closed.

 Chapter 69: Ericas day

    (Erica POV)

    My morning today started off like any other.

    I washed myself, ate, read through my schedule for our classes and went to the tower.

    I¡¯ve been mechanically doing the same thing every day.

    ¡°There he is again...¡±

    I looked outside the window of the tower and saw a man looking around as if searching for someone.

    My father.

    The truth is that my parents weren¡¯t actually dead. But they sort of were. They were dead to me.

    ¡°What do you want today?¡±

    I used [Flight] to hover down to the Magic Tower gate.

    His eyes sparkled when he saw me.

    ¡°O-Oh! My little girl! How much you¡¯ve grown¨C¡°

    I held up my hand to stop him from talking.

    ¡°What do you want?¡±

    This had been going on for months now. The last one that visited me was my whore mother.

    She was a prostitute so she attracted many eyes of the students in the academy. I had to chase her away too.

    ¡°Ah. My little girl looks so mature and beautiful.¡±

    He took my hand with a smile. I only shook him off.

    ¡°For the third time... What do you want? No. More importantly, how did the two of you even find me?¡±

    They dumped me seven years ago. Why the hell were they interfering in my life when they abandoned me when I needed them the most?

    ¡°Ah, t-that. We heard our excellent daughter managed to ace the magic tower exam! Oh~ I¡¯m so proud of my little girl~¡±

    The passers-by looked strangely at my father.

    He was a middle aged man with a beer belly and a messy beard. Judging by the way he talked, he must''ve been drunk.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you come have dinner, my little girl? Oh, how we¡¯ve missed you.¡±

    ¡°Enough!¡±

    I shouted.

    ¡°Where were you when I was still a little girl? Where were you when I had to beg people for money? Do you know what I, a little girl had to do for money? There were times when the people who took me in weren¡¯t saints!"

    ¡°B-Baby...¡±

    ¡°Come to think of it, do you even remember my middle name?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s... err...¡±

    He fidgeted and scratched his bald head.

    I laughed disdainfully.

    ¡°I don¡¯t even have one. You really are the worst for forgetting even though you named me. My name is still Erica Wales. I already know why you two approached me.¡± I walked closer up to him and looked at him in disgust, ¡°All you see when you look at me is money. Isn¡¯t that true?¡±

    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°That¡¯s...!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    He didn¡¯t even deny it. No, he couldn¡¯t.

    ¡°Heh.¡± I turned back in disappointment.

    Acing the exam at the tower meant my future would be filled with lots of achievements and fame. I might even be invited to be a chairman of an academy. It didn¡¯t matter which position I took in the future, money will inevitably roll in once I land a job at any institution.

    ¡°Well, there was at least one thing I¡¯m grateful for.¡± I looked at him with a smile, ¡°Being born.¡±

    With the power of the Saintess, that is.

    ¡°Get out of my sight, trash. My eyes are already watery smelling your odour.¡±

    I walked away without looking back.

    ¨CAh!!!!!! Sassy little bitch! You wouldn¡¯t be in this world without us!

    I heard him yell and throw his ale mug against the gate.

    After massaging my cheekbones to change my expression, I reverted back to the docile and shy girl everyone knew me as. I also hid my forearms. I¡¯ve been cutting myself too much to cope with the stress I¡¯ve been experiencing.

    I didn¡¯t know when I started losing my emotions little by little. It was to the point that I didn¡¯t even care that my parents sold me to a peddler for a few pieces of silver.

    Anyway...

    I still had one important thing to do...

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    Splash¨C!

    ¡°Guh! Kuh! H-Huh?¡±

    I threw a bucket of water on my guest inside a hut.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. Were you sleeping?¡±

    The man they call Ryan glared at me.

    ¡°What the fuck is this!? Release me at once!¡±

    He struggled to tear apart the shackles on his wrists.

    ¡°Struggle all you want.¡±

    When I looked at the mirror at the back of the hut, I saw that my smile looked a little too eerie for my cute face.

    ¡°Oops.¡±

    I massaged my face again. I didn¡¯t even have full control over my own expressions anymore.

    ¡°What the... why are you doing this!?¡±

    ¡°Ah. Did you finally realize what kind of shackles those are?¡±

    They were made especially for those who rely too much on their aura to strengthen their bodies. If it were miss Arielle then she could break it with brute strength alone.

    What a shame.

    ¡°Light brown hair. Big green eyes. He wore an insignia of the Royal family stating his allegiance to a family member. Does this ring a bell?¡±

    He looked at me with a confused expression.

    ¡°What the fuck.¡±

    Then his faced twisted evilly.

    ¡°That little shit had something to do with this? When I get out of this, I¡¯ll kill him¨C¡°

    TSSSSSSS

    ¡°GYAAAAAAH!!!!¡±

    Before he finished speaking, I casted Holy Fire on his leg. It was a fire that stops bleeding if you lost a limp but it could also be used to torture people.

    I¡¯d know.

    ¡°IT HURTS!!!¡±

    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s supposed to.¡±

    The bright light charred his skin. The smoke rose into the air. I read once from the documents of cannibals that humans do not smell good when they burn.

    But I could barely smell it let alone taste it.

    I lost those two senses long ago.

    ¡°Hey. Do you remember what you did?¡±

    ¡°Guh!!!!¡±

    ¡°You punched Clyde in front of all those students.¡±

    TSSSSSS

    ¡°GYAAAAH!!¡±

    ¡°You embarrassed him for no reason whatsoever.¡±

    PSSSSSSS

    ¡°You acted so above everyone else. And for what? To become the knight of that bitch?¡±

    ¡°Gyaaaah!!! H-How dare you call Charlotte a¨C¡°

    He roared when the spell burned his entire leg off.

    ¡°That bitch, Charlotte seems to be the cause of problems lately. First Clyde had to deal with you then he lost his cores.¡±

    ''Even his spirit magic was unusable.''

    I still remembered the sad expression on his face when I couldn¡¯t heal him.

    I felt heartbroken seeing him smile so sadly as if accepting his fate.

    ¡°Hey, you.¡±

    I grabbed Ryan¡¯s head. His eyes were half dazed as foam fell from his mouth.

    ¡°You hurt my friend and even threatened to kill him.¡±

    If that were to happen then no one would bat an eye. His family are of Duke status. They could simply overwhelm anyone that stands up against Ryan¡¯s crime. Even Clyde¡¯s parents wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything. Maybe Duke Luxembourg might but I doubted it.

    The Rosenbergs were true nobles of the kingdom. They controlled the kingdom trade networks and supplies. If the next head were to be imprisoned then the entire family would fall apart. After that the kingdom would slowly lose its power. That would lead to war from other nations.

    Things like that could happen just because Ryan got what he deserved like any other criminal.

    ¡°I fucking hate nobles like you.¡±

    My real side came out.

    ¡°You force your power on others to get what you want or to feel good about yourself.¡±

    Tears streamed down his eyes as his face scrunched up in pain.

    ¡°I read something interesting in a book once.¡±

    I casted a God tier-[Holy Healing] spell in my left hand and a decaying spell on the other.

    ¡°Y-You crazy bitch... when I get out of here, I¡¯ll have father kill you...¡±

    I laughed disdainfully. Even my laugh sounded far different.

    ¡°Have you ever heard of the Healing Torture method that was banned in the Kingdom Laws?"

    The decaying spell touched his other leg. It ate off his entire thigh.

    ¡°AHHHH!!!! FUCK! FUCK!!! IT HURTS!!!¡±

    ¡°First comes the torture...¡±

    The green light then healed his leg as if nothing happened.

    ¡°Then comes the heal...¡±

    ¡°Ugh.... kugh....¡±

    ¡°How long would it take before you realize your mistake, Ryan Rosenberg?¡±

    The decay spell ate off his leg again.

    ¡°You will never touch Clyde again.¡±

    ¡°-------!!!!!¡±

    ¡°And when I¡¯m done with you, then you will go apologize to him.¡±

    The underground chamber was filled with the pathetic screaming of a man.

 Chapter 70

    Two months later---

    Hurge city¡¯s Adventurers Guild.

    ¡°Hey, is that him? The one who wiped out that rampaging wyvern?¡±

    An adventurer asked his drinking buddy next to him. They just returned from a quest and were now happily spending their money inside the guild¡¯s bar.

    The person he was talking about was standing in front of the register line awaiting his turn.

    His hair was light brown and tied behind his head. The dark grey robe he wore was releasing a scent of mana which meant it was infused with many utility spells. Everyone¡¯s eyes were on him.

    They called him the Lone Mage since he does not operate with a party and hunts monsters on his own. Given his abilities it was unnecessary for him to have a party anyway.

    ¡°Yeah... I heard he singlehandedly saved an entire village from an orc tribe attack. Damn, I can barely take on two.¡±

    They were but average C rank adventurers in their thirties.

    ¡°As expected of someone from the academy. You know about chantless magic right?¡±

    ¡°Aah!! Don¡¯t speak of his skills! You¡¯ll make me hate him more!¡±

    The mage of their party threw a fit. She was the only B ranker in their party. Mages are a valuable member to a party. They could provide the strongest attack power or even support from behind.

    ¡°What¡¯s up with that staff, though?¡±

    A younger man pointed to the staff on the boy¡¯s back. It had a wooden frame while metal coils around its body. A red glowing orb was floating on its top.

    He was a newbie who only went on quests a few times with them so he wasn¡¯t that knowledgeable about mages.

    ¡°Ah, that? That¡¯s a staff from that famous Hermit Sage collection. It¡¯s rare seeing humans walked around with dwarven made items. It¡¯s surprising how no one was able to steal his staff. They say that the kid¡¯s staff maximizes his magic power which in turn heightens the attack power of his spells.¡±

    ¡°Goodness! Doesn¡¯t that mean that staff is on an ancient artifact¡¯s level?¡±

    The man with the beard nodded.

    ¡°The guild is deciding whether they should give him an S rank title. His achievements are worthy of that even if he doesn¡¯t do quests that much. ¡±

    ¡°S rank!?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. He may have gone on less than ten quests but his power is not to be underestimated. I heard that many nobles are deciding to win him over. That¡¯s if they can get their hands on him. He¡¯s only 14 but can use high rank spells.¡±

    ¡°How the hell is he younger than me?¡±

    The mage girl pouted. It took her four years just to learn Intermediate rank spells after buying her first book at age ten. And somehow a kid like him whose younger than her can cast High rank spells already?

    ¡°Life is so unfair...¡±

    She fell deflated on her chair.

    ¡°Phew... the Magic Empire won¡¯t stay quiet if they heard of his talent.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s his name anyway? There¡¯s too many noble brats becoming adventurers these days. I forget a lot of names.¡±

    ¡°Clyde Astley. He was the former knight of princess Charlotte R Colchis....¡±

    ¡ó¡ó

    (CLYDE POV)

    I left the adventurers guild. The quest I completed was A rank and its reward was 4 gold.

    I decided to do adventuring again after my cores were fixed. Part of the reason was because of the Dungeon raid coming up at the end of our third year.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    I finally had my two cores back.

    It was a shame that I couldn¡¯t keep that cheat power known as ancient spirit magic. Xantha told me that if I train diligently that I will be able to achieve that level of magic on my own.

    The robe I was wearing was the one my master bought me a few years back. It was a grey robe.

    Since I didn¡¯t have that much to wear during my recuperation in the elven nation, I had to wear that robe. It became a mess afterwards so I asked around if they could fix it.

    The robe was even better before it was so tattered and patched up. They even added a lot of utility spells to help keep me warm in the cold, control my body temperature when it¡¯s hot or dry my sweat for me.

    I sweat a lot in the sun by the way.

    Anyways, I got a new letter from my beloved.

    I fetched it this morning from the post office instead of waiting for it to be delivered. I really missed her.

    After climbing aboard a carriage heading towards Harz village, I took the letter from my robe pocket and opened it up.

    ¨CI received your last letter. Do not head straight into danger ever again!  Even if your cores are fixed now, you should be more careful in the future. Do you know how many times I tried to come back? If not for the fact that Celina and Rosetta stopping me, I¡¯d have ran towards the kingdom right away. Speaking of Celina, the two of us have somewhat grown closer together. I¡¯m not sure though. That girl doesn¡¯t show much emotion.

    But at least she doesn¡¯t throw water on my face to wake me up. We also eat, hunt and train together. Anyway, I couldn¡¯t wait for your birthday so I decided to send your present directly to your dorm room. I hope you like it. I¡¯m strictly forbidden from going outside but this time it was an exception. Although Celina had to monitor me while I was buying the present.

    -

    ¡®She bought me something?¡¯

    It¡¯s as it stated in the letter, my birthday was around the corner. I¡¯m turning 15 in four weeks.

    ¡°Man... my whole life has been chaotic...¡±

    I¡¯m not even 15 yet but I¡¯ve already experienced so much. I almost died two times already. Back on earth when I was 15, I¡¯d always stay in a corner, read novels or try to make myself less noticeable. I barely had any friends back then.

    I only had my childhood friend, Clementine. Liam Foster was a train wreck without her. Don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯m not fishing for sympathy from anyone. I was only reminiscing of my past self. I had thoughts of ¡®Was that really me?¡¯. Liam Foster felt so foreign to me.

    Usually when it comes to a boy and a girl playing, they¡¯d always take turns at leading each. I was different. I followed her around like a loyal dog. I¡¯d listen to everything she¡¯d say and do anything to make her happy.

    ¡®Ah, man...¡¯

    Arielle reminded me so much of her. A harsh mouth, eyes that seem to frown at basically the whole world but even with all those personality points, both her and Arielle were kind-hearted. Maybe that was why I fell so madly in love with Arielle.

    ¨CI hope you like it. It took me quite a lot of money to modify it at a magic store. Your second present is a sword. Use it to practice on your sword skills. You have some room to grow there as well. Anyway, you know I¡¯m not good with words so all I can say is I love you. When I get back then I¡¯ll start planning our wedding immediately!

    -

    I chuckled.

    She was already thinking about marriage even though we¡¯re still so young.

    ¡°Hold on a second...¡±

    I took out another letter from my family. I hadn¡¯t opened it up yet since I had been doing quests for the last week.

    ¨C

    It¡¯s me, your father.

    I know it¡¯s been hard coming back home since you¡¯ve been busy but I hope you can come around once in a while.

    There is someone I would like you to meet. I can¡¯t really explain in detail but... this is of utmost importance since it was requested by Lord Mason.

    ©\

    I put the letter back in the envelope.

    ¡®Someone he wants me to meet?¡¯

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Young master!¡±

    Brielle ran towards me and hugged me tightly before I could even lower my bags.

    Her red hair was cut shorter and her bangs were covering less of her face. She looked me up and down with her blue eyes.

    ¡°Hmm... Have you been training? Your muscles feel really hard.¡± Brielle stroked my arms.

    ¡°Well, I couldn¡¯t just keep focusing on improving my magic. I had to work on my physical condition too.¡±

    I looked at our house and saw a carriage parked in front.

    I pointed at it.

    ¡°Is father going somewhere?¡±

    Brielle shook her head.

    ¡°Not just lord George. He asked me to prepare you when you get back so you can go to the Bentinck household.¡±

    I tilted my head.

    ¡®Why are we heading there?¡¯

    I followed Brielle¡¯s lead as we walked into the house.

    ¡°Big brother!!¡±

    A cute voice called out to me as I heard small footsteps.

    ¡°Oh my! Little Jessica!¡±

    Jessica jumped into my arms. She wrapped her arms and legs around my body just like a koala.

    ¡°Big brother! Big brother! I missed you so much!!¡±

    She kissed me all over my face.

    Brielle laughed softly at my side.

    ¡°Oh! Chloe! Big brother is home!¡±

    I saw Chloe come out of the living room with hesitant steps.

    ¡°My sisters are so damn cute!¡±

    ¡°Kyaah!¡±

    I picked Chloe up with Jessica still in my arms and kissed her on her cheeks. It felt so squishy when I kissed her cheeks.

    ¡°W-Wait!¡±

    She pushed my face away and ran way from me with a red face.

    ¡°...?¡±

    ¡°It seems she doesn¡¯t know how to act around young master.¡±

    My heart felt heavy.

    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me my sister hates me.¡¯

    If that was the case then I¡¯d need to make it up to her. Maybe I was secretly a siscon; I felt that I needed to gain her love no matter what.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to spend time with her.¡¯

    With Jessica still clinging on to me, we walked towards the living room. She was playing with my hair.

    ¡°You look like a girl with this hair, big brother.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha. Brielle called me handsome though.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re back.¡±

    Father and mother smiled.

    ¡°Huh? Why are the two of you dressed like that?¡±

    I asked after I greeted them. They were wearing fancy clothes. Were they on their way out?

    ¡°Well, it has to do with what your father said in the letter.¡±

    Eleanor picked up something from the couch. It was a neatly folded suit.

    ¡°Put this on so we can go.¡±

 Chapter 71: Engagement

    We boarded the carriage and headed for the Bentinck household. It took only a few minutes before we arrived at the lord¡¯s residence. The knights that usually trained and sparred on the premises was nowhere to be found.

    Miss Edith still looked so young even though it had been years since I last saw her. Her belly was bloated which meant they were expecting a new member to the family.

    ¡°My goodness.¡±

    Miss Edith touched both my cheeks and mushed them.

    ¡°The two of you should look after your boy. Look at how handsome he is. If I was ten years younger then I would¡¯ve snatched him for myself.¡±

    ¡®Hey, now.¡¯

    She gave me a big hug.

    ¡°Haha. Well, young lady Arielle already got her hands on my son.¡±

    ¡°The young lady from duke Luxembourg? Look at this hunk! Scoring a noble girl from such a prestigious family!¡±

    Edith teasingly poked my chest. I laughed awkwardly while scratching my cheek.

    ¡°Looks like Diane was too late for being your first.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    I didn¡¯t understand what she meant by that.

    ¡°Ahem, let¡¯s go see lord Mason in the dining area.¡± My father pushed me forward.

    Speaking of Arielle, it had almost been a year since I last saw her. The letters still made it bearable but it didn¡¯t change the fact that I still missed her. I wish phones existed. That way I could ask her to send nudes to keep me company.

    ¡®These perverted thoughts again.¡¯

    After doing it with Arielle, I couldn¡¯t forget the feeling of being inside a woman. It¡¯s been long since the last time I used my hand since I didn¡¯t feel the same pleasure.

    ¡®I apologize Arielle but it looks like I should visit the brothel.¡¯

    There was no other way to get rid of the urges.

    We walked through the corridor as we held conversations about everyday things. I could hear the noise coming from the dining area. Noises of plates being set down and cutlery clanking resonated through the halls.

    When we entered through the door, I was blinded by the sheer cleanliness of the place.

    ¡°Ohoho! There he is!¡±

    The earl was wearing a white suit and holding a glass of wine in his hands.

    ¡®Why is he wearing white? Could it be a special occasion?¡¯

    ¡°Look at how much this boy has grown! It¡¯s wonderful that you were able to come back safely after the Divide.¡±

    The earl pocked me up in his big arms and hugged me.

    ¡°Sir, can you tell me why you wanted to see me?¡±

    The earl put me down and grunted.

    ¡°Straight to the point, huh.¡± He grabbed a nearby servant.

    ¡°Call Diane. It¡¯s time.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±

    I curiously looked towards my parents.

    Both of them averted their eyes.

    ¡®Oi! What¡¯s going on!?¡¯

    That was my thought when I heard someone¡¯s heels hitting the floor.

    The entire dining area seemed silent as the person¡¯s shadow emerged followed by their figure.

    ¡°...!¡±

    My eyes opened wide.

    ¡®I-Is that really that little brat who chewed on my fingers...?¡¯

    Who I saw was a girl I knew quite well. We didn¡¯t really play together when we were little but I saw her a lot and even ran into her whenever I watched the knights of the Bentinck household spar. She¡¯d always walk her dog up to that hill where I always sat.

    ¡°Here comes your wife, my boy!¡±

    The earl¡¯s words caused me to look at my parents so they could explain. Meanwhile, Diane walked closer towards us with an expressionless look on her face.

    ¡°You see, Clyde...¡± My father smiled wryly. ¡°I kind of married you to lord Mason¡¯s daughter.¡±

    ¡°WHAT!?¡±

    I glared at my father with a loathing gaze. He coughed and averted his eyes.

    ¡°Hello, lord Clyde.¡±

    The girl was already standing in front of me. Her silver eyes seemed to look at everyone with zero emotion as if she didn¡¯t recognize their existences.

    She bowed respectfully.

    ¡°My husband.¡±

    She said with a smile.

    ¡°...What...?¡±

    ¡°Ohoho! Clyde is speechless by Diane¡¯s beauty!¡±

    ¡®No. That¡¯s not the case old man.¡¯

    She did indeed look beautiful but since I had Arielle, I didn¡¯t really have anyone else in my eyes. Arielle was already on par with Charlotte.

    ¡®Oh, right... Polygamy is legal in this world.¡¯Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    But that didn¡¯t mean I¡¯d accept something like my parents marrying me off so easily!

    ¡°It seems he doesn¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on, dear.¡± Miss Edith spoke to her husband.

    ¡°Hmm... Let us go to the table first. I¡¯ll explain as we eat.¡±

    All of them nodded their heads. Diane suddenly linked her arms with my right arm and guided me to the table.

    ¡°E-Err...¡± I found it weird how bold she was.

    All of us sat down on the chairs. There was a lot of food on the table enough for an entire unit of soldiers. There were servants standing by the walls.

    ¡®Wait. Is this my supposed engagement party?¡¯

    I rubbed my temples.

    ¡°Please explain, sir Mason.¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°As you can see I am a very old man. I¡¯m already in my sixties but I still manage my household. My son, Justin is living in another city after they won against the Republican army. My second son, Jeslan is barely ten years old and appears uninterested in studies a head should do.¡±

    The earl sighed while rubbing his head.

    ¡°I fear this house will collapse without a proper head after my death.¡±

    His gaze turned towards me again.

    ¡°That is where you come in ,boy.¡±

    I tilted my head.

    ¡°My little girl Diane also seems uninterested in becoming head and instead focuses on her own business she started a few months back. Was it a designer company, I think?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It is a countermeasure for income if the household does collapse, father.¡±

    She said without a change in her expression.

    The earl bitterly smiled.

    ¡°See?¡±

    ¡°But aren¡¯t there other nobles willing to give their children for marriage? Why me specifically?¡±

    ¡°Hmm... There are quite a lot.¡±

    ¡°I see. Then¨C¡°

    He held up his hand.

    ¡°None of them come close to what you can offer as the head of my household.¡±

    I looked at his daughter who was quietly sitting next to me.

    ¡°Surely you have objections as well? Right ,miss Diane?¡±

    She shook her head.

    ¡°I do not. I will follow what my husband expects of me and support him as a wife should. I will do whatever it takes to become the perfect wife.¡±

    My mouth opened wide in shock. She was basically a shell of a person that does what she¡¯s told to do.

    ¡°I already told your father not to worry about how you¡¯ll manage the household. My daughter will naturally help you. She has undergone lessons from a young age.¡±

    I could see Miss Edith look worriedly at Diane. The latter was still cutting my meat for me and feeding me with a deadpan face.

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡®Isn¡¯t this almost the same as the middle ages?¡¯

    Parents were the ones who decided who their children would marry. Commoners whose children were chosen didn¡¯t have a say in the matter. Could it have been the same as my case?

    In the middle ages, girls were typically in their teens when they married, and boys were in their early twenties. Here it seemed that it didn¡¯t matter what age you were after 14. The arrangement of the marriage was based on monetary worth. The family of the girl who was to be married would give a dowry, or donation, to the boy she was to marry.

    In some cases you could get married as soon as you hit puberty ¨C and parental consent was not required. Marriage was the only acceptable place for sex in the medieval period, and as a result Christians were allowed to marry from puberty onwards, generally seen at the time as age 12 for women and 14 for men. I was almost 15 years of age. Diane should¡¯ve been the same age.

    ¡°As you will become my son-in-law, I will transfer all the household¡¯s wealth excluding my personal money towards you. Diane will manage my territories along with the vassals of our house.¡±

    ¡°Since you are beginning your third year in a few days, Diane will take care of the needed documentation.¡±

    George took out a bunch of documents from his bag and held it out.

    ¡°Yes, father-in-law.¡± Diane took the documents in her hands and bowed her head.

    A servant came to retrieve the documents from Diane.

    We ate in silence for a few minutes.

    ¡°When was this decided?¡±

    I broke the silence.

    ¡°Back when I signed the papers for you to enter the academy. I did say that it wasn¡¯t a loan but I didn¡¯t say there wasn¡¯t a catch.¡±

    ¡°Son, look at it this way...¡± My father put his hand on my shoulder. ¡°As thanks for always being there for us, he wants us to be there for him as well. If lord Mason dies without a successor than this entire household will collapse. Without a lord to manage the territory, the villagers and town folk will cause riots which could cause civil wars. His first wife does not have the proper education to manage a household since she runs a clothier shop.¡±

    ¡°Even my second wife, Edith was a commoner when I first married her so she isn¡¯t capable of managing a household. She only recently started learning the way to manage a territory. Enemy nobles will swallow this house and destroy the lives of this family. My little girl, Diane might even get taken by another noble to become his wife.¡±

    I looked at Diane and saw her look at me as well. Her silver eyes still looked dead and emotionless but there was a smile on her face. Not a very bright one though.

    ¡°If lord Clyde, who is hailed as someone as talented as the Head Mage, is chosen as my husband then I will gladly accept. Be it my mind, heart and body.¡±

    She continued feeding me.

    ¡°...¡±

    I silently accepted her actions and ate the food.

    ¡°If you do not have any other career in mind then you can manage my assets as a real head. Of course, if you decide to become a mage for the Magic tower then I won¡¯t stop you. I need a capable head even if it¡¯s in name only. Diane will take care of some of your duties but not everything. A few things still need your¨Cthe head¡¯s¨Capproval.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡®Why are they telling me this when I already don¡¯t have a choice?¡¯

    My father must¡¯ve done a lot of things to fulfil his role as a parent. Maybe that was one of his debts to be paid.

    I had to marry Diane.

    ¡°...?¡±

    Diane tilted her head when I looked at her. Her eyes blinked with curiosity.

    She had unblemished silky skin. Her eyes were like the stars reflecting the light from the surface of a mana rich lake.

    ¡°...Okay.¡±

    I nodded my head.

    ¡°If this benefits both our families then I¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°Wonderful!¡±

    The earl stood up and clapped his hands.

    ¡°Bring out my hundred year old wine. We have something to celebrate! Tonight, the Astley and Bentinck households shall become family!¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    Throughout the night, Diane and I remained together as the special guests of the night. She kept hugging my arm and feeding me through the engagement party. My parents looked relieved that I accepted the position as head.

    I didn¡¯t hesitate when it meant it¡¯ll benefit our household too.

    That said, it wasn¡¯t a real engagement party. The real one would be held later on. They¡¯ll invite people on the night of the real one. It will be held on the same day as my age of coming ceremony.

    We had to show the rest of the aristocracy that the prestigious Bentinck household already had a head and there was no need for them to fight amongst themselves. I had a feeling that I¡¯d be targeted by many of the nobles threatening to take me out.

    I was far stronger than before my cores were destroyed so I didn¡¯t feel fear. If they dare come at me then I¡¯ll just blast them away.

    My total amount of mana increased immensely after I got my cores back. I already made it to the bridge between the 5<sup>th</sup> and 6<sup>th</sup> mana grade stage. My spirit mana remained in the eighth stage so there was no change there.

    Anyway, I needed to visit Damian before the academy reopened. It was time for us to plan our revenge against his siblings. My blood would boil whenever I remembered the smile on that bitch¡¯s face. Although I didn¡¯t die that didn¡¯t mean I¡¯d just let it go.

    Magic was part of my life and I almost lost it to that bitch. The one I should be blaming is myself for actually accepting to become Charlotte¡¯s knight. It was because I was her knight that I was also targeted. But the time for regret was over.

    I pledged to become her knight on that hill a year ago. Even if I almost died for being her knight then I could only blame myself.

    ¡°...¡±

    The carriage ride home the next day was awkward. My parents didn¡¯t initiated any sort of conversation. I was the same.

    They never even told me about last night. I was basically caught off guard by the engagement. I sent them a letter to let them know that I would come after my A rank quest at the guild branch in Hurge.

    ¡°So, err... How are things with Arielle?¡±

    My father was the one to stop the silence.

    ¡°Well, things were pretty good. How will I explain to her that I will have another wife in the future? And since Diane will become my first wife, Arielle can only become my concubine. I¡¯m scared to even send a letter to her.¡±

    ¡°I-I see. W-Well, she¡¯ll understand. Since you¡¯re marrying into the Bentinck family that means our fallen household will also be restored.¡±

    The Astley household fell after father left the family to travel with my mother. They made a mistake in appointing his eldest brother with the position of head. The bastard took all the family¡¯s assets and ran away with his mistress. George always looked angry whenever his brother is mentioned.

    ¡®That bastard should hope I never find him either.¡¯

    My parents almost died from being driven out of the Astley household. They had to survive a battlefield as children. How shitty can you be to throw your sibling away when you know times were tough since war was all over the continent?

    Anyway, with this marriage, we had officially become the Astley Bentinck household.

 Chapter 72: Back at the kingdom

    ¡°Is this the place?¡±

    I stood outside the building Damian told me to go look for him. The place I came to was the Strawberry Inn where he and his sister rent a room.

    Apparently his sister worked at the family inn as a maid.

    Today was the assigned date for our revenge plan. Damian managed to contact a family butler of the Minerva household.

    The two of them would probably arrive in a few minutes. After we were done with the arrangements, Damian and I will head to the academy. We might miss the opening ceremony but that was alright. It was held for first years anyway so it wasn¡¯t mandatory for us to be there.

    I didn¡¯t know how long it will take for our battle to happen.

    I turned the doorknob and went inside the inn. It was early morning so I was expecting the inn to be empty but I saw people already inside the Inn.

    ¡°Come on~ Just one taste.¡±

    ¡°No! Let go of me!¡±

    I saw a bunch of adventurers surrounding a woman who was wearing a maid uniform. She looked as old as Brielle.

    ¡°W-Wait, customer! We do not do those kinds of things for money!¡± An old man tried to stand between the adventurers and the girl.

    ¡°Out of the way!¡±

    The big man slapped the old man to the side and grabbed the girl again.

    ¡°I get what I want in Zluxford! I am an A rank adventurer. You dare deny me what I desire!?¡±

    Him and his buddies started grabbing the girl¡¯s clothes.

    ¡°No!!¡±

    She pushed him aside and tried running.

    ¡°You bitch!¡±

    Before he could throw a punch, I hurriedly chanted a spell.

    ¡°[Switch]¡±

    A ripple in space occurred.

    ¡°GYAH!?¡±

    His first landed on the face of one of his companions.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Phew. You¡¯re alright.¡±

    The girl was in my arms the next moment. She looked at me with a blank look on her face.

    ¡°What the fuck!? Why are you here?¡±

    The big man looked around and spotted me.

    ¡°Huh? How did she get over there?¡±

    I let the girl go and walked forward.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty pathetic how you flaunt your power with that fake badge of yours.¡±

    All adventurer tags are infused with mana. I couldn¡¯t sense mana of any kind coming from the one on his chest.

    ¡°What!? You think I¡¯m a fake!? Get that noble brat so we can sell him and the girl as slaves. You picked the wrong day to be a hero! I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re from the academy!¡±

    ¡°Yes, boss!¡±

    Before they could move, the bell above the door rang when someone entered. It was a tall old man with a white moustache. Next to him was a young man with ash black hair. He was wearing the same academy uniform as me.

    Damian Minerva.

    ¡°Pardon my intrusion. Who did you say you would sell as a slave?¡±

    The old butler disappeared from where he stood at the door and reappeared in front of the big man.

    A dagger was held against his throat.

    ¡°You dare lay your hands on the young lady¡¯s body. All of you are courting death by messing with the Minerva family.¡±

    ¡°Err... Um...¡±

    The big man had a terrified look on his face when he saw the black mana swirling around the butler.

    ¡®Scary...¡¯

    Only one family in the entire kingdom can use black magic. This made them one of the continent¡¯s strongest forces.

    The Minerva Family. There was no doubt that the old man was a butler from that family.

    ¡°I-I-I-I-It was a j-j-j-joke! Hahaha! S-She looked a little down s-s-so I wanted to make her laugh!¡±

    The butler smirked as the big man stuttered.

    ¡°I see. Please leave the premises as you are disrupting business. Look at how terrified everyone is of you.¡±

    The butler gestured to the onlookers from outside and the ones who were eating at the dining tables.

    ¡®I think you have this backwards, old man. They are terrified of you.¡¯This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    I couldn¡¯t even grasp his strength. Wasn¡¯t he as powerful as Aubrey? No. Even stronger?

    I shuddered.

    ¡®A family of monsters. Even the servants are powerful.¡¯

    ¡°Yo, Clyde.¡± Damian patted my shoulder with a smile. ¡°Long time no see.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­Hey.¡± I was caught off guard by the old man¡¯s strength.

    The adventurers quickly fled the inn without looking back.

    ¡°Big sis. Why can¡¯t you just deal with those men yourself? Aren¡¯t you a martial artist?¡±

    He looked at the young woman who stood next to me.

    ¡°It¡¯s because I hate fighting. You already know that, Damian.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Sister?¡±

    ¡°Yes. This is my older sister, Adrienne. Adrienne meet Clyde. He¡¯s the one I told you about.¡±

    The woman next to him bowed.

    ¡°Nice to meet you. Thank you for saving me from those men.¡±

    The butler dusted off his hands and approached us.

    ¡°I am Roman, the butler of the current head of the Minerva house. You must be lord Clyde. Thank you for protecting the young lady. I must say, your spatial manipulation magic was astounding. Not many can develop their spatial element to such a degree.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yeah, thanks.¡±

    ¡°Please sit down. I¡¯ll explain everything. As you are an outsider looking to settle a fight, a contract must be established. Prior arrangements must be made as this is a sacred battle.¡±

    The butler guided us to the seats.

    The woman, Adrienne was then stopped by Roman.

    ¡°This is a private matter, young lady. Please stay out of it.¡±

    ¡°What? Couldn¡¯t I at least listen to what you have to say? Damian came here bruised a few months ago and refused to tell me what happened. If the head¡¯s personal butler came here then that means it¡¯s something serious! I want to know!¡±

    Damian lowered his head.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when the time comes.¡±

    Adrienne threw down her apron with a unhappy expression on her face.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting some fresh air.¡±

    She slammed the door shut after telling the owner that.

    ¡°If she heard what happened then there¡¯s no doubt that she¡¯ll head to Aubrey herself.¡±

    Damian said with a bitter smile.

    ¡°Lord Damian if I see you¡¯re on the brink of death then I will save you. It doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯ll be killed by lord Zexel. I was the one who raised the two of you since your parents were never there for you.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Roman... But I won¡¯t lose. I want to see Aubrey begging me to stop. I want to repay him for making me suffer so much.¡±

    Damian¡¯s golden eyes was filled with killing intent.

    ¡°Clyde.¡±

    When we sat down, Damian spoke to me.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°I know this is a rule in the family for outsiders but...¡±

    I held up my hand.

    ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about. She¡¯s still your sister even if she¡¯s a psychopath. I won¡¯t kill her. I just want her to feel how I felt when I lost my core.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    ¡°Hmm...¡± The butler spoke. ¡°So the two of you will choose to make them give up instead of the A-life-for-a-life rule? Huhu. Good luck. Both Aubrey and Zelda were raised with deadly training. I hope the two of you know that as you are mere children. But do not worry, I will persuade the master to not kill you if you fail. Only I know what can make him change his mind.¡±

    He opened up a briefcase and laid down documents in front of us.

    ¡°Now. Shall we begin the discussion?¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    Damian and I walked through the halls of the academy. We didn¡¯t bother going to the opening ceremony since they only introduce the new first years. We were heading towards our new class.

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll go through with it?¡±

    Damian asked as we turned a corner.

    It was decided that we¡¯d go to the Minerva household in a few months. Both Damian and I were itching to get our revenge.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never been surer of anything else in my life.¡±

    ¡°I see... Clyde.¡±

    Damian called out to me again.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°When we go through those doors both of us will be alone. We won¡¯t be able to protect each other.¡±

    He seriously gazed at me.

    ¡°I know.¡±

    With my newly acquired power I knew I had a chance to win. Plus, I even learned a new spell. I wasn¡¯t that weak and conceited bastard from before.

    ¡°Good.¡±

    He held out his fist.

    ¡°Let¡¯s kick their asses.¡±

    I bumped my fist with his.

    ¡°For revenge.¡±

    *

    We finally arrived at our classroom.

    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re late.¡±

    There was already people gathered in the classroom. The professor was a person I was familiar with.

    ¡®Viria¡­¡¯

    It seemed she didn¡¯t teach a fourth year class anymore.

    ¡®Her puppet is exactly the same as I remember it.¡¯

    She was the same curvy milf teacher with glasses as when I met her during the open day at the academy. No, didn¡¯t her boobs look a little bigger? It might¡¯ve been my imagination.

    ¡°Look who managed to finally show up. The two who rarely come to class but managed to become third years.¡±

    Viria sarcastically said when we entered. Everyone¡¯s eyes landed on us.

    No, they were looking at Damian. Specifically the girls.

    ¡®Ugh¡­ I want a handsome face like that.¡¯

    Even if my face was considered a little handsome, I lose to Damian in terms of looks. Even his body was tall and firm while I looked far shorter than him. We were one year apart for crying out loud!

    The girls sighed in admiration. The person in question never glanced at any of them once and only walked forward to give his application.

    ¡°Damian Minerva and Clyde Astley.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    She pointed at an empty seat.

    ¡°The two of you will sit next to Bridgette over there.¡±

    ¡®Bridgette?¡¯

    I glanced at where she pointed.

    A girl with black hair waved at us.

    ¡®Huh? That insignia.¡¯

    What caught my eyes was the insignia on her hairband.

    Magic Empire. The most advanced nation on the entire continent. They combined both technology and magic to create a civilization that almost equals the United Empire.

    That empire¡¯s technology might not have everything Earth had but some other things were more advanced.

    ¡®So she¡¯s the one who I beat in mana.¡¯

    ¡°Hello. I¡¯m Bridgette of the Bathurst family.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. I¡¯m Clyde Astley.¡±

    I shook her hand.

    Damian only nodded and sat down.

    ¡°I heard you were part of the Divide Incident. It¡¯s a relief you made it back. I wanted the two of us to get together and become friends. You¡¯re quite famous in the academy as well.¡±

    The girl casually spoke with me.

    I found it odd that a citizen from the Magic Empire came to enrol into the Graponia academy. The magic academy in their empire had the same amount of prestige and history as Graponia. They say the academy was founded by one of Odette¡¯s disciples.

    ¡°I guess we could become friends.¡±

    I responded after gathering my thoughts.

    ¡°Wonderful! Is it alright if the two of us study together?¡±

    ¡®This girl is awfully bold to become closer. Does she like me or something?¡¯

    Maybe it was just because of my magical talent. I do tend to attract my juniors and other mages like a magnate.

    ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Great. I¡¯ll let you know when and where.¡±

    ¡°Damian, you want to join?¡±

    ¡°Hm? No thanks. I¡¯ll study alone. I don¡¯t need help. Besides, both of you are mages while I¡¯m a conjurer warrior.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay. That¡¯s a shame.¡±

    All the girls sighed in disappointment.

    ¡®Maybe a study circle would be great.¡¯

    ¡°Miss Bridgette.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Is it alright if I invite one of my other friends?¡±

    I wanted to let Nate study with me. He¡¯d been having trouble with studies last year and even asked if the two of us could study together. I was never able to reply since I left the kingdom again.

    ¡°Who do you mean?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a guy named Nate. He was my roommate.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Isn¡¯t he from the famous Alexander family? Lincoln Alexander¡¯s son, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Lincoln was a man who reached the peak of fire magic. There¡¯s no one else capable of matching him. Especially not if he uses his own creation of flames.

    Black flames. Or sometimes called the [Eternal Fire] magic.

    It was said that his black fire can never be distinguished unless the magic itself was broken down or the user released the spell. If it was the former then only I would be able to break it down.

    The door to the classroom suddenly opened.

    ¡°Nate Alexander.¡±

    ¡®Speak of the devil.¡¯

    Nate only gave his name and walked towards an empty seat.

    ¡°Yo, Nate!¡±

    I waved at him with a smile.

    ¡°¡­¡±

    He walked past me without a word and sat down on his seat. His eyes didn¡¯t even turn to me once.

    ¡°That¡¯s cold.¡± Bridgette smiled awkwardly.

    I stood there like an idiot mid-wave.

 Chapter 73: Rumours

    When lunch break arrived, I made my way over to the library. It wasn¡¯t that I wanted to read some books. It was more like I was going there to look for someone.

    The girl I was looking for was sitting by a window with a book and a cup of tea in her hands. Her white hair fluttered in the wind that came through the opened window. She turned the page of the book she was reading and blew softly over the tea. Her eyes gently scanned the book¡¯s contents.

    She turned her head when she heard my footsteps. A smile surfaced on her face when she saw me.

    ¡°What a surprise seeing you here.¡±

    Miya Elca. One of the few living High Elves of this era. It seemed that the Spirit Bonding was a success.

    ¡°Hi.¡±

    I casually sat down. She was the one who said we could act informal in the past anyway.

    ¡°What brings you to such a boring place? I was planning on visiting your room later to let you know I¡¯m back. How did you even know I¡¯ll be here?¡±

    ¡°Well, your life essence is massive so it doesn¡¯t matter where you are. I¡¯d still find you.¡±

    ¡°That sounds kinda creepy.¡±

    She laughed.

    ¡°Anyway, I wanted to know if you¡¯re up for adventuring. The academy dungeon raid is coming up so I wanted to gain some experience through doing quests.¡±

    ¡°Hmm... Hold on a second.¡±

    Miya checked her notebook.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like I have anything else to do. How about we go after classes end?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s fine. We can meet in front of the adventurer guild. I have a few errands to run.¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you later today then.¡±

    I stood up.

    ¡°Clyde.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°How do you feel? Is there any problem with your cores?¡±

    I shook my head.

    ¡°I feel even more powerful than before. Oh, right. Tell your mother and granny Skyrith that I¡¯ll repay them for the favour one day. That¡¯s a promise.¡±

    She smiled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to do that.¡±

    After saying farewell, I left the library.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    The time was approximately 5 in the afternoon.

    Miya and I entered the guild. We were still wearing our academy uniforms.

    The entire guild was filled with people. It wasn¡¯t unexpected since the abyss was in its active phase. Monsters would be more abundant. There was also a chance for people to catch rare monsters like the Hydra that rarely shows itself. Designated hunting zones will become a treasure trove for adventurers. Even newbies can make a lot of gold.

    ¡°Hey, did you hear about that village?¡±

    While we were waiting in line, I heard the conversation between party members. They were gathered around in the corner of the bar next to a window. Judging by the flushes on their faces they had been drinking ever since this morning.

    ¡°What village?¡±

    ¡°The one they found that rare disease at. The entire region was infected so the lord issued a massive lockdown. The supply line to the village was also cut off since the merchants were too scared to go there.¡±

    ¡°Ah. That village. Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Well...¡± The man leaned in closer. ¡°They say everyone was cured of the illness.¡±

    All of them gasped.

    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that a disease that killed millions in the last century when it was first discovered? They committed a genocide to control the spread right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah and the plan was the same this time as well, however... Nobody died.¡±

    ¡°Bah. Stop talking nonsense. You¡¯ve had too much to drink.¡±

    ¡°No. No. My sister lives there with her husband and she personally told me. I¡¯m really not lying.¡±

    ¡°What did she say?¡±

    The man took a gulp of the ale again.

    ¡°She said ¡®A lady of God healed our bodies that was riddled with the disease. My skin which was burning off was healed by this lady of god. Even our mother was healed of her blindness.¡¯¡±

    ¡®Lady of God?¡¯

    ¡°Everyone said the same thing. The next part is even crazier.¡±

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°They say the woman named herself the Holy Saintess of our era.¡±

    My entire body stiffened.

    ¡®What...?¡¯

    I continued listening as the queue grew shorter. There wasn¡¯t a lot of receptionists around so it would take a while before it was our turn.

    ¡°Are you serious!?¡±

    ¡°Mhm. She gathered all the villagers in one place and healed them using a healing spell. It was about two thousand people that she healed instantly.¡±

    Everyone who gathered to listen to his story made noise.

    ¡°Clyde? Where are you going?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back. Stay in line."

    I made my way over as well.

    ¡®Why did Erica reveal herself?¡¯

    Although I felt like scolding her for doing this, I had to know more. Why did she suddenly decide to reveal herself?

    ¡°The strange thing though was that her divinity was a different colour than priests these days.¡±

    ¡°What colour was it?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    One of the receptionists who joined in on the discussion asked.

    ¡°Her divinity was a type of silver. They dubbed her the Silver Maiden. It suited her more than Holy Saintess.¡±

    Silver Maiden...

    I stepped up and asked the man.

    ¡°Did they give a description of what she looked like?¡±

    He nodded his head.

    ¡°They say that she was wearing a bandage over her eyes so they couldn¡¯t get a good look at her eyes. Her face was beautiful though. She looked like a woman in her early twenties with white hair. She was wearing a strange white cleric uniform with a bizarre design no one has ever seen before.¡±

    I frowned.

    That description didn¡¯t match Erica at all. Her hair is golden blonde and she¡¯s still 15 years old so the age didn¡¯t match.

    ¡®An imposter perhaps?¡¯

    That didn¡¯t make sense since this was a person that could cure thousands with one spell. Only a god rank healer could achieve this.

    ¡®What the hell is going on?¡¯

    Maybe Erica used transformation magic to use a disguise. If it was her then what was her reason for doing so? That was the only plausible explanation I had on hand. Although the magic is Upper High rank, since it¡¯s Erica it might¡¯ve been possible for her.

    The story was getting too ridiculous so I left those adventurers to continue bickering on.

    Chances were that the Holy Kingdom wouldn¡¯t idly sit by if they heard this story. They¡¯d want to get to the bottom of this. The Holy Saintess had always been a symbol in their nation. She possesses the innocence and love that even charms the gods. Her heart and body must always be pure.

    I honestly thought that was a bunch of crap. Even the Oracle of the Holy Kingdom hadn¡¯t received Sol¡¯s blessing even though they say she¡¯s the purest maiden of the church. It was unknown why Erica received the blessing of Sol despite her harsh childhood.

    Who knows? Maybe Sol wasn¡¯t the one who bestowed upon her that power.

    I decided to visit Erica once I had free time.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Should we look for a party to raid with? There¡¯s a joint party meeting in the bar. Although it looks like their party members left with the guild master to go to his office."

    Miya spoke to me after she came back from the register.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine with just the two of us?¡±

    She shook her head.

    ¡°If we run into a Hydra or Serpent then we risk our lives. Those monsters are S rank so it¡¯s important to have comrades. Plus, you could rack up experience before the Academy Dungeon Raid while fighting with professional adventurers."

    The Academy Dungeon Raid referred to the event when all the academies on the continent compete over which academy is able to clear the most dungeons. It¡¯s a competition held for third years and older students.

    It¡¯s a fairly well known event so many of the schools participate. Obviously, Graponia is always first while the Magic Academy in the Magic Empire is second.

    ¡°Both of us are mages so it¡¯s stupid to go alone. It might¡¯ve been fine back then but since the Red Abyss is in its active phase, monsters get even stronger. Look.¡±

    She pointed at the people gathered in the bar.

    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t refuse academy students. Since I¡¯m a fifth year and you¡¯re a third year we should have more experience than some mages here.¡±

    ¡®I guess she¡¯s right.¡¯

    I didn¡¯t have that power up known as ancient spirit power anymore. I could gather spirits inside my body to make myself stronger but that would take too long.

    I had to sit around a waterfall for an entire day just to gather a million spirits before. Undine told me that she had to take a temporary break since the Red Abyss¡¯ mana was affecting her spirits as well.

    That meant that I could only use arcane magic for the time being. I couldn¡¯t rely on Undine¡¯s help to cast high ranking spirit magic.

    ¡°Let¡¯s ask them then.¡±

    Miya and I headed over to the pub.

    All eyes were on us as we walked.

    ¡°Academy brats....¡±

    ¡°Are they here to flaunt their status?¡±

    Hostility filled eyes glared at us.

    ¡°Hello.¡±

    Miya bowed slightly. We approached two people sitting by a table with a map strewn across it.

    ¡°...What do you want?¡±

    The man with a spear in his arm narrowed his eyes.

    ¡°We would like to know if you need mages for your party?¡±

    He rubbed his chin.

    ¡°What can you do?¡±

    ¡°I can cast spirit magic using Lesser Monarchs. My friend Clyde can cast High ranking spells.¡±

    His eyes opened wide.

    ¡°You¡¯re a high rank mage despite being so young?¡±

    The two of them looked amazed.

    I nodded my head.

    ¡°I¡¯m still in the low stages of high ranking magic. I recently broke past 5th mana stage.¡±

    I was on the bridge between 5th and 6th grade mana stage.

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Hey, Byron. Maybe we¡¯ll need them for the quest.¡±

    The young woman with a bow behind her back patted his shoulder to get his attention. She had short blonde hair that was made into a ponytail. She was wearing clothes that focused more on agile movements.

    The guy was a muscular man with bulging muscles that could even be seen above his shirt. He had short black hair.

    He nodded.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. We¡¯re planning to take down a Hydra that¡¯s been going out of control after all.¡±

    ¡°A Hydra? Aren¡¯t they being protected by the continent¡¯s laws?¡±

    ¡°Yes but this one is different. It has been hunting the village people in the countryside.¡±

    ¡®This miasma is making the monsters go crazy.¡¯

    They are thought of very highly in the Draconic Kingdom so no one hunts them for their cores or materials. They are the cousins of dragon, after all. There existed many cousins of dragons and all of them are illegal to hunt. That meant that there were no Dragon Slayers in this world. You could be charged a hefty fine if you caught in a dragon¡¯s territory.

    ¡°The thing has been pulling people into the river and eating them. They say the attacks only occur at night.¡±

    ¡°Since they are S rank monsters, special preparation is needed for their subjugation.¡±

    The young woman spoke again.

    ¡°The say that it rules the labyrinth near Lonid.¡±

    Lonid referred to the city near Harz village. It¡¯s a city built near a labyrinth The city thrives on the income from the labyrinths built around its territory.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±

    ¡°Many adventurers are heading over there. There have been an increase of monster activity. They say the Red Abyss dungeon is preparing for the red hunt which happens every few decades. We want to hunt the Hydra before the Red Hunt begins..¡±

    During the red hunt, rare monsters could spawn inside dungeons. It could be anything between unicorns or griffons. The portals that spit them out were called red gates. As the name suggests, the portals were an ominous blood red. Due to high mana activity, gates would randomly pop up.

    ¡°We went to investigate and saw that it did indeed cause trouble for the locals. We¡¯re awaiting permission from the guild master to dispatch our team. The rest of our members are up there right now.¡±

    ¡°Those bastards are taking awfully long. Don¡¯t tell me they¡¯re going without us.¡±

    The woman stood up impatiently with a sour expression on her face and looked across the guild hall.

    ¡°Calm down, Brooklyn.¡±

    ¡°They better not be bailing otherwise I¡¯m burning down their houses. I¡¯m going to the bar. Fill them in on the details.¡±

    She walked past us and headed for the bar where those sweaty old men were drinking.

    Byron scratched his head with a sigh.

    ¡°Oh, dear... I¡¯ll have to carry her home again tonight. Sorry about my sister. She¡¯s a bit of a hot tempered gal but I assure you her archery is top notch. She never misses a kill.¡±

    ¡®Reminds me of someone.¡¯

    ¡°Does that mean we can join the team?¡±

    Miya asked excitedly.

    ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll schedule the raid once they arrive. I need all of us to come to a conclusion since the two of you are academy students.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for your consideration, mister Byron.¡±

    Miya and I stood up. It was already dark outside.

    He smiled.

    ¡°It¡¯s the least I can do to get two powerful mages in our team. We might even be able to complete the quest. I¡¯m actually glad that you came to us first.¡±

    Byron shook both of our hands.

    ¡°Come to the guild in four days. We¡¯re heading out this weekend.¡±

    He saw us off at the entrance.

    ¡°How do you feel after you bonding with the World Tree?¡±

    As Miya and I walked down the road, I spoke to her.

    ¡°My senses were heightened so that meant that my bonding was a success. Heat and Depth are finally responding to my calls. I even trained with them a bit. I¡¯m working on gaining the love of the Wind Lesser Monarch Spirit but that¡¯s going to be hard since she¡¯s so mysterious. She always runs away from me!¡±

    We arrived on a street devoid of any people. It was night-time already so many people were probably having dinner.

    ¡°Miya.¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    I grabbed her hand to which she reacted strongly.

    ¡°W-What are you doing!?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯ve been meaning to tell you for a long time.¡±

    ¡°!!!!¡±

    Her entire face flushed red as her eyes widened.

    ¡°S-Something you want to tell me...?¡±

    I nodded seriously.

    ¡°You¡¯re the only one I can tell this to. Please follow me.¡±

    ¡°....¡±

 Chapter 74: Soulmates

    I looked at the high elf princess walking next to me.

    Like nearly all others in fantasy books, elves are well-known due to their vast number of superhuman abilities. Those abilities include, keen senses such as sharper hearing and sight, even to the point of night vision, resting the mind and travel simultaneously, foresight, some kind of telepathy, power to control nature to some extent, such as summoning floods, and the power to conjure visions of the past. There are few elves that display this degree of power. Take Laura and Eredhel for example. The two of them had reached the peak of their race. I wasn¡¯t sure how strong Aldion¡ª Zefra¡¯s father¡ªwas. I could tell that he was very powerful judging by the fact that Skyrith said that the two of them were equally matched.

    I knew that I could never beat Skyrith. She was a multi-caster mage that could perform multiple high ranked comparable spells at once. I¡¯d like to point out the fact that not all elves are born with spirit magic. Skyrith and Eredhel were two of them.

    I hadn¡¯t come into contact with the king yet so I could only guess. Maybe I should spend some time with Miya¡¯s parents. They were nice enough to let me train under Skyrith after all.

    High elves are even more mysterious and wonderful creatures. They could even be called the perfect race. They live longer than normal light elves and have stronger magical affinity that involves spirit magic. They were basically powerful semi immortal mages. Only the royal bloodline was consisted of high elves. Miya¡¯s father was a normal elf but her mother was a high elf.

    Miya was one of the few that could summon Lesser Monarchs. Lesser Monarchs fall under True Monarch spirits. If Undine could control all the water in the world then lesser monarchs like Depth could control an ocean. This depends on if there¡¯s water nearby. Lesser monarch have limited skills so they cannot conjure the element out of nowhere like Ifrit and Undine.

    We came to a lake located near the kingdom walls. The guards gave us permission to leave but strictly told us to be back before midnight. That was when their shifts ended. If we didn¡¯t then he¡¯d report us to the academy.

    Being students of Graponia Academy had its perks. We could even get discounts at the expensive stores in Pira city¡¯s shopping district.

    ¡®Maybe I should invite Miya or Bridgette out next time.¡¯

    The two of them were the only ones I could invite. Damian was apparently too busy with training. I hadn¡¯t seen Nate in a while. Charlotte.... Well, our relationship was complicated at that moment.

    I began explaining my reason for bringing her here after sitting down at the edge of the lake. She sat right next to me.

    ¡°You know, Princess Miya...¡± I looked at the stars shining onto the surface of the lake. ¡°Ever since the first day we went on an adventure together, I noticed something.¡±

    Her gaze went all over the place while her face looked like steam was going to come out.

    ¡°The two of us were like soulmates.¡±

    ¡°S-Soul m-m-m-mates...!?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Perhaps it was this connection we shared. The connection through spirits.¡±

    Thousands of little lights flew around us and landed on our bodies. They played around with each other while laughing innocently. They bonded with our spiritual energy.

    I held out my finger, letting one to land on it.

    ¡°A connection far deeper than friends or acquaintances. It was something more. Something... special.¡±

    I looked into her green eyes and saw her beautiful hair being illuminated by the spirits. A myriad of colours shone on her face.

    It was like looking at an artist¡¯s masterpiece. I could never imagine a girl to be that beautiful.

    ¡°I knew right then that you were the one.¡±

    ¡°S-Saying something like that so out of the blue...¡±

    She covered her face.

    ¡°Please close your eyes, Miya.¡±

    ¡°O-Okay.¡±

    She closed her eyes and leaned close to me and puckered out her lips.

    ¡®What is she doing?¡¯

    -Come forth, Undine.

    ¡°Huh? Spirit Language?¡±

    Miya¡¯s eyes opened wide.

    The surface of the lake moved on its own and manifested a human form. A woman with blue skin and transparent hair walked out of the lake.

    She approached me and kneeled.

    ¡°You called, My King?¡±

    ¡°T-T-That¡¯s...!¡±

    Miya stood up in shock and pointed at Undine with shaking pupils.

    ¡°The Water Spirit Monarch!?¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Oh? A high elf? You wanted us to meet?¡±

    I smiled.

    ¡°Miya meet Undine. She¡¯s my contracted spirit.¡±

    ¡°H-How!?¡±

    She must not have seen my battle against Rolath¡¯s undead army. I sent Ifrit and Undine back since I had to cast Mass Exorcism. I didn¡¯t get the chance to make a contract with Ifrit so it would be difficult to summon him again unless I were in an area filled with fire.

    ¡°The answer to your question is quite simple: He had enough power to help me manifest in this world. In fact, Ifrit was also able to manifest for a short time. Since My King¡¯s spirit core is still incomplete, he can only have one monarch at a time.¡±

    Miya¡¯s eyes turned towards me. I could see shock and disbelief on her face. It was quite funny seeing her expressions change so much.

    ¡°Undine. Is it possible for me show Miya the core domain?¡±

    ¡°I believe it is. The two of you must synchronize your spirit mana with each other then I will send both of your consciousness into that plain.¡±

    ¡°That sounds easy.¡±

    ¡°Yes. It wouldn¡¯t be difficult for you two. All you have to do is put your foreheads together.¡±

    ¡°That¡­¡±

    Miya seemed hesitant about something. She scratched her arm before sighing.

    ¡°Okay! Since there¡¯s something you want to show me, I¡¯ll do it!¡±

    She brushed my bangs out of the way with a red face.

    When her forehead touched mine, I felt her warmth.

    After spirits gathered around us, I activated my spirit arm to regulate our mana together. Since I improved in my efficiency in spirit magic, I didn¡¯t need to concentrate to synchronize.

    Undine spoke.

    ¡°I will begin now.¡±

    She put her hand above our heads and then I felt my consciousness being sucked somewhere.

    ¡­

    ..

    .

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Miya looked around the pitch black space when we arrived.

    In the distance, I could see my two cores.

    ¡°This is my core domain.¡±

    I spread out my arms at the bewildered Miya.

    ¡°This¡­¡±

    She looked at my spirit core.

    ¡°Why does it look like this?¡±

    There was a purple aura surrounding my white spirit core. It was like the aura wanted to swallow my entire core.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. After the meeting with the Dryad Queen, it became like this.¡±

    The two cores were also closer than before. They were a meter apart from each other.

    ¡°Clyde¡­ if your core looks like that, doesn¡¯t that mean you¡¯re at the 8<sup>th</sup> stage already?¡±

    ¡°Yes. But as Undine said, my core is incomplete. She told me that my power might¡¯ve been sealed since I was born with this core. Maybe my body can¡¯t handle the real power of the core yet.¡±

    Miya looked at me.

    ¡°Clyde¡­ What are you?¡±

    I knew that she didn¡¯t meant anything hurtful by it. But what could I tell her? That I was blessed with this power by the one who reincarnated me?

    ¡°I¡¯m not the next Spirit King, that¡¯s for sure.¡±

    Maybe I was given this power for a different reason. I didn¡¯t want to take the responsibility of becoming such a great figure respected by the elves.

    I was rather afraid of taking such responsibility.

    ¡°I¡¯m definitely not like him even if I have this power.¡±

    I wasn¡¯t a hero. I was an ordinary academy student searching for his purpose in life. I was still growing.

    ¡°You¡¯re right. They shouldn¡¯t think of you as the Spirit King¡¯s descendant¡­ You¡¯re someone else entirely.¡±

    Miya had a small smile on her face.

    She touched the purple energy and looked at it closely.

    ¡°This is strange. Maybe it¡¯s impurities?¡±

    I shook my head.

    ¡°The purple energy feels like a foreign substance inside my body. No matter what I do I couldn¡¯t get it out of my body. Even now my meridians are free of any impurities.¡±

    I felt my consciousness fading.

    ¡°Ah, it seems that Undine can¡¯t hold this for too long.¡±

    The two of us were pulled out of my core domain.

    ...

    ¡°I apologize for my limited abilities.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Undine. I was able to show her at least.¡±

    I looked towards Miya and noticed the complicated look on her face.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Ah...¡± She looked like she realized something. ¡°I think it might¡¯ve been because of the Spirit Seed that Xantha planted within you.¡±

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°I heard that it¡¯s the will of the Spirit King. They said that it will help your spirit magic grow.¡±

    ¡°That was why master was able to sustain the ancient spirit power without combusting.¡±

    ¡°What!? People can explode if the power doesn¡¯t fit them!?¡±

    ¡®I seriously had that kind of dangerous power inside my body?¡¯

    ¡°This is why we protect the Dryad Queen. Not everyone can handle her power. Some tried forcibly taking her essence but ended up dying a meaningless death. But, despite being human, you were able to handle it. That was when we were certain...¡±

    Miya turned around as her hair fluttered. She raised her arm and pointed at me with her index finger.

    ¡°That you were the Spirit King¡¯s incarnation.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Miya made a small smiled and dusted herself.

    ¡°It¡¯s getting late.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for showing me the great Water Monarch. I¡¯m touched that you trust me this much.¡±

    I smiled.

    ¡°That¡¯s obvious. Like I said, we share a special connection after all.¡±

    ¡°D-Don¡¯t say it like that.¡±

    Undine chuckled behind me.

    ¡°I should get going then. It was wonderful meeting a high elf such as yourself, princess Miya Josaline Erwin Elca.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes. I am honoured to have met a great spirit such as yourself."

    Miya awkwardly bowed.

    ¡°Please call me when you need my assistance, master.¡±

    ¡°Ah, before you go.¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Can you talk to the Lesser Monarch of Wind? Miya can¡¯t seem to get the spirit to make a contract with her.¡±

    Undine sighed.

    ¡°She¡¯s a troublesome one. Okay. I¡¯ll deal with her.¡±

    Undine turned into water again and disappeared.

    ¡°Shall we go?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    After walking with Miya to her dorm, I came to my own room. My two roommates were already asleep by the time I got back. Their servants were nice enough to set my food aside.

    After I ate my dinner.

    ¡°Haaaa...¡±

    I sighed like an old man when I sprang onto my bed.

    When I infused mana into my arm, it glowed white. After a few seconds, water spirits started appearing in mid-air.

    Since I had some alone time, I figured that it would be perfect to continue training my proficiency in water magic.

    Since my spirits were masked with my arcane mana, no one would be able to sense them. That was the purpose of Skyrith¡¯s training back then. She taught me how to use spirit magic without alerting anyone.

    Using my arcane mana as a cover, I summoned over a thousand little water spirits. I started weaving them and creating different shapes and sizes.

    My heart felt heavy over the future events that may take place at any time and anywhere. The answer to my questions could only be answered by old me.

    Was Zero the only enemy in this world? I didn¡¯t really hear the full contents of what happened. The conference that happened a year ago refused to disclose any information.

    Maybe they were worried about the people¡¯s reaction. We managed to survive but at what cost? I could see that all of them looked dejected about something when they questioned us at the Sky Fortress.

    Even Erica told me that the atmosphere was weird back then.

    ¡®Someone far powerful than Zero must be ordering him.¡¯

    What happened during that fight? Why did the Order suddenly decide to enter the Red Abyss? During the Red Hunt, entering dungeons becomes dangerous for newbie adventurers. It will get even worse in S-rank Labyrinths. This was why so many adventurers were called to the HQ.

    Maybe it was futile but I wanted to hear what happened at least.

    ¡°It¡¯s scary not knowing what the future holds in store for us...¡±

    I dispersed the little spirits and turned off the magic lamp.

    ¡®I¡¯ll focus on the now for the time being...¡¯

    I chuckled as I remembered Miya¡¯s words.

    ¡°Incarnation, huh...¡±

 Chapter 75: Her intentions

    (CLYDE POV)

    ¡°Thank you for helping me, Clyde. I couldn¡¯t finish these on my own before the deadline tomorrow. The thesis is already halfway done.¡±

    In the Royal Academy¡¯s library.

    I decided to join Bridgette¡¯s study group after she sent me an invitation. Many students wanted to work with Bridgette but she rejected them all in order to work with me.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem. Let¡¯s both do our best this semester.¡±

    We took out our work and laid it on the big table in the middle of the library. Nate hadn¡¯t accepted the invitation yet so it was only the two of us. Damian clearly stated that he¡¯d study alone. He wasn¡¯t a mage per se since he could only conjure stuff. For that reason, he was better suited for the Conjurer special course of the Magic Tower.

    Bridgette frowned when she looked at the assignment.

    ¡°Writing our own magic thesis? Our professor is a little too crazy.¡±

    Bridgette mumbled.

    ¡°Well, she¡¯s the Head Mage so it¡¯s a given that her work is harder than the work of other professors. She comes up with her own teaching materials after all.¡±

    It hadn¡¯t even been a week since we returned to the academy but we already had to do so much. We received two assignments which were: A magic thesis and a spell recovery test.

    Since today was the fourth day of the week, and days are the same as it is on earth, if I took earth¡¯s calendar then today would be Thursday.

    The days in this world aren¡¯t named the same. Today would be ¡¶Blossoming Spring of the Blue Moon¡·. It¡¯s fairly lengthy but each of these names represented something important that had to do with history.

    ¡®Four days but we already did so many assignments worth our total yearly mark.¡¯

    I wasn¡¯t expecting it to be easy but still...

    Bridgette got full marks on all the assignments we received before while I got between seventy and eighty percent. That wasn¡¯t enough for me. I wanted to make Eleanor and George proud after all. They were ecstatic when I told them I would become the vice president later at the end of the year.

    The ceremony for that usually happens after the Joint Academy Dungeon Raid which happens during our last term.

    That is the time when the final year students also enter an apprenticeship to the program of their choice. Arielle would¡¯ve joined the Knight Corps if she graduated. Since she left the academy to pave her own path, that option was no longer available.

    I wasn¡¯t sure what Artoria would do, though. Will she become the ninth seat of the White Order after all?

    ¡®Man, now I feel bad for ignoring her for this long.¡¯

    They were still keeping her under custody at the Sky Fortress. It was unknown when she¡¯d be able to leave. I wanted to see her and apologize.

    ¡®What should my answer be to her confession...¡¯

    We were lovers in her previous lives. It seemed she had hope that I¡¯d accept her again.

    ¡°Something on your mind?¡±

    Bridgette¡¯s voice shook me out of my daze.

    I shook my head.

    ¡°Just sorting out my thoughts. Anyways, where do we begin?¡±

    ¡°Ah, right. I wanted your help on this Magic Law. Since we managed to get everything else out of the way, we can focus on the thesis for now.¡±

    She pointed at a page in the textbook.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be too hard if we put our heads together.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Then first¨C¡°

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    (Bridgette POV)

    The time passed by as the two of us sat in the middle of the library engaged in our work. Since we were students busy with important work, the librarian didn¡¯t mind giving us time to work in peace.

    ¡®I heard that he was smart but I didn¡¯t expect him to be this smart.¡¯

    I thought to myself while the two of us were immersed in our work. He was able to accurately answer all the questions Professor Viria gave us. There were even some trick questions meant for final year students that he was able to answer, although he didn¡¯t get all of them correct. The fact that he was able to answer a few was amazing enough as it is.

    After the two of us were finished with our writing work, we moved on to the practical work. That involved testing ancient magic spells in groups. Our professors gave us the instructions in perfecting the spells.

    Since ancient magic comes from the era of the United Empire, it had many mysteries undiscovered. Professor Viria wanted all of us to fix one ancient magic spell on our own for this assignment.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Although I came from a magician family in Magic Empire hailed as the nation of magic, even I found the work hard. Why did Viria give us such difficult work? I was sure that the other third year classes didn¡¯t go through the same things we did.

    ¡°Are you ready? I¡¯m going to chant it.¡±

    Clyde spoke to me as he held his hands above the scroll. He would use his mana to fuel the spell¡¯s manifestation while I use my own mana to fire the spell.

    We had to divide the work like that between the two of us. After not sleeping for two nights we were finally able to perfect the ancient spell.

    ¡°-----¡±

    Clyde chanted the magic in ancient tongue while reading it from the instruction manual.

    Purple lights flickered above the scroll.

    ¡°It¡¯s working!?¡±

    A few seconds later it manifested.

    A purple flame was above my hands. It was far stronger than normal fireballs. I could tell from the intense heat being emitted.

    We came to the academy¡¯s training grounds after we started our practical assignment. There wasn¡¯t a worry of damaging academy property since advanced class defensive magic protected the training room.

    ¡°I¡¯m firing it now. Brace yourself.¡±

    The purple flame burned more intensely as I aimed it at the target.

    ¡®He does indeed have a lot of mana...¡¯

    He had to constantly supply mana from my side as I aimed the spell. I could only see a few droplets of sweat forming on his forehead. Ancient magic spells were known for their large mana usage so there always had to be five or more people if they wanted to cast a spell.

    But Clyde and I were enough given the fact that we had the most mana in the academy.

    The spell was finally complete.

    I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

    ¡°[Blaze]!¡±

    WHOOSH...!

    The spell shot out. Due to the power behind its burst, I was thrown onto the ground.

    The fireball lit up the darkened academy grounds as it flew.

    BOOM...!

    The target was absolutely destroyed when the spell hit it. Since there were mana crystals floating nearby, the excess mana began repairing the destroyed ground.

    ¡°We did it.¡±

    I fell down on the ground out of breath. I unbuttoned my robe uniform to let some air in.

    ¡°Phew. Viria said that she¡¯d give those who score the highest something special, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I wonder what it could be?¡±

    She announced this in the note that came with the assignment. The students in the top ten were apparently in for a treat.

    That was why I sought Clyde¡¯s help to pass this assignment. I couldn¡¯t contain my excitement and hugged him.

    ¡°Thank you so much!¡±

    Without him I wouldn¡¯t have been able pass like this. This was my first step to taking Viria¡¯s title.

    ¡°Y-Yeah. Anyway, it¡¯s getting late.¡± He looked at the darkening sky. ¡°I should head back. My roommates might annoy me to no end if I don¡¯t go back by dinner time.¡±

    ¡°Ah, right. Thank you for today once again. I¡¯ll take you out for cake sometime. A new shop opened up near the shopping district.¡±

    The two of us walked the path towards the dorm houses. There were multiple on each of our sides.

    ¡°Do you have any intention of becoming the Head Mage?¡±

    ¡°Hm? That¡¯s a strange question to ask so out of the blue.¡±

    ¡°I know but... I¡¯m curious.¡±

    ¡®If he wants to become the Head Mage then is he my rival?¡¯

    The only reason I came to the Kingdom of Colchis was because I wanted to get into contact with the Head Mage. I wanted to learn from her and improve my magic. Once I graduate I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to take the title of Head Mage from Viria.

    Clyde laughed as if finding my question funny.

    ¡°W-What?¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing. No. I don¡¯t have any intention whatsoever of becoming the Mage Association¡¯s lap dog. Do you want to become the Head Mage?¡±

    I nodded.

    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t need to worry about me. I¡¯m still unsure of what I¡¯ll do in the future besides becoming the head of the Bentinck family. Maybe I¡¯ll live a slow life and do adventuring in my free time?¡±

    ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re just lazy to do anything serious.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha. You got me. I¡¯m not interested in anything at the moment, though.¡±

    We arrived under a lamp pole. The entire academy was silent since it was already night. We walked past a few students who were doing their own things but all in all it was a quiet night.

    ¡°Be confident when you hand in our work. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll succeed.¡±

    He said with a bright smile.

    ¡°Yeah. Um... Same time, same place next week?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going dungeon raiding this weekend so I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll be able to make it at the start of the week. I might be too exhausted to even come to class.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re racking up experience in dungeon raiding?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Anyway, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow in class .¡± He shouted one last line before disappearing into the darkness. ¡°Don¡¯t lose our work!¡±

    I clutched the assignments in my arms before going back to my dorm room.

    When I got there, a young woman with dark blue hair in a maid uniform greeted me.

    Rebecca, my personal maid. She travelled with me to the kingdom back when I first enrolled.

    ¡°How was your studying session with your classmate?¡±

    She took off my robe and asked.

    ¡°I was able to find out a lot of things about Clyde Astley. The intel we received about the students were a little off.¡±

    ¡®He was far more capable than what the documents stated.¡¯

    Before I enrolled to the academy, I had one of my agents get intel from the Magic Tower. This was so that I could find any talented individuals and form relationships with them. They would be important for my future after all.

    The future where I become the Head Mage.

    As they say, the future leaders were born right at the Graponia Royal Academy.

    ¡°What are your plans, young lady?¡±

    Rebecca casually asked.

    ¡°Hmm... I¡¯ll need to get closer to this Clyde Astley. He showed no interest in becoming affiliated with the Magic Association. I heard he already had a wife but could seduction still work?¡±

    I had to make him a part of my plans. His skills will become necessary.

    Rebecca silently looked at me as she put down my plate.

    ¡°I need to look after my appearance better. I heard that Clyde is quite the prince charming. A lot of academy girls flirt with him because of his feminine features. Maybe he¡¯s interested in having multiple wives?¡±

    ¡°You are truly vicious, young lady.¡±

    ¡°I have to do this to get closer to him. Something tells me that he is hiding far more than what he shows on the surface. By the way, how is the development of our plan coming along?¡±

    ¡°...The workers are being put under too much pressure so some of them collapsed. We were able to produce less than a hundred scrolls.¡±

    ¡°Tch. Bring in new ones then. You know our future relies on this.¡±

    I stole formulas from the Magic Tower in our empire and decided to mass produce the spells in this kingdom and spread it throughout the continent. The Magic Empire had many spells that weren¡¯t known to the rest of the world. There were some truly spectacular spells among the ones I stole using my family¡¯s influence.

    All the workers had to do was draw the magic circles. It was as simple as that.

    If I succeed then my reputation will drastically rise.

    ¡°Young lady, this...¡±

    Rebecca sighed as she looked at me.

    ¡°I will head to the slums tomorrow to find new people.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    I began eating my dinner.

    I had to get in contact with this Erica girl as well so I had to write a letter to her.

    This Erica girl who scored full marks in one of the hardest exams in history was much more mysterious than Clyde Astley. I was sure that she¡¯d be an even harder opponent.

    I could already see myself wearing the robe designed specially for the Head Mage.

    ¡®One day, Bridgette. One day...¡¯

 Chapter 76: Her secret

    (CLYDE ASTLEY POV)

    I prepared myself to go to class after I finished my breakfast.

    I was kind of nervous about what Viria would say about our work. The magic thesis was my biggest worry. I did my research that we had to study before completing the thesis but I was still anxious. I wanted to get full marks in my work just like Bridgette.

    Although comparing myself to her was blasphemous itself. I just had to do what my limits allowed me to do. Bridgette was only inferior to me in magic. When it came to actual academic work, she beats me by a mile. She¡¯d score full marks on each and every test. This had been going on ever since she came to the academy two years ago. The Mage Tower sent her recommendations throughout the three years she¡¯d been here.

    It was decided that Bridgette would be one of the candidates for the next student council president. That meant that Charlotte had competition. This was the academy so that wasn¡¯t rare between students. The two of us might just work together in the future as well. Although I didn¡¯t want to stand out, after that meeting with Victoria, I had no choice but to truly work hard to pass the year.

    My mother and father was expecting me to make them proud. Since I had a family that adored and loved me I would do whatever it takes to fulfil their expectations of me.

    ¡®Instead of being an idiot and trying to cast god rank magic like last time, I should take it slow.¡¯

    I was still a child after all. I had a long life ahead of me. Although I wasn¡¯t interested in becoming an official under the Mage Tower, there were other jobs that needed the skills of a mage. Like alchemy and magic stores.

    I could help alchemists with imbuing mana into catalysts and in their research. You didn¡¯t really need an alchemist class to work in an alchemist store. All that was necessary was having knowledge in magic and science.

    Who knows? Maybe I¡¯ll enlist into the Magic Empire¡¯s academy and become Jacob¡¯s assistant.

    ¡®But the problem with that is that it¡¯s too far.¡¯

    Plus, I wanted to work at a place that was near my family.

    The Magic empire was on the southern side of the continent on the very edge of the continental border. What separated the Magic Empire from the continental border were many mana rich environments like Ice Fields, Volcanoes and areas covered in water.

    Here comes the scary part. Past those dangerous mana environments lies the Demon Continent. That was the continent that the demon lords rule. We had minimal information regarding the demon lords. It was a relief that the demon lords weren¡¯t psychos that invade human nations just because they hate humanity.

    Wasn¡¯t it a common trope in isekai for demon lords to be the main villains? That said, the demon lords are almost on the same level as the dragon lords so they were the mini bosses. Rodion was their ruler so he would¡¯ve classified as the main boss.

    Near the Magic Empire lies the Draconic Kingdom that Edna went to. The Ancient Dragon, Fafnir protects the kingdom from other nations invading them.

    The Kingdom of Colchis lies on the Northern side of the map. We lay between the Beastkin Dominion and the Elca Kingdom. The three nations are neighbours with the Kingdom of Dwarves. The dwarves lived underground and rarely interact with us humans. I heard that it¡¯s hard to even request a blacksmith from that kingdom.

    As described in most fantasy books, dwarves had the most dexterous hands out of all the races on the continent. Human blacksmiths existed but their skills didn¡¯t match the craftsmanship of a dwarf¡¯s hands.

    By the way, the Hermit Sage collection staff and magic gloves that I currently had was crafted by a famous dwarf called Dallar. He was one of the few dwarves to be born with magical power.

    It wouldn¡¯t be bad to put in a request for new equipment. That was if they allowed a human near their kingdom. There weren¡¯t really any dwarves in our kingdom. None that I knew of anyway.

    After I finished with my preparations, I left the dorm house.

    Everyone was running towards the third year building. This was because Viria announced that she¡¯d be giving a special reward to those who passed with flying colours. Besides the third years, the other grades were also interested in knowing what the reward was.

    It was a reward given by the Head Mage after all. It was bound to be something ground-breaking.

    As I walked past the first year classes, I saw something at the academy gates.

    ¡®Why are there so many students?¡¯

    There were many of the juniors surrounding a white carriage which I could see from where I stood. I sent mana into my eyes and saw a golden lion insignia on the back of the carriage.

    ¡°Oh! You¡¯re here!¡±

    A voice called out to me.

    ¡°Ah, miss Bridgette.¡±

    ¡°Hello. I turned in the work earlier this morning at 5am before the students headed to class. Professor Viria said that she¡¯d make our work mark priority after all.¡±

    The two of us walked down the corridor while hearing the noise coming from the gates.

    I asked Bridgette the question on my mind.

    ¡°Do you know who owns that fancy carriage standing by the gates?¡±

    The two of us were standing on a bridge that connected two buildings.

    I pointed to the carriage. Students were swarming the person that was walking towards the academy.

    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s the prince from the Sky Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°The Sky Kingdom?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s transferring as a fifth year.¡±

    ¡®Isn¡¯t that nation on the other side of the world?¡¯

    They were a nation located on the other continent. Their kingdom was a literal humungous flying island. They were the ones who came up with airships that occasionally fly over our kingdom.

    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the crown prince.¡±

    Bridgette repeated her words with emphasis on the word crown.

    ¡°...¡±

    I saw a handsome young man with blonde hair walking out of the crowd. There were three other young men walking behind him as well. Maybe I repeated this word too much. All of them were handsome young men. It was like seeing idols walk through those gates.

    ¡°Why is the crown prince here?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because the birthday party of His Majesty is happening in a few weeks.¡±

    ¡®Oh, right. The king¡¯s birthday party.¡¯

    Many officials from all over the continent would come to this kingdom to celebrate. That wasn¡¯t all there was to it. The king wanted to celebrate his first wife¡¯s recovery as well. The Divine Elixir seemed to have worked.

    The Holy Kingdom, the Dominion and even the Elca Kingdom¡¯s royal family will attend. Melodia was a great figure of the continent after all.

    ¡°Rumour has it that the crown prince will propose to Her Highness, Charlotte.¡±

    I almost laughed.

    ¡®Good luck to you, man. She won¡¯t accept.¡¯

    ¡°Let¡¯s get to class.¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Morning everyone.¡±

    Professor Viria came through the door as the students were getting noisy.

    She had a bright smile on her face.

    ¡°Let me announce what this mysterious reward will be to the top students.¡±

    Everyone sat on the edge of their seats.

    ¡°I am considering a successor to my title.¡±

    Everyone gulped.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    ¡°I will tell all of you now instead of waiting for the official announcement.¡±

    Viria¡¯s eyes sharpened as if she recalled something unpleasant.

    ¡°The enemies we faced were on the level of the Great Sage and Alucard. One of them was an extremely powerful magic caster while the other one was in a class past Master Rank.¡± Viria held up her hand. ¡°Before asking questions, let me finish speaking.¡±

    Those who raised their hands lowered it after what Viria said.

    ¡®Someone on the level of the Great Sage and Alucard?¡¯You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    Anyone with access to the library knew the legends of those two. Odette was a magic caster that was able to destroy armies with her diverse range of spells. What made her dangerous wasn¡¯t her mastery in magic alone; it was her near infinite pool of mana.

    They say that she was able to last four days against armies on the battlefield before her core could overheat itself. When your core overheats, your body blocks off your pores and restricts any mana from entering your core. This is to prevent combustion caused by using too much magic.

    It was said that the Great Sage died due to that but it was unknown if it was actually the truth.

    As for Alucard, well... He was known as the Light Hero who wielded the legendary king¡¯s sword, Excalibur. He was the one who taught many in the past a swordsmanship that was still used today. The ¡¶Light Dance¡·style is what it¡¯s called. The academy still teaches the style but there had never been a person who was able to learn it at all. Not even Iris, who was known to be the strongest swordsman in the kingdom could learn it.

    Only by using the power of light will you be able to use the sword style.

    Alucard was also the only swordsman in existence to be born with divinity.

    ¡®Now that she mentioned those two, was one of them the presence I felt back then at Charlotte¡¯s birthday party?¡¯

    I still remembered that gaze that seemed to look down on all of humanity from his seat. I couldn¡¯t see him but I knew he was there.

    That overwhelming aura was the proof of that.

    ¡°It¡¯s known by many by now already but we have recently lost to a strong opponent so I feel like my duties as a member of the White Order is much more important at the moment. That is why I am looking for a successor. What better place to start than at the academy?¡±

    She walked to the student sitting at the front desk and looked up at all of our faces. She made a small smile when her eyes met mine.

    ¡°Since that is the case, I will pick the candidates from the top students of my classes.¡±

    The students began whispering.

    ¡°She¡¯s giving up her seat at the Mage Association?¡±

    ¡°Who would be good enough to even succeed her?¡±

    ¡°There are multiple talented people at the academy besides the ones in our class.¡±

    ¡°I hope it¡¯s not that Clyde bastard. Look at him looking smug. It¡¯s like he knows he¡¯ll pass.¡±

    ¡°Miss Bridgette is better than that commoner though.¡±

    ¡®Ugh... I can hear all of you.¡¯

    I decided to let it go. They weren¡¯t worth paying attention to.

    I looked to my desk mate. Bridgette¡¯s eyes and mouth were wide open.

    This was her dream after all.

    ¡°I teach third up until the final year students so I gave all of you a test. That test was the ancient magic project. So far, only four groups have managed to give satisfactory results. But only one was able to truly exceed my expectations.¡±

    ¡®She already graded our work? That¡¯s amazing.¡¯

    Viria could identify the effect of a spell just by glancing at its runic patterns. She was that good. It wasn¡¯t surprising that she was able to grade our work in a few hours.

    ¡°Out of those individuals, I will pick only ten to receive tuition under my master.¡±

    ¡®Her master?¡¯

    Viria , who was the greatest mage of this century was bound to have a master but it was unknown who this person was. She had never made it public who taught her magic.

    I won¡¯t lie, I was looking forward to finding out as well.

    ¡°I will undergo a rune ascension as announced in the official article we released. It is now the perfect time for us to enter the Red Abyss since we are starting training in a few months. Eredhel returned to inform us that there were no threats that would need our attention in the dungeon. I won¡¯t have time to teach all of you but this is why my master has visited the academy for this very reason.¡±

    She flicked her wand, causing a piece of paper to fly towards her from her desk.

    ¡°When I call your name, come to the front.¡±

    Bridgette and I made eye contact. She also had a confused expression on her face.

    ¡°Bridgette von Bathurst.¡±

    Her eyes opened wide when her name was called.

    ¡®As expected of a genius.¡¯

    The one who was called was still frozen in her chair.

    ¡°Miss Bridgette.¡±

    I shook her shoulders.

    ¡°Ah, yes!¡±

    She hurriedly stood up.

    ¡°Marcus Wesley.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    An excited voice answered her. I saw a boy with elf ears go towards the front. He was a half elf from the Elca Kingdom who migrated here with his family. They were a fairly famous family of mages. His specialty is fire magic. He was actually better than me in fire magic.

    The two of us hadn¡¯t talked much before in the past even though we had been classmates for two years now.

    He stood there with a proud grin on his face as he played with his green hair.

    His expression seemed to say: ¡°As expected of this great me!¡±.

    ¡°Next. Clyde Astley.¡±

    ¡°...Ah.¡±

    Although I didn¡¯t want the title, this was my chance to learn magic from the master of the Head Mage. Naturally I wouldn¡¯t let this opportunity pass me by.

    ¡°Yes...¡±

    I stood up from my seat and headed down.

    ¡°And finally Isabel Capell.¡±

    ¡°Coming!¡±

    Isabel ran towards the front with a hum.

    ¡°The other classes student have already been instructed on what to do before I came here. Out of the five that I chose out of the other classes, some refused my reward like princess Miya which is a let-down. Anyway, please follow me.¡±

    She pointed at the door.

    ¡°W-Wait! Professor! What about our group!?¡±

    A familiar voice interrupted Viria.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    I could see Nate coming into the classroom. His entire appearance was unkempt. His eyes were half closed as if he hadn¡¯t slept in days. He was also wearing clothes I saw him wear on Tuesday¡¾Birth of a Nameless Star¡¿.

    ¡°Y-You said that If I was able to produce satisfactory results after our first failed attempt then I¡¯d pass!¡±

    He took out a scroll from his storage bag.

    ¡°Look!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Viria opened up the scroll. I peeked at it from the side.

    It wasn¡¯t even a second later that she tore the scroll after checking its contents.

    ¡°What are you doing, you bitch!? Ah! Our research!¡±

    ¡°Doping is not allowed.¡±

    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t...!¡±

    ¡°Do not act innocent with me. I can see it in your eyes.¡±

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    His eyes were bloodshot. There were purple veins on his eyelids.

    ¡®No way... Nate seriously doped?¡¯

    Doping meant using drugs to forcibly pump your core full of mana. It¡¯s fairly expensive at five gold a bottle but it¡¯s effective.

    These things were commonly used by adventurers if they didn¡¯t have enough mana for quests. This was fine since they were free from any laws of the tower but for a mage division student of the academy... it was disgraceful.

    ¡°Gyahaha! You seriously doped yourself? Are you that much of a trash that you can¡¯t even use your own abilities!? Aren¡¯t you the son of the great Dragon-Human?¡±

    Marcus laughed mockingly.

    ¡°Oh, god! I¡¯m going to die laughing like this!¡±

    ¡°I-I...!¡±

    Nate tried to explain himself as he picked up the pieces on the ground.

    I silently walked towards him and tried helping him pick it up.

    ¡®Maybe if I used Restoration magic...¡¯

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch it!¡±

    He smacked away my hand.

    ¡°N-Nate?¡±

    ¡°Get the fuck away!¡± Nate violently shoved me aside. ¡°I fucking hate you, you arrogant bastard!¡±

    ¡°H-Hey calm down.¡±

    ¡°SHUT UP! SHUT UP!¡±

    Nate screamed his lungs out when I tried to approach him.

    The classroom was filled with silence as everyone looked at him in disbelief.

    ¡°Nate Alexander. I think it¡¯s best if you leave for today. Take a few days off. That is not a suggestion but an order. I will contact your mother and tell her of this.¡±

    ¡°...I...¡±

    Tears streamed down his eyes.

    ¡°Go.¡±

    The two who were standing behind him helped him up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°....."

    They silently took him out of the classroom.

    ¡®What the hell is up with him?¡¯

    I heard Viria sigh.

    ¡°Now that that¡¯s over, please follow me. We need to hurry before homeroom starts.¡±

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    Viria led us up to the tallest building of the academy.

    The Academy Laboratory. It was the building where the top scholars gather to share their ideas, create new spells or do projects together.

    Today it seemed empty as we walked the halls.

    ¡°She is a very old woman so pay attention to your manners. Especially you, Marcus.¡±

    Marcus harrumphed and turned his head away from Viria when she looked at him.

    ¡°Everyone seems to have already gathered.¡±

    There were multiple people standing outside the classroom when we approached.

    ¡°Ah, professor!¡±

    An assistant teacher came towards Viria.

    ¡°Penelope, is this everyone?¡±

    Besides the ten of us who were students, there were other people who were wearing mage uniforms. They must¡¯ve been observers.

    ¡°Y-yes. We¡¯ve been knocking for a while now but Lady Viria¡¯s master isn¡¯t opening up.¡±

    Viria sighed.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go in for now. Maybe she was waiting for everyone.¡±

    We walked with the assistant towards the large wooden door of the academy¡¯s lab.

    All of them turned to Viria when she approached.

    ¡°Lady Viria!¡±

    ¡°Professor!¡±

    ¡°Hello, everyone.¡± Viria smiled. ¡°I hope all of you are doing good this morning. Anyway, I¡¯ll see if she¡¯s okay.¡±

    After she said that, she opened the door without knocking and closed it again.

    ¡°Will your friend be okay?¡±

    Bridgette came up to me and asked a question.

    ¡°You mean Nate?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. He was acting a bit too hysterical. Maybe it was the drug?¡±

    ¡°Haa... I wonder what his father will do when he finds out about this. News spreads quick in the academy after all. I¡¯m sure by lunch break that the whole city district will know.¡±

    Students were allowed to leave the academy premises if they wanted to head to a caf¨¦ or eat at a restaurant. This was allowed if they didn¡¯t like the cafeteria. Students from other schools also meet with students of our academy. It wouldn¡¯t be long before the news reached Nate¡¯s father. His siblings were also students here.

    The Dragon-Human, Leonard Alexander was said to be a strict father. It was obvious how much he¡¯d punish Nate once he found out about him doping. Leonard might not care about his son, but he¡¯ll undoubtedly give a harsh punishment to Nate for embarrassing his family name.

    That Leonard Alexander¡¯s youngest son  used drugs just so he could pass a project at the academy.

    It wouldn¡¯t look good for their family once people found out about this. Nate might even get kicked out of the family. The only reason he was still an Alexander was because of his mother.

    ¡®Why did he say he hated me...?¡¯

    It was a heavy blow coming from a friend of mine. Sure, we didn¡¯t interact much after my journey to the Elca Kingdom but I still considered him a friend. We survived the Divide together after all.

    ¡®Should I visit him to ask him what¡¯s wrong?¡¯

    Viria¡¯s head peeked out when the door opened.

    ¡°Please come inside. Sorry for taking so long.¡±

    The doors opened revealing a plethora of books behind her on the ground. There were things scattered everywhere.

    ¡°Please browse around if you would like to while I fetch my master.¡±

    Viria disappeared into a room on the left side of the lab.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    I suddenly saw something strange. Those threads that I saw from the puppet¡¯s body was leading somewhere. They were similar to hair strands back when I first saw them but now they were as thick as ropes. I followed the blue threads and ended up going up the stairs...

    I saw a young girl of maybe 14 years of age sitting on a chair while writing something down.

    She looked like a middle schooler but her chest was as flat as cutting board.

    She had long blue hair and bright blue eyes. Judging by the multiple wrappers of food, she¡¯d been there a while.

    ¡®Viria?¡¯

    There was no doubt in my mind that she was the real Viria. The mana threads were connected to her body after all.

    She suddenly sensed movement and turned towards me.

    ¡°W-What are you doing back here!?¡±

    The book she read fell as she stood up from the chair.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for the toilet...¡±

    I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the mana threads.

    ¡°O-Oh! I-If that¡¯s the case. Please follow me then!¡±

    She coughed awkwardly and walked past me.

    ¡°By the way, do you work here?¡±

    She almost fell when I asked that question.

    ¡°Y-Yes. I¡¯m an assistant professor. My name is Naomi. I¡¯ll be helping miss Ingrid for the time being. Y-You¡¯re one of the students chosen as a candidate right?¡±

    ¡°Hm... I see. And yes. My name is Clyde Astley. I¡¯m a third year.¡±

    ¡®What kind of assistant reads the Great Sage¡¯s books without permission?¡¯

    To be able to read any of the Great Sage¡¯s books or diaries, you¡¯d have to be at least an elite of the Mage Tower or a six star mage. That book Solphia gave me when I visited her residence was one of the book written by Odette in the past. Since Solphia was an elite mage in her younger years, she had the book gathering dust in her house.

    I saw her stealthily weave the mana threads while guiding me. She must¡¯ve been directing the puppet.

    I already knew she was lying. Those threads made it obvious.

    ¡°Clyde.¡±

    While I was following the girl, a voice called out to me.

    ¡®I knew it.¡¯

    ¡°L-Lady Viria?¡±

    Fake Viria stood there with a glare on her face. She lowered her glasses.

    ¡°The third floor is restricted to students. Get back down there. Why didn¡¯t you tell him this, Naomi?¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Lady Viria!¡±

    ¡®This timing is weird. You¡¯re really making it obvious, Viria. Your acting also sucks.¡¯

    I decided to play along with her game.

    ¡®Maybe her real body can¡¯t hold mana? Or could it be that she likes to be a shut-in?¡¯

    Maybe there was another, much darker secret to why she was using a clone. Like she might¡¯ve been holding a power within her real body that could¡¯ve potentially wipe out this entire kingdom so she chose to use puppets to divide her power.

    ¡®Maybe I¡¯m thinking too much about this. I should stop reading fiction so much.¡¯

    Viria tightly held my shoulder after she grabbed me.

    ¡°Stay away from the third floor, understand?¡±

    ¡°Yes...¡±

    The two of us walked back down. I heard a sigh of relief come from the real body.

 Chapter 76.1

    Intermission: Brielle¡¯s day

    (Brielle POV)

    ¡°Have you finished with the washing yet?¡±

    While I was spacing out, a voice came from my side.

    ¡°M-Ma¡¯am?¡±

    I was so distracted that I almost cut myself with the knife I was eating an apple with. Since I was on break, I decided to come to the backyard to observe the horizon. Plus, it was peaceful where I sat. Now I knew why Clyde always came to sit near that tree. I was too relaxed to even want to go back to work.

    ¡°I-I haven¡¯t gotten to that yet.¡±

    ¡°Hmmm~? And yet you¡¯re sitting here enjoying the afternoon sun?¡±

    Miss Eleanor¡¯s gaze sharpened as she looked at me.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll get started on it after I¡¯m done.¡±

    ¡°No. Instead, come with me. I have to go do some shopping in Hurge city. Diane will be coming any moment now.¡±

    ¡°Shopping? For what purpose?¡±

    ¡°Since Clyde¡¯s 15<sup>th</sup> birthday is on the way, I want to order a cake for him. I want you to help me pick something for him. I don¡¯t even know what kind of suit to get him either.¡±

    Birthday cakes are very expensive because of how much sugar costs. The cheapest ranged from ten gold. Not only are they expensive, the waiting lists were also extremely long. You need influence and good connections to be able to receive an exception.

    ¡®I see. So this is why the young lady is coming along.¡¯

    ¡°Ah, I know what to get him but... Shouldn¡¯t we wait until he comes back?¡±

    Miss Eleanor shook her head.

    ¡°My boy is very busy at the moment.  Besides, he shouldn¡¯t know of what I¡¯m buying him. Also, Brielle...¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    Miss Eleanor¡¯s sudden tone of voice startled me. She had a dark look on her face.

    ¡°He said that he had to take care of something before he can come visit the village again...You know what that means, right?¡±

    ¡°....¡±

    I frowned.

    ¡®He¡¯s really going through with it?¡¯

    We had a conversation back then in his room.

    I¡¯m going to the Minerva household. I¡¯m going to show Zelda what I felt after losing something precious to my life.

    I couldn¡¯t believe my ears. The words he uttered and the expression on his face. It...wasn¡¯t like him at all. I felt scared.

    Brielle, don¡¯t stop me.

    I couldn¡¯t forget that look on his face as he clenched his fists as if he was going to hit someone. His expression and his tone of voice was all I needed to see to know how he must¡¯ve felt.

    Pain and absolute anger.

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°¡ªBrie?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°Why are you dazing off while I¡¯m speaking? Did you hear what I said?¡±

    ¡°Ah...¡±

    ¡°Geez, Brie. Go change into casual clothes. As you can see, I¡¯m already done.¡±

    She was wearing a flower print sundress instead of her usual clothes. This was the first time in a while that I¡¯d seen her wearing clothes like that.

    ¡°Ah, yes. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± I stopped when I was about to go inside. ¡°By the way, ma¡¯am...¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Hm? Is something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Have you managed to contact Annette yet?¡±

    Eleanor frowned at my question.

    ¡°Well...¡± she smiled wryly. ¡°I sent a letter to the orphanage to deliver it to her but...¡±

    ¡°She hasn¡¯t replied back yet?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°What did I expect, honestly... They¡¯re no more than strangers even if they are siblings.¡±

    ¡®It seems that Annette won¡¯t come to Clyde¡¯s age of coming.¡¯

    To a child, their age of coming ceremony is one of the biggest moments in their lives. They become real adults when they reach that age. I could understand that miss Arielle wouldn¡¯t be able to come but it was a shame that Annette wasn¡¯t interested. She could at least make up for not spending time with them when they grew up.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try and send another letter. Maybe the orphanage didn¡¯t get the letter I sent last time.¡±

    ¡°Ma¡¯am...¡±

    I could see that she was acting strong. Her quivering lips and twitching eyes told me that she wanted to cry.

    I already heard about the fact that they had to abandon their child at an orphanage in their home nation, the Holy Kingdom. The two were still na?ve kids that didn¡¯t know how the world worked so I could understand their choice.

    A couple of children couldn¡¯t be parents to a child. They didn¡¯t have stable income or a suitable place to live. As far as I remember from what she told me, Earl Mason was the one who took them in after his son saw George¡¯s skills on the battlefield. He was able to protect his lover while crossing such a dangerous place.

    ¡°...I¡¯ll be with you in a bit, ma¡¯am.¡±

    I couldn¡¯t look at her face anymore. It pained me every time I see her hurtful expression.

    ¡°Okay...¡±

    ¡ó¡ô

    ¡°Come now, children!¡±

    When we boarded the carriage, two little girls of seven years of age ran towards us.

    ¡°We¡¯ll buy your big brother the best cake he could ask for, okay?¡±

    ¡°Yees~!¡±

    Jessica gave an energetic reply. If I had to describe the two sisters. Chloe was the shy and timid type while Jessica was the cheerful and extrovert type. Even at such a young age, she made many friends with the village children. She was extremely sociable and outgoing. She was also extremely intelligent at such a young age.

    As for Chloe, she recently started casting magic on her own. Her mother wanted to let a tutor come teach her magic but she refused. She wanted her big brother to teach her magic. He was apparently far better than an average teacher of a magic school.

    She had been showing strange behaviours ever since a while ago. She would always sleep in Clyde¡¯s bed and wear his old clothes. We treated it as nothing but a child¡¯s habits. She¡¯d grow out of it eventually.

    I could see a girl with dark brown hair and a casual dress walking towards us. She was being brought on horseback by a female knight. It was Clyde¡¯s future wife.

    Diane Fasia Bentinck.

    ¡°Hello, mother-in-law.¡±

    She bowed when she stood outside the carriage.

    ¡°Come in, dear. We¡¯re about to head out.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    She sat down next to me and greeted me with a nod.

    ¡°My father said that since our mansion  in the countryside is too small, we have to hold the event in the capital manor.¡±

    ¡°Ah...A lot of the villagers were looking forward to coming.¡±

    ¡°Do not worry about that. We will allow entry to them as they are family friends. Since many nobles would come along, I fear that they will feel uncomfortable being at the party.¡± Diane looked at our outfits. ¡°Where are we going first?¡±

    ¡°Ah, we¡¯ll be going to the bakery to order a large cake first.¡±

    ¡°Cake?¡±

    Diane frowned.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t like them?¡±

    She nodded expressionlessly and added on with a monotonous voice.

    ¡°I hate sweet things in general.¡±

    Eh...

    ¡°I-I see. It seems you and Clyde won¡¯t get along in a lot of ways. He¡¯s a massive sweet tooth after all. Anyway, I wanted to know your opinion on something.¡±

    ¡°Please do continue.¡±

    Diane said with a small smile and crossed her legs.

    Miss Eleanor glanced at Jessica.

    ¡°I was wondering if there¡¯s a spot open in your clothing store. Like for an assistant. Jessica has been nagging at us that she wants to work in your shop.¡±

    ¡°A spot for Jessica?¡±

    Diane tilted her head and hummed.

    ¡°We have two posts open. One for a cashier and an accountant. The previous cashier was too unqualified for the job.¡±

    ¡°Oh! A cashier is perfect!¡±

    Miss Eleanor clapped her hands with a satisfied expression on her face. Jessica tilted her head as if she didn¡¯t understand the conversation.

    ¡°Does she have any educational background? She¡¯s 8 years old so does she have a tutor?¡±

    ¡°Not really. However, she is very smart at her age and learns things quickly. I¡¯m certain that she¡¯ll be able to benefit the store.¡±

    ¡°.....¡±

    Diane looked at Jessica with a discerning gaze.

    ¡°Can you give me the answer of 4560 times 589?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    Jessica frowned silently. I could see Miss Eleanor looking nervously at Jessica.

    ¡°Haa¡­I¡¯ll see if there¡¯s something else, mother-in-law¨C¡°

    ¡°2685840.¡±

    Jessica answered a few seconds later.

    ¡°Eh? Is that correct?¡±

    Miss Eleanor tried doing it on a piece of paper. She used a type of block formation to lay out the numbers on top. By drawing a line through the block from the right top corner to left down corner, she could write the numbers inside. The calculation numbers were equal to the total blocks that it was written on horizontally and vertically.

    After counting the numbers, her eyes widened.

    ¡°It¡¯s correct¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    ¡°Hehehehe~!¡±

    Jessica did a double V with a big grin on her face. She looked adorable with that proud look on her face.

    ¡°¡­.Amazing. I used a random calculation but she was able to get it right just like that.¡± Diane¡¯s expression turned blank again as always. ¡°I will arrange for everything. Just have her ready at the office in two days at noon.¡±

    ¡°Wonderful! My little girl is so brilliant!¡±

    Miss Eleanor hugged Jessica. I could see Chloe frown at their exchange. She clenched her small fists.

    ¡®I hope she doesn¡¯t hate her big brother¡­¡¯

    Clyde had been busy with a lot of things since he was a student at the Royal academy. Not only that but lots of other things had happened during his stay in the capital. The Divide, the attempted royal assassination, losing his core and going to the Elca Kingdom to fix his core.

    Even if he was looking for revenge, I still saw him as the cute little boy I raised. That strange boy that seemed to be far more mature than his age suggested.

    And the boy I came to love.

    ¡®I know you¡¯re strong, Clyde but¡­Please come back safely¡­.¡¯

 Chapter 77: Virias master and the Magic Empires secret

    ¡°Everyone. Meet Master Ingrid.¡±

    The doors opened as we stood there in the middle of the lab.

    ¡°Oh, dear. So many people today.¡±

    I could see an old woman wearing a purple mage robe and a magician¡¯s hat coming towards us. A bunch of books were floating next her.

    ¡®So this is the rumoured master of Viria.¡¯

    I couldn¡¯t wait to ask her questions regarding magic. My inner mage was burning with curiosity.

    ¡°Are these the ten candidates?¡±

    ¡°Yes, master.¡±

    ¡°Hmm...¡± She walked towards the ten of us who were lined up in a row. The observers were standing further away from us. They had to wait before they could approach Ingrid.

    I saw Bridgette sweating profusely next to me.

    ¡®It looks like she¡¯s about to faint.¡¯

    Her eyes quivered ever so slightly as she bit her nails.

    ¡°State your name, aptitude and class.¡±

    She stopped in front of Marcus.

    Naturally he proudly declared his identity.

    ¡°I am Marcus Wesley. I am in my third year. My specialty is fire magic. I am currently at the lowest 5<sup>th</sup> grade mana stage¨C¡°

    She walked past him as he was about to finish. Her attitude was cold and indifferent towards his answer. Marcus looked like he had the greatest shock in his life.

    ¡°State your name, aptitude and class.¡±

    The one she stopped at next was Bridgette.

    ¡°M-My name is Bridgette von Bathurst! I am also a third year, madam!¡±

    Ingrid nodded for her to continue.

    ¡°My specialty lies in all the four elements.¡±

    Only then did she show a hint of surprise on her face.

    ¡°Quad elemental mage... Can you fuse your elements and cast spells like ¡ºFirestorm¡»?¡±

    Firestorm is an advanced ranked spell and is a combination of lightning and fire magic. It was famous for its destructive power.

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°Interesting...¡±

    ¡°P-Pardon?¡±

    Ingrid patted Bridgette¡¯s shoulder and walked towards me in the next moment.

    ¡°My name is Clyde Astley. My aptitude is space magic.¡±

    I gave her the rundown of all the spells I could cast. Since I mainly studied magic out of Solphia¡¯s book, no one else had access to the same spells.

    Ingrid whistled in amazement.

    ¡°Besides your bizarre magic that I¡¯ve never seen any one cast before, your space magic is still amazing. There hadn¡¯t been that many people who could do anything extraordinary with the magic though. They have only been able to lift objects the size of humans.¡±

    ¡®I wonder what she¡¯d say if I told her that I could stop time.¡¯

    Ingrid glanced at me with curiosity before shifting her attention to the next person. It was Isabel.

    ¡°Hoh? The sister of Clark, the Spear God.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    She gave an energetic reply.

    ¡°Proceed to introduce yourself.¡±

    ¡°I specialize in the destruction series magic, madam! That means I can blow stuff up like pow! I have recently entered the 5<sup>th</sup> mana grade stage! I don¡¯t gave a lot of mana but I¡¯m very strong if I synchronize with someone and borrow their mana! Clyde taught me how to do it!¡±

    Ingrid¡¯s eyes seemed to narrow as she glanced at me for a second.

    ¡°I see.¡±

    Ingrid nodded and walked past Isabel.

    Destruction series magic. It would explain her destructive attack power. That meant she had spells that focused on large area damage. Basically an AOE mage.

    ¡°T-That was so close. I thought I was going to faint...¡±

    Bridgette muttered next to me.

    ¡°You¡¯re that excited?¡±

    ¡°Of course I am! I can finally learn magic from the one who taught the Head Mage.¡±

    Ingrid finished getting everyone¡¯s details and walked towards Viria again.

    She clapped her hands once.

    ¡°I have only found three of you interesting enough to teach. But since this is a candidacy, all of you will be taught magic until only one remains. Those three will be interviewed privately in the future once the candidacy comes to an end. Viria.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s review their grades. Start with the ancient spell assignment.¡±

    ¡°Very well.¡±

    Viria took out a bunch of documents out of her dimensional ring and gave it to Ingrid. Ingrid put on her glasses and started looking at our results.

    While she was looking over the papers, she spoke to us. Her eyes were still glued to the papers.

    ¡°Magic is the power of apparently influencing events by using mysterious or supernatural forces. That was the basic definition if you were to look in all the records ever recorded regarding magic. However, where did it all originate from?¡±

    Everyone listened to her without saying anything.

    Bridgette raised her hand.

    ¡°From the Great Sage, right? She was the first to use magic after all.¡±

    ¡°Wrong. She was the first human to manipulate elements and nature, yes. However, she was not the originator.¡±

    Ingrid pointed to the map that hanged on the wall.

    ¡°The Red Abyss is the originator of arcane magic.¡±

    Everyone looked at her in confusion.

    ¡°It seems no one gets it. Do you know that the very first spell that Odette casted was a rune she found near the ocean of the Red Abyss? By using that rune as a basis, she created her very own spells using her intellect alone. It wasn¡¯t long before she found out that she had a core.¡±

    Ingrid¡¯s raw mana was released from her body as she spread it out into the surroundings.

    ¡°Did you know that if she were to do this then half the kingdom would be covered in mana? They might say that her mana was infinite but that wasn¡¯t the case at all. Her vessel was large enough to contain that much mana. Do you know why? The final grade for a person¡¯s core. That was why.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡®The 9<sup>th</sup> stage?¡¯

    ¡°If I were to compare the 9<sup>th</sup> stage to the 8<sup>th</sup> then it would be like the heavens and the earth we stand on. God rank spells can influence disasters on this world depending on the type of spell used. Many of you may know this, but Ragnarok has the potential to destroy all life on a continent. There are limitations, however.

    That was how the Great Sage was able to destroy five nations on her own. They said that she drew magic circles over those nations at the same time and casted the spell. The nations were destroyed in one night. After her rage-filled revenge, she willingly accepted imprisonment. The Sky Fortress was built for this very reason. To house national threats.

    After that magic was banned for a certain time period. People were forbidden to use magic in public. This had a multiplying effect on the populace. Raid parties couldn¡¯t recruit mages or priests. The adventurer guilds, magic towers, appraisal shops and temples suffered the most from this stupid law that was implemented by the second king of the Kingdom of Colchis. This made the people revolt against the royal family.

    That was how the First Revolution started in this kingdom. It was called the Magic Revolution. The non-mages and the mages had a fierce battle that continued for days until a conclusion was reached. After the death of the second king, the magic ban law was removed from the kingdom laws and life returned to normal.¡±

    ¡®People just lived normally after killing their king? The people of the past were really savages.¡¯

    Ingrid finished her explanation.

    ¡°That was how important magic was to the people. The Magic System we have today identify the rank of your core and the type of magic your are capable of. If you are found to be capable of casting god ranked spells then you will be strictly managed by the Magic Association. This was because the people were worried that another Great Sage revenge incident may take place. If you were to ask me what I think then I¡¯d say that she did the right thing to the nations that slaughtered innocents. The Saintess had to stop the war herself and died for it. But that¡¯s only my opinion. I hope all of you understand the importance of magic now. Humans¡ªno¡ªall the races would suffer if magic didn¡¯t exist. This was why academies were built. To nurture future mages and perhaps the future heroes of tomorrow.¡±

    ¡®She seems to know more about that day than anyone else.¡¯

    Maybe she had access to the Great Sage¡¯s records or something. I heard that only mages with ranks above six starts could enter Odette¡¯s Tower that was located next to the Royal Palace.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move on.¡±

    Ingrid continued checking our results as we sat there. Bridgette whispered to me.

    ¡°She¡¯s really wise, isn¡¯t she? Now I know why she was worthy enough to train the Head Mage.¡±

    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡±

    She gave us a history lesson without even looking at a book.

    Ingrid spoke again.

    ¡°Your students have a long way to go, Viria.¡±

    ¡°This was why I asked for your assistance, master.¡±

    Ingrid nodded.

    ¡°Since she will be busy with her ascension, I will teach all of you. I¡¯m sure that she mentioned this to all of you.¡± Ingrid tapped on the test results. ¡°This assignment was supposed to be a final year exam but due to the current circumstances, all of you received it now. I¡¯m amazed that there was one of you that managed to score 98 points out the full 100. Congratulations to that person.¡±

    All of them looked at Bridgette. The latter averted her eyes but I could tell that she was proud. That wide smirk was visible for all to see.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve seen enough for now.¡± Ingrid checked her pocket watch. ¡°All ten students may leave. Meet back here at the start of next week.¡±

    ¡°¡±¡±Yes!!¡±¡±¡±

    ¡°I will now take questions from the observers.¡±

    ¡°Then...!¡±

    All of the observers who were quiet until now, swarmed around Viria and Ingrid. All ten of us stood up from the seats and walked out of the door.

    **

    Bridgette and I came to the cafeteria after lunch break arrived.

    ¡°Ugh...! I want next week to come now! I¡¯m hungry for knowledge!¡±

    ¡°Are you that excited?¡±

    She even took notes of what Ingrid told us.

    While the two of us were happily conversing with each other, a maid suddenly came up to us.

    It was a young girl with a bob cut hairstyle.

    ¡°Young master Clyde?¡±

    She called out to me.

    ¡®Huh? She looks familiar. Ah, it¡¯s Charlotte¡¯s maid. I think her name was Kendall.¡¯

    She was the new personal maid that got assigned to look after Charlotte. She was in her early twenties. Her hair was a long black colour that was made into braids and her eyes were green like a jade crystal.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    She held out a letter with both hands.

    ¡°Please accept this. Her highness instructed me to deliver it.¡±

    After I took the letter, she walked away.

    ¡°That¡¯s odd. Why would she send me a letter...¡±

    ¡°What does it say?¡±

    Bridgette asked curiously.

    I opened it up.

    I heard you managed to succeed in restoring your core. Congratulations. Arielle was the one who told me. Now your path as a mage has reopened once again. You better study diligently from now on. Anyway, I wanted to know if you were interested in having a cup of tea with me in the future. I feel like it¡¯s important to bond with the people who were with you from the very beginning. My faction has grown immensely after I got active in recruiting people. I now possess a faction strong enough to take on either of my siblings. Once I win over a duke then my future as the queen in secure. I hope to see you standing next to me once I ascend to sit on that throne.

    Charlotte.

    -

    ¡°...She wants to meet me.¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t she coldly swat you aside after you lost your core?¡±

    ¡°Maybe it was out of consideration for me. Things could get dangerous while I work as her knight without any power. Now that¡¯s changed...¡±

    ¡®Would she have sent the same letter if my core wasn¡¯t restored?¡¯

    Now that I thought about it, did future me become Charlotte¡¯s knight as well? Given his strength, that might¡¯ve been the case back then. People were bound to seek help from the strong. However, due to probability, that might not have happened. I could still remember my conversation with Artoria back then.

    I wasn¡¯t around in the second and fifth timeline which meant that Charlotte might¡¯ve been killed long before being able to take on her siblings. If it wasn¡¯t for me meeting with Helen then she¡¯d never have joined our group. She wouldn¡¯t have become Charlotte¡¯s knight either. There weren¡¯t any other capable young talents in the knight order that I knew of besides Artoria.

    ¡®I knew it.¡¯

    My existence itself brought change upon a lot of things. Even though I thought I was a mob amongst the true protagonists, I felt like the roles had been reversed.

    I looked at Bridgette who was eating her lunch. She tilted her head when she saw me looking at her.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡°Miss Bridgette, tell me honestly...¡± I looked into her black eyes. ¡°Is the Magic Empire summoning people from another world?¡±

    ¡°H-How do you know that!?¡± Her eyes widened.

    She put her hands on my mouth and looked around with a startled expression on her face. Thankfully, the cafeteria was noisy so no one paid attention to what I said. We were at the back as well.

    ¡°So it¡¯s true?¡±

    She sighed and nodded.

    ¡°Since you know anyway, it doesn¡¯t matter if I lie. Yes, people from another world was summoned to our empire a few years ago.¡±

    ¡°...What was the purpose for their summons?¡±

    ¡°The same as any nation seeking power. To protect themselves against powerful foes. As you know, the Demon¡ªor it''s popular name¡ªDark Continent is near our empire. We¡¯re practically neighbours. There has been a fear of the demon lords invading us given our national power that grew over the years. They asked the goddess, Artemis for permission to summon people from that world.¡±

    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me...¡¯

    ¡°How many have been summoned?¡±

    ¡°Well, one was recently summoned. Including her, there are four.¡±

    ¡®It¡¯s a woman as well. No, just because it¡¯s a female doesn¡¯t mean that it could be that person I saved.¡¯

    ¡°Keep this a secret from the common folk. Only the high ranking people of this kingdom knows of their existence. If someone from our nation hears that you know this..."

    I could tell what she meant without her finishing her sentence.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind...¡±

    ¡®Wait a second. Something doesn¡¯t add up.¡¯

    ¡°Did the Magic Empire start using these summoning rituals only recently?¡±

    ¡°Where did you get this information...¡± She rubbed her forehead. ¡°No. They have been doing it for a few decades now.¡±

    ¡°Ah...¡±

    -People have been disappearing lately and no evidence gets left behind. The victims are always high schoolers.

    ¡°I finally found the reason why they have been disappearing...¡±

    ¡°Did you say something?¡±

    ¡°Ah, nothing.¡±

    Before I was reincarnated, there had been multiple mass kidnappings happening around the city I lived in. The kidnappings were random and only high schoolers were targeted. This made some parents hesitate to send their children to school because of what happened.

    ¡°What happened to the others if only four are left?¡±

    Bridgette¡¯s face distorted.

    ¡°They were thrown out of the empire for being useless...¡±

    ¡®Bastards...¡¯

    ¡°It¡¯s unknown what happens to them afterwards. Sometimes they have weak blessings or none at all. There was a low possibility of them surviving in a world foreign to them. I tried locating some of them but my efforts didn¡¯t bear fruit.¡±

    ¡°Your emperor is really scum.¡±

    Bridgette smiled wryly.

    ¡°Well, many have called her as such.¡±

    I steered the conversation to something else. She didn¡¯t look comfortable talking about her nation. Maybe she left the Magic Empire because she didn¡¯t like their rules?

    ¡°Besides that, I have something I need to inform you of.¡±

    She rolled her eyes as of she was about to hear another bizarre story.

    ¡°I¡¯ll need to take off from classes for next week.¡±

    ¡°Huh? Why?¡± Bridgette beautiful eyebrows creased as she frowned.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s...¡±

    To get my revenge.

    I couldn¡¯t phrase it like that.

    ¡°I have to get ready for my age of coming ceremony. It¡¯s happening next week.¡± I gave her a vague explanation with a stiff smile.

    ¡®Let¡¯s go with that.¡¯

    ¡°Oh. Well, it is your special day so I can understand. I¡¯ll need to work alone then...I¡¯m not confident in that.¡±

    I smiled wryly.

    ¡°Why not ask Marcus? He seems capable enough.¡±

    ¡°Eeeh...No way. That might be true for practical tests but there¡¯s no way I¡¯m working with him.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡±

    ¡°Have you seen the guy whenever he¡¯s in a group? He¡¯s a piece of trash that takes all the group¡¯s achievements for himself. I know of that first-hand since I worked with him for a few months last year.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s that much of a scumbag, huh...¡±

    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s a phony as well. He might be talented in magic in practical tests but his brain can¡¯t be said to be the same. Hell, I bet he probably doesn¡¯t even know what the use of a mana reactor agent is.¡±

    For the record, those kinds of things are used to forcibly extract the impure mana out of a person¡¯s core that combusted. This is needed so that the condition of the affected doesn¡¯t worsen. In most cases, you could die.

    My guess was that Marcus might¡¯ve used mana elixirs to get to his current level. In a way, he was the same as Jacob. I say in a way because Jacob had the brains for magic but not the right quantity of mana to qualify to become a mage. In Marcus¡¯ case, he had none of that. All he had was probably just his family''s wealth to take the easy path.

    ¡°He sounds like quite the interesting fellow. Anyway, is it alright with you?¡±

    ¡°Haa...Fine. Let miss Ingrid know so she can set your work aside. You¡¯ll need to take extra classes as well to catch up.¡±

    I sighed in relief.

    ¡°Thanks, Bridgette. I¡¯ll definitely make it up to you.¡±

    ¡°Humph. You better.¡± She made a cute pout and crossed her arms.

    The bell rang a few minutes later as we enjoyed our time together. The two of us finished our lunch after our brief discussion and left the cafeteria to head to class.

    We attended normal classes since Ingrid said that we¡¯d start the special courses next week.

 Chapter 78: Adventurer party

    ¡¶Hymns of a Starless Sky¡·

    It was approximately 3 in the afternoon. The sky was devoid of any clouds since it was the middle of summer.

    If this was earth then today would be Friday. Today was the day that Miya and I had to meet our raid party.

    We¡¯d only be doing brief greetings and discussing a few things before leaving for the city. Travelling by carriage would take a few hours to get there. That depended on whether we get assaulted by bandits or have to fight monsters.

    Seeing as how this part of the decade was the most dangerous to be travelling on, that was a valid concern. Not only monsters but bandits would also use the chaos to attack the unfortunate. Byron¡¯s party weren¡¯t filled with newbies but we still had to be careful.

    ¡°What the... Why are they so disorderly...¡±

    Miya frowned as she looked at the guild¡¯s front door.

    The guild was packed with people. Even the street was filled to the brim with adventurers. The carriages had no choice but to take the next street. I could see that the receptionists were struggling to keep everyone under control. The people were basically running over each other.

    ¡°At this rate, we won¡¯t be able to leave.¡±

    We had to register our names in Byron¡¯s party first. To be able to raid a dungeon, you¡¯d need to sign up for a raid document first. This differed from doing normal quests after all since the guild would profit as well. Before that, we had to locate them first.

    ¡®But how will we do that?¡¯

    ¡°Oi! I was here first! Out of the way!¡±

    ¡°Hah? Stop spouting bullshit!¡±

    ¡°P-Please calm down everyone! There are enough quests for everyone since many nations are looking for adventurers!¡±

    The receptionist was in tears while she tried to calm everyone down.

    ¡°Ugh... We¡¯ll be here all night.¡±

    We came here straight after our classes ended. There wouldn¡¯t be classes on the weekends so today was the perfect time to raid dungeons.

    I sighed as I looked at the people present. They were pushing each other out of the way so they could get in first. There wasn¡¯t any order at all.

    I stepped forward.

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    I released my raw mana into the air filled with my killing intent. A magic circle appeared above my hand and manifested a giant ball of flame.

    ¡°W-What the...!?¡±

    I-I can¡¯t move!¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you animals maintain any order?¡±

    All of them looked at me with terrified expressions on their faces. I was releasing my large pool of mana to intimidate them.

    ¡°What the hell is up with this power...¡±

    ¡°How is that kid so strong...¡±

    ¡°If you understand then move out of the damn way.¡±

    All of them quickly moved aside.

    ¡®No high rankers among them. Maybe all the high rankers were sent to the HQ.¡¯

    There was no way a high ranker would feel intimidated by my power. That meant that all of them were fairly new adventurers.

    I extinguished the fire, looked at Miya, and smiled.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Quite a display you made there outside. I could even feel the power from here.¡±

    Byron patted my shoulder with a chuckle.

    ¡°Well, they were acting like animals. Anyway, is this the entire party?¡±

    There were about six people gathered around the big table. Each of them were wearing fairly expensive equipment.

    ¡®As expected of an A rank party.¡¯

    With the amount of power they had, a Hydra wouldn¡¯t even stand a chance. Hopefully.

    ¡°Yeah. All of them are the comrades I grew up with.¡±

    ¡°This is Aria.¡±

    He pointed at a girl wearing a dark cloak with daggers on her waist. She had the main class of assassin. Her hair was black and short. I could see a type of collar around her neck under the cloak.

    She bowed her head when we made eye contact.

    ¡®A slave huh.¡¯

    Slavery was still a thing in this world. Be it from petty crimes or war prisoners, it was everywhere. The Holy Kingdom and our kingdom abolished the slave law so I could guess that the girl was bought outside our nation.

    ¡°Kyle.¡±

    ¡°Hello, kids.¡±

    A man with heavy armour and a shield on his back waved at us. He had a friendly type of air around him that seemed to rub off on people. I could tell that he was a very social person.

    ¡°Rela.¡±

    ¡°Yo!¡±

    A woman with black hair and a body similar to a bodybuilder greeted us with a smile. Her entire body was covered in scars. She was wearing very risqu¨¦ clothes. I could practically see her valley. Her skin was tanned and shiny from oils.

    ¡°Let me introduce the feisty archer in our group again. This is my sister, Brooklyn.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    Brooklyn nodded her head and went back to scribbling in her book. She had ocean blue eyes and short tomboyish style blonde hair. Her hair wasn¡¯t tied up like the other day we met.

    ¡°This is our cousin, Cliff.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡±

    The young man wearing priest clothes smiled softly. He had green long hair and a feminine face that would make you mistake him for a girl if not for his voice.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Now that I¡¯ve introduced all five members of my party, I¡¯ll get straight to the point....The reason we needed mages was because of the Hydra¡¯s troublesome ability. That is, if it loses one head then more will grow out of the wound. To be able to seal their ability, we need mages to burn the wound after one of us cuts off a head. This will make it too painful for the Hydra to generate more heads.¡±

    Each head had poisonous venom and breath, and its sharp teeth and strong jaws could kill a large variety of monsters or animals with one bite. Those heads extended from the elongated necks, so it was difficult for adventurers to get anywhere near the creature. The heads also had the ability to move at lightning speeds, and all nine acted independently from each other.

    I heard that the biggest head of the creature was immortal and couldn¡¯t be damaged with conventional weapons. Their blood could be used for making anti-venom since their blood is filled with poison. Just having it spit on you could melt your skin down to your bones.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t we just aim for its vitals? Why do we need to attack its head?¡±

    Cliff was the one who asked the question.

    ¡®Man, I can tell you¡¯re a newbie.¡¯

    I didn¡¯t expect them to have a greenhorn in their party.

    Byron shook his head.

    ¡°Do you know how tough their skin is? Maybe Iris could cut through but it¡¯s impossible for us. I¡¯m not sure how effective a magic spear would be so I didn¡¯t buy one. We¡¯ll stick to the cut-and-burn strategy for now. Their weak points are located under their heads. It¡¯s soft tissue so it should be easy to cut through with a good quality weapon. The only concern is their speed. Rela and I will handle that part.¡±

    All of us nodded.

    ¡°So these are the academy students you mentioned the other day?¡±

    The muscular woman with wolf ears pointed at the two of us. She was the Beastkin from the wolf warrior tribe, Rela.

    ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll need them for the plan I constructed over the week.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± She looked at us again after Byron¡¯s explanation. ¡°Do the two of you have any experience in hunting monsters of this level?¡±

    I usually hunted monsters like orcs and trolls. I never hunted anything above that solo.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve hunted a dragon and vampire lord before. With companions, of course.¡±

    ¡°.....¡±

    ¡°....¡±

    ¡°....¡±

    All of them looked at me with shocked expressions on their faces.

    ¡°How the hell did you survive against a dragon!? And a vampire lord as well!? Aren¡¯t those things the superior species of their race!?¡±

    The archer, Brooklyn looked at me as if seeing a crazy person.

    ¡°Ah, well... I was part of the Divide so it was necessary for me to fight those monsters. I didn¡¯t really do much. I only supported my party members with my spells. My companion, Helen finished off the dragon. We only managed to survive against the vampire because she let us go.¡±

    Despite the fact that Brynhildr slaughtered over ten people, she still let us go when I offered my blood. The only she reason she attacked the city was to survive. She had to kill more in order to continue living.

    ¡°Still... Surviving is impressive enough. See? The kid is useful enough for this raid.¡± Byron was smiling with a satisfied expression on his face.

    ¡°Agreed.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t agree more.¡±

    Byron turned towards Miya.

    ¡°I-I only hunted monsters like the elder woods and ogres. I was too busy with other matters to hunt monsters.¡±

    All of their responses weren¡¯t as extreme as when they heard my story.

    ¡°Meh. I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter. Your spirit magic is all we need. I¡¯ll teach you the basics of monster hunting on the way to Lonid city.¡±

    The muscular woman, Rela, gave thumps-up to Miya.

    ¡°Thanks...¡±

    ¡°Anything to add before we depart? The carriage will be waiting for us at the kingdom gates.¡±

    Everyone shook their heads. Byron¡ªwho was obviously the leader rolled up the map of the city.

    ¡°Okay then. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    Lonid lies on the edge of the Forest of Spirits that was near Hurge city. The city lies between two mountains. Those mountains were said to be two of the largest mountains on the continent. You could find many dungeons around the foot of the mountains and inside their caves.

    The city had been around for 150 years and thrived on the labyrinth that it was built on. Even to this day, no one had ever cleared the labyrinth before. It was that large.

    The labyrinth had multiple entrances scattered throughout the continent. They decided to make an entrance right next to the city so hunters, explorers and adventurers could enter safely.

    The city was ruled by a count family for three generations. The current lord managed to make the city prosper far more than it did in the past. He was one of the ones who requested a lot of adventurers to come to his city.

    I could see a bunch of wagons with people standing outside the city gates.

    ¡°It¡¯s rare seeing an elf and a human getting along like this.¡±

    Rela was the one who spoke.

    Miya was soundly asleep on my shoulder. I could smell a flowery scent coming from her hair.

    ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I hear elves are the most arrogant species on the continent just because of their long lifespan and superior magical abilities. We¡¯re basically comparable to dog shit in their eyes.¡±

    I smiled wryly.

    ¡®Not all elves are that bad, right?¡¯

    Although elves do hate humans, they hated dark elves more. This was why Camilla was so isolated from the rest of the palace servants. This had something to do with Rodion as she said.

    As Rela said, elves were superior to humans in every way. They lived long but they didn¡¯t lose themselves to their desires like humans do. They could literally go hundreds of years without having sex. That was because they were natural asexual beings.

    The reasons they hate humans so much was obvious. Look at all the conflict we had in the past just because everyone didn¡¯t agree with each other. This was why wars occurred. There had never been a single war in the Elca Kingdom before.

    For humans, there would always be that group that had opposing decisions. This was why some nations had different factions. Take the Holy Kingdom for example. They were divided into two sections of the same kingdom. Rosalinda IV ruled the northern side while the church ruled the other.

    Maybe the queen didn¡¯t trust the Pope that much. She was the one that divided the kingdom immediately after her coronation.

    ¡°The two of us share a special connection. I noticed this the first time we adventured together.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Have you two, you know~¡±

    Rela teasingly made a circle with her fingers and pushed her one finger through it. She thrust her finger in and out.

    ¡°W-What!? Of course not!¡±

    ¡°Hmmm~? Didn¡¯t you say that you share a special connection?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant...¡±

    The other members laughed at our conversation.

    ¡°Leave the kid alone, Rela. It¡¯s their business if they had sex before.¡±

    Brooklyn, who was sitting on my right chided Rela.

    ¡°But I just said...¡±

    ¡°No need to be shy, just be proud. You managed to court an elf. Not many humans are this lucky.¡±

    I sighed.

    ¡®Do we act like a couple or something?¡¯

    ¡°When we arrive at the city gates then we¡¯ll head straight to the guild. I need to give the official report to the guild master there.¡± Byron spoke to all of us when the city came into view. ¡°After that, we¡¯ll look for an inn and stay the night. Get up before sunrise because we need to be at the labyrinth entrance before any of the other adventurers.¡±

    All of us nodded in agreement. The carriage sped up a little which caused Miya to wake up.

    It was beginning to get dark so we had to hurry to the adventurer guild. Chances were that some inns were also full of people that travelled from afar.

    When we got off the carriage in front of the city gates, I had a sudden thought.

    ¡®Why don¡¯t I have those dreams anymore?¡¯

    It was strange how I didn¡¯t dream of the future anymore. Maybe it shouldn¡¯t be called the future, but instead visions from another dimension. It was the past of old Clyde after all.

    It stopped since a while ago so I didn¡¯t pay much attention to it. But now I had a bad feeling about why it stopped.

    ¡®It couldn¡¯t be that the next disaster is close, right?¡¯

    Maybe that wasn¡¯t the case. I was filling in the gaps myself so I couldn¡¯t determine what was the right answer.

    I got a sign before the first disaster happened. That sign was when I sensed the gaze of that being that was observing the kingdom. I was sure that it was Zero.

    ¡®If I were to have told them what I felt would they have believed me?¡¯

    It was ridiculous to believe a child like me could detect an enemy of Zero¡¯s might. Not even the Order was able to detect him without Laura¡¯s help. I was only able to detect him when I sensed his mana. Maybe he casted a spell to teleport away because his presence disappeared from the sky a few moments later.

    ¡®I haven¡¯t received a sign similar to that yet.¡¯

    Maybe I was just paranoid after what happened during the teleportation incident. There was no telling when the next disaster would even happen.

    We managed to enter the city after it was our turn.

    When we stepped through those gates, I saw how overrun the city was with adventurers. I could tell since all of them wore gear and had weapons on their bodies.

    Walking openly with your weapon was only allowed for adventurers.

    There was a variety of people that we walked past. They were crowding the streets.

    I saw a sign that said ¡¾The Red Hunt begins in 1 day(s)!¡¿

    That meant that the red portals would open tomorrow. Lots of demonic monsters would pore out in the thousands.

    We weren¡¯t concerned with the Red Hunt since our only job was to slay the Hydra.

    We were standing in the middle of a plaza when we stopped. Byron turned to all of us.

    ¡°The village chiefs that requested our party should be at the guild master¡¯s office so it will take a few hours for us to come back.¡±

    Byron took out a bag of coins and gave it to Kyle.

    ¡°Find a suitable inn for all of us to stay at. Rela. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Yes, leader.¡±

    The two of them headed in the opposite direction that we were going to. The Aria girl who was holding Byron¡¯s hand was left with us.

    ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll look after the kids.¡±

    Kyle said with a big smile.

    ¡°Hey! Who are you calling a kid? I¡¯m 18, you know!¡±

    Brooklyn complained to Kyle.

    ¡°Alright, alright. Anyway, I¡¯ve been to this city before so I know of a place where the service is excellent.¡±

 Chapter 79: The sign

    The clock made ticking sounds as I laid there in bed while staring at the ceiling. The entire inn was quiet since many people was asleep. The same couldn¡¯t be said for the rowdy adventurers camping outside on the streets. They had been making noise since last night.

    ¡®I can¡¯t sleep.¡¯

    As expected, I was worried about the future. I couldn¡¯t get rid of the restlessness inside my heart.

    ¡°Even if I wanted to do something, I¡¯m still powerless...¡±

    I was still a boy that recently entered the middle stages of the 5th stage of mana. If I recklessly tried fighting an enemy like Zero then I¡¯d undoubtedly die. The past me might¡¯ve charged at them like an idiot. I was sure of that.

    My spirit core might¡¯ve been at the highest level a human-being¡ªor elves for that matter¡ªcould achieve but that power was still unstable. I couldn¡¯t even cast any big spells without Undine¡¯s assistance.

    I heard movement behind me.

    ¡°Clyde? Where are you going?¡±

    While I was busy putting on my robe, Miya spoke to me.

    ¡°I can¡¯t sleep. I¡¯m heading out of the gates to get some fresh air.¡±

    ¡°But won¡¯t it be too dangerous? There¡¯s no¡ªyawn¡ª telling when the portals would open up.¡±

    She rubbed her eyes and stretched.

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay away from the dungeons. I¡¯ll only visit the forest and come back before we depart.¡±

    ¡°Still¨C¡°

    I didn¡¯t give her a chance to speak and chanted [Sleep]. She fell down onto the cushion after closing her eyes.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡±

    I stroked her white hair and her ears. It was addicting for some reason.

    ¡°W-what am I doing...¡± I coughed and stood back up.

    Since the two of us didn¡¯t really know Byron and the others well, they were kind enough to rent us another room. Miya and I were in a room at the end of the halls.

    After grabbing my staff and gloves, I left through the door.

    CREAK...

    The door to the room opened up with a creak. I was careful to not make any noise as I walked down the stairs. I used the wind to make my steps lighter.

    ¡°Damn...¡±

    The first floor was filled with people that were sleeping on the ground.

    ¡®The other inns must¡¯ve been too full.¡¯

    I avoided touching any of them and quietly opened the front floor.

    A cold breeze blew against my face after I exited. Since my face was covered in cold sweat, the wind made my body shiver.

    I infused mana into my robe and felt its warming effects. The cold wasn¡¯t a problem anymore.

    I walked past the adventurers who were discussing things near a large fire. They were the ones who were so rowdy earlier.

    I covered my head with my robe¡¯s hood and avoided looking at them. I probably looked like an easy target to rob.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    I checked my pocket watch and saw that the time was still three in the morning. We would head out by seven.

    As I walked, I saw villages at the bottom of the hill I was standing on. It looked so dark that you could assume that no one lived there. There wasn¡¯t even any lampposts that were lit up.

    ¡°That must be where the attacks have been happening.¡±

    The Hydra would enter the lake through the underwater tunnels connecting to the Labyrinth and rise to the surface looking for prey. It had killed over a hundred people so far. My guess was that the people temporarily evacuated from the village until it was exterminated.

    ¡°It must like the taste of humans.¡±

    They would usually hunt big marine animals like whales or sharks.

    I decided to avoid the lake unless I wanted to be ambushed.

    After walking a little more, I arrived at a lone tree in the vast field of grass.

    ¡°It kind of reminds me of that tree where I chanted my first spell.¡±

    I giggled as I remembered my first attempt at magic. I fainted after casting just one after all. That happens to most mages when they attempt to cast their first spells apparently.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see how much Gale has improved.¡±

    Spells had limits but those limits could be crossed by using more mana.

    A giant magic circle appeared above my head. Mana was instantly sucked from my arcane core.

    WHOOSH...!

    The air gathered at the palm of my hand. A vibration shook the surroundings.

    ...

    ¡°Holy mother of Sol¡­¡±

    The Gale was at least ten metres in diameter.

    The violently spinning winds was so strong that I could barely keep my eyes open. The tree behind me was rattling back and forth. I had to use spatial magic to keep myself on the ground.

    I aimed my hand at the sky.

    RUMBLE...!

    A torrent of air ascended into the sky. It cleared away the clouds above the tree.

    The moon became visible after the clouds went away. It was a moon tinted with a red hue.

    ¡°I really improved from that day.¡±

    Back when I first used the spell, it was a small ball but it was now it was several times larger.

    ROOOOAR....!

    A roar suddenly made me jerk up.

    I could see a winged creature flying above the clouds from where I stood. Its shadow was majestic at it moved its wings across the sky.

    I was suddenly reminded of something.

    ¡°I wonder how Edna is doing.¡±

    The two of us parted a few months ago on my way to the Elca Kingdom.

    Did she manage to find the Elder Dragon? Chances were that her mother was still alive and he knew of her location. I wished there was a way for me to contact her.

    The Draconic Kingdom was a kingdom that worshipped dragons and their kin. It was said that the dragon lords were the ones that established the kingdom so they could have a new home for their family.

    The kingdom was ruled by a dragonkin king called Drake. He was a hybrid between a dragon and a human. The human father was said to have been a dragon slayer that bred with the dragon as a reward for winning against her in battle.

    Since they were also on the Southern Continent, our kingdoms had no connection to speak of. This was why they were excluded from the Conference that was held back then.

    ¡°Man... I wonder when we¡¯ll meet again.¡±

    I had bad memories of the other continent so I was hesitant of going back. The journey would also take weeks by carriage. That was if I managed to cross the mana environments.

    ¡°Now then.¡±

    I dusted myself off and stood up. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°Come forth, Undine.¡±

    -As you command, my King.

    A blue haired woman manifested after blue lights gathered in a single spot. Her hair glowed in the light of the moon.

    ¡°That was quick.¡±

    ¡°The spirits are more abundant when the night is cold like this.¡±

    She waved her hands and then a ball of water manifested.

    ¡°Vapour?¡±

    ¡°Yes. It makes it easier for me to be summoned like this.¡± She made the water disappear. ¡°May I know why you called for me?¡±

    ¡°Ah, right. I want to enter the forest.¡±

    ¡°Why? Is something the matter, master?¡±

    ¡°No...¡±

    Undine¡¯s hand touched my cheek when I averted my eyes.

    ¡°I can see something is bothering you, master. My water spirits are tremoring because they can sense your emotions.¡±

    ¡°Ah...¡±

    I forgot that the spirits were influenced by their wielders.

    ¡°I¡¯m scared.¡±

    ¡°Scared?¡± She tilted her head.

    ¡°Yeah... I know that something is coming but I have no idea what it is. This has kept me up for many nights...¡± I grabbed my face with my hand. ¡°What if something happens to my family?¡±

    Undine¡¯s eyes slightly shook.

    I didn¡¯t miss that facial twitch she had.

    ¡°What!? Will something happen!?¡±

    I grabbed her shoulders.

    ¡°That¡¯s...¡± She shook her head. ¡°P-Please. Don¡¯t be driven by your emotions.¡±

    She put her hands above mine.

    ¡®Fuck. Her reaction is strange.¡¯

    I could tell from her flustered expression.

    Something will happen.

    ¡°E-Even if something happens. I-I¡¯ll be by your side. I¡¯ll never leave your side. I have told future master this as well. We stuck together until the day he shed his mortal flesh and ascended.¡±

    She hugged my head.

    Despite her words, I didn¡¯t feel relief at all.

    The way she acted was a sign.

    ¡°Anyway! Lets enter the forest together!¡±

    I made a small smile when she took my hand and pulled me forward.

    ¡ó

    ¡°Watch out!¡±

    When I heard Undine shout, I hurriedly chanted a barrier spell.

    TSSSS¡­.!

    My barrier melted when a strange substance landed on its surface. It was a type of acid.

    HSSSSS¡­.!

    I heard a hiss from the monster I was battling.

    It was an A rank Basilisk. I decided to see how strong my arcane magic had become.

    That was why I told Undine to stay back while I fight it. She¡¯d only intervene once I was unable to fight it.

    ¡®I don¡¯t think this monster would be a problem.¡¯

    TAK¡­!

    TAK¡­!

    It broke apart a tree by its root using its tail and threw it towards me. Seeing as how I could cast magic, it was maintaining its distance.

    Boom¡­!

    I threw a fireball at the tree causing a massive explosion.

    The monster seemed to have run out of ideas as it charged towards me blindly.

    It opened its mouth and released a strange gas. Petrification gas.

    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t!¡±

    I used my spatial magic to create a type of force that pushed the Basilisk backwards. Its breath managed to hit a few nearby bushes and trees. I could see them break apart.

    Crash¡­!

    The basilisk was thrown into the side of a boulder. It got up and hissed again.

    I held out my staff.

    A huge magic circle formed at the end of my staff. It was a advanced rank spell I recently learned from studying Solphia¡¯s book.

    A blue flame formed above the magic circle.

    ¡®It¡¯s good that I came out into the forest like this.¡¯

    I was sure that the flame could destroy an entire village like it was nothing.

    ¡°¡ºScorch¡»!¡±

    The blue flames flew towards the retreating basilisk.

    ---!

    A loud cry followed by a large explosion rang out.

    BOOM¡­!

    BOOM¡­!

    BOOM¡­!

    The shockwave made the trees bend backwards from the force alone. I covered my face with my arm as the raging flames burned the basilisk.

    After a while the smoke receded.

    ¡°Whoa¡­¡±

    A giant crater was the only thing left from the battle. The monster¡¯s burnt corpse was lying at the bottom.

    ¡°What an amazing display of magic! You have truly grown!¡±

    Undine applauded when she approached.

    ¡°Ah, thanks¡­¡±

    ¡®But this is still not enough.¡¯

    ¡°We can¡¯t hide the damage to the land so we better get out of here.¡± Undine said with a wry smile.

    ¡°Y-Yeah.¡±

    The two of us did what we could to put out any remaining flames before I headed back.

    I walked and saw the sun come up over the horizon.

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I exhaled deeply. ¡°I calmed down after that battle at least.¡±

    Although I still had worries, I could do nothing but see what the future held in store. All I had to do was be mindful of the signs.

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    When I got back to the inn, our party was already standing outside. It seemed that the adventurers that crowded the streets were already gone.

    ¡°What took you so long?¡±

    Byron sighed.

    ¡°S-Sorry. I had to clear my head a bit.¡±

    ¡°Well, you¡¯re here now. We¡¯re all set to move out. Luckily, the adventurers headed for the opposite direction of the labyrinth. That meant that a gates has opened.¡±

    All of us prepared our gear.

    ¡°Huh? Where¡¯s Aria?¡±

    I couldn¡¯t see the small girl that had the slave collar.

    ¡°She went out to scout ahead. She left two hours ago. We¡¯ll meet her at the entrance.¡±

    I frowned.

    ¡®Ah, shit. I hope she didn¡¯t see Undine.¡¯

    My high rank spell would also be bound to attract the attention of anyone in the area. I one-shot a basilisk with an extremely powerful fireball spell after all.

    ¡°We¡¯re wasting time here. The labyrinth is at least two kilometres deep so we better hurry. After we¡¯re done we¡¯ll come to the bar to celebrate. Let¡¯s go!¡±

    As we walked through the streets, I noticed how quiet the city was. The residents also barricaded their houses with woods or used earth magic to make walls. It was like looking at a ghost town.

    All I heard as we walked was the sound of our equipment rattling. The labyrinth came into our view. I saw a little robed girl come out of the entrance.

    ¡°Master!¡±

    A small girl with black hair ran towards our group when we neared the entrance. The entire street was devoid of any people. All the stores were also closed so it was only us on this part of the district.

    She froze when she saw me and hurriedly hid behind Byron.

    ¡®Shit. She saw me after all.¡¯

    ¡°Did you see anything unusual?¡±

    She kept her eyes on me before answering. She shook her head.

    ¡°...No.¡±

    I breathed a sigh of relief.

    ¡®It looks like I scared her with my spell back there.¡¯

    It was weird that Undine didn¡¯t detect her.

    ¡®I guess that¡¯s the skill of an assassin.¡¯

    She could even hide from Undine¡¯s sensory abilities.

    ¡°I heard screams coming from inside the labyrinth when a party entered earlier. I heard them screaming that the monster was a cockatrice.¡±

    ¡°Shit. A B rank monster right on the first few floors. This damn Red Hunt is troublesome.¡± Byron looked at his cousin. ¡°Cliff, can you prepare your divine spells? We may need it in case that monster¡¯s petrification hits us.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    He looked back at Aria.

    ¡°Go back for now and look after our luggage.¡±

    ¡°Yes, master.¡±

    We arrived at the front of the labyrinth and showed our raid document to the knights standing nearby. Even as I stood there I could hear the cacophony of noises using the help of my wind spirits. There were repeated monster grunts and growls. One particular growl sounded deep and loud. It was similar to snoring.

    ¡®The Hydra must be sleeping at the bottom.¡¯

    As we walked down the eerie dark cave, I took out a sandwich from my bag. Since I hadn¡¯t eaten this morning yet, my stomach was threatening to eat itself. I had a feeling that we wouldn¡¯t have any chance of eating once we enter a floor.

    There was no doubt that the Hydra was mutated by the red miasma as well. Mutated monsters grow exponentially stronger once they inhale the red mana that enter the dungeons and labyrinths. As I had mentioned before, the Red Abyss connected all the dungeons in the world so it was obvious that the monsters would get affected by it.

    A lot of those portals in the Red Abyss connected to the dungeons scattered throughout the world. If not for the White Order occasionally taking out the stronger monsters then the continent would¡¯ve been overrun by them by now.

    I smelled a weird fragrance when we came to the first floor. It was the smell of the miasma. It wasn¡¯t dangerous for humans per se. But staying longer than necessary was bound to give you some difficulties. There was a chance of miasma poisoning as well. That was even more so for mages like Miya and me.

    ¡°Cockatrice; 12 o clock.¡±

    Rela pointed ahead.

    An oversized chicken with big beady eyes was busy pecking at a corpse.

    Cluck-cluck-cluck

    It swallowed the person¡¯s head whole.

    ¡°I¡¯ll immobilize it.¡±

    Kyle pulled out his shield. After hitting it with his sword, the monster turned towards us.

    ---!!!

    It was accurate to describe the monster as a mutated chicken with the body of a lizard. A pale grey light accumulated in its mouth.

    Petrification.

    ¡°¡¶Protect¡·!¡±

    A golden light flew out of Cliff¡¯s hands. It landed in Kyle¡¯s body and surrounded him in a type of glowing barrier.

    After the light hit the barrier, it vanished into thin air.

    ¡°Ora!¡±

    Kyle used that chance to tackle the monster against the cave wall. It struggled to get out and could only cluck repeatedly.

    ¡®As expected of an A rank Tanker.¡¯

    He made eye contact with me. I nodded.

    I held out my hands.

    ¡°[Rock Bullet].¡±

    Dust accumulated and formed a spiralling rock.

    The small bullet sized rock flew towards the cockatrice.

    SPLAT...!

    Its head exploded along with a part of the cave wall. Blood splattered everywhere onto Kyle¡¯s upper body.

    When that was all over, he came towards me with a smile.

    ¡°Good work. I didn¡¯t expect a tiny rock to hold that much power.¡± Kyle patted my shoulder after he came towards the group.

    ¡°Err, you have a bit of blood on your face.¡±

    His entire head was covered in the monster¡¯s blood.

    ¡°Oh?¡± He wiped his cheek. ¡°Did I get it?¡±

    ¡°Never mind.¡±

    ¡°Your entire head is covered in that monster¡¯s brains, you idiot.¡± Brooklyn added a snarky remark.

    ¡°There seems to be more of them coming this way. It looks like they heard the tremor.¡± Byron took out his spear and covered his body in aura. ¡°Stay alert.¡±

 Chapter 80: Battle with the Hydra

    We managed to clear the monsters that were roaming the first few floors.

    Miya and I haven¡¯t used our magic ever since we entered the second floor. It seemed that they wanted to see how capable I was when I was told to kill the cockatrice.

    To be honest, I didn¡¯t think my earth affinity magic would be that impressive so I used my space magic to rotate the rock to match the force of a real bullet. As I said before, earth magic was my weakest attribute. It was unbelievable that Bridgette was proficient in all four elements. She was what people called a quad-elemental mage.

    By combining my spatial element with the earth element, I could make up for my weaknesses.

    ¡®I¡¯ll have to work on my other elements.¡¯

    I was only proficient in elemental spells of water and space magic. My control over elements like wind, fire and earth was far weaker.

    ¡°Holy shit.¡±

    Brooklyn cursed when we entered the boss¡¯ room at the bottom . We were inside a large circular room with bones strewn around on the floor. There was a mountain of bones at the back of the room and on top of it...

    ¡°The Hydra...¡±

    I saw a monster with nine heads and the body of a Komodo. Its scales were a beautiful blue that reflected the light of the crystals. They are typically sky blue or grey but in the shine of the red crystals, the Hydra¡¯s scales glowed an ominous crimson.

    ¡®That¡¯s one huge crystal.¡¯

    At the back of the Hydra rested a blood red magic crystal. Judging by the intensity of magic power it was releasing, it was at least high grade.

    That meant that it could be sold for a pretty high price. Combined with the Hydra¡¯s materials if we managed to beat it, everyone in the party would be able to play for about ten years without working.

    ¡°Jackpot.¡± Byron looked at his sister. ¡°Fire a magic arrow at the monster. Don¡¯t forget to make it extra powerful.¡±

    Brooklyn smirked.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    She took out the bow from behind her back and infused mana into the arrow she was gripping. The arrow grew in size as she pulled the strings back. A golden light engulfed it.

    ¡®So she has an enchanted weapon, huh.¡¯

    Enchanted items such as shields gave the wielder the ability to use their aura to coat their bodies in a protective barrier. That was how it worked for shields. For bows, however, you could make arrows out of aura alone. They were stronger and also infinite. This obviously depended on how much aura you had.

    Judging by Brooklyn''s years of doing quests for the guild, she was more experienced than the average archer.

    ¡°Everyone else, circle around the monster. Cliff will stay by the entrance and cast buffs.¡±

    All of us nodded.

    ¡°Clyde and Miya.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°I need you two to cast a big ice magic spell using the water that¡¯s present in this room. Since it¡¯s a reptile it shouldn¡¯t be able to move that well when the temperature drops by a few degrees.¡±

    ¡®Now that he mentions it...¡¯

    I noticed the water that was around the Hydra. There was a deep pool beside its bed of bones.

    ¡®That must be where the tunnels are connected.¡¯

    ¡°I¡¯ll summon an ice golem while you control the water.¡±

    Miya spoke to me as we snuck behind the pillars.

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    I could see Byron signalling for Brooklyn to fire.

    WHOOSH...!

    BOOM...!

    Rooooar!!!

    The giant magic arrow split apart into multiple smaller arrows and hit the monster right in the eyes. It stood up and roared.

    ¡°Now!!¡±

    Byron swung down his hand for us to cast.

    ¡°¡¶Ice Guardian¡·!¡±

    Miya called the spirits to manifest a giant golem. It had ice as its armour. Ice spikes were extending out of its back.

    I lifted all the water inside the room.

    ¡°¡¶Freeze¡·!¡±

    Along with Miya¡¯s shout, the ice golem blew out a white mist that froze all the water inside the cave. Within seconds the cave was covered in ice.

    I could literally see the Hydra¡¯s movements slow down. Reptiles like snakes wouldn¡¯t survive any environment below 18 degrees Celsius. Yet the Hydra was surviving cold temperatures below zero. It just goes to show how strong its endurance was.

    The Hydra roared again and fired a flame ball at the approaching Kyle. He was protected by Cliff¡¯s divinity that made a film around the shield to increase its durability and defense.

    ¡°GUAH!?¡±

    But he couldn¡¯t block the monster¡¯s claw attack. He was flung into the air and crashed against the ground. It seemed the monster¡¯s physical power was far above his.

    ¡®It recovered from the surprise attack.¡¯

    One of the monster¡¯s heads headed in our direction. It was the smaller ones.

    SLASH...!

    Before it could reach, a spear¡¯s blade sliced off its head.

    ROOOAR...!

    It tried to pull back its neck but Byron grabbed it before it could pull back. His arms bulged as he pulled and stabbed a throwing spear through it into the ground.

    ROOOAR....!

    Miya summoned Heat after a pillar of flames rose from the ground. It was a woman with red fiery hair and red eyes. Multiple fire wisps appeared around her. She wasn¡¯t as intimidating as Ifrit who was the manifestation of destruction itself.

    WHOOSH...!

    BOOM...!

    Heat threw a huge fireball that burned the monster¡¯s neck completely.

    !!!!

    The monster¡¯s eight mouths opened at the same time as it roared.

    ¡®Shit!¡¯

    The sound was so loud that I had to clutch my ears.

    ¡°Incoming!¡±

    A purple liquid was thrown towards us. I hurriedly chanted a huge barrier with the help of Miya.

    ¡®Where¡¯s Rela?¡¯

    My question was answered when I saw a muscular woman run towards the monster while holding her two swords. She looked fearless even before such a huge monster. It seemed to have felt something running on its body as it turned its heads.

    !!!

    Its head shot forward but she dodged it. The head dug into the ground. More followed but none of them could hit her. She was just too fast.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    ¡°ORAAAA!!!¡±

    She slashed the monster from top to bottom while Brooklyn used magic arrows to distract its other heads.

    ¡®I wonder how its biology works. Is the main head leading the others or do all of them have brains?¡¯

    I had a useless thought as I chanted a spell.

    Since the Hydra was already wet with water, I chanted a lighting spell to immobilize it.

    ¡°[Chain Lightning]!¡±

    Three manifested lightning dragon heads flew towards the Hydra. One managed to bite the Hydra¡¯s neck. Upon contact, the spell exploded.

    BOOM...!

    ROOOOAR¡ª!

    The monster¡¯s head exploded into pieces.

    Since I already burned it, there shouldn¡¯t be a worry of it growing more heads. The Hydra looked like it didn¡¯t know who to attack. Rela was repeatedly slashing it in random locations. Brooklyn¡¯s magic arrows kept hitting it. Miya was repeatedly infusing mana into the golem so that it would spew ice as well.

    The biggest head of the Hydra finally looked like it had enough.

    A loud boom echoed after it swung its head at the ceiling. The ceiling collapsed, causing debris to fall down.

    ¡°Shit! I can¡¯t move around like this!¡±

    Rela moved back towards our group. It seemed a rock injured her arm since it was dangling back and forth. I quickly chanted a healing spell.

    ¡°That should lessen the pain for now. You¡¯ll need to get Cliff to heal you afterwards.¡±

    ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll try and get a hit in. Cover me.¡±

    She looked back towards the Hydra that was randomly hitting the cave walls. It was too dangerous to approach it carelessly.

    ¡°Byron wasn¡¯t kidding. My swords didn¡¯t even cut that deep.¡±

    She smiled wryly and stood up.

    ¡°Looks like the main event is starting.¡±

    She looked over to Byron who was surrounded in a blue aura. He was busy charging himself up.

    The monster moved at that moment. It gathered a massive amount of energy in its mouths and blasted it towards us.

    ¡°Miya! Support me!¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Miya and I combined our mana and created another large barrier that covered half the cave. I felt a warm feeling come through my back. The energy seeped into my pores and amplified the barrier.

    That must¡¯ve been a buff that Cliff sent towards us.

    ¡®I should¡¯ve brought Rolath¡¯s Ring of Amplification.¡¯

    Despite the buff, the barrier was breaking by the second as the monster got closer. All of the heads combined their beams, making the firepower increase even further.

    ¡®Shit!¡¯

    Even with our combined mana barrier, we were being pushed back. Redheart¡¯s magic attack boosting effect wasn¡¯t even helping. That monster was way too overpowered. I guess it was as expected of an S rank monster.

    ¡°Focus on resizing the barrier to make it stronger!¡±

    While we were holding up our arms, Kyle suddenly appeared before us. He smashed his shield into the ground.

    We did as he said and shrunk the barrier to focus on protecting our group. Byron jumped over the barrier while being surrounded by aura. Rela followed close behind. She was covered in a red aura.

    ¡®They¡¯re using this to attack huh.¡¯

    While the Hydra was trying to aim for the support(which were the mages, namely us), Rela and Byron would use that gap to attack it.

    I infused more mana into the barrier. The yellow glow intensified.

    !!!!

    The monster roared as one of its head fell off. Due to the injury, the beam disappeared as it flailed while roaring.

    Rela and Byron cut off three more heads.

    Miya and I undid the barrier. Heat conjured multiple fireballs. I infused mana into my staff and summoned an Advanced rank Fireball. The blue flame was an object of mass destruction. Maybe it was too overkill for me to use it.

    The monster¡¯s flesh was beginning to move which meant it was on the verge of healing. Byron and Rela slashed off another head. Instead of cutting a head individually, they combined their power to quicken the process.

    The fact that the heads were the weak spots made the fight easier.

    ¡°[Flame Burst]!¡±

    My spell burst forth and managed to hit the monster.

    ROOOAR...!

    It was thrown against the cave wall due to the destructiveness of the spell. If I had Ifrit then I could¡¯ve fired endlessly. It was a shame but I shouldn¡¯t cry over spilt milk.

    Miya and her spirit fired after me and burned the wounds of the monster.

    The fight continued on like that until only the immortal head remained. The monster was at least as big as a house but it was cowering while glaring at us. It growled and retreated to the back of the cave.

    I could feel myself becoming exhausted by the second as I summoned multiple high rank spells. Casting so many powerful spells continually was exhausting. Despite my large pool of mana, the spells I had in my arsenal drained my core too quickly.

    I could see that the others were exhausted as well. Cliff was even leaning against the cave wall while wiping his sweat. Kyle was in the worst condition. His armour and shield was on the verge of breaking apart.

    He was the one that blocked the monster¡¯s repeated tail slashes and energy beams. Judging by the mana being released by the equipment, I could tell that it was very expensive.

    Brooklyn seemed to have run out of arrows already. She was taking a healing potion at the back of the group.

    ¡°Almost over, guys.¡±

    The monster roared in its last struggle against our group as we ran towards it.

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    We managed to defeat the Hydra after battling it for ten more minutes. If we could find a suitable buyer then we¡¯d be able to make a lot of money from its corpse. Although not as good as a dragon, a Hydra¡¯s corpse could also be used to make equipment like armour and magic storage bags. Their fangs would be used to make daggers as well.

    We would transport the head out to show that we managed to kill the monster and receive our payment. The city lord would take a large cut of our money even though we defeated it. It was his territory after all.

    Such was the world of politics.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take this crystal before anyone comes inside.¡±

    Byron pointed at the blood red crystal. Kyle and Rela lifted it out of the pedestal.

    ¡°With this quality, we should be able to enchant our new equipment. It¡¯s wasteful to sell everything.¡± Byron turned towards Miya and me. ¡°We have the mages to thank for our victory so I¡¯ll throw in a bonus for the two of you.¡±

    ¡°Thanks for the hard work.¡±

    Kyle patted our shoulders and smiled.

    ¡°Are you okay? You seem a little out of it.¡±

    Brooklyn handed me a pouch filled with water.

    ¡°Yeah. I just feel a little light-headed.¡±

    I didn¡¯t expect the battle to take so much out of me. Now that I thought about it, have I ever rested ever since coming back?

    ¡®I need to take a break from all this battling before the big day.¡¯

    The day I get my revenge.

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    We came to the bar immediately after our successful mission. The crystal was sitting in the other booth while prying eyes were looking at us. We slaughtered a Hydra so they didn¡¯t approach carelessly. Its head was also next to the crystal so that added to their hesitation.

    Anyway, Miya said that she¡¯d go back to the inn first. She was currently in our room while I stayed downstairs at the inn bar with the rest of the party members. I wasn¡¯t sure where Rela went. She only told us briefly that she¡¯d be away for a while.

    ¡°Drink up, guys!¡± Byron brought over a barrel of ale from the bar.

    ¡°Damn. A whole barrel. Wasn¡¯t this at least one gold?¡± Kyle started pouring the ale into his mug. He poured with such precision as if the alcohol was something delicate to him.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how much it was. We managed to get rich in one day.¡±

    ¡°How rich are we talking?¡± Brooklyn wiped the drool from her mouth. In reply, Byron grinned and took out a piece of paper.

    ¡°....!¡± Brooklyn¡¯s mouth opened wide as she looked at the paper.

    ¡°40 white gold...?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. We have enough funds for upgrading all of our gear in the dwarven nation if we decide to continue with adventuring. Or we can simply live out the rest of our lives.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll pick the former. I didn¡¯t join this party for the profit alone.¡± Kyle said.

    ¡°M-Me too.¡± Cliff raised his voice to join in.

    ¡°Hmmm. What about Brooklyn?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine either way. We have this much money so it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    Byron turned towards Aria next.

    ¡°I-I want to send some to my family first and join master.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! Then it¡¯s settled! Our next location is the Dwarven Kingdom!¡±

    -¡ô-

    ¡°Phew. I haven¡¯t had this in a while.¡± Kyle downed the mug in one go and poured another. His face was getting flushed the more he drank.

    ¡°If I may ask, where are you guys from?¡± I spoke to Brooklyn who was seated next to me.

    ¡°Hm? We¡¯re from the Holy Kingdom. Well, we travel around a lot so we don¡¯t have a base yet. Byron and I moved from there six years ago. I was 12 at the time and he was 20. We decided to leave to become independent adventurers with the rest of our party.¡±

    She gestured to everyone at the table.

    ¡°All of you have been together since then?¡±

    ¡°Yip. Cliff was still a snot nosed kid when he said he¡¯ll follow us. Little brat would never listen to anything we say. Even now. I told him to not drink but he didn¡¯t listen.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m an adult already you know!? I-I can drink whenever I want! Hic!¡±

    Cliff¡¯s entire face was red as he hiccupped. He laughed mysteriously and tried to peek down Brooklyn¡¯s cleavage. He sneakily put his arm around her waist. Maybe he wasn¡¯t aware that his action was obvious to everyone.

    ¡°Oi! What do you think you¡¯re doing!?¡±

    ¡°Ouch!¡±

    She hit him hard on the head.

    ¡°You having lewd thoughts about your own cousin? Disgusting pervert!¡±

    Brooklyn covered up her body with her arms and moved towards me.

    Byron only laughed in amusement.

    ¡°We¡¯re free from the Holy Kingdom¡¯s laws so give him a little taste, Brook. The poor guy has been showing signs that he likes you anyway. Give him a little reward for protecting us with his divine spells.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re encouraging this!?¡±

    Brooklyn glared at Byron while the latter only laughed.

    ¡°He¡¯s our distant cousin so nothing wrong with that.¡±

    ¡°Tch. My type is a strong man that can push me down. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d take a little man like him even if I ignored the fact that we¡¯re family. He probably has a small pecker as well. Clyde is even manlier than you even though you two are the same age. Humph!¡± Brooklyn crossed her arms and turned her head away from Cliff.

    Ouch. That was a hard blow. All of us looked at Cliff with pity. He fell deflated on the table.

    ¡°Rejected before I could even try...¡±

    ¡°Hold on. If you¡¯re from the Holy Kingdom then...¡± I tapped Brooklyn¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Have you ever heard of someone called Annette?¡±

    ¡°Annette huh? Only one woman has that name from what I know. You must be talking about one of the Holy Kingdom¡¯s strongest paladins.¡±

    ¡°Paladin?¡±

    ¡°Yip. She serves the queen¡¯s side and often does work for the Holy Temple.¡±

    If I remembered correctly, Pope Rondart ran the temple. That meant that she received orders from His Holiness. He was said to be close with Olivia, the current queen of our kingdom as well.

    ¡°But what is really interesting about her is the fact that she¡¯s the adopted child of Her Majesty, Rosalinda.¡±

    ¡°...Huh?¡±

    I froze when I was about to take a sip from my cup.

    ¡°Are you an admirer of her as well? I hate to break it to you but she¡¯s already married. She''s broken the hearts of many men. Kukuku.¡±

    All of them chuckled together.

    ¡°Anyway, why the sudden interest?¡±

    ¡°...Ah...¡± I scratched my cheek. ¡°She¡¯s my older sister.¡±

    ¡°W-What!? She¡¯s your sister!?¡±

    Kyle choked on his drink and coughed violently. He flared his nostrils at me.

    ¡°Y-Yeah. I was thinking of visiting the Holy Kingdom so I wanted to know if my sister was still alive.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°W-What?¡±

    All of them were looking at me in silence.

    ¡°Could it be that the blood runs in the family? The little brother is a powerful mage while the sister is a powerful swordsman?¡±

    I smiled wryly.

    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of my sister being a paladin of an entire nation.¡±

    If she was a paladin then that meant that she was at the conference that happened back then.

    ¡®Well, I couldn¡¯t meet her even if I tried.¡¯

    I looked out of the window and gazed at the red moon while drinking the bitter ale. Even from where I sat, I could see flocks of flying monsters flying over the city.

    I sighed.

    ¡®I wonder if my big sister will welcome me if I go there.¡¯

    There was only one way to find out.

    I should go there and meet her.

 Intermission-Annette

    ¡ªThe Holy Kingdom¡ª YEAR 1515

    Somewhere near the Holy Kingdom¡¯s sanctuary.

    An arc of golden light struck off the head of an Immortal believer. The headless body collapsed next to the countless other corpses.

    After seeing the might of the Immortals, many chose to become their followers. Rumour has it that some of the members of the church were also involved with this evil god. They even managed to make contact with them.

    Naturally, this angered those of the church. Their people dared to go against Sol¡¯s religion and chose side with an enemy of the continent.

    ¡°Disgusting scum.¡±

    The woman responsible for the slaughter shook the blood off her silver sword. She took off her white cloak¡¯s hoodie and wiped the sweat from her brows.

    She had light brown hair and ocean blue eyes. Her body was covered with only a white cloak and under-armour. Many might not believe that the cloak was actually a very durable and powerful armour made by the dwarves¡¯ excellent craftsmanship.

    She was cut multiple times since the enemies numbered over two hundred but none of them managed to even scratch her.

    She looked up at the bright blue sky that didn''t have a single cloud. It was already noon since the sun was at its highest.

    ¡°This took longer than expected.¡±

    Her comrades threw the bodies together after they finished with the other enemies.

    All of them gathered around the corpses in a circle.

    ¡°With this prayer to the almighty Varian Goddess of Life and the light goddess Sol, we cast ¡ºHoly Fire¡»to purify their vengeful souls.¡±

    All of them chanted the same incantation. A light descended from the sky after a barrier formed around them. The golden fire burned the corpses to a crisp.

    The Holy Paladin who led the holy knights looked at the burning cloak which belonged to their church.

    ¡°How could they worship evil.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question that needed an answer. Whichever reason they had to do it; the Holy Paladin would still eliminate them.

    There was nothing but ashes after a few minutes. She could still vividly remember how they slaughtered innocents with the pretext of offers to their new god.

    ¡°Lady Annette. Her Majesty called for you.¡±

    ¡°Ah, thank you.¡±

    She took the communication orb from the priest and cleared her throat.

    ¡°Your Majesty?¡±

    -Annette. Have you finished with your job?

    ¡°I have. We didn¡¯t manage to find their main base but we could save the innocents at least. Their villages were burned down so we¡¯ll set up temporary shelters until it gets rebuilt.¡±

    -Good work. Pope Rondart will be very pleased to hear that you eradicated one of the enemies of the church. I¡¯ll give you a few weeks off.

    ¡°But my duty¨C¡°

    -No buts. I do not want my daughter to overburden herself.

    ¡°...¡±

    Annette smiled.

    ¡°Thank you, mother. I can spend time with Lionel and my son.¡±

    Lionel was her husband that she met during her time at the knight training camp. The two had been together for ten years by now.

    He was the son of a Baron household. Since he wasn¡¯t suitable to become head, he had to leave the house at 12 years old to become a knight. That was the norm for many boys that were excluded from succession.

    -How is my little prince doing?

    Rosalinda¡¯s gentle voice flowed through the orb. Since it was revealed that Lionel was infertile, the two of them couldn¡¯t conceive a child together. They decided to adopt a boy from the orphanage Annette grew up in.

    He will also one day become the king of the Holy Kingdom. Of course, this isn¡¯t revealed to the public. Rosalinda had two other children but she decided to make her adopted grandchild the king instead.

    Since he was a very talented young boy, she felt like she wouldn¡¯t regret it if she left the kingdom in his hands.

    ¡°Lionel told me that Jack has been visiting the church¡¯s new nun nearly every day. I wonder if there¡¯s something between those two?¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Rosalinda laughed.

    -He¡¯s nine years old. Isn¡¯t it about time that he finds his first love?

    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. Jack does get excited whenever he mentions her.¡±

    ¡®He even asks me for pocket money to buy her gifts on her birthdays. So cute.¡¯

    Annette climbed onto her horse as the orb floated next to her. Everyone took that as a signal to move out.

    -The boy is growing so keep an eye on their relationship. I don¡¯t want him to have a distorted view on love.

    Annette laughed softly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll remember that.¡±

    -I must attend to my duties. Enjoy your off time, my dear.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you in a week, mother.¡±

    The orb¡¯s surface darkened signalling the end of the call. Annette¡¯s soft smile vanished and was replaced with a stern expression. She gave the orb back to the priest. She tightened her hold on the reins of her white stallion and flicked it.

    The horse neighed and began running faster. Her comrades followed her lead.

    They rode through the burnt down village of the Evil God followers. It was a village near the Holy Kingdom.

    Since that was the case it didn¡¯t take long for them to arrive back at their base which was the HQ of the Sol Church.

    ¡°Have you finished your task, Paladin Annette?¡±

    A voice called out to her as she entered the church¡¯s prayer hall. The benches were filled with believers with their heads lowered. White cloaks were over their heads as they prayed.

    ¡°Am I disturbing Your Holiness in any way?¡± Annette remained standing by the doors as she asked.

    Pope Rondart gestured for her to come closer.

    ¡°Do not mind them. No outside distractions can disrupt a sincere prayer to the great goddess. If something disrupts the mind during prayer then the goddess will listen to the prayer in one¡¯s heart.¡±

    The Pope smiled gently and adjusted his glasses. He was a largely build man with a wide and big chin. He finished drawing a cross on the head of a believer.

    Annette bowed respectively.

    ¡°Pope Rondart. We have finished the task given to us.¡±

    ¡°Excellent! Now that we have slain the followers of the evil god, our nation will be peaceful from now on.¡±

    ¡°I fear that day isn¡¯t here yet. I am certain that there are more of them out there. We must remain vigilant.¡±

    ¡°Hm...¡± The Pope looked down at Annette from his seat. ¡°You are absolutely correct. We must rid this continent of evil.¡±

    He made a strange smile as he said that.

    ¡°How goes the search for the leader of this cult?¡±

    ¡°Ah, we managed to find a lead.¡±

    Annette took something out of her bag.

    It was a letter.

    ¡°We cannot read its contents but this X should give us an idea of their location? Hmmm...Judging by the geography and the rock formations, I think this is a dungeon but I¡¯m not sure where. This terrain itself is foreign to me.¡±

    Rondart¡¯s eyes twitched but Annette didn¡¯t see it. She proudly showed the letter to the pope.

    ¡°H-Hmm... Interesting. I will keep this in my hands as it could contain the filth of evil. Only those with the purest of hearts may handle it. The priests will need to cast the highest rank of divine spells to purify this item.¡±

    Those who knew of his true nature scoffed in their minds.

    This bastard was the one who helped Olivia become the queen. He had done many heinous things to become the pope. Calling something like the cult evil and filth was contradicting his own actions thus far. It was hypocrisy at its highest.

    ¡°...Then please let me know what it says once the High Priests manage to decipher it. It might hold the location of the evil god.¡±

    ¡°Very well. You have served the church blessed by goddess Sol well, my child. The future we wished for our church is nigh. I will request for you again. May the mother of Sol bless your future.¡±

    ¡®Dammit... How could the soldier sent especially by Lord Atrius be defeated? Shit. He said the clones should attack any day now. She¡¯ll be a big hindrance in the future.¡¯

    The only reason he sent her there was so that she could be discarded of. He heard before that she was known as one of the strongest Holy Knights but he didn¡¯t think she would be this strong.

    At the young age of 23, she was already classified as a powerhouse of the Holy Kingdom.

    ¡®If we continue to let her and that man grow then things might get troublesome.¡¯

    There was another person who they should¡¯ve been wary of. That was the man who protected the one who sat on the throne. He was probably as strong if not stronger than Annette. No, he was definitely stronger than Annette.

    ¡®We must find a way to deal with them as soon as possible.¡¯

    ¡°Thank you for requesting my services. I will gladly assist the church in the future if you need it.¡±

    Annette stood up and bowed before turning around to leave. Her brown hair fluttered with each step. The believers also left one after another before only the pope remained. If any of them looked back then they¡¯d see his face distort heavily.

    Annette looked up at the sky and noticed how late it was.

    ¡®Lionel is probably already making dinner. I should hurry, I don¡¯t want to miss out on his cooking tonight.¡¯

    ¡°Annette.¡±

    When Annette was about to fly off towards her residence, a sharp voice called out to her.

    ¡°Wilhelm.¡±

    A tall man with sharp facial features was standing next to her. She didn¡¯t know when he snuck up on her like that.

    He had flaming red hair and blood red eyes.

    Wilhelm Gregory, the one who guards the Holy Queen along with her. The two had been colleagues for seven years by now after the previous paladin gave his position to Annette. She was only 16 at the time but extremely talented. She was not only the youngest to be accepted but it was also the first time in history that a woman was ever selected as a paladin. This naturally caused a lot of people to look down on her. The man standing next to her was one of those people.

    In fact, he hated her the most. She was viewed as incompetent, weak and untrustworthy in his eyes.

    ¡°You''ve lost them again?¡±

    ¡°....¡±

    Annette¡¯s expression distorted. It was like he was already aware but sought confirmation from her anyway.

    ¡°...I have.¡±

    ¡°Tch.¡±

    Wilhelm¡¯s face looked annoyed when he heard her reply.

    ¡°You should know that if we let this enemy run loose, this nation''s queen herself will be in danger. I hope you¡¯re ready to face reality when that time comes. She gave you the mission of exterminating them after all. The blame will fall upon you and you alone.¡±

    He poked her armour. Specifically the crest which represented the goddess Sol.

    ¡°Do not forget why you¡¯re still a Holy Paladin. It is on the whim of Her Majesty. It has nothing to do with your strength. If strength was the answer then I would¡¯ve been more than enough to handle her protection. ¡°

    ¡°....¡±

    Annette nodded obediently.

    ¡°Charles should¡¯ve given the seat to someone else instead. Tch.¡±

    With one last annoyed click of the tongue, he left. He walked down the stairs of the Holy Temple. The Holy Kingdom¡¯s prosperous capital city appeared in Annette¡¯s view.

    Annette gave no heed to Wilhelm¡¯s words. He was like this anyway so she had gotten used to it after all these years.

    ¡°Ah...It should be in a week, right?¡±

    She muttered with a small smile while clutching the letters in her hand that she took out of her storage bag. All of them were from the same person.

    Clyde Astley.

    Her little brother.

 Chapter 81: Meeting Charlottes faction

    We travelled back to the kingdom the very next day. The streets that appeared when we entered the south gate was as devoid of people as Lonid city. Only a few people set up their shops outside, looking for any potential customers.

    I could see that a few shops were out of stock since the Red Hunt caused people to empty out the stores. The magic stores and blacksmiths were the most affected by this.

    Only a few stands and house shops were still standing. If seen from another perspective it seemed that the stores were broken into judging by the state they were in.

    We arrived at the guild a few minutes after walking for a while. Byron turned to the rest of us.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to thank Clyde and Miya for their assistance in the raid. They were our main firepower which I was grateful for.¡± Byron scratched his head rather awkwardly. ¡°I have to be honest, I thought you two would be a pain in the ass. It wasn¡¯t the first time we had a student from the academy join us.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha...¡±

    I laughed dryly.

    ¡°That Marcus Wesley guy was a real prick. I had to stop myself from punching him. His annoying voice was like a fly buzzing next to my ear.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You guys know that kid?¡±

    ¡°Yip. Most frustrating teammate ever. Even though he was less cool than you guys, he kept bragging whenever he threw a spell.¡± Kyle was the one who spoke.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just say we¡¯re glad to have had you as our supporters. Anyway, if fate allows it, let¡¯s meet again.¡±

    ¡°I guess this is goodbye, huh.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re free adventurers so we don¡¯t stay in the same place forever. It was great working with you guys.¡±

    Byron held out his hand. I shook his hand first before he shook Miya¡¯s. The party members all said farewell to us. They entered the guild halls after we parted ways.

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    It was already afternoon when I arrived. Today would be Monday. That meant that I would¡¯ve been late to the academy.

    ¡®I¡¯m soooo tired... I guess I¡¯ll take a break from the academy today.¡¯

    My mana pool was also reduced by half after yesterday. I had to be careful not to use too much magic in two consecutive days unless I want my core to overheat. You could even lose your ability to cast magic. I didn¡¯t want to experience that again.

    With my current arcane magic abilities, I was as strong as my seniors, if not stronger in that field of magic. Only a few of them had managed to enter the 6th stage. That included Victoria as well. The president might¡¯ve seemed kind and gentle towards others when she was really a monster. Few could defeat her in arcane magic alone.

    I heard that it was extremely hard to advance your magic once you reach that far. Jacob also found it hard to grow stronger after his ascent to the 6th mana grade stage. He was barely on the verge of unlocking 7th stage.

    Miya parted ways with me because she had to do something at the library. It seemed that she was a lover of books so she decided to work as an assistant in the library. It¡¯s no wonder why she was always in the library.

    I headed to my dorm room and quickly freshened up to start the day. I was a bit tired but I could manage.

    When I was about to undress, I saw a note on my bedside table.

    ¡®Tch. These noble bastards. I told them to not come into my room.¡¯

    However, I was momentarily surprised by the name on the letter.

    Erica Wales ¡ó¡¾Magic Tower Dorm.¡¿

    ¡°Erica... Did she reply?¡±

    I sent a messenger to deliver a letter to her before I left the kingdom to do the quest.

    Hi, Clyde. Please believe me when I say this: I did not reveal my powers to the people. I kept my promise with you to not do it, after all. The description of this woman is also unfamiliar to me so I apologize for not being able to help you. I am not sure myself who this mysterious woman could be.

    P.S ¨C We haven¡¯t been together in a while. Can we get together some time?

    P.P.S ¨C Has that Ryan guy apologized yet?

    --

    I couldn¡¯t help but smile.

    ¡®Well, she¡¯s right.¡¯

    With all the stuff that had been going on, we didn¡¯t have enough time to bond. Our bond as friends grew stronger when we were in the Kingdom of Habsburg. I wanted to keep that connection.

    ¡°I should invite her to the party. Hmm... What does she mean by apologize?¡±

    It was confirmed that he wasn¡¯t actually missing but he was travelling around. His disappearance almost caused the duke to gather all his soldiers to find his son.

    ¡°That¡¯s odd. Well, whatever.¡±

    I shrugged. I didn¡¯t want to run into the bastard anyway. His bullying that day was akin to a middle schooler flaunting his strength on earth. He was a waste of my time and mana.

    Anyway, I¡¯ll need to see if I can find out this woman¡¯s identity. It was dangerous to leave her be. Maybe she was someone we could make our ally. Erica and her were the same after all.

    ¡®Judging by the description of her powers, she couldn¡¯t be a phony Saintess.¡¯

    Maybe there was a secret class that allowed someone to unlock Holy Light Magic. No, that idea alone sound preposterous. What the hell was up with that incompetent goddess who couldn¡¯t even manage the power system of this world?

    ¡®I¡¯ll leave that to the future me.¡¯

    I thought to myself when my eyes landed on another letter. It was hanging out of my school uniform.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    It was Charlotte¡¯s letter. The realization struck me.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    ¡®Since I¡¯m off today, why don¡¯t I visit Charlotte¡¯s villa? I told her that I¡¯d visit this week anyway.¡¯

    I thought that was a good way to end the day. She sent me a letter anyway that we should meet today but the scheduled time was in the evening. It wouldn¡¯t really matter if I go now, right? Since she was too busy with her faction related duties, she had been absent for a while now. She had been in meetings nearly every day. I guessed that it was royal duties.

    After putting on a formal suit and slicking my hair back, I left the dorm house.

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    I used Flight magic to soar through the skies since using a carriage would waste my time. The villa I went to wasn¡¯t Charlotte¡¯s villa on the palace grounds, it was one she recently bought. It was located in the Kion district in Pira city. Since I was wearing formal clothes, I didn¡¯t look that out of place.

    Since it would¡¯ve been suspicious for me to fly right onto her property, I landed a bit away from the villa. After buying something to snack on, I headed towards the knights standing by the gate.

    How do I describe it... Her villa was fitting for a Royal Princess of a wealthy country.

    It was ridiculously huge. Although not as big as the duke¡¯s manor but close to it. I saw a bunch of carriages parked outside the property. The coachmen greeted me as I walked by.

    It seemed that she was busy with a meeting with her faction.

    ¡®Should I come back another day?¡¯

    One of the knights noticed me.

    ¡°Oh! Lord Clyde!¡±

    ¡°Ah, hello. Is Char¨CHer highness busy at the moment?¡±

    He nodded.

    ¡°Yes but she said that we should open the gate if you were to show up. If they are too busy then I¡¯ll take you to the reception room.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    He twirled his finger in a circle which alerted the other knight. He quickly moved to open the gate.

    A long path of flowers entered my vision when the gate opened. There were flowers everywhere I looked. The pathway was covered with a tall roof.

    ¡°It seems that she likes flowers, huh...¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a hobby her highness had been getting into again. I can remember that she used to do this before her mother...¡±

    ¡°Before Her Majesty was poisoned?¡±

    ¡°Yes...¡±

    It seemed to be a sad memory for everyone if they remembered Melodia¡¯s previous condition. She was on the verge of dying just a few months ago, after all. I heard from Helen that the queen was able to eat her own meals now.

    The treatment seemed to have exhausted her body a lot so she usually slept most of the day. The only time she ever woke up was to bathe. That was with the help of a lot of palace maids.

    It seemed that she was getting better by the day.

    ¡®That¡¯s good but...¡¯The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Her assailant hadn¡¯t mentioned who was the cause behind this. Who issued the poisoning? That was a question we had yet to hear.

    ¡°Clyde!¡±

    The door opened up revealing a woman with bright blue hair and eyes dressed in knight armour. The one who suddenly jumped towards me and hugged me was Helen.

    ¡°Hey, Helen.¡±

    She shooed the knight away and brought me inside. The well decorated interior of the house greeted my eyes. As a bumpkin myself, I couldn¡¯t help but admire the beautiful inside of her villa.

    ¡°How have you been?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been well and yourself?¡±

    ¡°Well...¡± Helen smiled wryly. ¡°Things have been going alright with me but the princess seems to be the one that isn¡¯t doing alright.¡±

    ¡°Huh? But the queen is regaining her health so why?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not that specifically. She has been struggling to get hold of a curse magician to help her break the seal on Pina¡¯s tongue. They¡¯d either refuse or fail midway when they try to remove the curse. It burned a few magicians before so many are now reluctant.¡±

    ¡°Ah...¡±

    ¡°They said that a forbidden magic user will be needed but given the rules of this kingdom, getting one is unlikely. They are taboo after all.¡±

    I suddenly remembered those four curse marks. Charlotte showed us a hologram photo of it not long ago. It was apparently something that forces her to keep quiet. Naturally, she couldn¡¯t write out the name either since the curse reacts to the person¡¯s brain commands. Mouthing the words was also a no-go.

    ¡°Who is she talking with at the moment? I don¡¯t want to be a bother for visiting this early today.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s speaking with the young ladies from the Bonte, Agnus, Burda, Dasil, Arden and Smith households.¡±

    ¡°Huh? All of them gathered? Is she gathering an army for war or something?¡±

    Four of the latter were vassals of the Luxembourg household so I knew them fairly well. The first two were count and marques respectively and they were also great talents in the noble circle. They had great wealth and connections with nobles from other kingdoms as well.

    Did she even need a duke in her faction? As the former two households were high ranking nobles, their status in the capital was absolute. Their power lay in politics instead of wealth and military power like the others. I didn¡¯t recognize them that much but I¡¯ve heard of them in the academy.

    We ascended the stairs of the mansion. I could see many portraits of Charlotte hanging on the walls. She seemed to like paintings as they were literally everywhere.

    ¡®Maybe I should give her a painting as her next birthday present...¡¯

    I hadn¡¯t drawn in a long time ever since being reincarnated so I might¡¯ve gotten sloppy.

    Helen knocked three times against the door. The muffled voices that came from inside slowly died down.

    -Who is it?

    ¡°It¡¯s Helen, your highness. Clyde has arrived.¡±

    -...Okay. Bring him in.

    The door opened with a creak and I was greeted with the intense smell of flowers and perfume. It was the smell that would gather when a lot of women were in the same room.

    Sure enough, I saw about 7 young ladies present in the room. Charlotte Rosemary Colchis and her faction. The others might¡¯ve been busy since I could remember there being 18 of them. I didn¡¯t know a few of them here. I was only familiar with four of them. The other two were probably new members of the faction.

    ¡°Oh, Sir Clyde!¡±

    One of the girls, Smiths young lady¡ªI think¡ªwaved at me. The others also turned towards the door. I was greeted favourably by the young ladies. Well, not all of them. Two unfamiliar girls was looking at me with narrowed eyes. They were the Agnus and Bonte young ladies.

    ¡°Ah, Clyde.¡± Charlotte put down her pen and smiled at me.

    I bowed respectfully. We might¡¯ve been friends, but she was still a princess that deserved respect. I was still lower than her. I bowed towards the other ladies as well.

    ¡°Please sit and have some tea.¡± One of them offered. I could see a bunch of treats on the table. It seemed that they had been here for a while since there was multiple wrappers strewn on the table.

    ¡°Thank you. Have I interrupted you in any way, your highness? If so, I apologize.¡±

    Charlotte spoke a moment later.

    ¡°No, not at all. We were just talking about ordinary things like the party that¡¯s happening in a few months. Josephine has also announced that she¡¯s pregnant.¡±

    She pointed to the girl with drill blonde hair and green eyes. The girl blushed and lowered her head.

    ¡°I-It was confirmed a few days ago. I think it may have been on the day me and my current husband went on honeymoon that it happened.¡±

    ¡°I wanted to do something special for her. Perhaps a baby shower would do nicely. We have quite a lot of things we need to do besides things related to the faction. Do you remember that night you healed me at my tenth birthday party?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. You were speaking with those children, I believe?¡±

    It was that weird drawing of a train I saw.

    ¡°Yes. They presented an idea to me that night. What was it called again.... Ah, mana motor if I recall correctly.¡±

    ¡®The name is weird but the drawing did indeed look like any old train from earth.¡¯

    ¡°I have decided to sell their idea to Duke Rosenberg a few years ago. I needed funds for our faction activities after all. He told us just a week ago that the tracks to all the major nations has been completed and the mana motor is nearing its final phase.¡±

    ¡°To all major nations...?¡± I fell into contemplation. ¡°Does that include the Holy Kingdom?¡±

    Charlotte shook her head.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t received permission to built anything there yet. Although, one could take the tracks that goes to the Beast Dominion and get off a stop nearby. I checked the map of where the path went and confirmed that it stopped by several villages and towns.¡±

    ¡®This is perfect, isn¡¯t it?¡¯

    I wanted to go to the Holy Kingdom anyway. I wanted to see my sister, Annette. Though, what would she do if I were to show up at her doorstep?

    Would she push me away and tell me to leave?

    Or.

    Would she welcome me with open arms?

    ¡°Clyde? Is something wrong?¡±

    I shook my head at Charlotte¡¯s question.

    ¡°No, princess. I¡¯m fine.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re spacing out a lot these days, as I¡¯ve heard. Anyway, I have great news.¡±

    ¡°...?¡± I tilted my head at her words.

    Charlotte made a wide grin.

    ¡°Lady Kenia has agreed to join our faction. It¡¯s only a matter of time before I win against my siblings and take the throne.¡±

    I frowned.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t she need permission from uncle Henry?¡±

    Even if he was still on vacation with Sadith, she had to wait for the duke to come back. Doing things on her own volition could cause trouble to arise in the household.

    ¡°Well, she is already expected to become the next duchess so I think that¡¯s unnecessary.¡±

    The Luxembourg family had never been involved with royal succession wars in their entire history. That was why the other dukes never moved either. I thought they¡¯d keep their modus operandi. Had Kenia decided to disobey the will of the previous heads?

    ¡°That aside, I heard the other day that you¡¯d be appointed as the head of the Bentinck household.¡±

    Charlotte asked with an amused smile on her face.

    ¡®Why do you hear so many things related to me? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s Helen...¡¯

    We talked regularly so Charlotte might¡¯ve been interested in what I¡¯ve been up to.

    ¡°Ugh...Yeah. that¡¯s right.¡± I scratched my nose in averted my eyes. ¡°I have to marry Diane. The engagement party will be held along with my age of coming ceremony at the end of this week.¡±

    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that wonderful! Ah, but aren¡¯t you and Arielle in a relationship?¡±

    I flinched.

    ¡®You just had to remind me of my pain...You wicked girl...¡¯

    Charlotte had a teasing expression on her face. All the other girls gasped.

    ¡°Sir Clyde and Lady Arielle?¡±

    ¡°Did I perhaps mishear that now...¡±

    ¡°Ugh...I¡¯m not being rude but that cave woman?¡±

    They probably knew what Arielle was like as children. They grew up together after all. Some must¡¯ve suffered a lot from Arielle¡¯s overbearing attitude. If they saw her now, they¡¯d be shocked by how much she changed.

    ¡°Yeah...¡±

    I couldn¡¯t hide the shivers of when I remember Arielle¡¯s letter.

    -If you fall in love with her then I won¡¯t forgive you...

    ¡°She must¡¯ve given quite the interesting reply when you mentioned it to her.¡±

    ¡°You have no idea...¡±

    I didn¡¯t need to be a genius to figure out what her words meant. If the spilt ink on the letter didn¡¯t make it clear how frustrated she must¡¯ve been then I didn¡¯t know what could.

    It was only a political marriage so no love was involved. Although, on the night of our wedding, we have to consummate. It was apparently required in this world.

    ¡®Maybe I should bail? No, I already agreed. Plus, sir Mason has already used money to keep me at the academy.¡¯

    I felt like I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. I could only imagine how much Arielle and Diane would argue. The two were complete opposites.

    ¡°Oh my. It seems that she didn¡¯t take that well.¡± Judith Burda flipped her fan and chuckled.

    All of them looked at me with pitiful eyes. I must¡¯ve looked scared or something. No, I was scared. Of Arielle¡¯s wrath.

    ¡°By the way, have you met Diane yet? I figured that since she attended a lot of parties in the past...¡± I asked Charlotte.

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve met her quite a few times before.¡±

    ¡°How was she?¡± Charlotte tilted her head and hummed. ¡°I wonder. I must say that I am quite good at reading a person¡¯s thoughts by watching their facial twitches. But when I met Diane, I could barely tell what was on her mind.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, Your Highness?¡±

    ¡°Hmm...It was like she had an indifferent personality that no one could break through. She was so good at controlling her expressions and making the other party enjoy her conversations and company. Her smiles looked hollow and lifeless in my eyes.¡±

    ¡®She noticed too huh...¡¯

    Diane was indeed a strange girl.

    ¡°Well, be careful when interacting with her. I tend to avoid the people I can¡¯t read. There¡¯s something about her eyes that tells me she has a lot to hide.¡±

    ¡°S-Scary...¡±

    Don¡¯t tell me she¡¯s a mass murderer...

    I had such a stupid thought when I suddenly felt my spirits going out of control when they sensed killing intent.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    I used Spirit Sense to see what the situation was and saw it.

    ¡°No one move out of your chairs.¡±

    I said with a dangerous tone in my voice as I stood up.

    ¡°Clyde? What¡¯s going on?¡±

    I ignored Charlotte¡¯s question and only looked around. The other girls were looking towards me with confused expressions on their faces.

    I raised my left hand in the air. There was a single platinum ring on my finger.

    Rolath¡¯s ring of [Silent Casting].

    ¡°I have used this artifact to cast two spells silently. First is an extremely powerful advanced class barrier and second is advanced class attack spell called Supernova. I know all of your locations. Doesn¡¯t matter where you are in this villa, my spell will hit you. I can expand the range however I wish even if the cost of mana will be large. Destroying this city district would not be impossible for me.¡±

    The girls¡¯ expressions turned pale. I could sense the disturbance in the intruders¡¯ mana fluctuations.

    How did he discover our locations, was probably the question on their minds.

    ¡°The only worry I have is that I won¡¯t be able to control my mana if I release the spell. This whole property will be destroyed along with your bodies. Only this room will remain.¡±

    The presences got flustered and slowly left their positions.

    The girls looked frightened when I gathered mana around my hands.

    ¡°Are you willing to risk it and believe my words to be a bluff?¡±

    A four layered barrier covered the entire room.

    ¡ºGod¡¯s Dome¡». One of the higher tier barrier spells I found inside Solphia¡¯s book of magic. The sky suddenly brightened as I drew a magic circle with the mana I released earlier.

    ¡°M-Monster!¡±

    ¡°What the hell!? Retreat!¡±

    Shadows jumped down the roof and ran across the property. There was exactly five of them.

    ¡®Spies...¡¯

    The must¡¯ve been tasked with spying on Charlotte to find something related to Melodia¡¯s recovery. That was not my guess, it was obvious. That was because they sent spies right after Charlotte found a way for her mother to recover.

    I turned towards the smiling Helen. She was the only one that was unaffected by my threat to blow up the mansion.

    ¡°Helen, did you know?¡±

    ¡°Of course I did. I was only waiting to see what they¡¯ll do.¡±

    As expected of a knight who was close to Master Rank. Her sensory abilities were better than mine. I had to use spirit sense to locate the intruders.

    ¡°Please explain what is going on! Why did you suddenly cast such a powerful spell in our presence!? This can be seen as a threat! Do you know that this could make our households your enemy, your highness!?¡±

    One of the girls stood from her seat and shouted. She was visibly sweating bullets since earlier.

    She was one of the unfamiliar ones. The one from the Bonte count household.

    ¡°C-Calm down. Sir Clyde wouldn¡¯t do such a thing if it wasn¡¯t necessary.¡±

    Charlotte¡¯s eyes turned towards me. Her eyes were telling me to explain. I smiled bitterly.

    ¡°They eavesdropped on your conversations. I wanted to scare them a bit. I promise that it wasn¡¯t to harm any of you. I suspect they¡¯ve been here for a few days now.¡±

 Chapter 82: Charlottes promise

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°....¡±

    ¡°.....¡±

    All of their faces paled. I could see a few of them shiver.

    ¡°Do not worry, your highness and young ladies. I have made the proper arrangements to catch them if they ever ran. My subordinates should be after them now.¡± Helen stepped forward to give reassurance at that moment.

    ¡°Wow. As expected of miss Helen!¡±

    ¡°So cool!¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s so awesome~!¡±

    The girls were looking at Helen with passionate eyes. One of them looked especially in love.

    Helen cleared her throat.

    ¡°Clyde seems to know why they were here as well so I will let him speak.¡±

    All of them turned towards me. I looked at Charlotte.

    ¡°Do they know about the thing?¡±

    Charlotte seemed to understand my question and nodded.

    ¡°Yes. I have told them about the Divine Elixir. It is necessary to gain their trust this way.¡±

    ¡®I guess she didn¡¯t tell them where then.¡¯

    It was stupid to reveal everything to your allies. One of them could even be a part of her enemies. She might¡¯ve mixed a few lies in the truth. Well, she already revealed the potion¡ªeven though there was risk of enemies being among the noble girls¡ªso she must¡¯ve had another reason for why she did it.

    ¡°Have you given the location to where the elixir¡¯s production method lies to anyone outside and inside the faction?¡±

    She shook her head.

    ¡°There is no production method left.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°I destroyed it after the treatment was successful.¡± She pointed to her head. ¡°I memorized it so there is no worry if I need it again in the future.¡±

    ¡®I forgot that she can memorize things after seeing it just once. As expected of a genius huh...¡¯

    Charlotte had the rumoured photographic memory that allowed her to remember things with just one glance. That was how she could memorise an entire textbook like it was nothing. It was no wonder that she managed to get the student council president nominee.

    ¡°We won¡¯t have to worry about them blabbing to other people since we¡¯ll capture them. The only worry I have is that we might not be able to extract any useful information.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean, miss Helen?¡±

    One of the girls, Mika spoke up. She was a short girl with short auburn coloured hair styled into a bob cut. She was the definition of the word cute.

    ¡°They might have the same curse that Pina has.¡±

    ¡°Ah...¡±

    ¡°That is indeed possible...¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why we can¡¯t expect anything from the spies.¡± Charlotte turned towards me. ¡°That is why I called Clyde. Well, this was the other reason. The main reason was because we rarely spoke after he came back to the kingdom.¡±

    They looked at Charlotte as if they didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°We need the genius of the mage who managed to decipher the 27<sup>th</sup> rune found in the Red Abyss.¡± She smiled. ¡°We need the wandering mage called Light.¡±

    Light. Known as the anonymous genius mage that shook the continent with his record breaking deciphering skills. The rune I deciphered changed the lives of non-mages across the continent. No one had the worry if they could cast magic or not. This was basically something that caused my name to be written up in the Magic Association¡¯s hall of wizards. I was listed as the top ten contributors to magical science.

    As I had mentioned before, if you use the rune spell long enough, there were chances of your body developing its own mana core after getting used to its essence. It was called core construction.

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! If it¡¯s sir Clyde then he can do it!¡±

    The girls looked at me with sparkling eyes on their faces.

    I frowned.

    ¡°But...¡±

    I could see a sad expression appear on Charlotte¡¯s face. It looked like she had lost all hope.

    ¡°I wanted to at least find out before the party that¡¯s happening in three months... So mother can enjoy her day instead of constantly looking over her shoulder.¡±

    Tears dared to come out as her face grimaced. The girls gathered around Charlotte and comforted her.

    I sighed. Was it because she cried? I felt like I could even fight a god to see a beautiful girl like her smile.

    ¡°I expect compensation if I have to put myself out there as this Light guy.¡±

    Her eyes sparkled.

    ¡°Of course, of course...¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not making any promises. As my main class is arcane mage, I have to risk myself to work with curse magic.¡±

    Curse marks were originally casted using miasma. Only necromancers had the abilities to cast such dangerous magic. Since I had arcane mana, I had to put myself in risk of consuming the dark energy released from the mark.

    ¡®Well, I can have Erica heal me if anything bad happens.¡¯

    ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can succeed in finding a way to release it. Can you give me a picture or description of the mark?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    She rummaged in her bag and pulled out a rolled scroll.

    ¡°This is what I¡¯ve found so far. Even after reading the entire text, I have no idea what to do with it.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    ¡°Hmm....¡± I cocked my head and closed my eyes. ¡°This¡¯ll be troublesome... But okay. I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Clyde.¡±

    Charlotte had a refreshing smile on her face. It seemed she fully trusted me with the task.

    ¡®Maybe one of Rolath¡¯s rings can help me. I also have his book...¡¯

    I just remembered that I hadn¡¯t read his diary yet.

    I put the scroll in my spatial storage ring.

    ¡®I¡¯ll have to read it later.¡¯

    ¡°By the way, Clyde. I won¡¯t be able to attend your birthday. I apologize in advance for my absence. But I will definitely send presents.¡±

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s no need to apologize, princess.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that miss Arielle couldn¡¯t be here either.¡± Judith Smiths said with a sigh. ¡°What is she doing at the moment anyway?¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s training under the Tigress of the Sword from what I heard from Clyde.¡±

    All of their eyes widened.

    ¡°Eh!?¡±

    ¡°That Tigress of the Sword, Rosetta!?¡±

    ¡°The demon of the battlefield!?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with your guys¡¯ reactions?¡±

    Charlotte looked at them with a confused expression on her face.

    ¡°My brother went there before but he left the very next week.¡±

    ¡°Really? Why?¡±

    ¡°He said that the training was too hard. His first test was to stay standing while being stabbed multiple times.¡±

    ¡°....¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°Then they had to fight an A rank monster with a knife carved from stone.¡±

    ¡°....¡±

    ¡°Okay. Enough, Judith. We get it.¡± Charlotte heaved a deep sigh. ¡°How is Arielle even coping at Rosetta¡¯s training facility?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha....¡±

    I laughed dryly so as to avoid answering the question.

    Her stamina, endurance and overall strength was much more than the average knight. I knew first hand how it felt being pinned under the arms of a female swordsman. She did most of the leading during our night together.

    I glanced towards Helen who was standing with her eyes closed.

    ¡®If Helen is near master rank then how far has Arielle gone?¡¯

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    ¡°Thanks for visiting today, Clyde. I hope we can get together again like today.¡±

    ¡°Bye~!¡±

    The girls waved Clyde goodbye after they saw him off at the front door. They were also about to leave after all.

    The sun was already setting in the distance. The entire kingdom was bathed in the brilliance of its orange hue.

    Charlotte looked at Clyde¡¯s departing back with a sad expression on her face.

    I had the thought of killing him that night yet here I am holding tea parties with him....I really am a monster.

    She heaved a deep sigh before turning to her faction members who were silently gazing at her.

    ¡°What do you all think after meeting him?¡±

    She directed her eyes to the two newcomers.

    ¡°Impossible... A boy that young has so much magical talent...¡±

    Patricia Agnus, from a marquis household couldn¡¯t believe what she saw. She had heard from the others of Clyde¡¯s magical talent but it was too good to be true.

    Andrea Bonte, a young lady of a count household, was the other one who couldn¡¯t acknowledge Clyde¡¯s abilities. To say the least, he was the key figure of whether they¡¯d become successful in ranking up in noble status. She couldn¡¯t blindly follow Charlotte just from hearing her words. That was the original purpose of the meeting.

    If he managed to break the curse mark then they¡¯d be able to pinpoint the criminal who instigated Melodia¡¯s poisoning, that would allow them to seize that criminal and receive a reward from the king himself. It was no secret that the king held great affection for his wife. Even more so than his second wife.

    All they needed was a name then they¡¯d hunt that person down.

    ¡°Your Highness...Was what he said true? That he can destroy the entire Kion district?¡± Patricia asked to make sure.

    Charlotte smiled wryly. That alone told them that his words earlier wasn¡¯t a bluff.

    ¡®Has he truly grown this much stronger after his recovery?¡¯

    ¡°I hope he succeeds. We can only trust in his abilities.¡± Andrea and Patricia¡¯s doubtful expressions vanished. They were finally accepting him.

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll need Clyde to do this before the banquet in the royal palace. The real battle of succession begins after the banquet.¡± Charlotte muttered to herself with a troubled expression.

    Helen walked towards the front of the group and looked at all of them.

    ¡°As her Highness said, we¡¯ll need to act quickly. I¡¯ll keep the spies alive for the time being so that we can confirm whether or not the two names will be the same.¡± Helen said.

    ¡°But... If it isn¡¯t and there¡¯s more, then...?¡±

    The girls looked towards Charlotte. The princess was chewing on her lower lip in frustration. Anyone could tell how annoyed she must¡¯ve felt.

    She spoke after a brief moment of silence.

    ¡°If there is more than one enemy then we go with plan B: Identify opposition, no matter how small their hostility might be, and eliminate them.¡±

    A heavy silence was cast upon the room at the princess¡¯ words.

    ¡°I will bear responsibility if it is found out that we were the murderers. All of you will have to leave the kingdom if anything goes amiss. I deeply apologize for dragging you into this...¡±

    Charlotte lowered her head.

    Andrea smiled wryly. It was the first time Charlotte had ever bowed her head to someone of lower status than herself. One could tell from that alone that she was truly sorry for everything that could go wrong if they messed up.

    ¡°For us to help and stand next to the future queen, we must take the necessary risks involved. Please raise your head, Your Highness.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right! We already came this far!¡±

    ¡°I agree. There¡¯s no need to stop now that we have come this far.¡±

    ¡°Girls...¡±

    Charlotte felt like tears were about to cone out. Her emotions were beginning to show the more they spend time with her. Charlotte was never this way when they grew up together.

    What caused her to change, was the question on all of their minds.

    ¡°Our first step is to get rid of the republicans.¡± Charlotte walked towards the corner of the room and pointed at the map on the wall. There was an X drawn on a certain location. ¡°We start with the country nobles first. There¡¯s no telling if the Republican nation has sunken their claws into other nobles like they did with Count Cleve Vitian.¡±

    The fact that he was the only noble that disagreed with the new tax that was implemented by the Royal Court was already suspicious. The others didn¡¯t even flinch at the mention of tax rising. This was true for lower nobility such as Barons and Knighthood households as well.

    ¡®He was already wealthy enough so why did he act so rashly back then?¡¯

    Charlotte turned towards Helen and ordered.

    ¡°Find out where they are keeping Count Vitian. We need to know the real reason he committed treason.¡±

    Helen bowed with her right hand on her chest.

    ¡°I will dutifully carry out your order. However, in order to do that, it will take a while to¨C¡°

    ¡°Use my name as you see fit. That should be enough to shorten the process. I assume that won¡¯t be a problem?¡±

    Helen smiled.

    ¡°Very well.¡±

    She bowed one more time before leaving the room. Her footsteps disappeared a moment later.

    ¡°Your Highness, are we including Lady Kenia in this?¡±

    Charlotte shook her head.

    ¡°It¡¯s strange that she joined our faction with a reason such as taking the winner¡¯s side. We can¡¯t trust her yet. For now...¡± Charlotte looked towards her friends. ¡°We¡¯ll take the first step and continue from there.¡±

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    When Charlotte returned to her room, she threw herself onto her bed with a long sigh. All six of the girls left a while ago after bidding her farewell. They didn¡¯t forget to give Charlotte words of encouragement to boost her confidence a bit.

    She took off her uncomfortable heels and wiggled her toes. The fresh air between her toes felt refreshing.

    ¡°Ugh...Standing for so long is so tiring. Finally free~¡±

    She took off her dress and laid back down in only her underwear. The sweat that accumulated trickled down her body as she wiped her forehead with a wet cloth.

    She pushed a button on her bedside table. A hologram popped up a moment later after she thought of who to call.

    It had the face of a certain woman on it.

    ¨COh my , my. Charlotte dear?

    It was Olivia.

    Charlotte hid her expression of detest and spoke in a clear, composed tone.

    ¡°Greetings, Miss Olivia.¡±

    ¨CWhat can I do for my little flower~?

    Charlotte could hear someone snoring in the background. She squinted her eyes and saw her father lying on the bed.

    ¡®Did they do it earlier?¡¯

    Her question was answered when she saw Olivia stand up to go to the window. She was naked.

    Charlotte hid her disgust and spoke again.

    ¡°If it wouldn¡¯t be a bother...Can I ask you to have dinner with me?¡±

    ¨COh my! Truly? Receiving such a request from a beautiful young maiden!

    ¡°....¡±

    Olivia narrowed her eyes and bit her lips when she saw Charlotte who was in her underwear. It was a lustful gaze unbefitting of a married woman.

    ¨CAre you sure it¡¯s just an invitation to dinner?

    ¡°Miss Olivia...¡± Charlotte rubbed her forehead.

    ¨CKyahahaha! I¡¯m joking. But I must say, you have an amazing body.

    ¡°Will you accept or not?¡± Charlotte was beginning to get irritated over this woman¡¯s remarks.

    The purpose for calling Olivia was to invite her out to dinner. During those few hours that she was occupied, Charlotte¡¯s spies will infiltrate Olivia¡¯s office and bedroom to see if they could find out anything that involved her mother¡¯s poisoning. She had done this with other nobles before.

    No leads had been found yet.

    ¨CAlright. I haven¡¯t had a break in a while. When do we meet up?

    ¡°Tomorrow at 6 in the Mana Garden¡¯s restaurant.¡±

    ¨CPerfect! I¡¯ll be there. Be sure to make yourself look cute. Fufufu.

    Charlotte ended the call. Olivia¡¯s voice alone was irritating her.

    ¡°I promise that If I find out that you were the one that was responsible for my mother¡¯s years of suffering...¡±

    Charlotte looked into the distant night sky with hollowed eyes and an expressionless face. The window was still open so the cold wind was entering the room. It brushed past Charlotte¡¯s blonde hair.

    ¡°¡ªI¡¯m going to bury you alive.¡±

 Intermission-Prodigy

    In the highest tower of the Magic Association¡¯s facilities. Located in a rural city known as the Magus City, the head wizard and the chairman of the Royal Academy Graponia, Rezar sat down on his seat.

    He was staring at a particular name.

    Light.

    ¡°....¡±

    ¡®Why have I never heard of this person before?¡¯

    Rezar was the one that went through all the lists of villages and other regions after they conduct a magic aptitude test. He had to keep his eyes peeled for any talented mage that he could take under his wing.

    Recently, a boy known to have the most mana out of every test run by the MA had been discovered. Although, what Light was able to achieve lessened that impact.

    27<sup>th</sup> rune. Also known as one of the three most difficult runes to ever be discovered in the Red Abyss¡¯ relic tombs located in its dungeon worlds. The effect of the rune broke the entire continent¡¯s common sense of magical science and alchemy.

    This had forced the Magic Association to hold back the curious mages from other towers located around the continent, from barging right into the kingdom. Mages were people that were interested in only one thing.

    Magic talent. It was the sane for Rezar as well. He had adopted several children that showed high talent for magic. Yet, none of them come close to Light.

    Usually, mages were people destined to pursue the path of magic. In other words; those born with magic power and an arcane core. This was true up until only recently.

    ¡°Whatcha reading?¡±

    An old female voice asked as she appeared behind him silently. She was wearing a dark purple robe and a wizard¡¯s hat. Her gloves and heels were the same colour.

    ¡°Lady Odette. The fact that you can teleport so silently between nations is truly a scary thing to think about. You¡¯ll give me a heart attack.¡±

    Rezar said without a change in his expression. ¡°How has the special course been going, Ingrid?¡±

    ¡°Sheesh. You old fart. You see through all my schemes.¡±

    ¡°All I see is an old woman playing house with little kids. How has it been?¡±

    ¡°Well, to answer you question....¡± Odette thought with her arms crossed deep in thought. ¡°I have found three outstanding individuals so far. The rest is trash.¡±

    ¡°Trash?¡± Rezar looked offended. ¡°They were able to get into a prestigious academy such as Graponia and reach the top of their grades. I have personally prepared all examinations, which some has passed with flying colour¡ªyet you call them trash?¡±

    ¡°There is always trash amongst the talented. Why are you so grumpy?¡±

    Odette leisurely sat down on a couch in the middle of the office. Rezar sighed.

    ¡°If I may ask; why are you not resting in your chambers?¡±

    She seemed to have expected such a question because she answered a second later.

    ¡°My death is near so why should I spend my days in a cramped room? Besides, I want to stretch my old bones for a bit.¡±

    ¡°....¡±

    Rezar nodded in understanding.

    ¡°I want to at least raise Viria¡¯s successor into a splendid mage. My magic abilities might not be what they used to but my knowledge of magic still remains.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Even I feel envious over the fact that they are receiving your lessons.¡± Rezar said with a small smile. He was honest though. The younger him would never have thought that he¡¯d meet the real Great Sage. Only the highest ranking officials of the Kingdom of Colchis knew that she was still alive.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Anyway, what are you looking at with such a serious expression?¡±

    Odette coked her head and asked.

    ¡°Hmm...¡± Rezar looked back at the name. ¡°You must¡¯ve heard of this Light person, right?¡±

    ¡°I have. The so-called prodigy of magic.¡± Odette tapped her finger on her lip as she wondered. ¡°It¡¯s not weird that many sing his praises. ¡®Magic is not a path decided by fate anymore. We are like gods with this rune in our hands. We can control the fate of all people who want to become mages.¡¯¡±

    Odette repeated the words Light wrote on the note that he brought onto the doorsteps of the Magic Association.

    Many now worshipped him as some type of miracle child.

    ¡°The 56<sup>th</sup>, 27<sup>th</sup> and 101<sup>st</sup> runes are said to be the most difficult after the ascension rune which was the 99<sup>th</sup>. Yet, he was able to decipher one of them. How long has it been since they had been discovered?¡±

    ¡°...It has been 80 years, Lady Odette.¡± Rezar answered with an unreadable expression on his face.

    ¡°Prodigy is not wrong. Calling him a miracle child is too much.¡± Odette chuckled. ¡°You old farts can suck nations dry with this rune. The Magic Empire has finally met their match. Kukuku. So, why did you decide to spread this rune throughout the continent for such a low price?¡±

    Rezar frowned at her question.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°...He told us to. I can only take it as a threat given the way he said it. If he could decipher a rune this difficult then there¡¯s no telling how powerful he is. We followed his instructions thoroughly.¡±

    ¡°Hm...¡±

    Odette found this unknown person calling himself Light interesting. If she had to estimate his level then it¡¯d be¡ª

    ¡®8<sup>th</sup> rank...No, perhaps close to 9<sup>th</sup>?¡¯

    That was the conclusion she could come up with given the fact that he was able to identify the 27<sup>th</sup> rune spell that not even 50 mages¡ªeach ranking 6 or 7 stars¡ªcould decipher. They were elites of the Magic Association and Tower yet they couldn¡¯t achieve the same thing.

    ¡®The natures must¡¯ve been the reason why he could do it.¡¯

    The nature of the spell was natural essence¡ªwhich was gained from all living beings.

    ¡°If I had to guess, this mage must be an elf? Only spirit magic is able to use the power of nature.¡±

    Rezar¡¯s ears perked up at her words.

    ¡°Hm? Are you certain, Lady Odette? An elf? But why would he want to give something that would benefit humans?¡±

    Odette shrugged her shoulders.

    ¡°That entire race is weird¡ª¡±

    Odette¡¯s eyes widened when she realized something. She repeated the words she just uttered, to herself.

    Elf. Spirit magic. Nature¡¯s essence. Prodigy.

    ¡®For a genius like this to exist. Has the goddess blessed someone with her power?¡¯

    It was common knowledge that talented people were those blessed by the gods. In exchange for their good deeds or pure souls, they are granted authorities or blessings.

    The nature of this rune was proven to be spirit mana and space.

    ¡°Could it be?¡± Odette¡¯s eyes widened in realization.

    ¡°Pardon?¡±

    Rezar was confused when he saw the look on Odette¡¯s face. She was muttering to herself with a weird expression on her face.

    ¡°Lady Odette.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Did you find something out?¡± Rezar tried to probe. She was first mage of the continent¡¯s history so he was sure she must¡¯ve figured something out.

    ¡°Ah...No. I was only talking to myself.¡±

    ¡®Xio...Were you able to reincarnate into this era?¡¯

    But do not fret for I will reincarnate in the future. My friends, I hope to see you then.

    Odette felt rather emotional as that memory surfaced once again. The man she looked up to and her dear friend. The only Deity Elf to ever exist, Xio.

    If you were to put the ranking of the species in order, it would be: ordinary elves, high elves, Dryads, Dryad queen and finally, the Deity Elf. They were the ones closest to the goddess of life, Varian. The so-called demigods.

    After the Holy War in the God realm, Xio travelled to this planet through the Red Abyss. He underwent a race change and was therefore known as the Deity Elf or Spirit King. That was what Odette heard from him long ago.

    ¡®That incident in the Elca Kingdom as well. I sensed a bizarre energy coming from that kingdom.¡¯

    When they questioned the elven queen, she refused to reveal what it was. Doing so would reveal the Dryad Queen¡¯s power so they couldn¡¯t take the risk of revealing it to outsiders. This would also reveal Clyde¡¯s abilities. Doing so against his wishes was something they didn¡¯t want to do.

    Only when he chooses to reveal himself to the world will they reveal their relationship with him.

    People often said that the arcane and spirit cores were different. That wasn¡¯t wrong. However, it wasn¡¯t correct either. Mana is a supernatural force that humans¡ªor some elves¡ªabsorb from the atmosphere into their cores. The atmosphere was nature itself.

    Spirits are a part of nature. Mana is as well. They were only different in sources.

    In conclusion; with the help of spirit magic, this Light individual was able to decipher the rune.

    This was an explanation that many thought was delirious. However, the Spirit King himself was the wielder of both natures.

    ¡®I must keep my eyes peeled. He might not want to reveal himself but¡­¡¯

    Odette understood why. He was the greatest threat against the Immortals. If they left him to grow then he¡¯d become a fearsome enemy in the future. If his location was discovered then there was no doubt that he would be killed. At the level he was at now, he wouldn¡¯t survive.

    She understood that but the question still remained:

    ¡®Why aren¡¯t you revealing yourself to me at least?¡¯

    Odette leaned back onto the sofa with a deep sigh. She paid Rezar¡¯s questioning gaze no heed as she looked up at the ceiling.

    Only the turning of pages sounded in the quiet office.

 Chapter 83: Damians melancholy

    CLYDE ASTLEY POV

    It was currently 4 in the afternoon. I was on my way towards the gates after packing my stuff.

    When I was about to turn a corner, I heard someone speak to me.

    ¡°Hey, you just come back from class?¡±

    With a smile on my face, I turned towards the person.

    ¡°Has it been settled?¡±

    Damian smirked and nodded.

    ¡°Follow me.¡±

    Damian wasn¡¯t wearing his school uniform. Instead, he was wearing adventurer gear. He had black armour and gauntlets, as well as a black sword. It seemed that black was his favourite colour.

    ¡°Phew."

    I sighed heavily after downing a mana potion. There was a cold sensation of something going down my throat. It turned into pure mana after reaching the depths of my body. I felt a little of my mana being restored after a while.

    ¡°You seem quite prepared.¡± Damian looked at the ring on my finger. It was a spatial storage ring. All my equipment and items was inside of it. We were going up the Minerva territory¡¯s forest so I had to come prepared.

    ¡°It¡¯s necessary to prepare this much. Anyway, you¡¯re early. I thought we¡¯d meet at the entrance gates.¡±

    He smiled wryly.

    ¡°I had to leave before my sister could ask where I was going. I know that she¡¯ll never approve of me going to that place.¡±

    ¡°She looked pretty mad when Roman was at the inn.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha. She nagged me all night to tell her. In the end, she ignored me the rest of the week for not giving her any answers.¡±

    The two of us reached the kingdom¡¯s gates ten minutes after walking.

    I rubbed my eyes in amazement when I saw our steads.

    ¡°...Eh?¡±

    ¡°Why are you so surprised?¡± Damian chuckled and hopped onto his ride.

    What was it, you ask?

    ¡°A griffin!?¡± It was my first time seeing such a fantastical creature.

    It was a neutral monster many used as aerial transport. They had an eagle¡¯s head and a lion¡¯s body. Although their body was that of a lion, their claws were still as sharp as any eagle¡¯s.

    The other griffin¡ªwhich was probably mine¡ªsnorted and arrogantly lifted its head.

    I must bow my head to this puny human? Ridiculous.

    Its eyes alone was saying that. It was deliberately standing tall so I couldn¡¯t get on.

    ¡°Tch. You bastard mutated bird.¡±

    The griffin snarled and slapped me with its wing. Damian merely laughed as he looked at me trying to climb up the griffin¡¯s back.

    ¡°The Minerva estate lies in a dangerous place so aerial monsters can¡¯t go over the forest. We can only fly until that mountain there.¡±

    Damian pointed to a giant mountain east from the kingdom gates. Even though it was sunny where we stood, harsh lightning struck on the mountain. A dark cloud was flying above.

    I gulped.

    ¡®How the hell do you guys survive in such a place?¡¯

    There were rumours that the mountain was crawling with dinosaurs and dragons. There was even rumoured to be a dragon lord up there.

    It sounded like a bunch of baloney but nothing was impossible for this crazy world.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    After trial and error, I was able to steer the griffin correctly without falling. It finally became obedient after a while. We were getting ready for lift-off.

    ¡°How the hell did you even afford these?¡±

    ¡°Well, I had some help from the family butler.¡± Damian tightened his grip on the reins and looked at me. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Damian¡¯s griffin flew off ahead of me.

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    DAMIAN POV

    Ever since my childhood, I was never allowed outside the premises of our household.

    We had to train everyday. Training meant for killing.

    Zelda and Aubrey were the ones who used to train me since father was so busy with his work as the patriarch of an assassin family. It was a nightmare having those two as my training partners.

    I¡¯d wake up everyday wishing I¡¯d at least get a day off. That never happened. On the contrary , when I turned ten, my training became even more hellish.

    I was pushed past my limits until my own body would crumble from exhaustion and pain. But those bastards would only give me half a bottle of a healing potion to keep me from dying. It was to increase my vitality apparently.

    I had one wish.

    ¨CI¡¯ll wipe those smirks off your faces.

    I wanted to twist their heads around their necks whenever they ridiculed me. My father had nearly thirty wives so I had a lot of siblings. The worst thing about being into an assassin family was that I was the youngest to be born.

    I faced all their abuse and ridicule that I some times almost broke down a few times. I hated how much of a cry-baby I was.

    I had one person in life that I wanted to become strong for. It was my former fianc¨¦, Laurielle. She was the light of my life. The only one at the end of my tunnel.

    When the day came that I was called to my father¡¯s office, I was excited when I heard his words.

    ¨CLaurielle will become your wife. The head of the Arden household agreed to unite our families.

    I never knew anyone could feel such joy. The person I loved and cared for dearly would become mine.

    Both of us were happy to be with each other. I woke up every day hoping to see the face of my angel in my eyes.

    The night we consummated was one of the best things I ever experienced in my life. I had a wife, training wasn¡¯t so hellish since my grandfather, the previous head took over and I started enjoying my life.

    That, however was short-lived.

    When I finished my daily training and headed back to take a bath in our villa, I was called to a meeting between the heads.

    ¨CLaurielle will marry his son. You have been deemed unworthy of the flower of the Frer family.

    My father pointed to the man who looked similar to a tiger. He was the head of the assassin guild, Shadow Hitmen.

    His son was a guy who I hated with my entire being. He was the one who regularly joined Aubrey whenever the latter trained me in swordplay.

    -His son? That bastard?

    I could still remember how pissed I was when I heard my father¡¯s words. Power I didn¡¯t know I had grew inside my body.

    It was the famous black magic our entire family was born with. Naturally I wasn¡¯t worthy because my powers didn¡¯t manifest yet.

    They wanted to take the only happiness I had in my life. My father killed my first friend and then he wanted to take my first love?

    I didn¡¯t stand for it.

    -Bring him here. I request a duel.

    They didn¡¯t refuse. It was more like they wanted to see me get beat up by that guy. I knew nothing would be resolved by duelling but I had to let my anger out somewhere.

    When we battled, I beat him to near death. All the heads of the families were speechless by my power that they didn¡¯t utter a single word.

    There was only one person who didn¡¯t look impressed.

    -This changes nothing.

    My bastard father. The one parent I wanted to acknowledge me.

    I was fated to lose Laurielle anyway.

    In front of all of their eyes, I did the most disrespectful thing any member of a traditional family could do.

    I tore off the insignia of our household on my shirt and threw it in my father¡¯s face. He was livid.

    Before he could grab me, my grandfather saved me by holding his finger to my father¡¯s neck. Many said that grandpa was still far stronger than father. He just never shows his power. It was proven true when I saw father hesitate to move.

    He told me one thing.

    -Leave.

    ¡°You made it, lord Damian.¡±

    An old man¡¯s voice came from behind us when we entered the gates. His rough but elegant voice sounded familiar.

    ¡°Roman.¡±

    That man¡¯s personal butler and the one that raised both me and Elizabeth. He greeted me with a nod but I could tell from his eyes that he was happy to see me.

    His eyes widened when it landed on Clyde before he bowed to us.

    ¡°I shall lead you to the arena.¡±

    Even though I was curious about his reaction, I followed him anyway without asking any questions.

    Tap, tap.

    Our footsteps echoed in the large castle halls. I couldn¡¯t hear them but I knew the shadow servants were following us. They must¡¯ve been dispatched to deal with the outsider¡ªClyde¡ªif he tried to run away. Many instances like that had happened in the past.

    Even if they were servants, they were as experienced as any professional assassin. They were trained by the head butler and his subordinates after all.

    Roman had been a part of the family for many generations.

    Why?

    He was a vampire so he had been alive for a long time.

    ¡®He failed to protect the first head when he tried to raid the tomb of a vampire lord if I remember correctly.¡¯

    My ancestor, the first patriarch of the Minerva family sought a powerful artifact that could make him stronger. He¡ªalong with the young Roman¡ªwandered into the relic tomb.

    What he didn¡¯t expect was that a vampire lord made the dungeon her lair. Roman managed to survive her assault but his lord wasn¡¯t so fortunate.

    He had to live with the fact that he failed to protect his master. For thousands of years.

    You are just like him, Damian.

    I made a small smile as I remembered his words from when I was a little child.

    Adventurous, ambitious and confident. However, that is exactly why I must protect you and watch over you.

    ¡®Even though I changed, why do you still watch over me...¡¯

    I thought as I looked at the back of the one that I truly viewed as my father.

 Chapter 84: Clyde vs Zelda(1)

    ¡°You¡¯re back, Damian.¡±

    A thunderous voice shook the dark arena.

    I looked up and saw a pair of golden eyes glaring at me with extreme killing intent. It was the eyes that had never looked at me¡ªor any of my siblings for that matter¡ªin a gentle light.

    It was that man who was my father.

    Looking around I saw multiple people from the branches and vassals of our family. They were sitting and watching us from their high seats.

    We were currently in an arena built with the funds of our clan. Since the Minerva family possessed enormous wealth, the arena itself was gigantic. Even bigger than some coliseums of the kingdom.

    ¡°Little one. You look well.¡±

    A familiar voice called out to me. It was Granny Barbara. The one who I was truly loved by. She was a 60 year old woman with grey hair and sharp golden eyes. Her hair was tied into a ponytail at the back of her head. She was wearing a black robe. Her main weapons for combat were two swords. I didn¡¯t know if it was true or not but she told me that she once battled against Rosetta and it ended in a draw. That sounded ridiculous to me, though.

    ¡°I have returned, everyone.¡±

    I went down on one knee and looked up at my father. Even though he was glaring at me, I didn¡¯t avoid his gaze. I had to show that I wasn¡¯t the weakling from the past.

    ¡°This is my friend, Clyde.¡±

    Clyde bowed. That man turned his eyes towards his side.

    ¡°Aubrey. Zelda.¡±

    ¡°¡±Yes, father.¡±¡±

    Two shadows appeared from his side. There were many people on the top seats of the arena. Many people that I knew.

    Especially Laurielle. Her eyes sparkled when she saw me and then she smiled.

    But I couldn¡¯t smile back. Instead of taking her from this cursed organization of assassins, I chose to settle my revenge first.

    -When I win.

    I mouthed the words I wanted to tell her.

    -I will save you.

    She nodded her head multiple times. That shameless bastard husband of hers pulled her close to him with a smirk on his face. He was basically telling me that I wouldn¡¯t win.

    ¡®Duncan, you bastard.¡¯

    ¡°As this is a life for a life contract for that outsider, I give you permission to use your full power, Zelda.¡±

    Zelda¡¯s face made a twisted smile.

    ¡°As you command, lord.¡±

    She jumped from the arena seats.

    The sheer weight of her leg strength caused the entire area to shake.

    Clyde remained unmoving in the corner of my eye. All I could see on his face was boiling rage. His green eyes changed and were glowing in different colours like blue, red and yellow. I could feel mana gathering around his right arm.

    ¡®He¡¯s remembering that day to not let that anger die down, huh...¡¯

    ¡°Well, well.¡± Zelda circled around Clyde. ¡°How did you manage to recover? Was it the elves? It¡¯s like I¡¯m looking at a completely different person.¡±

    She snickered.

    ¡°This won¡¯t take long, father.¡±

    Zexel nodded. He turned his attention to Aubrey.

    ¡°Aubrey. As this a grudge between brothers, I will let you choose what option would be best to fight Damian.¡±

    ¡°Yes, father.¡±

    Aubrey also jumped down and approached me. He had a poker look on his face.

    I swallowed hard.

    ¡®The monster of my past.¡¯

    ¡°All of these people from our household will bare witness to the traditional battles about to take place.¡± Zexel pointed at Clyde. ¡°Should this boy lose against Zelda then I will take his life myself. If Zelda loses then it¡¯s the same with her.¡±

    It was cold words uttered by a father to his daughter. Where else could you find such a heartless person?

    Zelda laughed as if finding it funny.

    ¡°First battle will be Zelda against Clyde Astley. Damian and Aubrey will battle afterwards.¡±

    The lights went on signalling the start of the fight.

    ¡°Don¡¯t hold back.¡± I said to Clyde when I walked past him.

    My gaze remained fixed on my brother as we walked to the benches.

    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±

    Clyde muttered.

    ¡ó

    Zelda stretched a bit when the signal to start the match went off. She was extremely nonchalant for someone battling on a rule as serious as life-for-a-life.

    ¡®Was she that confident?¡¯

    Clyde thought as he watched the bitch stretch.

    She bent down with her back facing him.

    ¡°Like what you see?¡±

    She shook her butt. Clyde saw black panties when her skirt fluttered. Despite being such a bitch, she was indeed sexy. Her face was a nine and her butt was round and firm. Since she was tanned, it only heightened the sexiness of her long legs. Since she does leg exercises regularly, her legs were toned and meaty.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Despite being such a beautiful woman, her personality was the complete opposite. She was violent, arrogant and extremely prideful. No one in the clan wanted to tie down the knot with her. Not to mention, having a child with her.

    She tied up her hair while humming. It was like she didn¡¯t take the fight seriously.

    The entire arena was silent.

    Clyde activated his spirit arts. Spirits gathered around his right arm. His eyes turned a deep blue glow. After the training with Skyrith, he was able to gather spirits without making any mages aware. From another mage¡¯s perspective, he was pouring mana into his right arm when it was actually spirits.

    Even with the lightshow, Zelda still didn¡¯t see Clyde as a threat.

    ¡®I guess I¡¯ll just give him a kick for my first attack. Test the waters a bit.¡¯

    Her leg muscles bulged. Veins as thick as worms gathered around her legs as she sent aura into them for her first attack.

    It was a split second that Clyde saw Zelda disappear. A rumble only happened a second later.

    He blankly stared at where she was moments ago. Only dust was left where she stood before.

    ¡®Got you!¡¯

    Zelda instantly appeared behind Clyde.

    ¡°...!!!¡±

    Before she could attack¡ª

    ¡®What is this...?¡¯

    She felt a heavy pressure on her body when she saw the back of Clyde¡¯s head. It seemed like she would be struck down the moment she tried to attack him. Maybe it was her illusion but she seemed to see two eyes gazing at her. The strange thing was that it wasn¡¯t Clyde¡¯s eyes.

    Her entire body was telling her to stop. It was the instincts of someone who had killed others before. Even if she was strong, she had her fair share of fighting stronger opponents in the past.

    ¡®Shit! Move!¡¯

    She hit her leg with her fist and approached Clyde again.

    ¡®I¡¯m sure it was nothing.¡¯

    ¡°[Death Spiralling Kick]!¡±

    Her entire leg was engulfed in wind as she spun around to land a roundhouse kick.

    Zelda was positive her kick would land. The surroundings turned heavy when the pressure from her body was released.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    But then she staggered when she felt a vibration inside her body. Her attack weakened which allowed Clyde to catch her leg effortlessly.

    ¡°¡ºEMP¡».¡±

    The hand holding her leg was surrounded by a white glow. The entire arena was covered up by a magic circle.

    ¡°Huh? My mana¡­¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t feel my aura anymore. What¡¯s going on!?¡±

    The vassals nearby were baffled when they felt their mana disappear for some odd reason. It all happened when that vibration shook the arena in that split second.

    Even Zexel was looking at his hands in surprise.

    Damian smirked when he saw the disbelief on Zelda¡¯s face.

    She relied too much on her aura.

    EMP stood for Electro Mana Pulse. It was a technique Clyde learned from the book Solphia gave him. It uses a type of controlled shockwave to shock a person¡¯s core and render their abilities to use mana or aura useless. Of course, this doesn¡¯t work on everyone.

    Only on those who rely too much on their supernatural power.

    Zexel and Indra who were watching the battle looked towards the boy in interest. They also felt the pulse but it was only like a weak ripple inside their bodies. Clyde couldn¡¯t hope to use it on them at its current level.

    Clyde shoved Zelda away. She staggered and looked at her hands in disbelief.

    ¡°Huh? Huh?¡±

    Zelda tried to bring out her power again.

    ¡®A psychopath obsessed with killing yet she doesn¡¯t even know how to control her aura properly.¡¯

    Damian thought as he looked at his sister.

    In order for someone to become strong even without their aura, they must regulate a certain amount of that aura inside their body every time they train.

    This was what Indra taught Damian and Aubrey and the reason the latter was so much stronger than most of the clan members. He was able to become equal to a master rank warrior using this effective training method.

    Indra stroked his beard and chuckled.

    ¡®The boy was able to tell that Zelda doesn¡¯t use her immense aura wisely. Does he have some sort of power that made it visible to him?¡¯

    At his level, Indra could potentially target a person¡¯s aura points and destroy them using his finger alone.

    What Indra didn¡¯t know was that Clyde could use Spirit Sense to see all the holes where a person¡¯s aura poured out of.

    The EMP doesn¡¯t just work for mages. It works against warriors too.

    ¡®That¡¯s an elven magic spell. Where did he learn it?¡¯

    Indra continued watching in interest at what the boy¡¯s next move would be.

    ¡°It¡¯s useless. I temporarily disabled your ability to channel your aura.¡±

    Clyde shook his hand from left to right.

    No matter what she did, her aura wouldn¡¯t come out. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t feel it. It was more like something was blocking her aura from coming out.

    Clyde chuckled with a crazed look in his eyes.

    ¡°How does it feel to lose something you used all your life?¡±

    He took a sword out of his spatial storage and cladded it in mana. Clyde unbuttoned his robe and his sweater afterwards and took them off. The clothes would get in his way since he wasn¡¯t accustomed to fighting in close combat yet.

    Although he didn¡¯t have a lot of body fat, he had some muscle on his bones. His arms and abs were toned. His body was forged from his physical training.

    Zelda''s eyes went down.

    She saw the place she inflicted damage on Clyde when she destroyed his core. It was a large cut in the middle of his upper body.

    Clyde noticed her looking at it. He ran his fingers over the dry and hard skin. He didn¡¯t want to ask Erica to heal it. Not yet, to be precise.

    He thought that he would¡¯ve lost his anger if the reminder of that day was disposed of.

    He swung his sword to get a feel of it. It was the sword Arielle sent him. It was a fairly good sword with a black blade.

    At that moment, Zelda felt the same pressure as when she attempted to strike Clyde from behind.

    His blue eyes sent a shiver up her spine.

    ¡®What¡¯s this¡­ Why is my body quivering?¡¯

    She took out her daggers while clenching her jaws.

    ¡®He said it¡¯ll only last for a while. I can hold out until then using my physical power alone.¡¯

    She got into a stance but anyone could see the cold sweat dripping down her forehead.

    Her opponent was an experienced third year mage from the Royal Academy. Not only that, but he was even able to fight against Aubrey.

    -Watch out for that boy who was with Damian. He¡¯s no ordinary kid. If not for my speed and aura then I¡¯d have been cooked by his spells already.

    Those were Aubrey¡¯s words to his sister before they entered the arena.

    ¡®What did he mean?¡¯

    Sure, Clyde¡¯s mana pool was large but what else was there to fear other than that?

    ¡®I¡¯m still stronger than him and I have far more experience in fighting. Surely this kid can¡¯t pose a threat to me.¡¯

    Clyde saw a wide smirk on Zelda¡¯s face.

    ¡°You think you¡¯ve won just because you know some fancy magic?!¡±

    Zelda ran towards Clyde with her two daggers that were covered in poison.

    He dodged her two strikes with perfect precision. It was speed unfitting for a mage. He could dodge just by sidestepping to avoid her strikes.

    ¡®What the hell? Why is a mage able to dodge my attacks?¡¯

    Still confused over the development, she continued pouring down her attacks on Clyde. No matter what she did she couldn¡¯t hit him.

    ¡°AAAAH!!!¡±

    Clank¡­!

    Her dagger grazed Clyde¡¯s sword.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    She noticed the dense mana on his blade. Her dagger¡¯s edge was melted a bit after it touched the sword.

    She gained distance between the two of them.

    ¡®This little bastard can infuse mana into a magic sword?¡¯

    Mages weren¡¯t originally capable of doing this. As their specialty lays in magic, only magic swordsmen are able to cover their weapons in their own aura.

    The entire crowd was amazed by the boy¡¯s abilities.

    He could¡¯ve used some flashy spell to end the battle but he chose to fight with a sword.

    ¡®Is it redemption?¡¯

    Zexel contemplated by what he saw.

    Maybe the boy wanted to let Zelda know her place.

    ¡°What a cocky little brat.¡±

    He was indeed amazing but his opponent was someone from the Minerva household.

    Even without her aura, Zelda was still a terrifying opponent.

    !!!

    Using her leg strength, she burst forward and threw a scroll at Clyde.

    BOOM¡­!

    An intermediate rank fireball headed for Clyde and exploded. Since he was using spirit mana, he couldn¡¯t use Mana Bending to destroy the spell. He could only use an element with opposing properties to stop the fireball.

    ¡®What the hell? How can she move so fast?¡¯

    With his spirit mana strengthening his body, he should be at an advantage and yet she recovered so quickly.

    A woman¡¯s slender leg approached Clyde¡¯s face after he used a water ball to stop the fireball.

    RUMBLE¡­!

    CRACK¡­!

    He managed to block Zelda¡¯s kick to his side but he couldn¡¯t quite stay on his feet.

    Clyde rolled and crashed onto the ground.

    He used a wind magic spell to stop his momentum just before he hit the arena.

    ¡®This woman¡­¡¯

    When he saw Zelda¡¯s eyes, he knew it right then. She was no pushover.

    Zelda seemed to have forced her aura to pour out of her core.

    But the price for that was tremendous. All the orifices in her face was leaking blood. Since the pulse of the magic Clyde cast earlier closed her pores, mana was unable to exit her body. Yet she broke the spell¡¯s effects on her own.

    ¡®Crazy¡­¡¯

    Clyde¡¯s released his raw mana into the air. It covered the entire arena. The sheer volume of his mana astounded the spectators. The crowd made noise as they saw the two of them engage in battle.

 Chapter 85: Clyde vs Zelda(2)

    (CLYDE POV)

    What the hell is up with this woman?

    The spell I used was described as a spell that could disrupt a person¡¯s supernatural powers. I thought the spell would be useful in the future so I earnestly studied it. It took an entire month before I was able to use it though.

    I had to ask Undine for help in testing it before. It was a success.

    ¡®Crazy bitch messed with her own body just so she could use aura again.¡¯

    Her output of aura was even more than before. It must be because some holes which were closed before was also opened.

    I had no choice but to do a spirit activation.

    I felt that I wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat her unless I do so. If I lose... Well, I don¡¯t know what I would do. I might need to use Undine and Ifrit to escape.

    I wouldn¡¯t just sit still and be killed by the patriarch.

    I grinned and took out nine rings from my dimensional storage.

    [Ring of Silent Casting]

    [Ring of Magic Duplication]---Multiply caster¡¯s overall magic spells at the cost of slightly lower firepower.

    [Ring of Strength]---Slightly increase wielder¡¯s overall physical power.

    [Ring of Runic destruction]---Amplify magic spells.

    [Ring of Necromancer]-can use this to summon the dead monsters to fight by his side. Use dead mana at will. Usage of forbidden magic is possible.

    [Ring of Quickness]---Increase agility.

    [Ring of Flight]---Fly continuously as long as the wielder has mana.

    [Ring of Partial Heal]---Heal minor injuries.

    [Ring of Weakness]¡ªUse debuff on enemy that slows their speed.

    The nine rings were on all my fingers except my right pinkie finger. The seal of God¡¯s Code was still there. By the way, the Ring of Necromancy was the ring I needed to help me with the curse mark. Since dead mana was similar to miasma, it would help me in dismantling the curse mark.

    ¡®That bastard. So this was what made him so overpowered.¡¯

    The rings I rook out belonged to Rolath that I defeated in the Elca Kingdom. I hadn¡¯t used them until now since I had to ask Erica to get rid of the malice surrounding the rings. He must¡¯ve stolen these precious rings from the graves of fairly famous mages. Their grudges were so strong that even Erica had to be delicate in purifying them.

    When I put them all on, I could feel that my senses had heightened to an abnormal degree.

    RUMBLE

    Zelda threw a punch at me which I easily dodged. I hit her in the face with a kick and swung my sword after doing a full spin.

    My sword was blocked by her daggers.

    ¡®The melting effect of the fire spirits isn¡¯t doing anything?¡¯

    She must¡¯ve coated her blades in a rather thick aura. I could barely cut through with the fire spirits I had.

    I smirked.

    I activated ¡¾Ring of Strength¡¿.

    ¡°Kuh...!¡±

    I kicked Zelda in the side. She tried blocking my kick but was thrown aside regardless. It seemed that her aura was still in the process of strengthening her body. Not only that, she forcibly unblocked her pores which did quite a bit of damage to her brain¡¯s senses.

    She quickly hopped up and came towards me again.

    ¡¾Ring of Silent Casting¡¿

    ¡°...Eh?¡±

    ¡°What the hell!?¡±

    ¡°No chants!?¡±

    Unlike when I do chantless magic, I couldn¡¯t use magic in a situation where I had to use spirit mana to strengthen my body. Silent chanting¡ªhowever¡ªwas a different story. Just by imagining the spell I want, the ring activates and takes my mana automatically.

    ¡°Tch.¡±

    Hundreds of fireballs were locked onto Zelda. She tried to dodge them but they¡¯d only follow her around.

    I swung my hand to control the fireballs and direct them towards her. I could see how annoyed she was judging by her expression. The arena was filled with the sounds of explosions and collapsing structures.

    The mages of the Minerva family put up multiple barriers to protect the nobles sitting on the seats. No one was cheering as they did earlier. Instead, a heavy silence ensued as Zelda was being chased by fireballs.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°Guh!¡±

    She recklessly threw one of her daggers. However, it hit its mark. It pierced through my right kidney. I clenched my jaw hard but I didn¡¯t break the spell.

    She seemed to be surprised by my endurance as she cursed.

    Our back and forth continued under the eyes of the spectators.

    -¡ô-

    I remembered my conversation with Ingrid back then. I was standing before the desk of Ingrid after school ended.

    I was wearing casual clothes with a sling bag over my shoulder.

    ¡°Professor.¡±

    ¡°What is it, Clyde? You should be getting ready for tomorrow¡¯s lesson.¡±

    ¡°Will it be alright if I take the week off? There¡¯s something I must do.¡±

    She answered without looking at me.

    ¡°Does this have to do with your revenge?¡±

    ¡°How did you...¡±

    She chuckled.

    ¡°I keep an eye on all the interesting students of this academy. Anyway, you said a week? You¡¯ll have to do a lot to catch up.¡±

    I smiled wryly.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m prepared to do just that.¡±

    After I got my revenge, I was thinking of taking a break. The big day was by the end of this week anyway.

    ¡°Hmm...Very well. This will inconvenience your study partner.¡±

    ¡°I have already spoken to Bridgette after class. She accepted after I explained to her why I have to be away for a while.¡±

    ¡°Well, then I have nothing to be worried about then. Best of luck to you then. Oh, and Clyde.¡±

    When I was about to leave, she spoke again. She leaned forward on the desk.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°What are you hiding?¡±

    I could remember how much my body stiffened at her serious question. It was like she could see right through me. The pressure from a 7<sup>th</sup> stage mage almost caused my fire spirits to attack on instinct.

    The next moment her pressure disappeared.

    ¡°I see. It is necessary to hide it then, huh? Well, I won¡¯t pry. But remember, Clyde.¡± Ingrid leaned forward on her desk again and crossed her fingers. ¡°If you need someone to talk about these things to then I¡ªas your teacher¡ªam happy to help. It isn¡¯t just you that I¡¯ve noticed who has a secret, but Isabel as well. It is something she has already confided in me so I hope you can tell me your pain as well. If you decide to reveal whatever you¡¯re hiding then I will definitely support you. I have finally found gems amongst the pebbles, I do not intend on throwing them away¨C¡°

    -¡ó-

    ¡®I wonder what she meant when she mentioned Isabel.¡¯

    The two of us knew each other but not that well. What pain could the sister of the famous Spear God be hiding?

    ¡°You coward!¡±

    Zelda screamed in frustration as I kept manipulating the direction the fireballs flew. A few had managed to hit her. Since I used the Ring of Weakness to slow her down, the battle had turned favourably for me.

    ¡®How much mana did that bastard undead have to maintain all these rings?¡¯

    All nine were active so I had to constantly supply mana into every single one of them. Now I knew that Rolath really was a terrifying magic caster. He could maintain that massive army and cast magic at the same time in his battle with me.

    ¡®I have a long way to go, huh...¡¯

    ¡°An opening!¡±

    Zelda suddenly dashed towards me after evading the fireballs.

    ¡°Not! ¡ºQuagmire¡»!¡±

    I softened the ground that she ran on and made her fall down.

    ¡°Kyaah!¡±

    She crashed down face first. Her daggers were knocked out of her hands.

    ¡°Kuh!¡± She did a roll when I threw the spells toward her again. An explosion followed soon after.

    ¡®It¡¯ll be bad if I keep wasting mana with spells. I¡¯m not a close combatant but I have to manage until the spirits run out for now.¡¯

    I decided on what to do and dispersed the fireballs. Zelda looked around in confusion.

    ¡°Finally going to fight, coward?¡±

    She snickered with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

    ¡°That was a pretty girly scream you did back there. I didn¡¯t know you could sound that cute.¡±

    Her entire face reddened.

    ¡°S-Shut up, you bastard!¡±

    She dashed toward me and swung her daggers. We were once again locked in an exchange of parrying each other¡¯s blades. I noticed something strange while fighting her.

    The more injured she got, the stronger and faster she became.

    ¡®She must have aura similar to Arielle.¡¯

    Arielle had the violent red aura variant which was one of the most destructive of the aura types. Zelda¡¯s aura might not have been red but the nature was the same. Bit by bit, she was getting the upper hand.

    Since my spirits weren¡¯t infinite, I couldn¡¯t keep fighting like this for long. I wasn¡¯t able to get close to a million spirits since the red miasma in the air was interfering in our connection.

    ¡®If I use advanced rank magic then I¡¯d need to wait for the right moment to strike.¡¯

    Zelda was an agile fighter so I couldn¡¯t recklessly throw spells that wouldn¡¯t even hit its target.

    ¡°Guh!¡±

    I received a blow to the stomach. She grinned and punched again. Her fists were filled with aura so getting hit by that wasn¡¯t pleasant.

    I tried to dodge her next punch but since it was a feint, I was kicked to the knee instead. I heard something crack.

    ¡°Argh!¡±

    I hit her with a head-butt when she was about to punch me again. Her entire face was filled with blood. A few teeth also flew out.

    ¡°....!!!¡±

    She roared and stabbed her daggers into my shoulders. The pain sent shivers down my spine that almost caused me to drop my sword.

    BOOM....!

    I threw a silent fireball at her face.

    ¡°Aaaaaah!!!¡±

    Her entire face was on fire. I used that chance to pluck out the daggers and retreat towards the wall.

    ¡®Should I have started with a big spell earlier?¡¯

    I was hoping on saving my mana during this fight but there was no way I¡¯d do that now that Zelda had gotten the upper hand in close combat.

    I gritted my teeth as I felt the stinging pain from my shoulders. I closed my eyes and focused on weaving my mana to remove the poison out of my wounds.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    The thick poisonous liquid fell onto the ground.

    ¡°Haaa....Haaa...¡±

    ¡¾Ring of Partial Healing¡¿

    My entire body was covered by a thin green film as the light was sucked into my wound. After a while, the wound closed a bit.

    ¡®I should¡¯ve studied healing spells...¡¯

    I grumbled to myself. I could only use Elementary rank healing spells. Healing spells weren¡¯t suited for mages in general since it needed divinity to cast. To make up for the lack of divinity, it used a larger quantity of mana to cast the healing spell.

    Whenever I used a healing spell, it would take mana equivalent to an intermediate spell. It was extremely inefficient.

    ¡®I should look for any healing spells that might be helpful in Solphia¡¯s book.¡¯

    Surely there was an alternative to the healing spells I knew of. After gripping my sword in my hand, I looked back at Zelda.

    ¡°Yikes...¡±

    ¡°The young lady¡¯s hair...¡±

    The spectators looked at Zelda. Her beautiful long hair was no more. Her hair was burned up until her shoulders.

    ¡°You bastard!!!¡±

    She roared and covered her entire body with aura. I could feel that her core was spiralling out of control. She already damaged her own body to get this power. If she used far more than her damaged body could contain then there¡¯s no avoiding a combustion.

    Although not the same as an arcane core, aura cores would also overheat if you used too much of your energy in a fight. You¡¯d experience immense pain in your abdomen.

    ¡°Guh! Argh!¡±

    Zelda was basically showing signs of combustion. If seen from another perspective, she¡¯d look like a woman during labour pains.

    ¡®This is dangerous.¡¯

    She would eventually explode into tiny pieces if this continued. The ordinary people that came to watch would¡ªwithout a doubt¡ªget injured by her violent aura.

    I decided my next move and coated my sword in fire spirits again.

 Chapter 86: My revenge

    I had to find the right moment for my next move. If I timed it incorrectly then chances were that this entire facility would be caught in her aura combustion.

    I didn¡¯t know whether some of them would survive such an explosion. An aura combustion causes a person¡¯s aura to multiply and grow in power. The resulting explosion would be three times its normal power output. That was on average. There were cases of the explosion being multiple times stronger.

    It was doubtful whether Aubrey or those other cheat bastards would get hurt. Roman would obviously prioritise Damian¡¯s safety. Zexel would probably only stand still even while getting blasted by a powers similar in danger to nukes. If he could survive a dragon¡¯s breath without injury then an aura explosion would be nothing to him.

    As I just said, I had to time my next EMP perfectly. But this time on a smaller scale. If I used one like the first time then she¡¯d explode into pieces no doubt. That will result in me being caught up in it as well.

    The dumb brute didn¡¯t seem to have a brain to think about the consequences of using aura in such a way. That would make this battle short and unsatisfying.

    It was my revenge after all. It had to be sweet but slow as well.

    ¡°Aaaah!¡±

    I gave her an uppercut when she tried kick me, which I dodged. Her movements weren¡¯t exactly that of a skilled martial artist. It was more like she only knew how to street fight. Well, the two of us weren¡¯t any different. I could use some swordplay but I had no skills on fighting in close combat.

    I was basically copying the moves I saw in movies and games. I was into those genres after all. Arielle would occasionally teach me during our lessons in the past. Although, she was a bad teacher. I couldn¡¯t absorb a lot through her.

    Zelda didn¡¯t keep her distance like before and charged at me continuously. Our strikes made sparks fly through the air. Both of our injuries grew by the second. My blue spirit art combined with her explosive red aura created a myriad of colours. Most of the arena was heavily damaged by our attacks.

    It might¡¯ve looked beautiful from a distance. The same couldn¡¯t be said for when one got up close.

    I surpassed her in overall power yet she was still holding on. It was because her aura was constantly supplying her with power. My spirits were being burned up by the second. Nothing was infinite in this world. My chance to use Lightborn had long since disappeared. If I were to use it then my core would be drained drastically.

    Since my core grew a bit after my recovery, I could hold about one-and-a-half million spirits inside my body. My physical power was far more than before. Spirits weren¡¯t just used as fuel. They were also very effective in boosting physical strength. That was something I¡ªas a mage¡ªneeded.

    If I used spells against Zelda then I¡¯d lose. Strong spells took longer to activate even with the help of Ring of Silent Casting. The problem was that mana had to gather first for the spell to activate.

    ¡®Despite being stronger than in the past, I still have many things holding me back. Undine would¡¯ve made this easier.¡¯

    This was why hiding my abilities was so inconvenient. But I had no choice. There was no telling what would happen if I revealed my odd powers to the world. It was ironic how I didn¡¯t trust humans as I did elves.

    While she attacked Zelda with spells, I could be the vanguard. I swung my blade back and then it was coated in black lightning.

    Zelda clicked her tongue in annoyance but she didn¡¯t widen the distance again. Rather, she attacked with more vigour than before. Her attacks got faster and more precise.

    I managed to dodge a few but if I had no choice then I had to parry the strikes.

    Our constant slashing caused strong winds to accumulate and damaged the arena even further.

    ¡°Ugh!¡± She managed to graze me with her daggers across my chest. As if she had gained confidence, she went for another strike.

    I used a type of hand-to-hand combat move to shift her hands which held the daggers to the side.

    ¡®Time for my secret douchebag technique.¡¯

    ¡°Kyaaa!!¡±

    After using my palms to stop her daggers, I twisted both her nipples and kicked her in the stomach. She tumbled onto the ground while rolling. While covering her chest, Zelda glared at me with a red face.

    ¡°Y-Y-You bastard!¡±

    I heard a few snickers from the stadium seats.

    ¡°So the young lady can be that flustered too, huh?¡±

    ¡°That scream was adorable.¡±

    ¡°Gyahahaha!¡±

    ¡°S-Shut up! You better shut up!¡±

    All of them went silent when she poured even more aura into her daggers. She trembled when she lowered her head.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to kill you, you little shit.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    I remained unfazed even as she threatened me. With a wide smirk on my face, I gestured.

    ¡°Bring it on then.¡±

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    I tumbled onto the ground after being struck by an aura blast. I forgot that aura wielders could shoot out projectiles out of their weapons. It worked similar to enchanted weapons.

    The force of the slash itself was immense that I couldn¡¯t remain standing. Each and every one of her attacks was filled with killing intent.

    A slash of wind almost cut my cheek but I managed to dodge in time and do a back flip. When I looked ahead, I saw that Zelda was pulling her daggers out of the ground. Not only had her power increased but her speed as well.

    She smirked evilly.

    ¡°Why are you running, you little brat?¡±

    I frowned. She was seeming more confident than before.

    The impression the current Zelda was giving off was that of a serial killer. Her hair was a mess, entire face covered in blood, glowing red eyes and her ominous aura. Just by looking at her, a baby would definitely cry.

    ¡°It seems your tine in running out! Kukuku!¡± Zelda lifted her hands and spread out her arms. ¡°Ah~! That helpless expression on your face. I want to see more of it.¡±

    She swung her right leg towards me. I managed to block it but her aura did some significant damage.

    ¡°Kuh...¡±

    I was flung to the side. I crashed into the coliseum wall.

    Zelda had a disgusting grin on her face as she hummed while looking down on me. Her expression was that of pure ecstasy.

    How had Clyde killed monsters like her or even stronger than her? I thought I grew stronger since last time but here I was again.

    I was in a situation where I was vulnerable to my enemy.

    I looked at Ring of Silent Casting. It was on the verge of breaking apart. It wasn¡¯t that surprising. I could guess that it had been used by mages for thousands of years.

    It was more surprising how it was able to survive until now.

    ¡®Maybe there¡¯s a way to make one. I¡¯ll think about that later.¡¯

    I stood up and held my sword in a stance. The blade was coated in fire spirits again.

    Instead of waiting for Zelda to cone towards me, I closed the distance myself. A dull clanking sound of metal shook the arena.

    ¡°Kuh!¡±

    The vibration that I felt through the hilt made my hand go numb for a second. But I held on and swung my sword again while being mindful of her poison daggers.

    Sparks flew as the two of us clashed with our blades.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    I narrowly evaded an aura slash that came aiming for my neck. She dodged my strike which agile movements and responded with a kick to my leg. I gritted my teeth and used the fire spirits to make a small fireball.

    When I was about to throw it, Zelda grabbed my hand and squeezed hard.

    ¡°Ugh.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re really annoying, you know that?¡± She head-butted me in the face. My nose broke upon impact.

    My vision went flickering for a second. In that second, she had already broken my right arm coated in spirits.

    She kicked me in the stomach. I flew into the arena walls again.

    RUMBLE

    My body sunk into the broken wall.

    ¡°Where¡¯s your fancy magic now, huh?¡± Zelda dusted off her clothes and approached me. There was a crazy look in her eyes. It was like she enjoyed seeing me suffer.

    ¡®Fuck.¡¯

    I sensed a disturbing amount of aura leak out of Zelda¡¯s body. It was thicker than the previous times she used her aura.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    ¡°W-What¡¯s going on!?¡±

    She fell onto her knees and clutched her heart. Her entire body was oozing with dark mana.

    ¡°Guh!¡±

    ¡®She¡¯s really at death¡¯s door.¡¯

    In exchange for that extraordinary amount of power, she had to expend her life-force. This was similar to suicide for mages and warriors in a war. Well, she had no choice but to fight that way since her opponent was me. I managed to counter her massive aura and powerful attacks using my magic spells alone. If I hadn¡¯t managed to use the magic called EMP then I would¡¯ve been in Zelda¡¯s situation. Was it fate that I was suitable to use that spell?

    I¡¯m not sure.

    When Zelda was about to get up, I lifted my finger as I stood up. The Ring of Silent Casting glowed.

    ¡®This¡¯ll be the last spell for this ring.¡¯

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Zelda got up with difficulty and sped up towards me with her daggers crossed. She probably knew what I was going to use.

    ¡°...¡ºEMP¡»...¡±

    ¡°NOOO¡ª¡±

    Before she could finish yelling, a shockwave was released from my hand. It was soundless but destructive. You could hear and feel the ground itself tremble.

    ¡°Ugh!! Guh!!!¡±

    Zelda fell down on her back and clutched her chest while screaming out in pain. She tore off her armour and opened up her shirt. That was useless. She was still having difficultly breathing.

    ¡°H-Help¨C¡°

    When she was about to crawl towards the exit located a few meters away, I stood over her. Her entire body trembled.

    ¡®Yeah. I would¡¯ve been the one tasting dirt. How does it feel, you bitch?¡¯

    I shot a look of detest at Zelda who was squirming on the ground. It was strange but I felt a sense of satisfaction seeing my enemy on the ground.

    I spat the blood out of my mouth and bent down.

    ¡°I-I¡¯ll kill you! I swear I¡¯ll kill you!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    I lifted my hand into the air and activated Ring of Silent Casting again. Hundreds of magic circles filled the entire arena. All of them manifested lances of pure magic power. Each possessed power similar to advanced class magic. I was using the last of my spirits to fuel my arcane magic. The ring was also on the verge of breaking.

    ¡°Beg for your life.¡± The entire crowd gasped. They must¡¯ve thought that I would¡¯ve killed her without hesitation. However¡ª ¡°You must know now how it felt to me when I lost my power, don¡¯t you?¡± She glared at me with hateful eyes. Her face was stained with blood.

    ¡°Do you finally see what it feels like to be powerless? Have that power you cherished so much taken from you?¡±

    ¡°....!¡±

    She tried to curse again but only coughed up more blood. Fragments of a type of energy was in her blood. That meant that her entire body was filled with impure aura. If she didn¡¯t get rid of it then her entire body would collapse.

    ¡°Why is there a need for her to beg for her life?¡± A thunderous voice came from the arena seats. He was located at the highest platform. It was a man with wild silver hair and a towering build.

    Zexel. His golden eyes narrowed at me.

    ¡°Even if it was unexpected, you are still the winner. So why? Why choose to lecture her when she will die anyway?¡±

    I snickered. What a cold bastard.

    His eyes narrowed even further.

    ¡°I won. As you have said. So doesn¡¯t that mean her life is in my hands?¡± His eyes widened as his frown distorted more. ¡°I get to choose her fate so stay out of this.¡±

    ¡°...!?¡±

    The entire crowd gasped again. Even Aubrey looked surprised. Zexel¡¯s eyes looked like round plates as he uncrossed his arms. His father chuckled next to him.

    ¡°Silenced by a young one. What a disgrace.¡±

    ¡°Tch.¡±

    Despite his displeasure, he didn¡¯t say anything and continued observing. I turned back to Zelda who was coughing up blood.

    ¡°Well? Do you want to die in the hands of the one you mocked? Or do you want to beg for forgiveness and live?¡±

    ¡°Kuh....!¡± Zelda¡¯s entire face was red with shame. She was gritting her teeth so much that it made scraping noises. ¡°Dammit! Dammit!¡±

    She hit the ground in frustration.

    ¡°I-I can still¡ª!¡± Before she could finish, I sent a lance flying into her hand.

    ¡°!!!!¡±

    A beastly roar came out of her mouth as she flailed. Her hand was locked to the ground by the light lance.

    ¡°Do you surrender?¡±

    ¡°Kugh! N-Never!¡±

    ¡°....¡±

    I threw another one without saying anything else. It impaled itself into her thigh.

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Zelda spat more blood. The entire crowd was silent. It was like the two of us were the only ones there. The only sound that I could hear was Zelda¡¯s screeches.

    ¡°Alright, then. I guess your answer is to refuse?¡±

    I combined the light lances and formed a giant single lance. I applied space magic to it which made it rotate at tremendous speeds. Anything in its way would be reduced to shreds.

    I wordlessly swung down my hands. The lance followed a moment later. The people at the arena were at the edge of their seats. None of the Minerva family members seemed fazed that she was about to die.

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!!!¡± Just then, I saw Zelda pry the lances out of her body and crawl towards my shoes. Tears streamed down her eyes as she looked up at me. It was a pitiful sight to see her grabbing my pants with a pleading gaze.

    The lance stopped right when it was above us. I could feel the threatening winds that was being released from the lance. The cold air brushed past my face and caused my hair which was tightened before, to loosen.

    I used one hand to sweep back my hair. I bent down and looked Zelda in the eyes. Even though she surrendered, her glare was still filled with killing intent.

    ¡°What was that? I couldn¡¯t quite hear you.¡± my tone sounded emotionless.

    ¡°....I...give....up...¡±

    She gritted her teeth as tears came out of her eyes.

    I heard someone land behind me.

    It was the family head butler. Roman. He walked towards me and held something out to me.

    It was a dagger.

    ¡°...What¡¯s this?¡±

    ¡°As you are the winner, you can use this to pierce her heart. This is a dagger of the highest quality so there will be no resistance in penetrating her flesh.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    I silently looked at the dagger before scoffing. Roman looked confused when I turned around without taking the dagger. My eyes landed on Zexel.

    ¡°I shall allow her to live. She will remember this shame and I hope she has learned a lesson from this.¡± I grabbed her by the hair and stared down at her with a smirk. ¡°Remember this face: I was the one who let you live.¡±

    ¡°...!¡±

    When I let her go, I could hear sobbing as she lowered her head.

    When I looked back at Roman, I saw a mysterious smile on his face. Without minding it, I stretched my arms. The spirits had already left my body so the pain should come any time now.

    Absorbing spirits into my body to its limit always had a side effect. I could already feel my legs stiffening up.

    ¡°Ah~ I¡¯m so tired.¡±

    Roman put the dagger away and approached me. He held up my hand and declared:

    ¡°The winner has chosen to spare the life of a member of this family. As stated in the rules: The one that was spared will owe the winner a great debt. Clyde Astley is that winner!¡±

    ¡®There was something like this?¡¯

    The crowd cheered to me who was an outsider.

    ¡°Splendid use of magic!¡±

    ¡°That boy is so young yet he can fight so proficiently. Truly amazing.¡±

    ¡°Lady Zelda has been beaten by an outsider. Such a disgrace.¡±

    All of them had different opinions of the fight. Nonetheless, I was satisfied. Moreover, the depression I felt before instantly faded away. The helplessness I felt was but a sour memory to me now.

    I overcame an obstacle in my life. I did it on my own as well.

    It was something that would change my life forever.

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    Before I fell after losing the feeling in my legs, I felt someone¡¯s strong hands hold me up. I opened my eyes with a little difficulty.

    ¡°...Damian.¡±

    A young man with ash black hair and golden eyes was smiling at me. If I was a maiden then I would¡¯ve kissed him right there.

    ¡°You did well.¡±

    It was only a few words but it made me happy.

    ¡°Yeah...¡±

    Under the loud applause of the people in the arena, Damian helped me towards the resting area.

    My senses were overwhelmed with the thumping of my brain. It felt like my head would explode. It was the second time I felt total exhaustion. Although it was the second time, I didn¡¯t faint immediately like the time when Miya headed towards my location back then.

    After sitting down on a bench, I looked at Damian. He was silently putting on his gear.

    Before I could open my mouth, the door burst open.

    ¡°W-Wha¡ª¡±

    I thought it was assailants but what I saw confused me instead.

    It was a girl with long black hair and blue eyes. She was the very definition of a wallflower. Pale white skin, dazzling luscious lips and a tall nose. Her face was at least on par with Charlotte.

    ¡®Who¡¯s this beauty?¡¯

    Her eyes was on one person.

    Damian.

    ¡°Laurielle? What are you¡ª¡±

    She didn¡¯t give him a chance to speak and only hugged him.

    ¡°Finally. Finally....¡± With a bright smile on her face, she hugged Damian tight. ¡°I can finally meet you!¡±

    ¡°Laurielle...¡±

    ¡°E-Eh?¡±

    Damian pushed her away which made her look at him in both confusion and shock.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the confidence to face you like this.¡±

    ¡°Huh? But...!¡±

    ¡°Please.¡±

    He lowered his head. Her eyes turned towards me. I averted my eyes awkwardly and coughed.

    She bit down on her lips.

    ¡°...Fine. You better come see me after you win.¡±

    She clenched both her fists and backed away towards the door. A loud thud echoed in the room after she slammed the door when she left.

    ¡°....¡±

    ¡°.....¡±

    ......

    ¡°Err...¡±

    Damian scratched his head with a troubled expression. With a clear of his throat, he turned towards me and asked as if he was changing the subject.

    ¡°Do you want me to order Roman to send you home? I wouldn¡¯t want you to be late for your ceremony.¡±

    I smiled wryly at his concern. It was true that I had somewhere I had to be but...

    ¡°No. I¡¯ll stay and observe your fight. I can make it there in time tomorrow. Besides...¡± I chuckled. ¡°I want to see you kick your brother¡¯s ass.¡±

    Damian smiled after what I said.

    ¡°After the break¡ª¡± He added on with a wide smile. ¡°...Just watch how I beat the shit out of him.¡± With confident strides, he walked towards the arena.

    I chuckled and leaned forward with a groan. I took out my staff so I could use it as a cane to help me walk. I rummaged in my spatial ring to search for anything to eat. Since Damian left the door open after he left, I could hear someone¡¯s footsteps.

    ¡°Clyde.¡±

    I suddenly heard a familiar voice call out to me. I looked up and grimaced.

    Short red hair and bright blue eyes. She was a beautiful young woman in her twenties wearing a maid uniform.

    ¡°...How did you get here...Brielle?¡± I stood up with the help of Redheart. I almost fell down but Brielle managed to catch me.

    ¡°...You won.¡±

    She didn¡¯t answer my question and only sighed in relief.

    ¡°Miss Eleanor and the others are worried. We need to go now.¡±

    ¡°Brielle. Wait.¡±

    ¡°......¡±

    She lowered her head and clenched her fists. The next moment I knew, she lifted her head and stepped towards me. I couldn¡¯t react fast enough to her actions.

    I stiffened when I felt her lips on mine. I didn¡¯t have a lot of strength left in my body so I could do nothing to resist. Brielle ran her fingers through my hair and inserted her tongue.

    She moaned as if she enjoyed it.

    I tried to push her away with the last bit of my strength. She didn¡¯t budge. Rather, she held on tighter.

    I opened my eyes and saw that she was crying. I wasn¡¯t dense. I knew right then that she loved me.

    Not as the little boy she always had to look after. No, rather as a man.

    I kissed her back and put my hand around her lower back.

    Only the sound of us kissing echoed in the room.

 Chapter 87: Its not bad for a mother to worry, right?

    -¡ô-

    Meanwhile, a little earlier that day in the Zupiart suburb located in Pira city. It was the residence of Earl Mason Bentinck, located in one of the many noble districts in the rich areas.

    -¡ó-

    ELEANOR ASTLEY POV

    As I walked through the manor, I saw servants rushing in and out of the estate in an attempt to finish before tomorrow. Marcus ordered for the party to be held in his residence in the capital. His mansion near Harz village was too small to hold the event.

    ¡°Have all the preparations been finished for tomorrow?¡±

    When the servants were busy sweeping the floors of the venue, I asked nervously. It had been the nth time today that I had asked that question.

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. We were done this morning already. Pardon my asking, but why is the young master not here yet?¡±

    I was certain that all of them were looking forward to seeing what the next head of the Bentinck household looked like. As they were servants managing the manor in the capital, they didn¡¯t go out much. They had heard that Clyde attended the academy but that was it. They hadn¡¯t seen his face before.

    ¡°H-He is busy at the moment so he might be here tomorrow at the latest.¡±

    ¡°Awww¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a shame.¡±

    The workers sighed in disappointment but continued with their duties. Everything had to be sorted out by tomorrow. They couldn¡¯t slack off and had to show their hard work to the future earl.

    ¡®He won¡¯t be late, right?¡¯

    I had already sent a messenger to tell him that the venues had been changed to the capital city. The engagement party plus the ceremony would be held together. There was a long list of people that would show up tomorrow night. The party would last two days since it was such a big event.

    Henry and Sadith had already come back from their trip and will attend. Kenia would be with them. Eric was too busy with managing his territory in the south near the border so he wouldn¡¯t be here. Kimberly¡­Well, they hadn¡¯t heard from her in a long time.

    It was obviously suspicious why she disappeared without an explanation. Many had said that she was caught up in the Divide as well. But that was strange, she disappeared a while after the Divide even happened.

    For the record, Arielle didn¡¯t leave just to pursue power. She also wanted to look for her mother during her trip in the Eastern region of the continent. By far, she hadn¡¯t let us know anything yet. That could mean that her mother was still missing.

    ¡°You¡¯re worrying too much, El.¡±

    An old woman¡¯s voice came from Eleanor¡¯s side. It was Solphia. She left the managing of the village up to one of her daughters. She wouldn¡¯t miss Clyde¡¯s big day, after all.

    ¡°I know. I know that but¡­¡± The fact that I knew why Clyde was still not here yet was why I was anxious.

    What if he lost?

    That worry took up a large part of my mind. I could lose my little boy.

    ¡°Have some faith in the kid. His parents worrying about him is an insult to him, you know? He became stronger for all of you.¡±

    ¡°Us?¡±

    I had a confused expression on my face.

    ¡°Yes. He wants all of you to be proud to have him as your family. Why else did you think he studies so diligently? It was because he didn¡¯t want to disappoint any of you. You made it possible for him to be in such a prestigious academy. There¡¯s lots of competition yet he still manages to hold on.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Have faith in him. Clyde is far different than his old self. He¡¯s not like any other kid his age. I could tell from looking at his eyes alone.¡±

    ¡°Wait. Different? In what way?¡± I cocked my head. He was only a bit mature and taller than the last time I saw him. What changed?

    Solphia shook her head.

    ¡°Good grief. It seems your senses has dulled over the years of working in that little magic store.¡± She held up one finger. ¡°First of all, he has managed to improve his mana usage which many has found difficult. By many, I mean even the elite mages.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    My eyes widened.

    ¡°He did...?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I couldn¡¯t sense any mana being emitted from his body. He managed to do something not many senior mages can achieve. Even Rezar had to study for years to control his mana flow. This is a problem everyone has since birth.¡±

    By gaining control of his mana flow, he could reduce his mana from escaping out of his core into the atmosphere. This made him able to cast spells and use them at their maximum potential.

    It was no secret that the power of a spell depended on how much control you had over your mana flow.

    ¡°He may even be able to increase his magic attack power. This is something I haven¡¯t seen in a long time it was a good decision that I gave my magic book to Clyde. He might be able to utilize all the spells that she couldn¡¯t cast. That included those spells in the last few pages of the book.¡± Solphia suddenly mumbled something to herself.

    She cleared her throat and continued speaking.

    ¡°Second; he has matured which is a good thing even though he¡¯s still so young. Not many can say that they experienced change so early in their life.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡®Change¡­¡¯

    It reminded me of something. It was the days of my and George¡¯s youth. We were still kids but we chose to leave the Holy Kingdom to build our own home. Through countless mistakes and hardships, we were able to become the people we were today.

    This only happened a few years before Clyde was born. By then, we were past twenty years old already.

    It just goes to show how much better our own child is than us. He never gave up when he searched for a way to become a mage again.

    Could I say the same thing about the past me?

    No. I gave up countless times. If George wasn¡¯t there then I¡¯d have given myself up to destiny and I would¡¯ve died somewhere.

    Ah, I see.

    He was so much like his father.

    ¡®Gosh. My face is getting all hot just remembering how George was during his youth.¡¯

    It was like I was seeing George in Clyde. Brave, tenacious, kind and strong.

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    I felt my cheeks loosen and my mouth curl up into a smile.

    ¡°It seems you get it. Now stop worrying so much.¡± Solphia chuckled and patted my shoulder. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. He¡¯ll make it back by tomorrow and officially become lord Bentinck.¡±

    ¡°It feels like it was just yesterday that I held him in my arms as a baby.¡±

    Now he was going to become the son-in-law of a noble and the future head. I was glad that he lived a better childhood than us.

    ¡°Let¡¯s continue watching over the boy.¡± Solphia patted my shoulder again before walking off.

    As if to replace her, Diane came towards me. She did a bow as she pinched her dress.

    ¡°I apologize for arriving this late, mother.¡±

    I smiled a little awkwardly. It was strange being called mother by someone other than my own children.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I was able to make sure that nothing went wrong.¡±

    It was actually perfect.

    ¡°I see. I was worried for nothing.¡±

    ¡°Where have you been?¡±

    The two of us walked towards the door leading to the garden. There was a greenhouse located among the countless flowers.

    We sat down on the nearest table. A nearby maid hurriedly brought over a tea set and placed it down. I waved her off with a smile.

    ¡°I was invited by the residents of our land. They have given me a lot of gifts.¡±

    Diane pointed towards the carriage over the fence to the fountain. I saw a bunch of servants carrying lots of boxes out of a carriage. The boxes were in different colours and sizes.

    ¡°Looks expensive. The people went all out. Well, they like you after all.¡±

    Diane had been quite popular amongst the villagers and our neighbours. A lot of the young boys were heartbroken when they heard that Diane would marry Clyde.

    A man had to be married by age 15 otherwise he¡¯d be seen in a bad light by the rest of the villagers.

    ¡®Poor kids.¡¯

    ¡°Like me?¡± Diane scoffed as if it was ridiculous. ¡°They are trying to curry favour with me by bribing me with those things that they gifted me.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Clyde is well known around the surrounding territories. Isn¡¯t it obvious that they would try to get close to me, the daughter of their fief lord through him? The idiots might be thinking that I¡¯ll lower the taxes or something.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, I apologize. I was letting out my thoughts a bit there.¡±

    ¡°A bit¡­?¡±

    ¡°Ahem. I wanted to get your thoughts on a few things before we proceed.¡±

    Diane suddenly changed the subject with a poker face. She looked a little flustered at letting her thoughts slip out.

    I shrugged as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal.

    ¡°Sure. What is it?¡±

    Diane leaned in close.

    ¡°I was hoping to find out how the two of us, you know¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­? Oh!¡± I only got what she meant after a few seconds. ¡°You¡¯re not experienced in that?¡±

    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m still pure.¡±

    ¡°But still. It¡¯s a little too late to ask something this important. It¡¯s a day before you have to consummate.¡±

    Girls of nobility would usually do their sex education along with their normal studies. They start doing that at age ten.

    Their fathers would sometimes give them the option to get lovers. That way they can learn sex practically.

    ¡®Now that I realize that Clyde is like his father, is it the same for in bed¡­?¡¯

    I was starting to get worried. George was like an untameable beast. Some days he was gentle and other days he would push me down and seal all paths of escape. I could only take a breather after we were done.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t have enough time for those kinds of things. I had my shop to worry about, my duties as the daughter of an earl and my lessons as a wife.¡±

    ¡°Normally, sex would be included in the lessons as a wife. Who taught you all these things? I never heard of this from Edith¡­¡±

    Edith was originally her tutor since her mother was visiting her family in a city far from this kingdom.

    ¡°My mother is the one in charge of overseeing my education now.¡±

    Diane said with nonchalance and sipped the tea.

    ¡°Your mother? Did she deliberately exclude those kinds of lessons?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes. She said ¡®A boy wants a fresh flower that he will be able to pick before anyone else¡¯. I followed this advice and stayed pure.¡±

    I sighed. She was an intelligent girl but she was still a kid. It would normally look bad for a girl who couldn¡¯t even pleasure her husband. I had undertaken my lessons when I was 12 years old. I wasn¡¯t tied down by things like status so it didn¡¯t matter how I learned it.

    Diane took out a notepad and looked at me seriously.

    ¡°Please instruct me, mother.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± I crossed my arms. ¡°Clyde has already done it with Arielle so he¡¯s not that experienced in sex yet. What you need to remember is to always look him in the eyes while the two of you do it¨C¡°

    Thus, the lesson on How to be a good wife began.

 Chapter 88: A fight between brothers(1)

    ¡°....¡±

    ¡°.....¡±

    ......

    A heavy silence was cast upon the room. I was seated on a bench while Brielle was seated on the one opposite to me.

    ¡°...What was that...?¡±

    I knew what it was. But I wanted to know why she did it so boldly. It was one thing loving me, it was another kissing me out of the blue. Sure, she was a beautiful young woman but I was still hesitating. She was someone I cared deeply for. I didn¡¯t know she had these feelings for me all this time.

    It would be like having feelings for the son you raised. It sounded weird if I phrased it into words.

    ¡°That was....um...¡± Brielle seemed to be at a loss of how to describe what just happened. A determined expression appeared on her face. ¡°It was a g-greeting. They d-do this in many countries. Hehehe.¡±

    I was wrong. She wasn¡¯t determined to be honest at all. Her entire face was red as if she only realized now what she did. Her mouth quivered and her eyes swam around the room.

    ¡°Pft...¡± I couldn¡¯t hold my laugh in anymore. She was just too adorable. ¡°Hahahahahaha!!¡±

    ¡°W-W-Why are you laughing...!¡± Brielle hit my arms with tears in her eyes. Her expression was full of shame and regret.

    I grunted. What the hell? How is she that strong? It was a light slap but it felt like the times I was hit by Arielle but a lot harder.

    ¡°S-Sorry for hitting you...¡± She meekly lowered her head in apology. ¡°Your wounds...Are you okay enough to move around?¡±

    ¡°It hurts just a little.¡± My arm was broken and my legs were numb from being hit so much so that wasn¡¯t convincing at all.

    I looked at Brielle with a smile. How long had it been since she¡¯d been part of our family?

    ¡®Was it ten years? No, a little longer?¡¯

    I couldn¡¯t remember but it was certainly a long time ago. I was still a toddler and she was a former war orphan. I was getting used to my life as an Earthling born in this world.

    It wasn¡¯t Arthur that was my first friend. Rather, it was her. She might¡¯ve been a servant of our house but she was still a part of our family. We treated her that way.

    ¡°Forget about me for now. How did you get here?¡± It was strange how she was able to travel through such a dangerous mountain. Damian and I had to ride griffins since the forest is crawling with monsters.

    ¡°T-That¡¯s not important! Instead of staying here, we need to leave!¡±

    Brielle grabbed my arm and stood up.

    ¡°Wait.¡±

    ¡°But everyone is worried¨C!¡±

    I pulled her into a hug and whispered into her ear.

    ¡°I want to at least see my friend settle his score before I leave.¡± I released her from the hug and looked into her ocean blue eyes. ¡°Will you listen to this one request?¡±

    ¡°....¡± Brielle averted her eyes and nodded. ¡°...Fine. But we¡¯re leaving right after. This place is too dangerous. Do you know that you almost gave me a heart attack during your fight!?¡±

    Brielle hit my arm which made me grunt again.

    ¡°See!? Just touching you makes you squirm like a girl.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not squirming...¡±

    Brielle took something out of the bag she was carrying. It was an old grey robe of mine and short pants with a shirt.

    ¡®Isn¡¯t this the clothes I forgot to take the last time I left the village?¡¯

    ¡°Where did this come from?¡±

    ¡°I brought this along. Since we won¡¯t have time to finish your preparations for tomorrow, I took your suit to an inn so we¡¯ll have to finish up there. Just look at yourself.¡±

    She gestured at my upper body. I was covered in sweat and dirt. I couldn¡¯t remember where my sweater and robe from earlier flew. Since my fight with Zelda was so intense, chances were that my clothes were burned to a crisp.

    All I was wearing was ripped pants. My dick was only covered by torn rags.

    Brielle shook her head with a sigh.

    ¡°Good grief. Why pack things for battle in the spatial storage and not clothes?¡±

    I scratched my head with an awkward smile.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°Ahaha...I guess I was too fixated on my revenge for a second.¡±

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore. It sounds like the battle is about to begin.¡±

    I could hear the sound of the people cheering outside. Those nobles were really eager to see a fight, huh. There existed entertainment like coliseum battles in this world. Sometimes it was death matches between slaves or warriors. Maybe our fights today was similar to that excluding the death part.

    ¡°Since you want to see your friend¡¯s match, we need to hurry.¡±

    Brielle suddenly put her hands on my shoulders.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Since your body is sore, you won¡¯t be able to dress yourself, right?¡± Brielle looked me up and down. ¡°Strip.¡±

    ¡°Err, Brielle?¡±

    She didn¡¯t answer me and only put her hands on my pants.

    ¡°W-Wait!¡±

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    The crowd was already heated since the last battle. They were expecting more from this fight between brothers. The arena floor was already repaired after the mages fixed it using magic. The residual mana from before was still in the air and the damage to the walls was still visible. The last battle was just too intense.

    ¡°Your name was Clyde, right~?¡±

    ¡°Wow~! He¡¯s even cuter up close!¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not touch him too much, girls. His body must hurt a lot.¡±

    My mouth twitched when I was seated between a bunch of noble girls whose parents were affiliated with the Minerva household. They swarmed me not a second after I came out of the resting area. Since my legs were a little weak, I had to use a cane to walk around. Brielle was seated on my side and glared at the girls around us.

    ¡°Please refrain from bothering him. He¡¯s very exhausted after the fight.¡±

    ¡°Oh, come on~ Surely, he can entertain cute girls like us, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah!¡±

    ¡°I wanted to talk to Sir Clyde about his excellent swordsmanship as well!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! He was even better than an average knight of the order!¡±

    A bunch of guys came towards me as well. I was swarmed by all of them. I could only lower my head. Being this popular was never my style. Well, it was my fault for being so flashy with my fight.

    ¡°You should at least celebrate your victory, boy.¡±

    At that moment, an old woman¡¯s voice came from beside me.

    It was that woman with a black robe that was standing next to Indra before.

    She looked at me with a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure that these girls would be willing to take up the space in your bed. Fufu. They like a strong man, after all.¡±

    I looked at the girls and saw all of them blush.

    ¡°Err...¡±

    The woman chuckled at me.

    ¡°All of you should take your seats. The match is about to begin. You can bother the boy after it¡¯s over.¡± The woman shooed them all away. They reluctantly left while glancing at me.

    When I looked back at Brielle, I saw a grimace on her face. She looked pretty angry. I hurriedly changed the subject.

    ¡°A-Anyway, may I know your name, ma¡¯am? Since you¡¯re Damian¡¯s grandmother, I figured I¡¯d introduce myself.¡±

    Aubrey mentioned how Damian was only alive because of her. Damian told me that if a family member deserts the family then they¡¯d send people after them to kill them. It seemed that this woman stopped all of their attempts.

    ¡°Very well. I already know your name, so introductions are unnecessary. My name is Barbara Louis Centra Barfay Minerva.¡±

    ¡°...I see. Your name is a little unique, huh?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not from around here. I¡¯m from the Southern continent¡¯s nations.¡±

    ¡°Oh. Which nation?¡±

    ¡°It has already fallen so it¡¯s name is irrelevant. Anyway, are you sure you¡¯re not just an elf who trained for hundreds of years in your magic? What you did back there was something that baffled all of our household¡¯s mages.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not an elf...¡± I smiled wryly.

    ¡°Did you get blessed by the goddess, then?¡±

    Even if I was given an opportunity to be blessed, I would never accept it if the one giving it to me was Sol. I would forgive her if she had big boobs but she was just too flat.

    I shook my head at Barbara¡¯s question. She seemed to have run out of questions as she just silently stared at me.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious that he¡¯s talented? Why are you so desperate to find out about his origins?¡±

    Brielle spoke up at that moment. I was a little shocked that she spoke to Barbara out of the blue. Maids didn¡¯t necessarily speak when in the presence of her lord and another high ranking person.

    Barbara seemed a little surprised as well.

    ¡°Well, I guess that could also be it...¡±

    She turned towards the arena. The referee¨CRoman¡ªwas standing in the middle of the arena. He looked towards both entrances leading to the resting areas. I saw Damian come out of one and Aubrey out of the other. The crowd made noise when the two brothers walked out.

    I could see Barbara lean forward to observe the two of them. There was a worried expression on her face.

    I looked at Damian. His face was filled with determination as he walked towards his eldest brother. The two of them stopped in the middle of the arena.

    ¡°As this is a sacred battle between brothers, I cannot intervene. However, if I suspect any of you of going for the kill then I will step forth. The battle from earlier was different as the outsider didn¡¯t have to follow our rules. If he killed Lady Zelda then there was no helping it.¡±

    Roman explained the rules. I looked towards the high seat where the main family was sitting. Zelda was sitting on the floor with only a cloth hiding her naked body. It seemed that they wanted to shame her for embarrassing their family name.

    I could see rage appear on her face when the two of us made eye contact. Not only rage but fear as well. That was the same look I gave her that day.

    My body trembled. Was it excitement? I got my revenge after so long so the feeling was quite refreshing.

    Roman continued speaking.

    ¡°Is that alright with you, elders?¡± He looked at the main family sitting on the high seats. The three wrinkly old men, including Indra, nodded. ¡°The four elders have given their approval so I will intervene only when either of you are near death. Either you give up or I stop the match. Agreed?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Certainly.¡±

    Damian and Aubrey respectively replied.

    I could feel the tension in the judging by how everyone held their breaths. All of their eyes were glued to the arena.

    ¡°Very well.¡± Roman swung down his hand. ¡°Begin!¡±

    It was not even a second later that both of them disappeared.

    THUNK...!

    The entire arena shook when the two of them appeared out of nowhere and clashed with their blades. Damian was using a materialized dagger while Aubrey was using a sword. Their hands moved so fast that I could barely see their arms move.

    All I could make out was a blur as the two of them fought. Both Zexel and Indra¡¯s eyes were wide in surprise.

    Despite not using aura or any mana yet, the two of them were already that fast and strong. The crowd seemed even more excited than with my battle against Zelda.

    ¡°...!¡±

    Aubrey was the first one to activate his aura. This was the first time I had seen such a variant.

    It wasn¡¯t red, white or blue. It was an ominous black. Since Damian was a conjurer, he didn¡¯t use aura for combat. Rather, he used black mana to strengthen his body and materialize weapons.

    Damian jumped back when he saw Aubrey¡¯s dark aura.

    ¡°Shall we settle this little brother?¡± Aubrey took off his robe and stood in a stance with his sword.

    ¡°Bring it, Aubrey.¡±

    Damian summoned multiple flying swords using his mana. A vein popped out of Aubrey¡¯s temple.

    ¡°Still as rude as always. Well, I can beat some respect into you."

    The two brothers finally started their fight for real.

 Chapter 89: A fight between brothers(2)

    DAMIAN POV

    ¡°You need to keep standing, Damian. Even as your flesh gets punctured through or your heart stops for a second. You should fight. This is why I¡¯m training you this way.¡±

    ¡°B-But my leg...¡±

    ¡°If your leg is broken then just hop on the other one! There¡¯s no excuses!¡± He said and struck me with his sword again. I was thrown aside onto the ground.

    It was a memory from way back then. The seven year old me was standing up to my brother. We were surrounded by all the family members who came to watch us train. He was assigned to be my master since my grandfather was sent on an important mission that lasted a few years.

    I stood up while coughing up blood. All the orifices in my body were leaking blood. My arm was dangling. I was clutching my sword into the ground to keep myself from falling.

    How many times had I tasted dirt while fighting him?

    How many times had I thought about giving up?

    Well, to be honest, even I lost count. I was weak.

    A disgrace to our family and its history. The only one to be born with black magic in the family. All the members of my family were wielders of aura. My father and grandfather were wielders of the white variant. It was said to be the strongest and most violent. Some said that the black variant was one of the most chaotic but it came nowhere near the ferocity of white aura.

    I wanted my father to tell me one thing.

    You have done well, son.

    Yet I had never heard him say that even once. He had said it countless times to Aubrey and Zelda but to me...

    I was only a failure. I thought about killing myself countless times in the past. But, would anyone care for my absence? Who would mourn for the me of the past? Roman? Granny Barbara?

    My sister...?

    ¡°Egh! Keh!¡±

    I was punched without mercy by his aura fists. It was like being hit with steel rods across the face. Although the pain wasn¡¯t as bad as the first time I started training, it didn¡¯t lessen the damage I took.

    ¡°Pathetic. I can¡¯t believe our mother had to suffer because she had you. She had to suffer abuse and mockery at the hands of the concubines.¡± Aubrey said coldly and kicked me in the face. I was thrown aside in my own pool of blood. I could still remember the iron taste of the blood in my mouth.

    The pain in my ribs, stomach, chest and everywhere else was vivid despite being a memory. Every night I would curl my body in fright, hoping to not stand before that monster again.

    Aubrey. Graduated top in the Knight Order and joined the family business. He killed many high ranked people in his active years. Even a king or any other ruler couldn¡¯t survive, no matter how many guards they stationed outside their castles.

    He was a mountain I couldn¡¯t hope to cross.

    A sea I couldn¡¯t hope to swim.

    A man I couldn¡¯t hope to face.

    It was always ¡°I can¡¯t win¡± no matter how many times I tried. The day and nights I spent training myself to be recognized as one of them was useless.

    Was my determination not enough?

    Or was all of it pointless this entire time...

    ...

    -¡ô-

    CLANG

    ¡°Guh!¡±

    Each blow from Aubrey was powerful and fast yet so precise. I could barely hold on by blocking alone. He was so fast that I couldn¡¯t even go on the offensive. I only managed to get a few hits in. Most of them were lucky shots.

    Despite his deadly strikes, his entire face was as calm as someone strolling near a riverbed, looking over the horizon.

    ¡®This pisses me off so much.¡¯

    It was clear that he didn¡¯t view me as a threat. I was more like a dog that needed training.

    SHING

    Each manifested blade I threw was swatted aside by him. It was like annoying flies next to his ear.

    Sparks flew from our connected weapons. I didn¡¯t notice it before but the arena was being destroyed by the second. We were fighting in a crater that was formed from our battle.

    A black wind spiralled around my arm.

    ¡°¡ºRotation¡»!¡±

    The terrifying speeds of the wind was strong enough to cut skin but Aubrey merely used one hand to grab the arm that was covered by the wind. He gripped hard that I felt it until my bone.

    He punched the spot where my liver was located. The pain from that alone was enough to sent pain signals to my brain.

    ¡°...!¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Blood spat out of my mouth. Not only that but vomit as well.

    Another.

    And another.

    My entire body was trembling from the pain. Why¡ªdespite the fact that the battle just begun¡ªwas the gap so large?

    ¡®What...¡¯

    The gap hadn¡¯t shortened at all.

    ...How?

    Why is he so powerful....?

    ...

    I gritted my teeth and broke free from his grip by twisting my dagger in a back grip. He let go before the dagger grazed his arm and took a few steps backwards.

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been ten minutes, yet you¡¯re already bleeding.¡± Aubrey sighed as he waved around his sword. My blood that accumulated flew off the blade.

    ¡°Tch...¡±

    I was no match for Aubrey in speed. I could barely hold on with my physical power alone. The mana weapons I manifested were basically useless.

    I turned my gaze up towards the high seats. I could see my grandfather look at me.

    His eyes were clearly asking me what I would do next.

    ¡°....¡± I took a deep breath and straightened my arms.

    TSSK

    ¡°Hm?¡± Aubrey stopped in his tracks when he was about to come towards me. His brow twitched.

    What made him stop was the sound of a thousand birds chirping. It was coming from my body. Specifically my core. Conjurer mages like me were not born with arcane cores like regular mages.

    We differed from them. Our cores don¡¯t undergo evolution divided in stages. Since I was a black magician, my core would stay the same as the aforementioned colour.

    It was sometimes referred to as the Colourless core.

    We had to go through other means in order to get stronger.

    TSSK

    A small stream of blackish lightning appeared when I opened my hand. More and more manifested and covered my entire forearm. A cacophony of crackling noises surrounded the arena.

    Thunder.

    ¡°No way.¡±

    Aubrey¡¯s eyes were widened in shock.

    The lightning wasn¡¯t yellow like its natural colour. It was black.

    The entire arena rumbled when the lightning coiled around my arms. Two giant dragon heads made of lightning manifested when I gripped my daggers.

    Black lightning Dragon¡º First form¡»¡ª [Dragon Fist].

    It was a forbidden technique that I learned from sneaking into the family library. It was forbidden for anyone to enter unless you were the head or an elder. I took that book that had the technique as revenge for what my family did to me all my life. It was amusing seeing all of their reactions. It seemed they didn¡¯t notice until now.

    It wasn¡¯t like this technique was suited for anyone though.

    ROOOOAR

    The dragon heads roared when I went into a battle stance.

    I could see the shocked expressions on everyone¡¯s faces. My grandfather was shaking his head as if to say: ¡°Good grief¡±.

    My father was gripping the railings so hard that they were being crushed. He gritted his teeth so hard as he was breathing like a beast.

    It was the same for the other three elders. They looked like they wanted to murder me. But, seeing as how my grandfather was calm about it, they didn¡¯t move.

    As I turned my head, I saw granny Barbara sitting next to Clyde. Clyde had a look of disbelief on his face. Being a mage, he must¡¯ve heard of forbidden magic before. It was the power to destroy. And this particular technique I was using was part of that series.

    The power to conjure destruction. Chaos magic.

    ¡°You little...¡± Aubrey¡¯s face twitched. ¡°You had something like this all along?¡±

    ¡°Why? You scared?¡±

    ¡°....¡± His face went back to being expressionless as he looked at me. ¡°This changes nothing. In the end, you will succumb to my power. I will beat into you the ways of our ancient assassin clan.¡±

    ¡°Heh. Arrogant bastard.¡± The lightning raged in my hands. I had to stay focused otherwise it would lose control. ¡°I was planning on saving this for last but I have no choice.¡±

    For ten years I had to suffer at the hands of my siblings. I couldn¡¯t even remember how many times I almost died. I thought about dying because I never had a will to fight them.

    ¡®This changes nothing?¡¯

    ¡°¡ºDark Healing¡»¡±

    Smoke covered my body and instantly healed my wounds.

    ¡°Wha....¡±

    ¡°He stole the Book of Forbidden Magic!¡±

    ¡°That little bastard...!¡±

    The audience got agitated when they saw me heal myself with that spell. It was a spell I found inside the book as well.

    Dark Healing-Using the essence of one¡¯s soul to heal wounds. The greater the essence, the greater the effect of the spell.

    I stretched my neck and my legs. The dragon heads were being powered up by the second. I could see Aubrey¡¯s frown getting more distorted.

    ¡°If you¡¯re using the ancient warrior techniques then you know that this sacrifices life force for energy, right?¡±

    I chuckled at Aubrey¡¯s question.

    ¡°Life force...I have plenty of that to go around.¡±

    After saying that, I increased the amount of power I poured into the black lightning dragon heads. They roared with more ferocity as the lightning grew louder.

    I was a walking thunder storm.

    ¡°¡­.¡± Aubrey increased the amount of aura around his body. It darkened even further.

    ¡°The power that injured the Human God does not belong in your hands, Damian.¡±

    ¡°Our ancestor didn¡¯t leave behind what he found for nothing, did he?¡±

    Before he died, the first head of the Minerva household found a forbidden technique that was powerful enough to injure a god.

    It was confirmed by this technique that a person¡¯s emotions is one of the most powerful weapons in this world. Using the pain, suffering, abuse and anger I experienced in the past, I could become an unstoppable force.

    Roman told me one thing when he saw me steal the book of forbidden arts and magic.

    It is more suited to you than to anyone else. Use it wisely, master Damian.

    Ever since that day, I had trained to master this destructive power and make it my own. I could¡¯ve used it back then in the fight against Aubrey at the border but I was hesitating. What if I wasn¡¯t ready?

    In the future, it will become necessary for me to tweak this technique a bit. I could feel the backlash coming closer by the second.

    The dragon heads roared as I burst forward.

    The entire arena rumbled. The audience covered their ears at the volume of the roar.

    ¡°¡­.!¡±

    I swung down one of my daggers at Aubrey with a loud shout.

    Aubrey clicked his tongue and swung his sword towards me. The two powers clashed.

    I felt the weight behind his strikes had lessened. Was it because I was stronger or was he holding back?

    Either way, it made me attack with even more vigour. Every strike sent vibrations up my body. The backlash for accepting this power will be huge once I finish this.

    ¡°¡­.!¡±

    CLANK

    The power behind his sword was beginning to get heavier. I decided to jump back but it seemed he knew my intentions. He jumped towards me again.

    With a click of the tongue, I sent the first dragon head flying at him. An explosion occurred. Unfortunately, it crashed onto the ground and it seemed that he managed to dodge it.

    I smirked. His eyes opened wide.

    ¡°You little¡­!¡±

    I threw the other dragon head towards him while he was in mid-air. He crossed his arms and was sent flying into the ground.

    Blood finally came out of his mouth.

    ¡®Yes!¡¯

    I created a chain of lightning and threw it at him.

    ¡°¡­!!!¡±

    His entire body was covered in the voltage. I conjured a long black spear in my hand and threw it at him.

    It pierced through his flesh. His limbs fell down as if a puppet that had its strings cut. The next spear went through his shoulders.

    ¡°Die! Die!¡±

    I knew that he was near death but I was still unsatisfied. The people looked at me as if seeing a monster.

    Half of Aubrey¡¯s body was chunks of meat by then. The aura that protected his being was nowhere to be found.

    Just then he lifted his remaining arm while groaning.

    ¡°What? You want to die peacefully? Not a chance, you bastard.¡±

    However, he pointed his finger at me. It then pointed behind me.

    ¡°¡­.?¡±

    Something similar to glass breaking rang out. I felt myself being pulled to somewhere.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    My entire body got goosebumps when I saw what the near dead Aubrey was pointing towards.

    Black hair and aura. A tall build and golden eyes.

    ¡°¡­Aubrey?¡±

    My brother was standing there unscathed. He uncrossed his arms and swung his sword in a relaxed manner.

    ¡°Have you finally come to your senses?¡±

 Chapter 90

    My entire body stiffened.

    All of that was an illusion? Aubrey walked towards me with slow strides. It was like everything I had done so far had been for nothing.

    I was fighting an illusion.

    The first backlash came at that moment. Cuts suddenly appeared on my body and spurted out blood. My arms got it the worst. My veins itself burst and sent excruciating pain up my spine.

    It felt like arms were being torn off.

    Yet Aubrey was still fine.

    I looked around. Everything was as it was before. There were no fires, cracks on the walls from battle or craters.

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    I laughed softly.

    ¡®He had become so strong that he can bend reality to his wishes.¡¯

    I was fighting a clone that was created from what I wanted to see. Whatever happened there didn¡¯t happen in reality. I looked up towards the arena seats. I saw Clyde look at Aubrey with widened eyes.

    If anyone knew what that was, it was him. He and Aubrey shared the same attribute.

    I didn¡®t know what he used to be able to cast and throw a spell so fast back then. It was so fast that I couldn¡¯t follow what happened at all. He was very vague with what happened when I asked him.

    ¡°Have you finally seen the gap between us, little brother?¡± Aubrey said with a wide smirk on his face. It was like he was looking at someone pitiful.

    ¡°¡­.¡± I lowered my head. But¡­

    ¡°Hoh¡­¡±

    Aubrey stopped when he saw me lift up my arms again and coat them in lightning.

    ¡°You¡¯ll still fight even though what you just saw? I can finish this fight in an instant, you know?¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡±

    ¡°All those years you spent training was nothing but a waste of time. Mother is probably sleeping every night with regrets of ever having you. That¡¯s why she isn¡¯t here today.¡±

    He was right. Despite the fact that her children would kill each other, she chose to not attend today. When was the last time I ever saw her look at me with a warm gaze and whispered praise to me?

    I had always told myself that I didn¡¯t care anymore. That I didn¡¯t need anyone else besides my sister.

    The truth was that I wanted a family. A normal one. I wanted to be praised when I impressed my parents. I wanted to be scolded and not beaten with the pretext of respect.

    I wanted a normal life and family yet I had always told myself I didn¡¯t need it. Turns out, I did.

    ¡®But it¡¯s not a hopeless dream.¡¯

    I looked up at the audience seats. My eyes landed on Laurielle. She was looking at me with tears in her eyes, begging me to stop fighting. I lowered my head and clenched my fists. My daggers turned into thin air.

    ¡®A normal family¡­¡¯

    If anyone could give that to me then it¡¯d be Laurielle. We¡¯d get married, have children and grow old together.

    There was no way that I¡¯ll give up here.

    ¡°In the end, you were nothing but a fool wishing to be above the ones that influenced your growth the most¡­.¡± Aubrey¡¯s words cut deep into the depths of my mind. They were the words I never knew I needed to hear.

    However, not out of his mouth.

    ¡°Shut up!!¡± The cry of birds rang out even louder than before. The scraping of metal sounded when the black lightning coated my entire body. My vision was blackened but then a thin slit appeared where I could see through. I could feel my body being filled with more power than I had ever felt before in my life.

    A long black sword appeared in my hand. On its hilt was the drawing of a black dragon. The helmet that came with the black armour was shaped into a dragon¡¯s head.

    It was like I had gotten stronger. Yes. There¡¯s no way that all this time was for nothing.

    I¡¯ll show you brother. I¡¯ll definitely show you!

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    ¡°Black Lightning God armour!?¡±

    Indra stood up from his seat with astonishment. Throughout his life, he had never heard of anyone capable of wielding the power of the gods.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    It was said that the book of forbidden techniques that Damian stole was left behind by a foe that threatened the entire world.

    He was known as The Omniscient and all-powerful One. The deity that could compare to the Demon Battle God, Rodion. And the one who almost killed the Dragon God.

    Yes, he was the first ever immortal to arrive in this world.

    ¡®But if that is really the power of a deity...¡¯

    Indra had a guess but he didn¡¯t know if he was correct. He thought that it wasn¡¯t completely absurd.

    ¡®Is Damian a subject of that being...?¡¯

    Meanwhile, Clyde was clutching his head as if he was remembering something unpleasant.

    It was his first time seeing such power but it felt like he had seen it before. Multiple flashes overlapped in his head. He wasn¡¯t able to make out what they were since they went by too fast.

    ¡®Is this...the old man¡¯s memories? No, all of my other five lives?¡¯

    Up until he saw that armour and black mana, nothing strange had happened. However, immediately after seeing it and feeling the deadly malice surrounding that power, those strange visions overlapped in his head.

    ¡°C-Clyde?¡± Brielle looked confused at Clyde who was clutching his head. He suddenly groaned and looked back towards the arena.

    Damian was slowly walking towards Aubrey. Even with that immense power-up, Aubrey was still expressionless. That pissed Damian off.

    ¨C...!!!!

    A loud roar of a beast rang out as he jumped towards his brother. The people who were at his back felt the strong shockwave from his jump.

    Damian swung his large sword but Aubrey was able to dodge it easily. The wind from the slash caused the arena to rumble.

    Damian clenched his armoured hand which caused a large bolt of black lightning to form. He threw it at Aubrey who was fleeing.

    ¡®At this rate, the entire arena will collapse.¡¯

    Clyde wanted to do something to stop Damian but he was too injured and exhausted to do anything. His mid-section was in pain since his core was unable to release any mana. Maybe with spirit magic....

    Clyde saw Barbara look at him. Despite the fact that her grandson was putting his life in danger to maintain that immense power, she had a relaxed smile on her face.

    Clyde averted his eyes and sat back down.

    ¡®No...I can¡¯t interfere in his fight.¡¯

    It would be an insult to Damian who steeled himself for this battle. He decided to come despite knowing that he¡¯d probably lose his life.

    Clyde wouldn¡¯t have the courage to face Damian after that. The two might even lose the relationship they currently shared. He didn¡¯t want to lose a friend. In his previous life he had nothing. Every one in this life was precious to him.

    The repeated shockwaves, vibrations and gusts of wind of the fight continued to shake the entire arena. Many feared for their life so they quickly fled the arena. Only about ten or more of them remained. The battle was reaching its climax. There was no way they¡¯d miss it.

    They were crazy enough to witness that at the price of their lives.

    ¡°....!¡±

    Damian continued swinging that giant sword coated in black lightning. Aubrey parried it masterfully without a change in his expression.

    The current battle was so amazing that none of them wanted to blink to even miss a second of it.

    ¡°---!¡± Aubrey dodged one of Damian¡¯s swings and ducked. He slipped under his brother¡¯s arm that swung the sword and punched him in the side. Despite it being his bare fist, he managed to carve a dent in the armour. Damian felt his insides scream in anguish. The vibration itself was felt in his organs.

    ¡®So heavy!¡¯

    ¡°Guh...!¡± Another punch came to the dragon-shaped helmet. It caved in and Damian was sent staggering backwards. He almost fell on his knees from the sheer power behind those punches.

    However, his brother wasn¡¯t done. He appeared before Damian in a blink of an eye. That was the speed Clyde witnessed in his Lightborn World. The speed that could go against all common sense and break space-time.

    He shuddered remembering that day.

    ¡®Is he thinking of finishing this?¡¯

    Aubrey threw away his sword and grabbed Damian¡¯s helmeted head with both hand.

    ¡°!!!¡±

    Aubrey kneed Damian right to the head.

    A loud dull sound shook the arena. Blood dripped down from the holes on Damian¡¯s helmet. He fell on his knees.

    But he didn¡¯t lose consciousness. He grabbed his brother¡¯s face as well and screamed.

    A loud thunder clap followed soon after. He had sent thousands of volts through his brother¡¯s head. The black lightning engulfed Aubrey¡¯s entire body. He was surrounded by a white and black haze.

    ¡°...Hahaha...Take that...¡±

    Smoke gathered as Aubrey staggered backwards. His head was leaned to the back. His entire body was covered in burn marks.

    Damian¡¯s eyes widened when he saw his brother lift up his head as if nothing had happened. His aura covered his body again.

    ¡°Damian.¡± He grabbed his brother by the neck and lifted him up. ¡°Did I not tell you?¡±

    He sent all his aura into his right hand. Everyone thought that this was the endgame.

    ¡°That you are still that helpless little boy that thought crying would solve everything. You sacrificed your own life fpr this power. That is what I find pathetic."

    Damian will die.

    ¡®No!!!¡¯

    Laurielle screamed in her heart.

    ¡°Let go of me!!¡± Two knights grabbed her when she was about to jump down. She struggled helplessly in their arms.

    ¡°Tch. Crying for trash. You really are a bitch.¡± Duncan said unpleasantly as he signalled them to make her sit down.

    Clyde¡¯s entire body trembled as he watched his friend get punched like a helpless doll. Each punch packed tremendous power. The arena was in shambles. Every punch sent a piece of Damian¡¯s armour flying. The same could be said for the debris on the ground.

    Right hook.

    Left hook.

    Right hook.

    Left hook.

    Only a small part of his helmet remained. The bloody mess his face was in appeared.

    Aubrey¡¯s fist suddenly stopped.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°I-Is it over?¡±

    The audience shakenly looked back at the arena. Aubrey stopped attacking for some reason.

    They expected him to blow Damian¡¯s head off. However, all he did was tear off the armour from Damian¡¯s body. After he was done, they saw that he was holding a black gem in his hand and silently looking at it.

    Indra recognized that it was the catalyst that gave Damian control over all that power.

    ''The boy is still not ready for that power.''

    Without it, Damian wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle that power alone. The backlash would¡¯ve been greater as well.

    A rare smile surfaced on Aubrey¡¯s face. He crushed the gem which made all the black lightning disappear. He leaned down to tell Damian something.

    His mouth moved.

    No one could tell what he was telling his brother since they were too far away.

    Damian¡¯s eyes widened.

    Tears dripped down his eyes as if he was told a truth that goes against all common sense.

    His elder brother stood up and looked straight at his father.

    ¡°I forfeit."

    Aubrey¡¯s words made his father¡¯s brows twitch. Even the crowd was dumbstruck by the event that just took place.

    Aubrey threw down his sword and broken armour and left the arena with his hands in his pockets.

    Damian was blankly lying on the ground and staring up at the ceiling of the arena.

    ¡®What did Aubrey tell him...?¡¯

    Clyde thought as he headed towards Damian with the help of Brielle.

 Chapter 91: Immortal Blood

    DAMIAN MINERVA POV

    When my eyes opened up, I rapidly drew breath. It felt like my heart was stopped for a second.

    ¡®Where am I?¡¯

    I looked at the white room I was in and out the window next to my bed. The white curtains were blown softly because of the wind. I could pick up the scent of medicines.

    ¡®A medical room, perhaps?¡¯

    What I saw outside wasn¡¯t the dark forest of that mountain; rather, all I saw was a green horizon stretching as far as the eye could see. Beyond it was the kingdom¡¯s royal palace. I could see our mountain range next to it as well.

    ¡®Am I¡­.outside the kingdom? If so, where?¡¯

    ¡°Morning, sleepyhead.¡±

    When I turned to my side, I looked into someone¡¯s honey brown eyes. The light of the sun reflected her perfect figure on the bed. The person¡¯s skin was so pale and beautiful that it shined like a ruby.

    ¡°Laurielle¡­?¡± She was holding onto me and was naked for some reason.

    It had been awhile since we last saw each other but she had grown up nicely over these years. She had the perfect hour glass figure any man dreamt of. Her long, smooth leg was thrown over my body. She was hugging me from the side.

    ¡°Hey.¡±

    With a smile on her face, she kissed my forehead.

    ¡°How did you¡­¡±

    ¡°Shhh¡­¡± Laurielle put her finger on my lip and shushed me. ¡°We have all this time to ourselves after all these years and a cute girl is in your bed, yet the first thing you ask is how I¡¯m here? Does it really matter?¡±

    ¡°But I thought they kept you on house arrest¡­¡± It was the idea of her bastard husband.

    We were forced to stop seeing each other three years ago. Our constant sneaking was seemingly found out by someone.

    ¡°That is so¡­but I made a bet with Duncan that if you win then he lets me go.¡±

    ¡°¡­? Then what if I lost?¡±

    She smirked. ¡°Then I¡¯ll poison his food after inviting him to dinner and escape myself.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a dangerous thought to have, you know¡­.¡±

    ¡°I was raised to be dangerous.¡±

    She¡¯d also be on the run forever. Duncan¡¯s father wouldn¡¯t stop sending assassins until he found her. I was sure that my grandma wouldn¡¯t be able to handle them as well so that meant that it would¡¯ve been my job to protect her.

    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Laurielle asked and looked into my eyes. There was concern on her face.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve been better. How do I say it? My entire body is on fire.¡±

    ¡°Not good then. Geez, why did you go so far for revenge against big brother Aubrey?¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    His name made me frown a bit. The way she respectfully called him as well. However, I smiled again and chuckled.

    ¡°Not just for revenge. It was for you too.¡± I kissed her forehead.

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    Her entire face reddened. She covered up her body as if she just realized she was naked.

    There was a sudden knock on the door.

    ¡°Ahem. Someone¡¯s here to see you.¡± She got up awkwardly with the sheet around her body.

    ¡°¡­?¡± I turned towards the door. It opened with a creak and a familiar face appeared.

    Grandma Barbara.

    ¡°What a display you showed to Damian, child.¡± She chuckled as she looked at Laurielle. ¡°Were you that excited to see him and spread your pheromones?¡±

    ¡°T-That¡¯s not¡­!!¡± Laurielle tried to retort but she only lowered her head. She turned towards me and tried to say something.

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    In the end she ran out of the door. Her footsteps continued in the hall until it disappeared.

    ¡°Err¡­.¡±

    ¡°Kukuku. She¡¯s acting like a pure maiden. It¡¯s like the two of you never snuck out when you were younger to do the deed.¡± Granny Barbara sat down on a chair.

    ¡°H-Hey, please stop teasing her.¡±

    She shrugged with a sigh.

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious in what state you¡¯re in, so I¡¯ll ask something else on my mind¡­.¡± Granny Barbara¡¯s smile vanished. ¡°Why did you do what you did back then?¡±

    ¡°¡­.Are you talking about the technique I used?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Why are you able to control it that well?¡± My grandmother suddenly summoned her sword and pointed it at my throat. ¡°Are you really Damian?¡±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°H-Huh?¡±

    ¡°Answer me! Or I swear I¡¯ll cut your arms and legs off!¡±

    ¡°¡­.!?¡± I was dumfounded when I saw my grandmother point her blade at me. I had never been punished by her before so it was weird how she acted towards me now.

    ¡°If you¡¯re really Damian then tell me when is his birthday.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Really?¡±

    ¡°Talk!¡±

    ¡°O-Okay! It¡¯s on the 7<sup>th</sup> of the Blood Moon!¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    She nodded and sighed in relief.

    ¡°Why did you suddenly draw your sword?¡± I was taken aback by the fact that my own grandmother, who had never admonished me even a little in the past, show such killing intent to me.

    Her sword vanished into thin air and she exhaled deeply.

    ¡°I thought someone related to that Thing took control of my baby¡¯s body.¡±

    ¡°That thing?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the one that left that book in this world.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­That book belonged to someone else? Not our household?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Do you remember the article the White Order released to the public?¡±

    ¡°The one from last year?¡±

    It was rare for the HQ in the Sky Fortress to release something. It only happened when they wanted to warn of a calamity or a threat they couldn¡¯t defeat.

    As I said, such occurrences were rare. There had only been three released so far in the last decade.

    There was a dark shadow over Granny Barbara¡¯s face.

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the enemy they faced. This book belonged to someone in Zero¡¯s race.¡± She lifted a pitch black book in her hand. It was the one I learned the Black Lightning God Fist from.

    ¡°Huh? Then¡­how do you know that?¡±

    ¡°It seems you never read the notes left behind by the previous heads. We have come into contact with them once before. They were the ones who taught us the way of aura control. Do you not find it odd that only our entire clan is made of aura users? Aura users aren¡¯t rare but the way we use our aura is unique to us alone.¡±

    ¡°Is it the way you can cut space apart with your aura alone?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I can bend reality with the strike of a sword. Your father can literally punch through space. And so on. While others can strengthen their bodies with aura, we can do more and change the world around us. Your father, grandfather and I have reached a stage past Master rank using this power. We have been using their methods of fighting for generations.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve been around this long¡­?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. However, the one we always came into contact with is long gone. I have spoken with your grandpa and asked what he thought. He says that you may have the blood of an immortal. Probably stronger blood than we have.¡±

    ¡°¡­!?¡±

    ¡°This is because the one that gave us these ancient techniques copulated with the first head¡¯s wife. Before you ask questions, listen to me first: they have been in our world far longer than when Zero came to this kingdom. We just didn¡¯t know where they were. Even at this very moment, they might be in this kingdom plotting something that concerns their goals. You must stay away from them if they ever approach you. They are nothing like the one that gave us our powers.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    I truly wanted to know how they were different. That Zero guy singlehandedly destroyed the lives of thousands. Many had died during the Divide.

    If an entire race of them existed then what were the chances that we could compare?

    ¡°We¡¯re deviating from what¡¯s important. Don¡¯t ask why just stay away from them. You may not believe me but your father specifically ordered a few people to monitor your location. As they aren¡¯t hostile towards you, I have no need to intervene.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    My grandma laughed when she saw the expression on my face.

    Him? Protect me?

    ¡°He had been secretive with his motives all this time as a father, hasn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Hold on a second.¡± I rubbed my forehead with my bandaged arm. ¡°Why would he care about my life? Wasn¡¯t he the one that wanted to kill me the most?¡±

    She shook her head.

    ¡°To not show weakness to the other elders, he must keep the image of being a ferocious head. A na?ve, gullible man as the head would bring this clan to ruin. The ones I was stopping from killing you weren¡¯t your father or grandfather, it was the other elders. The lives of his children are important to him. As a human being, he is unable to show that affection. That is why he is so cold towards you. No, to all of his children."

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    ¡°Hard to believe, isn¡¯t it?¡± She chuckled and sliced one of the fruits lying in the basket into two pieces. She gave me one and ate the other half.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you been misunderstanding your family thus far?¡±

    I looked outside again. Specifically at the mountain where the main castle of our family was located.

    I remembered Aubrey¡¯s words.

    It changed my entire perspective of him.

    ¡°Why is it so hard to just come forward about how they really feel¡­¡±

    ¡°Damian.¡± Granny Barbara spoke sternly toward me. ¡°To survive in this world as the son of the Minerva assassin clan¡¯s head is not an easy feat. Aubrey and Zelda, no, all of your siblings have stated clearly that they will stay in the family business. However, you were different. You wanted to leave. Only you were different from the monsters that formed from the seed of your father.¡±

    ¡°¡­.Can I ask one thing?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯m here to tell you the truth about everything anyway.¡±

    ¡°Okay. Does my¡­mother hate me?¡± I wanted to know the truth about her. I had seen her countless times from afar, however, I had never spoken to her before.

    There was no familial love between the two of us.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    She answered without hesitation.

    ¡°Why¡­?¡±

    ¡°She sees you as the culprit that caused her to suffer so much in this family. She was never safe ever since the day your father fell for her and brought her before your grandfather. Her fate was sealed the moment she bore you. She cannot escape anymore. If she ever left then she will be killed. Not by us, no. By the enemies we made along the way.¡±

    ¡°Fuck¡­Why is this family so messed up.¡±

    My grandma smiled wryly.

    ¡°That is the price we must pay. This family has been cursed ever since the day Cain entered that vampire¡¯s lair. Many of the others were expecting her to give birth to another brilliant aura user to add to their ¡®army¡¯. However, the one that was born was a black magician.¡±

    Granny Barbara stood up. She walked over to the window and looked over the scenery.

    ¡°Your friend was here earlier.¡±

    ¡°Clyde!? Urgh!¡±

    I was about to jump out of bed but forgot about my injuries. I was paralysed from the waist down.

    ¡°That dark healing you used messed up your body even more. Anyway, you can¡¯t go anywhere like that.¡±

    ¡°It was his birthday party tonight¡­¡± I slumped down on the pillow and groaned. ¡°We¡¯ve been friends for a year now. This would''ve been my first birthday with him."

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that lovely~. But it¡¯s a shame. You¡¯ll have to wait for your injuries to heal. It shouldn¡¯t be long.¡±

    She was right. My body had been modified this way through the training I was forced to do in the past. A cut could heal in a few hours. A snap of a bone could heal in under three days and so on. Since my entire body was riddled with injuries, I reckoned that it would take two weeks.

    I asked a question after sorting out my thoughts.

    ¡°Back to what you said about my father. If he¡¯s truly not a piece of trash, why did he kill the first friend I ever had?¡±

    ¡°Damian¡­That never happened.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡±

    ¡°Those were memories planted inside your head so you could hate your father and not come back. That boy is probably living far away by now. Last I checked, he was married to some village girl in the south already.¡±

    ¡°¡­All those memories I had were fake? Even the fact that we attended classes together?¡±

    ¡°No. Only his death. The boy would¡¯ve been in danger had your father not resorted to this method. He made sure to send the boy far away. The elders lost interest after a while, so he¡¯s safe.¡±

    ¡°¡­Fuck¡­He really is trash¡­¡± Tears fell from my eyes as I tried my best to not let out a hiccup. The hate I felt seemed to melt away.

    In the end, my father and Aubrey were the most sane out of those monsters. Everything they did was for a reason.

    What did my big brother say to me again?

    His words echoed as if he was whispering it into my ears again:

    It breaks my heart seeing you sacrifice your own life to beat me. However, I am proud to call you my little brother. We have finally succeeded in making you a man ready for the outside world. You may hate me but I can truly say that I love you, Damian.

 Chapter 92: The main event can finally begin!

    DIANE BENTINCK POV

    The venue was finished by the afternoon. Everything was set up correctly before inspections were already done by me. To be honest, it seemed like a wedding would be held in the manor. There was already a lot of people from yesterday compared to today.

    Hundreds of people were already outside, awaiting entry. They were exchanging greetings as they approached each other.

    I was standing next to my brother, Justin, overlooking the carriages that arrived. Our property was fairly large so many carriages could be parked there. Only the higher ranking houses parked their carriages directly in front of the manor¡¯s front door.

    Those included: Luxembourg, Rosenberg, Capell, Sterling, etc...I didn¡¯t know who else would be willing to attend. My father was a very influential noble in the kingdom so there ought to be a lot of them coming.

    Taking into account the fact that the Red Hunt was ending soon, maybe they didn¡¯t have time to worry about a party. They had to clear out monsters out of their territory.

    I felt a tap on my shoulder while I was calculating the most effective way to use tonight as a chance to pull in potential backers for my stores.

    ¡°Finally settling down, eh? You¡¯re already 15 which is a little late for marriage. How do you feel? Getting cold feet?¡±

    My elder brother asked with a smile. I answered without reacting much to his teasing.

    ¡°I am honoured to be engaged to Sir Clyde. He is a prodigy in magic and one of the top students of his grade¨C¡°

    ¡°Tsk. That¡¯s not the answer I was looking for. What do you really see in George¡¯s kid?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know him personally so I am unable to answer your question.¡±

    My brother sighed.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t the two of you hang out on top of that hill? I remember seeing you two talk up there that time I came to visit.¡±

    ¡°That is indeed so. But...¡± I recalled our conversations. They weren''t anything meaningful. ¡°It was mostly what we want to do someday and other nonsense. What else would kids talk about? War and politics? Death and poverty? Stop being absurd. You¡¯re a grown man yet you¡¯re teasing a teenager like me.¡±

    I saw the seriousness in his eyes as he spoke.

    ¡°Diane.¡±

    ¡°...?¡±

    ¡°I only want what¡¯s best for you. I hope you¡¯re not thinking that I¡¯ll interfere. Clyde might be George¡¯s kid but that doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯d be suitable as your husband.¡±

    ¡°Even if that is the case, we¡¯ll need to search for someone better than him. Tell me; if we were to search anywhere else on the continent, could we find such a person?¡± I put my hands on my hips and looked at him with an unamused gaze.

    ¡°Maybe that foreigner, Bridgette. But I doubt me being engaged to a woman would be seen in a good light by the people who are part of the aristocracy. We need a heir with the blood of our family so it must be a man.¡±

    The two of them seemed to be good friends. I heard that they spent a lot of time together. Every single day they hang out at the library and during breakd they go to the stores near the academy. I had seen them together before wehn I came to the capital to buy supplies but I kept my distance.

    ¡°Hahaha. I get your point but still...When tonight ends then it¡¯s official. I want you to think about it.¡±

    Justin swept back his dark blue hair and smirked. He used his tongue to get that last piece of meat out of his teeth.

    ¡°If you¡¯d excuse me, I¡¯m on my way to find a partner for life for myself.¡±

    ¡°Haa...You looked cool for a second there.¡±

    He heartily laughed at my remark and walked off towards a group of young women that looked to be in their twenties.

    ¡®Aren¡¯t you like fifteen years older...?¡¯

    I looked up at the sky as I swirled the wine in my glass. The sky was as empty as the feeling in my heart. Only thoughts occupied my mind. It had been that way ever since I gained awareness as a child.

    ¡®Even if I have objections, it¡¯s too late to turn back now.¡¯

    Clyde hadn¡¯t been a part of my life that much. I wasn¡¯t lying when I said I didn¡¯t know him personally. Ever since, I had only watched him from a distance. Maybe I found him interesting or something even when he was doing nothing. All he ever did on that hill was watch our knights spar.

    I would join him sometimes. The two of us would only silently watch the knights and soldiers. We didn¡¯t have much conversation. If we ever did, then it was only short and brief. After that day young lady Arielle arrived in our territory, I never saw him again.

    He was seven or eight if I remembered correctly. It was really that long ago, huh.

    I rubbed my belly in thought.

    ¡®We¡¯ll have to consummate our marriage tonight as well.¡¯This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    I wasn¡¯t particularly flustered or anything. It was the natural way of things in our kingdom. Consummation comes after the celebration. I had many friends that went through the same thing.

    They said that it hurt when their fianc¨¦es did it on the first night. It was like their insides were being dragged out of their bodies by a foreign object. Although, they said that after a couple of times, it would get pleasurable.

    They encouraged me to do it as well but I didn¡¯t really care what we had to do. My first priority after our marriage was to bear him a child. I¡¯ll raise that child to become the next head after his father steps down.

    Clyde seemed like an easy person to move around as a piece. He looked like the type to be gullible. Realistically speaking, only his magic was impressive. My conversations with him were short but I could tell what kind of person he was. He wasn¡¯t a leader that the vice president of a prestigious academy was expected to be. That was my own conjecture.

    He was the kind that needed to be led.

    ¡®Although I said that I¡¯d be a wife that supports her husband, I can¡¯t sit still if he decides to screw our family over. We only need a doll to shield us from the other noble houses.¡¯

    We had been around for hundreds of years. This was the first time that a commoner had married into the family. Many risks come along with allowing a commoner to marry into this household.

    To be honest, I didn¡¯t see the appeal in him. Why were so many of my friends swooning over him like harlots? He was handsome, sure, but it was the kind of handsomeness you could find anywhere. It wasn¡¯t hard to find someone who was the same or even handsomer.

    His intelligence wasn¡¯t that impressive either. I could name many people that could compare to him. Myself included.

    ¡°....¡±

    ¡®He¡¯s still not here...¡¯

    I had been waiting for an hour outside now. Everyone was already inside the banquet hall.

    ¡°Hello, miss Diane.¡± A voice called me from behind. I looked over my shoulder and saw a rather familiar but unpleasant face.

    ¡°Duchess Kenia.¡±

    From behind, I could see her father and mother approach.

    ¡°Your Grace. Lady Sadith.¡±

    I bowed respectively.

    ¡°What a fantastic sight, isn¡¯t it? You¡¯ve done quite well on your own. I heard from Mason that you did most of the planning on your own.¡± The duke looked around with a smile. There were many people helping themselves in the food section while chatting with others. All of them were wearing fancy clothes. It was as expected of nobles and the rich merchants.

    I nodded respectively.

    ¡°Thank you for the compliment. I did my very best to make the venue pleasant to the eyes.¡±

    I did most of the planning myself. My mother was the one that told me that it was expected of a wife to be hardworking and quick in organizing special events. It wouldn¡¯t be my last since many more were to come.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Clyde? I can¡¯t see him anywhere...¡± Lady Kenia asked as she glanced behind me. There were still people coming in through the gates. I couldn¡¯t see a light brown haired boy anywhere.

    ¡°He had other arrangements yesterday so I haven¡¯t seen him.¡±

    ¡°Other arrangements?¡± Lady Sadith cocked her head.

    ¡°He went up there.¡± I pointed straight at the eerie mountain right behind the royal palace.

    It was there that the main family of the Minerva household built their castle.

    Duke Henry frowned.

    ¡°He never told me that he¡¯ll go up there....¡±

    ¡°Yes. He didn¡¯t tell me either. I had to probe the truth out of his mother.¡±

    ¡°W-Wait! He went to the Minerva household!?¡± Kenia reacted exaggeratedly for some reason. She appeared to be agitated over what she just heard.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop him!?¡±

    ¡°Calm down, Kenia.¡± Duke Henry looked confused as to why she was reacting like this. Even Sadith looked surprised at her daughter¡¯s behaviour.

    I answered her question a few moments later.

    ¡°That...was out of my control. He left the academy early morning at the start of this week...No one was able to contact him since.¡±

    ¡°Has he made contact yet?¡± Duke Henry asked.

    I shook my head. ¡°He has neither responded to telepathic messages nor attempted to call us.¡±

    ¡°Dear me. What if something happened to the boy? Arielle will be so sad.¡± Sadith said with fake tears in her eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, honey. If it¡¯s him then he can make it out. You know he¡¯s a strong kid despite being so young.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s alright to ask, where had duke Henry and lady Sadith been?¡± They had said that they would go on vacation since the next head had already been chosen. Kenia had been given all of the work that was previously duke Henry¡¯s duty to complete.

    ¡°Ah, that? We heard of disturbances in the surrounding villages in my land. Many villagers disappeared over night. The residences were empty when I sent my knights to scout.¡±

    ¡°Empty villages? Have you found the cause yet?¡±

    ¡°Sadly no; by now, five villages had been mysteriously abandoned. This had taken a toll on our overall profit we receive yearly from their crops. But I can¡¯t focus on money right now. If this reaches my city and Harz village then the residents will feel in danger. Both Mason and my people will be thrown into disarray.¡±

    ¡®It¡¯s odd how it happened right after the Red Hunt began.¡¯

    ¡°Hmm...¡±

    Whoever caused this must¡¯ve used the fact that so many people will focus on monster hunting as a smokescreen. Even veteran adventurers would leave the villages they resided in to join in. Of course, this was merely my assumption.

    There could be another reason.

    ¡°I put in a request to borrow Elsa but I¡¯m still awaiting approval from the Knight Order.¡±

    ¡°Why not ask sir George? He has the vice captain role and I¡¯m sure he¡¯d agree.¡± I offered a solution. My father was the one that placed him under Captain Elsa. The two were both in the knight order so there shouldn¡¯t be that big of a gap in skills or years of being active as knight. Rather, I was sure that sir George was more experienced. He could probably find out what happened.

    ¡°Hmm...He is indeed one of the strongest knights in the kingdom...¡± Duke Henry closed his eyes in thought. ¡°Alright. But I can¡¯t ask that tonight. His boy is more important tonight.¡±

    ¡°Excellent. That¡¯s one problem solved.¡± Sadith said with a relieved sigh.

    ¡°Oh. It seems Mason is starting.¡± Duke Henry looked through the window at the man stepping onto the podium.

    ¡°Ah...¡± I massaged my forehead.

    ¡®He¡¯s not here yet...¡¯

    ¡°Why not enter with us, Diane?¡± Sadith said with a smile and put her hands on both my shoulders. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about little Clyde. He¡¯ll be here. He has to be.¡±

    ¡°....Alright.¡±

    The four of us headed through the opened door leading to the banquet hall. Forget about me, it seemed Kenia was more worried about Clyde. She kept glancing back and forth.

    We finally reached the inside of the hall. I heard my father¡¯s voice on the stage.

    ¨CThank you for coming today, everyone. Before the main event begins, I¡¯d like everyone to familiarize yourselves with each other. Not many of us know each other after all. In this time and age, connections are more important than wealth.

    ¡°Says the guy who¡¯s richer than me!¡± Duke Rosenberg shouted with a hearty laugh.

    Everyone laughed.

    -Hahaha. Indeed. Anyway, I would like to announce my successor tonight. Many of you know of this but some are still curious over who this might be. Tonight we celebrate an Age of Coming X Engagement party. It¡¯s a big event but still worth it¡ª

    The door to the party hall was suddenly opened. My father who was still talking on the podium stopped at that moment.

    I turned my head and almost gasped. It was the same for many others in the banquet hall.

    The one that entered through those doors was the main star of the night. Clyde.

    He was walking with the help of a cane. I could see him limping a bit on his left leg.

    I could see my father smiling on the stage. He tapped the mic and cleared his throat.

    ¡ª"As everyone can see, this is my new son! Clyde Astley Bentinck. The main event can now begin!¡±

 Chapter 93: Childhood friend

    CLYDE ASTLEY POV

    I walked through the path that the people made for me. Their eyes were widened as if they couldn¡¯t believe what they were seeing. Nonetheless, I strode forward proudly. I was wearing a dark blue suit and brown leather shoes. It was the kind of suit I always used to wear to interviews for jobs.

    ¡°He does not have the crest of a noble house on his person.¡±

    ¡°So this brat is a commoner? Tch.¡±

    ¡°The Bentinck house is doomed.¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t I seen this kid before? He was at the princess¡¯ birthday party if I remember correctly.¡±

    ¡°Aha! So he was the one who stole young master Ryan¡¯s position.¡±

    I smiled bitterly. It seemed that I was suspected of stealing Ryan¡¯s position, huh. Well, from another perspective, it could be seen that way. That bastard was really adored by the nobles.

    Anyway, even though I was actually wearing the Astley household crest, they treated it as a decoration. It wasn¡¯t surprising that our family weren¡¯t known in this nation.

    We were originally from the Holy Kingdom after all. And our heritage as a noble house only existed for a few decades before it fell. We were basically lesser or low ranking nobles.

    If my uncle was still alive then his family would be recognized as a fallen household. Rising in rank as a Baron was much harder than becoming duke as a marquis. What separated the nobles in rank were the amount of things they achieved in either wars or politics. They are rewarded accordingly by the monarch of their nation.

    If that system wasn¡¯t present then people of the higher class would get upset over being treated the same as lower class nobles. They were apparently more important than some small rural noble ruling over a small plot of land.

    ¡ª"As everyone can see, this is my new son! Clyde Astley Bentinck. The main event can now begin!¡±

    I heard old man Marcus talking on the podium. He looked down at me with a smile.

    The light suddenly shone on me. I was basically in the spotlight. Had I mentioned that I was afraid of standing out?

    Diane appeared from my side and held my arm. She was dressed in a beautiful silver dress. Tonight she was wearing glasses and her long brown hair was let loose.

    ¡°This is where we show choosing you was not a mistake. Do not embarrass us.¡±

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    ¡°Why are you so late?¡± My mother asked with a cold smile. Her eyes got even colder when she looked at my leg that was limping a bit.

    I came to the table where my family sat. That included the duke obviously.

    ¡°Come now, El. Our boy is 15 today. Is it necessary to bite off his head like this?¡± My father put his hand on my shoulder and looked at my mother. Her firm and serious expression collapsed.

    ¡°...You¡¯re right. What¡¯s important right now is that he¡¯s safe.¡± She stood up and hugged me. ¡°Happy birthday.¡±

    ¡°Thanks.¡±

    The two of them hugged me tight. I felt the warmth I hadn¡¯t felt in a long while. It was the warmth I missed so much.

    I heard someone clear their throat. Looking up, I saw a young woman standing there.

    It was the next duchess of the Luxembourg house.

    ¡°Big sis Kenia.¡±

    ¡°H-Hi. Happy birthday, Clyde. I got you this.¡± She stretched out her hand. In her hand was a small box.

    ¡°Y-You can open it now or later. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± With a flushed face, she backed away.

    The next one to come to me was the duke himself.

    ¡°Gyahahahaha! Clyde, my boy! Oops. You¡¯re a man now! Happy birthday! Come here!¡±

    With loud hearty laughter, Henry put his big arms around me and gave me a firm hug. Maybe it was my imagination but I felt my bones crack. He might¡¯ve been old but his strength from his active time in wars hadn¡¯t lessened at all.

    I was sure that he could win against an ordinary knight in battle.

    ¡°If only Arielle was here. She cannot even celebrate her first love¡¯s birthday.¡± A soft voice spoke from the side. It was Sadith. She was, as expected, still wearing her clothes in a seductive manner. No one could guess that she was actually 43 years old. Calling her a sexy but ripe milf was not an exaggeration.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Her chest was pulling the most attention. It was like she was walking around with such an open collar on purpose. Dammit. I shouldn¡¯t be fooled like the other men. She¡¯s a bitch inside.

    ¡°Hahaha. Well, she¡¯s almost done with her training so we¡¯ll see each other any day now.¡±

    ¡®I wonder what she looks like now? Maybe the splitting image of a barbarian with bulging muscles? I don¡¯t want to be pushed down by a sweaty cave man every night¡­¡¯

    I chuckled at my silly thought. She was at the last stage of her swordsmanship. After that, Rosetta would assign both her and that Celina girl a mission to test their strength. It was a rite of passage that many of her students go through.

    Since it was Rosetta we were talking about, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to complete the mission. She might make them fight against a spirit beast like Leviathan or something.

    ¡°You don¡¯t look so depressed anymore, Clyde. You¡¯re even smiling.¡± Solphia was the one that came up to our table. She was wearing a fancy tailored black dress and a black hat that matched it. Even though we hadn¡¯t seen each other so long, she looked as old as before. it was like time stopped for her.

    Well, she was an elf.

    ¡°Happy birthday, Clyde.¡± She gave me a hug as well.

    ¡°Thanks, granny.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? You¡¯re taller than before.¡± My mother compared her height to mine by using her hand.

    I groaned.

    ¡°You know I¡¯m sensitive about my short height. Are you only saying that because it¡¯s my birthday?¡±

    I spent so much time worrying about magic that I never ate healthy to help my growth. It was my own fault. That made me even more miserable.

    ¡°No, no. El¡¯s right. You¡¯ve grown a bit taller than the last time you visited the village.¡± My father said with a face as if he was holding in his laughter.

    ¡°Oh! I think I see Mary calling out to you, dear father.¡±

    ¡°Wha....¡± My father looked around with a flustered face.

    ¡°Mary? Who¡¯s Mary, George?¡± My mother took my statement seriously and glared at my father. She unfolded her hands as if she wanted to cast a spell.

    ¡°That¡¯s...It¡¯s...¡± My father pitifully looked at me.

    ¡®Laugh now, you old fart.¡¯

    ¡°Everyone, how are you today?¡± While the others were laughing at my parents¡¯ exchange, another voice called out to us. Diane was leading another woman in a wheelchair.

    ¡°Miss Edith?¡±

    It was Mason¡¯ second wife, Edith. Her stomach was even more bloated than a few months ago. It seemed the baby was close to being born.

    ¡°There¡¯s the handsome hunk I was looking for~!¡±

    She beckoned me over with a finger. Diane rolled her eyes at the woman.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    The next thing I knew, she planted a kiss on my cheek when I bent down. She hugged me in her chest.

    ¡°Happy birthday~! If I wasn¡¯t married then I would¡¯ve kissed you on the lips~¡± She chuckled and winked.

    ¡®I swear, this woman has a thing for little boys.¡¯

    ¡°Edith! Why are you in a wheelchair? Is everything alright?¡± My mother came towards her as well and held her hand.

    ¡°Yup! Since I¡¯m almost there, walking has become a little hard for me.¡± She rubbed her shoulder and rotated her neck with a wry smile.

    ¡°Anyway, why are you keeping the boy hostage here? See all those girls wanting to talk to him?¡± Miss Edith pointed to the dance floor. There were a lot of young people by the tables and eating the food.

    The girls averted their eyes when they saw me look at them.

    ¡®Eh...¡¯

    ¡°Ahaha. You¡¯re right. He shouldn¡¯t be talking with us old people. Go on, Clyde. Go with Diane and make some new friends.¡± My mother pushed me to Diane. The latter sighed and held my arm.

    The two of us left my parents with Edith and Henry¡¯s family. Diane leaned towards me and whispered something.

    ¡°I haven¡¯t said this before, but you look very handsome tonight.¡±

    ¡°R-Really?¡± It was an unexpected compliment coming from her. Naturally, I blushed a little. I spent a long time trying to look my best tonight.

    ¡°Yes. Now that your hair isn¡¯t so loose, it makes your face stand out.¡±

    ¡°It was Brielle¡¯s idea. It¡¯s a little stiff¨C¡°

    ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with. Let me do the talking.¡± She cut me off as if she wasn¡¯t interested in continuing our talk.

    ¡®My heart beat faster for you for a second there, you witch.¡¯

    It was like she was spouting lip service to please me.

    We reached the young group a few moments later and began introducing ourselves. They expressed their concern for my health seeing as how I was limping. It wasn¡¯t that big of a deal since it was only a broken bone. Undine was able to heal my injuries to an extend.

    It wasn¡¯t wise to ask Erica to heal me every time. I couldn¡¯t come up with the excuse of elixirs over and over. They were mega expensive and didn¡¯t heal completely.

    Throughout the conversations with the young group, I kept glancing at Diane.

    This woman will become my wife after tonight.

    The fact that I had two women already in my life was incomprehensible. Being a man from modern day Earth, I was used to seeing men having one woman. At least in my culture and religion. However, this was another world. Polygamy wasn¡¯t uncommon here. I could have ten or even twenty wives then no one would care.

    The problem, however, was how to control such a relationship. The main reason polygamy was illegal in many countries was because women fight amongst themselves. They make life hard for each other and ultimately cause discord in their marriages as well.

    I was already scared for my future. Artoria was waiting for my answer. If I said yes then I¡¯d have three wives(?). I was certain that Arielle would control the house when she came back.

    She was more straightforward than me. I wouldn¡¯t be able to solve any conflict when it happens. I wasn¡¯t exactly confident in solving something with words or violence.

    ¡°Clyde?¡±

    ¡°¡­Hm?¡±

    I was deep in thought that I didn¡¯t hear Diane call me. She was right in front of my face. She gazed at me with a narrowed eyes as if she was trying to figure out what I was thinking about.

    ¡°The musicians are about to start with their first song. And there are quite a lot of girls waiting to dance with you.¡± Diane looked behind me.

    ¡°¡­.!?¡±

    I stiffened when I saw how many they were. I could barely count them.

    ¡°E-Err¡­¡±

    When I was about to think of what to say, the hall¡¯s doors opened again.

    ¡°Hm¡­?¡±

    Everyone turned to the door. Since this was a private party, no one from the outside was allowed in. When the knights were about to draw their swords, I yelled.

    ¡°STOP!¡±

    Who I saw was someone I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. Her gunmetal silver hair and blue eyes. The face of an angel. The seductive hour glass figure of a succubus.

    She was the owner of the King¡¯s Sword and the one who I called my best friend before.

    It was the regressor who spent five lives together with me.

    With a beautiful smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eyes, she said.

    ¡°Clyde.¡±

    It was only my name but I was sure she wanted to say more. Her eyes told me so.

    ¡°Artoria?¡±

 Chapter 94

    ¡°...¡±

    ¡°....¡±

    Currently, I was sitting at a table with two beautiful women at my side. The music hadn¡¯t started yet so we still had time to talk. Even with my head down, I could feel everyone¡¯s eyes on this table.

    The whispers weren¡¯t pleasant to hear.

    ¡°Huhu. It looks like sir Clyde was caught cheating and is being admonished by his wives.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Do you think the wielder of the King¡¯s Sword will become his bride as well?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a shame but yes. I sent multiple letters of engagement to the Luxembourg household and yet none had been replied to.¡±

    ¡°We should face it, she will not marry anyone else.¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s wasted on that little kid. Just look at her body. It¡¯s like they are parent and child.¡±

    ¡®You fuckers. I¡¯ll use the necromancy ring and summon wraiths to haunt you tonight.¡¯

    I tried to ignore their conversation which was heard even though they were whispering. Lustful eyes were directed at Artoria who was dressed in a rather revealing outfit.

    She crossed her arms which caused her chest to pop out even more. It was like she wanted to show Diane¡ªand all the other women here¡ªher assets.

    ¡°So...This is Diane, your first wife. How lucky. She¡¯s gorgeous.¡± Artoria spoke first.

    There was no light in her eyes as Artoria spoke. Her mouth had a grimace as if she smelled something unpleasant.

    It was the kind of look a rich guy would give a beggar.

    ¡°Thank you for the compliment, lady Artoria. However, I cannot compare to you in beauty. Even her majesty pales in comparison.¡±

    ¡°Why are you referring to me as lady?¡±

    ¡°Why, you¡¯re a famous person after what happened a year ago. To be in the presence of such a person is truly a wonderful thing. You turned into a woman, was it?¡±

    ¡°...Mhm.¡± Artoria nodded furtively.

    ¡°I keep wondering about something, do you still miss your¡ª¡± Her eyes wandered down Artoria¡¯s body.

    ¡°Diane.¡± My voice was cold as I spoke to her. I could tolerate a lot of things but not that.

    ¡°I apologize. It was on reflex.¡± Diane lowered her head.

    ¡°...It¡¯s alright. A lot of people asked me the same thing and my answer is the same: I do not. I had no need for it at all.¡± Artoria¡¯s face flushed as she looked at me. She twirled strands of hair around her finger.

    ¡®What does that mean!?¡¯

    Before the conversation took a strange turn, I changed the subject.

    ¡°A-Anyway, how are you here?¡±

    ¡°I am also wondering that, lady Artoria. I thought the containment would last a few years at most.¡±

    Artoria shrugged.

    ¡°I made a deal with them so I¡¯m free until they come back.¡±

    ¡°A deal?¡± My curiosity was piqued. ¡°What kind?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s not pry, sir Clyde. It could be classified.¡± Diane cut me off with a strict tone. ¡°It¡¯s not every day that national class prisoners get let out every day. They did this because they trusted her.¡±

    ¡°Ah, right...¡±

    It wasn¡¯t like I was thinking that Artoria was too dangerous to be let out. I mean, when she was a kid, she wouldn¡¯t even hurt a fly.

    I felt someone¡¯s hand on my thigh at that moment.

    My entire body stiffened. When I saw Artoria¡¯s face, all I could see were the eyes of a predator. It was like I upset her because of what I did. The way how hard she was gripping my thigh was proof of that.

    What did I even do? Why was she mad at me for no reason?

    ¡®Wait...Is she jealous?¡¯

    ¡°Where¡¯s the sword, lady Artoria?¡±

    ¡°Can you stop with the ¡®lady¡¯, Diane?¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay. Then I will speak without reserve.¡±

    ¡°Good. Regarding your question: I had to lock it away somewhere. It was adamant on following me so it was tough to have it agree.¡± Artoria removed her hand from my thigh. She ¡®accidentally¡¯ dropped her napkin and picked it up while facing me. The valley between the divine mountains were right in front of my eyes.

    ¡°It has a will? Amazing...¡± Diane muttered with her hand on her mouth.

    Was she astonished? I couldn¡¯t tell. Her expression rarely changes.

    ¡°A weapon with a will? Are they that amazing?¡± I didn¡¯t really know much when it came to weapons.

    There weren¡¯t any encyclopaedias of unique weapons just lying around after all. Those were often items passed down in families for generations.

    ¡°They are rare artifacts so not many people can have them. It doesn¡¯t matter what amount of money you have.¡± Artoria gave an explanation. ¡°My sword, Misteltein, is a sword that was forged by the Dryads.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Diane looked unconvinced. ¡°Haven¡¯t dryads been extinct for millions of years?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but some lived in the shadows. The last known dryad was caught by human poachers. She was killed in the Second Age of the Red Era.¡±

    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve heard of this. My mind has been broadened. I should interest myself in the culture of other races as well.¡±

    Artoria cooked up a lie. The Dryad Queen was very much alive so their race being extinct wasn¡¯t true. With the right male species, she could copulate and restore her race to its former glory.

    ¡®That said, which race would be suitable to copulate with....¡¯

    Perhaps high elves? Miya and her mother were currently the only high elves living right now. If Xantha planned to copulate with the royal family then she¡¯d have to wait until Zefra bore a son.

    ¡°Speaking of other races; why haven¡¯t I seen a single dwarf around here?¡± I asked what was on my mind. ¡°I have only seen them in the Habsburg Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°They are not that common in the northern continent. Although racial discrimination has been resolved, dwarves believe there is no reason for them to associate themselves with humans.¡± Diane answered the question.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°Why? Aren¡¯t they in need of humans¡¯ help?¡±

    All races associated themselves with humans. Look at dragons. Even though they are the mightiest race, they coexist with humans. The Draconic kingdom was crawling with dragons.

    ¡°Not quite, sir Clyde. Dwarves are master craftsmen by nature and are a race full of pride. They also hate us humans because they think our methods of fighting are weak and stupid.¡±

    ¡°....?¡±

    Diane sighed. It was like she was a teacher answering questions that had nothing to do with the lesson.

    ¡°During the Magic Industrial Revolution, they were the ones who were against magic the most. They believe that the art of craftsmanship is better than magic. You have seen airships before, no?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°They were originally the creators of the first model before the monarchs of the United Empire stole their inventions. That was the first breakthrough for the humans in magic engineering. Much of our technology today are inspired by theirs. The Dwarven King issued an edict that separated humans and dwarves forever. To them, us humans are vile beings. Thieves who only steal from others. To this day, humans and dwarves have never made contact ever again.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case then how did my father buy me a staff from the Hermit Sage collection...¡±

    It was a fine piece of work that had lasted for more than eight years. Although, it was merged with that World Tree branch, the effectiveness of the magic staff only increased.

    ¡°Ah. I know how.¡± Diane spoke again. ¡°The Hermit Sage is also a dwarf that wanders around human settlements. They say that he wants to prove the first king of their nation wrong. That magic is not inferior to their crafted weapons at all. To go even further to prove that, he devoted his youth to studying magic and thus he became a famous magic item creator. He was banned from ever setting foot on their soil. Forever wandering the world...¡±

    ¡°You know quite a lot, miss Diane.¡± Artoria said with a whistle.

    ¡°I spent my entire childhood reading if I was ever bored. Mostly, those pertaining information about other races. I can speak the tongue of elves, halfling, dragons, mermaids and beastman.¡± Diane counted all of that on her fingers. ¡°I can speak the language of fairies as well. Although, they are quite rare here in our territories.¡±

    ¡°Whoa! That¡¯s incredible!¡±

    ¡°R-Really? You think so, sir Clyde?¡± Diane seemed to be caught off guard by my amazement.

    That was some crazy talent she had. No matter how many times I tried to read the language of a different race, I never manage to learn it at all.

    ¡°Not only are you beautiful, but smart too!¡± I gave a thumbs up.

    ¡°Ahem, we were going off-topic a bit there.¡± Maybe it was my imagination but I saw a red flush on Diane¡¯s face.

    The lights suddenly dimmed down a bit.

    ¡°It was a fruitful experience talking about the things I have read. Many find my conversations boring. Thank you for listening.¡± Diane stood up. ¡°The musicians are gathering on the podium.¡±

    As if it was perfect timing, her father spoke on the mic again.

    -We will now begin with the first song of the night. As this is the first song, the main person of tonight should take the stage.

    The stage light suddenly shone above me again. I could see Diane stealthily move away. It seemed that she was giving me the chance to dance with Artoria.

    The person in question was looking at me with sparkling eyes.

    ¡°Would you like to dance...?¡± I took Artoria¡¯s hand and kissed the back of it.

    Her shoulders jerked up in surprise at my bold actions. It made me chuckle a little bit.

    ¡°Y-Yes. It will be my honour to take the first dance.¡±

    I could hear disappointed sighs from the young group.

    Sorry girls. I¡¯m scared over what Artoria will do if I don¡¯t dance with her first.

    I led Artoria by the hand as we walked to the dance floor. Neon lights followed the path we took through the sea of people. Many were memorised by Artoria¡¯s gorgeous figure.

    She had the perfect body, face and was powerful as well. Amongst the mesmerised eyes, I could see a few with perverted gazes and well. It was like they were licking her with their eyes.

    When I glanced back at Artoria to see how she was doing, I saw that her head was lowered. Through the gaps in her hair, I saw her blushing furiously.

    ¡®Where¡¯s that confidence from earlier?¡¯

    She was like a middle school girl who was just confessed to by her crush or something.

    After walking for a few more seconds, we reached the middle of the hall. There was a circle of people around us. All of them looked at our figures standing on the dance floor.

    I got into position by taking Artoria¡¯s hand and putting my right hand on her lower back.

    ¡°....¡± When I pushed her close to me in a waltz pose, she averted her eyes while biting her lip. It looked like steam would come out of her ears at that rate.

    The music began.

    Tap.

    I made the first move. A few seconds later, she followed me. Although her face was a bit red and her body stiff, she earnestly tried to match my movements.

    ¡°Hey, Ria.¡± I casually spoke to her as we moved with the flow of the music.

    ¡°Y-Yeah?¡± Her voice was a little high pitched as she replied.

    ¡°It seems that you didn¡¯t know Diane back at the table. Was I not engaged to Diane in your previous lives?¡±

    ¡°Well...No. The Astley household was revived in another way.¡±

    ¡°Another way? What do you mean?¡±

    I asked when I twirled Artoria. Our arms pulled us together again. We began dancing slowly when the tune returned to normal.

    ¡°....¡±

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I-It¡¯s...¡± Artoria seemed to hesitate over what to say.

    ¡°If it¡¯s something concerning the future that¡¯s important, can you give me the gist of it then?¡±

    ¡°Okay...¡± She frowned as she tried to remember. ¡°You did a deed that made you achieve a rather handsome reward. You requested for the fallen Astley household to be affiliated with the Kingdom of Colchis.¡±

    ¡°A great deed, huh...¡± The other people slowly starting dancing as well when the second song came up. Of course, we were still in the spotlight. ¡°Who was the ruler of the kingdom in your previous lives?¡±

    ¡°There were many after the king died. Olivia. Melodia. Lyle, the first prince. And Margareta.¡±

    ¡°Huh? The king¡¯s sister?¡±

    ¡°She succeeded in getting the throne. However, she didn¡¯t last long.¡±

    ¡°I see...¡±

    Margareta had been locked away in the Inner Palace for two decades now. She wasn¡¯t thrown in prison for her crimes against the royal family. She murdered her parents but before she could take the throne, Melodia and Philip, including the dukes of the north beat her to it.

    ¡°Did the Republic play a big role in your previous lives?¡±

    ¡°Well, no. They were only being led by the nose by a higher power. It¡¯s rather ridiculous that the king views them as a threat.¡±

    My guess was that that higher power were the Immortal race. They had played a key role in the disaster of this kingdom. Since there was this other guy that appeared to rescue Zero then there was no doubt that there were more of them.

    Maybe they were much stronger than Zero.

    Sync, was it? He beat the White Order¡ªthat was consisted of master class warriors and 8<sup>th</sup> stage mages¡ªin under a minute. If anything, he was the bigger threat.

    It was weird how he didn¡¯t follow Zero¡¯s example of destroying the kingdom.

    ¡®No one would¡¯ve survived.¡¯

    That was because no one could stand up to them. The White Order went to the Red Abyss¡¯ most difficult worlds. It was too optimistic to think they¡¯d get stronger with just that.

    ¡®Isn¡¯t it common for demon lords to be the enemies of humanity?¡¯

    It was a common trope isekai. I kept forgetting that this was my reality. It wasn¡¯t a game or a dream.

    ¡®Well, even if war or something else breaks out and it reaches this kingdom then I should escape with my family.¡¯

    They were more important. Of course, my friends were too. Erica could look after herself but the same couldn¡¯t be said for Charlotte. She had to have Helen by her side so it was inevitable that they had to be together if a disaster were to occur.

    I had no obligation to fight for this kingdom. I wasn¡¯t a royal or a noble tied to this nation. If a disaster happened again then I would only escape.

    Now that I thought about it, wasn¡¯t I a coward? It was better than being dead, I guess.

    ¡°Something else on your mind?¡± Artoria seemed to have recovered from her flustered state; she asked me with smile.

    ¡°Ah right. I wanted to know if you can tell me about these dreams I keep having. They stopped after a while but in the arena, I suddenly started having visions. It was at that moment when I saw Damian using that weird power.¡±

    Artoria frowned.

    ¡°As expected, it¡¯s close...¡±

    ¡°What is...?¡±

    When I wanted to ask, the music suddenly stopped. Everyone clapped their hands while looking at us. It seemed that we were attracting the most attention.

    Artoria let me go and stepped backwards.

    ¡°Where are you going?¡±¡±

    ¡°Sorry...I need some fresh air for a while.¡±

    ¡°Oh...¡±

    She headed for the direction of the back door and left into the garden.

    When I was about to follow her, I felt someone¡¯s hand on my shoulder.

    She was a cute girl with medium length blonde hair and a well-endowed body.

    It was someone I didn¡¯t expect to see.

    ¡°Heey~¡±

    It was Erica. She jumped into my arms.

    ¡ó

    ¡°I thought you were busy with your assignment at the tower. Did you finish it in time?¡±

    Erica and I walked over to a corner while the other people were dancing. I took a glass of punch for her and myself.

    ¡°I was finished in the first week. The reason I couldn¡¯t see you sooner was because I had to earn money to buy this dress.¡± She twirled in her red dress. She had a matching red rose ornament in her hair. ¡°It was annoying having to stay under the radar as an adventurer but I managed to earn enough money.¡±

    ¡°What did you do with that money we earned from the fight with the dragon ?¡± I narrowed my eyes.

    Erica scratched her cheek.

    ¡°I w-was stuck in that tower for so long so I splurged on fancy food. I-It was so delicious that I couldn¡¯t stop.¡±

    ¡°Ha...¡± I sighed.

    In the end she was still a human despite being the Saintess.

    ¡°A-Anyway, there¡¯s someone here to see you. I brought him here.¡± She pointed at my back.

    ¡°Eh?¡± I was dumbfounded by who I saw.

    It was a guy with blue hair and eyes. He was that bastard that humiliated me in front of the first year students during lunch break.

    ¡°...Ryan Rosenberg.¡± I was itching to throw a fireball at his face.

    ¡°Y-Y-Yes, it¡¯s m-me.¡± He stuttered as if he was afraid of something. When he made eye-contact with Erica, he shivered.

    ¡°What¡¯s your business with me?¡± If the bastard was here to mess up this party then I wouldn¡¯t show him any mercy. I was done allowing people to walk all over me. All of them will get a spell in their stupid faces from now on.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!!¡± Ryan kowtowed by my feet in front of everyone.

    ...

    ...

    ¡°...Eh!?¡±

 Chapter 95: Package

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    In a situation I didn¡¯t expect, I couldn¡¯t help but look dumbstruck at what he did. He was trembling like a scared little animal while kissing my shoes.

    I wanted to smack him with the cane but the situation was so ridiculous that I couldn¡¯t move.

    ¡°What is the heir of the Rosenberg household doing?¡±

    ¡°Did Clyde Astley do something to him?¡±

    ¡°Despicable.¡±

    ¡®Why are you misunderstanding this situation!?¡¯

    The people looked at me as if I was trash. It was like I did something to the guy. However, didn¡¯t this bastard do something to me? What is this shitty development? Was he doing that on purpose to gain public pity?

    Rage caused me to blurt out: ¡°Get up, you dumbass! Why are you clinging onto me!?¡± I tried to step backwards but he kept crawling towards me.

    The guy was like a persistent bug.

    ¡®Kuh...¡¯

    The eyes of the people were getting more and more hurtful. I looked like a bully and he was the victim. Wasn¡¯t I the victim!?

    This third rate villain¡ªwho usually appeared to make the protagonist look cool¡ªappeared out of nowhere and started hitting me back then. Sadly, I couldn¡¯t make myself look cool. I looked like a punching bag instead.

    After being humiliated like that, the first years thought I was easy pickings and started annoying me as well. I couldn¡¯t bother to count how many times I had to put them in their place. Now they were frightened little puppies whenever they saw me.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry! I won¡¯t do it again!¡±

    ¡°G-Get off!¡±

    The guy was staining my pants with his snot and tears. He hugged my leg like a koala while crying.

    ¡°Get off!¡± I blasted him with a gust of wind which sent him flying into a nearby table. All kinds of foods fell on top of his head.

    ¡°Ryan!¡±

    ¡°Eek!¡±

    The roar of a certain man interrupted me when I was about to throw him out. Ryan¡¯s shoulders jerked up.

    ¡°The duke?¡±

    Hendrick Rosenberg pulled his son by the collar and glared at him with a face full of rage. It looked like he would punch his own son. Since he was in public, he couldn¡¯t do so.

    ¡°What the hell are you doing!? Can you not see this is a formal event?¡± He dusted his son off and looked back at me. ¡°I apologize for this, earl Bentinck.¡±

    ¡°...? Yeah, it¡¯s not a problem.¡±

    I was confused over why he called me earl but since I was the heir who will succeed Mason one day, it made sense. I waved my hand casually.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to point out that your son started it first.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Yes. I heard his nagging that someone took his position of Her Highness ,Charlotte¡¯s knight so he tried to sort you out. Once again, I apologize as his father.¡±

    It seemed that Duke Rosenberg respected the Bentinck household. It was one of the most influential noble houses in the kingdom, after all. Since old man Mason was part of the Northern Duke faction, the guy in front of me acting so polite was a little weird. I thought he¡¯d use some tactic to make the heir(me) look bad.

    ¡®Just goes to show how formidable old man Mason is.¡¯

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Ryan.¡±

    He dragged his son by the arm.

    ¡°Well, that was something.¡± Erica appeared at my side. ¡°Isn¡¯t it nice of him to apologize for what he did?¡±

    ¡°Err...Yeah.¡±

    ¡°Little shit listened at least after my training.¡±

    ¡°Did you say something?¡±

    ¡°Ah, right!¡± Erica clapped her hands and ignored my question. ¡°The third song is coming up.¡±

    She grabbed my hands and pulled me forward.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go~!¡±

    ¡ó

    In the end I danced with a bunch of girls after I finished dancing with Erica. The day was slowly turning into night. The mood and music of the venue changed completely.

    People energetically danced whichever moves they chose. They laughed with each other and mocked the moves of others. It was like looking at a high school prom.

    The time finally came to wish the birthday boy; namely, me.

    I sat there with my head lowered in humiliation as everyone sang. No one wanted to be sung for on their birthday. It was just too much cringe.

    ¨CHappy birthday to you~ Happy Birthday to you~ Happy birthday to Clyyyyde~! Happy birthday to you~

    ¡®Please....the cringe...kill me now...¡¯

    -May Goddess Sol bless you today. Bless you always. May she bless you and keep you. Happy birthday to you~~~!

    CLAP, CLAP

    Everyone was standing around the big table in the middle of the banquet hall. Diane was at my side, applauding with an expressionless face. Erica sang the hardest as if she enjoyed it. I could see Artoria in the crowd as well. She was giggling at my red face.

    My little sisters, Jessica and Chloe were both singing along with everyone.

    Both of them looked so cute when they clapped their hands.

    Jessica and Chloe were wearing completely different dresses. The former was wearing a cute pink dress with her hair done into pigtails, while the latter was wearing something similar to a red gothic Lolita dress. She was even wearing matching black boots.

    ¡°Happy birthday, Big brother!!¡± Jessica climbed on top my lap and kissed my entire face. I couldn¡¯t resist her cuteness and gave her a big hug. She returned it with a giggle.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Chloe wished me as well by giving me a firm hug. However, she didn¡¯t kiss me like a maniac as Jessica did. Rather, she was reserved instead.

    With a red face, she whispered in my ears.

    ¡°I-I got you a present as well.¡±

    ¡°Oh? I can¡¯t wait to see it.¡±

    ¡®I hope it¡¯s not sand muffins.¡¯

    Kids tended to give weird stuff as presents.

    ¡°Everyone!¡± At that moment, Mason tap his glass with a fork. Everyone¡¯s attention shifted to him.

    ¡°As this is an important event in this boy¡¯s life, I think it¡¯s only fitting that his father¡ªand not me¡ªgive a speech.¡±

    ¡°.....¡±

    My father¡ªwho was laughing with the crowd¡ªturned stiff. Mason gestured for him to talk.

    ¡°Ah...Gosh, I¡¯m not very good with words.¡± My father came towards me and cleared his throat. ¡°Son...¡±

    ¡°....¡± I looked up at him. I decided that if he screwed this up then I¡¯d make fun of his later.

    ¡°T-There comes a time when a boy is no longer a boy; he becomes a man.¡±

    My mother face palmed herself. George coughed again and reiterated his words.

    ¡°...What I mean is that you are officially leaving our nest. I feel like it¡¯s pointless to have this ceremony as you have been like an adult all your life. Arielle told me something before she left that morning. I asked her: ¡®How did everyone hold up being in such an unfamiliar place?¡¯¡±

    ¡°.....¡±

    I silently listened. The same went for everyone else.

    ¡°She told me: ¡®It¡¯s funny how I and Charlotte were supposed to be the eldest yet we couldn¡¯t keep our group together. It was the first time any of us had experienced something like a disaster so we were quite frightened. But Clyde was the one that kept us together. Charlotte gained a powerful ally with his help. I battled the girl first hand so I know of her abilities. If she wasn¡¯t with Charlotte now then she might¡¯ve been gone. He always told us everything was going to be okay and that he¡¯ll protect us. Seeing him like that reminded me why I fell for him. He was brave, strong, kind and mature.¡¯ She was right. My baby boy was mature since a long time ago. He fearlessly battled against those knights and even stood up against a bandit leader. Everything Arielle has said was the truth.¡±

    ¡°....¡±

    ¡°Now, listen son. You¡¯re still a child. Don¡¯t take such responsibility, ensuring everyone is always alright. Lean on those around you as well. There are bound to be people who can help you too. In fact, I see quite a few of them around you.¡±

    George looked at Erica, Diane and Artoria.

    ¡°...father...¡±

    George¡¯s eyes were beginning to tear up.

    ¡°Just know that we¡¯ll always be by your side no matter how old you are. Even if you turn 50 years old, you¡¯ll still be my precious boy. Both of us made mistakes when we were young. We don¡¯t want you to make the same mistakes we did.¡± My mother chimed in and rubbed my father¡¯s shoulders.

    ¡°Both of us love you.¡± They hugged me while crying. Heck, I was crying as well.

    When was the last time I cried?

    ¡®They¡¯re right. I should live my life as a kid and not act like an adult.¡¯

    I might¡¯ve been 25 when I first came to this world but that didn¡¯t mean I was mature. Was it because I was born in this world that I started being responsible?

    Maybe...

    Now I understood why I dared to fight those knights when I was a toddler. I felt like it was my duty, since I had the power to fight them.

    ¡ó

    ¡°Let¡¯s cut the cake!¡±

    The doors to the kitchen suddenly opened. Everyone made way for a giant chocolate cake. I wasn¡¯t exaggerating. The cake was so big that it took four servants to keep it steady on the cart. They gently pushed it onto the table after it was cleared of anything else.

    ¡°Do you like it? Your mommy spent quite a lot for them to make this cake.¡± Eleanor said with a smug smile as she looked at me.

    ¡®How much did this giant thing cost...¡¯

    It was as unnecessary as a birthday party for a toddler.

    ¡°Now then! Time for Clyde to blow his candles!¡± Mason put his hand on my shoulder. ¡°With this, the age of coming has been completed.¡±

    I nodded. However, I didn¡¯t blow the fifteen candles.

    Instead....

    ¡°Mommy, look at the ponies!¡± A little girl shouted with sparkling eyes.

    ¡°Wow!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re dancing!¡±

    The people were surprised when they saw me take all the flames from the candles and making different shapes with them. I added fire spirits to make more of them.

    They flew around in the air before landing before me. I gathered wind in my hand and blew them out.

    Using the light in the room, the particles created a myriad of colours.

    Everyone applauded.

    ¡°What amazing magic control!¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this level of control difficult for even elite mages with 6 stars?¡±

    The crowd was astounded as they all reacted differently. Their eyes changed as well.

    ¡°Gyahaha! Can all of you agree that it was a good decision to make him my heir? Not only is he going to be the vice president of the academy, he has been chosen as one of the ten candidates to succeed the Head Mage!¡±

    ¡°What the hell...¡±

    ¡°S-Seriously?¡±

    ¡°If I remember correctly, lady Viria should be getting ready to enter the Red Abyss. If she isn¡¯t teaching her successor then who?¡±

    ¡°I presume that she may have found someone capable of teaching the ten of those children.¡±

    ¡°Who would qualify to teach the next Head Mage? Such a person doesn¡¯t just fall out of the sky, you know?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps chairman Rezar or Light?¡±

    ¡°No. Impossible. The chairman quit being a professor a long time ago. He only gives materials for the teachers but he doesn¡¯t teach directly. That Light guy is too mysterious.¡±

    ¡°Then maybe someone of the same standing in the Magus city? I doubt the Magic Empire would send a professor of their own.¡±

    ¡°Hmm....¡±

    The nobles spoke amongst themselves. Each of them came up with their own conclusions.

    ¡®How the hell did you know that last one, old man?¡¯

    The academy kept all of their affairs that happens inside the school grounds a secret. It wasn¡¯t particularly a bad thing but they preferred everything to stay within the school grounds. That included exam papers and thesis¡¯s.

    I could feel Diane¡¯s gaze on me as well. I briefly glanced at her and noticed how dumbfounded she looked. Well, her eyes and mouth were open only a little. Other than that, her expression wasn¡¯t exaggerated.

    Mason looked satisfied at their reactions. He clinked his glass once more.

    ¡°We have come to the high of the night now. Since this is Clyde and Diane¡¯s night, the two of them should cut the cake together. How about it?¡± Mason folded a piece of cloth around his glass.

    ¡°Sir Clyde.¡±

    Diane was already holding the knife in her hand. She held it out to me. I put my hand on top of hers. We nodded at each other.

    With a countdown, the two of us sliced a piece of the cake.

    Her father broke his glass by stepping on it after throwing it on the ground.

    ¡°The engagement has hereby been decided! To my son-in-law and heir to my seat!¡±

    ¡°Here! Here!¡±

    The people held their glasses in the air while shouting.

    Everyone gulped down their wine. Diane and I crossed our arms with the glasses in our hands and drank our wine while linking arms.

    The night hadn¡¯t ended yet, however.

    The presents were finally brought forth. I wasn¡¯t sure which of the presents were mine so Diane and I opened them all together.

    As expected. I received a massive dowry from Diane. The other things I got was a box filled with rare sweets from one of the young groups. There was a carriage which was already parked outside, plus a rare breed horse. Someone even gave me a bunch of expensive robes with ridiculous fashion sense.

    I received a lot of other stuff as well like jewellery, watches, suits and magic books. The nobles were really generous. I made a mental note to build connections with them in the future.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    When I opened the gift brought by Charlotte¡¯s maid, I couldn¡¯t help but get cold sweat. Charlotte sent a big jar with golden liquid inside. Not just any liquid.

    The rare ingredients used only for high grade magic potions. And not just any high grade potion.

    The Divine Elixir.

    ¡®What the hell, Charlotte...¡¯

    Luckily, no one recognized what is was. I quickly put it in my storage bag. Thankfully, it went inside without any issues.

    ¡®I know she said she¡¯ll send me a gift I¡¯ll like but isn¡¯t this overkill?¡¯

    I was indeed lucky to have a potion that was far better than the Pope¡¯s creation which was the current elixir on the market. If the pope caught me with that liquid then I would be interrogated for sure.

    The fact that she gave me such a massive gift was a little weird. Of course, I was grateful.

    Maybe she thought of me as a person important in her life.

    ¡°Excuse me.¡± At that moment, a man dressed in clothes of a messenger walked towards me. He was sweating profusely as if he ran as fast as he could to where I was.

    He went on one knee and gave me a package and an envelope with both hands.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Mason appeared at my side and stared down at the man. ¡°This is private property. I could have you hanged for coming uninvited. Knights.¡±

    The two knights standing by the door hurriedly made their way over. The messenger took off his mask.

    ¡°W-Wait! I come to deliver this to...¡± He looked at the envelope again. ¡°A person named Clyde Astley.¡±

    ¡°...Hm?¡± I took what he offered and stared at the envelope.

    ¡°!!!¡±

    My entire body shivered. It felt like my breath was caught in my throat because I couldn¡¯t breathe.

    Was I hyperventilating? Even my hearing was blocked. All I could hear was my heart beating faster.

    ¡°...Clyde?¡± At that moment, I saw Artoria, Eleanor and George¡¯s faces in front of me. Brielle was also next to them. It seemed that she was able to finish dressing herself in time and arrive at the venue without any issues.

    George spoke up first.

    ¡°What made you look like that?¡±

    He, too, looked at the envelope. And as expected, even he froze.

    ¡°Honey...¡± He took the letter from my hand and showed my mother.

    ¡°...Huh?¡±

    ¡°It can¡¯t be...?"

    Brielle and my mother were both dumbfounded.

    ¡°Annette has finally responded to us...¡± I muttered.

    <ul>

    <li>Sender: Annette Astley</li>

    <li>Sent from Salvesteer city post office.</li>

    </ul>

 Chapter 96: Turmoil and acceptance

    Annette¡¯s name and our surname was written right there. I didn¡¯t know where Salvesteer was since I had never heard of it before.

    I couldn¡¯t worry about such trivial things right now.

    The entire banquet hall was silent when everyone sensed the atmosphere. I turned my gaze at Artoria.

    She had a guilty expression on her face.

    ¡®Ah...I see now...¡¯

    She knew but she purposely didn¡¯t tell me. Maybe it would¡¯ve been weird to tell someone something that directly. I knew why but for some reason I felt mad at her. I wanted to shout at her and curse at the gods.

    Why did she get to know so much? I was the one suffering mentally. I was basically told that I might die before I turn 22 years old. With the way things had been going so far, you wouldn¡¯t expect that a disaster was lurking close in the near future.

    But lucky for her. She was a regressor.

    I didn¡¯t know what kind of face I made when I silently looked at Artoria. She couldn¡¯t bear it to maintain eye contact with me. Whatever expression I made wasn¡¯t a good one. I could see her getting teary and turning herself around.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Mason asked a little hesitant.

    My father put the letter in his back pocket. He smiled wryly.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to discuss this when we are alone? I feel like the setting isn¡¯t good right now.¡± I could tell that he was holding back his emotions as well.

    Mason nodded his head and addressed everyone.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing too serious, everyone. Just a bit of trouble from the surrounding villages. I can sort it out later.¡±

    The crowd sighed in relief. It seemed they were worried that the night would be cut short.

    I felt someone¡¯s hand on mine while I was looking at the floor. It was the hand of a woman. It was delicate and soft.

    ¡°....¡±

    It was Diane. She was squeezing my hand while looking away. After she let go of my hand, she whispered into my ear.

    ¡°As your wife, I will gladly listen to them if need be. But, only if we are alone. I can see that what you¡¯re shaken up about is personal.¡±

    ¡°....¡±

    I nodded slowly. The weight of the bag in my hands was still there. Annette really did send something to me.

    I put the bag onto the table and stood up. I tried my best to smile.

    ¡°Now then. Where is my little sisters¡¯ presents~?¡±

    ¡ó

    The people were still chatting and being lively inside the banquet hall. The loud music and chatter could even be heard from where I stood.

    I was standing at a pond after excusing myself from the hall. The night sky was cool and refreshing on my skin.

    ¡°Future Clyde.¡± I tried to call out to him, hoping I would get an answer.

    ....

    ¡°Hey, you old fart!¡± Still nothing. Only the chirrs of grasshoppers echoed in the silent field behind the manor. The blue light coming from the moon illuminated the surface of the pond.

    Every now and then a frog would croak and leap.

    ...

    ¡°Fuck...!¡±

    A massive purple fireball appeared in my hand. It was so powerful that the entire pond¡¯s surface was disturbed. The trees rattled as they were pushed by the force of the shockwaves. The fish got agitated and started swimming away. I didn¡¯t notice that the entire property was shaking. The knights ran along the grounds and eventually ended up in the backyard, where I was.

    But I didn¡¯t care about them. I wanted to let my rage out. I wanted to destroy something to get it under control. Anything was fine as long as it was a living thing.

    A lone tree caught my eye. I threw it at the tree. The resounding boom made the birds fly away. Maybe because it was an high rank spell, it caused the air to vibrate from the shockwave.

    ¡°You fucker...answer me....¡±

    My hand which threw the spell was trembling. It was burning that much because I literally held that hot ball of compressed fire in my hands.

    Funnily enough, it was like I was holding my emotions in my hand. How I felt was the perfect metaphor for that raging ball of fire.

    ¡°I-Is everything alright, s-sir?¡±

    A knight came up to me and asked. The others seemed to be too scared to approach. So much for being the protectors of this manor.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    I answered without turning to them.

    ¡°Yeah...I thought it was a thief or something.¡±

    ¡°I-I see. We¡¯ll search around the area to double check. Come on, guys.¡±

    I put my hands in my pockets and walked away. ¡°Whatever.¡±

    After getting out of everyone¡¯s sight, I chanted ¡ºFlight¡»and flew high into the air. The cold air blew past my face. I took off the ribbon that held my hair together. My bangs fluttered in the wind.

    After reaching a high enough altitude to see the entire kingdom, I stopped. This spell took a large amount of mana to cast but it didn¡¯t bother me that much. If need be, I could stay in the sky for hours.

    I looked down on the nation. This must¡¯ve been the sight Zero saw when he appeared that day.

    ¡°It¡¯s funny how small and insignificant we all are, huh?¡± I said to myself as I looked at the people on the ground. They were like tiny ants.

    ¡°I wonder what would happen if I---¡±

    I lifted my hand and gathered mana at the centre of it. Blue mana formed a giant sphere. It grew to about ten meters in diameter.

    ¡°--dropped this without warning...¡±

    ¡°Clyde. Stop that.¡±

    A stern voice interrupted my monologue.

    ¡°What do you want, Artoria?¡± I already sensed her coming but I didn¡¯t react.

    ¡°What are you trying to do with that?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to see how many bugs get squashed if I throw the current amount of Supernova I can manage....At my level, I think ten shouldn¡¯t be too hard.¡± I extinguished the spell and turned to face her. She was standing on a thin white film that kept her floating above ground.

    Judging by the fact that I sensed no mana, that thing was a magic item. How convenient. I¡¯d never heard of such a thing before. Maybe no one knew for that matter.

    ¡°Bugs..? Clyde, are you feeling alright?¡±

    ¡°....Artoria, how much knowledge into the future do you currently possess at the moment?¡± I didn¡¯t answer her question. Instead, I asked my own.

    ¡°Seven years like I told you...Certain things are censored out as a downside of my regressions so maybe even less than that.¡±

    She answered without hesitation.

    ¡°I want to know something...Does the second disaster happen during that time?¡±

    She nodded. ¡°That is highly possible.¡±

    ¡°Will Sol descend? No, will any god descend?¡±

    ¡°Why are you¡ª¡±

    ¡°Because I want to know why I was brought to this damned world!¡± I clenched my fists hard. ¡°Why the fuck was I chosen when I serve no purpose!? There¡¯s no way future me was the one who reincarnated me. Since that¡¯s the case, who else is there!?¡±

    ¡°....¡±

    Artoria silently looked at me.

    ¡°I can finally contact my sister. Now I know she¡¯ll welcome me in her home. However, what if I¡¯m not alive tomorrow to see that day? What if I suddenly die because some stupid god decided things will be convenient that way!?¡±

    ¡°....¡±

    ¡°Say something! How can someone live like this when they know their death can happen sooner or later!?¡±

    ¡°Clyde...¡± Artoria pulled me onto the thin film. It felt like I was standing on solid ice.

    ¡°Everyone knows they¡¯ll die someday.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not the same...You said it yourself: you don¡¯t remember anything past 22 years.¡±

    ¡°But Clyde...No one expects you to be the one taking part in preventing these disasters. No one else even knows they will happen. You could leave this kingdom and become a free adventurer while living with miss Eleanor and the others on a faraway land.¡±

    ¡°....¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not selfish, are you? You want to protect those close to you. The friends you made along the way and the ones you love. How do you think they¡¯ll feel if you suddenly left? You probably had these thoughts, didn¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Ha...¡±

    I did.

    ¡°I could just start over anytime I want. But do you know why I don¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°...Why?¡±

    She pointed at me.

    ¡°Because every single Clyde I came to love has been the same. There was a time when things were so tough that you died multiple times. I couldn¡¯t take it. I didn¡¯t want to see you die again. On my eighth time, I finally reached the life that was exactly the same as my first. No ongoing wars, racial discrimination, and no disasters left and right. I could say I¡¯m happy to be here.¡±

    ¡°....¡±

    ¡°But, do you know what, Clyde? Who I just saw wasn¡¯t the Clyde I fell in love with. He wasn¡¯t the kind of person who was emotionally weak. He was a brave, courageous man who wasn¡¯t just known for his magic.¡±

    ¡°What the hell did you expect? I was born as a normal person on Earth. I attended high school, lost my virginity to some skank at college over a bet, studied a degree in one of the hardest majors, dropped out of college because of peer pressure and became a sack of shit. But, to be honest...I¡¯ll choose such a boring life over having to fear for my life here any day¡ª¡±

    SLAP

    ¡°...!¡±

    I was suddenly slapped across the face by Artoria. When I saw her face, I couldn¡¯t help but shudder.

    Hollowed eyes, a twisted mouth and a dark shadow over her face. Her face was looking at me in disgust.

    However, after a few seconds her face returned to normal. I had never seen such an expression on her face before. It was like she was looking at a pitiful dog or something. I got that type of feeling.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I slapped you. But, please stop whining.¡±

    ¡°H-Hey! I¡¯m not whining!¡± I retreated a little backwards when she came closer. That said, there wasn¡¯t much room to move around.

    ¡°Why can¡¯t you just accept that this is your life now? It doesn¡¯t matter how many times you brood over being killed by Sol, you can¡¯t go back.¡±

    ¡°I-I know that.¡±

    ¡°If you truly know that then grow up.¡±

    ¡°....¡±

    It was a hard blow coming from my childhood friend. She had always been the reserved type who followed me. Never once had she spoken up against me. No matter what I complained about or said.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the kind of man your future self wanted you to be.¡±

    ¡°...But...¡±

    ¡°No buts! If you truly want to meet the one that reincarnated you, shouldn¡¯t you stay alive until then?¡±

    ¡°Ah....¡±

    ¡°Do you understand? Your purpose for coming here, having those two cores and meeting your future self will never be answered if you give up. I know that he knows who reincarnated you. However, he wants you to find the answer yourself.¡±

    Those were words that I never knew I wanted to hear. Now that I thought about it, wasn¡¯t Artoria the one suffering the most? She had to relive so many lives and see her loved ones die so many times. She also knew the future but couldn¡¯t tell everyone because there was no telling what might happen if she did.

    A regressor was like an outsider even if they were born as a normal person. They had knowledge that transcended those of others. This could be beneficial to them, however, it could also be a weapon and a curse to society.

    ¡°Artoria.¡±

    ¡°...?¡±

    ¡°When your trial is over...How about we go on a date?¡±

    ¡°...!¡±

    Her eyes widened. A few moments later her entire face flushed.

    ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject! W-We¡¯re discussing something serious here!¡±

    The person I saw after that slap looked completely different from the one blushing right now. She looked as adorable as a small animal.

    Despite complaining that I changed the subject, she lowered her head and spoke again.

    ¡°Does that mean...you accept me?¡±

    I smiled silently. Her eyes widened again before they became moist.

    ¡°Rather than accept, I want to make this work. That is, if you¡¯re fine with my answer...¡± I scratched my cheek.

    It wasn¡¯t a second later that she threw herself at me and hugged me.

    ¡ó¡ô¡ó

    After our little talk, the two of us headed back to the venue. My head¡ªwhich was filled with negative thoughts before¡ªhad finally cooled down. I finally felt that there was light at the end of my tunnel. What was important right now wasn¡¯t worrying about when the next disaster would occur. Rather, I needed to prepare for it.

    I got my revenge against Zelda. If I could do that then maybe surviving the disaster wasn¡¯t a dream after all...

 Chapter 97: An unpleasant meeting

    ARTORIA POV

    After Clyde and I returned to the venue, I headed straight for the food section. Clyde looked at a loss at my actions. He didn¡¯t pursue me and only gave up. He went to the big table where Diane was seated at. I hadn¡¯t had good food in a long while so it was impossible for me to resist the urges to shove all that food into my mouth. I had eaten stale, nutritious hard meals ever since I arrived at the Sky Fortress.

    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have gone out of control¡­¡¯

    I regretted what I did.

    But¡­the things he said. The way his body was trembling as if he was afraid of what lies ahead.

    I lost control of myself.

    There was a voice whispering in my head at that tim.

    If you give up on your life then why don¡¯t you give yourself to me, Clyde? I¡¯ll protect you and nurture you¡­.for the restore your life¡­

    If I didn¡¯t stop myself then this life would¡¯ve ended exactly as my previous life.

    With Clyde being mine forever in that dark room. His arms cut off. His eyes pulled out. His tongue cut so that he couldn¡¯t scream and hurl insults as me.

    I¡¯m trash. How could I have such thoughts about him? He was still a pure boy who knew nothing of hardship.

    He wasn¡¯t the Clyde Astley that was by my side in nearly all my lives.

    ¡®Focus Artoria. You can¡¯t lose in to your desires.¡¯

    Whenever I look at him, I want to tear off his clothes and devour him. Whenever he smiles, my body is overcome with the desire to make him mine. It was dirty, vulgar and impure thoughts.

    If he knew about the things I¡¯d done to the Clyde from my last life¡­

    He would look at me with both hate and disgust. That was something I didn¡¯t want.

    ¡®Maybe keeping my distance was a good idea. I can¡¯t imagine myself being at his side in the state I¡¯m in now.¡¯

    I looked at him chatting happily with Diane. Maybe it was my imagination but I could make out a small smile on Diane¡¯s face.

    ¡®I envy you and Arielle, Diane.¡¯

    ¡°So the two of you¡­seem pretty close?¡± A voice called from behind me. Wondering who was bothering my expenditure of exotic foods, I turned around in a huff.

    The other men all avoided me after just glaring at them. This bastard shouldn¡¯t be different.

    ¡°¡­?¡± It was a face I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time.

    Duncan, the crown prince of the Sky Kingdom.

    I almost blurted out your highness. However, I knew that he was undercover. His appearance wasn¡¯t his usual look at the moment so no one should recognize him.

    Except me, of course. However, something seemed different about him¡­.

    Sure, it was his appearance but that wasn¡¯t it. Should I say the air around him?

    ¡°How do you do, young miss?¡± He bowed with his hand across his chest.

    I clicked my tongue softly. Although we had met several times during my regressions, I couldn¡¯t get used to his sham behaviour.

    His blue hair and eyes seemed to be a rarity in this kingdom. Naturally, the people were surprised when they saw him stand next to me.

    There was one other reason why I didn¡¯t like the fact that we were meeting again¡­

    ¡°What do you want?¡± I spoke roughly. Since I was the one wielding the King¡¯s Sword, that gave me a sort of authority. I was equal to a duke in importance. In comparison, Duncan looked like any young noble brat from a lower class household looking to score with a high ranking noble lady.

    ¡°Oops. Pardon me. I am Trijan. I am a nomad in search of a fair maiden to soothe the emptiness I feel in my heart. It turns out I do not need to look any further.¡± He said with a handsome smile. I could hear a few sighs from the young women.

    ¡°Is that so? I hope you succeed in your quest.¡± I turned around and walked away. No, I tried to.

    A quiet whisper stopped me.

    ¡°¡­This is your last chance. Either join us or fall with this nation, Artoria Heavensworth.¡± He was still smiling but his eyes were looking at me differently.

    ¡°¡­.¡± It was as I expected.

    That day wasn¡¯t far off.

    ¡ó

    ¡°You¡¯re rather bold, aren¡¯t you? Lym.¡± I said to the prince when we got outside. ¡°And Trijan? Can¡¯t you come up with a more believable name?¡±

    He shrugged.

    ¡°So it was true.¡± He chuckled. His eyes changed from a normal pair of human eyes to that of a monster¡¯s.

    ¡°The great lord Atrius¡¯ predictions are never wrong. A regressor has fallen into this world.¡± With madness in his eyes, he held both his cheeks. ¡°Ahhh~ this one¡¯s loyalty has reached a new height after witnessing the wisdom of my lord!¡±

    ¡°I could blow your head up in one punch. Why have you approached me so brazenly? No, rather¡­.Why have all of you chosen to do that?¡±

    I knew there were more of them scattered around this kingdom. No, rather the entire continent.

    He shrugged exaggeratedly.

    ¡°Since you have relived this world before, you probably know already. We happened to smell the sign of star energy in this kingdom.¡±

    My eyes widened.

    ¡®This has never happened before¡­It should be a little longer before that happened.¡¯

    With a clenched first, I glared at him.

    ¡°Speak. I will decide whether to kill you all after I listen.¡±

    A smile so wide that it reached both his ears appeared on his face. ¡°Thank you very much, young miss.¡±

    ¡°Why have you taken Duncan¡¯s body? I¡¯m sure you can take control of many other people.¡±

    ¡°Ah, you see¡­My real face must not be seen by others. If any of the Order see it then my life is basically over.¡± With a troubled sigh, he shook his head.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Real face? You mean the face you stole from a corpse?¡±

    ¡°Kukuku. She is already dead so I own her face now.¡± He touched his cheek and twisted his neck around in a full circle. Another face appeared. ¡°Besides, isn¡¯t she gorgeous? Even more than yourself?¡±

    His face was that of a female elf. His hair changed into a pale green.

    ¡°You immortals are disgusting.¡± I wanted to kill him. However, I lost all power whenever I saw that face.

    If Iris were to see it then she would probably lose her mind.

    ¡°Why, thank you~¡± A female¡¯s happy chirp came out of his disgusting mouth. He even did a cute clap gesture.

    That annoyed me so much. No, the one annoying me was this bastard. Not just in this life, I hated speaking with Lym in general. There was a time when I killed him after appearing before me. That ended up causing the invasion to happen faster.

    I had to thread carefully from now on. How important was he to this timeline that everything sped up after his death?

    Why was he such an important figure when he was part of the lowest race in their species?

    ¡®Endure it, Tori. Endure it¡­¡¯

    ¡°Anyway, miss Artoria~. I have been assigned to lead the events that will occur in the future.¡±

    ¡°So? Why are you telling me this?¡±

    His playful expression vanished. ¡°You are not to interfere.¡±

    ¡°You little bastard. Threatening me when you¡¯re just a little bug¡­¡±

    He held up a finger when I moved closer to him. Misteltein was eager to kill him just as much as I was. A sadistic expression appeared on his face.

    ¡°If you hurt me then my lord will not idly sit by. You don¡¯t want to mess with Esil¡¯s servants, would you?¡±

    My entire body stiffened.

    Esil.

    She was a woman I wouldn¡¯t forget about. No, I couldn¡¯t. Out of all the people-good and bad-that I¡¯ve met in my eight lives, she caused the biggest trauma.

    That¡¯s right¡­She¡­did something to Clyde.

    ¡°Tch¡­¡± I lowered my hands.

    Lym chuckled. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect her name to scare you this much. Does the Immortal Knights¡¯ second strongest member have such an impact on you? Kukuku.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, you bastard.¡±

    ¡°Muu~ You¡¯re so rude~ Lady Esil wanted me to relay that message. You wanna know how she knows?¡± Lym¡¯s devious smile didn¡¯t match the face he was wearing. ¡°She¡¯s confirmed to be lord Atrius¡¯ concubine! Kyaaah! She can finally achieve her goal! Which is¡­.!¡±

    ¡°To breed with the highest race in this world.¡± I finished his sentence.

    ¡°Specifically, with the strongest being of the highest race. Namely, our magnanimous and mighty lord Atrius!¡± He shook his head with a crazy expression on his face. ¡°It¡¯ll be so wonderful! The strongest succubus bearing the child of the strongest immortal!¡±

    ¡°Heh¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t help but sneer.

    ¡°Tch. What?¡± Lym looked unpleasantly at me.

    ¡°Strongest immortal. I wonder if that¡¯s the case. Isn¡¯t Bane the strongest?¡±

    ¡°Do not speak of his name!!! He dared to betray our race to side with the dragons! Blasphemous! He must die!¡± Lym roared. Since we were covered by a barrier, no one should hear us. ¡°No. No. I cannot decide that. Although he is a traitor, he¡¯s still useful to our lord.¡±

    ¡°The balance of power is messed up, isn¡¯t it? It took three of the elders just to take Bane down.¡±

    That was what he told me and Arielle when we struck him down. It was far into the future so the memory of that day was a little vague.

    They are nothing compared to the warriors before me¡­I am glad to have been felled by your hands.

    Those were his last words before he died. Both my and Arielle¡¯s weapons were in his chest.

    I still shuddered at his power. All the knowledge I had accumulated throughout my eight lives was useless against raw power. The battle against him was the hardest battle I had in my entire life.

    The war would¡¯ve ended if not for him. His power tipped the balance of this world. There was no such thing as normal anymore.

    ¡°Why are you telling me not to interfere when I am at my weakest? I can barely take on a cadre rank at my level.¡±

    Lym nodded as if he understood. However, all I heard was sarcasm in his voice. ¡°How pitiful, O great archangel of the upper god realm. Child of the Valkyrie Queen. Do you think we do not know?¡±

    ¡°Know what?¡±

    I narrowed my eyes at him.

    ¡°We know that the sword the first king wielded wasn¡¯t any ordinary sword. You probably thought we¡¯d ignore it¡¯s existence, am I right?¡±

    I frowned.

    ¡°We already know that it is a divine weapon. Only divinity and demon swords can injure Lord Atrius. You and that dragon princess are our biggest threat at the moment.¡±

    The dragon princess, Stella Lugard. She was the wielder of the item known as Garl. It was a weapon that could take the form of any weapon. She was originally a spear user so she rarely used the other forms.

    ¡®It¡¯s a relief that they don¡¯t know about Erica just yet. Let¡¯s play along.¡¯

    Lym smiled widely at my expression. I tried my best to look as shocked as possible.

    ¡°Kekeke. Lady Albedo was tasked to eliminate you at all costs if you try and interfere.¡±

    ¡°Why take such extreme measures? Is she aware that not all members of the White Order left to go train in the Red Abyss? She will only place her own life in danger.¡±

    Eredhel was actively scouting the continent with Laura. If they sensed anything amiss here then they¡¯d return immediately.

    Clark and Iris entered the dungeon first.

    Since that was the case, security was increased even further in Colchis. Jasfer, who was one of the strongest of the order was also present in the kingdom. He was taking residence in the first prince¡¯s mansion.

    ¡°We have our ways. How else do you think I, and my brothers are able to approach this venue without any problem?¡±

    ¡°Because you¡¯re cowards who hide in a person¡¯s skin, isn¡¯t that so?¡±

    A vein popped in his forehead. His cheeks inflated and he pouted.

    ¡°We¡¯re only being extra careful!¡± He cleared his throat and pointed at me. ¡°Do you understand? Do not interfere.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not a choice at this point, now is it? Fine. I¡¯ll stay put.¡± I held up my hands. It was the smart thing to do.

    I was obviously against it, though. There was no way I¡¯d just quietly sit and watch.

    ¡°Good. Very good. Do this then your boyfriend won¡¯t get hurt.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡± My expression almost faltered. He just had to mention Clyde.

    ¡°What is your goal by carrying out this invasion?¡±

    I already knew their goal. However, I wanted to know why they were doing it so early.

    ¡°If you must know, things didn¡¯t proceed as we had hoped.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡®Lets pry some information out of this clown.¡¯

    ¡°Chatty, aren¡¯t we?¡± Lym¡¯s face transformed back to prince Duncan. ¡°Our plans have been interrupted more times than I can count. The seal has been broken and now they were daring to come out at any given moment. It is only by fear that they do not. Lord Zero who demonstrated the fear needed to keep them at bay is currently unavailable.¡±

    ¡°The clones, huh¡­¡±

    ¡°As expected of a regressor~¡±

    The clones referred to the copies of Sync. Well, they weren¡¯t original copies. However, they only had a fraction of his power.

    After struggling for hundreds of years, they finally made a breakthrough in their research to make new soldiers. The immortal race was feared across many worlds. However, they were small in number. That was why they wanted more kin.

    And to do that they started cloning the strongest members of their race.

    Sync was chosen since he was the first ever experiment to be successful. He was the only one to have been able to walk out of the ruins of the United Empire and pledge his allegiance to Atrius.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see if everything works out even with me out of the picture.¡± I said relaxed. I wasn¡¯t planning on getting involved in the first place. I would only quietly spend my days at the Sky Fortress until my trial was over.

    My awakening was still a long ways away.

    ¡°You really piss me off. But! I have fulfilled the task given to me by my mistress so I will take my leave¡ª¡± Lym turned around with a whistle.

    ¡°Must be nice licking the sweat off her feet after a long day, huh? You loyal dog.¡± I said with ridicule.

    That woman was the most disgusting person I had ever met in my life. She uses people like they are toilet paper. Just one spell from her charm magic can make anyone fall for her.

    Even Clyde¡­

    I lost Clyde to her and that was a memory I would never forget.

    ¡°What seems to be the problem, miss Artoria?¡± A voice came from behind Lym. ¡°Is this man bothering you?¡±

    ¡°¡­!?¡± Lym¡¯s entire body was covered by a yellow glow. ¡°Gyaaaah!¡±

    I heard snapping sounds coming from his arm. When I looked, I saw that his flesh was being twisted around his bone.

    ¡°Leave her alone or die.¡± Erica¡¯s eyes was glowing as she coldly looked at Lym. It seemed that she didn¡¯t care for the fact that she was hurting the Sky Kingdom¡¯s prince.

    ¡°O-Okay!! P-Please stop!¡± The light vanished from Lym¡¯s body.

    He ran away as if he was being chased by something terrifying. Well, calling Erica terrifying was an understatement.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Erica looked at me with a worried expression on her face.

    ¡°Yeah...¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t look okay to me when the two of you were talking.¡± She looked into my eyes with a serious and unmoving gaze. ¡°What did he say?¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    ¡®I can¡¯t tell you, Erica.¡¯

    That was what I had to say but couldn¡¯t.

    I laughed dryly. ¡°It was nothing, Erica. Just something he said about me. Men are such perverts, huh?¡± I smiled wryly and tried to walk past her.

    However, she grabbed my arm.

    ¡°You¡¯re acting weird just because of some pervert, miss Artoria.¡±

    ¡°Haa¡­¡±

    Despite acting like such a clumsy clutch all the time, Erica was a person who had better insight than myself. Her blue eyes seemed to burn a hole through the back of my head.

    ¡°It concerns Clyde.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°I need to go.¡± I took her hand off my arm and walked forward.

    ¡°W-Wait! What about him!?¡±

    Erica¡¯s yell went unanswered as I walked over to the gate of the property.

    There were lots of carriages parked next to each other. The coachmen were happily chatting with the knights around a big campfire. They were even dancing while drinking ale.

    Maybe they wanted to have fun too since the night wouldn¡¯t end for a while.

    The starless night was as empty as the void within my mind. The cold breeze caused my dress to flutter.

    When I was about to step through the gate, someone¡¯s shadow appeared before me.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be inside?¡± I spoke to the person standing there.

    ¡°No. The party is nearly done. I¡¯m thinking of leaving when the engagement is officially announced.¡± Brielle¡¯s profile greeted me. ¡°What about you, Arthur?¡±

 Chapter 98: A stranger to this timeline

    ¡°Why¡¯re you calling me by that name?¡± I asked, slightly offended. I had long since stopped being Arthur. It was rubbing me off the wrong way how I was called.

    She shrugged. ¡°Although your face, body and voice is different, you are still the little boy I raised with Clyde.¡± She spoke with a nostalgic smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m 22. It¡¯s basically at the prime of my life as a young woman. If I don¡¯t find a man then I¡¯m destined to die alone or marry a drunkard or some other washed up bastard.¡± Brielle took off the band that held together her long red hair. Her silky hair landed on her shoulders.

    ¡°I always thought: why not give myself to the man of the house I work at?¡± She said.

    ¡°And? Why didn¡¯t you?¡± I was a little confused about what she brought up but I didn¡¯t ask any further.

    ¡°That¡¯s even worse. Uncle George is like a father to me. And can you imagine the disappointment and anger miss Eleanor will feel if I were to do that?¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    ¡°My heart never beats faster whenever I¡¯m with him so I know it could never be love. I was only trying to secure my relationships for the future. This is what 15 year old me thought. Ridiculous, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°It is. He is way older than you so it doesn¡¯t make sense.¡±

    ¡°Haha¡­Yeah.¡± Brielle stopped leaning against the gate and walked over to me. She gazed up at me with her ocean blue eyes.

    ¡°Although I do cringe whenever I think of myself from back then, I realised something from that experience.¡±

    ¡°You did?¡±

    ¡°Yup. The person I want was in front of me the entire time. I just didn¡¯t know who it was.¡± With her hands against her chest, she looked towards the moon. ¡°I¡­realise that it is wrong of me to be so selfish. However, my heart will not allow me to stay quiet.¡±

    I looked at Brielle silently. Even if she quit her job as a maid, she could work in any similar profession: like waitressing or prostitution.

    My point is that she had the beauty and skill for both. I had no doubt that she would become famous among the common or even rich folk.

    ¡°Is it Clyde?¡± I already knew who she meant.

    This wasn¡¯t because I had met Brielle in the past. No. She was never part of any of my seven lives. That was why I was careful around her. I never interacted with her more than necessary.

    Even an atom could impact the outcome of an event. Why had she remained undetected?

    I was always reminding myself that she was just a normal orphan girl who was taken in by the Astley family.

    That view, however ,changed when I heard something from Clyde when we returned to the venue.

    I have no idea how the heck she could cross that forest of the Minerva. There was no one else with her. Damian and I had to use griffins to avoid fighting the terrifying monsters below.

    He didn¡¯t give it much thought but the same wasn¡¯t for me.

    I had been backstabbed and betrayed by many people such as the trustworthy friends I made along the way. Maybe it was the mental strain of seeing people I came to love die countless times, but I couldn¡¯t help but be suspicious of everyone that appeared out of nowhere.

    First it was Lym and now I had to worry about her.

    A flush appeared on her face.

    ¡°¡­Mm.¡± She nodded her head. ¡°I kissed him...He¡­kissed me back¡­¡±

    My face twitched. She glanced up at me since I didn¡¯t react.

    ¡°Are you perhaps mad?¡± There was a twinkle in her eyes. The sort of twinkle that conveyed her superiority.

    It was the cute kind so I didn¡¯t mind.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°Not at all. You may do as you please. I have no say in it.¡±

    He could have as many wives as he pleased. It didn¡¯t even matter who it was.

    Although, I was sure that he wouldn¡¯t take so many wives if he didn¡¯t love them all. Someone like him who was from earth wouldn¡¯t be used to the culture in this world.

    Question was: how did he feel about Brielle?

    ¡°Really?¡± Brielle¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s okay?¡±

    I rubbed my forehead with my hand.

    ¡°Brielle, what is your reason for talking about this?¡±

    Her face blanked for a second. A second later she spoke. I expected her to tell me, however, she only laughed and waved her hands.

    ¡°Hahaha¡­I think I¡¯m too drunk so I¡¯m talking about random things. Sorry for stopping you when you were about to leave.¡± She walked past me. ¡°I want us to talk like this again. How does that sound, Arthur?¡±

    ¡°¡­Alright.¡±

    I looked at her back as she walked away.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to need to keep an eye on her¡­.¡±

    After saying so to no one in particular, I left the property unbeknownst to Clyde.

    ¡ó

    ¡°Attention, everyone!¡± While the people were busy making connections and chatting with others, Mason walked up to the main table where Clyde and Diane sat. The former was franticly looking around because he was looking for somebody.

    The person in question left the party hall with a stranger. Clyde was quite worried about their motive.

    ¡®She¡¯ll be alright¡­Yeah¡­¡¯

    He convinced himself and turned his attention to his father-in-law.

    The same went for everyone else.

    ¡°Before we end the night, I have a story to tell you all. I hope some will eagerly listen. This is the story of how I met this wonderful family.¡± He pointed to George and Eleanor.

    The two of them looked surprised at being called out.

    However, they stood up when Mason said their names. Both of them stood at Mason¡¯s side.

    ¡°When I was just a general on the battlefield, carrying the injured back to camp, I thought we had lost all hope¡­¡±

    Mason began his story. All of them eagerly listened.

    ¡°My top elites were slaughtered by the Republic of Covinia. To be specific, he was a single knight from the Republic of Covinia.¡±

    The man he referred to was known as the strongest sword of the Republic. He was the Black Knight.

    A man with no background or origin. He just appeared one day and was named commander of his own unit.

    No one had even seen his face before.

    ¡°That man had caused more trauma for me than anything in my entire life. Imagine that¡­A man with such power that he can kill hundreds.¡± Mason gazed at George. ¡°However, it wasn¡¯t long before our saviour arrived. My son, Justin was the only one brave enough to stand up to that man. But, he wasn¡¯t enough. We needed someone who not only had the courage but also the strength to stand up to that man. Ladies and gentlemen, George was that man.¡±

    All the whispers died down as everyone looked at George. His face reddened but he didn¡¯t show his embarrassment.

    ¡°He fought toe-to-toe with that man. Never in my life have I seen such mastery over swordsmanship. He could take on a Master rank warrior despite not being one himself!¡±

    This revelation shocked the crowd.  Even Clyde¡¯s mouth was wide open as he looked at his father.

    ¡®This guy was that strong back in the day?¡¯

    All h saw was a washed-up swordsman who only had the skills to take on recruits. His father was a man with a scruffy beard and he was an average person.

    That was what Clyde saw.

    ¡°I watched this man beat down the Black Knight who was already at the rank where warriors can use Sword Aura. Imagine how powerful he will be if he reached Master rank as well!¡± Mason hit George¡¯s shoulder with a hearty laugh.

    Everyone could see how happy Mason was to have George next to him. Not many nobles have such trust in their subordinates.

    No. George was more like a son to him. That was how everyone saw it.

    ¡®Sword Aura, huh¡­¡¯ Clyde had heard that term for the first time in his life. It wasn¡¯t surprising as there weren¡¯t many Master rank warriors in this world. Rather than many, there were only a dozen that people knew of.

    Rosetta was one of them. As was Iris and Clark.

    Sword Aura-or dubbed as soul energy for masters who weren¡¯t sword users-is the term used to describe a person¡¯s power that has reached the realm of master rank. They were equal in rank to 9<sup>th</sup> mana grade mages.

    Soul Energy was sort of like God rank magic. It was the peak level for warriors.

    However, the former had levels to its uses. Black was the weakest and White refined soul energy was the strongest.

    If George was able to beat a warrior capable of wielding Sword Aura then there was no telling how powerful he would get if he trained under people like Rosetta.

    Mason continued speaking to the crowd. ¡°I am happy to bring the Astley family into my own. Not only is the father a powerful swordsman, the son is also a genius mage. I¡¯m truly lucky to have such fine men watch my household when I pass on.¡±

    Mason turned towards Clyde and Diane. ¡°I am also proud to wed my daughter to his son. I am hoping to receive a grandson immediately after you¡¯re done with your scholarship, boy!¡±

    Everyone chuckled. Mason was really impatient. It wasn¡¯t surprising to any of them. They understood the situation he was in. If an heir for the future is not secured then the Bentinck household will fall.

    If that happened then Mason¡¯s ancestors will look upon him with disappointment. That was the greatest shame to a noble house.

    ¡°Although my son has already lost the chance for marriage, I am still proud of him. He fought to protect my name in the frontlines. And for that, I am glad to have him as my son.¡± Mason looked towards Justin with a smile.

    Although his son was a bachelor at his age, he was still a decorated knight in the kingdom. He could have whichever woman he wanted. Mason knew that he just didn¡¯t want to settle down.

    Because¡­he already lost the one woman he loved.

    Mason clapped his hands once to get everyone¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Here¡¯s a cheers everyone! To my new son-in-law, Clyde Astley and his father, George!¡±

    ¡°Here, here!¡± Everyone lifted their glasses with a cheerful shout.

    Clyde smiled and lifted his as well.

 Chapter 99: Chloe

    DIANE BENTINCK POV

    I stood by the front door, bidding farewell to the guests. The clock showed that it was almost midnight. It was hard to believe we started this morning.

    Well, we held two events on the same day so it wasn¡¯t surprising.

    ¡°Diane!¡± I heard my brother¡¯s voice and saw him approach me from down the stairs. When he arrived at the top, he pulled me into a hug.

    ¡°Ugh¡­You stink.¡± I pushed him away.

    But he hugged me again while crying.

    ¡°M-My little sister is leaving the nest. Ah, just yesterday we were taking baths together and you always said that you want to marry me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t recall any of that happening. Get off of me, elder brother.¡± I stepped back after prying his arms away.

    ¡°Just let me have this moment!¡±

    ¡°Stop complaining like a child.¡± I looked towards a certain group that caught my eye. They were standing amongst the carriages that were departing. It was my father-in-law who was standing among a group of men and women.

    ¡°Where are you off to?¡± I asked my brother.

    ¡°We¡¯re thinking of staying the night out and going hunting early tomorrow morning. Me and George haven¡¯t hunted together in ten years.¡±

    ¡°Miss Eleanor and the others are leaving the kingdom tomorrow. The roads are dangerous these days, you know?¡± I looked at him disapprovingly.

    Seriously. How could they act like a bunch of teenagers tonight?

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fine. Brielle will be there. She knows martial arts. I taught her.¡± Speak of the devil. The person we were talking about approached us.

    He smiled wryly while scratching his cheek.

    ¡°Sir George, she might be able to handle regular bandits, however, what worries me is the culprit that has been wiping out villages overnight. My father expects you to be at his office by tomorrow morning. The duke said that he¡¯ll meet you there as well.¡±

    I spoke with Kenia earlier and she confirmed that her father was ready to move immediately.

    ¡°Tch. It seems we can¡¯t hang out for long, huh?¡± Sir George looked like he was about to cry.

    ¡°Is dad getting involved as well? The two of them are neighbouring lords, after all.¡±

    I nodded at my brother¡¯s question. ¡°We were entrusted with the territory by the first head of the Luxembourg household. Our position of vassal of a duke family is on the line. The results will determine our competence. As vice captain of a Knight Order squadron, you have the biggest responsibility in this matter.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡± Sir George lowered his head with each word that I spouted.

    ¡°Geez, Diane. Calm down. You¡¯re nagging him too much. We get it, okay?¡± My brother stepped between the two of us.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you do. Both duke Henry and my father trusts you very much. I am only reminding you of that.¡±

    Sir Georg sighed. ¡°Man, I didn¡¯t know my daughter-in-law would be this feisty. Bless my poor son¡¯s soul.¡±

    ¡°Hahahaha! You don¡¯t know how feisty she can get, bro!¡± My brother nudged his side. ¡°Clyde has his hands full with Diane and the young lady from the Luxembourg household!¡±

    I rubbed my forehead. I had heard how short tempered and violent Arielle Luxembourg was. I didn¡¯t get along with types like her. Humans who don¡¯t think and only act with their muscles.

    I learned from rumours that Arielle had never been exceptional at her academics so she failed a lot of classes. It was only when Clyde and miss Artoria had arrived at their manor that she improved.

    This improvement wasn¡¯t that big though. She left the academy for that very reason.

    ¡®I wonder¡­How has she changed over these years?¡¯

    I had never met her before in my life but from what I heard, Clyde was quite fond of her.

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    ¡°Something the matter, Diane?¡± My brother asked.

    ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing. Anyway, please remember my words. I am required to stay here in this manor until further notice. Please excuse me.¡±

    The people who came today were gradually leaving the property.

    I turned around after bowing respectfully to the two of them.

    ¡°Ah! Before I forget...¡± My brother stopped me when I was about to head back inside. He rummaged through his pockets and took out a small box.

    ¡°¡­?¡± My eyes widened. The box was familiar to me. ¡°This is¡­¡±

    My brother smiled. I could notice a dark shadow over his face as he looked at the box. ¡°Give this to Clyde. This way there¡¯s no need to buy another ring for your wedding.¡±

    It was the ring his deceased fianc¨¦ was supposed to put on his finger the day they got married.

    ¡°¡­Why are you giving me this?¡± I took it with both hands.

    ¡°Well¡­hahaha¡­It¡¯s better than selling it or throwing it away, right?¡± He flashed a grin and put his hand on my hand. He gently stroked it. I didn¡¯t turn away like I always do when he touches me.

    ¡°I suppose¡­¡± I bowed again. ¡°Thank you, elder brother. I will make sure sir Clyde treasures this.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    My brother muttered with a wry smile. ¡°It¡¯s just a ring, you know¡­¡±

    ¡°A-Anyway, we best get going. Right, buddy?¡± George put his hand around my brother¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± My brother nodded softly and turned around. ¡°Look after that kid, Diane.¡±

    That was all he said before the two of them left.

    I remained standing there as I watched his back. It was only for a brief moment but I could see the pain that still haunted him today.

    He was the kind of person who hid everything behind his smile and goofy personality. He was an extrovert who could become friends with anyone.

    The complete opposite of me.

    ¡°Oh, elder brother¡­¡± I looked at the ring. It was probably because this was the only thing that still reminded him of her.

    Anyone could see that he was still hurt over that memory of her.

    I always thought to myself: How does it feel to lose those precious to you?

    ¡°I might never really find out, huh?¡± I held my hand above my chest. My heart beat was normal. Even though the time to seal my engagement to Clyde had come, I didn¡¯t feel anything like excitement or nervousness. That was how girls normally feel for the first time on their consummation night.

    I just wanted this night to end.

    I looked up and saw the moon illuminating the night sky with its ethereal glow. The capital was bathed in its brilliance.

    ¡®Where is Clyde?¡¯

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    CLYDE ASTLEY POV

    I walked around the garden since I was looking for my sister. I heard from my mother that Chloe wanted to show me something before they left.

    She asked me to meet her at the pond behind the manor.

    ¡®There she is.¡¯

    Chloe was busy humming a tune while solo dancing.

    ¡®Is that the waltz?¡¯

    It seemed that she was trying to imitate the moves of the people who danced tonight.

    I erased my footsteps using sound magic.

    ¡°~~~!¡±

    Chloe continued singing with her eyes closed. Her beautiful brown hair fluttered in the air. Her pale soft skin glistened in the moon¡¯s glow.

    I snuck behind her and sat down. My mouth couldn¡¯t stop curling upwards as I watched my cute little sister dance.

    ¡®I was never even there to see her grow up¡­¡¯

    I had to leave the village when I was her age in order to prepare myself for the academy. How long had it been now?

    ¡®Was it seven or eight years?¡¯

    I couldn¡¯t really remember. My memory was terrible.

    ¡°You want to w-what?¡± Chloe suddenly stopped dancing and looked up at the sky. ¡°Kyaah~!¡±

    ¡®Is she imagining that someone¡¯s there?¡¯

    Her face flushed red.

    ¡°O-Okay. But only because you¡¯re my big brother!¡±

    ¡®Hm?¡¯

    She stood on her toes and puckered out her lips.

    ¡®Did I mishear those words?¡¯

    She kissed the imaginary person who was standing there.

    ¡®Should I stop this¡­?¡¯

    ¡°Ahem!¡± I emerged from behind the bushes.

    ¡°Kyaaah!?¡± Chloe jumped in surprise. Her face reddened even further when she saw me.

    ¡°Y-You¡¯re here.¡±

    I laughed dryly. ¡°Y-Yeah. Anyway, what were you up to? I heard you talking to someone.¡±

    I played dumb. Of course, I was still confused by what that was exactly.

    ¡°O-O-Oh! I was singing with the fishes!¡±

    ¡°I see. It was a beautiful tune.¡±

    ¡®Yes. I must¡¯ve been seeing things.¡¯

    I patted her head. She giggled.

    ¡°Oh, right! I wanted to show big brother something.¡± She grabbed my hand and led me over to the pond.

    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.

    ¡®I hope it¡¯s not something lame. If it is then I have wasted my time.¡¯

    Of course, I wouldn¡¯t say that to Chloe. She was just too cute and innocent. If I said something like that then she¡¯d cry and call me mean.

    ¡°Okay! This should be good!¡± Chloe held her hands out in front of her.

    ¡°Hm?¡± I sensed the mana in the air gather around her palms. It was a small amount but I could still see it. It spiralled around her palms.

    ¡°Hng!!¡± Chloe was sweating so much even though the mana was so little.

    ¡®I knew she was capable of magic but this is strange.¡¯

    By this age, she should¡¯ve been able to use simple magic spells already.

    ¡®Does she have a blockage in her core?¡¯

    I frowned.

    ¡°Chloe. Stop.¡±

    ¡°H-Huh? But I¡­¡± The mana disappeared when she was trying to talk to me. ¡°Ah! No!¡±

    I walked up to her. She looked up at me sadly.

    ¡°I wanted to show big brother how far I got¡­¡± She pouted.

    ¡°Chloe¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­!?¡±

    I put my hand on her stomach.

    ¡°W-Wha¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be alarmed. I¡¯m your big brother after all so don¡¯t worry.¡± With a confident grin, I gave her a thumps up.

    ¡°O-okay.¡± She didn¡¯t say anything further and only looked at me with a red face.

    I felt around her mid-section for anything irregular using Spirit Sense.

    No. Not there.

    Not there either.

    There!

    I felt dark clusters of energy that was blocking multiple of her pores where mana usually entered a person¡¯s core. It was affecting her overall mana output and interfering with her purification process.

    ¡®What the¡­Why is this here?¡¯

    I used mana bending to move the energy away from her vital spots such as: her mana veins, channels and outer wall of her core.

    ¡®There¡­.¡¯

    ¡°Eeeek!?¡± Chloe jumped back in surprise when she saw the dark gas-like energy. It was like miasma in colour but since it was of a different nature, that wasn¡¯t entirely correct.

    ¡®It feels like it¡¯s full of malice.¡¯

    I used my own mana to force the energy to stay in the palm of my hand. After lifting my hand, I release the film of mana keeping it contained.

    The gas exploded into the sky and darkened the shine of the moon. A rumble followed soon after.

    I looked at my hand. It was trembling.

    ¡°That¡¯s weird. This is the first time my mana is reacting to another energy.¡±

    ¡°B-Big brother?¡± Chloe grabbed my coat. ¡°W-What was that?¡±

    ¡°Ah. Don¡¯t worry anymore. Anyway, can you show me what you just did?¡±

    ¡°But¡­I¡¯m no good at magic¡­I only managed to make a fire one time.¡±

    I smiled and patted her head.

    ¡°If you¡¯re still unconfident then use this.¡± I activated my spatial storage ring and took out a certain item.

    It had a giant red gem and was modified using a branch of the World Tree. It was the latest edition to the Hermit Sage collection.

    Redheart.

    ¡°Here.¡± I gave her Redheart¡ÁWorld Tree Branch. She scrunched her face due to the weight when it landed in her hands.

    ¡°This is big brother¡¯s¡­¡± She looked at it in a daze as she rubbed the staff. A red light shone from the red gem. It was the gem I constructed on my own using the remains of Edna¡¯s capsule. It wasn¡¯t pretty but at least its effectiveness hadn¡¯t lessened.

    ¡°Well? Why don¡¯t you try it out?¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± Chloe regained renewed vigour as she held the staff in front of her. ¡°Humph! I am the great magic caster from the stars of the abyss! Chloe Thunderia!¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    ¡®Eh?¡¯

    ¡°Hear me ¡®O goddess of lightning and give me the power to scorch my enemies! Iyaah!¡±

    A thunderclap shot out of the staff and hit the surface of the river. It was a long stream of purple lightning that cast a purple haze over the area.

    The water was heating up by the second. The fishes went into a frenzy.

    ¡°Eek!¡± Chloe dropped the staff by mistake which made the spell disappear. ¡°Hot!¡±

    My eyes widened.

    ¡®Isn¡¯t that too much power for someone her age?¡¯

    Although I was a strange case as well, my magic was never that potent when I was her age. If anything, I could only manage beginner class magic on my first few attempts.

    Why was she different?

    ¡°Did you see!? Did you!?¡± Chloe jumped up and down. ¡°The princess of thunder struck this world so all should fear this one!¡±

    ¡°Ha¡­Hahaha. Yes, very well done. You¡¯re such a natural. I¡¯m so honoured to have such an amazing little sister! Any big brother would feel proud!¡±

    Chloe giggled with a satisfied expression on her face.

    ¡°When did you learn this spell?¡±

    ¡°Mama taught me.¡±

    ¡®This spell is usually only used for stunning. How was it that hers was so powerful?¡¯

    I thought as I looked at the surface of the pond. Multiple fish were drifting on the surface, dead.

    ¡°Big brother¡­¡± When we were heading back, Chloe spoke to me. She stopped and looked up at me. Her big green eyes glinted.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Are you leaving again?¡± She held my hand tight.

    ¡°¡­.¡± I silently looked at her expression. It was one of longing and sadness. Her eyes gave the same feeling.

    I looked away and nodded.

    ¡°Yes. This is something I must do.¡±

    Annette was our family. It was important that George and Eleanor face their demons.

    ¡°¡­.Why?¡±

    ¡°Chloe¡­You wouldn¡¯t understand.¡±

    ¡®You wouldn¡¯t understand why family is important. You¡¯re just a child.¡¯

    Chloe bit her lips. She roughly shook away my hand and pouted. Her gaze went down to the ground before she looked back at me.

    Her eyes were blank and lifeless.

    ¡°Stupid big brother¡­¡± Chloe turned around. I swear I could see a tear fall when she turned.

    She ran back to the manor without looking back. All I saw was her long hair that fluttered with the wind.

    I laughed softly.

    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­Your big brother is really stupid.¡±

 Chapter 100: Just a normal girl

    ¡°Y-Young lady? W-why do you have that in your hand¡­?¡±

    It was a certain winter night. The candle light lit up only a portion of the servant quarter.

    The woman lying on the bed was horrified when she saw a young girl holding a knife above her stomach. Her belly was exposed since her shirt was halfway opened up.

    The little girl tilted her head cutely. ¡°I wanted to test something that I was curious about?¡±

    Although her tone of voice sounded innocent and cute, her actions contradicted her innocence. She gripped the knife between her hands.

    ¡°Curious about¡­?¡±

    Cold sweat dripped down the maid¡¯s back. Her teeth clattered in fear. Her pupils shook as she gazed into the eyes of the girl.

    ¡°¡­I heard humans can live without their stomach. Isn¡¯t that wonderful?¡±

    ¡°W-What¡­?¡±

    Her confusion didn¡¯t last because a hot burning blade was plunged into her stomach.

    ¡°!!!!!¡±

    The roar frightened the little girl. She fell down the bed and she looked back at the woman who was screaming. The latter was trying her hardest to get the knife out of her stomach.

    Her insides burned with every pull she did.

    ..

    In the end, foam came out of her mouth and she died. The entire room was covered in black smoke and smelled like death and fecal matter.

    ¡°Yuck.¡± The girl pinched her nose without guilt on her face. She left the room as if she wasn¡¯t there in the first place.

    The noise alerted the guards. Everyone was horrified by the scene of a woman lying in her bed with her stomach cut open. Her organs were still being cooked by the burning knife.

    All they were worried about was if the young lady was fine.

    However, the young lady had already lot interest after seeing the woman die.

    ..

    .

    Diane Bentinck, 10 years old, looked down at the boy who she pushed down a cliff. The boy confessed to her on this very spot.

    Her words were: ¡°If you fall off the cliff and survive then I will be more than happy to be your wife. I will give my first time after I turn 15 as well.¡±

    Young Diane said so with a smile to the baffled boy. Her smile was cute but her eyes were the complete opposite.

    All he saw were cold, dead eyes looking at an ant.

    In the end, he didn¡¯t survive.

    All she uttered was: ¡°Pathetic. Humans are truly trash. This is why we get kicked around by the other races. Your love was meaningless because I cannot feel the same way.¡±

    She left just like that. The boy was confirmed missing and no one knew if he was alive or dead.

    However, Diane forgot about the incident the very next day. She felt nothing. Not sorrow, guilt or even sadness.

    Her heart was as empty as a void.

    Diane, 11 years old, who was walking down the forest path with her puppy, suddenly stopped. The little dog looked up in wonder.

    All it saw was a fast approaching rock fly at its head. A heavy impact knocked it to the ground.

    It whimpered. However, another strike came for its head.

    ¡®Surely, I¡¯ll feel something if I lose my puppy, right¡­?¡¯

    But she still felt nothing. No emotions.

    Her heart was the same empty hole it was ever since that day she gained awareness of her surroundings.

    Fast forward to her first lesson as a young lady at age 12¡­

    ¡°Diane, she will be your tutor. This is Shamela and she is one of the greatest scholars on the continent.¡± Her mother introduced a woman who was wearing glasses and a pencil skirt. Even by looking at her expression, one could tell that she was a strict and intelligent person.

    The location was inside the study room of her father. Her first lesson would be held there.

    The door shut after her mother left.

    ¡°I will not allow any misbehavior in this learning environment. Do you understand, Diane?¡±

    The woman bent down and gazed into the eyes of the little girl. Cold, lifeless eyes.

    She nodded wordlessly. She wasn¡¯t angry at the woman¡¯s disrespect to her status. This woman was a commoner so she should¡¯ve had some respect for Diane even if the latter was younger.

    But Diane didn¡¯t mind it. Rather, it was a refreshing feeling. Everyone else was stiff whenever they interacted with her. They¡¯d always offer her the highest praise and worship the ground she walked on.

    Maybe it was fear or genuine respect.

    ¡°Good. First lesson.¡± The woman held up her finger. ¡°You will memorize all the kingdom¡¯s laws from the First age until the Third age; which is till today.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡± That was a total of three hundred laws and each were a page long. But Diane didn¡¯t utter a single complaint.

    This satisfied the woman. For once a noble brat was being obedient.

    Although that attitude began changing day by day.

    ¡°Useless! I told you to have this finished by the end of the week! Are you rebelling!?¡± The woman slapped Diane mercilessly until her cheek swelled up. The servants didn¡¯t utter a word and only watched.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    What could they do anyway. That said, they were actually pleased that the creepy young miss was being treated that way. It wasn¡¯t once or twice that she harassed each of them in the past.

    The woman suddenly stopped slapping Diane.

    ¡°¡­Y-You!¡± Her eyes raged as she saw the gaze that Diane was giving her.

    It was the gaze given to an inferior being. Although her face was that of a child¡¯s, her eyes were that of a person who had experienced all the hardships of life.

    What kind of life had this child lived? Maybe she was being forced to do too much as a child. Maybe that was why she couldn¡¯t finish the work her tutor gave her.

    The woman slapped Diane again. This time with a bit more power. The latter fell down unconscious.

    ¡­

    Diane didn¡¯t tell her parents of the tutor¡¯s behavior. Not even the servants did anything. It was like they didn¡¯t care. As long as she was obedient, the woman wouldn¡¯t get violent again.

    Since Diane¡¯s performance had improved, the woman decided to reward Diane.

    ¡°I heard that beautiful roses bloom for one day near the forest. Would you like to go there and have a picnic?¡± The woman was a completely different person if the subject didn¡¯t involve education.

    ¡°Mm.¡± Although Diane didn¡¯t want it, she thought that it wasn¡¯t bad to take some time off. All she did was read books anyway.

    The woman arranged the date when they should head there. Her parents were happy with her results so they didn¡¯t stop the woman.

    ¡°We will take a walk to the town first. I need to go pick something up.¡± That was what the woman said when they came out of the front door.

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    The two walked for a little while to the town near Harz village. The road was packed with carriages so they weren¡¯t able to travel by carriage.

    ¡°¡­¡± Little Diane saw a carriage that was speeding faster than what was allowed on the kingdom¡¯s roads. The coachman looked like he was drunk as he kept flicking the reins. The horses bumped into each other and that caused a rippling effect to throw the road into chaos.

    ¡°Barbarian scum.¡± Shamela muttered in disgust.

    Diane looked up at her as the carriage came closer.

    The two of them had to cross the road but couldn¡¯t because of the chaos. Shamela was busy looking the other way since the right side of the road only had the speeding drunken coachman driving on it.

    Five seconds. Diane lifted her hands.

    Four seconds. She moved closer to Shamela.

    Three seconds. She hesitated.

    ¡®Do I¡­hate her?¡¯

    The woman had been the thorn in her side for a while that she had been there. Each and every day was filled with even more work than she did in the past.

    She understood that her parents wanted her to become a successful noble in the future, however, the pressure they put on her as a child was too much.

    Diane would sometimes cut herself unknowingly. She didn¡®t understand why she was born like this.

    Why didn¡¯t she hate her parents for giving her such a life? Why couldn¡¯t she feel emotions like happiness? Why didn¡¯t she feel sad when she killed her own puppy?

    Why¡­

    ¡°¡­Huh?¡±

    One second.

    The woman felt herself being pushed forward. She didn¡¯t understand why she was falling.

    !!!

    The horses neighed when they saw the woman fall on the ground. However, the velocity they were going at was too much so they couldn¡¯t stop.

    ¡°!!!¡± Shamela¡¯s head and upper body was crushed under the hooves of the horses and the wheels of the carriage.

    The people didn¡¯t notice the woman being crushed since the chaos in the roads was too much. The carriages on the other side of the road only sped on.

    Only Diane saw what happened.

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    The woman¡¯s brain matter and bits of her skull was lying on the ground at Diane¡¯s feet.

    The little girl walked away wordlessly.

    That day, she sat by herself and watched the flowers that bloomed once annually.

    ¡ó

    ¡°What a weird time to remember all of that¡­¡± I stood in front of the mirror and looked at my reflection.

    Dark brown hair, blue eyes and a gorgeous face. I could say that I was one of the most beautiful women in the kingdom since my genes were from famous families. My mother was from a foreign family known for their sugar trade and my father was a famous general that stopped countless wars.

    My family had a lot of influence in this kingdom. We had many connections as well.

    To be honest, I wasn¡¯t particularly satisfied with my life. I had to work day in and day out each and every day. Even as a child. I had no time to play or rest. My mother wanted me to grow up to be a competent person to ensure that this household stayed where it was.

    With those at the top of the aristocracy.

    If I had been born into a family of commoners, would my life had been different?

    Would I have smiled truthfully and laughed because I could feel happiness? Would I have cried when the pressure was too much?

    I wondered each and every time I see the lives of the villagers.

    ¡°It¡¯s pointless to think about this. I have been wondering about it for my whole life and yet I haven¡¯t found an answer.¡± I muttered and touched my face.

    This face that could control its emotions so effectively that no one knew what I was thinking of.

    A knock came from the door.

    -Young miss, are you ready? I have changed the sheets in your decided room so you can go whenever. Lord Clyde is already in the room.

    ¡°¡­¡± I looked outside. It was dark and quiet. ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with¡­¡± I muttered to myself.

    ¡°Tell him I¡¯m on my way.¡±

    -Yes.

    The maid¡¯s footsteps echoed down the quiet hallway. My parents, along with my little brother was staying over at another noble¡¯s house tonight. Most of the servants were told to go home as well.

    This was so that we could have private time together.

    ¡®This residence is already so huge so why was it necessary to leave me alone with him?¡¯

    It made me a little uncomfortable but I could do nothing about the matter.

    I took off my robe and looked at the body in the mirror. It wasn¡¯t plump or meaty by any means. I didn¡¯t have the hour glass figure that Artoria had.

    ¡®That shouldn¡¯t matter. Men are hungry beasts anyway. Does it matter what my body looks like?¡¯

    ¡°Okay¡­Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡ó

    ¡°Diane?¡±

    When I opened the door, I saw Clyde rest by the chair next to the candle. In his hand was a book. He stood up and put the book in his storage bag on the table.

    ¡®Rolath diary?¡¯

    I managed to see the name.

    ¡®I think I read something about him once. What was it¡­?¡¯

    I read so many books that I sometimes forget about a lot of things.

    ¡°Yes, dear husband.¡± I kneeled and took off the band that held my hair together. ¡°From tonight forth, my body, soul and mind is yours.¡±

    I took off my robe which caused his eyes to widen.

    I put my hands on the buckle of his belt.

    ¡°Woah!¡± He retreated backwards. ¡°First you take off your clothes so suddenly and now you want to take mine off as well!?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±

    ¡®Is he secretly a wimp?¡¯

    ¡°We need to take it slowly!¡± Clyde exclaimed. ¡°This is your first time so we shouldn¡¯t rush.¡±

    ¡°Why does it matter if it is? All we need to do it finish the ritual of a man and wife.¡± I closed the distance but he held out his arms.

    ¡°First thing we need to do is foreplay!¡±

    ¡°Ah? Four play?¡±

    ¡°No. Not four play. Foreplay. It¡¯s one word.¡± He grabbed my hand and took me towards the bed.

    I fell onto the bed and looked up at him. ¡°What should I do?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Just lie still.¡± He climbed on top of me and put his hands on my chest.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    ¡°¡­Why do you ask so many questions?¡± He took off his shirt and undershirt.

    ¡°!¡±

    I saw a big wound on his upper body. It was a closed wound but one could tell that it was a serious injury before.

    ¡°¡­¡± I put my hand on the wound. ¡°Was this the wound from the day you lost your core?¡±

    He nodded. ¡°¡­Yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°Who did it?¡± I had heard that he lost his core but I didn¡¯t hear who did it. Information regarding the invasion of the border was kept secret.

    Clyde looked downcast. ¡°Zelda Minerva.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± My eyes widened as I looked at the wound.

    ¡®How did he survive an attack from such a person?¡¯

    The Minervas were known for their strength and career which was assassination of high profile targets. Those targets are oftentimes protected by powerful bodyguards. To counter this, the Minervas trained vigorously throughout their entire lives.

    It all started from childhood.

    The most recent high profile assassination was the leader of the evil cult that worshipped the immortals.

    The current head was the one that carried it out.

    ¡°Wait¡­If she was the one that did it¡­¡± I looked at Clyde. ¡°Then the reason you were late¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I beat her.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    My mouth hung open.

    ¡°That¡¯s not important tonight.¡± Clyde threw his shirt to the floor and lowered his head.

    He put his lips on mine.

    ¡®Is this a kiss¡­?¡¯

    He parted my teeth with his tongue and pushed through. His saliva poured into my mouth.

    I tapped on his shoulder because I couldn¡¯t breathe. Clyde let go and looked at me with a weird expression.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­this is your first time kissing too?¡±

    I wiped my mouth and nodded.

    ¡°Is this sex?¡± I asked as I looked down at the thing poking my thigh.

    ¡®Is there something in his pants?¡¯

    ¡°Wait.¡± He lowered my underwear and opened my legs.

    ¡°Um¡­What are you-!¡±

    An electric shock went up my spine and I couldn¡¯t help but gasp.

    The slimy feeling spread in my privates. My mind blanked and I didn¡¯t know if I was dreaming or not.

    ¡®Wha¡­¡¯

    Something big spread apart my insides. It was so hard and thick that the pain it sent through my body made me scream. It went in and out.

    ¡°This is sex!¡±

 Chapter 101: Summoned Yet Again

    DIANE BENTINCK POV:

    Young lady, wake up.

    Uh?

    If you don¡¯t get up, you¡¯ll miss the lord¡¯s departure. As a wife, you should see him off everyday.

    The voice that flowed into my ears woke me up. I looked up as I tried to open my eyes.

    ¡°Monica¡­?¡±

    An old woman with glasses and gray hair looked at me from the side of the bed. In her hands were a white cloth with blood on it. A bucket of water was in her other hand.

    ¡°You¡¯ve just missed the young master. He just took off without eating breakfast." Monica put the cloth in the bucket and squeezed it. She pulled off my blankets and helped me sit up straight. My lower body was a little stiff.

    ¡°Did you¡­clean me?¡± I wasn¡¯t sticky anymore like last night. How many times had I wetted the bed last night?

    My entire body was covered in different fluids.

    ¡°Yes. I couldn¡¯t carry you to the bath since that might¡¯ve woken you and you¡¯re too big for that.¡±

    Monica chuckled.

    ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m fat?¡±

    ¡°No, no. Not at all. Haha¡­¡± Monica gave the bucket to a servant who was standing by the door. She opened up the curtains which made light come into the room.

    I looked around the room and noticed something.

    ¡®Mm?¡¯

    Clyde¡¯s suit was neatly folded on a chair. His opened suitcase was next to the chair.

    ¡°Where did he go?¡± I stood up and drank the glass of water on the bedside table. There were some painkillers as well.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Monica hesitated. ¡°He¡­left without telling me where he''s going. His expression didn¡¯t seem good by any means. Surely you didn¡¯t upset him in some way?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Plus, I was being rammed too much to do anything. You know, I was only given time to breathe in-between his ejaculations.¡±

    Monica coughed at my words.

    ¡°Did he say anything?¡±

    ¡°Not much. Only that he¡¯ll be going to the kingdom¡¯s walls to volunteer to wipe out monsters. The red hunt¡¯s mess has already been dealt with but the aftermath still needs to be taken care of. Some monsters are trying to come into the kingdom. What a troublesome bunch.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± I put on a gown and sat by the mirror. My hair was a mess.

    I rung the bell on the table. A maid came in a minute later. She began fixing my hair. Another two arrived and brought clean clothes. This room belonged to my parents, which was why it was so big. My room was down the hall.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Has father said anything? He told me that he¡¯ll leave what needs attention for today since the last week had been too hectic. I don¡¯t even have any idea what state my store is in.¡±

    ¡°Actually.¡± Monica put a note in my hand. ¡°He sent this with a messenger eagle.¡±

    ¡°¡­.?¡±

    I looked at the contents.

    You are to remain at the residence until the marriage takes place. Wait for further orders.

    Crash¡­!

    I threw all the items that was on the mirror¡¯s table on the floor.

    A vein popped out of my temple.

    ¡°That¡¯s in five years¡­.!¡± I raised my voice and punched the mirror.

    ¡°Calm down, young lady.¡± Monica put her hands on my shoulders as I flared.

    ¡°¡­Eh?¡± I looked at my hands in surprise. They were trembling non-stop.

    ¡®Why¡­am I suddenly like this?¡¯

    ¡°Tch.¡± I sat down again. My composure returned after I breathed calmly. ¡°What does he mean by this? Should I remain here while my store has no owner? Am I to do nothing but listen to this absurd order?¡±

    ¡°Maybe he will change his mind. Please trust him. Perhaps he doesn¡¯t want you returning to the village while the culprit to all these disappearances hasn¡¯t been found yet.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I agree!¡± The maid exclaimed. ¡°The master cares deeply for the young miss!¡±

    ¡®Is this maid¡¯s name Julia? I can¡¯t remember if it is or not.¡¯

    ¡°¡­.¡± I closed my eyes for a second. ¡°I suppose so.¡±

    ¡®Will Jessica and the other assistants be fine without me?¡¯

    ¡°What about Clyde¡¯s parents?¡±

    ¡°They left earlier than when master Clyde left. It was before sunrise. I saw them off to the kingdom¡¯s gates and arrived back at the manor an hour ago.¡±

    ¡°Ugh.¡± I held my head in my hand.

    ¡®Is this a test?¡¯

    I was always given tasks to test my competence. In a week, the mayor and his vassals would visit the manor. My father and he were close friends. He was not only the mayor of Pira city but also the owner of the kingdom¡¯s biggest Auction House, Agardia Tower. He was a large shareholder in the academy as well so his influence in the kingdom was one of the greatest despite not being of noble blood.

    The reason for his visit wasn¡¯t just to congratulate me on my marriage but also to discuss a certain matter.

    There had been rumors circulating that princess Charlotte was thinking of selling the same potion that healed her mother. This was a big deal so plans had to be made to attract her to the mayor¡¯s auction house. Since the potion is capable of having potency greater than the current Pope¡¯s elixir, it was no wonder why so many people wanted it.

    Since my father was absent, I was now expected to sit in the meeting.

    I was feeling strange knowing that he gave me such a big task.

    ¡°Am I¡­feeling nervous?¡± My hands were shaking non-stop. Surely, I wasn¡¯t feeling anxious?

    I had never backed down even in front of a royal.

    ¡°Ah. Lady Monica forgot to tell you this: the mayor said that his son would also come to visit.¡± The maid that did my hair said when she returned from the kitchen with my food. Monica left just a while ago.

    ¡°Aaaaah!!!!¡± I pulled my hair. ¡°Just another headache!!¡±

    ¡°Y-Young miss?¡±

    ¡ó

    At the east side of the kingdom¡¯s wall where the sun didn¡¯t reach¡­

    Clyde opened his eyes and looked up at the kingdom¡¯s walls. It casted a huge shadow over the site. He had just finished clearing out a bunch of monsters with another group of people. As thanks for his help, they offered him lunch.

    Oh, Clyde. Fate is unpredictable¡­

    ¡°You bitch.¡±

    He thought about everything that happened last night.

    ¡°Any day now, huh?¡±

    ¡ó¡ó

    After Diane fell asleep, Clyde remained awake to stargaze. Well, there weren¡¯t any stars in the sky tonight. In this world it was similar to an evil omen if there were no stars in the sky.

    Sitting by the fire, he looked up at the moon. The world seemed so peaceful and quiet.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you answering?¡±

    ¡®Why, old man? What did you mean when you said I should get full control of my power? Is this not enough?¡¯

    He looked at his hands.

    ¡°Am I not at the level to be able to learn the truth?¡±

    That was ridiculous. He was already so powerful. He could even beat a seventh year student at Graponia Academy. Was it truly possible to become stronger than he already was?

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you giving me answers, you old fart¡­.¡± Clyde murmured and watched the flames dance.

    ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you come to my domain and find out? The answers you seek may be within your grasp.¡± A whisper of a woman came from his ear.

    ¡°Huh?¡± There wasn¡¯t any time to be baffled by the voice.

    As if something was pulling him somewhere, Clyde sunk into a deep sleep whilst sitting on the chair.

 Chapter 102: The Goddess of Fate and Destiny

    ¡°¡­Who called me this time?¡± I looked around the white plain. It was undoubtedly the god domain.

    My eyes landed on a certain someone.

    ¡°¡­You¡­¡±

    ¡°Hehehe. Hi~!¡± A little girl with white hair and golden eyes grinned at me.

    ¡°Why did you summon me this time, loli goddess?¡±

    It was Sol. The overseer of the mortal realm.

    ¡®Was it her who whispered into my ear?¡¯

    ¡°You dare disrespect me again! I ought to smite you with judgement!¡± Sol stumped the ground which made this entire domain shake.

    ¡°Calm down, Sol.¡± A soft, mature voice of a female spoke to Sol. I turned in the direction of the voice.

    It was a woman with white hair and golden eyes. For some reason she resembled Sol. Quite a lot.

    ¡®Her sister? She¡¯s gorgeous.¡¯

    ¡°Not really. I am her mother. But I¡¯m flattered by the compliment, believer Clyde.¡±

    ¡°¡­.Eh?¡±

    The woman stood behind Sol with a smile.

    She lowered her head and introduced herself. ¡°My name is Artemis. You might be wondering why I called you here today.¡± Artemis said.

    ¡°You-I mean, goddess Artemis summoned me? Then isn¡¯t this the loli¡¯s dimension?¡± I pointed at the white plain. It was more vast than the previous time I was summoned.

    ¡°Yes. As I am a god from the upper realm, I can use any of the lower gods to summon believers.¡± Artemis explained. ¡°As Sol has run out of the necessary divinity, I had to step in.¡±

    A red flush appeared on Sol¡¯s face.

    ¡®As incompetent as always.¡¯

    Artemis summoned four chairs. I  sat down on one of them.

    ¡°Hm? Why are there four?¡±

    ¡°We are waiting for someone, Clyde.¡± Sol pointed behind me. ¡°Here she comes now.¡±

    A chill went up my spine when I felt the person¡¯s gaze on the back of my head.

    My head creaked towards the direction of the heels I heard hit the ground.

    ¡°I apologize for taking so long. I had to stop a frost giant from invading a church built in my name.¡± The voice that I heard was soft and melodious but the aura coming from that woman was so murderous that cold sweat dripped down my back.

    Black hair and eyes, a sharp oval shaped face and a long ash black dress that exuded a dark aura.

    ¡°Ah! Yeltena, you made it!¡± Artemis clapped with a satisfied smile. ¡°We were about to mention you.¡±

    The woman¡¯s gaze was on me as she passed by me. It was an indifferent gaze given to inferior beings.

    She sat down on the chair that Artemis summoned and crossed her legs. ¡°So this is the one who altered so many events in this world.¡±

    ¡°¡­What¡¯s that supposed to mean¡­?¡± The woman smiled mysteriously at my question.

    Artemis cleared her throat and spoke. ¡°This is my long time friend, Yeltena. We have been together ever since we were low ranking angels.¡±

    ¡°I am the Goddess of Fate and Destiny, Yeltena.¡± The woman slightly lowered her head in greeting.

    ¡°Why¡­is she here?¡± I asked with my guard up. She was giving off a presence that I didn¡¯t like.

    ¡°No need to be so defensive against me.¡± She raised her hands. ¡°You want some questions answered, do you not?¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡®I haven¡¯t heard of this woman from Future Clyde. Is she somehow connected to me?¡¯

    The word Fate made me think so.

    ¡°Clyde, please don¡¯t be surprised when I tell you this¡­¡± Artemis stood up and held my hands. She took a few breaths and looked into my eyes. ¡°Yeltena was the one that reincarnated you.¡±

    ¡­

    ..

    .

    ¡°What¡­?¡±

    It felt like everything around us had gone silent. Sol looked anxiously at me.

    ¡°Clyde?¡± Artemis shook my shoulders.

    ¡°She¡­reincarnated me?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°She was responsible for the life my future self lived? The hardships he had to face because of one god¡¯s mistake¡­?¡±

    ¡°¡­If we assume that he landed in this world with the same method then yes.¡±

    I looked at the woman. She was only looking at me with an expressionless face.

    I clenched my fists and laughed.

    ¡°¡­I see¡­¡±

    A powerful purple surge of flames shot out of my hands at Yeltena. It was one of my most powerful high ranking spells.

    ¡°Clyde!¡± Artemis shouted in disbelief.

    A black shield appeared in front of Yeltena. The flames were deflected so easily that it was anti-climactic how it ended.

    Not just any barrier could handle high ranking spells.

    But my irrational mind didn¡¯t notice that.

    ¡°You bitch! You were the one responsible for the life he lived!¡± I summoned tens of magic circles and conjured the same spell in each circle.

    It was a storm of flames that filled the domain.

    They all shot out at the same time.

    BOOM¡­.!

    A powerful shockwave shook the domain and made everything shine in a purple haze. Although the power was equal to an army¡¯s worth of mages, it did nothing to that barrier. The flames were deflected one by one.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Artemis shouted.

    Millions of golden strings bound my hands. My mana was immediately stopped from flowing into my core in order to cast spells.

    ¡°Why worry for a person who is already dead? That person you met was only the remnants of his soul. His ego, along with the other qualities that made him human vanished when he ascended to godhood.¡± A calm voice came from behind the barrier.

    ¡°¡­.! Let go of me! I¡¯ll kill you, you bitch!¡± I struggled to get free.

    ¡°My, my. What an improper way of speaking to a god. But I will let it pass as this is your first time meeting me.¡± The barrier disappeared into thin air. It was like my assault of spells never happened at all.

    If I fired so many spells in a public area then an entire city would be reduced to ruins.

    ¡°Kuh¡­¡±

    ¡°Remove the bindings, Lady Artemis.¡±

    ¡°¡­.Alright.¡±

    I fell down onto the ground. My body was being sapped of its energy at a fast pace so I was a little dizzy.

    The woman looked down at me. ¡°He does not exist in this timeline so why are you angry?¡±

    ¡°¡­As expected of a god. You never think about the process, only about the results¡­¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°It means you use people to achieve your own goals! Didn¡¯t you try to kill that girl for that very purpose!?¡±

    I hit the ground in frustration.

    ¡°¡­I see what you mean by that. However, what the Yeltena did in that timeline has no correlation with this timeline.¡± Yeltena added calmly. ¡°What we should focus on  now is the future in this timeline.¡±

    Artemis held my shoulders. She begged. ¡°Please listen, Clyde. We really need you to do that.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡± I looked at the bitch, Yelena-or whatever-one more time. ¡°Fine.¡±

    I sat back in my chair and waited for them to speak. Sol and Artemis sighed in relief.

    ¡°Thank you. Please begin, Yeltena.¡± Artemis stood at my side and patted my head. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t let this child suffer any longer.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lady Artemis.¡± Yeltena nodded calmly.

    ¡°Before I begin, there is something I must know¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡± I asked roughly.

    ¡°How do you know of him? Have you met him before?¡±

    ¡°My future self? I have. It was when I was six or seven years old. Can¡¯t you just talk without wasting my time to satisfy your curiosity?¡±

    ¡°I see. Very well.¡±

    The woman stood up and spread her hands.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    Millions of red strings suddenly appeared in the air. Each string was connected by a red dot.

    ¡°This is what I call the Strings of fate.¡±

    ¡°Strings of fate? Why are you showing me this?¡±

    ¡°Observe.¡±

    The strings began moving at a fast pace.

    ¡°This is your string, Clyde.¡± She pointed at the giant glowing dot. It was the only one from the others that was glowing.

    ¡°Follow where my finger goes.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Her finger moved along another string. ¡°Huh?¡± The string was glowing the exact same luminosity as mine.

    Yeltena brought the two red strings together. The dots were side by side.

    ¡°This is the girl you saved.¡± She pointed at the right dot. ¡°And this is you, Clyde. These dots represent your souls.¡±

    She pointed at the left dot this time.

    ¡°¡­Um...Why are you showing me this?¡±

    ¡°Just observe, Clyde.¡± Artemis whispered.

    ¡°I am showing you how your and that girl¡¯s fate looked before you died. Do you notice the dot representing the girl getting dimmer by the second?¡±

    She was right. It was getting dimmer with each passing second.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°What you¡¯re seeing is something called the Dying Effect. It happens when a person¡¯s death is approaching. Sort of like a prediction. When humans are born, it shines the brightest, however, when they grow old or their death happens due to unnatural causes then the dot dims.¡±

    The dot suddenly stopped glowing.

    I stood up from the chair when I saw my dot started fading.

    ¡°Is¡­that the moment I pushed her out of the way?¡±

    ¡°Indeed it is.¡±

    My dot vanished immediately which caused the string connecting me to her hand to disappear.

    ¡°This was the moment when I saw your soul vanish. I have no idea how your soul was able to change my fate like this when it was already set in stone that the girl was going to die. You may have died, however, something happened when you pushed that girl out of the way.¡±

    The dot which was mine suddenly appeared again.

    ¡°What the!?¡±

    The girl¡¯s soul disappeared for some reason instead of mine this time.

    I looked at Sol, Artemis and Yeltena to get answers. For the first time ever, I saw Yeltena change her expression. She seemed to be frustrated by what she saw.

    ¡°What was that¡­?¡± I asked carefully. I was getting a bad feeling.

    Yeltena quietly looked at me. ¡°You, Clyde Astley have stolen the soul of another.¡±

 Chapter 103: Disaster

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    ¡°This is something that none of us have witnessed before. First the fact that my fate has been broken and the fact that that girl¡¯s soul was given to you. Look at this. This is what normal fate is like.¡±

    Yeltena disconnected a string from someone¡¯s soul and tried to connect it to another.

    The soul started fading.

    She put it back after ten seconds.

    Rather, when she opened her hand, it immediately connected itself to the soul that she took it from. The dot stopped fading away.

    ¡°Normal fate should look like this, as I said. It¡¯s not the case with you and this girl, however.¡±

    ¡°So¡­I have her soul while she has mine¡­?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Your fates are intertwined. You could say that the two of you will cause each other¡¯s deaths.¡± Yeltena made the strings disappear.

    She sat back down and looked straight into my eyes.

    ¡°There is not much time before you ultimately die. A soul cannot remain outside of its vessel for long. This is typical for the reincarnated that stray from their fated path. Sometimes, there¡¯s an unlucky soul who is pushed out of the river. It differs from person to person but on average, you have at least less than ten years to live.¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡± My entire body shivered. My breath hastened and cold sweat dripped down my back. I grabbed the chair as I looked down at the ground.

    -I can¡¯t remember anything past 22 years old. I can only remember the more important stuff¡­

    That was what Artoria told me that day we spoke in the Luxembourg family¡¯s garden.

    ¡°It can¡¯t¡­be. This was what Artoria meant¡­?¡±

    ¡°Artoria? The archangel?¡± Sol butted in.

    ¡°You know her?¡± I asked.

    ¡°We have heard of an angel that was banished from her tribe for the blood in her veins. The Valkyries are a race belonging to the archangel species. As with many warrior races, the dominant alpha breeds with all the females in their clan. This is what should¡¯ve been the case until it was found out that she was a---¡±

    ¡°Sol!¡± Artemis shouted and pulled Sol¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Uwaaah! Ow! Ow!!¡± Sol cried out in pain while flailing her hands.

    ¡°Are you crazy!? You can¡¯t reveal this to a mortal!¡±

    ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± Sol screamed with tears in her eyes.

    ¡°¡­?¡± I looked confused at the two of them.

    ¡®What did she want to say? No, more importantly¡­¡¯

    ¡°How do gods view regressors?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Artemis frowned with her arms crossed. ¡°Let me explain in simple terms what they are first. They are people who have been given the right to get second chances. In Artoria¡¯s case, she is in an infinite loop of timeline jumping. We are not sure how this is possible for someone to live eight lives. This is the first time anything like this has happened in my years of life. As for how we see them¡­they are not really in our black book, however, they must follow a certain rule. In addition, a penalty is added to Artoria since she has seen too much.¡±

    ¡°That rule is to keep the future a secret, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°You seem to have heard quite a bit from this Artoria.¡± Yeltena smiled meaningfully. ¡°Anyway, back to the topic.¡±

    ¡°Right. How do I avoid my inevitable death?¡±

    Artoria didn¡¯t say that out of all the times she met me that I died earlier than 25 years old. Perhaps there was a way to avoid my destined fate.

    ¡°Meet with the girl you saved.¡± Artemis was the one who spoke.

    ¡°Meet with her?¡±

    ¡°This is the only way. The two of you must meet.¡±

    ¡°B-But¡­isn¡¯t that a bad thing? For someone to know I am from the same world as them?¡±

    Maybe I was too paranoid for thinking that it was bad to reveal myself to them. You never know if they want to kill you or something.

    ¡°I understand what you¡¯re worried about. However, this is required so both of you can survive.¡± Artemis said.

    ¡°Then¡­how do I meet her? How do I even know what she looks like?¡±

    I had a vague memory of a high school girl with long blonde hair, but that was it.

    ¡°Your souls are linked to each other. As both of you are from earth, your souls should be able to recognize its real vessel. The exchange won¡¯t be long. Even being in the same room will work.¡± Yeltena said from the side.

    ¡°Actually¡­¡± Artemis raised her hand to speak. ¡°We have no idea where she is¡­¡±

    ¡°WHAT!? YOU DON¡¯T!?¡±

    All three of them covered their ears when I shouted.

    ¡°How can you not know but you want me to find her!?¡±

    ¡°C-Calm down, Clyde.¡± Artemis looked like she was about to cry.

    Artoria told me that there was a likelihood that she might be in the Magic Empire but what proof did she have? I wasn¡¯t going to wholeheartedly trust her after hearing that she was given multiple penalties to keep her mouth shut. She might¡¯ve lied too. The Magic Empire was a nation that didn¡¯t release any news out to the rest of the continent. There were four individuals who was from the same world as me. That was all I knew. Bridgette confirmed that for me.

    ¡°Since both of you are irregulars in this world, we are unable to locate her as well.¡± Yeltena calmly explained. ¡°Her whereabouts disappeared the moment she landed in this world.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    She pointed down at the planet that I was reborn on.

    ¡°Is it the same as with me?¡±

    ¡°Yes. Unless the barrier on her soul weakens, we cannot find her. Sol¡¯s detection only worked because your future self allowed her to see you because it was necessary. Quite a daring individual, I must say.¡± Yeltena confirmed what I feared.

    ¡°Tell me, is there a likelihood that she has her future self looking over her as well?¡± I asked.

    ¡°We can only guess at this point. I wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if that was the case. However, it is a low possibility. Unless one serves as a great importance to one¡¯s timeline then things like regression and time travel are improbable. I have come to that conclusion by watching your and Artoria¡¯s lives.¡± Yeltena said.

    I looked at Sol and Artemis. Both of them nodded.

    ¡°I have come to the same conclusion as Yeltena.¡± Artemis said.

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    ¡®Shit. You aren¡¯t the one doing this. Right, old man?¡¯

    I didn¡¯t want to believe it. If he was involved then he must¡¯ve had a reason for hiding her from the gods.

    I was screwed if I didn¡¯t find out where she was.

    ¡®Hold on¡­¡¯

    Professor Jacob said that he¡¯d accept me as his assistant if I ever decided to go to the empire. I would immediately be made into an elite mage under his guidance. If he had such trust in me then I would certainly get a high position like a six star mage. Wouldn¡¯t I get access to information that only those high ranking officials got?

    ¡®No¡­I have a lot on my plate.¡¯

    My first priority was finishing my third term exams and then going to visit my sister when the vacation came. I was thinking of heading to the Rusa Dynasty to visit Arielle as well. I wanted to see my beloved. It had been two years already.

    The vacation would only last a month so I didn¡¯t have much time to find the girl. Plus, the Magic Empire was on the other side of the continent.

    ¡®Shit¡­In the end, I¡¯m screwed if I don¡¯t find a lead.¡¯

    I couldn¡¯t even ask Artoria as she was forced to keep her mouth shut. As I mentioned before, sometimes it was necessary for her to lie to me as well. I had a feeling that she¡¯d only speak in roundabout ways that would lead me nowhere.

    ¡°I¡¯m doomed.¡± I held my head.

    I couldn¡¯t even trust my childhood friend.

    ¡°This entire world is doomed if she dies.¡± Yeltena added. ¡°Your existence holds just as much importance at this moment.¡±

    ¡°So all I have to do is find her. Sounds easier said than done. But¡­I¡¯ll try¡­¡±

    ¡®This is going to be a long and expensive endeavour.¡¯

    Since I couldn¡¯t use flight magic everywhere on the continent, I could only rely on the mana train that was recently finished. It was only for the privileged so it was obvious how expensive it would be.

    That was my plan B if I contact Jacob but find nothing conclusive.

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not the only reason why we called you.¡± Artemis said.

    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s not?¡±

    I looked at Yeltena. She nodded. ¡°This concerns the future events that will take place. Sol, explain what he must do.¡±

    ¡°Roger!¡±

    ¡°Future events¡­¡± I stiffened. ¡°A disaster?¡±

    ¡°Yes. And this is orchestrated by the immortals as well.¡±

    ¡®Fuck. Why is it always them? Damn bastards.¡¯

    ¡°What¡­do you need me to do?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an easy task. Just warn Odette of what is to come. Tell her that it is a national threat. She will understand what that means.¡± Sol said.

    ¡°What? Didn¡¯t she die like hundreds of years ago?¡±

    ¡°That is what the high powers want people to believe.¡± Sol continued. ¡°Only people equal in rank to the king know of her existence. Of course, the White Order is also aware. Also, Viria was Odette¡¯s disciple,¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    ¡°Iris received the armour that Alucard wore in his battle against Rodion. Let¡¯s see. What else¡­¡±

    ¡°I think that¡¯s enough Sol. The boy looks shocked enough knowing that she is alive.¡± Artemis chided Sol.

    ¡°Convey this to her,¡± Yeltena continued. ¡°A threat as big as the Magic Revolution will happen in the near future. Phrase it exactly as that.¡±

    ¡°The revolution¡­? What really happened during the Magic Revolution that it is written in the history books? How did it affect the Great Sage?¡± I asked.

    The Magic Revolution was only described as: Magic users fought for their rights to publicly cast magic. The nations against magic wanted all Magic Towers across the world to be destroyed. This included the dwarves.

    ¡°That is something she probably still remembers. It lasted from the Holy Era 339 until 348. We could say that it was the most devastating years of her life.¡± Yeltena murmured.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°Those were the years where she watched how her family was killed.¡±

    I gasped.

    Yeltena continued. ¡°Her parents were burned at the stakes when she was completing a mission. Even before her revenge against the nations that waged wars for her sister, hate for magic already existed. They feared her power because she was capable of destroying armies with a single spell. Her sister, Merlin, watched her parents get burned alive. She could do nothing but watch. Her powers were depleting because divinity was scarce in those days. That was before this world was blessed by the upper god realm.¡±

    Yeltena took a few breaths and continued. ¡°Despair overcame her and she killed herself to stop the wars.¡±

    ¡°So¡­you¡¯re telling me that the heroes were hated¡­?¡±

    ¡°Indeed so.¡± Yeltena confirmed.

    ¡°Odette was hated and feared for her destructive powers¡­.Merlin was being pressured into becoming a puppet of other nations because those people wanted to live forever¡­What about the other two?¡±

    ¡°Alucard gave up on humanity. They saved the world from Rodion¡¯s might, however, no one was happy. All that remained were the fear, hate and greed of humans. Those times taught many how twisted your race can get. This is why Odette was not revealed to the world even after hundred of years passed. The other hero¡­well, he just left and never came back. We aren¡¯t sure where he disappeared to because Varian refuses to disclose information about the beings she blessed.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    I leaned forward on my chair and thought.

    If that was true then that meant that their actions were justified. They protected humans, but in return, humans looked upon them in contempt. This was why I didn¡¯t think of them as selfish. They tried to be the heroes people could lean on but when the common enemy(Rodion) disappeared, only the negativity remained.

    ¡°Those bastards changed a lot of things when they wrote down the Magic Revolution¡¯s section in the history books.¡± I cursed at the people of that time. They were really rotten.

    ¡°That is what humans amount to. Simple-minded, weak and scared. Rather than protect themselves in times of danger, they lean on the strong. In this case the White Order. This is why this world is still full of problems.¡± Yeltena spat those words out with an unpleasant expression on her face.

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± I could only nod in agreement. Wasn¡¯t I a human as well, though?

    ¡°From what I can tell from looking at Artoria¡¯s memories, the disaster shouldn¡¯t be happening in another five or so years. We are trying to get to the bottom of this as best we can. Until now we haven¡¯t found anything that might be useful.¡± Artemis muttered as she held her chin with her fingers. ¡°Could a seal have been broken? That can¡¯t be possible¡­¡±

    ¡°A seal? What do you mean?¡± I asked. She was muttering to herself but I couldn¡¯t help but overhear.

    ¡°This is in relation to the disaster. The seal that was placed to keep them at bay had been disturbed somehow. Usually, it is maintained using a powerful crystal that can even protect against teleportation magic. Specifically in this case, otherworldly beings.¡± Artemis stood up. ¡°There¡¯s not much time left until you are thrown back to your world. Is there anything you would like answers to, Clyde?¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    The disaster was fast approaching. I had to find this girl that I saved which resulted in me dying for nothing on earth. I also had to visit my sister. Chloe wanted me to teach her magic which I promised to do.

    ¡®Fuck, there¡¯s so many things that I have to do. If I don¡¯t do it then my sister will hate me forever.¡¯

    I was worrying more about her than the disaster to come.

    But it¡¯s not like I¡¯d fall into despair if she hates me, okay?

    ¡°Clyde!¡±

    ¡°E-Eh?¡± Artemis¡¯ face was right in front of me. She looked at me in disapproval.

    ¡°It¡¯s rude to ignore someone when they are speaking!¡±

    ¡°Ah, sorry¡­W-What did you say?¡±

    Yeltena shook her head with a chuckle. Sol looked at me as if I was trash. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t be so lenient around gods.

    ¡°I said: Is there anything you want to know before time runs out?¡± Artemis put her hands on her hips with a frown on her face.

    ¡°Ah, right. I apologize for not answering you, Lady Artemis.¡± I took her hand and rubbed it with a sheepish grin.

    ¡°W-Well, don¡¯t do it again¡­ Humph!¡± Artemis went back to her chair and sat back down.

    All three of them gazed at me to wait for my question.

    I took a deep breath before closing my eyes.

    ¡°Magic is a fundamental way of life for all races in this world. Without it, this continent wouldn¡¯t have thrived as it has these fast few millennia. It allows people to control nature however they wish and even control life and death with the sub-classes that us humans have derived from arcane magic like Forbidden magic and necromancy,¡±

    I didn¡¯t cut to the chase just yet. After opening my eyes, I looked at all three of them before speaking.

    ¡°Yet how am I the only person in this world who can use both spirit and arcane magic?¡±

 Chapter 104: My potential

    ¡°It¡¯s bold of you to assume you are the only one capable of using both natures. This world is vast. More so than earth. Wouldn¡¯t those with the same power as you also want to remain quiet about their abilities? If you remained undetected to the gods, it¡¯s a possibility that it¡¯s the same for others.¡± Yeltena smiled amusedly. ¡°Before you ask; no, none of us were responsible for your powers.¡±

    ¡°Then who? Do you have any idea?¡±

    ¡°Unfortunately, no. We do not shape the beings that are born into this world. That is the work of the administrator.¡±

    I looked at my hands. Within this body lies a destructive power that no one else in this world had. I didn¡¯t yet have access to all of that power, however what if I did?

    Wouldn¡¯t I become a second Odette? Feared by the populace?

    ¡°This is so frustrating. Why must I hide these abilities which only hinder me!?¡±

    I was never planning on hiding my abilities if it meant someone close to me getting hurt.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to hide forever. Just until you¡¯re strong enough to actually protect something.¡± Yeltena said.

    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re saying I¡¯m not?¡±

    ¡°Tell me Clyde, what did you see in Artoria¡¯s eyes after she slapped you?¡± Yeltena narrowed her eyes.

    ¡®Why are you avoiding my question¡­.¡¯

    ¡°You were watching him this whole time!? Why didn¡¯t you tell me!?¡± Sol complained from the side.

    ¡®What the hell? This feels so creepy.¡¯

    Although that was the case, I answered regardless.

    ¡°Eyes looking at trash.¡± I said without hesitation.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Are you aware that you may not have been here in this cosy mansion here tonight if she didn¡¯t slap you?¡±

    ¡°Huh? What the hell are you talking about?¡±

    I looked at Yeltena in frustration.

    ¡°Artoria almost did something she regretted so she had to act fast to prevent herself from doing that. That explains the slap which stopped you from talking any further. You may one day hear what I mean. She didn¡¯t see the Clyde in you that she was madly in love with. The man that made nations tremble just from hearing his name. Even the immortals feared you. You know why?¡± Yeltena smirked.

    I shook my head. ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because he was a man born with infinite potential. Power does not make you feared, the height at which a person can grow, does. You have the potential to grow far beyond the realm of mortals, you can unlock the fifth element of this world which is Aether¡­These are but some of the things your five previous lives accomplished. As this timeline differs greatly, there is little chance of you accomplishing the same.¡±

    My eyes widened.

    ¡°Then¡­can you tell me if I resemble the other Clyde Astley¡¯s from her previous lives?¡±

    ¡°After digging around in her memories, I can confirm that you do not resemble them in any way.¡± Yeltena said. ¡°You are given power that even the gods envy and yet you¡¯re a spineless coward who would rather see others die then fight a battle that may result in you getting injured. Do you remember the assault on the Vitian household?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°You could¡¯ve saved many lives. Being a toddler was no excuse. You had the power to do that.¡± Yeltena sighed. ¡°I am not surprised how differently things turned out this time.¡±

    ¡°Then tell me¡­what did my future self do?¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡± Yeltena looked at me in silence. ¡°By the time he was two, he had already made a contract with Undine. He stopped the assault of the Knight Order¡¯s brutish hired soldiers and saved many lives. He did it even at the expense of having his abilities revealed.¡±

    ¡°¡­.!¡± My eyes widened.

    ¡®I¡¯m¡­not like you at all¡­¡¯

    ¡°But we can only blame the time you were born into. This world was not peaceful for the first timeline in which future Clyde is from. Every day was a struggle to survive.¡± Yeltena continued. ¡°Anyway, regarding your question about your powers , I have prepared a demonstration of how powerful you can really become.¡±

    ¡°A demonstration?¡±

    Yeltena stood up and waved her hand. A hologram appeared in mid-air.

    ¡°Let me explain what spirit magic is. Note that it does not differ from arcane magic much. Both forms of magic borrows something to create something. Do you understand that?¡±

    I nodded. ¡°It¡¯s spirits for spirit magic and mana for arcane magic.¡±

    ¡°Yes. That is how it is.¡± Yeltena nodded.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡­¡± I looked at my hands. ¡°Why was I able to use my spirits as fuel for my arcane magic during my fight with Rolath?¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Good question. Isn¡¯t it obvious since you were born with both cores?¡± Yeltena tilted her head.

    ¡°But I can¡¯t do it anymore. What was that about? Is it because of the temporary power-up Xantha gave me?¡±

    I was able to get a taste of how powerful I could be if I trained harder. At my level, it wasn¡¯t possible to do the same things I did back then. Just goes to show how powerful ancient spirit magic is.

    ¡°Clyde, let me make this clear. The two cores were never meant to exist together in one body at all. This is why you cannot use arcane and spirit magic at the same time. That is the limitation placed upon you when you were born.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but¡­how was I able to do so during that fight?¡±

    Yeltena smiled widely. ¡°Because that is how far you can grow. Your existence on this world will break all common sense people knew about magic. That fight demonstrated only a glimpse into your future strength. Sadly, the dryads have gone extinct so we rarely see elves capable of doing what you did back then. The queen who is the last of her kind is the only one capable of blessing someone with that power you had.¡± Yeltena explained. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how but you will definitely be able to use both natures at once in the future.¡±

    My eyes widened.

    ¡°Anyway, look at this screen. See that man walking up that hill?¡± The video began playing. ¡°That is a spirit mage.¡±

    ¡°Really? Where is he going?¡± I peeked from behind Yeltena.

    ¡°Just watch.¡±

    The moment she said that, the man reached the top of the hill. He lifted both his hands.

    ¡°What¡¯s he¡­¡± My eyes widened when I saw what laid below that hill. Thousands of mages were casting a joint magic spell. In the distance, I could see armies fighting against each other.

    ¡®Is this a historical battle?¡¯

    I had gone over many scripts and books pertaining to past wars but I had never seen anything like that before.

    The man seemed to be from a third party and not part of any of the two armies.

    How could I tell, you ask?

    It was because he had long droopy ears and white hair.

    ¡°A high elf.¡± I muttered.

    ¡°Most of them live in my world now.¡± Artemis spoke from behind me. ¡°They didn¡¯t like the conditions they had to live with in this world. Even the World Tree was dying.¡±

    The man moved his mouth but I couldn¡¯t hear anything. Perhaps that was a chant?

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    I was wrong. What happened next was something I had never seen before.

    ¡°Is¡­that Undine?¡±

    Multiple copies of Undine appeared next to the man.

    ¡°No. Those are her siblings. There isn¡¯t just one Undine in the Spirit Realm.¡± Yeltena explained.

    They circled around the elf and held their hands towards the sky.

    ¡®What are they doing¡­?¡¯

    My question was answered a moment later.

    The clouds started darkening and moving at rapid speeds. It was weather manipulation that not even a upper high rank spell could achieve.

    Rain drops fell and stopped in mid-air. All the raindrops started merging and forming a bigger body of water. A few seconds passed by and it could compare to an entire lake.

    ¡®What the hell¡­¡¯

    Despite the fact that there were four Undines using his body as fuel for their spells, the man stood calmly on the hill.

    The next moment, the volume of water rapidly froze which formed a humungous mountain-sized ice block.

    It descended towards the thousands of people chanting together.

    BOOM

    A large explosion resounded. Their spell which was the combination of thousands was crushed under a pure spirit magic spell.

    ¡°¡­.¡± I stood there with my mouth opened. I blinked repeatedly to process what just happened.

    ¡°He¡­the mages¡­killed¡­¡± I mumbled unintelligibly while pointing at the screen.

    ¡°That is true mastery over spirit magic and love of spirits.¡± Artemis said with her hands clasped over her chest. ¡°Some say that only those with the purest of souls can gain the love of a monarch.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes! That means you¡¯re amazing, kid!¡± Sol shouted with a grin. ¡°As expected of the one we reincarnated! Humph!¡±

    ¡°Both of them are correct.¡± Yeltena spoke. ¡°This is nothing in comparison to what you are capable of.¡±

    However, she muttered.

    ¡°You are only a normal human. This elf you see here has lived for hundreds of years. He had more than enough time to master his magic. As most, you could live until you¡¯re 80 years old.¡±

    A mysterious smile appeared on her face. As if she was talking in a whisper, she muttered. ¡°But there are ways of overcoming the boundary of a human¡¯s lifespan.¡±

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. Anyway, do you see now how far you can advance your spirit magic?¡± Yeltena made the hologram disappear with a wave of her hand.

    I nodded.

    ¡®I can see that but¡­that doesn¡¯t explain how I have two cores¡­What¡¯s the purpose¡­¡¯

    In the end, I had to quietly wait for my future self to call me again.

    ¡°It seems time has run out.¡± Sol said as she looked towards her right. I could see that the god realm was slowly being devoured by darkness.

    ¡®So it¡¯s temporary. It wasn¡¯t like this when I met Sol alone.¡¯

    ¡°Well, I better get going. I can¡¯t leave my world alone for too long.¡± Artemis stood up and walked over to me.

    She gave me a firm hug.

    With her mouth next to my ear, she whispered. ¡°It will be okay. I will do my utmost to help you. You need not to face your fate alone. Just visit any church worshipping my name and call out to me. I will answer.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡± I nodded silently. She let go and waved her hand with a small smile.

    A golden light engulfed her and made her disappear.

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s my queue to leave too.¡± Yeltena turned around. ¡°Good luck, Clyde Astley.¡±

    ¡°Wait.¡± I stopped her before she left.

    ¡°Hm?¡± She looked slightly surprised by my next action.

    I bowed.

    ¡°My, my¡­¡±

    ¡°Thank you for answering my questions. It has lifted a heavy burden on my heart.¡±

    ¡°That is the job of us gods. Helping where we can.¡±

    ¡®For your own benefit, that is¡­¡¯

    I wanted to say that but I held my tongue.

    ¡°If not for your warning then I might¡¯ve died not knowing why.¡±

    ¡°I feel a but coming.¡± Yeltena raised her eyebrow.

    ¡°But I still hate your guts, you shitty goddess. If not for your mistakes then none of this would¡¯ve happened. I wouldn¡¯t have died and come to this world.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re mad about something which has already happened? As expected of mortals.¡± Yeltena laughed with her hand on her mouth.

    ¡°After this, stay out of my life. Don¡¯t get involved. Don¡¯t even call me to your domain.¡±

    ¡°¡­Very well.¡± A glint flickered in her eyes.

    ¡°After I find this girl, I want nothing to do with you gods, the immortals or anything major that¡¯ll happen in the future.¡±

    The golden light embraced Yeltena. A wide, disgusting grin appeared on Yeltena¡¯s face.

    ¡°Oh Clyde¡­Fate is unpredictable.¡±

    Then she vanished. Her disgusting grin made me want to punch her.

    ¡°Bitch¡­¡± I clenched my fists. I didn¡¯t know why but I didn¡¯t like her. Maybe it was how she was so good with her words that seemed to sugar-coat her evil intentions.

    Maybe I was overthinking this.

    Or was I?

    ¡°She will not keep that promise, Clyde. As long as you don¡¯t steer from the quest she has given you, she will not interfere.¡± Sol spoke when she appeared next to me. ¡°Remember, even your future self cannot protect you from her if she wanted to kill you. Heck, even mother is cautious around her.¡±

    There was a serious expression on her face. I didn¡¯t insult her as usual and only nodded.

    ¡°I¡­understand. I will be careful.¡± With a foreboding feeling in my heart, I bid Sol farewell.

    ¡°Thank you¡­goddess Sol.¡±

    ¡°For what exactly?¡±

    ¡°For being on my side despite everything that has happened.¡±

    Sol smiled silently.

    ¡°I will try my best to protect you and your family. Have a safe journey, Clyde Astley.¡±

    I disappeared the moment she snapped her fingers.

 Chapter 105: Thats what friends are for

    Residence¡ªCount Alexander family.

    ¡°Nathaniel Alexander. Do you know why I called you here today?¡±

    It was a cold winter night. The family had just finished dinner and returned to their own courters. Nate was seated in a chair in his father¡¯s office. He was ordered to come here immediately after dinner was done.

    Cold red eyes stared down at him in the darkness of the room.

    ¡°I¡­disgraced this family¡­¡± Nate lowered his head.

    ¡°Specifically, how did you do that?¡± His father was showing unnatural calmness regarding the situation. Most parents would¡¯ve abandoned their children for shaming their household.

    ¡°I¡­did something that mages abhor.¡± Nate said in a small voice.

    His father¡¯s gaze sharpened. ¡°Are you being vague on purpose, boy? Speak clearly!¡±

    Leonard¡¯s mana pressured Nate heavily into his chair. With cold sweat dripping down his chin, Nate stuttered as he spoke.

    ¡°I-I-I took d-drugs to¡­to..¡± He couldn¡¯t force the other words out. His father¡¯s face resembled a demon¡¯s. It was the kind of expression you shouldn¡¯t show to your children.

    ¡°Enough. Tell me something, Nathaniel. Who are we? What do our name represent?¡±

    Nate lifted his head and spoke. ¡°T-The name of the dragon our ancestor defeated. H-He took the name after killing the dragon with his superior fire magic.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. At least you know of our history. How the great Albert slayed the Eternal Flame Dragon and took its heart to gain its power.¡±

    Leonard stood up and circled around his desk. He stood behind Nate. It gave him the shivers.

    He could feel the eyes of a predator staring at his head.

    ¡°The head of the Sterling family has cut off all connections we had. Do you understand the dire situation we are in, boy?¡±

    As Viria wasn¡¯t married yet, Leonard pushed her father to allow her to marry his worthless son, Nate. It was the only way to unite their families since his other children were only female.

    This had been going on for a decade by now and just a few months ago, he finally received a reply.

    I¡¯ll think about it.

    That was all Viria wrote in the letter.

    Although it was short, it was at least something. Leonard had done everything to make his son presentable to her. He even allowed Nate to attend Graponia.

    This was so that he could be closer to her.

    Now all that planning had all gone to waste.

    ¡°I cannot stomach how your mother could give me a son like you. I have grown tired of only receiving daughters from my wives. I¡¯m being honest when I say that I was looking forward to your future. Your actions caused drastic consequences, and now I must fix it. Do you understand the shame you have brought me, boy?¡± each and every one of Leonard¡¯s words pierced Nate¡¯s heart. It was the first time he had heard that his father hated him this much. It was hinted at several years now but he wasn¡¯t sure before.

    His father poked his head.

    ¡°Is there a brain inside here? Did you use it before you took that drug?¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±Nate bit his lower lip. ¡°T-The assignment was---¡±

    ¡°Too hard? Hahahaha!¡± His father laughed. It was a laugh filled with mockery.

    ¡°When I was your age, I could complete a stage 5 exam and score an A every time.¡± He pointed at the diploma he received from the academy when he was young.

    <ul>

    <li>Leonard Alexander, Diploma of Magic Arts</li>

    </ul>

    ¡°Why is it so hard for you to do the same? I¡¯ll tell you why.¡± He bent down. ¡°Because you are trash, Nathaniel. Trash that doesn¡¯t deserve to be called an Alexander.¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡± Tears forced to come out of Nate¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°I killed a monster with my own power when I was seven years old. I passed a stage 3 test before I even entered in the academy to pursue my path as a mage. Tell me, Nathaniel. What have you done?¡± Leonard circled around the office. ¡°I was disappointed when I heard you never even changed after the disaster this kingdom went through. Did surviving in another continent not affect you at all?¡±

    ¡°I¡­.¡±

    ¡°I bet that lady Arielle, Clyde and her highness¡¯ knight Helen were the only ones who were useful.¡±

    ¡®You¡¯re wrong!¡¯

    Nate wanted to shout that but he couldn¡¯t. His throat was trying its best to swallow the saliva that built up. His knees were shaking. His arms felt heavy. Cold sweat could be seen dripping off his face.

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything!?¡± Leonard slapped Nate in his face. The latter flew halfway across the room. ¡°You disgraced me so and now you¡¯re cowering when you must face the consequences!? What part of you is a man!?¡± He kicked Nate on the head while he was down.

    Nate tried to block the assault.

    ¡°Tch.¡± Leonard stopped. ¡°Stand up.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    ¡°Stand up!¡±

    ¡°EEK!¡± Nate tried his best to put strength into his legs. He stood up, albeit slowly.

    ¡°Cast a high rank spell.¡±

    ¡°W-What?¡±

    ¡°Must I repeat myself? You have Alexander blood in you. So cast any high rank fire spell you know. Third year is the year all the students practice high rank spells. That was how it has always been. Show me if I was right to waste my money on you.¡± His father crossed his arms.

    ¡°¡­.¡± Nate looked down at his hands. Could he do it? Could he cast such a spell?

    ¡°Well? If you¡¯re worried about this office then don¡¯t be. I have installed the highest magic defense on the market.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡±

    ¡°Do it! This is your last chance to redeem yourself!¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Y-Yes!¡± Nate¡¯s spine straightened in surprise. He rolled up his sleeves and held his hands in front of his chest.

    His father gazed silently. He infused mana into his eyes to see if Nate was not using an item or another drug to cast magic.

    ¡®Seems like he has nothing.¡¯

    ¡°¡­.The cinder that blazes in the pit of the dragon¡¯s heart¡­.¡± Nate closed his eyes and chanted the most recent spell they learned at the academy. It was in the category of the Destruction Spells Series.

    It was made up of two magic circles which would manifest on tip of each other. The magic circles would expand and form a flame in the middle. The flame should burn the brightest color in the spectrum. Which was white-blue.

    It was the hottest known variant of a flame. As such, the spell was one of the most powerful spells in the advanced rank.

    Blaze.

    It was Clyde¡¯s favorite spell as of late since it didn¡¯t need difficulty understanding.

    It was actually the same for the vast majority of the third years.

    However¡­

    ¡°Huk¡­!!!¡± All of Nate¡¯s mana was sapped without mercy. It went over the required amount needed to cast the spell. By this age, he should¡¯ve been able to control his mana usage efficiently.

    It wasn¡¯t that he slacked off. No. It was more like he worked ten times harder than the average student just to end up with the same results.

    A small flame lit between the magic circles.

    ¡°Kuh!¡± Nate was struggling to keep that one flame ablaze.

    Gone.

    The flame was suddenly gone when he opened his eyes.

    ¡°¡­.Huh?¡± His eyes blanked. As if on instinct, his head creaked towards Leonard.

    ¡°¡­..!¡± Nate staggered backwards.

    His father¡¯s eyes were filled with a quiet rage that was being contained just barely.

    ¡°This is how to cast Blaze.¡± His father lifted a finger.

    !!!!!

    Extreme heat filled the office when his father¡¯s magic circles manifested. Nate thought he heard a roar similar to a dragon.

    The two magic circles spiraled rapidly. A dark flame emerged instead of a white-blue kind. It was the flame his father invented on his own.

    The Eternal Flame.

    ¡°Do you see now, Nathaniel?¡± The flame represented the rage and hate he had for this worthless son of his.

    It was so hot that Nate felt like he would faint immediately if he didn¡¯t hold on. His eyes shakenly looked at his father.

    It might¡¯ve been the extremely heat but he imagined that he was seeing a dragon stare down at him.

    ¡­.

    ..

    ..

    ¡°Haaah¡­.Haaah¡­¡± Nate was suspiring for air. His lungs were robbed of its oxygen. His clothes were wet with sweat.

    ¡®It¡¯s¡­over?¡¯

    He saw his father¡¯s shoes he approached.

    ¡°Tell me, what do I do with someone like you who disgraced my name? You have lost the chance to redeem yourself.¡± Leonard bent down and whispered next to Nate¡¯s ear. ¡°No one would care what I do. Because you are trash. I¡¯ll give you a choice. Face proper punishment or leave. I should¡¯ve jumped at the chance to adopt that boy when I heard of him. Clyde Astley, was it?¡±

    ¡®Kuh¡­¡¯

    He stood upright again. Nate felt a heavy pressure disappear from his body.

    ¡°Well?¡± His father spoke calmly. ¡°What is it that you want? It is beneficial either way. For me that is.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    Nate knew what those words meant.

    His father wouldn¡¯t just slap him on the wrist.

    ¡°I¡­.¡±

    ¡ó

    Aimlessly wandering the night through the cold. A lone figure was seen walking in the rain. His coat was soaked in rain and his hair was sticking to his face.

    He walked as if searching for his new purpose in life.

    Was life even worth living anymore?

    ¡°Ah¡­Why did I come here of all places?¡±

    Thunder boomed when he looked up at the bedroom window of the house he came to. It was a rather small mansion big enough for a few people to live in. It was located in the noble district, Zupiart.

    ¡®Why did I come to Helen¡¯s house!? What¡¯s wrong with me!?¡¯

    He thought with shame in his heart. He couldn¡¯t just ask the person he was in love with to let him stay with her for a while.

    It was something no man would do.

    Then again, he didn¡¯t have many friends. Rather, he only had one.

    But¡­the one friend he had was someone he hated with every fiber of his being.

    Clyde Astley.

    He tightened the grip around his bag¡¯s strap.

    Nate picked up a small rock and aimed it at the bedroom window. Since there was no security, there was no need to be careful of being detected. Besides, Helen was a swordsman close to Master level.

    She could protect herself.

    ¡®Here goes.¡¯

    ¡ó

    Helen heard a noise come from her window. She was asleep for only two hours since she came home late last night. She went out to drink with her colleagues since she hadn¡¯t let loose in a while.

    They had drunk so much that she had a headache when she got home.

    ¡°Tch.¡±

    The noises didn¡¯t stop even as she  tossed and turned.

    ¡°Does this bastard want to be cut down?¡± Helen jumped out of bed and grabbed a sword from under her bed.

    She threw the window open and yelled: ¡°Who the fuck are you!? Do you want to die!?¡±

    ¡°Eeek!?¡± The person throwing the rocks fell on his butt.

    Helen jumped from two floors up onto the ground. Her landing made the ground rumble.

    With a evil smile on her face, she lifted her sword in the air.

    ¡°You messed with the wrong person¡­Huh?¡± Helen was about to swing her sword, but then the moon appeared and illuminate the face of the intruder.

    ¡°Nate?¡± Her actions paused when she saw the average looking boy with red hair.

    ¡°He..hehehe¡­¡± He rubbed his head with a dry laugh. ¡°L-Long time no see.¡±

    ¡ó

    ¡°Why are you out in the rain?¡± Helen set down a cup of coffee with a plate of biscuits. She took Nate¡¯s raincoat and put it on a hangar. He blew the cup of coffee and sipped a little.

    ¡°¡­.I¡­was kicked out by my father¡­.¡±

    Helen gasped. ¡°So¡­he just threw you into the rain?¡±

    Nate nodded. ¡°I was told to leave immediately. The bastard didn¡¯t even give me time to visit my mother.¡±

    ¡®Not that I wanted a friendly goodbye.¡¯

    He was sure that his mother wouldn¡¯t answer him if he were to walk up to her room. However, he wanted her to listen at least to what he had to say.

    ¡°You know what¡¯s funny? When all of us ate together at the table, she was the only one who didn¡¯t mock me or throw insults. Not just that, she didn¡¯t even make any eye contact with me. Her expression was as dead as a corpse.¡±

    Nate gazed into Helen¡¯s deep blue eyes. Despite her rough appearance, she still looked beautiful to him. Her blue hair was messy and loose on her back. Her body was only covered by a thin night gown. It was as expected from a swordsman. Their bodies differed from normal people.

    It was so cold outside yet she didn¡¯t even shiver.

    ¡°I felt like a stranger. In my own home. Does that sound weird?¡± With a bitter laugh, he leaned back in the chair. He watched the candle¡¯s light burn with a somber gaze.

    Helen noticed that he had bags next to him.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have a place to stay?¡± She asked curiously. Although she didn¡¯t understand a lot about this drug he mentioned, she didn¡¯t judge him. It must¡¯ve been hard for him to even stay at Graponia this long without letting anyone know.

    ¡°Yeah¡­I was thinking of renting a room at an Inn but¡­¡± He laughed again. ¡°I don¡¯t have money¡­¡±

    Helen sighed.

    ¡°It seems your father really has abandoned you.¡± She stood up and walked up to him. Her arms circled around his neck. With the back of his head close to her chest, she spoke. ¡°Everything will be okay.¡±

    ¡°¡­.Sob¡­¡± Nate finally allowed his tears to fall. He sobbed loudly. Helen stroked his hair and hummed.

    He cried for a while before he calmed down. Helen returned to her seat and saw him wipe his eyes.

    ¡°Sorry for showing such an uncool side of me¡­¡±

    ¡°Just because you cried doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re uncool. It¡¯s human nature after all.¡± Helen thought for a bit before asking. ¡°By the way¡­What do you plan to do now?¡±

    Nate smiled bitterly. ¡°I might quit the academy. I was thinking of taking the letter to miss Victoria tomorrow.¡±

    Helen frowned. ¡°Are you sure about this? Surely there must be another way?¡±

    ¡°I can continue studying even if my family name was tarnished but¡­.¡± He remembered the expression on the face of everyone that knew what he did. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think I can face everyone as I am now. It was easy in the past since I didn¡¯t care but this is different. I was disowned, thrown away like a piece of trash that I am.¡±

    What Helen found weird was how Nate could say such a thing with a smile on his face. It wasn¡¯t a genuine smile of happiness. It was a smile of self-ridicule.

    ¡°I trained so hard. It was hellish training each and every day. I didn¡¯t even have time for my social life. But look what I received in return for all that hard work.¡± He sniffled. ¡°Nothing.¡±

    With a cold glint in his eyes he said, ¡°Only talent matters to this world.¡±

    ¡°What about becoming an adventurer?¡±

    That was the path most people took when they had nowhere else to turn to. It had lots of dangers but you could become famous if you had luck by your side.

    That was how Helen became an S rank adventurer.

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± Nate averted his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t have what it takes to be part of a party...¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    ¡®This situation is more serious than I thought.¡¯

    Helen could see sadness in Nate¡¯s eyes. He was trying to hide it with that smile of his.

    ¡°How about this. Why don¡¯t you stay with me for the time being?¡± Helen smiled.

    ¡°Huh? A-Are you sure about that?¡±

    ¡°Yup. I only have three weeks paid leave so I wanted to train. There won¡¯t be anyone to look after the house.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have servants?¡±

    ¡°I told the princess that there was no need for them to come everyday. They only come two times a week.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    ¡°How about it?¡±

    Nate still hesitated. It was plain pathetic how he was seeking help from his crush. Wasn¡¯t this his intention for coming here?

    ¡°O-Okay. Thank you for having me¡­.¡± Nate bowed his head.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Friends should be there for each other, right?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha¡­yeah. Friends¡­.¡±

    Helen left a while later. Nate said that the couch was fine so he remained in the living room.

    His red eyes glowed in the dark.

    ¡®Friends¡­huh.¡¯

 Chapter 106: One more time

    HELEN REDFIELD POV

    After getting up from my bed, I headed to the mirror.

    ¡°Hm¡­¡± My hair was a complete mess. I had been lying in bed all day every day, reading romance books ever since I was given paid leave. There was so much to choose from that I indulged in reading.

    ¡®When was the last time I washed?¡¯

    I lifted my arm and sniffed my armpit.

    ¡°Eugh. I should take a bath.¡±

    That was my least favourite thing to do. But since I had a guest, I couldn¡¯t make myself look sloppy.

    ¡°What¡¯s this white stuff in my hair?¡±

    I looked at the top of my forehead where my bangs were. I pulled on a strand of hair and looked at my finger. It was a sticky and transparent liquid. I sniffed it.

    ¡°It smells fishy. Did I eat sardines when I was drunk last night? Shit. I stink worse than an old drunkard.¡±

    I was going somewhere later so I had to look and smell my best.

    I looked at the dress hanging on my closet. It had been years since I wore a dress. There was just no need for it, you know?

    I was an adventurer and my class was swordsman. Danger could¡¯ve struck at any moment. That was why I was always ready to react should danger come.

    Since Colchis wasn¡¯t as war-stricken as Habsburg, I had plenty of time to rest. The kingdom was peaceful as well.

    All I had to deal with as my job as her highness¡¯ knight was bandit attacks and carrying out odd-jobs. Important missions rarely came around. I only interrogated those assassins we caught and was tasked to look for the count.

    By the way, that last one was on hold. I had no idea where to begin looking so I had no way to find him just yet. It was obvious that he wasn¡¯t in the palace¡¯s dungeon cells. The king wouldn¡¯t keep him in such an obvious place.

    Anyways, her highness left the kingdom on business by the Polomine border and told me I was free of my duties for the time being. It was weird why she didn¡¯t want me to go.

    I was her knight so I had to be wherever she was.

    ¡°No use worrying about it now.¡±

    ¡ó

    When I got downstairs after I was finished dressing, I smelled the most wonderful smell. It was so nice that my stomach roared in hunger.

    ¡®I thought I told them to not come in today.¡¯

    I thought it was a maid or one of my other servants. However, the person standing by the pots and pans was neither of them.

    ¡°Nate!?¡±

    ¡°Whoa!¡± He almost dropped a tray of vegetables when I shouted in shock. ¡°H-Hey. You¡¯re up early.¡±

    He set down his chef¡¯s hat.

    ¡°Sorry for using the kitchen without telling you beforehand. I wanted to surprise you.¡± Nate rubbed his head with a wry smile. ¡°A-Anyway, you can go sit down while I finish up¡­¡± He gestured towards the dining room.

    I sat down and tried to keep my composure. The smells were just too wonderful. After waiting for a few minutes, Nate brought the food he made.

    It was a variety of food to choose from.

    ¡®I get to have such delicious food every day!?¡¯

    I screamed within but I kept my composure.

    ¡°Ahem. It tastes very good. You are a good chef. Yes, it is very good.¡± I spoke awkwardly as I held in my tears. The food was too delicious.

    Nate seemed to think my response was awkward but he just shrugged.

    ¡°I¡¯m happy you like it.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Did you buy these yourself?¡± I asked.

    I was certain that my food storage container was empty. Even the cupboards were like a ghost town. I usually hunt my food in the mornings. The city gate was nearby so getting to the forest doesn¡¯t take that long.

    ¡®Did he use what little he had left?¡¯

    I looked at Nate in a new light.

    ¡®You¡¯re definitely not trash.¡¯

    Maybe it was because I was used to always eating hard bread and dried veggies, I ate like there was no tomorrow. Each bite sent shivers down my spine. I wanted to dance with the food in my hand.

    ¡°So¡­.where are you going?¡± Nate silently looked at my dress.

    I wiped my mouth with my bare hand. My table manners seemed to fail me. Many would probably look at me weirdly if I told them I was the young miss of the fallen Redfield house.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to meet Clyde later. He¡¯s going out of the kingdom for a while so¡­¡±

    ¡°Clyde¡­?¡± A glint flashed in Nate¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Yeah? Something wrong?¡±

    He shook his head.

    ¡°Not at all. How is he doing these days? I heard he¡¯s the new heir to the Bentinck household. He¡¯s marrying the earl¡¯s daughter, Diane.¡±

    ¡°Yup. It was a pity that I was out of the city when it was his big day. I couldn¡¯t even send him a gift with all the work that piled up.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­You said he¡¯s leaving the kingdom? When did you hear that? I thought you were too busy to meet people.¡±

    ¡°Well, actually¡­¡± I tried to think how to explain myself. ¡°He¡­err¡­has this magic called ¡¶Message¡· that he always uses to contact me. I don¡¯t really understand how it works but it sure is useful. But he said the range stull needs some work. We spoke a few days ago.¡±

    ¡°Message¡­? Isn¡¯t that a spell that has a formula that most can¡¯t even decipher?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not common for people to use it?¡± I didn¡¯t know much about magic so I didn¡¯t understand. Since Habsburg didn¡¯t have many mages, we had to rely on messenger pigeons and squires to deliver messages.

    ¡°No. Rather, only elite mages can use the magic to relay important information.¡± A dark shadow appeared over his face. ¡°How far will he go¡­this is so frustrating¡­¡±

    I couldn¡¯t hear Nate¡¯s mutter.

    ¡°By the way¡­A-Are you planning on making dinner tonight?¡± I asked after I finished my food.

    ¡®I want more¡­.!¡¯

    ¡°Ah. I ran out of ingredients¡­.¡±

    ¡°No worries!¡± I threw a bag of coins on the table. ¡°Buy as many ingredients as you need!¡±

    ¡°I-Isn¡¯t this too much? I don¡¯t want to put a burden on your finances too¡­¡±

    ¡°As I said: No worries!¡± I gave a thumps up. ¡°Take the money and buy what is needed to make me¨CI mean us¨Ca delicious dinner.¡±

    ¡°¡­Okay. If you insist¡­I¡¯ll do my best¡­¡± He took the pouch with both hands.

    ¡°Anyway, I need to get going. Thanks for the food~!¡±

    ¡ó¡ó

    When Helen left, Nate sat there on the chair, mechanically eating his food. His eyes were on the plate that Helen ate out of.

    He picked up the fork she used. It still had her lipstick prints on it.

    ¡°¡­..¡± He closed his eyes and licked it clean after putting it in his mouth.

    ¡°Haaah¡­¡± He sighed at what he was doing. ¡°Am I a creep or something¡­Last night was enough¡­¡±

    He stood up and gathered all the dishes. Since he had nothing else to do, he might as well wash the dishes.

    Since he was always alone during his childhood, he learned to how take care of himself. There were days when his food would be poisoned or he got nothing at all. Those were the days he had to go starving.

    With the help of the old gardener who had been working in their mansion for thirty years, he learned how to cook and clean. It was uncouth for boys to cook and clean but Nate actually enjoyed it.

    It was the one time he forgot about all his troubles.

    ¡°Hahaha¡­She said that she¡¯d give me her granddaughter if I was willing to take her.¡±

    The woman had been working for his family for many years so she decided to build a home on the property with the help of the lord.

    Her family was living in Hurge city so it was fairly close to the kingdom.

    ¡°She must be living out her retirement with her family.¡±

    Nate never knew what happened to the woman. Perhaps she died or she was lying sick in bed somewhere.

    ¡°Granny Ulba¡­¡± Tears streamed down Nate¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Why did you have to leave too¡­.¡±

    Perhaps there was a motive behind her kindness. Since Nathaniel was a boy born into the Alexander family, chances were high that he would succeed his father even if he was trash. That likelihood was shattered when his eldest sister showed interest in taking the seat of head.

    Since she was a five star mage of the Mage Tower, he had no chance against her. All that Nate had on his side were the fact that he was a boy. Their family ignore the kingdom laws and always chose to give the seat of heir to the eldest son.

    Leonard, however, was different.

    Perhaps that woman wanted to give her granddaughter to him because she thought that Nate would succeed and make that girl the first wife.

    ¡°Fuck. Was I deceived? That old witch!¡±

    Nate threw the pot on the floor after he thought about everything that happened so far.

    ¡°In the first place it was weird how she left right after that man announced that he¡¯ll make my sister the head¡­.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been had all along...¡± As if he couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore, tears fell from his eyes. ¡°Why am I so pathetic? I have nothing to be proud of.¡±

    He had been disowned by the powerful Alexander family. That tarnished what little reputation he had left. Some of the girls at the academy showed interest in him despite how pathetic he was as a mage. He had turned them all down because he only had one person in his heart.

    Helen.

    ¡°Dammit. I should¡¯ve known I wasn¡¯t good enough for Helen. I shouldn¡¯t have turned them down.¡±

    Most of them were children from Baron and knighthood households so their status wasn¡¯t that high. Since Nate had been disowned, he doubted any of them had any interest in him anymore.

    ¡°My life is ruined as a noble¡­¡±

    ¡®Would Erica be willing to become my wife?¡¯

    She was a commoner after all. He could use the fact that she was part of the Mage Tower and make a name for himself that way. He thought that it wasn¡¯t a bad idea.

    ¡°Ah¡­right.¡±

    He forgot something. She had always shown interest in Clyde. During the time of the Divide when they were alone together, she would always mutter his name in her sleep.

    ¡°She¡¯s like a dog or servant. Maybe it¡¯s not good for me to associate myself with her.¡± Nate looked at the pouch on the table.

    ¡°¡­.¡± A certain desire overcame him.

    ¡°One more time.¡± With a statement that was said to convince himself, he grabbed the pouch of coins and walked out of the house.

 Chapter 107: Talk With Helen

    When Helen came to the caf¨¦ , where she agreed to meet Clyde, she was shocked by what she saw. There, on a chair, was Clyde who was reading a book.

    By his feet she could see a big backpack. By the looks of its, it was filled with his luggage.

    The caf¨¦ was on the outer area of the shopping district in the Zupiart suburb. Helen had been here a few times before.

    ¡®Why is he wearing travelling clothes? Humph! I dressed myself up for nothing.¡¯

    Helen sulked as she approached him.

    ¡°Oh, Helen!¡± Clyde saw her approaching and waved with a bright smile.

    Helen noticed something different about Clyde.

    ¡®He doesn¡¯t look too good.¡¯

    ¡°¡­.Hey.¡± She sat down on the other side of the table. He gestured for the waiter to come.

    ¡°Two coffees please. Bring the sugar separate. Oh, and bring one order of the special dessert.¡±

    ¡°Right away.¡±

    The waiter left soon after.

    ¡°Coffee? Seriously? Are you a middle aged man?¡±

    Clyde laughed dryly at her teasing.

    ¡®Technically I am. Well, if you count this life and my life on earth.¡¯

    ¡°Is something wrong? You look sleepy.¡± Helen noticed the bags under his eyes. He had been constantly yawning as well.

    He shrugged. ¡°I was finishing an assignment unrelated to schoolwork. The one who gave it to me was your lord after all.¡± He chuckled and took out a black box.

    He leaned forward and whispered. ¡°Thank Charlotte for the gift she sent. It¡¯s literally a life-saver.¡±

    ¡°¡­.?¡± Helen didn¡¯t know what he meant. Her eyes turned to the black box. It was the size of a small book.

    ¡°Open it.¡± With a smile on his face, he pushed it towards her.

    ¡°¡­..!¡± Helen peeked inside for a second before she closed it again. ¡°¡­.W-Wha¡­¡±

    ¡®If one of the guards sensed this then we¡¯re in trouble! We¡¯ll be suspected of attempting to bomb this district!¡¯

    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of killing intent, huh? This is what happens when miasma is used to create things like this.¡± Clyde tapped the box with his finger.

    ¡®This is why the Ring of Necromancy was needed.¡¯

    The ring acted as a medium that filtered out most of the dangerous miasma needed to create the breaker. If he didn¡¯t have that then his body would¡¯ve been infected by miasma and could lead to more horrifying diseases and curses.

    ¡°You mean¡­¡±

    Clyde nodded. ¡°I finished the curse breaker.¡±

    Helen sighed in relief. It felt like a mountain was lifted off her shoulders. That mountain was Charlotte herself.

    ¡°We can finally begin with the faction¡¯s matters.¡± Helen stealthily put the box away. ¡°Thank you, Clyde. On behalf of her highness.¡±

    Helen lowered her head.

    ¡°Please. Her gift was more than enough. I¡¯m glad she still trusts me that much.¡±

    ¡°¡­?¡± Helen didn¡¯t know about the Divine Elixir so she could only wonder.

    ¡°Before I leave for the Holy Kingdom, I just have another stop after this. So I apologize for not wearing the appropriate clothes to meet a friend.¡± Clyde broke the silence between the two of them.

    ¡°Another stop?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I have to go see Viria¡¯s master.¡±

    ¡°I thought the academy is closed for the whole month? Only the students who need extra classes should be there at the moment. Why would you go there?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Clyde leaned back in the chair. ¡°Besides the curse breaker that kept me up at night, I had been worrying about something else as well. I never knew how much I didn¡¯t want to know this until now.¡±

    ¡°Are you having doubts about your marriage?¡±

    ¡°No, no. It¡¯s not that. It¡¯s something that only my master must know. She hasn¡¯t been at the academy during exam time. We¡¯ll probably start with our special lessons when the academy reopens. I want to solve whatever problems come up before I return.¡±

    ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re just nervous about that. Being the Head Mage candidate is a big deal, hm?¡±

    Clyde smiled silently at Helen who came to her own conclusion.

    It wasn¡¯t that at all. The only reason he was still part of the candidacy was because he could learn magic from the Head Mage¡¯s master.

    ¡®What¡¯ll she do to me if I tell her I know who she is?¡¯If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Clyde was worried that Odette might kill him to silence him.

    ¡°I¡¯m leaving the kingdom after that so we won¡¯t be able to meet for a while. Tell Charlotte that it¡¯s not required for me to be there if she wants to break the curse. I put an item in there that¡¯ll help with the curse.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll inform her. But, don¡¯t you think she¡¯d want you there in case something bad happens?¡± Helen asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. The material that helped me write out the formula is trustworthy. Even an apprentice mage can use this spell.¡±

    ¡®I¡¯ll believe in Lord Rolath¡¯s teachings.¡¯

    Clyde had read Rolath¡¯s diary in his free time. It stored all the discoveries he made and all the adventures he went on.

    The weight of the book was actually very deceiving. When infused with mana, the contents inside multiplies. Clyde found that out when he accidentally used mana on the book.

    After reading about Rolath¡¯s life, Clyde came to respect him. He may have had the motive to kill the Dryad Queen and make the World Tree his, but he was undoubtedly one of the wisest magic casters to have ever lived.

    It was hard to believe that Clyde could become even stronger than that.

    Rolath mentioned something about meeting the heroes back when they fought so Clyde was eager to see what he wrote about them. He could just skim through the book but he felt like that would be spoiling himself.

    That diary was Rolath¡¯s entire life story and he wanted to experience it all.

    ¡°You¡¯re grinning.¡± Helen chuckled. ¡°Something interesting happen?¡±

    ¡°Ahem. Well, I have been getting better at my magic. My progress was halted ever since I was 12.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe you¡¯re still growing. I bet the old coots at the tower would do anything to have you as an assistant teacher.¡± Helen shook her head and sighed. He was already stronger than her. Even at her full power. How was it that he was growing at a faster pace than her?

    ¡®The Astley name doesn¡¯t seem that familiar so they shouldn¡¯t be a famous household. Is he an illegitimate child of a wandering elite mage?¡¯

    Helen was baffled by how strong he was. She¡¯d lag behind at this rate. Even Arielle¨Cthe one she saw as her rival¨Cwas getting stronger. She was stronger than Arielle back when they met but was it still the same even now?

    ¡°You mentioned something about your mentor who went to the Magic Empire, right? Aren¡¯t you interested in going there once you graduate?¡±

    Clyde shook his head. ¡°But, if he needs help with something that involves magic then I¡¯ll definitely be there for him. He¡¯s the reason why I could fit in at the academy. Did you know he and the Head Mage were siblings? The bastard never told me anything. I had to find out on my own.¡±

    The waiter arrived a few minutes later with their orders. Clyde shut his mouth. He waited until the waiter left.

    ¡°Anyway, I haven¡¯t heard from him in a while. Maybe he¡¯s too busy. What¡¯s been going on in your life that¡¯s been interesting lately? Get a guy yet?¡± Clyde asked with a teasing smile.

    Helen grunted. ¡°All the men I¡¯ve met are either lustful bastards or goody-two-shoes. One night when I was out drinking, I met this really nice guy. I was feeling a little sick so I didn¡¯t stay long to chat with him. He offered to take me up to the room in the inn so I took his kindness.¡± Helen frowned as she sipped the coffee. ¡°I closed my eyes for a second then I see him on top of me.¡±

    ¡°Is the guy okay at least?¡±

    ¡°His jewels aren¡¯t. I crushed them.¡±

    Clyde¡¯s face scrunched up.

    ¡®I feel your pain, buddy.¡¯

    Both of them laughed a moment later.

    ¡°I¡¯m surrounded by sweaty men in her highness¡¯ villa. I wish Elsa would come back.¡±

    ¡°Oh? You two hit it off?¡±

    Elsa might¡¯ve been the captain of a knight brigade in the Knight Order but she was still fond of Charlotte. Charlotte was her first lord before she became a famous captain at the Knight Order. She regularly visits Charlotte every now and then when she isn¡¯t busy.

    ¡°Yeah. Most of the knights tell me that she¡¯s really cold towards others. Especially men. For some reason, she¡¯s overly kind to me.¡± Helen shrugged it off.

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    ¡®She swings that way, huh? Well, at least I know my old man doesn¡¯t have a chance.¡¯

    ¡°What about you? How was your night with Diane?¡± Helen asked.

    ¡°Err¡­¡± Clyde glanced around the caf¨¦.

    ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t want to tell me?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that stuff supposed to be private!?¡±

    ¡°Come on~ we¡¯re friends~¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe a girl wants to talk about these things with a guy.¡± Clyde lifted his hands in defeat. ¡°I don¡¯t know how this sounds but¡­it felt like I was having intercourse with a corpse with its eyes open. It looked like Diane was glaring at me all night.¡±

    ¡°Huh? All night?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t know what the hell they put in my drink but I had so much energy that I wouldn¡¯t calm down. Diane was always like ¡®As the wife, I must pleasure my husband until he is satisfied.¡¯ It was horrible. I couldn¡¯t look her in the face when morning came so I left early.¡±

    ¡°Gyahahaha!!!¡± Helen laughed loudly like a drunkard. Her laugh caught the attention of the passer-by¡¯s.

    It was hard to believe a woman that beautiful could laugh so crudely.

    ¡°S-Stop laughing!¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay. But you shouldn¡¯t stay away so long. Isn¡¯t the manor yours now, technically?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not good to stay apart from your future wife. Things may be awkward for a while but it¡¯ll change later on. Trust me, I had the same problem.¡±

    ¡°You and Jered, huh?¡±

    ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± Helen nodded slowly.

    The two had gotten engaged right after they turned 15 years old. As most youngsters, they were all lovey-dovey.

    ¡°Do you miss Paula, Lucy and Jered?¡± Clyde asked carefully.

    She had just up and left right after her cousin, Sheila died. Surely she wasn¡¯t that cold to have forgotten about her friends?

    Helen bit her lip. ¡°Every single day of my life.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­Why did you leave? You could¡¯ve chosen to stay, you know.¡±

    ¡°Clyde, that kingdom was dying. You saw it with your own eyes. There¡¯s no future for me there. Yes, I miss my friends but that doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯ll sacrifice my future just to stay there. Adventuring was a dead end job for me. I already achieved my goal which was to kill that dragon.¡±

    Clyde silently listened.

    ¡°I might¡¯ve had a baby by now with Jered after settling down. I would¡¯ve become a stay at home mom that only tended to the crops and looked after the house. Tell me, is that a life?¡± Helen huffed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Talking about them agitates me every time.¡±

    ¡°No. I¡¯m sorry for mentioning them.¡±

    ¡°I already said goodbye to my old life. I am now Helen, the knight of a royal.¡± Helen said proudly with a bright smile.

    ¡°Hahaha. Indeed. I thought you were having doubts about leaving. That¡¯s why I asked.¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m already here. Habsburg will probably fall one of these days. Let¡¯s talk about something else; where are you off to with all this baggage? I thought you¡¯ll only visit your sister for a short while?¡±

    ¡°Actually, no. I¡¯m going to stay there for the whole month. This is my first time meeting my sister so I want to spend extra time with her.¡±

    ¡°What about Chloe and Jessica? Aren¡¯t they going to go?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re just kids so I doubt they would feel any sort of kinship with Annette.¡± Clyde twirled the spoon in the cup after adding a cube of sugar. ¡°I¡¯m going to convince her to see my parents. I know it¡¯s going to be hard but it¡¯s worth a shot.¡±

    However, he said and continued.

    ¡°I¡¯m not even sure if they¡¯re ready to see her.¡±

    They were in the wrong for what they did. Any person would say that. Even if they were kids themselves, it was their duty to look after Annette and not abandon her.

    Clyde hadn¡¯t spoken to his father and mother after that night. The two had just left with Brielle and his sisters without saying goodbye.

    He was positive that they thought he¡¯d ask them to go with him to visit her.

    ¡®I guess I¡¯ll try to fix this. Not the first time I¡¯ve done it apparently.¡¯

    Artoria hadn¡¯t mentioned anything related to his sister so he came to the conclusion that Annette was still alive even after he died. Maybe one of him managed to fix the strife the family had with each other.

    ¡®I¡¯ll have to ask old me the next time we meet.¡¯

    He didn¡¯t know how long that would take.

    What was important now was meeting her first.

 Chapter 108: Our Disparity(1)

    Nate clutched the paper bag against his chest as if it were a precious item. In a sense, it was.

    ¡°Huuuu¡­¡± A satisfied sigh came out of his mouth when he took one of the crystals. It immediately melted after going down his throat and turned into pure energy.

    It wasn¡¯t long before it reached his core.

    The effects kicked in a moment later. His eyes blanked when he felt the power rush through his body.

    ¡®What should I do now?¡¯

    ¡°Ah¡­I need to buy groceries¡­How much do I have left?¡±

    The magic crystals he bought tended to be extremely expensive. The high-end kind could sell for a mansion. He bought the mid-range kind this time.

    ¡°Five gold¡­¡±

    He had spent fifteen gold in a single day. Helen had given him twenty coins. That was probably her entire month¡¯s salary.

    ¡°Shit¡­Shit! What¡¯s wrong with me!?¡± Nate banged his fist against a wall. He was surprised to see the wall cave in. It was proof that the crystals were working.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll have to somehow try and deceive her...¡±

    His footsteps were heavy and slow. He trudged forward with regret in his heart.

    Helen showed him such kindness yet this was how he repaid her.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    Nate noticed that he didn¡¯t go to the shopping district in Calo city. Rather, his feet took him to the Zupiart shopping district.

    Being second only to Kion as the kingdom¡¯s richest districts, Zupiart¡¯s shops would ask ten times the prices of the same product you could get in other regions for far cheaper.

    ¡®What am I doing here? The things I need are bound to be expensive here. I need to buy from a cheap supermarket and make that work somehow.¡¯

    He was about to turn around when he heard the laugh of a man and a woman.

    Both were familiar voices.

    That made Nate stop in his tracks. His head slowly turned towards the direction of their voices.

    ¡°Helen¡­and Clyde?¡± He just noticed that he came to the caf¨¦ that Helen was meeting with Clyde.

    His eyes blinked repeatedly at the two of them who were talking affectionately. It was like the two were in a world of their own. No one else was in their view.

    An unbearable feeling arose within the depths of his body. It felt like his heart was being squeezed.

    His chest tightened when he saw the way Helen was looking at Clyde.

    Affectionate. Flirtatious. Admiration.

    That was what he saw in her eyes and gestures. Her eyes couldn¡¯t stop looking at his lips. Clyde seemed to be telling a funny story because Helen was laughing her heart out. The two looked like a real couple.

    The surrounding people looked at them fondly.

    ¡°Such young love. I wish my wife looked at me like that.¡± One of the nearby knights grunted.

    ¡°Look at your face. I doubt she¡¯s impressed with it anymore.¡± His friend teased him. ¡°That kid is giving off a rather powerful presence, isn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    Nate heard their conversation as he looked at Helen and Clyde. The knights were busy analyzing Clyde. By the sounds of its, he was described as some monster.

    ¡°I¡¯m looking directly at him yet I can¡¯t feel him. It¡¯s like he¡¯s a ghost.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right. I feel the same way. He doesn¡¯t seem to be a warrior so maybe he¡¯s a mage? His body looks as skinny as a twig.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s a student from the academy. Perhaps a seventh year? Only they are such monsters, after all.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Seventh year? He looks a little too young to be that old.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. Maybe he¡¯s just gifted then. Whatever it is, that kid seems to be dangerous.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re right about that. I have a feeling he has the power to destroy this entire block.¡±

    The two knights walked towards Nate.

    ¡°Oi! Out of the way.¡± One shoved Nate to the ground. They walked by after hiving him a look of contempt.

    He was like a bug in their eyes.

    Nate bit his lips.

    His beloved was being taken right in front of his eyes by the one he considered his rival.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    BAM!

    ¡°What the!?¡±

    Helen and Clyde jumped in surprise when someone slammed their hands on the table. Clyde and Helen¡¯s cups fell to the ground and broke.

    ¡°Huh? Nate?¡± Clyde looked up and saw a boy with flaming red hair glaring at him. His eyes seemed to show the hate he had for Clyde.

    ¡°Nate?¡± Helen gasped when she saw Nate.

    ¡°I¡¯m sick of this!¡± Nate shouted and huffed. Many of the customers were frightened and stood up from their seats. The nearby guards sensed the commotion and turned their attention towards the caf¨¦.

    ¡°C-Calm down.¡± Helen stood up and held his shoulder.

    ¡°Get your hands off me!¡± Nate slapped Helen¡¯s hands away. ¡°You enjoying your date, huh!?¡±

    ¡°Date?¡± Clyde looked confusedly at Nate.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. This was just a cover so you can seduce Helen into sleeping with you! I saw what you did earlier! You were obviously flirting with her!¡±

    ¡°Ugh. Stop shouting.¡± Clyde rubbed his ears and stood up. ¡°Can we talk somewhere else? You¡¯re scaring the citizens and making a scene.¡±

    ¡°Screw them!¡± Nate shouted even louder and glared at Clyde again. ¡°Aren¡¯t you ashamed of yourself!? You already have two lovers and now you¡¯re seducing another woman?¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± Clyde looked like an idiot with the clueless expression on his face.

    Nate put his finger on Clyde¡¯s chest. ¡°Stay away from Helen, you man-whore. She doesn¡¯t know what she¡¯s getting into with you. Let¡¯s go!¡± Nate grabbed the bewildered Helen¡¯s hand and was about to leave.

    ¡°Oh?¡± Clyde uttered a remark from behind his back. ¡°Is this jealousy I smell?¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡± Nate stopped in his tracks. His body trembled with blood-boiling rage. ¡°Shut up¡­¡±

    ¡°Helen is already an adult. She can be with whomever she wants. Why are you trying to decide for her when you only met her a few years ago? If she wants to be with me then I have no problem adding her to my harem.¡±

    Clyde was taunting Nate on purpose. He was sick and tired of the one-sided hate he was receiving from someone he once considered his friend. Now all Nate had become was a loser who threw tantrums.

    He was the kind of person Clyde didn¡¯t handle nicely. It was one thing telling Clyde he hated him but it was another involving Helen in this.

    ¡°Clyde, stop it!¡± Helen saw Nate¡¯s shoulders tremble when he heard Clyde. She tried to mediate between the two of them.

    ¡°She¡¯s a beautiful woman. I will be glad to make her mine.¡±

    ¡°SHUT UP!!!¡± A thick cluster of flames shot out of Nate¡¯s hand. It headed for Clyde who was standing at the caf¨¦.

    ¡®Crap. Was that too much?¡¯

    A loud boom followed soon after. The building was burned through and several structures that were around it, collapsed. Luckily, the people managed to escape.

    ¡°What did you do!?¡± Helen grabbed Nate¡¯s collar demanding an explanation.

    ¡°¡­.Helen.¡± Nate took both of Helen¡¯s hands. He leaned forward and puckered out his lips.

    Her savory lips was his now. Clyde was dead. He could finally have her.

    ¡°No!¡± Helen pushed him away.

    ¡°W-What? Helen?¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t look at you¡­What have you become?¡± Helen felt like she was looking at a completely different person.

    Where was that cheerful boy he once was? The boy who always kept to himself and never caused trouble for others?

    This wasn¡¯t him.

    This wasn¡¯t Nate Alexander. He was now just a shell of what he once was.

    ¡°I want you to leave. Why couldn¡¯t you just remain who you were before? Relying on drugs to make you stronger didn¡¯t allow me to judge you. However, you took the kindness I gave you and shoved it in my face with the complete opposite.¡± Helen moved her hand to her right hip. ¡°Leave. Before I cut you down.¡±

    ¡°You bitch! I sent you so many presents and letters! Why are you so dense to not see my love!?¡±

    Nate slapped Helen with such power that she staggered backwards. It was like her training as a knight was useless all these years.

    "Ugh." Her cheek stung immensely that she had to rub the pain away.

    ¡°See what you made me do!? I¡¯ve acted like a gentleman all this time and for what!? To have my feelings unanswered!?¡± Nate pulled out a few strands of hair out of madness.

    There were purple veins spreading beneath his eyes. It was the result of his core entering a combustion phase.

    Simply put, if he didn¡¯t do something quick, he would die in less than a day.

    ¡°I would never hit a woman. Although, I am an advocate of true gender equality and yearn for it as well; that was still unacceptable.¡± A voice came from the sea of flames.

    Helen, who was clutching her cheek on the ground, looked back when she heard the voice.

    Clyde walked out of the flames carrying the backpack from earlier.

    His eyes were blue and his arm was glowing completely white. He had used Lightborn to escape the spell. However, he wasn''t fast enough to avoid the flames.

    There was a smug smile on his face.

    It was telling Nate: Was that all you got?

    ¡°N-No way¡­! That was a spell equal to intermediate rank!¡± Nate stepped back in horror.

    ¡°No wonder it was so easy to avoid.¡± Clyde threw his backpack to the side and cracked his neck.

    ¡°Are you okay, miss Helen?¡± Clyde asked with a concerned gaze.

    ¡°¡­Yeah¡­¡± Helen nodded and stood up.

    Clyde¡¯s gaze hardened when he looked back at Nate.

    ¡°Let¡¯s take this somewhere else---¡±

    ¡°!!!!!¡±

    Two powerful beams of flames shot out of Nate¡¯s hands. It headed in Clyde¡¯s direction. It was so hot that the people nearby ran away.

    A powerful rumble shook the ground when the beams hit the buildings. Different than the first one, this spell kept firing even further. About two more buildings that were behind the destroyed caf¨¦ were burned down.

    ¡°That kid is dead.¡±

    One of the passerby¡¯s muttered.

    ¡°Stand back, everyone!¡± The knights shouted for the people to move aside. They drew their swords and closed in on Nate.

    The latter was surrounded by an orange blaze that burned his clothes. He was willingly allowing his core to enter a combustion phase. It was to defeat the enemy that was once his friend.

    ¡°¡­.¡± Helen looked blankly at where Clyde was standing before.

    ¡°Come out! I know you¡¯re not dead!¡± Nate surrounded his body in flames.

    ¡°Huh?¡± The people looked at the buildings that were burnt down.

    ¡°He¡¯s alive!¡± One of them shouted and pointed towards the blue light that emerged between the flames.

    His eyes looked cold and his mouth was closed shut. Clyde was looking at Nate as if he were looking at an enemy.

    Before was his last mercy to his friend. However, that changed.

    ¡°That¡¯s it! This time I¡¯ll kill you for sure!¡± Nate laughed loudly as his hands held two balls of fire. It spiraled destructively.

    Nate was about to fire his spells, however, a single word stopped him in his tracks.

    ¡°Stop.¡±

    It was a cold, monotonous voice. The voice carried both authority and power.

    Even the surrounding people were frozen in fear.

    Step, step¡ª

    Clyde walked slowly and tore off the shirt that he wore before. It was all in tatters now. Only his pants remained. Even his shoes were burned away.

    He had underestimated Nate.

    But not anymore.

    ¡°Y-You can¡¯t tell me what to do!¡± Although Nate said that, his knees were trembling.

    When Clyde lifted his arm, Nate staggered backwards.

    His spells disappeared since he lost his focus. Nate bit down on his lip until it bled. It seemed effective because his senses returned.

    There is no way that his bloodlust fears me, he thought.

    Nate fired another spell. This time, it was one of his most powerful attacks. It was a spell his father taught him when he was little.

    ¡°Die!!!¡± The flames surrounding Nate¡¯s body formed a dragon¡¯s head. It blew a cluster of energy that was incomparable compared to the previous spells. It was a high rank spell this time.

    Clyde was busy putting on a single ring on his finger. It looked like it was a high quality artifact.

    ¡°Let me show you the difference between the two of us. My friend.¡±

 Chapter 109: Our Disparity(2)

    On the kingdom¡¯s eastern wall where the guards were stationed. Two knights were sitting in their chairs in boredom.

    ¡°Now that the Red Hunt is over, nothing exciting is happening anymore. All that¡¯s needed is cleanup.¡± One of the patrolling knights said to his friend next to him.

    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m so bored out of my mind.¡± His friend replied. ¡°When will the king¡¯s birthday be again?¡±

    ¡°Two months. Why?¡±

    ¡°I might sign up to be a guard there.¡±

    ¡°Are you crazy? You wouldn¡¯t be good enough to protect people of high class.¡± His friend looked at him as if he were an idiot.

    ¡°Yeah, but I want to catch a glimpse of the queen at least.¡±

    ¡°Queen Olivia?¡±

    ¡°No, no. The king¡¯s first wife. They say her voice is like music to ones ears. So melodious that it is known to be derived from her name. She¡¯s one of the top ten beauties. The former-commoner-now-queen, Melodia! Ah, I want to see her perfection with my own eyes!¡±

    ¡°Pssss. You¡¯re stupid. You think they¡¯d allow you near the queen?¡±

    ¡°Only a glimpse is fine.¡±

    The one wearing a helmet saw something strange appear in the sky. It was right over their heads as well.

    ¡°Huh? Was Zupiart expected to have a lightshow?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± His friend shook his head.

    ¡°What the¡­¡± They saw thousands of magic circles hovering in the sky. The magic circles were angled in a way that it was pointing to a single area.

    ¡°Am I seeing things?¡±

    ¡°You are definitely not, buddy. Is there a unit of mages testing out a new AOE spell or something?¡±

    ¡°You think only a unit of mages can achieve that? Shouldn¡¯t at least a hundred be needed for that?¡± The guard rubbed his eyes as if he couldn¡¯t believe it.

    His friend sprang up and was about to ring the bell. This might¡¯ve been an enemy attack.

    His friend grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Look!¡±

    A white light was being emitted from a certain area in Zupiart. From what he could tell, it might¡¯ve been the source.

    ¡°Is that¡­a single person?¡±

    He saw no other pillars of light. Only one.

    ¡°Hah? That¡¯s ridiculous! How can one person be controlling this many magic circles?¡±

    At that moment, the magic circles were fully completed. They were each at the beginner class but the sheer number was what frightened the people who saw them.

    ¡°Is that a magic attack?¡±

    One passerby asked.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why are those spells pointing to the center of the kingdom?¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Hm?¡± A girl came out of the store when she was done shopping. She noticed that the sun was shining brighter than usual. However, what she saw wasn¡¯t the blue sky.

    She was wearing the uniform of the academy so she was knew what she was seeing. It wasn¡¯t your average battle between mages. No, it seemed to be a one-sided beating.

    ¡°Who¡­?¡± She dropped the bags she had in her hands when she saw the beginner class spell [Magic Arrow] form in each of the hundreds of magic circles.

    ¡°Enemy attack? No. This feels familiar.¡± She cast Flight magic and flew to the top of a roof. ¡°I knew it¡­¡±

    She could see a pool of mana gush into the sky, which was the reason the magic circles could remain in their manifested state.

    It was something that required a lot of mana.

    She knew only one person it could be. He was recorded in the history books for having the most mana of this age. In fact, it was right below the Great Sage.

    ¡°Clyde¡­?¡± Isabel looked blankly at the direction of where the chaos was happening.

    ¡ó

    Back to Clyde and Nate¡¯s location¡­

    The latter couldn¡¯t remain standing as he felt on his butt. His pupils shook. Urine ran down his legs but he didn¡¯t even feel it.

    It was like his entire body was paralyzed in fear. When cornered by a greater foe, the prey can oftentimes reverse the situation completely.

    This situation, however, wasn¡¯t the same.

    ¡°Clyde¡­?¡± Helen looked blankly at the hundreds of magic circles. Not only admiration but she experienced fear as well.

    Clyde was coldly looking at Nate. As if the world around him was irrelevant to him, Clyde spoke.

    His sole attention was on the pissing loser on the ground.

    ¡°Do you remember that day we became roommates, Nate? It¡¯s hard to believe that was only two years ago¡­.I thought that day would change my life forever because I made my first friend. Not only was he down to earth but he was a person I could sympathize with.¡±

    ¡®I was also an outcast.¡¯

    ¡°Your family despised you but you held on. That was what made me respect you more than anyone else.¡±

    ¡®I wish I was the same as you. I wish I was as strong as you, Nate.¡¯

    ¡°Those were my evaluations when I got to know you.¡± Clyde walked forward. Nate staggered backwards in terror. To him, Clyde was literally a dragon bearing its claws.

    Any thoughts Nate had about winning against this man had faded away when Clyde released that massive pool of mana of his into the sky to create so many magic circles.

    Although the quantity was well over what any capable person could manifest, Clyde wasn¡¯t even breaking a sweat. It was like his power was endless.

    It was like looking at Her.

    The Great Sage and the first magic caster of this world, Odette.

    Nate had read lots of books pertaining to Odette. He read the stories about her life and finished all fifty volumes of her magic theories.

    She was the pinnacle of magic.

    Nate looked up to her. But he was shallow all this time. While he was wishing to be like the Great Sage, Clyde had thoughts about surpassing her.

    That was what separated him from Clyde.

    With what was currently happening, no one would laugh if he were to say that he would surpass her one day.

    ¡°Do you see it, Nate?¡±

    Nate didn¡¯t even notice that Clyde had already arrived in from of him. His cold, glowing blue eyes looked down at him.

    Both literally and figuratively.

    ¡°Do you see the disparity between the two of us?¡± As if he wanted to show his power, Clyde lifted his hand and pointed to the sky.

    He formed a fist which made one of the magic circles explode. A mini earthquake, followed by the blinding light.

    The shadow behind Clyde made his blue eyes even eerier.

    ¡°You are nothing.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    ¡°I thought that you were someone I could be rivals with, however, I saw how low you could go. Was magic really that big of a deal to you? Why did you work so hard until now?¡±

    ¡°¡­.I¡­!¡±

    ¡°Shut up.¡± Two words. Just two words made Nate¡¯s body froze up. ¡°There must¡¯ve been other ways of becoming stronger than relying on what you did before. You could¡¯ve come to me as well. I would¡¯ve helped you without hesitation. You know why?¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    Nate was only looking at the magic circles in the sky in a daze.

    ¡°Because I was your friend.¡± Clyde put his hands near Nate¡¯s stomach. He could feel the violent combusted mana inside Nate¡¯s core.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have a lot of time left, huh? Dying a meaningless for petty reasons. How expected of the current you.¡±

    ¡®Why?¡¯

    ¡®Why was he like this?¡¯

    ¡®Is this the Clyde I¡¯ve known all this time?¡¯

    Nate thought as he saw Clyde walk away. The hundreds of magic circles disappeared without a trace. It was like that violent storm of bloodlust was never there.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Before he walked towards Helen who was standing next to the bystanders, Clyde spoke one last time. ¡°I truly wished we could¡¯ve remained friends.¡±

    But when Clyde looked back, Nate was gone.

    He smiled silently.

    ¡®You heard me at least, right?¡¯

    He could see a person running away in the distance.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This was the only way to show you how meaningless your actions were up until now.¡± Clyde left the scene without looking back again.

 Chapter 109.1: The Darkness Inside Him

    ¡°Haaah¡­! Haaah¡­.! Ugh!!¡± He tried to run but his legs just wouldn¡¯t stop failing him.

    With a frustrated expression on his face, Nate shouted. ¡°Work! God dammit!¡±

    His legs were still shivering even though he managed to escape that monster. Looking into Clyde¡¯s eyes alone was difficult enough.

    How stupid must he have been to actually challenge Clyde? He never expected the gap to be that wide.

    It was like heaven and earth.

    There was just no way of reaching that far.

    ¡°Huff¡­Huff¡­¡± Nate wiped his mouth and noticed that it was bleeding. No, not just his mouth. His eyes, nose and ears were bleeding as well.

    ¡°Huk!! Kuk!!¡± He coughed out a clot of blood and spat it on the ground. It was darkish red.

    Particles rose from the blood. That was proof that his core was already deteriorating from the high concentration of impurities.

    His insides hurt. Not only that but his body was also starting to shut down.

    He was suddenly overcome with hunger. If he didn¡¯t get his strength by consuming nutrients then he wouldn¡¯t make it to the next morning.

    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    He crawled towards a nearby fountain that a lamp pole was illuminating and leaned against it.

    His breath was shallow and weak. With each flicker of the nearby lamp, his eyes hallowed further losing their light.

    ¡°What a peculiar boy. What a peculiar boy, indeed.¡±

    A sudden voice made light return to Nate¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°W-Who¡¯s there?¡± He didn¡¯t bother getting up. All he did was look around.

    ¡°This one¡¯s name is not important.¡± A figure emerged from the shadows. It was an extremely tall person with a rather inhumane body shape. It had a long elongated neck and two long arms at its side.

    When Nate saw its face, he almost screamed.

    It was the twisted face of a demon out of a fairy tale. Two big beady yellow eyes, a long nose and a smile so wide that it reached his ears.

    It bowed with exaggerated movements.

    ¡°Thou may call this one Lym if thou so wish.¡±

    ¡®Lym?¡¯

    ¡°W-what do you want from me?¡±

    It was a monster of unknown origin so he was rather suspicious of why it appeared in front of him. If a monster could talk then it usually has high intelligence.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    ¡°It breaks this one¡¯s heart knowing thy holds suspicion for me.¡±

    It touched its cheeks with both hands and twisted its neck around. Nate saw the skin on the back of its head suddenly move by itself.

    ¡°Eek!?¡±

    It formed another face. Even pale green hair grew out of the head.

    ¡°W-What the¡­¡±

    ¡°Does this suit your preferences, young one?¡± It was the beautiful facial features of a young elven woman that greeted Nate. She was gorgeous. Her green eyes illuminated the glow of the nearby lamps.

    Although its face changed, its body was the same.

    ¡°What do you want from me?¡± Nate crawled up the fountain and sat on the edge of the brick frame.

    He looked the monster up and down. It had a body completely covered in black skin. It was a body that didn¡¯t belong to a human.

    ¡°I do not desire much, however, the cause I support does.¡± Even its voice was different from before.

    ¡°Cause?¡±

    ¡°We are seeking those who are consumed by darkness. We wish to grant such individuals power. However, they must devote themselves to my almighty lord. From what this one has seen, you are on the verge of being consumed by darkness, young one.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Nate couldn¡¯t follow anything the gruesome human-monster was talking about.

    It pointed towards his stomach.

    ¡°A violent storm is consuming your soul. The darkness threatens to consume you. Darkness formed from all the negative emotions that live within this world. Greed, lust, pride and so on.¡± The bright green eyes of the woman gazed into his own. ¡°Will you be consumed by it or will you embrace it and use it to your own advantage? I am curious! Very curious indeed!¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    ¡°If you desire power then it shall be granted to you. If you desire longevity then that is something up for discussion. Our lord Atrius can grant you anything you desire.¡±

    The woman held out her large bony hands to Nate.

    ¡°You have nothing left here. The one you love has lost whatever affection she held for you. You lost aa valuable friend. Not only that, you have lost your family as well. What else is there to think about?¡±

    ¡°How the hell do you know all that?¡±

    The monster chuckled mysteriously. ¡°I keep an eye on all those who catch my attention. Think about it. If you have given up on life already, why not give your soul to us and in return, you shall be blessed with power.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    ¡®Do I truly have nowhere else to go?¡¯

    Looking at the creepy smile of the monster in front of him, he hesitated. He was more afraid of what it might do if he said no.

    ¡°What are you going to do with me if I say yes¡­?¡± He asked timidly.

    ¡°We need strong allies on our side. You see, the immortal race may be powerful and mighty, however, we are few in number. Currently, only ten thousand of us exist.¡± Lym looked up at the sky.

    ¡°T-Ten thousand? You mean there are others that are as strong as Zero?¡±

    ¡°Ah. No. Lord Zero is one of the powers of our race. Besides the power of the immortal race, there are those below them and then there are the foot soldiers. To increase our numbers, we have resorted to using experiments to mutate the DNA of other races This only succeeds if the person in question is suitable for the experiment. And if that doesn¡¯t work, we use females from other species. This is why I approached you. You have darkness inside you. You can become darkness.¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    ¡°Still not convinced?¡± Lym chuckled. ¡°Huhuhu. This kingdom will fall. The due date is approaching. Will you die a meaningless death or will you give your life to us?¡±

    Lym flicked his finger. A dark, eerie portal opened behind him. It looked like a bottomless pit of dread and evil. Nate was getting chills just looking at it.

    ¡°Will thou rid thyself of fear and dive head-first to take this chance offered to thee?¡±

    Nate looked up at the sky. Snow was falling on top of his head.

    ¡°I¡­can¡¯t move¡­¡± Nate said softly.

    All the tension from earlier had disappeared so the sudden relaxation of his muscles caused him to go stiff.

    Lym chuckled as this and shook his head. Even the laugh suited the female head on his neck.

    ¡°This one shall carry thou. Does this mean thou gives thy permission?¡± Lym lifted him in a princess carry. His skin got goosebumps when he felt the slimy body of the monster.

    ¡°It¡¯ll make me stronger¡­right?¡±

    ¡°Affirmative.¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±Nate closed his eyes.

    Lym waited in silence. A moment later, Nate spoke.

    ¡°Take me there, mister Lym.¡±

    The two vanished after entering the portal. That day, it was reported that Nate Alexander has gone missing.

 Chapter 110: Odette Winstom

    CLYDE ASTLEY POV:

    ¡¶Graponia Royal Academy¡·16th of the Fall of Water month; 17:15

    I descended onto the ground after cancelling my flying magic. This startled the students when they saw me.

    Concerning what happened with Nate, I decided to go to an inn to rest after what happened.

    My body was completely exhausted from our clash against each other.

    Since I stayed at an Inn, I decided to leave my luggage there as well. After talking with Odette, I¡¯d leave the kingdom afterwards.

    ¡®I wonder if Helen is okay¡­¡¯

    She didn¡¯t say anything about what happened. Even until we reached her house where I dropped her off. She was silent the whole way.

    ¡®That damn Nate.¡¯

    He ruined my and Helen¡¯s date. Just by looking at his eyes, I could tell that he used the magic drug again.

    Not just by looking into his eyes, I could tell by the energy he was giving off as well. It was the so-called combusted mana that leaks out of someone¡¯s core that had entered the combusted phase.

    There was nothing I could do to save him so I gave him mercy. Perhaps he did something to repent. Or maybe not.

    ¡®He¡¯s probably already dead¡­¡¯

    ¡°Is that him?¡±

    While I was walking the academy grounds, I noticed the stares of all the students.

    Judging by their badges, they were first years. It was mandatory for all first years to have extra classes during the holidays. Besides them, the student council president along with the teacher staff should also be present.

    I noticed that I came at a bad time. The academy grounds was filled with the first years who just came out of the hall. I could see professors exiting as well.

    ¡°What¡¯s he doing here?¡± As I walked, the students gave way for me. I had no other choice but to walk past them.

    Their eyes weren¡¯t pleasant to say the least. They were looking at me as if I was a monster.

    Most of them shuddered just from making eye-contact with me. I sighed.

    ¡®Why are all of you so scared? Is this because of yesterday?¡¯

    How could they even tell that it was me?

    ¡°Hello, Clyde Astley.¡± At that moment, someone grabbed my arm.

    ¡°It¡¯s the president.¡±

    ¡°They seem close. Isn¡¯t he going to be the vice president next year? I heard from my older brother.¡±

    ¡°Yup. I don¡¯t blame them for selecting him. I mean, look at him. He¡¯s basically fit for the role.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t even feel mad. I wouldn¡¯t think of opposing him if he becomes vice.¡±

    The students continued bickering as the person was pulling me out of the crowd.

    ¡°Miss Victoria?¡± It was the student council president.

    We stood underneath a tree, further away from the crowd of students.

    Victoria sighed. ¡°Do you know what you caused by putting on that show yesterday?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­What?¡±

    She took off her glasses.

    ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been a day yet and I¡¯m already tasked with sitting in meetings with student councils from other schools to stop them from taking you.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡± I tilted my head.

    ¡°The Ulkan Magic Academy in the Magus city, the Magic Tower mages, the Magic Association¡¯s own School of Magic Arts¡­there have been many others but those are just the few who want to take you from this academy.¡± Victoria nibbled on her nail in frustration.

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Why? You¡¯re seriously asking me why¡­¡± Victoria laughed brokenly. ¡°How the heck were you able to hide such power!? And if so, why did you reveal you had it!?¡±

    ¡°W-Whoa, calm down¡­¡± I tried to whisper so the students couldn¡¯t hear us. They were looking at us intently.

    ''This is a severe misunderstanding about my power.''

    ¡°Ah...I didn¡¯t know we had a monster in our school¡­I¡¯ve been up on my feet all day. Do you know how hard it is to talk with those predators out to get you?¡±

    Victoria sighed again. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes.

    ¡°I already sent a letter to the Bentinck manor telling you to stay inside. It seems you didn¡¯t get it. Although I rejected their offers with the Headmaster¡¯s authority, they are still eager to meet with you.¡±

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t I just meet with them? Shouldn¡¯t that solve the problem?¡± I asked carefully.

    Victoria looked at me as if she couldn¡¯t believe my words.

    ¡°Those manipulating old coots will do whatever they can to reel you in. Even go to extreme measures.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°O-Oh¡­Ha¡­ha¡­hahaha.¡± I laughed awkwardly.

    ¡°What are you doing here, anyway? If those guys hear you¡¯re back then they¡¯ll storm in here.¡± Victoria seemed to have calmed down.

    She fixed her hair and her uniform while waiting for my answer.

    ¡°I wanted to know if miss Ingrid is in office today? I¡­err¡­She told me that if I wanted to talk to her about something then her door is always open to me.¡± I looked up at the west wing building where the magic lab was located.

    ¡°Oh, miss Ingrid? She¡¯s currently running an errand. She¡¯ll probably be back in an hour or so.¡± Victoria rummaged in her blazer. She pulled out a key. ¡°If you want to wait for her, use this.¡±

    ¡°Ah, thank you.¡± I was about to leave.

    ¡°And Clyde.¡± Victoria called out to me. She put her glasses back on.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°When the academy reopens, I want the two of us to have a long talk in my office. Understood?¡± Victoria said with a no-nonsense tone.

    I smiled and gave a thumbs up.

    ¡°Got it! Thanks!¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    ¡°Hello?¡± I entered the lab after knocking. The inside was quiet.

    ¡®So Viria actually went to the Red Abyss with her real body?¡¯

    I figured as such because I didn¡¯t see that middle school girl anywhere in the lab. Only the empty classroom seats and teacher¡¯s desk. The magic lab was fairly big. I looked at the door at the end of the hallway.

    Ingrid W.

    It was Odette¡¯s office that was beyond those doors. I took a few steps forward. However, when I was about to continue walking towards the office, I heard the sound of a pair of heels hit the floor.

    ¡°¡­.!¡±

    When I turned around, my eyes widened.

    ¡°Huh?¡± The person who was there also looked surprised.

    ¡°Miss Ingrid¡­?¡±

    Ingrid, no, Odette was standing there.

    ¡®I could¡¯ve sworn I saw no one outside.¡¯

    ¡°Teleportation? Isn¡¯t that an Upper High magic spell!?¡± I said.

    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Odette face-palmed herself. ¡°Indeed it is. What are you doing here, brat?¡±

    She took off her purple mage hat and her cloak. She sat down on one of the desks of the classroom.

    ¡°¡­¡± I silently watched her. ¡°You¡¯re not worried that I know you can use that kind of magic?¡±

    Upper High rank was a level only the Great Sage was able to reach. Sure, that spell that stopped the meteor from falling on the kingdom was of the same rank, but that was a combined effort of Viria and Eredhel.

    The two were bedridden for an entire month afterwards from overburdening their bodies.

    Yet, somehow, this woman was able to cast Teleportation so easily.

    ¡°You already know so why should I hide it?¡± She said coolly. ¡°Besides, everyone already suspected that I was at least that powerful. Being Viria¡¯s teacher and whatnot.¡±

    She folded her arms and crossed her legs. ¡°Now, answer my question: why are you here? Only the first years or those students who need extra classes should be present today.¡±

    I grabbed a nearby chair and sat down as well. I leaned forward.

    ¡°You...are the Great Sage¡­right?¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    A silence loomed after my words. Odette¡¯s eyes only widened slightly.

    ¡°Me? The Great Sage? Are you an idiot? She¡¯s already dead.¡± She feigned ignorance without batting an eye. One could see that she was great at lying. Must¡¯ve been the hundreds of years that she lived.

    ¡°I already heard from Sol that you are the real Odette. One of the five heroes.¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡± She went silent again. ¡°So you met the goddess?¡±

    I thought if it was a good idea to tell her. I already mentioned her name so it didn¡¯t matter if I told Odette.

    Odette hummed and leaned back on the chair. She closed her eyes for a brief moment.

    ¡°I am indeed Odette Winstom.¡±

    ¡°Winstom? That¡¯s your surname?¡±

    ¡°It is. Now tell me, for what reason did you come directly to me to tell me this? You could¡¯ve told the entire world that one of the heroes is actually alive. Or are you here to threaten me?¡±

    ¡°N-No!¡± I waved my hands. ¡°I was told by the goddess to tell you something. I don¡¯t plan on revealing your identity to anyone! I swear!¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Odette narrowed her eyes at me. ¡°Tell me something, you say. What is this information you must relay to me?¡±

    I collected what I had heard from Yeltena, Sol and Artemis. After organizing what I remembered, I spoke.

    ¡°A disaster as great as the Magic Revolution is on its way.¡±

    Her eyes widened. It was the first time she had given such a reaction.

    Her lips parted but she didn¡¯t say anything. She sighed. ¡°Does this mean the entire continent will be affected?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What does she expect me to do with this information¡­¡± She sighed again.

    ¡°The goddess said that you will know what to do if I tell you.¡± I said.

    ¡°Indeed. But tell me something, does this involve Zero¡¯s race as well?¡±

    ¡°She is certain of it, yes.¡±

    It seemed to me that not even they knew if their words were correct or not. It was like the information they received was from someone else. Someone from a third party. Not the humans or the gods.

    ¡°Miss Odette¡­¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°Are you the only one of the heroes who is still alive?¡±

    ¡°No.¡± She answered without hesitation. ¡°Alucard is out there somewhere.¡±

    ¡°¡­.And the other hero?¡±

    If the heroes were alive then surely they were capable of stopping the disaster, right? We had Alucard and even Odette to back us up against the Immortals!

    Odette shook her head. ¡°Heliona died.¡±

    ¡°Heliona? That was the name of the divine bow user?¡±

    Odette nodded.

    The divine bow user was said to also have been a high elf. He was capable of using his magic power to manifest arrows strong enough to kill S rank monsters in one hit.

    His name was Arash in the book my mother read to me.

    ¡®So this is what was meant by the fact that many events of the past was altered¡­¡¯

    Heliona was described to be a man in the book Eleanor read to me. The Great Sage herself just told me that the fourth hero was actually a woman. I wasn¡¯t sure why it was necessary to change her gender, though.

    ¡°You know what¡¯s funny? She said that she¡¯d destroy the immortals for all the suffering they caused in the past. In the end, she ended up dying to them. She¡­was just a headless corpse when Iris and Clark found her in that world inside the Red Abyss. We never managed to locate her head. No magic could bring her back to life in that state.¡±

    ¡°So she was the third member from the Elca Kingdom who died¡­?¡± I asked to make sure what I heard was right.

    ¡°Yes. We did a great job making sure no one knew of her identity. She has been part of the Order for six generations. Each generation, she used a new face and name. Her drive for justice was just as intense as Iris. If it was me then I would¡¯ve gotten bored doing the same thing. Being part of the White Order was just a title. It held no other meaning.¡±

    ¡°Huh? But they are the new heroes of this era, aren¡¯t they!?¡±

    ¡°Boy, you want to know why they were really created back then?¡± Odette ignored my rambling. ¡°You have heard of rune ascension, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­It¡¯s when they use the 99<sup>th</sup> rune to unlock the hidden potential in a person. That is how it was possible for them to become to strong.¡±

    ¡°That is the simple explanation. However, what lies under the surface is much more ominous.¡±

    ¡°Under the surface?¡±

    I didn¡¯t understand what she meant by that.

    ¡°If looked at in another perspective, they have the right to give and take the power the White Order has. Sure, not everyone would be able to handle the ritual, but all they have to do is keep looking until they can find replacements. That is, if the current members are deemed unsuited for the role.¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    ¡°They are dogs to humanity. That is because humanity wanted it that way. And us, the heroes? We were born with such power. We had no owner. The power belonged to us alone. However, that is why we were seen as dangerous people to be left roaming freely. Swearing our allegiance made no difference. The wretched humans want the power of control in their hands. This is what Rezar wanted in order to make sure the White Order don¡¯t end up as untamed beasts.¡± Odette finally paused to take a breather. ¡°Well? I hope you see now that nothing is as it seems. The Order may be the heroes of this continent, but they are still dogs on a leash to the Magic Association and humanity.¡±

    ¡°So¡­did miss Heliona go against their orders and they left her there to die?¡± I asked.

    ¡°That is indeed what happened. She continued pushing that they must follow the enemies, however, they didn¡¯t listen. They were given clear orders to only chase the person away. Heliona¡¯s effort was how we came to know of them. And what did that lead to? Her death.¡± Odette clenched her hands. ¡°Even I, at my current level, was not able to do anything. I couldn¡¯t save her. I couldn¡¯t save¡­my friend¡­¡±

 Chapter 111

    Tears built up in her eyes. She sniffled and wiped her eyes.

    I sat in silence to process what I had heard.

    During the Magic Revolution, Odette was condemned for her abilities by the people. She was seen as a monster. Her parents were murdered right in front of her as she was thwarted from stopping it. Even the great Odette wasn¡¯t safe from mana poisoning.

    ¡°We can¡¯t get in contact with Alucard at the moment since he is on a journey far, far away from here. We haven¡¯t seen each other in decades.¡± Odette reverted back to her usual self after she wiped her tears.

    ¡°Is he also old like you?¡±

    ¡°Tch. What kind of question is that? No, he¡¯s not. He¡¯s still the handsome hunk he was when we first met.¡±

    ¡°How were you able to survive so long¡­¡± I asked.

    They had lived for almost a thousand years. How could they still be alive, even today?

    Odette chuckled. ¡°I guess it¡¯s the power we were born with that helped us stay alive.¡±

    ¡°If so, why does it look like you¡¯re on the verge of death from old age?¡±

    ¡°Iris keeps asking me the same question. ¡®Why isn¡¯t Lady Odette using magic to alter your biology¡¯. It¡¯s because I am unable to do it.¡±

    ¡°Huh? You can¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Yes. My power is nearly depleted from all these years of keeping myself alive. Perhaps the gods wanted to curse me for committing those massacres. Although I don¡¯t regret what I did, I have repented long enough. Still, my death is near.¡±

    How could her power be near depletion if she was able to use teleportation so accurately? That just showed how much mana Odette had when she was in her prime. No wonder I came second for having the most mana.

    ¡°Does anyone else know?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sure Viria does. She must sense how my core is unable to purify the atmosphere¡¯s mana like I used to. I¡¯ve been coughing up blood mixed with impure mana a lot lately. That¡¯s proof that my core is nearing the end of its lifespan.¡±

    ¡°Is that a thing? I haven¡¯t heard of it before.¡±

    ¡°Yes. Although, in normal humans, their cores only begin to fade once they have died. Besides enzymes, the impure mana from the core also causes your body to decompose. As I have long since reached the end of the lifespan of a normal human, mine has been like this for quite a while. Was it 300 years go? I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­can¡¯t you restore your mana using mana potions or waiting it out? I thought that all mages are capable of recovering their mana. Turns out I was wrong.¡±

    ¡°No. I have come to the conclusion that Varian, the Goddess of Life of Death has cursed me to live the rest of my days in torment for what I did back then.¡±

    ¡°Lady Odette¡¯s revenge¡­.¡± I said upon realizing what she meant.

    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±

    ¡°I want to ask something.¡±

    ¡°Go ahead. As payment for coming to tell me of what is expected to happen, I will answer as best I can.¡± Odette gave a reassuring smile.

    That smile froze when she saw my movements. I pulled up my sleeve and did a spirit activation.

    Green spirits gathered around the white arm. I closed my eyes and whispered: ¡°Lightborn.¡±

    !!!

    The space was heavily distorted and a sound similar to glass breaking rang out. The world was drained of its colour. The bright sun and the sky had all lost their vibrant colours. The world looked like a black and white canvas that only needed colour to be able to turn into a beautiful painting.

    I looked back at Odette.

    ¡°As expected¡­¡± I muttered. ¡°You aren¡¯t affected by this technique.¡±

    I had a theory about Lightborn. Depending on the level of my opponent, how much would the stoppage of time affect them? Take Aubrey¡¯s case for example.

    He was able to move within the world of Lightborn. Albeit, barely. He could move his eyes, which allowed him to be able to see my spell being aimed straight at him.

    Looking at Odette, she wasn¡¯t affected by the technique at all. It was like I wasn¡¯t high levelled enough to be using this on her.

    I hadn¡¯t met anyone who was stronger than me as of late. At least at Aubrey¡¯s level or higher. So I wasn¡¯t able to test my theory. I had tried several times. Even among my professors, however, none of them could give the same result like Aubrey.

    I finally proved that I was right.

    ¡®Does this mean Lightborn can be strengthened after all?¡¯

    ¡°What is this¡­? A god rank spell? No, this seems like something else¡­¡± Odette looked around. Admiration and unease was evident on her face. She seemed to fumble with her words as she couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing.

    ¡°This is the blessing Sol gave me¡­.The world altering technique, Lightborn. Everything you see around you is frozen in my prison of time.¡± I picked up a piece of paper and let it go. It didn¡¯t move at all. It remained frozen in mid-air.

    ¡°You¡­stopped time?¡± Odette¡¯s eyes shook. ¡°This¡­can¡¯t be possible. For a boy to have this¡­¡±

    She pointed at my arm. ¡°Is that¡­¡±

    ¡°This is what I call my Spirit Arm. A manifestation of spirits.¡± Her eyes widened again. I threw the final blow. ¡°You told me that if anything ever bothered me that I could come see you, right? Well, I want to know why I am able to use spirit and arcane magic. This technique you see here is the result of using green time spirits.¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    The world slowly returned to normal. Cold sweat dripped down my chin. My head was spinning like crazy. I was barely able to maintain sitting upright.

    ¡°Ha¡­.ha¡­haha¡­¡± Odette laughed brokenly. She looked as if she saw a ghost.

    ¡°I should¡¯ve¡­.known.¡± She looked down at her hands. ¡°Back when I first saw you and felt this familiar presence. Xio. Why did you resemble him so much? That was why I couldn¡¯t keep my eyes off you. I had to know.¡±

    ¡°Had to know what?¡±

    She lifted up her head. ¡°I had to know if you were really him¡­That was why I monitored you since the first day you arrived at this academy. I even had Iris try and find you. But here you are¡­¡± Tears streamed down Odette¡¯s face. For a moment, I could see the face of a young woman with white hair look at me. It was like I was seeing the young Odette. ¡°Xio.¡±

    Odette pulled her arms around me and hugged me. ¡°Each and every day I dreamed of what to say if I ever met you. What would he think if he found out that I wasn¡¯t able to finish what we started back then? Those thoughts haunted me. I wanted him to be proud of us. He sacrificed himself to save this world. And yet¡­sniff.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Odette cried. I didn¡¯t say anything and only let her do what she wanted.

    ¡®Huh?¡¯

    Suddenly a flash went off inside my head.

    ¡®Where am I?¡¯

    I looked around but I couldn¡¯t turn my head for some reason. All I was able to do was stare in front of me.

    There was so much darkness that I wasn¡¯t able to see no more than a few meters in front of me.

    I felt formless. I had no arms nor did I have any legs to walk with. My throat was gone. I couldn¡¯t even squirm.

    I was¡­a soul amongst the sea of other souls that drifted around me.

    Odette, Alucard, Heliona, Merlin¡­I will find a new soul and definitely come back.

    Memories suddenly flooded into my head. It was like I was a different person.

    Was this¡­Xio¡¯s memories? Did my meeting up with her and telling her the truth trigger this?

    I searched for hundreds of years yet I cannot find one soul suitable enough for this! Did Rodion curse me!? Am I forever to remain in this wretched place where souls forever wander!?

    In the darkness, a single light shined. It was so bright that it outshined the rest of the other souls.

    A person from another world? It¡¯s what I¡¯ve been looking for!

    Xio¡¯s soul burst toward the bright light.

    ¡®Is that the soul of the girl I saved?¡¯

    As the soul got closer and closer, a shadow suddenly loomed over the river of souls. It was much more larger than the other souls. It was a giant purple soul that seemed to not belong to this river of souls.

    Accursed demon! That soul is mine! With this I can be reborn again! I must not falter!

    Xio¡¯s soul sped up even further. He was in a race with the purple giant that threatened to swallow the girl¡¯s soul.

    Before it reached the soul, Xio managed to catch up. It swallowed the bright light whole. However, before it was completed, the purple giant swallowed him along with the other soul. The soul was being pulled by an unknown force.

    An irregular? W-What is this power!!

    My vision darkened as if I was falling to the bottom of the ocean. Xio¡¯s soul was being forced down by this energy that seemed to defy this world¡¯s natural order. Although he swallowed the girl¡¯s soul, the same was said for his.

    The purple giant absorbed Xio¡¯s soul until nothing was left.

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    I heard a voice call out to me. It sounded so far away. Like it was being shouted from the bottom of a well.

    Clyde, it shouted.

    Clyde!

    I opened my eyes and saw that Odette was holding me.

    ¡°Clyde!¡± She continued calling out to me.

    ¡°¡­¡­I¡­¡±

    ¡°Thank goodness, you suddenly fainted.¡± Odette sighed in relief.

    ¡°I¡­killed him?¡± I said after catching my breath. ¡°I killed Xio when I was reborn in this world¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­It would appear so¡­¡±

    I looked at Odette. Her eyes which didn¡¯t have any sort of noticeable emotions in them looked at me with a gentle light.

    ¡°Did you see something?¡± She asked and helped me stand up. ¡°When the two of us touched, I felt a strange feeling inside my head.¡±

    ¡°Rather than see something, I went back to the day before I was born. I was looking at everything in Xio¡¯s perspective. How he swallowed up the bright light. However, he was swallowed up by a bigger force.¡±

    And that force was me.

    ¡°Then¡­he really is inside you. Well, what remains of him, anyway. His powers, memories and ego are all gone.¡±

    ¡°What will you do?¡± I asked carefully.

    I had just told the second biggest secret I had. Only a handful of people knew of my abilities.

    Why did I feel the need to tell Odette? We weren¡¯t even close.

    There are many reliable people around you, son. Lean on them from now on.

    I remembered my father¡¯s words. Was that it?

    Did I see Odette as someone reliable? Someone I could lean on?

    Perhaps.

    I lifted my head to see why she wasn¡¯t answering my question. She was silently staring at me.

    ¡°You mentioned spirits. But aren¡¯t you an arcane magic user?¡±

    ¡°I am¡­¡±

    ¡°How are you using two of the same natures at once? Is there a gimmick to this?¡± She pressed further to know the truth. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t sure myself.

    ¡°Trust me¡­There¡¯s no gimmick. It¡¯s just that I have two cores. One of spirit nature and the other of arcane.¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    Odette closed her eyes. It looked like she was busy processing all the information she just heard. Her face made many expressions before she finally opened her eyes.

    ¡°Have you formed a contract with a monarch yet?¡±

    ¡°Eh? Can you tell?¡±

    ¡°The fact that your arm is glowing due to the intensity of spirits, it tells me that you are much more capable than summoning lesser monarchs.¡± Odette seemed quite knowledgeable.

    ¡°Was¡­Xio the same? Could he control a monarch as well?¡±

    To my question, Odette chuckled. It was like my question was ridiculous.

    ¡°He was the god of the elves; the Spirit King. Not just one monarch, he could control them all. Even the Spirit Beasts were at his mercy.¡±

    The Spirit Beast referred to the mystical monsters like Leviathan and the World Serpent. There were many others but those two were two of the most well-known.

    ¡°He could control all four elements? That¡¯s insane¡­¡±

    ¡°Not four. All five.¡± Odette corrected me.

    ¡°Five?¡± I frowned. ¡°But Undine didn¡¯t tell me that the green spirits had a monarch¡­¡±

    I only knew of earth, wind, fire and water had monarchs.

    ¡°Have you heard of Celestial Spirits?¡±

    ¡°Celestial Spirits?¡± It was a new concept. It was my first time hearing of it though.

    I shook my head.

    ¡°What are those?¡±

    ¡°Well, they refer to the elements outside of this world.¡±

    Odette pointed at a certain chart. It showed the basic outline of magic spells ,which was ,again: earth, fire, water and wind.

    ¡°Those are the only elements we practice in our schools. This is the basic elements that make up nature. However, isn¡¯t light and gravity also elements? We can¡¯t touch them but they exist. This is where my Theory of Ether comes into play.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    ¡°Does that ring a bell?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I heard the goddess talking about it.¡±

    Yeltena mentioned that ether was the manifestation of all the elements. It was the fifth element. However, since it wasn¡¯t something seen by the naked eye, no one believed it existed.

    It was theoretical, like the question when we ask if time is linear or not. If so, why was de ja vu a thing?

    Could it just be our parallel selves sharing each other¡¯s memories? Or was it just distorted brain activity due to unhealthy lifestyles?

    In the end, it was only a theory. Like ether.

    ¡°Ether is not a thing we can see. But the accumulation of elements is known as Ether. I believe the Celestial Spirits were born from this element. They were space-time and light. What you just did makes me believe that your powers fit in this category. Space and time. You used both those concepts to stop the world. However, theoretically, time never stopped in the first place, we were only locked in a space box that sped our time several times faster than the real world.¡±

    ¡°Thus meaning that Ether isn¡¯t just a theory.¡±

    ¡°Exactly. What you just did proved that.¡±

    ¡°Does this mean I have a Celestial Spirit inside of me?¡±

    ¡°We should assume so. But seeing as how your abilities are limited, it cannot manifest. I think that the blessing Sol gave you woke up the Celestial Spirit inside you. And her or his attribute is space-time. Those attributes fused are what makes Lightborn.¡±

    ¡®No wonder I can stop time.¡¯

    I had always wondered why my spirit arm activated whenever I used Lightborn. Turned out that I needed to use the power of the Celestial Spirit.

    ¡°So Xio had all the spirits in his grasp, huh¡­¡±

    There was a reason they called him the Spirit King.

    ¡°Have you sensed anything strange during your usage of spirit magic?¡± Odette asked.

    ¡°Well¡­.¡± I tried to think back to that day I asked Skyrith to help me with my training. She was fine the moment I closed my eyes, however, when I opened them she looked horrified.

    I explained it to Odette as such.

    Odette silently pondered.

    ¡°¡­She must¡¯ve seen the spirit then. There¡¯s no other way to explain it.¡± Odette looked up at me. ¡°I will come into contact with Skyrith. We haven¡¯t seen each other in decades but I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be willing to answer my questions. When you come back to the kingdom, head straight to my office. Understood?¡±

    ¡°Yes. May I know what the gods blessed lady Odette with?¡± I asked to find out how she was able to predict the Immortals arrival on this world.

    She tapped her right eye. ¡°I have the ability called Foresight. Known as the all-knowing eye or the Eye of Clairvoyance. This is how I could see the destruction this world will go through. The Magic Revolution, Dawn of the Dragons Lords or maybe even the disaster on its way¡­It will be nothing in comparison to the war approaching. This will be the second Rodion.¡±

    My eyes widened.

    The Demon Battle God was the most dangerous enemy humanity had ever faced in this world. Some said that he was once human. Abandoned his mortal flesh to become an all-powerful deity. He was a martial artist who was known to be able to punch away an entire mountain in one strike. His very power created the crevice that separated the two continents in this world.

    ¡°So¡­we¡¯re doomed after all¡­Hahaha¡­.¡± I sat down on the chair again.

    ¡°Foresight can be wrong at times. Perhaps we might be able to resist their assault on this world.¡± Odette turned around. ¡°Did you forget? We have a new dawn of heroes. The White Order.¡±

    She stood up and took her cloak and hat.

    ¡°You can see yourself out of the door.¡± She said in a monotonous voice. It was like our business was over.

    Odette banged her office door.

    I was left alone in that classroom to process everything that happened.

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    Silence was all that surrounded me.

    -¡ó-

    When Clyde left the magic lab, another girl was observing him from the door of the classroom. She only wanted to walk by since she was already done with all her projects for the term.

    However, she ended up learning something fruitful for the future.

    ¡°So, Clyde Astley is the incarnation of the Spirit King. And Odette is the Great Sage?¡±

    She muttered as she remembered what they were talking about.

    ¡®Was this why he was so special? Why I could never surpass him?¡¯

    ¡°How shall I use this information to my advantage?¡±

    Bridgette, Clyde¡¯s lab partner and the one pushing to become the next Head Mage, smiled amusedly as she watched Clyde¡¯s back.

 Chapter 112: Journey To The Holy Kingdom

    CLYDE ASTLEY POV:

    I managed to get a carriage the next morning after the events of yesterday. It was a little later than I would¡¯ve liked but at least not all the stables were empty.

    ¡°~~~¡±

    The morning sun touched the skin of my face. The cold breeze swept my light brown hair. Despite the fact that the sun was shining, it was still so chilly.

    I infused mana into my robe which made the utility spell warm my body up.

    ¡°~~~¡±

    ¡°What tune is that, boy?¡± While I was humming a certain song, the coachman spoke to me. He was an old man with a fedora on his head.

    ¡°Just something my mother always sang to me when I was a child. It always calms my heart down.¡±

    ¡°Ye don¡¯t say, huh? What¡¯s bothering you now then?¡±

    I hopped onto the front seat and pulled out a leather pouch filled with water.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t that interesting. Just¡­¡± I opened up the pouch. ¡°¡­there¡¯s this girl that confessed to me and I don¡¯t know how to answer her.¡±

    That girl being Artoria. I had tried to get in touch with her again since she was going to be roaming the kingdom before heading back. However, I found no trace of her.

    Artoria disappeared that night of the party.

    ¡°Well, how much does this las love ye? Not just any girl would make the first move, y¡¯know? She must be madly in love with you.¡±

    ¡®I don¡¯t know about that, old man. How would you feel if someone told you they met you in their past lives?¡®

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure myself how much she loves me. To be honest, I feel like I don¡¯t know her anymore.¡±

    Artoria was completely different from the boy I befriended when I was a child. The two of us were like brothers. We slept together. Bathed together. Ate together.

    It felt like all of those years were just a long dream of mine. It was like a kind of unreality.

    ¡°I feel like I don¡¯t know my childhood friend anymore.¡±

    ¡°Hold on, childhood friend!?¡± The old man pulled the reins which made the horses stop abruptly.

    My destination was just a few hundred metres away. It was the port town where the station of the mana train was built.

    ¡°Are ya saying the two of ye grew up together?¡±

    ¡°Yeah.¡±

    ¡°How can you be hesitatin¡¯!? The pure love of one you¡¯ve spent your whole life with is the strongest bond in this world. The two of you know everything about each other. You¡¯ve been together through thick and thin and now you¡¯re hesitating!?¡±

    The old man was a little too excited about this.

    ¡°Listen kid¡­¡± He put his hands on my shoulders. ¡°¡­You gotta answer this girl¡¯s feelings. If you don¡¯t then you¡¯ll lose a one in a lifetime chance.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°This girl will probably think that you¡¯re not interested if you keep stalling. Don¡¯t you think she¡¯ll fall for someone else at this rate?¡±

    ¡®¡­Huh?¡¯

    The old man¡¯s words made sense. But was it really that easy? We were talking about a girl who became my lover in five of her other lives. Was it just undying love or was it something much darker? I doubted whether Artoria was still the same innocent girl she was when she was born. Or he. I had no idea what to call her.

    ¡°You have a point.¡± I looked over the horizon that was blanketed by the snow that fell last night. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m pushing these feelings down so that I don¡¯t leave my comfort zone.¡±

    It felt like just yesterday that he was Arthur. Today he was a bombshell beauty madly in love with me. Anyone would feel a little creeped out or even confused. I was the latter.

    ¡®I promised her that we can become real lovers once she comes back home. There¡¯s no turning back.¡¯

    The old man smiled. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit! Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Ah, actually I¡¯ll get off here.¡± I grabbed my backpack.

    ¡°You sure? The highways is full of bandits. The duke is trying to send his knights all over his land to improve security. Steps have been taken but it¡¯s still dangerous to travel alone.¡±

    ¡°Thanks but I¡¯ll be fine. Plus, I¡¯m a student of the academy.¡± I took out my wand and showed the insignia.

    I had Undine by my side as well.

    ¡°Alright then, kid. I¡¯ll be going then. Safe journey ahead. Hyaah!¡±

    The carriage began speeding down the road after he flicked the reins.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    I tightened my grip on the backpack. My eyes gazed up at the skyscraper that was in the middle of the town I was headed to.

    It was one of first magic stations to be built to operate the mana train.

    I took out a map that had my path marked. I would take the Devil¡¯s route which was the path the train will go. After going further east, I¡¯d stop by closest town to the tracks.

    After memorizing the path, I folded up the map.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    I walked for about ten minutes before the town¡¯s gates came into view. There were a long line of fancy carriages in front of me when I tried to enter the gate.

    ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t that Clyde?¡± A voice called out.

    ¡°Hm?¡± I turned around and saw a couple of familiar faces. ¡°Byron?¡±

    It was Byron and his party members.

    ¡°It really is him!¡± I saw a giant man with a towering shield run towards me. He gave me a tight, firm hug.

    It was Kyle.

    ¡°Ugh!¡±

    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re crushing the kid.¡± Brooklyn chuckled and pried me away from Kyle¡¯s arms. She gave me a hug as well.

    Cliff and Rela were approaching from the forest path. It seemed that they were coming back from a hunt.

    ¡°What are you doing here of all places?¡± Byron asked.

    We came to a bar after everyone gathered. It was a small bar with barely any customers. Rela brought everyone a round of beers.

    ¡°I¡¯m taking the mana motor that¡¯ll arrive tomorrow morning and then I¡¯ll head to the Holy Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Holy shit, you got a ticket to take a ride in that thing?¡± Cliff asked dubiously. ¡°How did you pull it off? Not even a noble can acquire one that easily.¡±

    ¡°Haha. Yeah. I got some help from a friend to arrange one for me.¡±

    It was Charlotte who saved me a ticket. I wasn¡¯t sure how expensive it was though.

    ¡°Anyway, where have you guys been all this time?¡±

    Byron shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ve been doing some shitty quests these days.¡±

    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s like the battle with the Hydra made the quests at the guild look like child¡¯s play.¡± Rela chuckled. ¡°At this point we¡¯re adventuring only for fun since we have so much money. We might as well play around for a while.¡±

    ¡°Why not build a guild of your own and become mercenaries for hire?¡±

    ¡°That does sound like a good idea but we¡¯ll see what the future has in store for us. There were rumours circulating around that the duke is forming a massive group for a high-end job.¡± Byron said when he leaned forward. ¡°We were thinking of heading to Hurge city after we¡¯re done clearing out the mobs here in this town.¡±

    ¡°Does this have something to do with the disappearance of villagers in the area?¡±

    ¡°Yes, it does. Just a week ago another village was found to be deserted. People are moving out of their own houses because of what is going on. It wouldn¡¯t be long until this trouble reaches Hurge city as well. If the surrounding villages are evacuated then it¡¯s highly likely that they¡¯ll flock to Hurge city.¡±

    ¡®Is it them? Could it be the work of Zero?¡¯

    I had already warned Odette of what was to come, however, she hadn¡¯t made a move yet. There weren¡¯t even any knights being assembled at the palace or announcements being made.

    ¡®What did Yeltena mean when she said that Odette would know what to do?¡¯

    ¡°We heard your father-in-law is also joining the duke. If two high ranking nobles are involved then this is definitely a big deal. Shouldn¡¯t you also help out?¡± Kyle asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have the time to lend a helping hand. One person wouldn¡¯t make a difference.¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡± All of them looked at me in silence.

    ¡°W-What?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re basically a one man army. How can you not be essential?¡± Kyle shook his head. ¡°Forget it. We can¡¯t ask you to join us like last time. That¡¯ll be selfish of us.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll make a plan to recruit a mage, I guess.¡± Rela muttered.

    ¡°So where¡¯s Aria? Wasn¡¯t she with you guys last time?¡± I asked.

    I didn¡¯t see the demihuman girl when I ran into them.

    ¡°Well, I left her at her family home after releasing her.¡± Byron said.

    ¡°So she was your slave after all, huh?¡± I narrowed my eyes at him.

    ¡°H-Hey. Don¡¯t look at me like that. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m into kids or anything. She was just good at tracking. Hahaha¡­¡± He laughed awkwardly as his eyes swam across the bar.

    ¡°More like she was into him.¡± Brooklyn said from the side.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I turned towards her. She gave a mysterious smile.

    ¡°As a parting gift, Aria asked Byron to take her first time.¡±

    Byron coughed from the side. He acted as if he was reading on the menu. I noticed that it was upside-down, though.

    ¡°Being the wizard virgin that he is, he turned her down. Not being into kids my ass.¡± Brooklyn looked at Byron with a teasing smile. ¡°He¡¯s just scared she¡¯ll leave him like that other bitch, Rosalyn.¡±

    ¡°Rosalyn?¡±

    ¡°Would you guys not talk about my life!?¡± Byron looked like he was about to cry. ¡°It¡¯s over, alright!?¡±

    ¡°You broke the poor girl¡¯s heart. All that hard work for nothing. You¡¯re really scum.¡± Brooklyn looked at him as if he was trash.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I¡¯m too old for her¡­¡±

    ¡°She¡¯s already 15 so that doesn¡¯t count anymore.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking about Byron¡¯s twisted past.¡± Rela stood up and took everyone¡¯s glasses. ¡°I¡¯ll bring some more beer.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± I noticed that there was a large cut on her arm when she walked away. ¡°What happened there?¡± I pointed at it.

    ¡°Ah, miss Rela got into a fight with someone.¡± Cliff explained. ¡°She went to the Rusa Dynasty to buy herself a sword but ran into trouble with one of Rosetta¡¯s disciples.¡±

    ¡°Rosetta¡¯s disciples?¡±

    ¡°Yup. She got her ass handed to her by a girl who¡¯s so much younger than her. I can¡¯t stop laughing when I remember how stupid she looked when she was defeated.¡± Brooklyn said.

    ¡°What did she look like?¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­She had black hair and red eyes, if I remember correctly. They call her the Black Sword Maiden.¡±

    ¡®Is it Celina?¡¯

    The name and description matched her.

    ¡°She¡¯s been drowning in alcohol ever since. Apparently, a tournament is being held by the end of the year and she¡¯s going there to challenge the girl again. We¡¯ve been telling her that it¡¯s no use fighting the girl again.¡± Byron smiled wryly. ¡°But as expected of a demihuman. They must have pride thicker than mountain climbing ropes.¡±

    ¡°Here she comes. Don¡¯t mention that day to her. She gets a little crazy.¡±

    ¡°O-Okay.¡±

    Rela was carrying two barrels of ale on her shoulders. There was a boy next to her. He looked a little older than me by one year.

    ¡°I¡¯m heading back first.¡± She put one barrel down. ¡°Don¡¯t look for me. I¡¯ll meet you guys at the guild tomorrow.¡±

    She just said that and left with the boy.

    ¡°Who¡¯s he?¡± I asked.

    ¡°That¡¯s our porter. Poor boy has been dragged around by Rela ever since he joined. He¡¯s always out of energy in the mornings so anyone can guess the torture he goes through every night.¡± Brooklyn shrugged. ¡°He¡¯s not complaining, though.¡±

    ¡°I see. Oh, right. What about you two?¡± I looked at Cliff and Brooklyn.

    ¡°I gave the little pervert what he wanted. Now he won¡¯t stop chasing me around like a dog.¡± Brooklyn glanced at Cliff.

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t do that!¡±

    ¡°You sure it¡¯s not you leading him on, Brook?¡± Byron shook his head with a sigh.

    ¡°The attention is nice but I¡¯m pretty bored with it by now. Hey, Clyde~.¡± Brooklyn threw her legs over mine and put her arm around my neck. She smiled coquettishly and lifted one of her breasts. ¡°Why not sleep with this big sister tonight? I can make tonight a night you¡¯ll never forget.¡±

    ¡°No thanks.¡± I moved back when I saw Cliff¡¯s moist eyes. He was basically pleading to me to say no.

    ¡°I need to be up early tomorrow morning so I can¡¯t fool around with someone.¡±

    ¡°Awww~ Worth a shot anyway~¡± She shrugged.

    ¡®She¡¯s teasing you, man.¡¯

    She wasn¡¯t being serious anyway. I was sure that if I said yes then she¡¯d say that she was joking.

    We talked about random things like where we were headed to after tonight. Byron said that they¡¯d stop by guild first before leaving this town. I had to wake up early tomorrow morning to catch the first train.

    We parted ways at eight in the evening in front of the bar. They headed to the inn they were staying at while I went the opposite direction.

 Chapter 113: Half Elf Siblings

    When morning came, I hurried towards the magic station where the Mana Motor would arrive at. A loud whistle blew which signaled that it would come any time now. There was a long queue of people waiting excitedly by the station.

    I looked up at the magic station. It was basically the same as a maintenance station for trains like back on earth. There was a giant red crystal on top of the building which was absorbing the mana in the atmosphere to power the station.

    But since this world was behind with its technology, mages had to circulate the mana manually. There were no wires and stuff after all.

    I could see a few mages who worked in that profession as well. They headed inside the station as a group.

    ¡®The duke works fast, huh?¡¯

    Duke Rosenberg was the one who built all of this with his own wealth. Charlotte gave everything related to the mana motor¡¯s construction to him for a price.

    That was how she was able to buy a villa for herself in the Kion district.

    ¡®I hope everything works out.¡¯

    I did many tests in order to prove the curse breaker would work, so I wasn¡¯t worried about that. What worried me was what Charlotte would do if she found out who attempted to murder her mother.

    Pina would be free from the curse but would that really make her happy? She was the one responsible for what happened. I understood why she did it but the results were the same.

    I had a feeling Charlotte didn¡¯t have it in her to kill Pina. The king would obviously want her dead because of what she did to his beloved wife.

    I waited ten more minutes until I heard a steam engine blow. The Mana Motor arrived after a while.

    ¡°We will now depart! All those who have tickets please come to this line that formed in front of the door!¡± A person wearing a uniform stepped out of the train and shouted. The people hurriedly took out their tickets and presented it to him.

    I presented mine as well. ¡°A golden crest of the royal family?¡± The man¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Please follow me. Roger, take over for me.¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Another man appeared to take his place.

    ¡°Where are we going?¡±

    I expected to sit with the rest of the passengers, however, I was led to another compartment.

    It was a luxurious suite with exquisite couches, a comfortable atmosphere and mana enhanced heaters. It was the sort of thing you¡¯d expect of royalty.

    ¡®I bet the air I¡¯m breathing is expensive.¡¯

    ¡°Please sit anywhere you¡¯d like, your highness.¡± The man bowed respectfully before leaving.

    ¡°Your Highness? I¡¯m not dressed too fancy, am I?¡± I shrugged it off and put my bags down. I was only wearing a normal robe that the average mage wore. There was no way my clothes made me look like a prince.

    ¡°Is it this ticket?¡± His expression changed when he saw it after all.

    ¡°Well, whatever. I haven¡¯t had alone time in a while.¡± I laid down on the couches. It was soft and smelled so nice.

    ¡°Aahhh~~¡± It wasn¡¯t as soft as the lap pillows Arielle always gave me but it was close enough.

    ¡®I¡¯ve been thinking about her a lot¡­¡¯

    I looked out of the window as the train began moving. After I wrote to her about my marriage to Diane, she hadn¡¯t sent me as many letters as she normally did.

    ¡®Now that I think about it, why did I accept the marriage without thinking things though?¡¯

    Maybe it was because I wasn¡¯t married before but I didn¡®t think it was a big deal. Was I too selfish to not think about what Arielle would feel?

    I¡¯ll do this for my family¡­

    That was probably the thought I had back then.

    Look at what earl Mason had done for my family over the past two  decades. He gave my parents a home and even gave my father a job. He paid for my full tuition for the next seven years at Graponia Royal Academy which was an extraordinary amount of money. It was probably thousands of gold. I didn¡¯t even need to do anything special.

    All I had to do was make sure I always passed with flying colors. Everything was basically served to me on a platter.

    Even the money in my pocket was given to me by him.

    ¡°Even if he had a motive for helping us out, I can¡¯t hate the guy. Without him, George and Eleanor would¡¯ve become war slaves by now. Heck, I would¡¯ve been one as well.¡±

    ¡®Although it was a decision I had to make on the spot, I don¡¯t regret it.¡¯

    Being the heir of the Bentinck household didn¡¯t change my life that much. My choice of residence was now the earl¡¯s manor. I had to attend parties once my name gets officially changed as well. That was to show that the rumored heir was indeed me.

    Although the annoying noble scum of the kingdom would give me headaches, I was willing to do that much for everything he did for me.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°Sorry Arielle. I hope you understand.¡± I looked at the last letter she sent which was two months ago. Usually we¡¯d send letters to each other every month multiple times.

    ¡®I wonder what she¡¯s up to.¡¯

    There was a sudden click on the door.

    ¡°Hey buddy, I don¡¯t need room service, okay? This handsome prince wants to get some beauty sleep.¡± I put the pillow on my head.

    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this adventurer-looking dude doing here?¡± A rough voice spoke when I heard three pairs of footsteps.

    ¡°Hm?¡± I pulled off the pillow and looked at the intruders.

    Wasn¡¯t I supposed to be the only one here!? This prince is very angry!

    ¡°Marcus¡­.?¡± I was about to complain but I saw a rather familiar face. The guy¡¯s droopy ears caught my attention first.

    ¡°Huh? What the hell are you doing here?¡± An elf boy with long white hair appeared from behind the door I came through earlier. He was about my size. There were two other people with him.

    All three of them were from the special class that Odette signed us up for. It seemed that the three of them were using it to their convenience.

    ¡°Well, well. Look at what we have here.¡± Marcus¡¯ frown turned into a big smile. He shook my hand and chuckled. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that we¡¯d meet here like this?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. Isn¡¯t this just perfect, though? I wanted to ask him a question.¡± The only girl raised her hand.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been the talk of the academy lately, you know?¡± Marcus said. He threw down his bags and sat down. The other two remained standing.

    ¡°Huh? Why?¡±

    ¡°For that show you put on for the entire kingdom to see. Hahaha. Even I was taken back by what I saw, you know?¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­.¡± I remembered what he meant. That was the day I put Nate in his place. It happened three days ago in the district of Zupiart. It was a bitter thing to remember so I shoved it down whenever I thought about it.

    ¡°Did you use some kind of artifact? You didn¡¯t steal one of the Great Sage¡¯s magic items, did you?¡± Marcus asked.

    ¡®It was actually the Rings of Multicasting and Amplification.¡¯

    Nate probably didn¡¯t see it during our fight since I was concealing the ring with my gloves after putting it on. I couldn¡¯t just walk with the rings out in the open. They were priceless artifacts that the great Lord Rolath gave to me.

    As I had mentioned before in the past, I wasn¡¯t capable of multicasting. What everyone saw was not my own doing. So it was impossible for me to summon so many magic circles at once. I literally struggled to even handle Skyrith.

    As a result of summoning so many at once, the ring was close to breaking. I decided to put it away for a while until I find a way to repair it.

    Anyway, since I used the ring in that manner, I nearly lost half of my mana. It was those rare few times when I actually experience dizziness from using so much magic.

    I had no choice but to use it though. I had to show Nate how pointless it was to fight me.

    Although part of it was a lie since it wasn¡¯t my own power. Even I wasn¡¯t capable of magic of that scale.

    I used the Ring of Amplification as well. That was how I was able to amplify my spells to that scale.

    ¡®I admit: casting spells of that magnitude was a little showy.¡¯

    Whatever everyone was thinking was a big misunderstanding. But I decided to not correct it.

    This way no one would mess with me at the academy. Rather, many were scared of even talking to me. I had noticed this when I went to talk with Odette yesterday. The first years would literally tremble when they see me.

    Even the professors seemed shaken up. Gula was the only one who still treated me as she usually did. I met her on my way out of the academy.

    ¡°It should¡¯ve been an artifact. I¡¯m sure of it! So? Where is it?¡± Marcus pushed with his questioning.

    ¡°Calm down, Marcus. Although, I want to know too! How the hell could you manifest so many formations in such a short period of time!?¡± The bald guy asked with sparkling eyes.

    ¡°Guys, we¡¯re being too pushy here. Look at him. He¡¯s overwhelmed by all the questioning.¡± The elf girl in their trio said. She had long green hair and a slim bodyline. Her eyes were jade and her skin was fair and unblemished. As with the rest of them, she was also wearing her academy uniform.

    ¡°Allow me to introduce myself.¡± The girl did a bow. ¡°My name is Fiana. As I am your junior, I shall address you as senior. I am elder brother Marcus¡¯ younger sister.¡±

    ¡®No wonder she resembles him so much.¡¯

    The two had the same colored eyes and their crests were both from the same family. I thought they were cousins but it seemed they were actually siblings.

    The girl wasn¡¯t like her brother at all.

    ¡°This is Larkus. He is the youngest son of our family¡¯s vassal.¡± The girl turned towards the other guy. He had a bald head and a rough looking face.

    ¡°Yo! Heard a lot about you!¡± He put his arm around my neck and grinned again. ¡°Let¡¯s be friends! Whaddya say?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­¡± I smiled wryly. ¡°Sure.¡±

    ¡°Oh right. Since we don¡¯t know each other that well, let¡¯s tell each other what we can do. I¡¯m an earth elemental mage. This is because I have dwarven blood in me. What about you?¡±

    The guy was a little too touchy. I could literally taste his sweat while he was hugging my head.

    ¡°Err, I can use space and water magic.¡± I answered.

    ¡°Space?¡± Fiana seemed to be interested in our conversation. ¡°How far have you gone with spatial magic?¡±

    I almost blurted about Lightborn. ¡°Well, not very far. I can only lift stuff the size of boulders.¡±

    ¡°Really!? I can barely lift a small rock!¡± The girl¡¯s eyes sparkled. She looked at me in admiration. ¡°Miss Skyrith always forbids me from reading the Elemental Books of the Dryads! If only I can read it then I can improve my magic!¡±

    ¡°Huh? Skyrith? You know that hag?¡±

    ¡°Yup. She was my and elder brother¡¯s teachers in magic.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    ¡®She doesn¡¯t seem like the kind who teaches though.¡¯

    I learned to assimilate better with my arcane core but that was it. I didn¡¯t learn anything great. Perhaps I wouldn¡¯t know unless I was in a life or death situation?

    ¡°By the way, Clyde, why are you in this suite?¡± Marcus asked when we sat down. ¡°Only royalty or those favored by royalty are given the opportunity to ride in this carriage.¡±

    ¡°Ah, so it was like that after all.¡± I took out my ticket and showed it to them. ¡°Char-Her highness, the second princess gave this to me.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± Marcus looked at the ticket. ¡°I thought she threw you away?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s rude, elder brother.¡± Fiana said but Marcus only shrugged.

    ¡°She must regret throwing you away so she¡¯s giving you this as a bribe to ease her guilty feelings.¡± Marcus continued speaking regardless. ¡°See how twisted these royals are? They use people for their material worth before throwing them away. You were left to look for a way to restore your core on your own while she did nothing. Where was she all this time?¡±

    ¡°Haaah¡­¡± Fiana sighed.

    ¡®This bastard just keeps running his mouth, huh. You think you¡¯re an all knowing god, bastard?¡¯

    But his words didn¡¯t seem to be gibberish. Now that I thought about it, it did look that way¡­

    ¡®But I already forgave her. What¡¯s there to be sorry for?¡¯

    I looked at Fiana, Larkus and Marcus. ¡°So¡­why are you guys travelling on the mana motor as well?¡±

    ¡°We received an invitation to visit the Elca royal palace. Big sis Miya was the one who invited us.¡± Fiana answered.

    ¡°Big sis?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s what I call her. We¡¯ve been friends since we were children so it¡¯s second nature by now. Elder brother also has feelings for her.¡± Fiana shot a teasing glance at Marcus.

    The latter¡¯s face turned red but he managed to turn his head to look out the window. His ears flapped.

    That was how elves would express their joy and embarrassment.

    ¡®Please don¡¯t do that. I don¡¯t want to see a guy blush.¡¯

    I changed the subject. ¡°Anything special happening that she¡¯s inviting you to the palace?¡±

    I asked Fiana.

    ¡°The Dryad¡¯s festival is happening in a few weeks. We celebrate the greatness of the fallen dryad race. What the girls do is a traditional dance while the males hunt. This is the only day of the year when we eat meat. All elves are required to be present to worship our ancestors and the dryads. Even us half elves.¡± She gestured towards her and her brother.

    ¡°Half elves?¡±

 Chapter 114

    ¡°Yes. We are half elves. We share the blood of humans and elves so our natures resemble both species. Our father is a human who is a noble of this kingdom. Our mother is his mistress so our standing is fairly low. We were living in Elca until I was ten and my brother was twelve but our father told us to come live with him in Colchis.¡±

    ¡°You guys were part of the migrators?¡±

    She smiled wryly. ¡°Yes. We used that chance to come live with our father. If not for the regulation that the king implemented then we¡¯d have been forced to grow up without a father. We enrolled into the academy immediately after we came to the kingdom. But things have been rather hectic.¡±

    ¡°Fia, don¡¯t talk about these things with a guy you just met.¡± Marcus said with his head still turned.

    ¡°I apologize, elder brother.¡±

    The train went under a tunnel. The inside of the cabin was lighted up by the lamps. Silence loomed over us.

    ¡®They grew up without a father huh¡­¡¯ Fiana had a sad expression on her face. I knew it was the same for Marcus even if his face was turned away.

    Larkus seemed to sense the thick atmosphere and looked at me.

    ¡°So, Clyde!¡±

    ¡®Stop screaming for god¡¯s sake.¡¯

    ¡°Where are you headed!?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering the same thing. Your luggage seems a little too much for a short stay at a relative.¡± Fiana pointed at my backpack.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to the Holy Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Huh? That¡¯s a little far, isn¡¯t it?¡± Larkus asked. ¡°What¡¯s there?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going to see my family.¡± I answered.

    The train finally came out of the tunnel a minute later.

    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re from another nation too? Or did that relative move there?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s complicated. I¡¯m going to visit my sister. I want to head to this city called Salvesteer first. Hopefully she¡¯s still there.¡±

    ¡®I want to see my uncle too if the bastard is still alive.¡¯

    He was the whole reason George  was kicked out of the family¡¯s lineage. In the process he caused the Astley clan to perish as well. We were no longer worthy of calling ourselves the vassals of the Luxembourg family.

    ¡°Salvesteer is a pretty dangerous city.¡± Larkus added. ¡°Many nobles fall from grace because of the excessive crime and twisted politics.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve been there before?¡± I asked Larkus. He nodded. He rubbed his bald head before speaking.

    ¡°I lived there before coming to the kingdom. That was how I met Marcus and Fiana during all this chaos of the Divide. I¡¯m ashamed to mention our family household so I apologize for keeping it a secret.¡±

    ¡°No. It¡¯s fine. Can you tell me what I need to look out for?¡± I wasn¡¯t particularly worried. I had the insignia of the academy on my being. Most people would run away or lose interest. Only the crazies would mess with a student from the academy that taught magic arts.

    ¡°Well, you need to worry about what¡¯s crawling in those forests first. There are multiple wyrms that usually roam the entrance of the path leading to Salvesteer. So look out for them. Well, they wouldn¡¯t be a threat individually but keep your guard up if there is a group of them. Goblins, orcs and trolls are also a big problem for the city. They usually come in the night to kidnap wandering women and children.¡± Larkus scratched his cheek. ¡°I¡¯ve been taken by them quite a few times when I was a kid. I enjoy walking around late at night, after all.¡±

    I glanced outside and noticed that we had travelled quite the distance. I could see the Draconic Kingdom far into the horizon. There was a mountain a little further away which was shaped like a dragon¡¯s body.

    Larkus¡¯ words went through one ear and out the other. I wasn¡¯t paying attention anymore. If trouble arose then I¡¯d just blast the enemies away.

    ¡®Edna should¡¯ve met the Elder dragon by now. Hopefully she got the answers she was looking for.¡¯

    The Elder Dragon was a dragon who had lived ever since the First Age which was the beginning of the Holy Era. He had seen the Demon Battle God Rodion, the battle between the angels and devils, etc¡­Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    Surely he had met one Dragon Lord before in his life? I wasn¡¯t completely certain that day I agreed to let Edna go and meet him.

    ¡°You know, they say the Elder Dragon is dying.¡± Fiana¡¯s voice came from beside me. She seemed to have seen me looking at the kingdom from here.

    ¡°He is? It can¡¯t be old age, can it?¡±

    Fiana chuckled. ¡°Is there even an age limit to an ancient dragon¡¯s lifespan? He had seen five generations of kings of that kingdom so it¡¯s hard to guess how old he really is. Probably tens of thousands.¡±

    ¡°Did they say what is causing its death?¡± I asked.

    ¡°The Elder Dragon lacks a second heart. Being as old and mythical as he is, he cannot live without one. In the battle against the otherworldly being who invaded the dragons¡¯ planet, he was forced to fight against his kind. As a result of the fight, a dragon lord took his first heart. This was more than a millennia ago.¡±

    ¡°You seem quite knowledgeable.¡± I smiled.

    ¡°Haha. I love to do research in my spare time. Anyway, as the Elder Dragon is dying, it must be decided who must inherit his will.¡±

    ¡°His will?¡±

    ¡°It refers to the duty of protecting the kingdom of dragons and bearing the title of Lord. As he wasn¡¯t born in the royal bloodline, he cannot inherit the title so someone suitable must inherit it. Say, one with the potential to become a dragon lord.¡±

    ¡®Doesn¡¯t this mean Edna has a chance to become one of them?¡¯

    She was a full royal. Whatever that meant. Maybe the royal bloodline referred to those born from the seed of the Dragon God?

    ¡°There is only one candidate for that role.¡± Fiana said.

    ¡°¡­One?¡±

    ¡®Someone other than Edna?¡¯

    No one knew of her existence. Well, except Damian and Charlotte.

    ¡°The princess of the Draconic Kingdom, Stella Litus Dronia. She who is the bearer of the shape-shifting weapon. When the Elder Dragon dies, she must eat his heart in order to complete the ritual. No dragon lord has come forth to say otherwise so everyone agrees that she is the most suitable.¡±

    ¡®Edna is literally the child of a dragon lord. How is this Stella person the most suitable!?¡¯

    I wanted to argue but that would look stupid. So Edna was the last living dragon lord of the new generation, after all.

    ¡®I hope you succeed in convincing the Elder Dragon of your worth, Edna. This might be your chance to find Sapphire.¡¯

    If she gained the title of lord then that would put her one step closer to her mother.

    We passed by the kingdom a few moments later. It would probably be a while before I arrived at my destination.

    I closed my eyes in order to rest. No one tried to strike up a conversation again.

    ¡ó

    The train passed by many regions in the next few hours. I got to see places I didn¡¯t see before in my life. None of that would¡¯ve been possible if I hadn¡¯t ridden the train.

    ¡®The World Tree looks smaller than usual¡­¡¯ I looked towards the right side of the train and saw a majestic tree come into view.

    Maybe it was because it was on the verge of dying but it had shrunk from the last time I saw it. The roots of the tree that reached all the way where we were was black and dead. The same could be said for the landscape outside of the Elca nation¡¯s forests.

    It was like there wasn¡¯t enough nutrients for the World Tree¡¯s roots to grow any further.

    ¡°Ah¡­We¡¯re here¡­¡± Fiana opened her eyes and yawned. She also looked out of the window. ¡°Elder brother, we¡¯ll be arriving shortly.¡± She shook Marcus¡¯ shoulders.

    ¡°Ehehe~ Miya, we¡¯re still not married yet~¡± Marcus was in his own dream world. He awoke a moment later from Fiana shaking him. ¡°Ugh¡­¡±

    He groaned as if he didn¡¯t want to wake up from his sleep.

    ¡®That¡¯s weird. Why did he dream about Miya?¡¯

    I looked at him intently and got lost in my thoughts.

    ¡®I wonder if he has a spiritual bond with her as well?¡¯

    That was probably impossible. Miya and I were already soulmates. We were basically made for each other. I don¡¯t mean like in a weird way but rather our magic was so similar that we just fit together. I had never bonded through my magic  with anyone else before.

    ¡®Could it be that she also has the ability to do a contract with a monarch spirit?¡¯

    I felt like that could be possible. She was the only high elf¨Cother than her mother¨Cwho was able to use Lesser Monarchs in battle. That alone made her a genius born every decade or so.

    Undine told me that I could also use Lesser Monarchs if I wished since they were easier to control than her and Ifrit. However, I wasn¡¯t interested because that would mean I was betraying what made Miya special as a high elf.

    ¡®There¡¯s no way Marcus could have a bond that¡¯s the same as ours.¡¯

    She was a high elf while he was half of what an elf should be. He was more human than he was elf. Plus, Marcus used arcane magic unlike Miya who was a pure spirit elemental user.

    ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± Marcus seemed to have caught me staring.

    ¡°Ah, sorry. It¡¯s nothing.¡± I averted my eyes.

    I felt the train slow down at that moment.

    ¡ªAttention all passengers, we are approaching the territory of the elves so we will need to come to a stop here.

    A voice announced to us.

    ¡°It seems we¡¯ll be getting off here.¡± Fiana said. ¡°It was nice meeting you, senior. I hope we can meet again soon.¡±

    She bowed to me and picked up her bag. Marcus only harrumphed and walked out of the cabin. Larkus gave me a big thumps up and flashed a toothy grin.

    I waved the three of them goodbye as they headed out of the room.

    After they left, I stuck my head out of the window to see what was blocking our path. It seemed that they forbid us humans from stopping in front of their kingdom¡¯s gates. Although they allowed us to build tracks in their territory, it was only to pass by. Not linger around.

    The train was blocked from proceeding any further by a gigantic wall of mana. Several knights, including a captain, came towards the train. I saw Marcus, Fiana and Larkus walk up to the elves that came out of the tower next to the wall of mana.

    They were wearing robes instead of the armor the knights wore.

    ¡®Is that Camilla?¡¯

    I saw a dark elf maid take all of their stuff and welcome them. She had blonde hair and the most beautiful chocolate skin I had ever seen. Her big eyes were a bright green color which suited her cute face.

    Fiana looked up at the train one last time and waved at me. I waved back and smiled.

    They headed for the tower afterwards. It was ten minutes later that we were allowed to pass through again. I closed the window and sat back down.

    The train began moving after clearance had been granted.

 Chapter 115: Scream

    The train dropped me off at my destination a few hours later. That said, there wasn¡¯t a way to stop so I had to use magic to descend from the speeding train. I used Lightborn to secure my landing since jumping from a speeding train would¡¯ve killed me.

    It was a weird way to use a world altering technique, though.

    By the time I got off, it was already dark so I waited until early morning to set off on my journey.

    The fire was still burning as bright as it was last night. I didn¡¯t make anything to eat. All I did was stare at the fire all night. I was a little preoccupied with my thoughts.

    ¡°Are you nervous, my king?¡± Undine¡¯s voice came from beside me as I was packing my stuff up.

    ¡°No¡­¡± I answered with my head lowered. I silently continued packing away my supplies.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to meet a stranger who is also your sister. I won¡¯t blame you if you are nervous. I think it¡¯s a little unfair that you have to go alone. Why did your parents leave without saying goodbye?¡±

    I stopped my hands.

    ¡°¡­.I don¡¯t know. Maybe they had other business to attend to.¡±

    ¡°But still. They didn¡¯t talk to you much after they heard that you wanted to see your sister. Perhaps they¡¯re scared to face her¡ª?¡±

    ¡°Undine¡­¡± I looked towards her.

    She lowered her head. ¡°Pardon me. It is not my business. I cannot understand human emotions very well so I am just curious.¡±

    I finally finished up with packing all my stuff so I closed the bag and stood up.

    ¡°Tell me something: does any religion on the continent worship Yeltena?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Hm? Why the sudden interest in  the Goddess of Fate?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I was just curious.¡±

    This was the first time I had heard of her. There was never a mention of a god named Yeltena. Maybe she was from another dimension?

    Whatever the case may be, I was still suspicious of her. How could a god simply make a mistake? And it seemed that there were no consequences either.

    One move would¡¯ve caused me to forever swim in the river of souls. I might¡¯ve never been born either.

    ¡°As far as she is concerned, no. There are no religions worshipping her.¡± Undine answered.

    ¡°What about Artemis?¡±

    ¡°The Holy Kingdom is a believer of goddess Artemis. In addition, the Holy Temple worships her name. Although she is no longer a god of this world, she is still a god many love.¡± Undine said. ¡°Are you thinking of visiting one of her churches?¡±

    I nodded.

    ¡°She told me that if I need help then all I need to do is call her. But since nothing is bothering me at the moment, I can at least go and offer a prayer.¡±

    Undine smiled. ¡°I never knew you were the religious kind.¡±

    Well, I wasn¡¯t. But that didn¡¯t mean I was an atheist.

    ¡°So, where are we headed?¡± Undine asked when I began walking the path through the forest.

    ¡°I¡¯m following the rest of Devil¡¯s Path until I reach Salvesteer.¡± I showed her on the map.

    ¡°Hmm¡­These areas are said to be very cold during the winter so do be careful when camping out at night.¡± Undine stood up.

    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not staying?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t remain manifested for long. Although you cannot feel it right now, I am still using your spirit energy to stay manifested. Your vessel is large so I can only maintain my form for half a day at a time.¡±

    ¡°That explains why you¡¯re always in your spirit form most of the time. Even manifesting wastes my power.¡±

    I activated Spirit Sense and saw the large amount of spirits circling around Undine. It was so thick that I had to shut my eyes from the blue lights alone.

    ¡°I will only come out when there is trouble, okay? Although it¡¯s not necessary since there shouldn¡¯t be a lot of monsters that can threaten you.¡±

    We came to a river. Undine lifted her hands which made the water rise as well. A clear path opened up for us.

    ¡°You¡¯re not even breaking a sweat. I can¡¯t even do half of what you¡¯re doing.¡± I grumbled.

    My water magic was one of the only two elements which I was good at and yet I couldn¡¯t hold a candle to Undine.

    ¡°I am the Elemental Monarch of Water after all. Isn¡¯t it obvious that this should be something I¡¯m better at than my king?¡± Undine puffed out her large chest in pride. There was a confident smirk on her face.

    Undine wandered off a few minutes later which left me to walk the path alone. I wasn¡¯t much of an adventurous person so it was a first going on such a long journey.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Two days had already passed. This journey was expected to last at least less than two weeks.

    ¡®Maybe I should set up camp near a lake.¡¯

    That way I didn¡¯t have to travel very far for water. Besides, I wanted to hunt for some food as well. Since I was going to be on foot most of the time, I had to hunt my own food.

    I kept my dimensional storage ring empty so it was perfect for storing meat and other foods.

    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s snowing?¡± Snow began falling from the sky. By nighttime the forest would be covered in it.

    ¡ó

    -Master, I found a lake.

    I heard Undine¡¯s voice as I slid down a steep cliff. It felt like she was nearby.

    ¡®Where?¡¯

    -Just follow my essence.

    ¡®Wait, I can track using the spirits? I wish I knew that earlier.¡¯

    -We are connected by spirits so it works either way.

    ¡®How long is the range?¡¯

    -Approximately a hundred kilometers. This is why I couldn¡¯t track you when you were on that other side of the continent. I had to use the footprint that the spirits leave behind when they disappear.

    ¡®Oh, right.¡¯

    I just remembered that Undine didn¡¯t answer to my calls back the  anymore. I was partly worried that she broke the spirit contract we had. If I lost her then that was equal to losing an entire army¡¯s worth of people.

    I used Spirit Sense to follow her essence. It was ginormous so it wasn¡¯t hard finding her. The huge wall of blue mana was coming from a clearing in the forest.

    ¡°I think I hear water¡­¡± I could faintly hear the waves of the lake. The wind was blowing stronger than usual so the surface of the water must¡¯ve been disturbed.

    ¡®There she is.¡¯

    I could see Undine sitting by the lake. It looked like she was sleeping since her eyes were closed. Do spirits even need sleep?

    Her head turned in my direction.

    ¡°We must hurry with setting up the tent, otherwise you will freeze.¡±

    I took off my backpack and pulled down my robe¡¯s hoodie. After opening up the bag, I took out the expandable tent. It was a small piece of cloth when folded but a full-sized one person tent when opened.

    ¡°How far along are we now¡­¡± I said and took out the map. I looked for a lake symbol on the map. ¡°Here it is.¡±

    Undine looked over my shoulder ¡°It seems that we¡¯ll be in Salvesteer in about four days. If we¡¯re talking about walking.¡±

    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to be chased by a dragon.¡± I shivered at the thought of it.

    The Draconic Kingdom and the Holy Kingdom were very close to one another. So much so that they were right next to each other. Colchis laid west from here so I needed to head northeast to reach the Holy Kingdom. It was a straight walk if I choose to take the forest instead of taking the Devil¡¯s Path highway.

    As the Draconic Kingdom wasn¡¯t far from these mountains, dragons were commonly found here. They wouldn¡¯t bother you unless you were to invade their territory. Like the sky.

    Plus,¡¶ Flight¡· didn¡¯t gave a way to increase the amount of speed you fly at. It already wasted a large amount of mana every second. Imagine the spell if it were modified.

    Even I would struggle to maintain it for long.

    ¡°Seem like walking is the only way.¡± Undine said with a wry smile. ¡°We have to worry about what¡¯s lurking below as well since this is a place you haven¡¯t been to yet.¡±

    I nodded my head in agreement. Although I was an A rank adventurer in name, that didn¡¯t mean I had lots of experience. I only knew a bit about monsters from reading my mother¡¯s monster encyclopedia.

    ¡°It¡¯s getting really chilly. I need to hurry it up and find some monsters to eat.¡± I took out my wand from the side pocket of the backpack. I left Redheart at home since it would be extra luggage to carry. Plus, I couldn¡¯t just walk around with it all the time. I had to be battle ready when the time arose for it.

    That was why a wand was the perfect item for that. I bought about four since they were expandable items that broke after a few spells anyway. I was terrible at holding back so a wand was my best bet.

    ¡°You¡¯re hunting?¡± Undine asked while nibbling on one of the snacks I brought.

    ¡°Yeah. I figured that it is better to hunt my own food than bring some on the trip.¡± I stood up and tightened the strap on my robe. ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m staying around for a while to scout the area before going back. There are some monsters that attack people during the night. Like Creepers.¡± She dusted off her hands. ¡°Anyway, I will see master tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    She headed back to the forest. The spirits gathered around her and followed her. The blue light disappeared between the thick forest trees.

    I suspired deeply. Cold air came out of my mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯m almost there, big sis.¡± I cast a barrier around my camp so intruders couldn¡¯t steal my stuff.

    After that was done, I headed for the lake. The moon was full tonight so its light shined on the surface of the lake. It created an ethereal glow since it was combined with the natural mana in the air.

    It was a refreshing feeling seeing nature like this.

    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s do this.¡±

    I flicked my wand and chanted a spell. A green light beam came out of the manifested magic circle.

    I pushed the light over the water using wind magic. It drifted slowly.

    After casting ¡¶Flight¡· I slowly lifted myself and ascended above the lake. A disturbance in the water happened in that moment.

    ¡®It¡¯s working.¡¯ I could see a large shadow coming from down below. Since the moon was right above me, I could see fairly well.

    I used the surrounding water to make ice spears so I could attack the monster. The second the water surface broke, I threw all ten spears at once.

    !!!!!

    ¡°Damn. That¡¯s loud.¡±

    The giant monster fish screamed in pain when the spears hit their mark. Its entire body remained floating on the surface. I landed on it and inspected the flesh.

    ¡°Hmm¡­I hope I didn¡¯t break its core too.¡± I had at least five gold on me but that wouldn¡¯t last so I had to find a way to secure some funds. A core from a C rank monster wouldn¡¯t be a lot but it¡¯d be enough for food and stuff.

    I infused mana into its body and tried to locate the core.

    ¡°Thank goodness.¡± A spear barely missed the small black core. I used Mana Bending to pull the core out of its body. Since the thin film of mana that usually protects a monster or person¡¯s core was gone, I could pull it out easily.

    A popping sound came from the hole when I pulled it out with my mana.

    ¡°Haa¡­¡± I sighed in disappointment. It wasn¡¯t that big even though the monster was C rank.

    ¡°Maybe I should take on a dragon after all.¡± A dragon¡¯s entire body was literally a treasure trove. As with the Red Dragon, a dragon¡¯s scales could be used for armor and the teeth and claws for weapons.

    I chuckled at my stupid thought. ¡°There¡¯s that arrogance again. There¡¯s no way I can take on a dragon on my own. Just because I¡¯m strong doesn¡¯t mean there isn¡¯t someone or something stronger than me.¡±

    Undine might be able to help but I quickly stopped myself from asking her.

    ¡®Maybe I should train when I get the chance.¡¯ I haven¡¯t checked how far I had gone from the me from two years ago. Surely, I was able to grow somewhat, right?

    !!!

    ¡°Hm?¡± When I was about to pull the fish to the shore using water magic, I heard a scream. It was coming from the direction of the forest.

    ¡°That¡¯s odd. Who would randomly walk in a forest like this?¡± I left the monster and flew to the shore.

    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s nothing¡­¡¯

    You ignored the ones who died even though you had the power to protect them.

    When I was about to turn around in an attempt to ignore whatever or whoever it was, I remembered Yeltena¡¯s words.

    So many people died. Yet I had the power to save them.

    ¡°¡­.¡± I silently took out my wand and went into a battle stance.

    Thump, thump.

    My heartbeat increased rapidly. My legs trembled even though I steeled my will.

    ¡°Come on!!¡±

    The moment after I shouted, I heard the combined loud cry of a bird and a beast. A large brown monster appeared out of the forest.

    ¡°HELP!!¡±

 Chapter 116: Travel Companion

    The shout of a woman reached my ears. The monster chasing the woman was a large adult owlbear. It was an A rank monster that was classified as one of the most aggressive creatures in this world.

    They were one of the hardest A rank monsters to take on. To be able to beat them, you had to at least have a party of four A rankers. The party had to be balanced as well so it must have: a tanker, mage, attacker, priest.

    ¡®Huh? Where is she going?¡¯

    I thought she could see me but I noticed there was a bandage over her eyes. She was running in the direction of the lake.

    ¡°Over here!!¡± I shouted and chanted a spell.

    The monster sensed my hostility and ran even faster.

    A purple flame manifested in front of my wand.

    ¡°Duck!!¡± She did as I said. I threw the spell with not a moment¡¯s delay.

    !!!!

    The spell exploded when it made contact with the monster. It roared even louder as it was cooked alive.

    ¡°Run! Hurry!¡±

    She ran past me and covered her head after crouching down. I chanted another spell. This time, I chanted Supernova. A blue orb of energy formed above the magic circle I summoned.

    ¡°Haaaah!!!¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    Just to be certain the owlbear died, I threw a few more spells in rapid succession. The monster was only a large pile of ashes when I was done. Only then did I turn my attention towards the young woman.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes.¡± She gasped for breath while holding her hand on her chest.

    She was a beautiful young woman wearing priest clothes. Although the design of the clothes were very different from the Kingdom. Her hair was the same color as Arielle¡¯s hair. Although far longer. There was a cross necklace around her neck.

    Her bandage fell off when she was about to stand up.

    ¡°Ah!!¡± She tried to catch it but it fell to the ground.

    ¡®Her eyes¡­.¡¯

    She managed to cover it but I caught a glimpse of her eyes. The skin around the eyes were covered in burn marks. Her pupils were complete white. The white of her eyes were completely red.

    ¡®She¡¯s blind, huh¡­¡¯

    Now I knew why she couldn¡¯t see where she was going.

    She quickly tied the bandage around her head and stood up.

    ¡°T-Thank you for saving me. I didn¡¯t know what I would¡¯ve done if not for your intervention.¡± She bowed respectfully. ¡°I-If you will excuse me¡­¡± She was about to turn around.

    ¡°Huh? You plan on walking through the forest alone?¡± I grabbed her shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t you have companions?¡±

    She shook her head. ¡°I have been alone ever since entering the forest.¡±

    I looked at her with narrowed eyes. Why didn¡¯t she have travelling supplies?

    ¡°How do you plan on protecting yourself if another monster chases you?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± She fidgeted with a blush on her face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you have scrolls? Priests always have backup spells to protect themselves, after all.¡±

    I noticed that Cliff also had spells on him when we adventured together. As priests weren¡¯t offense mages, they didn¡¯t have a means to protect themselves with their power, unless they learn magic. However, magic and divinity spells weren¡¯t the same.

    The latter was used for strictly healing. Erica was a different case since she could alter the nature of her mana far better than I could. She could cast normal spells despite having divinity. There was a limit to it but that in itself was amazing.

    ¡°Where are you off to?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Well¡­I need to go meet with my comrades in the city I¡¯m headed to. But I ended up using all my mana. I have no idea where I am. I¡¯ve been in this forest for a week now.¡± She blushed. ¡°I¡¯m so useless. I shouldn¡¯t have been so reckless with my expedition.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    ¡°Expedition?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I always travel around to heal the sick people I come across. Not many have access to medicine or have the money to hire a priest. That is why I go around villages once a month.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s kind of you. You do all that for free?¡±

    She nodded slowly.

    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why you don¡¯t have anything on you? It¡¯s weird how you¡¯re in a forest with nothing to eat or supplies to camp with.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡± She lowered her head. I could see her ears going red.

    ¡®This is dangerous. She¡¯s so cute.¡¯

    This was why it wasn¡¯t a good idea to help people for free. She didn¡¯t even charge them any money.

    I cleared my throat and grabbed her hand.

    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±

    ¡°Follow me.¡±

    ¡°B-But¡­¡±

    ¡°I won¡¯t do anything weird. I promise. Let¡¯s figure out a way to get you to your comrades.¡± I took her to my camp and made her sit down on a log. I made sure to put a blanket down first since there was snow everywhere on the ground.

    She did as I instructed without saying anything. After I was finished making a fire, I spoke to her.

    ¡°So, where is this meeting place?"

    ¡°Um¡­I think the city¡¯s name is¡­Salvesteer?¡±

    My eyes widened. ¡°No way. That¡¯s where I¡¯m headed to!¡±

    ¡°R-Really?¡± She asked in surprise.

    ¡°Yup. Hey, why don¡¯t we travel together?¡± I asked directly without beating around the bush.

    ¡°Eh? Won¡¯t I be a burden? I mean, I don¡¯t have anything to give you as payment.¡± Her mouth curled downwards as if she realized something. She hugged her body and moved away from me. ¡°Y-You want to request sexual favors as payment, don¡¯t you!?¡±

    I almost fell from the log I was sitting on.

    ¡°N-No! Of course not! I¡¯m just worried that something will happen!¡± I raised my hands in defense. ¡°I would never force myself on a woman!¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re a boy and I¡¯m a girl. We¡¯re all alone in this forest.¡± The woman stood up and retreated backwards. ¡°I can¡¯t do something like that! I¡¯m still pure¡­¡±

    I face-palmed myself.

    ¡°I just told you¡­sigh¡­Forget it. I can assure you I won¡¯t do anything. Okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡± She sat back down. ¡°I apologize for assuming such a thing.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m the one insisting on helping you so there¡¯s no need to be worried of payment.¡± I took out a pot from the backpack. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s your name? My name is Clyde Astley.¡±

    ¡°I am Lisette. I am an orphan so I do not have a surname.¡± She lowered her nun uniform¡¯s buttons slightly and fanned herself. ¡°By the way, you sound so young. How old are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fifteen.¡±

    ¡°Huh? How were you able to defeat that monster so easily? It was so big and strong. Are you from a royal family bloodline? They tend to have strong offspring.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha. I am actually a third year mage in training at Graponia Academy.

    ¡°Graponia¡­? You¡¯re from Colchis?¡± Lisette¡¯s tone of voice changed for a brief moment. It was monotonous compared to the cheerful voice she had been using all this time.

    ¡°Um¡­Yeah?¡±

    ¡°How is the kingdom doing?¡± She asked carefully.

    ¡°Fine, I guess. Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s just¡­I heard that the kingdom was devastated after the Divide.¡±

    ¡°I see. Well, we lost a vast majority of the royal army knights so we had no choice but to accept foreigners into the Knight Order. The economic losses were huge as well. The Magic Tower in the Grundur district lost most of its means of income so there was that as well.¡±

    Lisette lowered her head. ¡°And the White Order? Are they okay?¡±

    ¡°Three almost died from a falling meteor. They were knocked down by a guy named Sync. Luckily, no one was killed.¡±

    ¡°H-Huh? Sync?¡± Lisette reacted strongly to the mention of his name.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why are you so surprised?¡± My eyes narrowed.

    ¡°Ah¡­.err¡­¡± She fumbled over her words. ¡°The n-name sounded familiar.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ It¡¯s a unique name, huh?¡± I shrugged it off. ¡°Anyway, since we¡¯re travelling together, we need to move early in the morning so we can cover a long distance per day. I also need time to set up camp.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± She nodded seriously.

    ¡°Are you hungry? You¡¯ll have to eat these for the time being.¡± I handed her a bag of skewers I bought before boarding the train. ¡°I still have to get started on dinner.¡± I said and looked at the corpse floating on the surface of the lake.

    ¡°Is there any way I can help?¡±

    ¡°Can you peel potatoes so long?¡± I handed her four potatoes with a knife. ¡°I figured you¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± She smiled. ¡°I might not have eyesight, but I know my way around the kitchen.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great. Just be careful. That knife has a special effect on its blade so its sharper than average knives.¡± I stood up and took out the map. ¡°It seems there¡¯s a village on our way to Salvesteer. It¡¯s about ten kilometers northeast from here.¡±

    We had to go north to reach Salvesteer so the village was a little deviated from our path.

    ¡°We¡¯ll need to go buy supplies by tomorrow. I can rent us an inn as well.¡± I looked at the money I currently had.

    ¡®Gold is the third highest currency but will this be enough for our journey?¡¯

    I still had to book a carriage to the Holy Kingdom once I reached Salvesteer. Coachmen usually asked four silver up to a gold coin depending on the distance of your desired location.

    ¡°Ah! I have some money here. Although it¡¯s only one coin¡­¡± Miss Lisette took out a coin from her breast pocket. My eyes widened when I saw the type of coin it was.

    White gold.

    I took it out of her hands when she offered it. It was at least twenty-five gold coins with this. Minus the one gold since I needed to book a carriage.

    As with all the currency of this world: ten of the cheaper currency usually made up the total sum of the greater currency. For example: ten bronze made one silver and ten silver made a gold. It was different in other countries since our economies weren¡¯t the same.

    Some nations had higher currency prices than others.

    White gold was rare so it was extremely valuable. The coins were worth twenty times the value of one gold.

    ¡°A-A white coin? Where did you get this?¡±

    ¡°My friend gave it to me should I need it. Since this is a good a time as any, I figured it should be used now.¡± She smiled. ¡°Please take it.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to buy everything we need. And if you need anything, let me know.¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Lisette took the knife and carefully peeled the potato in her hand. I left her to her own devices and went towards the lake. After pulling up my sleeves, I used a water spell to bring the monster fish towards me.

    Thankfully, some stray monster didn¡¯t steal it. Although it would begin to rot immediately if I didn¡¯t do something to maintain the freshness.

    I pointed my hand at the corpse chanted an advanced class spell.

    A large amount of water froze the monster¡¯s entire body. After it was frozen solid, I moved it to the campsite using spatial magic.

    After getting it near the camp, I took out my knife and began cutting.

    ¡®Shit, this meat is hard to cut through.¡¯

    As expected from a monster that was born in this world. Nothing eventful happened after I finished the food. We only sat down in silence and ate. The night passed just like that before we went to bed.

 Chapter 117: Lisette

    We didn¡¯t speak much last night and headed straight for bed. She seemed exhausted so I didn¡¯t pursue the matter of why she was alone. After we ate, I set up the tent and went straight to bed.

    It was early morning the next day. Miss Lisette was a heavy sleeper so it was difficult waking her up. I took her to the river so she could wash up before me. Of course, I never peeked once. I may be a pervert but I wouldn¡¯t peek on  maiden cleansing herself.

    Anyway, since my tent was for a single person, it was pretty cramped while we were sleeping. I also had to lie on my right side all night which was a nightmare. Miss Lisette was sleeping behind my back, turned to the other side.

    ¡°Are you ready?¡± I gave Lisette a rope to hold on to so she didn¡¯t stray from our path.

    She nodded. ¡°Please lead the way, sir Clyde.¡±

    ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll be taking the main road so we can avoid the monsters in the forest. It¡¯ll be faster this way, however, it¡¯ll also be dangerous. We might run into bandits. If that happens, I want miss Lisette to stay by my side, okay? I won¡¯t be able to protect you if you run off.¡±

    ¡°Mm!¡±

    I smiled.

    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡ó¡ó¡ó

    Lisette and I walked the main highway. Thankfully, we were out of the forest for now. It continued past the town we were headed to now, though.

    ¡®I have to buy a bigger tent. She¡¯s not saying anything but I know she¡¯s uncomfortable.¡¯

    We were strangers who met just yesterday. Since I was the one who pushed that we should travel together, she must¡¯ve had no choice. She was between a rock and a hard place.

    Without a means to protect herself or a way to see, she was easy prey. For monsters and humans alike. Wouldn¡¯t the boy who killed a strong monster with one spell be the perfect partner to journey with?

    ¡°By the way, miss Lisette¡­¡± I spoke as we walked down a small hill.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t your divinity be restored by now? Usually, a priest only has to wait a few hours.¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡­No, in my case I cannot restore my power once it has been depleted. I have to undergo a special ritual to restore my powers.¡±

    ¡°You aren¡¯t used to divinity yet?¡±

    ¡°Yes. That is the simple explanation. I must go to my church to have my power restored using the special potion the leader always gives me.¡±

    She muttered something I couldn¡¯t hear: ¡°Although I was the only one who was successful, there are many limitations to this power¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡± I glanced back and looked at her.

    Silver hair, a priest uniform, bandaged eyes¡­.

    ¡®Why does she seem so familiar¡­? Am I mixing her up with someone else?¡¯

    I decided that it wasn¡¯t important since I couldn¡¯t remember what it was. I had a lot on my plate so I was bound to forget about a lot of things.

    ¡®Maybe it¡¯s nothing.¡¯

    After a few hours the snow blanketing the horizon had finally melted. The sun had been shining ever since early morning. The formation of the clouds hinted of even more snow.

    ¡°I can see the town from here. It¡¯s fairly large.¡± I stopped and told miss Lisette.

    ¡°Ah. We made it earlier than I thought we would.¡± Miss Lisette sighed in relief.

    ¡°You know¡­why not buy some new clothes for you?¡± I asked as I glanced at her uniform. It was torn in a lot of places.

    ¡°Does it look that bad?¡± She chuckled. ¡°I have been wearing it for weeks now. I¡¯m not really much of a shopper so anything I wear is fine as long as it covers my delicate areas.¡±

    ¡°Tell me something¡­how were you able to survive out in the forest for so long if you can¡¯t see?¡± I asked to ease my curiosity. For warriors, they could use their natural abilities to sense everything around them. The so-called sixth sense. Even a blind swordsman was still a dangerous opponent.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Have you heard of using mana to see?¡±

    ¡°Huh? That¡¯s a thing?¡±

    She giggled. ¡°Of course it is. Although, I cannot see the way normal humans can, I can use mana to feel my surroundings. It¡¯s a natural magic ability so I don¡¯t really need much mana. What I see is the spectrum of colors that make up rainbows. For body heat, it¡¯s orange and red. For mana, it¡¯s blue.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing. That¡¯s a very unique way of using mana.¡±

    We were actually the same. I could manipulate the mana in order to break down a spell until its molecular form and she could manipulate mana to sense her surroundings. Sure, she might not be able to see the way we do but the ability itself was amazing.

    ¡°I lost my mana defending myself with light spells to blind my targets. Since it wouldn¡¯t work on me anyway, I figured I should use it to my advantage.¡±

    After our little talk, we walked in silence down the main path. To our left, I could see adventurers coming back from the forest carrying monsters on wagons. Since the humanoids had green skin, it was goblins.

    Although adventuring was a spread out profession, few survived long enough to reach A or even S rank. It wasn¡¯t suited for everyone, however.

    I quickly grew bored of it after adventuring solo for a while. Without Miya, it didn¡¯t feel fun anymore. My rank at the guild was ranked A. I was pretty satisfied with that.

    ¡°Are you curious?¡± As I was having my own thoughts, miss Lisette spoke next to me. She pulled on the rope.

    ¡°Hm?¡± I slowed down after I felt her tugging the rope.

    ¡°About my eyes. How I lost my eyesight. The people I had travelled with have all asked the same thing.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d lie if I say I¡¯m not curious¡­¡± I said carefully. I decided not to ask because it was strange to ask such a question to a stranger.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be shy. We¡¯ll probably travel for about two more weeks so let¡¯s get to know each other, sir Clyde.¡± She smiled gently.

    ¡°R-Right¡­¡± I cleared my throat and continued walking. ¡°So how did it happen?¡±

    It started one morning when she was sweeping the floor in the church where she lived that it happened. Being an orphan, she had to work in order to survive.

    That was why she asked the church¡¯s sisters if they could take her in. She became an assistant nun at the age of ten. When it was discovered that she was able to use divine spells, they appointed her as an official priest.

    Anyway, that morning when she was sweeping the floors, a group of girls approached her. They were the other orphans who were taken in before her. They antagonized her for a deed she didn¡¯t do.

    She was continuously bullied by the same group of girls for years after that. When it was her 15<sup>th</sup> birthday, she underwent a ritual for teen girls working as priests and nuns. It was to test whether they were still pure.

    One of the girls from the group said that Lisette wasn¡¯t a virgin because she slept with a member of the choir of the church. The boy from the choir was the son of the head nun.

    Lisette was condemned for what she did. She was told that she¡¯ll be removed as an official priest and have to work as a servant all over again.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what went through my head when I gave my consent that night. I heard later that the boy set me up. He was part of their group.¡±

    Out of anger for what they did, Lisette confronted them. She hit the girl after gaining the courage to do so. Lisette was always told how soft and kind she was, so they were probably surprised by her actions.

    The girl¡¯s friends stopped Lisette and held her down. She was then brutally assaulted by the entire group. One of them poured acid onto her face.

    The acid damaged the area around her eyes and burned her pupils. It was on that day that she saw darkness.

    ¡°Can¡¯t elixirs help cure your injury?¡± I asked after she finished talking.

    She shook her head and bit her lip. ¡°I used one before with the money I saved up, but it was useless. Although my face healed, the area around my eyes and my eyes themselves didn¡¯t. The hardest thing about being a priest is not being able to heal my own body.¡±

    ¡®So all of this was done out of jealousy.¡¯

    I came to that conclusion after hearing her story. It wasn¡¯t very pleasant of a backstory but I could sympathize with her. All of that was done out of spite. My guess was that the girl who did it wanted a priest role as well but wasn¡¯t suited for divine spells like miss Lisette was.

    I went through bullying as well on earth. Although, it wasn¡¯t to the extend of hurting others. I forgot about those days since it didn¡¯t define who I was today. If someone bullied me here then I¡¯d just blow them away with a spell.

    ¡°It must¡¯ve been hard¡­¡± That was all I had to say. Nothing prepared me to deal with a situation where both I and the person going through the pain, could do nothing about.

    I saw Lisette smiled gently. ¡°You sound guilty. Don¡¯t be. I have adjusted to my life as it is. Anyway, how far until we reach the town, sir Clyde?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re nearing the town¡¯s gate.¡± I took out my adventurer badge. It would be awkward explaining that I was on a solo journey and some girl tagged along.

    We waited for a few minutes since the guards were busy talking amongst themselves. One of them returned to the gate and held out his hand.

    He was gesturing me to give my identification. If I were a merchant then a trade permit would be sufficient. However, since I had my adventurer license, I only had to show that.

    ¡°Hello. We are a party of two. My comrade here doesn¡¯t have a badge yet, so I am taking her to Salvesteer¡¯s Adventurer Guild.¡±

    I stuck with that. The guard nodded after seeing my badge.

    ¡°This is a small town so don¡¯t cause any trouble. And keep that young lady safe. Young women keep disappearing during the night.¡± The guard whispered.

    ¡°Huh? How frequently does this happen?¡± I whispered back.

    ¡°Well, three days ago, a young woman was found in the forest. She was a bar maid who was working in this town for a few years. When we found her, her stomach was completely blown up. It was like something burst out of her stomach.¡±

    I noticed that miss Lisette¡¯s shoulders jerked when she heard that.

    ¡®This could¡¯ve happened to her as well if I left her alone.¡¯

    It was the right thing to do after all.

    ¡°Thank you for the warning, mister. We¡¯ll keep an eye out.¡±

    I bade him farewell and paced through the gate.

    ¡®Maybe I shouldn¡¯t leave miss Lisette alone.¡¯

    I wanted to stroll the town. Although it was said to be small, I could tell that the population was huge. Probably in the thousands. There was even a clinic and school that we passed by. I wanted to take miss Lisette so she could rest at an inn.

    While she was at the inn, I would go out to gather more information.

    ¡°Let¡¯s look for an inn first.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

 Chapter 118: Mysterious Disappearances

    I noticed that, as miss Lisette and I were strolling, that the ratio of men to women was fairly large. Let¡¯s say ten to one.

    ¡®So this has happened a lot before.¡¯

    People had been disappearing all over uncle Henry¡¯s territory. George was probably leading knights from the Knight Order to get to the bottom of everything by now. Most likely, they¡¯d investigate the already abandoned villages before moving onto the villages that were marked as viable targets.

    If Hurge city was affected by this then the duke would lose the trust and connections he had built up all these years. That would prove how unsuited he was to be the lord of a city. He would also lose his wealth and vassals.

    Arielle, Eric and Kenia would most likely be the main targets of aggression for the duke¡¯s mistakes.

    ¡®The city is large so adventurers might be able to protect the people from whatever was causing all these disappearances.¡¯

    It was strangely similar to the Divide. Nearly half of the kingdom¡¯s people vanished and most never returned. Only, this time there wasn¡¯t a God rank spell that literally altered all forms of life. Zero¡¯s ¡¶Ra¡·couldn¡¯t have been the case this time.

    Then what?

    Ting¡­!

    ¡°Welcome, customers!¡±

    When miss Lisette and I entered a clothing shop, a cheerful voice greeted us. A catgirl wearing a frilly maid uniform appeared.

    ¡°Hi. I¡¯d like to know if I can get help picking out clothes for her?¡± I pointed at miss Lisette. She was silently standing behind me.

    ¡°Oh! Of course, meow! Please follow me, meow!¡± The catgirl took miss Lisette¡¯s hand.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right here, miss Lisette.¡±

    ¡°O-Okay.¡± She nodded and let go of the robe her other hand was holding.

    The two went to the ladies section of the store. They began picking out different kind of dresses. Of course, the catgirl had to describe the kind of clothes they were so miss Lisette could know whether she wanted to buy it.

    Meanwhile, I sat down on a nearby chair and took out the map. We were still travelling down the Devil¡¯s Path since it was a large area. Once we exited the mountains and forest then we¡¯d enter the land of Karn. Karn was a viscount family who ruled the land surrounding Salvesteer.

    The head was also the lord of the city.

    I was thinking of asking around that city if anyone had ever heard of the Astley household. The information guild might have some clue as to where my father¡¯s brother was.

    I didn¡¯t know what I¡¯d do if I found him. All that I wanted to do was find him before thinking of anything else.

    The more important question was if he and Annette actually came into contact with each other over these two decades.

    ¡°What do you think, meow?¡± The worker stood in front of me with miss Lisette.

    Miss Lisette was wearing a long blouse with shorts. She was also wearing sandals.

    It seemed to me that she thought the clothes were awkward because she kept squirming.

    ¡°It looks good but how does it feel, miss Lisette?¡±

    ¡°W-Well, isn¡¯t it kinda cold outside? Wearing something like this¡­¡± She tried to hide her legs by lowering the blouse.

    ¡°It¡¯s casual wear that you can put on when the sun gets too hot, meow! Why not take it now? Our prices are cheaper than most shops out there, meow!¡± The catgirl advertised shamelessly.

    ¡°As long as she likes it, I don¡¯t mind.¡± I took out two gold to show her that we had the money.

    ¡°I¡¯ll get more clothes right away, meow!¡± The girl pulled miss Lisette away. She was taken to the ladies section once again.

    I chuckled before looking at the map again. I marked the path we walked. I didn¡¯t know what this town¡¯s name was so I followed the path we had to take next. To go in the direction of Salvesteer, we had to take the west gate and cut through the forest. There was a mountain in that path which was probably a breeding spot for dragons.

    We had to take the route along the mountain.

    ¡®Shit. Travelling is hard.¡¯

    I had never gone on such a long journey before so I didn¡¯t know what one had to do. Making sure you¡¯re sticking to the critical path was common sense so I had no worries in that area. However, I didn¡¯t really know what we needed for the journey.

    What if something that even Undine couldn¡¯t handle attacked us? How would I call for help?

    ¡®Let¡¯s just hope nothing bad happens.¡¯

    Miss Lisette finished getting all the clothes she needed. Our next stop would be a market where I could buy vegetables. Sure, we had fish meat but eating that alone every day wasn¡¯t very healthy, you know?The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Lisette was wearing warm clothes under the cloak she threw over herself. She also threw the hood over her head and covered most of her face. That was to hide the bandages over her eyes. The two of us left the store after buying the necessary clothing that she needed.

    ¡ó

    ¡°Thanks for shopping with us!¡±

    I left the market carrying two bags filled with vegetables and bread. Miss Lisette was outside, sitting on a bench.

    It was around 4pm when I checked my pocket watch.

    ¡®We should look for an inn soon.¡¯

    I didn¡¯t want to keep her outside at night. We had to be inside by the time the lamp poles switch off.

    Miss Lisette seemed to have heard someone approach as she turned in my direction.

    ¡°Anyone look for trouble while I was inside?¡± I asked and handed her a skewer.

    ¡°Nope. Most believe that if they antagonize a priest then they¡¯d be cursed by the gods we worship. I¡¯m still wearing my cross to show that I¡¯m a priest.¡± She showed her cross to me.

    ¡°Huh? Really?¡±

    ¡°It sounds ridiculous but people still believe it. That¡¯s how I never ran into trouble with strangers even when I was alone.¡± She took the rope in her hand again when she stood up. ¡°Where to next ,sir Clyde?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll go look for an inn.¡± I said. We walked down the sidewalk with the bags in hand. Miss Lisette took the grocery bags while I carried my backpack.

    ¡°My skin feels rather sticky so that¡¯s a relief. Hehe¡­ Are inns expensive? I¡¯ve never stayed in one before.¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t?¡±

    ¡°Nope. I was in the church most of my life.¡± Miss Lisette seemed to be staring into an empty space despite being blind. Her expression was stoic and emotionless.

    ¡®Is she thinking of something?¡¯

    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s one.¡± I saw an inn standing over the street where a blacksmith was located at. ¡°Let¡¯s go book the rooms.¡±

    ¡°Mm.¡±

    The two of us crossed the street after waiting for the carriages to ride past.

    ¡®Should I buy more wands for myself?¡¯

    I had that trivial thought as we entered the inn. I only had two left. Due to me using advanced class spells all the time, the wands break apart after just three spells.

    ¡°Welcome!¡± The lady behind the reception greeted us. Looking at the place, it was probably mid-range. Nothing too fancy or too cheap.

    I could see a few adventurers sitting by the lounge and the bar. They nodded their heads at me when we made eye-contact.

    ¡®Is it because I¡¯m wearing the badge around my neck?¡¯ It was attached to a string. The guard told me to wear it to avoid suspicion when I leave the town.

    ¡°What can I do for you young ones? Are you experiencing the outside world together?¡± The woman had a teasing smile on her face.

    ¡°Ah, actually, we¡¯re not¡­you know.¡± I winked and pointed at miss Lisette.

    ¡°Oh, my. My apologies. Brother and older sister then?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re¡­just teammates in a party.¡± Miss Lisette spoke quietly.

    ¡°Hmm¡­I see. You two aren¡¯t the first boy and girl pair I¡¯ve seen in my life so I can¡¯t help but assume. Most of them only stay at this inn to mate like animals these days. You¡¯d be shocked at how old they usually are. What has happened to our youth¡­¡± The aunty shook her head and sighed.

    Miss Lisette turned red. ¡°I-I see.¡±

    I cleared my throat.

    ¡°Ah, right! What will it be? We offer meals, warm water for bathing and we have a bar. Although, I shut off the lights by midnight.¡± She pointed to the back where the adventurers were sitting.

    ¡°That sounds good for a day.¡± I said.

    ¡°However¡­¡± The woman looked uncomfortable as she spoke. ¡°All of the two bed rooms are taken by now. There¡¯s only one single bed room left.¡±

    ¡®You¡¯re kidding me¡­¡¯

    I looked at miss Lisette.

    ¡°I see. Well, is there a chance any other inn would have rooms for two people?¡±

    She shook her head.

    ¡°Unlikely, ever since people kept disappearing during the night, most of the people accepted the homeless into their houses. The inns do the same between midnight and 5 in the morning.¡±

    I sighed.

    ¡®I can¡¯t believe how shitty my luck is.¡¯

    ¡°Miss Lisette, you take the room. I¡¯ll¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll take it, ma¡¯am.¡± Miss Lisette interrupted me.

    ¡°Are you sure? I could always just use the tent outside the stables¡­.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no good! You¡¯re the one who has to fight most of the time. You need a warm bed to sleep on. If anything, I should be the one sleeping in a tent.¡± Miss Lisette spoke without giving me a chance to disagree.

    ¡°Oho. Very well, young miss. That¡¯ll be five copper for a night stay.¡± She took out a key from her apron pocket.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± I gave the money and took the key. ¡°Oh, right. What time does the pub close?¡±

    ¡°Hm? You want to go drinking? You look a little too young kid.¡± The woman narrowed her eyes.

    I smiled wryly. ¡°I¡¯m old enough to be in one. So?¡±

    ¡°The only pub we have closes at midnight as well.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, miss. Can you send breakfast up to our room tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Sure thing.¡±

    I bade her farewell and headed upstairs with miss Lisette. I could hear the loud snoring of the residents. There was only two floors so it wasn¡¯t hard to find our room after checking the number.

    ¡°Are you going out later?¡± Miss Lisette spoke after we came into the room. I lit a candle with a spell and used another spell to heat up the cold room.

    After putting down the bags, I sat on a chair. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m just going to ask a few things then I¡¯ll return.¡±

    Miss Lisette silently climbed into the bed. It was small but not too small. At least we could both fit on it.

    ¡°Stay safe. I¡¯ll be here.¡± She said nothing further and only pulled the blanket over her head.

    ¡®Is she bored?¡¯

    ¡°Miss Lisette.¡± I called out to her and rummaged in my backpack.

    ¡°Hm¡­?¡±

    ¡°Do you like books?¡± I pulled out a novel that I brought with me in case I got bored. It was a romance. Since Diane had so many books, I figured why not take one. Plus, she had a magic item that could read the book to you. It was fairly similar to audiobooks.

    ¡°I¡­do but I haven¡¯t read one in a long time.¡± She got up and leaned against the headrest.

    ¡°Well, then. Try this out.¡± I put the small magic item which was a hexagon magic crystal. I put the book in her other hand.

    ¡°What¡¯s this¡­?¡±

    ¡°That small crystal can mimic a person¡¯s voice and read the book to you. All you need to do is put it on a page. I forgot that I had this in my backpack. Please use it. We won¡¯t be getting to sleep any time soon, anyway. Plus, it must be boring if you don¡¯t have company.¡± It was only six in the evening.

    ¡°Ah¡­How does it work?¡± She tapped the crystal with her finger.

    I put my hand on hers, which was holding the crystal. She froze for a minute but she didn¡¯t pull away. After clasping my hand around it, I infused mana into it. It lit up and vibrated.

    ¡°All you need to do is put your mouth near the crystal and speak. It will mimic your voice using my mana and read the contents of the book to you. The amount of mana I infused should last about three hours.¡±

    ¡°Amazing. I never knew something like this existed.¡± She lifted the crystal and whispered. A moment later it shined brighter.

    ¡°All you need to do now is put the crystal on the page. I have other genres on the table next to you. If you¡¯re bored of romance then switch to those.¡±

    Miss Lisette didn¡¯t hear me since she was listening to the crystal read the book.

    I chuckled. She seemed so fascinated that I didn¡¯t interrupt her any further.

    I left the room a few minutes later.

    ¡°¡¶Barrier of Runic Protection¡·¡¶Protection Against Supernatural Spirits¡·¡¶Negate Negative Effects¡·¡±

    I cast three High Rank protection spells on the door of our room after exiting. With this, it would be hard to get in if you weren¡¯t at least a high rank mage. I decided to connect my mana to the spells I cast, because if one was destroyed then I''d immediately be notified of that.

    After pulling down my hood, I chanted a sound spell to erase my footsteps. The inn was quiet and dark. It seemed that the adventurers decided to go to the pub as well to continue their night.

    ¡®I wonder if I can find out more about these disappearances.¡¯

 Chapter 119: The Journey Continues

    I arrived at the rowdy pub a few minutes later. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the people inside had been there since this morning.

    There were barely any seats open.

    ¡°What are you doing here, kid? I¡¯m pretty sure I put up a sign that only allowed adults.¡± The bartender said as he cleaned a glass. I sat down on the barstool.

    I could feel a lot of gazes on my back.

    ¡°I¡¯m already 15 years old.¡±

    ¡°My apologies then.¡± He lowered his head. ¡°Trying out alcohol for the first time?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not why I¡¯m here, old man.¡± I pulled out a silver coin and slid it across the table. ¡°I¡¯m here for information.¡±

    ¡°Regarding?¡± He took it without batting an eye. It seemed to me that many people come to him whenever they look for information.

    ¡°The disappearances that have been happening lately. Surely some adventurers saw something strange and spoke about it in this bar?¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡± He closed his eyes. ¡°To the west of this town, inside a cave, strange noises have been heard.¡±

    ¡°Noises?¡±

    ¡°They are heard during the night or day. Only, they sound much closer at night. We oftentimes hear an echo from the mountains. Many say that they have found the nest of these creatures and managed to see what they look like.¡±

    I gulped hard. ¡°What¡­did they see?¡±

    ¡°A creature with a human form. However it had big beady eyes and a body charred with black skin.¡±

    Please¡­kill me¡­.

    ¡°!!¡± I nearly fell out of the chair when I had a flashback of that woman who begged me to kill her.

    ¡°You alright?¡±

    ¡°Y-Yes.¡±

    ¡®It can¡¯t be. Did those things escape? Fuck. I should¡¯ve destroyed the tower when we left that basement.¡¯

    I cursed at my own stupidity.

    ¡®Wait a second¡­those rods¡­If they could just freely move then why didn¡¯t they at that time?¡¯

    Were the rods a special object that restrained them from moving? That would explain why the woman asked us to kill her. Because she had no way of doing it herself.

    I remembered that Mr. S was the one who impaled them all with the rods, so they could suffer. Charlotte still had the book of the scientist in her possession so that was all that I knew.

    ¡°Please continue.¡± I took the juice he offered me.

    ¡°Alright. Some victims of the kidnappings have made it back, however, they are always too fearful to speak of what they saw. We have tried contacting priests from the Holy City, but alas¡­¡± The old man sat down and wiped his forehead. ¡°The rest of people who were found weren¡¯t so lucky. Sometimes there would be a large opening in their stomachs as if something clawed out of their bodies. All the women who went through that were dead.¡±

    ¡°Has no one called for authorities to come to the town to deal with this?¡±

    ¡°Kid, even the vice captain of the Knight Order came here. They found nothing even after a week.¡±

    ¡®George already came here, huh?¡¯

    ¡°Since they had no leads, they left to go to the next town over to the east.¡±

    ¡°Has Salvesteer been affected by all of this as well?¡±

    He shook his head.

    ¡°Can¡¯t say for sure. So far, only villages and towns have reported similar cases. My guess is that whoever or whatever is doing this isn¡¯t ballsy enough to enter a city. The adventurers are on alert of these occurrences so I doubt they¡¯d attack the city.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    If that was the case then we could rest assure that nothing would happen to miss Lisette. Once we left this town then we¡¯d be vulnerable to their attacks, though. We¡¯d only be safe once we reached the city.

    If the worst incident were to happen then I might have to ask Undine to scout for me. It was risky with miss Lisette around but that way I could be certain that we¡¯d be safe.

    ¡°Something bothering you, kid?¡± The old man probably noticed the troubled expression on my face.

    ¡°I¡¯m currently travelling with a young woman. I¡¯m kind of worried that I won¡¯t be able to protect her.¡±

    ¡°Hahaha!¡± The old man¡¯s hearty laughter turned all the attention of the customers to us. He stopped laughing after a while.

    ¡°You seem to be confident in your strength, hm? How old is this lady?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I had never asked her age before. She was more or less Brielle¡¯s age. ¡°She¡¯s about 22.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Occupation?¡±

    ¡°Err, Priest? Why are you asking that?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s a weird combination the two of you have for an adventurer party.¡± The old man smiled meaningfully. ¡°Leaving all offense to the mage is like asking to be killed. Looking at your badge, you seem to be an A ranker? That¡¯s impressive for someone your age.¡±

    His eyes were serious so I knew it was honest praise.

    ¡°As for your question ass to why I¡¯m asking, the ones who always get taken are the younger women. Say between 20 and 30 years old. Anyway, When are the two of you leaving?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving tomorrow, sir.¡±

    He rubbed his beard at my words.

    ¡°Travel early in the mornings and rest on open plains in the night. That way you are always on alert for any attacks.¡±

    ¡°So travellers have gone missing too and not just residents, huh?¡±

    He nodded his head.

    ¡°Let us hope it¡¯s only goblins going crazy with lust. Anyway, Salvesteer city¡¯s lord will dispatch soldiers in the next few days. Remember to stay off the highway unless you want to be suspected and hunted down. These days it doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re a child or an old person, if you¡¯re deemed as a suspicious individual then you¡¯ll be killed.¡±

    He muttered under his breath: ¡°Everyone has gotten paranoid over this whole issue about these black creatures of the night.¡±

    After his mutter, he poured himself a drink.

    ¡°Are bartenders allowed to drink while working?¡±

    He chuckled at my question. ¡°Kid, I own this bar. I have my own rules here.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m mistaken but you look a little like that vice captain who was here the other day.¡± The old man narrowed his eyes at me.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s my father. His name is George Astley.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s it. I¡¯m good at remembering faces so I was curious. Anyway, need anything else?¡±

    I shook my head. ¡°Thanks for giving me this information, old man. I¡¯ll ask around some more before I leave.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case then buy them some beers. That¡¯s all the payment they need.¡±

    I did as the old man said and bought a whole barrel of beer. I moved to the first table by the window next to the door and spoke with them. What they gave was nothing useful but the company was enough.

    I did the same when I moved to the other tables. Some of them gave some useful information on how to survive in the forest if you run out of food and water. Things like that. I didn¡¯t think it was a waste to sit a little longer.

    By the time I realized, the pub was quiet and empty. I was in the corner looking at the map after marking the hotspots for hunting they gave me. I rolled up the map and put it inside my pocket.

    After saying farewell to the old man, I left the bar.

    ¡ó

    ¡°Is she still awake?¡± I opened the door to our room after undoing the spells. The room was quiet and dark so miss Lisette seemed to be asleep.

    ¡°Haa¡­.¡± After taking off my clothes and slipping into my nightwear, I lit a candle.

    I hesitated to climb into bed. The room was small so there wasn¡¯t any room for a sleeping bag.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just do this.¡± It was too dark to see anything even with the candle light. I had to summon spirits to create light for me.

    ¡°Mm¡­¡± A moan startled me.

    ¡°Eek.¡± I noticed after climbing in the small bed that miss Lisette was turned towards me. Her back was against the wall and her pretty face was right in front of me.

    I could feel her hot breath on my face. It was slowly and steady.

    ¡°¡­.How did it go?¡± She spoke softly.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re still awake¡­¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t before but this creaky bed woke me up.¡± She chuckled.

    ¡°Sorry¡­.¡±

    ¡°So? Find anything?¡±

    ¡°I managed to find out a lot of things at the pub. I was partly worried about travelling without any experience so I learned a lot from the veterans in the pub. Besides that, there was nothing too major.¡±

    I didn¡¯t want to worry her with those stories of black creatures ripping the stomachs of young women apart. There was no evidence that suggested that those creatures were the same mutated humans in those ruins.

    ¡°That¡¯s good¡­that¡¯s good¡­¡± Miss Lisette yawned. ¡°You¡¯ll fall off if you lie like that. Scoot closer.¡±

    ¡°E-Err¡­¡± She put her arm around my back.

    ¡°There¡¯s no helping it, sir Clyde. It¡¯s only for tonight, anyway.¡±

    ¡°Y-Yeah¡­You¡¯re right.¡± I sighed softly before moving closer.

    Her body was so soft. A sweet smell drifted into my nose. I noticed that I moved a little down when I moved closer. My face was right in front of her chest.

    ¡°Mmm¡­.good night.¡± Miss Lisette said in a sleepy voice and yawned.

    ¡°Goodnight¡­¡±

    We fell asleep while feeling each other¡¯s warmth.

    ¡ó

    The next morning, miss Lisette and I finished our breakfast in one of the lounges. It wasn¡¯t anything fancy, just toast with eggs. There was a glass of orange juice with the meal. It was a lot for two copper. Maybe my standards on money were too high.

    Miss Lisette chose apple juice. We had normal conversations like what we¡¯d do during the vacation. She told me that she usually visited the houses of people in her neighbourhood and heal the people of any diseases or injuries they may have.

    Apparently, the church was located in the slums.

    ¡®It¡¯s weird how she¡¯s not a high priest yet. With her talents, the Pope would need her by his side.¡¯

    She could use her mana in such a unique way. She could also cast Mass Healing which already made her capable enough.

    Mass Healing meant that, depending on the priest¡¯s abilities, they could heal tens or hundreds of people at once. Miss Lisette told me that she can heal non-stop for an entire day. Most priests faint after using divinity more than five times.

    ¡®It¡¯s a shame about her eyesight¡­Wait, maybe I could¡­.¡¯

    While I was thinking that, miss Lisette took out the books and magic item I gave her last night.

    ¡°Thank you for sharing this wonderful item with me. I truly enjoyed the last story of Heathcliff and Simon¨¦.¡± She smiled and slid the books over to me.

    ¡°Actually, you can keep them.¡±

    ¡°Eh?¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t finish them all, right? Why not take it all?¡±

    ¡°B-But books are usually so expensive.¡± She hesitated and scratched her cheek.

    Just looking at her I could tell she was looking forward to reading them.

    ¡°I can always buy again when I get back to the kingdom. Take them, I insist. For the rest of the journey I¡¯ll infuse mana into the Audio Crystal.¡±

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± She took the things with a childish grin on her face.

    ¡°Well, well~¡± The inn lady came to get our plates. She grinned when she saw us. ¡°Why does the young lady look so happy? Did you two actually do it?¡±

    ¡°N-No! I¡¯m too old for him anyway¡­¡± Miss Lisette said with a small voice. Her face turned red when she realized what she said. ¡°I-I mean¡­¡±

    ¡°Gyahaha! You¡¯re just too adorable! My daughter is your age as well but she¡¯s far different from you. It¡¯s so refreshing having kids stay at my inn.¡± The inn lady whistled happily and took the plates.

    ¡°By the way, kid. Did you find out anything?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I heard that the vice captain of the Knight Order was here. But they left soon after.¡± I said.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. At least they respond to our cries. The damn pope never sends the Templars to help us townspeople. Apparently he only moves them when there are heretics around. Like the Immortal cult that was recently discovered.¡±

    ¡°Immortal Cult? This is my first time hearing of this.¡± I murmured.

    ¡°They are people who worship the man who could cast God Rank spells. They believe that if they worship him then they will get his protection.¡± Miss Lisette answered instead.

    ¡®Zero, you bastard. Look what you started.¡¯

    ¡°And who are the Templars?¡± I asked.

    ¡°They are the knights of the Holy Kingdom who are led by the paladins who protect the throne.¡±

    ¡°!?¡±

    ¡°Paladin Annette recently failed to catch the cult leader. They are still out there somewhere. Curse those wretched scoundrels. They¡¯re still killing innocent people for their beliefs.¡± The lady took our plates and left the table.

    ¡°Should we follow the same path as we decided upon, sir Clyde?¡± Miss Lisette spoke.

    ¡°Yes. For now, nothing seems out of the ordinary so we can follow the same route.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    We packed up our things before leaving the inn.

 Chapter 120: I Have To Be Ready

    The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out. The sun¡¯s rays melted the snow on the ground.

    No other sound could be heard besides the heavy breathing of two women and their grunts as a result of exerting themselves. Their sweat flew as they had a bout with their swords. Both strived to prove the other who was more mighty and skillful. It was an excellent exchange of pure swordsmanship. No aura, they only used their bodies to make and take blows.

    Their hair stuck to their faces, however, neither bothered to wipe the sticky sweat.

    ¡°Haaah!¡±

    Arielle dodged a slash from Celina¡¯s black sword. Her wyvern armor wasn¡¯t so lucky. There was a big cut on her chest when she retreated backwards.

    Celina wasn¡¯t any better. Her robe was already slashed in multiple places. Had it not been for her speed then Arielle would¡¯ve been able to land a solid hit.

    ¡°Haa¡­Haaa¡­.¡±

    Both Arielle and Celina were exhausted at this point. They had been fighting ever since this morning. It was currently noon.

    Rosetta had watched the two from the same spot as this morning. She was sitting on the stairs of her school building, observing their fight.

    ¡°As it stands, they have nothing left to learn from me. Each and ever thing I throw at them wasn¡¯t enough. These two are just incredible.¡±

    Rosette spoke to the disciple next to her. It was a girl who also recently came to the dojo. As with every newcomer, they had to take on the old newbie.

    Arielle was her opponent when she arrived at the dojo. And as expected, the girl was brutally beat down by Arielle. It had been months since then.

    ¡°Then¡­why aren¡¯t they leaving, miss Rosetta?¡± The girl, Emilene, asked timidly. She had brown hair, a short build and an average face.

    She came here hoping to learn the necessary skills to enroll into the Knight Order. Rosette wouldn¡¯t turn away a disciple so she let her join her dojo. That might¡¯ve been the case for all those who wished to train under her, however, it was another story if they could survive in this dojo.

    ¡°They are waiting for the so-called test that I always give my favorite disciples to test their power. What a bunch of crap. I never said that I have those kinds of tests. Whoever made that up should go die. If they want to be tested then they should go fight in a war as a vagabond or something.¡±

    ¡®Well¡­maybe I should give them one, after all¡­¡¯ Rosetta thought to herself as she watched Arielle and Celina fight.

    ¡°Emilene, go prepare the bathhouse.¡±

    ¡°M-Me? Wait, miss Rosetta, are you inviting them?¡± Emilene pointed at Arielle and Celina.

    ¡°I am. Do you want to join?¡±

    Emilene¡¯s face turned red.

    ¡®I-I¡¯m going to see miss Celina naked¡­Hehehe¡­¡¯

    ¡°Yes!¡± Emilene shouted excitedly. She ran with quick steps into the building.

    Rosetta chuckled.

    The reason she wanted to invite them was to bond with her disciples for once. All she ever does was tell them to do whatever she says. However, she had never gotten to know her disciples.

    Not anymore, to be specific.

    There was one girl who she regretted ever teaching the way of the sword.

    She was a unique weapon user. That meant that she had a certain style to her swordsmanship. It was something that fascinated Rosetta before. However, right now it terrified her.

    That girl took the wrong path in life.

    ¡®No, I shouldn¡¯t compare Arielle and Celina to her. She was just pure evil.¡¯

    Rosetta stood up and walked over to the maidens who were still fighting even though both were exhausted.

    Clap, clap.

    Rosetta¡¯s clap made them stop.

    ¡°How about we take a break, hm?¡± Rosetta smiled gently. ¡°Let¡¯s go have a talk inside.¡±

    ¡°Yes, master.¡±

    ¡°Whatever.¡±

    Arielle and Celina answered respectively.

    ¡ó¡ó

    Later that day.

    When they came into the bath, Rosetta spoke first. She looked at Arielle while she spoke.

    ¡°So, Arielle, are you virgin?¡±

    ¡°!!!¡± Arielle almost fell down when she was about to sit in the bath. ¡°What kind of question is that!?¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re not?¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡± Arielle¡¯s entire face turned red.

    Celina¡¯s eyes widened. She didn¡¯t know there was this side of Arielle.

    Emilene was also shocked and surprised.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­not¡­¡± Arielle¡¯s entire face reddened.

    ¡°Who¡¯s the guy that took it? He must be incredible to make you allow him to see you naked.¡±

    ¡°Would you stop speaking like that?¡± Arielle glared at Rosetta. She lowered herself in the water and sighed. ¡°His name is Clyde. We¡¯re childhood friends.¡±

    ¡°Oh, my. Your eyes look totally different than usual when you mentioned his name.¡± Rosetta teased.

    ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­.¡± Arielle reddened even further. It was the truth. Whenever she thought about him, her heart raced. She couldn¡¯t stop thinking about him. It was an everyday thing.

    Of course, she would get wet as well whenever she remembered the night the two of them shared.

    ¡°What¡¯s he like?¡± Celina asked after joining them in the bath.

    ¡°What do you care? I heard you¡¯re not even interested in dating.¡± Arielle harrumphed.

    ¡°Really? I never said that, so they must be assuming wrong. I just haven¡¯t met the one who can make my heart flutter like this Clyde can make yours. So? What¡¯s he like?¡±

    Both Emilene and Rosetta looked intently at Arielle, awaiting an answer. One would assume that the warm water was the reason Arielle¡¯s face was so red.

    ¡°He¡¯s¡­really kind. When he was little, he¡¯d comfort me whenever I was down.¡± Arielle spoke as the memories of the two of them flashed inside her mind.

    ¡°He always acts so mature and takes many responsibilities upon himself. He overreacts and overthinks in a lot of situations. As if he has to save the world or something. He¡¯s also very strong. I¡¯m not sure how much he¡¯s grown now but since he is so talented, he must be comparable to an elite mage already.¡±

    The other three silently looked at Arielle. She was like a maiden in love. Her eyes were in a daze as if she didn¡¯t see them anymore.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad he was my first¡­.¡± Arielle realized that she had spoken a little too much. ¡°A-Ahem¡­¡±

    ¡°How did you two meet, miss Arielle?¡± Emilene asked with sparkles in her eyes.

    ¡®I wish I met someone like him. He sounds so attractive.¡¯ She thought.

    ¡°We lived together when he came to our manor to be taught magic by a tutor. Our families are close so we¡¯ve pretty much known each other since we were kids. His family is a vassal to our household. I think his great-grandfather married one of the women in our family so that makes us cousins in a way.¡±

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried your children will have defects?¡± Emilene asked worriedly.

    ¡°Their relation is thin so it¡¯s unlikely.¡± Rosetta answered. ¡°Well, it depends if Arielle here wants children.¡±

    ¡°Children¡­? Hehe¡­he¡­he¡­¡± Arielle went into a daze again as she rubbed her belly.

    The three of them sighed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about something else. Shall we?¡± Rosetta steered the conversation towards another subject. ¡°Arielle. Celina.¡±

    The two who were called listened attentively.

    ¡°Do you want to experience your first real life battle with the skills you have learned at my institute?¡±

    ¡ó

    When evening came, it was time for dinner. As usual Arielle went to eat alone in her room so no one was surprised. Celina was the same, but she went to sit on the stairs at the back of the main building.

    She overlooked the crystal-clear lake that lay past the training grounds.

    Upon hearing the sound of someone approach, she turned her head around.

    ¡°Noria.¡± Rosetta appeared behind Celina.

    The latter¡¯s face twisted. ¡°Don¡¯t call me Noria, you hag.¡±

    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s your real name, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the name my scum parents gave me. Do you think I want to keep such a name?¡±

    ¡°Alright, fair enough.¡± Rosetta sat down next to her.

    ¡°So, Celina. When are you leaving?¡± Rosetta glanced at Celina with her head turned forward. ¡°If I remember correctly, you said there¡¯s someone you¡¯re looking for?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Why stay here when you can go look for the person right now?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­what if he ended up in the same situation as me? I want to be strong enough to protect him once I find him.¡± Celina clasped her hand on her chest.

    Rosetta smiled at her when she began showing her vulnerable side.

    ¡°Do you have any idea where to look?¡±

    Rosetta didn¡¯t ask who it was or why this person was so special. She only supported Celina¡¯s decision.

    ¡°I might head to the northern part of the continent.¡±

    ¡°That place is a hellhole, Celina. Do you seriously plan on risking your life? People die there every single day.¡± Rosetta said sternly. It was times like these when she had to act serious.

    ¡°I know but¡­ It¡¯s where you found me, right? That¡¯s the first place I must search.¡±

    ¡°True, however, what if the person you are looking for is dead?¡±

    Celina glared at Rosetta.

    The latter only shrugged.

    ¡°Are you telling me that your reason for going through such training with the sword was solely to find this person? Is that what your determination amounts to? Then what if that person is already dead, Noria?¡±

    ¡°That¡­.It couldn¡¯t¡­¡± Celina¨Cno¨CNoria couldn¡¯t answer. She struggled to even find the right words to retort.

    In all likelihood, that person was lying somewhere in a ditch, just waiting to die.

    Rosetta crossed her arms and said: ¡°The most likely place you¡¯d find them is in Habsburg.¡±

    ¡°Why there?¡±

    ¡°They are rescuing survivors on the battlefield. By rescuing these people, they can increase the overall military power by making those people join their royal army. Even a peasant can be dangerous with a weapon if trained properly. Plus, the tactics that the Dark Warrior God, Schwartz, uses can be fatal even if the units are made up of normal humans. If they are indeed there, then it¡¯s a high possibility that they would be in the army.¡±

    Schwartz wasn¡¯t just some mercenary who swore allegiance to the queen. He was a bandit leader who even made the royal army tremble from hearing of his strength alone. He rode a pitch black stallion and always wore black clothes. Even his armor, which was adamantium the strongest metal in this world, was tinted black.

    Thus, people started calling him the Dark Warrior God.

    He had talent related to war tactic and he had excellent military experience since he served as a soldier even before hitting puberty.

    ¡°Yes¡­Habsburg¡­I must head there then¡­¡± Noria made up her mind as a dazed look appeared on her face.

    ¡°When will you leave then?¡±

    ¡°¡­.May I complete my training first, master?¡±

    ¡®Oh? Now I¡¯m not a hag anymore?¡¯

    Rosetta was surprised by Noria¡¯s willingness to complete the training. That said, all that remained was one thing before they had their final test.

    But Rosetta decided to wait until she told them.

    ¡°Tomorrow, you may take the day off. The two of you have been training non-stop for two years now. I don¡¯t want you to dedicate your life to the sword. That is no life for a young adult.¡±

    Rosetta was contradicting herself with those words. Had she not lived by the sword all her life? She didn¡¯t even make time for a lover. Never experienced the joy of having her own child.

    Her life was only meaningful as long as her two arms had the strength to grasp a sword.

    Maybe that was why she wanted no one else to follow her lead.

    ¡°The Rusa Dynasty has many entertainment areas. Why not head to one of them and get yourself to a male prostitute?¡±

    ¡°Are you out of your mind, old woman!?¡± Celina almost threw her sword at Rosetta¡¯s sudden words.

    ¡°Whaaat~? Women can enjoy a man¡¯s body every now and then too~¡± Rosetta turned around with a teasing smile. She looked over her shoulder at Celina. Her smile had vanished. ¡°I suggest you enjoy your time with Arielle and the other disciples. My final test will not be for the faint-hearted.¡±

    She said what she wanted to and left.

    ..for the faint-hearted¡­.

    Those words echoed in Celina¡¯s head.

    ¡°Am I¡­ready for the ultimate test. To demonstrate how far I¡¯ve come?¡±

    She uttered to no one in particular. That said, no one could answer that question but herself even if they heard it.

    ¡°No¡­I have to be ready."