《Restarting Life In Another World》


 1 1.1 Start of an Adventure

    God:


    I created this world to be a happy place for people but there have been countless wars. People are suffering and everyone''s mind is filled with negative thoughts, what has this place become? Out of the countless worlds of mine, this green-blue planet was my hope but this was also a failed experiment at last.


    Hmm... This is unexpected, there shouldn''t be anyone dying in this part of the world at this time. Was there an unexpected error in the system? Since the soul is no longer in the body it may be difficult to fix it by giving him some luck. Rewinding the world and doing changes sounds like too much work. Maybe I should just create a dummy soul and fill the body with that so that it can live a normal life and use this soul to create something great.


    This soul has no predictable future. I am going to send this soul to a different world and see how he writes his own destiny.


    Start of an Adventure:


    Well, I have to say this was an awful life. I am glad it came to an end quickly. I remember I woke up late and had coffee after which I went for a job interview. I was returning home after that but when I was about to cross the road, a girl pushed me when the light was still red. I was crushed by the incoming car and I don''t remember anything after that. The only regret I have is that I couldn''t see her face properly.


    It sucks that I died without doing anything remarkable in my life after studying for all these years. But hey, at least I don''t have to struggle with all those job interviews anymore. I hope heaven or hell wherever I end up has better opportunities this damn stupid world. I can see a warm light that''s coming from the sky. After which I couldn''t see anything and my consciousness faded.


    I woke up in a white space. I can''t see anything except the white floor and white ceiling as far as I can see. There are no walls but one thing is for sure since this isn''t a hospital, I am probably dead.


    "Welcome to the afterlife you poor soul."


    A thin old man wearing a straw hat and glasses welcomed me. He was a thin tall man with a sharp look. He was wearing a suit and sitting in the table reading a book with great interest.


    "Where am I and who are you?"


    I looked around and everything was white, the only thing that I could see except that was this old man sitting at the table.


    "This is the place where people come after death and I am Bookman. I judge people based on their data."


    Without looking away from the book the old man replied.


    "So, now that I am here, are you going to send me to heaven or hell or somewhere?"


    ''Since I am already dead what''s the point of regretting about things at this point. It may be better to move on.''


    "You ask too many questions, here is the FAQ, read it."


    The old man gave me a paper while still keeping his eyes on the book. ''Looks like this culture has even reached here''. I took the paper and started reading it.


    "So this is where you recycle my soul and send me somewhere else huh?"


    After reading the paper I understood that there was neither heaven nor hell. They just recycle the soul and send it to one of the thousands of worlds created by God.


    "Yes, but there is a slight change. There was a programming error in the world you were up to recently and you are the bug. In this situation, we usually delete the bug but a god has volunteered to do some experiments with you."


    ''What does he mean I am the bug? I thought something good will happen in the afterlife but here I am suffering even after retirement. And what kind of crazy experiment is god going to do with me? I am not a lab rat, give me a break stupid Gods.''


    "Do I have a say in..."


    "Beep"


    "Looks like your allocated time is over. I have another appointment soon so I am moving you to the next section."


    My consciousness faded as soon as I heard the old man saying that.


    Then I woke up in a strange room which looked like a high school kid''s room. There was a bookshelf, a few toys, and dolls. There was a girl sitting at the table with reading light and I was laying in bed.


    "Hey.. you woke up. How are you feeling?"


    A beautiful girl around the age of 16 with long black hair, brown eyes wearing a high school uniform asked.


    "A bit dizzy. Where am I now? And who are you?" I asked looking at my hands.


    "Oh, this is my room. I am what the lower world people call God and I brought you here because there was something different about you."


    ''huh? what is this girl trying to say? I am extraordinary or something?'' First thing, I never imagined God would be like this. The second thing, my life was pretty boring and messed up in a lot of ways but I always thought I was ordinary.


    "You are god? And what is different about me?" I asked acting surprised.


    "Yeah, I appear in the different forms, usually in the form of your dying wish. Your death was unexpected even to me and your composition is odd. I think you were meant to go to a higher world than the one you were already in but you ended up there. Who could have thought an error with Zero probability of happening would happen. haha"


    ''I don''t get any of this.'' What does she mean to the higher and lower world? I heard there are a lot of worlds from that old man earlier but I don''t get anything.


    "I don''t understand what you are saying." I said in confusion


    "I knew you wouldn''t understand, this is all new to you. And you don''t need to understand everything right now silly. Now I am going to send you to a different world. I have given you a seed of divinity, grow it there. You will understand everything eventually."


    After the girl said this in an exciting tone. My consciousness faded and when I woke I was already in another world.


    And so after god''s crazy experiment a soul from earth was sent to a world filled with mystery, magic, and adventures.


    Next chapter: Reincarnation

 2 1.2 Reincarnation

    ''My head hurts. Where am I now?'' I can see light coming from the window. It''s warm and bright, it looks like I am in a house. The bed feels comfortable and warm and I can smell something like food. I tried to raise myself up but my body wouldn''t move. I barely managed to lift my hand and I heard someone speaking.


    "Oh my god, he survived, he woke up."


    A woman in her early thirties with brown hair and mature but beautiful face spoke. she was wearing a sweater and had a bowl of warm water in her hand. Hearing her speak a man came in.


    "Oh Martha, this is a Miracle."


    A man in his mid-thirties came in and looked at me. He caught my hand to check my temperature. He was wearing a sweater too and had short brown hair. He looked at my face and as if he knew the questions in my head he started answering them.


    "I found you in the forest, you were gravely injured so I brought you here. You had an injury in your head so I think you may not remember much. For a kid like you to survive such an injury, god really must have wanted you to survive. This is my house, I am the village chief so you don''t have to worry about anything. Just rest for now."


    I learned the woman was Matha and the man was Andrew. He was the village chief of the small village where I was in. He also ran an orphanage near his house.


    "Andrew, are you going to the farm now?"


    "Yes, there is a lot of work to do today. I will be back in the evening. We have got a good harvest this year. I think we will be able to sell the crops in the nearby town and buy some clothes for the orphanage kids."


    Andrew answered Martha. Since it was harvesting seasons things looked busy. Martha would have gone with him but since she had to look after me she couldn''t.


    "Okay, take care, and don''t forget to take breaks between work. I have prepared some food for the afternoon, take it with you."


    "Okay thank you, see you in the evening."


    After a week, I finally became able to speak and stand properly. I am still unable to walk properly but I can eat by myself and move around with holding on to the wall. I remember everything from my past life and how I met God but I have no idea how I ended up in this 15-year-old body. We spoke the same language but I was not able to read and write since the letters were different. The couple thinks that I have amnesia. I haven''t told them about my past life and all the memory of how I met god since that would make things odd.


    "Wh-What''s that?"


    I was surprised since there was a red glow coming out of Martha''s hand and the water that wasn''t even in the stove was boiling.


    "What? oh, this. I am boiling water using magic. Since boiling water with magic is faster and easier than using the stove, I use fire magic to do it sometimes."


    Martha said that as if it''s a completely natural thing while I am not sure how to respond.


    "Can everyone here use magic? This is my first time seeing magic being used."


    "That''s odd, almost everyone can use magic here. Andrew used holy magic to heal you when you were unconscious."


    I am still not sure how to react to all of this. It''s like what I used to see in fantasy animes back in my world.


    "Sorry, this is my first time seeing someone use magic."


    "Oh don''t worry about it too much. You are still recovering so focus on that for now." Martha responded looking at my worried face.


    "Okay, thank you for your hard work."


    After that conversation with Martha in the kitchen, I went to my room. I learned that this world has magic and it was used in day to day works. Andrew could use holy magic to heal wounds. He was the one who treated my wounds. I recovered fast thanks to his magic. Martha could use fire magic which she uses in the kitchen. There are magic appliances that run on magic that make works easier. Like magic heater and magic stove, you need to supply magic once every few hours to make them work. I am not totally sure how they work but I think I will slowly figure them out.


    After a month I was finally able to walk properly. This body of mine is a bit smaller and my face looks different. I have white hair and cyan colored eyes. I learned that I was wearing a locket with a strange pattern that had a name written in it "Nara yan". The couple assumed it was my name. This is the only clue to my past in this world. Since my current status is normal I will start living with other children at the orphanage soon. Andrew is going to take me to the orphanage where I will meet with other children. He thinks that it will help me in learning about society and making friends.


    "So, how are you feeling today?"


    "I am feeling fine. The headache is gone and I can walk and do almost everything normally. Thank you for all your help."


    When I woke up Martha came in with some tea. I thanked her for the tea and answered her.


    "That''s nice to hear. From today you will be staying at the orphanage so that you can study about society and make friends. There are 5 kids at our orphanage. All of them are of your age now but all of them grew up there since they were little. Since the last great war ended and Andrew became the chief we had no homeless children so they are the only ones left at the orphanage."


    "Great war? I haven''t heard anything about it, was it against the neighboring country?


    I don''t know anything about this world so I am not sure what happened. This sounds like an important part of history in this world so I asked her.


    "It was a really horrifying time. Some demons attacked the towns 10 years ago and killed many knights and civilians. The royal magic knights came and finally defeated the demon and There haven''t been any attacks since then and things have become peaceful again."


    ''The history of this country sounds interesting.'' I know this country is called The Fiore Kindom and is ruled by the Royal family and their faithful nobles. I think I should talk more about this later. For now, since it looks like the orphanage is going to be my new home, I am excited to meet the children there.


    "Thank you for all your help Martha. I will work hard." I said in an excited tone.


    "I know you will. I and Andrew are like parents to all those kinds and since you will be joining them ask us for anything you need help with. "


    Today I am going to go to the orphanage with Andrew. Since I hadn''t gone outside the house before this is my first time visiting outside. The village is called Calm village. There are around 2500 people living in this village and most of the houses are simple single floored and tin-roofed houses made of bricks. The orphanage is near Andrew''s house, just 10 minutes walk so Martha likes spending time there. Since this is my first time visiting there, Andrew took me there telling me various things about the village. There is a small market area nearby. Merchants and villagers buy and sell their products there so it is usually crowded. There is a knight station near the market area.


    Both humans and demihumans live here. Half of the population is demi-human which includes cat people, dog people, lizardmen, and other species. There is no discrimination between demi-humans and humans here but in the areas that are ruled by other nobles, there is huge discrimination against demihumans.


    "Let''s take some meat skewers for everyone."


    "Yes, it looks yummy."


    My sight fell on some meat skewers which was being sold in the nearby shop. I think Andrew noticed it and decided to buy it for everyone.


    Finally, we arrived at the orphanage and I saw a few kids standing in front of the door from far away. It was a house made of bricks like every other house. There was a well in front of the house and farming land was behind the orphanage. There was a small beautiful flower garden in the front of the orphanage.


    Next chapter: Orphanage

 3 1.3 Orphanage

    "Hello everyone, I am Nara Yan. You can call me Nara. I don''t remember much about my past but Andrew found me injured in the forest and treated me."


    "Hello, Nara and Andrew. I am Rose, why don''t we go inside and talk."


    I greeted everyone who was waiting for me outside the orphanage. The one who answered me was Miss Rose, a woman in her early 20s. Rose was a Miko from the temple who also lived in the orphanage to take care of children. The orphanage ran on the donation collected by the temple.


    Inside there were chairs around the table in which we sat. I sat between Ronald and Arica. Rose brought some warm drink that smelled like tea and we all started drinking it and eating meat skewers.


    "Thank you Rose. How was your day?" Andrew asked Rose while drinking his cup of tea in front of him.


    "It was good. I just returned after offering my prayers at the temple" Rose answered while pulling her chair and sitting on it.


    "Now, why don''t you all introduce yourself to Nara. He will be staying here from today so take care of him, okay."


    After Rose asked everyone to introduce themselves. Ronald started the introduction by introducing himself.


    "Hey Nara, I am Ronald. I am training to become a knight. If you need help with anything here, let me know."


    He was 16 years old which is not much different from my age here. He had a muscular body for someone who is just 16 years old. He had blue eyes blonde hair. Following Ronald a girl stood up she had cute dog ears and fluffy tail.


    "Hello, I am Arica. As you can see I am a Dog people. I am also training to become a Knight. I like cute boys so I think we will get along."


    Arica said wagging her tail and looking at me with playful eyes. She had cute black dog ears and fluffy tail. Her hair and eyes were also black.


    "Uh... I am Marina. I am training to become a magician. Nice to meet you."


    Following Arica, a cute girl with pink hair and tail and cute cat ears spoke. She looked nervous somehow. She is probably the type that is shy while meeting new people.


    "There is no need to be shy Marina. You should try to have more confidence in yourself."


    A human girl who is probably Nina according to the description Andrew gave me spoke to Marina. She then turned towards me and started speaking.


    "Hey Nara, I am Nina. I am also training to be a magician. I help with the orphanage works here. Since you are new here I can show you around the town when you are free"


    She was a human with beautiful purple eyes and long purple hair.


    "And finally I am Sistina you know. I am training to become a Magician too. I want to join the Royal knights someday, you know."


    A cute white-haired fox girl with a beautiful white tail spoke. She had a beautiful voice.


    They all looked like one big happy family. I was happy to be able to live among them. Ronald and I will be sharing the room since we both were guys. It was a small room with a window and two beds. Ronald used to keep the room clean. I didn''t have any clothes so Andrew gave me clothes that were donated to the orphanage.


    Since we were in our room after finishing tea. I decided to ask Ronald about various things related to the orphanage and this world.


    "Hey, Ronald, how do you usually spend your days here at the orphanage?"


    "Usually we help sister Rose with the work around the orphanage and temple. Sometimes Martha comes to help us with the work too. We also train ourselves in the open field behind the orphanage and study magic in the library since all of us want to join the Magic Knight academy which is in the city next year. The village library is free to use for us so we usually go there to study."


    ''Sounds nice, I think I should join them too.'' Since I am not sure if I will even be able to use magic I think I will take it slow and ask little my little.


    "Can all the people here use magic? How can you know what kind of magic you can use?"


    "Most of the people have the aptitude for at least one kind of magic. There are few who have the aptitude for 2 kinds of magic. The chance of having the aptitude for 2 kinds of magic is 1 among 100."


    "How many types of Magic are there?"


    I asked another question following Ronald''s answer to the first one. Magic is an important part of society here so everyone knows about it. But since I am new to this world I am unaware of these basic things.


    "There is 7 total but only six types are common. They are earth, fire, wind, water, darkness, and holy magic. There is Special magic but since it uses spirits instead of mana only elves from the elven kingdom can use it."


    "Ah, can you tell me more about the Magic knight academy and knights?"


    "Magic Knight academy is a place where young people are trained to become magicians and knights. Every year children who are 16 years or older can give the test to become a student at the academy and only a selected few are accepted. They train in the academy to become knights and magicians who protect the country from monsters and demons. There are various magic knight squads under many nobles. They serve the nobles and their lands and protect people there. There are royal magic knights which are under the direct command from the royal family. And the temple magic knights serve the temple and god."


    "Ah, sounds exciting. I think I will also train so that I can pass the Magic Knight academy test."


    "Yeah, let''s do our best."


    After the conversation with Ronald in our room and completing all the work for my stay here I went to the kitchen. It was already evening so Rose and Nina were preparing dinner.


    "Hey, Nara. If you are free can you help us with cooking? We are making rice-curry." Nina said when she saw me coming.


    "Yeah, I am free. What can I help you with?" I replied.


    After Nina called me I decided to join them at work. Since the ingredients were almost the same and Miss Rose explained things to me, I learned things quickly.


    After the table was ready we invited everyone else and we all had dinner together. It was my first meal with all these people but it felt like I am finally at home.


    "Nara if you are planning to learn magic I can help you with it."


    Sistina who was sitting next to me said while wagging her tail.


    "Yeah, but I can''t read and write so I think I would like to study that first."


    "Oh, I can teach you all about reading and writing. Just come to my room after dinner."


    Arica said while looking at me with seductive eyes. I am not sure what I will learn if I go there so better not get into this for now.


    "Um... how about we go to the library after lunch. We can study there"


    Marina made the suggestion while still looking shy. And it was decided that I will go to the library tomorrow with Sistina and Marina.


    Next Chapter: Learning Magic - Part 1

 4 1.4 Learning Magic - Part 1

    The next day we went to the village library. It was my first time visiting the place but it was quite small and had only a few hundred books. Most of the books had wooden covers and few of them were quite huge. Since I can''t read and write Sistina and Marina will be helping me with it. The language used here is called Fiore language based on the name of this country.


    Sistina has gone to collect the books that will help me with learning and Marina is showing me around the library. I am not sure why but every time our eyes meet Marina looks down towards the floor. With her cute cat ear and tail, this is probably the cutest thing I have ever seen.


    "Hey Nara, Marina, come here. Let''s sit on this table. I have brought some books that will help you learn how to read and write." Sistina said.


    Sistina brought some books with her and put them on the table. There were four rectangular tables with 4 chairs on each table. We were the only ones in the library since it was the harvesting season and everyone was busy. We sat on the table and Sistina selected a book from the ones she brought.


    "Let''s start with this one. This is about how different letters and words are spoken and written. Marina can you pronounce the words I point at. Nara, you can try copying the letters and words in these papers." Sistina said while holding a book in one of her hands and pointing towards the pile of paper.


    Marina passed me the inkpot with a quill that was on the next table.


    "Okay let''s start. This one is ''A'' and this is ''B''." Marina started pronouncing the letters.


    I understood that only the script that is used was different. The grammar is the same and the letter looked somewhat similar so I picked up quickly. If I practice more, I think I will be able to read properly soon. Being able to write is a totally different matter. It''s going to take me a while to be able to write properly.


    "That''s all for today. We will study more tomorrow." Marina said.


    "Yeah. Finally, it''s over. Sitting around without moving for a while makes you feel tired." Sistina replied.


    After Marina and Sistina agreed we were done for today, we put the books back on their place and came out of the library.


    "Okay, we are going to the temple to help Rose and Nina. See you in the evening." Sistina said waving her hand.


    "I will go to the field behind orphanage and see what Ronald and Arica are doing. See you in the evening." I replied waving back my hand.


    After saying bye to them I came to the training ground behind the orphanage where Ronald and Arica were training.


    "Hey there Nara. Did you come here to play with me?" Arica said.


    I really wanted to answer yes but since this is a story for people of all ages, I brushed it off. And replied with another question.


    "Are two of you training with Magic?" I asked.


    "Yes, since we want to join Magic Knight Academy next year, we are training for the entrance test." Ronald answered me.


    I knew Ronald was hard-working but I never thought Arica worked this hard too.


    "Hey Ronald, can you teach me how to use magic? I am not even sure if I am even able to use magic." I said to Ronald.


    "Ah.. okay. Do you know the kind of magic you have the aptitude for?" Ronald replied.


    "I am not sure. How do you find that out?" Since I was not sure, I asked again.


    "There are holy stones in the city temples which glows into different colors when you pass mana through it. You can find your aptitude based on the color. Since we don''t have any such stones in our temple, we use simple spells to see if it produces results." Ronald answered my question.


    Since I am not even sure what mana is, I don''t think it will work.


    "First you need to know what Mana is. If you close your eyes concentrate on your breathing you can feel something that you are breathing in along with the air." Arica answered the question in my mind.


    I tried doing as she said. I closed my eyes and started concentrating on my breathing. I could feel something that comes into my body with the air. I could feel it being absorbed in me. I could sense a small white glow coming out of my body even though my eyes were closed. It smelled somewhat like soil but different.


    "Yes, I can sense something glowing in me." I said while my eyes still closed


    "Woah... You learned to sense mana so quickly. It takes at least 6 months of training to be able to sense it." Arica said.


    ''Well, this part was easy but I am not sure what can I do with it.'' I opened my eyes and found Arica almost about to kiss me in my cheeks and stepped back in surprise. She made a face of a spoiled child who wants a toy that is displayed in a toy shop when she saw me step back. But she quickly moved on. I know she is just toying with me but this is not good for my virgin heart.


    "Okay, now the next part is converting raw mana into magical energy. For that, you need to visualize the magic and chant the words. Since I have an aptitude for fire magic, I just need to say ''Come forth fire'' and it appears." Arica said while demonstrating how it works.


    When Arica said ''come forth fire'' a small fireball appeared on her hand. It''s was the size of a ping pong ball but for the people like me from another world, this is probably the coolest thing.


    I decided to give it a try. I closed my eyes focused my mana into the hand and said ''come forth fire''. As soon as I said that I could feel something warm outside.


    "Stop! that''s too big,"


    "Stop!"


    As soon as I heard Arica and Ronald shouting, I opened my eyes to find out a big fireball of around a meter in diameter in front of me. I was scared at first since I thought I would get burned but later I realized that it was not burning me. I could feel the heat it was emitting but it was not burning my skin. I stopped concentrating the mana in my hand and it disappeared.


    Ronald and Arica breathed a sigh of relief when it disappeared.


    "You need to more careful with it. It may not burn you since it is your fire but it can burn everything else you know."


    Ronald started scolding me since things could have gone out of hand if I hadn''t stopped in time.


    "You have got a lot of power. Cute boys with a lot of potentials are really my type. You can see this is the biggest fireball I can create." Arica said while showing me a fireball that was as big as a soccer ball.


    "If you practice more, you will be able to do it without chanting like this. You need to be able to visualize it properly to do this." Arica said while making a fireball of the size she made the first time without chanting.


    "Now concentrate only a little amount of mana on your hands and try doing it." Ronald said.


    As Ronald said, I tried concentrating little mana and doing it. A small fireball which was as big as a cricket ball appeared. I didn''t use any chanting and only visualized it but it worked. The feeling is similar to when I created a big fireball but I need to concentrate a lot to maintain its size and prevent it from getting bigger.


    "Oh my, you are already able to use magic without chanting. I am not sure how far you can reach like this." Arica said.


    "I think I was just lucky this time." I replied.


    This is not just lip service. I honestly thought it was just me being lucky and I said the same thing to Arica. I pulled mana back from my hand and the fireball disappeared.


    "Since it looks like you have an aptitude for fire magic let''s move into another type of magic. You can train more on the types of magic that you have an aptitude for." Ronald said


    "Yeah, so which one is next?" I asked.


    "I can use wind and holy magic so I think we should try wind magic next. Arica has an aptitude for Fire and Dark magic so she can help you with those." Ronald replied.


    ''So, Ronald has Aptitude for Holy and wind Magic while Arica has an aptitude for Fire and Dark Magic.'' Since only one person among a hundred has an aptitude for 2 kinds of magic, they were quite lucky ones. But I am not surprised about this since they were the children of Knights and magicians who fought in the great war against demons.


    Next chapter: Learning Magic - part 2

 5 1.5 Learning Magic - part 2

    "You need to concentrate a little amount of mana in your hand and imagine a small tornado forming on your hand a say ''come forth wind''" Ronald said while demonstrating how it works.


    When Ronald said ''come forth wind'' and a small tornado appear in his hand. It looks as cool as the fireball that Arica created. I tried doing the same. I closed my eyes and tried putting almost the same amount of mana that I used while creating the fireball earlier. I opened my eyes and could see a small tornado that appeared in my hand. It wasn''t big enough to do any real damage but it was big enough to make Arika hold her skirt.


    "Oh my, it looks like you have an aptitude for wind magic too." Arica said.


    "Yes, looks like it. Lucky me." I responded to Arica who was holding her skirt.


    I am not sure how it works for others but this is quite easy for me. I just need to control the amount of mana and need to be careful not to use too much. Rest is just imagining the things based on what Ronald and Arica showed.


    "Okay now let''s see if you have an aptitude for dark magic. Since holy and dark magic is quite rare and hard to use, relatively fewer people have the aptitude for them." Ronald said.


    "What is dark magic useful for?" I asked since I was not sure what can it even be used for.


    Arica came forward and started explaining it.


    "Dark magic can be used to put curses and summon familiars. It can also be used for various purposes like making magic potions and stuff. I can teach you how to make love potion if you want."


    "Thanks for the offer but I am not sure if I even have an aptitude for it. Can you please show me how I can test if I have an aptitude for it?"


    "Oh yeah, we were doing aptitude test, right right. So, for this one, you need to put a green leaf on your hand and after passing little mana to your hand say ''come forth darkness''. If the green leaf turns dry you have the aptitude for it."


    Arica picked a leaf from the nearby bush and turned it into a dry leaf. It didn''t look cool as the earlier two so I don''t think I will be using it much but let''s test if I have an aptitude for it.


    I tried doing it as Arica said. Since I needed to focus on imagination I closed my eyes. When I opened my eyes it had worked and the leaf had already turned dry.


    "Very few people have an aptitude for 3 kinds of magic you know. It is considered quite rare." Arica said.


    "Ah, I had no idea." I replied.


    "Okay let''s see if you have the aptitude for holy magic." Ronald said


    Ronald took the dry leaf from Arica and said: "Oh God, grant me your blessing." As soon as he finished that greenish light fell on the dry leaf and it turned green.


    "This is how you use holy magic, give it a try." Ronald said looking at me.


    I used my dry leaf and tried doing what Ronald did and it worked. The leaf turned green.


    "Oh my god, it looks like you have an aptitude for 4 kinds of magic. It is very rare to see people with 4 aptitudes. I have heard a few Royal magicians have it but this is my first time seeing someone having it." Arica said.


    ''Looks like people with four aptitudes are special around.'' Well since I don''t even know how to use any of them I don''t think I should be too happy about it though.


    "Yeah, I guess I can learn more about these magics from you guys."


    Well, let''s not get too much into aptitudes and move on. Since it was already evening we decided to head back to the orphanage. I couldn''t test my aptitude for the earth and water magic because I needed to visualize it. Since both of them didn''t have the aptitude for those magic we decided to wait and test them tomorrow.


    When we reached home I decided to help Nina and Rose with the work again. After we finished preparing food we decided to call everyone for dinner. When we were about to start Arica told everyone that I have the aptitude for 4 kinds of magic and everyone looked at me with surprise. I felt a bit shy to see everyone look at me like that but I decided to use this opportunity to ask everyone about their magic aptitudes.


    "So hey Marina, what kind of magic do you have the aptitude for?" I asked Marina first.


    "Umm, I can use water, holy, and fire magic. I am not very good at attack magic but I can help with support and healing magic. I am also studying medicine." She replied while shyly looking at her plate.


    ''That sounds perfect for her since she is also planning to study magic at the Magic knight Academy. People with 3 aptitudes are quite rare so I think she has a good chance of getting into the Magic Knight Academy.''


    "I think it''s amazing that you can use three types of magic and supports roles are very important, you know," I told my honest thought and turned towards Nina to ask her.


    "And Nina, what are your aptitudes?" I asked.


    "I can use earth and water magic. Since I am also training to go to Magic Knight Academy, I need to work hard not to fall back because others are very talented." Nina replied.


    ''So, Nina has the aptitude for two types of magic. Since I haven''t tested if I have the aptitude for those magic, I now know who can help me in testing those. People with two aptitudes are also considered rare, 1 in a hundred. I think she also has a good chance of getting into the Academy.''


    "I think you will be able to get into the Academy without much problem. Having two aptitudes is also rare you know." I told my thoughts honestly.


    "And what about you Sistina?" I turned towards Sistina and asked her.


    "Oh, I can use water, fire, and dark magic. I have a bigger mana bank than normal people so I am still not good with controlling my magic." She replied


    ''Ah, so she can use the magic but it gets out of control. That sounds like a thing that she could work on. I think she will be able to use it fine if she practices. I mean, even I could do it easily last time. Though maintaining it is still hard.''


    "I think you will be able to use it properly soon if you train a bit. I have a bigger mana bank than normal too. It almost got out of hand when I tried using fire magic to test my aptitude." I said to Sistina.


    Sistina looked quite sad so I replied honestly. I saw her smile after hearing my reply. She looked very cute. Fox girls are the best.


    The only person remaining in the table was Miss Rose. So I turned towards her and asked her.


    "Miss Rose, what kind of magic do you have the aptitude for?"


    "Oh, I am nothing special. God has blessed me with holy magic and I am satisfied with it." Miss Rose replied.


    "No no, I think it''s great. Holy magic is indeed very special. Andrew saved my life with holy magic when he found me in the forest. I think it is a very special blessing."


    After Miss Rose answered my question I replied with my honest opinion about holy magic.


    After finishing the dinner, I helped Miss Rose in cleaning and went to the bed.


    The next day we went to the library in the morning after lunch. I tried practicing writing while Marina, Sistina, and Nina studied magic books. Since Martha was helping Miss Rose at the temple today, Nina was with us. After finishing studies at the library we all decided to go to the training field. Today, I will finally be able to test my aptitude for the remaining two types of magic.


    Next chapter: Learning Magic - Part 3

 6 1.6 Learning Magic - Part 3

    "Come forth water"


    Marina was teaching me how to test aptitude for water magic. when she said that water started pouring out of her hand.


    "Let me give it a try. ''Come forth water''." I said.


    I tried putting some mana in my hand and tried to do what Marina did earlier. It worked, the water started pouring out of my hand. Except Ronald and Arika who were practicing with the wooden swords, everyone else looked surprised. They probably think I am some freak of nature or something.


    "Nina, let''s test the final one, earth magic. Can you show me how it is done?"


    When I said that Nina stepped forward and chanted "Come forth earth".


    A small amount of sand appeared on her hand and started dropping on the ground.


    I visualized that and said "come forth sand" and it worked. I even have the aptitude for Earth magic. That means I have the aptitude for all six types of magic.


    "Who would have thought he could use all types of magic. I have never even heard of someone being able to do that." Ronald broke the silence of surprise after my final aptitude test.


    "Yeah, I think you will automatically be selected in Magic Knight Academy if you tell them this." Nina followed after Ronald.


    I don''t think I am that special though. I am not even sure how will I be able to use this. I am planning to study and practice magic alongside practicing reading and writing.


    "I am still not sure how to use magic so I still have to learn a lot." I replied honestly.


    "Yeah but at this rate, you will leave us in the dust. Your big sister will help you with learning magic so don''t worry." Arica said that leaning towards me.


    ''Too close! I can hear an alarm ringing somewhere in my body.''


    "Arica, where are your manners. You can''t do that." Sistina came forward to separate us.


    ''I am saved, I was not sure how long my virgin heart could handle that.''


    "Look at Sistina, being all jealous," Arica said while smiling widely.


    "Nyah, What do you mean I am being jealous? It''s just that Nara doesn''t like it when you do that." Sistina replied.


    "What do you mean? he obviously likes it. Right, Nara?" Arica said rubbing her cheeks on my shoulders.


    "Ah..um... It''s getting late why don''t we go home." I said


    Things were heating up so I directed this conversation somewhere else.


    "Yeah, you are right. Since Andrew and Martha will be joining us for dinner let''s head back." Nina said.


    After everyone was ready to head back we came to the orphanage. Since Andrew''s harvesting finished today we were having a feast.


    "Wash up and come to the dining room kids. We have prepared goat meat today. Martha and Andrew will be joining us for dinner." Miss Rose said.


    "Okay, we will be there soon." Ronald replied for us all.


    After that Ronald and I went to the well to wash up while the girls went to the bath area inside. We joined everyone in the dining room after finishing.


    Everything was already prepared so we just sat at the table and started eating.


    "So what do you think about this orphanage Nara?" Andrew asked.


    "It''s fun here, everyone is nice to me. I am studying reading and writing Fiore language and everyone is helping me learn magic." I answered Andrew honestly.


    I am really enjoying this life very much. I was a loner in my previous life so I had no idea how much fun staying with a bunch of people of your age would be.


    "That''s good. I knew you would like this place. Do you know the types of Magic that you have the aptitude for?" Andrew asked looking towards me.


    ''I know, I know. This is the part where they will be shocked after hearing that I have the aptitude for all 6 types of Magic.'' The same thing happened before so this is my second time seeing this reaction.


    "Well, I never expected that there would be anyone with the aptitude for 6 types of magic. You are very talented Nara." Martha made the comment breaking the silence.


    Well, they say talent is 99% hard work and 1% luck. Guess, that I am among that 1% people. I decided to reply honestly.


    "No no, I think I am just lucky." I replied honestly.


    "Look at him, being modest." Arica commented on my honest reply.


    After we finished talking about that part. Andrew talked about this year''s harvest. According to him, this year we have twice the amount of harvest we had last year. He said he will be going to the city next week to sell the crops. Since I wasn''t familiar with how things worked, I just listened to them.


    After finishing dinner, I helped with cleaning the table. Nina helped Miss Rose with the dishes. Andrew and Martha went to their home. We also went to our room to sleep. If I were in my previous world, I would be looking at social media or watching movies and anime. Since this world doesn''t have any of those, I need to get used to sleeping early.


    ----


    A week has passed after the feast. I can now read properly but am still struggling with the writing. Sistina, Nina, and Marina often come with me to the library. I have also started reading magic books. After finishing the studies at the library we go to the training ground. Ronald and Arica are almost always there. Today we did the same.


    "Hey, Nara. How was your morning?" Ronald said when he saw me coming.


    "It was good. I am getting better at writing." I replied Ronald


    Ronald was training with the sword again. He has remarkable sword skills for someone of his age. Everyone started their training.


    Nina had remarkable magic control while Marina was excellent at support magic. Sistina was still struggling with magic control but she is definitely improving.


    "So Nara, have you ever thought of becoming a knight? I can teach you a few sword moves if you are interested." Ronald said.


    "I haven''t really thought about it. I am planning to give the test for a magician. If you are willing to teach me, learning sword skills wouldn''t hurt." I replied.


    I think Ronald is looking for a partner to train with since it is hard to train with Arica. She is very good with the sword and magic but she is definitely not a good training partner.


    "So, the first thing you need to learn is how to hold the sword." Ronald said.


    I tried holding the wooden sword but my posture was incorrect so Ronald told me about the various sword holding postures. He said he will teach me how to swing the sword tomorrow. For today I needed to practice the sword holding postures and learn how to maintain it.


    "You are good with magic so I think you should train to become a magician. Being a knight is a hard job you know. Knights need to do hand to hand combat while magician does long-distance supporting. So I think becoming a magician is safer." Nina said that when she saw me training with the wooden sword.


    "Oh no, I am just practicing it. You never know when it can be useful. I still plan to be a magician." I honestly replied to Nina who looked worried.


    I could see Arica telling Marina and Sistina something in secret in the background. Marina had a red face so I hope it''s not that kind of secret.


    As usual, we went home in the evening after finishing the training. I helped with dinner and clean up after dinner. I told everyone good night and went to bed. I was very tired today, probably because of all the training so I fell asleep quickly.


    Next Chapter: Progress

 7 1.7 Progress

    Note: This part is not from Nara''s point of view. Nara''s Point of view will be back in when this part ends. The end will be denoted by ''###''


    Somewhere in the center of Fiore kingdom in a place called Dragon shrine:


    A large black dragon came flying towards a large cave in the mountain which is known as Dragon shrine. Inside there is a beautiful white dragon which was sleeping with its eyes closed. The black dragon landed inside the cave.


    "So, you sensed that too huh?"


    After taking a long breath out, the white dragon spoke while opening her eyes and raising itself up.


    "Yes, the six of us at dragon valley felt the presence too. Though it is faint, we cannot ignore this presence. The seed is back. The dragon god has reincarnated." The black dragon responded.


    "So, what do the other five think about it? Have any of them made any moves?"


    "Most of them are uncertain at this point since the presence is so small... Has it reacted?"


    The black dragon responded and asked a question looing towards the crystal at the center of the cave.


    "It hasn''t yet. I think it is still waiting for the seed to awaken. We have waited five thousand years so a little longer is nothing."


    The white dragon looked at the crystal too and responded.


    "Hmm... I will send one of my children who is well versed in human culture to the Royal capital to observe. The stars are not showing any sign so we still can''t be certain that it is who we think it is. It can be another trick from those Demons. Guard the crystal well."


    After saying that the black dragon flew out of the cave.


    ###


    It has been over a month since I started living in the orphanage. At this point, I am able to read and write the Fiore language. I have gotten better at magic control and can use magic that can be used in day to day life. That includes using wind magic to dry clothes, using holy magic to heal small cuts and wounds, using fire magic to warm meals, etc. Arica is teaching me some fire attack spells and I am also studying other various magic spells and their uses at the library.


    Currently, I am at the library with Marina and Nina. Sistina isn''t with us because she was training with her magic control which has become a lot better than it was before.


    "Hey Nina, do we have any books about special magic?" I asked Nina who was selecting books at the corner of the library.


    She knew about almost all the books in this library so she is the right person to ask such a question.


    "We only have a few since special magic is not seen much around these parts." Nina replied while looking towards me.


    "Can you bring me the ones we have? I am really curious to read about them." I said.


    "Okay, but I don''t think you will be able to find much about them except few mentions." She replied while taking out some books from the bookshelf.


    Nina brought some books to the table we were at and passed two of them to me. Marina was reading about some fire attack spells that Arica told her about in the next table. Her shyness is getting better but she still cannot concentrate well when we are on the same table.


    I learned that Special magic is also known as spirit magic. It takes a long time to learn so only species with a long lifespan like elves and dragonkin can learn it. It doesn''t have a specific effect like other magic so it is hard to master. The other details were about the writer''s opinion on these main points. Reading this book made me realize how novels with pointless nonsense became popular instead of good and creative stories back on Earth. I skipped those parts and finished the books quickly.


    After that, Nina and Marina went back to the orphanage. They told me that they had some work in the garden in front of the orphanage. And I decided to join others at the training field since I was learning fire attack Magic from Arica.


    "Hey Sistina, Arica. How was your morning?" I asked them since they were taking the break when we reached there.


    Ronald was training in the nearby woods, which is a perfect environment to practice combining wind magic with swordsmanship.


    "It was good. I can maintain my magic control for a bit longer now." Sistina answered me.


    She was covered in dust and had few scratches in her arm. I know she works hard but she overdoes things sometimes. I used my holy magic to heal her scratches.


    "It''s good to work hard but you need to be careful not to get yourself hurt, okay?" I said to Sistina while healing her.


    "Look at Nara, being a gentleman." Arica said smiling.


    But I don''t think it is anything more than me caring for a good friend so I ignored her comment.


    "Let''s get started Arica, I can properly use fireball now so I think I am ready to move to fire javelin." I said.


    "Yeah, It''s pretty easy to master that once you understand how fireball works. It has a longer range than fireball and is more useful in actual battle. Just see how I do it and try doing it." Arica replied.


    I can pretty much copy everything in the first try but I need to practice it to get used to the feeling and to visualize properly. I also need to learn to make a proper aim.


    After Arica''s demonstration, I tried doing it. The attack is in the form of three rod-like structures made from fire magic. It travels faster and is for hitting the exact target, unlike fireball which does damage in a larger area.


    I was able to copy it easily since this was comparatively easier than fireball which was harder to aim and control. I tested various aspects of the spell, like range and effect. By the time I was able to use it properly it was already evening and Ronald came back from the woods.


    "Hey Nara, picked up any new magic?" Nara asked.


    "Yeah, I learned fire javelin. It was easier to learn than fireball that I learned last week." I answered to Ronald.


    Since it was already getting late we decided to head back to Orphanage. Martha and Andrew will also join us today. Since they were the only ones at their house, they often liked coming to Orphanage and having dinner with us.


    When we got back, Martha, Miss Rose, and Nina were busy in the kitchen. Marina and Andrew were at the table waiting for us. As usual, Ronald and I went to the well to clean up while Arica and Sistina went to the bath area inside. After clean up, we all joined Marina and Andrew at the table. Nina finished up her work in the kitchen and joined us. Martha and Miss Rose brought the food to the table and joined us too so we started.


    "So, Nara are you going to apply for Magic Knight Academy next year?" Andrew asked.


    Since I am thinking about joining the academy with the rest of them, I said yes.


    "It will be lonely with all of you gone." Matha said that while looking sad.


    It really feels sad that we will be leaving this place next year. Especially since all of the people here are so kind.


    "Yeah, I don''t feel good, leaving Miss Rose alone here." Sistina said.


    Somehow the whole room looked sad and gloomy at this point.


    "You don''t have to worry about me. The main temple is sending my childhood friend here to help me so I think I will be fine. Plus, I am sure you kids will come back to this village once you become knights and Magicians." Miss Rose said cheering everyone up.


    "Let''s not get that far ahead, we haven''t even made into Magic Knight Academy yet."


    Nina was the one who brought the room to reality after sister rose spoke. Since I had heard Magic Knight exams were tough, it will be hard to pass them.


    "I am sure with all your skills, you all will pass so don''t worry too much." Andrew said after listening to Nina.


    I am not sure how magicians outside the village are and I am also not sure how things work outside so I remained silent. There is still a long time before the exams so I will just have to keep working hard with everyone else.


    After some more talk, we finished dinner. After the cleanup, Martha and Andrew went to their home and we all went to our room to sleep.


    Next chapter: Growing close

 8 1.8 Growing closer

    I could see a black-haired girl far away. Something inside me tells me to go closer. I have this urge to see her face. Something inside me is telling me that my unfulfilled wish, my long-awaited dream will come true if I see her face.


    "WAIT!"


    I shouted at the black-haired girl but she kept on moving as if she couldn''t even hear me. I tried to run towards her but the distance between us only grew larger. I couldn''t reach up to her and after a while, she was too far for me to see.


    "Nara, what''s wrong, what happened?"


    I opened my eyes and saw Sistina. I realized it was just a dream. I quickly let go of her hand that I was unconsciously holding.


    "I just hand a strange dream. Why are you here this early?"


    I asked rubbing my eyes with my hand.


    "Oh, you already forgot. You asked me to show you around the village, remember? The harvesting season is over so everyone is preparing for the festival."


    "Oh yeah, I remember that. Let me get up and get ready." I replied.


    "Okay, I will be waiting so get ready soon."


    After saying that Sistina left. Ronald isn''t here because he wakes up early and goes for the morning run, he always wants me to accompany him but I am too lazy to join.


    I got up and went to the inside bath area. I liked taking a bath in the morning while everyone else liked doing that in the evening. I heated the water using fire magic and started taking off my clothes. I was just about to wash myself up with the water when I heard someone come in.


    "I am in here so please wait until I finish."


    I shouted though it''s probably a cat or something. The bath area inside is big but the passage leading to the bath area is small and there is a curtain at the end of it. The curtain being closed indicates that someone is already in so others don''t enter. But it never hurts to be careful.


    "Oh it''s just your big sis, don''t worry about it."


    ''What! what do you mean there is nothing to be worried about?! There should be a limit, even if it is Arica.''


    "Wait, wait, wait. It''s not good for an unmarried guy and girl to take bath together."


    I tried to stop her but she started undressing in front of me so I faced the other way. After she finished undressing she wrapped a towel around herself.


    "Don''t worry about that, we are just taking a bath, there is nothing wrong with it. I will also wash your back for you."


    "No no. I am fine by myself."


    I said that and splashed the bowl of water on myself, grabbed my clothes, and got out putting them on in a hurry. ''God, I can''t handle fast girls. Neither could I do that in my past nor in this one. Guess some things never change.''


    After surviving this trial of god, I went to my room and got ready. I went to the dining table where Sistina was waiting. Nina was also there so I decided to greet her.


    "Good morning Nina. Did you have breakfast already?"


    "Nope, Sistina said she would wait for you so I decided to wait as well." Nina replied making the plates ready.


    "Ah, you guys could have just started without me if you were hungry." I said sitting on one of the chairs.


    "We weren''t much hungry. Plus it''s fun eating together." Nina replied serving the food on the plates.


    After this conversation with Nina, we started eating. The food we were eating is made using baken, egg, and bread.


    "Nina, did you make this. It''s yummy." Sistina made a comment.


    "Yeah, it''s really good." I followed Sistina. This is not just lip service, it really was good.


    "So, what will you guys be doing today." Nina asked


    "Oh, nothing much. I am just going to show Nara around the village." Sistina replied.


    The village wasn''t very big so you could visit almost everywhere in one day.


    "Ah, I am free today so can I come with you?" Nina asked.


    "Yeah, why not?" I replied to Nina.


    Somehow Sistina didn''t look very happy with my response. I just thought with more people it will be more fun.


    After we finished breakfast we headed out. We were passing through the market area when a large muscular middle-aged man with a bald head called us so we stopped by a shop that appears to be a blacksmith workshop.


    "Hey there Sistina. Good morning." The man said raising his hand.


    "Morning Jabal. Are you busy with work? Where''s Siri?" Sistina replied and we went closer to the shop. Looks like they know each other.


    "Siri is busy looking after our kid. He is a year old now and has started walking. Unlike others, my shop isn''t busy at this time of year so I don''t have much to do today." Jabal said.


    "I will have to visit your house sometime to see how much he has grown." Sistina replied.


    After this conversation with Sistina, he turned towards Nina and me.


    "So, who might this be? Don''t tell me you found a boyfriend already." Jabal said looking at me.


    Sistina''s face turned red and she started waving her hand to deny it.


    "No no. We are just friends. He recently started living in the orphanage. He doesn''t remember much about his past so he has been learning various things about life here. Nina and I are just showing him around the village."


    "Is that so? Don''t tell me, you are the boy whom Andrew and I found in the forest on our way back from the city." Jabal said looking closely.


    That sounds like me since Andrew found me in the forest on his way back from the city. ''But why is he looking at me with a shocked face?''


    "That sounds like me. I am Nara, nice to meet you."


    "Your injury was so bad that I didn''t think you would survive." He said with the sign of surprise in his face.


    "Yeah, thanks to god I survived but I don''t remember much about my past. I don''t know who am I or where I came from."


    I replied since the last thing I remember was meeting with the girl who called herself God.


    "Is that so? You look like a good kid, I am glad you survived."


    "Thank you very much."


    After he said that I thanked him. It looked like he really is a nice guy.


    "Nina, you are always so quiet around me. How are you doing lately?" Jabal turned towards Nina and asked her.


    "I am fine and I am not quiet, you just talk too much and don''t give others an opportunity to talk." Nina replied to Jabal.


    I don''t think that''s the only reason but I am not interested in learning why they don''t get along.


    "Sistina, let''s go, there is a whole village left to visit you know. if we keep on standing, we won''t cover all the places." Nina said.


    "Yeah, you are right, let''s get going." Sistina replied.


    After Sistina and Nina agreed we said our byes to Jabal and left. We visited various places like the vegetable market, the trading area, and the village inn.


    "That is our Knight station. We have 3 knights assigned to this village. They are not always enough for the job so some people help by working as a village guard." Nina said.


    Nina showed me a house that looked comparatively bigger and expensive-looking house than normal.


    Since there was no one outside the knight station we decided to move on and visit the temple. Temple was close to the orphanage but I hadn''t visited there yet because I was busy learning the basics of this world. Since it was the afternoon already, we decided to head towards the Temple. There were around 100 steps that we needed to climb to reach the temple.


    "So, this is our temple. The worshipping area is inside the temple building and there is a large plain outside where the festival will be organized." Nina explained.


    The gate to the temple looked like a traditional Japanse shrine gate while inside there was a large plain area surrounded by trees with a stone-paved path in the middle that went to the main temple.


    "It looks very beautiful."


    The words slipped from my mouth. It really looked very beautiful. We climbed the stairs and walked through the stone-paved path and reached the main building.


    "Let''s go inside the temple. I will tell you about the gods that we worship here." Sistina said.


    We went inside the temple''s main building. Marina, Ronald, and Marhta were helping Miss Rose with cleaning the temple.


    "Hello everyone. How are things going?"


    "Hello there. We are almost done."


    When we entered, I greeted everyone and Ronald was the one who answered.


    "Hello, Nara. I heard that Sistina was showing you around the village, did you like it?"


    "Yes, very much."


    I answered Martha who was mopping the floor.


    There were three big statues inside. They were made up of dark-colored stone. One of them had long beard and was holding a book in his hand. The other one looked more like a demon than god, she had big horns and long canine teeth coming out of his mouth. The last one was wearing a crown and looked like a king more than a god.


    "These are the three main gods that we worship. The one holding the book is Bram, the one with animal characteristics is Maha and the one who is in the middle with the crown is Bish." Sistina explained.


    ''So, they are the gods that they worship. They are different than the ones I met so I am not sure if they are just people''s imagination or do they really exist.''


    "We are almost done with the work inside. Can you guys help us with cleaning the leaves that fell from the trees outside.''


    "Okay, we are on it."


    After Miss Rose asked us to help with the cleanup, Sistina replied for all of us. Since we were done with the visiting various place for today, we can spend the rest of the afternoon helping here.


    Next Chapter: The Village Festival

 9 1.9 The Village Festival

    I woke up early with Ronald today because we still had some preparations to do for the evening. During the day we were having a fair, where the villagers from the village put stalls to sell various things in the plain area in front of the temple.


    "We still have to go to Andrew''s house and bring the candles to light in the evening. Ronald, can you go there and bring them?" Nina said.


    The tradition in this village was that on the evening of the festival, people from all the houses used to go to the temple and light the candles. Houses here used magic lights which run on mana but since it was the tradition was to use candle on this day, I decided not to question it.


    "Arica and Sistina can pick the flowers up from the garden, and the rest of us will finish the clean up at the kitchen." Nina added.


    Since we also needed garlands of flowers to worship gods, Nina asked Arica and Sistina to pick them up.


    This was the busiest time of the year for the temple and also the time where the largest amount of donation was collected. Andrew and other villagers will help at the temple while also managing the stalls.


    Making garlands took us all morning but since we planned to go to the event in the evening we still had the whole afternoon left. I decided to read the book I borrowed from the library about the geography of this world in the meantime. I was surprised to see how little of this world the maps cover. It was probably because people here don''t travel very much.


    The clothes Andrew brought for me from the city looked like yukata. It was blue colored with light-blue lining. From the fashion sense of earth, it looked strange but here it was expensive cloth for normal people and were only worn on special days and important events. I was wearing this today since the village festival was celebrated only once in a year so the casual clothing may make me look weird.


    Once I was ready I went to the dining hall. Marina was waiting there and when I saw her a word slipped my mouth, I subconsciously said "beautiful". She probably didn''t hear me properly so she tilted her head in confusion.


    ''God kill me now. My mission in this life is over, now I can die happily'', is what I thought when I saw her. It was not appropriate to stare at someone like this so I averted my gaze somewhere else. But the image was saved as an undeletable file in my head.


    She was wearing a light-yellow colored kimono with dark orange flower patterns in it. It suited her pink hair and cat ears so perfectly that she looked like a butterfly. Her beauty was out of this world when she had a look of confusion in her face.


    Looking confused she asked, "D-did I mess something up while dressing?" to which I was not sure how to reply. I had never come across this situation in my previous life so I had no idea how to compliment a lady.


    "No no, you look so beautiful that I was lost in thought for a while there."


    When I said that, I saw her cheeks turn red. I don''t know if it is normal for a guy to say that to a girl in such situation but this was just me saying my honest thought.


    When we were talking Arica showed up and asked, "ou... what about me? How do I look?"


    She was wearing red-colored kimono with many different colored flower-like patterns. Though it was not as cute as Marina, it had its own beauty in a different way. It matched very well with her black hair and her dog ears.


    "You look very beautiful too. The red color suits you well." I replied to which she smiled.


    Ronald showed up in his grey colored Yukata looked like mine. He looked 10 years older than his actual age but I didn''t point out that fact. Who knows, that may be a good look in this world.


    Sistina and Nina came together. Sistina was wearing black colored kimono with golden flower patterns which matched her hair and fox ears perfectly and Nina was wearing a light green dress that matched her purple hair perfectly.


    I said, "You two look very beautiful" and both of them smiled.


    "Okay, let''s go. It will get crowded if we are late" Nina said while looking at everyone.


    The place was already crowded when we reached there. The temple looked beautiful with all the bright lights. we went inside the temple and placed our garlands among the other and lighted the candles in the area which already had few candles. Miss Rose was busy instructing the visitors so we decided not to disturb her.


    "Let''s take a walk and see all the stalls now", Sistina said after we finished lighting all the candles that we had. We agreed to that and decided to go around looking at the different stalls.


    "Hey there, beautiful miss. Do you want to make a painting of yourself? I will do it for free for you" a main on one of the stalls called Marina.


    It looked like a stall where you can buy paintings. They could make someone''s painting but it was expensive to do so.


    She looked a little shy and confused about how to answer him. In a small voice she said, "Uh-um...thank you very much but sorry, I am not very comfortable doing it."


    Looks like the stallkeeper understood so he didn''t push the matter and we moved to others stalls.


    There were stalls selling children''s toys, magical appliances, and household things. We looked at different things that were on sale. We also visited the stalls that sold male and female clothes and makeup kits since girls wanted to go there.


    The only things I missed from my previous world was fireworks but sky lantern made of small stone that shined when you put magic into it made up for it. Married and unmarried couples used to make wishes and release them in the sky.


    We all brought a souvenir each by the money Andrew gave us. I brought a magic quill that could write without dipping it into ink, marina brought a stuffed bear, Nina brought a magic book, Arica brought a makeup kit, Sistina bought a bracelet that helped with magic control and Ronald bought a pair of black leather gloves. Since it was almost closing time, we got them cheap.


    After we finished checking the stalls we decided to go inside the temple where miss Rose was done for the day. We decided to return to the orphanage since we still haven''t had our dinner.


    On the way, we saw Andrew and other villagers who were busy closing the stalls so we said our byes to them and returned to the orphanage.


    Next chapter: A Demon


    Note: The picture of sky lantern is available at the Wikimedia Commons which is shared under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license by Visions of Domino. You can find it at the following link:


    https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Loi-Krathong-09907_(23409280742).jpg

 10 1.10 A demon

    It has been 9 months since I came to this world and my days here have been quite fun. They used to say, "time passes quickly when you are having fun" and I now know it really is true. In my previous life, everything was a competition and I didn''t even have time to take care of myself, let alone having fun with friends.


    Like when I was in school, I had to study a lot to get a good job in the future. And when I finished school and time to get a job came, everywhere I went for a job they said that they were looking for experienced people. Nobody even had time to look at the fresh starters like me.


    Compared to my previous life, I have friends in this one who work together with me. There are plenty of opportunities in this world and the most incredible thing is, this world has magic which makes lives here a lot easier. Maybe the problem with my previous life wasn''t lack of magic, I think it''s just that people had forgotten to care for each other. Well, who even had time for that, they were all busy in their rat race.


    For now, we were all having breakfast together. Nina and I usually cook in the morning since Miss Rose also has to work at the temple and we thought this will ease her burden. Miss Rose was here with us having breakfast too.


    "Nara, I am going to train in the forest today since you have learned all the basics of swordsmanship, will you join me?" Ronald who was done with his breakfast turned towards me and asked.


    I think it''s a good idea since I have mastered almost all the arts Ronald taught me. And it''s about time I learn to combine my sword art with magic. According to Ronald, training such arts in the forest is a much better idea than doing it in the usual training ground.


    Arica couldn''t train in the forest because she used fire magic and it may cause the forest fire if anything accidentally went out of hand. But since I can use water magic, I think using basic fire magic is not a problem for me.


    "Yeah, that''s a good idea. I can''t wait to learns the things you are going to teach me." I said eagerly.


    I turned towards girls who were almost done with breakfast and asked: "What will you guys be doing?"


    "Since Arica still has some preparations to do for the written test for Magic knight academy entrance exam. I will be helping her with that in the library" said Nina while looking towards Arica.


    Arica was good with practical skills but she was not good at answering written questions. That was not a big problem though since writing only covered around 10 percent of the total marking system for knights. The rest of the marks were given based on a practical test which differed every year. For magicians it was different, writing covered 30 percent of the total marks for magicians.


    "And what about you guys Marina?" I turned towards Marina and asked her.


    She still has difficulty talking confidently but she has gotten a lot better since the start. She is still not comfortable describing things in detail. But she has learned a few fire and water attack spells from Arica and Nina which will help her a lot during the test.


    "Am... Sistina and I will help Miss Rose today" She said while looking towards Sistina.


    Sistina understood so she followed after her and said, "since Miss Rose''s childhood friend Miss Lily will be arriving this afternoon, we have decided to help Miss Rose in finishing the work before that."


    "Thank you Sistina and Marina. You all are very good kids" Miss Rose said getting emotional.


    After having dinner Ronald and I were the first ones to leave so we said everyone our byes and left for the forest. The forest was a bit far so we had to walk for at least one hour to reach there. Since this world doesn''t have any specific time measuring system, this is just approximation.


    It was far and took a long time to get there so he started explaining how to combine mana with the sword on the way. We both had wooden swords since metal swords were expensive.


    "It doesn''t matter if you only have just a wooden sword because when you learn how to pass mana through it becomes harder and sharper than normal steel sword. You can even use magic attacks with your sword." He said holding the wooden sword with both his hand.


    He filled the wooden sword he had with mana and swung it towards the tree. A cut mark appeared on the tree. This magic looks very dangerous since it''s so hard to see it coming. I am more interested in learning how to defend against it than how to use this attack.


    "Since wind magicians can be tricky, you should be prepared for this. You can enhance your physical body by using mana cloak. You have to make a thick layer of raw mana like a cloak around you."


    Since raw mana couldn''t be seen and only be sensed, I couldn''t see what he did but tried doing it as he described. I am not sure if it worked or not but I am not planning to tell him to attack me with that magic to see if it worked. Since I was good with magic control, I think I will be able to maintain it for a while.


    We reached inside the forest which had trees with cuts mark all over them. I realized this may be the place where he usually trains.


    ''This place looks cool, like a training ground from some ninja movie.''


    "Now let''s train how to focus your nana into your sword. For this one, you need to treat your sword like a part of your body, you need to remember your sword is both your shield and weapon. Then pass the mana absorbed in your body from your hands to your sword and convert it into magical energy right before release."


    He demonstrated the cool attack he did earlier for which I was eager to learn the defense than the actual technique.


    "This is called air slash. It''s hard to master since you need to synchronize the mana conversion with the swing but the way you learn things, I think you will pick up quickly."


    I tried doing that but when I was trying to absorb mana from the environment, I sense something else, something dark.


    As soon as I sensed that, I turned towards Ronald and said, "I sense something, it feels as if it''s polluting the mana."


    As soon as I said that Ronald closed his eyes and tried to sense that too. Wind magic users are good at sensing things so he picked it up too, he said, "It feels like a demon, but there shouldn''t be any around this part."


    As soon as he said that I reflexively jumped towards Ronald. An attack that looked similar to air slash but was a lot bigger and dark in color passed right above us and chopped the tree behind us.


    "CURSE THOSE KNIGHTS!!! UHAAAAAA"


    A gorilla-like being from whose body a dark smoke-like thing was coming out came in front of us. It definitely wasn''t mana that was covering his body because it felt evil and natural mana was always invisible.


    "DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT"


    He started attacking us with the attack he used earlier. His aim was off but his range was large so we barely managed to dodge it. We ran away from there and hid in the bushes.


    "It looks like a lesser demon and it''s strange that one has appeared in this area. Usually, they appear in the forest on the other side of the town. This is my first time seeing one here in all these years" Ronald said looking more worried than surprised.


    "Can we fight it?" I asked since we had no way of scaping with the way it was chopping down the trees with every attack.


    "I don''t think we can fight it. Even trained knights can only fight lesser demons when they are being supported by a magician. Our best option is to distract the demon and make a run for it" He said looking at his wooden sword.


    It was true, there was no way two kids with wooden swords could beat a demon. But our options were limited at this point.


    "Okay, I have an idea. I am not sure if it will work but let''s give it a try" I said while peaking towards the demon from the bush.


    "Okay, what is it?" He asked looking towards me.


    "I will sneak towards the other side and when I give the signal you will attack the demon with air slash. It may not harm it but it will definitely distract it and at that moment I will attack the demon with fire javelin from behind. As soon as I do that we will make a run for it before the demon has time to recover." I told Ronald the plan to which he agreed.


    As planned I sneaked behind the demon and signaled to attack. Ronald came out of the bush and attacked the demon with air slash and ran towards the tree on the other side before the demon had an opportunity to attack towards that direction. As soon as the demon started attacking in the direction from where Ronald made an attack earlier. I stroked on demon using three fire javelin at the same time.


    I couldn''t use my full power because that would cause a forest fire but I was ready to use it as a last resort. The demon started blindly attacking everywhere when he was stabbed with the fire javelins. We made a run for it but I wasn''t very lucky, I was hit by one of the dark slashes and got thrown towards the tree.


    I was sure I was going to die if one of those hit me but I survived thanks to the Mana cloak Ronald taught me on the way here. I looked towards the demon which had stopped attacking. The fire javelins were still stabbed on it. After a few seconds, the demon disappeared leaving behind only the black mist.


    We breathed a sigh of relief. It was the most terrifying experience I have ever had since I came to this world. Right after we were able to breathe properly we decided to head back towards the village.


    Next Chapter: Back Home Alive

 11 1.11 Back Home Alive

    We were on our way back home after fighting a demon. It was a task even trained knights could only do when they were supported by magicians. Our clothes were torn and we looked dirty but both of us were not injured or hurt.


    We were almost about to reach the orphanage when Ronald stopped and turned towards me and started speaking.


    "Hey Nara, let''s talk about this... Do you think they will believe us when we say, ''we killed a lesser demon.'' They will probably think we are making things up."


    "I don''t think they will. The demon turned into black mist and disappeared so we have nothing to show as proof except the place where we fought against it. In fact, there is nothing there too except all the fallen trees and the scar of battle."


    I replied since there was nothing to prove that we were the ones who killed the lesser demon. We didn''t even have any weapon or armor so this was an impossible feat that we pulled off.


    "Okay, so let''s wait until we are just the member of the orphanage and think about what to do after we discuss it with Andrew."


    After Ronald said that and I agreed we started walking again.


    The forest was past the plain training field and farmland behind the orphanage and there weren''t any houses in the area so we could reach the orphanage without running into anyone.


    To our surprise, everyone including Andrew and Martha was there. When we went inside Martha came rushing and hugged us saying, "I was so worried". I was surprised to see everyone waiting for us.


    We went to the bathroom to clean up and after a warm relaxing bath we came out. Miss Rose had already prepared tea when we were bathing. We sat on the chair around the table. I could see a new face among us but everyone''s face said, ''introduction can wait for later''.


    Andrew broke the silence by saying, "We heard that a demon had escaped towards the forest you had gone for training. When the knights were fighting it this morning, one of them was heavily injured so they couldn''t pursue the demon. So, what exactly happened out there?"


    Ronald and I explained the things honestly, about how we defeated the demon. Everyone was shocked to hear what we did. It was an expected reaction considering what we pulled off.


    Andrew took a long breath and started speaking. He said, "If it was someone else telling me this, I would never believe them but since it is you guys, I believe you."


    "But, it will hard for you at the academy if things about you defeating a lesser demon are made public. Nobles will try to persuade you to join their factions. Remember, nobles may appear good in the front but most of them are ready to use people as pawns in their political struggle." He added with a serious look.


    I understood what he was trying to say. It was like politicians from back on earth who used to appear good during the time of election but after it''s over, they get back to their power struggle and misuse their authority.


    Ronald understood this too and said, "I understand, let''s keep this matter a secret among us. Since people will only find the fallen trees and scar of the battle in the forest, I don''t think anyone will know it was us."


    I nodded in agreement when Ronald finished saying this.


    After that conversation, Andrew went to the Knight station to talk about the thing that happened in the forest. He was not going to reveal it was us who defeated the demon but was only going to report what happened in that forest by making it look like he heard that from some travelers.


    And since we all agreed to keep this matter a secret, we moved on and introduced ourselves to Miss Lily.


    She was of the same age as Miss Rose and had a sweet voice. She was a bit taller than Miss Rose and had blonde hair and blue eyes. It looks like she is the type that is usually calm and responsible.


    Since everyone else was already done with the introduction before we came, it was just the two of us. It ended quickly and we all decided to have dinner together to welcome Miss Lily and also to celebrate our demon-slaying.


    Since we were tired because of all the mess, we didn''t participate in the cooking. This wasn''t really the case but Martha didn''t let us help by saying that we were tired and needed a break. Martha, Miss Rose, and Nina were in the kitchen while the rest of us were sitting at the table.


    Everyone else had a serious expression on their faces except Arica who said, "I can''t believe we have demon slayers in our house now... hehe."


    "I am still having a hard time believing you kids killed a demon." Miss Lily said looking towards us.


    Ronald looked towards his hand on the table and said, "Yeah, even I am surprised that fire javelin from Nara was powerful enough to kill a lesser demon."


    I didn''t use my full power there to prevent forest fire but I think this is not the time to reveal it. I just want this conversation to move into a different topic already.


    I turned towards Miss Lily and asked, "Were you working at the city temple up until now Miss Lily?"


    "Yes, I was apprentice Miko under head Miko there. Since the temple here needed someone and Rose was here, I decided to come here" Miss Lily replied.


    I don''t think many Mikos there will agree to come to a village so far away from the city like this one. And on top of that, she was also the apprentice of head Miko. She and Miss Rose must be really close friends.


    "If you were the apprentice of head Miko, wouldn''t it have been better to stay in the city and learn more from head Miko and succeed her someday." Looks like Sistina had the same question as me so she asked.


    "Unlike here in the villages, there is discrimination against demihumans in the city. Though the law of this country forbids it, the duke there doesn''t exercise the law properly. Also, we needed to prioritize nobles over everyone else in the city. I believe everyone is equal in the eyes of God so when I heard that they need a Miko here, I volunteered." Miss Rose replied looking a bit sad.


    She had a fair reason for not wanting to be in the city. I think this place will be perfect for kind people like her.


    "I heard that you all will be going to be city soon for magic knight academy entrance exam. You all need to be very careful. Even though the exam will be conducted under the king''s representative, the academy itself is a place that nobles use for the power struggle to increase their influence." Miss Lily gave us advice about how things worked at the academy.


    That was true but we were going together so if something like that happens, we will be there to take care of each other so I replied, "Yes, we will be careful about that and look after each other."


    I think Arica and Ronald will be fine and Nina will also probably be fine but I wasn''t totally sure about Sistina and Marina so we had to look after them.


    When Andrew came back the dinner was almost ready. We started having dinner during which we explained various things about the village and temple to Miss Lily and she looked really excited to start working here. After dinner, Martha and Andrew went to their home and everyone else went to their room to sleep.


    Next Chapter: Final Preparations

 12 1.12 Final Preparations

    It was morning and we were studying at the library. It had been two hours already but everyone''s concentration was still on the books. The library was silent, even though there were six of us in the library.


    Only a week was left before we start our journey to the city so we were working extra hard.


    In the city, we will give the entrance test for the magic knight academy. For magicians, 30% was covered by the magic knowledge part which was judged based on written tests. For Knights, it was only 10 percent but the tests are going to be tough so those 10 percent made a big difference.


    Arica stood up from her chair and yawned saying "I am done for today" which couldn''t be heard clearly but we all understood what she meant. Right after Arica, Sistina stood up as if she was waiting for Arica to stand.


    "Okay then, let''s go to Andrew''s house since we need to discuss about our journey to the city," said Ronald while still sitting.


    "Yes, let''s do that," Nina said in agreement


    It looked like Marina was trying to say something so we all looked towards her. She is mostly shy so we always encouraged her to speak her mind.


    "Marina," I said softly touching back of her head to encourage her. She started speaking in a low voice:


    "Am... um.. I am not sure how we are going to stay there so I think we should ask that too."


    She made a good point so I added, "Yeah, we haven''t discussed how we are going to stay during our test. I think Andrew has already thought about this so let''s ask him that too."


    After that conversation at the library, we decided to go to Andrew''s house. It''s was a sunny day with very pleasant weather. When we reached there Martha was hanging clothes outside in the sun to dry them up.


    "Hi Martha, is Andrew home?" I asked.


    "What brings you kids here today? You rarely come to our house, you should do it more often. He is inside having lunch. He had a busy morning so he is having lunch a bit late than usual," said Martha smilingly.


    "We are just here to ask about our journey to the city. It''s good to see you doing well," I replied.


    After that, we went inside. Andrew was having lunch when we got in so we decided to wait in the sitting room. After finishing dinner, Andrew came in.


    "Hello everyone. How are you all doing?" He sitting on a chair.


    We were sitting around in chairs too. I haven''t seen any sofa since I came to this world, they probably don''t exist here.


    "We are fine. How was your morning? Martha told us that you were busy," said Ronald.


    "Yeah, I was a little busy this morning but I am free now," Andrew replied.


    "You said you will be taking us to the city in a carriage next week so we wanted to know more about the journey and our stay there," I replied summarising what we wanted to ask.


    "Ah, so that''s why you all came here together today", After saying that Andrew took a long break and started explaining, "We will leave in the morning next week. It takes 3 days to reach there so we will camp during the night and start moving early the next morning. Jabal and I will be taking you all since we also have some work in the city too. We will stay at an inn where I usually stay in the city. It is cheap and also has good food."


    "If we pass the test we will be living in the city. I know they will take care of the stay and necessities of the student but do we have to pay anything to the Academy?" I asked since the educational institute used to charge a lot to their students in my previous world.


    Everyone looked at me with surprise. I guess I understand what this means, this common sense doesn''t apply to this world.


    "Students don''t have to pay for anything instead they will be given monthly allowances and a place to stay. Knights and Magicians protect the nation so it is the duty of a nation to raise them properly," Andrew explained things to me.


    ''Man things are so different here, I remember my hard college life where I had to save money for my studies.'' I thought


    "We still haven''t prepared things for our journey. I think we should start our preparations soon," said Nina.


    "Yeah, we will be staying there if we pass so we have to be thoroughly prepared," Sistina added while standing up.


    "Um... I-I haven''t gone outside the village but with everyone, I think I will be fine," Marina said making a relieved face.


    "Yeah, all of us are with you so don''t worry about it," I said to comfort her.


    After that conversation at Andrew''s house we left. Andrew also had some work in the village so he had to leave as soon as we finished.


    Note: The part after this is not from Nara''s point of view.


    ¡ï¡ï¡ï--In the Royal Palace of Elven Kingdom--¡ï¡ï¡ï


    "Father, do you think that was the right choice?"


    A man wearing a golden robe who had blonde long hair and long pointed ear asked a man who was also wearing a golden robe with a green pattern and a crown. They both had similar physical features and looked more like brothers than father and son. They both had so much similar appearance that people would easily mistake them as twins.


    "Hmm... Icarus, what other choice do we have? We have been isolated from this world for a very long time. The movement of spirits is telling me that something very big is going to happen soon and I don''t think we will be able to handle it by ourselves. We need to ally ourselves with another nation to deal with this calamity." The Elven King replied.


    "But father, even though Eliane is only a half-elf she knows about our secret. Will it be wise to do this?" Prince Ikarus asked.


    "I can''t think of anyone better. She shares our gift but not our curse. She is a good child so I think she will do well. We are not sending her to the capital directly, instead, we will send her to study at the Singha city. After finishing her studies and learning about the human culture she will move to the capital. I have already informed the king there about us sending her." The Elven King replied.


    "Do you think the king of Fiore will agree with us? We have never had any sorts of relationship with them before," Icarus asked while still looking unsure about his father''s action.


    "King of Fiore is a very wise man, he will understand our situation and deal with it without taking advantage of us." The Elven King replied.


    "Okay father, I won''t question your decision anymore. Your wise decisions are the reasons for the prosperity of this nation so it was rude of me to question them in the first place. I love my sister too which is why I wasn''t sure if it was wise to send her alone, that''s all."


    "Hmm... Okay, take care of things outside the place for me Icarus. We should prepare ourselves for an uncertain future."


    "Yes, father."


    After replying that Icarus left the room and the elf king stayed there alone thinking of ways to tackle the changing time.


    Next Chapter: Leaving the village

 13 1.13 Leaving the Village

    ¡ï¡ï-- In the Royal Palace of the Fiore Kingdom --¡ï¡ï


    Note: not from Nara''s point of view.


    A red-haired woman in her early 20s is sitting in the guest room of the royal palace. She has dark tanned skin and is wearing a beautiful red one-piece dress.


    A man with green hair and a slim body wearing a white robe and a golden crown comes into the room with another man who looks like his butler. He sits on the sofa in front of the one that the woman is sitting on and signals the butler to leave them alone.


    After the butler leaves the man starts speaking, "It''s an honor to be in the presence of a dragon princess. What brings you here today miss?"


    "Hmm... skip all the flattery and formal stuff, you know it well that we don''t like such things," she said looking irritated.


    "Yes, I apologize."


    King apologizing to someone is very rare so the woman may be a very important person.


    The woman didn''t reply to the apology and said, "I am here to ask for your help, father has asked me to keep an eye on something so I want to go to the Magic Knight Academy in the Singa city."


    "An order from the black dragon himself!" the King said looking socked.


    Looking at the king''s reaction the woman asked, "Yes, is there a problem?"


    "Of course not! our kingdom owes a lot to the black dragons, we would never decline any request from him. It just so happens that the elven princess is coming to study there so I am also sending my youngest daughter there so that they could become friends to help in diplomacy between the nations." The king replied.


    "Hou, the elves making a move, that''s rare. Anyways I will be changing some things at the academy so hope you don''t mind," The women said while smiling broadly.


    ¡ï¡ï-- Back to the main story --¡ï¡ï


    Note: Nara''s point of view is back.


    We have finished all the preparations and we will be leaving tomorrow. Tonight we are having a feast together with Andrew and Martha. Andrew will be a bit late because he needs to prepare horse carriages and talk with Jabal about the work they are planning to do in the city. They probably want to know about the price of crops and make deals with the merchants since the harvesting season is coming.


    All of us are sitting around the table and Miss Lily, Miss Rose, and Martha are cooking in the kitchen.


    "I can''t believe, we will be leaving for the Singa city tomorrow," said Sistina looking excited.


    Nina had a different reaction, she looked a bit sad and said, "Yeah, but we will be leaving this village and staying at the city if we pass the entrance test at the academy."


    Marina was almost about to cry after hearing Nina so Ronald said, "We are only going to for some years, we will be back to the village after we finish our studies at the academy."


    Nina realized what she has done so she quickly added, "Yeah, don''t worry about it too much, we can choose where we want to work after finishing the academy so it will be fine."


    "And your big sis Arica will be there so don''t worry about it too much," Arica said to cheer everyone up.


    While we were talking, Andrew came in saying, "Hello everyone, are the preparations done?"


    """YES!"""


    We all replied at once. We were asked this so many times that it has become a habit to reply like this.


    Since the dinner was ready we all sat around and started eating.


    "I can''t believe everyone has grown this much, I remember teaching everyone how to read and write," Miss Rose said looking a bit sad.


    I could understand her she raised everyone since they were little so she will obviously be sad to see them go.


    "Yeah, I am most surprised about Nara though, he couldn''t even read and write when he came here," Martha said while looking towards me.


    "I am surprised to see these kids too, even nobles aren''t this talented. Guess this is the result of working together with friends," Miss lily added.


    After we finished our dinner Andrew told us that he and Jabal will come and pick us up early and we need to be ready.


    We went to our room to sleep early so that we could wake up in time but I was just thinking about the adventure that awaits me in the Singha city while laying in my bed.


    The next day Sistina woke me up saying, "You guys are such sleepyheads, how can you sleep so calmly at times like this."


    Everyone except Arica was already awake before me. ''Well, I slept late because of all the excitement so what do you expect.'' is what I was thinking but I didn''t say it out loud.


    "Okay, let''s get our things and be ready before they come. Sistina can you wake Arika up too?" Ronald said while looking towards Sistina.


    "Okay but she is even bigger sleepyhead," Sistina replied.


    After everyone woke up we collected everything and went to the dining room. Surprisingly, Martha and Miss Rose were there cooking breakfast. Matha probably came to see us off.


    Nina had a sad face while Marina and Sistina were almost about to cry while we were having breakfast. Martha, Miss Rose, and Miss Lily comforted them.


    Right after we finished breakfast, Andrew came in and asked, "Are you guys ready? Jabal is waiting outside so let''s hurry."


    "Yeah, we are prepared," Ronald replied for everyone.


    We all went outside and said our morning to Jabal, excepted Nina who usually didn''t get along with him. Maybe she doesn''t like muscular bald men or something


    We had drawstring bags that were common in this world. Andrew took our back and put them in Jabal''s cart which had things that they were planning to sell in the city and a big light, I was curious about it so I asked, "What is this light, Jabal? It''s a bit bigger for a normal magic light."


    "Oh, that''s just monster warding light. Monsters don''t come near the road during the day but at Night they can attack people so we carry this. Monsters don''t like this light so they don''t come near it," He said putting his hands on the chin.


    We had one carriage and a cart with a roof with 2 horses pulling each. The carriage was big so all 6 of us could fit in. The horses had magic harness which allowed them to walk a long distance without getting tired.


    "Okay everyone, take care of each other and stay healthy," Martha said making a teary face with a smile.


    "And don''t forget to eat and sleep well, and don''t work too hard," Miss Rose added with teary eyes.


    "Take care, everyone," Miss Lily said comforting Martha who had started to cry.


    We got on the carriage, I was sitting between Arica and Ronald. Sistina, Marina, and Nina were in front of me.


    We waved our hand and said our goodbyes as soon as the carriage started moving. Marina and Sistina were crying too while Nina was holding her tears so we comforted them


    After a while, we left the village behind and came to the forest area.


    Next Chapter: The Journey to the city.

 14 1.14 The Journey to the city

    The forest will be a dangerous place to travel during the night so we will travel until the evening and camp in the plain area at the end of this forest. We have a portable magic stove and camping equipment. The weather is fine so camping outside won''t be a problem and we have monster warding light that keeps the monsters away.


    After we passed the forest, Andrew stopped the carriage near a small pond and said, "Hey Jabal, let''s camp here tonight."


    Jabal got down from the driving seat and replied, "Okay, I will take things out of the cart."


    Andrew got down from his driving seat too and said, "You guys can get down too, all this ride must be tiring for you."


    We got down from the carriage and started stretching our bodies. We were in the middle of the grassland and there were few trees around the pound but we were camping a bit far from them since pounds at this kind of place attract wild animals.


    Andrew looked towards Marina who looked a little gloomy and asked, "Marina, you look little unwell. Is everything alright?"


    "Y-yes, it''s just that I haven''t ridden a carriage for this long before, so I have a little headache." she replied.


    The carriage ride, in fact, was very tiring. The roads here were not paved and the carriage didn''t have any shock-absorbing equipment.


    "Let me set the camp for you and you can rest. We have 4 camps so 2 of us need to share each," said Jabal taking the camping equipment out of the carriage.


    Jabal set the first camp for Marina and Sistina since Marina wasn''t feeling well and we set the rest of the camps.


    The camps were easy to use because they had some magical equipment already set in them like magic light and magic heater and could be easily set up by putting mana through it. They were comparatively bigger than normal camps from the earth and had a little more space inside.


    Nina and Andrew started cooking food while the rest of us sat around the magic heater listening to the stories Jabal was telling. Marina and Sistina weren''t here because Marina wasn''t feeling well and Sistina was keeping her company.


    "Once when we were coming back from the city we camped around these parts, late at night the people on watch heard some noise and when they looked towards it, a large heard of wild buffaloes was coming towards us. we ran away towards a tree and climbed it while the horses ran towards the pond. We barely managed to survive that day but our camps were crushed. Luckily, the village was our next destination so we managed to reach there without much problem."


    When Jabal was telling his story, Ronald and I were listening carefully since it sounded pretty fun while Arica was looking sleepy. She was probably tired too.


    After Nina and Andrew finished making the stew, we called everyone including Marina for the dinner. We used small bowls and spoons for eating the stew. I don''t remember ever going camping in my past world, I didn''t have anyone to go with, so I am enjoying this very much.


    "Marina, are you feeling a little better?" I asked looking towards Marina who was eating slowly.


    "Y-yes, I think I will be fine after a little rest," She said with a small smile on her face.


    I think she will be alright after resting tonight. Andrew was about to say something so we turned our attention towards him.


    "We are going to stay on watch in turns. Ronald and Nara will stay in watch first and after a while Jabal and I will replace you. Nina and Arica will replace us after that."


    Andrew and Jabal took the hard part of the job. It was our turn first so we talked about the city and he told me various things he knew like the city library is under the Academy and it is free to use for the Academy students. We stayed on the watch for around 4 hours while everyone was asleep. After that Andrew and Jabal replaced us.


    When we woke up in the morning, Arica was asleep while Nina was still awake, she probably fell asleep during the watch. We had bread and jam at breakfast. Marina was feeling better again so we started our journey early.


    We traveled across the plain land which was a lot less bumpy than the forest. Since this path was used by many villages it was a bit easier to travel in.


    "Everyone we will have lunch in the tavern in the nearby village that is just up ahead," said Andrew from the driving seat.


    After around half an hour we arrived in a village, it was smaller than our village with around 50-60 houses. As soon as we stopped a man came out of one of the houses. He was wearing farming clothes and had bunny ears. He was probably the Rabbitkin people that I read in one of the books in the library.


    He came closer to the carriage and said, "If it isn''t Andrew, how are you old friend?"


    Looks like Andrew and this man know each other.


    "I am well my friend, how are things here?" He asked getting off the driving seat.


    "Not too bad, the weather has been good for growing vegetables," the man replied.


    Just as they were talking, Jabal got off the cart and joined them saying, "Hou... Jin you look well, man."


    We got off the carriage too and Andrew introduced us to him and told us that he was Jin, the Village chief of this small village. He and his wife also ran a tavern together.


    While we were talking, a woman with bunny ears came out, she looked a bit fat but had a beautiful chubby face and brown hair.


    "Nira, we have guests, we need to prepare rooms for them," Jin said when he saw her come out. It looks like she is his wife.


    "Oh, it''s Andrew and Jabal. Welcome to our house," she said looking at us.


    "No no, we are going to the city so we need to move soon. We are only here for lunch," Andrew replied.


    The woman looked a bit disappointed when Andrew said that we were not going to stay but she quickly replied, "I will start preparing right away, you guys get ready."


    We went inside and sat around a table. The table was long with many chairs so we all could sit around easily.


    We listened to them talk for some time and after some time Nira brought the food to the table. It was fried rice with vegetables. It looked delicious and tasted very good.


    After we finished eating we said our byes to them and left. When we got back on the road it was already afternoon so we rode the carries till the evening. In the evening we decided to camp in the open area outside the forest.


    We had dinner similar to last night, stew. We also fried some goat meat that Nira gave us in the village earlier as a gift before we left. The watch duty was somewhat similar too except we decided to be on watch duty in the morning and Arica was replaced by Sistina.


    We woke up early for the watch. Everything was going normally during the watch except once when a fox appeared out of nowhere. Ronald chased it away by throwing a stone at it.


    The next morning, we decided to move early, everyone including Marina got used to traveling in the carriage and we all talked about different things we heard and read about the city. The environment that was gloomy since we started or journey changed back to norman and we had fun during our travel from that point.


    It was evening when we reached the outskirt of the city. The city looked massive compared to any place I had been in this world. It was almost as big as Tokyo from my previous world. It was getting dark so the Magic lights were lit all around the city. It worked because of Lightstone that used to glow when mana is passed through it. Looking it from far reminded me of the cities in the earth but up close it was totally different.


    We had to wait in the line because there were many carriages in front of us for asking permission to get into the city. We had to pay a copper coin per carriage to get in the city every time we pass through the main gate. There were guards wearing metal armor with swords in their waist outside the gate. The charge was only for the carriages and people could go in for free if they showed their identification.


    After a while, we got permission to enter the city from the office after we paid the toll and got in from the entrance gate of the city.


    Next Chapter: The Singha City.

 15 1.15 The Singha City

    Inside the big entrance gate that we entered from, there was a crowded street with shops on both sides. The carriage parking area was near so we parked our carriage there. We needed to pay 4 copper coins each day at the horse parking area and they took care of our horses and carriage.


    Singha city is a circular city divided into four districts. The part of the town we are in is called the Trade district. It is the place where merchants trade various things with the villagers and townspeople. The other three are Noble''s district, Knights district, and Residental area. The nobles district is where most the Nobles live and from there all the administrative tasks are carried out. The Residental district is where the people live. It occupies two-thirds of the city and the inn that we are planning to stay is in that district. The last one is Knights district, it''s where knights and magician train and where the magic knight academy is.


    Since it was getting late we decided to head towards the inn. It was already dark when we reached there but the magic light on the streets made our walk to the inn much easier.


    After walking for a while we arrived at the part of the town that was a lot less crowded. The houses here were colorful and small flower gardens outside the houses. We couldn''t see it propoerly since it was night but it still looked beautiful. Most of them had two stories and concrete roofs.


    We arrived at the inn that had a sign of cat on the board with "Amigo inn" written in it. We all went inside following Andrew.


    "Welcome dear customer!... EH!!!"


    A girl who was one of the Cat People greeted us with a bow but when she saw Andrew''s face her reaction suddenly changed. She had blue cat ears, long blue hair, and long canine teeths that could be seen comig out of her lips. She was a bit younger than us and was wearing a black and white maid uniform.


    ''Man, watching catgirls in maid uniform is dream come true.''


    A woman who was inside what appears to be inn''s kitchen shouted, "How many times do I have to tell you to welcome customers properly."


    "No Mom, it''s Andrew. He''s here," The girl replied to the women.


    Andrew started laughing and said, "Ria, you look as energetic as always. Good to see you."


    A woman who was in her late 30s with the same blue-colored cat ears and hair came out saying, "Oh my, it''s Andrew and Jabal... It has been so long since you guys last visited us."


    "Oh Diane, you look well too. How is the inn running?" Andrew asked looking at her.


    "Oh, it''s good. We have a lot of customers at this time of year. It''s almost dinner time so it is going to get crowded soon. We have two empty rooms since some customers left this morning. You guys can use those," she said looking at all of us.


    She turned towards Ria and said, "Ria, show them the rooms please."


    "Okay everyone, follow me this way," said Ria, pointing her hand upstairs.


    The room we were taken to was a lot bigger than Ronald and my room at the orphanage. It had a window from where we could see the front streets which were lighted using magic lights. All the girls were going to stay in one room while the rest of us were going to stay in another.


    "Okay everyone, rest for a while while we prepare the meal," Ria said acting like a polite maid but her childish self was clearly visible.


    We went to our room and took a bath in turns. There was a group hot bath at the inn but it was crowded at this time of the day so we decided to wait for the next day. After we finished taking the bath and drying our hair, Ria came to our room to call us for dinner so we went down at the inn''s dining room.


    Diane had already prepared dinner for us and the other customers had already finished eating so it was just us.


    Ria and Diane were also having dinner with us. The tables here had only 6 chairs on each so Diane, Ria, Andrew, and Jabal sat in one while the rest of us sat on another. The tables were close to each other so we could easily converse even though we were on different tables.


    "So, they are the kids you talked about the last time you came. But I thought you told me that there were only five of them," Diane said looking towards us.


    "Yeah, Nara just started living with us last year. I never thought anyone would be able to give the Academy''s entrance exam with just one year''s training but I think he will easily be able to pass at this point," Andrew replied.


    She turned towards us and introduced herself and we did the same. Marina also introduced herself properly since we won''t be able to help each other during the test, this a good sign that she is learning to be calm around new people.


    After finishing dinner we went to our room to sleep while Jabal, Andrew, and Diane stayed up to have some reunion talk while drinking.


    The test was going to happen the day after tomorrow. First, there was a practical test at which if you fail, you can''t move on to the next stage. The next stage is the written test which will be added to your practical score to determine the results. It basically means that the day after tomorrow is the most important test day where if you do good, you have a greater chance of passing the test.


    Tomorrow we are touring the city with Ria as our guide. Andrew and Jabal will be busy at their work here so they won''t be with us.


    Our journey up until now was tiring so I was fell asleep quickly that night. I could hear noises coming when Andrew brought drunk Jabal to the bed but I was too tired so I ignored them.


    I woke up early in the morning and went downstairs. Diane was already awake and was making breakfast for the customers. There were few customers who were having breakfast. Since it''s too early to have breakfast, they are probably planning to start the journey out of the city. She saw me come down and said, "Oh you woke up early, did you sleep well?"


    "Yep, the bed was warm and comfortable... It must be hard for you to start working this early," I replied.


    "No, No... It has become a habit of mine to wake up early. Ria is still asleep though, she wakes up a little late. She works very hard for someone of her age so I don''t disturb her in the morning," she said with a light smile.


    It looks like she is the type of mother who is strict in front of their children but deep down is kind and caring.


    I sat on one of the tables that was empty and after the first group of customers left the girls including Ria joined me. I greeted them saying, "good morning" to which they all replied in their own ways. Ria was taking a break from her work today and acting as our guide during the tour.


    After a while, Andrew, Jabal, and Ronald came down and we all had breakfast. We had tortillas with curry as breakfast and they were delicious.


    The city was too big and it was impossible to cover many places in a single day so we were only going to tour the Residental district today. We headed out right after Andrew and Jabal who were going to go to the Trading district for their work left.


    "Okay everyone, so this is the town square, usually this place gets crowded in the evening since people come to see the lights in the water fountain but there are only few people in the morning around this part so old people usually come here taking walk," Ria said explaining things to us in her childish voice, without acting as a grown up maid like yesterday.


    There was a big water fountain with five statues of maidens holding clay water pot from which water was falling.


    When everyone was busy watching the fountain, Arica came closer to me and said, "Hey Nara, we should come on a date to this place sometime in the evening," in my ears.


    ''Hell yeah! finally a date! And a girl is inviting me to that''


    As I was thinking this Arica started laughing and that''s when I understood she was joking.


    ''I haven''t dated a girl until now doesn''t mean you have to make fun of me!!!!''


    There were very few places to visit in the residential area but it was enough to keep us busy all day. We went to the orphanage which had a lot of children in them. That includes both demihumans and humans. There was no openly visible direct discrimination against demihumans but when we observed closely some rich-looking people were acting rudely to some demihuman kids and were only donating clothes to human kids at the orphanage.


    We also saw places like ''children''s house'' which was like kindergarten for kids, where they were taught how to read and write.


    Most of the houses had small flower gardens with different kinds of flowers in them and the streets were pretty wide. We went to the park which had slides, wooden horses, and swings for children to play in. Marina and Sistina wanted to play in the swing so we spent some time in the park.


    We came back to the inn from the park and had our lunch. Diane had already prepared it so we quickly had our lunch because we had some work at the post office.


    After lunch, we went to the post office. We needed to fill our details for the test tomorrow but it was surprisingly easy. We just had to give the identification document that Andrew gave us and they did the rest of the work and gave us a three-digit number, my number was 442.


    In the evening we went to see the light at the water fountain. There were many people who were there to watch the lights, it was really beautiful. I was sitting at the bench with Marina while others were still watching the colorful lights reflected on the water which made the entire square colorful.


    "Did you hear, the elven princess is coming here to study at the magic academy?," I picked up someone talking in the crowd.


    "It''s a lie, that''s impossible. Elven people rarely travel outside their country and we are talking about the princess here. Even if she had to come she would go to the royal capital," An old man with long eyebrow replied.


    Since the noise got bigger, I couldn''t hear the rest of their conversation and it was already getting late so we all decided to come back to the inn.


    Next Chapter: Magic Knight Academy Exam - part 1

 16 1.16 Magic Knight Academy Exam - part 1

    ¡ï¡ï--Inside the Duke''s castle in Shinga City--¡ï¡ï


    Note: Not from Nara''s point of view


    "Lord Goro, we have arranged things at our side but we can''t do anything about the king''s representative," A middle-aged man with brown hair and black beard said to a young man who looked like he was in his late teens.


    The young man had blonde hair and a sharp look in his eyes. He looked irritated after hearing the middle-aged man.


    "Huh... I am the third son of the duke, I shouldn''t be wasting my time with such silly tests, it is for commoners," The young man who appears to be duke''s son replied.


    "Sir, it''s just a show for the king''s representative, you just have to show up there, everything is already set up. If you become a great knight you father will obviously have to make you first in the line of succession," The middle-aged man replied with a wry smile.


    "Haa... Whatever... It''s not like any commoner can ever be my equal," said the young man while leaving the room.


    ¡ï¡ï--Back to the Amigo inn--¡ï¡ï


    "Is everyone ready?" Andrew asked.


    We had just finished our breakfast and are about to head towards the test venue, the Magic Knight Academy. Today is the test day but since none of us had given the test before we are not sure how it is going to be.


    "Umm... Yes but... do you think we will be together during the test."


    Marina was the one who asked. Since our numbers were close to one another, it was possible but I am not sure how it works so I replied with "probably".


    "I am not very sure since I only have 2 aptitudes and my mana back isn''t that big either but I will try my best," said Nina. She was the type who would worry about not having a natural talent for things but she had remarkable magic control so I think she will be fine.


    "If I were you, I wouldn''t worry too much. You have got very good magic control so you will obviously pass," Ronald said cheering her up.


    Ronald was the best one when it came to actual combat among all of them but all of them were not lacking when it comes to talent and skills.


    "Can we hurry up now, we will miss the test like this," Sistina said to all of us.


    "Okay okay, let''s get going," Arica replied.


    "I will take you there, Jabal is going to the horse parking area to see how things are going there but I am free. I am not allowed to get into the academy during the test but I can take you guys up to there," said Andrew.


    It was a busy time of the day at the inn so we said our short "bye" to Diane and Ria who replied with "best of luck at the test" and started walking towards the academy.


    After a while, we reached the Academy. It was a big castle-like building with a lot of open area behind it. The whole Knight district was filled with various infrastructures to train knights and magicians but Academy had it''s its own set of those infrastructures for its students. It also had a lot of open areas for students to train in combat.


    We said our byes to Andrew and went inside the academy gate. Inside it was crowded and had around 500 people who were of similar age as us. We were directed to the hall from the gate. The hall was big and could easily fit all the candidates appearing in the test. There was a speaker-like device that announced the numbers and the ones whose number was called could go into the test room. Three numbers were called at a time. The number had only reached 100s when we got inside the hall so we had to wait for a while.


    Everyone was so nervous that we barely talked to one another. There was some noise at the corner so we looked towards it. It was a blonde-haired guy surrounded by some other guys. It looked like they were bullying some demihuman boys but since they looked like nobles, demihuman boys were not reacting to their verbal insults.


    After waiting for around 2 hours in the hall it was finally our turn. Arica, Marina and Me were called together first.


    When we went inside there were signs where it was written "Knights this way" and "Magicians this way". Arica was giving the test for becoming a knight so she went towards the Knight test section while we went towards the magician test section.


    We entered a room where a lady with purple hair was sitting at the table. There was a transparent crystal ball on the table placed over the white cushion. I realized it was the aptitude testing machine that I read so much about.


    "Candidates please place your hand on this ball and pass your mana through it one at a time. The lady there can go first."


    Marina did as she said and the colorful glow came out of the ball. The colors were changing between blue, green, and red, which meant she had the aptitude for water, holy, and fire magic.


    The lady wrote something on the sheet and asked me to go next. I did as she said and put my hand on the crystal ball and passed my mana into it. A rainbow-colored glow appeared from the crystal ball.


    I looked at the lady who had a shocked reaction on her face. I said "Madam" to bring her back to reality from the socked state. she didn''t say anything except "oh yeah". The examiners were probably told not to say anything about the results before the end of practical test. She said, "please go through that door" while pointing towards the door at the opposite corner to the one that we came from.


    We entered through the door to a room that looked like a target practicing hall. It had a red target drawn on an unusual metal board. The metal was a bit different than normal metal targets, it somewhat looked like a shield where the target was drawn. There was a lady standing near the white line that was drawn at around 12 meters distance from the target. She had green hair and was wearing a dress that looked like a lab coat.


    "Okay, one of you stand in this white line and face towards the target please," she said when she saw us come in.


    Marina was going first since her number was before mine. She stood in the white line.


    She moved closer to Marina and said, "Please use attack magic on the target in front of you. You can use as much power as you like".


    Marina used ''fire javelin'' which Arica taught her. It was not as good as Arica''s but was not far behind in comparison. After the target was hit in the center marina took a long breath of relief. She was probably tensed.


    "Next, your turn boy," the examiner lady said looking at me while writing something in the sheet she had, it was probably the scores.


    I stood in the white line and used the same amount of mana I used during my fight with the lesser demon in the forest. I couldn''t use more because that may destroy the surroundings and since she said "as much power as I like" I don''t think I need to hold back more than this.


    I shot only one ''fire javelin'', I usually use three of them at the same time but since the target is not big, one will do. It left a small crack at the target but I think they have a lot of spares so it''s probably not a big deal.


    "HEEEHHH... the mithril plated shield," her reaction was odd but she quickly regained her composure and told us to pass through the door to the other stage writing my score at the sheet of paper.


    The next room had a man who was in her thirties. He had well-combed short black hair and was wearing a lab-coat-like dress. Looks like it is the formal dress here at the academy.


    When he saw us enter he said, "Now for this test, activate your ''mana cloak'' and put your hands on this device one at a time."


    The device was like a clock but it had only one hand and no numbers in the edge. First when Marina did it the clock hand started rotating like how second''s hand rotated in analog clocks in my previous world. Then it was my turn, My mana cloak was always on so I didn''t have to activate it again, I just touched the clock and it started rotating much faster. So fast that it was even hard to see the hand.


    After watching the shocked reaction of the instructor here too, we moved to the final stage of the practical test.


    For the last test, I needed the first magic that I learned after I came to this world. It was to show the largest amount of mana you can control. Fire magicians mostly preferred fireball to demonstrate that so I did the same.


    We had to demonstrate that in the open since it could be dangerous inside and only one candidate could do it at a time. We had to stay inside until we were called to the castle ground. There were different equipments for safety and healing magicians ready in case of an accident. Marina went outside before me and I had to wait until her test was finished. After they called me, I went outside to the demonstration area. Marina had already finished her test before I was called so she probably went outside to the waiting area.


    I demonstrated the fireball as big as the one I created in my first try. I could create an even bigger one now but that would be too much.


    After I finished demonstrating, they told me to go through the door at the end. It led to the same hall where we were waiting for our number to be called before our test. Arica, Ronald, and Marina were already there so I joined them. And soon Sistina and Nina joined us after finishing their test. Everyone''s face was bright so they all probably did well too.


    The results were going to be announced the same day in the evening since we had the written tomorrow. The ones who passed this test could only move to the next stage of the test.


    In the evening, the names of the students who can proceed to the next stage were listed without the score on the board. There were only 64 candidates that moved to the next stage from 500 candidates. Luckily we all were on that list.


    ''Guess our hard work paid off''


    "YAY!!!"


    we all cheered when we saw the results.


    We also got the individual reports with scores from the examiners. The reports shocked everyone who saw them, the scores were:


    Nina:


    Number of Aptitudes: 2, Magic control: 8, Mana bank: 6, Magic skill: 7, Result: Pass


    Arica:


    Number of Aptitudes: 2, Magic skills: 8, Mana bank: 7, Magic control: 7, Magic Swordsmanship: 6, Result: Pass


    Sistina:


    Number of Aptitudes: 3, Magic control: 6, Mana bank: 8, Magic skill: 6, Result: Pass


    Marina:


    Number of Aptitudes: 3, Magic control: 7, Mana bank: 7, Magic skill: 8, Result: Pass


    Ronald:


    Number of Aptitudes: 2, Magic skills: 8, Mana bank: 7, Magic control: 7, Magic Swordsmanship: 8, Result: Pass


    Nara yan:


    Number of Aptitudes: 6, Magic control: 10, Mana bank: 10, Magic skill: 10, Result: Pass


    Next Chapter: Magic Knight Academy Exam - part 2

 17 1.17 Magic Knight Academy Exam - part 2

    "Congratulations everyone, I knew you all would pass," Andrew said when he saw our cheerful faces after we got back to the inn.


    It was already time for dinner when we got back. The dining room was filled with customers so we moved to one of our rooms to talk. We were planning to wait and have dinner together with Diane and Ria.


    "Did you guys get your scores?" Jabal asked us.


    Ronald had all our score sheets. Our name, numbers, and scores were written in it and it also had the Magic Knight Academy''s stamp. He gave them to Jabal saying, "Yeah, here, have a look."


    Jabal and Andrew started looking at them one after another. The first one was Nina''s.


    "Looks like Nina did well at magic control and magic skills test, good job," said Andrew after looking at her scores.


    "Yeah, with these scores you will easily pass even if you just do average at written test tomorrow," Jabal added.


    Nina was acting confident contrary to her norman self who used to think she was inferior due to her lack of natural talent so she replied with just "thank you". Her scores were above average and considering she is so good at magic knowledge she will easily be able to pass.


    Next, they moved on to Arica. Arica was good at almost everything related to magic so I wasn''t sure why she even wanted to be a knight. She must have had her reasons but I decided not to ask because that would be crossing the line of privacy.


    Andrew said, "as expected of Arica, talented as always" to which Jabal added, "yes, she is as good as ever". Arica just replied with a smile.


    Next was Sistina. She did well in the mana bank test. She had a larger mana bank than normal so this was expected.


    "Looks like you did well too Sistina, I am proud of you," said Jabal. He treated Sistina as his daughter.


    "Yes, well done," Andrew added patting her head.


    They then moved on to Marina. Andrew looked surprised at how well she did and said, "Wow, this is brilliant Marina, you did very good" to which Jabal nodded in agreement.


    Marina said, "thank you" in a small voice looking towards the floor. This was her usual reaction when someone complimented her.


    They moved to Ronald whom they complimented saying "good job" since there was nothing unexpected about his results. He had remarkable sword skills and his magic skills complemented his sword well.


    They then moved to my scores and the reactions on their faces were totally different from one another. Jabal''s jaw dropped in surprise as he shouted, "WHAT! A FULL SCORE". While Andrew was reacting as if he expected this and was trying to calm Jabal down.


    After a while, Jabal calmed down and said, "But it''s a full score and I have never seen or heard of anyone scoring this high in exam."


    "Yeah, I know. It is shocking that he learned this much in just one year and on top of that he is hardworking so he will continue to progress. But whatever the case he is like our son so we should always support him as he moves forward," Andrew replied.


    "Yeah, we are with you Nara, so you don''t have to feel lonely," said Sistina with a big smile.


    "Looks like we will have to work hard to catch up to you," Nina said to cheer me up.


    "You are amazing Nara," said Marina in a low voice.


    It was unusual for Marina to say things like that so Arica teased her with, "Hou, why don''t you just say, you like him".


    "No No, there is nothing like that," Marina denied quickly waving her hand.


    "Your big bro is with you too. Let''s do our best tomorrow as well," Ronald said while putting his hand around my shoulders.


    "Thank you so much, everyone. This means a lot to me, let''s do our best." I thanked everyone for their kindness.


    I knew deep down that it was not my magic, my talent, or this score that was making me happy. The thing that was making me happy were the people around me.


    As we were talking Ria came saying, "Hey everyone, dinner is almost ready wash yourself quickly and come down."


    After Andrew replied, "Yes, we will be there soon", girls went to their room. Andrew and Jabal went down ahead of us and Ronald and I took bath in turns.


    After around half an hour we went down to the inn''s dining room. Andrew and Jabal were talking to Diane when we got there. Diane was looking at me as if she has seen a ghost so they were probably talking about our scores.


    "Congratulations both of you, you guys did very well," she quickly composed herself and congratulated us when we got to the table. While we were talking, the girls joined us too.


    "Yeah, these kids have trained hard every single day so I expected no less," Andrew said acting as a proud father.


    "Ria, you should also work hard like these brothers and sisters, okay?" said Diane while turning towards Ria who replied with "Okay mom" with a smile.


    After that we all had dinner. Since we had a written exam tomorrow, we went to bed early. It was a tiring day so I fell asleep quickly.


    The next day we left for Academy after breakfast. Andrew and Jabal went to do the work they had in the city. Andrew was saying that it was going well and they just had to do some final paperwork today.


    When we reached the academy gate, we were directed to a board where the numbers were written. We had to go into the room where our number was. All 6 of us were assigned to a different room.


    I went to the room that was assigned to me. Inside there were 10 desks with chairs in two rows with 5 desks in each. Seven students were already there so I was the 8th one. The instructor was the same man who did our Magic control test by checking the mana density of our ''mana cloaks'' using the clock-like device. He smiled when he saw me get into the room and said, "Please have a seat at any desk that isn''t already occupied".


    I sat at the desk on the corner of the left side. The blonde-haired noble guy who was bullying those demihuman people yesterday was also in the same room.


    He didn''t look very happy about waiting and said, "Hmph... start it already, it''s their fault for not coming early for the test," to the instructor in a commanding voice.


    The instructor politely refused saying, "please wait a little longer your highness. We don''t want them disturbing you during your exam, do we?"


    After some time, the two remaining candidates came together and sat on the remaining two desks.


    "Okay everyone, I will bring inkpots and quills to your desks first. After I finish that I will distribute question papers. The papers will contain 15 questions that you will have to answer. You can leave as soon as you finish writing the answers," The instructor said.


    ''It looks like this world has no time limit during the exams. yay!''


    The instructor brought quill and ink first and then gave us all the papers with questions.


    Everyone started writing. Some questions were difficult since they were about history and the period of changes in this world. I finished looking at all the questions and was about to start writing when the blonde-haired guy stood from the chair at his desk. He gave the paper to the instructor and went out. The instructor said, "thank you, your highness" while taking the paper. This was none of my business so I ignored it.


    After about an hour I finished answering all the questions. My answers weren''t very good but not very bad either. I was the second one to finish it after the blonde guy.


    When I handed the paper the instructor said, "The results will be announced during the afternoon tomorrow in the presence of the duke, king''s representative, nobles and staff of the academy so you have to come."


    ''What! Is this some kind of magic show or something that you would need to do in front of so many people. Oh, wait, magic shows in this world are probably no big deal since anyone can do it.''


    I kept my thoughts to myself and said, "I will be there, thank you" and got out of the test room. I hadn''t shown myself in front of a crowd before this so I was super freaked out but since it was inevitable, I accepted my fate.


    After I waited for a while outside, everyone came out one after another and we all headed towards the inn talking about how everyone did at the test. Looks like everyone did well. But when we talked about the result announcement part, I found out that everyone was as freaked out as me.


    ''Well, we are in this together so, things will work out somehow.''


    Next Chapter: The king''s representative

 18 1.18 The kings representative

    "Good morning Nara," Ria said when she saw me coming down towards the dining room.


    It was too early for Ria to wake up since Diane let her sleep till late. I used to wake up late too but ever since I came to Singha city, I started waking up early. I usually do this when I am in a new place.


    "Good morning Ria, you woke up early. Is there anything special today?" I asked.


    She gave a bright smile and said, "Nothing special, I just wanted Mom to teach me how to cook."


    It looks like she wants to help her Mom with work at the inn. Diane did most of the cooking and cleaning work so she was busy most of the time but she still made time from her work to look after Ria. I think this was why she was trying to help her mother with cooking.


    After saying that Ria went to clean the tables that were left dirty after customers finished eating.


    Diane who was busy inside the kitchen came out and looked towards Ria who was cleaning the table and said, "she is a good girl, isn''t she? Her father passed away in a demon attack while traveling back from his home village before she was even born. He left her and this inn with me. I was barely able to hold my tears when she came to me saying, ''mom please teach me how to cook'' yesterday evening. She probably looks up to you kids."


    "No, I think she looks up to you. She didn''t want to be knight and magicians like us but instead wanted to help her mother. She is a really good girl," I replied with a smile.


    As we were talking, Ronald and Andrew came down. Since their work here was over, Jabal probably planning to sleep until late today. They were going to return to the village tomorrow morning since the harvesting season was about to start.


    I greeted them with a "good morning" to which the replied with same. I then turned towards Andrew and asked, "Andrew, what are you going to do today since your work here is done?"


    "Oh, I think we will go to the trade district to buy some souvenirs for everyone back home," he replied.


    After everyone, including Jabal, joined us we had our breakfast. After breakfast, Andrew and Jabal went towards the trading district and we went to our rooms to prepare for the result announcement ceremony today.


    By what I had heard, it was going to be a normal ceremony. I was a bit freaked out since duke who is the next highest-ranking member of the nobility after the king would also be there.


    After everyone was ready we decided to head out. We were wearing normal dresses since we were not told about the dress we had to wear during the ceremony.


    When we reached the Academy we were directed to proceed to the same hall where we were waiting for our numbers to be called during the test. We waited until all 64 candidates who had passed the practical test came. I had heard that anyone rarely failed the writing test after passing the practical part and since our practical tests went good, I wasn''t very afraid about the results.


    After a while, the green-haired lady instructor who was there during our Magic skill test came in. The magic skill test was the one where we had to hit the target.


    "Everyone who is at the back please come forward. I am here to deliver instructions," she said from the stage of the hall.


    After she said that, we all stood from our seat and moved towards the front row. When we were moving towards the front row, I noticed the blonde guy who gave the written test with me was also there. I ignored him since giving attention to him meant inviting trouble.


    After all of us moved to the front row the lady started speaking again, "So, first let me announce that all 64 of you passed. The combined score will be given to you on your first day at the academy."


    ''Guess this shows how the nobles here are.''


    There were some among us who sighed in relief and some who acted as if it was obvious.


    "You all will be given your Academy uniform which you need to change into to go to the ceremony. The ceremony will be at the duke''s castle at Noble''s district."


    ''What! this isn''t what we were told before''


    "What do you mean by that? This isn''t what we were told," the blond guy stood up from his seat and spoke.


    "Yes, but there has been a change in plan from above," The lady replied. The above she is talking about here means higher authority.


    Everybody started talking to one another since this was a sudden change in plans. First, we were told that duke and the other nobles were coming at the academy for the ceremony but now the whole ceremony was being organized at duke''s castle which has never happened before.


    There was a mixed reaction to this among us. Ronald, Arica, and Sistina had a calm reaction while Marina and Nina had shocked reactions in their face. Even though I was freaked out inside, I acted calm outside and asked, "why are you guys acting so calm?" to Ronald. He replied with, "Us going to duke is better than duke coming to us".


    ''Well, if you see with that logic it''s indeed better.''


    We were given Academy dresses by the other instructors and sent to the changing rooms. There were many changing rooms and the male and female changing rooms were on different sides.


    The male dress was a short black overcoat over a white T-shirt-like dress with a black pant. While the female dress was a white T-shirt-like dress with a black skirt and overcoat over it. Knights were also given other training materials like swords with the dress.


    After we were changed, we had to walk to the duke''s castle. Since it was close to the Academy area, we reached there quickly.


    After we reached there we were taken to the waiting hall in the castle. The green-haired instructor was saying something so we turned our attention to her.


    "Now before I begin to tell you about the ceremony part, I would like to announce two students who took the test privately and will be joining us in the ceremony...."


    "HEY! What do you mean by private tests? I am the duke''s son and nobody told me about this," The blonde-haired guy who appears to be duke''s son interrupted the lady while she was speaking.


    But the lady continued while ignoring him, "They are, Princess Anna and Princess Eliane."


    The blond guy got back on his seat with a shocked reaction on his face after hearing her. The two girls came to the stage from the door and gave a light bow together. They then climbed down from the stage and joined us by sitting on the front seats.


    ''This may just be my imagination but it feels like they are looking at me.''


    Princess Anna had long light-blue hair with a cute face and slightly developed chest. She was wearing a blue gown and it looked very good on her. Princess Eliane had blonde hair and pointed ears. They were indeed not human ears but they were certainly not as large as elves. She was wearing a green gown and had a big and developed chest so much so that it was hard to believe she was of the same age as us.


    ''Considering she called her princess, she is probably the elven princess though. I have a feeling that the change of plans is because of the princesses over there''


    "We will now enter the ceremony room where we will greet the duke and the king''s representative," the green-haired lady continued.


    We then entered the ceremony room. The duke and the king''s representative were seated in the throne and the nobles were standing on the side of the red carpet that led to the throne as if waiting for someone. There were two maids standing behind the throne and a thin old man with white hair who looked like duke''s butler was standing close to the duke.


    The duke was a middle-aged man with a well-trimmed beard, wide shoulder and large body. He was wearing Armor instead of robe which is uncommon for nobility. And the king''s representative was a woman with red hair who looked like she was in her early twenties. She was wearing a red one-piece dress and had dark tanned skin.


    When the princess entered the room everyone bowed except the duke and king''s representative. We were following the princesses and the instructors and when we reached before the duke, everyone excluding the princesses bowed and so did I.


    After duke said "be at ease", we got up. The butler who was near the duke started speaking, "you may be curious why we invited you here instead of the usual ceremony at the academy. That is because the king''s representative and the duke have decided to do another test and that is going to happen here and now. This, by no means, will affect your enrollment at the academy. Please follow me."


    ''What now? there are too many twists in a single day.''


    We were taken to the open ground in the center of the castle inside the inner walls. The duke and other nobles were watching us from the balcony. It was just us in the ground since the butler went back after leaving us there. The main thing I was surprised about was that even the princesses were with us. Their reaction was as if they were going to do something amusing.


    At that moment, I felt something heavy on my shoulders. I looked around and saw that everyone around me was already on the ground. Marina, Nina, and Sistina were barely managing to stand by clinging on me while Arica and Ronald were standing with the support of their swords. Surprisingly the princesses were able to stand but their faces were showing that they were having a hard time doing that.


    In the balcony, duke and his butler were still standing but the rest of the nobles and maids were on the ground. I passed more mana to my mana cloak and looked above. The red-haired woman who was supposed to be the king''s representative was floating in the air as if she was standing on the ground. There was a dark aura coming out of her like black smoke. It looked similar to the lesser demon but it felt different and much much powerful.


    She looked towards me and smiled. Then, she floated down towards us and said, "So there are some decent ones among you. The ones who are still standing come with me. The rest of you can enjoy this little boring party of yours".


    Next Chapter: Surprise!

 19 1.19 Surprise!

    After the dark aura around the red-haired women disappeared everyone stood up again. The girls who were clinging to me left my hands and stood up by themselves. I was so surprised by everything that I didn''t know what to do and whom to ask. I heard a laugh coming from the balcony and looked towards it, It was the duke.


    The duke jumped from the balcony to the ground and came towards us saying, "HAHAHA... I knew this would happen when you said, you were going to show these kids what the real power is. Look at them, they look like a chicken that just hatched from an egg."


    If it was my previous would that jump would have resulted in a few broken bones but since this world had mana and it could be used to make mana cloak, the man was fine. In fact, the whole thing was so amusing for him that he couldn''t stop laughing.


    The blonde-haired guy who was looking like a person who just woke up after having a nightmare saw the duke coming and said, "Father, father, did you just saw what this woman did to us. How can you allow this to happen to your own son in your own house."


    "QUIET! I know all about your puppet show and the ones pulling your string from behind. I will deal with you and them after I am done here."


    After hearing that from duke the guy fell on his knees as if this was the end of the world for him. His face that already looked bad after going through all this has become worse. The duke ignored him and came towards the red-haired women.


    "What did you think? You just show up out of nowhere, make a mess of things for them, and tell them to come with you and they will listen?"


    After saying that he turned towards us, there was still a look of confusion in everyone''s face. He looked toward me and asked, "What''s your name lad?"


    ''huh! me? but why me?!''


    I replied, "It''s Nara sir" since I was not familiar with the honorifics in this world, I used the one that was commonly used in my former world.


    The duke laughed after hearing my name and said, "HAHAHA... so, let me explain to you what the dragon princess means here. The king has requested her to select a few group of students and train them under her. This just now was the test to see if you can survive her training."


    ''Wait, dragon princess. How many strange kinds of princesses are there in this world?''


    Well, I had no courage to ask that question out loud so I kept it inside me. The presence earlier felt as if she could kill all of us here in less than a minute.


    "You kids can go with her, I will handle the things here. Princesses, the king has given you permission to train with her, so you can join them too," the duke added.


    Princess Anna looked happy after hearing that and said, "See Eliane, my father is super nice, he does everything I request him to do."


    After hearing that princess Eliane smiled as well and said, "You are the first friend I ever had Anna and it looks like we are going to have many other friends too."


    We also had to discuss among ourselves, what we were going to do. So, I turned towards Ronald and asked, "what do you think we should do?"


    Ronald had a serious look in his face when he replied, "I think we should hear her out first. If it sounds good we can train under her and if it doesn''t we can still study at the academy."


    "Okay but this is all so sudden, should we ask Andrew?," said Sistina who was still in a shock because of everything that happened today.


    "Y-yeah, we c-couldn''t even stand on our own back then," Marina added. She was even more shocked than Sistina. Her hands were shaking so I caught one of her hands with mine and said, "Don''t worry, it will be alright" after which she calmed down a little bit.


    "Andrew won''t always be there for us. I think we need to make our choice here and now," said Arica.


    It was an unusual thing for Arica to say since she was always a cheerful and fun-loving type. She must have felt that training with her will help her in becoming a better knight.


    "I hate to admit it but Arica is right here. I think we should decide for ourselves. Let''s follow her and hear what she has to say," Nina added


    After we all agreed to go after her to we followed her to the guest room of the castle. The answer to the question: ''Does sofa exist in this world?'' that I was looking for was answered there and the answer was ''YES''.


    We sat on two sofas that were facing each other. Marina and Nina sat with the princesses while the rest of us sat on another sofa. The red-haired women sat on the single-seater sofa that joined the two sofas on one side.


    When we all turned out attention towards her, the red-haired women started speaking.


    "I am Lilith. I was sent by the king to train a small group of knights and magicians to fight demons and protect this country."


    "What do you mean by train a small group of knights and magicians? I thought it the job of the Academy," Ronald asked.


    "The knights here are weak. The peoples they train can hardly defeat a lesser demon. If the next great war breaks out this country is doomed so the country is spending a lot of resources in training knights and magicians. But what''s the point of training 10 knights and magicians to defeat 1 demon instead of training 1 knight or magician to defeat 10 of them. Nobles believe the number is strength but they are mistaken what matters is strength, not number."


    "So, you are saying, you will train us to be powerful enough to defeat 10 demons? That''s impossible," said Nina.


    I can understand her considering our fight with the lesser demon but what I felt a while back during the test in the castle ground was a real strength.


    "I think we can trust her. I felt her strength during the test earlier and she is really strong. I think she is at the same level as my brother," the elven princess Eliane said.


    "Yes, I felt that too. If we train with her, she will definitely make us stronger," I added to what elven princess said.


    Arica stood up and said, "I am in on this, what about you guys?"


    Sistina also stood up saying, "If you guys think it''s okay, I am in it too."


    "Um... I think I will join you too. Please take care of me," Marina said in a soft voice.


    "Okay looks like it''s settled then, we are going to study together," Princess Anna said while standing up.


    After we all agreed that we were going to train under her mentorship we asked her about the more details.


    "We are going to stay in Magic Knight Academy''s Dormitory starting tomorrow. You will train for a month there and After a month you should be able to surpass a normal knight that graduates from the academy. This month is for you to learn the basics and acquire magic-related knowledge from the library. After a month we will start the real training."


    ''What! just in a month?'' we looked at each other in surprise.


    After she finished talking about the details I asked, "When should we move into the dormitory ?" to which she replied, "By tomorrow evening".


    After we finished our discussion on that part, princess Anna said, "We couldn''t introduce ourselves properly today, why don''t we have tea together tomorrow?"


    We all agreed to that so it was decided that we were having tea with princesses tomorrow morning. We were going to use that opportunity to finally properly introduce ourselves to them. Princess Anna was the one who invited us so it was going to be here at the guest house of the duke''s castle.


    It was already evening when we finished the discussions so we decided to head towards the inn. Everyone left before me and I was also about to leave when Miss Lilith called me and said, "I saw you adding more mana to your cloak during the test. With that level of skills, you should focus more on your sword along with your magic."


    I replied with, "Yes, I will. Thanks for noticing" and left the room. The real problem was that Ronald''s way of the sword was more stealth-type while I have never felt the need to be sneaky or cautious. Which was why I didn''t know any style that really suited my skills.


    ''Guess I will have to ask my new teacher for help with this.''


    After we said our byes to the princesses who were staying at the same guesthouse as miss Lilith, we returned to the inn.


    Next Chapter: The tea party

 20 1.20 The tea party

    "Hoho, so you guys had to go through all that even before you got into the academy ha? Looks like it''s going to be a bumpy ride for you guys. AHAHA," said Jabal after hearing what happened today.


    We were having dinner at the Amigo inn. Since it was a bit late when we got back, we were having dinner together with Diane and Ria in our usual two tables with 6 chairs set up. We were telling them about all the things that happened today and they were finding it amusing and laughing.


    "So, have you decided to study under that lady?" Andrew who was almost done with the dinner asked.


    "Yes, she was powerful and even had king''s permission so we agreed to study under her," Nina replied.


    "I think you did a good thing. Even princesses are studying with her so the king must have a good reason for doing all this," Diane who was wiping something in Ria''s face said.


    Ria was making an uncomfortable face when she was doing that and was saying, "mom, I can do it by myself". She must find it embarrassing in front of all of us.


    "Yeah, but to be able to study with the princesses, I haven''t even seen one with my own eyes. The other one is even elven princess at that. I have heard that they rarely travel outside their own country so what may be the reason for her to come here?," said Jabal who was done eating and was waiting for us all to finish.


    "Yeah, I never even imagined I would meet someone like her here. Something very unusual is going on," said Ronald.


    "Y-yes, but she is nice, she even invited us for tea tomorrow morning," Marina who was also done eating said in her usual low voice.


    "You guys are just worrying too much. They may be princesses but they are also young girls like us, you know," Arica replied.


    "Yeah, I think we should just focus on training with Miss Lilith for now, we are even moving to Academy dorm tomorrow," I added since I was more worried about what kind of training we will have to go through.


    "So, you guys will be staying at the Academy dorm starting tomorrow. We will be leaving early tomorrow morning so everyone, don''t forget to write us letters every month," said Andrew and changed the subject after hearing Arica and me.


    "Yes, we will do that every month," Ronald replied.


    Sending a letter in this world wasn''t difficult since this world had the post offices in every city but the postman used to come only once a month in villages. Since they needed to travel back and forth carrying all the letters, it took a long time. It could be done faster if you could find a merchant or adventurer who is going towards the same place in the respective guilds. But that too would take about a week if you managed to find someone by luck.


    After we all finished eating, we went to our rooms and slept early. Since Andrew and Jabal were leaving early tomorrow, we decided to wake up early and say them our goodbyes.


    The next morning I woke up early and when I went down to the dining room, Andrew and Jabal were already having breakfast.


    When they saw me they said, "good morning" and I replied with the same. Diane and Ria were at the kitchen where Diane was probably teaching Ria how to cook properly.


    After waiting for a while, everyone came down one after another. We had told Diane not to prepare breakfast for us today because princess Anna had invited us for tea so we were planning to have breakfast there.


    After Andrew and Jabal finished their dinner and decided to head out, we said our goodbyes to them. The carriage and the cart were parked in the parking area near the entrance gate so they had to walk till there.


    After we said our goodbyes to them we went to our room to prepare for the tea at the guest house. We were going to wear our new academy uniform which students had to compulsorily wear when they were going outside the academy.


    It was the usual time for breakfast already when we all were ready so we had to hurry. We said our quick byes to Ria and Diane who were busy with the work at the inn and left for the guest house at duke''s castle.


    At the gate of the guest house, they let us in when we said we were friends of the princess. They probably would have doubted us but since we were wearing magic knight Academy''s uniform, they let us in without much problem.


    When we got inside a brown-haired maid was waiting for us. When we saw us coming, she said, "this way please" to which Nina replied with, "thank you".


    We followed the maid to the tea house that was in the garden of the guest house. The tea house had two tables with 4 chairs each. It looked like the tea was already prepared before we got there.


    When we reached the tea house, the princesses said "welcome everyone" together. If they didn''t have this much difference in their appearances, people would call them twins.


    "Happy to be here," Sistina replied.


    Me, Arica, Ronald, and Princess Anna sat at a table while the rest sat on another.


    "Let''s talk while having tea, it''s getting cold," Princess Anna said taking a sip from her teacup. After taking a sip and placing the cup back at the plate, she stood up from her chair as if she wanted to say something so we moved our attention to her.


    "It''s good to see everyone again. ''Princess Anna'' is what people usually call me by, but you guys can call me ''Anna'' since we are going to be friends from now on," she said. Looks like Princess Anna is the talkative type.


    Since we haven''t had time to introduce ourselves yesterday, princess Anna started with the introduction. Followed by Princess Anna, Princess Eliane stood up.


    "Hello everyone, I am Princess Eliane of the elven kingdom, you can call me Eliane," she said. It looks like she is the smart type that speaks only where needed.


    Following Princess Eliane, we all introduced ourselves. Princess Anna got excited when she heard that we were not from this city but from a village in this Duchy but her excited face suddenly changed into a sad one.


    "I haven''t been to any villages but I have heard that life there is very hard. Was it hard for you guys in the village?" Princess Anna asked.


    "No no, our village produces a lot of crops every year and we have a temple, an orphanage, and a knight station so it was not hard for us. But, it''s probably hard for some other farming villages where the land is not very good," Nina replied to make her lively again.


    "Ah, that is very good to hear. There aren''t many villages like that," Princess Eliane, who also looked worried, said in relief.


    "We were surprised to see princesses coming to study here at Singha city, is there a reason you guys came here instead of the royal academy at the Royal Capital?" Arica asked since we were all curious to know why they were here instead of the royal academy. Royal Academy is where most of the noble''s children go.


    "I always wanted to study at an Academy but my father always denied the request so I was taught by the instructors that were brought to Royal Palace. But because Eliane was coming here, he gave me permission to study here at Singha city," Princess Anna replied.


    We all looked towards Princess Eliane to hear her reply so she said, "Father wanted me to help with diplomacy between the two nations. Royal Academy is under very high influence of Nobles and many noble''s children go there so he was not comfortable in sending me there. He wanted me to learn more about this country before going to the Royal capital. He also said, he had met duke Singha once when he came to our country and he trusts him so he sent me here."


    That solved the mystery behind the princesses coming here but there is still something missing so I asked, "Did you guys knew that Miss Lilith would be teaching us?"


    The princesses shook their heads in denial. ''Looks like both of them had their reasons to come here but they too had no idea about Miss Lilith. Well, we are at a tea party so let''s think about that later.''


    The girls talked about different things since both princesses and other girls were curious about each other''s way of life. We had no interest in that so Ronald and I only acted as if we were paying attention.


    "So, will you guys really be moving to the dorm with us? I mean you guys are princesses so won''t it be uncomfortable for you guys?" Sistina asked.


    "It may be hard at the start but we have decided that we will study normally like you guys so I think we will get used to it soon. I mean that''s the reason we came here in the first place," said Princess Anna to which Princess Eliane nodded.


    "Okay everyone, I think we should leave now. We have to move into the dorm by the evening, remember?" said Nina.


    "Yes, we still have to get our things, so let''s go back to inn now," Ronald added.


    After we all agreed, we said our byes to the princesses. We were going to stay together at the dorm from now so we made it a short one and left.


    After we reached the inn, we got our things ready and quickly cleaned the rooms. Diane and Ria were so nice to us here so this was the least we could do. After everything was finished we went down with our bags.


    Since the dining room used to be empty during the afternoon, Ria and Diane were just sitting at the table. They were probably taking a break.


    "So, you kids are leaving for the dormitory already?" Diane asked when she saw us get down.


    "Yeah, we were told to move by the evening," Ronald replied for all of us.


    "Okay, take care of yourselves and come and visit us once in a while," Diane said after hearing Ronald''s reply.


    "Yeah, you too take care of yourself," Nina replied.


    After we got out of the inn and Diane and Ria were watching us go from the inn''s door.


    "Bye Bye everyone, take care," said Ria in a loud voice. We also looked back and waved our hands saying ours byes.


    Next Chapter: The dormitory

 21 1.21 The Dormitory

    We reached the academy gate and asked the guard there about the dormitory that we were going to stay in. It was inside the academy but the academy was big in itself with a lot of infrastructures so we had no idea where to look for it.


    The guard told us to look at the board where the dorm that the students were allocated was listed. We noticed that each dorm had 10 students and a teacher. They had to share bedrooms and other resources like the kitchen and bathroom.


    Our names were listed separately and it was just the 8 of us with miss Lilith as our teacher. It looked like we were going to be living at a different dormitory than normal.


    On our way, we found out that the other students at the academy were staring at us. ''Hope this is just because we are new here.''


    When we reached there, we found out that it was a big two-storey house with a red roof and painted white walls. The house had a small flower garden at the front and a balcony on the second floor.


    ''We should have expected that there would a high-class dormitory for influential nobles to stay at a place like this.''


    There was a handbell at the door which Sistina rang after which we heard a voice saying, "coming".


    It was Princess Anna who came and opened the door. She was wearing her school uniform which really suited her light-blue hair. When she saw us she said, "Welcome home everyone".


    It looks like she was waiting for us to come. I heard her saying, "I have always wanted to say that" in a low voice while getting in.


    We took a look inside, Inside there was a sitting room, a dining room attached to a kitchen, a study room, a large training room, and an artificial hot spring in the backyard. It was fitted with magic appliances that made things like cooking to cleaning easier. It was more like a noble''s mansion than a dormitory.


    ''Well, I knew they would never let a princess stay in the normal Academy dorm. The other one is from a foreign nation at that.''


    "It''s so big inside," Sistina made a comment when she saw all the things inside.


    "Oooh, it even has a hot bath," said Arica who was excited when she saw the hot spring.


    "I-Is it really okay for us to stay here?" asked Marina.


    This is totally different from the dorm we imagined so I understand her. Nina had a similar concern so she said, "Yes, isn''t it too big for us students to stay?"


    "Oh, you guys are here. The bedrooms are on the second floor, you can decide which room you want," Miss Lilith, who was coming down from the second floor with Eliane said.


    Miss Lilith was wearing a light blue one-piece dress that looked extra good on her tanned skin and Eliane was wearing the Academy dress like us. Somehow, the Academy dress looked different on her, probably because of the raise around the chest area.


    "What do you mean we can choose? Is there a separate bedroom for all of us?" Ronald asked.


    "Yes of course," Eliane replied as if it was the normal thing and the question is an odd thing to ask.


    "Isn''t this house a bit too big for us? I mean, cleaning and maintaining it will take all day even for all of us," I asked since we weren''t sure how to maintain everything here.


    "Oh, don''t worry about it. Sam will be doing the work around the house, he is very good at it," Princess Anna replied.


    As soon as Princess Anna said the word ''Sam'', a middle-aged man who was wearing a butler uniform and had a short mustache and well-combed hair came out of the kitchen saying, "Did you call my lady?"


    "Amm... yes. Can you take their bags to the second floor and show them their rooms," Princess Anna replied.


    "No No, there is no need to carry our bags. You can just show us the room," Nina hurriedly denied the part about carrying our bags and just asked him to show us the rooms.


    The butler moved towards the staircase and with a slight bow pointed his hands towards the stairs saying, "Please, this way". We followed the butler while Princess Eliane, Princess Anna, and Miss Lilith went towards the sitting room.


    On the second floor, there were several rooms connected to the same hallway. The insides of the rooms were arranged to suit people''s gender. Female rooms had a big mirror over a makeup table and the pictures, bed covers, and pillows were designed to suit feminine taste. Male rooms had a study table and more open space compared to female rooms.


    "Those 3 rooms are already occupied so you can choose from the rest. The male rooms are the ones on left-hand sides while the female rooms are on the right-hand side. Please let me know if you need anything," Sam said pointing towards the three corner rooms. After saying that Sam went downstairs.


    We chose a room each and went inside our rooms to check things inside. My room was as big as the one we stayed in the inn. It had a closet for clothes and a drawer to keep other materials. The bed was large, a bit too large. There was a window from where you could see the open training area behind the Academy.


    ''Man, this room is even better than the ones they had in high-class hotels in my previous world.''


    After we finished looking at things at our rooms we gathered in the hallway and decided to join others in the sitting room. We also had to discuss the things regarding our training.


    "Okay, take a seat, I will go through the plan for your training," Miss Lilith said when she saw us coming towards the sitting room.


    We all sat on the sofas that were facing opposite sides and while Miss Lilith sat on the single-seater sofa that joined both, like in the guest house yesterday.


    "Okay, so the first thing you need to know is that this is going to be nothing like Academy''s training. I looked at the Academy''s curriculum and what they teach is useless in a real battle," she said looking annoyed by the Academy''s way of teaching.


    "Useless?" Ronald asked with a confused look in his face.


    "Yeah, like they teach magicians long-range combat and knight short-ranged while in real battle the enemy can jump at you from anywhere. They don''t give a damn if you are a knight our a magician," she replied with a simple example and we all understood her point.


    "But still, a party is made of knights and magicians so they can watch each other''s back," Arica said making a point.


    "Yeah normally that would be the case if you were fighting humans but demons specialize in both long-range and short-ranged combat so they can easily get passed your teamwork," Miss Lilith replied.


    "So, is there a way for us to deal with this? I mean some of us can''t use swords," I asked since I was not sure how we could deal with this. We can''t teach the girls close close-quarters combat.


    "Hmm, the first thing you need to learn is how to strengthen your defense by increasing the mana density in your cloak. You can also use mana cloak for physical enhancement and attack your enemy with your fist. I will train you on that tomorrow morning so be prepared," She replied.


    While we were talking, it was already time for dinner. Sam came and stood there signaling us that the dinner was ready without interrupting us at our talk.


    "Okay, everyone looks like the dinner is ready so let''s go and eat," said Princess Anna standing from her seat. It was getting late so we all decided to go and have dinner.


    I could hear a small, ''I have always wanted to say that'' for Princess Anna while we were going towards the dining room.


    The dining room had a big long table where we sat facing each other. The dinner was no less than what would be served at a big restaurant back in my previous world.


    It had a lot of meat dishes filled with a lot of fat and calories. But since this world doesn''t have much development in terms of nutrients and dieting, people rarely have second thoughts about the food they are about to eat.


    "It''s our first day here so let us all take a bath at the hot spring together after this," Princess Anna said before we were about to start dinner.


    "Ohh, that''s a great idea," Arica commented on the idea.


    "No no, we can''t do that. Girls and boys can''t take bath together," said Marina. Her face had turned completely red after hearing the idea. Sistina replied to that by saying, "Calm down, it''s not like we will be taking a bath naked".


    Nina and Princess Eliane were also a bit reluctant but Princess Anna and Sistina managed to convince them at last. I myself was acting calm to show my manliness but deep down I was preparing myself for this trial.


    After we finished dinner, we went to our room to change into our swimming clothes. When I got down I met Arica and Sistina in the hallway.


    Arica was wearing a bold black swimsuit while Sistina was wearing a blue one-piece swimsuit which really suited her fox ears. Marina was hiding behind them and was wearing a pink swimsuit, it looked really well on her since her body had nice curves.


    Arica turned to me and asked, "How do I look" to which I replied with the classical line, "You.. all look very beautiful". Arica looked a little frustrated after hearing my reply but I thought if I say anything more than this, they would think that I was a pervert.


    After a while, Nina came out wearing a purple one-piece swimsuit and joined us followed by Roland. We were about to leave for the hot spring when Princess Anna called us with "wait for us" and joined us. She was wearing a light blue swimsuit matching her hair while Princess Eliane was wearing a green swimsuit that was barely holding her breasts.


    ''Don''t look at them! don''t look at them! they have spells on them that will enchant you even if you just take a peek''


    After we all went down and got inside the water, Miss Lilith joined us, she was wearing a red swimsuit dress that looked very good on her and showed his mature beauty.


    I was trying to concentrate away from the girls by chanting ''don''t look, don''t look'' but my eyes sometimes went out of my control. Princess Eliane was smiling every time she saw me looking at her.


    ''I am sorry, okay, I tried my best but there is a limit to how much I can control myself. God, please help me survive this trial of yours''


    Next chapter: Defense training

 22 1.21 Defense training

    "First, tell me the elements that you have the aptitude for, though this is irrelevant for today''s training," said miss Lilith.


    We were starting our training with Miss Lilith today. Miss Lilith was wearing a black leather dress while we are wearing our Academy uniform. We had our breakfast early after which we came to the open training ground behind the academy. The sun wasn''t very hot and it was perfect weather to train outside.


    "Oh, I can use Fire, Earth, Wind, and Dark magic," Princess Anna replied while stretching her shoulders.


    "And I can use, Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, and Holy magic," Princess Eliane followed.


    "Oh wow, someone with 5 aptitudes is only seen once in several hundred years. I only have 2 aptitudes, Earth and water," said Nina.


    "Well, I expected nothing less from someone from elven royalty and Fiore''s princess. I have the aptitude for wind and holy magic," said Ronald.


    "I can use Fire and Dark magic," Arica followed.


    "Umm... I-I can use Fire, Water, and Holy magic." Marina said her aptitudes following Arica.


    "I can use Water, Fire, and dark magic, I am still learning about them though," Sistina followed.


    It was my turn so I said, "I can use all elements except special, I don''t know if I can use that one."


    "Wow, you may be the first in this country to have all of them," said Princess Anna in surprise.


    "Ugh, it looks like you guys don''t know the origin and history of magic. Well, it''s humans we are talking about, they don''t even live for 100 years so how would they remember the history that happened thousands of years ago. Do you know about it, princess?" Miss Lilith turned towards Eliane and asked.


    "Yes, father told me about it a little bit," Eliane replied.


    "Okay, let''s not ruin our first day with lectures. I will tell you more about it after we finish today''s training. For now, everyone, activate your cloak at full power," said Miss Lilith.


    Everyone activated their cloak but since mine was always active I just passed more mana into it to make it dense. I tried making it densest I can since she told me to activate it in full power.


    Miss Lilith came closer to me and turned around. I was curious about what she was going to do when I suddenly saw a flying kick coming towards me. There was no way to dodge a sudden attack like that so I concentrated all the mana in my mana cloak towards my hand and tried to block it. I barely managed to block but the ground around my leg cracked showing how much power there was behind that attack.


    She backed down after that and said, "That was good kid, you were able to hold off an attack with 5% of my mana."


    ''What was that! you should have at least warned me before pulling a stunt like that. I would have been a dead man if I was even a second late.'' I thought but I was so shaken inside that I was hardly able to maintain my composure so I stayed quiet.


    She then turned towards others who were looking at us with surprise and said, "Everyone else also needs to be able to defend against least that much by the end of this training. You should be able to concentrate your mana at any part of your body at any time and you need to be able to maintain it at all times. From this moment on you are going keep your mana cloak on until I say you to stop. Understood?"


    """UNDERSTOOD""", Everyone replied in a loud voice.


    ''Did she make me a demonstration dummy just now to encourage others? THAT''S NOT FUNNY''


    "You all start practicing the use of mana cloak for physical enhancement and defense. And you, come with me," she said pointing towards me.


    After she assigned work to everyone and told me to follow her. I followed her to the small woods behind the open area. It was also a part of the Academy but mostly unused since people usually trained in the open area.


    "Here will be fine," she said after we reached the middle part of the woods. She then turned towards me and said, "Now, since you have the aptitude for all the elements, have you ever tried combining them with one another? Only 1% of the people with multiple elements are able to combine 2 elements but I think you should be able to do it with proper training."


    "No I haven''t, but I could give it a try if I see someone do it by visualizing how they did it. But without that, I am not sure if I will be able to do it," I replied since all the magics that I learned were copied from others. I made some modifications to them later, but that was after I was able to visualize it properly though.


    After I said that she created a ''water bomb'' and fused it wind magic which made a ring like the ones we saw on the picture of the planet Saturn in my previous world. It was even smaller than a cricket ball but when she shot it, it easily chopped down a tree before blasting. And the blast destroyed the trees in a 5-meter radius.


    "It''s called a wind-water bomb. Try doing it," she said after the demonstration.


    I tried doing it but it was hard to control and I knew that an accident caused by such magic could be major so I had to be careful while practicing it. Miss Lilith left me there and went back to others after telling me to "keep on practicing".


    I practiced till the evening and I finally managed to control both the magic at right amount to make a ''wind-water bomb'' of a small size. I wanted to test it but we had destroyed enough forest for one day so I went back to others.


    When I reached back to others, they were sitting at the ground as if someone has sucked all the energy out of them, only Ronald and Princess Eliane were barely managing to stand.


    ''Looks like everyone worked hard today.''


    "Okay, that''s it for today. You will continue with other training while keeping your mana cloak on from tomorrow," Miss Lilith said when she saw me coming. Everyone turned their mana cloak off and took a short break after hearing her.


    "Who would have thought maintaining mana cloak would be this hard," said Arica while getting up.


    "Yeah, I don''t even have energy to walk right now," said Nina.


    I helped Marina get up and she replied with "thank you." After everyone got up, we returned to the dorm. Since the open training area was just behind the dorm it was a short walk. As soon as we got back the girls went towards the pool to clean up while Ronald and I took a shower in the bathroom.


    After about an hour we all got changed to another pair of clothes and gathered in the sitting room. Everyone was looking active than how they were about some time ago.


    "Okay, since everyone is here, Eliane will tell you about the elemental magic," said Miss Lilith after we all sat on the sofa. She was probably bored after teaching us all day.


    We all concentrated towards Princes Eliane as she started speaking,


    "Before the humans learned magic, there were few other races who could already use their own kind of magic. Some of the powerful races were Fairies, Elves, Vampires, Demons, werewolf, and Dwarves while there were other monster races like lizardmen, Ogres, and goblins that lived in their own territories. Humans were no more than insects in the war between them since they were physically weak and lacked magical power.


    Some of the humans asked dwarves for help by offering them years of supply of wine so the dwarves made magical weapons for them. Using those magical weapons the human reached the dragon valley where they met six of the seven great dragon kings who ruled over the elements of this world, only six of the hundred and eight warriors managed to survive the journey to the dragon valley though. The great dragon kings admired their courage and sacrifices so they blessed them with their elemental magic and taught each of them how to use it. The elemental were: fire, water, earth, wind, darkness, and light, which was later called the holy element.


    After hundreds of years, humans managed to stand among all other races and rapidly increased their population. They established their territories and countries and the elemental magic was passed on to their children. Though it has gotten weaker after so many generations they were the gift given to humans by the true dragon kings. Since the seventh dragon who rules over Lightning wasn''t there, there are only six elemental magics passed down to humans."


    After Princess Eliane explained that part of the history Sistina raised her hand to ask a question. When Princess Eliane looked towards her she asked her question: "We had read that elves can also use a special element so is it different kind of magic?"


    "It''s not a different type of magic, Elves make contact with spirits. I haven''t made a contract yet since the summoning ceremony is only performed once in 100 years," She replied.


    As we were talking, Sam came in and signaled that the dinner is ready so we all went to the dining room and had our dinner.


    Next chapter: After a Week

 22 1.22 Defense training

    "First, tell me the elements that you have the aptitude for, though this is irrelevant for today''s training," said miss Lilith.


    We were starting our training with Miss Lilith today. Miss Lilith was wearing a black leather dress while we are wearing our Academy uniform. We had our breakfast early after which we came to the open training ground behind the academy. The sun wasn''t very hot and it was perfect weather to train outside.


    "Oh, I can use Fire, Earth, Wind, and Dark magic," Princess Anna replied while stretching her shoulders.


    "And I can use, Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, and Holy magic," Princess Eliane followed.


    "Oh wow, someone with 5 aptitudes is only seen once in several hundred years. I only have 2 aptitudes, Earth and water," said Nina.


    "Well, I expected nothing less from someone from elven royalty and Fiore''s princess. I have the aptitude for wind and holy magic," said Ronald.


    "I can use Fire and Dark magic," Arica followed.


    "Umm... I-I can use Fire, Water, and Holy magic." Marina said her aptitudes following Arica.


    "I can use Water, Fire, and dark magic, I am still learning about them though," Sistina followed.


    It was my turn so I said, "I can use all elements except special, I don''t know if I can use that one."


    "Wow, you may be the first in this country to have all of them," said Princess Anna in surprise.


    "Ugh, it looks like you guys don''t know the origin and history of magic. Well, it''s humans we are talking about, they don''t even live for 100 years so how would they remember the history that happened thousands of years ago. Do you know about it, princess?" Miss Lilith turned towards Eliane and asked.


    "Yes, father told me about it a little bit," Eliane replied.


    "Okay, let''s not ruin our first day with lectures. I will tell you more about it after we finish today''s training. For now, everyone, activate your cloak at full power," said Miss Lilith.


    Everyone activated their cloak but since mine was always active I just passed more mana into it to make it dense. I tried making it densest I can since she told me to activate it in full power.


    Miss Lilith came closer to me and turned around. I was curious about what she was going to do when I suddenly saw a flying kick coming towards me. There was no way to dodge a sudden attack like that so I concentrated all the mana in my mana cloak towards my hand and tried to block it. I barely managed to block but the ground around my leg cracked showing how much power there was behind that attack.


    She backed down after that and said, "That was good kid, you were able to hold off an attack with 5% of my mana."


    "Hey! what was that! you should have at least warned me before pulling a stunt like that. I would have been a dead man if I was even a second late," I said but she completely ignored me.


    She then turned towards others who were looking at us with a surprised face and said, "Everyone else needs to be able to defend against at least that much by the end of this training. You should be able to concentrate your mana at any part of your body at any time and you need to be able to maintain it at all times. From this moment on you are going keep your mana cloak on until I say you to stop. Understood?"


    """UNDERSTOOD""", Everyone replied in a loud voice.


    ''Did she make me a demonstration dummy just now to encourage others? THAT''S NOT FUNNY''


    "You all start practicing the use of mana cloak for physical enhancement and defense. And you, come with me," she said pointing towards me.


    After she assigned work to everyone and told me to follow her. I followed her to the small woods behind the open area. It was also a part of the Academy but mostly unused since people usually trained in the open area.


    "Here will be fine," she said after we reached the middle part of the woods. She then turned towards me and said, "Now, since you have the aptitude for all the elements, have you ever tried combining them with one another? Only 1% of the people with multiple elements are able to combine 2 elements but I think you should be able to do it with proper training."


    "No I haven''t, but I could give it a try if I see someone do it by visualizing how they did it. But without that, I am not sure if I will be able to do it," I replied since all the magic that I learned were copied from others. I made some modifications to them later, but that was after I was able to visualize it properly though.


    After I said that she created a ''water bomb'' and fused it wind magic which made a ring like the ones we saw on the picture of the planet Saturn in my previous world. It was even smaller than a cricket ball but when she shot it, it easily chopped down a tree before blasting. And the blast destroyed the trees in a 5-meter radius.


    "It''s called a wind-water bomb. Try doing it," she said after the demonstration.


    I tried doing it but it was hard to control and I knew that an accident caused by such magic could be major so I had to be careful while practicing it. Miss Lilith left me there and went back to others after telling me to "keep on practicing".


    I practiced till the evening and I finally managed to control both the magic at right amount to make a ''wind-water bomb'' of a small size. I wanted to test it but we had destroyed enough forest for one day so I went back to others.


    When I reached back to others, they were sitting at the ground as if someone has sucked all the energy out of them, only Ronald and Princess Eliane were barely managing to stand.


    ''Looks like everyone worked hard today.''


    "Okay, that''s it for today. You will continue with other training while keeping your mana cloak on from tomorrow," Miss Lilith said when she saw me coming. Everyone turned their mana cloak off and took a short break after hearing her.


    "Who would have thought maintaining mana cloak would be this hard," said Arica while getting up.


    "Yeah, I don''t even have the energy to walk right now," said Nina.


    I helped Marina get up and she replied with "thank you." After everyone got up, we returned to the dorm. Since the open training area was just behind the dorm it was a short walk. As soon as we got back the girls went towards the hot spring to take a bath while Ronald and I took a shower in the bathroom.


    After about an hour we all got changed to another pair of clothes and gathered in the sitting room. Everyone was looking active than how they were a while ago.


    "Okay, since everyone is here, Eliane will tell you about the elemental magic," said Miss Lilith after we all sat on the sofa. She was probably bored after teaching us all day.


    We all looked towards Princes Eliane as she started speaking. Basically what she said was:


    Before the humans learned magic, there were few other races who could already use their own kind of magic. Some of the powerful races were Fairies, Elves, Vampires, Demons, werewolf, and Dwarves there were also other monster races like lizardmen, Ogres, and goblins that lived in their own territories. Humans were no more than insects in the war between them since they were physically weak and lacked magical power.


    Some of the humans asked dwarves for help by offering them years of supply of wine so the dwarves made magical weapons for them. Using those magical weapons the human reached the dragon valley where they met six of the seven great dragon kings who ruled over the elements of this world. Only six of the hundred and eight warriors managed to survive the journey to the dragon valley. The great dragon kings admired their courage and sacrifices so they blessed them with their elemental magic and taught each of them how to use it. The elemental were: fire, water, earth, wind, darkness, and light, which was later called the holy element.


    After hundreds of years, humans managed to stand among all other races and rapidly increased their population. They established their territories and countries and the elemental magic was passed on to their children. Though it has gotten weaker after so many generations they were the gift given to humans by the true dragon kings. Since the seventh dragon who rules over Lightning wasn''t there, there are only six elemental magics passed down to humans.


    After Princess Eliane explained that part of the history, Sistina raised her hand to ask a question. When Princess Eliane looked towards her she asked her question: "We had read that elves can also use a special element so is it different kind of magic?"


    "It''s not a different type of magic, Elves make contact with spirits. I haven''t made a contract yet since the summoning ceremony is only performed once in 100 years," She replied.


    As we were talking, Sam came in and signaled that the dinner is ready so we all went to the dining room and had our dinner. Since we all were tired we went to our room to sleep straight after dinner.


    Next chapter: After a Week

 23 1.23 After a Week

    It has been a week since we started training under Miss Lilith. Even though it is said that we are training together Miss Lilith has separated us into different groups. Everyone needs to train while maintaining ''Mana cloak''. They are only permitted to turn it off during their sleep now.


    Marina and Nina are training about the support roles, mostly regarding the defense against long-range attacks and the healing of injuries using magic. They have also started learning about the magic potions in the Academy library. Nina is practicing defense with water and earth magic, she is also learning spells like ''Earth wall'' and ''Earth hole'' while Marina is learning several healing magic and water defense magic like ''Aqua shield'' and ''Water manipulation'', which works especially well against the fire attacks.


    Princess Eliane and Princess Anna are learning long-range attacks. They were already familiar with the theoretical part but had never practiced them properly so it will take some time for them to really be able to use it. But watching how naturally talented they are, they will probably master them soon. They still need some work in the accuracy and magic control part. Miss Lilith was saying that she will teach them how to combine different elements after they are able to control their magic properly.


    Sistina has somehow joined Arica and Ronald''s group. She is learning physical enhancement and how to change mana into the elemental energy during physical attacks that can be used in close range. She hasn''t shown much progress yet, but she has gotten better than others in manipulating ''Mana cloak'' for physical enhancement.


    Arica is learning powerful frontal attacks by combining Fire magic with her sword while Ronald is learning precise sneak attacks using his Wind magic. They are both naturals at it and are learning at a fast pace. Ronald especially has been increasing his speed significantly. They, including Sistina, practice with Miss Lilith for around an hour each day where she only dodges. They haven''t even been even able to touch her yet though they are improving each day.


    Finally, I have been training by myself trying to combine all sorts of magic. The things I learned are that dark and light magic cannot be combined with other elements while the rest of others can be combined with one another. I also learned that the properties counter each other. Like you can combine fire and water magic but the result would be nothing but water vapor. Well, it could be used as some kind of diversion but not as actual attack magic.


    ''Oh, it''s about time I go back to others.''


    I was in the academy woods training on how to combine the different magical elements. I have been here since morning and Miss Lilith has taught me nothing new during this period. All she says is to test combining various elements. At this point, I have tried so many combinations that I don''t remember all of them. Some of them were extremely hard to control while some were a piece of cake.


    I stood up from the wood that I was sitting on and started walking towards others. As I got out of the forest I stopped walking and looked back. Many trees had fallen during my tests because I wasn''t able to control some of the combinations and had to release the attack. Blank areas could be seen between the forest where there were dense trees before.


    ''I wonder how many trees will be still standing if I keep this up for a month.'' As I was thinking I turned forward and started walking again. ''Well, they can be grown back using magic so let''s not worry too much about it.''


    The sun was almost about to set when I reached where everyone was. Everyone was sitting on the ground and looked exhausted while Miss Lilith was standing and giving a satisfied smile.


    "Hey everyone, how did the training go?" I asked when I got close to where everyone was sitting. Sistina, Ronald, and Arica were covered in sweat while the rest of them simply looked drained.


    "Like yesterday, we weren''t even able to touch her even though Marina and Nina supported us today," said Ronald as I passed him the pouch of water.


    "It''s like she can see what we are going to do even before we do it. I thought I had her that time when I raised the ''earth wall'' behind her and Ronald and Arica were charging at her from the front but she simply dodged it by jumping high and got past them," said Nina getting up.


    None of them had any bruises so Marina had probably healed them already. I asked marina, "are you alright" to which she responded with "Yeah, I didn''t do much in the actual fight so I could at least heal everyone''s injury".


    "And what about you princesses?" I turned towards them and asked. Both of them looked very exhausted even though they didn''t participate in the practice against Miss Lilith. That was because they still were not able to use the magic at the level where you won''t hurt your teammates during the fight.


    "I think we are getting better at it. We will be able to join the others soon," said Princess Anna while getting up.


    "Using the right amount of magic and making aim considering everyone''s movement is a bit tricky but I think we will be able to join others with some practice," Princess Eliane added. It looks like both of them are working hard too. I think I need some work on coordination with others too but for not Miss Lilith just wants me to learn the combination of elements for now.


    After everyone got up we walked back to the dorm. Though everyone is a lot more exhausted than me, they were slowly getting used to this kind of training.


    After we got back to the dorm Ronald and I went to the bathroom to take a shower while the girls went to the hot spring.


    We could hear them make noise from the spring which sounded like Arica was teasing the princesses about something but I thought it would be best to ignore them.


    After dinner, we all gathered in the sitting room but there was silence for a while. After a while, princess Anna broke the silence with, "Nara, what kind of training did you do today, you told us that you were learning how to combine elements but we still don''t know much about it".


    "Oh, it''s mostly trial and error right now, I try something to see if works or not, and if it works I see what kind of effect it has. If the effect is useful, I practice it, and if not I move on to another combination. Wind magic works well with almost everything while fire magic is hardly compatible with anything. Holy and dark magic can''t be combined with any other magic. Now that I think about it, I haven''t ever seen dark magic being used before," I replied.


    "To be honest, I haven''t really used dark magic much before too. I have heard many things about it, but still, I haven''t been able to use it at anything useful," Arica added to the point about the use of dark magic.


    "Hou... dark magic can be one of the most useful magic if you learn how to utilize it properly. Humans don''t know how to use it properly so they just make assumptions based on the word ''dark''," said miss Lilith.


    "Are you going to teach us about it miss Lilith?" Sistina asked in an excited tone. She also had an aptitude for dark magic so she is probably excited to learn more about it.


    "Well, I may teach you the summoning magic after you finish with this training," Miss Lilith replied to Sistina and then turned towards me.


    "From tomorrow I have something else planned for you so be ready," she said with a wry smile. "Okay, I hope it''s not something that will kill me," I replied since it looks like she is planning to do something crazy again.


    As we were talking, Sam came in and signaled that the dinner is ready. He was a good butler who knew all the proper manners while serving masters. He also was excellent at household work and left no room for complaints. He was also a good cook who could cook almost any popular dish in the city.


    As soon as Sam signaled we all went towards the dining hall since we all were hungry. We had dinner in the usual style where we talked about different things that happened today. When we were about to finish it looked like Princess Eliane wanted to ask something so we looked towards her.


    "Miss Lilith, you said we will be able to be as strong as a graduate knight in the next three weeks so what are we going to do after that?"


    "Hmm... I have thought of something but that''s after you finish the training and beat an 8 man knight squad. If you do that I will win the bet with duke after which I will be able to train you any way I like," she replied.


    "A bet?" Marina asked in confusion.


    "Yeah, it''s a simple bet I made with duke before your test. If I made a group of newbies strong enough to beat a knight squad, he would let me train them any way I like," She replied as if it was no big deal.


    "Well, You could have told us about that earlier!" said Sistina with a troubled look. She had already finished her dinner and was waiting for others.


    Miss Lilith ignored what she said and just replied with, "If you guys keep this weak attitude, I will have to make your training even harder" after which everyone became quiet.


    After we all finished our dinner we went to our room. Due to all the training, it has somewhat become a habit to sleep early.


    Next chapter: After a Month

 24 1.24 After a Month

    Arica swung her sword covered in flame towards miss Lilith''s neck which she easily dodged by bending herself backward. Combining fire magic with a sword was a cost-effective method for frontal attack because it needed less mana and was easy to control. Arica knew that attack won''t work though because she has been trying to land an attack on her for almost a month now with no luck. When the attack missed a little "oops" could be heard from her but there was no sign of disappointment in her face.


    Right at the moment, when she bent backward, Princess Anna launched a fire javelin towards the lower region of her body targetting her feat. Miss Lilith narrowly dodged again by touching the ground with her hands and flipping over. Princess Anna said "not again" in disappointment. This narrow dodge wasn''t because we were predicting her movement or because of a coincidence. It was because she knows our moves better than we do hers.


    We had predicted up to this much so Nina had already used ''earth hole'' to create a small hole in the place where she would land. But that didn''t work and she jumped a bit further by pushing her hands that were on the ground. Nina clicked the tongue in disappointment. If she had fallen into the lower ground we all could attack her at once.


    Our first plan failed at that point but this was within the range of predictability since we had been at it since days. If this much was enough we would have landed hit on her days ago.


    We moved to plan B where Princess Eliane laughed a ''Water slash'' towards her. It wasn''t possible to dodge by bending backward this time since Nina had already created an ''Earth wall'' behind her. She could either go to her left or right. As she was about to go right Ronald launched an ''Air slash'' from her left side. But she easily dodged by jumping over the six feet tall ''Earth wall''. It''s as if she already knew this was coming, she probably did.


    It wasn''t over yet, Sistina was there waiting for her behind the wall with a fist covered in fire magic. Miss Lilith was still mid-air so there was no way she could dodge an attack there. Sistina used physical enhancement to jump up to her. She was planning to punch her when she was mid-air using her ''Fire punch''. But as soon as she reached up to her, Miss Lilith grabbed Sistina''s shoulders and used it as a hold to get past her.


    As Sistina was about to fall towards the ''Earth wall'' that Nina had created before, Marina caught her using ''Water Manipulation''. Marina breathed a sigh a relief when she saw that she wasn''t injured while Sistina struck her left palm with her right fist in disappointment saying, "I will get her someday".


    Plan B failed at that point but we still had one last trick up our sleeves. As she was about to land, I was there to intercept her. I had prepared a small wind-water bomb in my hand for that exact moment. She could block it if she wanted but there was no way to dodge it without using magic. I shot it towards her the exact moment she was about to set foot on the ground but she used wind magic and dodged it doing a side flip.


    "HA! you used wind magic just now," said Sistina when she saw her do that.


    "I never said I wouldn''t," Miss Lilith replied.


    ''Now that I think about it there was no such rule in this practice.''


    "But that''s not fair!" said Princess Anna who was coming towards us with Arica and Ronald.


    "Well, they say ''everything is fair in love and war''," Arica was the one who replied, to which, Miss Lilith unusually nodded in satisfied tone saying "hmm-hmm".


    Everyone sighed in disappointment. Even after all this training, we weren''t able to land a single hit when all she did was use magic for physical enhancement to dodge.


    ''Well, at least we made her use magic and Sistina even managed to touch her, though it was more like her touching Sistina.''


    "M-Miss Lilith is so strong, I don''t think we will ever beat her," said Marina. That was a logical conclusion based on our fights until now.


    Miss Lilith stood there for a while and hummed after which she turned towards us. "You are getting better at coordination and your individual skills have also improved but you guys still need a lot of training. With this much, you will be able to win tomorrow - if you are lucky."


    ''So, if we are not, we will get our asses kicked.'' As I was thinking that princess Anna said, "We will definitely beat them, we''ve trained hard" in her ever-positive attitude. I knew that me saying that out loud will only discourage others so I gave a fake smile when Princess Anna said that.


    We had no idea whom we were up against, nor had a single one of us seen a fight between trained knights and magicians. We had no plan or strategies and what we were fighting against was what we wanted to be in the future.


    Plus, Duke Singha didn''t look like a man who would go easy on us just because we are kids. ''If he is how I think he is, he will probably select the best knights and magician to fight us saying something like, "people become stronger by facing trials"''


    "Well, there isn''t much point worrying about it, let''s go back to the dorm and rest to prepare for tomorrow," said Ronald sensing everyone''s worry.


    "Yeah, it''s already the usual time," said Nina. It was already the usual time for us to return to the dorm so we started walking back.


    Since last week, we had been fighting miss Lilith to improve our teamwork. Our coordination wasn''t perfect, nor was our individual skills polished. We only had a month''s time to prepare for this. To perfect our skills in such a short time was impossible when people needed years of training to master these skills.


    On our way back Marina asked, "will we really be able to do it?" to which Nina replied with, "Let''s do our best. If we can''t beat them, we simply have to work harder". Marina was the one who was most worried about it so Nina said that to comfort her.


    "Hey Miss Lilith, you made a bet right, what will happen if you lose?" Asked Princess Eliane. Now that I think about it she never told us about that part.


    "Nothing much, everyone else will go to Academy like normal kids while you princesses will study in duke''s castle."


    "Ehh... how could you make such a bet? I thought it was just a contest. Why didn''t you tell us about this earlier?" Nina asked.


    Till now we thought the stakes weren''t that high nor was there a great reward. We thought it was just a contest between Duke and Miss Lilith but that was no longer the case. Now the stakes are high and our team being together or falling apart depends on it.


    "Well, he wouldn''t let me train you guys the way I wanted if I hadn''t made that bet. The king only gave me permission to train you all but that would have to be under the Academy''s rules," said Miss Lilith.


    The worry, in this case, was fair but just worrying about it won''t prevent what''s inevitable so we all decided that we would give this our best.


    After we reached the Dorm, we took baths like always where Ronald and I took a shower in the bathroom and the girls went to the hot spring. We all gathered in the sitting room after we were changed. Sam didn''t bring anything like tea or any other drinks because it was almost time for dinner.


    Even though we all were here, the room was silent. It looked like everyone had something in their minds but none of them could say it out loud.


    "So, are we going to fight them at the Duke''s castle tomorrow?" Arica asked. Usually, Arica wasn''t a conversation starter so this was something rare.


    "Yeah, after the last show to the nobles during our entrance test, showing the results of that makes sense," Ronald replied.


    To show the result of the project after doing such publicity makes sense politically. Even back in my previous world, companies used to increase their influence by showing the progress in sales that they did after a ton of advertisements.


    "Will we be able to beat them?" Sistina asked looking a bit worried. Since none of us have seen actual knights in combat we were not sure. But by what we had heard a knight and a magician together could defeat a lesser demon so it was a tough fight as we are now.


    "I don''t know that, but we have trained hard so we won''t go down that easily," Princess Anna said in her usual positive tone.


    "Well, just remember if you don''t beat them and I lose the bet, you are going to receive a hell-ish training," said Miss Lilith making a scary face and the room went back to silent again.


    As we were talking, Sam signaled that it was time for dinner so we went towards the dining hall.


    Next chapter: Fighting a Knight squad

 25 1.25 Fighting a Knight squad - Part 1

    ¡ï¡ï--Inside the Duke''s castle in the Shinga City--¡ï¡ï


    Note: Not from Nara''s POV.


    Two men wearing metal armors were walking towards the audience room in the duke''s castle. Both of them had longswords on their waist which was unusual because only the castle guards were allowed to carry weapons around this part of the castle. Them being here with weapons means that the duke trusted them enough to let them carry those around.


    "Garo, I thought we would be able to take a break after coming back from the monster hunting expedition but, we are here for more work. Do you think the duke is also like all those nobles who care about nothing else except their asses?"


    A man in his mid-twenties asked in a casual tone. He had yellow hair and a scar on his forehead. He was wearing an earring on his right ear and looked like a typical street punk. Someone like him being allowed to be here meant that he was with someone whom duke trusted greatly.


    "Watch your mouth, or else I will make sure that you won''t be able to speak anymore," said a man in his mid-thirties. He also had yellow hair but he looked like a gentleman from every angle, the exact opposite of the man who he was with. Based on what the young man called him, his name must be Garo.


    "Duke is a brave man who fought bravely against demons 11 years ago. If it weren''t for him and his squad, the city would have been destroyed by the time royal knights came for help. Show some respect towards him, punk," Garo added in a praising tone.


    "Hou... But I have heard that he is calling us today for asking us to play with a bunch of academy kids. It looks like he is doing all this for entertaining the nobles. It doesn''t sound like a man you always talk about," the young man replied in a casual tone like before without caring about the warning Garo just gave him.


    "He must have some reasons for doing this," Garo replied. In truth, he himself wasn''t sure why duke was doing this. But he never doubted the man, he believed that there must be a reason behind all this.


    As they were talking, they reached the audience room. After they knocked on the door, duke''s old trusted butler opened it saying "please come in".


    The duke was sitting in his chair behind which the old butler went and stood. It, by no means, looked good to make a thin old man like him stand while sitting in a chair himself. But everyone knew that if they were to exchange places, that wouldn''t look good either.


    "Welcome back Garo, how was the expedition?" asked the duke when he saw them entering the room.


    Garo had a chair in front of him but he didn''t seat on it because he wasn''t told to. He kept on standing and replied, "It went well, Your Grace. We have successfully thinned the number of monsters in the surrounding villages by working together with the local knights. My squad members are resting at the moment but we will be ready for service any time you need us."


    The duke hummed after hearing his answer and jumped straight into the main topic, "I want your squad members to test a bunch of kids for me. You don''t need to go easy on them but just don''t be too rough with them."


    They both already knew that the duke was looking for a squad to fight some academy students. Since they were available, there was a high chance they would be called so it was as they predicted.


    It looked like the young man who was with him wanted to say something but before he could open his mouth, Garo said, "It will be as you want Your Grace though I can''t guarantee that they won''t be hurt since my squad hasn''t gone easy on anyone in a while."


    "HAHAHA! that will be fine. Injuries on young ones will heal quickly. It will be tomorrow afternoon but bring your party to the castle tomorrow morning, I want you to meet them first," the duke said after a laugh.


    "Thank you, Your Grace. if you will excuse me," Garo bowed and so did the young man with him but there was a clear lack of respect and admiration compared to Garo''s bow.


    As they were about to leave the duke said "wait" and turned his head towards the young man and asked him, "What''s your name young man?"


    The young man realized whom he was dealing with when their gaze met. He couldn''t bring himself to speak casually like he usually does, he just said, "I-I am Fizz sir".


    The duke hummed and leaned back in his chair in a relaxed way. It looked as if he has lost all the interest to know more about that man.


    The old butler went ahead and opened the door for them after which Garo and the young man named Fizz left.


    ¡ï¡ï-- Back to the Dorm--¡ï¡ï


    "Wake up sleepyhead!"


    I opened my eyes after hearing Sistina. She and Arica were the only ones who entered my room without asking me first. I don''t mind her doing that but Arica always takes things to the next level so I have to be careful around her.


    "I am awake Sistina. Thanks for waking me up," I said while rubbing my eyes after raising myself up. I was a bit tensed about our fight against the knight squad today so it took me a while to fall asleep last night.


    "Now get changed and come down quickly, everyone is already in the dining room," she said as she was leaving. It looked like everyone was already at the dining room for breakfast and I was the only one waking up this late.


    ''Looks like I even beat Arica at waking up late today.''


    After I got changed, I went to the dining room. There, everyone else was already having breakfast. I said, "good morning" when I entered to which everyone replied in their own way. Since they said it together, it was a bit hard to understand.


    After I joined them, Sam served me breakfast which looked like French toast. Sam''s cooking was always perfect so I complimented him with, "it''s good, thank you" like always.


    As we were eating, we heard someone ringing the handbell on the door outside. Sam went to check who it was and returned after some time. Since no one came inside with him, we all looked towards him to know who it was.


    "It was coachmen sent to take you all to the duke''s castle. They said they will be waiting outside until you are ready."


    It made sense that they wouldn''t make the princesses walk to the castle. And, if the carriage was just for princesses they would never agree to go on them leaving us behind.


    "Are we leaving for the castle this early?" Nina asked.


    It wasn''t that early since it would be around 9 am if I were in my previous world but since the match was in the afternoon, it was a little early.


    "It looks like the duke wants to introduce us to the other party," Miss Lilith replied.


    Usually, that would be done after the battle so doing it before meant they were someone duke personally knew or an attempt to scare us before the fight so that we would quit.


    "Well, at least we will be able to know a little more about the enemies we are fighting against," said Ronald who was done eating.


    After we finished our breakfast we went to our rooms to be ready. After about half an hour we gathered in the sitting room. Everyone was wearing their academy uniform while Miss Lilith was wearing a red one-piece dress.


    When we went outside, there were two carriages standing for us. Princesses, Miss Lilith, and Nina sat on one of them while the rest of us sat on another. We didn''t talk much on the way since we all had nothing much to talk about in such a situation. Marina was looking a little overwhelmed by everything so I said, "don''t worry. we''ll be fine" to console her.


    After a while, we reached to the duke''s castle. The guard on the gate didn''t ask any questions to the coachmen which meant they were already familiar with the carriage and who was coming in it.


    When we got inside and got off the carriage, we were greeted by duke''s old butler. He bowed a little and said, "It''s an honor to be able to welcome princesses. Please come this way."


    The princesses replied with a simple "thank you" after which we followed him to a room that looked like a cabinet. It was empty when we reached there so we probably had to wait.


    The old man bowed again and said, "Please wait here. Duke and the other party will be here shortly".


    ''So it is as we expected.''


    We sat on the chairs on one side of the long table that was in the room. Each side had 10 chairs so one was left empty.


    After a while, we heard the footstep of some men coming and ones who were coming through that door were going to be our opponents.


    Next Chapter: Fighting a Knight squad - Part 2

 26 1.26 Fighting a Knight squad - Part 2

    Five men and three women entered through the door. Four of them were wearing metal armor and had longsword in their waist while the rest of the four were wearing leather robes and had staves in their hands. Those were staves with magic gems embedded in them. The gems were of different colors so their effect must also be different.


    "So, are these our opponents for today Garo?" One of the lady knights asked. She was tall and had orange hair and an eyepatch in one of her eyes.


    "Hehe, isn''t it obvious at this point Alisia. This will be fun," a lady magician said. She was wearing hood on her leather armor so only her lower face and lower part of her purple hair were visible.


    "Is this supposed to be a joke, Garo? If I knew we were fighting a bunch of kids, I would have never come," a tall bald man spoke looking towards the yellow-haired man in the center. Since he was wearing a leather robe, he must be a magician. "Well, I didn''t join the knight squad to be some nobles puppet so I won''t participate in this puppet-show. I am leaving," said the bald man while turning around towards the door from which he came from.


    "If you want to leave I won''t stop you," the yellow-haired man whose name appears to be Garo replied.


    "Yes captain, I am of the same opinion as Jeen. I respect you captain, but fighting a bunch of academy kids is against my honor as a knight," said the youngest looking man in metal armor. He had red hair and from his appearance, nobody would say that his age is much different from ours.


    After the two of them left, the others sat on the chairs opposite to us. The old butler who brought us here was still standing on the side of the table since his duty prohibited him from sitting with his master and his guests.


    A yellow-haired young man stood from his chair and leaned forward towards Miss Lilith who was yawning and looked bored. He had an earring on his right ear and looked like a typical street punk.


    "So, you are the one teaching these kids, huh? Are you stupid or something? What makes you thi-"


    As he was saying that, miss Lilith stood up and punched him in his face which made him fall back in his chair and his chair fell backward on the ground. Blood started coming out of his nose but her teeth weren''t broken which meant Miss Lilith held back a lot.


    Miss Lilith sat back in her seat and yawned again but this time she looked a bit refreshed.


    "See Fizz, I told you that you would be punched on your face one day if you don''t keep your mouth shut," said a green-haired girl wearing a leather robe.


    She had a bit chubby but cute face. She stood up holding her green staff that she left-leaning on her chair when she sat. She then kneeled down towards the man whom she just called Fizz and used her holy magic to heal his face. Fizz was too shocked to speak anything so he kept quiet.


    A man with brown hair, wearing a robe stood up and said, "Why the heck did you do that lady? Are you nu-"


    "Stay quiet Mon, we are not here to fight her. Though, by what I sense from her, I don''t think we will be able to beat her even if our whole squad fights together," said captain Garo, interrupting the brown-haired man whose name appears to be Mon.


    "Wh-"


    As Mon was about to say something we heard heavy footsteps coming towards us so we all looked towards the door.


    "HAHA, so you all are already getting along well," said the duke while entering the room.


    "Not exactly, we haven''t even spoken to each other yet," said Miss Lilith looking towards him.


    The duke replied with "is that so?" after which he towards Captain Garo and said, "Those two left huh? Well, I expected they would, and as a former knight myself, I don''t think they did anything wrong."


    "Thank you, Your Grace. Even without the two of them, I think the six of us will be more than sufficient to test these kids," said Garo while thanking duke by standing from his chair and bowing his head in apology.


    "Okay, You kid there, introduce your team to the captain," said the duke pointing towards Ronald. He probably did that because Ronald looked the oldest among us.


    "Y-yes your grace," said Ronald standing from his chair. He then turned towards Garo who was the captain of the other team.


    "I am Ronald and this my team. Our team has two knights and six magicians. I and Arica over here, are knights while the rest of us are magicians," he said pointing his hands towards Arica. He then turned towards his left side, "On my left side are Sistina and Arica whom I introduced earlier. On my right from the furthest seat are, Nara, Marina, Nina, Princess Anna, Princess Eliane and our teacher Miss Lilith".


    "Okay, so the rumors were true that the princesses are in the team that we will be fighting today. Well, that doesn''t matter at this point. I am Garo and this is my team. As you can see, only six of us are going to be your opponent." He then turned towards his left said, " On my left side we have Mon, Vina, and Fizz and on my right side we have Alisia and Fifi. I think you can tell who is a knight and who is a Magician based on our equipment."


    While we were introducing each other, Fizz stood back up and sat after lifting the fallen chair. Vina got back on her chair too. He looked angry but he didn''t speak anything.


    "Hey kids, don''t you think your team is unbalanced?" Mon asked while still sitting in his chair.


    "Not exactly, it may appear like that but I think we are a pretty balanced team," replied Princess Anna. Since Sistina and I can do close-quarters combat, it balances the need of four knights in an eight-man squad.


    "Okay, now that the introductions are over I think I should tell you more about today''s fight," said the duke after which he took a long breath and started speaking again, "Today''s fight is not a fight where you have to beat each other. It will be a fight where you have to capture a member of another team. The team chooses one member who will be the bait and guard it. The team which successfully captures other team''s bait while still guarding their own wins."


    He then turned towards Miss Lilith and said, "Is it fine with you Lilith?" to which she replied with, "It doesn''t matter as long as it''s a fair fight".


    "Okay then, the fight will be in the castle ground. Many nobles will be watching so give them a good show," said the duke while leaving the room.


    After he left, the old butler came forward and said, "It''s almost time so please come with me."


    We followed the butler who took us to an empty room. It looks like the place where the participants had to wait until they are called for the match.


    "Knight and Magician trainees, please stay here until you are called outside. The match will start soon. The other door leads straight to the ground," said the old butler. He then bowed and said "If you will excuse me. Miss Lilith and everyone else please follow me."


    Miss Lilith said, "Show those uncles and aunts what you are made of," and went with the old butler while we entered the room.


    While we were there, we had to decide who was going to be the bait. Since the match was starting soon, we didn''t have much time.


    "Um, you know. I think I should be the bait since I am useless in the real battle," said Marina in her usual low voice. She probably thinks she is not very useful so she wants to be useful this way. She looked nervous because of everything but nobody could blame her since we all were nervous. This was the reason why everyone was so quiet during our introduction, we had no idea what to say in such a situation.


    "No, you are not. You are the best healing and support magician we have," Nina said while holding Marina''s shoulders with both her hands.


    "Yes but Marina is the best choice, you know. Her role doesn''t require much movement," said Arica looking towards Nina and Marina.


    "Yes, that would be the most logical choice," Princess Eliane added.


    "I-I am okay with it, I will take the role," said Marina in a hasty tone.


    "Okay then, Marina will be the bait," said Ronald after which it was decided that she was taking the bait role.


    "Marina, don''t worry about it we will protect you," I said to Marina in an attempt to make her feel better to which she replied with, "I know, everyone will".


    After we decided who our bait was going to be we waited for a while. After a while, we were called to the ground with a loud announcement. Outside there was a completely different world than we had imagined, there were people all around watching as if it was some kind of big event.


    Next chapter: Fighting a Knight squad - Part 3

 27 1.27 Fighting a Knight squad - Part 3

    After a loud announcement that said, "Fighters of today''s match please come outside", we came outside of the waiting room. Our opponents also came out from the room on the other side of the ground.


    The castle walls and the balconies were filled with people. Almost all of them looked like nobles from their dress. There wasn''t much cheer from the crowd though. It may be because cheering was considered not noble-like or they were simply disappointed when they found out that the fight was between academy kids and professional knights.


    I saw the Duke and Miss Lilith on the same balcony from where the duke saw our test last time. The old butler was standing behind him in his usual position. Surprisingly, Goro, the duke''s son who took the test with us was also with them.


    While we were looking around, a man with brown hair wearing a metal armor came to us. He was wearing the same kind of armor as the guards on the castle gate so he must be one of the castle guards.


    "Kids, take this red ribbon. The bait must wear it somewhere where it can be easily seen. The match will start when the horn is blown so get into formation before that," the man said giving Ronald the ribbon. The man went back to the castle wall after giving us the ribbon and delivering instructions.


    Ronald gave that ribbon to Marina who tied it in her pink tail. After that, we all gather around to discuss our strategy.


    "Since they are trained knights, we need to have a formation that focuses on the defense. Firstly Arica and I will distract the knights with long-range support from Princess Eliane and Princess Anna. Nina and Sistina will guard Marina. Nina and Marina can defend against long-range attacks and Sistina can distract any knights that get past us. Nara will see the openings in their formation and move ahead. This is our best option," said Ronald explaining our formation.


    It was a good strategy that mostly focused on defense and gave no openings to the opponents. Even though the opponents had a lot of experience they will have a hard time getting past the defense.


    "Will it be really good to leave all the offense to Nara," Nina asked looking a bit unsatisfied after hearing the formation.


    "That''s the only way we have a chance of winning. They only have six members so their formation will have some openings, but to get past those openings we will need someone like Nara," Princess Eliane replied.


    "Yeah, they will be surprised to see a magician like him," said Sistina with a smile in her usual easy-going tone.


    After Nina and everyone else agreed on the formation, it was decided. We waited for our opponents to take their formation before us. After they got into their formation, we also got into ours.


    The enemy formation was simple but as if they already knew our strategy, they kept the captain as a guard for the bait. Fizz and Alisia were on offense being supported by Mon and Fifi while Vina was the bait.


    After both teams took the formation, the duke gave the sign to start the match. Right when duke gave the sign a loud horn was blown signaling the start of the match.


    As soon as the horn was blown, Nina created an earth wall in front of Marina. This was a good idea since it restricted frontal attacks from any range. But it also restricted Marina from supporting others.


    Mon made the first move by attacking Arica with the water bomb but that was stopped by another Earth wall that Nina erected in front of Arica. Fizz followed Mon''s opening and jumped over the wall using physical enhancement on his legs to attack princess Eliane. But Arica came in between stopping Fizz''s sword with hers.


    Fizz was clearly stronger and could easily push back. Arica was struggling so she activated ''Flame blade'' which coated her sword in flame. But Fizz jumped before the flames could touch him.


    Alisia''s side looked like the one that was waiting for an opening before charging forward. They probably wanted to use the battle at the Fizz''s side as a distraction to move forward. But that didn''t work because Ronald was fully focused on the people in front of him.


    Fifi who was behind Alisia attacked Ronald using ''wind slash''. Princess Anna tried to block it with the ''Earth wall'' but the attack was strong enough to break through it. Ronald got hit by the attack and fell backward.


    Using that opening, Alisia charged towards Princess Anna but Sistina intercepted her by punching her from the side with a fist covered in fire. Alisia fell on the ground and rolled once but she was unharmed since her armor protected her. A cheer was heard from the crowd.


    "Who would have thought a kid like you could use an advanced level physical enhancement technique," said Alisia while standing up. Even captain Garo was surprised so he looked towards Miss Lilith who responded to that with a smile.


    Ronald who had recovered from the attack earlier came charging towards her with wind slash but Alicia jumped backward evading the attack. She was surrounded so that was the right move considering Princess Anna was keeping Fifi in check.


    Arica and I used the openings to charge forward while Princess Eliane attacked Mon using ''Fire javelin''. Mon blocked the Fire javelin using Water Shield but that ended up creating the water vapor. I used my ''Wind tornado'' which is one of the basic spells to surround Mon with the water vapor that was formed during the attack earlier.


    Fizz who came charging towards me was intercepted by Arica''s ''Flame blade''. ''Flame blade'' was easy to control and needed less mana compared to other fire spells so Arica could easily maintain it.


    I used this opportunity to shoot three ''mud bomb'', on Mon who was inside my wind tornado and ran towards him. Mud bomb is an attack combining water and Earth magic. He blocked it using his water shield but I prepared a wind-water bomb in my left hand and charged straight towards him. Since magicians weren''t very good at close-quarter combat he didn''t expect me at this range. He tried to protect himself with his wand but that didn''t work since my wind-water bomb could easily cut even the trees.


    It would have seriously hurt him if I released it straight at him so I released it right next to him but the blast sent him flying towards the castle wall. He collided with the wall and fell on the ground. He wasn''t moving so he had probably fainted.


    This would be the part where a loud cheer would be heard but I saw surprised reaction on everyone''s face. Even duke''s eyes were open wide, the only people who weren''t surprised were my teammates and Miss Lilith.


    After a few seconds, a loud cheer was heard though the confusion was still there in everybody''s face. Duke and Miss Lilith were talking about something but I had no time to keep on guessing what they were talking about.


    The right move here would be to gang up on Fizz and defeat him first. But if we did that there was a risk of Captain Garo making a move. Fizz was giving both Princess Anna and Arica a hard time by using his water slash attacks after he backed down a bit. He was dodging attacks from Miss Eliane and attacking Arica who had no means of defending against those water magic attacks. There was a limit to how long her ''mana cloak'' could hold.


    ''I will just have to trust Arica and Princess Eliane here.''


    I ran as fast as I could towards captain Goro, but he stayed in the same place and pointed his blade towards me. He shot an arrow made from wind towards me. But since wind attacks were hard to see, I couldn''t see it until it came too close for me to dodge. I transferred mana towards the ''mana cloak'' in my hands and tried to block it by crossing my hands. I blocked it but the arrow was powerful enough to push me backward.


    "Hou... you can even defend against my ''wind arrow'', impressive," he said while putting his sword back on its sheath. He then looked towards the duke and said, "I now have a good idea why duke proposed this match."


    It was odd for a knight like him to give the name of his attack during the battle. It could be that they were expert monster fighters and they didn''t participate much in human fighting, or it could be that they are still underestimating us.


    Looks like the duke understood what the captain was doing, he was smiling in his seat. I still had no idea what was going on so I still stayed on guard. The same was with everyone else on my team but it looked like the captain''s team understood what the captain was trying to do so they stopped their attacks.


    He came forward towards me but it didn''t look like he was planning to attack me. His sword was still in his sheath but I was still on guard.


    "Young man, underestimating your team was our mistake. The fight until now has shown us what your team is capable of," he said while coming towards me. When he came in front of me he stopped, I wasn''t sure what to do. At this range, I wasn''t sure if I will be able to beat him.


    And the next sentence he spoke left everyone silent. It was:


    "We surrender."


    Next chapter: Fighting a Knight squad - Part 4

 28 1.28 Fighting a Knight squad - Part 4

    "We surrender."


    I never expected that he would say those words. I looked around and everyone looked curious to know what was happening down here. I looked towards the duke who was smiling while looking at us.


    "Really captain? We could have won if we had continued," said Vina in a disappointed tone.


    "Yeah Garo, I would have easily beaten those girls," Fizz added looking a bit irritated.


    Alisia and Fifi came closer to hear what the captain had to say while Vina went towards Mon and started healing him up.


    "You only put your sword back in its stealth when the battle is over and the enemy is defeated. Why did you give up this early, Garo?" Alisia asked looking at the captain.


    Captain took a long breath in and started speaking, "Can''t you all see that we have been defeated in not just one but so many ways. We have gotten weak by fighting mindless monsters. We became overconfident in our abilities and underestimated our opponents. Because of that, one of our friends got injured, and it was clear that this kid held back during his attack."


    Captain paused for a while and looked at his team members. Everyone had lowered their heads in shame after hearing his words. "We may have more skills and experience than them but they have proven us lacking even in that regard. They have clearly beaten us in teamwork and coordination. We were too confident that we didn''t even analyze our opponents while they stayed focused. We could have won by going all out and using our equipment, but what''s the point of such a hollow victory?"


    He paused again and looked towards the duke and said, "We were here to test them but they have shown us our own weakness instead. We''ve failed, they clearly won."


    Our team had also gathered around to listen to what the captain had to say. I wasn''t exactly sure if we had won because there wasn''t any official announcement yet. I wasn''t even sure if this world had the culture of making an official announcement of victory.


    "We''ve won?" Sistina who was standing between Marina and Nina asked with a confused look.


    "Yes, you have. Now declare your victory like knights and magicians," captain Garo replied.


    "Knights do that by raising their swords while magicians raise their staffs and wands. If magicians don''t have those they raise their right hand," said Alisia sensing our confusion about declaring the victory part.


    Ronald raised the sword that he had in his right hand so we all followed after him and raised our hands while Arica raised her sword.


    A loud cheer was heard from the crowd. There were some people booing too but the cheers overwhelmed the boo. Everyone in our team looked at each other and smiled. Princess Anna hugged Princess Eliane while Ronald and I did bro handshake.


    Captain Garo came towards Ronald and offered his hands for a handshake. Ronald accepted the offer and they both shook hands. Another loud cheer was heard from the crowd.


    After the handshake, we all returned to the waiting room that we were at before the match started. Captain Garo''s team returned to their waiting room too.


    When we got inside, the old butler was already there. ''Man, the butlers in this world are soo cool!'' is what I thought when I saw him there.


    "Congratulation on your victory. Please follow me to the guest room," he said with a slight bow after which we followed him to the guest room. It was the same room where Miss Lilith brought us during our first meeting.


    "Please rest here for a while. After things are ready, I will come to take you to the throne room. There you will receive your rewards," the old butler said with the light bow and left the room.


    "Phew! I had never even imagined that it would turn out this way," said Princess Anna looking relieved while sitting on the sofa. We all sat on the sofa after her.


    "Hehe, you should have been there to see Nara''s reaction when the captain said ''We surrender!''. It was priceless. I am glad I was close enough to see it properly," said Arica in her usual teasing tone.


    ''I was simply shocked alright!''


    "Arica, don''t tease him like that. Just imagine yourself in his place," said Sistina looking annoyed at what Arica said.


    "I think Nara did very well. I couldn''t even defend against the ''wind slash'' even after Princess Anna tried to block it with ''Earth wall''," said Ronald looking a bit disappointed which was unusual for him.


    "I-I think you did well, you even decided the formation. All I did there was stand while everyone defended me," said Marina in his usual low voice. She looked a bit sad.


    "You did that because you were acting as the bait which was the most important role during the match," said Nina trying to Marina feel better.


    "Yes, the main thing here is we won, and we did it together," said Princess Eliane.


    "Yeah, everyone did their role which is why we won," Princess Anna added.


    While we were talking, we heard someone coming towards the room so we all looked towards the door.


    It was Miss Lilith who came inside saying "You did good kids," and sat on the sofa in her usual place.


    "Even the duke was surprised to see your development. I think he will give you guys a good reward today," said Miss Lilith after she sat on the sofa.


    "Well, I don''t care much about the reward, the best thing is that we won and now we can train together," said Princess Anna in a happy tone with a smile.


    "Yes, I am glad it turned out this way too," Princess Eliane added with a smile.


    As we were talking, the old butler came back. After he said "please follow me to the throne room", everyone including Miss Lilith followed him.


    When we entered the throne room, the duke was sitting on the throne. The nobles were standing while leaving a way for us to enter in the middle. There was a red carpet in the middle that led to the throne on which we walked. Captain Garo and his whole team were also there among the nobles. Mon was there too so he had probably recovered from my attack before.


    When we reached in front of the duke''s throne, everyone except Princesses and Miss Lilith bowed. The duke''s butler went and stood in his usual position on the side of duke''s throne. After duke said "be at ease" we raised ourselves up.


    "You fought bravely and earned this victory. I will keep my promise to Lilith, but along with that, I would like to give you all some rewards," said the duke in a loud formal tone.


    After the old butler clapped his hands, the maid brought two trays. One of them had two long swords with golden stealth while the other had 5 wands and a pair of gloves. All of them had duke''s seal on it.


    ''Guys carrying wands sounds lame, I don''t think I will ever be using this''


    "These weapons have magic gems embedded in them that will enhance your magical abilities," said the duke after we all picked our weapons.


    The swords were for Arica and Ronald while the gloves were for Sistina. The gloves were made of metal but it wasn''t exactly similar to Gauntlets, they were a lot lighter. The rest of us got wands.


    ''Having a magic gem doesn''t me feel better. Guys carrying wands are sill lame.''


    "Now to the main part," the duke paused after saying that and looked our faces and started speaking again, "I will be making you all Knights and Magicians of this dukedom".


    Some noises could be heard in the background but the duke was not done speaking yet so we all kept our concentration on him.


    "But that will be after you complete your training with Lilith. This means, you don''t have to attend the academy but you will have to complete her training to become knights and magicians."

 29 1.29 City Library

    "WAIT!"


    I wanted to sleep till late, but I woke up early after having the same dream about the black-haired girl. I keep on having this dream once in a while but I don''t even know who that girl is.


    ''It could be one of God''s tricks to bother me. Well, let''s not think too much about it.''


    Yesterday was a rough day for us, even though everything worked out at the end. After we received our rewards, we came back to the dorm. We were all tired because of everything that had happened. It was already late for dinner by the time we got back. Fortunately, Sam had already prepared dinner for us so we didn''t have to wait. We had our dinner after which we went straight to bed.


    ''Everyone else must still be sleeping.''


    I went to the bathroom and washed my face. This world didn''t have any soap, but there was a stone called ''foam stone'' that could be used instead. It had no smell, but it could produce foam that could be used for cleaning. Wooden toothbrushes and brushing powder were used for brushing teeth. It was hard to get used to these things at the start, but now, I am used to them.


    Even though we no longer needed to attend the academy, we were still using its resources. I changed into my academy clothes and went downstairs. I looked into the kitchen where Sam had already started preparing breakfast. I didn''t want to distract him so I went towards the sitting room.


    Miss Lilith was sitting there. Surprisingly, she was reading a book. The title of that book was in some other language that I didn''t understand, so it''s probably not from this country.


    "Good morning Miss Lilith," I said when I got into the room.


    She stopped reading and closed the book. She then looked towards me and replied with "Morning".


    "Do you usually wake up this early?" I asked while sitting on the sofa.


    "I don''t need much sleep, but I thought you guys were going to sleep till late today. I was even thinking of giving you all a break, but it looks like you don''t need it," she said smiling wryly.


    "No no, I just had a bad dream which is why I woke up early today. Everyone else is still asleep and we badly need a break," I replied in a hasty tone.


    She laughed after hearing my reply. She was probably trying to tease me to see my reaction.


    ''Oh well at least it made you laugh early in the morning''


    We had barely got any break since we started training with her. Now that the match with knights is over, a break before resuming our training would be good for everyone.


    After a while, Princess Eliane and Nina came and joined us followed everyone. Arica wasn''t with them.


    "Where''s Arica today?" Princess Anna asked. She was the last one to join us.


    "When I went to wake her up she said she just wants to lay in her bed today," Sistina replied. Arica was usually lazy at waking up early for training. She probably said that because we had made no plans for training today.


    "Well, It''s her break so she can spend it as she wants," said Princess Anna in an easygoing tone.


    While we were talking, Sam signaled that the breakfast was ready so we all went to the dining room. Arica was still in her room so Sam will take her breakfast to her room.


    "So, what are we all going to do today?" Sistina asked after we finished eating.


    "I-I want to visit Diane and Ria today," said Marina in her usual low voice. She must have really missed them because it was unusual for her to answer such questions first.


    "Where do they live?" Princess Anna asked in an interested tone.


    "It''s in the Residental district. I want to meet them too, let''s go together," said Sistina in a happy tone. She probably wanted to meet them too.


    She then turned towards Nina and asked, "What about you Nina?"


    "I think, I will go to the library. I''ve always wanted to read the other part of the story that I was reading, but the village library only had the first part. I am hoping I will be able to find the second part here in the city library," Nina replied.


    I used to read light novels in my previous world so I understand her. I used to check if the release date of the next volume of my favorite novel is out or not frequently.


    "Nara, are you coming with me? I thought you said you wanted to learn more about the history and geography," she asked looking towards me.


    I was interested in knowing more about this world, different races here, and the geographical feature of this world. It may be because I was from a different world that I was curious about such things. So, I replied with, "Yes, I will join you".


    Looks like princess Eliane also wanted to go to the library so she asked, "Can I join you two too?" to which Nina replied with "Yes, of course!"


    We had made our plans so the only ones left were Princess Anna and Ronald.


    "Can I come with you guys to the residential district too?" Princess Anna asked looking towards Sistina.


    "It will be trouble if people find out that you are a princess. I don''t think it''s a good idea," Ronald replied trying to convince her not to go.


    "Yes, but there will be trouble only if they find out that it''s me, right?" Princess Anna insisted.


    After a while, it was decided that Princess Anna will be going with them. Unlike the Trade district, the Residential district wasn''t very crowded during the day so there shouldn''t be much problem. But, in case something goes wrong, Ronald decided to go with them.


    ''To be honest, in a world that lacked good means for Mass media, people won''t even be able to tell that the girl walking in the street is a princess''


    So, It was decided that, I was going with Nina and Princess Eliane to the Library while everyone else is going to the Residental district to meet Diane and Ria. Nina and Marina used to come to the library to read books about Magic Potions as a part of their training but this will be my first time visiting there.


    We walked to the Library which was a big white building with round pillars in the front. The City Library was also under the magic academy, but it could also be used by normal people. It was free to use for Academy students but the normal people had to pay.


    There was a garden outside for people who preferred reading outside. When the librarian at the entrance saw us, he didn''t ask any questions since we were wearing Academy uniform


    Inside, there were many sections in the library where the books were classified and kept. Each section had many huge bookshelves and hundreds of books in them. There was a reading hall where people could take the book and read. But, you would have to bring the book back and put it in the right place before leaving.


    "I think I will find my book in the story section, it''s that way," said Nina pointing towards the story section.


    The book she was looking for was in the first bookshelf, it was titled, ''How the Fairy left her home''. There were several copies so this must be a popular book here. Since this world didn''t have any photocopy or printing machines, the copies were handmade.


    After that, we went to the geography section where I picked some random books with good looking covers. Princess Eliane wanted to read books about the culture of this country so she picked some books from the history section too. We took the books that we selected to the reading hall where we sat at the table and started reading them.


    Like the books in the village library, the informative books here were more fiction-like and less informative. Most of them were full of things that the writer heard from travelers. Basically, the main things that I learned about were the dukedoms, earldoms, and the main cities in the Kindom. There was little to no information about the outside countries and many necessary details were missing.


    The most interesting thing that I learned was that there were labyrinths in this world. There were thirty-one of them in Fiore kingdom. Most of them were at abandoned lands while some were used by knights and adventurers to train and earn money by collecting monster parts.


    ''I think I should read a book on monsters in this world next time.''


    We stayed in the library reading the books until the evening after which we returned back to the dorm. By the time we returned, everyone else was already back. They were sitting in the sitting room and Arica was also with them. Everyone had a smile on their face so they probably had a good day.


    ''I think, I should have also gone with them, the library wasn''t a very fun place.'' I kept that thought inside me since Nina was standing next to me with a satisfied look on her face.


    Next Chapter: A Journey?

 30 1.30 A Journey?

    "Hit him in the face!"


    "Punch him!"


    "That''s too slow! hit him harder!"


    We were standing in front of a building that had the sign of two crossed axes in its signboard. Below the sign "Adventurer guild" was written in bold letters. Two macho men were fighting in front of the building and a crowd of rowdy looking men was encouraging them. One of the macho men was tall and had a cross-shaped scar on his forehead while the other was short and had a goofy looking face.


    Most of the men there were wearing armor made of monster parts. Many of them had scars on their faces and, by no means, they looked like an everyday normal people that you meet in the trade district. These fights were probably the reason why the guild building was established this back from the main street.


    While we were looking, two knights who were patrolling the area came and separated them. The rest of the people who were watching the fight started booing when they saw the knights coming. The knight ignored them and took the two macho men into custody. The people who were fighting did not resist as if they were waiting for the knights to come and arrest them.


    "See Junior, this is how you arrange a free stay in the city," said the tall macho man looking towards the short one.


    "Wow senior, you are so smart," the goofy-looking short macho man replied.


    The people who were gathered to watch the fight went their own ways and the way to the building was cleared.


    ''These people are crazy. How did we end up here?''


    ¡ï¡ï--Earlier that Morning--¡ï¡ï


    "You will need to join the Adventurer guild before we move to your next training," said Miss Lilith. We were in the sitting room and it was almost breakfast time. Miss Lilith was explaining how we were going to train from now on.


    "Adventurer? Aren''t those a bunch of rowdies who do odd jobs because they couldn''t become knights or magicians?" said Nina in a surprised tone.


    "Yeah, we are training to become knights and magicians, we don''t need to join them," said Princess Anna with a look of confusion clearly visible on her face.


    "Hmph!... You underestimate them. If there was a fight between all the knights and adventurers of this Kingdom, I can bet that the adventurers will win," replied Miss looking a bit annoyed. After a pause, she continued, "For your next training, you need to fight monsters, but they are not going to come to the city for you."


    "But we don''t have to become adventurers for that, we could just travel to the villages where there are frequent monster attacks and hunt them there," said Ronald in his usual calm tone.


    "And, who would sponsor your journies?" Miss Lilith asked looking towards Ronald.


    "Yes, I don''t think our monthly allowance would be enough to finance our travels," said Princess Eliane.


    Our monthly allowance was 2 silver coins each. In this country, the cost for a normal meal was around 2 copper coins and the parking for carriage and horses cost around 4 copper coins a day. A silver coin was worth 20 copper coins which made our allowance 40 copper coins a month.


    Under normal circumstances, the academy provides food and housing which meant that the money on our allowance could be used for personal purposes. But, since we will be traveling on our own in this case, the allowance we get won''t be enough.


    "But, you are our teacher so isn''t that your job to do that, Miss Lilith?" Sistina asked looking confused.


    "HA! when will you kids grow up and start living on your own?" Miss Lilith replied in an irritated tone.


    We didn''t have the necessary things to go on quests even if we were to join an Adventurer guild. I wasn''t even sure if they paid advance before taking a job or not.


    "There is no way we will be able to arrange all the things on our own. We will also need a wagon," I said since there was no way we would be able to get everything with just our allowances.


    Miss Lilith also knew that so she said, "I will ask duke to arrange equipment and wagon but you will have to arrange rest of the expenses yourself."


    We had recently got our first allowance so we all gave it to Ronald for spending during our travels. We also decided to visit the Adventurer guild in the afternoon.


    ¡ï¡ï--Back in the present time--¡ï¡ï


    When we opened the door to the guild building, the bell on the door rang producing ''ding'' sound. When we stepped in the receptionist at the reception looked towards us. She was a brown-haired girl wearing a black and white formal looking one-piece dress.


    The environment inside was completely different from the one outside. It wasn''t even that noisy compared to other places at the trading district. There were chairs where people could wait if the reception was busy. There were few people inside but most of them looked like the guild staff.


    Since it was crowded, we decided that Ronald and I will go and ask how things work at the reception while the rest will wait in the waiting area that was in front of the reception desk.


    When Ronald and I approached the reception desk, the lady at the reception smiled and greeted us with, "Hello sirs, how may I help you?"


    "Hello, we wanted to know how we could join the guild," Ronald replied with a similar-looking smile.


    "Yes. that''s easy sir, you will need to provide us your identification documents and we will do the rest of the things for you," she replied giving a straight answer.


    "We also want to know how things work here and how will we receive the payment for our work," I asked since we had no idea how things worked here.


    "Yes. People bring quests to the guild which we filter and post on the board. The quests are classified based on the difficulty level. Any guild member can take the quests based on their rank but the advance is only paid to the members whose rank is silver or higher. A badge displaying their rank will be given to the members which also acts as proof of their affiliation with the guild. The payment is made after the proof of completion of the task is presented to the guild," she replied.


    The part about only silver and higher-ranking people getting the advance money is probably a strategy to prevent people from not returning the advance money if the quest is not fulfilled. People who are ranked high are less likely to abandon guild for the advance money.


    "Can you tell us more about the ranks and quests?" I asked since knowing that would be useful.


    "Yes. You can find the information about the ranks and quests on that board," she replied pointing towards the board on the side of the reception desk.


    We looked at the board and the ranks were: Steel --\u003e Copper --\u003e Silver --\u003e Gold --\u003e Mithril --\u003e Orichalcum. The quests were also ranked the same way as the Adventurer''s ranking from Steel quests to Orichalcum quests.


    Ronald and I came back and told these things to others. We all decided to join the guild so we gave our academy test score as our identification document. The receptionist said it was going to take some time to make the badge for us. She told us to go to the second floor and look at the quests in the meantime.


    We went to the second floor where there were many people looking at the quest boards. Some of the people who were cheering during the fight earlier were also there.


    There were different boards for different ranks. There weren''t many quests for steel ranked adventurers and the ones there only paid around 20 copper coins.


    "T- this one looks good," said Marina pointing at a quest. Strangely, the poster she pointed at paid 20 silver coins for steel ranked quest.


    "The money looks too good for killing few monsters that show up in the farm to eat crops, this looks fishy," said Nina looking at the quest she pointed at.


    "Nina, you just worry too much. I don''t think we need to worry since the guild filters the quests according to the difficulty level. Let''s take it," said Princess Anna in a positive tone.


    "But it''s too far away. It will take days to reach there," said Arica. Most of the quests there were from the villages that were far away from the city. Since Knights worked on thinning the numbers of monsters in the surrounding villages, there weren''t many quests from there.


    "I think that is probably why they are paying that much for hunting just a few monsters," said Princess Eliane in her usual calm tone.


    "Let''s take this quest and see how things work," I said looking towards Ronald.


    "Okay, we will take this quest," said Ronald taking the quest poster from the board.


    We then brought the quest poster to the reception. The lady there looked at the quest number and marked it as taken.


    Our steel badges were also prepared by the time we brought the quest. They were small round silver badges with the guild''s symbol on one side. A number was stamped on the other side which we needed to remember since it could be used to get a new badge in case we lose this one.


    "You can also take this, this is the map that the villagers who brought the quest to us gave," said the lady giving Ronald the map. It was a handmade map that showed details like forests and rivers on the way to the village.


    After taking the badges and the map we returned to the dorm. Now we needed to start our preparations for the journey.


    Next Chapter: The Monster Hunting Quest.

 31 1.31 To the Monster Hunting Ques

    "You know Eliane, I am so excited about this quest. I have only ever seen villages from inside the carriage," said Princess Anna in an excited tone. It was understandable since for a princess of a kingdom like her, visiting a remote village was no less than a great adventure.


    We were in the study room comparing the map that villagers left in the guild to the map of the dukedom. We were busy with our training since we came here so we never got to use the study room much. It had a few books, but most of them were related to the Academy''s course so they were not very useful to us.


    "Yes, I am also interested in finding out how the villages in this country are," said Princess Eliane trying to look composed but the excitement was clearly visible on her tone and gesture.


    The dukedom''s map we were comparing to was a copy of the map in the library. It wasn''t very detailed but since it mentioned geographical features like hills, rivers, and grasslands, the two maps were easy to compare.


    Princesses and I were the only ones in the study room since we had divided the works among ourselves. There were several works that needed to be done in preparation of our journey. Ronald and Arica went to the trade district to buy food and supplies. Nina, Sistina, and Marina went to the Amigo inn to ask Diane if she knows anything about that village. Our work was boring compared to theirs but it was every bit necessary.


    "Looks like it is around this part of the dukedom, around this area," said Princess putting her finger to the north-eastern part of the dukedom in the map.


    "Yes, it is mentioned that we need to travel for a week on the north-eastern Route to get there in the map that the villagers left," I said looking at the map that villagers left. It wasn''t very detailed but there were arrows that showed the directions that we could take to get there.


    Few details on the maps matched so we got the general idea of where we need to go. We had to travel in plain land for 3 days after which we would reach a small river called the Serpent river. After crossing the Serpent river, we had to travel through the dense forest for 4 days to reach the village.


    "We also need to plan where we will be camping during the travel," said Princess Anna. I could hear her say "yay! camping for the first time" in a low voice after that.


    ''Well, excitement is fine but please stop acting like a 10-year-old kid wanting to go Disneyland. This is a quest, remember?'' Of course, I couldn''t say it out loud because that would be rude.


    "I think it will be easy to find a place in the plains but finding a good place in the forest is a problem," I said based on what I learned during my travel to the city before.


    "Yeah, I don''t think we can rely on these maps to decide that. Nina told me that she will ask Diane about the places good for camping around those areas," said Princess Eliane. The maps weren''t very detailed so relying on those may not be a good idea.


    ''Hope we don''t end up camping near mosquito nest. I don''t want to look like blood shucked Ghoul when I wake up the next day''


    "Yeah, let''s decide that after she comes," I said since the information she brings may be useful in deciding where to camp during our journey.


    We wanted to start the journey soon since we thought the villages would need assistance as soon as possible. We planned to arrange things and head out tomorrow if possible.


    ''Everyone was working hard but our good-for-nothing teacher headed out somewhere early this morning without even telling us where she was going.''


    Nina''s team came back in the afternoon. They told us that they weren''t able to find much. That was the only village around those parts and people from there rarely came to the city. The closest village to that one was at the bank of the Serpent River. From there, it took four days to reach that village.


    We were in the sitting room discussing that information when Arica and Ronald came back. They brought the necessary materials like dried meat, preserved food, and insect warding powder. Since Miss Lilith was arranging the equipment for us, we didn''t need to buy those. But we needed to arrange everything else.


    Ronald told us that it only cost us around 5 silver coins because of the haggling that Arica did. Considering how costly dried meat is, that was incredible.


    ''Even a lazy girl becomes active when it comes to haggling during a sale, I will never understand them.''


    We then went to our room to pack the personal things that we will need during our travel. I was done with the packing quickly since there weren''t many things that I needed to take. After I was done, I returned to the sitting room. Miss Lilith had already returned and was sitting on the sofa there.


    "Hey Miss Lilith, are the horses and equipment ready?" I asked when I saw her sitting there.


    She looked towards me and replied with, "Yes, they will bring that here tomorrow morning."


    Ronald and Nina knew how to drive a carriage so we won''t have any problems finding a driver. I was more worried about the princesses since they had never been on a journey like this before.


    Before dinner, we discussed the details of our journey with everyone. Princess Anna was the one who was most excited among us. The excitement was clearly visible on Princess Eliane''s face too, but not as much as Princess Anna.


    After dinner, when we were about to go to bed, Miss Lilith called Marina. She said, she wanted to discuss something regarding her training. Since she only called Marina, we said our good night to them and went to our room.


    The next morning, coachmen brought a carriage and a wagon to us. The necessary equipment needed for camping like camps and stoves was already there in the wagon.


    ''There is something missing.''


    "Miss Lilith, we don''t have monster warding light," I said after looking at our equipment and checking everything.


    "We will not be needing that, this is part of your training," she replied with a wry smile.


    ''She had a similar smile when we showed her the route to the village yesterday. I have a feeling that this is going to be one hell of a ride.''


    Miss Lilith and Nina were going to travel in the wagon while the rest of us will be traveling in the carriage. It would be congested if we were to take our things with us in the carriage so we left most of our things in the wagon with other equipment.


    Marina, who had been gloomy since some days was looking fresh this morning. It was probably because of what Miss Lilith told her yesterday.


    ''I am curious to know what she told her. But, anyway, It''s always good to see her bright smile.''


    After everything was ready, we started our journey after saying our byes to Sam. We started our journey almost an hour after the sunrise. We went straight towards the exit gate on the trading district. Unlike while entering, we didn''t need any permission to get out of the city.


    We got out of the city and started traveling in the plains. Soon, the city was no longer visible so we looked forward towards the road ahead of us.


    Next Chapter: The Journey to the Village

 32 1.32 The Journey to the Village - Part 1

    "Aren''t those birds a bit too big?" said Marina pointing towards the sky.


    It was evening and we had just finished preparing our camps. The princesses were resting inside the camp while the rest of us were preparing the dinner outside. It was their first time traveling in a group like this so they were pretty exhausted. Miss Lilith was also in her camp. She said she will be leaving the rest to us and went inside her camp right after the princesses.


    Nina was doing the cooking while the rest of us were helping her in preparing the ingredients. We wanted to complete preparing the dinner before it got completely dark. We had the magic lights that could be used to work in dark. But, since we didn''t have any monster warding light, those magic lights would attract the attention of nearby creatures.


    "Those don''t look like normal birds," said Nina looking towards the direction Marina pointed at.


    There were two big bird-like creatures circling the sky directly above us. Both of them had a long beak and round head.


    "Looks like the smell of stew is attracting monsters. I will use the wind magic to suppress the smell," said Ronald suppressing the air around the stove. But, even after he suppressed the smell, the monsters still kept on circling above us.


    ''We aren''t even in the forest yet and we are already attracting monsters.''


    "Ronald, I have an idea, but I will need your help. Let''s go around those bushes and test it out," I said pointing towards nearby bushes. Ronald replied with "okay" and followed me.


    Predator birds usually circled above their prey waiting for a suitable opportunity. They attack them when the prey least expects them so waiting for them to attack wasn''t a good idea. This was something I learned in my previous world.


    "I will try attracting the monster birds. You will have to attack them when they come towards me," I said after we reached around 200 meters away from the camping site.


    I asked Ronald to come with me because he could use wind slash with great precision. Ronald positioned himself 50 meters away from me. Since the smell of stew wasn''t the thing that was attracting them, the only possibility left was the heat that ''Magic stove'' was radiating.


    I produced a fireball my hands, unlike magic stove the flames of my fireball were clearly visible. The monster birds moved towards us and started circling above me. I made the fireball smaller to make it look like I am letting my guard down.


    As soon as I did that, both birds came charging towards me. I jumped backward to avoid them. When they were on the right range, Ronald took out his blade from his sheath and fired two wind slash towards them.


    Two Monster birds with severed head dropped right where I was standing before. Purple blood was gushing out from the severed part.


    ''Ugh, that''s the most horrible looking bird I have ever seen''


    We got back to the rest and explained what happened. Marina was a little angry at me for being reckless, but since everything worked out, that didn''t last long.


    After the dinner was ready, we called Princesses and miss Lilith for dinner. This kind of cooking was not what princesses were used to but both of them ate without complaints. We finished our dinner quickly and divided the night watch duty among ourselves.


    Nina and Arica will stay on watch for a while and they will be replaced me and Sistina. Ronald and Marina will replace us after that. Princesses were too tired after the journey so we told them to rest for today. Miss Lilith went inside her camp saying, "this is part of your training" so it was only the six of us.


    I went inside our camp to sleep after we decided that. Ronald and I were sharing a camp. We had five camps among which Miss Lilith was using one and we were sharing the rest.


    Sistina woke me up when it was our time for watch. When we went outside, I saw many dead Spider monsters. They were giant Spider-like creatures that ate animal flesh to survive. They weren''t that dangerous if you keep your guard up but could sneak up on you from behind if you are not careful enough.


    "Phew... I can finally take a break now," said Arica when she saw us coming. She turned her ''Flame blade'' off and put her sword back in the sheath.


    "Okay, see you guys in the morning," said Nina getting inside her camp to which we replied with "Good night".


    There were several Spider monsters that tried to attack us, but I used wind slash to deal with them as they came closer. Sistina didn''t get to do much since her specialty was close-range combat. There weren''t any other monsters that attacked us during our watch except the Spider monsters. It could be because a Spider monster''s nest was nearby and this area was their hunting territory. After a while, Ronald and Marina came to replace us so we went inside our camp to sleep again.


    The next morning, when we woke up there were around 60 dead Spider monsters around our camp. Princesses were shocked after watching all those dead monsters. Since this place wasn''t exactly suitable for having breakfast after all this, we decided to travel a bit further before having breakfast.


    After we had our breakfast, we resumed our journey. After traveling for around two hours, we saw two men pushing their cart that was stuck on sand. Ronald stopped the carriage near them and Ronald and I helped them push the cart out of the sand. The sun was hot today so everyone else was still inside the carriage.


    "Thank you, youngsters, where are you traveling to?" The old-looking man among them asked. He was wearing a straw hat and farm clothing.


    "We are adventurers on a quest. We are traveling to the village that is past the Serpent river," Ronald replied petting the horse. The horse was struggling hard to get the crat out of the sand.


    "Hoho, adventurers at such a young age!," said the jolly-looking man among them who was in his early thirties. He had brown hair and a long beard. He looked towards the sky and wiped the sweat his forehead with a handkerchief and started speaking again, "You guys saved us. Who knows, how much longer we would be stuck here if you guys hadn''t helped."


    "We only did what we thought was right, please don''t mention it," Ronald replied with a smile.


    "Our village is just up ahead so you youngsters can come have lunch there," said the old looking man.


    "No no, there are nine of us so that would be too much trouble," said Ronald to which the jolly-looking man replied with "Hoho... the more the merrier" so we decided to make a stop there for lunch.


    After we reached their village, we learned that the man''s old man was Albert and the jolly-looking man was Lucas. They were father and son and ran a tavern called, ''Father and Son''s tavern''. We also introduced ourselves without going into too much details. They said they were bringing supplies from the nearby village when their cart got stuck.


    We had our lunch in their tavern. When we asked how much we need to pay for the food, they replied that they were just repaying the favor that we did to them before. We were tight on our budget so we didn''t insist.


    It was already afternoon when we finished our lunches. We said our goodbyes to them to which they replied with, "come to our village every time you are passing by". After saying goodbyes, we got back to our carriages and continued our journey.


    Next Chapter: The Journey to the Village - Part 2

 33 1.33 The Journey to the Village - Part 2

    After traveling for three days, we finally arrived at the village on the bank of the Serpent village. The village looked as big as Calm village. By what Nina heard from Diane, this was the closest village to the village that we were heading to.


    We still had a four-day journey through the forest ahead of us. Traveling through the forest was more dangerous than traveling through plains. On top of that, we had no idea about the areas suitable for camping in the forest.


    We had heard that the villagers here were friendly so we were hoping to find a place to stay for the night.


    The journey was hard, especially for Ronald and Nina who were the only ones who could drive a carriage properly. I was also learning how to drive a carriage from Ronald so that I could give them breaks. Resting properly before the journey through the forest was important for them, and all of us.


    "Hello madam, we are travelers. Is there a place where we could stay for the night in this village?" Ronald asked the old lady who was watering the flowers from the driver''s seat.


    "The inn is just up ahead on the right side," replied the old lady pointing towards the direction of the inn.


    Ronald said "thank you" and we rode towards the direction she pointed at.


    We stopped in front of the inn building. Ronald jumped down from the driver''s seat and knocked at the door. A man with grey hair answered the knock, he was wearing a waiter-like uniform.


    "ooh, travelers... welcome, welcome," said the man looking towards the carriage.


    "Thank you. Where can we park the carriage? The wagon at the back is also ours." said Ronald.


    "Hmm... You must be tired from your journey so I will park them for you."


    After the man said that, we got off the carriage carrying our bags of personal belongings. Inside the door, there was a small dining hall. There were no customers there, but we could see a lady inside the kitchen.


    "Welcome everyone, please make yourselves comfortable," said the lady who was inside. She also had grey hair and was wearing a housewife-like uniform.


    "Thank you. Finally, we will be able to rest properly," said Princess Anna with a smile. She was usually talkative, but the journey was so long and tiring that she didn''t speak much for the first two days. She got used to traveling from the third day and is back to her old self now.


    "How much will the stay for nine of us cost?" asked Nina. Discussing this before the stay was important to be safe from being overcharged at the end.


    "The cost of dinner and breakfast is 3 coppers per person, and the stay will cost you 8 coppers per room. The parking is free for the customers who are here to stay," replied the lady. The cost of food was the same as the city but the rooms were cheaper. On top of that, the parking which used to cost around 4 copper in the city was free here.


    "How many beds are there in each room?" Princess Eliane asked.


    "Yes, each room has 2 beds. Usually, four travelers share a room," replied the lady.


    Since Princess Anna and Eliane said they were comfortable with sharing a bed, we booked three rooms. Ronald and I got a room for ourselves while the rest decided to share the remaining two rooms. Guys and Girls staying in the same room was considered indecent.


    The lady showed us our rooms. The room had two beds and an attached bathroom. We hadn''t taken a bath since we left the city so I threw my bag into the corner and went straight to the bathroom.


    ''Man, a relaxing bath after a tiring journey is the best thing.''


    After we finished taking the bath, we went to the dining hall. The man was helping the lady in the kitchen and the lady was preparing the dinner.


    "Man, I am so hungry today," said Sistina sitting in the chair.


    The man came out of the kitchen when he saw us coming and said, "The dinner is almost ready. If I may ask where are you all traveling to?"


    ''This is exactly how the waiters used to buy time in my previous world.''


    I was aware of this trick, but Princess Anna wasn''t so she replied, "We are traveling to the village past the forest."


    "Oh... Are you by any chance adventurers? It''s just that, two people from that village stayed in our inn when they were coming back from the city. They said they went to the city to hire adventurers," said the man.


    "Yes, we are," replied Sistina.


    "Ah. Those villagers are really nice people. They often come to exchange salt for their crops here," said the man.


    I thought using this opportunity to ask for more information is a good idea so I asked, "Do you know why they are hiring us?"


    "They said that something unusual was happening in the forest. Because of that, the monsters that had always lived inside the forest started attacking their farmland all of a sudden," the man replied.


    "Do you know anything about what''s happening in the forest?" asked Ronald.


    "No, the river is in between so the monsters from the forest don''t come to this side. The holy stones found at the riverbank of Serpent river are used to make the Moster warding light so the monsters are scared of coming near the river. But, we noticed something unusual some days ago," said the man and stopped there.


    ''The part about the holy stones at the riverbank being used to make monster warding light is interesting. But, the unusual thing sounds more important here.''


    The man stopped there so Miss Lilith said, "Unusual?" after which the man continued again. "We found some dead monsters on the riverbank. It looked like they were trying to cross the river."


    "I-it could be that they were running away from something. L-like a bigger monster," said Marina in her usual low voice.


    "Could be. But it''s still unusual since this is the first time it has ever happened," replied the man.


    "It could be a demon. Monsters are afraid of demons," said Miss Lilith. The grin on her face was saying that she was sure of it.


    "A demon?!" said the man in a surprised tone.


    "Well, then we would just have to beat it and go home," said Arica. She probably thought it was easy since Ronald and I defeated a lesser demon back in the calm village.


    "Yeah, if there is a demon then it is all the more reason that we should go there," said Princess Anna.


    As we were talking, the lady came outside saying, "Honey, can you help me in bringing the food to the table?"


    After that, we stopped our conversation and had dinner. After dinner, we went straight to our beds after saying ''good night'' to everyone.


    The next morning, we woke up early and had our breakfast. Everybody was looking active after a good night''s rest.


    When we went to pay the money, Ronald asked, "Do you know any suitable areas for camping in the forest?"


    The man replied, "Monsters dislike bamboo so camping in areas covered with bamboo trees is a good idea."


    After paying the money, we got back to our carriage and resumed the journey. We stopped at the riverbank for a while to look for any magical-looking stone, but we weren''t lucky enough. Miss Lilith was laughing at us while we were doing that.


    There was a wooden bridge over the Serpent river. After crossing the wooden bridge, we got into the forest. The forest became denser as we moved forward.


    Next Chapter: The Journey to the Village - Part 3

 34 1.34 The Journey to the Village - Part 3

    "Let''s camp here tonight," said Ronald stopping the carriage.


    We were in the part of the forest that was surrounded by bamboo trees. It wasn''t night yet, but since the tall bamboo trees were blocking the light, it was dark. We were on the sixth day of our journey. And, if everything went as planned, we would reach the village around tomorrow evening.


    "It is a bit dark, but it''s hard to find a dry place like this in the forest," said Nina getting down from her Wagon.


    We also got off our carriage and looked around. This was to check if there was anything dangerous in the surrounding area or not. It could be dangerous to camp around things like beehives, insect nests, and snake holes. Since no one disagreed with the location, we took the camps and the ''magic stove'' out of the wagon. We also took out the cooking ingredients and cooking utensils.


    Ronald and I prepared the camps while the rest helped in cooking food. After we finished setting up the camps, we all joined the rest and waited for the food to be prepared.


    "Man, I am so hungry," said Sistina looking towards the stew that was being cooked.


    "Now, now. A proper lady shouldn''t say things like that. You will never find a good man like this," said Arica teasing her.


    "Huh? Why do you even need a man? I am fine just the way I am," said Sistina in an irritated tone.


    "N-no Sistina, it''s important. Y-you can''t have b-babies alone," said Marina in a hasty tone. She only realized what she had done after she said that. She covered her face that had turned red with both of her hands.


    ''ARICA! what have you been teaching her!''


    Giving this matter more attention will make things more embarrassing for her so I tried changing the subject by saying, "It''s strange. We are in the middle of the forest, but we haven''t come across any dangerous monsters yet."


    "Yes, it''s strange. The only ones we came across were just small insect monsters," said Princess Eliane with a look of concern in her face.


    "Yeah. But it''s a good thing, no?" replied Princess Anna with her usual smile.


    "Hmm... It could be because monsters dislike bamboo. But it''s almost too quiet," said Nina looking towards the top of bamboo trees


    Miss Lilith hummed looking towards the top of bamboo and said, "This confirms that you are up against a demon this time."


    "Yes, it looks that way," replied Princess Eliane.


    It was completely dark by the time we finished preparing the stew. We brought the bowls from the wagon and distributed the stew.


    "There is something shining behind those trees," said Sistina standing from where she was sitting at. She was pointing towards the dim light that could be seen between the trees at around 500 meters distance.


    "Looks like someone is there. Nara, let''s go and take a look," said Ronald taking out a magic light from the wagon.


    We then followed the light. When we reached the source of light, we found out that the light was coming from a monster warding light. Surprisingly, we couldn''t see anyone around the light. It was impossible that someone would just forget it here. It was almost as big as a normal size portable heater from my previous world.


    "Let''s look around," said Ronald.


    We had only brought one ''magic light'' so I created a small fireball to make things visible. We then started looking around separately. As I was looking around, Ronald called me with, "Nara, over here" so I went towards him.


    He had found a little orange-haired girl with tiger tail and tiger ears. She was unconscious but was still breathing. We looked around to see if there was anyone else but there was no one.


    "Nara, I will carry her to the camp. Can you bring the monster warding light with you?" said Ronald to which I replied with, "Okay".


    Ronald carried her to our camps while I carried the monster warding light. We laid her inside one of our camps where Nina and Marina checked her condition. Marina healed her feet that were injured. She probably got the injury because she was walking barefoot in the forest.


    "She fainted because of hunger. We need to feed her something," said Marina with a worried expression. It was unusual to see her acting this bold.


    Miss Eliane gave her a bowl of stew saying, "Here, feed her the stew".


    She wasn''t chewing so Marina only fed her the soup using a spoon. After a while her condition became stable but she was still unconscious.


    "Her condition is stable now but she is exhausted. I don''t think she will wake up for a while," said Nina covering her with a blanket.


    There were several questions like, ''Who is she?'', ''How is she alone in the forest like this?'' and so on. But we all knew that they will only be answered after she recovers.


    "You all staying there won''t make her recover faster. Come outside so that we could have our dinner. It''s getting cold," said Miss Lilith from outside. She was keeping watch outside while we were inside.


    After she said that, we all got out and had our dinner. After dinner, we decided who will stay on watch duty. Ronald and Nina were taking a break tonight so the rest of us will stay up for watch duty in turns. Arica and Princess Anna were on the first shift. They will be replaced by Sistina and Princess Eliane. Marina and I got the morning shift.


    After we decided that, we all went inside our camps leaving Arica and Princess Anna behind for watch duty. The journey up to now has been tiring so I fell asleep quickly


    I woke up when it was time for our shift. When I went outside, Marina had already woken up and was talking to Sistina and Princess Eliane.


    "Oh, you are here. We can finally take a break now," said Sistina when she saw me coming.


    "Yeah. Have a good-"


    "AAAAAAA"


    As I was saying that, I was interrupted by a cry. It was coming from the camp where the little girl was sleeping. She was alone in the camp since both Marina and Sistina were outside.


    We rushed towards the camp. Inside, the girl had woken up and was crying with tears in her eyes. Marina hugged her saying, "It''s alright now, you are safe" and petted her head. The girl calmed down and fell asleep again.


    "Marina, I think you should stay with her. I can stay on watch alone," I said looking towards her to which she nodded.


    Marina stayed with her for the rest of the night while Princess Eliane and Sistina went to sleep inside their camp. I stayed on the watch for around 3 hours after which Ronald woke up and came outside.


    After Ronald, the Princesses and Nina came outside. Nina started preparing breakfast while Princesses started helping her. Marina and Sistina came outside after them.


    "How is she doing?" I asked when I saw Marina come outside.


    "S-she is sleeping now. She will probably wake up soon," said Marina to which I replied with "that''s good".


    Ronald and I folded the other camps and put them back in the wagon while others were making breakfast. When breakfast almost ready, the little girl came out of the camp. She stood behind Marina and was peeking at us.


    "It''s alright. They are my friends, they are all nice people," said Marina after which the girl came forward.


    "What is your name Little girl?" Princess Anna asked with a friendly smile.


    "Emma," replied the little girl in a low voice.


    Next Chapter: What Happened?

 35 1.35 What Happened?

    "Hello, Emma. What were you doing in the forest alone?" Princess Anna asked after the little girl told her name.


    "Emma was waiting for her daddy. He went back to bring Mommy," replied Emma looking a bit sad.


    "And where is your Mommy, Emma?" Princess Anna asked petting her head.


    "I don''t know," replied Emma in a low voice. It looked like she was about to cry missing her parents so Princess Anna stopped there.


    "Emma, is your village that way?" I asked pointing towards the direction of the village we were heading to.


    Emma nodded replying "Yes" after which I said, "We are going towards your village so we will take you back to your parents".


    ''Hope her parents are there too.''


    A bright smile could be seen on Emma''s face when she heard that. Staying alone in the forest must have been scary for the little girl like her. Now that we know she is from the same village that we were heading to, we could take her there.


    "Come here and have a seat. The breakfast is almost ready," said Nina calling her with a smile.


    Emma sat near Marina. She was still uncomfortable with a group of strangers she just met. She was looking towards Nina who was preparing the omelet, probably because she was hungry.


    "Look at this little lady, being patient, and waiting for the food to be prepared. Someone I know is so impatient when it comes to food," said Arica and looked towards Sistina.


    "No, I am not. I am VERY patient," replied Sistina hastily. Sistina was trying hard to act like a grown-up in front of Emma.


    "Yes yes, I know. I was talking about someone else I know," said Arica teasing her.


    Emma looked happy after hearing about going back to her village so Ronald tried asking her some questions about the village.


    "So, Emma. What do your parents do in the village?" Ronald asked with a friendly smile. A friendly smile was the first step in his negotiating techniques.


    "Mommy milks the cows and daddy used to carry me in his back," replied Emma in a cheerful tone.


    Ronald looked a bit disappointed but he responded to her with a smile. There was no way anyone could make a disappointed face to something said so cutely.


    "Haha. Well, What else did you expect from a kid who is around 5 years old?," said Miss Lilith laughing.


    "How many cows did you have Emma?" asked Princess Eliane looking interested. It looked like she likes little kids.


    "There were 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... 5 cows and 1, 2... 2 horseys," said Emma counting her fingers.


    "Oh, that''s great," replied Princess Eliane.


    As we were talking, the breakfast was ready. Princesses helped Nina in serving the breakfast. While we were having our breakfast, Emma was eating a bit hastily so Marina told her to take it easy and chew her food properly.


    After we finished having our breakfast, we folded the remaining camp loaded things back into the wagon. After everything was ready we resumed our journey. Emma fell asleep after traveling for around an hour.


    We reached the plains in the afternoon and decided to have our lunch there. She was still asleep so we woke her up for lunch after it was ready.


    We resumed our journey after Lunch. After traveling for around two hours, a small village could be seen far away. There were farmlands around the village and few houses could be seen at the center.


    It was still afternoon when we reached the outskirts of the village. When we got inside the village, we noticed that it was awfully quiet.


    Ronald got off the carriage and knocked on the door of one of the houses but no one answered. Everyone except Marina and Emma got off after Ronald and knocked at other houses. We didn''t get any response from any of the houses.


    "I don''t think that will work. Let me show you a knocking technique that always works," said Miss Lilith and went towards the door of one of the houses and burst open the door with a kick. She went inside the house and I and Nina followed her.


    Nina covered her mouth with her hands when she saw the sight inside. I myself felt like vomiting when I saw that. We got outside as soon as we saw that.


    "What the heck was that?" I asked breathing heavily.


    Inside there was a half-decayed corpse of an old man. His eyes were open but he definitely wasn''t alive. He was sitting in a chair and his hands were hanging down. His head was looking up towards the ceiling but there was no sign of any movement.


    "It''s as I thought. Demons sucked the souls of the people here and left their bodies. The soulless bodies then turned into the ghouls," said Miss Lilith. She paused and looked towards the sun and continued, "It''s almost evening so we have no choice. They will wake up soon so we need to get as far as we can from the village. We can come back and bury them tomorrow after purification."


    After she said that, we got back into the carriage and started traveling back towards the direction we came from. Ronald drove the carriage as fast as the horse could pull so we reached the forest before the nightfall.


    Marina was telling Emma stories to make her feel better. We all were shaken up because this was our first-time encountering an undead. The only one unfazed in our group was Miss Lilith. Though there wasn''t any sign of movement, the sight of decaying human body itself was ugly.


    ''Sigh, how could I act like this when even Marina is acting like a grownup,'' I thought looking towards my hands that were shaking.


    "Ronald, let''s get the camps ready. We also need to start preparing dinner," I said looking towards Ronald.


    Nina looked towards me and said, "Y-yes, I will start preparing the dinner."


    We had a monster warding light that Emma had with her when we found her. We took out the camps and the magic stove along with cooking ingredients. We lit the magic lights and started preparing the dinner and camps.


    "Hey, did you hear that?," said Sistina looking towards the forest. She was good at sensing things from far away.


    "Hear what?" Arica asked looking confused.


    "It sounds like the footstep of people. It''s coming towards us," replied Sistina closing her eyes and listening carefully.


    Two people came to sight between the trees far away. They were carrying a magic light so it was easy to notice them in the dark. It looked like they were coming near us so we stayed where we were.


    As they approached closer, we heard a man''s voice saying, "Is anyone there? We are just villagers. We are looking for our daughter who is lost in the forest."


    "Daddy, it''s my daddy. Daddy, I am here," Shouted Emma when she heard the voice.


    The man and woman came running towards Emma and hugged her. They both had ear and tail like Emma''s. The man was in his 30s while the woman was probably in his late 20s.


    The woman was crying saying, "thank god you are alive" while the man was regretting saying, "I shouldn''t have left you alone like that". We stayed behind without disturbing their reunion.


    After their reunion was over, the man came to us and bowed saying, "I don''t know how to thank you all for saving my daughter".


    Ronald replied for all of us saying, "There is no need to thank us. We just did what we thought was right. But, what happened?"


    Next Chapter: What Happened

 36 1.36 What happened

    ¡ï¡ï-- Somewhere in the same Forest --¡ï¡ï


    Note: Not from Nara''s point of view


    Two men were walking in the deepest part forest. One of them was tall but thin while the other was short but fat. The tall man was wearing a black suit and a tall black hat. He was rotating a walking stick in his right hand and singing a "du-du-doo du-du-doo" tone. The short man who was walking next to him was wearing Joker-like clothes and was carrying a colorful umbrella.


    After walking for the while, the short man looked towards the tall man and asked, "Boss, was it a good thing to release a cursed seal here? I mean, what you do is always right, but I am not sure why this puny little village."


    The man stopped walking and pointed the stick he was rotating towards the little man, "This stupid, common thinking is the reason why you haven''t become one of the bosses yet Joker. What do you think, knights wouldn''t notice if we did that in bigger cities? It''s better to invest in a market with no competitors."


    "Y-yes boss but the village is not big enough to revive him fully. The number of souls won''t be enough," said the short man looking towards the stick that was pointed in front of him.


    "Well, he will have to find his food himself then," replied the tall man. He pulled his stick back and they both started walking again.


    "But, wouldn''t he be angry if we revive him like this. Last time when he was revived incompletely he killed all of our men before almost destroying the whole country," said the short man with a serious look in his face. Even though he was making a serious face, nobody would say that at a glance. It was because of his painted face and red nose.


    "Well, that is why we are running away. Don''t you see?" said the tall man in a casual tone.


    "Oh well. You are the boss who is paying me so I will just follow the orders. I hope your plan will be successful," said the little man acting as if the result doesn''t concern him. This was often how low ranked employees acted when they hear that the company had invested in a new project.


    "Even if it fails, It doesn''t matter. This is just another experiment to connect the dots for the grand finale," said the tall man with a creepy looking grin.


    "Well yeah, but what will the other bosses think if we failed. How will we even be able to show them our faces?" replied the short man with a worried expression contrary to what he just said earlier.


    "Meh, this is another reason you are not a boss yet. You worry too much about what others think. Let them think what they want and enjoy the game," replied the tall man and started singing his tune again.


    The short man realized that the tall man won''t respond to him anymore so he didn''t say anything and just kept on walking.


    ¡ï¡ï-- Back to where others are --¡ï¡ï


    Note: Nara''s point of view is back


    "I am not sure where to start. My family has lived in this village for generations, nobody had ever even imagined a disaster like this would fall on us. I am not even sure if I should be happy that my family survived or be sad that this happened to my village," said the man after raising himself.


    "Then, why don''t we sit down and start with the introduction? The dinner will be ready soon," replied Ronald.


    We sat on the ground which was full of dry leaves. Nina had started preparing dinner and Princess Anna and Sistina were helping her. Emma was talking to her mother and telling her the things that happened in her own way.


    "So, this is Miss Lilith our teacher, Nara, Nina, Marina, Sistina, Anna, Eliane, Arica and I am Ronald. We came to this village taking a quest posted at Adventurer guild," said Ronald pointing his hand towards everyone whose name he said. He purposefully skipped the ''Princess'' part because that would make the talk unnecessarily complicated.


    "Yes. You already know my daughter Emma. I am Dale and that is my wife Elly," said the man looking towards his wife and daughter.


    "So, why don''t we start from why you decided to hire adventurers," said Ronald looking towards Dale.


    "Unusual things started happening a month ago. The monsters who had always lived in the forest started coming towards our farms and villages. We defended our village against them but soon things started getting out of hand. So, we collected some money from all the houses in the village to hire adventurers," replied Dale looking at his hand.


    "That explains why these kids were hired but forest monsters don''t eat people''s souls. What actually happened after that?" Miss Lilith asked after Dale stopped.


    Dale looked towards her and continued, "Yes, soon things started changing. Monsters stopped coming, instead some small flies started appearing. Whoever got bit by the fly started getting sick. First, it was just one or two cases that could be easily treated using holy magic, but it soon spread. Before we knew it more than half of the village was suffering from the same disease."


    "This is strange, was it some kind of disease spread by flies?," Princess Eliane asked looking confused after hearing what happened.


    "I don''t know, but people whom we had known for a long time started acting strangely to us. Around four days ago, it had already gotten dark by the time we finished the work at the farm. When we reached the village, some villagers suddenly started chasing us for no reason. We had no idea what was going on but it didn''t look like they were sane. We ran towards the forest and barely managed to escape them but our daughter was still in the village."


    The man stopped there and looked towards Emma and continued, "We were helpless so we stayed there for the night. As soon as it was morning, I told Elly to wait there and went towards the village. Fortunately, Emma was safe. I then realized that the village''s monster warding light that we had kept in our house kept us safe from those flies. I carried Emma and the monster warding light and started walking towards the forest. After we got inside the forest, I told Emma to wait there and went to bring Elly back. But when Elly and I came back, Emma wasn''t there. We looked everywhere around for her but we couldn''t find her. We were still searching, when we saw a light far away so we started walking towards it. That is how we managed to find you all here."


    The dinner was ready by the time Dale finished explaining what had happened. It looked like they hadn''t eaten anything for days so we had the dinner before deciding what to do next. After dinner, we prepared our camps. Elly took Emma inside one of the camps to make her sleep while the rest of us gathered outside to discuss what to do next.


    "Miss Lilith what should we do next?" I asked since the situation here looked above our paygrade.


    "Well, under normal circumstances we could just return to the city. But, I have a feeling that if we let this continue things will get worse. We need to find the cause of this and deal with it. It''s probably hiding in the village so the first move should be to deal with the bodies during the day and wait for it to show up during the night," said Miss Lilith looking towards the direction of the village.


    "But is it just a demon? I mean Nara and I fought a demon, but nothing like this happened during the attack back then," said Ronald looking towards Miss Lilith.


    "Whatever it is, it''s not attacking directly which means it''s still weak. If we attack before it finishes consuming the souls it sucked, we may still be able to beat it," replied Miss Lilith.


    After that, we discussed our plan for tomorrow and divided the watch duty. It was already late by the time we finished discussing everything so we left the ones on watch duty outside and went inside our camps to sleep.


    Next Chapter: The Cause

 37 1.37 The Cause

    The next morning, Arica, Sistina, Emma, and Elly stayed in the forest while the rest of us went towards the village.


    We left Arica and Sistina there because both of them couldn''t use holy or earth magic. The other reason was that both of them were good at direct frontal attacks and those attacks could be dangerous if you don''t know the enemy''s strength.


    Our plan today was to deal with the undead in the village and find out who the enemy we were facing was. If the enemy was strong we were planning to retreat and come back tomorrow with a proper plan.


    After we reached the center of the village, we divided ourselves into three teams. Ronald and Nina were on the first team since Ronald could use holy magic to purify the bodies and Nina could use earth magic to bury them. Princesses and Dale were on another team. Dale could use holy magic so he could help in purifying the bodies. The third team was made up of me and Marina. Miss Lilith told me that she was planning to investigate the cause so she wasn''t going to be with us.


    Moving the bodies to a proper location would take too much time so we were planning to bury them wherever we find them using earth magic. Even though it was painful to see a place that was a fine village once turn into a graveyard, it was unavoidable.


    The village had around 60 houses so we divided 20 houses for each team. Marina purified the bodies while I buried them. Purifying a body consumed a lot of mana compared to burying them so I took over the purifying part too when Marina was taking a break.


    The purifying magic was simple since we just had to pass the holy magic to chase away the evil spirit possessing the body. But passing the magic through the whole body consumed a lot of mana.


    We helped others after we were done with our part. It was almost evening by the time we finished all the houses.


    "Phew, I never thought I would be able to do this," said Nina looking relieved.


    "Y-yeah, but at least they can rest in peace now," said Marina in a sad tone.


    Dale was looking at the houses around. It must have been hard for him to see the village where he grew in this state.


    "Just imagining how things were a month ago makes me want to think all of this a dream," said Dale looking towards the village well.


    "I understand it''s hard on you, but you will have to be strong for your family," said Ronald looking towards Dale.


    Dale took a deep breath in and replied, "Yes, you are right".


    Princess Anna and Princess Eliane were silent, but their faces were clearly saying that they just had the most terrible experience of their life. This was probably their first time seeing a dead body.


    "S-shouldn''t Miss Lilith be back by now?" asked Princess Anna breaking her silence. She is usually confident and cheerful but none of those things could be felt in her voice as she said that.


    "She said she will be back after finishing her investigation," I replied since that is what she told me when I asked her what she was planning to do.


    "Yes, but what kind of investigation is she doing?" asked Princess Eliane looking towards the direction she headed to.


    I wasn''t really sure what she was planning to do so I just replied, "I am not sure".


    After around half an hour, Miss Lilith returned. I asked, "How did things go, were you able to find anything?" when I saw her coming.


    "Yeah, I think I have a good idea where it is. The miasma here was dense because of all the undead here so it took a while," said Miss Lilith after she came closer.


    "Where is it?" asked Princess Anna in a hasty tone.


    "It''s right next to us. See for yourself," said Miss Lilith with a smile.


    She created a huge fireball in her right hand and went towards the well. She threw the fireball inside the well which ended up creating a blast strong enough to shake the ground.


    A cloud of water vapor came outside from the well. Inside the cloud of water vapor, a humanoid shape could be seen. After the vapor disappeared his appearance became clear.


    He had four transparent insect-like wings in his back and two black insect-like antennae in his head. Almost half of his face was covered by his long black hair. He was wearing a jet black leather dress and had a displeased look in his face.


    By no means, his presence felt normal. It was similar to miss Lilith''s but much much evil. The black aura that was coming out of his body was similar to the lesser demon we once fought but it couldn''t even be compared. This presence was many times superior.


    "I didn''t want to appear in front of my food in this weak state. But, I guess I have no choice," he said in a displeased tone.


    "Who are you?" asked Ronald taking out his sword from its sheath.


    "Who am I you ask? I am the one who devoured an entire city in a single night. I destroyed many countries by spreading diseases and devoured millions of souls. Who am I you ask? There were millions of tales about me. People used to cower in fear whenever they heard my name. Have I already been forgotten?" he said in an angry tone. The black aura around him became even denser as he was saying that.


    "HA! Don''t joke around. My father killed the demon that you are talking about hundreds of years ago. You dare to call yourself an Archdemon, you are nothing more than a weak imposter," replied Miss Lilith in an angry tone.


    "Ho! I sensed something similar to black from you. You are probably one of his children whom he is so proud of. Let me tell you something, Black couldn''t kill me. Nobody can kill me since I am immortal," he said looking towards Miss Lilith.


    "I don''t believe you. You are strong but not strong enough to call yourself an Archdemon," said Miss Lilith releasing her dark aura.


    "That is because some idiots released my seal in a place like this. I haven''t eaten enough souls yet, but even in this state I am more than a match for you," said the demon. A burning rage could be felt in his voice.


    Both of them had such a powerful presence that it felt like we would just get on the way if we try to assist Miss Lilith. Ronald also sensed that which is why he told us to step back and observe the battle for now.


    Next Chapter: True Dragon vs Archdemon

 38 1.38 True Dragon vs Archdemon - Part 1

    Miss Lilith rose herself in the air on the same level as the demon. They were standing on the air as if they were standing on the ground. The way they were floating in the air makes me think, ''is this the peak of raw mana manipulation?''


    Their aura looked similar, but when they were standing in front of each other like that the difference was clearly visible.


    Miss Lilith''s aura was causing the change in the environment and creating darkness around her while the demon''s aura was absorbing the black miasma from the surrounding.


    "It''s your bad luck kid. With this dense miasma around, I have home-field advantage," said the demon.


    Miss Lilith didn''t respond but a look of anger was clearly visible on her face. The anger wasn''t because of all the things that the demon did. Instead, it looked like it came from her admiration for her father.


    "Well, whatever. If you are foolish enough to not realize where you are standing then it''s not my problem," said the demon with a grin.


    ''I had no idea demons were this cool-minded.''


    The anger and displeasure he was showing early disappeared from his face. In the books that I read and the movies that I watched, demons were always aggressive. Even if they weren''t, this sudden change of temper from aggressive to calm makes him even more dangerous.


    Miss Lilith charged towards him first after coating her hands with the dark mana. She tried punching him in his face but he dodged it by moving towards left. That wasn''t the end of her attack, she kicked him by turning around and using her right leg.


    This all happened in a second, no it only took a fraction of second.


    After being kicked, the demon fell inside one of the houses breaking its roof.


    If it was a normal person or even a knight, the kick would have easily killed them. But in this case, the demon was unharmed.


    He rose himself up in the air again. Even though he was at the receiving end of the kick, he had a smile of excitement.


    "I expected nothing less from black''s daughter," said the demon after raising himself up.


    "Well well, it looks like you are the real deal after all," said Miss Lilith. The anger that was visible on her face a moment ago disappeared. She charged straight towards the demon saying a single name.


    "BEELZEBUB!"


    This time the demon whom she called Beelzebub didn''t just stand there, he too charged towards her coating both of his hands with the miasma in the air.


    Under normal circumstances, the miasma in the air wasn''t visible. But when condensed it could be seen as black smoke.


    After clashing their fists several times, both stepped back. The shockwaves generated by their clash and the aura around them was strong enough to make an ordinary person faint. Dale was barely holding himself together.


    "Nina, I think you guys should return back and tell everyone else to be prepared. In case something bad happens, we need to run," said Ronald turning towards Nina. She was looking at the battle in front of us with a shocked reaction.


    Nina realized what he was trying to say so she asked, "Are you going to stay here alone?"


    "No, Nara will be with me. I don''t think it''s possible for us to do anything in the battle of this scale, but if worse happens he may be able to create a diversion for us to escape," said Ronald.


    "I understand, take care, and come back safe. Everyone else let''s go," Nina replied.


    Everyone was hesitating but Nina convinced them by saying, "We will only be a burden in this battle if we stay here."


    After everyone left, we hid behind one of the houses and watched the battle.


    "It''s a pain that my demonic curse doesn''t work on you true dragons. But I have plenty of tricks that I can use other than that," said Beelzebub looking a little irritated after a long clash. Even though his face was showing a hint of fatigue he was maintaining his composure.


    "Is this your limit, because I am just getting started," said Miss Lilith sensing his fatigue.


    "Well, humans used to say ''You can''t fight on an empty stomach''. Guess that''s true," replied Beelzebub.


    "Then let me take this to the next level first," said Miss Lilith absorbing the surrounding mana at a huge quantity.


    After she said that, two black horns appeared on her head and her pinks lips changed into black. Two big dragon wings appeared on her back, and the fingers of her hand changed into three long black claws.


    "Finally taking things seriously eh? Then I guess I have no choice but to level up myself," said Beelzebub starting to absorb the surrounding miasma at an enormous rate.


    Soon his transparent wings became black. His head that had human-like features became more insect-like after his eyes turned red. The fingers of his hands transformed into insect claws. The facial expression that was distinctly visible in his face before could no longer be seen.


    "Finally tuning into a bug you always were," said Miss Lilith. Her voice was no longer the same, it was more hoarse and male-like.


    Beelzebub didn''t respond to provocation. He just stayed there condensing the miasma in a single sphere in his left hand and preparing for the attack.


    "Do you think you will be able to hit me with that," said Miss Lilith and attacked him with two ''dark slashes'' from claws at her left and right hand simultaneously.


    Beelzebub dodged it by moving down towards the ground. That was technically a bad move because it was easier to hit a target that was below you with a magic attack. Miss Lilith used this opportunity and charged straight at him with a dark ball.


    Beelzebub grinned as if he was waiting for this exact thing to happen.


    He dodged the attack and disappeared from there. Before we realized it, he appeared right in front of us. We were caught off guard.


    Ronald tried to take his sword out of its sheath but before he could do that Beelzebub charged towards him chopping off his right arm with his claws.


    Next Chapter: True Dragon vs Archdemon - Part 2

 39 1.39 True Dragon vs Archdemon - Part 2

    I was right in front when that happened, but I couldn''t do anything. I was caught off guard since I didn''t expect anything like this would happen.


    Beelzebub was holding Ronald''s right arm in his claw while Ronald fell on the ground unconscious. Blood was gushing out of his wound.


    Miss Lilith charged towards him in a rage saying, "YOU COWARD!".


    Beelzebub just stayed there grinning. It was as if he wanted to make Miss Lilith react that way. When she came closer, Beelzebub shot the ''miasma sphere'' he had condensed in his right hand towards her.


    Miss Lilith was charging right towards him so she didn''t have enough time to dodge the attack. She got hit and was sent her flying towards the houses. The attack was powerful enough to destroy one-third of the houses in the village.


    "In my prime, I could easily wipe out a village with this attack. I have gotten much weaker, I need to eat more souls," said Beelzebub. His voice no longer sounded like a human but his words could be understood.


    I prepared a wind-water bomb in my right hand and charged straight towards him. I wasn''t even thinking, I attacked reflexively without any plans.


    He didn''t even bother to dodge my attack. He just stood there and took the attack as if it was nothing. Even after taking a direct hit from my wind-water bomb, he was completely unharmed.


    I knew that the right thing here would be to carry Ronald and run. But, he was standing right next to Ronald so that was impossible so I stepped back.


    "Did you think you will be able to harm me with such a weak attack," said Beelzebub looking towards me. As he was saying that, Ronald''s hand that he was holding decayed and fell on the ground.


    "I don''t care. I will keep on attacking you as long as I can," I replied in anger.


    "You humans are too foolish to not realize your place. You are nothing but my food so stop resisting and submit to me," said Beelzebub absorbing more miasma from the surrounding.


    "Who the hell do you think you are?!" I said firing three Wind-Fire javelins at him.


    He easily deflected the attack using his left hand and said, "You are the one stupid enough to not realize your position here. Let me tell you something. People who haven''t truly mastered their element can''t even hope to harm me."


    I had no idea what he was talking about. He sensed the confusion in my face and said, "Only those who are blessed by the dragon kings can truly master their element. It''s impossible for an ordinary human to do that."


    ''So, anything I do is pointless?''


    As I was thinking that, I saw Miss Lilith stand up again. She had taken some damage from the attack before, but it wasn''t enough to keep her down.


    While Beelzebub was distracted, Miss Lilith came from behind and attacked him using a giant fireball.


    I used this opportunity to carry Ronald and run towards the forest. On the way, I stopped and tried to stop his bleeding using holy magic, but I wasn''t able to heal his wounds. He was still breathing so I breathed a sigh of relief.


    I knew I had to hurry so I used physical enhancement and wind magic to run as fast as I could. I was hoping either Nina or Marina may be able to help since healing magic wasn''t working.


    After running for a while, the carriage they were riding came in sight. I shouted, "Stop!" after getting in front of them.


    Nina stopped the carriage and jumped down from the driving seat saying "What happened?! Oh my god!"


    "Ronald got injured in the battle. I used holy magic but the wound isn''t healing. I rushed here hoping you guys may be able to help," I replied.


    Everyone got off the carriage as soon as they heard that. I laid Ronald on the ground and Marina and Nina came forward to check his condition.


    "It looks like a demonic curse," said Nina with a worried expression.


    "Demonic curse?!" asked princess Anna in panic.


    "I don''t know much about it, but I have read that powerful demon can put a curse on someone just by touching them," replied Nina.


    "M-miss Lilith taught me how to cure curses, b-but I am not sure if I will be able to do it," said Marina in a hasty tone.


    "I don''t think we have a choice here. That''s the only way we will be able to save his life," said Princess Eliane putting her hand on Marina''s shoulder.


    "Okay, Marina try doing that. I will try to heal his wound using healing magic," I said looking towards Marina.


    Marina put her hands over Ronald''s chest and used the holy magic. A green magic circle appeared around her hand. I used healing magic as Marina was doing that and it worked, I was able to heal the wound.


    Marina fainted right after I finished healing Ronald. The magic she just used must have consumed a lot of mana. She was working hard all day too so she must have been tired.


    I carried Marina inside the carriage and came out. Nina was checking Ronald''s condition so I asked her, "how''s he now?"


    "His injury is healed but the curse hasn''t completely been lifted yet. He lost an arm and the injury was Life-threatening so I am not sure when will he wake up. We should take him to the city temple as fast as we can," replied Nina looking sad.


    "Okay, you guys get back to Arica and others and start the journey towards the city. I am going back to help Miss Lilith," I said looking towards Ronald.


    "Why would you do that? The enemy looks dangerous, come with us," said Princess Anna looking towards me.


    "The enemy is smart. He was using Miss Lilith''s rage against her. If I go, I may at least be able to create openings for Miss Lilith," I replied looking towards Princess Anna. I then turned towards Nina who was sitting next to Ronald and said," You guys need to hurry, don''t worry about us, we will catch up soon."


    They still didn''t want me to go but I had made my decision. I asked Dale to take care of things during the journey to the city and said byes to everyone.


    I ran towards the village using physical enhancement and wind magic. It consumed a lot of mana but that was not a problem for me.


    When I arrived in the village, the village had been completely destroyed, all that''s left was rubble.


    Next chapter: True Dragon vs Archdemon - Part 3

 40 1.40 True Dragon vs Archdemon - Part 3

    When I reached the village, they were still fighting in the air. The village had been completely destroyed and all that''s left was rubble.


    In terms of power, Miss Lilith was clearly stronger but Beelzebub was using her power against her. Miss Lilith was breathing heavily and her speed had significantly decreased. This was probably because of the damage she took from the attack earlier.


    "MISS LILITH, RONALD IS STILL ALIVE," I shouted when I reached the distance from where my voice could reach them.


    My intention wasn''t just to inform Miss Lilith, I also wanted to get Beelzebub''s attention. Since my attacks didn''t work against him, I wanted to distract him and create openings for Miss Lilith to land attacks.


    Both of them stopped and jumped backward when they heard me shout. Even though Beelzebub heard me, he stayed focused on Miss Lilith''s movement and said, "It''s only a matter of time before he dies. My demonic curse can''t be broken easily."


    "Well, I already broke your curse. It wasn''t that hard," I replied in a confident tone.


    This was just a bluff to get his attention. I had no idea how to break a normal curse so there was no way that I would know how to remove a demonic curse of an Archdemon.


    "Kid, you are good for a human, but humans have their limits. I already know what you are capable of so don''t push your luck too much," said Beelzebub in an annoyed tone. He then started concentrating Miasma into another sphere like the one before.


    I wasn''t going to fall for the same trick twice so I prepared myself to dodge in case he attacked me. I added more mana to my mana cloak and physically enhanced my legs.


    Miss Lilith attacked him using multiple Fire Javelins one after another to avoid giving him an opportunity to attack. But he kept on dodging them using his speed while still concentrating the surrounding miasma into a ''Miasma sphere''.


    He charged straight towards Miss Lilith so I tried hitting him with Wind-Fire javelins. But he was too fast for me to land a hit, I wasn''t even able to slow him down.


    Miss Lilith tried to counter-attack but he slipped past her and attacked her from behind. This attack was from an even closer range than the one before so she had no time to dodge it. The attack sent her flying towards the ground where she crashed.


    He didn''t waste any time and charged towards me. Before I could even decide how to react to that I felt a kick in my stomach. All I remember after that was the red blood that I coughed. My consciousness faded.


    I then woke up in a dark space. There was nothing except the complete darkness as far as I could see.


    ''hum... This doesn''t look like the afterlife so where am I now?''


    As I was thinking that I heard a voice saying, "Haha... This is my space called ''The world of darkness''".


    The words were spoken slow but it sounded like some old man making fun of his grandchild who did something stupid. I was surprised to hear the voice but for someone who had died and met someone who claimed to be god, the shock wasn''t that great.


    ''huh?! can you read my thoughts or something?''


    "Hahaha... this is my space where the dark summoning creatures live, I can sense anything here, even thoughts."


    ''I have to be careful about what I think then.''


    "Who are y- Wait! before that, what happened to me?" I asked.


    "Hum... You are not dead yet, but you are badly injured. I pulled your consciousness here, but your body is still there," said the voice.


    ''Oh, so there is a chance that I will meet Bookman sooner or later.''


    "So, who are you?" I asked.


    "I am the one they call the black dragon king. I rule over all the creatures of darkness that can be summoned," said the voice.


    "You are really one of the dragon kings that I have heard so much about?" I asked in a confused tone.


    "Yes. I have been watching you for a while now. I was the one sent Lilith to train you but I didn''t expect you to come across Beelzebub this soon," said the voice.


    ''Boo... a stalker'' is what I would have thought under normal circumstances, but things were different here. We didn''t have much time so I directly asked, "Can you help us in defeating him?"


    The voice hummed and said, "I can''t help you directly. But I can give you advice which can help you in defeating him - if you are lucky."


    I had no choice in this situation so I said, "Okay, what should I do?"


    "It''s true that humans have limited potential for growth, but that doesn''t mean they can''t get passed that limit. What you need to know is that you are different from ordinary humans. Have you tried using mana directly from the surrounding without absorbing it in you?" said the voice.


    "I have never tried that because that''s impossible. Even if I am somehow able to use it, there is no way that I will be able to control it," I replied in disbelief.


    "That''s the only way you will be able to beat him. Even if he is in his weakened state, he is still an archdemon. Well, I have already given you a hint, figure out the rest yourself. We may meet again someday if you survive this. So long."


    After he said that, I opened my eyes. I could feel a sharp pain in my stomach. I tried using the holy magic to heal myself and it worked. I was surprised that his demonic curse didn''t work on me, but this wasn''t the time to be surprised. Beelzebub was standing right in front of me.


    "Oh, you survived that. It''s a surprise that my demonic curse doesn''t work on you, but that doesn''t matter since you will die soon," said Beelzebub when he saw me move.


    I barely managed to stand up, there was a limit to how much my healing magic could do. The sharp pain in my stomach was still there, but this was no time to be laying down on the ground.


    After I stood up, I closed my eyes and tried to feel the surrounding mana. I had tried this before during the training. Back then, I was able to sense the surrounding mana, but I had never tried using it directly.


    I tried concentrating the surrounding mana into a sphere and when I opened my eyes, a small bright sphere was there in my hand. I wasn''t sure how to use it or what it could even do.


    As I was trying to figure things out, the sphere started absorbing the surrounding mana on its own. And before I knew what was happening, the ''mana sphere'' changed into a red bird covered in golden flames.


    Next Chapter: The bird with Golden Flames

 41 1.41 The bird with Golden Flames

    The word "amazing" slipped out of my mouth when I saw those beautiful golden flames. It felt like I was being healed just by being close to those flames.


    The long beautiful tail and the wide-open wings covered in golden flames were probably the most magical-looking things that I had ever seen since I came to this world.


    The bird was almost a meter tall and its tail was at least two meters long.


    "My master who has summoned me, I am here to serve you under a contract. But, before we move on to the terms and conditions, I see that we have a disturbing presence here. Do you want me to help you in dealing with it?" said the bird in a mature female voice. Even though I could hear its voice the bird''s beak wasn''t moving.


    The pain and exhaustion in my body disappeared as I was hearing those words. My mind that was under so much stress just a moment ago felt relieved.


    "I am willing to sign any contract if you help me defeat that demon," I replied hastily as soon as I heard those words.


    "Okay, master. We need to touch each other''s forehead to make the contract," said the bird.


    The bird came closer and we joined our forehead. As soon as we did that, I felt a surge of power inside me. My body felt much lighter and my senses were enhanced several folds.


    "W-what are you?" asked Beelzebub in a shocked tone. He was standing right next to us looking confused about whether to attack or not.


    "If you are talking about me then I am my master''s summon. I don''t have a name yet, but I have been known by several names in history. No, that history must have become legends by now. People used to call me with names like the ''Life bird'', The eternal phoenix'', ''Justice bird'' and such," replied the bird in a calm tone.


    "Don''t mess with me. I have seen thousands of summoned creatures, but you don''t look like one," said Beelzebub in an annoyed tone.


    "I am not sure what kind of ''summoned creatures'' you have seen before, but I am a divine summons. Ordinary beings can''t summon me, and those who can end up making legends," replied the bird. There wasn''t even a hint of hesitation in its voice.


    "Bluffing eh? I don''t know what kind of trick you are trying to pull here kid, but if you are trying to scare me with that bird, it won''t work," said Beelzebub raising himself in the air.


    I tried manipulating the raw mana in the surroundings to raise myself up in the air too. I could float in the air but balancing and movement were still difficult. I used wind magic to balance myself and move. Since I could use the raw mana in the surroundings to float, only the balancing and movement part consumed my mana.


    "Looks like you picked up some new tricks, but it''s useless since there is a difference between learning something and actually being able to use it," said Beelzebub when he saw me float.


    The bird was flying right behind me. I wasn''t sure what kind of abilities the bird had, but I had the feeling that it can help me in winning the battle. I felt stronger from the moment our foreheads touched.


    Beelzebub charged towards me but for some reason, his speed had significantly decreased. I easily dodged his claw that he was trying to attack me with. I wasn''t sure what happened, but his attacks that were too fast for me to even react just a few minutes ago felt ''normal''.


    I looked towards the bird hoping to find an explanation about what was happening. The bird sensed the confusion in my face and said, "My flames can boost someone''s ability and heal them."


    Beelzebub looked confused; he probably didn''t expect me to dodge his claw. He followed his attack from earlier with a kick from behind.


    "Can you heal others too?" I asked while dodging his kick by jumping forward and turning towards him.


    "Yes. I can heal someone as long as you consider them a friend. My flames will only burn the ones that you consider a foe," replied the bird.


    Beelzebub was rapidly attacking me with his claw, but I was stepping back and dodging them. I was trying to go towards the region where Miss Lilith had fallen before to check her condition.


    "Can you please go and heal Miss Lilith too? She is a friend," I said when we reached the place where Miss Lilith had fallen before.


    "Yes master," replied the bird flying towards the ground.


    "I won''t let you," said Beelzebub trying to attack the bird using his claw.


    I intercepted him from behind by grabbing the limb that he was trying to attack the bird with and said, "Aren''t you forgetting someone?"


    "YOU COCKY BRAT," said Beelzebub trying to attack me with another claw after turning towards me.


    I dodged it by bending forward and grabbed his left leg with my right hand. I pulled the leg and slammed him on the ground in the opposite direction from where Miss Lilith was. I then went towards Miss Lilith who was lying unconscious on the ground.


    For creatures who used Mana, miasma was like a poison. Surviving a hit of densely condensed ''Miasma sphere'' was in itself amazing. She did it not just once, but twice.


    When the bird touched Miss Lilith with its tail, all the miasma that was around her like a black smoke disappeared. Miss Lilith woke up touching her head with her right hand and asked, "what happened?"


    "W-What''s this bird?" asked Miss Lilith in a surprised tone before I could tell her what happened. It was rare to see Miss Lilith react like that, her reaction when she saw the bird looked cute.


    "I am my master''s summon, I don''t have a name yet," replied the bird its usual calm tone.


    "Wait, don''t tell me you are the divine bird phoenix that my father used to tell us tales about," said Miss Lilith opening her eyes wide.


    "Yes, I remember people used to call me that once," replied the bird.


    "Ha-ha... this day... first an archdemon shows up in the village that is in the middle of nowhere, and now a legendary creature shows up saying one of my students summoned it. Well, we can talk about it later, for now, let''s finish our business with Beelzebub," said Miss Lilith while standing up from the ground.


    Next Chapter: Payback

 42 1.42 Payback

    "DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU!" said Beelzebub raising himself up in the air.


    He didn''t look like his calm and composed self from a while ago. There was a dense cloud of Miasma covering him. As he started absorbing more Miasma into himself, his humanoid figure became more monstrous.


    I realized I once read somewhere that there are two types of enemies that you need to be wary about. The first types were the ones that were smart and foresighted. And the second types were the ones that were insane and unpredictable. But in this case, we clearly had an advantage since Miss Lilith was back into action.


    Miss Lilith and I rose ourselves up in the air as well. The divine bird was flying right behind me and was closely observing the enemy''s movement.


    I charged straight towards him with a wind-water bomb as soon as we got up. I didn''t want to give him an opportunity to power up by absorbing more Miasma.


    He tried to dodge the attack by moving towards the right side. But Miss Lillith who was right behind me intercepted him and punched him in his face using ''flaming fist''. The attack she used was an advanced version of the attack that Sistina uses.


    Beelzebub crashed on the ground with a loud bang.


    I used this opportunity to fire several ''Wind-Fire javelins'' towards him to not give him an opportunity to recover from the attack. The divine bird was purifying the surrounding Miasma while still supporting me.


    "Master, the miasma here is dense so it will take me some time to purify it," said the bird. The flames in its body had grown stronger and they were purifying the surrounding Miasma.


    "You can do it that fast?!" asked Miss Lilith in a surprised tone.


    "Yes. It will be hard to destroy an Archdemon with so much Miasma in the surrounding, so we need to purify the miasma first," said the bird in its usual calm tone.


    "Well, comparing you to an ordinary spirit is pointless, I guess. Please keep on doing that, I still have some score to settle with him," said Miss Lilith with a grin.


    "RAAAAAAAAA! CURSE YOU! CURSE YOU! CURSE YOU!"


    Beelzebub raised himself up again. He was still absorbing Miasma from the surrounding, but it felt like he was getting weaker.


    Miss Lilith charged towards him and started venting her anger by throwing punches at him. I was angry too, but more than that I was regretting my inability to react faster when he attacked Ronald.


    ''Miss Lilith said that Beelzebub was too weak for an Archdemon, so how strong are they really?'' I thought while looking towards my hands that were red from the blood that I coughed earlier.


    I might be able to survive against such a creature with this new power, but everyone else was not ready for this. On top of that, Ronald was injured so I wasn''t sure what we should do. If we should continue this path and train to fight demons or just become normal knights and magicians.


    "Master, let''s finish this up. I have purified the miasma in the air, we can finish him now," said the bird bringing me back to reality.


    ''Well, there is no point in thinking about it now. We need to deal with things as they come.''


    "Okay, what should I do?" I asked looking towards the bird.


    "Please create the biggest fireball you can, and I will fuse my flames with it. My flames will purify the Miasma around his body leaving him defenseless and the fireball will finish it," said the bird in its usual calm tone.


    I did as it said and created the biggest fireball I could by raising both of my hands. The bird then fused its golden flames with the fireball. It was night, but the light from the fireball was bright enough to make the entire ruined village visible. The fireball was even intensified by my anger after watching the sight below me.


    It felt like I was holding a smaller version of sun in my hand. I could feel the intensity of flames and its warmth, but the flames were not too hot for me. Instead, I felt comfortable warmth coming from it.


    Miss Lilith saw me preparing for the attack, so she grabbed Beelzebub and threw him towards the ground. Beelzebub was powerless to resist since the miasma in the air had been purified.


    I released the fireball towards him saying, "BURN IN HELL!". I knew that there was no heaven or hell but saying that felt right at the moment because of all the anger I felt towards him.


    Beelzebub didn''t resist. No, it was more like he couldn''t resist. He stayed there like a fish that had stopped its resistance after being taken out of the water.


    The attack hit him, and it looked like he was being trapped into an orb of flames. It was like the flames had the will of their own and they knew what they needed to do. Beelzebub''s body slowly started evaporating into black smoke and disappearing.


    Before disappearing completely, Beelzebub said, "You were just lucky this time. Next time you will see how terrifying I truly am. You will pa-"


    "Next time, you won''t be that lucky. I will be prepared," I replied even though I knew he could no longer hear me.


    I could see the sun rising far away but my vision was blurry since I was feeling dizzy. Someone said something like, ''greater power came at a greater price'', I guess that was true.


    I was feeling exhausted, so I landed on the ground and walked towards a wall that had some part of it still standing. I was feeling too sleepy to even walk, in my half-asleep state I heard a female voice saying, "You did great Nara. I opened my eyes just for you so keep on getting stronger and find me someday."


    I wasn''t sure whose voice it was, I was too tired to even think about that. I leaned towards the wall and fell asleep.


    Next Chapter: Catching up

 43 1.43 Catching up

    "WOAA!"


    When I woke up, I was surprised to see Miss Lilith''s face right in front of me. She was bending towards me and had turned back to her usual self without horns and wings.


    Since it was summer, the sun was bright in the sky. I was in the same position in which I fell asleep, so I thought it probably hadn''t been long.


    "W-what were you doing?" I asked in a confused tone.


    "Well, You have been like that for the whole day and night since yesterday morning, so I was checking if you were still alive or dead," said Miss Lilith standing straight and folding her arms.


    "What! And you just let me be here like this the whole time?" I asked in a surprised tone.


    "Huh? Did you want me to princess carry you to a bed or something?" replied Miss Lilith. Her face looked serious even though the words she said were sarcastic.


    ''Well, I can''t even picture something like that happening in my mind. I would probably die of embarrassment if that ever happened and someone saw it.''


    "No no. That''s okay. At least you stayed here for the whole time so thanks," I said while standing up.


    "Oh, you can thank the phoenix more than me for that. It was keeping you warm the whole night," said Miss Lilith looking towards the divine bird that was soaring up in the sky.


    It came down as it saw me stand up. The golden flames weren''t visible when it was up in the sky due to the bright sunlight, but it could be clearly seen as the bird came closer.


    "Master, you are awake," said the bird in his usual calm tone after it came closer.


    "Yes, I am. But what exactly happened? I wasn''t feeling that exhausted a while ago but suddenly I wasn''t even able to stand," I said in a confused tone.


    "It probably happened because your body isn''t used to handling that level of mana flow. Well, we can talk about that later, let''s eat our lunch for now," said Miss Lilith with a smile.


    I was surprised to hear that. I didn''t know Miss Lilith could cook, and on top of that, there weren''t any ingredients here.


    "Did you make the lunch yourself?" I asked trying to hide my surprised look.


    "Who else here would do it?" replied Miss Lilith.


    We went outside the village towards the place where she had cooked the food. She had roasted some fishes and birds. I wasn''t sure where she found them, but I ate them without asking anything since I was hungry. It lacked seasoning and some parts of it were burned while some weren''t properly cooked. But as they say, everything tastes fine when you are hungry, it was okay.


    "Master, before we start our journey, can you please hear the terms and conditions of our contract and give me a name." said the bird after we finished eating.


    "Ah okay. I am still not sure what I should call you so let me think. Umm... How about Flare?" I said looking towards the bird.


    "Yes. Sounds good," replied the bird.


    After that, Flare explained the contract. Basically, there were three main points. The first one was that Flare could disobey an order if she needed to choose between carrying out an order and my safety. The second one was that I needed to take care of Flare and take her wherever I go. The third one was that Flare could act on her own in case of emergencies.


    Since Flare was a divine summon, she could absorb the surrounding mana and use it. Most of the things she mentioned were fine but there was one big problem.


    "I am not sure how people will react when they see you flying in the sky," I said since Flare would stand out too much even during the day.


    "That won''t be a problem since I can change my size like this," said Flare turning into a small red bird. She was so small that she would even fit in the palm of my hand.


    "Y-yeah, it''s much better this way," I replied. It was surprising to see something so big turn into something so small.


    I then turned towards Miss Lilith and asked, "How are we going to travel back?"


    "If we fly, we may be able to reach up to the others in less than a day. But I am not sure you will be able to handle it," said Miss Lilith.


    "I think I can take it. We can take breaks every few hours," I replied in a hasty tone.


    I wanted to hurry back to everyone else since I was worried about them. They were probably traveling without taking any breaks so they must have been exhausted. I was hoping that Flare''s flames would be able to help in making Ronald''s condition better.


    Since Miss Lilith agreed, we started flying towards the city. If my calculations were right, they must still be somewhere in the forest now.


    Flying was exhausting for me since I wasn''t used to using raw mana at this quantity. I needed to take a break every two hours.


    It was already evening by the time we caught up to them. We saw our carriage and Wagon far away. It looked like they were taking a break and preparing dinner. The camps weren''t out which probably meant that they were planning to keep on traveling during the night without sleeping.


    Sistina was the first one to sense us coming followed by everyone else. They all looked surprised to see me fly. Both of us landed near the wagon while Flare stayed up in the air circling the sky above us in her small form


    "Thank god, you guys are back. I was so scared," said Nina when she saw us land.


    "I said... we will catch up soon," I replied trying to adjust my breathing. I was breathing heavily because of all the exhaustion.


    As I was saying that, Marina came forward and hugged me saying, "H-how reckless can you be?... I was so worried."


    She was crying so I petted her head saying, "I am back so you won''t have to worry anymore. Things will be back to normal soon." After a while, she calmed down, so I let go of her.


    "Tell us everything that happened," said Princess Anna. It looked like she was still upset with me since I went back to the village despite her telling me not to.


    "I will. But before that, I would like to introduce to you all to someone," I said looking towards the sky.


    Next Chapter: The Only Way

 44 1.44 The Only Way

    Flare came down and sat on my shoulder when she saw me looking towards the sky. I took her on the palm of my hand and introduced her saying, "Everyone, this is Flare. She is a spirit that I accidentally summoned during our fight with the demon."


    "Oh, you got a new pet. Let me hold it," said Sistina taking Flare into her palm.


    "But, how is that possible? It needs a lot of mana to summon a spirit. Even we elves can only do it once every hundred years during our summoning ceremony," said Princess Eliane in a surprised tone.


    "I am not sure. It just happened when I was trying to use the mana directly from the surrounding," I replied honestly.


    "Using mana, directly from the surrounding, is that even possible?" asked Nina with a surprised look on her face.


    "It looks so small, what can it even do?" said Princess Anna. She still looked upset; she wasn''t even looking at me.


    ''It looks like it won''t go away that easily. I will have to do something to make it up to her later.''


    "I am not sure, but I am hoping that she can help in making Ronald''s condition better," I replied looking towards her.


    "Can it really?" asked Arica in disbelief.


    "Hmm... Let me take a look first," said Flare jumping down from Sistina''s hand and changing into her divine form.


    Everyone had a shocked reaction on their faces as they saw that happen. Princess Eliane who was familiar with spirits said, "How can it be here. I thought it was only a legend."


    "I can''t believe what I am seeing. What in the world is that thing," said Dale who was standing near and hearing our conversations.


    Emma was pulling her mother''s hand and asking, "Mommy, Mommy, what is that birdy?". But Elly was too shocked to even speak.


    "Everyone, there is no need to be afraid, she is friendly," I said trying to calm everyone down. Miss Lilith was just there standing and laughing as all this was happening.


    After a few minutes, everyone calmed down. Princess Eliane looked towards Miss Lilith and asked, "Is it really who I think it is?"


    "Yeah, that''s the phoenix which is considered a legend even among the species with a long lifespan," answered Miss Lilith in a calm tone.


    "We can talk about that later. Where''s Ronald?" I asked looking towards Nina.


    "He is in the wagon. His condition isn''t improving so we were planning to hurry as soon as we finished our dinner," replied Nina.


    Flare went close to the wagon and touched Ronald''s chest with her tail. Ronald''s whole body stated shining in golden light and a small golden flame appeared in his forehead.


    "Master, I have removed the curse and used my flames to prevent his condition from getting worse. But, even with my powers, I won''t be able to make him recover completely and restore his arm," said Flare removing her tail from Ronald''s chest.


    "Okay, thank you for your help," I replied. Deep down I was regretting my inability to act in time.


    ''If only I was a little stronger back then, this wouldn''t have happened.''


    Flare changed into her smaller form and sat on my shoulder. I looked towards everyone else and all of them had a gloomy face. The liveliness from a while ago was all gone and everyone was silent.


    "Look alive everyone. There is a way to make him recover completely," said Miss Lilith sensing the gloominess in the environment.


    "How?" I asked as soon as I heard those words. It was as if I was waiting for someone to say those words to me.


    "In the center of the kingdom, there is a labyrinth called the Panacea. It is believed that there is a medicine that can cure anything there," replied Miss Lilith.


    "But that''s around the dragon valley. It''s said that no one has ever returned alive from there," said Nina.


    "Yes, most of you are not ready for this yet so only five of you will go there while the rest of you will stay here and train with me," said Miss Lilith. She then turned towards me and said, "I can''t go there myself so you will need to go there with Eliane, Marina, Anna, and Arica."


    "Okay, I will go there. It may be risky but that may be the only way to make Ronald better," I replied.


    "B-But why me? I can''t even fight," asked Marina in her usual low voice.


    "There is a reason why you must go there. You will find that out when you reach there," replied Miss Lilith.


    "I wanna go with them too," said Sistina looking towards Miss Lilith.


    "No Sistina, let''s stay in the city and train. As we are now, we won''t even be able to protect ourselves. Also, we need someone to take care of Ronald," replied Nina trying to convince her.


    "Okay, I will train and become so strong that you won''t even be able to recognize me," said Sistina. She still looked unconvinced, but she agreed.


    Since Ronald''s condition was stable now, we decided to camp there for the night. I explained everything that had happened during our fight with Beelzebub to everyone else while the dinner was being prepared. I skipped the part about my consciousness meeting the Black dragon king since that would make things even more confusing for everyone else.


    After we finished our talks, we had our dinner. Everybody was traveling without getting proper rest for the last two days, so they were all tired.


    Flare said that she didn''t need sleep and could stay on watch on her own, so we left the watch duty to her and went inside our camps. Dale and I were sharing a camp while the girls were sharing the rest.


    We started our journey early the next morning. We stopped by the village where we had stayed in the inn last time to refill our supplies. After that, we didn''t stop anywhere during the day and continued our journey.


    After three days, we finally arrived in the city. We traveled straight to our dorm without stopping anywhere. Sam was watering the flowers in the garden when we reached there. He greeted us with his usual bow saying, "Welcome back" when he saw us get off.


    I carried Ronald inside the room and put him in his bed. Sam asked Nina, "What happened?" to which she replied with, "He got injured in the battle."


    After that, everyone went to their rooms to freshen up. I went straight to the bathroom and took a shower after which I went to my room. There, I laid in my bed looking towards the ceiling.


    ''Well, a lot of things happened since I came to this world. I was looking for opportunities in my previous life, but I never got one. Here, I have many opportunities but the one I chose was the high risk, high-profit type... Well, this is going to be a bumpy ride but at least I have many friends who are going to be together with me. First, let''s heal Ronald up, we can think about the rest later.''


    I was feeling sleepy so I closed my eyes thinking, ''Sam will wake me up when it''s time for dinner.''


    Next Chapter: The Seven Dragon Kings

 45 1.45 The Seven Dragon Kings

    Note: Not from Nara''s POV.


    In a dark room, there were seven shining orbs. They were floating in the air making a round shape. They looked similar, but they were emitting different colored lights.


    "How long has it been since all of us gathered here?" asked the black orb in a dignified male voice.


    "It has been far too long Black. So, why are we here today?" said the green orb in a sweet but mature female voice.


    The room fell silent. Answering that question meant becoming the host of the meeting. Becoming the host was a tiring job since the host had to answer the questions asked regarding the subject they bring.


    "Hmph! it''s probably to talk about that kid who he thinks is a dragon god. I have already told you that it''s a hero that shows up once every few hundred years," said the yellow orb in an irritated tone breaking the silence. His voice was surprisingly childish to be in this meeting considering the voice of the other two who just spoke.


    "Mind your manners Yellow. We have White with us today," said the brown orb in a heavy male voice.


    "That may be the case, but I agree with Yellow here. The sword hasn''t reacted yet, so we have no means to believe that he is a dragon god," said the red orb in a bold female voice.


    "I agree that it will be too hasty to act this soon. But we must be prepared for what''s about to come if he really is a dragon god," said the white orb in a calm female voice.


    The blue orb that had been silent up to now hummed. The whole room fell silent again.


    "Hmm... Have you met the kid, Black?" asked the blue orb in a slow voice that sounded like an old man.


    "Yes. You can say something like that happened," replied the black orb.


    "Can you tell me more about him? I lost interest in this world a long time ago, but the boy you are talking about maybe interesting to even this old me," said the blue orb.


    "I felt his presence at the same time as everyone here, so I sent one of my children to guide him. He is quick at learning magic compared to other humans and could even combine elements with ease." said the black orb.


    It felt like he wanted to continue but the yellow orb interrupted him saying, "What''s the big deal there, some of the heroes in the past have been able to do that easily."


    "Yes, but just recently when Beelzebub showed u-"


    "Beelzebub, you mean that Archdemon which gave you the run for your money? If it was him then why didn''t we feel his presence?" asked the red orb interrupting the black one.


    "Yes, that one but he was much weaker, almost unrecognizable," replied the black orb. Even though he was interrupted, he didn''t sound offended.


    "It sounds like the work of those demon lord worshippers again. There is no end to those fools," said the green orb in an irritated tone.


    "Yes, we have been able to prevent demon lords from resurrecting completely up until now. We need to prevent the era of chaos from returning," said the brown orb.


    "True. Black, you can continue," said the blue orb bringing the discussion back to the topic.


    "So, when Beelzebub showed up, I gave him the advice to use the surrounding mana and he was able to do it without much problem. And from the surrounding mana that he collected, a divine spirit was summoned," said the black orb.


    "What!" said the yellow orb in a surprised tone.


    The room fell silent again.


    "But how can a kid summon a divine spirit?" asked the brown orb breaking the silence. Though it was hard to notice due to his heavy voice, there was a hint of surprise in his voice.


    "Which divine spirit did he summon?" asked the blue orb, unlike the two before his voice was still calm.


    "The sun spirit," replied the black orb.


    "Ho-ho! even this old me is interested now. I think we should just watch for now and let the boy grow naturally," said the blue orb. He sounded excited considering how he spoke earlier.


    "Yes, I am thinking of doing the same," replied the back orb.


    "Well, I am going back to sleep now, you all can enjoy the rest of the chat," said blue orb before disappearing.


    "Phew! It has been so long White. I was really surprised to see you here with us today," said the green orb in a relieved tone.


    "Yes, I came here to know what you all think about the boy. This is the first time something like this has happened," replied the white orb.


    "To be honest, I hope the boy doesn''t turn out to be the Dragon god. The reincarnation of Dragon god means that the era of peace is going to end," said the brown orb in a serious tone.


    "Well, I am fine either way. Nothing lasts forever, changes are necessary," said the red orb.


    "I still can''t believe a human kid summoned a divine spirit and the sun spirit at that," said the yellow orb in disbelief.


    "Hmm... I won''t argue with you there Red since we always had different opinions there and I respect your opinion. It looks like we will just have to wait and see. If there is nothing more, I will take my leave as well," said the brown orb.


    "I am leaving too. let me know if anything new comes up," said the red orb.


    "Black, I still don''t think the kid is the dragon god but since he summoned a divine spirit, I will keep an eye on him," said the yellow orb.


    The yellow, brown, and red orbs disappeared simultaneously. Only green, white, and black orbs were left in the room.


    "Green before you go, I have something to tell you," said the black orb.


    "Wait, don''t tell me our children fought again. I thought we had restricted them from entering each other''s territory," said the green orb.


    "No, it''s regarding the boy. I have a favor to ask of you," replied the black orb.


    "Hou... And what might that be?" asked the green orb.


    "I think the boy is going to come to you very soon. You will understand what it is when he comes there," said the black orb.


    "Okay, if it''s just that. I will take my leave too," said the green orb and disappeared.


    "Thanks for coming here white. Let me know if the sword starts reacting," said the black orb.


    "I will," replied the white orb.


    Both orbs disappeared simultaneously after saying that. There was nothing but the darkness left in the room.


    Next Chapter: Preparing for a New Journey


    Chapter Note:


    Green: holy/light, Blue: water, Yellow: wind, Brown: earth, Red: Fire, White: lightning, Black: darkness

 46 2.1 Preparing for a New Journey

    It has been a week since all of us returned to the city. Life had returned to what could be called normal for us, but things weren''t the same without Ronald.


    Elly had started working at the Amigo inn with Diane while Dale was looking for a job at the trade district. Ria and Emma got along pretty well which was good for both of them. For now, they were staying at the inn, but Dale was saying that they were planning to rent a house after he finds a job.


    Even though it was early morning, the sun was so bright that it felt like it was already noon. I was going to the library with Princess Eliane and Nina. Flare was flying in the sky above us since it would be too odd to carry a bird around the city on my shoulder. We decided to go to the library early because it was usually less crowded in the early morning.


    The problem when a library was crowded was that somebody else may have already taken the book that you need. Unlike the libraries in my previous world, the library here didn''t have many copies of the same book since the copies were handmade.


    When we reached the library, I saw that even the outside garden that usually had no one reading there was crowded with academy students. Even Nina who usually came to the library had no idea what was going on.


    After we entered the library, Nina walked towards the lady Librarian near the entrance and asked, "Hello there, why is it so crowded today?"


    "What can I say, there is a test next week, so these kids think that this is their opportunity to attract the attention of some wealthy nobles," replied the Lady. She looked busy so Nina returned to us without disturbing her further.


    Today, our first goal was to draw the map which we could use during our journey to The Labyrinth of Panacea. The second goal was to collect as much information as we can find about the labyrinth and the surrounding area.


    The books and the maps that we needed were in the geography section. Compared to other sections, the geography section was less crowded. It was probably because it was considered less important during the test.


    "Eliane and I will go and collect the books and maps, Nara can you go and see if there are any empty tables at the reading hall?" said Nina after we reached the geography section.


    I replied saying, "Okay, let me go and check" after which I went towards the reading hall.


    The reading hall was crowded and most of the seats were already occupied. There was a table at the corner which had only one guy sitting on it. When I looked closely, I remembered who it was. It was the Duke''s son who took the entrance test with us.


    ''What''s he even doing here?'' is what I thought when I saw him. He was already a noble and the Duke''s son at that.


    He had a large pile of big books in front of him, but his face looked half asleep. I wanted to avoid him as far as possible, but I had no choice in this case.


    I went in front of the table and asked, "Hello, can I sit here?"


    "Who the hel-," he paused when he was saying that after he saw my face. His irritated reaction changed into a surprised one. He stood from his chair saying, "W-wait, you are that guy who fought against the knight squad back then."


    ''I think I saw him watching our fight back then.''


    "Y-you, become my servant. If you do, I will make you a noble when I become the Duke," he said composing himself.


    ''What now?!''


    I was confused and had no idea how to reply so I just said, "Sorry, I don''t have time for that."


    "What! who do you think you are talking to?" he replied in a displeased tone.


    I was somehow expecting this reaction. Some part of me always knew that this guy was nothing but trouble. As I was looking for a way to resolve this mess, I heard Princess Eliane''s voice.


    "Oh, if it isn''t sir Goro. It has been long," said Eliane with a smile. It looks like she understood what was going on.


    "Y-yes, it has Your Highness. I was about to leave. If you will excuse me," replied Garo with a forced smile and left in a hurry without even picking up the books on the table.


    I didn''t know what was going on with him since he left as soon as Princess Eliane came here. But I had no interest in learning, I was just relieved that he left.


    "Thanks, Eliane. You saved me," I said looking towards her.


    "Don''t mention it," replied Princess Eliane with a happy smile.


    "Okay, let''s sit here. I will combine the maps we have got and draw a new one. You guys read the books and write the things that may look important in these papers," said Nina, putting the books and maps she brought in the table.


    We sat at the table after which Nina started drawing the maps while I and Eliane started reading the books. There wasn''t much information about the labyrinth itself.


    All that was mentioned was how people went there but never came back. There were speculations about what could have happened to them but that wasn''t really helpful. Based on what I read, it was probably a maze with several floors.


    I learned many things about the region in the center of the kingdom. In the center of the kingdom, there is a large mountain range in a circular shape. Based on what I learned, it could be several times larger than the Himalayas. The whole region is called the dragon valley.


    The labyrinth we were heading to was close to one of the mountains of the dragon valley. Several monster races lived around those parts including goblins, ogres, and lizardmen.


    "Phew! Finally done," said Nina in a relieved tone.


    "Wow, that''s detailed," said Princess Eliane looking at the map.


    "I combined the instructions given in several maps and made this one," replied Nina.


    "Yeah, this will be really helpful, thanks," I said looking towards Nina.


    Nina stood from her chair and looked out of the window saying, "It''s almost evening so if you guys are done let''s head back."


    "Yes, I think I am done," I said since I had collected a fair amount of information considering how less informative the books were.


    "I am done as well so let''s head back," said Princess Eliane piling the books that were in front of her.


    Since everyone agreed, we returned the books that we had borrowed in the right place and came back to the orphanage.


    Next Chapter: The Dark Summoning

 47 2.2 The Dark Summoning - Part 1

    "NARA! Wake up!" I heard a voice that sounded like Sistina.


    ''Oops, I overslept again.''


    I had stayed up till late trying to learn more about Flare''s power. She was teaching me how to talk to her telepathically. Flare usually liked sitting on the roof but she used to come in through the window often.


    I opened my eyes and found Sistina standing right next to my bed and leaning towards me. She had already changed into her academy uniform and her open hair was touching my face.


    When she saw me opening my eyes she stood straight and said, "Did you already forget what we were going to do today?"


    "Sorry, I overslept. Weren''t we going to try the Dark Summoning today?" I said getting up.


    Sistina had been excited about this ever since Miss Lilith told us that she would teach us the summoning magic next. Miss Lilith said that it was necessary to learn this if we wanted to survive the journey to the labyrinth.


    ''Did something about her look different?'' I thought but I couldn''t tell what it was.


    "Okay, get ready and come down quickly. Everyone is already awake," said Sistina with a smile.


    "Something about you looks different," I said not being able to ignore my curiosity any longer.


    "Oh, it''s probably because of this hairpin Princess Anna got for me. Does it look weird on me?" She asked showing her hairpin. It was a small flower-shaped hairpin made of white crystal.


    "No, it looks good on you," I said regretting my inability to notice it earlier.


    "T-thanks, now get ready and come down," said Sistina and left the room. It may just be my imagination, but her cheeks looked a little red as he was saying that.


    After I got ready and changed into the academy uniform, I went downstairs. Everyone including Miss Lilith was already there in the sitting room.


    "Oh look Mr. Sleepyhead finally woke up," said Arica when she saw me coming.


    "Look who''s talking," I replied since Arica was the one who usually wakes up late.


    "We will summon familiars in the training room," said Miss Lilith after which we all followed her to the training room.


    Miss Lilith had explained to us the procedures involved while summoning a familiar before. The whole process was made up of two parts, summoning and making the blood contract.


    After everyone got inside the training hall Miss Lilith said, "Okay, those who don''t have the aptitude for dark magic stand back, those who have the aptitude for dark magic come forward."


    Arica, Sistina, Princess Anna, and I came forward while the rest went towards the chairs at the corner of the room and sat there.


    Sam brought a bucket of black paint and gave it to Miss Lilith after everyone was ready. He quietly left the room with just a slight bow.


    "Now, you need to draw a magic circle on the floor as I show you. Everyone needs to draw their own circle," said Miss Lilith.


    Miss Lilith then took the brush and drew a Pentagram and two circles outside it on the wooden floor. One of the circles was touching the pentagram''s edges while the other had a bit bigger diameter. The inner circles had a diameter of around a meter.


    ''Hope the paint is erasable. More work for Sam," a part of me thought that. But this wasn''t the time to think about such things, so I concentrated back to the ritual.


    "Now Sistina, you go first," said Miss Lilith sensing her excitement. She was wagging her tail and twitching her ears when she was watching Miss Lilith draw the circle.


    Sistina replied with "um hum" and drew a magic circle similar to Miss Lilith''s on the floor. The shapes weren''t exact but since Miss Lilith wasn''t saying anything, that probably wasn''t a problem.


    "Now, you need to put a drop of your blood in the magic circle and pass dark magic through it," said Miss Lilith after Sistina finished drawing the magic circle.


    "Here, use this needle," said Nina bringing a needle to her. She had probably brought the needles knowing that it would be necessary for us.


    "Okay. Thanks," said Sistina and used the needle to make a small cut on her index finger. She dropped the blood that was dripping from the cut into the circle. She then sat on her knees and passed dark magic through the circle.


    The black-colored magic circle changed into crimson red. A dark smoke appeared inside the circle and when the smoke cleared, an animal-like creature could be seen.


    He looked like a kangaroo but was black colored with a long white stripe on his back. He was two-meters tall and was wearing gauntlets in his hands. He started doing shadow boxing even though he was just summoned. It looked like he was trying to impress Sistina by showing his strength.


    "Now, give him a name and finalize the contract," said Miss Lilith.


    "Umm... How about Smasher," said Sistina after thinking for a while.


    His shadow boxing became even faster after he heard the name. The name may sound weird to others, but it looks like he likes it.


    "Next Anna," said Miss Lilith looking towards Princess Anna.


    Princess Anna drew a similar-looking magic circle. Her circle was a little better than Sistina''s, but the shapes were still not perfect. She then used the needle to make a small cut in her hand and dropped the dripping blood inside the magic circle. She also sat on her knees and passed dark magic through the circle.


    What she summoned looked like a normal white mouse that was wearing a small golden crown. The mouse looked towards Princess Anna and started making some noise. Surprisingly, Princess Anna was nodding as if she was understanding what the mouse was saying.


    "Princess Anna, do you understand what it''s saying or something?" I asked in surprise.


    "Yes, it''s speaking normally. Can''t you hear?" said Princess Anna who also looked surprised but for a different reason.


    "No, I can''t," I replied and looked towards Sistina for the third opinion.


    Sistina shook her head saying, "No, I can''t hear either."


    "It''s nothing new, some familiars can talk to their masters. Name him quickly so that we can move to the next one," said Miss Lilith sensing everybody''s confusion.


    "He said he is the king of Mice so I will call him King," said Princess Anna Carrying the mouse on the palm of her hand.


    ''Is it just my imagination or is that mouse trying to act cool?''


    As I was thinking that, Miss Lilith said, "You are next Nara" so I took the brush and drew the magic circle.


    ''Man, it''s harder than it looks. It''s at least better than Sistina''s.''


    I made a small cut on my index finger and dropped my blood on the magic circle. I was about to pass dark magic through the circle when I heard a mature male voice saying, "Go home kid. I am not coming out." And, before I could realize what was happening, I was in a different space.


    This was the third time I had been pulled to a different space, but this must be the weirdest one out of all. There was a blue sky above me as far as I could see, but the floor that I was standing on wasn''t ground. It was made up of glass that was reflecting the sky above.


    I could see someone laying down on the floor far away, so I walked towards him. He was looking towards the sky as if there was something amusing there. When I reached closer, I could see that he was wearing a trench coat and black jeans pants.


    "Who are you?" I asked when I reached near him.


    "You are one strange kid, kid. Who comes to someone''s home and asks them who they are?" said the man looking towards me. He had golden-colored eyes and a handsome looking face and nothing about him seemed abnormal.


    "Oh sorry, it''s just that I wasn''t sure where I am," I replied in a polite tone.


    "Who are you? Since it''s my home, it''s only proper to ask," said the Man.


    "My name is Nara. I was trying to summon a familiar, but I ended up here," I replied honestly.


    "I am not sure what you did, but I am not a familiar," said the man in a calm tone. He then looked back towards the sky and said, "I am a demon."


    Next Chapter: The Dark Summoning - Part 2

 48 2.3 The Dark Summoning - Part 2

    "A demon?!" I asked in confusion. Unlike the demons I met before, I couldn''t sense any negative presence from him. And on top of that, he looked completely human.


    He looked towards me and said, "Yeah kid. Don''t you hate demons like everyone else out there?"


    "I do, but you don''t look like one," I replied honestly. Somehow, I didn''t feel any menace coming from him.


    "Why do you hate them? Is it because you think they are evil?" he asked in a calm tone like before.


    "I have only met two of them before so I can''t say about all of them. But the first one blindly attacked us while the second one gravely injured my friend and destroyed a whole village," I replied.


    I can understand that people in this world hate demons just for being demons. Why wouldn''t they? They have been suffering at the hands of demons throughout history. But as someone who was from a different world, my hatred wasn''t racial. At least, not yet.


    "Hahaha! Come here and sit kid. I will tell you a story," said the man with a laugh. It looked like he heard something more amusing than the sky that he was watching.


    I sat on the floor near him.


    "Once my pride used to be bigger than this sky. I used to serve a powerful master. He was probably the wisest man I had ever seen. But, one day he went insane and the insanity spread. He started making foolish decisions one after another. My pride didn''t allow me to follow such a master, so I left his side and went on a different path. In the end, my absence became the cause of his fall," he paused there and looked towards the sky.


    "Do you think I shouldn''t have done that? Should I have stayed by his side even though I knew what he was doing was insane?" His calm voice became a bit heavy as he was asking that.


    For someone who was a former citizen of a democratic nation, the answer was simple, "You are free to make your own choices. What''s the point of serving someone who goes against your ideals?"


    His eyes opened wide when he heard that. It looked like he wasn''t expecting this answer from me.


    "Yeah, I knew that. I never thought I would hear that coming from someone else though," he said and then turned towards me again.


    "Do you want to make a demon your familiar?" he asked with a wide smile that didn''t actually suit his handsome face. Some parts of it looked creepy.


    "I don''t know about other demons, but you look okay. But, can you even fight?" I asked since I could sense nothing powerful coming from him. And he looked like a normal guy in every way one could imagine except for the fact that he was here in this space.


    "Hahaha! Yes, I can, I can... In fact, I can do one better. You don''t even have to use your mana to summon me or maintain my presence there," he said with a laugh.


    "Okay, but I will have to tell you that I will be going on a dangerous journey soon," I replied since I didn''t want to pull someone into my mess without warning them.


    "Hahaha! that won''t be a problem," he replied as if he heard me saying something funny.


    "Okay, if you are fine with it. You already know my name, but what should I call you?" I asked since I didn''t know his name yet.


    "Hmm... They used to call me Lucifer, but you can give me a new name. I don''t like that name anymore," He replied standing up from the ground.


    I stood up as well following him.


    ''Lucifer hmm... sounds familiar. Well, a guy who looks normal but is a demon...''


    "Umm... how about Zagan?" I said after thinking for a while.


    He brought his hand ahead for a handshake and said, "Zagan sounds alright."


    I accepted the handshake and when we shook hands a crimson red magic circle formed below both of us.


    "I am your familiar now. I will come whenever you call me," he said after we finished our handshake. The magic circle then disappeared.


    "Okay, but can you please keep the fact that you are a demon a secret. I am not sure how others will react when they hear that," I said since I had a feeling that they won''t take him positively if they know that he is a demon.


    "Yeah, I understand," he replied in a calm tone. I thought he would be displeased after hearing that, but his response was surprisingly normal.


    "Okay, how do I get back now? Others may be worried," I asked.


    Zagan snapped his finger saying, "till next time" after which I found myself back in the training room.


    Everybody had a panicked reaction on their face when I got there. They were probably worried since I disappeared right in front of them.


    "W-what happened?" Sistina asked in a surprised tone. Everybody breathed a sigh of relief when they saw me, but they still looked confused.


    "I couldn''t make a contract with a dark summon," I replied. It was the truth since what I made a contract with wasn''t a dark summon.


    "I expected that would happen since you already have a divine summon. But I didn''t expect you to be pulled inside ''The world of darkness''," said Miss Lilith. By ''The world of darkness'' she probably meant the place where I met the black dragon king.


    I just replied with "I am not sure".


    [Master, what happened? Are you alright? Your presence disappeared for a while.] I heard Flare''s voice telepathically.


    [I am alright. I will tell you more about it later.] I replied.


    "It''s unfortunate but you already have a summon. Arica, you go next," said Miss Lilith after things calmed down a little bit. Arica replied with "Okay" and started drawing her magic circle.


    ''Man, the shapes are almost exact. I had no idea she was this good.''


    She winked and produced an ''Ahh'' sound when she made a small cut on her index finger using the needle.


    ''Keep yourself together, Nara. That didn''t look hot. No... not hot at all.''


    As I was struggling to keep my emotions at check, I saw Arica looking at me with a playful smile.


    She then dropped her blood on the circle and passed the dark magic through it.


    What she summoned was a Monkey carrying a golden staff. Unlike the other two before, this one just stood still with his eyes closed.


    "Hmm... What should I name him?" said Arica putting her finger in her chin.


    ''Monkey King! Monkey King! Monkey King!'' deep down I was rooting for it to be Monkey king.


    "Jack," said Arica leaving me disappointed.


    ''Well, it''s her familiar and he doesn''t look unhappy about it.''


    After we finished the summoning familiars, Miss Lilith told us more about the familiars. The familiars used to get weaker the longer they were kept in this world. That was because they couldn''t absorb mana from the surrounding themselves. The same was with the masters who summoned them since they continuously needed to supply mana to sustain their presence. The familiars would disappear if the masters stopped supplying their mana to them.


    Since both of my summons don''t use my mana to sustain themselves, I won''t have to worry about that.


    Since every familiar had different characteristics and use, there wasn''t a specific way to train them. This was something a master and their familiar had to figure out on their own.


    Sam came in and signaled that the lunch was ready after Miss Lilith finished explaining. So, we went to the dining room to have our lunch. After lunch, everyone was planning to head towards the open area behind the Academy to train.


    Next chapter: A d-a-t-e with Arica

 49 2.4 A d-a-t-e with Arica

    ''What''s this noise early in the morning?''


    I entered the sitting room and it looked like Arica and Sistina were arguing on something. Princess Anna and Princess Eliane were sitting on the sofa. Both of them were dressed formally.


    Princess Anna was wearing a blue gown with a golden flower pattern while Princess Eliane was wearing a green gown with a yellow flower pattern.


    "What do you mean by ''a date''? I thought you guys were just going shopping," Sistina said in an angry tone.


    "Ehehe! A guy and a girl going shopping is no less than a d-a-t-e," Arica said with a teasing smile.


    "No, it''s not! It''s just shopping," Sistina replied.


    I looked towards princesses and they were busy talking to each other. So, I went closer to Arica and Sistina and asked, "What''s going on?"


    "Stay quiet!"


    "Please stay out of this, darling."


    Arica and Sistina said simultaneously looking towards me. The seriousness in their faces was saying that the topic they were discussing was a gravely important one.


    ''Darling?! What''s going on here?''


    "Nara is going on a shopping date with me. It''s as clear as a day," said Arica in a confident tone looking towards Sistina.


    "W-wait me? I thought you were going on shopping with Nina today," I said pointing towards myself in confusion.


    "Yes, but she needed to go to the library with Marina," Arica looked towards me and replied with a smile.


    "Yeah, she said she was going to help Marina study about the herbs in the region we are planning to go," said Princess Eliane who was sitting on the sofa with Princess Anna.


    I looked towards the princesses and asked, "And what about you guys?"


    "I would love to go. But when Miss Lilith told uncle about what happened in the village, he wanted to give us rewards. Miss Lilith denied doing it publicly, so he has called us privately to collect rewards," replied Princess Anna.


    "And visiting a crowded place like a trading district may not be a good idea for us in the first place," said Princess Eliane.


    She was right. If someone found that they were princesses there, it would likely cause a mess.


    "And what about you Sistina?" I asked looking towards her.


    She looked down and said, "Miss Lilith said that I will need more training to perfect my form. So, I need to train with her."


    ''Guess, I have no choice but to go with her.''


    "Don''t worry. Arica is just joking, it''s just shopping," I said since that was really the case.


    She looked towards me with eyes filled with expectations and asked, "Promise?"


    ''Why are you giving me that look? It''s not like I am going on a war or something.''


    "Yeah, it''s just that," I replied.


    Somehow, she didn''t look convinced, but she didn''t say anything. After a while, Miss Lilith came in saying, "Sistina, let''s go" so she left with her.


    Right after they left, a carriage arrived to take Princess Anna and Princess Eliane to the Duke''s castle so both of them left as well.


    We had recently gotten another month''s allowance. We already had 5 silver coins left after our previous trip, so we only collected a silver coin from everyone to finance the trip.


    "Darling, we need to head out too. If we go early, we will get things cheaper," said Arica with a playful smile.


    ''Really? What''s with this darling.''


    Usually, the morning or evening was the best time to buy things. During the opening time, people would sell things cheaper because of the belief that if the opening sale went well, the whole day would go well. And during the evening, to sell as many products as they could before closing.


    If you want to buy things at a lower price, the evening was a better time. But for those who prefer quality over the price, the morning was the best time. This was because most of the goods were already sold during the day, and only low-quality goods that people didn''t buy remained till the evening.


    "Yeah, let''s go. But before that would you stop calling me darling?" I said not being able to take it any longer.


    Arica put her index finger on her chin and asked, "Why, darling?" acting confused.


    ''There is a limit to how much cuteness I can take dammit!... Well, this is Arica we are talking about.''


    I understood that this would go nowhere so I didn''t say anything anymore. She probably took my silence as approval but that couldn''t be helped.


    When we reached the trading district, it was already crowded. Many humans and demihuman races were buying and selling things. Food and clothes shops were the most crowded ones among all.


    Even the streets were so crowded that it was hard to walk without bumping into someone. But even though people were bumping into each other, they were rarely causing any fuss. They were all busy doing the tasks they were here to do.


    Right after we entered the district, I heard a customer at a china shop with the shopkeeper. I had heard that haggling was common here, but this looked a bit too much.


    "You say it''s 4 copper coins, but a shopkeeper on the other side was saying it''s just 2 copper coins," a woman who looked to be in her forties said in a loud voice.


    "No no madam, it''s just 2 copper coins. You misheard me," said the shopkeeper rubbing his sweat. It looked like he was trying to prevent his customer from running away because of all the fuss the lady was creating.


    ''Man, that woman is cruel.''


    As I was thinking that, I felt a soft sensation on my right arm. My heartbeat increased when I felt that. I slowly turned my head towards it, and it was as I thought she was clinging to my right hand.


    ''You were wrong Bookman. This is it... the heavens''


    I was no longer able to think clearly. I had no choice but to submit myself to this sensation.


    Right at that moment, someone bumped into me bringing me back to my senses.


    ''Man, that was close. Thank you, God''s messenger.''


    I pulled myself together and collected courage from every part of my body to say, "A-Arica, I-isn''t this a bit too close?"


    We were in public even though everyone was minding their own business. I had to bring things back to the track and survive this trail.


    Arica tilted her head and said, "Too close?"


    ''Stop acting confused dammit! I am having a hard time controlling myself.''


    If it was a girl, she could easily say that ''I am uncomfortable''. But as a man, this was something I could never say.


    It was too late now. My hand had stopped listening to me. It had already betrayed me for the soft sensation. I could no longer separate myself from it.


    I was glancing at her every once in a while, and every time our eyes met, she smiled.


    After a while, we arrived at the butcher''s shop from where we were planning to buy dried meat. We waited there for a while since the front was crowded and our turn finally came.


    "Hello sir, how ma- EY!... Please wait, I will call our manager."


    A young man at the front was saying something but he stopped when he saw Arica and went inside to call the manager.


    After a while, the manager who looked like a middle-aged man came out and asked, "Miss, how can I help you this time?"


    ''Is it just my imagination or does he look scared.''


    "We want dried goat meat. I hope you can give us a discount like last time," she said with a smile.


    "Y-yes. It''s 5 copper coins like last time," replied the manager, and went inside.


    After we finished buying the dried meat we got back to the street. I was curious as to what happened, so I asked, "Arica, what happened last time?"


    Arica looked at me with a teasing smile and replied, "I will tell you if you call me ''darling''"


    "Arica, just tell me," I said insisting.


    Arica just shook her finger saying, "Darling".


    ''Well, it''s just ''darling''''


    "Okay, Darling," I said looking away from her.


    "Hmm¡­ that wasn''t fun at all. But I will tell you. I just know their trade secret," she replied looking a bit disappointed.


    "Trade secret?" I asked in confusion.


    "Yeah. They use dark magic to dry the meat and sell it. It''s nothing harmful, but the quality decreases a lot," she replied.


    ''Ah, so she knows how they do it and they don''t want her to reveal that. Well played.''


    Arica was very good at dealing with the shopkeeper, so we didn''t even need to haggle much. I was uncomfortable at the start, but I soon got used to it. It was late afternoon by the time we finished buying everything.


    "Nara, why don''t we eat something before going back. I am hungry," Arica said after we reached near a restaurant.


    It was a small restaurant that didn''t look very crowded. Arica looked tired and I was also hungry so I said, "Okay, let''s go inside."


    Inside, there were some customers but many tables were empty. We sat at a small table, one that only had two chairs.


    Right after we sat, a maid came in and asked, "What would you like to eat today?"


    "What''s special here?" I asked looking towards her


    "It''s the noodle soup sir," she said in a polite tone.


    "Then bring us two bowls of noodle soup please," I replied.


    She bowed a little and said, "Yes sir. It will be prepared soon." She then went inside the kitchen.


    After around fifteen minutes, she came back with two bowls of noodles soup.


    Arica was looking at me and smiling while we were eating. I wasn''t sure how to react to that so I just responded with a smile.


    It was evening by the time we finished eating, so we decided to return back to the dorm.


    I wasn''t sure if one could call this a d-a-t-e like Arica said or not. It was a little awkward, but we both had fun.


    Next Chapter: Start of a New Journey

 50 2.5 Start of a New Journey

    Note: Not from Nara''s POV


    ''I can''t believe they did all that. Nara even promised me. Liar. Take this!''


    Sistina punched her pillow.


    It was past midnight but Sistina was still awake in her bed. It''s not like she didn''t try to sleep, she just couldn''t because she had too many things going on her mind.


    ''It''s not like I like him or anything, but...''


    She put the pillow at the side and pulled the blanket up to her face.


    She didn''t know why she was even angry about it. She just felt angry when Arica told her the things that had happened during their shopping trip.


    It''s not like she didn''t argue with Arica right there and then. But she couldn''t hold her ground. The reason was simple, it was none of her business.


    ''It''s just that, Nara is so easygoing. It''s all his fault.''


    Deep down she knew she was just trying to convince herself by making that a reason. But she had to come up with something to convince herself.


    ''But did he really call her D-d-darling?''


    She still had doubts about it since Nara didn''t tell her that himself. But she couldn''t ignore the small possibility that it really happened.


    Sistina pushed the blanket to the side with her leg. This wasn''t her only worry. There was another one that had been troubling her for over a week now.


    ''I can''t believe they will be going on a journey leaving me behind.''


    Even though she knew that Nina and Miss Lilith would be staying in the dorm with her, she couldn''t help but feel left behind.


    ''I even have Smasher now. Even though all he does is show weird poses whenever I summon him, he may fight when the enemy appears in front of him.''


    Smasher could be called a good pet since it tried hard to impress his master. But as a summon, it was close to useless because that was all it did. It was untrained and relatively unfamiliar with the human world and culture.


    ''I mean it may not be as good as Anna''s King, but it''s at least better than Arica''s mean looking monkey.''


    She pulled the blanket towards her again and tried to fall asleep, but the thoughts kept coming in her mind. After a while, she was finally able to sleep.


    \u003c--¡ï--\u003e


    ''Oh God! I am late. Hope they didn''t leave already.''


    Sistina woke up later than usual. She had left the curtain open, so the bright sunlight was entering through the window.


    She quickly changed into her Academy uniform from her light green pajama and rushed downstairs. Fortunately, Princess Anna was still there which means they hadn''t left.


    She breathed a sigh of relief thinking that she wasn''t too late. When Princess Anna saw her coming towards the sitting room, she greeted her with a casual "Good morning".


    Sistina yawned and replied, "Morning. I thought you guys were going to leave early today."


    Considering that she didn''t sleep for almost the whole night, it wasn''t surprising that she would still look sleepy.


    "Didn''t I tell you yesterday that we will be leaving a bit late because uncle was going to send something for Nara," Princess Anna replied.


    "Huh? I thought you only told us about the 40-gold coin reward. Did I miss anything?" Sistina asked looking confused.


    "Yeah, you probably missed it because you were playing with Smasher. Uncle gave us 40 gold coins as a reward and he said he is going to send Nara a gift for his bravery," Princess Anna replied.


    They had divided the 40 gold coins they got as a reward from the Duke among themselves. And everyone got 5 gold coins each.


    "I wasn''t playing with him, I was training him," said Sistina hastily. She then paused and looked towards the floor and asked, "And what kind of gift does he want to give him? I''ve heard that some nobles even give their daughter as a bride for reward."


    "Well, that happens often but I don''t think it''s anything like that this time. He said he wanted to make Nara a noble. But since Miss Lilith wouldn''t agree, he said he will send something that will be useful for Nara during the journey," replied Princess Anna with a smile.


    ''Phew! That''s a relief.''


    "Ah. By the way, where''s Nara and others?" asked Sistina looking towards Princess Anna.


    "Nara was saying that he forgot to do something very important and left for the woods behind the open area in a hurry. Nina is helping Marina with her preparation, and Arica and Eliane are also in their room packing things. This is going to be a very long journey, so we need to pack all the necessary things," Princess Anna replied. It looked like she too had no idea why Nara was in so much hurry early in the morning.


    As they were talking, Princess Eliane, Nina and Marina came down.


    "Are you all done with the packing," Princess Anna asked after they all sat on the sofa.


    "Yes, Nina helped us, so we finished quickly," Princess Eliane replied.


    "Y-yeah, she helped us a lot," said Marina in a low voice.


    "Marina, you need to look more lively. You have been so quiet for a few days," Nina said looking concerned.


    "I-it''s just that I am not sure if I should go. I may just slow everyone down," Marina said looking a bit sad.


    "Miss Lilith said that there is a reason you must go. So, I think we will need a lot of your help when the time comes," Princess Anna said to cheer Marina up.


    "Yeah, don''t worry about it," Princess Eliane said.


    Right after Princess Eliane said that, Arica came in. She had her usual smile on her face. Sistina said "ugh" and turned towards the other side when she saw her, but Arica didn''t mind. She just came and sat on the sofa.


    "Are you done with the preparations as well?" asked Princess Anna looking towards Arica.


    "Yeah, I think I finished packing everything," Arica replied.


    After a while, Miss Lilith entered the room saying, "Hmm... You all look ready. Where is that idiot pupil of mine?"


    "He said he was heading towards the wood and left early. He will probably be back soon," Princess Anna replied.


    Right at that moment, Sam entered the room and bowed lightly. It looked like he had something to inform everyone so everyone there looked towards him.


    "The carriage has arrived," Sam said in his usual calm tone.


    After he said that, everyone went to their rooms to get their bags. They then went outside with their bags. Surprisingly there was someone familiar outside talking to Nara.


    It was Garo, captain of the knight squad they once fought. He was holding a long rectangular wooden box in his hand.


    "The Duke has asked me to deliver this to you. It''s a mithril sword called Aurora. Hope this sword will be a good partner in your journeys," said Garo handing the box to Nara.


    Mithril was a metal that looked like silver but was many times stronger and lighter than steel. It was expensive, that is, if one could ever find it in the market.


    Nara just replied with, "Thank you" while taking the box from Garo.


    After handing over the sword, Garo said, "Have a safe journey" and left. It looked like he didn''t know much about the journey they were heading to. Miss Lilith had probably kept it a secret.


    "Took you long enough, what were you even doing?" asked Princess Anna right after Garo left.


    "It just took a bit longer than I thought but things worked out in the end," replied Nara and rushed inside. After a few minutes, he came out carrying his bag.


    Sistina looked like she was almost about to cry. Nara probably sensed that, so he went near her and petted her head saying, "Don''t worry. We will be back soon." The tears that she was holding until now came out after Nara said that.


    He then looked towards Nina and said, "Take care of Ronald and Sistina please."


    "You guys don''t have to worry about that. I obviously will. Just take care of yourselves," Nina replied in a voice that was a little heavier than usual.


    "Do your best and don''t die," Miss Lilith said in her calm voice.


    After she said that, everyone got inside the carriage and Nara climbed into the driver''s seat.


    Just when they were about to leave Sistina rubbed her tears and said, "Good luck. Come back safely" with a smile in a loud voice.


    Nara looked towards her and smiled saying, "We will" after which they left.


    Next chapter: Pond''s Devil

 51 2.6 Ponds Devil - Part 1

    It was the second day of our journey to the Labyrinth of Panacea. Even though it was summer, the cool and gentle breezes were making it a perfect day for travel.


    I was using Nina''s map as a guide, and according to it, a small village was up ahead. We were planning to stay in the village for the night and resume our journey the next day.


    The central part of the country didn''t have many human settlements. Many monster races lived in that region which made the journey more dangerous, so it was wise to use any opportunity to rest.


    I saw Flare soaring towards the carriage in the sky. She was scouting the area up ahead so her coming towards me probably meant she found something abnormal.


    She flapped her wings when she came in front of me and landed on my shoulder.


    [How do things look up ahead?] I asked telepathically. We could have conversed normally but since I was driving the carriage, this was more convenient.


    [There seems to be a problem. The village looks empty, the villagers seem to have migrated somewhere else,] Flare replied in her usual calm tone.


    [But what could have happened to make the whole village migrate somewhere else?] I asked in surprise. It was unusual that the whole village migrated somewhere else.


    [I am not sure. A wagon is coming this way and the people on the wagon look like the villagers from that village. Maybe we can ask them,] Flare said.


    I just replied with "okay, thanks" and after traveling for roughly half an hour, a wagon came in sight.


    When we reached closer, I could see them more clearly. The driver was an old man with white hair and mustache. The horses were having a hard time pulling the wagon so it must be loaded with heavy stuff. They were probably migrating somewhere else too.


    "Hello there. We are traveling towards the nearby village, how far is it?" I stopped the carriage and asked. Flare could have easily told me how far it was but that was not the point here.


    "Nice bird you have got there sonny... But why are you going to the village? I think you should return back to where you came from. That village is haunted," the old man stopped his wagon and replied. Fear could be felt in his voice as he was saying that.


    "Haunted?" I asked in confusion.


    "Yeah sonny. There is a pond in the nearby woods where sometimes strange creatures appear. A few months ago, three children went missing there. We looked for them everywhere, but we couldn''t find them. And now one after another, eleven children have gone missing. The villagers believe that the pond''s devil ate them. We finally managed to convince the parents of those children and now we are moving to a different location," the old man said.


    ''I have no idea what may have happened, but it sounds like trouble. Better stay away from it.''


    "That sounds dangerous. I think we will camp in the plains behind the woods tonight then. Have a safe journey," I said pulling the reins.


    "Well, my advice is to stay as far as you can from the place sonny. But if you must go, stay away from the area around the pond," said the old man.


    I replied with "Thanks for the advice" and we resumed our journey.


    I told everyone that we will be camping for the night too. Arica was booing but I ignored her and kept on driving.


    It was evening by the time we arrived at the plains behind the woods. Flare could stay on watch duty which made camping much easier. But we still had to take care of cooking, cleaning, and setting up the tents.


    We only had two tents, one for girls and the other one for me. It may sound unfair, but the ultimate line shouldn''t be broken.


    ''Hope Arica doesn''t sneak in.''


    After we finished setting up the camps, we had dinner. After dinner, I was the first one to get inside the camp. I was tired from driving the carriage for the whole day, so I fell asleep quickly.


    "Hey! Hey! Hey! Wake up you big stupid sleepyhead!"


    ''Huh! where am I?''


    I heard someone''s voice and when I opened my eyes, I realized that I wasn''t in the camp. I didn''t have the habit of sleep walking so somebody must have brought me here.


    ''But Flare was on watch so who could have done that?''


    I stood up and created a small fireball in my hand. Since I couldn''t see anyone around, so I asked, "Is anyone there?" in a loud voice.


    I was in the middle of the woods and near a pond which is probably the one that the old man warned me about. It was a small pond that had many fallen branches and leaves from the nearby trees floating on it.


    "Where the heck are you looking, I am down here."


    I heard the voice again, so I looked down as the voice said. And surprisingly there was a tiny girl with butterfly like wings wearing a green one-piece gown with white flower-like pattern.


    "W-what are you?" I asked in surprise.


    "Are you an idiot? Can''t you see I am a fairy?" the tiny girl said looking furious.


    "What''s a fairy doing here? How did I end up here in the first place?" I bent down and asked.


    "Hmph! how rude. I have been living here for centuries now. I brought you here to give you an opportunity to serve me," the fairy said in an arrogant tone.


    "What do you mean! You kidnap me while I was sleeping and tell me that I am being rude. I don''t want any such opportunities, please send me back," I said taking the fairy into my hand since that would make the talk easier.


    "W-w-wait. If you help me with this, I will also help you once," the fairy said in a hasty tone.


    "Okay, but first tell me how you managed to bring me here," I asked since I still wasn''t sure how she managed to bring me here.


    The fairy rubbed her nose with the index finger and said, "Hmph! I just created an illusion to distract that familiar of yours and used Earth Golem to bring you here," in a prideful tone.


    I had heard about Earth Golem before, so I wasn''t surprised to hear that. But the illusion magic sounds interesting as it was even able to deceive a divine summon like Flare.


    "So, what do you even need my help for?" I asked following her answer.


    "There is a group of humans who are causing trouble here. I want you to deal with them," she said looking towards me.


    She then looked towards the pond and said, "I have lived here for over a century now. Humans used to worship me once, but things changed, and they stopped coming. And now, some stupid group of humans have kidnapped the village kids, but the villagers blamed me for that and left the village."


    She sounded a little sad when she was saying that. She must have felt lonely and upset since villagers stopped coming towards the woods and even thought that she was the devil.


    "Alright, I will help you. I am Nara. What should I call you?" I said. Now that I was here, I couldn''t ignore and leave after hearing her.


    "Ha-ha, this great me is called Lucy," the fairy looked towards me and said in a prideful tone.


    "Okay Lucy, can you tell me more about the humans you were talking about?" I asked with a smile. Her prideful face looked cute.


    She flapped her wings and raised herself to the same level as my face and replied, "I don''t know much but there is a short fat guy who wears black suit. They call him boss. I heard him say things like ''collecting sacrifices to summon something''."


    Next chapter: Pond''s Devil - Part 1

 52 2.7 Ponds Devil - Part 2

    Note: Not from Nara''s point of view


    A short fat man was sitting at a table. The length of the table was long enough for two people to sit comfortably, but he alone was having a hard time adjusting there.


    He was dressed in a black suit and a black bowler hat. The smoking pipe that he was holding in his mouth made him look no less than an evil mafia boss.


    It was a big room without any windows. There was a door at the ceiling which could be reached by climbing that stairs at the corner of the room. The whole structure of the room was like some kind of underground hideout.


    Seven people wearing black hooded robes were standing at the center of the room making a circle. There was a magic circle below their feet and a black sealed jar was placed in the center of the magic circle. And by the looks of it, they were performing some kind of ritual.


    A guy wearing a frog costume was standing behind the table. His whole body was inside the costume and only his childish-looking human face could be seen from the outside. It looked like he wanted to say something but wasn''t confident enough to say it out loud.


    "B-b-boss, do you think we will be able to do it? I mean Superior and Joker failed when they tried doing the same thing in some remote village," said the guy wearing the frog costume. Fear could be felt in his voice as he was saying that.


    "Hmph! This is why you are not a boss yet, Froggy. You are not confident enough. They failed because they released Beelzebub''s cursed seal among all of them," said the man sitting at the table.


    "I-I know that we are trying to r-release Lucifer. B-but will just eleven souls be enough?" Froggy said. His voice sounded even less confident than before.


    "I told you to be more confident dammit," said the man hitting the table in frustration. He then leaned back in his chair and composed himself again and said, "Lucifer isn''t like that hungry Beelzebub, he is smart."


    "Y-y-yes" replied froggy in a low voice. It looked like he had lost all his courage to speak.


    "Men, start the ritual," said the man in a loud voice.


    The men started chanting and as they were doing that, the jar at the center of the room started shaking. Soon a red light emerged from the circle beneath them.


    The men took out knives from their robe after the red light emerged. They put the knife at their throat and right at the moment when they were about to cut their throats, a loud bang was heard.


    Everyone looked towards the entrance of the room. Someone had blasted the door using a magic attack to break in.


    "See, I told you this was the way to their hideout." A male voice of someone who was probably in his teens was heard.


    "Hmph! You just got lucky this time. Let''s go in," said a childish sounding female voice in a hasty tone.


    "Wait! Can''t you see we blasted the door to their hideout that was below the stone too? They already know that we are here. We need to be careful."


    "You are holding me too tight... Can''t breathe!"


    "Oh! sorry. I didn''t know that you were this delicate."


    "Phew! I am not delicate! You just need to be more careful with how you treat a lady."


    "Froggy looks like some children are bickering outside. Can you go and deal with them?" said the man looking irritated.


    "Y-yes boss. B-but what if they are strong?" said froggy in a low voice. It sounded as if he was hoping that the man wouldn''t hear the last part.


    "Ugh, just go. Retreat if they are strong," said the man. It looked like the man was expecting a reply like this.


    Froggy replied with, "O-okay". He then went to the stairs and looked towards the door. There was no one there.


    A part of him felt relieved. He looked towards the man and was about to say something when he felt a punch in his right shoulder.


    The force of the punch was strong enough to send him flying towards the wall where he collided and fell on the floor. He tried to stand but he couldn''t. He wasn''t prepared for the attack; the punch came out of nowhere.


    The man who was sitting at the table pushed the table and got up. He had a shocked reaction on his face. Why wouldn''t he be, a boy appeared out of nowhere and punched one of his men.


    "How could this be?" The man asked in surprise.


    "Heh heh! My illusions are next to perfect," said a tiny fairy that was sitting on the boy''s shoulders.


    "Men, attack them with everything you have got," shouted the man without wasting any time.


    While others were keeping the intruders distracted, he went towards Froggy. He took out a small green bottle that looked like some kind of healing potion from his pocket and fed it to Froggy.


    "B-boss what should we do? The enemy looks strong," said Froggie getting up again. He seems to have completely recovered.


    "It''s just illusions, our men can deal with it," said the man standing up.


    As they were saying that, the boy backed off a little bit and said, "Zagan, I need a little help here."


    Right after the boy said that, a crimson magic circle appeared on the ground and a man with golden-colored eyes and a handsome looking face appeared out of it.


    "What! There are more of them? W-wait those golden eyes and that face. Y-you are Lucifer. But that''s impossible," said the man in a surprised tone.


    "Hum. No matter whichever the era, the fools never disappear," said the man whom the boy called Zagan.


    He took the black sealed jar into his hand and said, "This thing shouldn''t be here". A dense black mist appeared out of his hand and soon the jar disappeared with the mist.


    The short fat man stepped back towards the corner and asked, "B-but don''t you want the demon lord to be revived?"


    "No. I have a new master now," Zagan said a calm tone without even a hint of hesitation. Instead, a pride could be felt in his voice.


    "B-but that''s... Froggy we need to leave now. Others keep them occupied," the man said.


    He then took out two small green and yellow balls from his pocket and threw it on the floor. Smoke appeared out of those balls and soon it covered the whole room making it hard to see anything.


    "Zagan, do anything but don''t kill them," said the boy clearing the air around with wind magic.


    Zagan just responded with a smile and attacked the men in the robes one after another. They were too slow to even react and in less than 15 seconds all of them were lying on the floor unable to stand.


    When the smoke cleared completely, the man and Froggy weren''t there. There was a small escape hole at the corner towards which the man had stepped back..


    "Do you want me to follow them?" asked Zagan looking towards the hole.


    "No, the sun is about to come up. I need to return back to others. But before that, how do we deal with these people?" the boy said looking towards the seven men who were lying on the floor.


    "W-we are not afraid of death. All hail the Demon Lord," said one of the men grabbing his knife.


    "As if I will let you. I have seen this too many times in the movies," said the boy and kicked the knife that the man was holding. He then looked towards the man and asked, "What did you do to the kids that you kidnapped?"


    "What else? We fed their souls to the jar," said the man with a creepy smile. Frustration could be seen on the boy''s face as he heard him say that.


    "Haha...The world has many lunatics. You are not ready to deal with them yet, so leave them to me," said Zagan with a smile that sent chills down the spines of men that were on the floor.


    "Yes, deal with them. I am returning back to others," said the boy while going towards the stairs.


    After he got out, a scream was heard. But soon it became quiet again.


    Next chapter: The Fairy


    The universe is dark, it''s just that you can only see where there is light.


    Also, if you are reading from any other websites than Webnovels, it''s a pirated version of my work. Please head over to webnovels and support my work there :)

 53 2.7 The Fairy

    ''It was naive of me to think that demons and monsters are the only problems this world has. I am glad that everyone else wasn''t there.''


    "Lucy, what are you planning to do now. I don''t think the villagers are going to come back," I said looking towards her.


    The sun wasn''t up yet but it had started getting brighter. I couldn''t sleep much last night, but the cold morning breeze was making me feel refreshed.


    "I don''t know," Lucy replied, looking a bit sad. Her eyes were watery and it felt like she was almost about to cry.


    ''Man, it''s hard watching someone active and cheerful like her about to cry.''


    "Why don''t you come with us then?" I said trying to put it as casually as I could.


    "Really? You have finally decided to serve me?" she said looking towards me with eyes full of expectation.


    ''Huh? That again?''


    "No. Me and my friends are going on a journey to the Labyrinth of Panacea. They are a group of really good people, so if you want you can join us," I replied.


    She looked a bit disappointed at the start, but she had a little smile on her face when she said, "Okay, but why do you want to go to the Labyrinth?"


    "One of my friends got injured by a demon. They say that there is a medicine that can cure him," I replied.


    "Alright. This great me will guide you there then," she said turning back to her prideful self.


    "Huh? Do you know that place or something?" I asked in confusion.


    "Heh heh! I know I am cool, right? I once used to live near the place," said Lucy folding her arm.


    "Really? Did you ever go inside the Labyrinth?" I asked in surprise.


    "No. But It''s not like I was scared or anything," said Lucy in a hasty tone.


    "Ah okay. Our camp is in the plains ahead. I will introduce you to everyone there," I said with a smile. It was cute to see her act like that.


    I then walked towards our camp while Lucy just sat on my shoulder telling me stories of her greatness. The sun was already up, and Flare was soaring in the sky above when we reached near the camp.


    [Master, your presence suddenly disappeared from the tent. What happened?] asked Flare telepathically when she saw me.


    ''So, she found out.''


    [Few things happened, but don''t worry, I am fine. I would have called you if I was at danger.]


    [Okay but let me know if something like that ever happens again. And who''s that?]


    ''Is she angry or something?''


    [I will try. For now, come down, I will introduce you to her.]


    Flare came down and sat on my other shoulder. Lucy was almost blown away when Flare was flapping her wings. She barely managed to stay there by holding onto my overcoat.


    ''Did she do that on purpose?''


    When I reached the camp, Marina had already woken up and was preparing breakfast outside. The others were probably still sleeping inside the tents.


    She looked surprised when she saw me coming from the opposite direction and said, "G-good morning. I thought you were still aslee-". She paused when she saw Lucy. Her eyes became wide in surprise and a single word came out of her mouth, "beautiful".


    "Ha! Ha! I know I am, right?" said Lucy in a proud tone.


    "She can speak too," said Marina in an excited tone, unlike her usual shy self.


    "Duh? Obviously, I can," replied Lucy.


    "A-are you a fairy?" asked Marina composing herself.


    Lucy nodded saying, "Yes, I am" and flew to Marina''s shoulder. It looked like she had taken a liking to Marina.


    While we were talking, everyone else woke up and came outside.


    "Is that a fairy?" asked Princess Eliane when she saw Lucy on Marina''s shoulder.


    "Yes. Everyone, she is Lucy. I found her near the pond in the woods," I said introducing her. I wanted to avoid telling them everything that happened in the forest.


    "She looks cute," said Princess Anna, taking a closer look.


    "Of course, I do," replied Lucy in a proud tone.


    "I thought fairies used to be a bit bigger, isn''t she a bit too small," said Arica looking towards Lucy.


    "Hmph! We fairy have always been like this," said Lucy, looking annoyed at what Arica just said.


    "Lucy knows the area around the Labyrinth so she will be traveling with us as our guide," I said continuing the introduction.


    I then introduced everyone else by saying, "This is Princess Anna, Princess Eliane, Arica and the one on whose shoulder you are sitting is Marina" while pointing my hand to whoever''s name I said.


    After the introductions were finished, I helped Marina in making breakfast. We then folded the camps and sat around for breakfast.


    "Nara you told us that you found Lucy near the pond in the woods. So, how did you get there?" asked Princess Anna. Even though she had a smile on her face, her eyes were telling me that she was doubting me.


    "Gulp... I carried him there using ''Earth Golem''," said Lucy gulping the food she was chewing.


    "And why did you carry him," asked princess Anna looking towards Lucy. The smile was still in her face, but it was starting to look a little scary.


    "That''s because I needed his help in dealing with some stupid guys... aamp," said Lucy taking another bite of the bread that she was eating.


    "And what happened then?" asked Princess Anna looking towards me.


    "Amm... I just helped her... a little bit," I replied.


    "Really?" she asked, coming closer.


    ''Scary!''


    I knew that she wouldn''t be convinced unless I told her everything that had happened. In my previous world, I once met a frustrated husband who told me that ''once the seed of doubt enters a girl''s heart, it will never leave until they are fully convinced''.


    "Y-yes. I only helped you a little bit, right?" I asked, looking towards Lucy.


    "Yes, he only helped me a little bit. The other guy that he summoned did most of the job," said Lucy taking another bite.


    ''Come on! At least help me out a little bit.''


    Princess Anna came even closer and said, "Another guy? What''s she talking about Nara?"


    I looked around to see if there was any way to avoid this scenario. But I then realized the eyes of all the girls were fixed on me. Even Flare was glaring at me.


    ''Guys, give me a break!''


    "Now now honey. No secrets," Arica said in a sweet tone with a smile.


    ''What''s with the promotion to honey?''


    "Y-yeah, I never thought you would keep a secret," said Marina.


    ''Why do you look so disappointed?"


    "Nara, what''s going on?" asked princess Eliane.


    ''Thank god, at least you only look confused.''


    I took a long breath in and said, "Okay, okay. I have a familiar called Zagan that I didn''t tell you about."


    Right when I said Zagan, a crimson magic circle appeared on the floor and Zagan appeared out of it.


    "Hey ladies. The one he is talking about is me," Zagan said with a smile.


    "Is he really a dark summon?" asked princess Anna in surprise. She also had a familiar so she knew this is not how familiars are summoned.


    "No. He is a demon. But there is no need to be worried, he is completely harmless," I replied trying to put it as casually as I could.


    "What do you mean? I don''t sense anything like that from him," Princess Anna said in disbelief.


    "He is probably suppressing his aura like Miss Lilith. The way he appeared, he is probably one," Princess Eliane explained even though she herself had a surprised reaction on her face.


    "B-b -but aren''t demons supposed to be evil?" Marina asked in a surprised tone.


    "Huh?" Zagan said looking towards Marina.


    "I-I-I mean, d-don''t you feel like breaking things and killing people?" Marina said when she saw a confused look in Zagan''s face.


    "Huh? Why would I do something pointless like that?" Zagan said in a confused tone.


    "I think it''s fine guys. If he was really harmful, he wouldn''t just be talking to us like this," Arica who had calmed down after hearing the conversation until now said.


    "That''s true," Princess Eliane said.


    "Well kid, I need to go. I will leave the rest to you," Zagan said and disappeared.


    Everyone was looking a little more convinced than before. Marina was still having difficulty in accepting harmless demons, but we could deal with that later.


    "Okay, Nara. There is one last thing to do before we resume our journey," Princess Anna said looking towards me with a grin.


    ''Aren''t we done yet?''


    "What?" I asked.


    "Hehe¡­ You will get some punishments for keeping secrets from us," said Arica in a teasing tone.


    Next Chapter: Punishment or Reward

 54 2.8 Punishment or Reward?

    All four girls gathered around to discuss the punishment. I didn''t know what they were planning to do, but they were making it sound like something really horrible. I was bracing myself for the verdict, but before that, I had to say something in my defense.


    "Guys, I just did that because I thought you will have difficulty accepting a demon as my familiar. I was going to tell you guys after we reached the labyrinth. I wanted you all to know that he''s not a bad guy before revealing that he was a demon," I said coming clean.


    They all smiled when they heard me say that. Even Marina who was confused by everything that had happened, looked a bit relieved. Lucy who was sitting on her shoulder looked as cheerful as ever. She must be finding all this amusing.


    We had finished our dinner and were about to start our journey. Everything was already ready, and we just had to put the dishes and the magic stove in the carriage before continuing our journey.


    "And how would that solve anything, Silly? You are already way ahead of all of us so if you start keeping secrets like that now, it will only make us more worried. Don''t take too much burden on yourself. We are in this together y'' know," said Princess Anna with a warm smile.


    "Yes. It''s unusual for me to say this, but you worry too much," said Princess Eliane in agreement.


    "No, it''s just that... Thank you guys" I replied.


    I was surprised that things turned out this way. Ever since Ronald got injured, I had this feeling that I needed to get stronger. He was right in front of me when that happened, but I couldn''t do anything.


    That was why I wanted to get stronger. I wanted to be able to protect everyone around me until they were strong enough to protect themselves. I couldn''t tell this to them because I thought they would probably feel like they were being a burden.


    "I-it''s a bit h-hard accepting a demon as a familiar. B-but if you think it''s okay, it must be fine," said Marina looking towards me. It looked like she had finally convinced herself.


    "Guys, we are going off-topic. Let''s get back to the punishment," said Arica with a teasing smile.


    ''We are still doing that?!'' I thought but the smile on everyone''s face told me that the answer was ''yes''.


    "Eliane, you go first," said Princess Anna looking towards Princess Eliane.


    "W-w-wait wasn''t I getting a single punishment from all of you," I asked in confusion.


    "That won''t be much fun, tee hee," said Arica with a giggle.


    "Okay then, I want you to dance with me in a ball after we return back to the city," said Princess Eliane.


    ''Wait what?! What kind of punishment is that?''


    "But I have never danced before. And it won''t be good for a princess like you to dance with me in a social gathering like a ball," I said trying to refuse.


    "Then we will just have to do some practice. It''s just that, because I was a princess I could rarely dance and when I danced it was always with my brother," Princess Eliane said.


    ''I had no idea you were that much into dancing. Well, if you are okay with it, this doesn''t sound too bad.''


    "If you are okay with me then I will give it a try," I replied. She smiled after hearing my reply which probably meant that she was okay with me.


    ''Phew! one down''


    "I-I want to go on a d-d-date with you like Arica," said Marina in a surprisingly bold voice. When I looked towards her eyes were closed and her fists were tight.


    ''Man, how can anyone refuse when you say it like that?''


    "O-okay," I replied feeling a bit shy.


    Arica had probably exaggerated and bragged about the whole thing. I had a feeling she would be a bit disappointed, but I had no choice but to do my best.


    I had never truly gone on a date before. In my previous world, I was too serious about my studies, so I had no time for those things. I thought with better grades, I would be able to get a good job. And with a good job, I would be able to find a good woman. But after I graduated, I realized that it was all wrong, I should have had fun when I could.


    ''Well, for now. It''s two down.''


    "Now, it''s my turn. You will need to let me sit on the driver''s seat with you for the rest of your journey and teach me how to drive the carriage," said Princess Anna with a smile.


    ''What!''


    It may sound like a simple request, but it was the most complicated one among the all three until now. The driver''s seat wasn''t wide enough to fit two people.


    "Wait, that''s impossible, the seat can only fit one person. If there are two of us there, you may fall when we are taking turns," I replied honestly.


    "Tehe he... Then I will just have to sit between your legs. I want to know how to drive a carriage," said Princess Anna.


    ''Why is she acting like Arica all of the sudden?''


    "But that''s-" I was trying to say something, but Arica interrupted me by saying, "Ah Ahh, that''s a punishment honey."


    ''That''s not punishment, that''s torture.''


    I wanted to say something, but before I could, Arica said, "Our tent is too small for four of us so let me move into yours."


    ''I knew it!''


    "A-Arica but that''s-," Marina was saying something, but I interrupted her saying, "Okay."


    She opened her eyes wide and blinked several times in surprise when she heard that. Everyone had a shocked reaction in their face when they saw me agree to it so easily. But I didn''t respond to those reactions. I just said, "Let''s head out now, we are already late."


    We then packed the rest of the things and resumed our journey. Princess Anna sat between my legs on the driver''s seat for the rest of the day.


    I was already uncomfortable with just having her there, the rough road was a bonus. But as a man, I had to hold myself together and focus on driving. My hands that were holding the reins sometimes felt the soft sensation when the carriage bounced over a road, but I controlled myself. The experience that I had with Arica in the market paid off.


    She asked me various things about driving a carriage and I answered them, but I was too busy controlling myself that I had no idea what I was answering. I hadn''t slept well last night, but I didn''t feel sleepy at all for the whole day.


    We stopped when it was evening and started preparing dinner after setting up the camps. Marina and I cooked the food as usual while everyone sat around talking to Lucy and Flare. After dinner, everybody went towards their tents to sleep.


    "Honey, where are you going? The tent is that way," said Arica when she saw me going towards the nearby tree instead of the tent.


    "You can sleep in the tent. I will sleep in the open haha," I replied. I was planning to do this which was why I easily agreed when Arica said she wanted to sleep in my tent.


    "But that''s no fun," said Arica looking disappointed.


    I ignored her and went to the nearby tree and slept there.


    But when I woke up in the morning, I wasn''t there. I was somehow inside the tent. I raised myself and it was then that I realized, I was somehow inside the girl''s tent and everyone else including Arica was sleeping next to me.


    ''God! How did this happen?! How did I end up here?!''


    Next Chapter: Hunters

 55 2.9 Hunters

    Note: Not from Nara''s point of view.


    A man wearing a long leather coat and black leather pants was laying under a big tree near a pond. His face was covered by a black cowboy hat and it looked like he was asleep.


    A white horse, which was probably his, was grazing nearby. It was a hot summer day, so the place was perfect for resting during a long journey.


    When a gust of wind blew, some leaves fell from the tree and a small splash was heard in the pond. At that exact moment, he took out a knife from under his coat and threw it towards the pond. Its tip passed through the gills of a fish that had just jumped out of the pond and landed into the tree on the opposite side of the pond.


    "Four," said the man and took his hat off of his face and wore it.


    There were three fishes already there hanging in the same tree in a similar way. All of them were struggling out of water so he must have caught them recently.


    When the man stood up, the birds on the tree flew away noticing his presence. He was taller than normal, at least seven feet tall.


    "Yu hoo... Drake, did you find anything?" shouted another man who was coming towards the pond riding a black horse.


    He was wearing a similar-looking but white-colored hat and was dressed in a white shirt-like dress with brown pants.


    Even though he was shouting as loud as he could, Drake didn''t respond. He just started collecting the fallen dry branches and woods to build a cooking fire.


    "Man, we have been friends for over two decades now, but you never eat the things that I hunt," said the man getting down from his horse.


    "Billy, I already told you that I hunt for myself," Drake replied looking annoyed. He then started the fire using fire magic.


    Billy took out a rooster from one of the pouches that were hanging on his horse and asked, "But what do I do about this now?"


    "Eat it yourself," Drake replied while taking the fishes out of the knives.


    "But we won''t have to cook separately that way y''know," Billy said while collecting fallen branches to build a different cooking fire.


    His actions were contradictory to his words, probably because he already knew that Drake wouldn''t agree. Drake just didn''t respond and started cleaning the fishes.


    "Drake, you aren''t planning to go to that labyrinth, right?" asked Billy after starting his cooking fire by taking a burning branch from Drake''s fire.


    "No," replied Drake while putting the fishes near the fire on sticks.


    "Then why are we going back towards that place," Billy said looking towards Drake in a serious tone.


    "You don''t have to come if you don''t want to," Drake replied while ignoring the serious look.


    "Did you forget what happened last time?" Billy asked in a loud voice.


    "No, that''s why, I will just hunt in the area outside the labyrinth for now," Drake replied looking towards Billy.


    "We were still young back then, but remembering it still gives me chills," Billy said with a serious look on his face. He then stopped cleaning the rooster and looked towards Drake saying, "What could really be in there?"


    "I don''t know," Drake replied while glaring at the fire.


    "Well, I don''t think anyone will be stupid enough to enter that place for finding out what could be inside," Billy said and resumed cleaning his rooster.


    "But it''s because of that, we became hunters," Drake said looking towards Billy again.


    "Yeah, I clearly remember that day. Our fathers went there looking for treasures and we also went with them. They were so blinded by the greed that they didn''t even realize they were heading to their deaths," Billy said looking towards his fire. He didn''t look sad as he was saying that, instead, he looked angry.


    "You can''t blame them, they too had no idea," Drake said, sensing Billy''s anger.


    "Yeah, I know. At least they told us to wait outside while they take a look inside. We could also have never returned if we had gone inside," Billy replied.


    "We were stupid to wait for a month hoping that they would come out," Drake said turning the fish around.


    "Well, we were too scared to go in and too much hopeful to give up and leave," Billy said while making the stand using two branches on the two sides of the fire.


    He then took out a Machete from one of the bags that his horse was carrying and chopped off a long branch from a nearby tree using it. He then put the roster in that branch and hanged it over the fire with the help of the stands that he made earlier.


    "Are you sure you don''t want this? It will be good," Billy said looking towards Drake.


    "No. As I said, I hunt for myself," replied Drake and chopped off a leaf from a banana plant that was near.


    "Haha... Well, you never change," said Billy with a smile.


    Drake didn''t respond. He just kept on turning the fish around. When it looked like it was cooked, he put them on the banana leaf and waited for it to cool down.


    "Drake, did you hear it? It sounds like a carriage is coming this way," said Billy turning his chicken around.


    "Just ignore," said Drake, taking a bite of the fish that he just cooked.


    Even though it had no seasoning, Drake was eating it as if it was the tastiest thing in the world. Someone once said, ''when you cook something, it tastes better. And when it''s your own hunt, it tastes doubly better.'' It was probably true in this case.


    "It sounds like it''s heavily loaded. They will probably stop here," said Billy looking towards the road. Nothing could be seen till far away.


    An ordinary person would have never been able to hear something from that far away. He had probably enhanced his hearing by manipulating the wind around him using wind magic.


    "That''s why, just ignore. They will come here themselves," replied Drake.


    After around 5 minutes, the carriage could be seen coming towards the pond. Billy looked surprised at what he saw while Drake wasn''t even looking. He just kept on eating his fish.


    "What the heck! Are they going towards the ''Forest of endless trees'' for a honeymoon or something?" said Billy looking surprised at what he saw. He then looked towards Drake and said, "Can you believe it? A girl is sitting in the guy''s lap in the driver''s seat."


    "What''s wrong with that?" asked Drake looking confused.


    "Everything is wrong with that. who even does that?" said Billy looking surprised at Drake''s reaction.


    Drake just ignored him and pointed towards the rooster that was almost about to get burned. Billy quickly turned it around.


    The carriage came near them and stopped. As soon as it stopped the girl who was sitting in the driver''s seat jumped down and said, "Hello there, we are going towards the labyrinth past the forest. Are you on a journey to somewhere too?"


    "Are you serious? Didn''t anyone tell you kids that going there is suicide?" said Billy hastily.


    "Yes, we know. But we need to go there," replied the boy.


    "Boy, is that bird in the sky yours?" asked Drake looking towards the boy.


    "Yes, you could tell? Flare come down here," the boy said after which the bird came and sat down on the boy''s shoulder.


    "Drake no, don''t be stupid," said Billy knowing what drake was thinking.


    Drake looked towards Billy with a serious look and replied, "I haven''t been able to sleep from ''that day''. I need to find the answers."


    Next Chapter: The Forest of Endless Trees

 56 2.10 The Forest of Endless Trees - Part 1

    "Hahaha... kid, looks like you are having a hard time with your harem. Anyways, I am Billy, and this is Drake," Billy said pointing towards Drake.


    ''Well, anyone would laugh after knowing it''s a punishment. But what''s with harem?''


    Since our last stop, these two guys tagged along. They were weird in several ways. The guy who called himself Billy was suspiciously friendly considering we just met. The other guy, Drake, he rarely even spoke.


    Following his introduction, I introduced me and my friends like I usually did. Lucy, whom I didn''t introduce, was peeking through Marina''s hair.


    ''Why do you look so angry? They can be bandits for all we know.''


    "W-we are having dinner soon. I-if you want, you can join us," Marina said. She was cutting the vegetables.


    "Ohh... I am in. Thank you," Billy said with a smile.


    "No. I will hunt for myself," Drake said looking towards the trees behind our tents.


    Everyone except Billy looked surprised at hearing that response.


    "But it''s already dark. Wouldn''t it be better to eat with us?" Princess Anna asked.


    Drake just ignored her and walked towards the trees that he was looking at. Princess Anna looked a bit angry at being ignored, but Billy calmed her down by saying, "He has always been like that, just ignore him."


    "Hey Nara, you said you need to go to the labyrinth. Can you tell me why?" He said looking towards me with a serious look.


    ''Well, there is no point in keeping it a secret.''


    "My friend is injured, and they say that there is a medicine that can heal him there," I replied.


    "But why would you do that? Are you guys that stupid to risk your life on a chance?" Billy asked in a loud voice.


    ''I need to do this, but I am worried about everyone else too. If possible, I want to go inside the labyrinth alone.''


    As I was thinking that Marina stopped cutting the vegetable and looked towards Billy and said, "Y-yeah, how could we leave a friend behind like that?"


    "But..."


    Billy was about to say something, but he stopped and looked towards the ground. He then raised his head again and said, "Yeah, you are right" with a smile.


    Since I was taking a break today, Princess Eliane was helping Marina with the cooking. When they finished cutting the vegetables and were about to start cooking, Drake returned carrying a wild turkey and some firewood.


    ''That was fast.''


    "Ohh Drake, that''s seriously delicious," Billy said looking at the turkey in Drake''s hand.


    Drake just ignored him and put the turkey and the firewood on the ground. He then started digging a firepit. The soil was soft so he could easily dig using his hands. After the hole was big enough, he put some of the firewood there and started cleaning the turkey.


    "Honey, I want to eat a turkey too. Won''t you go and bring it for your darling?" Arica said with a teasing smile.


    ''Nope, I am taking a break today.'' I thought but before I could say anything Billy stood up and pulled me saying, "Let''s go Nara."


    "W-wait, the stew is almost ready," I said trying to refuse.


    "Yeah, we will eat it after we come back with a turkey. Show the lady your manliness," Billy said with a smile.


    ''Guess I have no choice.''


    [Flare, I am just going to the nearby woods. Please stay on watch here.]


    [Understood.]


    The past couple of days have been hard for me. I was driving with Princess Anna during the day and struggling to control myself from unconsciously doing anything wrong during nights.


    Two days ago, I was unconsciously groping Princess Eliane in my sleep. It was just Arica and Me in the tent when I fell asleep but, in the morning, everyone was inside our tent. Fortunately, she was asleep too and didn''t find out.


    It was dark but I didn''t use a fireball to light the way since that would put the nearby animals on alert.


    "Nara, so which girl is your favorite?" Billy looked towards me and asked.


    "I like everyone the same. They are all my friends," I replied.


    "Haha... Just friends? I don''t know about the other three but the girl who asked you to hunt the turkey probably loves you," Billy said while laughing.


    "What do you mean? She was just teasing me." I asked in confusion.


    "Can''t you see? The dog girl, she acts as though she is teasing you. But she is actually doing that hoping you would man up for her," Billy said with a surprisingly serious tone.


    "Really? what makes you say so?" I asked.


    "Well, Drake and I have been together for a long time, but I have a girlfriend. I told her that this was the last time I will try convincing Drake. Only then she agreed to let me come on this journey. I clearly know that the look that the dog girl had in her eyes. She was clearly asking you to be a man for her," replied drake.


    ''Is it really that? I always thought she was just teasing me''


    "Well, just try being a man for her next time and see if the smile she will have is a teasing smile or a happy one," said Billy. He probably saw the confusion in my face.


    I was so focused on thinking about that that I forgot we were inside the forest. Before I could realize that, a bird with a sharp beak was right in front of my eyes.


    I was unprepared, there was no way of dodging it.


    Fortunately, I was the only one unprepared. A knife came from the side and stabbed the bird changing its trajectory.


    ''Phew! that was close, how can I be so careless.''


    "Monsters aren''t the only threat in this forest. This is an Eye owl, a species famous for plucking off animal eyes. But unfortunately, its meat isn''t very tasty," Billy said while taking the knife out of the owl that was struggling on the ground.


    "Thanks man, you saved me," I said in relief.


    "No problem. But be more careful, there are bigger threats in this forest," Billy replied and we started walking again.


    After walking for a while, the two of us came across an open area between the trees. There was a herd of turkey resting in the trees nearby.


    Billy silently threw his knife and killed one of them while I used the air slash. I managed to hit one, but the other ran away.


    ''Well, I think two will be more than enough.''


    "Hahaha... Well, it''s alright for now but when you are deep in the forest you will find two kinds of animals. The first type runs away since they are scared, and the second type attacks you because it will see you as a threat. It''s usually good to hunt them using knives and swords without using magic," Billy said while taking his knife out of the turkey.


    "Can animal sense magic attacks?" I asked since I was curious.


    "It depends, but most of the animals you see from here and out can. The deeper you go inside the forest, the higher-ranking animal and monsters of the food chain you see," replied Billy.


    ''Looks like I will have to use the sword that the Duke sent for me from now on,'' I thought. I hadn''t used it until now but it was in the carriage


    After that, both of us came back towards the camp. When we got there, we found out that no one had started eating, they were probably waiting for us. Since it was late, we decided that we will eat the turkey tomorrow morning and have the stew for the night.


    But surprisingly Arica didn''t say anything against that plan. She just had a smile on her face. This wasn''t a teasing smile, she looked happy.


    ''Could it really be...''


    Next Chapter: The Forest of Endless Trees - Part 2

 53 2.8 The Fairy

    ''It was naive of me to think that demons and monsters are the only problems this world has. I am glad that everyone else wasn''t there.''


    "Lucy, what are you planning to do now. I don''t think the villagers are going to come back," I said looking towards her.


    The sun wasn''t up yet but it had started getting brighter. I couldn''t sleep much last night, but the cold morning breeze was making me feel refreshed.


    "I don''t know," Lucy replied, looking a bit sad. Her eyes were watery and it felt like she was almost about to cry.


    ''Man, it''s hard watching someone active and cheerful about to cry.''


    "Why don''t you come with us then?" I said trying to put it as casually as I could.


    "Really? You have finally decided to serve me?" she said looking towards me with eyes full of expectation.


    ''Huh? That again?''


    "No. Me and my friends are going on a journey to the Labyrinth of Panacea. They are a group of really good people, so if you want, you can join us," I replied.


    She looked a bit disappointed at the start, but she had a little smile on her face when she said, "Okay, but why do you want to go to the Labyrinth?"


    "One of my friends got injured by a demon. They say that there is a medicine that can cure him," I replied.


    "Alright. This great me will guide you there then," she said turning back to her prideful self.


    "Huh? Do you know that place or something?" I asked in confusion.


    "Heh heh! I know I am cool, right? I once used to live near the place," said Lucy folding her arm.


    "Really? Did you ever go inside the Labyrinth?" I asked in surprise.


    "No. But It''s not like I was scared or anything," said Lucy in a hasty tone.


    "Ah okay. Our camp is in the plains ahead. I will introduce you to everyone there," I said with a smile. It was cute to see her act like that.


    I then walked towards our camp while Lucy just sat on my shoulder telling me stories of her greatness. The sun was already up, and Flare was soaring in the sky above when we reached near the camp.


    [Master, your presence suddenly disappeared from the tent. What happened?] asked Flare telepathically when she saw me.


    ''So, she found out.''


    [Few things happened, but don''t worry, I am fine. I would have called you if I was at danger.]


    [Okay but let me know if something like that ever happens again. And who''s that?]


    ''Is she angry or something?''


    [I will try. For now, come down, I will introduce you to her.]


    Flare came down and sat on my other shoulder. Lucy was almost blown away when Flare flapped her wings--she barely managed to stay there by holding onto my overcoat.


    ''Did she do that on purpose?''


    When I reached the camp, Marina had already woken up and was preparing breakfast outside. The others were probably still sleeping inside the tents.


    She looked surprised when she saw me coming from the opposite direction and said, "G-good morning. I thought you were still aslee-". She paused when she saw Lucy. Her eyes became wide in surprise and a single word came out of her mouth, "beautiful".


    "Hehehe! I know I am, right?" said Lucy in a proud tone.


    "She can speak too," said Marina in an excited tone, unlike her usual shy self.


    "Duh? Obviously, I can," replied Lucy.


    "A-are you a fairy?" asked Marina composing herself.


    Lucy nodded saying, "Yes, I am" and flew to Marina''s shoulder. It looked like she had taken a liking to Marina.


    While we were talking, everyone else woke up and came outside.


    "Is that a fairy?" asked Princess Eliane when she saw Lucy on Marina''s shoulder.


    "Yes. Everyone, she is Lucy. I found her near the pond in the woods," I said introducing her. I wanted to avoid telling them everything that had happened in the forest.


    "She looks cute," said Princess Anna, taking a closer look.


    "Of course, I do," replied Lucy in a proud tone.


    "I thought fairies would be a bit bigger, isn''t she a bit too small," said Arica looking towards Lucy.


    "Hmph! We fairy have always been like this," said Lucy, looking annoyed at what Arica just said.


    "Lucy knows the area around the Labyrinth so she will be traveling with us as our guide," I said continuing the introduction.


    I then introduced everyone else by saying, "This is Princess Anna, Princess Eliane, Arica and the one on whose shoulder you are sitting is Marina" while pointing my hand to whoever''s name I said.


    After the introductions were finished, I helped Marina in making breakfast. We then folded the camps and sat around for breakfast.


    "Nara you told us that you found Lucy near the pond in the woods. So, how did you get there?" asked Princess Anna. Even though she had a smile on her face, her eyes were telling me that she was doubting me.


    "Gulp... I carried him there using ''Earth Golem''," said Lucy gulping the food she was chewing.


    "And why did you carry him?" asked princess Anna looking towards Lucy. The smile was still in her face, but it was starting to look a little scary.


    "That''s because I needed his help in dealing with some stupid guys... humph," said Lucy taking another bite of the bread that she was eating.


    "And what happened then?" asked Princess Anna looking towards me.


    "Amm... I just helped her... a little bit," I replied.


    "Really?" she asked, coming closer.


    ''Scary!''


    I knew that she wouldn''t be convinced unless I told her everything that had happened. In my previous world, I once met a frustrated husband on a train who told me that ''once the seed of doubt enters a girl''s heart, it will never leave until they are fully convinced''.


    "Y-yes. I only helped you a little bit, right?" I asked, looking towards Lucy.


    "Yes, he only helped me a little bit. The other guy that he summoned did most of the job," said Lucy taking another bite.


    ''Come on! At least help me out a little bit.''


    Princess Anna came even closer and said, "Another guy? What''s she talking about Nara?"


    I looked around to see if there was any way to avoid this scenario. But then I realized that the eyes of all the girls were fixed on me. Even Flare was glaring at me.


    ''Guys, give me a break!''


    "Now now honey. No secrets," Arica said in a sweet tone with a smile.


    ''What''s with the promotion to honey?''


    "Y-yeah, I never thought you would keep a secret," said Marina.


    ''Why do you look so disappointed?"


    "Nara, what''s going on?" asked princess Eliane.


    ''Thank god, at least you only look confused.''


    I took a long breath in and said, "Okay, okay. I have a familiar called Zagan that I didn''t tell you about."


    Right when I said Zagan, a crimson magic circle appeared on the floor and Zagan appeared out of it.


    "Hey ladies. The one he is talking about is me," Zagan said with a smile.


    "Is he really a dark summon?" asked princess Anna in a surprised tone. She also had a familiar so she knew that this was not how the familiars were summoned.


    "No. He is a demon. But there is no need to be worried, he is completely harmless," I replied trying to put it as casually as I could.


    "What do you mean? I don''t sense anything like that from him," Princess Anna said in disbelief.


    "He is probably suppressing his aura like Miss Lilith. The way he appeared, he is probably one," Princess Eliane explained even though she herself had a surprised reaction on her face.


    "B-b-but aren''t demons supposed to be evil?" Marina asked in a surprised tone.


    "Huh?" Zagan said looking towards Marina.


    "I-I-I mean, d-don''t you feel like breaking things and killing people?" Marina said when she saw a confused look in Zagan''s face.


    "Huh? Why would I do something pointless like that?" Zagan said in a confused tone.


    "I think it''s fine guys. If he was really harmful, he wouldn''t just be talking to us like this," Arica who had calmed down after hearing the conversation until now said.


    "That''s true," Princess Eliane said.


    "Well kid, I need to go. I will leave the rest to you," Zagan said and disappeared.


    Everyone was looking a little more convinced than before. Marina was still having difficulty in accepting a harmless demon, but we could deal with that later.


    "Okay, Nara. There is one last thing to do before we resume our journey," Princess Anna said looking towards me with a grin.


    ''Aren''t we done yet?''


    "What?" I asked.


    "Hehe¡­ You will get some punishments for keeping secrets from us," said Arica in a teasing tone.


    Next Chapter: Punishment or Reward

 54 2.9 Punishment or Reward?

    All four girls gathered around to discuss the punishment. I didn''t know what they were planning to do, but they were making it sound like something really horrible. I was bracing myself for the verdict, but before that, I had to say something in my defense.


    "Guys, I just did that because I thought you will have difficulty accepting a demon as my familiar. I was going to tell you guys after we reached the labyrinth. I wanted you all to know that he''s not a bad guy before revealing that he was a demon," I said coming clean.


    They all smiled when they heard me say that. Even Marina who was confused by everything that had happened looked a bit relieved. Lucy who was sitting on her shoulder looked as cheerful as ever. She must be finding all this amusing.


    We had finished our dinner and were about to start our journey. Everything was already ready, and we just had to put the dishes and the magic stove in the carriage before continuing our journey.


    "And how would that solve anything? You are already way ahead of all of us so if you start keeping secrets like that now, it will only make us more worried. Don''t take too much burden on yourself. We all are in this together y''know," said Princess Anna with a warm smile.


    "Yes. It''s unusual for me to say this, but you worry too much," said Princess Eliane in agreement.


    "No, it''s just that... Thank you guys" I replied.


    I was surprised that things turned out this way. Ever since Ronald got injured, I had this feeling that I needed to get stronger. He was right in front of me when that happened, but I couldn''t do anything.


    That was why I wanted to get stronger. I wanted to be able to protect everyone around me until they were strong enough to protect themselves. I couldn''t tell this to them because I thought they would probably feel like they were being a burden.


    "I-it''s a bit h-hard accepting a demon as a familiar. B-but if you think it''s okay, it must be fine," said Marina looking towards me. It looked like she had finally convinced herself.


    "Guys, we are going off-topic. Let''s get back to the punishment," said Arica with a teasing smile.


    ''We are still doing that?!'' I thought but the smile on everyone''s face told me that the answer was ''yes''.


    "Eliane, you go first," said Princess Anna looking towards Princess Eliane.


    "W-w-wait wasn''t I getting a single punishment from all of you," I asked in confusion.


    "That won''t be much fun... tee hee," said Arica with a giggle.


    "Okay then, I want you to dance with me in a ball after we return back to the city," said Princess Eliane.


    ''Wait what?! What kind of punishment is that?''


    "But I have never danced before. And it won''t be good for a princess like you to dance with me in a social gathering like a ball," I said trying to refuse.


    "Then we will just have to do some practice. It''s just that because I was a princess I could rarely dance and when I danced it was always with my brother," Princess Eliane said.


    ''I had no idea you were that much into dancing. Well, if you are okay with it, this doesn''t sound too bad.''


    "If you are okay with me then I will give it a try," I replied. She smiled after hearing my reply which probably meant that she was okay with me.


    ''Phew! one down''


    "I-I want to go on a d-d-date with you like Arica," said Marina in a surprisingly bold voice. When I looked towards her, her eyes were closed and her fists were tight.


    ''Man, how can anyone refuse when you say it like that?''


    "O-okay," I replied feeling a bit shy.


    Marina looked relieved after hearing my reply. Arica had probably exaggerated and bragged about the whole thing. I had a feeling she would be a bit disappointed, but I had no choice but to do my best.


    I had never truly gone on a date before. In my previous world, I was too serious about my studies, so I had no time for those things. I thought with better grades, I would be able to get a good job. And with a good job, I would be able to find a good woman. But after I graduated, I realized that it was all wrong, I should have had fun when I could.


    ''Well, for now. It''s two down.''


    "Now, it''s my turn. You will need to let me sit on the driver''s seat with you for the rest of the journey and teach me how to drive the carriage," said Princess Anna with a smile.


    ''What!''


    It may sound like a simple request, but it was the most complicated one among all three until now. The driver''s seat wasn''t wide enough to fit two people.


    "Wait, that''s impossible, only one person can fit in the seat. If two of us sit there, you may fall while making turns," I replied honestly.


    "Tehe hee... Then I will just have to sit between your legs. I want to know how to drive a carriage," said Princess Anna.


    ''Why is she acting like Arica all of the sudden?''


    "But that''s-" I was trying to say something, but Arica interrupted me by saying, "Ah Ahh, that''s a punishment, honey."


    ''That''s not punishment, that''s torture.''


    I wanted to say something, but before I could, Arica said, "Our tent is too small for four of us so let me move into yours."


    ''I knew it!''


    "A-Arica but that''s-," Marina was saying something, but I interrupted her saying, "Okay."


    She opened her eyes wide and blinked several times in surprise when she heard that. Everyone had a shocked reaction in their face when they saw me agree to it so easily. But I didn''t respond to those reactions. I just said, "Let''s head out now, we are already late."


    We then packed the rest of the things and resumed our journey. Princess Anna sat between my legs on the driver''s seat for the rest of the day.


    I was already uncomfortable with just having her there, the rough road was a bonus. But as a man, I had to hold myself together and focus on driving. My hands that were holding the reins sometimes felt the soft sensation when the carriage came over bumps in the road, but I controlled myself. The experience that I had with Arica in the market paid off.


    She asked me various things about driving a carriage and I answered them, but I was too busy controlling myself that I had no idea what I was answering. I hadn''t slept well last night, but I didn''t feel sleepy at all for the whole day.


    We stopped when it was evening and started preparing dinner after setting up the camps. Marina and I cooked the food as usual while everyone else sat around talking to Lucy and Flare. After dinner, everybody went towards their tents to sleep.


    "Honey, where are you going? The tent is that way," said Arica when she saw me going towards the nearby tree instead of the tent.


    "I will sleep in the open. You can sleep in the tent," I replied. I was planning to do this which was why I easily agreed when Arica said she wanted to sleep in my tent.


    "But that''s no fun," said Arica looking disappointed.


    I ignored her and went to the nearby tree and slept there by leaning on it.


    But when I woke up in the morning, I wasn''t there. I was somehow inside the tent. I raised myself and it was then that I realized, I was somehow inside the girl''s tent and everyone else including Arica was sleeping next to me.


    ''God! How did this happen?! How did I end up here?!''


    Next Chapter: Hunters

 55 2.10 Hunters

    Note: Not from Nara''s point of view.


    A man wearing a long leather coat and black leather pants was laying under a big tree near a pond. His face was covered by a black cowboy hat and it looked like he was asleep.


    A white horse, which was probably his, was grazing nearby. It was a hot summer day, so the place was perfect for resting during a long journey.


    When a gust of wind blew, some leaves fell from the tree and a small splash was heard in the pond. At that exact moment, he took out a knife from under his coat and threw it towards the pond. Its tip passed through the gills of a fish that had just jumped out of the pond and landed into the tree on the opposite side of the pond.


    "Four," said the man and took his hat off of his face and wore it.


    There were three fishes already there hanging in the same tree in a similar way. All of them were struggling out of water so he must have caught them recently.


    When the man stood up, the birds on the tree flew away noticing his presence. He was taller than normal, at least seven feet tall.


    "Yu hoo... Drake, did you find anything?" shouted another man who was coming towards the pond riding a black horse.


    He was wearing a similar-looking but white-colored hat and was dressed in a white shirt-like dress with brown pants.


    Even though he was shouting as loud as he could, Drake didn''t respond. He just started collecting the fallen dry branches and woods to build a cooking fire.


    "Man, we have been friends for over two decades now, but you never eat the things that I hunt," said the man getting down from his horse.


    "Billy, I already told you that I hunt for myself," Drake replied looking annoyed. He then started the fire using fire magic.


    Billy took out a rooster from one of the pouches that were hanging on his horse and asked, "But what do I do about this now?"


    "Eat it yourself," Drake replied while taking the fishes out of the knives.


    "But we won''t have to cook separately that way y''know," Billy said while collecting fallen branches to build a different cooking fire.


    His actions were contradictory to his words, probably because he already knew that Drake wouldn''t agree. Drake just didn''t respond and started cleaning the fishes.


    "Drake, you aren''t planning to go to that labyrinth, right?" asked Billy after starting his cooking fire by taking a burning branch from Drake''s fire.


    "No," replied Drake while putting the fishes near the fire on sticks.


    "Then why are we going back towards that place," Billy said looking towards Drake in a serious tone.


    "You don''t have to come if you don''t want to," Drake replied while ignoring the serious look.


    "Did you forget what happened last time?" Billy asked in a loud voice.


    "No, that''s why, I will just hunt in the area outside the labyrinth for now," Drake replied looking towards Billy.


    "We were still young back then, but remembering it still gives me chills," Billy said with a serious look on his face. He then stopped cleaning the rooster and looked towards Drake saying, "What could really be in there?"


    "I don''t know," Drake replied while glaring at the fire.


    "Well, I don''t think anyone will be stupid enough to enter that place for finding out what could be inside," Billy said and resumed cleaning his rooster.


    "But it''s because of that, we became hunters," Drake said looking towards Billy again.


    "Yeah, I clearly remember that day. Our fathers went there looking for treasures and we also went with them. They were so blinded by the greed that they didn''t even realize they were heading to their deaths," Billy said looking towards his fire. He didn''t look sad as he was saying that, instead, he looked angry.


    "You can''t blame them, they too had no idea," Drake said, sensing Billy''s anger.


    "Yeah, I know. At least they told us to wait outside while they take a look inside. We could also have never returned if we had gone inside," Billy replied.


    "We were stupid to wait for a month hoping that they would come out," Drake said turning the fish around.


    "Well, we were too scared to go in and too much hopeful to give up and leave," Billy said while making the stand using two branches on the two sides of the fire.


    He then took out a Machete from one of the bags that his horse was carrying and chopped off a long branch from a nearby tree using it. He then put the roster in that branch and hanged it over the fire with the help of the stands that he made earlier.


    "Are you sure you don''t want this? It will be good," Billy said looking towards Drake.


    "No. As I said, I hunt for myself," replied Drake and chopped off a leaf from a banana plant that was near.


    "Haha... Well, you never change," said Billy with a smile.


    Drake didn''t respond. He just kept on turning the fish around. When it looked like it was cooked, he put them on the banana leaf and waited for it to cool down.


    "Drake, did you hear it? It sounds like a carriage is coming this way," said Billy turning his chicken around.


    "Just ignore," said Drake, taking a bite of the fish that he just cooked.


    Even though it had no seasoning, Drake was eating it as if it was the tastiest thing in the world. Someone once said, ''when you cook something, it tastes better. And when it''s your own hunt, it tastes doubly better.'' It was probably true in this case.


    "It sounds like it''s heavily loaded. They will probably stop here," said Billy looking towards the road. Nothing could be seen till far away.


    An ordinary person would have never been able to hear something from that far away. He had probably enhanced his hearing by manipulating the wind around him using wind magic.


    "That''s why, just ignore. They will come here themselves," replied Drake.


    After around 5 minutes, the carriage could be seen coming towards the pond. Billy looked surprised at what he saw while Drake wasn''t even looking. He just kept on eating his fish.


    "What the heck! Are they going towards the ''Forest of endless trees'' for a honeymoon or something?" said Billy looking surprised at what he saw. He then looked towards Drake and said, "Can you believe it? A girl is sitting in the guy''s lap in the driver''s seat."


    "What''s wrong with that?" asked Drake looking confused.


    "Everything is wrong with that. who even does that?" said Billy looking surprised at Drake''s reaction.


    Drake just ignored him and pointed towards the rooster that was almost about to get burned. Billy quickly turned it around.


    The carriage came near them and stopped. As soon as it stopped the girl who was sitting in the driver''s seat jumped down and said, "Hello there, we are going towards the labyrinth past the forest. Are you on a journey to somewhere too?"


    "Are you serious? Didn''t anyone tell you kids that going there is suicide?" said Billy hastily.


    "Yes, we know. But we need to go there," replied the boy.


    "Boy, is that bird in the sky yours?" asked Drake looking towards the boy.


    "Yes, you could tell? Flare, come down here," the boy said after which the bird came and sat down on the boy''s shoulder.


    "Drake no, don''t be stupid," said Billy knowing what Drake was thinking.


    Drake looked towards Billy with a serious look and replied, "I haven''t been able to sleep from ''that day''. I need to find the answers."


    Next Chapter: The Forest of Endless Trees

 56 2.11 The Forest of Endless Trees - Part 1

    "Hahaha... kid, looks like you are having a hard time with your harem. Anyways, I am Billy, and this is Drake," Billy said pointing towards Drake.


    ''Well, anyone would laugh after knowing it''s a punishment. But what''s with harem?''


    Since our last stop, these two guys tagged along. They were weird in several ways. The guy who called himself Billy was suspiciously friendly considering we just met. The other guy, Drake, he rarely even spoke.


    Following his introduction, I introduced me and my friends like I usually did. Lucy, whom I didn''t introduce, was peeking through Marina''s hair.


    ''Why do you look so angry? They can be bandits for all we know.''


    "W-we are having dinner soon. I-if you want, you can join us," Marina said. She was cutting the vegetables.


    "Ohh... I am in. Thank you," Billy said with a smile.


    "No. I will hunt for myself," Drake said looking towards the trees behind our tents.


    Everyone except Billy looked surprised at hearing that response.


    "But it''s already dark. Wouldn''t it be better to eat with us?" Princess Anna asked.


    Drake just ignored her and walked towards the trees that he was looking at. Princess Anna looked a bit angry at being ignored, but Billy calmed her down by saying, "He has always been like that, just ignore him."


    "Hey Nara, you said you need to go to the labyrinth. Can you tell me why?" He said looking towards me with a serious look.


    ''Well, there is no point in keeping it a secret.''


    "My friend is injured, and they say that there is a medicine that can heal him there," I replied.


    "But why would you do that? Are you guys that stupid to risk your life on a chance?" Billy asked in a loud voice.


    ''I need to do this, but I am worried about everyone else too. If possible, I want to go inside the labyrinth alone.''


    As I was thinking that Marina stopped cutting the vegetable and looked towards Billy and said, "Y-yeah, how could we leave a friend behind like that?"


    "But..."


    Billy was about to say something, but he stopped and looked towards the ground. He then raised his head again and said, "Yeah, you are right" with a smile.


    Since I was taking a break today, Princess Eliane was helping Marina with the cooking. When they finished cutting the vegetables and were about to start cooking, Drake returned carrying a wild turkey and some firewood.


    ''That was fast.''


    "Ohh Drake, that''s seriously delicious," Billy said looking at the turkey in Drake''s hand.


    Drake just ignored him and put the turkey and the firewood on the ground. He then started digging a firepit. The soil was soft so he could easily dig using his hands. After the hole was big enough, he put some of the firewood there and started cleaning the turkey.


    "Honey, I want to eat a turkey too. Won''t you go and bring it for your darling?" Arica said with a teasing smile.


    ''Nope, I am taking a break today.'' I thought but before I could say anything Billy stood up and pulled me saying, "Let''s go Nara."


    "W-wait, the stew is almost ready," I said trying to refuse.


    "Yeah, we will eat it after we come back with a turkey. Show the lady your manliness," Billy said with a smile.


    ''Guess I have no choice.''


    [Flare, I am just going to the nearby woods. Please stay on watch here.]


    [Understood.]


    The past couple of days have been hard for me. I was driving with Princess Anna during the day and struggling to control myself from unconsciously doing anything wrong during nights.


    Two days ago, I was unconsciously groping Princess Eliane in my sleep. It was just Arica and Me in the tent when I fell asleep but, in the morning, everyone was inside our tent. Fortunately, she was asleep too and didn''t find out.


    It was dark but I didn''t use a fireball to light the way since that would put the nearby animals on alert.


    "Nara, so which girl is your favorite?" Billy looked towards me and asked.


    "I like everyone the same. They are all my friends," I replied.


    "Haha... Just friends? I don''t know about the other three but the girl who asked you to hunt the turkey probably loves you," Billy said while laughing.


    "What do you mean? She was just teasing me." I asked in confusion.


    "Can''t you see? The dog girl, she acts as though she is teasing you. But she is actually doing that hoping you would man up for her," Billy said with a surprisingly serious tone.


    "Really? what makes you say so?" I asked.


    "Well, Drake and I have been together for a long time, but I have a girlfriend. I told her that this was the last time I will try convincing Drake. Only then she agreed to let me come on this journey. I clearly know that the look that the dog girl had in her eyes. She was clearly asking you to be a man for her," replied drake.


    ''Is it really that? I always thought she was just teasing me''


    "Well, just try being a man for her next time and see if the smile she will have is a teasing smile or a happy one," said Billy. He probably saw the confusion in my face.


    I was so focused on thinking about that that I forgot we were inside the forest. Before I could realize that, a bird with a sharp beak was right in front of my eyes.


    I was unprepared, there was no way of dodging it.


    Fortunately, I was the only one unprepared. A knife came from the side and stabbed the bird changing its trajectory.


    ''Phew! that was close, how can I be so careless.''


    "Monsters aren''t the only threat in this forest. This is an Eye owl, a species famous for plucking off animal eyes. But unfortunately, its meat isn''t very tasty," Billy said while taking the knife out of the owl that was struggling on the ground.


    "Thanks man, you saved me," I said in relief.


    "No problem. But be more careful, there are bigger threats in this forest," Billy replied and we started walking again.


    After walking for a while, the two of us came across an open area between the trees. There was a herd of turkey resting in the trees nearby.


    Billy silently threw his knife and killed one of them while I used the air slash. I managed to hit one, but the other ran away.


    ''Well, I think two will be more than enough.''


    "Hahaha... Well, it''s alright for now but when you are deep in the forest you will find two kinds of animals. The first type runs away since they are scared, and the second type attacks you because it will see you as a threat. It''s usually good to hunt them using knives and swords without using magic," Billy said while taking his knife out of the turkey.


    "Can animal sense magic attacks?" I asked since I was curious.


    "It depends, but most of the animals you see from here and out can. The deeper you go inside the forest, the higher-ranking animal and monsters of the food chain you see," replied Billy.


    ''Looks like I will have to use the sword that the Duke sent for me from now on,'' I thought. I hadn''t used it until now but it was in the carriage


    After that, both of us came back towards the camp. When we got there, we found out that no one had started eating, they were probably waiting for us. Since it was late, we decided that we will eat the turkey tomorrow morning and have the stew for the night.


    But surprisingly Arica didn''t say anything against that plan. She just had a smile on her face. This wasn''t a teasing smile, she looked happy.


    ''Could it really be...''


    Next Chapter: The Forest of Endless Trees - Part 2

 57 2.12 The Forest of Endless Trees - Part 2

    "Hey Billy, have you ever seen a fairy?" I asked, looking towards Billy.


    It was our third day of traveling together so I thought it was about time I introduced Lucy to them.


    Marina and Princess Eliane were preparing dinner while Princess Anna and Arica were discussing something. When I asked what they were discussing they replied with, "It''s a secret".


    "I haven''t met one but I have heard tales about them. Like how they show perverted illusions and lure men into their trap," replied Billy.


    "No, we don''t. That''s a lie," said Lucy coming out of Marina''s hair.


    "Woah!," said Billy when he saw Lucy. He then went near her and took a closer look saying, "Isn''t she a bit too small though? And weren''t fairy supposed to shine at night?"


    "We fairies have always been like this. And, I am not shining because I was hiding my presence. I can shine like this whenever I want," said Lucy in an annoyed tone and started shining.


    Drake, who was cooking his food nearby, looked towards Lucy but he didn''t say anything and went back to cooking.


    ''What an odd guy.''


    Billy put his hand behind his head and said, "Oh sorry sorry. But what are you doing here with this bunch?" with a smile.


    "I am their guide and mentor," replied Lucy in a proud tone while folding her hands.


    "Lucy, I forgot to ask you something. You said you lived in the pond for over a century so when was it that you lived near the Labyrinth?" asked Princess Eliane who was stirring the stew.


    "I am not sure, maybe a millennium or two ago," replied Lucy in a casual tone.


    ''What!''


    Everyone except Princess Eliane looked surprised. Even Arica and Princess Anna looked towards us in surprise.


    "Well, it''s nothing unexpected. Fairies live way longer than even us elves," said Princess Eliane when she saw our surprised faces.


    "If you don''t mind me asking, how old are you Eliane?" said Princess Anna.


    "I don''t mind, I am 96," said Princess Eliane in a casual tone.


    ''What! That''s almost 80 more than I expected!''


    "Y-you look a bit younger for your age," I said to hide my surprise when she looked towards me.


    "No, actually I look a bit older for my age. Most of the other elves around my age look as big as Emma," replied Princess Eliane.


    "Oh well, you are an elf after all. But hey Lucy, you said you lived around these parts so long ago. Do you even remember the way to that place now?" said Princess Anna after a sigh.


    "Y-yes, I am not sure where all these trees came from but I d-definitely know where it is," replied Lucy.


    ''She definitely has no idea. I am glad we found Drake and Billy.''


    As we were talking, dinner was ready. After dinner, Billy hung his hammock in the nearby trees and slept there.


    It''s not like I didn''t invite him but he refused to sleep in the tent saying, "I don''t want to disturb you guys."


    Drake didn''t even use a hammock. He just collected dry leaves and slept over them. If it was winter that option would have been better but in summer, it''s a bit hard that way considering the noise leaves make every time you turn around.


    "Honey, let''s go in," said Arica looking towards me with a smile.


    Arica and I then went inside our camp. I was too tired so I fell asleep quickly.


    ----


    The next morning, we started our journey early. If everything went as planned, we would reach the labyrinth by the evening.


    "It is strange that we haven''t come across any monsters until now," said Billy who was riding in his horse.


    "Yeah, strange," I replied from the driver''s seat.


    Flare''s presence was enough to scare many monsters from coming near us. Even wild animals from here on out could sense mana so they could feel Flare''s presence.


    ''Well, she is a divine summon after all.'' As I was thinking that Flare contracted me telepathically.


    [Master, there are two ogres nearby. These creatures are too dumb to even be scared, I will keep them distracted while you pass by.]


    [Okay, thank you.]


    On the way, I was learning how to hunt and clean animals from Billy. Sword wasn''t exactly an ideal weapon for hunting so I was learning how to hunt using knives and stones. With the physical enhancement, stones could be thrown at great speed.


    There weren''t many obstacles on the way thanks to Flare. Because of that, we arrived at the bottom of the hill where the entrance to the labyrinth was in the evening.


    The entrance to the labyrinth looked like a cave. There was something engraved on the rock in front of the entrance. When I looked closer, it said: ''The door to immortality leads to death if you are not the chosen ones.''


    "Chosen ones? How do you know who the chosen ones are?" asked Princess Anna.


    "It''s probably a riddle," replied Princess Eliane looking towards Princess Anna.


    That was a probability but considering that no one came out of the labyrinth alive, this was probably a warning that people engraved.


    "I think we will only find out after we go in. But before that," I paused there and took a long breath in and said, "We need to rest properly tonight, we will only be going in in the afternoon tomorrow."


    "Look at Nara being a leader," said Arica teasing me.


    ''well, I just said what Ronald would say in this situation.''


    "He is right, we all should take a break tonight. We don''t know what awaits us in there, we must be prepared," said Billy in a serious tone. He was staring at the entrance of the labyrinth, this place probably brought back his bad memories.


    [Flare, how does it look from the up?]


    [Master, I can''t sense much from inside. It feels like the place itself exists in a different space, but one thing is for sure, the whole place is alive.]


    [You mean the labyrinth itself is a creature or something.]


    [No, it feels like the labyrinth has the will of its own.]


    [That''s strange. Let me ask if Zagan knows anything about the place later. Please keep an eye on things from above.]


    After this conversation with flare, we set our tent outside the labyrinth for the night. Later that night, I tried contacting Zagan telepathically.


    [Hey Zagan, can you hear me?]


    [Hey kid, what''s up.]


    [I wanted to ask if you know anything about the labyrinth.]


    [I don''t know about the place, but someone I met once called it her home.]


    [Okay, can you tell me who that is?]


    [I only met her once so I don''t know. But even though her aura was suppressed back then her presence itself was enough to give me chills.]


    Next Chapter: The Chosen One

 58 2.13 The Chosen One - Part 1

    "Drake, do you really want to do this? We''ve got a second chance in our lives, we could live normally - and have families," Billy asked while petting his horse.


    "I told you. You don''t have to come if you don''t want to," Drake replied in an annoyed tone.


    Billy sighed in disappointment even though he had probably already guessed this was how Drake would respond.


    It was afternoon and the bright sun was up. Everyone was preparing the necessary things before entering the labyrinth.


    I was carrying the sword Aurora that the Duke sent for me and a small bag with basic things like some food and knife.


    The sword was surprisingly light and balanced. The sharpness of the edge made up for the force lost during the impact.


    "Okay everyone, no matter what happens we must stay in a group. Lucy will be our guide, she is going to check if there are any dangers ahead and only after she says it''s clear we will move forward," I said carrying my bag.


    Lucy nodded saying "Umm-hmm" while folding her arms. But her tone quickly changed when she realized the danger of what I was asking her to do, "W-w-wait, why me?"


    "Well, you said you were our guide and mentor," I replied. She was small so the traps that were set for us may not work on her. I was also planning to use Flare for scouting, so this was just an extra measure in case.


    "Princess Anna, can you summon King and send him ahead of us too," I said looking towards her.


    "Okay, but I am not sure if I can maintain his presence for more than 3 hours a day," princess Anna replied.


    She then summoned King and started giving him instructions. But since I couldn''t understand them, I moved on to others.


    "Drake you should stay close to us if possible. It can be dangerous if you go around alone," I said looking towards Drake. But as usual, he ignored me.


    ''Man, that guy.''


    [Flare, can you check if it is safe to enter?]


    After I said that, Flare entered.


    [Master I got in. Everything looks fine inside.]


    After Flare gave a green signal, I looked towards Princess Anna and nodded. She understood what I was trying to say and sent King inside.


    But right after it entered, it disappeared.


    "Nara, I don''t understand what happened, but I couldn''t supply magic to King," said Princess Anna in a confused tone.


    ''Hmm... It looks like there is something that acts as a barrier between the mana inside and outside.''


    "Something must have cut off your mana supply. Flare said she is fine inside so you will probably be able to summon him again when we are inside," I replied and walked inside the entrance.


    "What the heck!"


    After I entered and looked back, there was nothing but an old wall behind me. I looked around and noticed this was nothing like the cave we saw from outside, I was in a big dark passage.


    ''Was it teleported here or something.''


    [Flare, can you hear me?] I tried communicating with Flare telepathically.


    [Yes master. I am not sure what happened, but everyone disappeared right after they entered and there is something preventing me from coming to where you are.]


    [Ah, I am alright so don''t worry. Try looking for others, they must be in here somewhere inside too.]


    [Okay master. But please re-summon me if you come across any danger.]


    [Yes, I will so don''t worry.]


    There was a big door around 500 meters away in the passage, so I walked towards it. I created a small fireball on my hand to light the way.


    There were many skeletons on the way, but they weren''t showing any sign of movement, so I ignored them and looked towards the entrance.


    ''After watching what Beelzebub did to the villagers back then, this could hardly be called scary.''


    When I reached the door and touched it, I heard a mechanical-sounding voice in my head.


    "Welcome unchosen challenger. You are certainly interesting, but you are definitely not the chosen one, do you still want to enter the Labyrinth of Panacea?"


    "What is this place and who are you?" I asked in surprise.


    "I am the ''Voice of the Labyrinth''. This is the place where the unchosen challengers face trials to prove that they are worthy to challenge the Labyrinth. You can either die here or pass the trials."


    ''Guess I have no choice then.''


    "What will I have to do to prove that I am worthy?"


    "You will have to answer the three questions. If you answer them honestly, I will take you to the floor of another trial, but if you fail to answer any of them, you will be left here to die."


    "Okay then, what are the questions?"


    "First question, what do you hope to accomplish by entering the Labyrinth?"


    "I just want to get the medicine that can save my friend."


    "Hmm... Then you are no different than others who came here before. They all came here seeking the same thing as you want. Some said they wanted to save their child while others wanted to save their wife, lover, or friends. Are you sure that is your answer?"


    "Yes, I have no other reasons. But was that your second question?"


    "Erm... No. The second question is: What if there is no such medicine and you only end up losing your other friends?"


    "I am not sure," I replied. This was my biggest fear in this journey. I could probably use Zagan and Flare''s power together and destroy the whole place but what would I do after that? My anger may be settled but the regret would never let me live.


    "Third question: Do you fear death and desire to become immortal?"


    "I do fear death like everyone else and want to be immortal. But that being said, I don''t have a strong desire for it," I replied.


    "You pass!"


    "Huh?" I asked in surprise.


    "Don''t act surprised now. I just told you to answer ''honestly'' not ''correctly''. There were no wrong or right answers to those questions."


    As the voice was saying that, the door opened with a cracking sound.


    "Well, with this you pass the trial of truth, there are still nine more trials that you will have to pass before entering the labyrinth."


    ''Isn''t that a bit too many for just entering the labyrinth?''


    Right after I entered and before I could even look back, the door I entered from closed. When I looked around, this room had no skulls like the earlier one.


    I was surprised since the way my first test went, there should be many who could pass the trial of truth.


    As I was looking around, I heard a heavy voice that said, "Welcome to the trial of strength."


    Next Chapter: The Chosen One - Part 2

 59 2.14 The Chosen One - Part 2

    Note: From Marina''s POV


    ''Where am I and where did everyone go?!''


    I entered the labyrinth with everyone else, but I somehow ended up alone in this dark passage. I can barely see anything, but this isn''t like the cave that I saw from the outside.


    "Huh? Where are we?" Miss Lucy said while shining and making the passage visible. It was a long passage made up of irregular stones as long as it was visible.


    "Phew! Miss Lucy, thank god at least you are here," I said while taking Miss Lucy into my hands.


    "Yeah, but were we teleported or something?" She asked looking confused.


    ''How can she be so brave at the situation like this?''


    "Don''t stay lost like that, we are probably inside the labyrinth."


    "O-okay, sorry."


    "D-Did you hear that?"


    When I listened carefully, I could hear footsteps coming towards us. As I was listening, the sound of the footsteps grew heavier and heavier and it no longer sounded like humans.


    "L-l-let''s go behind the rock, I will use my magic to hide us," Miss Lucy said while looking towards me with a worried face.


    "O-okay."


    Miss Lucy stopped shining and both of us hid behind the rocks. After a while, I raised my head to take a peek and what I saw was a scary-looking one-horned red monster carrying a Mace.


    "M-Miss Lucy, what do we do now?"


    "Just stay quiet for a while and wait for him to go," Miss Lucy whispered.


    He looked towards the stone that we were hiding at and started coming closer.


    ''He probably heard us.'' I thought and covered both my mouth and nose with my hands. Since Miss Lucy was using an illusion to hide us, he couldn''t see us even though we were there.


    He scratched his forehead while turning around and left. As he did that, the half of my soul that had almost left my body came back.


    "S-should we go to find others?" I asked in a low voice.


    "W-wait a little longer, he might still be around."


    We waited there a little longer and when it looked like he wasn''t anywhere around, we started walking forward in the passage.


    After walking for a while, we came across a big metal door with a strange flower pattern and chalice in the center of it. When I touched the door, it automatically slid open with a heavy metallic sound.


    I stepped back in surprise as the door opened. It was then that I heard someone say "Welcome".


    "Miss Lucy, did you hear that?"


    "Hmm, What?" She was looking at the door in surprise as she replied.


    "I heard someone say ''Welcome''."


    "Y-y-you are just imagining things. Who would welcome us in a place like this?" She said while looking towards me.


    "Y-yeah, I am probably just imagining things. S-should we go in?"


    After Miss Lucy nodded, I slowly stepped inside.


    It was a circular room with spiral stairs that went up. When I looked up, the stairs went as high as my eyes could see.


    "Do we really need to climb that high?" I asked since I wasn''t sure if I would be able to climb that up in a single day.


    "Heh-heh, let me show you a little trick of mine," said Miss Lucy and clapped her hand.


    Right after she clapped, a small ball made up of mud appeared on the ground and as it grew bigger, four legs started growing out of it. And before I could comprehend what was happening, it changed into a big brown golem with yellow eyes and cracks all over its body.


    "Woah!" I said unable to hold my surprise.


    "T-that''s nothing. Golem, prepare a seat for Marina on your back," said Miss Lucy while folding her arms.


    The golem made a seat made up of thick moss on its back. I then climbed up the golem using the cracks in its body and sat on the seat.


    After I sat, the golem started climbing the stairs. Even though his movement looked slow, it was big so it could skip several steps while climbing.


    Surprisingly, we came across nothing bad as we climbed up. I stopped looking down after a while because every time I looked down, I felt chills.


    I felt dizzy after climbing for a while, probably because the stairs were circular, so we took breaks every once in a while.


    "Miss Lucy, the stairs are not ending. Are you sure we are even climbing up?" I asked since it looked like we were going in circles. Even though it felt like we were moving up, the stairs looked the same.


    "Wait, let me check," said Miss Lucy and flew towards the center of the circular stairs.


    After she looked up, she said, "We are almost at the top, we will reach there soon."


    As she said, we soon reached the top where there was a silver door with a flower pattern and chalice similar to the earlier one but this one was shining even though it was dark.


    After I got down from the golem, Miss Lucy clapped hands and the golem disappeared.


    ''It was very helpful, I will miss it.''


    I then went close to the door and touched the door. Like before, the door automatically slid open.


    Surprisingly what''s inside was a large space with a lake at the center. The water in the lake had a green glow. In the center of the lake, there was a golden chalice with four gems embedded on four sides.


    "Welcome child. It took you long enough to get here."


    It was a sweet but mature voice but since it echoed it was hard to tell where it came from.


    As I was wondering where the voice came from, I felt a touch on my shoulder from the back. It was a gentle touch that felt warm and comforting even though I had no idea who it was.


    "W-who are you?" I asked while turning around.


    It was a woman in her late twenties with long green hair and green eyes. She was wearing a green dress and looked like a noble lady.


    "Oh, you can call me olive. I have been living here for very long now and this place has become my home," replied the lady with a little smile.


    "A-are we still inside the Labyrinth? A-and do you know where my friends are?" I asked even though I was scared, I had a feeling that she would have the answers.


    The lady hummed and replied, "This is the last floor of the Labyrinth. You were chosen by the Labyrinth so it showed you the direct way to reach the top. Also, I know where your friends are and why you came here. But depending on how you answer my question I can become your friend or enemy."


    Next chapter: Trial of Strength

 60 2.15 Trial of Strength

    It was a big room with doors on all four walls from one of which I entered. The walls, floors, and ceiling were all irregular. There was a large blue crystal that was shining to make the entire room visible, at the center of the ceiling.


    Since the voice said this was the trial of strength, I prepared myself by taking out my sword Aurora from its sheath. When the door on my left slowly started sliding, I took my position.


    After the door completely opened, a growl that sounded like a dog could be heard and a large creature slowly stepped outside.


    "A Cerberus?"


    It was a three-headed dark-colored dog that was twice as big as me. It had large fangs and a long and thorny tail.


    "Wait, this isn''t the only one that I will be facing?"


    As I was busy looking at the large Cerberus that was growling at me, another door slid open. I could hear the heavy breathing sound from inside.


    "A Minotaur? Really?"


    He had a huge muscular body covered in white fur and there were two white pointed horns in his head. And with the way he was breathing out smoke from his nose, anyone could tell that he wasn''t in a good mood.


    "Okay guys, come at me," I shouted since provoking both of them to attack together was better than being attacked by one while being distracted by another.


    Both charged straight towards me. Cerberus with its fangs while Minotaur with its horns.


    I wasn''t just planning to wait there for them to attack so I charged towards the Cerberus. When I reached close to its head, I created a small fireball in my left hand and blasted it on the floor. I had set myself in the position where I could use the momentum gained after the blast to slide between its legs.


    ''Thank you for your third law, sir Issac.''


    As I thought, its ventral part was the most defenseless part of its body. Before he could try to attack me with its tail, I used the wind slash from Aurora at full power and chopped off its tail.


    "Oops!"


    The impact was a bit bigger than I expected and ended up creating a scar on the ceiling. It was a long scar, and as a result, some rubble started falling from above. I moved backward to avoid it but the Cerberus that was grieving for its tail wasn''t lucky enough and was squashed like a bug.


    The Minotaur that was angrily charging towards me narrowly escaped the falling rubble. The way he was charging towards me, he would have probably ended up colliding with the Cerberus if the rubble hadn''t fallen.


    ''He looks even angrier now.''


    The Minotaur that was breathing out smoke until now, started breathing out fire. A red aura appeared around him and his muscles that were already big looked even bigger. His fur color changed from white to black and his horn changed its color to golden.


    ''Man, level up transformation in the midst of battle is so unfair. But well, since I wanted to test something, it''s fine I guess.''


    I got this idea when I saw the summoning ceremony, but I had never gotten an opportunity to try it.


    I put the Darkness magic through my sword, and as I did that, the whole sword turned black.


    "That''s rude!"


    As I was experimenting with magic, the Minotaur charged towards me. Even though he charged towards me with greater speed, he was still a mad bull like before, charging without thinking.


    I jumped towards my right to avoid the attack and supplied raw mana through the edges of the sword. The color of its edges changed back to its original steel color.


    When I changed the raw mana into the fire magic, dark frames appeared on the sword.


    ''Woah! Flaming dark sword.''


    I had always thought that the Darkness magic was the most useless one, but this changed my view about it completely. The flames that appeared on the sword, they weren''t warm at all. Instead, they were freezing cold. I had no idea that dark magic could change a property of matter this much just like that.


    I was probably only able to do it because it was a Mithril sword. On a normal sword, I would have never been able to use two different magics at the same time. And controlling both of them with this much accuracy would have been impossible for me without a medium like a sword.


    I kept on dodging the Minotaur while trying to figure out how to use it and with every dodge, the Minotaur got angrier and angrier. I didn''t want to mess things up and make the whole ceiling fall this time, so I had to be careful on how I use my power.


    This time when the Minotaur charged towards me, I tried counter-attacking it on its left leg using my sword, but my sword couldn''t even scratch his skin let alone hurt him.


    ''Is his skin that tough?'' I thought but when I looked back towards the place where I attacked, I could see something.


    The part where my sword touched him was frozen and it was spreading. The flames had probably frozen the part when it touched his body and that was why the sword couldn''t cut it.


    ''But how could something be frozen to the state where even a Mithril sword couldn''t put a scratch on it?''


    While I was thinking that, the freezing spread, and soon, it covered his entire leg. He tried to walk but he couldn''t move his left leg. He tried to come towards me on his right leg while dragging his left one but even before he could touch me, both of his legs were frozen.


    When I took a closer look at where I had attacked earlier, I realized that there was a small cut, but the ice didn''t let the blood come out and the ice recovered itself.


    ''Man, this thing is dangerous, I need to think seriously before using it.''


    Soon, his entire body froze, his eyes were still open, but he stood there without any signs of movement just like a statue.


    "You pass the trial of strength. The door in front will lead you to the next trial venue."


    When the voice said that, the remaining one of the four doors automatically slid open with the heavy metallic sound.


    I looked back and saw that the Cerberus was still alive but had seized any sign of resistance while the Minotaur was in a frozen state without displaying any signs of life. I had no intention of checking whether he was alive or not, so I just turned forward and walked towards the door.


    When I entered through the door, I heard the voice say, "Welcome to the Trial of Bravery".


    Next Chapter: The Trial of Bravery

 61 2.16 The Trial of Bravery

    This room wasn''t much different from the earlier one, but it only had two doors, from one of which I came in. While I was looking around, the door behind me closed and it was just me in the big empty room.


    I prepared myself since the trial of bravery sounded something similar to the trial of strength.


    ''I hope it''s not something like walking on a rope over molten magma.''


    The possible trials I could think of involved jumping from the heights, jumping into the high-current river, and so on. Surprisingly most of them involved heights, not because I was afraid of heights or anything. But because whenever I thought about the test to see someone''s bravery, fear against height, which was the most common one of all the fears, came into mind.


    There were other things like fear of ghosts but since I hadn''t heard much about ghosts since I came to this world, they probably do not exist.


    While I was thinking that, out of nowhere, an intense light fell into my face. It was so bright that I had to close my eyes, and when I opened them again, the scenario around me had completely changed. Somehow it looked like I was inside a fort.


    I looked at my hands and legs, but I could see and feel them perfectly. Even though the surface inside the Fort looked smooth, it felt like the same irregular surface as before.


    ''Is this an illusion?''


    It felt a little weird, but it had my eyes completely fooled. I wasn''t sure what kind of test it was going to be, but this didn''t look as simple as the two tests that I had faced before.


    I could hear some sound coming from the passage on the left side, so I walked closer and took a look while hiding myself behind the pillar.


    "Sire, we have lost, we have no choice but to surrender."


    There were three men wearing different colored robes, and by the looks of it, they were arguing about something. The man in the golden colored robe, whom the man in the green-colored robe just referred to as ''Sire'', looked like the highest-ranking one among the three of them.


    "Do you even know what you are talking about? If this was the palace, you would have already been beheaded for saying something like that," said the man in a red robe looking angry.


    "Quiet minister. You know what he is saying is true. We are the ones that need to make a decision now, so let''s think about our options here," said the man in the golden robe in response.


    "Our army of five hundred people has been reduced to 350, and on top of that, they have cut off our water supply. We have no choice but to surrender at this point. We may be able to save the remaining of our troops that way," replied the man in the green robe.


    "HA! those cowards. They would have clearly lost if they had fought fair. Each one of us is equal to 10 of those cowards. Even though we lost 124 people in the battle, we killed over a thousand of their men. Our battle wasn''t fair from the start, our army of five hundred people including women and children, and we were facing off against eight thousand of their elite armed soldiers," said the man in the red robe punching his right hand into the wall. Since nothing happened to his hand, it must have been physically enhanced.


    "I know how you are feeling minister, I feel the same. We had a chance if they hadn''t called the backup troops of 3000 men. But at this point, if we resist, we will only end up dead," said the man in the green robe. Unlike the man in the red robe, he was still maintaining his composure.


    "You know nothing. You just hide behind the people that really fight while calling yourself the strategist. Do you even know what those people even gave their life for? They wanted to protect their motherland until the last drop of blood remained in their body. Every man, woman, and child who died in this battle did it for their motherland. How could you even call yourself a man by disrespecting their sacrifice? I would rather die bravely in the battle than insulting their efforts by surrendering," said the man in the red robe in a heavy voice filled with sorrow.


    "But don''t you see we will only die this way. Twenty-six of us have already died because of thirst and exhaustion. We are down to the last drops of water that we had. If we resist now, we will only end up dead. They haven''t attacked us here yet because they probably want us to surrender and we can save ourselves if we do that. To charge into the battle under these odds is madness, pure madness," replied the man in the green robe.


    "Hmph! They haven''t attacked us because they are afraid of us. They know that hungry tigers are even more dangerous than a normal one. We have already won a battle against them and they already know what we are capable of. I will have no regrets if I fight bravely to avenge my fallen comrades, our women, and children, and die in the battle. But if I surrender now just to save my tail, I would never be able to hold my head high," said the man in the red robe.


    "But it''s not just you, think about everyone else. Do you want them to die in an impossible battle that we have already lost?" asked the man in the green robe.


    "It''s not my or your choice to make. Go and ask any man, woman, or child there what they want to do. Each and everyone there will have a single response: ''we want to fight''. All of us have lost a lot in this war and now you just want us to give up. Anyone out there is willing to die rather than giving up," said the man in the red robe in an audacious tone.


    Right at that moment, the whole scene froze. The people that were arguing stopped their movements and stood there like statues.


    "Now make your choice."


    When I heard the voice of the labyrinth say that, I found myself standing in the position in which the man in the golden robe was standing a while ago.


    "What will you choose? Fight to avenge the fallen, to give their death a meaning, to protect your motherland even though you know the path only leads to the death of your remaining citizens. Or will you surrender and save the lives of your remaining citizens? Make a choice"


    When I looked at the faces of both men in front of me, they had righteousness in their faces. It was as if they completely believed that their opinion was right and justified.


    I was in a dilemma; I had no idea which side was right or which side was wrong.


    ''This is the trial of Bravery. What should I choose?''


    Next Chapter: Trial of Wisdom

 62 2.17 Trial of Wisdom - Part 1

    "But how can I decide what to do without knowing the layout of the battlefield outside," I asked in confusion.


    Based on the conversation that was shown to me earlier, the man in the red robe sounded braver while the man in the green robe sounded wise.


    "You don''t need to know that," the voice of the Labyrinth answered.


    ''Man, this is tough.''


    I could figure out that they are inside a fort and their water supply has been cut off. By the looks of it, the enemy was not attacking them directly, instead, they were probably hoping that these people would surrender. Probably because they didn''t want to lose their soldiers as they did in the first battle.


    As I was trying to connect the dots, I remembered something. Something that I learned in my previous world while reading history.


    "Hey voice of the labyrinth, I have made my choice," I said in a confident tone.


    "So, what is your choice? Fight or surrender?" the voice of the Labyrinth asked.


    "Actually, none. We won''t surrender, neither will we attack them. We will just evacuate the fort but if they want our lives instead of the fort, we will fight back. And this time we won''t fight to survive or defend. We would fight to kill, to take as many as we can with us."


    "Hmm. I never expected to hear this answer from you. Let''s see where your choice will take you."


    The scene around me changed into an open field with few trees. There were wounded men, women, and soldiers around me, and in the front, there was the man in the golden robe behind whom the men in the green and red robe were standing. In front of them were several men in metal armor on horses. Since they had no weapons, they must only be here to talk.


    A man with a big mustache and shining silver armor, who looked like their commander, was on the front. He jumped down from his horse and came closer to the man in the golden robe. Even though it didn''t look like he was about to attack, everyone was on guard. Especially the man in the red robe.


    "BRAVO! BRAVO! To you commander, I bow. To your army commander, I bow. I commend the bravery and courage you showed in the battles. You never used any cowardly tricks and never attacked our injured who were incapable of fighting. You did no cruelty to the wounded or prisoners and never even used poisoned arrows. And in respect to that, I will not ask you to surrender or submit your army to me. None of us will attack you while you leave the fort and we are even willing to treat your injured," the commander in the metal armor said in a reverent tone.


    "Why would you do that? We are enemies," the man in the golden robe asked.


    "Even though we use the tricks that you may call cowardly, we treat the fallen of both sides that we find alive on the battlefield. Some days ago, we found a man whose jaw was shattered by our magic cannon. After we treated him, he said he wanted to return to his country. When we asked him why, the reply he gave scattered the morale of my soldiers. He said he respected our generosity and courtesy in warfare, but he still had his national duty. After trying to convince him for hours to join us, I understood that in his mind, private and national feelings were completely different. He was in no shape to even stand up, so he is still recovering in our camp," the commander replied.


    "We the ones outside are fine but there are some of us still inside. We will be camping on the bank of the river that is on the west until all of us recover enough. You can send the survivors that you find in that direction," the man in the golden robe said.


    "Okay, we will tell them to head west after they recover," the commander replied.


    The scene changed to the one inside the fort into a hall that was filled with the remains of men and women. Both killed and wounded in the battle were laying around in an intolerable stench.


    The commander and his men carried the ones that were still alive outside and started the treatment. They also collected the remains of the dead and cremated them. The fort was in the state where it could no longer be used, most of the defensive wall had already been destroyed and the sight inside the fort was so bad that none of them wanted to stay there.


    Suddenly the illusion around me disappeared and I was back on inside the room.


    "You pass. Only brave or fools enter this labyrinth. This test was to filter out those fools," the voice said.


    ''Nailed it! I remembered something like: There is only a small difference between bravery and foolishness. If they had fought it would have been foolishness and if they had surrendered it wouldn''t have been as brave.''


    While I was thinking that, the door in front of me slid open so I walked towards it and passed through.


    Surprisingly, this room was completely different from the ones that I had been through before. The walls were smooth and white-colored and the transparent crystal at the ceiling was emitting a bright light. The only similarity I could point out was the two doors that were opposite to each other.


    "Welcome to the trial of Wisdom."


    ''Maybe it''s like the IQ quiz or something. I was not too bad at that in my previous world, but I am not sure how that works here.''


    "The trial is simple; you just need to answer three questions."


    ''Yep, this looks like one.''


    "Whom should you be more cautious around: A fool or a selfish person?" the voice of the labyrinth asked.


    I remembered that in this kind of tricky question the answers are what you least expect it to be. If the answer was straight and simple this wouldn''t have been a trial of wisdom.


    ''Well, here goes.''


    "A fool," I answered.


    "Correct. You can predict what a selfish person can do and prepare yourself for that, but a fool is unpredictable," the voice of the labyrinth said and paused.


    "Who is the worse among these two: The thief that stole the treasure or the person at guard?" the voice of the labyrinth asked after the pause.


    "It''s the person at guard," I answered.


    "Correct. The thief did his job well by stealing the treasure without the guard noticing. But the person at guard didn''t do his job well hence it was stolen."


    ''This was surprisingly easy.''


    After a pause like the previous one, the voice of the Labyrinth asked his final question.


    "Which one is the worse: Having no knowledge, having some knowledge, or having complete knowledge?"


    ''And now comes the hard part


    Next chapter: Trial of self-control

 62 2.17 Trial of Wisdom

    "But how can I decide what to do without knowing the layout of the battlefield outside," I asked in confusion.


    Based on the conversation that was shown to me earlier, the man in the red robe sounded braver while the man in the green robe sounded wise.


    "You don''t need to know that," the voice of the Labyrinth answered.


    ''Man, this is tough.''


    I could figure out that they are inside a fort and their water supply has been cut off. By the looks of it, the enemy was not attacking them directly, instead, they were probably hoping that these people would surrender. Probably because they didn''t want to lose their soldiers as they did in the first battle.


    As I was trying to connect the dots, I remembered something. Something that I learned in my previous world while reading history.


    "Hey voice of the labyrinth, I have made my choice," I said in a confident tone.


    "So, what is your choice? Fight or surrender?" the voice of the Labyrinth asked.


    "Actually, none. We won''t surrender, neither will we attack them. We will just evacuate the fort but if they want our lives instead of the fort, we will fight back. And this time we won''t fight to survive or defend. We would fight to kill, to take as many as we can with us."


    "Hmm. I never expected to hear this answer from you. Let''s see where your choice will take you."


    The scene around me changed into an open field with few trees. There were wounded men, women, and soldiers around me, and in the front, there was the man in the golden robe behind whom the men in the green and red robe were standing. In front of them were several men in metal armor on horses. Since they had no weapons, they must only be here to talk.


    A man with a big mustache and shining silver armor, who looked like their commander, was on the front. He jumped down from his horse and came closer to the man in the golden robe. Even though it didn''t look like he was about to attack, everyone was on guard. Especially the man in the red robe.


    "BRAVO! BRAVO! To you commander, I bow. To your army commander, I bow. I commend the bravery and courage you showed in the battles. You never used any cowardly tricks and never attacked our injured who were incapable of fighting. You did no cruelty to the wounded or prisoners and never even used poisoned arrows. And in respect to that, I will not ask you to surrender or submit your army to me. None of us will attack you while you leave the fort and we are even willing to treat your injured," the commander in the metal armor said in a reverent tone.


    "Why would you do that? We are enemies," the man in the golden robe asked.


    "Even though we use the tricks that you may call cowardly, we treat the fallen of both sides that we find alive on the battlefield. Some days ago, we found a man whose jaw was shattered by our magic cannon. After we treated him, he said he wanted to return to his country. When we asked him why, the reply he gave scattered the morale of my soldiers. He said he respected our generosity and courtesy in warfare, but he still had his national duty. After trying to convince him for hours to join us, I understood that in his mind, private and national feelings were completely different. He was in no shape to even stand up, so he is still recovering in our camp," the commander replied.


    "We the ones outside are fine but there are some of us still inside. We will be camping on the bank of the river that is on the west until all of us recover enough. You can send the survivors that you find in that direction," the man in the golden robe said.


    "Okay, we will tell them to head west after they recover," the commander replied.


    The scene changed to the one inside the fort into a hall that was filled with the remains of men and women. Both killed and wounded in the battle were laying around in an intolerable stench.


    The commander and his men carried the ones that were still alive outside and started the treatment. They also collected the remains of the dead and cremated them. The fort was in the state where it could no longer be used, most of the defensive wall had already been destroyed and the sight inside the fort was so bad that none of them wanted to stay there.


    Suddenly the illusion around me disappeared and I was back on inside the room.


    "You pass. Only brave or fools enter this labyrinth. This test was to filter out those fools," the voice said.


    ''Nailed it! I remembered something like: There is only a small difference between bravery and foolishness. If they had fought it would have been foolishness and if they had surrendered it wouldn''t have been as brave.''


    While I was thinking that, the door in front of me slid open so I walked towards it and passed through.


    Surprisingly, this room was completely different from the ones that I had been through before. The walls were smooth and white-colored and the transparent crystal at the ceiling was emitting a bright light. The only similarity I could point out was the two doors that were opposite to each other.


    "Welcome to the trial of Wisdom."


    ''Maybe it''s like the IQ quiz or something. I was not too bad at that in my previous world, but I am not sure how that works here.''


    "The trial is simple; you just need to answer three questions."


    ''Yep, this looks like one.''


    "Whom should you be more cautious around: A fool or a selfish person?" the voice of the labyrinth asked.


    I remembered that in this kind of tricky question the answers are what you least expect it to be. If the answer was straight and simple this wouldn''t have been a trial of wisdom.


    ''Well, here goes.''


    "A fool," I answered.


    "Correct. You can predict what a selfish person can do and prepare yourself for that, but a fool is unpredictable," the voice of the labyrinth said and paused.


    "Who is the worse among these two: The thief that stole the treasure or the person at guard?" the voice of the labyrinth asked after the pause.


    "It''s the person at guard," I answered.


    "Correct. The thief did his job well by stealing the treasure without the guard noticing. But the person at guard didn''t do its job well hence it was stolen."


    ''This was surprisingly easy.''


    After a pause like the previous one, the voice of the Labyrinth asked his final question.


    "Which one is the worse: Having no knowledge, having some knowledge, or having complete knowledge?"


    ''And now comes the hard part.''


    Next chapter: Trial of self-control

 63 2.18 Trial of Self-control - Part 1

    ''If it was just my opinion, I would say having no knowledge and all the knowledge are the worst. The problem with having no knowledge is that you would be clueless about the things that may be important and you would be missing out too much. And the problem with having all the knowledge is that you would lose the mystery of the things, the adventure. In a way, things would be dull and boring in both cases. While on the other hand, if you have some knowledge, you will have a clue and there will be some room for learning and improvement. But that''s just my opinion and the reality is quite different.''


    "I think it''s people with some opinion," I answered.


    "And why do you think so?" asked the voice of the labyrinth.


    "Well, because the people with some knowledge are the ones that make most of the mess. People with no knowledge usually won''t even try doing the things in the first place. And people will all the knowledge usually do the things the right way. The people who are in between usually try doing the things out of curiosity and self-confidence, but in the end, end up making mistakes and causing a mess."


    The voice of the labyrinth hummed for a while and replied, "Hmm... That''s a satisfactory answer, you pass."


    Right after the voice of the labyrinth said ''You pass'', the door in front slid open with a familiar sounding heavy metallic sound.


    ''Four down, six to go,'' I thought as I entered the room.


    It was a small bright square shaped room which was probably just 2-3 meters in length and breath. It had white walls and small doors on the three sides. One in front of the door I entered from and one on the left wall.


    "Welcome to the trial of Self-control," said the voice of the labyrinth as I was looking around.


    ''Compared to all the trials of self-control that Arica puts me through, how bad can the trial be?.''


    I was good with self control till some extent. It was just that sometimes the girls used to cloud my thoughts with earthly desires but despite all that happened, I had been able to stand firm. Even when faced against Princess Eliane''s mountains and Arica''s conical hill, I was able to control myself - till some extent - when I was conscious.


    While I was deluding myself with those thoughts, the door on my left side opened. And what appeared out of it proved me how much wrong I was. I covered my eyes with both my hands but it was too late. The sight that I saw was saved in my mind and was replaying itself.


    "Princess Eliane, where are your clothes," I asked while turning around.


    "Oh Nara it''s you. What do you me- ep! Don''t look!" Princess Eliane said.


    ''Woah! they are so big. No no, what am I even thinking, I need to control myself.''


    Princess Eliane was there in white bikini. Though it looked very good on her, it was my first time seeing her like that so I overreacted a little bit which probably made her even more shy.


    "Sorry, I am not sure how all my clothes disappeared. I entered through the door that opened after I finished the trial of wisdom and somehow I ended up here on a bikini," Princess Eliane said in a little shy tone.


    "Oh don''t worry, I should be the one apologising for overreacting. I think it looks very good on you," I replied.


    "Ara Ara, are you cheating on me honey?"


    I looked towards the door on the left side and this time it was Arica.


    ''Wow, the black is the best.''


    She was wearing a black bikini that perfectly suited her black hair. The only word that I could use to describe her appearance was ''hot''.


    "H-how did you end up here?" I asked, trying hard not to look below the shoulders.


    "I don''t know. I think I was stuck in a room with skulls and bones but the door suddenly opened and when I entered, I found myself here in this bikini. By the way, how do I look in it?"


    "Y-you look very good. It suits your skin really well. But why were you stuck in the trial of truth?" I asked.


    "A lady never reveals her secret," replied Arica with a smile.


    "Wh-What are you guys doing?"


    While we were talking we heard Princess Anna''s voice so everyone looked towards the door.


    "Ara Ara. Red, how bold," Arica said teasing her.


    She was wearing a red bikini. Her reaction when she found out that she was in her bikini wasn''t much different from the one that Princess Eliane had.


    "I-I don''t know how this all happened. I had my clothes before I passed through the door," said Princess Anna in a hasty tone while trying to cover herself up using her hands.


    ''Man, she looks cute.''


    "I don''t know why you girls are reacting so shy, you are still wearing a bikini and it''s just Nara y''know," Arica said.


    Princess Anna took a long breath in and said, "Yeah, you are right. But Nara, where are we?"


    "I think I heard a voice say that this was the trial of Self-control but I am not sure why you guys are here - and in your bikinis," I replied.


    I was trying to control myself to not let my eyes fall below their shoulders. But swayed by the beauty of these three, sometimes my eyes went out of control. While I was stuck in this plight, something came into my mind.


    "Can you guys check if you feel like you are in your regular clothes or not. The bikinis you are wearing could just be an illusion," I said since in the trial of bravery, everything around me was an illusion but my eyes were completely fooled.


    "I think they are real. The bikini I am wearing is a little smaller than my usual size and it''s not very comfortable," replied Princess Eliane.


    ''For real? Man, elves rock! No no control.''


    "But what kind of trial is this ''Trial of self-control''. I mean I passed the trial of truth but that was surprisingly easy," said Princess Anna in a confused tone.


    "Yeah, but the trials of strength and bravery were quite hard, I barely managed to pass them. I had to fight a hydra. This could be something similar," said Princess Eliane.


    "Ah, it looks like the trials were different for everyone. I had to face a Minotaur and Cerberus. Well, there is only one way to know what the trial is," I replied and looked towards the ceiling where the crystal was and said, "Hey voice of the labyrinth, what do we have to do in this trial?"


    "You will need to catch the tiny devils that are in the room."


    I was not sure what the tiny devils were so I looked towards Princess Eliane who had a reaction on her face that was saying that she was familiar with these tiny devils.


    "I think we have a problem. This room is too small to catch them, and on top of that, they are very naughty."


    Next chapter: Trial of Self-control - Part 2

 64 2.19 Trial of Self-control - Part 2

    Both of the doors that were open were automatically closed with a heavy metallic sound.


    ''Guess this means it''s time for trouble to show up,'' I thought as I saw that happen.


    "Eliane, what''s that between your breasts?" Princess Anna asked while looking towards Princess Eliane.


    Princess Eliane looked towards her breasts and said "huh?" in confusion since there was nothing there.


    ''Can she see her foot without bending?'' I thought out of curiosity even though I knew it wasn''t the time to be thinking about something silly like that.


    "Ara, Anna is getting jealous of those big bosoms," Arica said in a teasing tone.


    "No, I am not. I definitely saw something there; besides I am fine just the way I am," Princess Anna replied in a hasty tone.


    ''Guys, would you stop that. I am right here, y''know.''


    "Erm, we are in a trial of self-control here," I said in an attempt to bring things back to the topic.


    "Yeah, but if you don''t focus on your diet, Sistina will beat you soon," Arica said, ignoring me.


    ''Man, are girls always like that?''


    "Ha! as if! I think you two should stop eating too much to reduce the fat in your breasts," Princess Anna said looking irritated.


    "Men think the bigger are better. Tee hee!" said Arica with a giggle.


    "No, they don''t!"


    "Then why don''t we ask Nara?" said Arica. She then turned towards me and asked, "Nara whose breast do you think is better?"


    ''Man, why am I in the middle of all this? I can''t choose between them since I like all of them. But I can''t say ''I like them all'' because that would sound perverted,'' I thought as I looked towards everyone''s chest.


    "Erm, I... I don''-"


    While I was stuck in this predicament, a miracle saved me. A small black humanoid creature with tiny pointed ears and short snake-like tails jumped out of Princess Eliane''s breasts. It had short black hair and a small horn at the center of its forehead. The only thing of a different color in its body was its white teeth that could be seen as it laughed while making ''kehkehkeh'' sound.


    Right after one jumped out of Princess Eliane''s breasts, another similar-looking one jumped out of Arica''s breasts. They were so fast that both of them didn''t even get enough time to be surprised.


    ''Damn those lucky devils! No, let''s focus on clearing the trial for now.''


    As they started jumping around from one wall to another, I looked towards Princess Eliane and asked, "You said this room is too small to catch them, is that because they are fast and can jump around from one wall to another while evading us?"


    "Yes, and they are also very slippery. The only way to catch them is by hitting them with long-range magic attacks when they are in large groups in an open area," princess Eliane replied while dodging one of them that came towards her.


    ''Man, this is troublesome. Our movements are restricted in this small room while they are small and can move freely. And on top of that, their movements are unpredictable.''


    "Everyone let''s stand next to each wall so that we can catch the one that comes towards any of us," I said since that was probably the only way to prevent collision with one another.


    I stood next to the wall with the door from which I came from earlier while Princess Eliane stood next to the door in front of me. Arica stood next to the left wall while Sistina stood next to the right one.


    The height of the room was around 4 meters so there was plenty of space above our reach, but they were trying to provoke us by staying within our reach.


    When I was closely observing their movements, one of them came straight towards me. I used this opportunity to move a few steps forward and tried catching it. But right when I had it within the palms of my hand, it slipped through like a slippery fish. Even though I felt like I was about to catch it, it didn''t show any kind of fear. Instead, it teased me by sticking its tongue out.


    ''Man, how are we supposed to catch that? We can''t even use magic properly here.'' I thought as I stepped back to my original position next to the wall.


    Princess Anna tried doing the same thing as me several times but every time she did that, it slipped past through her.


    I created a small amount of sand in my hand using earth magic and rubbed it in my hand in the hopes that it would make it less slippery but that didn''t work. Instead, due to the momentum, I ended up colliding with Princess Eliane. As a result, both of us ended up falling down with my face over her breasts.


    ''Heavens! they are so soft.'' is what came to my mind, but I soon composed myself while raising my head and apologized saying, "Sorry, this was an accident. I was too focused on the devil that I didn''t see you there."


    "N-no, don''t worry about it, it was my fault too," she replied, her cheeks were a little red.


    ''Wow, this side of her looks so - cute,'' I thought as I stood up. She stood up after me but the redness on her cheeks was still there.


    "Can you guys come back to reality and focus. We are trying to catch the devils here," said Princess Anna in an irritated tone.


    It was after I came back and stood next to the wall, that I realized something was off. Even though I touched Princess Eliane''s skin, it didn''t feel like real skin.


    "Princess Eliane, do you still feel uncomfortable in the clothes that you are wearing," I asked while looking towards her.


    "Now that you mention it, I don''t," she replied.


    ''Damn! So, it was an illusion all along. What made her feel uncomfortable wasn''t the size of the bikini, but the tiny devil inside there. It must be an even powerful illusion to fool almost all our senses to this extent.''


    I could do something about the illusion but catching the devils was still a problem. There was no point in knowing their movements when they could easily slip out of our hands.


    It was then that something came to my mind. But for this plan we needed someone so I turned towards Arica and asked, "Hey Arica, can you summon Jack?"


    "Yeah but our movement is already hard with just four of us, so do we really need him?" She replied.


    "Yes, I have got a plan."


    Next chapter: Trial of Self-control - Part 3

 65 2.20 Trial of Self-control - Part 3

    "A plan?" Arica asked in confusion.


    "Yeah, just summon Jack when I give you the signal," I replied.


    I was trying to do the same thing because of which I accidentally summoned flare last time: concentrating the surrounding mana by manipulating it directly. Under normal circumstances, one can only use the mana that gets naturally absorbed in their body but back then I was able to use it directly from the surrounding.


    It came with a heavy price though; I was unconscious for a whole day. Even though my body could handle a bit more mana than I could back then, I was definitely not ready to handle that level of mana flow yet.


    ''Well, it was stupid of me to do it like that,'' I thought as I remembered one of the questions asked in the trial of wisdom. Having just some knowledge about surrounding mana manipulation was the cause of trouble back then.


    ''But now that I know a little more, I might be able to do it properly.''


    Under normal circumstances, it would be stupid to try this here since there were more trials left after this one. But things weren''t normal, and this was probably the only way we would be able to clear this trial.


    I closed my eyes and tried to feel the mana in the surrounding.


    ''Wow!''


    Not just the room, I could feel the mana of the whole labyrinth. It was like how small small batteries used to be connected in series and parallel combinations. There were hundreds of rooms with different concentrations of mana. In a way, I could feel the whole labyrinth and it somewhat even felt like a map. But a map without any labels.


    I had no time to be going through that all, so I just focused on the mana in the room that we were in. It had a higher concentration of mana compared to other rooms. There was a narrow passage that connected the mana between the rooms.


    My plan was to just prevent the mana from entering and concentrate the mana into a point for a few seconds. My understanding was that mana was the essence of life so doing that for a longer period of time may be dangerous. Unlike the last time when we were in the open, there was no other way for mana to enter here except the passage.


    I then started concentrating the surrounding mana into a sphere. I was also absorbing the mana that was coming through the passage directly into the sphere.


    "Oh look, our clothes are back," I heard Princess Anna say that.


    And right when most of the mana in the room was concentrated into the sphere, I opened my eyes and said, "Arica now."


    Hearing my words Arica summoned Jack using the mana she had within her body. It was decreasing rapidly but we just needed a few seconds.


    ''It''s as I thought.''


    The illusions had disappeared, and the devils had slowed down significantly. They were probably using the raw mana to move. By what I felt, their mana bank was small, but their absorption rate was high, hence the speed.


    The reason why we needed Jack was because even though he looked like the laziest one, he was smart. Smart enough to strike at the right movement to hit the enemies even though they were fast.


    With his eyes still closed he rotated his golden staff once in the air, and with a single diagonal swing, he hit both the devils that were in the air.


    ''Man, that''s some legit skills.''


    I had no idea how much my surrounding mana manipulation contributed to this, but it at least brought the girls back to their regular clothes.


    Some part of me felt relieved to see them back in their regular clothes while the other was still missing those bikinis.


    ''Guess what they said about there being both good and evil inside someone is true.'' I thought as I released the mana that I had collected.


    I wasn''t even able to stand as I did that, so I fell on my knees. Even though it was significantly less mana than last time, doing it without flare''s support was still hard.


    "What happened? Are you alright?" asked Princess Anna in a worried tone.


    "Yeah, I am fine. Don''t worry, I am just a little tired so let me rest for a while," I replied while trying to take long breaths to fix my breathing.


    While I was resting, princess Eliane caught both of the devils that were unconscious.


    I stood up after a few minutes and said "good work" to Jack after which Arica unsummoned it.


    ''We need to hurry.''


    We still had five trials left, and on top of that, Marina, Lucy, and others were still missing so I was starting to get worried.


    I looked towards the ceiling but before I could say anything the voice of the labyrinth said, "Hmm... That was an unorthodox technique that you used. It should have been impossible for anyone except me, the master of this Labyrinth to control the flow of mana here. It''s impossible for a mere human to do that."


    The voice of the labyrinth paused there and hummed for a while after which it continued, "This trial wasn''t supposed to be like this. But since you fulfilled the winning condition, you pass. In future trials, could you not use that technique? Because if you use that, the trials would be meaningless."


    ''Ha-ha, the answer to that is simple.''


    "No, I won''t. Why should I go easy on you when you never did that on us?" I replied.


    "Well, I went easy on you by bringing your friends to you."


    "Yes, but some of us are still missing."


    "That is because the lady with the pink-haired girl and the fairy are already ahead of you. And the two men didn''t enter through the door even though I opened one for them."


    ''Huh?! That''s odd. I never expected Marina to be ahead of us but if she is with Lucy and already ahead of us, she is probably safe. I am more worried about the other two.''


    "Do you know why they didn''t do that?" I asked.


    ''They must be in some kind of trouble. Considering Drake''s attitude, I expect nothing less.''


    "Yes, but I can''t tell you that."


    "Okay, then can you take us to them?"


    "No, you can only move forward in this Labyrinth. You will only be able to go back when you reach the top. Even though I am the master of this labyrinth, I also need to follow the rules."


    ''Rules huh?''


    "Well, guess we have no choice then, the answer is still ''no''. And it doesn''t look like it is against the rules so can you open the door to the next trial already."


    After I said that, the door in the front slowly slid open.


    ''Guess we have to clear this damn trial fast and reach the top. But before that let me check where others are.''


    I closed my eyes and tried to feel the mana inside the labyrinth. There were tens of floors with many rooms in each, but there was a floor that was distinct among all of them. The room from where mana was flowing to all other rooms.


    "What! Marina is at the top?"


    Next Chapter: Brotherhood

 66 2.21 Brotherhood - Part 1

    Note: Not from Nara''s POV


    "Hey Drake, wait. I think we should try finding others first, let''s go back," said Billy who was walking behind Drake.


    They were on a dark passage filled with skeletons and bones. By the looks of it, these were the remains of people who died here, but their clothes or any other belongings were missing.


    It was dark with no signs of light anywhere. Drake had created a small fireball to light the surrounding, but they had no idea where they were going. Normally creating a fireball in a dark place would attract the surrounding monsters but since it looked like this place had no such monsters, it was probably safe.


    "The only way to move is forward, we are trapped," replied Drake.


    Billy tried manipulating the air around him using wind magic and enhanced his hearing. It was then that he realized that the passage they were in was completely isolated from the outside world.


    At first, he had thought it was some kind of teleportation magic that separated them from others. He had heard about that happening in some other labyrinths that were used for hunting and training. But what he found out was completely out of the range of possibilities that he could think of.


    ''Man, he always beats me when it comes to accessing the surrounding,'' thought Billy. Though the difference between their abilities was narrow since both of them had their own strengths and weaknesses, Drake was clearly superior when it comes to accessing the surroundings without using magic.


    "Drake, I think the passage is going to end soon," said Billy since he could only hear the noise that wind was making up to a little further.


    Drake didn''t respond and just kept on walking forward. After a while, they came across a rusty looking metal door.


    Both of them prepared themselves in case something dangerous was inside. Drake turned his fireball off and slowly put one of his hands under his coat and moved his other hand towards the door. Right when he touched the surface of the door, the door automatically slid open without him needing to push it.


    First, they looked inside to see if it was safe to enter or not, and when they saw that it was empty, they slowly stepped in. Both of them were aware that in a place like this, the places that usually looked safe were the ones that were filled with most traps. So, both of them didn''t let their guard down and tried to find out if there were any traps.


    It was a big empty room with a bright blue crystal shining at the center of the ceiling. The walls, ceiling, and the floor, all had irregular surfaces and all four walls had a similar-looking metal door.


    While they were looking around, the door that they entered from slid itself close. Drake tried to stop it by throwing the knife, but the door didn''t stop. Instead, it ended up breaking the knife.


    "It looks like some kind of deathtrap where they leave people inside the locked room to die of starvation," said Billy while picking the broken knife on the floor.


    "Welcome to the trial of strength, unchosen challengers."


    Both Billy and Drake looked towards the crystal at the center of the ceiling.


    "Who are you? And, where are we?" asked Billy. Even though it looked like he was trying to stay as calm as possible, he sounded hasty. He was usually confident but because of the trauma that he had to go through in his childhood, some part of him felt scared.


    The voice didn''t respond, instead the door on their left slowly slid open. A heavy footstep of something coming towards them was heard.


    Both of them prepared themselves for what was about to come. Right when they were focused on the left door, the door at the right-hand slide slowly slid open.


    When they heard similar-sounding heavy footsteps, both of them backed down a little bit.


    With every passing second, the footstep sounded closer and closer. And right when it was just about to enter through the door, Billy gulped in fear.


    Slowly two giant humanoid creatures carrying war hammers entered through the door.


    "Trolls?!" said Billy in a surprised tone.


    Trolls weren''t exactly the creature that liked fighting unless they were provoked. At this point in age, they were thought to have gone extinct in this continent, so it was natural to be surprised to see one.


    "HUNGRY! HUNGRY! HUNGRY!"


    "Uh-oh. This doesn''t sound good. Drake please tell me you have got a plan."


    A popular fact about trolls was that the hungrier it gets, the more active and aggressive it becomes.


    ''This explains why this room has no bones and skeletons,'' though Billy as he was looking for a way to get past this trial.


    Trolls could pretty much eat anything organic including tree trunks and bones. They had sturdy green skin and their regeneration abilities were impressive. The only effective method of dealing with them was large scale fire magic.


    "Billy, try distracting them. I will attack them using fire magic."


    Hearing that Bill ran towards one of the trolls while attacking the other using the air slash. His aim was to attract the attention of one of the trolls and make it collide with the other.


    If his plan had worked, it would have given Drake enough opportunity to attack. But things rarely went as planned. Like in this case, he only later realized that trolls can''t feel a thing if the wound isn''t deep enough. The ''air slash'' that he just used, barely scratched its skin.


    The troll that he was running towards noticed him and swung the war hammer towards him which he barely managed to dodge by jumping backward but things didn''t end there. The troll moved forward and attacked him with another two consecutive swings that he barely survived by being inches away from it.


    Watching Billy in trouble, Drake shot the fireball that he had prepared towards the troll. It managed to burn the troll''s back and right shoulders, but it wasn''t powerful enough to kill it completely and it started regenerating soon. While the troll that got hit was crying in agony, the other troll came charging towards Drake.


    Billy''s attempt to attract its attention by throwing the series of air slash didn''t work. And before he could try anything else, it was too late. He was cornered. The troll was standing right in front of Drake and the wall was right behind him to restrict any backward movement.


    Next Chapter: Brotherhood - Part 2

 67 2.22 Brotherhood - Part 2

    At that moment, Billy realized how powerless he was. All the years he spent honing his skills was useless while facing an enemy who could only be defeated using raw power. His precision and speed were useless when he lacked enough firepower to make a dent.


    But Drake, who was cornered, already knew his limits. So, instead of thinking about his powerlessness, he was trying to think of a way to escape.


    Right when the troll was about to swing his war hammer, he shot a small fireball towards the troll''s face.


    "UAAAAAAAA!"


    It wasn''t big enough to do some real damage, but was big enough to make the troll lose its balance for a few seconds. And because of that, the troll ended up swinging the hammer a little higher than where it originally intended.


    This gave Drake enough room to escape from the opening between its legs.


    Drake was running low on mana to do any counterattack from behind, so his only option was to fall back.


    Both of them weren''t knights or adventures who specialize in direct combat. So, they had their limits while facing an enemy like this. Their best and only option was to work together and come up with a plan.


    "Billy, stop being lost in thoughts. We need to work together here."


    Billy''s eyes widened. He never expected to hear those words from Drake. Even though they had been together for all these years now, Drake was always a loner. He used to do almost everything his own way and never liked associating himself with others.


    ''Better late than never,'' thought Billy as he pulled himself together by taking a long breath.


    "Okay, let''s run in circles in the opposite directions to confuse them with our movements, and use any opportunity that we get to attack. My attacks don''t work on them, but I will try to use my wind magic to make my movements faster and attract their attention more."


    Even though the plan was difficult to pull, this was one of the best options they had in this situation. The only problem was their mana bank. They could only absorb a limited amount of mana from the surrounding while a lot more mana would be necessary to carry out this plan.


    As they were discussing their plans, the troll that was crying in agony because of the attack earlier came charging towards Billy who was near.


    Billy did as planned and started running in the opposite direction from the other troll.


    Watching that, Drake also ran in the opposite direction while trying to catch the attention of the other troll.


    Both of them were maintaining enough distance for now. But Drake who couldn''t use wind magic was falling behind.


    Billy knew that would be the case, so he had already planned the next move.


    "Drake, towards the center," said Billy. Even though his voice was unclear because of the heavy breathing, Drake understood what he was trying to do.


    Right when he reached the corner, Drake shot a small fireball like the one he used earlier towards the troll''s face to use it as a distraction to make a diagonal turn.


    There was already enough distance between Billy and the other trolls so he could easily make a diagonal turn.


    When they were about to reach the center, Drake brought his right hand forward.


    Billy, who was coming from the opposite direction, understood what he was trying to do.


    When they were at each other''s reach, Billy caught Drake''s right hand using his left and pulled him. In the process both of them gained enough momentum to slide between the troll''s legs.


    Trolls were too focused on Drake and Billy that they weren''t looking any further, so they ended up colliding with each other.


    For creatures who couldn''t even feel ''air slash'', this collision couldn''t cause significant harm. But since they were all muscle with very little brain, the confusion from the collision lasted for a while giving both of them enough time to recover their mana.


    When Drake felt like he recovered enough mana, he created a fireball as large as he could and shot it towards the center of the room, where the trolls were.


    "UAAAAAAAAAAAAA"


    Because of the blast, both of the trolls fell backward but the impact was still not powerful enough to finish them.


    "Damn! they are so resilient," said Billy in an annoyed tone.


    This was their best teamwork so far - not that they had done much teamwork before - but even when both of them were doing their best, it wasn''t still enough.


    "Man, they are coming again, let''s go for the second round," said Billy when he saw them stand up again.


    The trolls charged towards them so they tried confusing them with the same stratergy. When they reached the corner, they did the same as before and tried going diagonal.


    But right after they took a turn, they realized something was wrong. The troll that was following Billy didn''t follow him like before, instead, when Billy tried making a diagonal turn, he swung his war hammer towards him.


    "BILLY!"


    It was too late for both Billy and Drake to do anything. Both of them were unprepared for this. And before Billy could even realize what was coming towards him, he got hit by the war hammer and the impact sent him flying towards the wall where he collided.


    Drake was in a predicament with no way to escape. But right at that moment, a bright light appeared from the door on the left wall. And from there appeared Flare in her Divine form.


    The bright light that flare was emitting made both the troll step back while trying to block the light using their hands.


    "I will enhance your fire magic with my flames, try attacking them now."


    Drake hadn''t seen Flare in her Divine form before. But his instinct, that he trusted the most, was telling him that it was the same bird that he saw before.


    After he heard the bird say that, he tried creating a fireball. He was surprised when it ended up becoming bigger than what he considered biggest. But the surprise didn''t end there. Even after creating the fireball, there was a lot of mana left in his mana bank. And despite the huge flow of mana in him, he was able to control it perfectly.


    He shot the fireball towards the troll that attacked Billy.


    Without wasting any time, he turned around towards the other troll and created three fire javelins. Usually his limit was one, and it too lacked enough firepower to do any real damage to a troll. But this time Flare''s support magic was boosting his abilities several fold.


    He shot all three towards the other troll.


    The javelins pierced through troll''s head, neck, and heart. And in just a few seconds, both trolls fell on their knees, burned to death.


    Drake looked towards his hand in surprise and turned towards Flare saying, "What are y-". But before he could complete his sentence, he fell unconscious on the ground.


    He wasn''t used to handling this level of mana flow.


    Next Chapter: The Remaining Trials


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 68 2.23 The Remaining Trials - Part 1

    "What! but how can that be?" Princess Anna asked in surprise.


    "I don''t know. She could be in some kind of trouble, we will need to hurry," I replied.


    "And what about Billy and Drake?"


    ''Oops! I was so worried about Marina that I forgot to check Drake and Billy.''


    "Wait, let me check."


    I closed my eyes again and tried to feel the mana inside the labyrinth.


    ''Looks like Flare is with her.''


    I could feel Flare''s presence near them. The golden concentrated mana was easy to notice but somehow it felt weaker than how it generally felt when we were outside.


    [Flare, can you hear me?] I tried contacting her telepathically.


    [Yes, master.]


    [How are things there? Are Drake and Billy alright?]


    [Billy was injured so I healed him, but both of them are unconscious. And I don''t think they will wake up anytime soon. Their life is not in danger so they will recover in due time.]


    [Okay, please keep an eye on them. We will go on ahead.]


    [Yes, master.]


    [And also, Are you alright? Your flames look weaker than normal.]


    [I think that is because someone is controlling the flow of mana here. I am not able to absorb it in abundance as I can outside. There is no need to worry.]


    [Okay, take care.]


    [Y-yes]


    ''Does she sound happy?'' I thought, but this was not the time to be thinking too deep into that. So, I cut off the telepathic connection and opened my eyes.


    "They are alright for now so let''s move ahead."


    Everyone, including me, was a little relieved to find that out. Since Flare was there, we could now move on ahead without worrying about them.


    Without wasting time, all of us entered the next room which would be the venue for our next trial.


    It was a large room with irregular walls and ceiling, similar to the one from the trial of strength. There were doors on all four walls including the one that we entered from. The door on the left and right walls were huge at least 8-10 meters tall and 5-6 meters wide. The blue crystal at the ceiling was illuminating the room but the light it was emitting was a bit dimmer than the earlier ones.


    "Welcome to the trial of teamwork."


    When we heard the Voice of the Labyrinth say that, we prepared ourselves. We hadn''t fought together in a while, but I was hoping that I will be able to cover up others where needed.


    All our eyes were focused on the two doors on the left and right side as it slid open with a heavy metallic sound. Something with heavy footsteps could be heard coming towards us.


    All of us were on guard waiting for whatever was about to come. And what entered from the doors were a huge Sand Golem from the right and a huge Fire Golem from the left.


    Right after the Golems entered, the doors behind us slid close.


    ''Man, worst combination that we could ask for.''


    The sand Golem looked somewhat like a huge walking statue while the Fire Golem was a huge black armor with a burning skull as its head.


    "We need to attack them together and destroy their cores. They will restore themselves unless we are able to destroy their cores," Princess Eliane said.


    It was a good plan that would have probably worked if there was only one Golem. But with the two of them coming towards us, it would be hard defending against both of them. And on top of that, their elements complimented each other well.


    I was thinking of a plan, but before I could come up with it, the fire Golem, which looked like the aggressive type, attacked us with several small fireballs.


    Its aim was off so only 2 of those several ones could actually hit us. But before they could even reach us, Princess Eliane blocked them using a ''water shield''.


    "Guys, can you keep them distracted? I will try absorbing the surrounding mana and when they get weak, you guys can attack the cores," I said to which everyone else nodded.


    Arica and Princess Anna couldn''t use water magic so Princess Elaine was the only one who could effectively defend against the attacks from both of the golems.


    I closed my eyes and started concentrating the surrounding mana into a sphere like before. When there was only a little mana left in the room, I opened my eyes.


    Everyone looked alright since it looked like Princess Eliane was keeping them distracted with water magic. But it looked like she was running low on mana. But the effect on the other side was much greater. The Sand Golem had turned into a pile of sand with a brown crystal over it while the Fire Golem had disappeared without a trace with just the red crystal left on the floor.


    Arica attacked the red crystal with her sword and shattered it into pieces. It lacked enough technique to make a sharp cut but had enough force to shatter it. Princess Anna followed Arica and attacked the brown crystal with ''wind slash'' and chopped it into two.


    ''So, this is what the Voice of the labyrinth meant when it said, ''the trials will be meaningless''. But I think we still had pretty good teamwork.''


    The creatures that are completely made up of mana cannot sustain their forms in its absence. This was a useful technique, but it came with a toll. After I released the mana that had been collected into the sphere, I couldn''t stand for a while.


    Even though my body still felt heavy, I stood up after a while. This time it was even more exhausting than before since my body hadn''t completely recovered from the earlier one. And, on top of that, this room was a lot bigger. But I wanted to reach the top as fast as possible.


    "Well, what''s next?" I asked while looking towards the crystal at the ceiling. Though it felt like the Voice of the Labyrinth was speaking directly into my head, I had a feeling that it was coming from the crystal.


    Right after I asked that, the door in the front slowly slid open.


    All of us walked to the next room through the door that just opened. It was a small room similar to the one from the trial of wisdom, but in the center, there was a huge hourglass.


    "Welcome to the Trial of patience!"


    "Trial of patience?" Princess Anna asked.


    "You will need to wait here for the sand to fall down completely," the Voice of the Labyrinth replied.


    The rate at which the sand on the hourglass was dropping, it would at least take 7-8 hours.


    All of us sat on the floor and waited for a while. I was so impatient that every minute felt like an hour. The rate at which the sand was dropping felt slower and slower.


    "It''s going to take forever like this," I said in irritation.


    "What other choices do we have?" Princess Eliane replied. Despite the calm words, she herself looked impatient. Elves were supposed to be a calm creature, so our humanness was probably rubbing off on her.


    ''Do we really need to wait that long?'' I thought as I tried looking for any other alternatives.


    "You guys are way too impatient. We have been at it for hours; don''t you think we should rest for a while before moving ahead?" Arica said in an annoyed tone.


    "Wel-"


    When I was about to say something, I realized that she was right.


    ''Even though she acts carefree most of the time, she is really considerate when the time comes.''


    "Yes, you are right," I said after taking a deep breath to which she responded with a small smile.


    Next Chapter: The Remaining Trials - Part 2


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 69 2.24 The Remaining Trials - Part 2

    "Nara, Wake up."


    ''No!''


    I opened my eyes and hurriedly looked towards the hourglass while raising myself up. Fortunately, there was still some sand left in the upper bulb, so I probably hadn''t slept for too long.


    "Thanks, Princess Anna. I fell asleep without realizing it."


    "Naa, I just woke up too."


    I looked around and saw that Princess Eliane and Arica were still asleep. The baby faces they were making while asleep was cute, but the upper bulb was almost about to be empty.


    "Let''s wake them up as well," I said while standing up.


    My body felt a bit lighter than before and I was feeling a bit calmer. The impatience and irritation that I felt before was probably because of the fatigue.


    While Princess Anna was waking Princess Eliane up, I went near Arica and tried waking her up by gently touching her shoulder and saying, "Arica, wake up. We need to leave soon."


    "Just a little longer," she said while pulling my hand and hugging it like a pillow.


    ''Ha! this soft sensation will no longer work on me. I have leveled up.''


    "No, you see, we still have 3 more trials left. After that, we will need to reach where Marina is," I said while touching her black dog ear. There wasn''t any ulterior motive in doing this, I just felt like doing that when I saw her act like that.


    She slowly rose herself up, her eyes were still closed. She came closer to my face, and before I could figure out what she was trying to do, she kissed me on my cheek.


    My eyes widened when I realized what happened. This happened so suddenly that I wasn''t even sure how to react. And in the end, I just stayed there like a statue.


    "Wh-what are you guys doing?" Princess Anna asked. She looked somewhat confused and shocked at the same time.


    "This is his reward. For waking me up," Arica said with a smile.


    "B-But that''s?"


    "You aren''t jealous that I kissed him, are you?" Arica said in a teasing tone.


    "O-of course not. W-why would I be jealous of a K-K-kiss."


    "Oh, then it''s fine I guess."


    "Looks like Arica is on the lead," Princess Eliane said while putting her hand on her chin.


    ''There''s nothing that requires that intense level of thinking here.''


    Right when the vibe around us was getting weird, the hourglass made a turn automatically, and with it, the door on the other side slid open.


    "Okay, let''s go," I said while getting up.


    Arica also got up after me, and we all got inside the next room through the door that just opened. Right after we got in, the door behind us slid close automatically.


    "Welcome to the Trial of Moderation!" The voice of the Labyrinth said after we entered.


    It was a big room with a golden table filled with a variety of fruits and dishes. There were donuts, cakes, sweets, meat and fish dishes, and so on. There was enough food to feed almost 10 hungry people who haven''t eaten for days but only 4 chairs.


    ''Well, I guess the name of the test and the venue makes it pretty clear what we need to do.''


    "Finish the food within an hour."


    ''What! a time limit.''


    All of us sat on the chairs as soon as we heard the time limit. Princess Anna sat right next to me while Arica sat right in front.


    At first, I thought there was a slim chance we would be able to do it. But as I kept on eating, I realized that I only felt that way because I was hungry.


    ''No matter how you look at it, we will never be able to finish the food,'' is what I thought after I became full.


    When I reached the point where I couldn''t even eat one more bite, I stopped eating and looked at others.


    ''Man! What''s with them? They are still not full?''


    They were eating as if they have been hungry for days. The look on their face was telling me that they were not forcing the food, they were enjoying it.


    "Princess Anna, will your tummy be alright with this much sweets?" I asked while trying to be as indirect as possible.


    "Oh, don''t worry, nothing will happen. I burned a lot of energy today so I can eat a little more," said Princess Anna and took a bite of another Donut.


    ''Guess what they used to say about girls having two-fold hunger compared to men is true.''


    I tried my best, but I could only eat a little more than what I could usually eat. But the girls, they surprisingly ate almost thrice of what they usually ate. And because of that, we were able to complete the trial in time.


    "Man, you guys can seriously eat a lot," I said while leaning back on the chair. I ate too much so I was trying to relax for a while.


    "Darling, you shouldn''t say something like that to a lady, you know," Arica said with a teasing smile.


    ''Oops!''


    "Sorry, my bad."


    Princess Eliane and Arica were still composed even after eating that much, but Princess Anna wasn''t looking very well.


    "Princess Anna, are you alright?" I asked looking towards her.


    "No, my stomach. It''s hurting. I feel like I will throw up. I need water," said Princess Anna while holding her head with her hand.


    ''Oh boy.''


    I quickly used my holy magic to ease her pain. Princess Eliane poured some water into a glass from the jug that was on the table and gave it to her.


    After drinking the glass of water, she leaned back on her chair and rested for a while.


    "You have cleared the Trial of Moderation," The voice of the Labriynth said after which the door on the opposite side of the door that we came from opened automatically.


    "Princess Anna, will you be able to continue? We can rest a little longer if you want."


    "No, I think I will be fine. I am feeling better."


    After she said that, we walked to the next room. It was a big empty room with irregular walls, floor, and ceiling, much like the one from the trial of strength.


    Right after we entered, the door behind us slid close automatically with a heavy metallic sound.


    "Welcome to the Trial of Dedication."


    Next Chapter: The Remaining Trials - Part 3


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 70 2.25 The Remaining Trials - Part 3

    "So, what do we need to do this time?" I asked while looking towards the blue crystal at the center of the ceiling. And as I did that, I realized it was getting awfully warmer, so I walked to the wall behind and touched it.


    "Ouch!"


    It was hot enough to make me feel like my hands would have been burned if I had kept my hands there any longer.


    "What happened?" Princess Anna asked.


    "The walls, they are hot."


    It was a big room so the radiating heat wouldn''t reach us to the center for a while. Unless...


    "Yeah, and it''s not just the walls, the floor and the ceiling too," Princess Eliane said after observing the floor.


    We hadn''t felt it yet because of the thick sole under our leather shoes. But if it continues, it wouldn''t take long for the leather to be heated up to the point where it becomes unwearable.


    Right when I was starting to think of a way to escape this situation unharmed, the voice of the labyrinth spoke.


    "For this trial you will have to answer a question. There is no time limit."


    ''Ha! If that ''no time limit" part is a joke then it''s not funny,'' I thought. But this was no time to be bickering about such trivial matters considering the fact that we would be cooked alive if we don''t do something soon.


    "Well, what''s the question?" asked Princess Anna in a hasty tone.


    The bottom of my feet and my back had already started sweating. I looked towards others and their condition didn''t look much different than mine.


    "There is a man who works for his master. He works hard in order to not disappoint his master, and never even once has he ever cheated in his work. He strives for his master''s success and does everything he could for him."


    The voice of the labyrinth paused. After a brief moment of silence, it continued.


    "There is a pair who love their child. They work hard to ensure that their child is happy, healthy, and educated. They have done everything in their power to ensure a good future for the child. Now tell me, what''s the difference in the aesthetic of this pair and that man."


    There were several hints that came to my mind. But before I could connect the dots together, it looked like Princess Eliane already had the answer figured out.


    ''Man, Elves are Elves for nothing,'' I thought as I decided to trust Princess Eliane on this.


    "Well, it''s somewhat simple. What the man displayed was loyalty. He works hard for his master, and at the end of the day, he expects some compensation from him. If it is not something physical, may be something moral. But for the parents, it''s just dedication and love. They just nurture their children and wish for their happiness. At least most of them do."


    The Voice of the labyrinth hummed after she finished answering the question.


    "That''s a satisfactory answer. You pass."


    And with those words, the door in front of us slid open. All of us rushed out to the next room as fast as we could


    "Phew! I thought I would be cooked alive if I had stayed there a second longer, " said Arica in a relieved tone while breathing heavily.


    "Yeah," I replied as I looked around the room.


    This room was a little smaller than the earlier one, but the walls were smooth and white coloured. There were several different coloured crystals embedded in the walls and it looked like they were absorbing the magic from the bright transparent crystal at the center of the room on a small column.


    "Beautiful," said Princess Eliane in a low voice as she was looking around.


    "Welcome to the trial of Magic!" said the Voice of the Labyrinth and with it the door behind us slid close.


    "Supplying magic to the magic crystal on the column will supply magic to all the crystals in the room. Control the flow of mana so that all the crystals in the room would emit the same amount of light. You only get one try."


    "But that''s impossible. They are so many, and the shapes and sizes are all random. No one should be able to control mana to that extent," said Princess Eliane.


    ''I am not sure if I can do it either. And there is just one chance.''


    I could control mana to the extent where I was able to fuse Darkness magic with fire magic using a Mithril sword. But this trail was something that needed far more control than that. It wasn''t just control; you would need to be able to judge the mana required in each of the crystals and supply mana in all of them on the required quantity. In short, it was close to impossible.


    It was as if this trial itself was designed to stop all the challengers here and prevent them from progressing any further. As if all the trials before this was just to give them hope and show them the dead end at last.


    ''But...''


    "Zagan, I think I am at a dead end here. Can you break the wall in front of me?"


    "Well, watching you struggle like that was fun. But I guess it''s my time to take the stage."


    Zagan came out of the crimson magic circle that appeared on the ground.


    ''Man, his entrance is as cool as ever.''


    He looked around once and put his hand on the magic crystal at the center of the room. As he began supplying mana to the crystals, I closed my eyes to sense the mana flow.


    "Wow."


    The word slipped out of my mouth. It was like tiny threads were connected to all the crystals in the room from the center like a cobweb. But each thread was of different size because of the difference in the mana supplied to each crystal.


    And when I opened my eyes, every crystal in the room was emitting the same amount of light, no part of the room was looking any brighter or dimmer.


    "Well, I guess that''s it," Zagan said while stopping the supply of mana and lifting his hand.


    "Perfect! You pass," said the voice of the labyrinth, and right after it did that, the big door that was in front of us slid open.


    ''Wait, our results on the other trials were just ''satisfactory'' and his is ''perfect'','' I thought.


    But I consoled myself with, ''Oh well, whatever. It''s not like the scores matter here as long as we all pass.''


    Next Chapter: Climbing up


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 71 2.26 Climbing up - Part 1

    All of us passed through the door after clearing our final trial. The door led us to a dark passage with no sign of lights anywhere. Right after all of us entered the passage, the door behind us slid close. The visibility was poor, so I created a small fireball to light the way.


    "Oh look, our bags," Princess Anna said pointing towards a rock near which our bags were.


    All of us grabbed our bags. They were torn and all the food inside was missing, but fortunately, the hunting knife that I had brought with me was still there.


    "All that''s left in mine is this," Princess Anna said while showing her wand.


    "Yeah, same in my case," Princess Eliane said while showing hers.


    ''What?! Both of you brought those?''


    Both of them had brought their wands while I, myself had completely forgotten that I even had one.


    "Well, you kids have fun. I need to take a nap," said Zagan and disappeared.


    "I think we should get going too," I said while making the fireball a little bigger so that we could see a little bit further.


    "Yeah, but do you know the way?" asked princess Eliane.


    "I think I do. This whole labyrinth is like one big maze, and the paths are continuously changing. But I think I have a pretty good idea of how it works," I replied. Since I could sense the mana of the whole labyrinth, finding the right was like solving a maze in my head.


    "Guys, do you smell that," Arica said while sniffing.


    "What?" Princess Anna turned towards Arica and asked in a confused tone.


    "It smells like a rodent, turn off the fireball," Princess Eliane in a hasty tone after a few sniffs.


    "But shouldn''t we be making it brighter to chase it away," I replied.


    "No, they are attracted to-"


    Before Princess Eliane could complete her sentence, a creature that looked like a big rat, jumped towards Princess Anna. Arica, who was standing near, took out the sword from her sheath and chopped it''s head off.


    ''Man, that was close.''


    I quickly turned the fireball off. I thought the rodents here were similar to the ones from my previous world. But compared to what I just saw, those nasty looking rats that I used to see in my house were cute.


    "Phew! thanks, Arica," Princess Anna said in relief to which Arica just responded with a smile.


    "Guess that explains why our bags are in this state," Princess Eliane said while throwing the bag and keeping only the wand with her. Everyone else, including me, threw our bags too since they were no longer usable.


    "Okay, let''s move quietly until we reach the central part of the labyrinth," I said.


    Fortunately, I couldn''t sense any more rodents in the area, so that one was probably wandering around for food alone.


    The lower part of the labyrinth had low concentration of mana. The bigger monsters preferred places with high concentration of mana so this place wasn''t exactly suitable for them. But it was just perfect for small monsters. And due to the lack of predators, the population of small monsters must have grown significantly. So, it was wise to avoid them as much as possible.


    All of us quietly walked from there. Everyone stayed close to me since I could sense the mana in the vicinity. I tried to avoid running into a herd of monsters as much as possible but...


    "Guys, we have a colony of big buzzing bees ahead. And that''s the only path that will lead to the central part of the labyrinth. We will need to face them and break through," I said after we reached near the central part of the labyrinth.


    This place was filled with large light crystals. Light crystals were expensive since they were used to create magic lights. The quantity that was in front of us was probably enough to light the whole Singha City. But unfortunately, we have no means to carry them.


    ''I will need to learn how to create a separate space after all this is over,'' I thought. I wasn''t sure if it was possible for me to create one or not. But since Zagan had one, I could ask him more about the separated spaces.


    Magic attacks like fireball could be dangerous inside a place like this so we would need to rely on our weapons and precision. This could be a wonderful opportunity for the princesses to test their wands.


    "Okay Princesses, you can attack them with long-range attacks. Arica and I will deal with the ones that come towards us."


    Both of the princesses nodded while Arica just smiled. Arica took out her sword from its sheath and used ''Flame blade''.


    Princesses started attacking them with ''fire arrows'' which was the smaller version of ''fire javelin''. It consumed a lot less mana than fire javelin and could be fired rapidly like machine guns. The wands improved their precision a lot. For princess Anna, it was like two bullets, one bee, while for Princess Eliane it was one bullet, one bee.


    "Eliane, you are seriously good at this," Princess Anna said in an excited tone.


    "You are not bad either," Princess Eliane replied.


    ''Looks like they are having fun. Time for me to get started too.''


    There were hundreds of them coming towards us at once. So, there was no way they would keep up with them. Fortunately, they were only coming from one direction, so it was easier.


    I used physical enhancement to jump up and chopped off the head of one of the bees that were coming towards us.


    I then moved a little forward since Arica was dealing with the ones that came closer to the princesses. The only risk of fighting in the front was the friendly fire but as long as I stay out of their way, I could do large scale attacks and decrease their number significantly while defending myself.


    I clad my sword in dark flames. It was time to test some long-range attacks.


    "Dark slash."


    With those words I swung my sword twice in the cross shape. I was trying to do something similar to wind slash but...


    "Huh?!"


    Everybody''s eyes widened, but I was probably the most surprised one out of all. The passage in front of us was frozen solid from the point where I was standing. The bees that were coming to attack us fell on the ground, frozen.


    "W-what just happened?" Princess Anna asked in confusion.


    ''I think I definitely need to get a separate space,'' I thought. But this wasn''t the time to be thinking too deep into that, everyone was looking at me for the explanation.


    "Well, guys you see this was just a combination attack. Like the wind-water bomb... ha-ha."


    "This was, by no means, ''just'' an attack. The whole passage is frozen, and it''s freezing in here," Princess Anna replied while gazing at me fiercely.


    "But I thought I was only using enough mana to make two ''wind slashes''. No, wait..."


    ''Did all that manipulation of surrounding mana increase my mana handling capacity?''


    "I guess I will need to be more careful," I replied. This was the only way to escape those fierce gazes.


    Next Chapter: Climbing up - Part 2


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 72 2.27 Climbing up - Part 2

    The central part of the labyrinth was filled with Lightstone crystals which were illuminating our path. After facing those big buzzing bees, we didn''t come across any small monsters. But by what I can sense, there should be several big monsters ahead of us.


    ''But something about these monsters feels weird,'' I thought. There were several reasons that led me to think that. The first and foremost being the structure of this labyrinth. It was as if the entire labyrinth was designed to sustain these creatures.


    All of us were walking through the passage, but by what I could sense, we should be coming across a pond soon. Normally, I wouldn''t be able to sense any physical structure, but this pond was strange. Strange in a sense that the water of the pond itself was filled with mana.


    "Nara, stop spacing out like an old man," Princess Anna said startling me.


    "Oh! Sorry... It''s just that something about the monsters up ahead feels different."


    "Different?" Princess Eliane asked.


    "Yes, it feels like they are the part of this labyrinth itself. And their concentration of mana is too high compared to all other monsters that we have faced."


    "Could they be labyrinth dwellers?" Princess Eliane said in an uncertain tone after thinking for a while.


    "Labyrinth dwellers? Can you tell me more about them?" I asked since the name itself sounded interesting.


    "I once read about them in a book back home. These creatures are closer to spirits than monsters. They can only live in places with pure mana," replied Princess Eliane.


    That made sense. I could feel something on the top floors that was purifying the mana. And that purified mana was being supplied to all other floors from there.


    ''Well, guess we will have to find out as we go.''


    "Aren''t you guys hungry?" Princess Anna asked. The look on her face was clearly saying that she definitely was.


    "Well, there is a pond just up ahead, we may find something to eat there," I replied.


    There was a moment of silence for a while as we walked through the passage. And at the end of the passage, there it was. A pond whose water itself was blue, shining like a gemstone, filled with light crystals. A sight that would make the journey of any who come to this labyrinth worth it. And the water was so clean that it could probably wash the impurities of both outside and inside.


    "Weren''t we going to look for something to eat here?" Princess Anna asked when she saw us lost in the sight.


    "Oh yeah! let''s see if there are fishes here," I replied. It felt somewhat weird to even think about fishing in a beautiful pond like this one. But hunger wins.


    "Can there even be fishes in a pond like this?" Arica asked.


    "Look! there are some," Princess Anna said pointing towards some white shining fishes swimming in the pond.


    "But how do we catch them?" asked Princess Eliane.


    I took off my shoes, rolled up my pants and sleeves, and got inside the pond. I had a hunting knife with me, but catching a fish with just that would be hard. Billy had given me some tips for these cases, so I was planning to use them.


    "Guys, be quite alright," I looked towards others and said.


    I seized any form of movement, made the breathing as quiet as possible, and waited for the perfect opportunity to strike. And when I felt like the time was right, I stroke. It was a failure.


    I tried again, but it was still a failure. They were simply too fast for me.


    "Man, this is too hard," I said after my several attempts went in failure. At this point, even my folded sleeves were all wet.


    "Nara, try concentrating mana into your hand and catching them," Princess Eliane, who was watching me struggle, said.


    I tried doing as she said. When I concentrated the mana and dipped my hand into the water, instead of running away, the fishes came to me. All the struggle that I was doing until now felt like splashing a bucket of water in a desert.


    "As I thought, these fishes are labyrinth dwellers too," Princess Eliane said as she saw that happen.


    It was somewhat obvious because the water was very clean. There weren''t any insects or plants, not even algae, and the water itself was filled with mana.


    The fishes were slippery so I threw them towards the ground as soon as I caught them. And when it felt like we had plenty to be full, I came out of the water. There was no firewood so we would need to rely on fire magic to cook them.


    "Princess Eliane, can you please cook? I will clean them," I said as soon as I got out. I was determined not to let Arica, who wouldn''t be able to know when it''s cooked, and Princess Anna whose control was a bit off, cook it.


    "He-he!... it was fun to watch you struggle like that, darling," Arica said with a teasing smile.


    ''Man, the life of a guy is hard.''


    "Well, you won''t get any if you keep on teasing me," I replied.


    "Well, look at him getting all angry."


    ''Looks like she got what she wanted. It would have been wise to stay quiet in the first place.''


    After the fishes were cooked and we ate them, everyone rested for a while. Even though the path we came through had few monsters, we had walked a lot today.


    "Okay, let''s get going everyone. By what I sense, there should be an enemy that we need to face up ahead," I said while getting up.


    "Yeah. Hopefully, this will all end soon, and we will be able to rest properly," Princess Anna said after getting up. I could understand her since all the journey up to now has been stressful for all of us.


    There were 3 paths out of the place we were on. We chose the one on the left, which was the fastest one.


    After walking for a while on the passage, we came across a large room. And in front of the path that we needed to take from there, was a large sleeping wolf.


    It opened its eyes when it sensed us come in and stood up. The wolf that was already large enough, looked even larger as it stood.


    "Welcome challengers. I, Fenrir will be your opponent. Show me that you are worthy to climb higher."


    "Ah... Sorry, but I think we already proved our worth to the Voice of the labyrinth."


    : Climbing up - Part 3

 73 2.28 Climbing up - Part 3

    "Enough chit-chat human. Let''s start." With those words Fenrir charged straight towards me.


    ''Right how I wanted,'' I thought. I was trying to provoke him, and since he was the prideful type, it was easy.


    While he was charging towards me, he used his claws to attack me with a wind slash. Despite the speed, there was still some distance between us. And that distance gave me enough room to dodge that attack by ducking.


    I enhanced my hands and legs using physical enhancement, and charged straight towards him after dodging the attack. This was my own version of counter against the classical¡ª long-ranged attack followed by a physical close-ranged attack strategy.


    It tried attacking me with its right claw. But before it could reach me, I grabbed the claw with both of my hands and spun around pulling it. The wolf lost its momentum so I was able to lift him in the air, but he was heavy. I moved my left leg behind to support the weight. And then used the momentum gained from the spin to throw him towards the wall.


    "Go Nara go!"


    "Beat him, darling."


    ''Man, what''s with all this cheering. I can imagine Arica being like that, but Princess Anna too?" I thought when I saw them cheering. Despite being in the midst of a fight, I got enough time to look around.


    "Well, are you satisfied yet? Am I worthy enough for you?"


    "HA! this is nothing."


    With those words, he came charging straight towards me again. With the similar strategy, but this time, he was using its fangs instead of limb.


    ''So, you are the type who only learns after getting a beating, huh?'' I thought as I dodged him again.


    This time I created a medium sized Wind-water bomb on my left hand. And when it was busy trying to eat me, I dodged its fangs, slid between its legs, and blasted the wind-water bomb on its ventral side.


    "Phewww!"


    ''Man, that fur is sturdy,'' I thought. The attack was strong enough to throw him out of balance, but there was no notable damage in his body. He rolled once, but raised himself back again. Just like how dogs raise themselves quickly after falling on their back.


    "Are you done yet?" I asked while preparing the bigger version of the wind-water bomb in my right hand. I wanted to avoid hurting him, but with the way it was going, this would never end.


    "Far from it."


    "Man, just give up already. Look, even the audience stopped cheering. People are getting bored here."


    "STOP MOCKING ME!"


    "Guess, I will just have to fix you up later. I have some questions for you after all."


    I was close so he tried attacking me with his fang as he turned around. This time, I didn''t try to dodge or hold back. I moved to the right and blasted the Wind-water bomb in his left jaw.


    The impact threw it towards the wall where it collided and fell. The attack ended up breaking one of its fangs along with its upper jaw.


    "Man, you are so stubborn," I said while walking closer to him. "So, does healing magic even work on you?"


    He didn''t say anything and just kept staring at me. It was only after I reached closer, I realized that its wounds were recovering themselves. When I saw that, I instantly closed my eyes and checked the mana flow to see what was happening.


    ''Woah! Is he immortal or something?'' I thought seeing him absorb the surrounding mana and healing his injuries at a phenomenal rate.


    "Well, I guess I don''t need to heal you. But if you still want to continue, I will have no choice but to kill you," I said in a serious tone.


    "No, I have been defeated."


    "Finally..."


    I sighed in relief. If he had been stubborn even after this point, I was planning to use my dark flames. I had no idea if I would even be able to unfreeze him, but it was better than killing him¡ª I guess.


    "So, can we get going now?" Princess Anna, who was listening to our conversation, asked.


    "Wait, I still have something to ask him," I replied.


    After hearing those words, the girls came towards us, and we all waited for the wolf to recover. It took less than five minutes for it to recover completely.


    "Ask what you want, I shall answer you once as your reward."


    ''Man... Still so prideful...''


    "Well, then tell me about the most powerful being in this labyrinth."


    Fenrir sighed after hearing me. He then took a long breath in and started speaking again.


    "I was hoping it would be something similar. Well, I have no problem telling you that since she is somewhat similar to you."


    "Similar to him?" Princess Eliane asked in a surprised tone.


    "Yes, unlike us labyrinth dwellers, she is not a part of this labyrinth. But nonetheless, she can control the flow of mana inside the labyrinth. One thing is for sure though, she is one of the most powerful creatures in this world."


    "Okay, do you know anything about her powers?" I asked since charging straight in without knowing that can be disadvantageous or even dangerous.


    "Unfortunately, that is all I know."


    ''Well, looks like he isn''t lying,'' I thought as I turned around. What he just said was making me more and more worried about Marina.


    "Okay guys, it''s time to get going," I said after looking towards others.


    Everyone nodded in agreement after which we took the path that Fenrir was guarding. The path was similar to the ones we came from but the density of mana had increased significantly. And because of that, the Lightstone crystals on the walls were signing brighter than before.


    "Hey Nara, do you think we are almost there?" Princess Anna asked as we were walking.


    "Yeah, we are almost about to reach the upper region."

 74 2.29 Climbing up - Part 4

    A big black dog with red glowing eyes awaited us at the entrance of the upper region. The way it was looking at us and growling was a giveaway that it wasn''t here to get along. It moved its claws and started walking towards us while still trying to maintain its distance. It was probably waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike just like a tiger looking for an opportunity to jump on its prey.


    "Nara, that looks like a hellhound. Be careful they are fast," Princess Eliane, who was behind me, said.


    "Okay, you guys just stay there. I will deal with it," I said as I took out my sword.


    I walked forward carefully while observing its movement. Normally, I would have preferred a long-ranged attack considering how dangerous it looked. But at that distance, it would easily be able to dodge it. So, the best option was to move forward and wait for it to attack.


    When I moved forward, it became more and more cautious. And because of that, I had to come up with a way to provoke it. At this point, our distance was almost 10 meters but none of us had taken an initiative to attack.


    I created a small fire javelin using my left hand and shot it at the hellhound. As I expected, it dodged that and used the opportunity to jump on me. But that left the hellhound wide open as it had no means to dodge midair. So, I grabbed the opportunity and attacked it with a vertical wind slash using my sword.


    Blood gushed out of its chest as the vertical wind slash sent the hellhound flying backward. But as soon as it landed it started recovering itself just like Fenrir.


    ''Man, they are practically immortal like this,'' I thought as I realized this battle would never end like this. So, in this case, our only option was to move forward before it could recover. This was a viable method of escape because most of the creatures above the central region were territorial.


    "Everyone, let''s through the passage quickly. This one doesn''t look as friendly as Fenrir," I said after which all of us rushed towards the passage.


    The upper region as the name suggests was the topmost region. The mana concentration here was significantly higher and I could sense several strong presences around. But strangely none of those presences were showing any sign of movement.


    By what I could sense, we would need to face a creature on our way before we get to the top. Its presence looked powerful, but like most of the other entities in the upper region, it wasn''t showing any signs of movement.


    When I entered the floor, the mana around felt purer than before. Some part of me wanted to call Flare here, but then, she was looking after Drake and Billy in the trial region.


    The door led us to a large room with walls embedded with light stones. The beautiful lights those stones were illuminating looked exactly like stars in the night sky.


    I looked at her cute face as she was carefully staring at the ceiling above. "You mean the stars that you can see from the capital?"


    "Yes, this looks exactly like the sky there."


    ''Interesting,'' I thought, but before I could think of possible causes of this similarity, a weird voice echoed through the room.


    "HUMANS HAVE COME TO COLLECT OUR TREASURE."


    "HUMANS HAVE COME TO COLLECT OUR TREASURE."


    "THEY SHALL BE PUNISHED FOR THIS SIN."


    "THEY SHALL BE PUNISHED FOR THIS SIN."


    "It''s coming from that passage," Arica said pointing towards one of the passages.


    "Guys, that''s the passage we need to take to reach the top," I said since that passage directly led to the source of mana in the labyrinth.


    "Nara, aren''t there any other ways? I have a bad feeling about this," Princess Anna asked in a worried tone.


    "No, all the passages here are tangled up, but at the end all of them will lead to that same place," I replied.


    "Well, there is a possibility that these strange voices could be a trap," Princess Eliane said looking towards me. I understood what she was trying to say, so I closed my eyes and tried sensing the surrounding mana.


    ''Oh damn!''


    "Guys, there is a slight problem. All the creatures in the upper region are coming towards us."


    All the presence that I could sense before were now moving, and by the looks of it, they were all coming towards us. Their presence was odd, but same could be said for any labyrinth dwellers in the labyrinth. One interesting fact that I noticed during all this was how similar their presence was to one another.


    "What!" Princess Anna said with a shocked look on her face.


    "Shouldn''t we pass through one of the passages quickly then?" Princess Eliane asked. Even though her voice sounded calm, she had a worried expression on her face.


    "No, that would be bad. The passages are narrow, so we won''t be able to use any large-scale magic. And if the others start following us, we will need to face the enemies from both sides. Our best option is to face them here and now."


    "Okay"¡ªPrincess Eliane looked towards the passages in front of us¡ª"so, how many of them are we facing."


    "I think they are 16 in total," I replied.


    "Wow, that''s a lot," Arica said while taking her sword out of its sheath.


    Our eyes were fixed on the eight passages in front of us. Our weapons were in our hands as all of us prepared ourselves for what''s about to come.


    "SUCH INDISCRETION! YOU SHALL BE PUNISHED FOR YOUR IMPRUDENCE."


    "HOW DARE YOU POLLUTE THIS HOLY PILGRIMAGE WITH YOUR FILTHY PRESENCE."


    Nothing could be felt in the air, no footsteps were heard. But even without those, I could sense them drawing closer.


    "THE GODS SHALL PUNISH YOU."


    ''What! God?''


    For others, those words may not hold much weight. But for me, who had died once and met someone who claimed to be God, it was certainly something of interest.


    While we were looking, one after another, 16 similar looking golden statues entered the room. All of them were floating just above the ground and had an angry look on their faces. When I looked closer, I realized something about these statues looked familiar.


    ''Big horns, long canine teeth...''


    "Hey, doesn''t she look like the goddess Maha from the village temple?"


    : Fountain of Immortality

 75 2.30 Fountain of Immortality - Part 1

    "Yeah, they look like her alright. But keep the surprises for later. I don''t think she is here just to give us her blessings," Arica said while still keeping her sight focused on the statues in front of us.


    As we were looking, the eight statues at the back slowly moved forward and started circling us. By the looks of it, they were probably making a formation to attack.


    After a while, the eight of them stopped in a circular position, surrounding us from every side. After they stopped, the other eight statues moved forward and stood in the gap between every two statues that were surrounding us.


    Now, there was no way to escape. Between every gap they had in the first circle, there was a statue in the second one.


    We all took a position in which we could cover each other''s backs. Arica was right behind me while Princess Anna was on my right and Princess Eliane was on my left. The enemies had no weapon but they themselves looked like some kind of magical artifact.


    "Guys, don''t let your guard down. First, we need to see what they are capable of. If they are strong, I will just absorb the surrounding mana and make them weaker."


    Even though absorbing the surrounding mana would be an easy way of defeating them, I wanted to save it as the last resort. This was because the mana concentration of the upper region was significantly high, so manipulating that would take a heavy toll on my body.


    "FOR YOUR SIN OF STEPPING IN THIS HOLY PLACE,"


    "FOR YOUR SIN OF DEFYING GODS AUTHORITY,"


    "WE JUDGE YOU,"


    "GUILTY."


    "NOW, FACE OUR JUDGEMENT."


    All the statues joined their hands and with that a dome-shaped forcefield appeared around us. It was almost transparent blue in color and was barely big enough for the four of us to even move properly. And something about it was telling me that trying to touch it to see how it feels won''t turn out well.


    I was trying to avoid manipulating the surrounding mana, but things weren''t looking well from the start. We were surrounded, our movement was restricted, and we had no idea how to deal with the forcefield around us.


    On top of that, there was a chance that even our long-ranged attack would be reflected back by the forcefield. That was why I hadn''t tried attacking them with any magical attacks yet.


    "So, now they can attack us however they like, and we won''t even be able to reach them," Princess Eliane said after observing the forcefield.


    "Damn!"


    ''Guess this calls for the last resort.''


    I closed my eyes and tried feeling the surrounding mana. The statues weren''t attacking us which gave me the feeling that they are preparing a one-hit-kill attack.


    I put my sword back on its sheath and opened my arms. Even though most of my concentration was focused on the surrounding mana, I could hear Arica saying, "Oh boy, there he goes again."


    Without wasting time, I started concentrating the surrounding mana into a sphere. The mana concentration was high, and we were in a tight spot, so I couldn''t afford to make a mistake here.


    Thoughts started coming into mind about how this world was unbalanced. The day was just because of the sun, the space was always dark. What if that darkness was always alive, what if that darkness had a soul? What if the light itself was the creation of this darkness?


    ''No, what am I thinking? This isn''t the time to think all that.''


    I opened my eyes and looked around me. The forcefield had disappeared and the statues were on the ground. I looked behind me, and there, the girls were on the floor.


    "No! Did I do all this?"


    I looked above me and there was a sphere of concentrated mana floating in the air. Normally a sphere made up of pure mana is colorless, but surprisingly it was dark in color. It was only then that I noticed a sharp ache in my head, and before I knew it, my eyesight became fuzzy.


    My consciousness started fading, but something felt soothing despite all the mess that I was in. And right before my consciousness completely disappeared, I heard a voice.


    "At long last, I am finally here with you."


    ----


    ''Now, where will I wake up this time.''


    "Oh!"


    I opened my eyes to find another pair of wide-opened eyes right in front of me. Those brown eyes with long eyelashes startled me, but I wasn''t the only one startled. She moved backward when she noticed me trying to raise myself up.


    "Who are you?" I asked after I raised myself up.


    I was in the same place where my consciousness faded. Everything around me was the same, except there was a kid with long black hair next to me.


    "Yoru."


    ''Wow, her voice is so smooth,'' I thought despite the fact that this wasn''t the answer I was hoping for.


    I reached to Princess Anna and checked her condition. Fortunately, she was still breathing. I then checked others and their condition was similar to that of Princess Anna. They had probably fainted because of mana deficiency.


    "Phew!" I breathed a sigh of relief. I then looked back towards the girl who was observing me curiously.


    I remembered what happened when we tried questioning Emma in the forest of endless trees, so I decided to take it slow.


    "Yoru, was it? I am Nara. Do you know how you got here?"


    "Of course. You are the one who summoned me silly."


    "Summoned you?" I asked in confusion.


    "Yeah silly. You see, I am a spirit," she said with a wide smile on her face.


    "But you look human?... Also, you have a name."


    "You see, my form, my origin, or my name doesn''t matter. Because I have made my choice to be with you as your spirit. Will you accept me?"

 76 2.31 Fountain of Immortality - Part 2

    "What do you mean it doesn''t matter? I don''t know anything about you," I asked as I stood up.


    My eyesight was still somewhat fuzzy, and my body felt heavy, but I could feel my condition getting better. It felt like how one would feel while waking up from a short nap right after heavy work.


    She turned around and covered her face with both of her hands. "How could you! I thought you would say ''yes'' with no hesitation."


    ''Man, she is upset with just that?'' I thought but there wasn''t much time to think about that. I could feel that the statues that were on the floor had started collecting the mana.


    "But you look so young. Also, how can I trust you that easily?"


    "Hmph! You trusted that bird and that demon pretty easily. Also, I may not look as busty as that half-elf girl, but I am way older."


    ''Well, it''s not just the bust but¡ª''


    "Wait! How do you know this much about me?"


    In the world where non-human races exist, judging age based on appearance would be foolish. I was in a tight spot, but I could always call Zagan for help. I had to play careful here, it could be a trap and she could even be the person that Zagan warned me about.


    "I don''t know how I know about you. But I know about you," she replied looking confused.


    "Huh?! What kind of answer is that?"


    ''Is she actually playing dumb? Or is she really clueless?''


    The look on her face was saying she was being honest, but this made me even more confused than before.


    "You don''t have to accept me if you don''t want to. I will just build a house somewhere in the forest and live there, waiting for you. I will stay single for my whole life. WAAHAAHAA!"


    "What! You are crying for something like that?"


    I had very little experience when it came to calming a kid, and on top of that, we were in a tight spot. The statues were about to wake up anytime soon, so this wasn''t the time to be fooling around. That meant I only had one option left.


    "Okay, I will accept you as my summon. What will I have to do?"


    "Really?" A bright smile appeared on her face as she asked that.


    "Yeah," I replied as casually as I could.


    "Then say my name and kiss me on my forehead. I would have preferred lips but, you know, they say forehead is where one''s fate is written. So, if you kiss me on my forehead, my fate will always be connected with you."


    "Okay."


    I walked closer to her and bent down to kiss her forehead.


    "Yoru."


    Right when I kissed her forehead, the light stones about us started twinkling. The mana in the air gathered around us. It was as if the mana itself had accepted our bond. I looked at my hand and they were shining with white light. And it wasn''t just my hands, it was my whole body.


    I looked towards Yoru who had a big bright smile on her face. Her eyes were closed but it looked like she was enjoying this sensation.


    "What''s happening?"


    Yoru opened her eyes when she heard me. She then caught my cheeks with both her hands, and before I could guess what she was trying to do, her body started growing tall. Her appearance that looked as that of an 8-year-old now looked like someone who was in her late teens.


    "You look... different." I wasn''t sure how to react to this change, but those were the words that slipped out of my mouth.


    She was now a beauty comparable to Arica. Her chest wasn''t as developed as Arica''s, but their heights were almost the same. Her face looked as cute as Princess Anna''s, and her long black hair that could reach up to her knees was almost as beautiful as Princess Eliane''s blonde hair.


    "You see, I too have no idea about what''s going on. I feel like I just woke up from a long sleep."¡ª She pulled her hands back from my cheeks and held them close to her chest.¡ª " But deep down I feel like this is something I always longed for. As if¡­ I have always wanted to see you, and only you."


    After she said that, the mana that was gathered around us dispersed, the star stopped twinkling, and everything came back to how it was before. The only difference this time was that the statues had started floating back again.


    Without wasting any time, one of the statues charged straight towards the girls.


    I quickly rushed towards them while taking my sword out of its sheath. And right before its hand could reach them, I jumped straight in front and blocked its hand using my sword.


    ''Damn! its hand is hot,'' I thought when I saw the surface my Mithril blade turn red. But before the heat could reach the grip, I created a large wind-water bomb in my left hand and shoved it straight at the statue.


    The statue broke into pieces. But in less than a few seconds, it started reconstructing itself again.


    "Hey, can you fight or use any kind of magic? Or you don''t know that too?"


    "I think¡­ I can use magic after changing into my divine form."


    After saying that, she closed her eyes and started absorbing the surrounding mana at a phenomenal rate. A dark cocoon was formed around her. And what came out of that cocoon was a winged unicorn with black wings and black mane.


    "Beautiful."


    Even though it was my first time seeing a creature like that, I couldn''t help but admire her gorgeousness. The dark lightning that surrounded her body made the majestic look even more bewitching. Her beauty was by no means inferior to Flare. If Flare was the bright sun in the summer sky, she was no wonder the bright full moon in the winter night.


    "My master, who rules over the sun and the moon. I, Yoru shall become your sword of justice."


    With those words, she created several small dark orbs surrounded by black lightning around her.


    : Fountain of Immortality - Part 3

 77 2.32 Fountain of Immortality - Part 3

    By this time, most of the statues have stood back up, and it looked like they were trying to surround us with a similar formation as before.


    "Now disappear!"


    With those words, she released the dark orbs surrounding her towards the floating statues. The movements of these orbs were slow, but the statues weren''t trying to dodge them, or showing any kind of reaction in that regard.


    ''Are they like robots programmed to do just the specific functions?'' I thought. Considering how their movements had been until now, there was a possibility of that being the case. Thinking on that possibility the next question that came to my mind was: ''If they are, then who made them? Was it god?''


    When the orb reached near the golden statues, the lightning surrounding the orbs became active. And when it right in front of them, the lightning hit them creating a thunderbolt-like sound. This ended up breaking the statues into pieces, but that wasn''t all.


    The black orb started sucking the air around while pulling the dispersed pieces of statues towards itself even before it could fall on the floor. And at the end of it, what''s left was 16 big golden orbs showing no signs of any movement.


    "They won''t be able to move for a while," Yoru said while changing back to her girl form.


    "Nice. Thank you, Yoru."


    Her cheeks were a little red when she heard me say that, but I was just being honest here. These statues would have seriously been a pain to deal with if she wasn''t here.


    ''Now, how should we do things from here?'' I thought as I looked towards the girls.


    They were still unconscious, so it may take a while for them to wake up. And even if they wake up, I couldn''t let them climb up with me in their condition.


    Now the few options that I had left was to either wait for them to recover, or ask Zagan to take them to his space if possible.


    ''Wait¡ª''


    [Hey Flare, can you hear me?]


    [Yes, master. I can also sense someone else near you.]


    Despite the calm tone, her words were definitely saying that she wasn''t very happy about this. But there was plenty of time to bicker about it later. Right now, I had to ask what I contacted her for.


    [Yeah, we can talk about that later. Be¡ª]


    Before I could move towards the important part, Flare interrupted me.


    [Later? Don''t you think we should discuss such things before doing them, master?]


    [Yeah, you see, sorry, this just happened. More importantly, how are Drake and Billy doing?]


    [They have woken up and are planning to move ahead.]


    [Okay, tell them to stay where they are, there aren''t any monsters there. This place is like a maze, they will only get lost if they try to move. After that, get ready, I am summoning you here.]


    [Okay, master.]


    [Hey Zagan. I think I need your help again.]


    [What did you get yourself into this time, kid. I thought I was only going to make my entrance again in the final battle.]


    [It''s just that I messed things up a little bit. Can you pull the girls here to your space for me?]


    [My space isn''t some kind of Lodging service. But¡­ well, I will just make an exception this time.]


    ''Man, he is acting all high and mighty all of the sudden,'' I thought, but deep down I was glad that he was willing to do it. This will now make things a lot more convenient.


    As I was thinking that, Zagan made his usual entrance from the red magic circle that appeared on the floor.


    "Made your harem bigger I see," he said looking towards Yoru, who was standing next to me. Despite the casual words and expression, the look on his face was serious.


    I just ignored the harem part and brought the conversation to the main topic. "Before you take them, let me call flare to check their condition properly."


    I created a fireball with pure yellow Flames. During the training, Flare told me that these yellow flames were phoenix flames that I could use as her master. They could heal people and destroy evil spirits along with the undeads. These flames could also be used to summon her, all I had to do was create a small fireball and say her name.


    "Flare."


    The fireball started growing bigger by absorbing the surrounding mana. And out of it came flare in her divine form.


    "Master, if I may ask. Who is this girl?"


    ''Woah! You are serious about this, huh?'' I thought, but I couldn''t say it out loud because I felt like I was being somewhat unfair to her.


    "I am sorry. She is a spirit, and now my summon."


    "You are awfully trusty masters. I don''t have a problem with you having many summons. The problem is, she looks like the moon spirit. But the moon spirit was killed by gods thousands of years ago."


    "What do you mean?" I asked looking towards Yoru in confusion.


    "I am not sure. There is a possibility that she is the reincarnation of the moon spirit."


    ''Man, there is so much mystery here all of the sudden now.''


    The looks on Yoru''s face was saying that she too was clueless about what Flare was saying. We were almost about to reach the top floor of the labyrinth. And there would be sufficient time to think about that after all this is over. So, for now I tried moving the conversation towards what''s important.


    "I think we can discuss that part later. Can you check if the girls will be okay?"


    "Alright."


    She still didn''t look pleased, but she agreed and flew towards the girls laying on the floor. She touched their skin with her flaming tail and healed the bruises on their body.


    "They are alright, but they will need some time to recover," Flare said after she finished checking them.


    "Okay, Zagan, please take them to your space. We can do a master-summon chat when all this is over."


    "Well, okay."


    After saying that, Zagan walked up to the girls and snapped his finger. And with that, the girls and Zagan disappeared.


    After he disappeared, I walked towards the passage in the center. It was the passage that would take us to the top of the Labyrinth where Marina was.


    "Okay, now let''s climb to the top."


    : Fountain of Immortality - Part 4

 78 2.33 Fountain of Immortality - Part 4

    "Guys, would you stop doing that?" I said when their argument became annoying from irritating.


    We were walking on the passage leading to the top. Since I couldn''t sense any creatures up ahead, the atmosphere wasn''t tense. But I was on my guard nonetheless because who knows what might show up in a place like this.


    The light stones embedded on the walls were making the passage bright¡ª almost too bright. If I was sensing right, we would reach the door to the top floor soon.


    I was anxious about what was waiting for us there. There were several questions in my mind, and I was trying to find the answers to those by connecting the dots. But these two weren''t letting me focus with their pointless argument.


    "Nara, you see, she keeps on staring at me," Yoru said looking down. I could understand why she would feel down though. Flare, who was sitting on my shoulder in her small bird form, had been continuously keeping an eye on her as if she was some kind of threat.


    "No, I am just keeping an eye on you. Who knows what you might be after here." Flare replied. Her tone sounded a little arrogant than usual.


    "Okay, just stop this. Who knows what might be in that place. We need to work together here."


    "If that is what you order master," Flare replied. This time she was the one who looked a little down.


    ''Man, being a master of multiple summons is a hard job,'' I thought. I was hoping that the meeting I was planning to do after all this would help solve the problem. Because if it didn''t, it would be impossible to handle the two of them like this.


    "This is not an order Flare, it''s just a request," I said in an attempt to cheer her up.


    There was an awkward moment of silence as we walked through the rest of the passage. And at the end of the passage, there was a big golden metal door with a strange flower pattern and a chalice craved at the center of it. It could have been because of the bright lightstones but it felt like the metal on the door itself was glowing.


    I reached closer to the door and touched the flower pattern on it. And right as I did that, the big door slowly slid open with a heavy metallic sound.


    Yoru and I slowly stepped inside. I was not sure how a normal person would feel, but I could sense immense mana inside the place as I entered.


    Inside there was a large space, almost as big as a small town. There was a lake at the center. But surprisingly, instead of looking blue, the water looked green. I could sense waves of mana floating in the water. And the source of this wave was a golden chalice at the center of the lake.


    The chalice was on a small islet at the center of the lake. It was a small chalice, but it was clearly visible because of the four shining gems embedded on the four sides. The gems were up of different colors, blue, green, purple, and red.


    "Flare, let''s go towards that chalice."¡ªI looked towards Yoru¡ª "Yoru, can you fly too?"


    "Yes, in divine form," Yoru replied.


    With those words, she started absorbing the surrounding mana. The mana then changed into the dark cocoon that covered her. And out of that cocoon came Yoru in her divine form. Her transformation process took a bit longer than Flare''s who could transform by absorbing surrounding mana.


    Following her, Flare also changed into her divine form. When Flare was in her divine form, I could control more mana without feeling much effect. But I would still need to pay a toll later as my body would feel all the piled-up exhaustion at once.


    I raised myself in the air with the help of the raw mana that I absorbed from the surrounding. With that, all three flew towards the chalice that was at the center of the lake.


    "BANG!"


    When we were about to reach the center, a loud bang was heard. But before I could look towards the direction of the sound, something caught my leg. And before I could see who it was, I was thrown towards the ground.


    I crashed on the ground but thankfully my mana cloak was still active. And because of that, I didn''t suffer any life-threatening injury. But when I tried standing up, my legs felt heavy.


    I could feel a sharp pain in my forehead, so I tried touching the part where I felt the pain. And when I looked at my fingers, as I suspected, it was blood. The cut was small, but it would be dangerous if the bleeding wasn''t stopped.


    "Master!"


    "Nara!"


    I could hear Yoru and Flare''s voice. It sounded like they were coming towards me, and before I could look towards them, I could feel Flares tail on my chest.


    The damage I suffered just now was in the form of physical injury. I was surprised that someone was able to cause me this much damage despite having my mana cloak on. But this wasn''t time to stay surprised. As soon as I felt enough energy in my feet to stand up, I stood.


    "Hasty, aren''t you?"


    I looked towards the source of the voice. And there she was, a woman who looked to be in her late twenties, floating in the air above the lake.


    She was a green-haired beauty dressed in a green gown. And just by looking at her, every instinct in my body was telling me that she is the one whom Zagan warned me about.


    "I gave her a choice, but she couldn''t choose. She was naive. Now, let me give you the same choice."


    More than the question, I was worried about the ''She'' that she was talking about. I tried looking around, and on my left Marina was laying on the floor with lucy.


    "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" I said in anger.


    I was worried and sensing that worry, Flare quickly rushed to her to check her condition. When flare nodded saying she was okay, I took in a long breath. I felt a sense of relief.


    "She may be alright for now, but she probably won''t be for long. If you aren''t able to make a choice, I may end up killing all of you."


    I looked towards her straight in the eyes and asked, "What are the choices?"


    "It''s simple actually, choose whom you want to save: Life of your friend, or the lives of the countless people living in this nation?"


    "What!" The word slipped out of my mouth in surprise.


    "You look confused, let me explain." With those words, she slowly came towards the ground near me.

 79 2.34 Fountain of Immortality - Part 5

    "That chalice is the source of this pristine mana lake, and the liquid in this lake gets mixed into the serpent river. If you remove this chalice, the river will lose its magic source. And you know what will happen when that happens."


    "What do¡ª"


    I was confused about how to react. But before I could say something stupid, I remembered what I learned in the village on the bank of the Serpent River.


    The stones found at the bank of the Serpent river were used to make monster warding light. And the river itself protected villages near the forests from the monsters. Despite being near monster nests, the river was the sole reason why people were assured of their safety.


    If it is as she said, then removing this chalice would be a disaster several times worse than a natural disaster. And not just that, if monster warding lights could no longer be produced, the journeys would be too dangerous. People rarely traveled as it is because of the fear of monsters.


    ''Is she trying to test us if we are selfish or not? No, if it was just that then Marina would have obviously made a choice," I thought. But then I realized how difficult making a choice here would be for a pure-hearted person like her.


    ''But these choices weren''t fair in the first place.''


    "Don''t you think you are being unfair here? We came all the way here for that chalice. Everyone is expecting us to return with something that can heal our friend. And after everything we had to go through; you give us a choice knowing full well that we won''t be able to pick one."


    She smiled when she heard my reply. The air around her was calm and it didn''t look like I offended her. This was good because based on the demonstration earlier and the description that Zagan gave me, she must be freakishly strong.


    "You are naive to expect everything to be fair. If things were that easy, you wouldn''t have come here to the fountain of immortality in the first place."


    "But what choices did we have?"


    "Yeah lady, you are acting all high and mighty. How can poor Nara make such a hard choice?" Yoru said in my defense. I gave her my silent thanks by looking towards her and nodding.


    It was annoying to hear that coming from her. She was making it sound like we were the ones wrong here. Bad things happened to people, it was just that they happened too often to some.


    "That''s the thing. Ordinary people don''t get to choose. Why should I give you the choices that suit your interest? Everyone has someone they want to save or protect. And you are no different. Unless¡­ You prove to me that you are special. If you do that, I promise that I will heal your friend."


    I was tempted by the offer. I didn''t feel myself as anyone special, but if I were to be compared by the standard of an ordinary man, I was definitely not normal. In midst of all these thoughts, a question came into my mind.


    Considering how this conversation progressed, she would definitely not ask something easy from me. And on top of that, I had no reason to believe that she would keep her end of the deal. But then again, she kept Marina safe. If she was really trying to do something bad to us, she could have used her as bait.


    "Okay, but how do I trust you have what we need?"


    "Ha-ha! That''s a surprising ordinary question from someone who is going to prove he is special. But I don''t mind answering it."


    After saying that, she took out a blue potion on a small transparent vial. My knowledge when it came to potion was next to zero, so I just waited for her to reveal what it is herself.


    "This is nectar, the drink of gods. It can heal any kind of physical or mental injury and can even repair one''s soul. This will be your price."


    ''Well, it looks legit,'' I thought, but I was also aware of an old saying that went something like, ''Looks can be deceiving''. I looked towards Flare to see if she had any idea about this ''nectar''.


    "Yes master, it indeed looks like nectar. And her having that makes me curious as to who she might be."


    That was certainly something that would make one curious. But at this point, I was more interested in acquiring that nectar than moving towards the introduction.


    "So, what will I have to do to acquire that?"


    She smiled again when she heard my response. At this point, I had a feeling that she was trying to lure me into all this from the start. But what choice did I have except to go along? I couldn''t risk the lives of all those people by taking that chalice. Neither could I show my face to my friends saying that all our struggles up to this point were meaningless. So, at last, the only choice left for me was the offer that she made.


    "Well, It''s simple. Fight me with everything you have got. If you win, you can take this," She replied while putting the vial of nectar back into her pocket.


    ''Man, why do things always end up like this?'' I thought. The thing I wanted to avoid the most was about to happen, and at this point, I had no means to back off.


    I was not sure what her abilities were so making any assumptions at this point would be baseless. But if she was capable of giving a guy like Zagan chills, I could easily say that she must be really strong.


    "Okay. Zagan, Flare, Yoru I will need your help."


    After I said that, Zagan made his usual entry. Flare and Yoru also prepared themselves for the fight.


    "Well, I was hoping you would summon me later in a life or death situation," Zagan made an unnecessary casual remark like usual. By what she showed to me earlier, she was capable of killing me in an instant if I am not careful enough. And I wasn''t the type who would lose the game in an attempt to keep the cards at hand. Especially when the loss could mean death here.


    ''I guess it''s time to go all out now.''


    : Battle for the drink of Gods

 80 2.35 Battle for the Drink of Gods

    She raised herself in the air without wasting any time. And as she did, the entire place started shaking. In the air, she released the aura she was suppressing. It was only then that I really understood what Zagan meant when he said she gave him chills.


    My feet that were on the ground were barely holding on, the presence was just that tremendous. It was as if the gravitational force itself was increased several folds. Anyone would lose what little confidence they had of surviving this if they were to come across this presence.


    "Zagan, let''s attack her together. Flare, please support us, and Yoru, you can focus on long-ranged attack."


    "Okay, just don''t get yourself killed. With that much energy, she may accidentally kill someone with a sneeze," Zagan said in his usual casual tone.


    Even though this was probably supposed to be a joke, there was no way we could afford to be careless here. A single mistake now could have drastic consequences.


    The green-haired woman just stood on the air right above the center of the lake. I could feel an immense amount of raw mana leaking out of her body. But she wasn''t making any moves, which meant she probably wanted us to go first.


    I looked towards Marina who was still unconscious. She was near the wall that was quite far from us.


    By the looks of it, we would probably be fighting over the lake, so she would be safe there.


    After confirming the surroundings, Zagan and I raised ourselves in the air. Flare and Yoru were flying right behind me. Flare was supporting me with her flames while Yoru created several dark lightning orbs around her like before.


    Just by looking at her, I could sense that no ordinary elemental magic would work on her. My best bet here was my Flaming dark sword. There was no time to be hesitant, so I took out my sword and clad it with the dark flames.


    I charged straight at her while Zagan went for her from the left side. When I reached the right distance, I swung my sword straight at her. At the same time, Zagan attacked her with a black orb that he created in his right hand. But before any of our attacks could reach her, she moved a little towards the right and grabbed my right hand with her left. Her movements were too fast for me to react. There was no way for me to counter that change in position in midst of my swing.


    She pulled me forward to use me as a shield against Zagan''s attack. But Zagan was quick to realize that. He swiftly passed from my left side and attacked her with the black orb in his hand.


    But as if she was expecting that move from him, she caught him using her right hand. And before we could attack her with magic using our left hands, she spun once and threw us towards the ground.


    ''Man, Flare really is awesome,'' I thought. If she wasn''t there to support me, I would never have been able to control this much mana efficiently.


    I wasn''t sure why but the impact on Zagan''s side was much worse. It could be because she was right-handed, or maybe she intentionally threw him a bit harder.


    Now that we were out of the way, Yoru attacked her using the dark lightning orbs that she had initially created. Like last time, their moments were slow, and right when one was about to reach her, she caught it barehanded. The active lightning touched her skin, but it was as if it had no effect at all. And before one could even activate, she smashed them all with just raw mana.


    ''Man, that''s cheating,'' I thought when I saw how overpowered her abilities were. And she was doing all this using just raw mana. I couldn''t even imagine how strong she would be if she was to use her magical abilities.


    "You call this an attack? White''s touch would be more impactful than this. And who are you kidding with those pathetic dances? And that man, he isn''t even taking it seriously," she said in an angry tone.


    "Well, I am taking it seriously alright. It''s just that it has been a few thousand years since I last used my powers," Zagan said while raising himself from the rubble. Surprising, despite the impact, there were no injuries in his body.


    "You look like¡­ Lucifer," She said in a confused tone.


    It looked like she was finally able to identify him. Considering the fact that they met thousands of years ago, it''s no wonder it took so long for her to realize that.


    "Took you long enough to remember. Back then you never told me your name, but I can never forget that face."


    "Ha-ha-ha! You look totally different than last time when I met you. Last time you were wearing golden armor and had long black hair. Now, you look younger."


    She no longer looked angry like she was a while ago, which was a good sign. Instead, she looked excited now, which was a bad sign.


    "Oh yeah, the good old days. I was young and foolish back then, but now, I am old and lazy," Zagan replied in his usual casual tone.


    "You were smart enough to listen to my advice back then, Lucifer," she replied.


    "But I was foolish enough to let my race fall into ruin. Also, I am no longer Lucifer. I have a new name and a new master. My name now is Zagan, and this boy here is my master."


    "Well, it''s good that you are no longer stuck in the past. You were a stranger to me when we first met. But now that we have met for the second time, you can call me olive."


    ''Man, they are starting to sound like lovers of war at this point,'' I thought as I heard their conversation progress.


    "Well, enough reunion talk. Now let''s get back to business."


    With those words, she started manipulating the surrounding mana. With all the things that had happened until now, I was able to understand something.


    ''So, that is the height one can reach by manipulating the surrounding mana properly.''

 81 2.36 Battle for the Drink of Gods - Part 2

    I was doing the same thing as she was, but even with Flare''s support, my abilities were drastically inferior.


    ''What am I doing wrong here?''


    Nothing conclusive came to my mind except a question.


    ''Is this my limit as a human?''


    I was gradually improving. My abilities were getting better, but there must be a limit. Like how a normal person reaches his peak in his youth after which his abilities start degrading gradually.


    I wasn''t sure if I would ever be as strong as her. Unlike her, my lifespan was limited.


    Compared to others, I was lucky. Lucky in the sense that I was able to improve my abilities with considerably less training. But despite all that, I was nowhere near her.


    Unlike last time, Olive didn''t stay quiet. She charged towards Zagan who was on the opposite side of the lake. I tried flying towards them, but my distance to them was greater and she was simply too fast.


    I was worried, but my worry was probably unnecessary because it looked like Zagan was prepared to counter her. Dark smoke was coming out of his body, and his eyes that were golden had turned red.


    He had released his aura and I could sense a huge amount of mana from him. But compared to Olive''s, it wasn''t even one-tenth.


    When she reached closer, she dashed towards him at an incredible speed. She was so fast that it looked like she disappeared from where she was and reappeared on his left.


    Without even wasting a fraction of a second, she attacked him with a high kick. That kick supported by her speed was a deadly combination. Zagan had not time to dodge that, he probably didn''t expect her to appear on his left.


    He tried blocking her using both of his hands. And in doing so, he was able to protect his body, but the impact sent him flying towards the wall.


    "BANG!"


    He collided with the wall and fell on the ground. But she didn''t stop there, she dashed just like before and appeared in front of him. And before he could even try to stand up, she kicked him in his guts. His back was against the wall so the damage was several times severe than before.


    He coughed blood as the impact created a huge crack on the wall.


    When all this was happening, I could do nothing but just watch. This helplessness reminded me of the time when Ronald was attacked by Beelzebub. I wasn''t able to do anything back then too.


    "Dammit!"


    I was enraged by the frustration of not being able to do anything. I was tired of looking at people around me getting hurt. But what could I do in this situation? I lacked the power to act in time.


    ''Even if I was able to reach them on time, would I have been able to do anything?''


    The water felt nice, it felt like I was being one with it. I couldn''t breathe but it felt like I didn''t need to.


    Several of my bones must have been broken by the impact. I had no energy to swim up. My whole body felt numb.


    Soon, the bottom of the lake felt closer than the top. And right when I was about to reach the bottom, my consciousness faded.


    "Woah! This place looks familiar."


    I woke up in a dark space. There was complete darkness as far as I could see. It felt like I had been here before, but I couldn''t perceive where exactly I was. I had been transported to a different space several times before, and at this point, the surprise wasn''t as great as it used to be. But the anticipation of what was about to happen next was still there.


    "So, we meet again."


    ''Wait! That voice.''


    I remembered the voice. It was spoken slowly like an old man talking to his grandchild. This voice made me realize where I was.


    "Black Dragon King?"


    "Oh, you remember me?"


    "Yeah, of course. How could I forget? By the way, thanks for your help last time."


    I remembered that he could sense my thoughts in this space. I had to be really careful about what I think here.


    "It''s alright. But even after I helped you get stronger, you got yourself beaten up again."


    "Please don''t make it sound like I wanted to get beaten up. She is really strong compared to Beelzebub. And this power you told me about takes a lot of toll in my body."


    "Hahaha¡­ It''s not like you trained for thousands of years to get that power. It will take time for your body to get used to it. Hmm¡­ maybe a few thousand years."


    "Thousand years?! I am not sure if I will be able to survive for few more seconds!"


    Even though his voice sounded like an old wise man, what he just said sounded extremely thoughtless. The lifespan of a human was around 100 years at most.


    "Hmm¡­ lifespan is not the important thing here. For now, let''s focus on what''s important. And that is to get you out of this situation."


    That sounded reasonable. This wasn''t the time for complaining about the lifespan. We were in the midst of battle, and complaining about those things at this point was fruitless.


    "Yeah. Even if I am able to get out of the mana lake somehow, I don''t think I will be able to do anything against her."


    "That is true. She even gives me a run for my money."


    "Huh?" I said in confusion.


    "Ignore what I just said. It is not important here. More importantly, have you tried using spirit magic?"


    "Spirit magic?" I asked. I remembered Princess Eliane telling me that Elves make contracts with the spirits. But I wasn''t familiar with Spirit magic in specific.


    "Hmm¡­ didn''t the Elf girl tell you? You can use your spirits as your power source directly. And by doing so, you will be able to use some of their abilities as your own."


    : Battle for the Drink of Gods - Part 3

 82 2.37 Battle for the Drink of Gods - Part 3

    "First thing, I am clueless about how to do that. And second thing, I am injured and drowning. With the way things are, I am pretty sure I will meet Bookman soon," I said. My tone was casual since my consciousness was not in my body. If it was there, I would have probably been in too much pain to even speak.


    I wonder if that was why he pulled just my consciousness to ''The world of darkness''. With my body in such a messed-up state, I would probably never have been able to hold a normal conversation like this.


    "Who is this bookman?"


    ''So, even he doesn''t know him? Well, you need to be dead to see him, so it was obvious.''


    "Let''s just say he is an old man who likes reading books and hates questions."


    "This isn''t the time to be joking," he said in an annoyed tone. I had forgotten the fact that he could read my loud thoughts. But he probably took that thought of mine as a joke too.


    "Okay. So, what do you suggest I should do now?" I asked. I could have told him about the Bookman and how I met him, but that would take a lot of time to explain. And right now, we didn''t have time in abundance. We had wasted a lot of time already, so I moved right into the important part.


    "Well firstly, you are lucky. The lake where she threw you can heal anyone if it accepts them. And considering the purity of your mana, it will probably accept you. The second thing, it may be too soon for the moon spirit, but the sun spirit is probably ready. Try sensing her thoughts, it is somewhat similar to how you communicate with each other telepathically. And when you are able to do that, try feeling her as a part of your own body. Imagine her being some kind of extension to your body. Like a tail maybe."


    "Probably?"


    "I am somewhat sure it will."


    ''That ''somewhat'' still doesn''t make me feel any better.''


    "If you ask me, the surviving part is easy. But I am not sure if she will be kind enough to throw you in the lake next time too. So, better focus on trying to acquire the spirit magic."


    The process to activate it was simple enough, but the question that came to my mind was ''will I be able to do it?'' It was perfectly normal for that question to come. No matter how obvious the result, being positive in this kind of situation was hard.


    "Thanks, old man¡­ Before you send me back, are you still stalk¡ª I mean, keeping an eye on me?"


    "Well, isn''t that obvious. If I wasn''t how would I have been able to pull you here in the nick of time."


    ''Damn old man, you make it sound like you are doing something noble. But well, he did save my skin several times.''


    As I was thinking that, I found myself drifting in the gap between the spaces. And before I could even observe it carefully, everything turned dark.


    I could sense the water touching my skin. My body no longer felt tired.


    I slowly opened my eyes and found myself at the bottom of the lake. And as I did, I realized that I was out of breath. I pushed the ground and swam towards the surface.


    "Buaa!"


    When I reached the surface, I breathed heavily and inhaled as much air as my lungs could hold.


    "Master, are you alright?"


    "Nara, are you okay?"


    Both Flare and Yoru came rushing towards me. It didn''t look like a lot of time had passed.


    "Yeah, I am fine. No need to worry."


    After taking a few deep breaths, I raised myself back in the air and looked towards Zagan. He was lying on the ground under the big crack on the wall.


    "So, you are still alive huh? I didn''t expect the lake to accept you. But well, I promise you won''t be that lucky next time," Olive said when she saw me raise myself up.


    "I''ll see what I can do about that," I replied. My intention was to engage her in a conversation and use that time to communicate with Flare telepathically. That way I would be able to tell her about a plan moving ahead.


    [Flare, I will try to sense your thought. That way I will be able to use your power directly. Is that alright with you?]


    [Huh?! Sorry¡­ I mean, it''s alright. If that is what you wish, master.]


    "Getting cocky, aren''t you?" Olive said in an angry tone.


    "Ha-ha! Wait, let me show you what I can really do," I replied. This was part of my strategy to buy time. I wasn''t sure if this would work or not, but it was worth a shot. If it didn''t work, I would look like a fool who doesn''t even know what he was talking about. But if it worked, I would get something that could really help me in this situation.


    "HAHAHA! Then show me, I am waiting," she said in an excited tone. Considering her personality and her goal in doing all this, I was pretty obvious that my strategy would work.


    I closed my eyes and tried tinkering with the telepathic link between me and Flare. I tried going deeper towards her subconscious and unconscious thoughts. But that didn''t feel like what I was looking for.


    ''It feels warm.''


    As I was trying to find what I was looking for, I came across something that was even deeper than her unconscious thought. I could sense kindness and positivity from it, but that wasn''t all. I could also sense a violent rage and strong sense of justice when I looked closer.


    ''Is this what I think it is¡­ her soul.''


    As the Black Dragon king told me, I tried feeling her¡ªin this case her soul¡ªas a part of me myself. But as someone who had always been human, it was hard for me to imagine something as an extension of my body. So, instead of the physical body part I imagined something else.


    I slowly opened my eyes, and when I did, there was a collared cloak made up of golden flames on my shoulders. I could feel something in my head too, so I looked at the water on the lake to find what it was. It was a crown made up of golden flames.


    I could sense the warmth coming out of my chest. When I closed my eyes and tried looking at what it was, I realized it was Flare''s soul. It felt like she was a part of me now.


    ''So, this is the spirit magic.''


    This was my first time using this technique, but it made me realize how basic elemental magic was. I opened my eyes and looked towards Olive, who looked intrigued by watching what was happening in front of her.


    "Hey Olive, was this worth your wait?"


    "Ha-ha! It indeed looks flashy, let''s see what you can do with this."


    : Battle for the Drink of Gods - Part 4

 83 2.38 Battle for the Drink of Gods - Part 4

    Olive charged straight towards me, but unlike last time, I was able to sense her movements. It didn''t look like she had slowed down, so it must be because of these new powers.


    When she came close enough, she attacked me with a high kick, much like how she attacked Zagan before. But I saw that coming and dodged it by bending backward. My body felt a lot flexible in this form and I was able to do it as normally as bending forward.


    "Cool." The word slipped out of my mouth in excitement. Despite the situation that we were in, something inside me was giving me the confidence that we could beat her.


    These powers were too new and I was yet to get the hang of it. That was why I wasn''t going offensive and counterattacking.


    "There is more where that came from."


    With those words, she used her other foot to attack me with a back kick. I blocked using my hands, but the impact sent me flying towards the ground where I crashed.


    The crash was loud, but surprisingly, I wasn''t hurt much. What little bruises that I suffered because of the attack were being healed instantly. And by the time I stood back up, I looked completely unharmed.


    ''She is really a beast.''


    Even with the abilities of my mana cloak enhanced several times, her attack got through. The impact didn''t cause much harm, but it was a powerful blow which could have caused me some serious damage in my earlier state. And the fact that this attack was without the support of momentum gained through her speed made it even more incredible.


    "Looks like you''ve become more resilient. But is that all?"


    "Take this."


    Right after she said that, Yoru, who was right behind her, attacked her with a dark lightning attack. The attack was indeed powerful considering the loud noise it made, but not powerful enough to harm her.


    "Are you sure this was an attack?" She said looking towards Yoru in a way that could be called creepy.


    "Damn!" It looked like the attack was only able to gain her attention without doing her any harm whatsoever. Without wasting time, she flew straight towards her.


    I was still on the ground so I wasn''t sure if I would be able to reach her in time. I physically enhanced my legs and used the ground to repel myself in the air. I then used all the raw mana I could to fly straight towards them just so I would be able to stop her in time.


    It looked like my speed was slightly greater than hers. At this rate, I would have been able to reach them right on time. But when I was just about to catch up to her, she stopped.


    "Got you."


    She turned around and punched me in the guts using her right fist. I could neither dodge nor defend. I was too focused on moving ahead that I let my guard down.


    It was foolish of me to judge her personality to be prideful and aggressive. I should have known that in the thousands of years that she lived; she must have come across all sorts of situations.


    "Nara!"


    Yoru rushed towards me as soon as I fell on the ground. The flames on my cloak were healing me so I would probably be back to normal soon. But we were at a clear disadvantage and there was no way we would be able to win like this.


    ''Guess there is only one choice left.''


    [Yoru, can you hear me?]


    [Oh! Yeah, I can. Are you alright?] Yoru''s reply came in a surprised tone. She was probably startled by sudden telepathic communication.


    [I am fine¡­ Yoru, I will try sensing your thoughts. That way, I will be able to use your powers. Is that alright with you?]


    [Yes!] Her reply came fast in an excited tone.


    I wasn''t sure if this would work or not. Considering the fact that the Black dragon king said it might be too soon for her, it probably won''t. But we were in a tight spot and this was worth a shot.


    I closed my eyes and tried tinkering with the telepathic link like before. I tried going deeper towards her subconscious and unconscious thought. But something prevented me from going any further.


    ''Wait, was that Flare?''


    I forgot to consider the fact that they didn''t get along well. For me to be able to use both of their powers at once, they would need to get along. And the way they were now, they would just fight among each other.


    [Sorry Yoru, this isn''t working. Maybe we can try it some other time.]


    [Ah, alright.] Considering how she sounded excited earlier; it was given that she would be disappointed after hearing my response.


    "Oh, you are not dead yet kid?" As I was talking with Flare telepathically, Zagan, who was laying on the ground, spoke.


    "You thought I would be dead?!... Well, anyway... I am glad that you are alive."


    "Yeah, I have survived messier situations countless times. I just didn''t expect her to come at me like that." He said as he pushed the ground and stood up. "But now that I had a nap, I am ready for round two."


    With just me, the chances of us winning were pretty low. But with the two of us, there was a decent chance we might be able to beat her.


    "Yoru, can you turn back to human form and look after Marina and Lucy? They are my friends and I would really be grateful if you could do that," I said looking towards Yoru.


    "Alright. But call me if you need me, okay?"


    With those words, she changed back into her human form. She still sounded a bit disappointed but there was nothing we could do at the moment. We would just need to wait until the two of them start getting along. And looking at the way they were now, it would take some time for that to happen.


    Surprisingly, as we were doing all this, Olive was just standing above us without attacking. It would have been a perfect opportunity to attack since all of us were distracted, but she wasn''t making any move.


    ''Well, who knows what''s going on in her head. All I care for now, is getting that nectar and getting the hell out of this place with my friends.''


    "She is probably observing your spirit magic. Long living creatures are often fond of new things. And you don''t get to see someone using divine spirit magic often," Zagan said when he saw me looking at Olive curiously.


    "But is it all that rare though? I thought Elves could use that," I asked. By what the Back Dragon king told me, the Elves can use spirit''s magic like I was doing.


    "Yeah, the thing is, even with spirit''s magic one''s ability is only boosted two to three, or maybe even five times in rare cases. But in your case, your abilities reached the point where you could easily take her attacks. And with proper training, you might even be able to fight at her level. Now the obvious question here would be, is that because of your abilities, or is it because of your divine spirit?"


    : Battle for the Drink of Gods - Part 5

 84 2.39 Battle for the Drink of Gods - Part 5

    I honestly wasn''t sure how to answer that. I could feel Flare like a part of me, but my consciousness was the dominant one. I could sense her strong emotions, but not her complete thoughts.


    "Well, let''s think about that later kid. For now, you take the lead and I will back you up."


    My abilities were still unknown to me, so I wasn''t exactly sure if I was the right person for the job. But since he said he would back me up, I could count on him to have my back.


    At this point, it would be nice if I could test these new abilities of mine using my sword. But it wasn''t around anywhere, so it might have fallen into the lake with me during her attack earlier.


    Imagining Duke''s and Garo''s reaction when they find out that I lost it was making me hesitant to ignore the matter. But I moved on and raised myself in the air. Zagan followed me and both of us took our position.


    "Looks like you two are finally ready. Now, I can be serious."


    ''Well, I thought you were already serious,'' was what I wanted to say. But now, the time for talks was over.


    I charged straight towards her, and as I did, she too came straight at me. When we met at the center, she attacked me with her favorite high kick.


    The high kick here was a good idea since its range was bigger compared to any fist attack. But at this point, it had somewhat become predictable. I blocked the high kick using my left arm.


    This time, I was ready for the impact, I had physically enhanced my arm and had concentrated most of my raw mana into my mana cloak. The price of this was my limited magical abilities since most of my mana would be spent on defense. But that was something I needed to do when fighting at this range.


    Kicking a woman wasn''t really my style. But she was no normal woman, she was a beast. So, without wasting my time on second thought, I tried returning the favor using my right leg. The flexibility in my current form helped me, but since my attack wasn''t supported by momentum like hers, she dodged it easily by bending backward and caught my leg with her right hand.


    "Oh crap!"


    I was at the part where I had no way to escape. I was sure the slam on the ground was coming next, but before that could happen, Zagan attacked her using a dark orb like the one he used before. Unlike last time, the orb was a lot bigger this time.


    She moved back and avoided it at the nick of time. His speed too had increased considerably than the last time, so dodging the attack was the wise move on her part.


    "Hey Zagan, don''t you have any other cool moves that we can use here?"


    "This place is filled with pure mana, and we demons are the manipulator of negative energy. My abilities are limited here."


    "Oh yeah, forgot that."


    Humans and demi humans considered this ability to be evil, but it was just another way to create a balance in the world. Though excessive absorption of miasma leading to insanity was something often observed. Though there could be a way to avoid that.


    ''I should ask Zagan more about this when I have time.''


    "Well, I am not the type to blame my inefficiency to home-field advantage, but in this case, she just holds too much of that. The best I can do here is this."


    As he was saying that, he used both of his hands and created a long sword of concentrated darkness magic.


    "Woah, this might work."


    "Huh?"


    Right when I was wondering how to defeat her, I got an idea that might work. That sword was the exact thing that we needed to try this.


    Despite our talks, both of us were vigilant and our eyes were focused on her. She wasn''t making a direct move, so she too probably was waiting for us to make a move.


    [Hey Zagan, let''s try something.]


    As I was saying that, I created a longsword using the purest golden flame that I could muster. This was the same technique that Zagan used before. But the elements making our swords were different.


    [What? Oh, that¡­ Okay, but are you sure those flames will do the job?]


    [I am sure they will get along with pretty much anything.]


    [Okay, It''s worth a shot. Let''s confuse her with our movements and go for a diagonal strike.]


    After discussing our strategy, we gave her what she wanted and made our move.


    I charged straight towards her left with my flaming sword while Zagan went for the right. We knew what happened before when we tried going at her together so this time, we were prepared in case she tries to do the same. My speed had increased a lot so it wouldn''t be as easy as last time. But at this point, it would be best to move with the thinking that she was way faster.


    As expected, she dodged both of our attacks by bending backward. But I created a fireball in my left hand and right when she was dodging our attack, I attacked her with it.


    She caught my hand before my attack could reach her, but Zagan was prepared for the next strike.


    Zagan swung his Darkness sword at her, but she pulled me down and used me as a shield. When Zagan saw me there, he stopped his attack.


    We weren''t done though. I attacked her using my flaming sword from below, but she dodged it with a backflip. And as she did, Zagan went for the third strike. But before he could get to her, she moved backward and distanced herself.


    "Coordinating, huh?" she said. Despite all the efforts we put in our attacks we weren''t even able to faze her a bit. "Well, I figured you would be plotting something like that at this point. Let''s see how long you can keep that up."


    ''She fell for it.''


    I charged at her diagonally while Zagan moved right to the position where I was standing before. As expected, she was confused since this attack wasn''t as coordinated as earlier and there were a lot of openings. When I reached closer, I jumped. And when I was right above her, I attacked her using my flaming sword.


    She didn''t try to catch me because she knew it would restrict her movement too and give both Zagan and me an opening to attack.


    When I was keeping her busy, Zagan attacked her using a darkness slash. But his aim was off, so she didn''t bother to dodge it. But right when it was passing next to her. I turned around and slashed out with a burst of purest golden flames, aiming right at Zagan''s dark slash.


    When they collided, a huge burst of dark flames appeared, and engulfed her within itself, trapping her inside a huge block of magical ice.


    : Aftermath

 85 2.40 Aftermath - Part 1

    The huge block of ice at the center fell on the ground as the flames extinguished. After it did, I flew towards Zagan but as things couldn''t be assessed with certainty, I stayed vigilant.


    "Did it work?"


    "I am not sure kid, but it''s better to be safe than sorry."


    He was right. It would be better to stay vigilant and observe for a while before celebrating the victory. There were several instances where people became careless when they were close to victory, and that carelessness cost them the victory. This occurrence was common throughout history in my previous world, and I think the same would be true in any world.


    "Kid, you can go to your friends down there. I will keep an eye on things here for now. We also need to find a way to get that nectar out of that ice. Maybe it is possible to combine those pure flames with holy magic too."


    Before, there was no way to get the nectar out of her pocket without defeating her. And now that she was trapped within the block of ice, we would need to partially melt it to get it out of there.


    It was a good thing that this was magical ice that could recover itself by absorbing the surrounding mana. But taking the vial out would be another trial entirely, for now, it was a good idea to take a momentary break.


    I slowly flew towards the ground where Yoru was taking care of Marina and Lucy. She had made them lean comfortably by the wall.


    "How is she doing?" I asked as I landed close to them.


    "The fairy is alright, but the girl, she has a fever."


    "Thank you for your help, Yoru."


    Marina''s body looked red, so the fever must be really high. I touched her forehead to check how high it was, and as I thought, it was high enough to make you feel relieved that she was still holding on despite that.


    I remembered Flare telling me that her flames could heal anyone whom I considered friends. And now that my feelings were directly linked to these flames, I was hoping they would be able to heal her more effectively.


    I slowly brushed her pink hair. Despite the condition we were in, I couldn''t help but smile when I saw that cute face and those cat ears. I remembered how shy she was when we first met, and how we grew this close, this soon.


    Despite the lack of confidence, her feelings were always true. She never envied or hated anyone from heart and wished for everyone''s happiness. She was a really kind soul, and a really good person.


    I slowly took off my crown of golden flames with both of my hands and placed it over Marina''s head. And as I did that, her whole body was covered in pure golden flames. I wasn''t sure if it would work or not, but I was hoping with all my heart that it would.


    "Nara, is that you?" Marina said but her eyes were still closed. As she said that, the flames covering her body disappeared along with the crown, and the crown appeared back on my head.


    "I am sorry. I am so sorry."


    Tears started welling up in her eyes as she was saying that, but before I could console her, they started falling on her cheeks. I wasn''t sure what to do, so I placed my right hand over her head and started petting her.


    "It''s alright now. Everyone is alright."


    When I said that, Marina leaned forward and hugged me, and as she did, I kept on petting her head. I could understand how hard it must have been for her to be in a place like this.


    "I couldn''t choose Nara; I couldn''t be selfish. I couldn''t choose Ronald over all those people."


    "It''s alright. You did nothing wrong. We still have a way to save Ronald, so don''t cry."


    "Really?" She moved back and looked at my face as she asked.


    "Yeah, we defeated her. She has something that can save Ronald. All we need to do is get that and get out of this place."


    "DO YOU THINK IT WILL REALLY BE THAT EASY?"


    A loud voice echoed through the air. I looked towards the source of the voice, and as feared, the voice was coming from the magical ice that was on the ground around five hundred meters away from us.


    Right after the voice was heard, the ground started shaking and a large quantity of mana started gathering around the ice. I looked towards Zagan for an explanation, but he too was staring at ice looking uncertain as to what was happening.


    Before we could figure anything out, the ice that was transparent a while ago turned green. And as it did, large cracks started appearing on its surface.


    "Uh-oh! Kid, this doesn''t look too good. That energy is way stronger than what she was showing us a while ago."


    Right after Zagan fished saying that, the ice broke into pieces, and there she was standing unharmed despite being frozen for this long. Something about her form was different though. She had two long horns coming out of her head. Her fangs that looked human a while ago, looked like beast claws and green scales were covering her cheeks and arms. She looked somewhat similar to Miss Lilith, but I could sense a way stronger energy coming out of her.


    "Damn! Kid, let''s forget about that nectar and get the hell out of here. She is too much for us to handle. In fact, she is too much for anyone to handle. Even if I was outside, I would be no match for her in this state."


    I was confused as to how to respond to that. The situation wasn''t in favor so what he said was logical. But after coming all this way and enduring all the suffering, I was hesitant to let this opportunity slide.


    I looked towards Marina whose eyes were open wide in shock and made my choice. At this point, it looked like a pointless battle with no chance of victory. The small ray of light that was visible at the end of the tunnel, disappeared.


    ''But even if we try to fall back, would she let us?''


    Everything was uncertain at this point. What little hope we had was lost. Expecting miracles to happen at this point was pointless. What options did we have at this point?


    Too many things came to my mind and I wasn''t certain about anything. But everyone was expecting me to make the choice at this point.


    "Stay strong kid. At some point, you need to make difficult choices in life, just make a choice that you won''t regret."


    "Yeah¡ª "


    Before I could conclude my sentence, Olive charged right at me. I was at the position where I couldn''t dodge. Marina was right behind me.


    In that form, she was too powerful for me to even block. All I could do was brace myself for the impact. But right before her claws could reach me, her arm was caught by someone who appeared out of nowhere.


    "Calm down Green. You are overdoing things here."


    I looked up at the source of that familiar voice, and the one standing in front of me was a tall middle-aged man dressed in a long black trench coat. He had long black hair and despite having his aura suppressed, the air around him was giving a strong vibe.


    : Aftermath - Part 2

 86 2.41 Aftermath - Part 2

    He left her hand after which she backed down and changed back to her earlier form. It looked like she too was familiar with the man that showed up.


    "Alright. I might have gone a little overboard in excitement, but I didn''t expect you to show up here by yourself."


    "Well, my intuitions were telling me that things might turn out this way. And it looks like I am right on time."


    After saying that, he turned towards us. He looked at me with a big smile on his face as he said continued speaking.


    "Hey kid, we finally met."


    Despite the familiar voice, I wasn''t sure whom I was talking to. I had a pretty good guess about who it might be. But instead of going with the guess, it might be better to use the ''I don''t know you'' approach here.


    "Do I know you?"


    "Ha-ha! Yeah, just a while ago, I gave you some advice. Do you remember who I am now?"


    "Black Dragon King?"


    "That''s too formal, you will embarrass me in front of my colleague. Call me Sullivan."


    After introducing himself, tuned towards the chalice at the center of the lake.


    "Looks like breaking all those walls was worth it. That puny voice was really bugging me, but I am glad that I was right on time."


    My intuitions were telling me that the ''puny voice'' he just mentioned was the voice of the labyrinth. Looks like he was aware that things might turn up this way, so he gave me the advice that I needed to survive until he himself makes it up to here.


    ''What a shrewd man¡­ but why is he doing all this for me?''


    The question came to my mind but judging by the circumstances, this wasn''t the right time to ask that question.


    "Olive, do you remember the favor that I asked of you when we last talked?"


    "I do. So, is this what you wanted?" Olive took out the vial of nectar as she said that.


    "Yes, would you mind giving that to this boy?"


    "Well, I was planning to give him this eventually," she said as she threw the vial towards me. I caught the vial right before it could fall on the ground. "Oh yes, I did something else too. I took a liking to this demi-human girl and her kindness. So, as a reward, I awoke her element."


    "Thanks, Olive. You have my gratitude"¡ªHe turned towards me¡ª "Now that you have what you need, why don''t you kids go back home? Also, this time when you are going down, use stairs. I saw them on my way here and I think the exit on your right leads to them."


    That was what we were planning to do, but before that there was something that I was really curious about.


    "Hey Sullivan. I am not sure if I have ever met you before, so why are you helping us?"


    It might have come off as an awfully rude question. But I thought it would be better to ask it now instead of keeping that question in mind.


    ''Damn! He did that on purpose didn''t he?''


    "Okay, but you better tell me if we meet next time"¡ªI looked towards Zagan¡ª "Zagan, let''s go."


    I caught Marina''s shoulders and helped her get up. Yoru carried Lucy, and all of us slowly walked out of the floor. On our way out, we took the exit on the right that led us to the spiral stairs.


    There were many stairs to climb down, I was worried about Marina, but she stayed strong as we climbed down the stairs.


    Zagan too stayed with us as we walked down. I was still using Flare''s power because I wasn''t sure if I would even be able to stand up without it. I, myself had taken a lot of beating in this battle. I wasn''t feeling exhausted because of these powers, but I was sure the exhaustion would show itself if I stopped using it.


    We took several breaks on our way down, and after climbing down for a few hours, we heard a voice coming from below.


    "Drake, I hear human footsteps. Looks like it''s them¡­ but why are there only four of them?"


    It looked like Billy and Drake waited for us instead of going down by themselves. I was surprised that Drake didn''t go down on his own. Hopefully, he has had enough of all the adventures for now.


    "Oh! They are here. But where are the other girls? And who is this girl, and this man." Billy said with a worried expression in his face when he saw us coming.


    "They are alright, no need to worry. I will explain everything later, for now, let''s just get out of this place," I said when we reached closer.


    "Yes, but how could leave the girls here and get out?"


    "They are safe in my home. Now, let''s get out of this place quickly so that I can take a nap," Zagan said looking a bit irritated. He too took some beating, so it was understandable that he would feel tired.


    On our way down, Billy made several attempts to start a conversation. But we all were too tired for one, so we just kept on walking. After walking for a while, we reached a darker passage, at the end of which, we could see the sunlight.


    "Nara, that monster," Marina said while pointing her finger towards a one-horned red monster at around 250 meters away in our right.


    "That''s Red Horn, a monster common in the Northern region. It won''t attack you as long as you provoke it," Drake said after looking at the monster Marina pointed at.


    "Okay, let''s get out of here, before it notices us," I said after which all of us slowly walked through the exit.


    Outside, it looked like it was still noon. The sun was bright, and a gentle wind was blowing. It took a while for my eyes to adjust to this level of brightness, but after it did, we walked towards where we had left the carriage.


    Looking at the green trees and the forest felt somewhat soothing to my eyes. The air outside felt relieving after staying inside the labyrinth for days.


    The horses that we had released before going inside were grazing nearby. It was a good thing that they didn''t run off because we would be needing them on our way back home.


    It was a hectic experience, but at the end of the day, we won. We all survived and saw it through.


    I let Marina stand on her own and walked a few steps forward. It was about time I released Flare, so I closed my eyes and felt the flames within my soul. I separated those golden flames from my soul and summoned it in my hands. And from those flames came out Flare in her divine form.


    "I guess, I should sleep for now."


    I felt dizzy as my eyesight became hazy. I could barely feel my feet, every inch of my body was in agony. Right when I gave up on standing and was about to fall, I felt a shoulder supporting me.


    "You did well kid, no¡ª My master."


    Those were the last words I heard before my consciousness faded.

 87 2.42 I wish every morning was like this

    "Let me do it."


    "No, it''s my turn. I am his summon, and summons are closer than friends after all."


    "Girls, would you please lower your voice. My darling is still sleeping you know."


    When my consciousness returned, I could hear the girls bickering. This was nothing new since I had heard them do that several times. But what''s new was this feeling. It felt like I was in a bed, but the pillow felt awfully different than normal. It was hard but it felt soft in a different way.


    My body felt as if a truck had just run over me. I was in a state where I didn''t even feel like lifting my hand. But I was curious as to what was going on, so I slowly lifted my head and opened my eyes.


    Outside the opening of the tent, I could see that Princess Anna and Yoru were arguing about something. Arica was there too but it looked like she was enjoying the argument instead of trying to calm them down.


    "Are they really fighting over food?"


    Princess Anna was holding a bowl of stew while Yoru was trying to take that bowl of stew from her. It was somewhat frustrating to see girls arguing about something so petty in the state I was in.


    "I think you should lie down. You still need more rest."


    I heard Princess Eliane''s voice, but before I could look towards the direction where her voice was coming from, I felt a gentle touch on my cheeks. And before I realized it, my head was back to where I lifted it from¡ª her lap.


    It felt a little embarrassing when I realized that but when I looked towards her face, she just had a slight smile with no abnormal reaction. ''Well, I guess it wouldn''t hurt to lay down for a little while.''


    After a while, the noise outside stopped, it looked like they finally reached some kind of conclusion in their arguments. Which was a good thing, since today I wasn''t feeling like doing anything, I just wanted to lay on this la¡ª I mean, bed.


    As I was trying to relax, Princess Anna and Arica slowly came in. They probably didn''t want to disturb my sleep, but at this point, after realizing where my head was, sleep was a dream.


    "He just woke up, but I think he needs more rest," Princess Eliane said when she saw them come in.


    "Okay, you probably need a break, Eliane. Let me take care of him," Arica said as she sat right next to Eliane.


    "Yes, I think I will have my breakfast now. Thanks, Arica."


    After saying that, Princess Eliane slowly lifted my head and placed it over Arica''s lap. This lap felt somewhat different than the one before and would take some time to get used to. But by no means, I was dissatisfied.


    Arica started playing with my hair as soon as my head fell on her lap, and the way she was doing it was making me feel relaxed. Her hands were gentle, and her touch felt soft, but the way she was slowly moving it backward felt so soothing.


    "I think I can eat it myself," I said since I could sense that she was definitely here to spoon-feed me. But when I tried to raise myself up Arica stopped me.


    "Darling, you know, you were asleep for 3 days. You always push yourself too hard. Just try to relax for a while, okay?"


    ''Well, I am not surprised I was down for 3 days considering the state I was in. But still...''


    Arica''s offer wasn''t bad considering the fact that my body was still feeling the fatigue. But even in this state, it would be too embarrassing to be spoon-fed.


    "Nara, you don''t like me, do you?" Princess Anna said while looking down. At this point, I could do nothing but wonder why she was reacting that way.


    "Huh?! Where did that come from?" I said in surprise when I saw tears welling up in her eyes. Such an overreaction over something so simple was unexpected.


    "Well, you ate when Yoru fed you yesterday morning. And you looked happy when Marina and Arica did that the day before. But yesterday evening when I tried feeding you, you refused to take a single bite after the first one."


    ''What! So that''s what going on!''


    "I was unconscious back then. How would I know who was feeding me?"


    "Okay. But now that you know, let me feed you."


    ''That doesn''t make any sense'' was what I wanted to say. But considering how determined she looked, I was too tired to make a fuss about it. In the end, I gave up and waited for her to put the spoon of stew in my mouth. But when she brought the first spoon full of stew towards me, I understood why I subconsciously refused to eat yesterday.


    "Princess Anna, that looks too hot. You need to blow it first," I said right when she brought it in front of my mouth. I would have felt sorry for my taste buds if that stew had accidentally entered my mouth.


    "O-oh yeah. Almost forgot. Ha-ha!" Princess Anna said, but her expressions were clearly saying that she had no idea. Well, I have to say, it was foolish of me to expect that the princess of this nation would know how to feed someone.


    She took the spoon close to her mouth and blew it several times. After which she slowly brought the spoon towards my mouth.


    The stew was tasty. They probably didn''t make it spicy knowing that I was still unwell. But for my taste buds that hadn''t tasted any good food in days, this was heavens.


    The biggest downside of someone else feeding you was the pace. If it was me eating by myself, I would have already finished the stew by now. But the way princess Anna was doing it, it would take me forever to finish that bowl.


    I was in no rush though, and eating like this had the perks of its own. The food wasn''t the only thing I was enjoying, the way princess Anna was feeding me looked cute in its own way.


    After I finished eating, I felt somewhat curious as to what others were doing. I hadn''t seen Marina, Billy, Drake, Zagan, or even Flare. So, I looked up towards Arica and asked.


    "Hey Arica, where are others?"


    "Oh, I think Billy and Drake went hunting early this morning, they are yet to return. Flare is keeping the watch from the sky, and Marina is resting. She hasn''t recovered completely yet... As for Zagan, he said he needed a nap and disappeared after bringing us here."


    I guess everything was pretty much back to normal. With little more rest, I would also be back to my usual normal self. Even though life would be boring without a few adventures once in a while, at the end of the day, that ''normal'' is always the best.

 88 2.43 Meeting of the 10 bosses

    The room was dark with just a dim red light. At the center of the room, there was a round table around which 7 men were seated. Everyone who was seated at the table was wearing a black suit and a hat. Even though their faces weren''t visible, one would conclude that they were bosses of some secret organization just by looking at them.


    Even though they had been seated like this for a while, no one had started the conversation. But with every passing moment, the atmosphere around them was becoming intense. This intense moment of silence was broken by a thin man wearing a tall hat.


    "Boss number 2, you know we don''t like wasting our time. Tell us why have you called us here."


    "Patience my friend, patience. I want the honorable gentlemen present here to be comfortable first. The news I am about to reveal is that shocking after all," a short fat man wearing a black bowler''s hat replied.


    "Stop beating around the bush Boss number 2. We are getting impatient here." A man wearing a homburg hat said in an irritated tone.


    "Okay. Hear me colleagues, because the thing I am about to say will blow your mind"¡ªHe stood from his chair¡ª "The demon lord has reincarnated."


    The whole room fell silent and after a momentary silence, gossip started. This was a predictable reaction considering the scale of the news. The reaction would have been different if the news was revealed with evidence, but without it, it was natural for the whispers to start.


    This wasn''t the first time this kind of claim was made, but most of the time it turned out to be a fake rumor. While in this case, it was hard to ignore this since the one making the claim was one of the ten bosses.


    "Have you lost your sanity Boss number 2? What basis do you have to make such a claim?" a man wearing a Porkpie hat asked in an annoyed tone.


    This was the question that most of the people seated at the table had. But while everyone was busy trying to verify the claim on their own, Boss number 4 went the straight route and asked it directly.


    "Basis you ask. What if I say that it was Lucifer who told me that?"


    With these words, Boss number 2 was able to do what he was trying to do: gain everybody''s full attention. Just the claim of meeting Lucifer would have been big news in itself, but saying that he heard about the demon lord''s reincarnation from Lucifer himself left everybody at awe.


    Everyone was looking at him, expecting to hear more. But he knew that making people wait longer before revealing his cards would help in building his charisma even more. He waited for a brief moment to let everyone make their own assumptions after which he continued.


    "Yes gentlemen. I met Lucifer in person, and he told me that he now has a new master. Do you understand what this means? This means his master, the demon lord is back, he has reincarnated."


    "Of course, I am not making a baseless claim. Someone else saw this happen alongside me."


    After saying that, Boss number 2 looked towards the door. On the door there was froggy, peeking inside as the conversation was going on. At this point, he was supposed to enter the room. But when he saw all his superiors inside, he was confused as to whether he should take a step forward or just hide himself completely.


    "Froggy, come in," Boss number 2 said. Even though he was angry at Froggy''s inability to work efficiently, he knew that this wasn''t the right time to show his anger.


    Froggy slowly walked in when he heard his name being called. Normally, other bosses wouldn''t trust when someone presents their own men as evidence. But in this venue, those who knew froggy also knew how easy it is to detect when he is telling a lie.


    "Froggy, tell them what Lucifer told us back then."


    "Y-y-yes master"¡ª He looked towards the other bosses¡ª"H-he told us that he has a n-new master now, and he no longer wants the demon lord to be revived."


    Froggy''s presentation overall was weak, but Boss number 2 continued from right where he left.


    "Gentleman, do you know what this means? This new master of his, he must be the demon lord."


    After Boss number 2 concluded his sentence and sat back in his chair, whispers started again. This was a normal reaction because despite what Boss number 2 and Froggy said, it was hard to ascertain if what they said was indeed a fact or not.


    "Okay, let us assume that what you are saying is true." The whispers stopped as the man wearing the Fedora hat spoke. "Who do you think this new master of his is?"


    After hearing that, Boss number 2 stood up again. "There was a white-haired boy who summoned Lucifer just by calling his name. I think that boy is the one. But I am unsure as to who or where that boy is."


    "This sure does complicate things," the man wearing the Fedora hat said as he leaned back in his chair.


    There was a moment of silence as all of them started thinking about the appropriate course of action moving ahead. Even though there were instances where Boss number 2 bent the truth. But never before had they heard something of this scale from him. And the fact that there was nothing he could gain from all this made this look even more genuine.


    This moment of silence was broken when the small man wearing a cowboy hat spoke.


    "Things look too uncertain at this point. It would be too hasty to act this early. But then, it might be foolish to not act. Number 1, can you tell Joker to mobilize clubs to keep an eye on this boy?"


    There was no one who stood up in objection to those words since the one saying that was the decision-maker among them.


    "Yes master. I will," the man wearing a tall hat replied.


    "Then this concludes today''s meeting."


    With those words from the small man, everyone stood from their chairs and slowly walked outside.


    Tall top hat: Boss number 1, Bowler hat: boss number 2, Homburg hat: Boss number 3, Porkpie hat: Boss number 4, Trilby hat: Boss number 5, Fedora hat: Boss number 6, Cowboy hat: Boss number 0

 89 3.1 Back home - Part 1

    Summer was about to end, and the fall was almost upon us. Even though the sun was only about to set, the cold wind blowing in the plains was giving me chills. By the time the city came on sight, most of the houses had already lit their magic lights.


    No matter how many times I look at this city by far, it never ceases to amaze me. In this world where people rarely travel because of the fear of monsters, peaceful places with large human settlements exist. And unlike villages which lived in constant fear, this city stands tall, ready to defend against any attacks if one ever happens.


    When we reached near the city, Flare came down and sat on my shoulders. Due to the recent events, I have been closer to Flare than ever. If she wasn''t there, we may not have made it through.


    Despite the pressure to rest from the girls, I insisted on driving the carriage. Unlike how I was a few months ago, at this point, sitting around doing nothing felt weird. Maybe it would take some time for me to change back to my lazy self.


    The entrance wasn''t crowded, probably because the harvesting season was yet to come. There were few merchant carts in front of us. The guards were checking them strictly but took only around ten minutes before our turn came.


    Normally, during the harvesting seasons when many villages brought their crops to sell, the checks were less strict. But during this time of the year when comparatively fewer people used to visit the city, the checks were done strictly.


    The toll that we needed to pay before entering the city was one copper coin. Usually one would need to show their identification, but the carriage we were in had the duke''s symbol in it, so we were granted entrance without that.


    Even though we needed no identification, Drake and Billy, who were in their horses behind us, needed to show them. And because of that, we waited for a while at the entrance after which we entered the city.


    We were taking our carriage directly to the dormitory from where the duke''s men would take it to the castle''s stables. But unlike us, Drake and Billy needed to leave their horses at the nearby carriage parking area. It also had stables for travelers who travel on horses.


    The cost was a bit expensive though. It would cost 2 copper coins per horse, while in comparison, parking the whole carriage would cost only around 4 copper coins.


    "Nara, I guess this is where our journey ends," Billy said while getting off his horse.


    Following Billy, Drake also got off his horse. We were in the parking area, which was a lot less crowded compared to usual. This allowed us to say our goodbyes properly.


    I, including everyone inside, got off the carriage. As a dude, and as the one who had been closer to them than anyone else in the group, I stepped forward for the goodbyes.


    "Yeah, what are you guys going to do from now on?" I asked since I was curious as to why they decided to come here instead of going back to the village.


    "Well, for now, we are planning to learn how the trading works here. Not many people dare to transport goods and letters around these parts. So, I was hoping that we would be able to give those services... as a small business."


    "And what about your girlfriend? She is still waiting for you, right?"


    "You have a girlfriend?!" Princess Anna asked in surprise, but she wasn''t the only one surprised. Almost everyone in our group had the same reaction.


    ''Did you really think they were just some wild men living in the forest?'' was what I wanted to ask based on their reaction. But I was afraid I may hear some yeses, so I didn''t go that route.


    "Yes, I think I will go to her in a few days, and ask her to come and live with me here. She waited for me for all these years, I think she deserves a normal life. It may be hard at the start, but I am hoping we will have a stable life once we are settled."


    Girls looked excited to hear more about this, and I guess it''s normal since they could never get enough of a good real-life romance story. But the time wasn''t exactly suitable for all that so before anyone could say anything and dig deeper into the conversation, I moved the conversation towards Drake.


    "And what about you drake?"


    "I guess I will stick around for a while."


    Despite the awkward tone, I never expected to hear those words from Drake. But I guess he too has changed a little bit after the journey as we all did.


    "That''s nice. Well, I guess all I can say is good luck to the two of you" I replied. If they were going to live here in the city, we could meet them once in a while whenever we venture out.


    "Thanks. I am guessing you guys will be staying in the Academy''s dormitory at the Knight''s district."


    "Yeah¡­ That reminds me, where are you guys planning to stay here?"


    "I am not sure yet. But since it''s not the harvesting season, finding one should be easy," Billy replied.


    This made me wonder how everyone back at the Amigo inn was doing. Hopefully, Dale found a new job by now to support Emma and Elly well.


    ''It would be a good idea to give them a visit after our lives become a little more stable here.''


    "If you haven''t decided yet, I recommend going to the Amigo inn. It''s close to the trading district and the people there offer good service. It''s just on the left after you walk into the main street of the residential district. You will easily notice the board with the cat sign on it."


    "Okay, we will try finding it. If it is closer to the trading district, that would make things easier."


    It was getting dark with every passing moment, so it was time for us to say our byes and depart. I was getting impatient to meet Sistina, Nina, and Miss Lilith and get Ronald back to his feet.


    "I think we will take our leave now. See you guys around," I said getting back on the driver''s seat.


    "Bye-bye. Hopefully, we will be able to meet with your girlfriend soon," Princess Anna said.


    "Yeah, tell us when you bring her here."


    "G-good luck!"


    After everyone finished saying their byes in their own ways, they climbed back into the carriage. I then waved my hand and drove the carriage back into the main street and towards the dormitory.


    It was completely dark by the time we reached the dormitory. But in the dim light that was coming from inside, I could see the small flower garden in front of the dormitory. The flowers looked different from last time. Sam probably changed them to suit the season.


    I got off the carriage and following me everyone else got down. All of us then walked to the door but before I could knock, Sistina opened the door. And right when I was about to say, "we''re back", I felt a tight hug.


    : Back home - Part 2

 90 3.2 Back home - Part 2

    Flare, who was sitting on my shoulder, flew towards the roof when Sistina hugged me. She probably felt uncomfortable being on my shoulder in this kind of situation.


    "You dummy, I was so worried."


    It looked like she was trying to hold her tears but that wasn''t working well. Even though she used to act tough most of the time, deep down, she was just a normal girl.


    "It''s alright, we''re back," I said petting her head.


    At this point, petting someone''s heads to calm them down had become somewhat of a habit of mine. Hopefully, it''s not seen as something too weird by others.


    She wasn''t calming down, so I moved a little right and showed everyone to her, "See, everyone is alright."


    "Okay"¡ªHer eyes widened when she saw Yoru¡ª "But, who''s that?"


    "Sistina, why don''t you let them come in first? They must be tired so let''s talk the rest in the sitting room," Nina, who was standing behind Sistina, said. Despite the calm tone, she too looked glad to see our return.


    After we entered, Sam who was watching all this happen, greeted us with a slight bow. "Welcome back master and mistresses. Dinner will be ready soon."


    "You look well Sam," Princess Anna replied right before I was about to with the usual ''thank you''.


    All of us then walked towards the sitting room. On our way there, I looked towards the kitchen where the dinner was being prepared. Since the rest of us joined without notice, it would probably take Sam a little longer to finish preparing it.


    The carriage was already cram-full, and with Yoru''s addition on the group, everyone could barely adjust. So, everyone stretched out a little before sitting.


    "Phew! Finally, I can breathe properly," Lucy said while showing her head out of Marina''s hair.


    Both Nina and Sistina looked towards Lucy in surprise, but Sistina was the first one to change that surprise into words.


    "Who is¡­ she?"


    I knew that there were several things that we had to tell them, but before that, there was something that I needed to do.


    "We can talk about that all night. But before that, how is Ronald doing? And where''s Miss Lilith? "


    All the excitement and look of relief flew away when I mentioned Ronald. The whole room fell silent. After a brief moment of silence, Nina looked at me and asked, "Were you able to get what''s needed to save Ronald?"


    It looked like she was hesitant to ask this before since we just arrived. But now that I brought the topic out myself, she was finally able to ask.


    "Yes, but since we only have a vial of it, I was hoping that Miss Lilith would instruct us so that nothing goes wrong."


    It may look like I was being overcautious, but after everything we had to go through to get this, I didn''t want to mess things up by being hasty.


    "What''s this potion? It''s blue, unlike any potion I have ever seen." Nina said in a curious tone.


    "It''s Nectar."


    "Really?! I never expected it to be real." Her surprise turned into a shock when I told her what that was.


    "Yeah, at least that''s what the person who gave that to us said."


    "It must be it then. It is exactly how it is described in legends. A blue liquid that can heal anything and everything."


    "Hou! You are back already? I thought you would spend a month or two more in that cave."


    ''Looks like someone hasn''t changed much.''


    Miss Lilith entered the room, making her usual casual comments. She looked at the nectar that Nina was holding and smiled. It looked like she was expecting us to come back with this.


    "Oh, looks like you got what you went there for. Now, just go up and feed him that. I think he will wake up in a day or two after drinking that."


    "Okay, but there isn''t any procedure that we will have to follow, right?"


    "Well, it''s not called the drink of god for no reason. Do you think god would worry about something like procedures?"


    That did make sense¡­ a little bit. It turned out that I was just being over-cautious. But this caution wasn''t necessarily a bad thing considering how the saying, ''it''s better to be safe than sorry'' went.


    I took the vial from Nina and rushed to Ronald''s room while everyone else followed me. The atmosphere of the room hadn''t changed much compared to the last time. Only Marina, Nina, and I entered the room, the rest of them were just watching from the door.


    I opened the lid of the vile and slowly fed Ronald the liquid inside it. It must be because of the smell of this liquid that Ronald didn''t show any resistance and gulped it in one go.


    Right after Ronald finished swallowing the liquid, his whole body shone blue. I moved a little back as his body started floating in the air. The cloth that was covering the injured part of his right arm came off, and from his shoulder, a new arm started growing.


    It was a miracle of the highest level. What''s visible from outside looked like pure magic with no logical explanation. But to me, who could sense the mana causing this miracle, what was happening made sense.


    This was exactly like how spirits were manifested from the concentrated mana. His hand wasn''t being regenerated; it was being created by concentrating the surrounding mana. It wasn''t just his hand either, his internal systems that were damaged because of the injury were also being recovered.


    After he was back to his normal state ¡ª or at least what appeared to be his normal state ¡ª the concentrated mana that was lifting him started dispersing, and he gently fell on the bed.


    I looked towards Miss Lilith who was staring at us as all this was happening. The look on her eyes was clearly saying that she could also see what I just saw.


    "Okay everyone, let some fresh air in. It will take some time for his body to accept the medicine completely. He will be back on his feet in a day or two," Miss Lilith said after which everyone outside slowly walked down. Following them, the three of us who were inside also went towards the sitting room.


    I still had a few questions that I wanted to ask about this, but I thought it would be better to wait for a better opportunity.


    ''For now, I guess it''s better to assume that everything is alright."


    I felt this would be the right course of action since everyone was already stressed out enough because of everything that happened.


    This time, even though the atmosphere was a little less intense than before, there was an awkward silence. Miss Lilith didn''t join us and went straight towards her room, so it was just the rest of us in the sitting room. It looked like the conversation would go nowhere like this, so I took the initiative to introduce Yoru and Lucy.


    "Nina, Sistina, this is Yoru, she is my summon, and this is Lucy, a fairy that we met on our way."


    "Okay, I am Sistina, I am training to become a magician."


    "And I am Nina, I too am training to become a magician."


    It was going to be a long night, but now that the introductions were done, I was hoping that the rest of the conversation would go smoothly.

 91 3.3 Back home - Part 3

    "And you know girls, Nara can summon a demon," Arica said with a grin on her face. Even though she was telling that to Nina and Sistina, her eyes were fixed on me.


    "What! A demon as a familiar?!" Nina said. Unlike her usual calm and composed self, her reaction when she heard this was loud. As for Sistina, she just looked confused.


    It would have been great if Arica wasn''t making it look like a big deal by revealing a piece at a time. But I guess it would be too much to ask of her, especially when it looked like she was having fun.


    Nina and Sistina were constantly staring at me with a shocked reaction on their faces. At this point, it had started to look somewhat scary.


    The atmosphere had somewhat returned back to normal after Miss Lilith assured us that Ronald was going alright now. It was a good thing that everyone was relaxing and getting along.


    Even though being talked about while sitting right next to them felt weird, there wasn''t much that I could do about this. So, I just stayed quiet and listened as the conversation progressed


    "Oh yeah, and the best part girls, was the punishment that we gave him."


    "A-Arica, why don''t we go to the dining room? The dinner must be ready by now," I said in an attempt to divert the conversation somewhere else, but I was too late. Once a curiosity enters the girl''s mind, they are never satisfied until they reach the bottom of it.


    "Punishment?" Sistina asked in a confused tone. Unlike Nina, who was reacting to Arica''s reveal of the information, she was barely keeping up.


    "We all gave him punishments for keeping secrets from us. He fulfilled mine and Arica''s, but he has yet to fulfill what others asked," Princess Anna said in a casual tone. It felt like I was being talked about and ignored at the same time.


    I realized a dance with Princess Eliane and a date with Marina was still on my bucket list. The dance with Princess Eliane would need a suitable venue and time, but I could go on a date with Marina after our days go back to normal.


    ''Hopefully, it wouldn''t be too awkward.''


    "So, what were the punishments you guys gave him?" Sistina asked.


    I could sense where this conversation was going, and right when I was looking for a way to divert it somewhere else, Sam came in and stood near the door. This was the indication that the dinner had been prepared. He was probably waiting for the suitable time to tell us that.


    "Everyone is hungry right? For now, let''s go and eat. We can continue this conversation during dinner," I said. It was way past dinner time, and on top of that, we hadn''t eaten anything since this afternoon.


    We all walked towards the dining room. While I was walking, I was thinking of a way to divert the conversation at the dinner table somewhere else. It was at that exact moment I realized something that Olive said, something about awaking Marina''s element. I also remembered back when we fought Beelzebub, he told me that only those who are blessed by the Dragon kings can truly master their elements.


    ''If that man was the Black dragon king, and that woman was the Green dragon king then there must be more like them.''


    For now, things were so unclear that even if told them about her, the result would only be more questions and confusion. But it wouldn''t be wise to keep everyone in the dark, especially Marina.


    After we sat at the table, Sam served everyone their dinner. But there was someone among us, who went unnoticed since they were too tiny. And knowing her, she would probably go on an outrage any minute now.


    "Sam, can you please bring another plate with one-fifth of the food that I am about to eat," I said before she could turn our food into something else with her illusion magic. I wasn''t sure how much she could eat, but that would probably be the right amount for her.


    Right after I said that Lucy came out of Marina''s hair. Normally, at this point, she would start bragging, but it looked like she was yet to get used to this new atmosphere. It could have been just me imagining it, but she somewhat looked nervous.


    Sam''s eyes widened a little, but he soon composed herself. Looking at his expertise in the way of nobles made me eager to say, "As expected of the perfect butler." But I realized it would come out as something odd since I wasn''t used to the ways of nobles.


    "Yes, master. Apologies for not noticing you earlier madam," Sam said while looking at her.


    "You are forgiven. I am hungry so bring me food quickly," Lucy said. Even though her words sounded like her usual self, I could tell that she was nervous based on her tone and expression.


    Sam did as I requested and brought her a plate of food to her. It could be considered a bad habit to sit on the plate while eating, but considering how tiny she was, she was excused.


    "So, we were talking about some punishment, right?" Sistina said. As expected, she was too curious about it to let it go just because we changed locations.


    "Yes, but there is something else that I have to discuss"¡ªI looked at Marina¡ª "Marina, are you feeling any different than usual?"


    "N-no, Why?"


    She was startled when I suddenly asked her that, but this was something important. There was a chance that ignoring something like that now may not end well.


    "Okay, have you felt anything different when you use magic?"


    "I don''t think so¡­"


    She looked confused as to why I was asking all that. Back then she was probably in too much panic to make sense of Olive''s words.


    "What''s the matter, Nara?" Princess Eliane, who was sitting next to me, asked. Everyone, including her, was looking at me with curiosity.


    "I think the person you and I saw in the cave was the Green dragon king. And she said that she awoke your elements."


    Everybody''s reaction when they heard this was predictable. But I ignored their surprise and continued. "If you think nothing''s changed, then I think it''s alright for now. But if you ever feel any kind of changes in your magic, please let me know."


    "Okay," Marina said with a nod.


    While everyone had stopped their spoons, Lucy was just eating without a care in the world. It looked like I was the one who made things awkward this time, so before it could get even weirder, I tried bringing everyone''s attention back to the plate.


    "It''s just my guess. Even if it was true, nothing bad happened. Anyways, the food is getting cold everyone. Let''s just finish this quickly and rest for the night. It''s getting late already."


    After hearing those words, all of them started eating again but the atmosphere didn''t change much. And after everyone finished their dinner, we said goodnights and went towards our room.


    : Master-familiar meeting

 92 3.4 Master-familiar meeting - Part 1

    The sun was already up by the time I opened my eyes. The temperature felt perfect¡ª not too hot, not too cold. I got out of the bed and slid the curtain open allowing the bright sunlight to come in.


    It somewhat felt weird to have a day free. It felt like there were a lot of things that I could do but I had no idea where to start. There were several things that I needed to do like fulfilling Marina''s wish and visiting Amigo inn. But those things were all secondary, and there were some other things that needed my immediate attention.


    There were several instances where my lack of understanding of this world had limited my ability to access the situations. I did foolish things and made stupid mistakes, but I guess everybody does that at the start. I am just barely about to be 2 years old in this world.


    The adventures I went through were crazy. It might look easy to the eyes of the third person who is just watching from afar. But to me who had to go through all this, it''s not as simple as they think it is. Or maybe they could just be too used to illusions that the reality looks too boring to them.


    My understanding was limited when I came back to this city, and after I did, it felt like things were already laid down for me. I was just moving with the flow and went wherever it took me.


    My eyes opened after Ronald got injured, I realized how dangerous this world can be. But back then my priorities were straight, I had to save Ronald. And now that I finally managed to do that, I have some time to think about myself and this world.


    Now was the time to learn and understand the history of this world. To learn who the gods here are, and to understand why the Black dragon king was helping me.


    The books here barely had anything useful. Most of the useful books were probably rotting in some noble''s library, and the ones left were full of nonsense and barely had anything useful. But there was somewhere where I could get the information I needed.


    Even though my familiars may be too ancient to have knowledge of the past one or two millennia, they probably have a good understanding of the world before that.


    As I was thinking all those things, Flare came through the window and sat on my shoulder. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but there really were some blue feathers at the end of her wings.


    "Flare, your wings look different. What happened?"


    I was curious as to what was causing this change, and as her master, I somewhat felt it was my duty to know what''s going on with my familiars.


    "Master, it''s time for my flames to evolve. It changes every millennium from golden to blue which is the peak of my evolution. After that, I will reborn again with the golden flames."


    "Oh, is that so¡­" I felt relieved that it was not something bad and just her growth. "Does this cause any change in you?"


    "Okay, that shouldn''t be that big of a problem," I said to give her a little push. It felt like she still had something to say but wasn''t sure how.


    "...also, I can change into human form with my blue flames."


    It came as a surprise but not too big of a surprise since Yoru could also do that. But I was curious as to how she would look in her human form.


    "I wonder how you would look in your human form?"


    There was a moment of silence after that since she didn''t respond, and I didn''t feel like pushing this matter more. But this felt like the right time to do the thing that I was thinking about doing: Master-familiar meeting.


    [Yoru, can you hear me?]


    [Yes Nara. What''s up?]


    She wanted to sleep in my room claiming that she was my familiar. But I refused to allow that, and for some reason the girls supported me. So, at the end, the discussion concluded with her sharing a room with Arica.


    [Can you come into my room? We are going to go somewhere. Also, please don''t tell anyone else about it.]


    [Okay.]


    Right after our telepathic communication ended, she hastily entered the room. But her excitement died down when she saw Flare on my shoulder.


    "Nara, what is that bird doing here?"


    She still hadn''t started getting along with Flare, but it was understandable considering the fact that there was no approach to get along from either side. They were like the polar opposite of each other and the only thing that was linking the two of them at this point was me. So, it somewhat felt like it was my responsibility to make them get along.


    "What do you think I am doing here? I am sitting at my rightful place, my master''s shoulder."


    "Look at the birdbrain talk. Stop making silly claims as if you are his mother."


    "Ha! Everyone knows who is being silly here. And unlike your impudent words, I am just stating the fact as they are."


    "You only talk big birdbrain."


    "And you only talk stupid, insolent fool."


    "Why do you two have to be like this?"


    The way this was going, I could foresee them fighting with one another. So, before things could get any nastier, I had to find a way to calm the two of them down.


    "It''s this birdbrain''s fault."


    "No, it''s your fault you buffoon."


    "If you guys continue this, we won''t be going anywhere. So, please stop all the bickering and hear me out."


    "Okay."


    "Okay."


    The two okays came simultaneously so they looked at each other. Despite the agreement about calming down, both of them had the look of disgust in their face.


    "Please don''t start that again," I said before they could start quarreling again. Both of them looked back towards me when they heard that. "We will now go to Zagan''s space and talk things through. There are a lot of things that we need to discuss, and there is a lot that we need to know about each other."


    Both of them nodded. It was hard to notice the nod in case of Flare since her head was tiny and covered with feathers, but that was definitely a nod.


    Now it was time for me to ask Zagan to pull me there. Hopefully he doesn''t feel too offended since I didn''t inform him about this beforehand.


    [Hey Zagan, can you pull us up there?]


    [Huh?! Kid, you should stop waking me up by speaking into my head. If I was a human, I could have had a heart attack.]


    [Oh, sorry about that. It''s morning already so I thought you would be awake by now.]


    [Yeah, morning is the best time to sleep. Anyways, hop in.]


    : Master-familiar meeting - Part 2

 93 3.5 Master-familiar meeting - Part 2

    Flare was sitting on my shoulder and Yoru was standing at the same position when all of us were teleported to Zagan''s space. Like last time, this place still felt weird. Above me, there was a blue sky as far as I could see, and the floor that I was standing on was made up of glass. One thing was different though. There was a simple-looking single storey house in front of us.


    It was obvious what we needed to do next. Both Yoru and I walked to the front door, but before I could knock, the door opened by itself. Unlike how one would expect from outside, there was nothing inside except a small round table at the center with 3 chairs around it.


    "Hey kid, come and take a seat," Zagan, who was sitting on one of the chairs, said.


    "Hey, Zagan. What''s with this house?" I asked as we walked in.


    "Oh, this? I built this because you asked me to bring those injured girls here. Couldn''t just let them lie on the floor."


    "That makes sense. Thank you for helping me back then," I said while sitting on one of the empty chairs. Following me, Yoru also took her seat.


    "Well, that''s okay but why did you ask me to bring you here?"


    I could have summoned Zagan into my room, but there was something that was bugging me. The black dragon king told me that he was keeping an eye on me, so I wanted to see if there was a way to avoid his watch.


    It wasn''t like I saw him as a threat or anything, but considering his familiarity with Olive, I wasn''t sure if I should take him lightly. It somewhat felt like he was trying to test me, but even if that was the case, bringing my friends into all this mess wasn''t very noble.


    "Zagan, can anyone peek here using magic? Or listen to the conversation here?"


    "I don''t think so. This is my space so even if someone tried doing that, I should be able to notice. Why?"


    "Oh, it''s just that I have a feeling that someone may be keeping an eye on us."


    "I felt like that was the case. Is it that black-haired dude that showed up back then?"


    "Yeah, but it doesn''t look like he intends to cause us any direct harm. Anyways, there is something else for which I gathered you all here today."


    That was definitely something concerning, but not something that we would be able to get at the bottom of right now. Instead, there were several other things that I wanted to talk about with my familiars.


    There were a lot of things that I wanted to ask, but I was confused as to where I should start. So, in the end, I decided to start with the things that I was hoping that this meeting would be able to do.


    "Guys, I am not sure how a bond between master and familiar should be, but I feel like I don''t know as much as I should know about you guys. And it''s not just that. I feel like I don''t know anything much about the history of this world, the demons, dragons, spirits, or the gods here. So, would you please share your knowledge with me?"


    "To be honest kid, we don''t know anything about you either. You look like a normal human, but your magic is not like one. And over that, you were able to summon the sun and moon spirit and become their master. What are you kid? Are you really a human?"


    "When my soul was connected to master''s I could sense something else inside him. It felt something familiar yet so far."


    It was a good thing that I decided to do this meeting. It looked like they were curious about me too, just like I was about them. I guess I never tried looking at things from their side or else I would have known about this earlier.


    Now that I knew how they were feeling, I felt like it was about time I told them about my reincarnation. I had a feeling that all these things that are happening to me had something to do with the series of events that happened that day.


    "You don''t have to tell us if you don''t want to, Nara," Yoru said, but despite her words, she too looked curious about this matter.


    "It''s okay Yoru. But can you guys keep the things a secret from everyone else? I am not ready to tell them this yet. I know I need to tell them, but things are finally getting normal. I don''t want them to start worrying about me."


    "If that is what you wish, master."


    "Yep, my lips are sealed."


    "Go on kid."


    "Okay, where should I start?" I took in a deep breath. "I don''t know if this makes sense or not, but...I''m from a different world."


    "A different world?" Yoru tilted her head in confusion.


    "Yes, but it''s not like I was anyone special there. At this point, this world feels closer to me than that one."


    I paused there and looked towards everybody''s face. Zagan wasn''t showing any reaction while the other two looked curious as to what I would say next.


    "I was a normal kid to the point where people considered me odd. I studied hard for several years, thinking I was working for the future. But in the end, I was just wasting my teens pointlessly. The future I dreamed about just turned out to be a naive illusion... This wasn''t all that bad though. Because of all the things that I had to go through, I died without many regrets."


    "It sounds like you were being harsh on yourself kid. Everyone has to go through something like that at some point in life. Sometimes problems pile up in life, you need to deal with them one at a time."


    "Yeah, I guess I was just lonely. Didn''t have many friends or close ones since childhood. Anyways, that was my past life. I have no means to go back and correct what went wrong, and I am not really unsatisfied with this new life. So, I guess death wasn''t all bad."


    "So, what happened after you died?" Zagan asked.


    "I met someone who claimed to be the god. She was a black-haired girl who appeared to be in her teens. She told me that she appears in the form of a person''s dying wish."


    "Did she look like your girlfriend in your past life?" Yoru asked. I was surprised at how calmly she was listening to this whole reincarnation thing.


    "N-no, I had no girlfriends in my past life. In fact, I am not even sure if I had even talked to her before."


    "This all sounds too weird to me kid. I have never heard of anything of this sort. Anyways, what happened next?"


    "The last thing I heard was her saying that she gave me the seed of Divinity or something. The next thing I remember is me waking up here, in this world."


    : Master-familiar meeting - Part 3

 94 3.6 Master-familiar meeting - Part 3

    "I don''t think I have ever heard of any such God before, kid. The ones I know are the three that you are probably already aware of. Other than that, I have only heard about Demon Lord and Dragon God who are said to be the demi-gods."


    "Could it be that different worlds have different gods?" Flare asked. It looked like she too had no idea who that girl could be.


    There was a possibility of her being the God from my previous world, but I had never heard of her when I was alive there either.


    This whole conversation made the gods look even more confusing but for now, it might be better to assume that she was the god of my previous world and move on.


    "Yes, that could be the case"¡ªI turned towards Zagan¡ª "So, who are these Dragon God and Demon Lord."


    "Not sure how to describe it simply but well... they were mortals who were able to attain the divinity. Both of them were the strongest creatures alive back then and the ruler of their own races. But back then the era wasn''t as simple, there was war and chaos everywhere. Races were constantly fighting against each other, and among those races, the most powerful ones were we demon-kind and the dragon-kind."


    Zagan paused and leaned back on his chair. He rested his neck in the top rail of the chair and looked towards the ceiling.


    "We demons used to be the proud race back then. Our fighting force was equal to that of dragon-kind even with the elemental dragons on their sides. We fought bravery until¡­ until the Demon Lord went insane. He started using his own men as tools. It was a sudden change, almost shocking, it was like he changed into a completely different person. His insanity reached the point where he started corrupting his own men with a high amount of miasma. Most went insane in the process and some of them changed into monsters. I tried objecting it but by the time I did that, most of the upper echelons had already been infected by this insanity. Unable to take it any longer, I abandoned my race and started living here."


    It looked like he still regretted his inability to do anything back then, but I can understand his shoes here. When everyone in the community thinks something to be right, it''s almost impossible for a single person to correct them. They would instead think that person trying to correct them went insane.


    "You made the right choice man. You did everything you could so don''t blame yourself for it. This explains a lot of things, but I still don''t understand how you met Olive."


    "Oh yeah, her¡­ I was frustrated by everything that was happening. No one was listening to me. It felt like they were blind to the reality in front of them. So, I went to the mountains to kill some monsters and vent. When I reached there someone else was venting their anger there too. I was young back then and hoping at least someone would hear me out. On top of that, at that point I had started doubting myself, I wanted someone to verify what I was saying was true or not. And when she said she would hear me out I told her what was going on. Our interaction back then was short but before leaving she gave me one piece of advice. She said everyone made their own choices and like them, I should make my own choice."


    I never thought Zagan would be this open. But then, he was never the type who would bother keeping things secret.


    "I think that was decent advice. When a large stone starts rolling down the hill, it''s wise to get out of its way. If you try to stop it, it will bring you down along with itself."


    I was not sure if that would make sense in this world where almost everyone could use magic. But it just felt like the right thing to say in this situation. Probably because of what little common sense I still had left in me from my previous world.


    "Yeah, I am way over it now. Anyways, let''s move on to these two here. I know a thing or two about this bird, but I have no clue about who or what this girl is."


    "Oh me? I am Yoru, Nara''s moon spirit," she said in an excited tone, but her expressions soon changed when she realized that wasn''t the answer Zagan was hoping for. She looked down on the table and started speaking again.


    "You know, it feels awkward to not be able to tell more about yourself. I just don''t know. I probably know more about Nara than I know about myself." She raised her head and looked towards me. "I just had this feeling that I just woke up after a long dream when Nara summoned me. And when I saw him, I realized that my dreams had been about him all along. But when it comes to me, all I know is my name and what I am."


    "It''s alright Yoru. I trust you," I said since her tone sounded honest and her expression looked genuine. But I wasn''t the only one whom she needed to convince.


    "But how is that possible? You should at least know something about yourself if you are a reincarnated spirit," Flare said. It looked like she still couldn''t trust her completely.


    "It doesn''t matter what you think birdbrain. As long as Nara trusts me, I am okay."


    "Master can be easygoing, I am not. I still don''t trust you, not one bit."


    I was clueless as to how I could solve this misunderstanding between them. I couldn''t just ask Flare to trust her. Neither could I ask Yoru to tell us more about herself when she is saying that she herself had no idea.


    "Just let them be like this kid. It will take some time, but they will get along eventually. You can''t expect them to be buddies just by talking things through."


    "Yeah, I guess you are right."


    Forcing someone to get along never ends up well. By the way they were acting, I could tell that talking things through wouldn''t solve anything. Some people naturally don''t get along, so the best thing one could do here is just let them be as they are and wait for them to get along naturally. That way they would be able to create a genuine bond.


    "Okay, now let''s move on then"¡ªI looked at Flare¡ª"I pretty much have a basic understanding of spirits, but I still don''t understand the difference between an ordinary and a divine spirit."


    "Master, the difference is actually simple. Ordinary spirits are chosen by masters to serve them. But we divine spirits can only be summoned by the chosen ones. We are purely made up of mana and can manipulate the surrounding mana on our own, so we are not completely reliant on our masters as they are. And then there is the obvious difference in strength."

 95 3.7 Two more punishments! - Part 1

    "That makes sense. Have you had any other masters in the past?" I asked.


    If Flare had been summoned several times in the past, then she must have had other masters. I was curious to know more about them, like what kind of people they were and what kind of strength they possessed.


    "No, actually master is my first master. I have been summoned in the past, but that was done through rituals. There are many small tribes that still worship me outside this nation. I am not sure if it still exists or not, but there was a ceremony that could be used to summon me."


    "A ceremony?"


    "Yes, it was a ceremony performed in a group. Around 100 mages with aptitude for fire magic needed to combine their magic to perform the ritual. In most of the cases, I could tell what kind of person they were just by looking at the purity of their flames. If the flames they produced were through their deep desire for justice, I would help them. And if the flames turned out to be impure and filled with greed, I would just disappear. This is also why I was called the justice bird."


    "Yeah, I guess that''s basically what I have heard about this bird too," Zagan said in his usual casual tone.


    Considering Flare''s prideful nature, I was hoping that she wouldn''t feel too offended by the way he was just calling her ''bird''. I already had my hands full with handling Flare and Yoru''s argument, so adding another conflict between my familiars would just make things worse for me.


    As I was thinking along those lines, I realized we were getting late. I didn''t tell anyone about this because I wanted to make this discussion private between me and my familiar. But now that I think about it, they must be getting worried about me at this point.


    "Hey, I think we should go back now. Everyone must be getting worried since we suddenly disappeared," I said as I stood up from my chair.


    Yoru followed me and stood up saying, "Yeah, just sitting here and talking feels boring."


    "Okay, see you Kid."


    "Wait." Right when Zagan was about to snap his finger, I realized there was something that I wanted him to teach me. "Zagan, can you teach me how to make a space like this one the next time we meet? It looks like it can be handy."


    "This whole thing is a bit complicated since you need a constant supply of mana to maintain it. But I guess you might be able to do it as you are now."


    "I think we should give it a try and see what happens. Maybe I will drop in this evening for that."


    "Okay then, see you in the evening. I will just get back to napping for now."


    With those words, Zagan snapped his finger and with that, all three of us were returned back to my room.


    Unlike what I expected, there was no one in my room. The bed was as I left so probably no one, not even Sam, had entered my room.


    "I am hungry so I will also go down," Yoru said. Like me, she too hadn''t had her breakfast.


    "Okay, I will join you after I freshen up."


    After both of them left, I went to the bathroom and cleaned myself up after which I walked downstairs. Like upstairs, downstairs was quiet too.


    "Good morning master. Princess told me not to disturb your sleep. She said she wanted to let you rest for as long as you like today," Sam said when he saw me walk towards the dining hall.


    They probably thought I was tired after the journey and needed some rest. It was a good thing that they were considerate of me, but now I was curious as to what everyone else might be doing.


    "Thanks Sam, I really needed some rest¡­ By the way, where is everyone else?"


    "Oh, everyone left early this morning. Miss Marina and Miss Lucy went with Miss Lilith. They were saying something about training. Miss Arica and the princesses went towards the trading district. As for Miss Sistina and Miss Nina, they are probably in the training room."


    Things could easily turn chaotic if princesses were seen walking in the trading district. But since Arica was with them, I guess they probably went there in disguise. Arica was pretty smart when it came to this kind of situation.


    I was curious as to what Miss Lilith was training Marina and Lucy, but this was something I could ask them later. For now, I walked to the dining table and sat on the chair next to Yoru.


    After I took my seat, Sam served me my lunch. As I was eating, I was thinking about how Yoru would be able to adjust with everyone and live a normal life. Other girls are nice so getting along may not be a big problem, but like every good master, I wanted her to know more about this world.


    "Hey Yoru, I think you should try going out with others sometimes. You may find something interesting that you like."


    "Oh, don''t worry. I already have what I like. He is sitting right next to me."


    "No, I mean like the things that you might like doing."


    "Okay, but you don''t need to worry about me though. I am pretty happy with the way things they are right now."


    "Okay, as long as you are happy."


    As her master, it was somewhat my responsibility to take care of her. I just didn''t want her to be fixed on me, so it might be a good idea to take her on a tour outside.


    After finishing lunch, I decided to go to the training room and see what Nina and Sistina were doing. It was my day off so there was nothing else that I could think of doing at the moment.


    It had been a while since I saw those two train, so I thought this could be a good opportunity to look at their progress.


    When I entered the room, Sistina was training with Smasher. It looked like they were working on synchronizing their punches. The way they were doing it looked a lot better compared to when I saw them last time. I would even go so far as to call their progress exponential. Back when we left, Smasher looked like a kangaroo lost in the forest, and now, he was finally looking like a dark summon.


    "Look who decided to show up," Nina, who was resting on a nearby bench, said when she saw me come in.


    "Hey, looks like you girls are working hard," I said as I walked towards them.


    "Yeah, we don''t want to be left behind like last time," Sistina said as she stopped supplying Darkness magic to Smasher and unsummoned him. It looked like she was getting better at her magic control too. She probably worked extra hard during the time we were gone.


    "Oh, by the way, Nara"¡ªSistina grinned¡ª"Yesterday after you slept, we talked with Arica."


    "W- what did you guys talk about?" A chill ran down my spine. If it was what I think it was, I knew what was about to come next.


    "Oh, nothing special¡­ It was only about the punishments."

 96 3.8 Two more punishments! - Part 2

    "Yeah about that¡ª"


    I was hoping for an opportunity to explain, but the grins on both of their faces were clearly saying that no explanations would work at this point. I looked towards Yoru, but she was just looking back at me curiously. So, in the end, I just prepared myself for whatever they were about to say.


    "Nina, don''t you think we also deserve to punish him?" Sistina asked. Even though she was asking this to Nina, her eyes were fixed on me.


    "Oh yes, we deserve to punish him as much as they did," Nina replied. Like Sistina, her eyes were fixed on me too.


    "But when Arica told you guys everything yesterday, you didn''t mention anything at all. What''s with this punishment all of the sudden?"


    I used my trump card, or you could say the only card that I had to escape this predicament without being rude or unfair to them.


    "We thought you were tired back then. But now that you had a good night''s rest, you are ready for this," Sistina replied.


    "Wait, was this why nobody came to wake me up till late today?"


    "No, do you really think we would do something like that? We are just doing this because we are sad. You didn''t think we were close enough to share something so important," Nina said.


    Even though it felt like Arica''s exaggerations were the cause of all this talk about the punishment, I did indeed try keeping those things secret from them. And I think it was somewhat unfair of me to do that. I was just grateful that despite everything that happened, they still see me the same. Because in a close relationship, once the trust is shattered, it will take a long time for the things to be the same.


    "Okay, just make this simple please."


    As long as it was not like Arica''s or Princess Anna''s request, I could pretty much take it. But considering Sistina and Nina''s nature, the punishment shouldn''t be that hard. Or at least that was what I was hoping.


    "Okay, mine is simple. I just want you to go to a theatre and watch a play with me," Nina said with a slight smile.


    Plays of this world would be a new experience for me, so that may not really turn out that bad. I would have even gone if she had just asked me without making it a punishment.


    "And... I-I want you to go on a d-date with me too," Sistina said. Unlike a moment ago, she looked a little shy as she was saying that.


    ''Well I am going on a date with Marina soon, so adding one more date on the list shouldn''t be a big deal.''


    The only problem was my lack of experience in these matters. Considering Marina and Sistina''s nature, I was sure things would be pretty awkward. They would probably be disappointed when they find their expectation and reality completely different from another.


    "Okay. Though you should know that it might not be as interesting as you think," I replied, but despite my casual words, a wide smile appeared on her face.


    There was a moment of silence after we finished talking about their wis¡ª I mean my punishment. In the end, it just looked like I was distracting their training, so I decided to leave them alone and go out on a walk outside with Yoru.


    "I will go on a walk now; you guys can continue your training."


    "Okay," Sistina said with a nod.


    "See you guys in the evening," I said as I walked out of the training hall.


    Walking on the academy grounds wasn''t a bad idea for spending time during a day off. When Yoru and I got out, the sun was right above us, so it was probably high noon. Despite it being the hottest time of the day, the cold wind was keeping the temperature in balance.


    As we were walking on the street, the leaves from the trees were falling because of the wind. During all the time I spent in this world, I have noticed that the weather in this world and my previous world were almost the same.


    "Hey Nara, was your previous world similar to this one?" Yoru, who was walking next to me, asked.


    I wasn''t sure how to answer that, both worlds had their good and bad aspects. Though personally, I somewhat preferred this world. It could be because this world was new to me and I was still unaware of a lot of things.


    "No Yoru, my previous world was a lot different. People worked hard for independence, but at the end of the day, most of them were stuck on a system. A system that everyone had to follow. Most of the people only cared about themselves. It felt cramped. But maybe... I was just lonely. Compared to that one, this one feels closer even though I have only been here for a while."


    "Was that world bad?"


    "Not necessarily, the technologies were developed. Life was made comfortable taking every small detail into consideration. It''s just that, I feel like I couldn''t fit in there. In this world, life isn''t as comfortable, especially if you are trying to rise up socially. I think there will be a lot of people who will try to pull my legs if I try to rise up, especially nobles. And the way things are going now, I think I will have to deal with them eventually... But I do have people who care about me."


    "Why though? Don''t you think things are good the way they are?"


    "Yeah, but the storm will probably come in our lives soon. The king is trying to make us an elite knight squad. I think he is doing that here because the Duke here is strict with nobles. He knows how to entertain them while still doing his job. But still, when the time to make this thing public comes, we will get a lot of envy and hate from them. For now at least, with Duke and Miss Lilith here, things are normal."


    "You know, you sound like a child scared to grow up. Why not use the knowledge from your previous world and beat them all? You are way stronger than they are."


    "I will do that when the right time and situation comes. But if I start walking in that route, I need to be fully prepared to take the responsibility for what''s about to come... For now, everything is finally back to normal, and I wanted things to stay normal for as long as it can."


    "And now you sound like an old man. You should stop thinking that you are responsible for everyone. You are not their parents, you know."


    "Yeah, you are probably right... You know, even in this world and the world before, they are the only people who have been this close to me. And because of that, I might just be overthinking things."


    "You know what I think? I think you should just be yourself and do things. I think facing things by being yourself is better than being too careful. You don''t have to do what some king or noble wants you to do. You can do things your way."


    "Yeah... you are right."


    : Space Magic

 97 3.9 Space Magic - Part 1

    When the two of us reached near the academy, I could see a few students outside. They were probably skipping the classes and goofing around outside. One could easily tell that they were nobles just by looking at their dresses and equipment. All three of them were carrying swords with golden hilt and sheath.


    There were several cases where nobles used to attend the academy just so that they could display their power and might. Academy was another way for them to build their influence. They had alternate means to come at the top despite the lack of skills. So, effort and hard work was something unnecessary for them.


    While on the other hand, people from the common birth used to work hard just so they could make a name for themselves. But regardless of the effort they put into their training, the result was always biased. The people at the top would always stay at the top no matter how unworthy they are. And from the top, they used to laugh at people struggling at the bottom.


    They stopped us on our path when they saw us coming near. It looked like they were more interested in Yoru than me.


    "Hey beautiful, wanna hang out with us?" The shortest man among the three asked. Nothing except his expensive-looking cloth and blonde hair looked noble-like.


    "It''s going to be fun. Hee-hee," a tall man with red hair said. Despite the normal look, his tone combined with that grin on his face felt somewhat creepy.


    "My dad is Baron, you see. I can give you a lot more than this filthy looking guy over here," a skinny blonde man said.


    Even though they were nobles, by no means, these people were how people expect nobles to look like. If they were to sit on a street wearing common clothes, people might even start donating them copper coins thinking they were beggars.


    It was pretty obvious that they weren''t first, or even second son of the nobles. They were probably bastard sons via illicit relationships.


    "No, I belong to Nara. And you guys look creepy."


    "You''ve got a sharp tongue there, missy. It will be fun to tie you up and punish you," the red-haired man said.


    I was barely containing my anger. By looking at the way they were acting, I could pretty much tell what was coming next.


    The short blond man tried to reach Yoru''s hand, but before his hand could touch her, I caught his arm. I was sure Yoru would have done something herself but that something maybe a bit too much for these poor souls to handle.


    "I will tell you only once, just get lost, or else I might have to break a bone or two."


    I used physical enhancement to make my grip tighter. But as expected of the foolish bastard son of nobles, instead of just running, they were just acting tough.


    "Aaaaa! You damn scoundrel," he said as he forcefully removed my hand using his other hand.


    He moved back, and as he did that, the other two on the side came charging towards me.


    Their moment was sluggish, around average for someone of their age. And for someone who was training to be a knight at the academy, I wondered how they even made it through the entrance. But then, I guess it would be weird to expect everything to be fair in this society where classes and their influence exist.


    I just moved to the right and easily dodged them. I was a bit unsure about using magic since I had yet to experiment with my spells. After the last fight, my mana handling abilities had increased significantly.


    At this point, what I think normal may turn out to be overkill. It''s not like I had any clue about what might accidentally end up killing a human in the first place. In most of my fights until now, I was considerate of the surrounding, not the target.


    "Just stop idiots, I am not the everyday magician that you find in the street and bully. I might actually accidentally break a few bones if I am not careful enough."


    "What kind of threat with that, do you think you can trick us with mere words?" The skinny blonde man said.


    "Well, you can take it however you like. But don''t say I didn''t warn you."


    They tried coming at me again, but they were too slow, so I used this opportunity to glance at the short guys and see what he was doing. Unexpectedly, he was just holding his hand tightly and the expression in his face was clearly saying that he was in immense pain.


    ''I didn''t accidentally break it, did I?''


    It wasn''t that big of a deal though since I could easily fix that with phoenix flames. Though it might be better to leave him as it is and let that be a lesson. But then again, it does look a bit overkill.


    I dodged them again by moving backward. But this was something I did reflexively without complete concentration. Most of my thought was still dedicated to finding a way to get out of this situation. In the end, I just decided to take the route where I break the few bones and fix them later.


    I swiftly dodged them by moving towards the right and punched one of the guys in his shoulder. I wanted to avoid hitting the vital part. He fell a bit further on the ground and started crying in agony. But even after looking at his condition, the third guy didn''t stop. Instead, he created a small fireball and charged towards me.


    The fireball was small, almost as big as a table tennis ball. If I had just taken a hit by that after enhancing my mana cloak, it would only change into smoke with no effect whatsoever. But looking at all the openings he was leaving during the attack demotivated me from taking the hit.


    I just grabbed his arms and slammed him on the ground behind me. This guy was probably the one who took the most amount of damage out of all three. But considering the fact that he was the one who talked about punishing Yoru, he deserved it.


    "Well, are you done already? This was fast," I said as I walked to the man who was holding his hand.


    "Do you still want me to continue or should we just call it a day?" I asked. But despite my offer, the look on his face was clearly saying that he wasn''t willing to give up.


    "Well, you might think you are proud nobles by maintaining that attitude. But to me, you are just arrogant fools. If you give up on that pride and admit defeat, I will patch you up. If you don''t, I will just have to add a few more broken bones."


    "Okay okay, we give up. We messed up with a wrong dude," the skinny blonde man said.


    The short man was still maintaining his attitude, but despite that, it looked like he too had lost his will to fight back. So, I healed his arm using some of the flare''s flame in me.


    Following him, I healed the other two that were on the ground. Despite the fact that I healed them, instead of being grateful and thanking me, they left with an angry reaction on their face.


    : Space Magic - Part 2

 98 3.10 Space Magic - Part 2

    "Yoru, I think we should go back now."


    We were almost about to reach the academy''s main building, and going there at this hour of the day wasn''t a good idea. Firstly, because we would stand out too much, and secondly because I was afraid that I would have to deal with more of those thick-headed fools.


    "Umhmm," Yoru said with a nod.


    We turned around from there and started walking back towards the dormitory. It was still afternoon, so I wasn''t sure what to do after this. I was planning to go to Zagan''s space in the evening but there were still a few hours left before evening.


    On the way towards the dormitory, I looked at the woods where I trained the combination of elements. The trees had somewhat recovered naturally, but it was really a bad idea to destroy them right before the fall.


    The thought of going there and testing a few things came to my mind. I was unsure whether to go there or not, but in the end, I decided to go there and train a little. This time, without destroying the trees.


    "Yoru, let''s go to the woods over there. That is the place where I usually train when I am here," I said while looking towards Yoru.


    "Okay, wherever you want to go," she replied with a wide smile.


    It somewhat felt like I was forcing her to go wherever I want, but she didn''t look unhappy with it. Instead, she looked even happier. So, without giving this matter too much thought, both of us walked towards the woods.


    When we reached there, I was surprised at how fast everything inside the woods changed. My usual training spot that was once so familiar to me, now looked so different. Mosses had grown everywhere in the ground and the surrounding trees that once looked so rich with leaves, now looked so barren.


    "Let''s sit over there," I said while pointing at the ground covered in thick moss. The two of us then sat on the ground.


    Today, the training I was about to do was somewhat like meditation. Instead of practicing with spells, I was trying to sense and manipulate the mana flow within me.


    I closed my eyes and tried absorbing the surrounding mana in me. The rate at which I could absorb the mana was still limited but it had significantly increased compared to before. When my mana bank was full, I stopped absorbing more mana.


    I was trying to test my precision in controlling the mana within me. The first thing I wanted to see was: if I could float in the air without Flare''s support or not. I knew the feeling so now all I needed to do was handle the raw mana properly.


    I tried concentrating the mana within me into the mana cloak so that I could use it to repel the surrounding mana and float. I could somewhat control the surrounding mana, but it was more like a wild horse, hard to control. While on the other hand, the mana within me was like a domestic horse, easy to control.


    It was somewhat like trying to write with both hands at the same time. If I hadn''t tried combining the elements before, this exercise would have been impossible for me. All the experience that I acquired through the labyrinth was also proving to be very useful.


    When I was focused on manipulating the mana with my eyes closed, I could feel myself lifting up. Even though what I was doing was unusable in the actual battle, with proper practice, I was hoping to be able to perfect it slowly.


    I slowly stopped manipulating the mana after which I returned back to the position where I lifted myself from. Usually, using the mana cloak at full power needed a lot of concentration so I changed back to normal.


    When I opened my eyes, Yoru was just staring at me. Her stares felt awkward at the start, but after several days of the journey, I had grown somewhat grown used to them. Though I was still hoping she would stop doing that.


    "Okay, now the next test," I said as I stood up and walked towards the center of the open area in front of us.


    I picked a leaf from the ground and placed it on my right hand. I then tried using the Darkness magic on it. It was already dry, so nothing happened, but after I applied the fire magic with my left hand, the flames turned dark.


    Like ordinary fire magic, dark flames also had no effect on its caster. But the leaf that was on my hand froze inside a block of magic ice. The process up until now was as I expected, but the real test was after this.


    I followed the same process, but this time, I used holy magic instead of Darkness magic. Back then, Olive too used holy magic to break through the magic ice. So, I was hoping that the opposite elements with the same amount of fire magic as a catalyst would be able to counter each other.


    It was a success. The flame turned greenish and melted the ice.


    Up to this part was predictable, but I noticed something else that was odd. The leaf had turned green as if it was just freshly plucked. I was surprised because even with holy magic, it should be impossible to make it look this fresh after all this time.


    "Well, I guess the fire magic intensifies the effect of holy magic."


    "Umhmm¡­ but the magic you used before looked cooler," Yoru, who was watching me the whole time, said.


    "Yep, but in my case, enhanced healing magic will be very handy than attack magic."


    Those were basically the two things that I wanted to test at the moment, and now that I was done with it, I decided that it would be the right time to go to Zagan''s space. I was pretty excited to learn the magic that was going to be the handiest one to me moving ahead ¡ª space magic.


    [Hey Zagan, is your nap over?]


    [It''s never over. Though I do take breaks sometimes. Well anyways, Hop in.]


    With that, Zagan pulled me to his space. Unlike last time, he was outside waiting for us.


    This was something completely new to me, so I prepared myself for what was about to come.


    "So, for this one kid, you will need several metals like Mithril and Orichalcum... You will also need lightstones to store mana because you wouldn''t want to lose connection with your space when you run out mana."


    That sounded fair since the situations where I need to go all out could come at any time. Having something that could maintain the connection between spaces at those time would be nice, but¡­


    "Where can I get those from?"


    "Well, where else? We need to rob a few mines."


    : Space Magic - Part 3

 99 3.11 Space Magic - Part 3

    "What do you mean by ''rob a few mines''?"


    "Well, you can use earth magic. So, let''s go and dig the metals out of the mines."


    "But isn''t that illegal. I mean, wouldn''t we be branded as criminals if we do that?"


    I wasn''t sure if any written law or any kind of constitution exists here or not, but even without those, I was sure that the concept of crime and criminals would exist here. Because no matter how good the world or society is, it always has some kind of negative aspect.


    "Oh yes, we would have been branded as criminals of the Dwarven nation, but at this point, those mines are just wastelands. They stopped mining ages ago because of the fear of monsters."


    I was curious to know about the monsters that made the whole nation stop their work. The monsters that I had faced until now weren''t that big of a threat. That is if dragons, demons, and labyrinth dwellers were excluded from the list. Though if Zagan is confident that we could take them on, then I guess I could rely on his judgment here.


    "It sounds pretty far; do you have any means to reach there?"


    "Yes, but I think just the two of us should go there. Bringing this girl with us will only slow us down."


    "Who are you calling ''this girl'' you sleepyhead. I am going wherever Nara goes."


    The thing that I was afraid would happen between Flare and Zagan this morning was now happening between Yoru and him. It would be hard to settle this matter without taking a side, and taking a side here meant looking biased to someone.


    Right at that moment, when I was looking for a way to settle this, something came in my mind. Something that I could use to kill two birds with one stone.


    "Hey Yoru, you can just stay here and let us guys handle this. If you do that, we can visit a new place together after we are done with this."


    "Okay, but come back soon, alright?"


    Even though she still looked unconvinced, I was happy that she agreed. The new place I just mentioned was the Amigo inn. I was planning to visit there anyway so taking her with me wouldn''t be a bad idea.


    "Yes, we will be back as soon as we are done," I replied.


    It was already evening so I realized instead of leaving her here, it might be a good idea to send her to the dormitory.


    "Zagan, send her to the dormitory, please. She might be bored if we leave her alone here."


    "She could just take a nap like me. But oh well," Zagan said and snapped his finger after which Yoru disappeared.


    No matter how many times I looked at it, it always looked cool. I wanted to know more about how it worked but as they say, patience is a virtue. It might be better to wait for a while.


    "Okay, let''s go then."


    "Yeah, you probably sensed it. This orb is where my mana is stored, though now I don''t necessarily need it since my mana is connected to you, and your other familiars through you. But having it here makes things easier for me."


    "So, what is this place?" I asked. I could hear the sound of the tides coming from outside, so I was sure we were near the ocean, but I wasn''t exactly sure where.


    "We are in the Lost archipelago. Right now, we are at is one of the 11 islands of this archipelago. It''s on the northern side of the Fioreland kingdom and beyond this is the dwarven nation. Once, this place used to be a mining ground of the dwarves. But now it''s inhabited since the sea around these parts is too dangerous."


    "That makes sense. This also explains why you kept that orb of yours here. So, are the metals that we are looking for here on this island?"


    "No. The reason why I chose this island is because the dwarves already took everything from here. Nobody would risk their life by coming to this place knowing that this place has nothing... Anyways, let''s get out, or else your girlfriends might kill me for taking too much of your time."


    "You are right. But none of them are my girlfriends yet, we are just good friends," I replied. After that, both of us started walking towards the exit of the cave we were in.


    "Well, anyway, let me explain how things work with space magic¡­ Basically, you need these devices to store your mana, and you can teleport wherever these devices are. As you saw, these devices are too big so you will need to keep them somewhere safe. Making space is hard but maintaining it is even harder. You can probably count the number of creatures that can maintain the spaces using the fingers on your hands."


    "I am guessing that all the elemental dragons can do that," I said since that was the first thing that came to my mind when I thought about others who could create their own space.


    "I wouldn''t be surprised if all of them could. If you are looking for the creatures who are right next to the demigods, those would come at the top. Though, back in the days, when there was chaos in this world, the miasma level in the surrounding was pretty high. And we demons could easily measure up to them, but now I am not sure if I can even reach close to their strength."


    As we were talking, we reached the exit of the cave. It looked pretty dark outside, probably because we were in a different region of the world and the time zone of this region was different.


    When we reached outside, I could see that we were at the top of the hill and in front of us, there was a chain of islands in a crescent shape. The water of the ocean was reflecting the moonlight and signing. It was simply a magnificent view.


    "Hey, have you started flying without that bird," Zagan asked while looking towards me.


    "No, I can only float with my eyes closed for now. Though I can summon Flare anytime using her flames inside me," I replied.


    "Yeah, do that. Even flying in these waters can be dangerous."


    After hearing that from Zagan. I summoned the pure golden flames within me and said Flare''s name. And like in the labyrinth before, Flare appeared in front of us in her divine form.


    "Master."


    "Thank you for coming here Flare. I need your help yet again."


    "Please think nothing of it master. I am your summon for that precise reason."


    After this conversation with Flare, I looked towards Zagan again. It was getting late and I had a feeling that this might take a while. So, I wanted to rush things as much as possible.


    "Zagan, which island are we flying to first?"


    "First, let''s go to the Mithril island. It''s the furthest one from here."


    : Space Magic - Part 4

 100 3.12 Space Magic - Part 4

    "Hey kid, fly as high as you can and don''t go near the water."


    "Okay, but what''s in there?"


    Zagan was making it sound like there was something really dangerous there. We were flying towards the Mithril island, and I was already at a significant height. But since Zagan was the one saying it, I moved a little higher. Being cautious was better than regretting it later.


    The ocean was quiet, unlike how Zagan described it to be. I was keeping an eye on the water below but there was nothing significantly noticeable there. After flying for a while, I noticed a small islet at around 500 meters away from where we were.


    "Oh, there it is, King of the northern seas," Zagan said when he noticed the islet.


    This was my first time hearing that name, so I was curious about what or who that could be. Zagan smiled when he saw me staring at the islet.


    "Do you want to know what he really looks like?" Zagan said with a grin on his face.


    He flew a little forward and raised his right hand. He then created a dark arrow made up of condensed miasma above his hand and shot the arrow right at the islet.


    "URAAAAR!"


    A loud cry was heard from the islet, but before I could be surprised, something else happened that left me in shock. A large squid headed monster, with a gigantic head and hundreds of tentacles showed up out of the water.


    "Well, he will just quiet down in a while. This monster that you are looking at is one of the 4 largest creatures in this world. Without this single beast, the food chain of the whole world will be unbalanced."


    "That''s ginormous!"


    Only those words came out of my mouth to describe the sight in front of me. He was so big that even the whales would look like dolphins in front of him. All my questions about why dwarves left this place were answered by the sight I was watching.


    "Yes, this is my first time seeing such a creature too," Flare said. Considering the fact that Flare could only be summoned through a ritual that needed a lot of fire mazes, I wasn''t surprised that she wasn''t summoned in these uninhabited parts.


    "Anyways, let''s go to the island."


    After Zagan said that, all three of us continued flying towards the Mithril island. But even when we were flying forward, I couldn''t help but look back towards that gigantic creature.


    From closer, the island was full of ruins. There were several broken walls covered in mosses and fungus. But just by looking at the ruins, one would tell how sturdy the structures were made.


    "Let''s go towards the mines in those hills," Zagan said after we reached the island to which Flare and I nodded.


    On our way to the mines, I noticed things like broken rails and carts. This all pointed towards the fact that even back then dwarves used to use railway carts. Looking at all that made me wonder what kind of place really is the Dwarven nation.


    The place was dangerous considering how old it was. In several places, rocks had fallen from above and blocked the way. We removed those using earth magic and continued walking inside.


    After walking for almost an hour, we came to a dead end. It looked like this was where the mining had stopped. Till now, we hadn''t come across anything that looked like Mithril so I think the dwarves just ran away before they could find the ore.


    "Kid, use the earth magic to dig more. Don''t worry about the exit, just leave enough space for the air to come through."


    After Zagan said that, I moved forward. I hadn''t tried using earth magic for a purpose like this before, but it didn''t look like it would be that hard.


    I touched the surface of the wall in front of us with my right hand and transferred the mana within me into it. I then converted that mana into earth magic so that I would be able to manipulate the soil and rocks on the wall.


    I slowly concentrated the soil there into a big sphere and deposited it on the side. The path up until this point was wide, but the one I was making would be narrower the further we moved. I was hoping to come across an ore quickly because the further we moved inside, the harder it would be for us to move.


    Even after digging for a while, we came across nothing. My mind was starting to drift towards the thoughts like: Dwarves were probably wrong about this. There wasn''t an ore here in the first place. This could also be the reason why they stopped digging.


    "Kid, stop digging. What we need is here," Zagan said while rubbing the soil on the side wall. But despite what he said, I couldn''t see anything like Mithril around.


    He plucked off a stone from the wall and passed mana through it. And as he did that, the stone started shining. It wasn''t as bright as the lighstones which was pure crystalline, but it was definitely glowing.


    When I looked closely I could see the silver color metallic shine on the surface. It was only then I realized reality and expectations are a different thing. Normally, people expect to find a huge chunk of Mithril in a place like this, but in reality, it was different. The impure ores from mine needed to be processed into useful metal.


    "So, do you know of a way to purify these ores?"


    "Yeah obviously. But for now, let''s go to my space and purify these ores. It will at least take you a month to completely grasp space magic, so we can slowly be able to create a device till then."


    I was hoping that I would be able to learn this magic like I did elemental magic. But this one turned out to be a lot complicated then I thought.


    "Then should we collect the ores and take it back?" I asked since I wasn''t sure how he was going to refine these ores.


    "Nah, there is no need. We will also need some soil during the refinement process, so I am going to teleport the whole thing. Let''s filter out the rest later. I am tired now. My body needs a nap."


    "Ah okay, so you are able to teleport things that you touch using surrounding mana too."


    "Yeah, I thought you would have already figured that out¡­ Anyways, let''s get going."


    With those words, he snapped his finger and we were back at his space.


    This turned out to be a lot more work than what we expected but it was all worth it. We still needed a few more metals but we could always bring it some other day. For now, it was a good idea to focus on meditation and build proper concentration.


    I looked behind and there was a huge pile of soil with ore mixed in it. By the looks of things, we wouldn''t be doing the purification today. It was also getting late so, in the end, I decided to return back to the dormitory and call it a day.


    : A good morning

 101 3.13 A good morning - Part 1

    It was late night by the time Flare and I came back. I hadn''t told anyone about where I would be going, but hopefully Yoru informed them after she came back. If she didn''t, I would need to be prepared for all the scolding that was going to come my way.


    Unlike me, Flare didn''t need any dinner to survive. All she needed was the mana in the surrounding. So, after we were teleported to the dormitory, Flare flew out of the window. She probably realized it was my bedtime and I needed some rest.


    I slowly walked downstairs from my room where Zagan had teleported us. It looked like the girls were already asleep, so I didn''t want to disturb them by making a huge sound.


    I walked towards the dining room after I reached downstairs. When I entered the room, I was surprised to see someone there at this hour.


    "Sam!"


    The word slipped out of my mouth in surprise, but the surprise wasn''t because he was in the Dining room. It was because, for the first time, I saw him eating.


    He had a straight posture, and the manner in which he was holding the knife and fork looked perfect. I don''t think even the nobles or the king could eat in such a proper manner.


    "Master, I am sorry about this. I waited for you but since you didn''t come back, I decided to have my dinner. Please wait a while, I will heat your''s right away."


    "No please, keep on eating. You work way too hard, let me do it myself."


    "Thank you, master."


    I walked to the kitchen where he had already prepared the food for me. It didn''t look like it was that cold, so I decided to eat it without reheating. I took the food to the dining room and sat on the table near Sam.


    I tried sitting formally by copying him. The time may come when I need to dine with some nobles. And when it does, I didn''t want to appear mannerless in front of them, so practicing beforehand may turn out to be useful if that ever happens.


    "Master, if you are trying to sit properly at the dinner table, you shouldn''t put your elbows on it. Also, you can be a little flexible when you are eating but don''t move the body too much."


    "Thanks Sam. I was thinking that there may be times where I might need to dine with nobles. So, maybe you can teach me a thing or two that you know."


    "Yes, master. We butlers exist for that purpose. It''s our responsibility to assist our masters in following proper etiquette. Also, you may observe that in many noble houses butlers are more like advisors, and the houses with good butlers are the most flourished ones."


    That made sense since the head of the noble houses needed to handle a lot of things. And having a good butler to offer advice and aid on those matters would be net-positive. Considering the fact that Sam knows about these matters, I could tell that he must have had a lot of experience regarding the management of noble houses.


    "Yes."


    I looked at him in surprise when I heard such a straight answer. I didn''t expect him to agree to something like this that easily.


    When he saw the confused look in my face, he continued.


    "I think that is the reason why Duke sent me to work here in the first place. Unlike how he acts, he is a very shrewd man. He probably predicted that the time would come when you will need my assistance."


    I felt a bit stupid that I was only able to figure that now, but I guess it''s better late than never.


    "Then, how much time do you think we have before we start being dragged into politics."


    "That''s a hard question to answer master¡­ If nothing noteworthy happens it might take a year or two. But the way things are going, it will definitely be sooner."


    "So, do you mean we will be able to prolong our time here at the academy if we lay low?"


    "Yes, but this is not something that you can prevent just by laying low. There are many other factors that come into play. First and foremost being the need of this kingdom. If the kingdom needs you before the time comes, you will have no choice but to come out."


    "That makes sense. So, how big the impact of our disclosure will be overall."


    "Till now, the impact on the noble''s society isn''t much. But when the news of your accomplishment starts coming out, there will be plenty who would try to pull your leg. Some houses will try to bring you down while some will attempt to be on your good sides. But considering the fact that Princess is in your group, the news will come out as a loud one."


    It somewhat felt awkward that we were talking this much with one another all of the sudden. Till now, my conversations with him were short, mostly just ''thank you'' and ''okay''.


    After he paused, he looked at my plate. It was only then that I realized my food was getting colder every minute. I hadn''t even started eating it.


    "Master, please finish your food first. We can discuss this some other time. Also, you shouldn''t speak when you are holding the utensils in your hand."


    "Thanks Sam. You can go and rest after you are done. I will clean my plate myself."


    "Please master, as you butler it is my duty to do so."


    "No Sam, just go and rest. I haven''t even started eating so it will take a while. I don''t want to keep you here just so I could finish eating."


    "Okay, master. If you say so, I will take my leave. Please excuse me."


    Sam stood up from his chair and took the dishes with him as he walked towards the kitchen. It looked like he was feeling somewhat awkward while doing so. Probably because it wasn''t very butler-like to take the dishes from the table that his master was eating at. But it didn''t bother me at the least.


    After Sam left, I too finished the food on my plate. I then took the dishes to the kitchen and washed them up. When I finished the cleanup, I slowly walked back upstairs and quietly entered my room.


    At this point, I was already feeling sleepy. So, without wasting any time, I opened my shoes, changed into comfortable clothes, and fell into the bed.


    Tomorrow was going to be a big day since there were a lot of things in my schedule. I wanted to try sensing the boundaries between the spaces by meditating. This was so that I would be able to use this knowledge in the future while creating my own space.


    And also, I was hoping that Ronald would wake up tomorrow.


    : A good morning - Part 2

 102 3.14 A good morning - Part 2

    "Aaaaah!"


    I woke up when I heard a loud cry. It was hard to tell just by the voice, but it definitely felt like Nina. I quickly rushed out to see what happened, and outside Nina standing in front of Ronald''s bedroom.


    She had a shocked reaction on her face, so I quickly rushed up to her and looked inside. Inside, Ronald had woken up, but his appearance was completely different. His hair had turned blue and one of his eyes was red.


    There were blue lights floating in the air around him and he looked like a completely different person.


    I closed my eyes and tried sensing the mana around him. When I did that, I noticed that those blue lights were spirits and his body itself looked like half-spirit, half-human.


    It somewhat felt like the spirits were being symbiotic to him. They were helping him in collecting mana and that mana was manifesting those spirits. He somewhat looked like a vessel for those spirits.


    When I was looking at the spirit, everyone else came rushing there. They probably woke up because of the cry too. When I saw Miss Lilith among them, I looked at her for the explanation.


    "Well, this was unexpected," She said as she walked inside the room.


    Following her, I too walked in. Everyone else just stayed outside looking at everything that was happening. Princess Eliane and Arica were helping Nina calm down.


    "Hey Nara, bring that bird of yours here," Miss Lilith said after observing Ronald up close.


    Even though he noticed us walk in, he wasn''t doing anything in response. To me, only his face looked the same. Everything else about him, including his soul, looked different.


    "Okay, you better have a good explanation of what''s going on though," I replied as I walked to the window and opened it.


    "Flare."


    When I called her name, Flare came in and sat on my shoulder.


    "Master, this looks like the wind spirit," Flare said after observing the blue lights carefully.


    "Okay, but what''s happening? And what''s going on with Ronald?" I asked. I could sense that it was a spirit, but it felt incomplete.


    "I think it''s trying to take over his body. I, myself have never seen this happen before since spirits disperse if they are not completely summoned. But, in this case, it looks like something is preventing the wind spirit from dispersing. So, instead of trying to disperse, it looks like it''s trying to make Ronald''s body his vessel."


    "Is this something harmful to him?" I asked. Normally, if it was an evil spirit there was a chance that it would cause harm. But since this one wasn''t, I was uncertain about what kind of changes it would cause to Ronald.


    "I don''t think it will be harmful since Wind spirit has a calm and humble personality. He will probably be merged with Ronald after agreeing on a contract."


    "Man! That was reckless. What if an evil spirit had possessed him instead?" I asked. I couldn''t help but feel irritated when I saw that smirk on her face.


    "Well that didn''t happen, did it? Anyways, I hope the boy comes dominant in this case."


    ''Man, everything is so easy for her.''


    I realized it was pointless to continue so instead of trying to talk things through to her, I contacted flare telepathically.


    [Flare, is there a way to communicate with the spirit that is trying to possess Ronald.]


    [Yes, there is but I suggest not intruding their conversation. Wind Spirit is wise and knows that unlike ours, human lifespan is limited, so he won''t try to take over his consciousness. Though he will try to test if Ronald is worthy of being his vessel or not.]


    That made sense but I couldn''t help but feel worried. I looked towards others and they too had a worried expression in their faces. It was only then that I realized what Miss Lilith was trying to do.


    "He will be alright. I talked with Flare and she said the wind spirit is wise and helpful. So, I don''t think he will try causing him any harm."


    "Yes, there is no need to be worried. If push comes to shove, I will use my authority as a divine spirit to suppress him," Flare said in a confident tone.


    Everyone looked a little relieved when they heard that. It took me a while to realize that I was making everyone panic by acting so worried.


    I caught Ronald''s shoulders and slowly laid him back on the bed. It looked like it will take a while before his internal trial to end, so it would be a good idea to leave him alone till then.


    "Everyone let''s give him some space. All we can do is wait for him to recover, so it might be a good idea if only two of us stay here."


    "Let me and Marina stay here then. You girls can play with Nara downstairs," Arica said with a smile. As always, she turns out to be the best one when it came to causing and calming panic.


    "Yes. Please let me or Miss Lilith know if you observe any change in his condition."


    After I said that, Arica and Marina entered the room.


    "Okay guys, take care of him. Flare, please stay with them," I said after which Flew from my shoulder to Marina''s.


    "Soo! Soo!" Lucy, who was sitting in Marina''s hair, was trying to chase Flare away. But Flare was paying no mind to her.


    Miss Lilith and I then walked out of the room. Everyone, except Sistina and Eliane, was still in their nightdress so they probably just woke up because of all this.


    "Everyone go get ready. We will start the training early," Miss Lilith said in her usual loud voice.


    "Yeah, let''s go and get ready. We are not making things better by staying here like this," Princess Eliane said to which Princess Anna nodded.


    Even though Sistina still looked somewhat unconvinced she nodded saying "Okay".


    "Nina, please take care and rest for a while," I said since she still looked shocked by what she saw. I could understand her since I might have been in a similar position if I was the first one to see something like that happen.


    "Yes, I think I will be fine," She replied.


    Princess Anna and Princess Eliane then went to their room. Following them, Nina and Sistina walked towards Nina''s room. Nina still looked a bit unwell so having someone with whom she can talk about things would be good for her.


    After the girls left, Miss Lilith was also about to leave. But there was still something that I wanted to tell her, so before she could leave, I used this opportunity.


    "Miss Lilith, I don''t think I will be coming on the training for a while. I am working on my magic control so I will be training on my own for now."


    "Hou! I was going to tell you that. Honestly, there is barely anything that you can learn from me at this state. So yeah, try doing a few things yourself."


    After saying that, Miss Lilith walked towards her room, and following her, I too walked towards mine.


    : A good morning - Part 3

 103 3.15 A good morning - Part 3

    After I fished cleaning up and changing, I sat at my study table and closed my eyes. Today, I was planning to sense the gap between spaces, and if possible, send my consciousness there.


    With all the tension going on, this wasn''t exactly a suitable time to meditate. But considering the fact that I may need to maintain the connection with my space in much harsher times, this may be the perfect time to prepare myself for those situations.


    I closed his eyes and tried going further ahead into the darkness in front of his eyes. But despite the attempt, nothing happened. I couldn''t move any further from where I was since I couldn''t concentrate properly. Instead, I felt a severe headache, so I opened his eyes and took several long breathes.


    "This is harder than I imagined."


    I leaned back on my chair and tried doing it again. Unlike last time, I wasn''t trying to force myself to do it this time. I made myself comfortable by leaned a little on my chair and tried relaxing. I started talking long breaths from my nose and released them slowly from my mouth. I tried sensing the various parts of my body, I could feel my hands, legs, and almost everything from my head to toe including my heartbeat and breathing.


    I then started thinking about why was I meditating, why was I so tensed, and why was I feeling so much pressure? I knew that this wasn''t the goal of my mediation, but without confronting these things it would be hard to move on to the next part.


    I realized I was worried about everyone, and how we will have to face the future that was about to come. I was worried about Ronald and his condition. Even though I was trying to get over these, they were stuck somewhere inside my subconscious mind.


    Well, I was from a world where people used to run for and from tomorrow.


    It was natural to be worried about that since I was restarting my life here. But unlike my past world, there wasn''t a set rule here. With enough strength and wisdom, there was a lot one could accomplish here.


    After thinking about those things for a while, I tried concentrating back on my breathing. This time, things felt a bit lighter. It was as if a load had been lifted off my shoulders. I felt like a lot of surrounding mana was being collected around me.


    Right when I felt the time was right, I set my thoughts free and when I tried sensing things again, I was in drifting in the gap between spaces.


    It was a huge dark space with almost nothing in it. It felt like the spaces we used to see in pictures and videos back on the earth but without starts.


    "Tee-hee! Someone is here, someone is here."


    I could hear the voice of a little girl but there was no one as far as I could see. There was nothing except darkness.


    "Who''s there?"


    "It''s me." "It''s me." "It''s me." ... The girl''s voice echoed several times.


    "Well, I can speak in a mature voice if you like. I thought you would prefer my earlier voice."


    This time it sounded like a mature middle-aged man. It was somewhat similar to the Black dragon king''s, but a few things about it felt different. Though unlike every other time where I was accidentally or intentionally summoned, I was the one intruding here, so I decided to be polite and apologize.


    "Sorry for intruding. I am Nara, I was trying to get to the gap between spaces, but I ended up here."


    "Hmm¡­ is that so? As far as I can remember, very few beings are able to reach this deep in this space. Are you by any chance, a planet god?"


    "I am not sure what that means, so I don''t think I am one."


    "Interesting¡­ Looks like The First found a new toy to play with. I did make her like that."


    The things he was saying were barely making any sense, and it more or less felt like he was talking to himself.


    "Anyway, boy, is there anything that you desire? I am the most powerful being in this existence, and since you have been able to reach me, I can grant you any wish that you like. It''s not just because I was bored."


    The last sentence was spoken a bit hastily which made it pretty obvious why he was saying that. But the question here is: ''is what he saying real?''


    I mean, you sit at your study table, try to relax by meditating, and the next thing you hear is the voice of the most powerful being in the universe that transcendence both time and space. This all sounds more like daydreaming than reality.


    But then again, the past few weeks have been pretty hectic for a normal growing young boy like me. My body wasn''t technically even adult yet.


    At this point, it would be wiser to believe anything can happen at any movement. Also, even if he is lying, there wasn''t much that I would lose if I just make a wish.


    "Why are you thinking so much, just make a wish. Though it is rather fun to see you think that hard."


    "Hey, so you can grant anything that I desire right?"


    "Yes, anything that you wish for. Wealth, fame, power, influence, love, harem, or even things that transcend them all. What do you desire, immortality, eternal existence? Or do you wish for kingdoms and empires to rule?"


    "That sounds rather enticing but¡­"


    Now that I think about it, I was so busy thinking if what he was saying was genuine or some kind of scam that I didn''t even think about what to ask.


    There were several things I could ask even for myself. I could ask for a good wealthy life with everyone else, but then, I couldn''t afford to be selfish here. A lot of people were currently suffering, and if there was a way by which I would be able to solve their problems, then that would make the world a lot better place.


    But then again, the world was balanced as it is, so I couldn''t afford to be ignorant here. If I make a too large wish and disrupt the balance, there would be chaos everywhere.


    ''Man, what should I ask?''


    : A good morning - Part 4

 104 3.16 A good morning - Part 4

    "Hey, can you give me all the knowledge that you possess?"


    Strength was important but with the knowledge, I would be able to acquire that. And with all the knowledge in existence, I would easily be able to help a lot of people. Even though I might become something like a sage, this was worth it considering all that I could acquire.


    "That¡­ is something I can''t give you."


    "Why? Just a moment ago you said I could ask for anything."


    "True, I said that. But this is something I am doing for your own benefit. If I give you all my knowledge, you will become me. You will lose your personality, and yourself in the process. Do you want that?"


    "Man, that''s a hefty price to pay."


    There was no point in acquiring everything while losing yourself in the process. But there was nothing else that I could think of at the moment. I could ask for absolute strength but that would make things even harder. I would be an alien in society, and without proper knowledge, it might not end up well.


    "HA-HA-HA! Okay, let me tell you a story after which you can make your wish. Under normal circumstances, I would tell you to sit, but your body isn''t here today. Anyways, make yourself comfortable."


    There was nothing except darkness as far as I could see. I had no clue whom I was talking to, and on top of that, the voice I was hearing was claiming to be the most powerful being in the existence. I was not sure how I could be comfortable in such a situation.


    "I am as comfortable as I can be, please begin telling your story."


    "Ha-ha! I like how First created all these toys with so many personalities. Unlike this lazy me, who lacked the drive to do anything, she was pretty energetic. The difference between me and her is just that I had the knowledge of everything, but she, she just learned everything by experiments."


    "Who is this First?" I asked. What he said did sound interesting, but it made very little sense to me.


    "Let me start from the beginning. I am the existence itself, and I was the first and the only thing was. I had consciousness but no feelings, I could think but I had no emotions. I wasn''t a being back then; I was just like a non-living thing. But one day, all of the sudden I felt an urge to create something. Maybe it was part of my growth like how you all grow. And to fulfill that urge, I created a being that had my power and skills but not knowledge. You could consider her an inferior version of me myself. But even though she was inferior, she had two advantages."


    He paused for a while. I thought it was only a momentary pause, but he didn''t continue.


    "Hey, is that all? I mean is this all the story that you wanted to tell me?"


    "Of course not. But aren''t you supposed to nod, or say ''okay'', ''what''s next'', ''umhmm'' or something like that? One-sided storytelling feels boring."


    "Okay then, please continue."


    Now it somewhat made sense, but this all felt too much above my paygrade. People do crazy stuff when they are bored and have nothing to do, so I could somewhat get why she would want to quell her boredom by creating realties, but why so many? Why not create one and be done with it?


    "Yes, please continue."


    "She said she wanted to give me personality and emotions. What a childish dream! HA-HA!"


    "Well, by what you told me, she was somewhat successful in doing so. So, what happened next."


    "You know, she said she was a dreamer. And she did all this in her dreams, she never opened her eyes to see the worlds she created. She is an interesting fellow, isn''t she?"


    ''Interesting? Not one bit, more like weird. Who would just create reality and leave it like that? Even the best system needs maintenance from time to time, how could she create a reality and abandon it?''


    "Well, she did say she had some kind of backup plan. It was something like, she created several autonomous systems containing many creatures with free will, feelings, personalities, emotions, and a lot of those things. But in the end, after several years of functioning, when she realized that the systems weren''t going as she had initially planned them to, she categorized those realities are forsaken worlds."


    The terms ''forsaken world'' did sound familiar, but by no means, it felt like something that I had a grasp of. So, in this case, I went with the trusty old ''teach me'' strategy.


    "Forsaken world? So, were they destroyed, deleted, or something like that?"


    "Nah... Even though she was active at causing the mess, she was lazy when it came to cleaning up. She just removed the administrators of that system whom you probably know as God, and created a reality monitoring system called ''god system''."


    "So, she just removed the god and replaced them with some kind of system?"


    This made sense but there were several things that I was curious about. Like for once, why remove the gods and create a god system? She could have just let the gods be there as they are and moved on without even bothering to look back.


    "She did say she wasn''t heartless enough to see one of her creation being destroyed. So, basically, before the god could act and destroy it themselves, she just replaced the gods with a system, and that system basically regulated another system which happens to be that world. Oh my, this is so confusing."


    "Man, stop acting like a human. You are supposed to be the biggest brain, the ultimate being, aren''t you?"


    : A good morning - Part 5

 105 3.17 A good morning - Part 5

    "Yes, that is what I am. But after watching you all for thousands of millenniums, I have somewhat developed this nature in me."


    "It looks like your growth is opposite to ours though. In our case, we start as stupid but grow smart as we collect experiences... Anyways, you said she replaced the gods with a system that acts like a god, right? Then when I first died, was what I saw the God or the God system?"


    "Hmm¡­ Did you meet an old man wearing straw hats and glasses? What was his name again? Ahh¡­"


    "Bookman?"


    "Yes, Bookman. Did you meet him?"


    I might forget the face of the god that I saw back then, but I will never forget that old man. There is no way one would forget the face of the first person they met right after their death.


    "Yeah, obviously. How would I know his name otherwise?"


    "Right right... I guess that means you were reincarnated from a forsaken world to an upper world.This is not supposed to happen though." The self-proclaimed most powerful being in the universe sighed. "At this point, she is somewhat like a kid in her rebellious phase. I can barely keep track of everything she does. Well anyways, this is where I end my story. Now, decide."


    Honestly, there was nothing in the story that he just told me which would help me make the wish. In fact, the story was somewhat irrelevant to my wish, or my current state.


    "Okay, how was this story supposed to help me make my wish again?"


    "Well, I never said this story would help you in the first place. I just told you this story because it looked like you needed some time. You just made that assumption yourself, like a typical human."


    "Yeah, but I was too distracted by the story that I had no time to think."


    "That is a problem. But I know the solution to it."


    By the conversation up until now, I was certain that even though his way of thing may sound normal, he wasn''t normal. His talk sounded both rational and irrational, and he appeared both smart and foolish.


    Even though I had a bad feeling about it, I was curious about what this solution that he came up with was. And I had a very good idea about what he was expecting from me right this moment.


    "Okay, what is the solution that you came up with?"


    "A deadline. Well to be more specific in this case, I will use a countdown. I have seen that humans use their brain and body awfully fast when they come across there. This might work for you as well. So, here is the plan. I will countdown from 10, and if you are unable to make your wish by the time I say zero, the offer basically expires."


    "What kind of crazy solution is that?!"


    "HA-HA! See you became active all of the sudden. All humans say that at the start, but when they really face the deadline, they become active. All the sloth and laziness flies away. Anyways, let''s start, Ten."


    "Nine"


    I was really irritated by the solution that he came up with, but this wasn''t the time to think about that part. Every second right now was valuable, I couldn''t afford to waste such a valuable time on petty things.


    "Eight"


    I tried clearing my thoughts once and diverted my concentration towards the things that can be useful for me in the future.


    "Seven."


    All that I could think of at the moment was strength. It was probably because I was cornered by the time limit, so I could only focus on things that were important to me.


    "Six."


    ''Damn! Let''s not be confused here. Even if I have strength, I won''t be able to help anyone with just that. They would simply rely on me for defense. But there is a lot to life than just that.''


    "Five."


    ''Even with all the strength in the world, I won''t be able to do anything against time, disease, or authority. I would just be a brute if I go around punching people in authority just because I have strength. I will need to find a way to swiftly deal with this.''


    "Four."


    "Wait, that''s it!"


    Everything had their positive and negative aspects, but I could think of no negative aspect of the thing that I was about to ask. Maybe the negative aspects would show up once I gain the wish. But for now, this was the only thing with the least bit side effect that I could come up with.


    "Three."


    "Hey, I now know what to ask."


    "Hou... Did you come up with something?"


    "Yes, I want you to become my source of knowledge. Whenever I need to know about things, and whenever I am confused or cornered, be there for me. And help me get through the trials that might show up in my way. If you are what you claim to be, then this mustn''t be that big of a deal for you."


    I felt like laughing a loud laugh at the moment, but I suppressed the urge. It somewhat felt as if I caught the biggest fish in the pond with my fishing rod.


    It wasn''t that bad of a deal for him either. It somewhat felt like all he does was watch things as the happen. Though not completely, this would in a way, give him an opportunity to join the fun in the lower worlds.


    "HA-HA-HA! I didn''t really expect to hear that. Oh First, I now understand why you liked doing all this so much. This indeed is very fun."


    As I thought, his voice did sound excited as he was saying that. This was a win-win case that was advantageous to the both parties.


    "Okay, your wish has been granted. Let me tell you this though, I will only help you with my knowledge, not my authority. The lower world is currently in the state of balance and my direct presence there will ruin it. It may not be a big deal for someone like me, since I guess only one or two realities will be destroyed, but it certainly is for you guys."


    "Okay, so how will I be able to contact you?"


    "It''s simple actually, just think about me and you will be able to contact me directly."


    This part was easy, now there was only one thing left that I needed to ask.


    "Thanks, but now, how do I go back to my world from this place?"


    "Hmm¡­ you must be waking up, right about now."


    : A good morning - Part 6

 106 3.18 A good morning - Part 6

    "Nara, wake up! how can you fall asleep like this?"


    I opened my eyes to find Sistina''s face right in front of mine. The distance between us was in centimeters which pointed towards the fact that she came closer because of some kind of curiosity.


    "Is there something on my face?"


    "No, but were you having some kind of weird dream? You were making strange faces."


    I probably showed reactions here when the voice cornered me with that countdown. Before she could ask further questions, I decided to shut the matter down with a simple reply.


    "Probably because I fell asleep here. I do that when I sleep in an uncomfortable position."


    "It''s odd that I never saw you do that before. Probably because I never paid enough attention. Anyways, you don''t have to worry about Ronald that much, you know. We are all here for each other, so stop worrying so much and take proper rest."


    When she realized I was trying to stand up, she stood straight. It looked like she was worried about me since falling asleep in this state was indeed weird. And it was probably obvious to all that I was stressed because of the reaction that I showed earlier.


    "How''s Nina doing?" I asked since I remembered she went to Nina''s room with her earlier.


    Nina still looked somewhat shaken up by what she saw this morning, so I was thinking of visiting her next. She was strong natured so if this was able to hit her that hard then the shock must have been really deep.


    "She is doing fine. She cried for a while, but she is fine now."


    "That''s good to hear. I was about to go and check how she''s doing."


    "Yeah, you don''t have to worry."


    Normally, I would have skipped the crying part, but unlike me, Sistina was brutally honest. That is why I was always somewhat cautious while displaying my feelings around her.


    It somewhat felt like there was no point in worrying about things anymore. It could be because of the meditation, or the voice that I met in the gap between spaces, I was feeling somewhat relaxed and calm.


    Even though it was faint, there was a hope that if this being is who he claims to be, or even close to what he claims to be, then that would make things a lot easier for me moving ahead.


    "I will go and check if Arica and Marina need a break or not. They have been there for a while now."


    I looked out of the window, and much to my surprise, the sun was already high up. It was only then that I realized that the meditation was several hours long. At least the good part was that the endeavor was fruitful.


    "Okay, I will soon join you. Let me check how Nina is doing first," I said when Sistina was about to leave the room.


    She turned around with a smile when she heard that. "Okay, but go and have lunch first."


    The only problem here was that there was very little that I remembered about him. He didn''t have a body or a form that I could remember. I still somewhat remembered his voice, but it was something once could easily forget if they don''t hear it properly.


    Anyways, for now, I tried closing my eyes and remembering his voice and the words he said.


    [Hey boy, what happened? You needed me this soon]


    Before I could even try speaking, I heard a familiar voice that I had just heard a while ago in my head. It felt somewhat like telepathic communication with my familiars.


    I basically had nothing to ask since this was just a mere test, so I somewhat felt guilty about doing that. But instead of mentioning that this was just a test to see if it works or not, I could just ask him a serious question.


    [Hey, you never told me your name. What should I call you?]


    [You can call me Zero. Is that all you wanted to ask?]


    [No, I wanted to ask what happens when a spirit is manifested using a human body as the host.]


    [Hmm¡­ I thought you would already know the answer to this. It''s simple. They either co-exist in a symbiotic relationship, or they just fight against each other for dominance. But considering the fact that spirits are immortal beings, they rarely try to take over their host. They do try to test if the host is worthy of having them or not.]


    [Ah, thank you. That is all I wanted to ask.]


    [Okay, see you.]


    What he said was basically the same thing that Flare told me in the morning. Hearing that from someone else made me a little more assured.


    After this conversation with Zero, I came out of my room and knocked on Nina''s door. It was almost afternoon, which was way past lunchtime, so I was planning to take Nina with me if she hadn''t had her lunch yet.


    "Please come in."


    "Nina, how are you feeling now?" I asked as I walked in.


    She was sitting on her chair. Her purple hair that was still somewhat wet pointed towards the fact that she just recently took a bath.


    "Oh, it''s you Nara. I thought it was Sam... I think I am over it now. It just took me by surprise, that''s it," she replied as turned around and looked at me.


    "That''s alright. I would have freaked out too if I was in your place. Anyways, have you had your lunch yet?"


    "No, Sistina was calling me, but I decided to take a bath before lunch."


    Normally, at this point, I would have said a few words about eating on time. But today, since I, myself wasn''t in a much different position than hers, I decided to skip that part.


    "Then let''s go and eat something now. I haven''t eate¡ª"


    Before I could finish my sentence, I realized someone just came inside, so I turned around. It was Marina.


    She was breathing heavily and could barely utter a word. So, instead of asking her, I decided to ask Lucy.


    "Lucy, what happened?"


    "Guys, it looks like Ronald is finally awake now."


    : A good morning - Part 6

 107 3.19 A good morning - Part 7

    I rushed towards Ronald''s room as soon as I heard that while Nina and Marina followed me. When I entered the room, his appearance was still the same. His hair was still blue, and his eyes were still red. But just by looking at that wide smile on his face, I could tell that he was back.


    "Hey bro, you had us worried there. How are you feeling now?" I said as I walked in.


    Even though I was overjoyed inside, I didn''t express it outside. It felt like the guilt that I had been feeling deep down until now was somehow lessened.


    It looked like Arica too understood that it wasn''t a good idea to react loudly in front of someone who just woke up from a coma. Though the same couldn''t be said for Sistina, who was wearing a shocked reaction on her face.


    "It feels like I just woke up from a long horrible dream. The last thing I remember is my arm being shattered by that demon, and now my body feels like a carriage just ran over it."


    After everything that happened, after everything we had to go through, he was just there smiling as if nothing happened. Though what more could I expect from him, he had been unconscious ever since the incident.


    "I guess it will take some time for you to get back to your feet. Anyways, how did things go with the wind spirit?"


    "Hmm¡­ He was hard to please at the start, but after talking for a while, we started getting along," he replied as he tried to sit up straight. He probably felt it difficult to talk while lying down.


    Arica, who was standing next to him, used the other pillow that was on the bed to make him lean comfortably.


    "By the way Nara"¡ªHe smiled cheerfully¡ª "It looks like you have grown a lot. And not just you, it looks like everyone has grown a lot. Has it been that long?"


    "Oh, it has been like 2 months since you were asleep," Sistina said, ruining my plan to reveal that to him slowly.


    This made me somewhat glad that it was Andrew who explained things to me when I woke up. If it was Sistina, I might have gone back to where I came from in shock.


    "It has just been that long huh? I thought it would have been longer when I saw you guys all changed. Guess I will have to get back up and catch up to you guys quickly."


    He was taking everything surprisingly normally. Even though his appearance changed, he was every bit of a person that I remembered him to be. He was quick at analyzing how everyone present had grown just by looking at us.


    "I think you should just rest for now. Save all those things for later," Nina replied. This scolding was proof that she had started feeling better.


    While we were talking, Yoru and the Princesses walked in. By the looks of things, it seemed that they were getting along. This was a positive development for Yoru since this way she would be able to spend more time with everyone else.


    "Ha-ha! I am sorry"¡ªRonald looked at Yoru¡ª "and who is this miss over here?"


    "Me? I am Yoru. For now, I am just Nara''s familiar. But forget about me, I am just glad that you are doing well elder brother."


    I wasn''t sure what she meant by that ''for now'' part, but deep down I was hoping that Arica wasn''t teaching her any of her stupid tricks. Though that ''elder brother'' at the end did point towards her positive growth.


    "Hmm¡­ I have heard of people keeping slaves in some northern territories, but this is my first time hearing about a human familiar."


    "Well, you see, I am a divine summon. So, I can basically change into my spirit form or my human form whenever I like."


    Even though her explanation was simple, Ronald knew very little about spirits and summons. This was something that I would need to explain to him later after he starts feeling a bit better. For now, I realized that the room was getting too crowded.


    "It''s getting two crowded here. Marina, Arica, it looks like you guys haven''t had your lunch yet, so let''s go down and have our lunch first. The rest can keep Ronald company."


    "Okay darling," Arica replied.


    Even though I had somewhat gotten used to her calling me darling, it still felt a bit embarrassing to be called that in front of Ronald.


    "Take a lot of rest Ronald. We can talk about everything later," I said after which the four of us, who still hadn''t eaten our lunch, walked out of the room.


    I was anticipating this moment, assuming various scenarios regarding how this may turn out to be. But it was surprisingly normal. In the end, I was just overthinking things without considering how calm and composed Ronald normally was.


    When we reached the kitchen, it looked like Sam had already started heating our lunch. I felt somewhat sad that he used to work this hard, and all we used to do was increase his work by showing up late for lunch.


    "Everyone, lunch will be ready soon. Sorry for the wait," he said when he saw us walking towards the dining room.


    "Please don''t worry. We can wait a little longer," I replied.


    We all then walked to the dining table and took our seat. Even though it was still morning, most of us here were used to eating lunch early. Probably because of all the training and travels that we had to do. But then I realized it wasn''t just us, most of the families and people that we were aware of used to eat lunch early.


    As I was thinking along those lines, Sam brought our food inside and served it. He was surprisingly fast. Probably because he had already done all the necessary preparations beforehand.


    When I started eating, I realized that a lot of things that happened this morning. Some of them were weird, while some of them were surprisingly normal. But at the end of the day, it was a good morning.


    : You lost the sword?!

 108 3.20 You lost the sword?! - Part 1

    After lunch, everyone else went to train with miss Lilith. Ronald was still recovering, but if we just stay by his side all the time, he won''t be able to rest properly. So, all of us decided to go with our normal schedule and leave the care of Ronald to Sam.


    As for me, I decided to visit Zagan''s space with Flare. Yoru also wanted to come with us but I asked her to go with others so that she could see how they train


    Even though she looked unconvinced, she agreed at the end when the princesses asked her to join.


    "Hey Zagan, how do we refine this?" I asked.


    I was standing in front of a huge pile of soil with ore mixed in it. We brought this whole thing here yesterday, but it was getting late back then, so I decided to leave the refinement for the next day. And now that I had some free time, using that time to refine this ore was a good idea.


    "This is a pain, but we need to do it sooner or later so let''s get to it. For now, we are just going to filter it. We can shape it using earth and fire magic later after we collect all the metals we need."


    He didn''t seem that active so it looked like I would be the one doing the job following his instructions.


    "So, do you know how the refinement of a normal metal works?"


    "Not exactly, but I know a few things. Like how you heat and melt the ore to separate them from impurities."


    "Yeah, that is basically what we need to do. Use earth magic to harden the soil and make a spherical vessel with ore inside it."


    I touched the pile of soil with my hand and transferred the raw mana within me into it. I then converted the raw mana into earth magic and manipulated the soil to change it into a spherical vessel.


    Considering the quality of the soil, even if I am able to give it a shape and make it hard, it would break if a large pressure is developed within. And because of this, I needed to constantly supply raw mana to it for making it sturdy.


    I moved a little backward after I finished making the vessel. Flare was with me today, so I could use her ability to manipulate the surrounding mana and keep the surface of the vessel hard in case the pressure developed becomes hard to contain.


    "Now that you are done with it, apply fire magic to heat the ore, and wind magic to maintain the temperature inside."


    It would be hard for me to do everything at once, and in case of an emergency, I may not be able to handle things. So, in this case, it would be wise to let Flare handle the heating part.


    "Flare, can you heat the ore? I will try to keep the vessel sturdy and manipulate the wind inside."


    "Of course, master," Flare replied as she changed into her divine form.


    It was only now that I noticed the end of her tail and some feathers in her wings had also changed blue. I had seen that in her small form, but this was my first time seeing this in her divine form.


    "Now keep on doing it until I tell you to stop. And after I say ''stop'', create another spherical vessel, and transfer the melted ore there. Mithril melts before Lightstone crystal, so the molten part is Mithril."


    It looks like the ore is basically an amalgam of mithril and Lightstone crystals with few impurities. The refinement process turned out to be a lot simpler than I thought. That is, it was simple to understand. Doing the whole thing by yourself was a whole another level of challenge.


    After maintaining it for a while, I could sense that the ore had melted. This happened a lot faster than I had initially thought, but it looked like the melted ore was ready to be transferred.


    "Now, stop."


    After Zagan said that, I created another vessel using the leftover soil and transferred the upper layer of molten ore there. Compared to the impurities left in the vessel, the metal obtained wasn''t even one-fifth.


    Though if I was doing it industrially using magicians, this method would prove to be rather economical. Considering the value of mithril, the cost for magicians and resources could be covered by 1/20th of the profit. And after I create my own space, teleportation to the places where I leave my mana was possible.


    The only problem was the fact that I would need this huge device to store my mana. But there was an advantage that I would be able to teleport wherever my familiars were.


    "Okay, I guess this is all we will do for today. Next time when you come, try doing it by yourself without me having to pull you here."


    "I can do that? I thought this was your space and only you were allowed to come here freely."


    "Nah... as my master, you should also be able to come here freely. You need to train yourself to be able to travel between the spaces."


    That made sense, but it also made me curious about how he sees the gap between the spaces. The last time when I tried doing it, I was sent to some self-proclaimed supreme being in existence.


    "I will give it a try next time¡­ By the way Zagan, how does the gap between the spaces appears to you?"


    "Well, the transfer between the spaces works too fast for me. I don''t usually have time to look around."


    Then I probably met him by accident. Back then the goal that I wanted to reach wasn''t any particular space. I just wanted to sense the gap between the spaces, and because of that, I was probably lost in there.


    "Master, I need to go back now. They must be back from the training."


    "Yes, Flare"¡ªI turned towards Zagan¡ª "I think we will be taking our leave now. Let''s collect the other metals next time."


    After I said that, Zagan snapped his fingers, and with that, both Flare and I were back to our room.


    : You lost the sword?! - Part 2

 109 3.21 You lost the sword?! - Part 2

    "Arica, stop!"


    "Ooh Eliane, those are so big."


    When I reached downstairs, I could hear noises coming from the hot water bath behind the dormitory. The sound was arousing, but after everything I had to go through, I could handle that level of arousal.


    It wasn''t my fault that I felt a little excited when I heard them. It was basically the fault of this 17-year-old body of mine. Even though my mental age was a little more than this, the hormones produced by this body of mine were still as that of a teen.


    I suppressed my urge to peep and walked towards the sitting room.


    When I entered the room, Miss Lilith was sitting on the sofa. Even though she was just leaning on one of the arms and resting, I couldn''t help but admire that mature beauty of hers complimented by her open red hairs.


    It was weird that I was getting all these urges right when I was getting ready to submit myself to meditation and spirituality. But then I realized these are the challenges one needs to face before going to sainthood.


    "Oh, you are here. I was about to come to you. There is something that we need to talk about."


    It had been a while since I heard something like that from Miss Lilith. And since in this case, she was saying she wants to talk to me, it must be something concerning me specifically.


    "What is it about?" I asked since I was curious. It might be regarding everything that happened, but as far as I can tell, she must have heard about everything from the black dragon king already.


    "It''s about the duke, he wants to meet with you."


    This wasn''t something unexpected considering all the events that happened. But the question here is: how much does he know about everything that has happened until now? And how much does he know about me?


    "Is there anything specific that he wants from me?"


    "Well, at this point, even though I tried to keep a lot of things secret, he has the basic understanding of all that happened. And as far as I know, he is smart enough to figure the rest from that basic knowledge."


    That made sense considering what kind of person he was. He even figured out what Goro and other nobles were doing under his nose back then, so it would be foolish to delude myself with the thought that we are still keeping things a secret from him. But that being said, I still had to play my cards carefully here considering the fact that he was still a nobility.


    "Anyways, just go and visit him tomorrow. He is decent for a noble, if you are able to get along with him, he can help you moving ahead."


    "Okay, that makes sense. But will this meeting be just between him and me, or will there be other nobles?"


    That was my expectation as well. If I was in their place, I would obviously be anxious about the move that king was suddenly making. Especially considering the fact that this could be their one big chance to expand their influence towards capital.


    "Then I guess I need to be careful about how I speak."


    "Yeah, but as long as you aren''t weak against wine and women, you are fine."


    ''Oh damn! The things that I am most weak against.''


    I hadn''t tasted the wines of this world before, but I was definitely weak against them in my previous life. Even a small amount of alcohol used to leave me lulled for hours. And women, they have always been something that I had been weak against. Even though there weren''t many instances where I was near to women in my previous life, but by what I experienced here, I could say that I was definitely weak against them.


    "I-is there anything else that I need to know?" I asked since it felt like there was still something missing here.


    "Yeah, they may ask you to show your strength. Give them a good show."


    Well that was expected since they would obviously want to see my strength, but the catch here was: how much of my strength should I show?


    I could go all out, but I think I would scare them instead if I did that. And if I hold too much back, they may just consider me too weak and insignificant. I couldn''t afford to do both that. Maybe I could just show them the fusion of several elements, I remember showing a few during our fight with the knight squad.


    "Okay, I think I can handle that. By the way, can I take Sam with me there?"


    "I see no problem with that, he didn''t specify that you should come alone. But I don''t recommend taking any other girls there, even if you do, take either Arica or Eliane."


    That made sense considering how nobles could be at times. I had even heard that things like on the spot marriage arrangements and engagements are also common in noble society. And considering how other girls were, it wouldn''t be wise to take them there, especially considering the fact that they wouldn''t be able to handle themselves emotionally.


    I even had doubt about myself, but since I could take Sam with me, he could cover me in places where I slip.


    "Okay, I will go and ask Sam to arrange some free time. At what time does he want to see me?"


    "I guess he was saying something like the morning. You can be a little late though, that would make you look like some kind of hotshot."


    "Ha-ha! I don''t think I would be able to handle that level of attention though. So, I will just be there on time."


    "Wise choice."


    After this conversation with Miss Lilith, I walked towards the kitchen to inform Sam about this development. Considering the fact that it was almost dinner time, he must be there at the moment.


    "Hey Sam," I said as I walked in.


    It looked like he had already finished preparing the dinner. He was arranging the dishes and cleaning the glasses with a small white towel.


    "Hello master, what brings you here today?" He replied when he saw me walk in.


    "Can you arrange some free time tomorrow morning? I have been invited to the duke''s castle, and I think I will need a lot of your assistance the way I am now."


    I got to the point without beating around the bush. Considering how busy he was, I would only be wasting his time if I tried going around things. They used to say, ''never hide things from your doctor and lawyer'' in my previous world. The same applied in the case of butlers in this world.


    "Yes, I think I will be able to. Though for now, I think you should get ready. It''s almost dinner time."


    It was only then that I realized that I had been late during my past two meals. ''I need to be careful not to anger him by repeating that frequently.''


    : You lost the sword?! - Part 3

 110 3.22 You lost the sword?! - Part 3

    "Are you sure you will be alright without us? If you want, I can go with you," Princess Eliane said.


    It was early morning and the weather was pleasant. That is, pleasant because we were in the sitting room inside. Outside, it was cold since a chilly wind was blowing.


    Sam and I were preparing to depart for the Duke''s castle. Since we had no carriage and weren''t informed that they would be sending one for us, we decided to go there on foot.


    "Thank you, Eliane. But I think I should go there by myself. If you come with me, I will depend on you too much."


    Princess Eliane smiled when she heard my response. It was only a second later that I realized I accidentally called her by using just her name. The next second, a conflict arose in my mind whether I should correct myself or just let it slide. But then I realized that she wasn''t minding it, so I decided to let it slide.


    "I wish I could go too," Sistina said while looking a little grumpy.


    "Yeah me too, I know they wouldn''t mind having me there," Princess Anna said while brushing her light-blue hair with her hand.


    That was true since nobody would mind having a princess at the party. And even if they did mind, they would never be able to say that out loud.


    Though this wasn''t a good enough reason to take her with us since I had a feeling that with her, things might get more complicated.


    "Girls, just let Nara go alone, okay? He must have his reasons," Arica said as she walked in. Considering how loud everyone was, she must have heard our conversation from outside.


    Nina and Marina weren''t here with us because they were keeping Ronald company. As for Yoru, she was bummed out after I said I would only be taking Sam.


    "But I am his summon, and it''s a master''s duty to take summons wherever they go... I feel like I am being ignored."


    "No, you are not. Besides, tomorrow we are going to the residential district together remember?"


    Obviously, she doesn''t remember. Even though I thought of doing this a while ago, doing it tomorrow was something that I came up with just now.


    "Really? Then I guess it''s alright. I will just have to be patient," She said while folding her arms.


    Now that everyone was happy with it, I decided to take my leave. It was still a little early, but since we were walking, it was a good idea to head out a little ahead of time.


    "Okay everyone, I am heading out. See you in the evening," I said as I walked towards the front door. Sam, who was standing behind me this whole time, followed me.


    "Okay, bye-bye."


    "Don''t get engaged to some noblewomen out there."


    "Does that really happen, Arica?"


    "More commonly than you think, Sistina."


    When the two of us got out, I realized that it was indeed very chilly outside. It wasn''t like I couldn''t handle this level of cold, but since we have magic, why not use it to make myself comfortable?


    I used wind magic to manipulate the wind around me so that the temperature would stay warm constantly. For the first few minutes, I need to concentrate to maintain it, but after a few minutes, my body got used to it. Sometimes, I am amazed at how fast this body of mine is when it comes to learning and adapting things.


    [Flare, can you hear me?]


    [Yes Master. Do you need me?]


    After we reached a bit further, I contacted Flare telepathically. Normally, I should be able to handle things myself, but it wouldn''t hurt to be prepared for the worst possible scenario.


    [I want you to circle the sky above me and be ready in case I need assistance. Can you do that for me?]


    [Of course. I will keep an eye on your surroundings.]


    After walking for a while, the front gate of the Duke''s castle came in sight. Compared to last time, there were more guards on the gate. This made me wonder why they were being so cautious all of the sudden.


    "Master, before we go in, I suggest that you speak steadily. Also, if possible, hide emotions like surprise and annoyance. And do not space out like you usually do."


    I had no idea that I used to space out that frequently. Now that I think about it, I do think a lot these days and that probably happens when I am in deep thought. But this was something that happened involuntarily, and I had no control over it.


    "Most of the time these things happen reflexively. But I will try."


    "I think you will do fine if you are able to do that. Also, please don''t show too much excitement, react as if you have seen everything before."


    As we were talking, we reached the front gate of the castle. There, when the guards stopped us, I realized that there was a familiar face among the castle guards.


    "Nara?!"


    His reaction was normal considering the fact that it had been a while since we last met. And I, myself was somewhat surprised to see him as a castle guard.


    "It''s been a while. How''s life, Dale?"


    "I guess you could say it''s finally getting normal. But more than that, how is your friend doing? Has he recovered?"


    "Yeah, he is doing fine now. He is still recovering, but he has regained his consciousness."


    Dale sighed in relief. "That''s good to hear."


    "Hey Dale, do you know this kid?" Another guard dressed in a sturdy-looking metal armor asked.


    "Yeah, he is one of the kids who helped us back then."


    I realized that there was definitely something wrong by the way they were acting all vigilant. Since there was still some time left, I decided to use this opportunity and ask them about this.


    "Is there something going on? Because when I came here last time, there weren''t this many guards."


    "You don''t know?"


    The way Dale was asking that made me feel like I was unaware of something that was general knowledge at this point.


    When he realized that I was still confused, Dale continued, "Lord Goro has disappeared from the castle. He was last seen in the city entrance where he ordered the guards to let some suspicious men in."


    : You lost the sword?! - Part 4

 111 3.23 You lost the sword?! - Part 4

    I somewhat remembered him from our encounter back at the entrance exam and the library. And from initial impressions, I could tell that the guy was no good.


    Back then, I just ignored him since I didn''t want any trouble. I just thought he was some rich noble kid raised with so much care that he even forgot to learn the tact and civility that a decent human being needs. But the second encounter was even worse.


    I thought he had a few screws loose in his head when he asked me to become his servant out of nowhere. It was only later that I realized there was a trend of keeping butlers ¡ª who are also regarded as servants ¡ª in this world. So, in the end, it could have just been my lack of understanding of noble''s society that made him look like a good-for-nothing.


    Then again, if that is how the nobles act, then all of them are good-for-nothing.


    "Isn''t he the third son of the Duke? I remember meeting him in the library a few weeks ago."


    "Yes, this incident just happened four days ago, but the news has been spreading like a wildfire among the nobles. Duke is under a lot of pressure at the moment. Until the intruders are caught, the security of the castle and the city entrance will stay tight," the other guard who was with Dale replied.


    "Master, I think we should go in now; we are getting late."


    "Ah, okay"¡ªI looked towards Dale¡ª "I think I will come to visit the inn tomorrow evening. Hopefully, we will be able to meet then."


    "If it''s evening, I will definitely be there. My shift is only during the morning."


    As we were talking, the Duke''s butler came walking towards us. The other guards must have notified him of our arrival.


    "Sir, please this way."


    Both of us followed the butler. In a way, it was a good thing that he came to pick us up. Considering the size of this castle, it would have been a pain to look around for where to go.


    This also somewhat pointed towards the fact that we were being treated as a guest and not some knight who has to bow before every noble.


    While we were walking, Sam came closer to my ear. "Normally, they would send someone else to pick you up. The head butler is here, that means he has an important piece of information to share with us."


    "Sir, if you may, this way."


    After walking for a while, the old butler asked us to walk towards what appeared to be a narrow passage instead of the audience hall. And after going a little further he stopped.


    "You must be curious about my reason for bringing you here instead of the audience hall." He paused there and looked towards us. "The Duke asked me to inform you about a few things before going in. But before that, let me apologize in his stead."


    "Apologize?"


    "I am, but I am not sure what this has to do with us," I replied.


    This whole apology came as a little surprise to me. And the way he was slowly rounding up the things instead of going to the main point directly made me curious about what''s coming next.


    "Yes, about that¡­ The matter of Lord Goro''s disappearance has gained a lot of attention. It has reached the point where the Duke is having a hard time dealing with nobles. And in order to divert that attention, he has decided to use their curiosity over the matter concerning you. To explain it simply, he wants to present you as the golden boy to save his skin."


    This looked like some kind of shady move from nobles, otherwise, the matter wouldn''t have escalated this much further in just four days. Though this was nothing unexpected considering the fact that the duke was somewhat strict to nobles. They were probably just waiting for a single big opportunity to catch a flaw in him.


    "So, what does he want me to do?"


    "He wants to reveal the fact that you defeated an archdemon to the mass. By doing so, you will gain fame, and with that, the noble''s attention will shift to you. Your part here will be to handle them until the situation is resolved."


    He was saying it as if it was an easy task for me. I had never been to any place with nobles, except this caste. And on top of that, I lacked the necessary manners and etiquette suitable for Noble''s society. But then again, I couldn''t just say no. Especially considering the fact that the Duke was cornered.


    Even though he was one of the causes of all the twists and turns in our lives, he was also the one who had helped us until now. The problem here was: this all was happening too soon, and we had no time to prepare for it.


    I wasn''t sure what to answer. My thoughts were all conflicted and there was a single big question in my mind: ''Am I ready for this?''


    I looked towards Sam to hear what he has to say in this matter.


    "Master, I think it would be wise to help Duke in this case. This would have happened sooner or later, but with Duke''s support, we will be able to deal with upcoming hurdles more easily. Though I have to say, everyone''s life will be somewhat unstable for a few years because of this."


    "Hmm¡­ That makes sense"¡ªI turned towards the old butler¡ª "Okay, we will help you. But we will need proper support from you guys as well."


    "It would be our pleasure to help you with this task. Now, if you would, please follow me."


    This time, we walked toward the castle''s hall. It looked like we were a little early since there were only a few guests in the hallway, or it could just be that they were probably already inside. Though, by the way that the few people outside were looking at me, I could tell that this was going to be a long hard day.


    : You lost the sword?! - Part 5

 112 3.24 You lost the sword?! - Part 5

    Inside the audience hall, there were men and women dressed in fancy-looking expensive clothes. Contrary to my initial expectation, the hall was already crowded with guests.


    The hall was large, but with all these people from different cultures and societies, it somewhat felt congested. This feeling was also because even though they knew who I was, I had no idea who they were.


    With all those prideful eyes observing me, the little confidence that I came here with felt somewhat lacking. The thoughts like ''how should I move?'', ''where should I go?'', and ''what should I say?'' came to my mind.


    Right when all those conflicting thoughts were coming to my head, I heard Sam whisper in my ears. "Master, just walk in with a smile. You hold the advantage of mystery here so they will come to you."


    Trusting his words, I walked in with a smile. Even though it was just a fake smile to hide my nervousness, I was trying to make it as realistic as possible. Unlike during my past visits, this time I was alone as the center of attention. So, it was somewhat obvious that I would feel nervous.


    The audience hall became noisy when they first saw me, but it became quiet as I entered. I was trying to avoid looking at anybody''s face directly as I was walking in.


    "Oh, he doesn''t look like all those muscled knights."


    "And he is somewhat cute too."


    "Yeah, I wish I had met someone like that when I was still young."


    I heard a conversation between two noble ladies as I walked in. Even though it piqued my interest, I was too nervous to turn around and look at their faces.


    I was just walking in nervously, unsure about where I should go. Right then, a brown-haired man with a muscular build came to me. He was a young man who was probably only in his mid-twenties.


    "Hello there! Welcome to the Singha castle. Even though this is my first time meeting you, I have heard a lot about you from my father."


    "Thank you. This is my first time being a place like this, so I am somewhat unaware of the customs here."


    As I was talking to him, Sam came closer to my ears and whispered, "this is the eldest son of the Duke, Markus Singha. He himself is an Earl."


    Compared to Goro, he seemed a little more well-mannered and tactful. Though it would be unwise to make a judgment just based on the initial impressions.


    "You sound as humble as you appear"¡ªhe glanced at the people from left to right and looked back at me¡ª"but please make yourself comfortable. The honorable gentlemen and ladies in this hall understand your origin. So, you don''t need to worry about our customs that much."


    What he said was enough for me to judge him as a decent person. He just relieved me from the single big worry that was in my head.


    "We have been told that you defeated a demon, and an archdemon at that no less. Can you tell us more about your adventures?" A woman who appeared to be in her early thirties asked. By the expensive-looking garments and accessories that she was wearing, I could tell that she was really an influential noble.


    "She is Viscountess Sara Grey," Sam whispered in my ears.


    I was surprised by how normally they were taking his whispers. But then I realized this must be something commonly observed in noble societies.


    "I am not sure if that is something that I can be proud of. The village was already destroyed by the time we got there, and one of my friends got injured in the battle as well."


    "Oh my, how humble. Though I do think you should be proud of what you accomplished at such a young age. If it weren''t for you, the surrounding villages might have been affected as well," the lady replied.


    Even though it had been less than ten minutes, I was already getting somewhat used to the atmosphere. It was mostly because of Sam and Markus. Duke probably sent Markus here knowing that he would be able to support me like this.


    Even though the people around me were focused on me, there were some nobles at the corner of the room who looked like they were discussing another matter entirely. And not just that, I could hear a few whispers mentioning Goro.


    Though right now, my task was just to divert their attention from the matter. And to do that, I would just have to act as if everything is natural like Markus.


    Another round of whispers started when all the eyes on the hall turned towards the man who was entering. It was the Duke Singha himself. The air around was as intense as ever but I could feel some anger mixed in it. And walking behind him was the old butler that we met earlier.


    "Looks like everyone is here," he said as he walked inside.


    It looked like he still had something to say, but before he could, a bald man who appeared to be in his 40s interrupted him.


    "Yes, but it still feels like someone is missing. I don''t see Lord Goro anywhere."


    His attire, even though expensive, didn''t suit him one bit. And his tone indicated that he was clearly trying to mock the Duke.


    "Do I need to remind you that I disowned him for his stupidity. Now, I only have two sons," the Duke replied in an angry tone.


    "That still doesn''t change the fact that he is your blood. And the fact that your son betrayed this province by allowing the intruders in."


    "Now, now Lord Hayden, let''s stop this before it gets too far. Remember, we have a guest here with us today," Markus said as he walked towards them. "And for those who are yet to see his strength, we have a demonstration planned up next. Also, for your information, I myself will be acting as his sparring partner."


    : You lost the sword?! - Part 6

 113 3.25 You lost the sword?! - Part 6

    "I don''t think that''s a good idea. I should probably just do it by myself."


    I wasn''t sure how much I needed to hold back with him as an opponent. I couldn''t appear weak in front of all these nobles because that would defeat the purpose of me coming here. But if I try displaying my power, I might accidentally end up hurting him.


    "That would be too dull. Even though I am an Earl now, I am a trained knight who has fought in the front lines several times. With me as an opponent, you will be able to display your abilities without holding back." He moved a little back and looked towards the crowd in front. "Doesn''t everyone here agree?"


    "Yes!"


    "That''s what we have been waiting for."


    "We want a duel!"


    It looked like he was able to shift the attention of the crowd to us. And this was indeed a good way to spice things up for them. Though I was still concerned that I might injure him. But despite my concern, there was no way to avoid this duel at this point, so I decided that I would just heal what''s broken later.


    "Alright, though it might turn out a little different than what you are expecting."


    "Yes, I am prepared. Just give it your all."


    As we were talking, the old butler came forward and pointed towards the door with his hand. "Please this way then."


    The two of us followed him to the open ground at the center of the castle. Around us was the sturdy-looking inner wall, and from the balconies, the nobles were curiously staring at us.


    While I was looking at the inner wall and observing the structure of the castle, a familiar figure came walking towards us. When I took a closer look, I realized it was Garo, the captain of the knight squad that we once fought.


    After he came closer, he bowed to Markus and then turned towards me. "So, we meet again."


    "Yeah, it has been a while. But it''s good to see that you are doing well," I replied.


    "Okay, let''s not waste any more time in petty talks. I, Garo shall be the referee of this match"¡ªHe then looked at my waist¡ª "I thought this was going to be a sword match. Where''s your sword?"


    "About that¡­ I think I might have accidentally lost it on the journey."


    "What?! You lost the sword?!"


    "Sorry, it was a tough battle and I dropped it on the lake."


    "For a knight, losing his sword is the most shameful thing that could happen. A sword is your partner in battle and companion in countless journeys. How could you lose it so easily?"


    "But I had no choice back then. The lives of my friends were in danger."


    "Then, I guess I will let it slide just this once. Even though that sword was a remarkable piece of art, I hope you will be able to find a better replacement. For now, you can use my sword."


    He took the sword in his waist out of its sheath and gave it to me. I took the sword and tried swinging it a few times.


    "Now that the two of you are ready. Please take your position while keeping a suitable distance among yourself. The distance between the two of you must at least be 4 longswords. Also, both of you must already be aware of the rules. If not, remember that you lose only when you drop your sword or admit defeat."


    Both of us moved a little backward after he said that. Instead of just four longswords, the distance between us was at least 6 longswords which was almost like seven meters.


    Normally, I would have taken my stance, but the technique I was about to use was a bit hard to control. And since I wasn''t used to this sword, I kept it as far from my body as I could.


    Both Garo and Markus looked surprised when they saw me do that. But that surprise didn''t last for too long as Marker took his stance.


    After the two of us were ready, Garo raised his hand and gave us the signal to start.


    Markus came straight at me with a diagonal slash. He was faster than normal knights and was able to reach me with a single leap. It was a good use of physical enhancement and his stance.


    I bent backward and dodged the attack, but it looked like he had already figured out what I would do. So, his next strike was a vertical slash that came at me from above.


    I blocked it with my sword while moving my right foot behind and pushed him back using the physical enhancement. Till now I hadn''t used my magic because I didn''t want to end this in one fell swoop.


    A loud cheer was heard from the balcony when Marcus covered his sword in red flames. Though to me it wasn''t a big deal since I had seen Arica do it several times.


    Following him, I used Darkness magic and Fire magic at the same time and covered my sword in dark flames. Unlike when Marcus covered his swords in flame, no cheers were heard this time. So, I looked towards the balcony, just to realize that they had a shocked reaction on their faces.


    It was only a few seconds later that another loud cheer was heard from the balconies.


    This time it looked like he was going to try some long-ranged attack. So, I prepared myself to hold back so that I don''t end up freezing Markus while trying to counter his attack.


    When he saw me a little distracted, he attacked me with the fire slash. But this time, I had no intention of dodging that attack. So, I countered it by firing a slash of my dark flames.


    I was surprised when I saw the flames itself being frozen. But compared to my surprise, the surprise on everyone else''s face was several times greater.


    : Start of the chaos

 114 3.26 Start of the chaos

    "Unknown doesn''t scare me," Markus said as he charged towards me.


    This move could be considered both brave and foolish. It was a good thing that he was not scared, but that doesn''t mean he should charge in without analyzing his opponent''s movement.


    I was planning to make the match last a bit longer, but since he was getting all excited, I might have to end it sooner before he gets hurt. I could have just turned off the Dark flames and fought him at close range, but if I do that now, it might look like I am holding back.


    ''Time to go on a little rampage.''


    When I was at the range of his sword, he attacked me from below. But this time, I pressed the ground and jumped backward right when the sword was about to touch my legs.


    Now that there was some distance between us, it was time to put on a little display. I unleashed a Dark-flame slash at Markus but aimed it a little off so that it would just pass from his right.


    Naturally, he moved towards his left and avoided the attack. But since I had used more mana than last time, the attack ended up creating a wall of ice on his right.


    Following that attack, I attacked him with another slash. This time I aimed it a little left so that I could trap him between the wall of ice. Markus looked confused, and I used this confusion to charged forward.


    The distance between us was around 5 meters so he had no time to prepare a counter. He brought his sword forward to defend himself, but that was obviously not the right move. My dark flames could easily freeze anything they touch, even his sword.


    However, it was advantageous for me since all I wanted to do was make him drop his sword. When I reached closer, instead of going for his body, I went for his sword.


    When our swords clashed, my dark flames slowly started freezing his sword. He was still holding onto it but when the flames reached the grip and froze some of his fingers, he threw the sword and jumped backward.


    "Stop! Nara wins."


    After that announcement from Garo, I turned my dark flames off and walked to Markus. He was holding his right hand tightly with his left. Fortunately, at this point, I knew how to melt the magic ice.


    "Captain, your sword," I said as I handed Garo his sword back. I then turned back to Markus. "I can melt that ice for you, please bring your hand forward."


    Markus did as I said and brought his hands forward. I then combined holy magic with fire magic and created green flames.


    When the flames touched his frozen fingers, it melted the magic ice around it turning his hand back to normal. Following that, I use the same flames to melt the walls of ice on our left and right.


    "Goodness me, I have never seen anyone with your magical caliber in my life. And your techniques, they are unique and effective," Marcus said as he saw me melt the walls of ice.


    "I think we should get back now. Looks like everyone up there is waiting," I replied when I saw the eyes of all those people in the balconies still focused on us.


    The three of us then walked back towards the hall. But as we were doing that, Flare contacted me telepathically.


    [Master, there is a problem. The western part of the city is on fire, and I sense demons."


    [What! But that''s the residential district.]


    It was somewhat of a shock, but since it was coming from Flare, things must actually be serious. I wasn''t sure how to react with all those nobles here, but the right move would probably be to notify the duke.


    "Markus, I just talked with my familiar who informed me that there is a demon attack on the western part of the city."


    "What!"


    Both of them looked surprised to hear the news. That was expected since I myself was in a similar situation.


    "Is the source of this information reliable?" Markus asked after composing himself.


    "Yes, I will take full responsibility if it turns out to be a falls call. But for now, how do we handle this?"


    "Hmm¡­ There is no way that they would be able to get into the city, unless¡­ they were summoned inside."


    That was somewhat obvious, but right now the attack was on the residential district which was close to the Knight''s district. The knights there must already be acting on their own and attempting to resolve the situation. If something wasn''t done in haste, the situation may escalate further.


    "I think we should hurry. This is a matter concerning thousands of lives," I said when I saw Markus still lost in thought.


    This situation wasn''t as easy for him as it was for me. If all the nobles above hear this, the situation may become worse. But considering how so many lives were at danger, we needed to come up with a rescue plan immediately.


    "This is somewhat problematic, but I think we should do what needs to be done in this situation. We can care about the nobles later." Markus turned towards Garo. "Garo, go to the knight headquarter and tell them to focus on the rescue. For now, avoid direct confrontation with the demons and gather all the people inside the academy grounds."


    That was a wise move, but we still had to find a way to deal with the demons.


    After giving orders to Garo, the two of us hastily rushed towards the hall. The people there were still talking about our battle, and as soon as I walked in a crowd gathered around me.


    "Oh my, that was quite a show wasn''t it?"


    "Those skills of yours are remarkable."


    "Indeed, it''s quite a shame that you are not noble. Though there is a way to fix that."


    While I was being distracted by the nobles, Markus walked to the duke and informed him of the situation.


    "Everyone, the gathering is over. We have an emergency at our hand, so please calmly leave the hall and do as my butler instructs. Earl and viscounts, please remain here. We will need your support to resolve this situation."


    Everyone panicked when they heard the announcement, but the butlers and maids came in and helped everyone leave the hall calmly.


    In the end, only eight people including me were left in the hall.


    : When fools gathe

 115 3.27 When fools gather

    Note: Not from Nara''s POV


    Four days ago.


    "This city looks lively as ever," one of the thirteen men wearing black hooded cloak said.


    The only recognizable difference in their attire was the number of club symbols ¡ª which looked like a clover leaf ¡ª drawn on the back of their cloaks. The man who just spoke had only one club symbol drawn in the back of his cloak.


    "Yes, but something feels lacking don''t you think?" Another man dressed in clown-like clothes said.


    "Indeed. They lack fear. Fear of species that are superior to them. They think they are secured just by grouping inside these walls. They need to realize how naive their thoughts are."


    The man dressed in a clown costume clapped his hand. "Well said Cassius, well said"¡ªhis eyes widened¡ª"Now, let''s give them what they deserve."


    It was evening and a cold wind was blowing from the north. All fourteen of them were standing in front of the city gate behind the carts seeking entrance.


    The checking at the entrance was tighter than normal during the fall, and there was no way they would allow anyone suspicious in without the identification documents.


    "Are you sure the boy you told us about can get us through?"


    "Absolutely. You see, he is a very ambitious fellow and an even greater fool than me."


    As they were talking, a young blonde man, who appeared to be in his late teens, came walking towards them. The way he was looking around and staying vigilant was the giveaway that he wasn''t here for a noble reason.


    "Lord Goro, it''s an honor to finally meet you, your grace," the man dressed in a clown costume said with a slight bow while putting his right hand over his chest.


    "Save the flattery for later. Before that, are you sure your plan is going to work?"


    "Your highness, this is just my humble opinion of you. And as far as I know, this plan of mine will perfectly help us in reaching our common goal. You will get the crown while we will be able to find the person we are looking for."


    Goro looked towards the entrance. There was still some time before the guards changed, but with every passing moment, he was getting impatient.


    The guards at the entrance right now were new guards appointed by the knight''s headquarter. Unlike the old guards who were loyal to nobility, they were more loyal to the knight''s headquarter.


    This was one of the changes done by duke to reduce the nobility''s influence over the city resources. There were several other changes that he did over the years with that goal in mind. Those included making a knight station at every growing village and creating a network of knights in every major town and city in the province.


    "Wait till the guards change. I have arranged your stay at the residential district, but you need to be careful not to rampage too much."


    There was a moment of silence as they waited for the guards to change. After the guards changed Goro hastily walked towards the entrance.


    "Wait here¡­ And don''t speak until you reach the residential district."


    After saying that, Goro walked to the entrance and talked to one of the guards. After that conversation with the guard, he signaled the men to get inside.


    None of the guards at the gate stopped them as they entered, and after all of them entered, Goro followed them.


    Even though the streets were less crowded, there were a lot of people who would recognize Goro at a sight. So, instead of going through the main street, they walked through the alley that was a little further from the entrance.


    The alley was full of barely sane drunk men. This part of the city had one of the biggest necessities of almost every civilized city since ancient times: a brothel.


    When the ladies saw them walking in the city, instead of approaching them, they went inside. The vibe around them was just that mysterious. Only a fool would approach an unknown group of men wearing a hooded cloak with a strange pattern.


    After they passed through the alley, they reached the main street of the residential district. This part of the city barely had anyone walking outside. Goro stopped in front of an old house that had long grass growing in the front garden.


    "This is where you can stay until your task here is done... With this I completed my end of the deal, now it''s your turn."


    "Of course, master. Our ritual will be completed in four days. Please gather the nobles on your end and tell them to be prepared."


    "You don''t need to worry about that. All you need to worry about is taking my elder brother and father out of my way, kill them if you need to."


    "Please don''t worry about it. We know what we are doing, and we won''t disappoint you."


    "You better not."


    After saying that, Goro walked a little further where a carriage was ready to pick him up.


    Even though the Duke disowned him, nobody could deny the fact that he was still his blood. And if the duke his other sons were out of the picture, the crown would obviously fall on him.


    Due to this fact, there were still many nobles who were looking for an opportunity to bring the Duke down and put this puppet on the throne.


    After Goro left, the hooded men and the Joker walked inside the house.


    It was an old house that was barely livable without renovations. Though this wasn''t an issue for the creatures of night. For them, this house was just perfect.


    "What a fool. Though I am a fool myself to expect a decent intelligence from a fool," Cassius said as they entered.


    "Yes, though ambitious fools tend to be very useful," Joker replied.


    "Do you think the boy we are looking for will show up here?"


    "Of course. I know those hero type fools; they will show up wherever there is trouble."


    : Rescuing the civilians

 116 3.28 Rescuing the civilians - Part 1

    "What''s the situation, your grace?" A woman who appeared to be in her late twenties asked.


    The only people left in the hall except me and my butler were: the Duke and his old butler, Markus, Viscountess Sara, the man whom Markus called Lord Hayden, and this woman.


    "Lady Hina, we have received information that there is a demon attack on the western part of the city. I, myself only know that much"¡ªthe Duke turned towards me¡ª "boy, can you brief us about the current situation?"


    "Yes, give me a moment."


    I wasn''t exactly aware of the current situation myself, so I tried contacting Flare telepathically.


    [Flare, what''s the current situation?]


    [Master, I am soaring through the sky above the residential district, and as I see, the fire is spreading. The knights are attempting the rescue, but in midst of fire and demon rampage, their attempt is going in vain.]


    [How many demons are there exactly?]


    [Right now, it''s 25, but their number seems to be increasing. Someone must be summoning them in the midst of this chaos.]


    [Okay, change into your divine form and help them however you can.]


    After this conversation with flare, I looked back towards the Duke. "Things aren''t looking well. The demons and fire are getting in the way of rescue."


    The Duke hit the wall in frustration. "Damnit!"


    "Father, our best option here will be to send the knights in a group of five. Naturally, there will be one water mage among them. While the three focus on defense, the other two can work on the rescue."


    "Yes, Markus, I will leave you in charge of the rescue. Go to the Knight''s headquarter and mobilize the required number of knights for the task. We will only go on offense after the rescue is over."


    "I will head there immediately father," Markus said as he hastily rushed out of the hall.


    "How many demons are there? Can you confirm that?" the Duke looked towards me and asked.


    "The number seems to be increasing. Someone must be summoning them as we speak, but I can confirm that it''s over 25."


    "Twenty-five?!"


    The whole room fell in shock. This was indeed a shocking matter considering the fact that this all was happening inside the city.


    "Hayden, I will need your help to set up emergency shelters."


    "You can forget it. This all happened because of your carelessness, and I am not going to donate a single penny here."


    Duke''s face reddened when he heard the response. The anger that he was barely able to contain up until now finally came out of his mouth. "Then get out of my sight, you fool! We don''t need you here. All you do is cause problems in the first place."


    "Hmph! We will see how long you will be able to hold that attitude," Hayden said as he walked out of the hall.


    "Please calm down my lord. We still need to deal with the issue," the old butler who was standing behind him said.


    "I would like to request your help in setting up emergency shelters. Funding isn''t a problem; I need help with resources."


    "Of course, my lord. I will try to arrange the necessary food. But that will take some time¡­ at least a week," Lady Hina replied.


    "That''s alright, we have emergency rations stored here. We will be able to handle things until then. Though the nights are cold now, so we will also need clothes and shelter."


    "I will try to arrange the tents¡­ though I don''t think I will be able to arrange the clothes for everyone," Viscountess Sara replied.


    "That will be alright. We can use firewood from the woods behind the academy."


    That was an excellent idea. I was somewhat glad that all the trees that I destroyed will finally be useful for the greater good.


    "And as for you, my boy"¡ªHe turned towards me¡ª "I want you to find the summoner of these demons. Whoever it is, give them hell."


    "I am on it," I replied. But as I was about to walk out, Flare contacted me telepathically.


    [Master, the fire is spreading towards the Trading District. I can change its route with my abilities, but containing it is impossible for me in the midst of my evolution.]


    [Okay, please stop it from spreading as much as possible. I will be there soon.]


    "I will try to do something about the fire before that. Please focus your resources on the rescue. If everything works out, it''s going to rain soon."


    I rushed outside the hall and walked towards the ground at the center of the castle. Flare looked busy so instead of relying on her, I tried manipulating the mana myself and floated as high as I could in the air. From up there, I was able to see the city completely.


    I could see that Flare was directing the fire towards the unpopulated part of the city and trying to keep the damage to a minimum.


    "Woaa!"


    I was barely able to maintain myself in the air, so I slowly came down before I fell from there. Now that I had a proper assessment of the surrounding, it was time to start acting.


    [Flare, I am going to use wind and water magic together to put off the fire. But there is a limit to the amount of mana I can manipulate in this form. I think we should merge.]


    [Yes master, I am coming towards you.]


    After she said that, she started circling the sky above me. I took it as a signal that it was a time for us to merge.


    I then closed my eyes and tried tinkering with the telepathic link between us. When I went deeper into her thoughts, I was finally able to reach her soul. I then took that soul within me and opened my eyes.


    I could sense that flare had merged her flame with the raging fire of the city. And that was why she was able to give that raging fire a direction.


    I raised myself up in the air and flew towards the sky over the residential district. Almost half of the residential district was already on fire. And it looked like those who survived this chaos had already gathered in the academy ground.


    ''I will need to be careful not to make that part of the city wet.''


    I manipulated the surrounding mana into a large sphere. When I realized the sphere was large enough, I touched it with my hand and converted the concentrated mana into the water using water magic.


    There was a limit to how much mana I could convert. But that limit turned out to be a good thing since the wind I was able to manipulate would only be able to carry a limited amount of water.


    I then used the wind around to carry that water and make it fall all over the residential district. The fire was huge so I would need to maintain it for a while to put out the fire. Though by the way I was using four magics at the same time and manipulating the surrounding mana, I might not be able to hold on much longer.


    ''But this is something I need to do. Just a little longer...''


    : Rescuing the civilians - Part 2

 117 3.29 Rescuing the civilians - Part 2

    After almost half an hour, I was finally able to put off the fire, but maintaining it for this look took a lot of toll on my body. As a result, I lost control and fell on the ground.


    The fall was a little painful since the mana cloak around me had become weak. At this point, I was barely keeping myself conscious, and it felt like all the energy in me was drained out.


    I realized that everyone else was still in the dormitory when I left this morning. I hadn''t contacted them since then. Though by now, they must already be aware of my situation.


    [Yoru, can you hear me?]


    [Nara, what happened?! You sound unwell.]


    [I am fine, please don''t worry about me. How are things there?]


    [We are fine too. But there were a lot of people injured during the attack, and there aren''t enough people to treat them, so we are helping.]


    [Okay, please continue doing that. And if possible, help the knights in defense too. But tell everyone to prioritize their own safety first.]


    [Got it¡­ you take care of yourself too.]


    [I will. Tell everyone that there is no need to worry.]


    I pushed the ground with my fist and stood back up. I was still merged with Flare, but it looked like she too had weakened after all the rain we caused.


    I closed my eyes and tried sensing the surrounding mana.


    The part of the town we were in had already been destroyed by the fire. There were no demons around us, but I could sense them rampaging all over the residential and trading district. Fortunately, Knights and Nobel''s district were still alright.


    There was destruction and chaos everywhere around me, but I couldn''t do anything to stop it. There was only one me while there were tens of demons at this point. Even with my abilities, I could only be in a place at a time.


    [Hey Zero, what should I do?]


    [Hmm¡­ Well, sometimes you just need to be satisfied with ''what you can do''. Just do what you can, disasters are unavoidable.]


    [I already know that. What I want to know is the way to resolve this.]


    [As I said, just do what you can and go for the source. Sometimes the loss of few lives is unavoidable for the greater good¡­ Also, don''t you feel something is strange?]


    [Now that I think about it, it does feel like something is strange.]


    I wasn''t exactly able to pinpoint what, but it felt like something unnatural was going on. So, I tried closing my eyes and sensing the surrounding mana again, and this time I realized what that was.


    Even in the midst of all this chaos and death, the mana around me was surprisingly pure. The place which should have been covered in the thick miasma barely had any miasma at all.


    If they were collecting all the miasma in one place, it was obvious what they were going to use it for.


    ''If that''s the case then I have no time to be fooling around.''


    I pulled a metal rod out of the nearby rubble. It could barely be considered a replacement for my mithril sword, but at this point, this was the only thing around me that I could use.


    I fused it with my darkness magic and Flare''s flame to create the dark flames. Flare''s flames were back to how they used to be, but my body wasn''t ready to handle the large quantity of mana flow yet.


    I could sense that the miasma was being collected at the far end of the residential district, so my destination was obvious.


    I slowly started walking in that direction. My feet felt numb at the start but after a while, I was able to run.


    When I reached closer, I could sense several high-level demons on the way. Unlike the lesser demons, the high-level demons looked humanoid with miasma leaking out of their bodies.


    They were completely black like lesser demons, but their movement was a lot faster. If I had to compare, they were at least thrice as fast as Markus.


    I was tired at this point, so I had no intention of fighting them as I moved forward. I was just planning to freeze them and deal with them once I was done with their summoners. As far as I knew, demons weren''t able to use the holy magic, so they shouldn''t be able to break through my magic ice.


    As I was running, a high-level demon came charging towards me from the side. I could already sense it coming, so was prepared for the counter.


    I rolled forward to dodge its claw and fired a Dark-flame slash at it. The demon was left frozen in a block of ice.


    When I was focused on the high-level demon, two mid-level demons came charging at me from behind. I fired another slash at them and froze them as well. But this time, when I tried standing up, I could barely hold myself together.


    ''Damn! I was planning to avoid summoning Zagan here, but I guess I have no choice.''


    "Zagan, I think I will need your help here."


    A red magic circle appeared on the ground, and from there, Zagan appeared as usual.


    "Sorry man, I didn''t want to do this to you, but things are tough for me."


    "Well, if you are feeling sorry because you summoned me to deal with my species, then don''t be. They are no longer the demons I know. Now, they are just the cursed soul summoned using miasma. If I destroy them now, they will probably get salvation from this curse."


    "Wait, can''t they be turned back to normal?"


    "If the demon lord reincarnates, he might be able to do that. But when that happens, the era of chaos will return. I think things are okay the way they are now."


    "If that is the case then, I want you to clear my way as I move forward."


    : The Clubs

 118 3.30 The Clubs - Part 1

    I took a hold of myself and ran forward, while Zagan dealt with the demons coming towards me. With Zagan here, it looked somewhat easy, but I couldn''t shake off the bad vibes I was getting as we moved forward.


    "Stop, kid."


    I stopped when I heard Zagan say that. It looked like he was able to sense something that I wasn''t able to.


    "It smells like bloodsuckers are up ahead. We need to be careful."


    When I heard bloodsuckers, only one thing came into my mind.


    "You mean Vampires?"


    "Oh, you know about them?"


    Of course, I knew about them. They were so popular back in the earth that almost everyone knew about them. But here, the reality could be different from my imagination. So, instead of going with what I knew, it was a good idea to learn from him.


    "Not much except for the fact that they drink human blood."


    "Man, then I guess you don''t know much. They don''t just drink blood; they take the prey''s soul as well. And the more they live, the more powerful they become¡­ Though I thought the dragonkin completely wiped them out back then. Seems like there were few survivors."


    "So, is there anything that I should know before charging in? Or are we just stopping for no reason?"


    The wait here was both good and bad. If we wait for a little longer, I would be able to gain back my strength. But they would also get more time to summon whatever they were trying to summon.


    "Well, the vampires are also experts at putting blood traps and curses. So, if you charge in without thinking, you might get cursed or even worse."


    "Even worse?"


    "Yeah, there are some blood curses that can transfer to your offspring. You don''t want one of those, do you?"


    We were at a tight spot, and he still had time to crack jokes. And somehow that joke didn''t even sound funny.


    "Yeah, but we are running out of time here. I can look for a cure of that curse all my life once this situation is resolved."


    "Man, you don''t get it, do you?" Zagan sighed. "You can look for a cure all your life, but for that, you need to be alive. If you charge in now and get cursed, do you think they will just sit back and watch?"


    That made sense. If I get trapped in one of their curses, I won''t be able to defend myself against their attack.


    "Are they really that strong?" I asked since I was curious.


    "Yeah, but I am able to take around four or five of them even in this form. The problem is, I can smell over ten of them up ahead."


    "Dammit!"


    I noticed that there was something strange about them. When I tried sensing the area using my mana sense, I couldn''t sense any of them.


    "I can''t sense them, are you sure they are up ahead?"


    "Yeah, I wouldn''t have said so otherwise. They usually use some kind of weird cloak to hide their presence."


    Even though I was trying to rest, I couldn''t because of everything that was going on in my head. So, I just closed my eyes and tried to meditate.


    After around twenty minutes, it felt like I was ready to move again. I hadn''t recovered completely yet, but in this state, I would at least be able to protect myself.


    "Zagan, I think I am ready now."


    "Okay then. But when we fight, don''t let their claws or fangs touch you. Also, going through the sky is dangerous, so stay close to ground as much as possible. And whenever you need to defend yourself, use earth or fire magic."


    "Alright, I will try."


    After this conversation, I covered the rod that I was holding in the Darkness flames again. Zagan too created a long sword using the Darkness magic. The two of us then charged forward.


    Zagan attacked the demons on the left using his Darkness slash, while I froze the ones on the right using my dark flames. But as we moved closer, the bad vibe that I was feeling got worse and worse.


    "They are here," Zagan said when we were almost about to reach the place.


    When I looked around, there were 12 masked men wearing black cloaks around us. They all looked so similar that it was hard to notice a single difference between them.


    "Who are you guys, and what do you want?"


    "Oh, us? We are nobodies. We were just passing by when we noticed that the city looked so quiet. So, we decided to make it a little lively. Keh-Keh-Keh!"


    I looked up towards to source of the voice just to find a short fat clown floating in the sky using his umbrella.


    "A clown?!"


    I was surprised to see a clown in a place like this, not to mention the fact that it was somewhat creepy to see one floating in the air like that.


    "Oh my, you know who I am. Then I insist you call me Joker."


    The way he was talking was annoying, so instead of just listening to his nonsense, I just attacked him with a Dark-flame slash.


    I was surprised when he just stood there and took the attack. But the surprise changed into a shock when he disappeared from there with a pop, and appeared in the sky right behind me.


    "You see, I am a clown. I disappear from here and appear there, and disappear from there and appear here. Keh-Keh-Keh."


    "Zagan, do you know who or what that thing is?" I looked towards Zagan and asked.


    It was clear that he was toying with us, and it was also clear that he was doing this to buy time. But with this clown and these vampires here, moving forward without dealing with them was impossible.


    "No clue, never seen or heard about him before," Zagan replied.


    I closed my eyes and tried sensing the mana in him. Surprisingly, instead of mana, he was completely made up of miasma. It was as if an evil spirit was possessing him.


    "Well, let''s not fight, shall we? We have already accomplished our main target, and now, we are only working on our side goal. So, if you guys just stay here for a while, we will leave on our own. And for your patience, we will also hand you the foo¡ª I mean, master Goro."

 119 3.31 The Clubs - Part 2

    "Hey, why don''t we just do just opposite. You can take that fool or whatever, and leave us at peace," Zagan said as he walked towards the clown.


    He still had the sword in his hand, and the smile on his face was clearly saying that he was up to something.


    "Well kid, looks like I will have my hands full with this clown. You will need to deal with those bloodsuckers on your own."


    It was at that moment I remembered what flare told me about her golden flames. So, I threw the rod that I was holding on the ground and created a sword using Flare''s golden flames.


    "Wait, I think we should do the opposite. I will handle the clown while you deal with these bloodsuckers."


    Zagan smiled when he saw the Flame sword in my hand. That meant he understood what I was trying to do.


    "Okay then, I guess I will show these bloodsuckers what the former general of the Demon lord''s army looks like."


    "Oh my, then you really are the great Lucifer... Though it''s a shame that you have fallen this low. Guess all the tales I heard about you were just exaggerations," Joker said.


    It was clear that he was trying to buy time by provoking us, so instead of responding to him, I charged straight at him.


    When he saw me coming towards him, he closed his umbrella and tried blocking my sword with it.


    That might have worked if my sword was made up of any physical material, but as it was now, I could just make it pass through the umbrella.


    When the surface of my sword touched his body, the miasma in him started being purified, but his body itself started decaying. There was only one word to describe how his body started looking: ugly.


    "Keh-keh-keh... KEH-KEH-KEH."


    Despite the condition he was in, he was laughing. That made him look even creepier than he already was.


    Right when I was almost done with purifying all the miasma, black smoke came out of his back and changed into a cloud with a face.


    "Keh-Keh-Keh! You may purify that body, but I will just find another one. We will meet again."


    After saying that, the cloud of dust disappeared, and the body it was possessing, fell on the ground.


    As I had thought, it turned out to be someone possessed by an evil spirit. But now the question was: ''Who on the earth is using this spirit, and how?''


    But that was something that I could think about later. I had to take care of the situation first. I turned around, and there Zagan was going against 12 of those at once.


    "Hey dude, what''s with your hair?"


    "Well, every time I absord a little miasma, I start changing into my true form."


    His hair had grown, and he was starting to look a little muscular. The way he was fighting 12 of them at once proved that his strength had also increased several-fold.


    "Are you going to join, or are you just going to watch," Zagan said while blocking a claw attack from the front.


    I physically enhanced my right leg and kicked the vampire that just attacked me in guts. He went flying towards the nearby rubble and crashed.


    We were watching each other''s back so they had no choice but to attack from the front. Even though Zagan might be able to handle them alone, it wouldn''t be wise to move forward without him. Especially considering the fact that I had no idea when it came to dealing with miasma.


    While I was busy with that one, another vampire charged at me from the left. This time, I grabbed his hand exactly when it was about to reach me.


    I pulled his arm and threw him towards the direction where had I just kicked the vampire that came at me earlier.


    "So hey, do we need to expose them in the sun or something?"


    "These don''t look young enough to die with just the sun. Try burning them with your flames."


    After Zagan said that, I fired a Fire slash at the ones that were on the ground, but they dodged it before it could reach them.


    While I was attacking them, two vampires charged at me. One came from the front while another from the left.


    I had no time to counter them both, so I extended my cloak and created a wall of flames around me.


    When their hands touched the wall of flames, it burned them which proved that they were weak against Flare''s flame.


    Both of them backed down so I used this opportunity to attack them with a long horizontal Fire slash. This time they weren''t prepared to dodge it, and as soon as the flames touched their body, they started burning.


    "Kid, above you."


    I jumped forward as soon I heard him say that. And by doing so I narrowly escaped the claws that were coming at me from above.


    "Man, they have wings too?!" I said when I saw the two long bat-like wings growing out of their back.


    "Honestly, you are lucky that you have those flames to protect you... As for me, I have to dodge everything," he said while dodging the two that were attacking him from the front.


    "Then I think I will go on the offensive. You can keep them distracted," I said after which I charged towards the one that just attacked me.


    As predicted, the two that were on my right charged at me when they saw the opportunity. But as they were doing that, they left themselves wide open.


    I sensed their position and fired a Fire slash at them. Without looking backward, I charged towards the one in the front.


    He tried to move backward, but Zagan turned around and kicked him in his neck.


    I used this opportunity to attack him with a fire arrow. And when the arrow touched him, his whole body started burning.


    "5 down, 7 to go."


    : The Clubs - Part 3

 120 3.32 The Clubs - Part 3

    Two of them came charging at me from above.


    At this point, it looked like a desperate attempt because that was clearly a foolish move. But I had no reason to be kind after everything they did to the city.


    I fired two fire arrows at them, and as soon as the arrow touched their body, they started burning.


    Instead of coming at me, the five that were left attacked Zagan. This gave me the opportunity to attack them while he was keeping them distracted.


    I shot the two that were attacking him from above with fire arrows, while Zagan dodged the three that were attacking him from the front by moving backward.


    The three of them looked at each other''s faces. It looked like they were finally getting scared.


    They tried flying away, but there was no way I was letting them escape after everything they did. I raised myself up in the sky and attacked them with fire arrows. All three of them fell on the ground and started burning.


    "Burn in hell bloodsuckers."


    Even though I knew they were no longer here to listen, this just felt right.


    "Let''s move ahead. With this much miasma, whoever they are summoning must be insane."


    After Zagan said that, we moved little forward on what was once the main street of the residential district. At this point, it was just filled with rubbles and burned woods.


    A little further on that street was an old house that looked abandoned. Since this part of the town was close to the brothel, very few decent families lived around these parts.


    The entire house was covered in the thick miasma, so it was obvious that this was our destination. Though even if we weren''t able to sense the miasma, that would have been obvious since all the nearby houses had been destroyed except this one.


    The two of us walked up to the door, but before I could do anything, Zagan broke the door open.


    Normally, a good strategy would have been to sneak in. But at this point, it was somewhat obvious that they already knew we were here.


    The sitting room was empty with nothing except cobwebs there. But I could smell a stink of rotten meat inside.


    When we saw that the sitting room was empty, we walked towards the other room. As we walked forward the stink got stronger and stronger.


    "Oh god!"


    The sight in front of me was hard to believe. There were several dead bodies of women lying on the floor. If I had to count, there were over a dozen of them.


    "Bloodsuckers lived here, so that''s not surprising."


    It was obvious that what we were looking for wasn''t there. So, instead of thinking about it too much, both of us moved forward. But even as I tried thinking about something else, the sight that I just saw was still my head.


    ''I will surely get a few nightmares because of that.''


    We checked the two rooms that were close to the stairs, and like the ones before, they were empty. So, the two of us walked towards the final room.


    It looked like the door wasn''t locked, so I opened the door and sent a gust of wind inside. The aim was to startle the enemy if they were inside.


    Inside, there was a large magic circle. And in the center of that circle, a man wearing a similar dark cloak as the vampires that we fought earlier was seated. He had a bite wound in his hand from which the blood was dripping.


    By the smell, I could tell that the circle was made up of fresh blood. So, I looked around just to find Goro lying unconscious on the corner.


    "You made it right in time. All this circle needed was a final drop of blood," the vampire said without even looking at us.


    "I won''t let you do it," I said as I shot a fire arrow at him. But he dodged it by bending to his right at an incredible speed.


    "Now the conditions are met. You have no means to stop me," the Vampire replied.


    I created a Flame sword in my right hand, and right when I was about to attack him, I sensed something outside. It felt like all the miasma around this house was now being collected at a point.


    "Looks like it''s happening again. These damn fools never learn," Zagan said while looking at the ceiling.


    The entire house, no the entire city, started shaking. I was feeling almost the same level of power that I felt from Olive when she had finally used her magic.


    In my weak state, I was by no means ready to fight an enemy of that level. My body was at its limit and if I tried using more power, I would obviously faint.


    "Hahaha¡­ Enjoy the little time that you have humans. Not just this city, but the whole nation will be destroyed now."


    For once, I forgot that he was right there because of what I sensed. The wound in his hand had already started healing at this point.


    "Zagan, what do you think we should do now?" I looked towards Zagan and asked.


    While I was distracted, the vampire used this opportunity to attack me with his claws. His speed was a lot faster than the others, but unlike how it looked, we were still keeping an eye on him.


    I dodged his claws in the nick of time by moving leftward, and because of that, he lost his balance. Zagan, who was standing next to me, used this opportunity to kick him in the back of his neck. And when he fell on the floor, I thrust my Flame sword right through his back.


    He too started burning like the other vampires.


    "My suggestion would be to let things be and save yourself. But I know you won''t do that, so maybe let your spirits purify the miasma around."


    "But I would faint the instant I let Flare out."


    : Panic

 121 3.33 Panic - Part 1

    "Damn! Then we have no choice but to take the chance. Summon the other spirit and focus on purifying the miasma while I keep the enemy distracted."


    "Okay let''s try that."


    Zagan walked up to the wooden window and kicked it open. We were about to leave, but before that, there was something that I needed to do.


    I walked up to Goro who was lying unconscious on the floor. The floor around him was covered in blood, so I turned him around to check his wound.


    There was a long diagonal cut on his back from which the blood was still coming out. And if he continued to bleed like this, he would definitely die within minutes.


    "If I were you kid, I would let that idiot bleed to death. The world would be a better place without fools like him."


    "Yeah, but death is an easy way out. He should repent and compensate everyone who is in this mess because of him."


    I put my hand over his back and used my holy magic to heal his wound. This would prevent further blood loss, so he would probably survive. Though it was still a matter of chance since he had already lost a lot of blood.


    I could have used Flare''s flame which would have saved him. But Flare''s flames could only heal those whom I consider a friend, and at this point, he was no friend of mine. I was just helping him as a fellow human being.


    "Let''s go," I said as I stood back up.


    "Well, one thing I learned in my long life is: never be so kind that you let someone stab in your back."


    "I am not being kind. I am sure he will wish that he had died when he wakes up."


    Both of us flew out of the window and turned towards the house.


    Right over the roof of the house, there was a large black orb of miasma. And with every passing second, I could feel the miasma in the orb getting more and more condensed.


    It was absorbing the miasma in the surrounding at a phenomenal rate. And compared to the miasma in the village where we fought Beelzebub, it would take several days to clean up all the miasma here.


    When the two of us raised ourselves higher, I could see Miss Lilith fighting the demons in the northern part of the city. There were few knights led by Markus and Garo there too, but by the look of things, they too suffered heavy casualties.


    When I tried sensing the number of demons left, I could still sense the presence of over a hundred demons. With that many of them, it wasn''t a surprise that knights were having a hard time even with Miss Lilith there.


    Even though I knew that it was fruitless, I tried firing a Fire arrow at the orb. And as I expected, the arrow couldn''t do anything against that level of condensed miasma.


    [Yoru, can you hear me?]


    [Yes, Nara. How are things there?]


    [It looks like I will need your help, can you fly over here?]


    [Okay, I am coming there immediately.]


    [Alright.]


    I didn''t want to cause panic, but it was better to be prepared for the worse. In the worst-case scenario, we would need to break the city wall on that side and let the survivors out.


    I also wanted to warn the people at the noble''s district, but at the moment I had no means to. Though as far as I knew, nobles were very cautious when it came to protecting themselves, so they must already be preparing to flee.


    While the orb was absorbing miasma in the surrounding, I started purifying as much as I could.


    Even though it felt like I was trying to empty a river using a bucket, this was the best and only thing that I could do at the moment.


    I closed my eyes and tried intensifying the flames. My body was weak, but within me, Flare was burning bright. And it was her strength that was keeping me awake even after my body had already given up.


    ''I don''t care if I sleep for a week or a month after this. For now, I will do what I need to.''


    I intensified my flames even more, and with that, the rate at which I was purifying the miasma also increased.


    After a while, when my body got used to this level of miasma purification, I opened my eyes. And when I did, I could see Yoru coming towards us in her divine form.


    "Nara, you look beat up. Stop working too much and take a break. You don''t have to burden yourself with everyone."


    "I am alright Yoru. It''s better to work hard right now than regret about the things that I could have done later."


    "But you are making everyone worried by coming out here alone, dummy," Flare replied looking a bit angry.


    "Yeah, but I would be more worried if they were here¡­ Anyways, can you purify the miasma in the surrounding?"


    "I think I can," She said while looking unsure.


    "It''s like breathing, but through your whole body. All you need to do is take it in and release it out."


    This was the simplest way of explaining how it worked. Spirits could naturally purify the mana, so it would be a bigger surprise if she wasn''t able to do it instead.


    She tried doing it, and like Flare, she too was able to do it at a phenomenal rate. But even with the two of us, it would still take a few days to purify all the miasma.


    "Kid, the orb is taking its form," Zagan said after which I looked back towards the orb.


    The orb had started taking a humanoid form. Till now it was just condensed miasma, but now it was finally taking a material form.


    As it was now, our attacks would just pass through. But once it materializes completely, we would finally be able to land a hit.


    The energy I could sense was tremendous, but I clenched my fist and braced myself for whatever was about to come.


    : Panic - Part 2

 122 3.34 Panic - Part 2

    "Oh boy, this doesn''t look good," Zagan said after he saw the form that condensed miasma took.


    The black orb of miasma turned into a humanoid being with a goat''s head. Large black wings grew on its back, and a red pentagram appeared in its chest.


    "Do you know who that is?" I asked.


    "Yeah, that''s Satan, the strongest demon after the demon lord himself."


    "Sounds like trouble. Can we beat him?"


    "I don''t think we can. Send the horse back and tell everyone to evacuate right now. The two of us can delay him and run once they evacuate. If they stay here, they will only end up as casualties."


    The way he was talking made me lose what little confidence I had left in me. But right now, I couldn''t afford to panic.


    "Yoru, please tell everyone to evacuate. Break the city wall behind the academy and move out. Also¡­"


    I went inside the house and carried Goro, who was lying on the floor, outside.


    "Please take him with you."


    If things get worse, the two of us could just evacuate into Zagan''s space. But even for him, it was impossible to take a whole city there.


    After Yoru left, the two of us prepared ourselves to face Satan. The right course of action here would be to find a way to buy time. If we were successful at that then this would be no less than a victory.


    Though, deep down I feared that this plan might fail. Even if we were able to escape, there was always a chance that he would chase us.


    "ARRAAH!"


    Satan looked towards the sky and unleashed a cry loud enough to shake the very ground.


    "Is that you lucifer?"


    It looked like he was able to sense Zagan''s presence. And somehow, his presence was making him even angrier than he already was.


    "Yeah, it''s me. Though I have a new name and master now."


    Satan looked at Zagan. "How dare you show yourself in front of me, you traitor!"


    "I didn''t betray anyone. I warned you all about what was going on, but you were too dumb to listen to me."


    "We would have won! If you hadn''t betrayed us, we would have won!"


    "No, we lost the day we started using our own men as tools. Even if we had won, we wouldn''t have gotten the peace that we fought for."


    "You have no right to speak traitor! You caused the destruction of our race, stop making excuses¡­ I don''t know who revived me. But whoever did, gave me an opportunity to quell some of the agony burning with me."


    After saying that, Satan disappeared from where he was and appeared right in front of Zagan.


    "Now die!"


    After saying that, he kicked Zagan in his gut and sent him flying towards the city wall. The force used in the attack was so great that he broke the city wall and landed in the plains outside the city.


    "Boy, I will spare your life. Go and bring all those human souls out there."


    "No, I would choose to die once more instead."


    I attacked him with Fire arrows, but they had no effect on him. And when I realized it''s no use, I charged towards him prepared to die.


    He just stood there as if my existence didn''t even matter. I was angry, I was frustrated, but more than that, I feared that those dear to me were next if I fell right here and now.


    At that moment, it felt like the time itself slowed down as the thoughts started coming to me.


    ''Unlike last time, if I die now, I will die with thousands of regrets. Compared to my lonely life back then, I have so many things precious to me in this life. Why is this happening to me? Why can''t I just live a peaceful life somewhere?''


    ''Master, you deserve your share of happiness. And I am here to make sure that happens.''


    I could hear Flare''s thoughts from within me, and right when I was wondering what she was trying to do, I felt a burst of power from within me.


    The color of my Flame cloak and crown changed blue, and her flames felt stronger than ever.


    If her golden flames were the flames of creation, these blue flames felt like the flames of destruction. The flames that exist to burn the very existence.


    When I reached in front of him, I covered my right foot in blue flames and attacked him with a high kick.


    He blocked my attack using his forearm, but it looked like Flare''s blue flames were burning him.


    "Is this all you can do?"


    After saying that, he coughed my feet and slammed me on the ground.


    I protected myself by using my cloak to reduce the impact, but despite that, I took some damage. The fall ended up creating a small crater on the ground.


    "You said you choose death, right? Let me give you what you want."


    I had barely managed to stand up when he came flying toward me and attacked me with his horns. I had no time to dodge it, so my only option here was to block it with everything that I could muster.


    I covered both my hands and Flame and tried blocking his attack, but the force was too much for me.


    I fell on my knees, but it looked like the flames were indeed burning him because he backed down as soon as he touched them.


    "With all the miasma here and the miasma within me, my injuries will heal instantly. You are foolish if you think we are on equal footing here."


    I wasn''t able to focus on purifying the miasma while fighting. But without purifying the miasma, there was no way that I would be able to beat him.


    As I was thinking of a way to get out of this situation, Zagan contracted me telepathically.


    [Hey kid, I will try absorbing the remaining miasma of the city with me. He already has the most of it, so this won''t change much. But with that, we might be able to draw this a bit longer and evacuate.]


    : Fall of the city

 123 3.35 Fall of the city - Part 1

    Unlike Mana, miasma manipulation ability came at a considerable price. If one were to absorb more miasma than one can handle, that would cause insanity.


    In my fight with Beelzebub, I observed that he grew more aggressive as the amount of miasma he absorbed increased. And if Zagan were to do the same, I was sure this wouldn''t end up well.


    [Zagan, only absorb the amount that you can handle. Flare just evolved, so the two of us might be able to keep him distracted as we are now.]


    I created a sword of blue flames in my right hand and waited for him to make a move. I wasn''t foolish enough to charge at him myself when my main goal here was to buy time.


    "That toy of yours is nothing," he said as he charged towards me again.


    This time I wasn''t planning to take him head-on. I moved backward and dodged it, but he followed his initial attack with a dark miasma slash as soon as he realized that.


    The follow up was so fast that I had no time to dodge it.


    I tried stopping it with my Flame sword, but the miasma concentration in that attack was too high, so I wasn''t able to.


    Even though I didn''t come in direct contact with miasma thanks to my sword, I was sent flying backward. I stopped after colliding with a house that was behind me and fell on the ground.


    My body was already at its limits, so this attack was too much for me to take. At this point, I couldn''t even stand because of all the pain that I was feeling.


    It felt like Zagan was back, so while he kept him distracted, I tried contracting Yoru telepathically.


    [Yoru, how are things going?]


    [We have a lot of injured, so transporting all of them out is hard. I wish these lazy ass nobles would help, but all they are doing is complain.]


    It could be because of all this pain, but I was frustrated after hearing that. It felt like if they had died instead of all these people, the world would have been a better place.


    [Okay, and how are knights doing?]


    [Miss Lilith helped in thinning the number of demons, so things are under control on that side.]


    [That''s good... Then please send Miss Lilith here once she is done. We need her help.]


    [Okay, I will go and send her immediately. I think the knights can handle the rest.]


    I looked at the sky, and the signs weren''t that good. After everything that happened, black clouds were finally floating above the sky.


    If it rains now, transporting all the injured people would be even more challenging. And as we were now, I can''t think of a way by which we would be able to escape this predicament.


    ''If only I were stronger. If only I had worked harder.''


    Regrets come at a time where you don''t need them the most. I was currently on the ground, beaten up to the point where I could barely stand, and all I could think about were the things that won''t help me get through.


    [Hey Zero, what should I do? Every time I feel I am growing stronger, something more substantial shows up.]


    [You have the thing that I lack the most. I, as strongest, lack anything challenging to do.]


    [Yeah, but here we are not talking about you. Do you think there is a way to get out of all this?]


    [There would be if your body wasn''t human. But whoever made you, made you very weird. Some part of you has a divine presence, and that shows your potential. But some part of you is mortal, that indicates that you have limits. And the only way to fix that is to make you reincarnate again as a baby.]


    [So, there is no way after all.]


    [For you, that is. But it''s not like you always have to do everything by yourself. The world doesn''t revolve around you, and even if you give up, it won''t stop¡­ What I mean is, just do what you are doing, struggle, and don''t look for an easy way out. There is no skip button in life, so face this hardship and come through.]


    [Yeah, no time to take a break now.]


    I pushed the ground and raised myself up. I was barely able to stand, but all I needed to do was gain his attention and buy time. However, his attention would cause me a lot of pain.


    Zagan''s hair had grown even longer, and his body looked a lot bigger and muscular. But despite all the miasma he had taken in, he was still getting a beating. Though a comparison of the whole city''s miasma with just leftover that Zagan absorbed would be unfair in the first place.


    Right when he was about to attack Zagan with a high kick, I fired a Fire arrow at him.


    Zagan, at this point, looked too much beaten up to defend or dodge. So, I was hoping to be able to distract Satan until he is able to recover.


    When the arrow hit him, Satan turned towards me. "Persistent, aren''t you? I thought you would already be dead by now."


    The look on his face was telling me that he wasn''t very happy because of my intervention.


    "I am not that easy to kill. That feat will be hard to accomplish even for someone like you."


    "Oh, really? We will see about that."


    He flew toward me at a great speed. He was so fast that I could barely keep up with my tired eyes. And before I realized, he had already grabbed my neck.


    "Now, what do you think? Is it that hard for me? Because the way I see it, you are nothing more than an ant under my shoes, a mere human who knows a few tricks."


    : Fall of the city - Part 2

 124 3.36 Fall of the city - Part 2

    "Aaah!"


    I tried hard to free myself, but the resistance I wasn''t putting wasn''t enough. Under normal circumstances, I could have used physical enhancement and mana cloak, but I was barely able to handle myself at this point.


    Though I still had Flare''s blue flame supporting me, so I tried manipulating my Flame cloak and grabbed his hand with it. But despite the resistance I was putting, his grip wasn''t getting weaker.


    "Boy, you are at least a thousand-year early to fight me. I survived in the era of chaos; I saw the destruction of my family, my race, and I fought the godly dragon kings. Do you think you, who looks like a chicken that just hatched from an egg, can defeat me?"


    "What¡­ do you want to prove? Your race died a long time ago, and now, there is peace in the world. You have nothing to gain here."


    "And whose fault is that?!"¡ªHe slammed me on the ground¡ª "You are right, I have nothing to gain from this world¡­ but there is a lot that I need to pay it back, and I know where to start."


    He flew towards Zagan, who was lying on the ground. He had taken a lot of beating during the time I was down, and at this point, he too looked barely conscious.


    I tried raising myself up, but despite my attempts, I wasn''t even able to raise my head. I knew I had to stand up and fight, but at the same time, my body had already given up. All I could do was helplessly stare at the sky above.


    I realized how quickly one''s life could change. This morning I was nervously walking into an unfamiliar venue. Everything was going well, at least better than how I was expecting it to be. And then all of a sudden, there was a demon attack.


    It hadn''t even been four hours since I found that out. And now, in just four hours, I was at the center of a destroyed city, staring helplessly at the sky.


    I could sense Miss Lilith coming towards us. But even with her, I don''t think we would be able to make a difference. Our enemy this time was just that strong, and I could sense him getting stronger with every passing second.


    "Damn, what kind of monster are you?"


    "How dare you show yourself in front of me, dragonkin?"


    My eyes were heavy, but I could hear them speak as they clashed. It looked like Miss Lilith was putting up a good resistance, but in the end, she too wasn''t able to make a scratch on him.


    Usually, this was the time when the Black Dragon king showed up. But somehow even after all this, he wasn''t showing up. And other than him, I can''t imagine anyone else who would be able to help us.


    He punched Miss Lilith and sent her flying towards the house behind me. And once he was done with her, he looked back towards Zagan.


    There was a small crimson magic circle behind Zagan''s right hand. I wasn''t familiar with that circle, and this was my first time seeing one.


    A broad grin appeared on his face, after which he turned around and started walking towards me.


    "You were afraid you would betray him as well, weren''t you? After all, betraying your comrades, your race, and your master is in your nature. Now let''s test the strength of that contract. Let me kill the master that you are so attached to and see if you die or not."


    He walked up to me and lifted me in the air. "A fitting end for a coward like you."


    He released some of the miasmas within him, and because of that, I was having a hard time breathing.


    To humans, miasma was no less than poison. And if inhaled in high quantity, it would cause death.


    Even though I was able to purify it to a certain extent with Flare''s flames, I was still inhaling a considerable amount of it.


    The light that I could see started fading and began to appear as occasional flashes. I could barely sense anything at this point and was right in the blink of collapsing. But right when I was about to accept my fate, I heard someone speaking.


    "We can''t have that now, can we? Keh-Keh-Keh!"


    I remembered that voice from before. It was the clown that we fought along with those vampires.


    "Are you one of these weaklings too?" Satan asked.


    "Now now, my lord, please don''t compare me with these insects. I am far beyond what they could ever hope to reach. And you may not remember it, but I am the one who summoned you, your highness."


    "Flattery will get you nowhere, so get to the point. what do you want from me?"


    "Nothing, my lord. How could I even ask anything from someone like you? This, my lowly existence, is wholly devoted to you and only you. And to do my utmost best, and as a proof of my loyalty, I resurrected you using royal blood of two species. Unfortunately, one was just human, but the other was one of the 12 progenitors of vampires."


    "Do you take me as a fool? I am not someone whom you can fool with those deceptive talks. If you value your life, tell me your true intentions."


    It sounded like Joker was hesitating to speak at this point. "No, my lord, that''s the truth. All I want is for you to be able to resurrect the demon race, and I already have my hands on the means to do so. But for that, we will need the boy that you are holding to be alive."


    "And what is your gain in all that?"


    "Keh-Keh-Keh! My lord, all I want from this is the era of chaos. I want the world to be filled with miasma, and I want demons to rule over it. That is what every creature of darkness desires, don''t they? And not just that¡­ Once the world goes into a world war and all the races fight against each other, I want you to take us under your protection. And after the war is over, we will be at the top of the world¡ª I mean, you will be at the top of it, and we will be under you, my lord."


    "I don''t care about ruling this world. But if you have a way to bring the demon lord back, I can take you under my care."


    A wide grin appeared on his face. "Of course, my lord. If that is what you desire."


    : Standing on the ruin

 125 3.37 Standing on the ruin

    The world in front of me was covered in flames. I could hear screams of people as they were running in fear. It was as if the world I know and love was about to end, and what was in front of me was death and destruction.


    The towns and villages had been wiped out, and the cities had been destroyed. Monsters and demons ran amok in the cities, and the last remaining human population was cornered.


    ''If that isn''t the end of the world, what is?''


    The houses were burned along with people, and the ones alive were starving to death. Women and children were begging for their lives, praying that someone would show up someday and save them. But that was just empty hope. There was no one coming; there was no tomorrow for them.


    ''Is this what they call the era of chaos? Is it when the strong fight against each other while weak become casualties? Is it when there is no light at the end of the tunnel?''


    Even though this was happening in front of me, it felt like I was watching a movie. It just seemed that unrealistic to me. I mean, how could I believe that the beautiful world I know right now can turn into something so chaotic.


    "Well, it could turn into that. In fact, it is going to turn into that in the next ten to twenty years, or even faster."


    When I heard that voice, everything around me turned dark. I could feel myself drifting in this darkness in the form of a small light orb.


    "Zero, is that you?"


    "Do I sound like someone else to you?"


    "No, it''s just weird that I am talking to you right now. The last thing I remember is hearing the conversation between Joker and Satan."


    "Your body is currently unconscious, but your soul has subconsciously reached to me because of the connection that we two share."


    That was possible since the telepathic link was how I could reach up to my familiar''s souls and absorb them within me. And in a way, it always felt like I could do much more with it, but I wasn''t a huge fan of playing with the unknown since it usually led to trouble.


    "That makes sense. So, what happened after I collapsed?"


    "Well, the two basically left, leaving you in the ruin there... And this may come as a shock to you, but before leaving, he killed your demon familiar."


    "T-that''s impossible. I-I mean it''s Zagan, he can''t die."


    "I knew that is how you would react, but that is what happened. However, you are probably aware of the fact that demons can be resurrected. And so, it is possible to bring him back to life. Normally, that would be impossible in your demon''s case since his soul was never corrupted. But there is the fact that he had signed a blood contract with you. That means you own him completely, and you even own his soul."


    "It''s still hard to believe that he died."


    "W-what about Miss Lilith?"


    "She is alive, but she too is unconscious at the moment. She was hit with a heavy dose of miasma like you, but unlike you, she didn''t have those spirit flames to resist. So, it will be a while before she wakes up."


    I was glad that she was still alive because it would be hard to figure things out from here without her. Not to mention the fact that we would need someone in case another demon attack happens.


    "So, how do I revive Zagan?"


    "For now, I think you should focus on your family and the city. It has been completely destroyed in the demon rampage, and tens of thousands of lives have been lost. Use your knowledge to help them stand up again. And once you are done with that, you will need to head north on a journey, alone."


    If I remember right, the northern side of the kingdom was where the Lost archipelago was. So, the method of reviving him must have something to do with the orb where Zagan''s mana had been stored.


    "Now, there are a few things that you need to do as you go. But I will be your guide all the way, so I will tell you those as you go."


    "Thanks, that would be helpful."


    I had many plans, but that would probably need to be on hold for a while. There were a lot of things left to do, but the first thing I needed to do above all is wake up.


    I tried concentrating and forced my consciousness into my body. It was a rather painful process, but I was finally able to get back in the end.


    My body was in unbearable pain, and my eyes were heavy to the point that I didn''t even feel like opening them. I could no longer sense Flare within me; that meant the two of us probably unmerged.


    I could feel a cold night wind rubbing on my skin, soothing my pain. But more than that, I could feel a warm embrace of a wo¡ª


    "Wait what! A woman?!"


    I hastily opened my eyes just to find a blue-haired woman with large brown eyes embracing me. But despite the change in appearance, I could easily tell who that was in a glance.


    "Flare?"


    She looked like someone around twenty-five, as there was a mature air around her. Her face would make one feel like praising the God who created her. Just looking at her smile would probably relieve one of all their worries.


    "I am so glad that you finally woke up, master. You had stopped breathing, so I had to do this to remove all the miasma that you had inhaled."


    "Yeah, I am alright now."


    She breathed a sigh of relief as she stood up. She looked quite taller than I expected despite being barefoot, and somehow the long dress made up of blue flames really suited her.


    Even though it was night, the area around us was bright thanks to her dress.


    I pushed the ground and raised myself up. Every inch of my body was aching, but I still had to assess the surroundings and Miss Lilith''s condition.


    I climbed a pile of rubble next to me, and from the top, I could see the city that was destroyed to the point where it was unrecognizable.


    : Taking care of injured

 126 3.38 Taking care of injured - Part 1

    The houses and the structures had been completely destroyed in the attack, and there was barely anything left of the city. The whole place was densely packed with miasma as there were a lot of dead bodies left in the sorrounding.


    The sun was about to rise, which was a good thing since that would give us enough time to bury the dead before they turn into undead.


    I looked at the soil, and there was no sign of rain. The wind from the west probably blew the clouds away.


    I could see Miss Lilith Lying on the ground a little further, so I climbed down and walked up to her.


    "I removed the miasma she had inhaled, but there was too much. It will take a while before she wakes up," Flare said while walking up to me.


    Her condition looked alright, but this wasn''t exactly a suitable place to lie down. So, it was a good idea to carry her to where everyone else was.


    As far as I could tell, they were hiding in the small forest behind the plains around the city. It was almost ten kilometers from here, so the fact that they were able to travel that far with injured, women and children was somewhat surprising.


    I wanted to head out, but before that, I had to assess things here and see if there are any threats. If possible, it would be a good idea to send a party to dig the resources buried under the rubble.


    "I-is that you, Nara?"


    I turned around towards the source of that voice just to find Sistina there. She was wearing a black cloak like the hooded vampires. That was probably why I wasn''t able to detect her presence when she was this close.


    "Hey Sistina, Good morning."


    She came rushing and tightly hugged me. "You are so reckless¡­ I was worried so much."


    She was crying, so I gently touched her white hair and started brushing it. "It''s alright, nothing bad happened to me."


    "Oh, there you are."


    I looked towards the source of that familiar voice, and it was Marcus and Goro. The two of them were wearing similar cloaks and heading towards us.


    "So, why are you guys here? Shouldn''t you be there with everyone else?"


    "We are a scout team sent here to access the situation," Garo replied.


    It was understandable that they would send someone here to check the situation. Also, that meant that they were already thinking ahead of time.


    "And I came here with them to find you¡­ but who is she?" Sistina asked as she calmed herself down and stood upright.


    "It''s Flare. She can take human form now." Markus and Garo still looked confused, so I looked towards them and continued. "She is my familiar who warned me about all this."


    The two of them still looked confused, but I couldn''t blame them. It was their first time seeing a divine spirit that looked like a human.


    "...Anyways, how is the situation? And do you guys have a plan to get through this?" I looked at Markus and asked.


    Flare would be able to treat most of the injured, but we would still need the resources quickly. The first thing we needed to do was taking care of the wounded, infants, and elderly.


    "Okay, Duke was talking about some emergency rations, right? Can you go and check if the storehouses still have them? I will get there as soon as I can and start treating the injured."


    "Yes, we were planning to do that next. But don''t you think you should be resting? You don''t look very well."


    I hadn''t seen my face in a mirror yet, but after all the beating that I got yesterday, I could tell that I was looking pretty gloomy. But right now wasn''t really a good time to take a break.


    "I will rest once we are done treating the injured. Also, I was curious about how you got these black cloaks."


    "Oh, these?"¡ªMarkus smiled¡ª "They are national treasures that were stored in the castle armory. I asked knights to bring all the national treasures with us before leaving, and since these were useful in scouting missions, we decided to use them."


    I could think of several ways as to how they got their hands on that. And the fact that it was a national treasure wasn''t surprising considering the fact that it could hide one''s presence completely.


    "That makes sense. I can''t sense any demons in the vicinity, but please be careful. Also, if you are here on the horses, can you please bring Miss Lilith with you? I don''t think I will be able to carry her back in my condition."


    "You can leave that to us," Goro replied.


    After hearing his reply, I turned towards Sistina. "Sorry, you had to come all this way here for me, and I am just leaving before you."


    "No, that''s alright. Please take care of yourself, I will be back soon."


    After hearing her reply, I looked towards Flare and nodded.


    She understood what I was trying to say and used her support magic on me. I then lifted myself in the air, and the two of us flew towards the forest behind the plains.


    On a horse, it might have taken us 20-30 minutes, but since the two of us were flying, it only took us around 5-7 minutes to get there.


    From above, it was probably the saddest sight I have ever seen. There were hundreds of people grieving and mourning the ones they lost. Many were crying in sorrow since they lost their houses, their daily life, and all the hope they had.


    All this happened in a single day, and a handful of people made an entire city fall into ruin.


    : Taking care of injured - Part 2

 127 3.39 Taking care of injured - Part 2

    They had built several tents in the open area between the forest. By what I could count, there were around 50 tents.


    The knights were guarding the area against the surrounding monsters. But however you look at it, this place was too small to support a population of 5000 people.


    A lot of people gathered around when they saw us land. That was natural since it wasn''t usual for them to see people flying in the sky. Not to mention the fact that Flare was still wearing the cloth made up of blue flames.


    There was a crowd of people staring at me. Some looked hopeful, while the rest looked scared. However, I couldn''t blame them since I might have felt the same way if I was in their position.


    Despite the variable expression, nobody was stepping up to come closer. Why would they? It''s not like they know me in person.


    "Isn''t that the boy who was floating in the sky?"


    "If I remember right, knights were talking about him¡­ He helped put off the fire or something."


    "Really? It''s hard to believe a human can do that."


    "Yeah, that''s just what I heard. Who knows what really happened out there?"


    I could hear various whispers about me, which wasn''t strange since many of them saw me back then. But some women were hiding their children from me, and that led me to believe that their knowledge of what I did was pretty vague.


    I smiled a little to make them feel comfortable as I opened my arms and started speaking.


    "Please don''t panic! I am Nara Yan. Most of you don''t know me yet, and I don''t blame you. We had been living in the same city, and by what I saw a while ago, that city is no longer there."


    I paused to give everyone time to accept the fact. I wasn''t trying to spray salt in their wounds, but they would have to accept the truth sooner or later. And right now, sooner is better than later because the faster we move on, the quicker we can rebuild what we lost.


    "I know this is a tough time. We all have lost something important to us, but we survived a catastrophe. And now, we need to get stronger to be able to save what''s left. We can''t move back and fix what happened, but we can move forward, ensuring that we won''t let this happen again."


    "What is he talking about?"


    "How can we even defend against that kind of threat?"


    "That''s impossible."


    The atmosphere got noisier as people started speaking in disbelief. This was a predictable reaction since they saw the mightiest city in the province fall in a single day.


    "Yes, it may be impossible the way we are now. But what choice do we have? Our only option is to rise up and move forward."


    "Thank you for all that you did back then. We are alive because of you."


    I wasn''t sure how to respond. I was just speaking my mind until now, and suddenly the Duke himself came to me and bowed.


    "No, there is no need for that. I just did what I felt was right. Though"¡ªI looked towards the ground¡ª"I wasn''t able to save the city, and thousands of people died."


    "No, I owe you huge gratitude for everything you did. It was my own so¡ª"


    "Wait! You don''t need to do that seriously."


    I stopped him before he could mention Goro.


    Everyone here was frustrated and stressed because of everything that happened. If they realize that this all happened because of Goro, that might cause a lack of trust in leadership. And right now, we were in dire need of someone who could lead all these people towards rebuilding the city.


    "...Anyways, I can treat the injured that are in severe condition, so I don''t think we should be wasting any time here."


    As I was saying that, Emma came forward, pushing the crowd aside. It was courageous of a little girl like her to do that.


    She looked panicked, so I walked up to her and kneeled down since that would make the conversation easier.


    It looked like she was having a hard time speaking, so I petted her saying, "It''s alright. What happened?"


    Her tiger tail was down, which was giving me the impression that she was worried about something. I looked to see if Dale or Elly were anywhere around, and I saw him searching for her behind the crowd.


    As I was doing that, the Duke stood up and walked forward. "Everyone, these are hard times. Please continue doing what you are doing and support each other. We are continuously looking for ways to get through these tough times, and will soon come up with one."


    After he said that, the crowd became thinner, but there were still a few people staring at me. I just ignored them and walked up to Dale along with Emma.


    "Oh, thank goodness I found you."


    For once, he forgot that I was standing right next to her. He lifted her in his arm and turned towards me.


    "Both Diane and Ria were injured in the attack. She has been like that since the moment she saw Ria injured. They are still unconscious, but Marina is taking care of them."


    "Where are they right now?"


    "They are on the tent just up ahead. Follow me."


    "Just a minute," I said, after which I turned around.


    One thing I learned in my life was ¡ª there weren''t many people to offer help and console someone who is tough for the sake of others.


    I could understand the position that Duke was in. At this point, there weren''t many who could help him out of this situation. So, it was my obligation to help him through these hard times.


    I turned around and walked up to him. "Please take care of yourself. These are tough times, but we will find a way to get through and take our likes back to normal."


    "I hope so. I don''t want my people to suffer more than they already have."


    I nodded in agreement and bowed slightly before turning around and walking back to others.


    : Taking care of injured - Part 3

 128 3.40 Taking care of injured - Part 3

    I followed Dale inside a tent. At this point, it had gotten a lot brighter as the rays of the sun could be seen coming from the eastern horizon.


    The condition inside was miserable. More than ten injured people were kept in the same tent, and there was a serious lack of resources for treatment.


    When I took a closer look, I realized we even lack essential resources like cups and glasses to drink water and clean clothes to cover wounds.


    Marina, who was using holy magic to treat Diane''s wounds, looked surprised when she saw us enter.


    "O-oh, you are finally back."


    "Yeah, I am," I replied with a smile and then turned towards Flare. "Can you heal these people, Flare?"


    "Yes, that''s a simple task, master. It looks like some of them are cursed, while the rest are just physically injured."


    "Thanks, that will help a lot."


    Flare started treating the injured using her flames. She could heal most of the physical injuries and cure curses, so there shouldn''t be any problem.


    Marina looked tired; she was probably treating the injured all night.


    Considering her kind nature, I expected nothing less from her. But even though it was a Dire situation, I couldn''t help but feel like she should care about herself more.


    "Marina, take a break. We can take care of things from here. And while you do that,"¡ªI moved closer to her ears¡ª"Can you arrange some clothes for Flare?"


    Her clothes were fine since the flames weren''t see-through. But when I touched her, I could feel her skin, so a change here was absolutely necessary.


    Marina nodded. "Um-hmm, I will look for something."


    After saying that, Marina stood up. But when she was about to walk out, she turned around.


    "Nara, I-I felt something strange today. Even though I used a lot of magic, I don''t feel tired."


    That was indeed strange, but the reason was apparent. And as long as it''s useful and doesn''t cause any harm, it should be alright.


    "Okay, please take care of yourself, and let me know if there is anything else that you feel odd."


    "I-I will. Also, everyone else is currently helping the injured in other tents. They have been working all night, s-so I think I will help them for a while."


    Contrary to what she said, her face did look tired. She may still be magically strong, but her body wasn''t adapted to that level of magic flow.


    "No, please take a break. It''s already morning, and Flare and I can handle the rest in just a few hours."


    "O-okay."


    After Marina walked out of the tent, I joined Flare. The two of us started treating the injured one after another.


    I left the severe cases to Flare and took care of the rest. I was still feeling weak, but since I only needed to use my own magic, it was somewhat easier.


    "Master, I think I am done with the ones here," Flare said.


    Diane and Ria were in severe condition, so Flare was treating them. Normally, it would have been wise to treat serious cases first from here on, but we had no means to know which one to prioritize more.


    I stood up and turned towards Dale and Emma. They were looking at us with a worried expression on their face.


    "It''s alright, they are fine. They have been completely healed. Now, all we can do is wait for them to regain their consciousness."


    Dale looked somewhat relieved, but Emma still had the same worried expression on her face.


    "Emma, Ria is just sleeping. You will be able to play with her again once she wakes up."


    A small smile appeared on her face. And somehow, that cute little smile felt so soothing to my heart.


    Kids can do miracles sometimes. All you need to do is see them smile, and all the stress you are feeling flies away.


    "...Oh, by the way, where is Elly?"


    "She is in the other tent. She is helping the healing team since there aren''t many holy magic users."


    "Okay, we will join them then."


    After walking out, Flare and I went to other tents and started healing the injured one after another.


    The healing team was doing a really good job of preventing the situation from getting worse. And it was because of their help that we were able to get there in time.


    Nina, Ronald, Yoru, and the princesses were also on the healing team. I was a little concerned over Ronald''s health, but he wasn''t showing any kind of weakness, so I let it slide and continued treating the injured.


    As for Arica, it looked like she was helping the knights in fighting the nearby monsters and collecting food.


    It was a lengthy job, but we were able to finish it before the afternoon. There were a few who would need some days to make a full recovery. But we were able to save those who were still breathing.


    It looked like they were preparing food for people in several places. The forest was rich in firewood and animals, so it wasn''t that surprising that they were able to find enough food. But there was still the concern that we would run out of food in less than three days.


    However, by then, we would probably be able to get the food from the destroyed city. Or at least that''s what I was hoping since Markus and the team hadn''t returned from scouting.


    We had a few horses and many weapons that knights brought along with them. We had the essential tools that we needed, and we could dig the rest from the destroyed city. So, building the necessary facilities using those tools first was a good idea.


    I was no engineer, nor was I that big of a nerd who understood how everything worked. I was just a normal man in my previous life. All I had was some knowledge to make work efficient. But it''s not like the people here lacked their own method to do that.


    However, after considering everything, there was still a lot that I could do for them. Though before that, I needed to eat something since the smell of food brought my suppressed hunger out.


    : A plan

 129 3.41 A plan - Part 1

    The lunch was quiet, unlike how everyone was expecting it to be. It was painful to see people cry with every bite of food, remembering the one they lost.


    Everyone was grouped in small groups as they were having their lunch. However, no one was looking at each other''s faces. Why would they when they themselves were trying to hide their own sorrow?


    After Marina got her some clothes, Flare changed into a white top and black midi skirt. It didn''t look as good as her flame clothes, but I was still glad that she could get something at times like these.


    Luckily, all of us ¡ªthe dormitory residents¡ª got our breaks during lunch. We were sitting on the dry grass as we were having our lunch. Sistina''s group was yet to arrive, so we were waiting for them, but everyone except Sistina and Miss Lilith was here.


    Usually, at times like this, Arica would say something to lighten the mood, but she herself was quiet today. Even Ronald wasn''t saying anything, which made this the quietest lunch we have ever had.


    "Guys, it''s going to be alright. Father is probably thinking of a way to get us through this situation," Princess Anna said with a small smile on her face.


    Even though she tried lightening the mood, it wasn''t helping much. But that was the right approach, so I decided to follow her lead.


    "Yeah, we are lucky compared to the rest here, so I think we should lighten up and continue supporting others."


    "B-but, will we be able to go back to normal?" Marina asked. Lucy, who was sitting on her shoulder, was munching the food without a care in the world.


    I couldn''t blame her for having doubts. She treated a lot of people who were the victim of this calamity. And their injuries weren''t just physical; the psychological damage was far greater. It was no wonder that she felt that way after talking to that many of them.


    There was a moment of silence since no one had the answer to her question. There was nobody who could claim that the thing that happened today won''t happen again.


    "It will."


    My straight answer caught everyone''s curiosity. Their eyes that were looking down a while ago were now focused on me.


    "...And this time, we will be prepared for them. They wouldn''t have won against us if they hadn''t used their cowardly tricks. We would have never lost if we had anticipated the attack."


    "Yeah, but we lost even though you took care of the fire and defeated most of the demons. I am not sure if any of us would have been able to survive on our own," Princess Eliane said. It looked like she also lacked confidence after everything.


    I had no answer to that. I knew that nothing I say would make them feel better. I could tell them they helped, but it would only sound like I was trying to keep their hearts.


    "And that is why we need to get stronger. Nara got stronger faster than us, but we can catch up to him slowly with hard work."


    "Yeah, we should stop relying on my darling too much and improve our skills," Arica said with a small smile.


    That was the best thing they could do at the moment. Changing their frustration into fuel was definitely a productive way of doing things.


    It looked like everyone felt the same, even though no one said it out loud.


    While we were talking, Sistina came walking towards us. That meant Markus and his party had finally returned.


    "Nara, Markus is calling you. He said they need you for some kind of discussion."


    I nodded in response and left the wooden bowl on the ground as I stood up.


    I was expecting them to call me once Markus returns. I was the one who saw the enemy first handed, so it was natural that they would want to hear my opinion.


    "Guys, I think it will take a while"¡ªI turned towards Sistina¡ª"You probably haven''t eaten anything; get the stew before it finishes."


    Many people were hungry, so it was somewhat of a surprise that knights were able to find food for everyone. However, that food wasn''t enough, so there was no provision for extras.


    "Actually, we had taken some food with us when we left, and we had it while we were returning."


    "That''s good then¡­ Also, where''s Miss Lilith?"


    "She is resting in the tent where the other nobles are."


    It was no wonder that they would separate the tents for nobles even at a time like this. But if there was someone like the bald man I met at the duke''s castle, I was determined to take them out first if they try getting in the way.


    "Alright. Flare, you stay here with everyone else"¡ªI turned towards Sam¡ª "Sam, can you please come with me?"


    After the two of them nodded in affirmation, I turned around. But when I was about to leave, I realized Yoru looked upset. She was quiet during the whole time and had barely spoken to me.


    I had several guesses about why she was feeling that way. The first and foremost being the trip that she was patiently waiting for got canceled. However, there was nothing that we could do about it since things turned out this way all of a sudden.


    I walked up to her and petted her head. To others, it might look stupid, but I knew that she felt happy when I did that.


    "You did really well today. I am proud of you."


    I wasn''t sure if I should be treating her like a pet when she looked like a human. But I guess it was okay as long as that made her happy.


    "You mean it? I thought I was useless."


    I had a feeling that she was thinking that way, and I knew the reason ¡ª her rivalry with Flare.


    "Yes, thank you for helping me. You saved the lives of so many."


    She looked cute when her cheeks turned a little red.


    Sam was waiting for me, and it appeared that we were already late. So, I turned around and followed Sam as the two of us walked towards Duke''s tent.


    : A plan - Part 2

 130 3.42 A plan - Part 2

    When the two of us entered, there were only five people inside the tent. Other than Markus and the Duke himself, there were also Viscountess Sara, Lady Hina, and Captain Garo.


    It was somewhat odd to see Duke without his old butler, but I could understand that he might be busy somewhere in these difficult times.


    Everyone inside turned towards me when they noticed me enter. It looked like they had been waiting for us the whole time.


    "Good afternoon, everyone."


    Normally, it would have been a good idea to greet everyone individually, but wasting more time wasn''t wise since I was already late.


    This tent was more spacious than the other tents. There was enough space for everyone inside to walk around. Duke was seated at what appeared to be a desk, while the rest of us were just standing.


    There were some papers on Duke''s desk, probably the report Markus and Garo brought with them.


    "Thank you for all the help, Nara. Father told me everything that you did after returning."


    Markus came forwards and gave me a pat on the back. It looked like he was trying to lighten the mood inside because everyone other than him looked gloomy.


    "I just did what I could at times like this¡­ Although, everyone here looks worried. What happened?"


    "I am not sure if it would be a good idea to involve you in our mess"¡ªthe Duke looked straight at me¡ª"And there is a lot more that we need to discuss."


    I wanted to avoid asking anything since it sounded like it was something concerning nobles. But I was curious about what it might be. So, instead of making a wild guess, I decided to insist on the matter.


    "I understand your position, but if that matter concerns all the people here, it might be a good idea to let me in. Who knows, I might be able to help you with that."


    I chose the words carefully to make it sound like I was asking for people''s sake, but my main reason was still my curiocity.


    "You are right." The duke took a long breath and continued. "It looks like a faction of nobles has decided to move to a different province. Without them resolving this whole situation would be troublesome. Hayden and his men already left, and the few left will depart by the evening."


    That wasn''t surprising. Most of them were serving under the duke for their own selfish gain, and now that the Duke was no longer powerful, they decided to leave his side and find somewhere else.


    "Those nobles were just leeches. I think we will be better off without them," Viscountess Sara said.


    It looked like she was frustrated because of everything. However, I couldn''t blame her since I felt the same.


    "I am glad that father decided to create the network of knights back then. We can now request help from the towns and villages."


    "But that won''t be enough. We will need to visit the capital and ask for assistance, though¡­"


    "...It looks like we are going off-topic here. Let''s get back to the issue. Before we move to the reconstruction, Nara, tell everyone what you know about the demons you faced. I only heard a few details from my informer, so I myself am ill-informed on the matter."


    "I am not sure where to begin, but I guess I should start with his name. My familiar, who died in the battle fighting him, called him Satan, the strongest demon after the demon lord."


    "Satan, you say?!"


    Duke stood up from his chair in surprise. It looked like he was aware of who that was.


    "There was a clown with him who claimed that he can revive the demon lord. I think the two of them are working together now. Other than that, there were 13 vampires who were responsible for summoning demons. Even though we killed all of them, it seems like they were just disposable pawns."


    There was a moment of silence as I gave them some time to analyze the information. After a few seconds, it looked like Lady Hina wanted to ask something, so I turned towards her.


    "Won''t the reconstruction of the city now be risky? How can we be assured that they aren''t waiting to attack us again?"


    "I think they will try attacking some other big cities instead. There will need a lot more souls and miasma if they want to revive the demon lord. It will probably take them a while to prepare everything."


    No matter how efficient they were, they would obviously need time to prepare. However, I was still wondering why the dragons weren''t acting yet.


    The black dragon king said he was keeping an eye on me, so he must have realized that we were under attack unless...


    "It looked like they were doing something to hide Satan''s presence. There is a possibility that some kind of barrier was covering the whole city."


    Till now, it was just a guess, but that was the only logical explanation that I could come up with.


    ''I am sure it was the handy work of those vampires.''


    "Does this mean they are afraid of something?" Garo asked.


    That was an obvious assumption. One would only need to hide their presence if they are fearful of something or when they don''t want any attention.


    In this case, it wasn''t the second one, so they were definitely afraid of something. And my inner instincts were telling me what that thing was.


    "Dragons, I think they were afraid that the dragons might notice them."


    Duke hummed after hearing my response, so all of us turned towards him.


    "Then I think it will be safe to assume that they won''t try anything anytime soon. Although we can''t ignore the possibility that we might be attacked in the future, so we need to be prepared."


    He paused and stroked his beard. He then turned towards me and continued.


    "My boy, as soon as we are a little stable here, I want you to leave for the capital with Markus. Take princesses with you, and discuss the issue with the king."


    : A plan - Part 3

 131 3.43 A plan - Part 3

    Duke stroked his beard once again. "Can you tell me what you plan to do after that?"


    "In the north of this kingdom, there is a place where I can revive my familiar. I plan to go there. It will be a long journey, but I plan to return in a few months."


    "Few months!"


    The duke was surprised, and I don''t blame him. At this point, I knew that there weren''t many people capable of fighting demons in the nation. And if I leave at a time like this, their defenses would be several times weaker.


    "Yes, right now, I am not capable of fighting Satan, and without my familiar, it''s almost impossible. I need to get him back somehow and train myself more on the way."


    "Okay, I understand."


    "But father!"


    "No Markus, I too think that it would be the right course of action. We can''t be selfish here. If the demon lord is revived, history will repeat itself. But unlike last time, we won''t have Dragon god with us."


    I didn''t think he would agree to it that easily, but it just shows how good of a leader he was.


    Markus lowered his head in response. It looked like he was also aware that it would be wiser to let me go.


    However, I wasn''t planning to go without preparation. My first goal was to perfect the teleportation technique based on how Zagan used to do it. But instead of using a space as a central point, I was planning to teleport using my familiars.


    "...Now that it''s settled, let''s move towards the reconstruction part."


    Duke lifted the paper on his desk and looked at it. Although reconstruction was an important issue to discuss, it felt like we were missing something.


    I rubbed my chin to think what it was, and right then, it came to my mind.


    "Before that¡­ I think we should send a party of earth and holy magic users to the city immediately. In the presence of that much miasma, there is a high chance that the dead bodies would become undead. We need to purify the bodies using holy magic and bury them using earth magic. It would be wiser to go now, and return before evening, or to wait and go there tomorrow morning. During the night, there is a high chance that they would become active."


    Everyone inside had a concerned reaction on their face. It was already afternoon, so there was very little time left. If they were planning to head out, they would need to do that soon.


    "I don''t think it would be wise to do it today. Most of our soldiers are already at their limits, and we don''t have enough horses to reach there quickly," Markus replied.


    That made sense. Normally, it takes some time for dead bodies to change into undead, and since they died just a day ago, we still had some time.


    "It''s alright. We can go there tomorrow to bury the dead. And when we come back, we can also bring the resources necessary here."


    "Sounds like a plan," Garo said with a smile.


    Now that the issue had been discussed, we moved towards the reconstruction part that Duke was about to discuss.


    "Now then, for reconstruction, we would need the villages to supply us food and resources. Financially, it won''t be much of a problem since we still have enough gold in the treasury. But it will take us some time to be stable in trade again."


    That was understandable since the business of many merchants were ruined in the fire. The villagers could still bring the goods, and the merchants here could start selling them again, but it would take years for them to get to the same position as before.


    On top of that, trade outside the province would suffer much more than domestic trade. The outside merchants who used to do business here would start looking for some other cities to trade, and because of that, the already established network would be destroyed.


    "Then how about we start processing the raw material and sell the product instead of doing a direct trade? Like we could sell clothes instead of threads and prepared food instead of selling grains and meat. That way, we will be able to give employment to people, make a steady flow of money within the province, and keep things running until the business becomes stable. We would also be able to make the city an industrial center instead of just trade center."


    "But¡­ We would need resources capable of management and supervision for that," Lady Hina said in a concerned tone.


    This was one of the things that were different in my previous world and this one. Here, people believed more in supervision and management instead of just making the workers more skilled. They lacked venues to train workers, so their only method to learn was through experience.


    "It takes many years to be skilled by collecting experience, so instead, we could train a group of people for a specific task. Like how we do for knights and magicians. It would be a faster way of producing human resources."


    Lady Hina nodded in response. The smile on her face was saying that she understood my point.


    A city entirely focused on trade was good, but as far as I know, there were barely any industrial cities in this country. So, trying a different approach now had a better potential of producing better results.


    "Yes, but will our resources be enough? I mean, we barely have 5000 people, and among them almost a thousand are knights or magicians." Viscountess Sara asked.


    That was a fair question, but answering it was easier than responding to the concern that Lady Hina raised.


    "There are many small villages out there where people are living in constant threat of monsters. We could just take the immigrants from there. If we give them a job, food, and shelter at the start, they will start earning for themselves and become contributors to the provincial economy."


    "That''s some useful strategies you have got there, makes me wonder where you attained all that knowledge," Markus said.


    The answer was simple. It was because I used to watch plenty of political speeches back when I was alive in my other world. But I couldn''t say that I learned it from there, so I had to come up with an excuse.


    "I am not sure. I just felt like that would be the right course of action."

 132 3.44 A plan - Part 4

    "Again, I just did what I thought was right. Anyway, it looks like my part in the discussion is over. I need to return to what I was doing. Please excuse me."


    I walked out of the tent early since it looked like they wanted to discuss a few things privately. There were still some people left who needed treatment, but their condition wasn''t serious, so the holy mages would probably be able to handle that.


    "Mom, mom, I am hungry."


    "Please wait a little longer, sweetie. They will start preparing dinner soon."


    A little girl, who was probably around six years old, was holding on to her mother''s clothes. Her mother was looking around to see if anyone could help, but unfortunately, there was no one. Everyone was busy with their own struggles.


    I wish I could move forward and help them, but I myself had nothing. It was painful to just watch them like that, but what else could I do?


    I could go somewhere, bring the food and feed them. However, how many mouths would I be able to feed like that? It wasn''t just one or two. We had thousands of people here.


    I lowered my head as I walked past them. It wasn''t because of shame, but because I was feeling hollow.


    "Master, I think you should stop overthinking. There is just so much a man can do."


    Sam was right. But even though I knew that, I couldn''t help but feel empty. That''s how I had always been. It was hard for me to ignore people suffering right in front of me.


    When he saw no change in my facial expression, Sam continued.


    "You can''t help it, can you? Although I think you should know that this world is bigger than it seems. There are people with a worse fate than this."


    "I guess, I feel based on what I see. Isn''t that what being a human means?"


    "It is, but if you keep on thinking like that, you will never be able to be happy."


    "...maybe."


    I looked at the sky, and it had already started getting darker. Since we still didn''t have enough tents, we would probably need to sleep outside tonight. However, I was just glad that we were able to arrange tents for women, children, and the injured.


    It was then that something came to my mind. It was a crazy idea, but there are times when those crazy ideas feel you with so much excitement that you decided to go with it. That was what just happened to me.


    "Sam, you can return to others. I think I will take a look around and return in a while."


    Sam smiled; he probably noticed the change in my facial expression.


    "Alright. I hope you are able to return before dinner, master."


    I nodded in response. I then walked towards the deeper part of the forest, while Sam just walked towards where everyone else was.


    "Boy, it''s not safe to go there?"


    "Oh! You are the boy from the morning. Where are you going?"


    Even though he was surprised at the start, he wasn''t showing that big of a reaction. It was probably because of what the Duke did this morning.


    "I was just trying to see if I can get a big enough animal for dinner. Please don''t worry about me; I will be fine."


    "Okay, if you say so."


    After the knight left, I kept walking forward. The thing I was planning to do wasn''t that great, but it was definitely going to help in the situation we were in right now.


    After I reached pretty deep in the forest, I contacted Flare telepathically.


    [Flare, can you hear me?]


    [Yes, master. Is there some sort of problem?]


    [No, I just wanted to know if you are busy or not. If you are, I will call Yoru.]


    [Wait! I mean, I am free. I treated most of the injured. There are only a few left, but the healing team is taking care of them.]


    [Then, I will summon you here. Please get to somewhere where there aren''t many people.]


    Many people already knew that Flare was a spirit, but making someone disappear right in front of them wasn''t a good idea. There could be people with weak hearts there.


    I waited for a while, and after a few seconds, Flare contacted me again.


    [Yes, master. I am ready.]


    I summoned the purest flame within me, and from there, Flare emerged like usual. But unlike before, she was in her human form.


    Her clothes were made up of flames, but as soon as her feet touched the floor, she changed back into the attire she had before ¡ª white top and black midi skirt.


    "Master, are we going somewhere?"


    "Yeah, let''s go as high as we can, Flare."


    The two of us lifted ourselves in the air and continued going as high as we could. We were fast, so the air resistance was huge, but I countered it using wind magic and my mana cloak. As we moved higher, the air started getting less dense, and when it looked like we reached a reasonable height, I stopped.


    From up there, I could see the lands far away and even the ocean in the south. I could see the sun setting and the lands slowly being covered in darkness. The view from there was hard to describe in words, but if I had to choose one, I would say it was amazing.


    "Master, what are we going to do here?"


    "Please wait a little longer, and you would understand."


    After a while, it got completely dark, and in that darkness, I could see several small groups of lights on the ground beneath us.


    "Flare, we are going to go towards those lights. They are the villages near the city. If we ask them for assistance with food and clothing, they might be able to help us."


    "I understand, master."


    The two of us then started flying towards one of the villages on the southern side of the city. I wasn''t planning to go as far as the Calm village, but I was hoping to notify all the towns and villages around and request their assistance.


    : Requesting aid

 133 3.45 Requesting aid

    In comparison, the villages on the northern side of the city barely had any cultivable lands.


    In the center of this kingdom, there was a place called the Dragon valley. It was a valley surrounded by a mountain range that was several times larger than the Himalayas from my previous world.


    There were several rocky hills around those parts, so the landform wasn''t exactly suitable for cultivation. And on top of that, there was a constant threat of monsters.


    This was the reason why I chose to visit the southern villages first.


    The farmers used to save some grains in a fear that the crops may not come out well next year. But there was barely an occasion where that fear came true.


    Usually, they would just sell the fresh crop next year and use the crops from last year. And surprising, the crops from last year used to taste better than the new crops.


    This was based on my experience from the time I lived in the Calm village. I saw many families do that, and that was indeed a really wise choice.


    After flying southward for a while, we stopped near a familiar-looking village. I remembered stopping here last time when we were traveling to the city.


    I realized we might scare the villages if we fly directly into the village, so we stopped in the nearby plains and walked towards the village from there.


    It would still be surprising since we didn''t have any horses or equipment, but it would be a lot less surprising than landing there out of nowhere.


    I remembered that Jin''s house was the first one on the right side of the main street, so the two of us walked towards that house.


    The streets were empty since the chilly wind was blowing outside. Everyone was probably inside their house, preparing the meals.


    When I looked closer, I saw a few people staring at us from the windows of their houses. That wasn''t surprising since visitors must be rare around this time of the year.


    I knocked on the door, and my knock was answered by a beautiful chubby woman with bunny ears.


    "Who are you?"


    It was dark so it wasn''t a surprise that she couldn''t recognize me. She brought forward a magic light that she was holding and took a closer look at my face. As she was doing that, I was trying to remember her name that I had forgotten.


    "Wait, looks like I have seen you somewhere"¡ªShe looked behind¡ª "Honey, can you come here? We have guests."


    I was somewhat relieved when she called Jin. It would have been weird to say I knew her when I had already forgotten her name.


    A man with similar bunny ears came out. Unlike last time, he was wearing casual clothes, but I could easily recognize him at first sight.


    "We stopped by when we were traveling to the city, remember?" It looked like he wasn''t picking up the hint, so I continued. "I was with Andrew and Jabal."


    "Ahaa! I know you. You were one of the kids from then. What brings you to our little village today?"


    His expressions changed suddenly. A while ago, it felt like he was talking to me as a stranger, and now it was as if we were neighbors. I guess it was the effect of giving him hints and making him remember instead of telling him who I was.


    "I won''t be able to stay here much longer, but there is something I want to discuss."


    Jin took a long breath. He probably sensed the seriousness in my voice. "Okay then, please come in."


    Inside, there was a small table where four people could sit comfortably. Sofas were considered luxury items in this world, so only rich people had those.


    "Nira, prepare some tea."


    It was only then that I recalled what her name was. I felt a little frustrated about not being able to remember that before, but I didn''t show it outside.


    "Before we begin, who is this lady? I don''t remember seeing her before."


    "Oh, she is my friend from the city. The two of us came here together since we need your help."


    Instead of waiting for his response to my answer, I decided to take the conversation directly towards the main subject.


    "My help regarding what?"


    "You must not be aware, but the Shinga city is no more. It was completely destroyed by the demons."


    Jin''s jaw dropped in surprise. I could hear the sound of something falling in the kitchen, so Nira must be hearing our conversation as well.


    "Is that¡­ true?"


    He must have thought I was out of mind, and I don''t blame him if he did. The news was just that unbelievable.


    "Yes, if you don''t believe me, you can try visiting the city yourself."


    He composed himself by taking a long breath. "Alright, I am willing to believe that for a second. Now, tell me what brings you here?"


    It was a good thing that he decided to take the conversation in that direction. It would have been a pain to make him believe that it happened without any evidence.


    "There was a fire that burned most of the Residential and Trading district. Knights and Noble''s district were also destroyed by the demon rampage. Because of that, we are in a serious scarcity of food and resources. I was hoping that your villages and the villages around would be able to assist."


    "Okay."


    Jin lowered his head for a second and started thinking. After a while, he looked back at me and continued.


    "I will gather the villagers tomorrow and collect what we can arrange. We might be able to send a few carriages to the city."


    I was surprised that he agreed to that so easily, but it was probably because he knew me already.


    "Thank you. I will let the duke know; he will definitely appreciate your help. Now then¡­"


    I stood up from my chair, and following me; Flare stood up as well.


    "...We still need to notify the nearby villages, so I think I should take my leave now."


    "So soon? It will take a few hours to reach the nearby village, and it''s already dark. You two should probably stay here. I still want to hear more about what happened."


    "Unfortunately, there isn''t much time left. Master has to visit over thirty¡ª"


    Flare was probably about to say over thirty villages, but since that would make things even more confusing, I interrupted her.


    "What she means is we are in a hurry, and we need to be there fast. I will stop by when I am traveling around these parts. Once again, thank you for your help, and sorry for showing up at a time like this."


    "No, that''s alright. It''s our obligation to help the city since it has always helped us farming villages. I should thank you for letting me know instead."


    After the conversation, I bowed slightly as an apology. The two of us then walked out of the house and towards the next village.


    : Reconstruction

 134 3.46 Reconstruction - Part 1

    There were several magic lights illuminating the part of the forest we were at. There were few guards stationed for defense, but they looked barely awake.


    "Oh, it''s you."


    It was the same guard that stopped me when I was about to head out. Compared to the rest of the guards, he looked a lot alive.


    "Yeah, it took me a little longer than expected."


    "Were you able to find anything? Or was it just a waste of time?"


    "Oh, I found plenty. However, I couldn''t bring anything today. We will probably need to wait till tomorrow afternoon."


    "Is that so? Anyways, you can go in and sleep, but be careful; most of the people are already sleeping."


    The ground was dry despite the light rain last night, so sleeping in a bed made up of fallen leaves wasn''t that bad. But before that, I had to find where everyone else was.


    "I will. Thank you for the advice."


    After the conversation, I walked towards where everyone else was before. Yoru was with them, so I could easily sense where they were.


    I was also tired because of all the things I did, but unlike me, Flare looked active. I guess it was one of the advantages of having a body made up of mana.


    We walked quietly since I didn''t want to disturb anyone, and when I reached where everyone else was, I realized they were already asleep.


    "Oh, Nara, you finally returned."


    I turned towards the source of that familiar voice just to find Ronald on my left.


    "Having a hard time falling asleep?" I asked as I sat on the dry leaves nearby.


    "No, it''s more like, my body doesn''t need much sleep. Ever since I merged with the wind spirit, it has been like this."


    It could be because he was practically sharing his body with the wind spirit. I was a little concerned, but since it looked like his body itself was changed to adapt to these new abilities, I decided not to overthink it.


    "I guess it alright if you are okay with it."


    "Yeah," he replied with a wide smile.


    I responded to that with a small smile as I laid on the ground, covered in dry leaves. Flare sat near me and touched my arm with her hand. As she did that, I stopped feeling cold; instead, I could feel comfy warmth.


    "Thanks, Flare," I whispered.


    "Please think nothing of it," Flare replied as she laid right next to me.


    She then created several orbs made up of blue flames and placed one over everyone''s chest. She had always been centered around me, so I had no idea she cared that much about everyone else.


    "Thanks again, Flare. That''s very kind of you."


    "As long as it makes you happy, master."


    ----


    It was early morning when I opened my eyes after hearing a few noises. When I listened closely, it felt like the sound of trees falling on the ground.


    I raised my head and noticed Flare sitting right next to me. It looked like I was the last one to wake up, which wasn''t surprising since I was the last one to sleep as well.


    "Good morning, master."


    "Morning Flare. Where is everyone else?" I replied while sitting upright.


    "Oh, you finally woke up. I am distributing tea, do you want some?"


    Before Flare could answer me, Princess Anna interrupted us. She was holding a teapot and a few cups. That made it pretty clear that they were volunteering with the cooking today. However, I was curious about one thing.


    "Yes, thank you¡­ By the way, what is Yoru doing?"


    "Hmm¡­ I think she is helping Arica in peeling the boiled potatoes."


    It looked like everyone else had already started their day, and I was the only one left. I stood up, after which she served me some tea in a cup.


    "Alright then, I guess I should get started too."


    "Yeah, but finish drinking the tea first," Princess Anna replied with a smile.


    "Oh yeah."


    I looked around while drinking my tea. I could see a lot fewer knights, which meant that they had already dispatched a group towards the destroyed city.


    The knights that were here, along with the residents, were now chopping down the nearby tree. Wood was essential for construction, so I guess that''s how they decided to start.


    A little bit further from where we were, there was a group of knights making loud noises, so I decided to check them out.


    "I guess I would head out for a while"¡ªI turned towards Flare¡ª"Flare, you can join the others."


    "Yes, master."


    I handed the cup back to Princess Anna and walked towards the group of knights. When I reached there, I noticed that they had some kind of competition going on.


    "Let me show you how it''s done."


    A knight dressed in leather armor stepped forward. It was rare to see Knights wearing leather armors. It looked expensive and sturdy, so I could tell at a glance that he was from a noble family.


    "Then, let''s see what you can do."


    Another knight was trying to encourage him, which made me curious about what was going on. I looked around to see if there was someone I could recognize, and I noticed Ronald among the crowd on the left side.


    There were several tree trunks piled up already, so I could tell that they were doing a good job. But since I was not sure what this all was about, I decided to ask him.


    "Hey Ronald, what''s going on?"


    "Oh, morning Nara. They are just competing on who chops the wood better."


    It looked interesting, so I decided to wait and take a look at how they do it.


    : Reconstruction - Part 2

 135 3.47 Reconstruction - Part 2

    "Look closely. What I am about to show you is the technique I perfected with my rigorous training."


    He pulled out the sword that he was carrying on his waist out of its sheath. He then took his position and closed his eyes. As he did that, the whole crowd became silent.


    "Now behold, Wind slash!"


    He used a Vertical Wind slash, and the branches on his left along with the bark got chopped off. He then used another wind slash on the right side.


    After two vertical slashes, he walked towards his left and stood at around 6 meters distance from the center of the tree.


    He then used two horizontal slashes and chopped the trunk into a perfectly rectangular wood. In the end, as a finisher, he fired two vertical wind slashes, one at the top and one at the bottom.


    "Did you see that? This is what''s it called to have mastery over one''s sword."


    If we were to ignore all the bluff and weird gestures after the technique, I would have to say it was quite good. However, the bluff and those strange gestures dropped his coolness level to the bottom in my eyes.


    "Now then"¡ªHe turned towards the crowd¡ª"Is there anyone who can beat this level of art?"


    Ronald stepped forward with a smile. He had an excited look on his face, which I hadn''t seen in a while.


    "I am not sure. I just recovered after an injury, so my skills have probably rusted. But I can give it a try if someone is willing to lend me their sword for a moment."


    "Okay, then. I will give you my sword. Show me what you can do."


    The knight handed Ronald his sword. It was a sharp katana made up of what appeared to be ordinary steel. Compared to his other equipment, this sword looked far inferior, which pointed towards the fact that he must have an emotional attachment to it.


    Ronald walked up to the wood and took his position. He was holding the sword close to his right shoulder.


    He closed his eyes for a few seconds, and once he opened it, he fired eight Wind slashes successively. Four of them were horizontal, while the other four were vertical. If one were to look at the timer right now, this all probably happened in less than 15 seconds.


    The wood was now cut into 25 long rectangular beams. The sizes looked perfectly equal, and since the tree was straight, the beams had no noticeable flaws. It was as if it could be used for construction right from here.


    A few knights looked surprised by his skills, while the rest reacted as if they had seen that several times. That just showed the difference in their experiences.


    "That was impressive," he said as he walked towards Ronald.


    The knight in the leather armor was one of those who had a shocked reaction on their faces. He brought hand towards Ronald for a handshake, and the two of them shook their hands.


    Watching these grown-ups get all excited sparked something within me. I also wanted to try my skills and see how much I had improved.


    "I want to give it a try, too," I said as I walked towards them.


    As expected, a few gossips about me was heard in the background. But I ignored them since it was impossible for me to care about them all the time.


    "Ooh, I want to see how much you have improved too. I remember teaching you how to position yourself. Let''s see how far you have come," Ronald said as he handed the sword to me.


    Normally, it would have been a good idea to ask permission from the master of the sword before using it, but since it looked like he was minding, I decided to let it slide.


    "You will see. I have improved a lot," I replied.


    I walked up to another trunk and took a similar position as Ronald. I was sitting at the bottom side of the tree since it would be easier to slice it from there.


    I fired twelve Wind slashes, and at the end of the attack, the wood had been cut into 25 rectangular beams like the ones the two of them made before. Unlike Ronald, it took me over twenty seconds to do it. However, I have to say, I was pleased with the results.


    The only thing left was to chop off the top and the bottom, so I moved towards the right and chopped them off.


    "Ha-ha! And right when I thought things couldn''t get more surprising," the knight said as he walked up to me. He then brought his hand forward, and we shook hands.


    "You have certainly improved a lot, Nara. A little more, and you will surpass my skills."


    "Ha-ha! I still have a long way to go before I reach there."


    Even the experienced knights looked somewhat surprised by what I just did, but I guess that was a normal reaction. At this point, I was far better than a regular knight at magic control and could handle a lot more mana than any normal human could.


    "Men, what are you doing? Let''s use these woods and start the construction. Or else, you will need to sleep under the stars today too," the other knight, who was encouraging the knight dressed in leather armor, said.


    Now that I think about it, I still had no idea who the leathered knight was. So, I decided to introduce myself properly.


    "I am Nara. I don''t think we have met before."


    "Yes, I just recently came back from my training trip. I am Jackie."


    "A trip? Where did you go to?" I asked since I was curious.


    "It was near the mountains in the Eastern part of the country."


    "Interesting¡­"


    : The Eastern Province

 136 3.48 The Eastern Province

    The Southern province was where we were at. Other than that, there were Eastern, Western, Northern, and Central provinces. Unlike what one would expect, the capital wasn''t in the central province; it was in the Western province.


    I was interested to learn more about the eastern part of the nation ¡ª especially since Jackie said he went there for training. I would soon need to travel to the northern part of the country, so learning more about the other provinces might be a good idea.


    "Your skills do look impressive compared to locally trained knights. I am interested to know what kind of training you did in the east."


    "Oh, if you want to know, I can tell you about the adventures I went through during my training."


    "Yes, that sounds fascinating, although¡­"


    It looked like everyone else had already gotten into work, and we were getting in their way.


    "It''s a bit noisy here. Let''s go over there"¡ªI turned towards Ronald¡ª"Ronald, wanna join us?"


    "Nah, I think I will help them for a while. See you guys later."


    "Okay, I will come to give you a hand in a while."


    After this conversation, the two of us walked towards what appeared to be a bit isolated part of the forest. This part had small trees, and most of them were not useful for construction.


    "So, where should I start¡­"


    He put his hands on his chin and started thinking. He looked like a novice celebrity who just found his first fan, but I just ignored his expressions and gestures. Information was what I was really after.


    I could have asked the questions directly, but that would require knowing the questions. I had very little knowledge about the province, so making him reveal what he found intriguing was a good idea.


    "Oh, that time when we went to the region near the Dragon shrine."


    That sounded interesting, so I listened closely as he continued.


    "So, once I joined a bunch of adventurers on a trip to the foothill of the dragon shrine. It was a dangerous adventure as it was claimed that no one would return alive from that place. We had a party of twelve adventurers, composed of three healers, six knight swordsmen, and three support magicians. We went there to search for a rare gem known as Moonstone."


    I had only been to an adventurer guild once, but it looks like they work in organized parties there. It was a good thing since having a balanced party would help you complete the quest faster and easier. Also, there is the fact that they would be able to cover a variety of quests that way. Naturally, not every quest would be about fighting.


    ''But more than that, this moonstone sounds interesting.''


    "Moonstone, what kind of gem is that?"


    I was not that big of a collector, but this did make me feel like going on a journey to find it. Who knows, I might be able to find what others didn''t?


    When I looked at him, he was staring at me. I probably got lost in thought and kept him holding for too long.


    "Sorry, I just started imagining what kind of gem that would be. Anyways, were you able to find the gem?"


    "Of course, not. The fact that I survived such an adventure is great in itself. Gem or not, I was one of the few braves who fought the monsters in that region and came back."


    His tone and the way he was spreading his hands while speaking was making it sound so cool. But his words lacked the power to make it more interesting for me. In fact, I lost more than half of my interest after knowing that he failed.


    "Anyways, back to the main topic. So, what happened during the adventures?"


    "Interested to know more, ain''t you? I knew you wouldn''t be able to resist the excitement of hearing more of my tales"¡ªHe looked straight at me and continued¡ª"We were able to reach the foothill. But it turned out to be the home of savage goblins. A whole village of goblins attacked us. Nine died during the battle, while the three of us survived. Among the ones who survived, one lost his left eye, while the other lost his left leg. I was the only one who was able to survive this with just this scar."


    He showed me a cool-looking scar on his arm, which made me wish his story was as cool as he was making it sound. Although, I realized, by the normal standard, it would indeed sound cool.


    "That does sound like an awesome adventure, but at the same time, it feels dangerous and frightening. Hope your dead companions are resting in peace."


    He looked down towards the ground. "Yes, they were a really lively bunch. They would probably crave adventure even in heaven."


    I knew that heaven and hell didn''t exist, but I didn''t want to ruin his moment of recollection by spoiling that.


    "Yes, adventurers can be like that¡­ Also, what kind of cultural difference is there between the society here and society there?"


    "It''s hard to compare; there are too many things that I find different." He put his hand on his chin and thought for a while. "They were clothes that could be strange to people here. And they feel more organized and what was the word... civilized. They have knights and magicians like here, but they are dressed in different kinds of armor. This armor of mine is also from the same place."


    That made my excitement peak again. I wanted to ask more about the province, but since it looked like the knights needed some help, it was a good idea to talk more about this some other time.


    "I would love to hear more of your story Jackie. But for now, it looks like we have some work to do. Why don''t we discuss more on this during the afternoon break?"


    "Oh, yes, I would love to tell you more about my adventures. What I told you was just a mere thriller; there is a lot more that you will find intriguing."

 137 3.49 Lunch

    There were some people who were skilled in crafting and construction, and as those were not my specialty, I couldn''t help them. But I helped them differently by providing them the resources they required.


    As we were doing that, the first group of knights came back from the city ruin with resources. Almost at the same time, few villages that we had requested help from came with the aid.


    The districts that Lady Hina and Viscountess Sara ruled were quite far from here, so it would at least take 2-3 days for the supplies to come. But for now, we had more than enough to support a population of five thousand.


    We had around five hundred people who aided in construction. And ¡ªeven though not very sturdy because of the lack of resources¡ª we were able to build a house to treat the injured, a headquarters for knights, few houses for women and children, and of course, the most important public toilets and bathrooms.


    All the workers had gathered around, and we were enjoying the afternoon break. I was having a little more fun than usual because the girls were all seated around me. It was somewhat embarrassing, but also something unavoidable.


    My original intention was to have lunch with Jackie so that I would be able to learn more about the Eastern province. But it was all ruined when they showed up with a food basket. At this point, it felt like we were having some kind of picnic.


    "The boy has a lot of ladies around him."


    "As expected of someone like him. I wouldn''t be surprised if he grows up to marry all of them."


    "Nah, he is still immature. He needs to learn a lot before he can handle real ladies."


    "What are you talking about? You can barely handle your own wife, and you go around judging the boy."


    Two loud men sitting next to us were making unnecessary comments about me. If I weren''t sitting between them, I would have walked up to them and given a good talking-to. However, it wasn''t just them. Even Ronald and Jackie, who were having lunch next to us, were sending occasional teasing glances towards me.


    "Nara, come here, darling. You look all sweaty."


    Arica pulled me closer to her chest and used a handkerchief to rub my forehead.


    Even though it wasn''t that hot, I was sweating a little because of all the work. It would have dried on its own in a while, but there wasn''t any harm in rubbing it off. Although¡­


    ''A little too close. I can feel her breasts.''


    However, as a man, I couldn''t mention that out loud, so I just decided to enjoy the sensation while it lasted.


    "Arica, you don''t need to squeeze him into your boobs to rub off his sweats. You can just do that while keeping a little distance."


    "Girls, weren''t we going to eat something?"


    Before the conversation could go wild, I brought everyone back to the main topic, which was supposed to be lunch.


    "Yes, here everyone, please take your plate."


    Princess Anna handed me mine, while the others chose their plate from a bunch that Marina served.


    It was just rice balls with vegetable soup and fruits. But that in itself probably took quite a bit of effort to find and make at times like this.


    "Thanks, everyone, for making all this."


    "Eh, don''t worry about it. Sam was the one who made all this, after all."


    Some part of me felt a little disappointed when Princess Anna said that, but I guess they still get the credit for bringing me lunch.


    I knew that Flare would be alright, but I was a little concerned about Yoru. She looked a little brighter than before, which was a good sign.


    "Hey Yoru, how was your morning?"


    "Nom-nom, it was okay. I helped Arica, cut the vegetables and stuff."


    She was busy eating, so I decided not to ask her more questions until she was done. It appeared that she was enjoying helping around, which was a good thing.


    "Nara, I was told that you would be going to the capital with us. Do you know anything about when that is going to happen?" Princess Eliane asked.


    Duke had probably mentioned that to her, but by the reaction on everyone else''s face, it was apparent that this was their first time hearing it. Even Princess Anna had the same reaction.


    "I am not sure, but it''s probably going to be in a week or two."


    "That makes sense."


    Even though it made sense to Princess Eliane, the rest of the girls were still staring at me for an explanation.


    "Duke is sending us there with Markus so that I can explain to the king what happened and be back with aid."


    "Is it going to be a long journey?" Marina asked.


    Like me, she too hadn''t been outside the province, so it wasn''t a surprise that she wasn''t aware of how long that would take.


    "I think it will take us a while. Maybe a month or two," Princess Elaine replied.


    The journey to the capital would take at least ten days, and the return would take almost the same amount of time. If we were to assume that our stay there would be ten days long, the time of thirty days was the right approximation.


    "That''s a long journey¡­" Sistina shrugged.


    Nobody insisted on going since it was an official business, and only a selected group of people could travel there. But they somewhat looked down when they heard that we would be gone for a month.


    "Lighten up, guys. It''s just a month. We are going to be a lot busy, so it will go by before we know it."


    Arica lightened the mood a little bit, but it still felt somewhat gloomy. However, there was nothing that I could do about it, so we just continued our lunch. After lunch, everyone went to their work, while I, along with Jackie and Ronald, continued helping with the construction.

 138 3.50 Preparation to head wes

    A small team made up of five people was prepared for this task of enlightening the king. We were going to be accompanied by Garo and his squad. Normally, one would think that we need a bigger team since the princesses were going to travel with us. But here we were fighting quantity with quality.


    Other than me, Markus, and the princesses, Jackie was chosen to travel with us. It was somewhat of a surprise, but he turned out to be a famous hero around those parts.


    "Okay, guys, we are making them wait. Let''s move out," I said.


    Princesses were taking a long time to say their byes. Normally, the attention would be around me, but somehow today, it was centered around the princesses.


    That was natural since there was a chance that the princesses would be asked to stay in the capital. If I were the king, I would never send my daughter to a dangerous place like this.


    Although the main reason we were together was Miss Lilith. So, there was a very low chance of that happening.


    "Nara, you are always in such a rush. They are still loading things in the wagon," Princess Anna replied.


    "Alright, I haven''t seen the maps, so I will head there early. Don''t take too long."


    I had already said my byes, so I turned around and walked towards the table where Markus, Garo, and Jackie were discussing the travel plan.


    "Oh, Nara, you are perfectly on time. We just finished discussing all the minor details of our travel," Markus said when he saw me approach.


    When I reached closer and took a look at the map they were working on, I was surprised at how detailed it was. But then I realized they had the resources that only nobles had access to.


    They had already marked the places where we would be spending the night, and the time it would take to travel from one point to another point.


    By their calculations, it would take us at least 12 days to reach the capital. That was a little far from my approximation, which was around ten days. However, since they paid attention to the details while making this, it would be logical to assume that this was more accurate.


    "So, we won''t be going through the Great southern desert?" I asked.


    If we were to travel through the desert, it would take us a shorter amount of time. The journey would at least become one day shorter.


    "No, there are poisonous reptiles in the region. And also, the horses won''t be able to walk properly there," Garo replied.


    "Makes sense."


    Past the Wine Lake was the Great Southern desert, but instead of going through the desert, we would be traveling straight towards the seashore.


    There was a district there called the Sonar District, which was governed by Viscountess Sara and her family. From there, we would be using a ship to travel towards the western coast. And after a day''s ride from there, we would reach the capital.


    It was a long and tiring journey, but we had equipped ourselves with sufficient resources to make it easier.


    We were going to take one carriage and two wagons. Obviously, the carriage was for the princess, Markus, and I, while the wagon was for Jackie, Garo, and the knights under his command. The other wagon was for carrying the resources and weapons we would require during our travel.


    The only problem I saw was the Serpent river that came before the Forest of the endless trees.


    "Is there a bridge above this river around these parts?" I said while pointing at the map.


    I was aware that there was a bridge at a day''s distance from there. In our first journey through those parts, we crossed the river to reach the village that was past the forest ¡ª the village that Beelzebub destroyed.


    "Yes, if I remember right, there should be one. Since monster rampage doesn''t happen in those regions, it should be alright," Jackie replied.


    "Garo, we are done with the preparations. When are we going to leave?" A guy dressed in metal armor ¡ªwhose name if I remember right was Fizz¡ª asked.


    "Soon, tell everyone to be prepared. Also, we are accompanying the princesses here, so tell everyone to be on their best behavior."


    "Okay."


    His tone was casual and uninterested, as was his appearance. After hearing Garo''s response, he turned around and walked towards the others.


    "So, Nara, where are the princesses?" Markus asked.


    "I think they will be here soon. They were taking a long time to be ready, so I decided to come here before them."


    "Ah, okay, maybe we should send someone to bring them."


    "Yeah, tha¡ª"


    "That won''t be necessary; they are here," Jackie said while interrupting me.


    I turned around, and there those two were.


    Their attire today was a long formal dress, something befitting the princesses of a nation. Princess Anna''s dress was blue with several purple flower patterns, while Princess Eliane''s design was plain, but there was an attractive golden shine to her green outfit.


    Naturally, the crowd gathered around as the two were about to leave. At this point, most of them were already familiar with the princesses, but seeing them in formal dress must have caught their attention.


    One of the downsides of the formal dress was ¡ª it was hard to climb up to the carriage wearing it. So, naturally, as a gentleman, I assisted them one after another.


    ""Thank you, Nara.""


    Both of them said at the same time, after the two sat inside the carriage. It was so perfectly synced that they themselves looked at each other in surprise.


    The horses we were using were bigger than average, and naturally, they were equipped with magical harnesses. The magical harness could supply holy magic to keep them active and reduce their fatigue.


    "Our carriage is going to be in the front. You guys and princesses will be at the middle, and supplies will be at the rear," Garo said.


    Markus and I nodded as a response. Jackie and Garo then walked up to the wagon at the front while the two of us climbed inside our carriage.


    Brown-haired magician, who, if I remember right, was called Mon, was driving our carriage. Fizz was driving the wagon with supplies, and a tall bald man was driving the wagon at the front. All three of them were members of Garo''s squad.


    Before leaving, I waved my hand toward the crowd. I easily noticed the girls among them, and it was a good thing that none of them were emotional or crying. It would have been hard to leave if they were.


    Flare and Yoru were staying with them in case they needed help. I could summon them anywhere I wanted as long as there was mana, so leaving them here, for the time being, was a good idea.


    And from there, our journey to the capital began.


    __________________________


    Volume 3 ends here. Please share, support, and comment.


    Also, if you are interested, I am willing to do a parallel story on Zagan''s Adventures After Death.


    If you are, please let me know in the comments. Alternately, you can follow me on Twitter, which I just recently started, and check the first post there. It''s a poll to know your opinion. Just search @BrPever and you will find me. Thank you :)


    -BRP

 139 4.1 The Serpent river - Part 1

    From what was written on the paper that I was holding, it was a small farming village with a population of four hundred. Since it was mentioned that the paper was submitted in the last harvesting season, the statistics mentioned must be pretty accurate.


    The carriage we were in was comfortable to the point that I was barely feeling any exhaustion even though it had been several hours since the journey started.


    Princess Anna was asleep in princess Eliane''s lap, while Markus was comfortably leaning back and relaxing. He had taken over most of the Duke''s work during the reconstruction, so he was finally getting some time to take a break.


    The region we were traveling around was a popular trade route. The soil on the road was compact, and there were very few bumps, which made the travel incredibly easy. Although, since the news of the destruction had already spread, we barely came across any travelers.


    "Looks like we are almost there," Markus said when the carriage slowed down.


    I pushed the curtain aside and looked out through the glass window.


    We were currently in the middle of grassland, and I could see sheeps grazing all over the place. There were some farmers wearing what appeared to be a Chinese bamboo hat and holding a long wooden stick. It was apparent that those were the caretakers of these animals.


    After traveling a little further from where we were, we took a different route and headed southward.


    The village wasn''t on the main route. It was a little southward since there was a better water source there, and the land was more cultivable.


    After around ten minutes of the ride, a small village came into sight.


    It was a village with around 80 houses, mostly made up of wood, straw, and clay. However, despite being small, it had some different kinds of charm, which made me feel like life here won''t be all bad.


    Once we reached inside the village, the carriage stopped. From the window, I could see the people of the village gathering around us.


    Even though the ride was comfortable, sitting inside all day itself was tiring. I raised myself and tried opening the door, but then I heard a knock ¡ª it was Garo.


    "Everyone, please stay seated for a little longer. We will arrange things and inform you soon."


    It was then that I realized that we were traveling as the messenger of the duke, and there were knights assigned to assist and guard us. I wasn''t used to this kind of work, so it was kind of awkward to have someone for the task that I could have easily done myself.


    However, as they say, ''when in Rome, do as the Romans do,'' I guess going with the traditional way of doing things here would be a better idea.


    "Alright."


    "I guess we will need to wake her up," Princess Eliane said.


    Per proper etiquette, it was impolite of a princess to fall asleep in a place like this. But since it was a long journey, and since our influence had rubbed off on her, she was comfortably sleeping.


    "Let her be like that for a while. She will wake up soon," I replied.


    The four of us then waited there for a while, and after a few minutes, our carriage started moving again. The sudden movement of the carriage woke Princess Anna up.


    "Where are we?"


    The way she was making a babyface while rubbing her eyes with her hand was kind of cute.


    "Princess, we are in the village where we were planning to stay for the night."


    Markus replied to her casually asked question in a serious tone. When she heard that, she quickly composed herself. It could be because she realized what she had been doing up to now was not very princess-like.


    Our carriage stopped in front of a house that appeared to be the biggest and the only stone house in the village. It had been decorated with several flower vases that were hanging down from the roof.


    Soon after it stopped, Garo came and knocked on the door again. "You can come out now."


    I was the first one to get out, and after me were the princesses. Needless to say, I assisted them in climbing down by giving them a hand as support.


    "Please, this way."


    After Garo said that, the four of us followed him inside.


    The house looked bigger from inside, although not as big as the dormitory. There were several accessories made up of animal fur as decorations. Just by the looks, one could say that they weren''t expensive, but it wasn''t like the prices made something more or less beautiful to me.


    "Welcome, princesses. I can not explain the joy I am feeling right now. All my life, I never hoped that I would even be able to see royalty, and here I am greeting the princess of this nation herself, that too in my own village."


    A well-dressed old man, who appeared to be the village chief, bowed so deeply in front of us that for once, I was scared that his back might break.


    "I think we are the ones who should be grateful here. Thank you for letting us stay," Princess Anna replied.


    The old man raised his head in surprise. It was apparent that the picture of royalty that he had in his head was completely different. He was probably expecting someone arrogant like the nobles who think they are above everyone else.


    It was only a moment later that I noticed the tears falling from his eyes. Those were the tears of joys, but Anna, who didn''t understand that, looked confused.


    The old man pulled a piece of cloth out of his pocket and rubbed his tears before speaking again.


    "Please follow me. I will show everyone their room."


    After he said that, we followed the old man. It was a single-story building with around eight bedrooms. The four of us, who were the guests here, were given a room each, while the rest shared the remaining room.


    "Please rest until we prepared dinner. We weren''t expecting any guests at this time of the day, so it may take a little longer. I apologize for that."


    "There is no need for that. We are the ones who showed up without informing you. We should be the one apologizing."


    The old man started crying again after hearing Princess Anna''s reply. The first time it was okay, but now it was beginning to look too much. So, instead of staying there and watching more of that, I decided to rest inside my room.


    "Guys, I think I will rest for a while. See you at dinner."


    Princesses replied with a nod, after which I walked inside my room.

 140 4.2 The Serpent river - Part 2

    Garo stood up from his chair in surprise. Because of this one news, our entire plan was ruined, so that was an obvious reaction.


    I was seated at the dinner table with Markus, princesses, Garo, and the village chief. It wasn''t a large feast, but I was really enjoying the local chicken.


    "Yes, the bridge had become weak over the years, and it broke when a merchant was driving his cart over it. The merchant jumped off the cart and survived."


    The merchant must have been one hell of a lucky guy to survive such a situation. If I were him, I would probably check the bridge''s strength before crossing any from that day onward.


    "But what do we do now?" Garo asked while looking towards Markus. His eyes were open wide in shock.


    "Hmm¡­ This complicates things a bit. We will need to look for an alternate route that leads to another bridge."


    "B-But, we would need to take a path around, and that would take us several more days."


    That was obvious, but it wasn''t like we had much choice at this point. We might be able to get through to the other side using a boat, but we would still need to get our carriage and wagons through.


    "I think we should travel northward from here. It would take us a day, but there is a bridge there. And near the bridge, there is a village where we can stay," I replied.


    Markus quickly took out the map from his pocket and looked at it. He then closed the map and looked towards me.


    "I think that is the best option we have here. I agree with Nara''s suggestion."


    "I don''t think that''s a good idea."


    Everyone turned towards the village chief after he objected to our plan. I was curious myself regarding what he has to say about it.


    "We have been hearing news about people missing in that region. A few weeks ago, several villagers came this way to find the missing people... What I fear the most is, there might be undead since it all happened on the night of a full moon."


    "But that shouldn''t be a problem since we are traveling during the day. We will be able to reach the village near the bridge by nightfall," I replied. Although even if we come across undead, I would easily be able to deal with them.


    "That is impossible since the road is sandy. Horses won''t be able to pull as effectively as they can do here. Your wagons look heavy, so I suggest going southward. In a 3-day journey from here, there is a small village, and next to it is a bridge."


    That was an option, but it would make the journey even lengthier. For me, dealing with all the undead was a better option than taking a detour.


    "I think we will be alright, chief. We have skilled knights with us, and in a way, all of us are trained fighters, even the princesses," I replied.


    "If you say so then. Although I still think it''s a better idea to take a detour here."


    "This chicken is really delicious; I have never had anything of this sort before," Princess Anna said while taking a huge bite.


    She wasn''t eating like a princess at the moment, unlike Princess Eliane, who was still following proper etiquette. However, nobody was minding her. Who here had enough courage to ask a princess to mind her manners?


    "That makes me so happy. I never even imagined the food of our village would satisfy the taste of a princess. I must have been born for this day. Oh god, thank you for this wonderful surprise. Now the goal of my life has been fulfilled."


    The old man started his emotional drama again. As he was saying that, the tears of joy started falling from his eyes. It had started getting annoying, so I just ignored them and continued eating my dinner.


    "But if something like this was happening in the region, shouldn''t they report this to the city?" Markus asked in a confused tone.


    "They said they were going to, but then they heard the news of city being destroyed by demons."


    Markus looked worried. The news must have spread all across the province. That meant there was a likely chance that the information would only reach the authority after the situation became worse.


    Like how monsters could breed, the undead could create more undead using dead bodies. The evil spirits appeared where there was miasma, and where there were undead, there would definitely be dense miasma.


    "This is bad. We will definitely need to do something about it," he said after thinking for a while.


    There were several things that could be done in this case. But something like a census might be a good idea.


    "How about sending a group of knights to every village in the province to collect the population count. We could do that instead of asking the villages to bring reports. We would be able to acquire other information and create awareness while doing that."


    Markus looked at me in surprise. His face was clearly saying, ''That''s such a simple solution. Why didn''t it come to my mind before.''


    "That is an excellent idea, Nara. I am not sure where you acquired such valuable knowledge about making the procedures convenient, but I think there is a lot that we can benefit from this."


    "Well, I am just happy to help," I replied with a casual smile. I knew that saying anything more than this would bring too much attention to the matter.


    Most of us had already finished eating our dinner at this point. After finishing dinner, I went to the bathroom and took a warm bath. I wasn''t sure how long it would take before I could enjoy another warm bath, so I decided to jump at the opportunity.


    After the bath, I realized that everyone else had already gone to bed, so I decided to head towards my room as well.

 141 4.3 The undead Manor - Part 1

    The path that we were traveling on was close to the bank of the Serpent River. And as the village chief said, the road was sandy. The horses were doing alright because of the magical harness, but our speed had been reduced to less than half.


    When I looked through the window, I could see the sun setting in the western sky. As I was looking through the window, we changed the route, and now we were traveling westward towards the Serpent River.


    Considering how this area was filled with monsters, it was a wise idea to spend the night near the Serpent River that most monsters detested.


    Even though we had a monster warding light in the wagon behind us, it was always a better idea to be extra careful than too assured.


    The road that we were traveling on was even sandier than before, but after traveling for around ten minutes, we reached the bank of the Serpent River. The river looked smaller than last time as it wasn''t the rainy season, and the water looked clear and transparent.


    As soon as the carriage stopped, the knights started setting the tents up. I was planning to help them, but like last time, Garo came and knocked on the door right before I could open it.


    "Everyone, you can come out."


    I nodded and opened the door. The four of us then slowly climbed down from the carriage. Like last time, I helped the princesses.


    "We are preparing the camps, after which we will prepare the dinner. We can''t promise a feast, but we will try to make it to your liking. Also, please do not go near the river or too far from here."


    He was being overprotective, but considering his position, that was only natural. The ladies of his team ¡ª which included Alisia, Vina, and Fifi ¡ª were preparing the dinner while the men in his squad were setting the tents.


    "That''s alright. But can we help in preparing the dinner?" Princess Anna asked.


    "Wh¡ª I mean, princess, I don''t think that would be a good idea. Your tent is set, so please rest in your tents."


    "Yes, that''s a good idea," Markus said; he then turned towards me. "You girls can rest in the tent while Nara and I will go and wash our sweats in the river."


    That¡­ sounded manly, but not something that I was interested in. Although looking at his all excited face, I couldn''t deny him, so I turned towards the girls.


    "Alright. See you guys later."


    Garo''s face was clearly saying ''don''t go,'' but he didn''t let a single word out. However, Jackie jacked walked up to us after hearing the conversation.


    "Let me join you two. It has been a while since I bathed out in the open."


    "Alright, the more, the merrier."


    It looked like Garo was about to say, ''let me go too'' out of the concern about Markus''s safety, but he couldn''t since he had princesses to protect here.


    After the conversation, the three of us walked towards the river bank. It was getting dark, so Jackie carried a magic light to illuminate the way.


    The stones were slippery, so I had to walk carefully to avoid falling in the river. Even though it was just starting to get dark, it was hard to see things at a long distance.


    I bent down and tried touching the water. As I did that, I could feel the positive energy flowing through it. But it somewhat felt different than last time. I could sense that it had become dilute after mixing with the whole river, but the mana composition had decreased a lot. It was hard to believe that it was still warding off monsters.


    It could be that it had become some kind of habit of monsters to avoid crossing the river, and that was why they were still avoiding it, but there was something definitely wrong here.


    "Something feels off here. The water in the river isn''t as it used to be."


    I knew that it was pointless to worry about things that were out of one''s pay grade, but discussing them beforehand was better than ignoring them entirely.


    "What do you mean?" Markus asked while trying to touch the water and examine it himself. Since he couldn''t sense mana, it was obvious that he wouldn''t be able to feel a thing.


    "The amount of mana in the water has decreased significantly compared to the last time. I am not sure what happened, but this isn''t good. The villages will start feeling the effect of it sooner or later."


    "...could it be."


    Jackie looked concerned, so the two of us turned towards him to hear what he had to say on the matter.


    "The Satan he has been revived, and because of that, the creatures of miasma and evil spirits have become more active. As it goes, where there is a high concentration of mana, miasma can''t exist, and where there is a high concentration of miasma, mana can''t exist. I have heard that in several tales during my travel."


    Markus nodded. "I, too, have read something similar in the books back at the castle''s library. It describes how there is a balance between positive and negative energy in this world. I didn''t read much, so all I know is when the balance is tipped even if that is in favor of good, there will be chaos in this world."


    That made sense, but that would mean that we would need to migrate the people who lived near the river bank and warn the travelers who traveled around these regions.


    I looked towards Markus, but before I could tell him anything, he continued.


    "This is concerning. I will send a message to my father and the royal capital tomorrow. For now, let''s¡ª"


    He pulled his sleeves up and was about to splash some water on his feet, but right then, his left hand caught something. He turned around to look at it, but much to our surprise, it turned out to be a human arm.

 142 4.4 The undead Manor - Part 2

    The body was on the bank of the river in a half-emerged state. It was covered in sand to the point where it was even hard to notice.


    "Oh damn!"


    Jackie was the first one to express his surprise in words. I was pretty surprised myself because no matter what you have been through, these kinds of situations were always somewhat scary.


    "What should we do?" Jackie asked.


    Markus was in no state to respond, and I could understand how he was feeling. If I were in his place, I would have probably gotten a trauma as well.


    "L-let''s pull the body out and check the condition. Depending on that, we can decide what to do next," I replied.


    "Okay."


    Jackie left the magic light on one of the large rocks. The two of us then walked up to the body while Markus was still recovering and pulled it out.


    It was the male body of someone who appeared to be in his forties. By his attire, it was apparent that he was a merchant. The body had started decaying, so he must have died a few days ago, but since there were no visible cut or bite marks on his body, the reason for his death was still unknown.


    I wasn''t much experienced when it came to sensing the traces of mana flow for confirming the reason for death. And since the river must have already washed the miasma present in the body, any traces of evil spirit would be hard to detect. Nonetheless, it was a good idea to give it a try to see what unveils.


    I placed my hand right above his head and tried passing the mana through him. Usually, this would require a phenomenal amount of concentration and precision, but since it was a dead body, I could be a little careless.


    When I passed the mana through, I could sense that the body was dead long before it got into the water. There were no traces of mana left in the body except the mana present in the river water. Other than that, there were hints of evil spirits residing within the body.


    Even though the hints were rather inconclusive, it was pretty much obvious that evil spirits would automatically take over any dead body at a place like this, unless they were cremated or buried.


    "It looks like some kind of evil spirit had possessed his body after his death. I am not sure how he died or how his body got here, though."


    "So¡­ the old man was right. Then, I think we should investigate the cause of it. Letting a matter like this go unattended for too long can be dangerous," Markus said with a serious expression. It looked like he had finally gotten over the shock.


    "Yes, but we have no clues on the matter. We don''t even know where to start," I replied.


    Although the river water had already purified the body, I used holy magic to purify it once more just to be sure. I then used the earth magic to dig a hole and buried the body.


    There were no clues hinting who it was, and there weren''t any noteworthy possessions with him to identify him, so it all ended with that.


    "There is a village a little east from here. I think we should pay them a visit," Markus said while putting the map back inside his pocket.


    "That might be a good idea, but we are already running behind schedule here. We will be making the journey longer by two days if we do that," I replied.


    Markus put his hands on his chin and thought for a while. The question was: should we ignore the problem and continue since this journey was important, and the sooner we go, the better. Or should we stop and help the nearby villages and move forward? Leaving the issue unattended could be dangerous, but then, if we don''t hurry to the capital, it may result in a bigger hazard.


    "I think we should attend the issue first. If we start ignoring what''s in front of our eyes and let these people die, what kind of knights would we be?" Markus replied, to which Jackie smiled in affirmation.


    That made sense, although it still sounded somewhat stupid. I was probably just thinking too far instead of looking at what''s in front of me.


    I took a long breath. "Alright. Let''s ask Garo what he thinks about the idea. After that, we can decide how to proceed."


    "Ha-ha! I don''t think we need to. I am sure, as a knight, he would definitely prioritize our people''s lives."


    ''Somehow, I doubt that. I have a feeling that he would definitely prioritize the princess''s safety above everything else.''


    Obviously, I didn''t say it out loud since I could be wrong here. Instead, I tried directing the conversation towards returning back to others.


    "It''s getting late. And after all this, I don''t feel like cleaning myself in the river water anymore."


    "I have a similar feeling. Let''s return," Markus replied.


    The three of us then started walking back towards the tents. At this point, it had gotten completely dark, and all that we could see was how far the magic light could show.


    By the time we returned, they had already started preparing dinner. For once, I wondered if it was a good idea to tell them all this before dinner, but then I saw Markus having a chat with Garo. He was probably explaining everything that happened out there to him.


    While I was looking around, Princess Anna caught my hand with both of her arms and pulled me.


    "Nara, it''s almost dinner time. Come and join us."


    It looked like they were having some kind of chat with the knights in Garo''s squad, so I joined them. Although after going through all that, I had completely lost my appetite.

 143 4.5 The undead Manor - Part 3

    "Wait, aren''t we supposed to be going straight?" Princess Eliane asked when she noticed that we made a turn.


    Even though Markus told Garo about the plan, the princesses still had no idea what happened. I didn''t want to tell them during dinner yesterday, and after that, we directly went inside our tents while leaving the clean up to the knights.


    "Yes, princesses, but we stumbled upon something important yesterday night. So, we decided to pay a visit to the nearby village first," Makus replied.


    The seriousness in Markus''s face was making it evident that the matter was of the essence here. That made princess Eliane even more curious.


    "Can you tell us more about this important matter?"


    Markus looked a little hesitant, but when Princess Anna nodded, he felt reluctant to answer.


    "We found a dead body near the river yesterday night, and we fear that there is an active bunch of undead in this region... However, there is nothing to fear since your safety is still our biggest priority. We just happen to have a squad specializing in dealing with the undead, so we decided to look into the matter. This issue can become major if we don''t deal with it on time; I hope you understand."


    "That''s alright; you did the good thing. Also, we aren''t as weak as you assume. We can fight, so let us know if you need any assistance," Princess Anna replied.


    At this point, I was confident that both of them could beat any knight from Garo''s squad. They were both talented, to begin with, and after months of training and adventures, their skills had sharpened even more.


    "Thank you, princesses," Markus replied. Although his face was clearly saying that he was still having a hard time believing what Princess Anna just said. But regardless, he agreed since he didn''t want to start an argument here.


    After this conversation, we barely talked since the path was bumpy, and the air around us was hot. Of course, I used wind and water magic together to cool the air around our carriage and wagons, but the roof of the carriage was still hot.


    After riding for around six more hours ¡ªincluding breaks¡ª we came across a small forest. According to the map that Markus had, the village was right behind that forest.


    We took a break for a while once we reached the forest since the temperature there was significantly cooler. The bumps made the journey more tiring, but even the princesses were used to them at this point.


    After we rested for a while and hydrated ourselves, we resumed our journey. From there, it didn''t even take us an hour to reach the Village.


    When we reached inside, we could see that the village was occupied by demihumans, mostly people with horse ears, tails, and legs. They only had two legs, which made their appearance less strange. However, it was still a bit odd to me since it was my first time seeing people like these.


    As we rode inside the village, I could see many people come out of their houses. They looked somewhat scared, anxious, and even sad. Nobody had a hint of happiness or smile on their faces. It was as if the whole village was grieving for something.


    Like last time Garo got down from the wagon first and started talking to the villagers. I didn''t try to get out this time since I already knew the proper procedures in these situations.


    After a while, Garo came towards us and knocked on the door of our carriage.


    "Lord Markus, I think you should come out for a while. I think there is something you should hear."


    "Alright," Markus replied.


    Since this sounded interesting ¡ªand important¡ª I too decided to get down and listen to what that ''something'' was.


    Outside, I could see many eyes that carried sadness and hope. It was odd, but at this point, I could somehow sense those emotions by looking at people''s faces. With time, I was becoming more and more capable of feeling emotions based on one''s facial expressions and pattern of speech.


    The two of us were taken to a small hut near the village well. It was a small hut with a wooden table on the center and two wooden benches on both sides.


    After the two of us took our seat, Garo brought one of the villages, who appeared to be in his late forties. Of course, the age was just an assumption, as I had no idea how long these demihumans lived.


    "He is a village chief of this village"¡ªGaro turned towards the chief¡ª"These two are knights. The man on the left is the first son of the Duke of this province."


    The man bowed deeply after hearing those words. "I am humbled by your presence, my lord. I am not sure what brought you to this cursed village, but I will take this as a sign from the god that the village''s prosperity is about to return."


    Markus stood from his seat. That was unnecessary since he was in a higher rank, but it just showed his humbleness. Following him, I too, stood up.


    "Please be seated."


    The village chief looked a little hesitant at the start, but he slowly walked up to the bench in front of us. Almost simultaneously, the three of us also took our seats.


    Garo was the only other person inside the hut. The rest of the knights and Jackie were guarding the princesses outside.


    "Please be comfortable. There is no need to hesitate, as we are here to help."


    Markus gave the village chief some time to collect thoughts. He looked too nervous even to speak. He was continuously staring at the table and wasn''t even looking straight at our faces. After a while, he finally raised his head and looked at us.


    "Now, please tell us everything that happened from the start. We will only be able to help if we know everything."


    "Y-yes, My lord"¡ªthe village chief looked down at the table again¡ª"We broke the taboo that we shouldn''t have. There is a legend that you are probably aware of. The one where the Great Earth Dragon king sealed a manor in the earth to suppress evil."


    "Yes, I am aware of that, but what happened. Can you explain from the start?"


    At this point, even though his eyes were staring at the table, he looked lost in thoughts.


    "We were facing a scarcity since our cattle started dying one after another. Those animals'' dead bodies were poisons so we couldn''t eat them, and soon the whole village went into starvation. In the famine, some villagers tried eating the meat of those dead cattle. None of those who ate that meat survived. In the end, some youths decided to visit the ruins on the hill where the evil was suppressed..."

 144 4.6 The undead Manor - Part 4

    "It was believed that there are great riches there along with the curse. Even though I warned them not to go, they didn''t listen. Instead, they pushed me aside and went there anyway. But it came true; the curse was real. None of those who went there returned, and soon after that, people started going missing one after another."


    "I can understand. But didn''t you send anyone to look for those people? The ones that went there at the start."


    "Yes, but none of the people whom we sent returned. After that, everyone was too scared to go anywhere near."


    Markus put his fingers on his chin and thought for a while. Everyone looked towards him, curiously to hear what he had to say.


    "We will go there to investigate."


    The village chief stood up in shock. "But¡ª"


    "No, it''s our responsibilities as knights to deal with these issues. If we don''t, then who will?"


    The village chief still looked shocked, but we ignored him and stood from our seats.


    "Garo, you and your party will stay here and guard the princesses. I am trusting you with this important responsibility. Jackie and the two of us will go to this ruin and see what is behind this all."


    Garo looked reluctant, but when he realized Markus looked serious, he nodded. The four of us then walked out of the hut.


    The chief went and informed the other villagers, who looked anxious to know what happened, while Markus and I walked back to the carriage. As for Garo, he went to inform the rest of the knights regarding the recent development.


    "What happened out there?" Princess Anna asked as soon as we entered.


    "We came across something, so we will probably need to stay here for the night. It will become troublesome to deal with undead after sundown, so we will need to head out quickly. Nara, I, and Jackie will be going. Garo''s squad will stay here to guard you two."


    Princess Eliane nodded in response, but Princess Anna still looked somewhat confused.


    "But can''t all of us go there? It will be quicker that way."


    "No, princess, we fear we might need to fall back if the threat is severe. We haven''t assessed the region yet, so it''s simply too risky to take you."


    "But¡ª"


    "No, Anna, it''s alright. It will be faster with just the three of us," I said, interrupting her.


    She still didn''t look much convinced, but she nodded. "Okay."


    There were still a few hours left before sundown, but for some reason, the sky had started looking cloudy. The days were longer than night during this time of the weather, but due to weather, there was a chance that it would start getting darker faster.


    Princess Anna looked a little upset since I interrupted her, and it was justified since I was indeed not very polite to her.


    "That''s alright. You don''t need to worry; I am not that upset."


    "I am glad to hear that."


    As we were talking, Jackie came to us and knocked on the door of the carriage. I didn''t expect them to arrange things this fast, but I guess they hurried since we didn''t have much time.


    "The horses have been arranged for the trip. They also gave us a map of important locations, so I think we are good to go."


    "Alright, we will be there soon," Markus replied.


    Jackie left to bring the horses after hearing our response. I then opened the door of the carriage, and the two of us jumped out.


    "Good luck!"


    "Beat all those undead!"


    What princess Anna said sounded more like something that Sistina would say, which made me smile. "We will. See you guys later."


    The two of us then walked towards where Garo and Jackie were standing with three horses. All three horses were black with light brown tails. They had a small white mark on their forehead, which was considered a good luck sign.


    There were small bags tied on both sides of the three horses. By the looks of it, they were probably food and supplies that we might need.


    It would be foolish to retreat back towards the village if it gets dark since the undead would follow us. So, instead, it was a good idea to flee to the nearby plains. When there, we would need the necessary resources to spend the night.


    Markus walked up to Garo and placed his hand on his shoulders. "Okay, Garo, I am leaving the rest up to you."


    "I will do my absolute best. Please leave everything to me, and take care out there."


    Markus smiled in response. There was a hint of pride in that smile, which I think any good ruler would feel when he sees his subject''s loyalty.


    The three of us then climbed on our horses. My horse was the smallest out of three because I was light since I wasn''t wearing any armor or carrying any weapons. Still, I was a novice when it came to horse riding, so controlling it was a bit hard at the start. But since the horse was rather diligent, I quickly got used to riding it.


    From there, we travelled eastward. The map was hand-drawn like every other map out here, but the artist probably wasn''t as skilled as those who drew the other maps we were carrying. It was hard to follow, and the physical features weren''t marked well. But since it had a line drawn showing the path, we were somehow able to find the direction.


    After riding for about two to three hours, we came across what appeared to be a large hill. Markus stopped and jumped down from the horse. Following him, Jakie and I also got off our horses.


    I was confused since there was nothing that appeared like a manor in the region. Markus took out the map and looked at the marker placed, and it appeared that we were definitely at the right place.


    I looked back towards the hill in surprise. "It''s odd. Weren''t we supposed to be at some kind of cursed manor? Did we take a wrong turn somewhere?"

 145 4.7 Sealed within earth

    I turned towards Markus, who was staring at the hills. I was still curious ¡ª or rather confused ¡ª by what he just said.


    This all made me wonder if it would have been a better idea to bring one of the villagers here. But then again, they all looked so traumatized that bringing anyone here would look like taking someone on the journey to death.


    While the two of us were busy staring at the hill, Jackie was observing something on the ground. When I looked closer, there appeared to be some kind of trail left by the villagers.


    "I think we should follow these to see where it leads," he said as he stood up.


    "But there could be some kind of trap in there. We need to be careful," Markus added.


    The three of us then left the horse there and started following the trails. The sun was still up, but at the rate we were going, it would already be sundown by the time we find this manor.


    After walking for a while, Jackie, who was scouting ahead of us, looked back. It seemed like we had come to the end of the trail. We walked up to him, and in front of us, a cave of sort came into view.


    The entrance of the cave was small in comparison to an ordinary cave. But it was big enough for two people to enter at once.


    There was nothing at the entrance that could strike extraordinary except the cave itself. We looked at each other''s faces to decide how to proceed, but the answer was evident at this point.


    The cave''s surface was rocky, and as we entered, the trail was no longer visible. It was dark inside, so I created a small fireball in my hand and walked ahead of the two of them.


    In the labyrinth, I could easily tell which way to go by sensing the mana flow. But the case here was different. I could feel the mana and miasma, but it was so evenly distributed that it was impossible to tell the difference.


    Fortunately, there weren''t many passages in this cave as they were in the labyrinth, so it was easy for me to move forward. We came across dead ends a few times but finding the right way after that wasn''t hard.


    After walking for around half an hour while staying vigilant, we came across what looked like a closed stone door. It was surprisingly large and was occupying the whole passage. There were some patterns carved in the door, which looked like a seal of some wealthy noble house.


    "Can we even open this door? It looks like it''s sealed from inside," Markus asked.


    I was no architect, so I couldn''t answer his question, but it was apparent that we won''t be able to open it from outside. Unless, of course, we do it the hard way by using a little force.


    While I was looking at the door and trying to figure out if we could open it, I heard some noises coming from behind. It sounded like footsteps, but they felt too light to be the footsteps of any humans.


    That curiosity of mine was answered by the grip I felt on my leg. It had grabbed my right leg tightly and was restricting my movement.


    "Oh, damn!"


    When I looked down, I realized it was a hand, or what remains of hand after the flesh decays with time ¡ª skeletons.


    As soon as I realized that, I used physical enhancement to free myself. But in the process, I ended up pulling half of its body out. Right when Jackie and Markus saw that, the two stepped back along with me.


    Before I could ascertain their number, they started appearing from everywhere where there was soft ground. We were completely surrounded, and the only way left was to move forward.


    The three of us had our back against each other as we stayed vigilant for any incoming attacks. Jackie and Markus took out their swords and covered them in flames using fire magic.


    Fire magic and holy magic were the only elements that worked effectively against the undead. Markus could use fire and holy magic, while Jackie could use Fire and Wind magic.


    Having fewer magical elements to control wasn''t bad in every scenario. In this kind of place, the better your control, the higher the chance of winning. Otherwise, one might just end up burning their companion.


    "Nara, we will keep them occupied. Can you do something about the door?"


    ''What kind of question is that?'' I mean, I could try, but I was certainly not experienced in opening some shut door in a ruin in some kind of unknown hill.


    "Okay, I will give it a shot."


    I created several Fire arrows and fused them with Flare''s flames within me. I fired the arrows at the undead in front of me as I rushed towards the door. And when I touched the door, I realized that unlike doors in the labyrinth, this one didn''t open with a touch. Well, I should think of myself as fortunate since no traps were activated with touch.


    At least since the door was made up of stone, there was a chance that I would be able to break it using earth magic.


    I touched the door with my hand and started passing my mana through it. It was surprising that there was already a magic spell activated on the door, which was countering my supply of mana. Nevertheless, I had no time to think about that. I applied more mana and countered the spell.


    The magic of the door must have been activated several hundreds of years ago. It looked like its effect had degraded over time since it was easy to counter. As soon as I was able to expand my supply of mana to a significant range, I used earth magic to make it less compact and slowly changed the stone into the soil.


    "Markus! Jackie!"


    It was a small opening, but big enough for a person to pass through. As soon as I entered, I signaled two of them to come in.


    They slowly walked back and passed through the door. As soon as they did that, I closed the door using the same soil so that the undead skeletons wouldn''t be able to enter.


    "Damn! Where are we?" Jackie said as he turned around. Following him, Markus and I turned around as well.


    What''s in front of us was a large open space. No one would expect something like this to be inside a hill that looked so normal from outside. Slowly I started understanding what this all was about.


    In that space was a graveyard, and in its center was the manor¡ªthe manor sealed into the earth by the Great Earth Dragon King.


    It may sound insane and practically impossible, but I couldn''t help but think that the dragon erected this hill just to seal this manor. I felt a chill run down my spine while thinking about that.


    ''What in the world might be here for him to go to this length just to seal this manor?''

 146 4.8 Deal with the dead - Part 1

    There were brown crystals on the walls around us which were illuminating the dim light. The graveyard, along with the manor, looked like some kind of tomb to seal away something or someone.


    "S-should we go closer?"


    Fear was apparent in Jackie''s voice, but our next move here was obvious. There was no way we could afford to wait here much longer.


    "That''s the only option left for us. But stay vigilant; the enemy can come from anywhere," Markus said.


    The two of us nodded as we walked closer to the manor. Standing in the middle of a graveyard with undead surrounding us wasn''t ideal, but that was where the situation had led us.


    As we walked closer, the undead slowly started appearing from the grave. They were skeletons, with blue light visible inside their skull and chest. That must be where the evil spirit was residing.


    When I looked closer, I realized most of those skeletons were of demihumans, and by their armors, it was obvious that they were shoulders. They were holding shields and swords in their hands, but most of them were barely usable as they were covered in thick rust.


    "Why are you here, humans?!"


    "Leave us alone!"


    "Let us rest in peace!"


    I could hear the skeletons speak, which in itself was a surprise since it must be impossible without tongue, neck, or flesh as a whole. It could be that the evil spirit was conveying their thoughts using magic.


    "You made us suffer while we were alive, and now, you came to rob our grave? What can even satisfy your greed?"


    "You should be purged from this planet. Then only peace can be established."


    "PURGE!" "PURGE! "PURGE! "PURGE!"


    I wasn''t sure if an attempt to converse with them would produce any result as they had no ears to hear us. But since there was nothing to lose, giving it a shot seemed like a good idea.


    "We are not here to rob anything. It seemed like you all are stuck here; I can free you and send you to the afterlife."


    The skeletons looked at each other. They had no eyes, so it seemed somewhat odd, but I guess they had their own way of sensing that I was not aware of.


    One of the skeletons dressed in heavy armor walked forward. His armor looked tough, and by the high-quality shield and sword ¡ª which had no rust in them ¡ª it was apparent that he was some sort of general or captain of this undead army.


    "And what makes you think we want freedom? We swore when we were alive that we would serve the queen for eternity, and as long as our existence remains. We will keep our promise, no matter what."


    "Then what if we free your queen first? We could save her first, then purify the rest of you."


    Most of the things from what he said made no sense, but we weren''t in any rush. Instead of using force, using words to get a favorable outcome was a much more civilized way of dealing with the issue.


    "Can you tell me what happened from the star¡ª Wait, before that, I would like to make it very clear that we are not here for any wealth. We are only here to help. You guys have been troubling the villagers down there, and that is the reason why we are here."


    "I knew it! You are no different than those villagers who came here to disturb our slumber."


    Well, I guess this kind of misunderstanding isn''t uncommon. The wisest thing to do here would be to resolve the argument by assuring them that we are different.


    As I was thinking along those lines, Markus came closer to my ears and whispered. "Hey Nara, as the night grows darker, their strength will increase. Do you think this is a good idea?"


    "I don''t think we have any other options here. We could deal with the spirits forcefully, but there is a chance that they will just scatter and attack the nearby villages. It''s better to resolve it this way, in my opinion."


    Markus nodded as he stepped back. I then looked back towards the chief skeleton and continued.


    "Wait, wait, wait! We are not here to represent the villagers. We are just here to solve this problem. We are sort of a middleman here"¡ª I moved closer to the undead¡ª "But before that, I would like you to acknowledge us as a middleman from your side. This is the civilized way of dealing with things, isn''t it?"


    The skeletons looked at each other again. I wasn''t that experienced when it came to diplomacy, but at this point, I had picked a few things here and there.


    "Alright... but remember, they are the ones who disturbed our slumber first."


    "I understand. And I know it''s a mistake on their part¡­ but we were informed that the village cattle started dying without any reason, weren''t you responsible for this?"


    "We are honorable warriors. Even though we died a long time ago, we still have some honor left in us. Do you think we would do something so cowardly as that?"


    Even though it was hard to see since there were no facial muscles to show a change in their emotion, I could sense anger in their voice.


    "Hmm¡­ then there must be some other cause for it. Anyways, now that I have a grasp of the situation, please select a representative from your side so that we can calmly deal with this¡­ misunderstanding."


    The skeleton with tough armor stepped forward. "I, as you can see, am a leader of this bunch. I will be the representative. You can call me Gram."


    Following him, Markus stepped forward. "And I, as the son of the lord of this region, will represent the villagers. Do you know any quiet place where the three of us can discuss this issue?"


    "Alright, let''s have a temporary truce until the three of us can discuss the issue. We will leave Jackie from our side here as assurance. That way, there can be mutual trust."


    Jackie was looking at me with his eyes wide open in shock, but in consideration of the situation, he didn''t utter out a single word. It was a risky gamble, but if things go bad, I could always summon Flare here.

 147 4.9 Deal with the dead - Part 2

    "Please be seated."


    It was customary to offer seats to the visitor party as part of the courtesy, but sitting on tombstones wasn''t ideal for us. That being said, it might be rude to reject the offer.


    The two of us reluctantly took our seats. Following us, Gram also took his seat.


    For once, I thought it might be disrespectful to sit on the grave of the dead, but then again, since an undead was the one who made the offer, it must not be considered that big of a deal.


    After everyone took their position, Gram looked at Markus. "So, let me hear what you have to say."


    Markus took a long breath and started explaining. "Alright, so here is what happened. The cattle that the villagers were raising as livestock started dying because of some sort of disease. The dead bodies of those animals were poisonous, so it wasn''t consumable, and as a result, the whole village went into starvation. Left with no choices, they decided to come here looking for the hidden riches. And that is how they managed to anger you and disturb your slumber."


    "I expected as much. When left with no choice, they wouldn''t hesitate to rob someone else''s house. It''s in their blood, after all."


    Markus lowered his head. "Yes, that is the weakness humans hold. I apologize for that. But as you can see, they were left with no choice, and we are still unable to figure out the cause of this whole mess. I would like to request your forgiveness."


    "I am willing to forgive you under one condition. But before that, I have to warn you this: unlike the undead in here, I have no control over the undead outside. They are like wild animals looking for prey. So, I can only assure you that you will safely be able to pass through here. Whatever happens outside is not my responsibility."


    Markus looked back at Gram. Nothing was interesting about his figure except his long bony tail and the sturdy-looking armor.


    "Alight. What is your condition?"


    Gram stood up from his seat and walked a little further. He then turned towards where his companion and Jackie were.


    "Does the history still hold the record of how this place came to be?"


    "Yes, but there is very little of it that remains till this date. Most of it either got misplaced or erased over time. In a way, it was a good thing since the nobles in the region didn''t want people to be aware of this place, but now, even us high-ranking nobles have no way to learn what happened."


    Gram signed. It''s not like skeletons could even breathe to sigh, but he made the sighing gesture showing his disappointment.


    "Okay, let me tell you the true story of how this place came to be."


    "This is the story that happened a long time ago¡ªthe era where humans occupied a tiny region of this world. And the era where demons and dragons were in a constant power struggle. We demihumans and humans were somewhat powerless then. All we could do was struggle to survive. You must be aware of what happened then, how they ventured to the dragon valley and learned the elemental magic from the dragon. Our queen was one of the few who was blessed with true elemental magic by one of the great dragon kings."


    He paused. Naturally, since he didn''t require any air to survive, the pause was to give us time to process the information he provided.


    What he said was easy to understand, so most of it made sense. But if she was one of the first ones, she must be really influential at that time. And on top of that, she was the queen so, what must be the problem she could have? What makes him say that this life as a skeleton is more comfortable than her life as the queen and one of the first few magicians.


    "Please continue," I said as I realized he was expecting our response before resuming.


    "She was beautiful and wise, someone who could easily impress anyone out there. And when she was there learning magic under the dragon king, the earth dragon king took a liking to her. It didn''t take long for the two to fall in love."


    Well, I somewhat expected something like that. Like it or not, but love is the root of many troubles throughout history.


    "So, what happened next?" Markus asked.


    "Our mistress, unlike the other five, was too kind. She refused to stay in dragon valley and decided to return to the people. And after she returned, instead of trying to gain authority and power, she just focused on protecting her nation. We were a small nation, and after the war ended and the expansion started, we were still able to stand firm due to her strength, but things soon changed."


    Gram looked down. It appeared that the upsetting part was about to start from here. As much I hated stories with sad endings, I had no choice but to listen.


    "She was pregnant with the Earth Dragon king''s baby. She tried to hide it, but as time passed, it was no longer hideable. And when the king found that out, he did the most foolish thing one could ever think of as a father. He took it as a sign of betrayal, but he couldn''t make a wrong move then. Without her, the morale of the national army would grow much much weaker. So, instead, he gave her a poison that would make her drop her baby."


    I could see something like that happening. But since that was the child of the Earth Dragon King, the king could have used the baby''s name to increase his influence instead. It was indeed an utterly foolish move.


    "And as if that was not enough¡­"


    Gram paused. If he had eyes, they would be filled with tears at this point. And after a brief moment of pause, he continued.

 148 4.10 Deal with the dead - Part 3

    It was sad, but I expected nothing less from a society where classes and ranks are a critical aspect of daily lives. If one tries to tell them that their actions are stupid, the truth will only be seen as an unpopular opinion, or in the worse case, it would simply be taken as treason.


    That''s how societies here worked. When one is outnumbered, no matter how impressive their ideals are, it would simply be seen as strange by the crowd. If 99 people are lying and one person is telling the truth, the most likely outcome was the 101st member siding with those 99.


    "Then what happened?" Markus asked.


    Even though he was from one of those aristocratic families, I could see a look of disgust on his face. He must be already aware of these kinds of customs happening around.


    "The king didn''t realize that he, himself, was being tricked by the nobles. They were manipulating his thoughts little by little. Under the mask of offering aid and advice, they were trying to achieve their own greedy goals. As soon as the marriage happened, the nobles who were supporting the king moved in favor of that fool. It was apparent that he was just a puppet they created to sit on the throne, but it was too late by the time king realize that. In just a month, they deemed the king too old and started pressuring him to name a successor. Of course, there was no one but that fool who could be named as one."


    While he paused to collect his thoughts together, I realized the solution to this was obvious. The problem was just that fool, so if someone else became the ruler, the problem would be solved.


    "If the situation was like that, why not just name your queen the successor?"


    "Yes, that is what the king thought too. He named our Queen, Himiko the successor. But that decision turned out to be an even worse choice, and its consequences were even worse."


    Gram paused. It was hard to notice since his head was only made up of bones, but it appeared as though he was lost in thought.


    "What happened?" Markus asked out of curiosity.


    "If I may ask, what was the name of the country where this happened?" Markus asked.


    Gram turned around. "It was called the Kingdom of Cilicia."


    Markus put his hand on his chin and hummed after hearing the name of the kingdom. "I remember reading about the kingdom somewhere... Wait, I remember now. It was a book. A book called something like, ''The last standing queen.''"


    Gram sighed. "Then that must be it. At least, it''s good to know that the queen''s bravery is engraved within the history somewhere."


    "Yes, but the ending of that tale was too tragic. And it skips a lot of details in comparison to the story that you just told us."


    "That''s understandable. Since no one from our side survived, it must be written by our enemies. It''s only natural that they wouldn''t be aware of our internal matters."


    "Indeed. Anyways, please continue."


    Gram looked towards the ceiling. It was dark, but few brown crystals were emitting dim light here and there.


    "They kept the fool occupied with wine and women and ruled over the kingdom as they saw fit. But it didn''t take long for them to be divided. Soon the neighbors noticed the lack of proper governance and started preparing for the war. And while this all was happening, we were just in-fighting."


    "I remember what happened from here"¡ªMarkus stood up¡ª"When the neighbors slowly surrounded the kingdom and attacked from every side. The kingdom was left defenseless, and there was nowhere to run or hide. But even after the king was slain, the queen didn''t give up. She and her guards defended the kingdom till their last breath and slayed thousands of soldiers. However, in the end, they were just humans. They couldn''t fight without proper rest, and at last, they fell along with the kingdom... This is where the story ended in the book."


    I also stood up when I realized I was the only one sitting on the grave. "If that''s what happened, how did it all come to this?"


    Gram sighed. "Our enemies also suffered heavy casualties in the war. They barely had an army left to defend their own region, let alone control this newly occupied territory. So, they simply left the region unoccupied and backed out. The other neighbors fought over it for a few years, but after undead started appearing in the region, no one came forward to take charge of it. Hence the whole place became abandoned."


    That all made sense, but it was still unclear how this place came to be. It''s not like a lone hill can appear out of nowhere in the middle of the plains. If there were other fellow hills here, it would be believable that it was part of the geographical change, but there were none.


    "Then what happened?" I asked as this was the only piece of the puzzle missing.


    Gram looked at his hand¡ª or what''s left of his hand. "The spirits took possession of our bodies. We decayed over time, but we realized our consciousness was still somewhat intact. We occupied the manor and scared the humans from coming near us. With time, we realized we were different from other undead, but that didn''t matter. What mattered was how we had struggled enough and how we just wanted to rest our souls in peace. We just wanted to sleep here forever"¡ªHe turned around and looked towards us¡ª"It was like that for a while, but then the era of chaos ended, and there was peace. It was then the Earth dragon came back to get her."

 149 4.11 Deal with the dead - Part 4

    "A large brown dragon appeared in the sky out of nowhere. Its body so large that it could cover the entire moon completely. He flew straight down, and just before his claws touched the ground, his appearance changed from a large dragon to a tall, muscular looking dragonkin. He had long brown hair and two horns on his head. His eyes were golden brown, and his sent was as that of the fertile soil. As soon as he landed, his eyes saw through everything. We tried to stop him from getting inside the manor, but for some reason, our bodies froze. We couldn''t do anything to stop him from entering. And after he entered, all we saw was him falling on his knees after looking at the queen''s gave."


    As someone who had already met two of the Dragon kings, I was aware of the kind of strength they possessed. Needless to say, back then, both Olive and Black dragon king weren''t using their full strength. But I could understand the depth of their power and skills.


    "Did you see something happen inside then?" I asked.


    "I was paralyzed, so I couldn''t see anything inside, but I could hear a roar. A roar loud enough to be heard throughout the world. Even as an undead, I could feel the sorrow and pain in his roar."


    Gram turned towards the front door of the manor.


    "He stayed there for eleven days, and on the twelfth day, he came out with a shining brown crystal. I tried speaking to him and ask what that was, but not a single word came out of my mouth. And before long, he changed back into the dragon and flew up in the sky. He then circled the manor a few times and cast a spell that shook the very earth. It was no more than a miracle of utmost caliber because out of nowhere, a large wall of soil appeared around us, and soon, this whole place was sealed inside the earth."


    "That¡­ sounds incredible," Markus said.


    It was hard to believe, but he must also be aware of the existence of creatures who could do that in this world. What we consider impossible could just be ordinary to those divine immortal beings still alive in this realm.


    For a brief moment, I stopped thinking about the dragons and looked at everything subjectively. What he told was indeed valuable in figuring out how the skeletons and this place came to be. But the condition he mentioned was still unclear to me. There was one final question left unanswered.


    "This all makes sense, and thank you for explaining. But I am still uncertain about your reason for telling us this. Why is this condition that you mentioned earlier?"


    Gram turned around and stood in his knee. He then pulled his mithril sword out of its sheath and placed it on the floor.


    "What?!" Markus said in confusion.


    "Ever since the dragon sealed us here, we haven''t been able to open the door of the manor. We tried opening it for several years, but there is a seal placed on the door that doesn''t allow us. We don''t know how our queen is doing inside."


    I had no idea what kind of seal it was, so it was hard to tell if I will be able to open it or not. But considering their loyalty to her even after thousands of years, it would be rude of me to refuse it without even giving it a try. It could just be me being too kind, but there was nothing to lose. And on the contrary, if it works out, I would gain the favor of undead here.


    It took me a while to realize that I got too lost in thought. When I returned to reality, both Gram and Makus were staring at me. Now, it was my turn to come up with a resolution.


    "Alright. I will give it a try. But I have to say that I am not an expert when it comes to ancient seals, so don''t blame me if the outcome is not as you expect."


    Gram raised himself and put his sword back on its sheath. "That won''t be a problem. We may be dead, but our honor is still alive. We would never raise a sword against a friend who is here to help."


    I nodded in response. The negotiations were now over, and the outcome was favorable to both sides. What''s left was to fulfill our ends of the deal.


    Gram walked back to where Jackie and other skeletons were, while the two of us walked towards the manor''s entrance.


    In the front, there was a large copper door that opened inside. Both panels of the door had a carving of mermaids holding a pot of water carved into them.


    Even though it had been thousands of years, there was no damage in the manor. The whole place had some kind of magic barrier, keeping it intact.


    "Okay, let''s see."


    I moved closer and tried touching the door, but right when my skin touched the door; I felt an electric shock of sort. It was strong enough to make me pull back my hand reflexively.


    "The seal looks strong, Markus. I will probably be able to break it if I pass my mana through the entire structure, but that will be hard."


    Markus looked shocked. His face was clearly saying, ''is something like that even possible?''


    To be honest, normally, it wasn''t possible. But if I control the surrounding mana and overpower the seal, there was a high chance that I would be able to beak it. The only problem here was the scale of this whole thing.


    It would require a phenomenal amount of control to pass mana through a seal that was this big. I was still not sure if I would be able to control the wild surrounding mana with that level of precision without Flare, but I could at least give it a try.


    ''I hope it''s not like those bomb defusals where cutting the wrong wire would lead to blast.''

 150 4.12 The seal that freezes time - Part 1

    I was planning to try supplying my own mana first to see what happens, and based on the outcome, I could decide whether I should use the surrounding mana or not.


    Since the door was already within some kind of barrier, I touched the ground and slowly supplied mana towards the manor. As I was doing that, I realized this whole process was more delicate than I thought. I needed a lot more focus, so I closed my eyes and focused only on the supply of mana.


    When my mana reached the door, I could visualize the seal in my head. It was some sort of ancient three-dimensional seal that occupied the whole manor.


    I couldn''t pass my mana through the door because the moment it touched the door, it started spreading throughout the seal in the outer wall. I didn''t have enough mana to pass it inside, but in an attempt to do so, I realized that there was a magic circle below the manor, which acted as the power source of this seal.


    When I looked into the circle, I could visualize that it was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was in the shape of a pentagram, but it wasn''t made of straight lines. Instead, it was made up of some sort of ancient text that I couldn''t read.


    The circle was drawing mana out of the earth and supplying it to the seal. It was probably what kept this placed intact all this time.


    It took me a while to analyze everything I could find, and once I was done, I pulled the mana back and stopped supplying more.


    I was focused entirely on the supply of mana to the point that I had even forgotten breathing. As soon as I came back to my senses, I took a few long breaths to fix my breathing. While I was doing that, Marus, who was watching me from behind, approached me.


    "Are you alright, Nara?"


    "Yes, Just a little out of breath, but nothing major"¡ª I stood straight and composed myself¡ª "There seems to be some kind of power source underneath the manor which is supplying the mana required to maintain the seal. I couldn''t see what''s inside the manor, but if we supply a huge burst of mana while it is still functional, we might be able to bring down the whole thing by overpowering it."


    Markus nodded as he looked towards the manor. "But won''t it be better just to cut off the supply of mana?"


    "It would, but it appears as though there is something inside that''s storing the supplied mana. I won''t be able to control the surrounding mana, so analyzing the whole thing is impossible. Our only option is to overpower it in the hopes that it will break."


    "Alright. Good luck then."


    Markus walked back and distanced himself while I prepared myself to manipulate the surrounding mana. It was going be hard, and if it doesn''t work out, the likely consequence was me fainting. So, I was hoping that it would work out this once.


    Although, this time, it was a little easier than my past uses. All that I had to do was collect it and send it towards the seal.


    I took a long breath as I started collecting the surrounding mana and supplying it.


    This time I could feel the entire outer wall, the rooms inside, the floor, and the roof. I could also completely feel the magic circle below me and how it was sending mana directly from its center.


    While following the stream of mana flow like blood through one of the blood vessels, I came across the heart of this whole thing. It was the place where the mana was being supplied to, stored, and supplied from.


    When I looked closer, I could sense that it was a coffin. And on a closer look, I could see that there was the human body inside the coffin which was regulating the whole thing.


    I knew what I had to do next. I concentrated all the surrounding mana I had gathered in that one spot. Slowly, I could feel the mana I supplied blending with the mana that the magic circle was providing.


    But right then, when everything was going as expected. I felt like something was pushing me back. And while I was trying to resist the push, I heard a voice.


    "Who are you, and what do you want from me?"


    And before I knew it, I could no longer feel my body. The next moment, my consciousness was drifting in some unfamiliar dark space with nothing as fas I could see.


    "I am Nara. Whoever you are, I am not an enemy. I am only here to help."


    "Help? How sweet. Do you really think I will fall for something like that?! I am not as naive as you think I am! If you want to help anyone, find someone else! Those tricks no longer work on me!"


    It was a mature female voice with some hint of sweetness mixed in it. To put it simply, it was like someone soft trying to appear harsh.


    By the voice, it was apparent that it was someone who had been betrayed several times in the past. When one''s trust is betrayed by the those they believed, it would likely lead to them being able to trust no one. And in this case, only one person came to my mind who had been through that kind of situation ¡ª the queen.


    Even though I could tell who that was, the hard part was just starting. I didn''t know much about her and her personality, so it was going be difficult to make her trust me. And in this situation, as far as I could tell, it was impossible without someone she already knew and trusted.

 151 4.13 The seal that freezes time - Part 2

    "What is left there to worry about me? They should realize the queen who they once served is no more. That she died the day her own father killed her child. There nothing more left to know about me!"


    She sounded angry, but there was a hint of grieve mixed in her voice. I felt a little sorry for her, but there was nothing that could be done at this point. There was no way I would be able to help her even if I wanted to. She must have kept the anger within her for all these years, so the only thing I could do for her was to help her vent her anger.


    "But they have been by your side the whole time. Don''t you think they at least deserve to know how you are doing for their loyalty?"


    "Everyone I cared about, everyone I trusted once betrayed me one after another. I don''t trust anyone anymore. Just go away. Go away!"


    I was expecting her to say something like this, so I had already come up with a response.


    "You need to listen! The times have changed. The war ended centuries ago, and now there is peace everywhere. I know it must be hard for you after everything you went through, but you can''t continue like this. You need to realize the change in era, and move on with time."


    It might have sounded harsh, but that was the reality at this point. The sooner she accepted the fact, the better.


    "Time may have changed, the era may be different, but they are the same creatures I know. They are full of greed and hatred, so much so that they would even sell their own family for the sake of their greed."


    Even though it could be interpreted as overthinking, I could understand her position here. Unlike me, who had only lived for a few decades, she had been locked here with regrets for years. It would be foolish to expect her to realize and understand things just based on what I said.


    "Alright, I will just leave then. But before I go, is there anything that you would like me to tell the soldier outside?"


    I could see no other option at this point. I didn''t have all day to convince her that I can be trusted. And with no concrete evidence and enough behavioral knowledge about her, it was almost impossible anyway.


    "You can''t escape now. He already knows that someone is trying to unseal the manor. It won''t take long for him to arrive here."


    "What do you mean? Do you mean to say¡­"


    "The Earth dragon, Hazel, must be arriving here anytime now. He has sealed my body in the manor and my soul in the crystal he carries. The seal that you just tampered with is directly connected to the earth, and him from there. There is no way he will just let it slide this time."


    On top of that, I was trapped inside here, so I wouldn''t be able to know what was happening outside. And considering how common misunderstanding was in this kind of scenario, it wasn''t a wise idea to stay here for much longer.


    I knew how mighty the Dragons were, so wasting even a second here could be fatal. I just ignored her and tried focusing on getting out.


    It was somewhat like waking up from a dream that won''t let you go. But in this case, the dream was more real than the reality itself.


    The reality was something that existed within the gap between the space. The gap was like a trunk of the tree with infinite branches and subbranches. And there, the reality was like leaves. But that was the bigger picture I got when I met Zero, the existence itself.


    For me, or any other mortal, it was only possible to move within a leaf. Right now, even though I might be in the gap between the spaces, I was just a little above the leaf. I was not yet capable of moving freely in this gap even though compared to the whole picture; it was somewhat not-so-big deal.


    If I had eyes, I would try closing them. But since only my consciousness was there, I just stopped focusing on anything else and tried forcing myself into my body.


    It was hard since there were too many things in my mind, and I had somewhat started panicking. But after I confronted my initial thoughts, I was able to focus on getting out of this space.


    As I was doing that, I realized I could feel my hands again. Slowly, I could feel my legs, heart, and my whole body.


    I then slowly tried opening my eyes. I was unsure if I would see the same dark gap between the space or find myself back in the cave, but it was worth a shot. Since I could feel my body, there was a high chance that I could have been back.


    I could see the crystals on the ceiling as I opened my eyes. The lights they were emitting were so dim that it could only illuminate a tiny area around them. The rest of the portion was still dark.


    The floor was cold and concrete, but it didn''t take me long to realize I was sleeping over a grave. I slowly tried raising myself from there when I saw Markus and Jackie rushing towards me.


    "What happened? How long was I out?" I asked as we had no time to waste.


    We had to be prepared before the Earth Dragon was here. I already had many pieces of the puzzle, but many were still missing. We had to solve this because a freak of nature was almost about to know on our doors.

 152 4.14 The Earth Dragon - Part 1

    "How long has it been since then?" I said, looking around.


    "It''s been a while. It''s probably already midnight."


    Nothing seemed abnormal till now. The skeletons were watching us from the side, and the manor looked as it was before, which meant the seal was still intact.


    "Markus, we need to be prepared. The Earth Dragon king could be coming here anytime soon. This could just be a possibility, but we should be prepared."


    ""WHAT!""


    Markus and Jackie dropped their jaws in surprise. But compared to them, Gram and his skeleton soldiers barely reacted.


    I looked at Gram, straight at his skull. "You knew about this, didn''t you?"


    Gram sighed as he started walking towards me. "Yes, we did. We have been waiting for this moment for years. Now we will finally have the answers to all our questions."


    "But this is not what we had decided. I am sure the dragon will be furious because of what we just did."


    "I knew you wouldn''t be able to break the seal. And even if you were able to, I was certain that the queen wouldn''t agree to come out. This was the only way to know what happened."


    I guess it was partially our mistake since we trusted them and agreed too quickly without understanding the whole situation. However, this couldn''t be called betrayal since he didn''t lie. He just hid the complete truth from us.


    I guess diplomacy was also a business of some sort where whoever keeps his cards hidden wins. In this case, he just had more experience than us.


    "So, what have you planned from here, Gram? I am sure you didn''t make me do all this without anything in mind."


    Gram stopped right in front of me. "There is no plan. We couldn''t come up with anything to make the Dragon do what we want. This was the only way we could make him come here. We will all jump at his feet and beg for answers to fulfill our lingering wishes. That''s the only way we will be able to rest in peace."


    This complicated the whole thing. If the dragon was calm and composed, begging like that might have work. However, as far as I could tell, dragons were short-tempered and could easily get angry.


    "I don''t think he is going to listen."


    "Yes, that will probably be the case. Anyways, your task here is done. You fulfilled your end of the deal; now we will fulfill ours. You are free to leave this place."


    Before I could say anything, Markus interrupted us. "Yes, we will take our leave then. The situation has already accelerated out of our hands, so staying here any longer can be dangerous."


    That was one of the possible ways to avoid the situation, but considering how much time had already passed, it was unlikely that we would make it.


    Naturally, the sensible thing to do here would be to summon Flare. However, doing that here could be dangerous as her presence itself purifies the miasma in the air. The undead that survived on miasma won''t be able to survive when that happens.


    "Markus, I only see one possible way out of this mess. I will go out there and try to convince the dragon. Since I won''t be able to use my powers here, I would need to go outside."


    "But that''s¡ª"


    "That''s the only way out of this."


    Markus sighed. "Alright. Is there something we can do here?"


    "I am afraid there is nothing at this point, but if it comes to worse, please find a way to escape while I keep the dragon distracted."


    Markus reluctantly nodded. I then looked towards Gram again.


    "If I use my powers here, the undead creatures will perish alongside the miasma here. I would suggest you just stay here and not come out."


    It sounded like a warning, and it indeed was. At this point, I was somewhat irritated because of everything that happened.


    I walked towards the only exit out of this place. Like before, the only way to get out of here was to use earth magic by supplying the mana.


    Since Markus and Jackie were also at risk here, they followed me. I was planning to use force to get out of the cave and leave the two outside. That way, they will be able to escape towards the village.


    I opened the door using earth magic, but probably because of territorial reasons, the undead there didn''t cross the door to come inside.


    "Well, let the fire festival begin."


    I summoned the pure blue flames within me. These flames were several times hotter and more violent than the golden one. But I could feel it embracing me, giving me warmth and comfort.


    "Flare!"


    The flames became even more violent as the mana in the surrounding gathered in a single place. And from those flames, Flare appeared wearing the clothes made up of blue flames.


    "Master, what is that you wish of me?"


    "Flare, can you clear the way out. We have a guest arriving soon, so we are in a rush."


    Flare smiled. "As you wish, master."


    She collected flames in both of her hands and created a huge wave of fire ahead of us. Unlike me, she could manipulate her flames and direct their direction.


    She was floating above the ground as she moved ahead, and the three of us followed her. The flames that she was manipulating around her were disintegrating the skeletons along with the evil spirits within them.


    When we reached outside, it was still dark, but since it was a full moon day, we could see things around easily without any sort of lights.


    Before we could even step out in the open, I could see something circling in the sky, thousands of feet above us. The radius it was circling was too big for it to be just an ordinary bird, and in this case, the suspicion of who it could be was obvious.


    "Thanks, Flare"¡ªI turned towards Markus and Jackie¡ª"You guys should run and find somewhere to hide. He is about to land here."

 153 4.15 The Earth Dragon - Part 2

    "Flare, let''s go up there. I know it''s foolish to fight the dragon up in the air, but we are dealing with the Earth Dragon, so fighting him on the ground will prove to be much more challenging."


    "Yes, master!"


    The two of us raised ourselves in the air. Naturally, I was using Flare''s magic to enhance my control of the surrounding mana. It would be foolish not to do so because, in this battle, control was essential.


    Because of Flare''s cloth, it would be even easier to catch his attention. For now, my goal was to take this fight towards the western plain, which was just barren land. That way, I would be able to avoid burning the forest on the east.


    From up there, I could see the small forest and the village right next to it. My eyes weren''t sharp enough, and it was still too dark to see the people there, but I could see the houses.


    The only odd looking topographical feature in this region was the hill below us. Other than that, it was just plain land as far as my eyes could see.


    The dragon started flying towards us as we started moving towards the western plains. I was turning around frequently as we moved to see the distance between us, and from what I had seen, it was going to catch up to us soon.


    After a while, we crossed the hill and arrived in the western plain. There, we stopped and waited for the dragon to approach. Beyond this point was the serpent river and past the Serpent River was the Forest of the endless trees, so it wasn''t wise to go that far.


    When I turned around, I realized it was closer than expected. Its large brown wings were at least five to six times longer than its body, and the body itself was bigger than a small house. If I were to compare it to something from my previous world, I would say as big as a public bus.


    His head was massive with a long pointed mouth with two large horns. His face was showing no signs of emotions, not that I knew how to read a dragon''s facial expressions. But since he didn''t look pleased, it was apparent that he didn''t like what we just did.


    Except for the lower region of his body, which was made up of white dragon scales, the rest of his body had brown scales. There were dark patterns throughout his body that were blending well with the brown scales.


    The muscles on his chest looked somewhat manly, and the sharp claws on both of his arms made him look fierce. His legs, too, had claws, but they are less sharper than his hands and were designed to help him stand instead. His tail was huge, almost as long as his whole body. There were spikes on his body from the top of his head to the tip of his tail.


    "So, you are the kid that black was talking about. You look small and¡­ weak."


    His voice was loud and mature, a sort of voice that one would expect from a living, breathing dragon. He was calm, but for some reason, he was giving me chills. It was probably the survival instinct of a lesser being kicking in in the presence of a higher being.


    I was having a hard time speaking in front of such a massive presence. My mouth was already dry, but I had to find a way to convince him and get out of this situation.


    "I am not here to fight. I would like to request an opportunity to explain."


    The dragon shook his head. "Grrrrr¡­ Before that, show me that you are worthy of my time."


    "Flare!"


    As the dragon came charging towards me with his fang, Flare caught my arms and threw me towards her right. Then she took the small blue bird form and escaped the grip.


    The dragon was giant, which made its movement somewhat easy to predict. Even though it was hard, we were able to avoid it in time.


    Turning around was hard, even for him. That gave me some time to distance myself a bit. I could fuse with Flare during this time, but in this battle, that could be counter-productive. The two of us could distract the enemy from two sides and draw the fight longer.


    However, there was a slight problem with our strategy. I had no idea about the dragon''s stamina. If he could fight longer than the two of us combined, then we wouldn''t be able to last. And even though the assumption was demotivating, that had a higher chance of being the case.


    There were tales where it was mentioned that the true dragon kings could fight for centuries without rest. Hopefully, that''s just a tale and not the reality.


    He ignored Flare and came charging towards me, but I was prepared. I fused fire magic with darkness magic using both of my hands and tried freezing his claws with magic ice as he attacked.


    His left claw was left frozen, while I just let gravity help me with the dodging. As I fell, Flare came towards me, and the two of us started preparing ourselves for the next attack.


    The dragon tried taking the ice off of his frozen claws, but as he was not using holy magic, it didn''t work.


    Even though it didn''t work, I was sure that he would find a way out of it soon enough. I had already seen olive do that once, so I would count on nothing less from another Dragon king.


    "Grrrr¡­"


    Contrary to how I was hoping, he found a way out of it sooner than expected. He used his right claw to sever his left arm along with the ice.

 154 4.16 Battle in the air - Part 1

    ''That was easier than expected.''


    Till now, I had thought it would be impossible to hurt a true dragon king. But from what I saw, it was apparent that they could be harmed.


    That was my initial impression based on what happened, but my perception changed when I saw a new arm growing from where his old arm was.


    It was hard to believe, but it was a real miracle of magic ¡ª rapid regeneration. With this ability, it was no wonder that the dragon kings survived all those wars without even getting a single scratch on their bodies.


    "Isn''t that unfair? Healing your wounds, knowing that your opponent is a mortal and isn''t able to do so." Flare asked.


    There was indeed a point in what she said. If he kept on regenerating himself after each one of my attacks, I would never win.


    "There is nothing unfair about this. If he were just a mere mortal, neither you nor I would be here."


    "What do you mean? He is a mortal with a human body. The limits placed by his body on his soul and his spirits are the proof of it."


    The dragon shook his head. By now, I was already aware that this meant he was annoyed by the comment.


    "And what about his soul? Do you think that is a human soul? Look, spirit, you are a divine being, and I respect you. But the man you claim to be your master is dangerous to all living creatures out there. Even though I came here just to strengthen the seal I placed, if this is something that I must do, I shall do it for the welfare of all the mortal beings."


    Flare changed into her lady form and stood in front of me with her arms open. It appeared as though she was trying to shield me.


    "You make no sense to me. How can my master, who has never knowingly done anything to harm others, be dangerous?"


    "It doesn''t matter how noble his goal, ambition, or way of life is. No one can break the chain of destiny¡ªneither you, nor me, nor him. He will do what he is born to do, and what he has inside him will cause what I resent the most. The day he climbs the Dragon god''s throne and picks up that sword, the era of chaos will start. There is no way to avoid that unless I end it here and now."


    I looked at Flare in confusion. I could understand most of the things he said, but I still had no clue regarding what he said about my destiny. But since she was quiet, I realized it was my time to say something in defense.


    "Look, I have no intention of causing any war or such. I just want there to be peace so that I can live my days enjoying the company of my friends. If I have to fight to make that happen, I will. But other than that, I do not wish to cause anyone trouble."


    "As I said, it''s not your choice. It''s the fate that decides what is going to happen."


    There was no time to dodge like last time since he used his wings to block my vision of Flare.


    My best option was to create a shield using magic ice, which I did and blocked the attack before it could reach me.


    I narrowly escaped his claw by blocking it with ice, but the impact pushed me around a hundred meters backward.


    Fortunately, he wasn''t trying to grab me this time. That was a wise choice considering how I froze his claws last time, and thanks to that, I was able to survive this attack.


    I took a long breath in an attempt to prepare myself for the next attack. During that time, Flare kept him distracted by attacking him with fire magic from behind.


    During the last attack, my heart almost gave up when I saw his claws right in front of me. But now, after facing it twice, I was a little more confident that I will be able to dodge it the third time.


    Flare was keeping him distracted, but he started swinging his tail at me. His tail was comparatively easier to dodge since his concentration was on Flare.


    I hadn''t thought of any way out of this situation till now. I was focused entirely on the battle with no backup plans on my head.


    "Man! This is starting to look tougher and tougher."


    I attacked him with a wave of dark flames from behind, which froze most of the scales on his back. However, even before I could come up with a follow-up attack, he shed all the scales in his body and covered himself with an entirely new layer of scales.


    In the end, the attack did nothing but shift his attention from flare towards me.


    He turned around, striking Flare with his tail, and attacked me with several boulders he created using earth magic.


    I dodged them by jumping on one of the boulders and used it as a step to jump even higher. At that moment, I realized it was a wise decision to fight the dragon in the air. His magical abilities here seemed more limited than ours.


    This region had a higher concentration of mana than the lower ground, and because of that, Flare could quickly recover from the attack earlier.


    [Flare, try covering his wings with your flames!]


    After giving her instructions telepathically, I tried collecting all the mana I could muster. This time, I was planning to use the same strategy that Zagan and I used to trap Olive.

 155 4.17 Battle in the air - Part 2

    Later, while he is distracted in freeing his wing, we could launch the next wave and freeze him entirely.


    It was a good plan, which, if worked, could grant us a significant advantage in this battle. However, it failed utterly when the dragon countered her magic by flapping his wings. Her flames were pushed back, and the gust of wind it created was strong enough to throw her behind.


    I had no time to wait, so I used the mana that I had collected to create the largest fireball I could. But before I could attack him with the fireball, his tail unexpectedly came from my right and hit me between my right ribs.


    The attack sent me flying towards the western plains. I tried to regain my balance in the air, but I couldn''t. The pain that I was feeling was simply too much to handle.


    I prepared myself for the crash on the ground. We were too high, and the fall from there without any precautions would naturally lead to death.


    Flare was in the opposite direction, so there was no way she would be able to make it on time. That meant I had to find a way to avoid the impact on my own while still withstanding the pain from the attack earlier.


    It was possible that a few of my ribs were broken, but at the moment, I had no time to think about the pain. I prepared another fireball and focused the rest of my mana into my mana cloak.


    I fired the fireball at the ground right before the crash to reduce the impact''s opposing force. And my mana cloak reduced the damage to a significant extent.


    Despite that, this impact came off as a little challenging as I had already suffered a severe injury. I was in no position to even stand after all this. But I knew I had to, so I used holy magic to heal myself.


    It wasn''t a permanent solution and just a temporary relief, but anything that reduced the pain was remarkably valuable in my situation.


    The pain was reduced, but I was still unable to move in my situation. There was no way I would be able to fight like this. Not to mention the fact that we were on the ground right now. If the dragon came here, he would be at a significant advantage.


    I stayed there thinking of a way to escape the scenario, but nothing came to my mind. We could try running away, but how far could we run?


    While my mind was clouded with negative thoughts, Flare took her divine bird form and came to me. She wrapped me around her tail and started healing me.


    I was expecting him to take the human form, which would give him a significant advantage on the ground, but he didn''t. That made it apparent that he wasn''t considering me a big enough deal to be cautious at this stage. Or it could just be that he simply felt it was unnecessary.


    Whatever the reason, I had no time to wait because with a single swing of his claw, he tore apart the entire ground that we were standing at. If it weren''t for Flare, who helped me lift myself in the air, I would have fallen into one of the cracks he had created.


    Because of the broken ribs, breathing was hard. Whenever I tried filling my lungs with air, I could feel a sharp pain in my chest.


    Flare''s flames helped me recover a bit, but I was yet to recover completely. However, rest here was a luxury because the next wave of attack was coming right at us.


    Using his magic, he created several spikes made up of hardened soil below us. And at the same time, he fired several mud bombs at us.


    They were fired at a phenomenal speed, making it almost impossible to dodge.


    At this point, the whole ground itself was a trap. Our only option to escape this scenario was to fly back to the higher air. But the way he was attacking us with one wave after another, the chance that we would be able to pull that off was extremely low.


    In fact, even if we do manage to go to the high in the air, the thing that just happened before would only repeat itself. That meant there was no way to escape. No strategy would work against him at this point.


    I expected nothing less from a being like him. None of our attacks would work against him, and even if it did, he would just heal himself in a blink. His mana holding capacity was probably close to infinite as well. Neither on the ground nor in the air did we have the advantage. And there was nothing left to try. There was no way we would win this time. ''Hell, just surviving this all would be nice.''


    "Tch! I guess I am out of options here."


    I dodged the last boulder of the wave, which gave me about a second to speak. But right as I finished my sentence, another wave started.


    "You may think I can become the cause of this era of chaos or whatever. But the true enemy is out there, preparing for that."


    When one''s back is truly against the wall, and when there is nothing left that one can do, the only thing left is to push back and resist.


    I ignored everything and charged forward while Flare covered me by destroying the boulders that were coming my way. It was a reckless move, but if we keep on staying at a distance, we wouldn''t be able to avoid those attacks for much longer.


    "There is Satan out there, walking free and trying to resurrect the demon lord. There are evil spirits trying to bring back the era of chaos. And here we are fighting for no reason whatsoever. How stupid can you be?"


    I wasn''t sure if I was making sense or not, but I was pretty annoyed at this point. If he was going to complicate things by being illogical, I think he should at least be aware of what was happening right now.


    He was like a wise sage claiming to know everything about the modern world just after coming out of his cave. However, it was clear that his doings were utterly foolish.


    It appeared as though my words distracted him for a bit. I used that window of time to create the biggest fireball I could and fused it with Flare''s flames.


    I then jumped right above him and released the fireball on his back.

 156 4.18 Making Sense

    His scales were tough, and our attacks were having little to no effect on him, but it appeared as though he had stopped resisting.


    Flare then flew towards me and started healing me again. I had already started feeling dizzy, so I was in no state to continue fighting.


    "Boy, did you say Satan is free again?"


    He sounded curious. That was good since, in this situation, that would allow me to buy some time.


    "Yeah, I thought you dragon could sense everything happening around the world."


    "We can, but this world is simply too big to keep track of everything that happens. However, we should have noticed if someone revived Satan."


    "I am not sure what you guys were doing then, but he is not just revived; he destroyed an entire city after revival."


    "Grrrr¡­"


    The dragon shook his neck and turned around. Since it didn''t look like he was trying to attack us, I didn''t feel like it was necessary to move at a distance. I was a little wary nonetheless, so I stayed vigilant.


    "I wonder who could pull off something like that?"


    "I am not sure, but it was a bunch of vampires and an evil spirit that looked like a clown. They unleashed a herd of demons in the town and used the miasma they created to revive Satan."


    It looked like he was having a hard time believing my words, so he turned towards Flare. After she confirmed what I said was right, he looked at me again.


    "I don''t know how they managed to hide this from us, but their next goal might be the revival of the demon lord."


    "Yeah, I could hear them talk about something like that. However, I think they will need some time to prepare everything before that. We, ourselves, should be prepared in the meantime."


    "If that is the case, then we have no choice."


    His whole body started shrinking as he began to take the human form. It was similar to how Flare used to transform, but due to her flames, Flare''s looked more magical. This was much on the realistic side.


    His human form looked like a normal man with well-built muscles. He had long brown hair and golden eyes. He was wearing an ordinary villager outfit that made him look more or less like a farmer.


    "You don''t look that surprised. Normally, when people see me transform, I get a louder reaction from them."


    "No, I am surprised. I am getting so many surprises these days that I somehow just got used to them."


    "Is that so? Anyway, why don''t we go inside and ta¡ª before that, sorry for injuring you. Drink this; it will help you."


    He slowly walked up to me and passed me a small vial of green potion. Considering his speed just a moment ago, the way he was walking appeared sluggish. Although, I was just glad that this all was finally over.


    Normally, even with Flare''s magic, it would take some time to heal the broken ribs. But because of the portion, I was healed in no time.


    "Thanks, I am feeling better now."


    He smiled at my response. "Then shall we go in? I would like to talk to you."


    He looked unnaturally calm for someone who was just stubbornly trying to kill me because of some destiny a while ago. But I had nothing to complain about. I was just happy that this all ended without us having to die.


    The three of us flew towards the cave. I was still borrowing Flare''s power to control the flow of enormous mana in me, so I realized I would be fainting any minute now once I let go.


    Once we reached inside the cave, I stopped borrowing flare''s power, but nothing happened. I didn''t feel dizzy at all. Since neither Flare nor I did anything, the potion he gave me was probably what helped me.


    "It''s as you think; the potion regulates the flow of mana in a being. I realized you were using a lot more mana than your body could handle, which is why I gave you the potion. No need to thank me for that since I was the cause of all this in the first place."


    "Alright, but you appeared so worked up just then. What made you change your mind?"


    I was going to use the word "wild," but it might appear offensive, so I decided to change my wording to make it sound a bit respectful.


    "The prophecy states that if either of the demigods reincarnates, the era of chaos will be back. And if what you say is true, and if Satan is breathing the same air as us, the chances of the demon lord being reincarnated is much higher."


    "Alright, that makes sense. I am just glad that you finally believed my words."


    "Not yours, but the sun spirit''s."


    I had no idea why he was having such a difficult time believing my words, but since it made no difference to me at this point, I decided not to pursue this matter.


    "Well, anyway, since that matter is settled, and since you are no longer trying to kill us, can we now talk about this cave?"


    "Yes, regarding that, I know I am not in the position to ask any favors, not after all this¡­ but I would like to request something from you."


    "From me?"


    The two of us, along with Flare, started walking towards the center of the cave.


    "Yes, I would like to borrow the power of your spirit to revive someone from the dead."


    For once, I was shocked. But then I realized there were ways to bring dead demons back to life. So, getting an ordinary person back to life should also be possible. However, I realize those were dark arts, and they required some sort of sacrifice to be performed. And even after everything, the process wasn''t perfect as it always had some flaws.


    I shook my head to compose myself and think straight. "What kind of help do you need from me?"

 157 4.19 Body and Soul - Part 1

    The three of us were almost about to reach the manor. Since we had already dealt with the skeletons here, the walk was relatively peaceful.


    "Not a lot. I can sense the mana flowing in the body, but that''s basically it."


    "Being able to sense the flow of mana is impressive¡­ For a human, that is. But have you ever felt the soul of a being?"


    "...I am not sure. I think I have sensed the soul of my spirits before, but I don''t have much knowledge about them."


    The dragon king Hazel narrowed his eyes. His reaction was clearly saying, ''you don''t even know that much.''


    "Then, I will need to explain things to you from the basics. This might take a bit long, but we have plenty of time left to discuss this."


    "Actually, my subordinates aren''t aware of my condition, so I would like to notify them of that if possible."


    "Then what are you waiting for? Send your spirit there to tell them about your well-being. While she is doing that, I will teach you about living beings and their souls."


    ''That''s because I only just realized that this is going to take long,'' was what I wanted to reply. However, I was tired, and taking the conversation in that direction was pointless, so I decided to ignore that comment.


    "Flare, can you go to the nearby village, the one that we saw from the sky, and tell others that I am alright?"


    "It will be done, master, but please don''t hesitate to summon me any time you need me."


    "Don''t worry, I will," I replied with a smile.


    After the conversation, Flare changed into the small blue bird and left, while the two of us entered the area with the manor.


    All the skeletons came forward and bowed in front of Hazel right after the two of us entered. Naturally, Garo, the leader of this group, was in front of everyone else.


    Hazel paid no mind and walked towards the manor. I was looking around to bring his attention to them, but he completely ignored them as if they weren''t even there.


    "We, dragons, don''t talk with the undead. They should be fortunate that they are not destroyed yet."


    ''If you look at it that way, it does sound merciful. But then again, they have been stuck because of the same lingering wish for thousands of years. Just answering their question and setting them free might be better.''


    While I was thinking along those lines, the two of us arrived at the doorstep of the manor. He then walked up to the door and touched it with both of his hands.


    The metal door slowly opened after producing a loud crack sound right after his touch. Since he was the one who sealed it, it was no wonder that he would be able to unlock the seal this easily.


    "Come in," he said as he walked in ahead of me.


    I followed him, and once I was inside, the door closed itself producing the same cracking sound.


    The two of us then walked to the inner rooms. Without wandering anywhere else, he led me to a large room, probably the master room of this manor.


    The carpet and the painting on the wall of the room were carefully designed to match each other. There was nothing that eye-catching about the room as it was surprisingly ordinary.


    In the room, in front of the large bed, there was a coffin. This was the coffin that I sensed from outside¡ª the mana storage point that operated the seal of the manor.


    He walked up to the coffin and looked at the strange text written outside it. It was not in the language that I could understand, so I waited for the time he would start explaining.


    As he looked at the coffin, his eyes became watery, and his expressions became more human-like. For some reason, the dragon that was walking tall a while ago looked vulnerable now.


    "This coffin belongs to someone I knew a long time ago. I spent some time with her, a few years for a human perhaps. But to me, whose origin goes back to the creation of this planet, that time was less than what a day is for you. However, for some reason, I developed a strong attachment to this human."


    He fell on his knees and slowly opened the lid of the coffin. Inside, there was a body of a young woman with long blonde hair. Even though she had died thousands of years ago, it looked like the body of someone who had died just now. Actually, since there were no signs of any sort of injuries in her body, it appeared as though she was just sleeping.


    I was thinking about asking, ''how is this possible?'' but then I saw the dragon crying, so I waited for him to finish his reunion.


    He slowly touched her hair and held one of her hands. "Himiko, the time has come. I have waited this long for this moment. Now, you can finally be revived. You will get a second chance to live, and this time, I will stay with you."


    After saying that, he slowly closed the lid of the coffin and stood back on his feet. He then turned around and looked at the painting of Himiko on the wall.


    "There are three things that make a living being ¡ª body, soul, and consciousness or, in simple terms, memories. The human body is made up of 5 of the seven elements. This first is Earth, which is the origin of all living beings and is the main component of one''s body. Then there is fire, air, water, and space. They all have their own roles, but without them, you can''t create a human body."


    This all sounded a little confusing, but from what he said, one thing was obvious.


    "That means¡­ it is possible to create a functional human body using magic."

 158 4.20 Body and Soul - Part 2

    To recreate cells and tissue while keeping the smallest microscopic details into mind was just too much, no matter how remarkable one''s control over magic was.


    "It''s possible to create a body, but the hard part is inserting the soul back once someone dies. No one has ever been able to perform the magic of that level successfully."


    "But how were you able to do this? To recreate the human body from scratch, you would need a phenomenal amount of control. And along with that, you would need extensive knowledge of the human body, down to the smallest details."


    "The control that you speak of is something that I was born with. I can combine any and all elements out there, so it''s not a big deal for me. And you don''t need all the knowledge of the human body if you know how to use elements properly."


    "What do you mean? How were you able to create all the organs and body parts without the knowledge about her body?"


    Hazel turned around and looked at the coffin. After staring at it for a while, he turned towards me and continued.


    "The knowledge of one''s body holds little to no importance in this ceremony. You would need a constant supply of pure, highly concentrated mana for eleven days. If you are able to provide that and just follow the directions the cell will give, it will replicate itself and form a body on its own. It may be hard to believe, but the smallest fragment of the human body possesses enough knowledge to recreate the complete body."


    I had heard about that during the biology classes, but even then, it was just a normal regular scientific theory for me. Something that I forgot after graduating from school. It''s not like I was going to use that in my daily life then, so there was no point in remembering all that.


    ''But now, it feels like it might have been better if I had paid attention.''


    I was lost in thought for a few seconds, which wasn''t unnatural. Compared to the knowledge that this world''s people possessed, the information he provided must be of grave importance.


    "That makes sense, but you would need to be able to control and convert the raw mana into magical energy. Then combine multiple elemental magic delicately to change it into the organic components that make the human body. Does that cell regulate that all too?"


    "Yes, but at the start, you would need to control it through your supply of mana. A single cell is too delicate to perform all those functions, so there is a high chance it might break. But your control only needs to be delicate at the start. As time passes and the body grows, it will be able to handle more and more mana without breaking."


    "Alright, I now understand how you made this body and why you kept it sealed here. But you said something about reviving, how do you plan to do that?"


    Hazel put his hand into his chest pocket and pulled out a pendant made of sparkling blue crystal.


    When I looked closer, I realized it was like a deep ocean. Inside the blue crystal, there was a small white fish swimming around.


    "Do you know what this is?"


    "...I am not sure. But it does look beautiful."


    "Ha-Ha! This, my friend, is a Soulstone. A very precious stone formed at the deepest part of the sea once every millennium."


    The name made a few things obvious, and just by looking at it, I could tell that it had some sort of charming power. Something inside me was naturally attracted towards the blue shine that it was emitting.


    "It''s dangerous to stare at it for long. You better shift your focus somewhere else."


    "Y-yes."


    I turned towards the painting on the wall to shift my focus somewhere else. Even while I was looking somewhere else, I could feel the pendant calling me. However, I had prepared myself this time, so I stayed focused on the painting and tried not to even think about it.


    "It captures the soul of anyone who stares at it for a long time. Fortunately, this only applies to mortals with a short lifespan, which makes me immune to its power."


    "Are you saying this thing holds her soul?"


    "Yes, but not just her soul. The Soulstone is naturally just transparent, so the fish inside it is her soul. But the blue color you see is the evil spirit that had possessed her. Strangely, it has developed some kind of symbiotic relationship with her, but it won''t be possible to revive her while the spirit resides within this pendant. I would like to request the help of your spirit in removing the evil spirit from this pendant."


    That sounded like something Flare could do. If all he wanted was the removal of spirits, Flare''s flames should be more than sufficient. However, something was telling me that that''s not all he wants.


    "Is that all the help you will need from us?"


    "At the moment, I think that''s all. But as you can see, this process is very complicated as her memories are trapped within the gap between spaces. When I created this body and separated her soul, I had to store her memories somewhere where it won''t deteriorate or disappear, so the gap was the only place that came into my mind."


    "It''s alright. But how do you plan to get her consciousness back? I am sure she will try to resist anyone trying to bring her back."


    The gap of the space was large, and trying to find memories there was like trying to find bacteria in one''s food.


    "That''s the tricky bit in all this. Even I cannot stay in the gap between spaces for longer than a fraction of a second. Only Black may be able to do that, but I am sure he won''t. He believes that the dead should just stay dead."

 159 4.21 Body and Soul - Part 3

    "But you are still a human; how did you manage to pull that off?"


    "...Well, it''s not like I wanted to do that. It just coincidentally happens sometimes."


    Hazel took a long breath. "Then, I guess this must be a sign from the heavens that your destiny will lead you where it wants."


    I wasn''t too sure about that. As someone who had faced so many occasions like that, I could only believe that it was my good luck that saved me from being the prey of destiny.


    "Anyway, let''s talk about revival. I am still not sure how you plan to do that."


    "Let''s see¡­"


    He walked up to the wall by the side of the bed and touched it with his palm. He smashed the entire wall just by passing mana through it and converting it into earth magic. What he did was similar to how I opened the entrance to this place. However, he could do it much more smoothly and quickly.


    "First, we should move everything in the room and clear the space."


    He lifted the bed with both of his hands and threw it towards the living room beyond the wall he broke. Following that, he threw the study desk, bookshelf, mirror, bedside table, and wardrobe.


    In less than five minutes, he cleared the whole room. Now, all that''s left in the room was the coffin, the painting on the wall, and the two of us.


    "Now that we have some space, we need to draw the magic circle. Do you know the language of the gods?"


    "I don''t think I do."


    I remember that I did once converse with god, but this was my first time hearing about the language of gods.


    "It''s a language that you need to learn if you ever plan to use enchantments. I am sure the elves who have lived for over a thousand years can teach you that."


    He was saying it as if elves were my neighbors, and I could learn the language from them any time. However, the fact of the matter is, elves preferred to live in isolation, and they didn''t allow any immigrants.


    "Anyway, here, you will need to draw the circle in the language of gods. The circle will assure that the ceremony will go smoothly and without disturbances."


    "Alright, but since I don''t know the language of gods, I don''t think I can help with that."


    "Don''t worry about it."


    He touched the floor with both of his hands, and as he did that, red sand started pouring out of his sleeves. The sand slowly began spreading throughout the room and collected itself in the form of letters forming a pentagram.


    He was doing everything so smoothly that it was entertaining just to look at him work. He cleared the room and made the circle in a matter of seconds.


    The coffin was at the center of the Pentagram, and he prepared a stone stand at every pointed end of it.


    I nodded in response and started purifying the room. For me, it wasn''t as easy as it was for him, but I was able to purify it nonetheless. It just took me a little longer.


    While I was doing that, he was breaking the wooden furniture to use as firewood.


    After he finished collecting enough wood to light the fire, he brought them in and placed them over the five stone stands he had prepared.


    "Now, let''s wait for your bird to arrive. We can start the ceremony once she is here."


    "Alright, so about this ceremony, how long is it going to take?"


    "It depends. It could take a day, a year, or even a decade, depending on the situation. But you should know that, without one of the three components that I mentioned before, the ceremony won''t be successful."


    "...That sounds a bit too long, but I understand. However, I am not sure if I will be able to bring her consciousness back. She is stubborn and unwilling to understand."


    "Ordinarily, she won''t. But tell her the exact words that I am going to tell you now."


    I nodded. "Okay, what do you want me to tell her?"


    "Tell her that I said this: Himiko, you don''t need to blame yourself for anything. I am not upset about anything you did. I shouldn''t have left you alone, and I should have been there for you when you were going through all that. Please forgive me. Even though it has been a long time since I last talked to you, I still love you the same, so please return to me. I will be waiting."


    It sounded like the words from some romance drama, but if it was going to work, it was at least worth a shot. I wasn''t sure if I would be able to remember and tell her exactly what he said, but I was hoping to be able to deliver most of it.


    ''Damn, I wish I could take a paper along with my consciousness there.''


    "Alright, I will try."


    "Let''s wait for the spirit to come back before I tell you how the ceremony will proceed."


    It took us a few hours on horses to get there, but Flare should easily be able to cover that distance in a few minutes. I wouldn''t even be surprised if she had already delivered the message and was on her way back.


    The two of us walked to the living room, which was filled with extra furniture and broken pieces of wood.


    There was a chair near the fireplace, which I grabbed and took my seat while Hazel just kept on standing.


    "Hey, what do you plan to do once you revive her?"


    Hazel emitted a long deep breath. "In this body, she will stop aging, so in a way, she will become immortal. She will no longer be able to coexist with humans, so I will be taking her to the dragon valley with me. I think she would also want that."

 160 4.22 The revival ceremony - part 1

    To be honest, there wasn''t much point in asking them now since most of those questions were just to quell my curiosity. And for some reason, I didn''t feel like disturbing him as he, himself, was anxious about how things would go from here.


    Even though he was an immortal dragon who had lived for thousands of years, he was acting like an ordinary human.


    ''So, this is what love does to the immortals.''


    I had never experienced a situation like this one myself, but one thing was for sure. He looked weak and vulnerable right now.


    Compared to the almighty dragon that I fought a while ago, the person standing near me and staring at the coffin was more like a human.


    While I was thinking about that, I could see Flare approach the cave. The seal was still intact, and the door was locked, so there was nowhere for her to enter.


    I stood up from my chair, which caught Hazel''s attention. "She is here."


    He nodded and opened the main door of the manor. After Flare entered, he closed the door again.


    "How''s everything there?" I asked.


    For now, I just wanted them to stay calm and wait a bit until we resolve the issue. From what I knew about Anna, she wasn''t the type to just stay calm and wait in this situation. So, the best thing to do here would be to complete the ceremony as soon as possible and return.


    "I informed them of your well being and the current situation. They still seem somewhat anxious. However, I have told them that there is nothing to worry about, and you are completely safe."


    "Thank you, Flare"¡ªI turned towards Hazel¡ª"I think we should get started."


    "For the first step, we would need to remove the spirit from the pendant."


    Hazel walked up to Flare and handed her the pendant. After receiving the pendant, she looked at me for confirmation.


    Once I confirmed it with a nod, she used her flames to purify the pendent. As she was doing that, a blue smoke appeared out of the pendant.


    "Thank you for freeing me from this curse, oh great sun spirit."


    After saying those words, the cloud disappeared into nothing. I was not sure about what that was, so I looked at Flare for an explanation.


    "It was a water spirit. He was probably cursed due to the excessive intake of miasma during the era of chaos. Usually, when that happens, a spirit can be corrupted and changed into an evil spirit."


    The spirits could never die, but they could be trapped like this. For them, this was probably worse than death. Now that it was free, it could reincarnate with its memories intact, so there was nothing to worry about.


    "Now that we are done with the first part. I will need both of your help for the second part. We will need to do a lot of things simultaneously for it to work."


    "Alright, we are prepared. What do we need to do?" I asked.


    Hazel walked inside the room and stood next to the coffin. "You, boy, need to stand in front of me. And as for the sun spirit, I would like her to empower the circle with her flames. It is said that her flames can even heal the wounds in the soul, so I would like to request her to support all three of us."


    I walked to the center of the circle and stood next to the coffin. After everyone was in place, Flare lit the stone stand with wood with her flames. From there, her flames slowly ran throughout the magic circle.


    After the circle was ready, Hazel removed the lid from the coffin and started supplying his mana into the circle.


    "You, boy, will need to do the most important thing of all. You will need to bring her consciousness here, and the moment you do that, I will insert her soul and start the body functions using magic. But as said, everything should happen simultaneously."


    I had started feeling the pressure, so I took a long breath to compose myself. I then closed my eyes and started meditating.


    The first thing I realized as I was meditating was how hard it was to focus while standing. My mind was mostly just focused on my body. It was noticing every little detail and movement.


    However, staying stuck here would make everything meaningless. My goal here was to reach the gap between spaces, and not just anywhere in the gap between space. I had to get to the place where her consciousness was.


    Slowly, I accepted everything about my body, and as I got used to the little uneasyness, I was able to go beyond.


    I had already gotten a hold of my conscious and subconscious thoughts, so it didn''t take me long to get past that stage. And once I got past that, I reached the darkness, the gap between the spaces.


    I was somewhere in the gap between the space, but it wasn''t where I saw her last time. That meant the first attempt was a failure.


    I brought my consciousness back to my body and countered my thoughts again. However, this time, I thought about her and the places where I was then.


    I realized I was thinking about her when I lost my consciousness last time. That must be why I ended up reaching to her in the gap between the space.


    "You came back. It''s a surprise that you are still alive."


    I heard her voice even before I could confirm where I was. I was glad that I was able to reach the place, but the real challenge was in front of me now.


    ''Hopefully, I will be able to convince her this time.''

 161 4.23 The revival ceremony - part 2

    "Yeah, I survived alright¡­ but he asked me for favor instead. He was desperate and so vulnerable."


    "Wh-what do you mean?"


    "He wanted me to deliver a message and bring you back to him. I guess you wouldn''t even be willing to hear his words, so I will just go now. I will tell him that I tried, but she didn''t listen."


    I had heard that some girls act tough outside even when they want something to happen desperately. So, instead of going that route and giving her what she wants, I could make her work for it.


    "W-wait, are you telling the truth."


    "Honestly, you can figure it out yourself. Do you think I am telling the truth or lying?"


    She was silent for a while, so I realized I might have gone a little too far this time.


    I will need to do something to bring the conversation back on track.


    "You knew the dragon would arrive once I meddled with the seal, and as you said, he did. After he was here, I told him that I could converse with you. What do you think would he want next?"


    She remained silent even after that. ''I guess I was a bit too harsh on her.''


    Even though I realized I was being hard on her, there was no turning back after this point. The only way to move from here was forward.


    "Anyway, as I said, I am here just to deliver the message. If you want to hear it, I will tell you the content, or I just will leave. I don''t have a life to waste on someone else''s romance."


    "W-wait¡­ Tell me the message."


    She was acting completely different from the Queen Himiko I met at the start. And if I were to be honest here, I liked this Himiko a lot better.


    "Hazel told me¡­"


    I tried remembering the message, but my memory of it was a little hazy. I was too focused on trying to remember the message that I only had it in my conscious mind. And while trying to manipulate my thoughts to get here, I forgot most of the message.


    ''I should have known that it was bound to happen.''


    "Well, he said something like, You don''t need to blame yourself, and he is not upset about anything. He shouldn''t have left you and should have been there for you. He said that he was sorry and he still loves you. And he wants you to come back. Yeah, something like that."


    "...that doesn''t sound like him."


    "That''s because I am just delivering his words, not his emotions. If you want to hear him say it, you should just come back."


    "But¡­ do you think he will accept me even after all this."


    ''What?! Is she feeling insecure now? Why do I have to deal with all these things when I don''t even know her enough.''


    "Well, he was desperate enough to ask me for a favor, so I think he will. You should just have faith in yourself and him."


    Her voice wavered, and regrets could be felt in her words. She seemed down for some reason.


    "I am pretty sure he cares about none of them. I think all he cares about is you, and that is why he is here today in the first place. You should just quit being stubborn; that will make him suffer even more. Just come to him already."


    "I¡­ am not sure."


    "Then make your choice. I will give you some time, but please be quick. I don''t have years to spend here."


    I patiently waited for a few minutes while she was thinking things through. There was only darkness all around me, so there was nothing to keep me occupied. Due to that, I was a little bit impatient. I wanted to get out of this place, go to that village, and take a nap as soon as possible.


    "I have come up with a choice. Could you take me back to him? I want to see him one more time. He is the only person who has only given me everything I wanted without asking anything in return. I want to return to him."


    "Alright. Follow me back to the manor and into your own body. As soon as you do that, he will insert your soul back, and you will be able to live again."


    I closed my eyes and forced myself back into my body like last time. It was like waking up from an inescapable nightmare, but I had no time to rest or relax.


    "She is back. Put the soul into her body."


    As soon as my consciousness returned to my body, I gave him the signal. Right then, he placed the pendant right on her heart and pressed on it.


    He supplied the mana through the pendant to her heart. And while doing so, her soul was also transferred little by little into her body. It was an extraordinarily complicated and delicate process even for him.


    He was holding his breath, and all his senses were entirely focused on the ritual. Flare''s flames were continuously purifying the place and preventing any evil spirit from entering.


    My part was already done, so I was able to observe the rest of the process carefully. As I was doing that, Flare was healing my mental fatigue, along with everyone else''s.


    After a few minutes, Hazel stopped. That meant he had successfully transferred the soul to her body. And since Flare''s flame prevented miasma from entering, it was unlikely that she would turn into undead.


    "Master, Earth Dragon, I can sense all the functions from that body. However, the flow of mana within her seems irregular."

 162 4.24 The revival ceremony - part 3

    He moved his hand close to her mouth and slowly fed her the potion. Her lips were moving, so it was apparent that she was back.


    Right after drinking the potion, she coughed. It appeared as though she was trying to raise herself, so Hazel helped her sit comfortably.


    "How are you feeling?" Hazel asked.


    "We meet after thousands of years, and the first thing you do is worry about my well being. You have changed a lot since I last saw you."


    "I am not sure if I have changed or not. However, I am simply glad to see you breathing after all this time."


    "Thank you. I will cherish this life that you have given me."


    I thought their reunion would be more dramatic, but it was surprisingly simple. It could be just that they didn''t want to show their affection in front of the two of us.


    Himiko glared at me from top to bottom. "So, you are the messenger boy who came to bring me back. You look a lot younger than how your voice sounded then."


    That was a strange comment from someone who had lived for thousands of years. She just looked like she was in her early twenties, and Hazel appeared to be in his early thirties.


    "Yeah, but compared to two of you, I don''t think I look too young for my age."


    "Ha-ha! I have nothing to say in defense of that. I can change myself to look of any age, but I prefer this one. This is the point where one is neither too young nor too old. Where one has the wisdom along with the liveliness of youth."


    "There you go again, spreading your wisdom and ruining our reunion with it."


    "Well, I am just telli¡ª"


    Before Hazel could complete his sentence, Himiko hugged him tightly. Hazel couldn''t see, but he definitely noticed her crying on his shoulder.


    He wrapped his hands around her and gently petted her. "Everything is fine now. We will be together for eternity from this point forth. I promise you that."


    "I am sorry. I am so sorry. I shouldn''t have done the things I did. I should have just returned to you once I realized the people I was trying to make happy were not worth it."


    "No, I should be the one being sorry. I should have been there for you while you were going through all that."


    "You are too kind, Hazel. Was I really worth everything that you did? You know other dragons won''t like what you did, right?"


    "That doesn''t matter. Let''s leave all those for the future. For now¡­"


    Hazel brought his lips close to her cheeks, and while she was still lost in her emotions, he kissed her lips gently.


    Her eyes opened wide in shock as if the time froze for her. That kiss made her forget everything that she was thinking about, and she calmed down.


    After a few moments, the two finally let go of each other. Flare looked a little disappointed to see that happen, but I just ignored her since it was almost morning.


    I hadn''t slept a blink, and we were already behind schedule, so we would need to get back and resume our journey as soon as possible.


    "If it''s alright, I think the two of us should get going now."


    "Before that¡ª"


    Himiko put her feet on the floor and tried standing up, but her body was weak, so she couldn''t. Hazel, who was standing next to her, caught her arm and gently helped her stand.


    "Could you please purify the souls of the one out there? I would like it if the sun spirit does that. It is said that the souls that are purified by her flames find true peace afterlife."


    "Yes, we will do that on our way out," I replied.


    "Then, I shall go with you as well," Himiko said. However, she was in no condition to walk, so Hazel princess carried her.


    The soldiers outside were delighted to see Queen Himiko again. They raised their swords and shields and cheered in joy. I am sure if they had eyes, this whole place would have been flooded with tears.


    "Queen! Queen Himiko!" Gram rushed forward, separating the crowd of soldiers from behind.


    "Thank you, Gram, for being there for me and supporting me all this time"¡ªShe turned towards the skeleton soldiers¡ª"Thank you for your loyalty, everyone."


    "We are just glad you are okay, Queen. There is no need to thank us."


    "No Gram, you and your soldiers are worthy of my utmost gratitude. Thank you for staying by my side all this time."


    Hazel let her stand on her own. She was still having a hard time, so he supported her by holding her arm.


    "Now, I think you all deserve to be free. You no longer need to bind yourself with the shackles of this manor or me. You were there for me all this time, and I am grateful to each one of you. But even though it''s painful, now is the time to part. I hope you all will find peace and prosperity in the afterlife and life after that. Farewell, everyone."


    "We hope you remain happy from this point forward, our queen."


    "Long live queen Himiko!"


    "Long live queen Himiko!"


    "Long live queen Himiko!"


    The cheers started, and along with that, I signed Flare to purify their bodies.


    A wave of flames slowly appeared from her feet and covered the entire undead army in front of us.


    They looked towards the sky and cheered in joy as their bones disintegrated in flames. With that, their souls were set free to enter the cycle of rebirth.

 163 4.25 Back to the village

    She was enjoying the gentle warmth of the morning sunshine as the Earth dragon completely sealed the cave with rocks and soil.


    "The morning air feels nice here. It has been so long since I was last able to feel something like this," Himiko said. Her voice sounded a lot better compared to how it was inside the cave.


    Hazel smiled. He looked delighted to see her happy again. "The air near the mountain is cold, but I will make sure to take you on a ride once every while."


    "Oh, that''s so sweet."


    A moment ago, both of them were going through some kind of emotional trauma. And now, all of a sudden, they seemed like the happiest couple that I had ever met.


    ''I guess this kind of change in mood is normal among couples.''


    Even though it would have been great to speak with them a bit longer, we were running out of time.


    I was planning to fly to the village using Flare''s power. That way, we would be able to reach there on time without making them wait for long.


    Since Flare was here already, it would be useful to take her with us throughout the journey. That would ensure that the rest of our travel from this point forth will go smoothly.


    "I think we will be leaving for the nearby village now. We are heading towards the capital, so it''s better if we leave early."


    "Alright, we will be flying towards the Dragon valley from here. Also, to repay the favor, I owe you if you ever need to get stronger come to the northern mountains of dragon valley. There is a mountain called the Justice mountain. That is where I live."


    "It could just be a coincidence or fate, but I will soon be traveling to the northern part of the nation. I am hoping that I will be able to visit you then."


    Hazel took a long breath. "If that is so, then I will teach you enchantments and medicine. The art in practice throughout the world covers only the basics, so a true enchanter is rarely seen these days. However, I do feel that with enough practice and in-depth understanding, you will become a decent enchanter."


    "Thank you, that will be of great help."


    "Also, before you leave, about the matter of Satan you mentioned. I will notify the other Dragon kings regarding that. It is a matter of grave importance, and it will be dealt with appropriately. We will send someone to the capital of the human nation to make the relay of information smoother. If there is anything that you uncover, let us know."


    "Yes, I will. Thank you for your help."


    "That''s no problem. Moving ahead, we might night to face the same enemy. When that happens, we will need to fight together. Hopefully, you will be stronger by then."


    "I will try not to disappoint you. Till then, goodbye."


    Flare and I flew eastward towards the village from there. When I looked back, I could see him change into a dragon and fly eastward with Himiko in his back.


    ''Hopefully, both of them will find happiness in their lives from this point forward.''


    With the way things were going, we would need to meet sooner or later, so this wasn''t a farewell for good. And something was telling me that we will meet each other sooner than later.


    When we reached the village, I could see the horses that we used there. That meant both Jackie and Markus and had already returned.


    After flare changed into her small bird form, the two of us landed near our carriage. As soon as we did, both Anna and Eliane rushed out of the carriage and hugged me.


    "Where were you gone the whole time? Do you know how worried we were?" Princess Anna said as she checked if I was hurt anywhere or not.


    "Yeah, but I sent flare to inform you that I was alright. There really was nothing to worry about."


    "But still¡­ I was worried and couldn''t sleep for the whole night."


    She looked cute as she was saying that. The look she had on her face was priceless, so I gently toucher her cheeks with my right hand and petter her with my left.


    For some reason, she seemed happy as I was doing that.


    "So, what happened to the Earth Dragon?" Princess Eliane asked. She also looked somewhat anxious, but she was behaving calmly.


    "It''s a long story; I will tell you guys on the way. Before that, where are Markus and Jackie."


    When I looked around, I could only see Fizz and Mon, which made me curious about where others were. It was unusual for them to leave princesses in a place like this with just two guards.


    "On their way back, the two found the cause of animal death. They are currently investigating why, but they think that the water in the nearby pond is contaminated."


    If that were the case, then it would make sense why only the animals were dying.


    The demihumans in this region used wells as the water sources, while the animals used to rely on that pond.


    "That makes sense. Maybe I should go and check if I can do something about it."


    "I don''t think that would be necessary. You weren''t here then, but while they were investing, they found out that the water was slowly being purified in itself. Until it is purified completely, they decided to build a wall around it. They will probably be back anytime now," Princess Eliane replied.


    I understood most of what she said, but the question here was: ''How could the water purify itself?''


    While I was trying to figure out the reason, Flare answered my curiosity. "I think it''s because of the water spirit we save earlier. He probably made that pond his new home as it was nearby."

 164 4.26 Monster activities

    The ground was full of sand, so it was taking us a long time, but this was nothing unexpected at this point.


    Flare was soring up in the sky, watching at the surroundings to see if there was anything noteworthy. But according to her, the path ahead was surprisingly calm.


    She didn''t come across any villagers or travelers on the way, which was strange. But since travels were rare during this time of the year, that wasn''t much of a surprise.


    We stopped a few times whenever we came across a big enough tree which could include the whole carriage under its shade. Most of us were tired because of what happened during the night, so these breaks were necessary.


    On the way, I told Anna and Eliane about the hill and what happened there. They were listening to it carefully as if it was some sort of epic romance fairy tale.


    Anna was sitting next to me and leaning on my shoulder the entire day, which I didn''t mind. She would need to act like a princess once we reach the capital, so I thought I would just let her enjoy the travel for now.


    Markus, who was also with us in the carriage, was looking at us and grinning the whole day. I was certain that he was up to something. But who knows what could be going in his head since I didn''t bother to ask.


    The weather was a bit more pleasant as it was cloudy, but there was no sign of rain. Mild rain wouldn''t obstruct our journey, so we weren''t worried too much.


    Throughout the plains where we traveled, there weren''t any villages or bridges. It was just dry wasteland with tall grasses wherever that a little water.


    Even in this wasteland, we barely came across any animals. The most we saw were a few birds and some rabbits. A few deers could be seen far away, but we had no time to stay and hunt them.


    After a long day of the tiring journey, we finally arrived at the village we were hoping to reach. It was a bit late by the time the village came into sight. However, since we didn''t need to prepare camp and food, the little extra ride was worth it.


    We stopped outside the village and waited for Garo and his Squad to complete their reconnaissance. I was a little surprised when they came out of the village quicker than expected.


    Usually, they would talk with the village elder or chief and arrange things beforehand. If possible, they would also check the house we will be staying at and the food preparation there.


    Since they came early this time, they must have come across something unusual.


    They walked straight to our carriage and knocked on the door. "I think we will need to arrange our stay outside tonight."


    "Why? What happened?" Markus asked.


    "Did you come across any dead bodies? And were there any signs of the undead?"


    "We didn''t come across anything that suggested the presence of undead. However, there were some graves that looked freshly build, so we assume that around thirty people died during the attack."


    "WHAT!"


    There was a moment of silence since all of us were surprised by what happened. Princess Anna was barely holding her together, while Princess Eliane also looked somewhat disturbed by the news. As for Markus, he had a shocked reaction on his face.


    I was feeling a bit touched by the news as well. With so many of them dead, it''s no wonder that the villagers decided to abandon the village and migrate elsewhere.


    "So, what should we do for tonight?" I asked.


    The news was sad, but there was no point in standing stuck here. If we don''t secure a place to stay, we might end up having to face a herd of monsters ourselves.


    "Moster wolves move on packs, and they constantly keep on moving, so there shouldn''t be any immediate threat staying here. We would need to be extra-cautious, though."


    "Alright then, let''s stay here tonight. We will start our journey early tomorrow, so let''s arrange everything quickly and prepare to rest," Markus said.


    Even though the monster wolves were gone, there could be other threats lingering around. I realized it would be better to secure everything before going to bed tonight.


    [Flare, can you please look into the surrounding monsters and let us know if there is any threat.]


    [I am already on it, master.]


    After giving Flare instructions telepathically, we rode our carriage inside the small village.


    By the looks of things, it appeared as though the place had been recently emptied. It had probably happened just a week or so ago.


    The dead bodies were buried at the village center, which indicated that they had no intention of coming back and living here.


    To be honest, I wouldn''t suggest them to live here either. Considering the changing times, it was likely that the monster activities would increase, and this place was very close to danger.


    We stopped in front of the inn, where we had last stayed. It was completely vacant inside, so we had to carry our supplies from the carriage.


    Since there was nothing inside and the place was spacious, we could easily arrange a good-enough place to stay.


    Naturally, the Princesses and the two of us were arranged rooms, while Garo and his squad, along with Jackie, would sleep in the lounge.


    After preparing a place to sleep, it was time to make dinner. We all gathered around in the Louge while the knights started preparing dinner in the inn''s kitchen.


    Jackie was telling the tales of his travels to lighten the mood, so we were just listening. Right then, Flare contracted me telepathically.


    [Master, I have found a few monsters that might be a threat. They include a pack of wolves, predator birds, and monster boars. Do you want me to deal with them?]


    [Wait a while, I will join you in the hunt. I need to train myself and get stronger.]

 165 4.27 Monster activities - Part 2

    Sooner or later, it might start affecting the whole nation and then the world.


    "Then we went inside the cave. It was all dark and scary, but we held our ground and didn''t flinch against our enemy. You should have seen us go¡­"


    Jackie was telling his stories, and it felt bad to disturb him. However, I had to hunt and be back before dinner, so there was no time to waste.


    I stood up from my chair. "Guys, Flare and I will go and take a look at the surroundings. We will be back before dinner."


    "Can''t we go with you too?" Anna, who was sitting next to me, asked.


    "I think it will be best if I go by myself. It will be quicker that way."


    She looked a little disappointed, but she nodded.


    I was planning to fly there with Flare and cover as much ground as possible, so taking her with me was not an option.


    ''...although, I might need to do something to make her feel better later.''


    I looked towards Markus, who nodded in response. As expected of him, he probably realized what I was trying to do.


    I left my seat and walked out of the inn. As soon as I stepped out, Flare, who was soaring in the sky, came down and changed into her human form.


    "Master, it appears that the monsters are now capable of crossing the bridge. The pack of wolves I saw was on the other side of the river."


    "Alright, let''s pay them a visit."


    The two of us flew to the other side of the river and the deep forest from there. While we were going there, I saw a few monster birds soaring in the sky.


    I used wind slash to slay them by chopping their head off. These birds had thick fur, so they could naturally resist attacks. However, the region around their neck was weak.


    Monster meat was considered poisonous, so there was no point in expecting anything good to come out of them. On top of that, their skin was surprisingly sturdy, so their meat wasn''t probably that soft.


    After clearing the skies, we walked towards where the pack of wolves was. Unlike how I was expecting them to be, they were surprisingly large with a horn on their forehead. Their fur looked thick and sturdy, and their eyes were shining red. It was apparent by the size of their fangs and claws that they were vicious.


    There were eight wolves; two of them were comparatively bigger than the rest. They must be their parents of the other six.


    Charging at once at them was foolish since that would scare them. I had no intention of leaving a single one of them alive, and hunting them one by one after they separate would be time-consuming.


    "Flare, create a circle of flame around them."


    "Yes, master."


    She could perfectly control her flames, so there was no chance of forest fire. And now that wolves had nowhere to escape, I could focus on them.


    I was weak and naive, but after watching everything happen, the hesitation I felt while killing another living organism was gone. If they could hunt us without a care in the world, I could also pay them back equally.


    I fired a wind slash at one of the bigger wolves, but it''s fur resisted the attack. I was expecting this to happen, so I created several Fire Javelin and attacked all eight of them simultaneously.


    My aim was a little off, and only six of them got hit. However, since the outcome was above average, I wasn''t unsatisfied.


    "Arhhhh!"


    The wolves started barking and howling, but I had come prepared. There was no room for mercy to those that harm others who are living peacefully.


    I fired several mudballs at the remaining two wolves, but despite the hits, they could still stand. So, following that attack, I fired several fire slashes at them.


    The fire burned the fur and them along with it. Even though this didn''t fix the village that had already been destroyed, it felt somewhat satisfying.


    After the wolves were dead, Flare disabled the magic circle. I then used water magic to put out the fire caused by the attack earlier before it could spread.


    "Master, there are two monster boars nearby. Do you want to hunt them as well?"


    "Yes, where are they?"


    "Just a little bit further, but I recommend flying there."


    "Alright."


    The two of us flew a little further and came across the two massive monster boars. Their eyes were red like wolves, and they had fangs as big as an elephant''s.


    I realized trying to hunt them from the ground will be a waste of time, so I created two massive Fire Javelins. They were out in the open, so I didn''t need to worry about trees obstructing my aim.


    I fired the Javelin at them, and right as it pierced their skin, their whole body started burning.


    I waited there for a while and used the water magic to put out the fire that my spell caused. Since Flare didn''t mention there being any other monsters in the area, there were probably none left to hunt.


    "Let''s go back. I am tired because of everything that happened yesterday, so this was to assure no one disturbs our sleep."


    "This is a good way to seek assurance, master. Kindness is good, but it''s not appropriate to let it make you weak. Warriors throughout history have fought with dignity and pride, and that''s just for them. That''s the way they chose to leave, and that''s how it should be."


    "Thanks, Flare. After all these years, I realized that some don''t deserve kindness. I will deal with them appropriately moving ahead."


    Since we had handled all the immediate threats, the two of us flew back to the inn from there. Fortunately, we were right on time for dinner.

 166 4.28 Let us stay with you - Part 1

    Continuously traveling and fighting with little to no rest might sound cool to others. But those who go through that know how troublesome it can be.


    After I finished my dinner, I quickly rushed towards my room. The inn had several rooms, so arranging individual rooms for the four of us wasn''t a big deal.


    The room was smaller than what I was used to, with a double bed at the corner. In this world, transferring large furniture was a pain, so it was no surprise that they left it here.


    Even though there was nothing else in the room except that bed, in my state, it was the most amazing thing in the world. After dealing with all the potential threats, I had earned my sleep.


    I stretched myself since my body was a little cramped. This was not a habit, but I had heard that this would help with the fatigue, so I decided to try it.


    I then changed my clothes; I had bought a change of clothes along with other equipment necessary for the journey. It was just a simple pajama, which I rarely used to wear. However, since I was going to be King''s guest in his palace, these few minor things were necessary.


    Compared to our previous journeys, I was traveling as the duke''s messenger, and unfortunately¡ªthe hero who fought against archdemons this time. Because of that, I was allowed to carry as many things as I liked.


    However, since the whole city had been destroyed and there was barely anything left, I couldn''t carry much even though I wanted to.


    "Well, there is a lot to do tomorrow. But for today, I guess sleep is my justice."


    Right as I said justice, I remembered Flare was keeping guards outside. She didn''t require any sleep and loved watching stars in the night sky. This was why she liked staying on the roof during the nights.


    However, even though that was the case, I left the window open if she ever wanted to come inside.


    Now that I had nothing to worry about, I could sleep as much as I wanted. Or that is what I thought. However, the reality is rarely as planned.


    Right when I was about to fall asleep, I heard a knock on the door.


    The knock was soft, which meant that we were not under some sort of emergency. And since it was unusual for others to disturb me at these hours, that must mean it could either be princesses or Markus.


    Markus was under suspicion because I knew how curious nobles could be. They wouldn''t hesitate one bit to quell their thirst for knowledge. The way he was staring at me and grinning all day pointed towards that fact.


    After everything that happened back in the city and on this journey, there could be a lot of things that he could be curious about.


    "Nara, can we come in."


    "Give me a moment."


    I didn''t want to leave my bed, but it would be rude to just keep them on the door for long. I reluctantly left my bed and opened the door.


    "I hope we didn''t disturb you," Princess Eliane said with a smile.


    I was thinking about answering, ''maybe just a little bit.'' But then I realized it would make them feel bad, so I kept the thought to myself. It wasn''t just that; I also wanted to know their reasons for coming here this late.


    "Not at all. Please come in."


    Both of them were wearing nightgowns, but the designs of their clothes were drastically different.


    Princess Eliane''s dress was more on the sexy side and was displaying her curves perfectly. Her developed breasts caught my attention for a while, but I quickly averted my gaze towards Princess Anna.


    However, that didn''t go very well. Princess Anna looked so lovely in her pink gown that I was just one step away from cuddling her.


    The room had no furniture except my bed, so I let the two of them sit there while I just kept on standing. Since there was nothing, it was much harder to divert my concentration into something else.


    Every time I try to look somewhere else, my concentration would fall on them involuntarily. If this continued, keeping myself tamed was going to be hard.


    "...So, is there anything that you guys wanted to talk about."


    My eyes fell on princess Eliane''s chest as I was saying that. She noticed that, but she just smiled in response.


    "You know, we had been thinking¡­"


    It was unusual to see Princess Anna being shy like this. She was usually energetic and forward. She was the type who could speak her mind without any sort of fear or hesitation.


    She looked towards Princess Eliane, who sighed in response. Up to now, I was completely clueless about what was going on in their head.


    "She just wanted to say that the two of us would like to stay with you tonight."


    "But¡ª"


    I was going to say something and refuse, but before I could, Princess Anna jumped forward and hugged me.


    "Please let us stay with you. You have been so distant as of late. I just want to be close to you."


    "But we aren''t married¡­ and you guys are princesses, so that won''t be right."


    "Yes, but¡­"


    She was going to say something, but she stopped. However, the way she was hugging me even tighter made it apparent that she still had something in her mind.


    She felt warm all of a sudden, and I felt strangely attracted to her. Before I even realized it, I was hugging her back.


    "Alright, the two of you can stay here¡­ and if there is something in your mind, please don''t hesitate to tell me."


    Princess Eliane stood up and hugged me from behind. "Yes, and there are a few things that we want to talk to you about. We know you are tired, but once we reach the capital, we might not get the opportunity to."

 167 4.29 Let us stay with you - Part 2

    "Alright, let''s make this quick since we need to leave early tomorrow. What is that you want to talk about?"


    "It''s just that¡­"


    Anna was trying to say something, but she stopped before she could finish.


    I had no experience with women, so I had no way of knowing what they were thinking. Unlike those men that did, I would need the exact words to understand what they are feeling.


    This was the weakness I possessed, and not just me; this was a common weakness among the men from my previous world.


    "Anna, if you keep on putting it like a puzzle, I won''t be able to understand. Or, in the worst case, I might end up misunderstanding you. Calm down, and tell me what you are thinking."


    Anna tried taking long breaths to calm herself down, but that wasn''t working very well. She stepped back and sat on the bed, and so did Eliane.


    Since Anna wasn''t saying anything, I turned towards Eliane for an explanation.


    "What is it, Eliane?"


    "Well, Anna came here to express her feelings for you and tell you that she loves you¡­ however, that didn''t go as planned since she lost her confidence halfway."


    "Eliane!"¡ªShe looked down at her hands that she was holding tight¡ª"I was planning to do it myself, you know."


    "And like when? When you reach the palace and become the Princess again?"


    "But, but¡­ you love him too, right?"


    Eliane looked down with a slight smile.


    I was dumb when the matters were regarding the feeling and emotions of girls. But I was not that stupid to not understand what this meant.


    "...well, this is a surprise."


    "It is?!"¡ªPrincess Eliane looked at me in surprise¡ª"I thought you already knew."


    This just now made me feel like I was the densest idiot in the world. I felt a little sorry for them because they had to go through all this due to my insensitiveness.


    "So, what do you think, Nara? Who will you choose between the two of us?" Princess Anna asked after mustering all the courage she could.


    She looked so cute while saying that, that I felt like hugging her again. But then I realized Princess Eliane also looked somewhat anxious, so I calmed myself down.


    At the end of the day, it was I who needed to resolve this situation.


    "I-I am sure you will choose Eliane since she has big boobs. You like them, right?"


    "What do you mean? I am not into boobs¡ªI mean, I don''t dislike them or anything, but I don''t think I can make a choice here based on them."


    After I said that, Princess Eliane looked a bit sad. "Yeah, I knew you would choose her. She is cute and¡ª human, after all. To your eyes, I may not even look attractive."


    The way this conversation was going, I wouldn''t even get time to think things through. In my situation, choosing both seemed easier than selecting one of them. However, I was not sure if I would be able to support them with my income.


    Then again, since both of them were princesses of a nation, I don''t think they would need much support from me.


    "I can''t choose between the two of you. It''s either both or none. And right now, I don''t think I am ready for either of you, so we will need to wait until we are adults."


    Even though this was how I felt, I was sure this wasn''t something they would agree on.


    Polygamy wasn''t illegal and frequently observed in different societies, but it was rarely seen among royals. And even if it was legal, there were very few who were happy with multiple wives.


    No matter how close they might be, the fight would start between them sooner or later. When that happens, the husband would need to choose a side of one.


    I was sure the two were already aware of that. Both of them were amazing girls, and they both deserved to be happy. And with the way things are, I wasn''t even sure if I would be able to keep either of them happy, let alone both of them.


    Princess Anna looked towards Princess Eliane, who responded with a nod. She then turned towards me.


    "I think both of us will be happier with you than apart from you, so please accept both of us."


    That complicated the whole matter. If I were to stop worrying about the world and everything else right now, the choice was obvious. There were two amazing girls proposing to me, and if I were to deny something like this, no way in hell, I would find someone better.


    Different kinds of thoughts were coming to my mind, and for once, I had no idea what to do or what to even think.


    ''Dammit! I have to be a man here. Let''s see where it goes. I will have plenty of time to think about everything later. It''s not like I am going to get engaged to any of them anytime soon.''


    "Alright, I have decided. Since I love both of you the same, both of you can be my girlfriends."


    Both of them smiled and jumped at me from the front. After the second round of hugs, the whole room went into silence.


    That meant there was nothing more to talk about. Both of them looked happy, and for some reason, looking at them like that made me happy too.


    "So, are you guys going back to your rooms, or what? I am tired, you know."


    "Will it disturb you if we just stay with you here tonight."


    That was a difficult question to answer, and the straight answer would be ''yes.'' However, that was not the only issue.


    We were with a squad of knights here, and I was not related to the princesses in any manners. Even if I was, the rumors might start of them being impure or in some sort of illicit relationship. I wanted to avoid that as much as possible.


    "It won''t, but I think out of respect for everyone else, we shouldn''t stay together tonight. Also, the knights worked hard to prepare the rooms for it. It would be rude to let them go to waste."


    "Alright then¡­ However, before we leave, we want something from you," Princess Eliane said. It looked like she already knew our conversation was going to head this way.


    "We both want a kiss from you."


    My heart started beating heavily. I didn''t have much experience when it came to kissing anyone. However, there was a catch. Since the two of them didn''t have any experience either, they too wouldn''t be able to tell how it went.


    Princess Eline looked towards Princess Anna. "Since I am older than you, I will go first."


    "Alright. I will go after you."


    She looked a little shy, but I was surprised she agreed to it so easily. However, the problem was: ''How could they already decide without even asking if I approve it or not?''


    Before I could say anything, Princess Eliane came and stood in front of me. It was then that my thoughts stopped. All I could focus on was her.


    She looked beautiful, more beautiful than I ever deserved. When I looked into her eyes, she giggled. There was a hint of shyness in those eyes, but she was acting more confident than me.


    I caught her arms and pulled her closer. And when I wrapped my arms around her waist, I could feel her breasts touching me. They were soft and felt amazing; however, I had no time to be swayed by those.


    As soon as our eyes met, my concentration was completely diverted to those. And when our noses touched each other, my lips were already over hers.


    I wasn''t doing anything; my body was doing everything on its own. This was all happening reflexively, but it wasn''t like I wasn''t enjoying it.


    Her skin smelled like roses, and her lips tasted a little sweet. I could feel a warmth developing within me. I felt so attracted to her that I just wanted to keep her in my embrace the whole night.


    The fatigue I was feeling, the sleepiness in me was all gone. My mind went blank, and all I could feel was her lips and my heartbeat, which was as loud as the horse running in the horse track.


    It was like time was frozen, and I was so immersed that it took me a while to realize that I was running out of breath. I pulled my lips away from hers, and then our foreheads touched.


    We then looked at each other''s eyes for one last time before separating from each other.


    For once, I completely forgot Anna was even in the room. I couldn''t help but feel embarrassed when I saw her red face.


    It wasn''t much different for Eliane, who quickly rushed out of the room, saying, "sorry, please excuse me."

 168 4.30 Let us stay with you - Part 3

    Her cheeks were rosy red, and she seemed somewhat shy. That was understandable considering everything that just happened. I, myself, was feeling a bit embarrassed because of it.


    "Then should we wait a while before doing this? I don''t think it''s a good idea if you are feeling uncomfortable."


    "N-no. I want to do it, though. I can''t let her get ahead of me on this."


    There was no contest to try and get ahead here since I liked both the same. However, it would seem unfair if I were to accept the approaches of one while stopping another to wait for a better opportunity.


    She stood in front of me and closed her eyes. Her throat was probably dry since she was acting uncomfortable, but her approach was so damn cute. I was barely holding myself together.


    She looked so adorable that my hand moved on its own and pulled her into an embrace.


    This just proved that I had feelings for her all along.


    "Nara, you are holding me too tight."


    "I just want you to keep you close like this for a while. I guess I always wanted to, and I just realize that now."


    "D-do you really mean it?"


    I could feel her getting warmer. For some reason, there were tears on her cheeks. I loosened my hold of her, after which she started breathing heavily.


    "Sorry I shouldn''t have done that."


    "No, dummy. I was just happy. I was so happy that I don''t know why I started crying."


    She stood on the tip of her toes and brought her lips close to mine. He could feel the warmth of her body up close and the soft rise on her chest.


    She had her eyes closed, but by no means she looked less beautiful. In fact, she looked much cuter and adorable.


    There was an aromatic smell of oranges coming off of her skin, and her lips and nose looked so perfect from where I was watching them.


    When she raised herself to reach near my lips, I could see her fair thighs below her nightdress.


    For once, I felt the warmth develop inside my chest, but I couldn''t let myself loose here.


    As my lips touched her, her eyes opened wide. She looked surprised for once, but as she gazed into my eyes, the shyness her eyes carried a while ago returned.


    It looked like she was having a hard time standing on her toes, so I supported her by moving my hands slightly higher. As I did that, I could feel her breasts touching my chest even more clearly.


    The parting at this point was hard; I wanted to be even closer to her. However, I knew that progressing any further from her would ruin everything.


    Our relationship was just starting, so keeping it pure at this stage was for the best. Any advances from this point carried consequences moving ahead.


    As soon as our eyes met after the kiss, she looked away. "I-I will go now. Good night."


    After she left, I laid on my bed and thought about what just happened. All of a sudden, I was feeling sleepless now.


    The tiredness I was feeling a while ago came back, but the sleepiness was all gone. I was more active than ever.


    ----


    I woke up early the next morning. It''s not like I could sleep properly in the first place, but I was able to doze off here and there.


    My body felt worse than ever. It was as if all the energy in me was drained out. However, I couldn''t afford to slow everyone else down. Not when the task we were carrying out was of utmost importance.


    I walked to the inn''s bathroom and washed myself up. Naturally, since the water supply was cut off, I had to use magic to produce the water I needed.


    After I was done cleaning, I walked up to the guests'' waiting room.


    There, Jackie and Markus were busy discussing something. When they saw me come in, the two turned towards me.


    "Morning, Nara. Looks like you woke up early."


    Jackie was as loud as ever, and probably because of the lack of sleep, that sounded annoying.


    "Yeah, couldn''t sleep much. Although, you guys look active as ever."


    The two had stayed up due to the watch duty, but they looked energetic this early despite that.


    "Ooh, I must have forgotten to tell you about my herbal tea," Jackie said.


    He sounded awfully excited while mentioning that, which wasn''t weird. He used to talk about everything with excitement, no matter how worthless the thing was.


    I wanted to ignore him, but that was impossible at this point.


    "I don''t remember hearing about this herbal tea. What does it do?"


    "Ho-ho! I am sure you will love it. Let me prepare some for you."


    While I sat on my chair, he walked up to the kitchen and came out with a teacup. The tea in it was shining yellow, unlike anything I had ever seen.


    "Here, give this a sip. I am sure it will take all your fatigue away."


    ''Well, as long as it''s not poison, any warm drink is heaven right now.''


    I took the first ship, and it tasted somewhat weird. It had some nostalgic taste ¡ª a little hint of bitterness with the scent of mint. Since it had no sugar in it, I could taste the tea down to the smallest detail.


    "It''s unlike anything I have ever tasted before. Where can you even find this thing?"


    "Ha-ha-ha! I knew you would like it. Remember when I told you that we went close to a hill near the dragon valley, it goes naturally there and nowhere else."


    "Hmm¡­ interesting. Maybe I should try to get some when I travel through the eastern province."


    "I wouldn''t recommend that unless you want to fight a whole village of goblins. Anyways, let me tell you the most amazing thing about this tea."


    He paused and smiled as if he was revealing some sort of important mystery.


    "Initially, it''s like any normal tea you see, but when you pass mana through it, it changes color. With the change, its taste becomes even more profound, and it helps one relax."


    I wonder what this change could mean, but I couldn''t come up with anything. It was then that I decided to do a little experiment of my own.


    I channeled my mana into the teacup to see if it changes color, and in fact, it did. For me, the tea became as white as milk.


    When Jackie saw that happened, he looked surprised. "That''s strange. I have never seen anyone being able to change the tea into the milk before."


    I tried tasting it, and the aroma had changed drastically. It tasted stronger, almost not drinkable.


    "This is strange. I remember when my friends tried it, it turned into blue, red, or even black. But never once had I seen it turn white."


    "Could it be?"


    It looked like Garo was making guesses, so the two of us turned towards him.


    "Those sounds like the color of magical elements. Since your wind magic is dominant, it turns yellow. Let me give it a try."


    When Garo did the same thing, it turned Yellow again. As far as I could remember, his wind magic was dominant compared to other elements he could use.


    After a momentary silence, Garo spoke. "This is strange, though. In all these years, I have never seen anyone with white color as the color for magical aptitude."


    Jakie nodded. "Indeed."


    Well, the logic here was simple. It meant that the lightning element was dominant in me. However, now the question was: ''how?''


    I knew that I wasn''t going to find the answer now, so I focused on what I could try now.


    For some reason, I had never tried using it before, as I believed that lightning magic naturally didn''t exist among humans. However, what just happened made me feel like trying it once.


    I hadn''t done this before, but my control had gotten a lot better compared to the first time. Because of that, there shouldn''t be any problem doing it inside here.


    I closed my eyes and imagined electric sparks forming in my hands, and when I opened them, I could see the sparks within my palm.


    It was very unsteady and was trying to escape towards the nearest metal possible. I pulled the mana out before anything could happen.


    ''I may need a bit of training to master it. I can''t wait to try out its combinations.''


    I realized that I would be completely busy during this journey, but I was anxious to learn more about it. I decided that I would try it whenever I get some free time on the way.


    For now, I had to deal with the two that were staring at me in shock. Garo was the first to speak among the two.


    "Does this mean the history we know is wrong?"

 169 4.31 The Wine Lake - Part 1

    Even though the two had accepted the fact that I was usual, the surprise hadn''t left their face.


    "Yes, it''s hard to believe, and honestly, I would have treated it as a joke if I had just heard it. However, after seeing it myself, I have no choice but to accept it."


    Usually, people stared at me in this kind of situation and asked how I could do that, but the two simply accepted the fact. They probably realized that I was surprised like them as well.


    "Well, I am pretty unsure about the cause of my abilities myself. I just consider it a gift of god to me."


    Both of their faces became a little brighter after hearing my response. There was no point in dragging this conversation as it would reach no conclusive ending, so the best thing to do here was to focus on what''s important at the moment.


    "Anyway, shouldn''t we be preparing for the journey? We will only be able to reach the Wine lake if we head out early."


    Garo smiled widely. His nose became more distinct, which was the sign that he was proud of something he did.


    "We have already prepared everything. The early morning breakfast is ready in the kitchen as well. All we need to do is clean up and head out as soon as we can."


    His work was commendable and, in our situation, greatly helpful. If we head out in about an hour from now, we would be able to reach the Wine lake by the evening.


    However, the problem was the royal sleepyheads in our party. The knights were probably hesitating to wake them up due to the respect of the positions everyone held.


    "Let me wake the princess up then. The earlier we head out, the better."


    "No, please. That would be unnecessary"¡ªGaro stood from his chair¡ª"We did all this because we didn''t want to brother princesses by telling them to wake up early in the first place."


    "Oh, alright."


    I seriously didn''t know they had this deep resolve to keep the princesses happy. I rarely even saw them as princesses, even though I used their title before their name. I saw them no more than a really close friend.


    At this point, my feelings were complicated, and it might take me a while to sort things out. However, I never considered them more or less based on their family and household.


    At first, it was a little awkward, but later, as we became friends, they were no different than everyone else in our dorm.


    From there, the conversation went back to my use of lightning magic. They the two were high school nerds talking about some common interest. What''s surprising was how well the two used to get along.


    I just sat there and listened to their conversation while nodding occasionally. I was just waiting for others to arrive, and listening to their talks turned out to be a good way of passing the time.


    Princesses looked sleepy. It looked like they, too, weren''t able to sleep much last night.


    It was a little awkward today since whenever I looked at Anna, she would avert her gaze and stare at something else. On the contrary, Eliane just gave me a warm smile.


    We didn''t even greet each other properly and rushed for breakfast instead.


    ''It''s probably going to take us a while to be comfortable with these new developments.''


    During breakfast, they talked about how I could use lightning magic. The sock on the knight''s faces, especially Fizz, was priceless. On the other hand, princesses weren''t much surprised, but Markus was acting like a proud father who just discovered his child''s hidden talent.


    Due to this, the whole trip took longer than expected. Although, to me, it was barely interesting. In fact, it was so awkward to be there and hear them talk about me.


    After eating our breakfasts, we resumed our journey. Today we had a long way to go as we recently changed our plans one more time.


    Instead of going through the long way, we were now planning to travel diagonally.


    There was a rough road between the Forest of endless trees that led to the Great Southern desert. However, it just touched the desert as it would soon lead to the Wine Lake. The lake was just a little south-west from there.


    Flare was flying above us and acting as the scout throughout the journey. We didn''t need to worry about any wild animals and monsters coming in our way due to her.


    The forest was filled with wild animals, and even though monsters were inactive during the day, they would attack if provoked. Naturally, they considered one an enemy if they enter their territory like every territorial creature out there.


    We were traveling through the heart of the forest for most of the part of the day. It was the den of those monsters that were superior in the food chain in this forest.


    Flare telepathically mentioned the names of the creature she had to get rid of for our safe travel. By the time we reached the other side of the forest, the total number of monsters she had killed was 42.


    I wanted to hunt them myself, but my body needed some rest. Considering everything that was yet to come, it would be unwise to collect too much fatigue during this journey. However, that didn''t mean I would stop training myself. In fact, I was waiting for the perfect moment to train with lightning magic.


    From what I could tell, the moment will only come once we reach the Sonar district and rest properly. I was planning to sleep properly tonight and start training myself slowly again from the next one.


    After crossing the forest, we came across dry land. A little further from it was the Great Southern desert.


    It was already evening by the time we reached the desert. A cold wind had started blowing even though the sand was still a little warm. According to the map, this place was close to the ocean, so that was no surprise.


    We barely talked during the entire journey. I was embarrassed to start a topic, and the two didn''t do it themself.


    Princess Anna was probably embarrassed like me, and Princess Eliane probably didn''t do it since Markus was sitting there enjoying the view outside.


    We had no intention of taking a break in the desert since it was very risky.


    Desert was home to several massive monsters that loved hiding under the soil during the day. Monster Centipede and Monster ants were the best examples of these monsters.


    They were weak against Flame attacks, but they had claws that made it easy for them to dig. They could easily avoid the spell by going under the soil.


    Since the soil here was weak, they were probably capable of digging several meters in just a few seconds.


    If one were to go them without proper planning and understanding, they would just be playing whack a mole the whole day.


    Flare''s abilities were impressive, but she wasn''t invincible. She wasn''t capable of sensing movement too deep within the soil. And since these creatures lived many feet below the ground, trying to keep track of their presence was useless.


    However, since she could sense anything coming our way, we were safe. If anything dangerous came closer, she would notify me and wait for my response. And if the threats were too big, she would deal with them as she felt appropriate.


    There were other ways to assure that no creatures come closer as well. I decided to use one of those methods to ensure that nothing gets near us.


    [Flare, release your aura for a while. The monsters won''t dare to show themselves if they notice your presence. Instead, they might go deeper into their hole.]


    [Yes, master.]


    It could be called unnecessary precautions, but I didn''t want to be stuck in the desert because some insect appeared out of nowhere and destroyed a wheel of our carriage.


    The probability of that happening was low, but the low probability was still a probability.


    Due to the precautions we took, no attack happened during the two hours we walked close to the desert. After the two hours, we reached an area covered by tall green grasses and thorny bushes.


    There were few colorful flowers growing here and there, but it was hard to see very far in the moonlight. However, what we could see was remarkably beautiful nonetheless.


    After we traveled through the route in between the tall grass, we came across a lake.


    It was a large lake reflecting the moon and the stars so perfectly that just by looking at it once, the image of its beauty was forever saved in me.