《Some Energy, please》 -3 Encyclopedia of Parar ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ? Edition Lena ? Manuscript ? Published in 193 ? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ?Written and illustrated by scholar Claude Grim.? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ?The purpose of this encyclopedia is to list all the knowledge acquired to date in this world. To all adventurers who would like to dive into it, it is possible that you may learn things that could spoil your experience in this world. You have been warned.? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ? Dentelia: Great country of women and bastion of the feminist struggle of this world. The country is located north of the Pangea and is geographically favored by its many different landscapes, giving it access to many resources. However, this territory suffers from a slight lack of mineral resources. As for its climate, it is different depending on where you are on the globe, cold, temperate and tropical. This country was founded shortly after the collapse of the society of the former Pangea, due to racial repression by humanity and elves. Women of all races joined together to take up arms and stop this meaningless war. However, many women also shared the ambition and rage to stop the exploitation of women in wars as cannon fodder, or as a simple flesh doll. This is why, after the different refusal of men, women founded their own ideal worlds by leaving the rest of men still alive, alone.? ? Jerico: Country of men located in the South of Pangea. This territory has very important mineral resources and lives mainly from the iron trade with the 8 families and pirates of the Vagabond Islands. It is a country united under the yoke of a Republic, all the men of this country share more or less the same goals and ambitions. The climate of the country is quite linear, alternating between dry in the north and cold in the south. The country was founded after Dentelia because it took men time to recover from the damage caused by wars. They first settled in the middle of the Iron Mountains to protect themselves from possible attacks from Dentelia before gradually populating the southern lands. This migration over three centuries allowed people to build many cities.? ? Parar: This beautiful planet on which we all live, but that too many people forget the splendor. Our planet is organized from a simple and immense emerged land, Pangaea. This planet is a world of breathtaking landscapes; the abyssal pits of the Vagabond Ocean terrorize even the bravest sailors, the iron mountains rising to over 12,000 meters above sea level or the great plains of Elees that continue as far as the eye can see for hundreds of kilometers. According to the knowledge acquired to date, our planet is located in a 6-planet solar system with a yellow dwarf star. It has a rocky moon quite close to the planet and an asteroid orbiting at high speed around it.? -2 Old Grimoire on the Breed of this World ¡ª Human: ? Dentelian: Not a race strictly speaking, but like Jerico, they consider themselves as humans different from the others. ~Woman: Women are in the majority, so they have the right to more than men, despite previous laws. Most of them are in favor of men being more important in society, but they are afraid of the consequences that this could have. ~Men: Minority, men generally find themselves thinking like the women of this country, however, some may try, as in the past, to rebel. Most do as they are asked and simply work in the army, butchery or logging. ? Jerician: Not a race strictly speaking, but like Dentelia, they consider themselves as humans different from others. ~Man: Men are in the majority and lead the country with an iron fist, they have no desire to \"enslave\" women, but they think that women are more at ease in the \"professions\" they have been doing for hundreds of years: \"You can''t change human nature in such a short time. \"is their sentences. They do not oppress women in any way, but restrict them on certain things (sometimes for their own good). ~Woman: A minority, they most often work in luxury jobs, take care of children, or for the less fortunate, in brothels. They have a protective device and they have the right to kill to defend themselves (which is sometimes misused). ? Amazons: A large tribe of women who live with the support of the Goddess Sama, they live from everything and nothing and reap the divine energy through all possible forms. Once in their lives (minimum), these women must have sex with a man to harvest sexual energy and give life. If the woman does not get pregnant, she becomes a pariah and joins another subclan of the Amazons, use either as seamstresses or as cannon fodder on the battlefield. ? Demiozes: A large tribe of men who live with the support of the God Tam, they live by drawing energy from the mountains, forests, and animals that inhabit them. They are comparable to monks, they should not touch the sexual energy once in their lives, however, this is allowed if ever the man is suffering or has a heavy sexual need. ? Javean: This is the only mixed tribe of Pangea, their only resemblance is a seal on their bodies that seems to belong to an ancient deity, it would have appeared without reason and each person with this seal would have headed towards Jave, a small self-proclaimed state between the sacred lands and Jerico. ~Woman: Women usually become witches or summoners. They have a big place in this small society because they are the ones who conduct the ceremonies for the transition to adulthood, etc. ~Man: Men generally become magicians or scholars. Their places are a little less important than that of women, but they still do everything else, and they are the ones who do the most research on mutant species and elders. ¡ª Elf: ? Elf Sylvain: ? Elf Neifil: ? Dark Elf: ¡ª Dwarf: ? Dwarf Rochefort: ? Dwarf Benin : ¡ª Demon families: ? Common: Demon: Imp: ? Succubus/Incubus : Lilim: Fenm: Vil: ? Nightmare: Manticore: Chimera: ¡ª Undead: ? Lich: ? Vampire Ghoul: Zombie: ? Banshee: ¡ª Families of Beast Men: ? Werecat: ? Werewolf: ? Wererabbit: ? Weresheep : ? Werecow: ? Werebird: ? Werefish: ¡ª Exotic breed: ? Orc : ¡ª Semi-liquid: ? Slime : ? Mixed flesh: ¡ª Plant : ? Alraune : ? Dryade : ¡ª Magic material: ? Automaton: ? Golem : Stone: Wash: Precious stone: Wood: -1 Text of Laws ?¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T?LAW?¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T? ?¨T?¨T?¨T??New text relating to treating of men??¨T?¨T?¨T? ??From Keal 11 Sama 417?? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On behalf of the Dentelian people, Congress proclaims the law of the united nations of Dentelia, the following decree issued by the legislature on Keal 11 Sama of the year 417, in accordance with the proposal made by Congress on 2 Sama of the same month, communicated to the Tribunate on the same day. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ?¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T?DECREE?¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T? ART. 1 ? From El 1 Tam 419 onwards, the slavery of men will no longer be tolerated throughout the entire territory of Dentelia and will be severely punished. 2 ? On the same date, the camps reserved for men for their slavery will be abolished and/or destroyed and their men released and handed over to Elees'' army, which would take care of escorting them. ~ 2.1 ? The big camps will have two more months to prepare. 3 ? Verbal, physical and sexual violence against men will be punished more severely than before. ~ 3.1 ? Harassment, whether sexual or not, will first be punished with a fine, before becoming more severe depending on the frequency of the problems. ~ 3.2 ? Self-defense is allowed, however, if the cause of the violence is not legitimate the punishment will be the same. 4 ? Several professions reserved exclusively for men will be opened to facilitate their reintegration into society. 5 ? All women wishing to have sex must carry an identity card that they must present to the man in question. The woman will then write down the man''s name to make it easier to monitor births. 6 ? Marriages will be reinstated, however, from that moment, the woman will no longer be allowed to meet other men for sexual intercourse. ~ 6.1 ? The man will have to take the woman''s last name. ~ 6.2 ? Mixed marriages between two races are allowed, but only with the agreement of the families. 7 ? If a child born and he is a boy, he must be declared to the Town Hall within two weeks and must then be blessed by the water of the sacred river. ~ 7.1 ? If the couple is divorced and the child is a boy, custody of the child is vested in the father. 8 ? A boy born in the territory of Dentelia enjoys the same benefits as the women who live there, in addition to enjoys severe legal protection. ~ 8.1 ? However, all these laws do not apply to Jerico''s men, nor to the men of the 8 great families. ¨X¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨[ ¨d¨T? Additional laws ? [Added following the referendum of the Al 5 Mibi 427] ¨d¨T? 9 ? The inhabitants of the capital Elees and the metropolises: Jal and Usile voted to ensure that the flow of men moving and living in these cities is severely restricted. ¨d¨T? 10 ? Men must now be over the age of majority, that is mean, at least 17 years old to have sex with a woman. ¨^¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨a ¡ª Signed and approved by the city''s local elected representatives. [¡¤????¡¤] ¨T¡ö¨T [¡¤???¡¤] ¨T¡ö¨T [¡¤?????¡¤] ¨T¡ö¨T [¡¤????¡¤] ¨T¡ö¨T [¡¤????¡¤] ¡ª Signed by the representatives of the Congress and the Tribunate. And sealed with the seal of the state. ¡ª Seen by the representatives of the 8 great families. 2 Balam Hector was dizzy and he was beginning to see blurred. His throat wound may not have killed him, but he was suffering from the effects of lack of blood. The cut on his neck was not really deep, but it was enough to reach the carotid artery, however, if the young man who originally owned this body had tried to stop the bleeding, he could have survived and not given his body to Hector. But according to observations of Hector, the original host of this body must have been pushed hard against the wall, which knocked him out, preventing him from doing anything to save his life. It was with a thought for this young man that Hector tore one of the sleeves of the shirt he was wearing to wrap it around his neck and make a compress. He had decided not to speak again until his wound healed, the last time he tried to say a word to thank his old friends and the world he had arrived in, he started coughing blood and his throat bleeding only got bigger. For the time being, he was not to move, he had above all: regain his strength; in view of the blood on the ground and on him, he had lost almost a liter of this fantastic red liquid. Knowing that to fully recover from a blood sample of only 400 milliliters, it takes a minimum of one month, he would probably need twice as much to fully recover from his injury. Bone marrow does not produce liters of blood per minute after all. His first reflex after having finished protecting himself was to look up to the skies, he saw a heavenly vault of incredible splendor, devoid of clouds, whose stars shone almost twice as brightly as the one on Earth; the first rays of the sun of this world began to appear in the sky, leaving the soothing glow of the dawn comfort Hector in his solitude. His second reflex was to listen to the surrounding ambient noises; he could not see anything from where he was. His body was leaning against a house on the edge of the forest, showing that the original host of his body had tried to escape from someone or something. The sounds that populated the village in which he was, were those of the embers still warm and the wind that crept between the walls of the house. He could also feel that something was wrong, the smell of fire, a fire that had gone out, but which, until a few hours ago, was ravaging the village with its burning bite. An accident? No, it was too stupid to think of that, the original host had his throat cut. A deliberate attack on the village? Maybe. Since he arrived, he hadn''t seen anyone, showing Hector that the people who had done this had not done it in order to loot, as the groups of survivors in his home world could do. He had been helplessly present at several of these plunders and had learned over time that you can''t rob an entire village in one or two hours, you need more time. Unless we know exactly what we''re looking for and where to find it. If Hector started from the three principles he had learned in his short life, it would be like this: ¡ª Plundering in search of something, for wealth, for survival, to steal an important object, a weapon, etc. ¡ª A deliberate attack to convey a message, to warn, to show that they are threatening and that they have a strike force in order to put pressure on someone or something. ¡ª Or: revenge, which was for Hector, the most human answer to his question. However, he couldn''t affirm anything yet, although he can theorize, he won''t have any answers to his questions- [In my opinion, young man, you think too much.] Hector gave a little cry of surprise that made him cough. A masculine and frightening voice from nowhere and everywhere had resonated around him, or perhaps just in his head. He didn''t know. [Calm down, I''ll explain everything, but stay calm, really. You''ll bleed again if you don''t calm down when your body had astonishingly succeeded in starting to heal. Which is surprising, but the host of this body doesn''t seem completely human.] The voice paused for a short while before resuming, as if it was watching for Hector''s reactions. [Just think and I''ll answer you, it''s as simple as that, don''t bother using your tongue.] [Like that?] asked Hector in thinking, after that he had listened to the words of the voice. [That''s it. It''s as simple as that.] replied the being with a hoarse voice. [Sorry about my voice, but there''s nothing I can do about it.] [You''re one of these demons Noah told me about when I was in trance?] [Noah...? This old man is still alive? Anyway¡­] he continued with a thoughtful tone. [Yes, I am a demon, you''ve got some sense, kid.] [Please, no: kid, between us. Hector, that''s my first name. And you?] [All right¡­] replied the demon. [Former angelic members of the Dominions, Fallen Angel, one of the great kings of hell: Balam.] 3 Dentelia Hector closed his eyes to think. Talking to a demon by telepathy in a village destroyed by the flames, while his throat has been cut was... a little bit strange and disrupting, but he didn''t bother to pinch himself to try to wake up, everything was far too real like is wound, for example. He opened his eyes and stared at the sky whose stars were beginning to fade away. Only a big star seemed to continue to shine, like a ray of hope in the great black expanse of the sky. [Nice to meet you, Balam.] [Nice to meet you, young man.] replied the demon in a conciliatory tone. [Well, we can say that the original host of this body suffered a lot before he died.] [Because of the wound, I presume.] [You didn''t notice it because the body of the original host regenerates much faster than the average, but you''re covered in bruises, your left shoulder is dislocated and, of course, your throat is slit.] [Wow, nice.] Hector continued with a sarcastic tone. While trying to lift his shirt with his left arm, Hector noticed that he could not make a big movement, but he had almost no pain. There were bruises under his clothes, more or less large, that stained his body with a bluish color. [He was beaten up before he managed to escape with a last hope, but someone managed to catch him and left him dead, just right here.] said Balam calmly. [OK, but Balam, how do you know that?] asked Hector while coughing up some blood. [Aaah¡­ Noah told you, demons are the only remaining entities that can cross the dimensions.] he explained, taking his time. [In other words, I had to pass the dimension first to allow you to come with me. So I am the one who inherited the memories of the original host of this body: Krein Weiler, a young man from a low noble family.] [I see¡­ I could have understood it myself, but I don''t have a right mind¡­ sorry¡­] apologized Hector as he was attacked by a violent headache. [After losing so much blood, it''s no wonder, don''t worry.] replied Balam, whereas Hector had thought he saw a dark, translucent mass pass right in front of him as if the demon walk. In the distance, a cloud of birds flew away like a gentle wave. There had been no sound for several minutes, neither the sound of embers nor the sound of wind disturbed the man and the demon who was talking. Only the rare hooting of the owls still awake added a subtle touch of strangeness to this silence, which was only animated by a discussion between two beings from another world. [I''m going to ask another question.] said Hector while waiting for Balam''s approval. [You told me I''ll regenerate faster than average, what do you mean by that?] [It seems to me that Krein Weiler was born of a mixed marriage between two different races of this world, his mother seems to me to be a distant descendant of demons, for his father, I have no idea, he looks like a human, but he obviously isn''t one. But I can also say that these parents were also born of a mixed marriage.] he said quickly. [The energy signature of this body is far too strange to come from a simple mixture between two races¡­ if I had to do an analysis, I would say there are at least 5 different races in your blood.] [At least 5¡­ it could mean there could be more?] [Yes.] Hector laughed a little bit about what his family might look like, but he stopped very quickly after he started coughing blood again. Hector and Balam had a discussion about the world he found himself in as the sun began to rise. The original host, Krein, was part of a family of 4 brothers and sisters and was the son of Davis and Helena Weiler, baron and baroness leading to the village of Vaine with a masterful hand, which was and still is, the meeting point of all itinerant traders, by its strategic location. As a result, the city has several large secure banks, many inns, hotels for the richest, relaxation areas with billiards, hot baths and even a brothel; at the back of the city, the Weiler family''s small mansion was proudly enthroned. It was surprisingly small for a family of this renown, but it was nevertheless shining by its architecture and its many flowers that colored the gray stones of its walls. Orchids, tulips, wisteria, hyacinth populated the various gardens around the manor and throughout the city. Helena, Hector''s new mother, had spent years structuring these flower beds. Trained as a florist, she knew the effects of all plants, even the magic one. She had put them all over the place: the Gal¨¦ias, flowers with such soothing capacities that they are capable of calming the craziest of men. But that did not prevent these flower beds from being trampled on during that night without an ounce of pity. Having inherited Krein''s memories, Hector could feel a kind of anger in Balam''s voice, as if the personality of the original host mixed with the demon. [Hey, are you all right?] Hector asked, scratching his head. [Yes¡­ yes, it''s just... that destroying a person''s ambitions and dreams in this way is just despicable. It disgusts me.] he replied, blowing. [Let''s resume¡­ The world we''re in is quite strange¡­ let me explain.] This world, called Parar was governed by different forces. First, the 8 great families holding more than 40% of the world''s wealth were trying to control the two big countries of this world. However, these two great countries: Jerico and Dentelia, who do not let themselves manipulated by 8 families and want to be alone to lead, are in confrontation with the 8 great families. Moreover, following a feminist revolution that shook the Pangea of this world almost four centuries ago, the Pangea broke into two pieces: Jerico, a country populated approximately by 80% of men, and Dentelia, a country composed of more than 90% of women, are constantly at war in the name of ideological conflicts and for parts of territory considered sacred. The 8 great families were the only ones to override this childish battle of the sexes. Their staff were mixed and made up of different races, which is quite rare. At the time, humans have almost wiped out the entirety of other races from the Pangea under discriminatory and politically incorrect principles. It was the feminist revolution that put an end to this oppression, but it did not help. However, it saved the lives of the rest of the other races; most of the survivors were women, the men had died a lot on the battlefields. This created a big problem for the survival of different races. Not enough births, not enough people to satisfy their needs, this has created a huge imbalance in the world. And now, the two countries, after having found a more or less appreciable solution, decided to enter into political and economic warfare. Where Dentelia wants total gender equality, even female domination and access to the Sacred Lands; Jerico wants the restoration of Pangea and the establishment of different exploitation on the Sacred Lands. As for the 8 great families, they struggle to revive the ancient kingdoms of this world, such as the kingdom of the Elves or the kingdom of the demons that ruled the world in the past. Hector was quite amused by the situation of this world, but he preferred to keep this reflection to himself. [We¡­ we''re on which side of the map?] asked curiously Hector. [On Dentelia''s side.] asserted the demon with conviction. 4 A Strange First Encounter Dentelia. That word gave Hector adrenaline. He knew what it meant: he was going to see and meet 50 times more women than in his old life. All this was for him like another reality, he was moving from a desolate and cold world to a world plagued by conflicts over people''s genders. It seemed so childish and meaningless to him that it gave him another headache. From where it comes, conflicts came from lack of food or for medical equipment. Dentelia, a country with 90% of women... It reminded Hector of something bad. It was sad to say that, but in his world, women were a rare \"commodity\" for which small groups fought each other with flame throwers. As his memories came to his mind, he blew with exasperation and tried to get up after sitting on the ground for several hours. [Take it easy.] Balam ordered. [When I told you that you seem to have recovered slightly, it''s really slightly. Don''t kill yourself by walking, that would be stupid.] [Thank you for the advice, really really helpful.] he replied by taking support on the wall of the house to start walking. [Looks like I can at least stand up... and walk a little.] [Hector.] said the demon in a cold, calm voice. [Yes?] Hector immediately felt that Balam wanted to talk to him about something serious; he swallowed his saliva and turned to where he thought he saw a dark, translucent mass. [I want to talk to you about something, but coming from a demon maybe my words will sound like lies to your ears... but I promise you my words won''t be lies.] [Don''t be a pussy and just go ahead.] replied Hector with apprehension. [Dont be a...] began the demon with an annoyed voice. [Aaaah... We can both change this world, whether, for good or evil, I leave you the choice. You could lead a much better life than you have before and be happy as you have never been before, you could be rich, have a great charisma, be able to change destiny and maybe even come back to your Old World to see Noah and Ana one last time, if you feel the urge.] [Huh? See them again? That a lie, isn''t it? From what you explained to me, once a dimension is crossed, it''s complicated even for demons to go back.] [Yes, that''s what I told you. It''s complicated to go back even for demons, but if you ever find me a body and enough creative energy, I could succeed with your help in creating a portal to bring your old comrades back into this world. I promise.] The young man put his hand in front of his mouth and leaned his head. It all seemed easier than he thought it would be. Lie or not, all this was suspicious, but he decided to give the demon a chance, who seemed to have had trouble finding his words. [It seems too easy to me... what do you mean by creative energy?] [Creative energy is the energy that gives birth, in other words, it''s sexual energy. And think again, it''s not easy; to create a body based on sexual energy, it''s not the energy of a single sexual act that I need. You want more information ?] [Oh yes, go ahead, that excite me.] sneered Hector in order to make the demon uncomfortable. [...Well... The sexual energy is in a way the sperm. Simply put, a soul contains a lot of different strength, but nothing in the world contains souls in a malleable state, nothing but semen, every little living being inside contains a soul. And there are millions of them, which is why it''s probably the most energetic thing in the world.] [If I knew I was a soul factory I would have sold some to the devil, maybe my life would have been better.] [Stop you fucking irony... Fucking human... why I had to do that...] [Because you want a body?] asked Hector with a little smirk. [Well, well, I stop. So, you told me before, that it doesn''t take just one sexual act to get enough sexual energy, so it would take about how many?] [Erh... A lot.] [Which means...?] [Hmm... Well... A lot. More than 200... maybe 300... or even 400 or more sexual acts, depending on the quantity and quality of the creative energy you manage to create! B-but I could be wrong ! It depends of course on the woman you would do this with, on what she does to please you. And if she has feelings for you, it can alter the results, but there is also the way you give pleasure to the woman that matters a lot. The more you do for a woman, the better.] Balam explained without taking a break. [Here, I could explain all this to you in depth later... I also have access to knowledge that no one else will be able to give you and if you accept, I''ll tell you about the other two demons who bonded with you by dying during your Transfer-] [Stop those explanations, my brain gonna explode. I accept... I accept.] said Hector with an embarrassed smile. The demon stopped talking for a moment, as if he was trying to hide his joy, before letting go of a long sigh of relief. The demon''s reactions were currently reminiscent of a five-year-old child''s, which caused Hector to laugh. The sun had been rising for some time and it was after hearing the first songs of the birds that Hector decided to walk towards the village center using the walls of the houses. The poor building was mostly charred, their foundations only remnants of the flame passage, others had been more or less spared, with only the wooden frame that had collapsed or even, sometimes, just a few broken windows. Of course, there were buildings unharmed, but Hector could not take his gaze off the ones that were destroyed. Among them, inns had been ransacked, a bank had been robbed of its money, some coins on the ground, covered with a thin layer of ash. In some places there were soldier bodies lying on the ground for eternal sleep, their faces pale, their eyes empty; one of them held a drawing of great precision. He and his family could easily be recognized in the drawing: a wife, a son and a daughter. Hector hesitated for a moment to take the picture and give it to the family of this soldier, but he simply closed his eyes. He continued to move forward towards the center of the city, hoping to find someone well-meaning, but even in the middle of the village, there was no one there. [It''s empty...] [If I were you, I would be on my guard, I detect movement on the left path, coming from the forest. A large group, probably on horseback.] analyzed Balam, urging Hector to hide. The young man made no more noise. He had to be careful and anticipate his every move, he couldn''t talk, so negotiating was impossible, he couldn''t run, so running away wasn''t even an option. In other words, he had to rely on Balam and his own will to survive if he wanted to get out of this situation. A swarm of birds flew away near the edge of the village before Hector heard many hoof sounds. His muscles contracted under the adrenaline and it was the knot in his stomach that he walked along the houses to try to observe the group of people while trying not to be seen. It was a squadron mainly made up of women as might be expected, however, some men were present among the knight''s group. Most of them were human, but there seemed to be a few other races that made up the squadron. They all have badges on their chest, one of which was bigger than the others. The badge of Dentelia''s army: a flower of Lily. Several of them had got off their horses to inspect the bodies of the few soldiers who were lying on the ground. [They''re on our side, you can go.] Balam said in a reassuring voice. Hector did so and advanced towards the knight''s group along the wall, as he was having more and more difficulty walking. Several of these riders were guarding beside the one who was inspecting the area; this was the case of a Dark Elf with yellow eyes and white hair with a ponytail who, after seeing Hector, ran towards him with a determined look and tackled him on the ground on his stomach, without a shred of hesitation. The young man instantly coughed blood and for a moment the pain made him think he was going to pass out. \"I have found an individual!\" shouted the dark elf after making an arm key to Hector who had no strength to resist. Many of the knights came to see what was happening. A woman in her thirties came to take a closer look at Hector, who was having trouble breathing. Her clothing and armor were different from the other members of the squadron. She quickly observed the young man before staring at the elf with an annoyed look. \"Selena.\" began the woman. \"I''ve already told you to be more careful, this slit-throat brat... I don''t know how he survives with this wound, but if you keep twisting his arm and stopping him from breathing, he''ll probably die.\" she explained in a jaded tone while staring with at Hector with a disturbing look. \"Y-Yes... excuse me. I rushed without thinking...] replied the dark elf, lowering her head to show her approval to her superior. \"Excuse me for my harshness.\" she told Hector by helping him to get up. The elf''s chief began to circle around putting her hand on her chin; her blue eyes, whose dark circles distorted her face, were half closed as if she was ready to fall asleep at any moment. \"Aaaah... fuck... I have a lack of sleep...\" she grumbled with anger. \"Gregory!!!!! Argh-\" she shouted, half choking by her own saliva. \"Shit...\" Everyone was surprised by the cry of their leader, some of the riders had startled, while others had given a little cry. Hector standing against a wall and threatened by a sword held by Selena, the dark elf, was watching the show, amused. \"Um... Yes, Captain?\" asked a man with a well-trimmed beard, and whose equipment was slightly different from the others; he had just left one of the houses he was inspecting. \"I need you for something, Gregory...\" \"Uh... what...?\" asked the soldier with apprehension. \"This brat, his face looks familiar, but it''s impossible for me to find his name! Not even his last name!\" she stopped a moment for breathing. \"Krane? Claine? I don''t know, I don''t know anymore. Help me. I''m going to go crazy.\" \"Yes, I see that...\" Gregory replied, staring at his superior with a worried look. \"First of all, start by breathing, it''s an idea.\" The man walked up to Hector, stared at the young man for a moment and after realizing who was in front of him, his face first expressed a shock, then a joy. [Gregoire Saranel, a friend of your father''s, don''t forget that you''re not Hector, but Krein.] alerted Balam with anxiety. \"The few soldiers who survived the attack told me that they saw you beaten up... everyone thinks you died in the capital... Ah! Yes. Your whole family is safe and some of the inhabitants have managed to escape.\" he took a short break where a warm smile appeared on his face. \"I can''t wait to see your mother''s reaction when she sees you again.\" he said in an amused tone, forcing Selena to lower her sword. 5 A First Night With Someone Hector was riding Selena''s horse. He was clinging to the dark elf''s hips in the hope that he would not fall because of his lack of strength; the rider sitting just in front of him was holding the horse''s reins firmly. The dark elf was disturbed by the young man''s hands. She was used to only minimal physical contact, such as handshakes and now someone was doing to her a kind of massage of her hips. From time to time she turned her face towards Hector, hoping that he would understand what she wanted, but it was a waste of time. Hector was half out stunned since he was tackled on the ground. And the elf knew very well that it was her fault; moreover, she was in great danger. If the Weiler family ever learned that she had almost killed one of their sons who were already dying, she would certainly be dismissed from the army and most likely enslaved like the other members of her race. She had to be as lenient and considerate as possible towards Hector, or rather from her point of view, towards Krein, who had the sad reputation of being a resentful and sharp boy. \"Hum...\" Selena began by trying to find her words. \"Young master...? Do you feel a little better? I solemnly apologize for my actions.\" \"Uuuh¡­ Young what ?\" began Hector while his vocal cords were still having trouble functioning. [You heard her right. Don''t forget that you''re supposed to be a nobleman.] Balam whispered. \"Yes, I''m better, don''t worry more.\" adds Hector, trying to be as natural as possible. \"I also thank you for sewing my throat and changing the bandages, I don''t think anyone other than you have had the guts to do such a gross thing.\" \"Y-you''re welcome¡­ If your pains ever come back, I can prepare a new mixture of plants to soothe them down.\" she said with a tense smile. \"It''s all right, I''ve already delayed you long enough¡­\" replied Hector, who seemed to have more and more ease to talk. \"Selena, right?\" \"Yes, young master.\" \"No.\" \"What is it ?\" \"Hum... please, don''t call me like that¡­ just call me Hect-\" he stopped immediately what he was going to say and changed his mind. \"I know that what I do with my hands makes you uncomfortable. I apologize, but if I don''t do this, I think, weak as I am for the moment, I risk falling off the horse.\" \"It doesn''t matter.\" she concludes by lying to herself. Selena tried to do her best to stop thinking and focused on the road to get to go to the military camp that was cutting the road to the capital in two pieces. The evening before, when the first survivors from the village of Vaine arrived, the Lyre squadron was fortunately present in the same camp after a day of investigation into the actions of one of the 8 great families. They were the first to learn that an attack had taken place on the Weiler family''s town. The squadron tried to extract information from the survivors, but none of them seemed to know whether it was an attack by Jericho or an attack by one of the great families. For her first mission as an army soldier and part of the elite, Selena was very anxious, but when she arrived on the scene, she could only see the result left by the edge of the sword. She knew very well that it would now become part of her daily life, but as a dark elf, she had to prove that she was ready to sacrifice everything, even her feelings; and it was by wanting to do things right, hoping to give a good first impression that she rushed towards Hector. Selena remembered her mistake again and hid her face with one of her hands, in shame. \"I don''t blame you. Wanted to do the right thing isn''t a punishable act, even if you were wrong in your judgment. And then, for a new recruit, it''s normal to make mistakes¡­ but I have to admit, our first meeting hurt me enough.\" he tried to reassure her by using the information he had learned from Balam. Selena simply nodded and made sure that no one saw her face. It is after several minutes that the elf finally calms down before giving a canteen filled with water to the young man. By swallowing a few sips of water, he could taste and smell the blood still present in his esophagus slowly disappears. He was finally able to breathe healthy air again and not pollute by the pungent smell of hemoglobin; he thanked the elf with a pat on the shoulder. She gave him a smile before drinking in turn. It was after three hours of a long journey that the squadron arrived at the military camp, it was a larger complex than expected. It looked more like a hamlet than an army facility. There was no tent, but small straw houses were divided into blocks to differentiate groups if several squadrons were present on the scene. After lighting a fire as dusk invaded the sky, allowing its wonderful stars to reappear, the squadron captain stood up and spoke to her thirty soldiers. \"We are only staying here for a night, the village inspection took us too long for just a little few results. After what happened, continuing the night drive is too risky. In addition, we need to bring the wounded back to the capital, but preferably alive, I was told it was better. So we take a break here to treat and feed everyone¡­ and we have this kid.\" she said, pointing to Hector, as everyone turned towards him. \"He''s a priority wounded man. If he dies, I''m still the one who''s going to get yelled at, so please avoid me this pain, I''m already having enough trouble getting sleep.\" \"Captain, I know his father and mother, he may be more comfortable by my side, would you like me to take care of Krein?\" Gregory asked as he walked towards his superior. \"Huh? Uh¡­\" she continued as she began to fall asleep standing up. \"N-no¡­ no¡­ Selena will take care of him, after all, she is the one who¡­ believed that Krein was a piece of meat, so we can give her the privilege of looking after this rich kid just for tonight-\" she explained as her body crashed to the ground like a rag doll. \"The captain collapsed!\" exclaimed one of the riders. \"My god... this woman...\" Gregory whispered as he scratched his head. \"Carry her to one of the houses, she needs sleep, she probably hasn''t slept for several days.\" he ordered; the man seemed to be the second-highest-ranking member of the group and after having opened his military clothes a little bit, he turned to Selena. \"Take him to one of the huts, I allow you to use your magic to heal him.\" \"Huh?! But! If the others see me, I''m going to have trouble¡­\" \"That''s not going to happen. Because you''re going to be discreet.\" Gregory said with great seriousness. \"The magic of the elves. That''s the main reason why the captain and I decided to recruit you. Average score, average abilities, but a formidable female elf able to heal quickly from serious injuries and those with her own energy. This is the first step if you want your race to be accepted again in this world.\" he whispered to Selena with a serious look. \"I''m sorry to tell you this, but if you can''t do that, you have no reason to be part of the army''s elite.\" Selena didn''t add a word and stared at her supervisor while trying to stay proud. After about ten seconds, she finally asked Hector - who was a little embarrassed by the situation - to follow her and headed for the huts. Even Balam had not said a word for a while, feeling that the atmosphere of the place was not conducive to conversation. The elf blew with a saddened look on her face and come inside one of the small straw huts, inviting the young man to come in. The place was simply furnished with four rudimentary beds slightly raised from the ground; Hector settled on one of them while Selena lit an oil lamp. \"He was unnecessarily acerbic with you.\" he declared to Selena with a gentle tone. \"Ah¡­ Don''t worry about it, the people of my breed are used to it, including me. Anyway, you must have learned at school about the atrocities my ancestors are doing.\" she explained with a little smile. \"Yes, a childish grudge from a distant past.\" \"I suppose¡­ But it''s also normal that Major Saranel is worried about you, he knows you personally and on top of that, you are the son of a baron. Your life is very valuable.\" she said as she pulled out a little penknife from her waist bell. Hector opened his mouth and hesitated to say something. After a quick thought and discussion with Balam, he looked at the young elf straight in the eyes and articulated words he didn''t think he would say so soon on his journey. \"If I told you there was nothing left to save, would you believe me?\" \"Uh¡­ What do you mean?\" she asked as she was about to make a cut on the tip of her index finger. \"Krein is dead.\" he approached the elf and look her in the eyes. \"Krein is dead, the one you''re looking at is called Hector, okay?\" he continued, hoping not to have to use Balam''s magic to control her. \"I''m a whole other person¡­ it takes me a lot of courage to tell you that, so I''d like you not to tell anyone right now.\" Hector finally breathed a sigh of relief. \"Thank you for listening to me¡­ I have the need to confess that to someone¡­ I feel guilty for stealing someone''s life in this way.\" he ends with sincerity. Selena didn''t answer right away. She had heard everything perfectly, but the hand the young man had placed on her cheek had captured almost all her attention. Her dark skin blushes slightly, but it was difficult to see this with the lack of light in the hut. After realizing what Hector was talking about, she detached her hair before putting it back in a ponytail and cleared her throat. \"If I believe you, what do you give to me?\" \"All my consideration and who knows, maybe I could even use the money the former body host had to help you and get you out of all your problems. It doesn''t seem to be easy for you.\" \"I''ll gonna think about it¡­\" she replied with a look lost in the vagueness. \"After all, there have been some cases of similar reincarnation in the past¡­\" she replied in a disturbed voice, at the same time she had made to herself a small cut on her index finger. \"Open your mouth, my magic requires a connection through the blood to work properly... Erh... Don''t worry, my blood is clean.\" The young man did as he was told and after swallowing the drop of blood. The dark elf removed the bandage around his neck and put her hand at the stitches. A red aura spread to the palm of her hand; some kind of pieces of flesh came out of Selena''s hand and flew gently towards the young man''s throat before landing on the wound. The process took about ten minutes and had obviously exhausted Selena''s by stole all of her remaining energy, as she collapsed into one of the beds a few seconds later. Hector was amused by one thing. She who had a strict face and honorable behavior snored like a 50-year-old man after a bender of vodka. This fact also amused the demon who made his first entry in a long time. [Once her guard is down, she shows us the true her, haha!] [I guess you could say that''s part of her charm.] Hector replied ironically, with a little smile. [Ahahah, I guess.] answered the demon by starting to take a more serious tone. [I thought you might need my magic, but obviously, you pleased her. She seems to have believed your word. It may be due to Gremory and Zepar¡­] he theorized just before Hector asked him who these two people were. [These are the two other demons who fought to try to cross the dimension with you. Gremory was killed very quickly by Zepar, I blame myself for not being able to protect her... as for me, I won, but only by chance¡­] he paused and resumed. [Gremory and Zepar were two demons who ruled love and sexuality: Gremory allowed men who believed in her to make women of all ages, but mainly young women fall in love with men. As for Zepar¡­ he was one of the most disturbed of us¡­ he pushed men to infamous desires and made women fall in desire before making them sterile.] [I¡­ see¡­ a man of culture, I suppose...] Hector muttered. [So, you mean to tell me that my soul has mixed with these two demons¡­ and I have taken some of their powers? So, it''s because of that, I influenced Selena more easily?] [Right. In short, your body is a mixture between several races and your soul is also a mixture between two different races... You''re kind of like a pancake batter.] [What the fuck is this comparison?] asked the young man, looking up. [It was a good image for me... Forget it. You just should take advantage of it, it would be a waste if you didn''t.] An idea crossed the reincarnated man''s mind, but he preferred not to think about it for the time being. It was time to sleep, even if her neighbor''s snoring would probably prevent him from getting any sleep. He stared one last time at the dark, translucent mass that seemed to be sitting on one of the beds, thanked him for his help and closed his eyes. Thus began the very first night of a boy whose life was about to change. 6 The Capital The squadron had already prepared everything to go for the capital as soon as dawn broke; the group captain had come to wake Selena with cold water collected from a stream. The poor elf had clearly not recovered enough energy during the night; her eyes were red and her hands were shaking more clumsy than usual. Hector didn''t think her magic would make her so amorphous, if he had known, he would have stopped her. This was for two reasons, the first because she was not going to be effective at her job; the second: because she snorted all night, keeping him awake. He had tried to change huts, but the riders on night duty had asked him to stay in the one assigned to him. In other words, Selena and Hector both had corpse heads, which had earned them some nice mockery from the other riders. Instead of getting upset, Hector preferred to laugh about it, but the elf, who seemed not to be a morning person, did not. \"Come on, don''t pout, just laugh a little.\" Hector laughed at Selena with other members of the squadron. \"It''s your fault that I''m in this state... if I didn''t have to heal your wound, I would be-\" \"Yes, maybe, but you treated me and I owe you. There''s nothing wrong with that, is there?\" he said, pointing to his neck from which the stitches had been removed. \"Thanks to you, it''s already healed, we can say it''s a blessing in disguise.\" \"Besides, you''re still tense and distant, it wouldn''t hurt to laugh a little, you know.\" said one of the riders who was chatting with Hector while eating her breakfast. From what Hector had been able to learn, Selena was quite lonely. It could be explained in different ways, but the most logical was the one Balam had explained to him while he was trying to get to sleep. In the past, the Elves tried genocide attempts on different peoples such as half-man and dwarf tribes, brilliantly succeeding for the dwarf tribe, making them disappear, leaving no survivors to date. Seeing the threat that these people were, the men had decided to sign a non-aggression pact between the two peoples, however, after several political disputes, the Elves decided to ignore the non-aggression pact, and attacked humanity, killing and imprisoning more than one million men and women. This had put an end to the era when Elves were seen as wise and mature beings; a hatred from all nations then made its wrath heard. The Elven repression was orchestrated by Dentelia who was at this time, a country newly built. That''s how the rest of the elves disappeared in turn. All this happened on the ashes of the war and had only brought even greater anger an fear, which had now turned into racism. Selena suffered for the past actions of her ancestors. She didn''t want to be looked down on or thrown out of the army, she knew where she would end up if that ever happened. Be ready to do anything to be important to others so that you can lead a dignified life. Remembering all this, Hector stroked the dark elf''s head with a little smile. \"Yes, she''s right, you should laugh a little.\" The elf''s childish reaction made the other riders laugh, while everyone was packing their equipment to leave. It was after a short while when the captain ¡ª who was much more beautiful with a rested face ¡ª gave the order to leave. The capital was more than six hours away, much more than Hector thought. The villagers who had fled from Vaine had really walked such long distances? It was after two hours on horseback that Hector got an answer to his question. A small village was on the way; men and women were busy with their daily tasks. The squadron greeted the guard present on the scene and entered to make the horses drink and eat. Many of the villagers were surprised by the squadron''s arrival, but others were even more surprised by Hector''s presence. A young girl and her little brother walked towards him with a questioning look. \"Mr. Weiler...?\" she asked. \"Um... Yes, what is it?\" Hector replied with a tender smile. \"My little brother told me that he saw you lifeless when we fled... he was very shocked... he told me you weren''t moving, your eyes were empty, so...\" she paused while looking at her brother hiding behind her. \"He thinks you''re an undead... so I wanted you to tell him you''re not...\" explained the little girl as Selena listened carefully. \"Well, if I were one, what difference would it make?\" Hector replied with a deliberately scary look as he stared at the little boy. \"Ahahah, I''m kidding, I''m kidding. Of course not, I''m not an undead, but, on the other hand, the fact that a survive to this it''s a miracle!\" he concludes, trying to reassure the boy who didn''t dare look him once. Hector knew very well that he would eventually have to confess who he was to someone other than Selena, but saying it now was unnecessary and risky, so he had chosen another option. The elf, on the other hand, looked at Hector with a thoughtful look. \"Are you going to confess it to someone other than me?\" she asked, looking at the two children who had returned to their family. \"I intend to admit it to people I will decide I can trust.\" he replied, stroking the horse''s mane, the one he was riding with Selena. \"For the time being, I''ve decided that only you meet that criterion.\" \"Yes... but why?\" \"Because I''m impressed by you, and I know I can trust you. An Elf who arrives by herself so high on the social scale despite the discrimination against her and this only thanks to her will and courage, this is the first time I have seen this. It may be immature, but that''s why I decided to confide in you.\" She kept silent again, her eyes lost in the vague. It was after a half-hour break in this small village that the squadron decided to head back to the capital; a little more than three hours of driving were still waiting for them and it didn''t please many people. Just before leaving, Gregory had sent a falcon with a roll of paper on one leg. Hector had learned that he was sending information directly to the Congress in Elees, the capital. The landscapes the squadron crossed were quite similar, but sometimes, in the distance, tropical trees appeared or mountains emerged from behind the horizon. But more generally, the squadron was surrounded by oaks, chestnuts, and poplars, with the sound of their leaves striking against each other creating a soothing melody. Selena had gotten used to the presence of Hector''s hands on her hips, it was not to displease him either, he had only touched one woman before. The elf, for her part, had begun to like the tactile and honest personality of the young man, it was something that Balam managed to read through her. The influence of the Gremory demon only made this process even faster. However, Zepar''s energy was asleep, as if it''s been waiting for something to manifest itself, which disturbed the demon a little. It was impossible for him to imagine that the energy of a demon as powerful as Zepar would only manifest itself after the energy of a demon like Gremory, who was a much gentler demon. He shared all this information with Hector, who then had fun squeezing his hands around Selena''s hips a little more. As he thought, she said nothing and just enjoyed the moment. The four hours of driving passed faster than expected. As soon as the elf and the young man had finished their discussions on the culinary specialties of their country, a huge wall appeared in the distance. Balam had inherited just a little of memories of the Capital, he had only very vague memories of it. Krein seemed to have come in the capital only at very rare opportunities, three or four times at most... So the demon could not say anything about what was inside these walls, but just outside were many farms with fields of several hectares that were going away as far as the eye could see. People would return home after their hard work as the sun was at its Zenith and the bells rang. Some of the peasants looked at the squadron from afar and waved to them before to go home to their thatched cottage. After another ten minutes, they arrived, at last, in front of a large drawbridge already lowered, but whose metal gates were closed. One of the guards on one of the watchtowers asked for the name of the squad. \"Here, Captain Lena of the Lyre Squadron.\" said the leader in a loud voice, showing her badge. The guard waved at other people above the wall and after a few moments of waiting, the last barrier that prevented them from seeing what was on the other side of the wall disappeared. They all rode back and saw a huge city, probably what could be called a medieval metropolis. Many houses followed one another on a huge hill, among them were hotels, inns, bars, shops of all kinds, two large markets, etc. Higher up, there were more important buildings, probably for the nobles and even higher on the hill, buildings of an impressive size overlooked the city. These ones are used by the clergy and elected officials of the country; Congress, a cathedral, a high school, etc. And all this was, despite the size of this city, completely surrounded by a five-meter-long wall. The people watching the squadron passing through the city surprised Hector. They were all women, without exception, looking more specifically at the young man who was a little uncomfortable. \"A man? He must have come from outside, it''s very rare to see them around here.\" \"No, look at his clothes... and his neck. It must be that famous Krein Weiler.\" \"But rumors are that he died... this throat was slit.\" \"Yes, well, he''s still visibly alive, the scar he has on his neck shows us that he managed to survive his injury, so...\" \"Incredible...\" Hector scratched his forehead with an embarrassed smile. It was impossible for him to ignore his environment. In addition to all this, Balam was laughing at him, without him being able to say anything. His discomfort was extreme and amused Selena, who decided to talk to him to free him from his torments. \"Don''t mind them, three-quarters of the women here have never seen a man before.\" \"What do you mean? I saw men in your squadron and there were even some in Vaine, why not here?\" he looked briefly around him and whispered so low that no one could hear him. \"And then, many of these women are young...\" \"The Capital is democratically governed and many women voted against reintegrating men into their society. So there are camps or cities where men are allowed to live, but this isn''t the case here or in any other major city. In general, the men of this country are waiting for permission to join the army, to become a researcher or for the luckiest, waiting for permission to become a Seeder... Given that you are a nobleman and that you are soon of age, you will soon be able to choose what you want to do...\" explained Selena with an amused tone. \"Consider yourself lucky not to be in Jal, in there, you couldn''t even have gotten in, noble or not.\" \"Oh. Interesting... Why?\" \"They are amazons, they live only by themselves and even refuse to help the other states of Dentelia.\" she took a short break. \"I think we''re going to have to stay in the Capital for a while, I advise you not to go out too much, you might become an attraction if you do.\" she concludes before laughing with charm. 7 Honesty Hector was escorted back to his family by Gregory and Selena. The rest of the squadron was to report back for the two missions they had completed. It was the captain''s choice and even if Gregory would have preferred to go to Congress to share his information, he was now obliged to walk with Hector to the noble district of the city. The street paving stones was no longer suitable for the horses'' hooves and as these animals were like friends to many of the riders, they preferred to prevent one of them from breaking a leg. However, Gregory also knew very well that a man who walks around the city, moreover, on foot, was in the grip of possible problems, before, he could have been assaulted verbally, physically or even sexually. Women who went to these extremes were obviously punished, knowing that the number of men in the territory of Dentelia was already minimal ¡ª about 9% of men, which made about 2 million men for about 20 million women and this, in an area as large as Africa, ¡ª Congress decided to pass different laws and rights only applicable to men to better protect them and to make their life easier. Today, Dentelia''s men are protected by an impassive legal system, in other words, if a man is persecuted, the woman in question would be entitled to a fine or more if the facts were more serious. The death penalty had been abolished a little less than thirty years ago, but it had been replaced by a more intense system of torture than before. So the women knew what to expect and just preferred to look at the men from afar. For most of these women, there was no longer any anger or resentment in their eyes as could have been seen in the past. To date, curiosity and sometimes more was seen in their eyes; this change in behavior had taken place shortly after the Capital decided to close its doors to men, over time, the women living inside the walls of Elees'' ended up desired and wanting men more than they wanted to take revenge on them like in the past. \"What makes you different from these other women?\" Hector asked Selena without any tact. \"Hmm¡­\" she growled, a little embarrassed. \"Elves don''t have the same needs as humans at all, our desires are not the same and don''t come in the same way¡­ so I guess that''s why.\" \"This explains that¡­\" he said, reflecting for a moment. \"Gregory, how much further are we from my home?\" \"About fifteen minutes at most, if there weren''t so many streets that intertwined, it''ll take a second¡­ Aaaah¡­ That''s why I don''t like the capital, too many streets, too many buildings, too much noise, too many women¡­\" he breathed while hiding his face in his hand. \"Besides, there''s a heatwave¡­ what is this country¡­\" \"You''re the grumpy type, aren''t you?\" Hector smiled as he looked at a girl who seemed to be the same age as him. The young man laughed alone for a short while as he thought back to Gregory''s words: \"Too many women.\". If he had said that in his Old World, everyone would have thought he was crazy. Fortunately, Hector was a calm and thoughtful person, so he wasn''t so shocked and excited to see so many young ladies, but other men in his group of survivors would probably have gone mad or would have fallen into the trap of the facility of using the power given by demons for their own pleasures and goals. He didn''t want this, he had always dreamed of bigger¡­ but he had to admit that seeing so many women was a great stimulus; the whole thing was to know how to control yourself. After a ten-minute walk, they arrived almost at the top of the city. The young man was in front of a large square equipped with various small itinerant shops, as well as a large and splendid fountain with several female figures carved on it. Large buildings of Gallo-Roman architecture mixed with new ones proudly surrounded the square and made Hector feel very small. A little higher up was the Congress, a huge building that could already be seen even before arriving in town. The women present at the scene were now rich peoples dressed in corsets or tall dresses and were sometimes accompanied by men. \"Your house is just a little lower, I don''t know if Davis will be there¡­ However, I think at least Selena and Marie will be there. Your mother told me she was working on new herbal potions, you should find her in her workshop¡­ knowing that when she is sad she works even harder, there is no doubt, she will be there.\" \"All right.\" Hector replied at the same time as he asked Balam for help. \"They don''t expect us to come?\" \"Originally, I had tried to warn the capital. But the falcon I sent here apparently never arrived¡­ all the guards told me they didn''t receive it either this morning or at night and it''s not in any of the dovecotes in the capital¡­ It was one of my best birds¡­ if it didn''t get here, that means he has been killed.\" he explained, scratching his head. \"And aimed at a bird as fast as a falcon and that in mid-flight requires more than great dexterity, there is no doubt that the person who killed it was an archer of renown.\" \"Would we have been followed?\" Selena asks, listening carefully to her superior. \"That seems the most logical thing to me¡­ but nothing can prove it. In other words, I would rather not go forward too fast. I would have liked to make a report to Congress as soon as possible¡­ I would be surprised if Captain Lena could have understood the slightest thing about what was happening given how tired she was.\" The Lieutenant''s concerns were justified, but they all preferred to stop thinking about this. The Weiler''s house was right in front of them, it was definitely smaller than the others. Krein''s father had invested in this house several years ago, and actually didn''t care if it was beautiful or not, he just wanted to have a residence in the capital for him and his wife, their work forced them to travel a lot between Elees, Vaine and other small towns. Today, after years of renovations, this building was resplendent. Gregory walked towards two large doors with a thin layer of varnish and took the handle of the knocker before knocking three times. It was a short while before the door unlocked and opened slightly, revealing half of a young girl''s face. \"Ah! Mr. Saranel! No one expected your visit¡­\" she says, removing the second lock of the door. The girl was dressed in white and dark red maid clothes. \"You should have warned, we could have made you that tea you love so much.\" \"Don''t worry about me, Lise.\" he replied with a warm smile. \"I sent a falcon, but it didn''t arrive at its destination¡­ Either way, that''s not why I came.\" he explained, turning first to Selena, then to Hector, who was behind them. \"Huh...? Krein?\" she asked as her face showed signs of weakness. \"Hey... It''s me.\" replied the young man with a tense smile, feeling like he was lying to himself. \"Your mother herself said she saw that an assassin had killed you¡­\" she began after fighting her urge to cry. \"She wanted to help you, but the soldiers stopped her from doing it¡­ and your father couldn''t fight everyone¡­\" \"What happened to Davis...?\" Gregory asked as he clenched his teeth. \"After fighting, he managed to escape, but was seriously wounded.\" explained the maid with sorrow. \"He was interned at the center''s hospital, very close to the cathedral.\" she paused and turned back to Hector. \"Y-Your father didn''t know what had happened to you, otherwise he would have come to your rescue-\" \"Don''t worry about it, Lise, the important thing is that we''re all alive.\" he replied, trying to be as gentle as possible. \"Yes.\" she replied with a flickering voice as if she was going to start crying. After being invited into the vestibule, they took off their shoes and put on the slippers that were at their disposal before moving into the lobby and then into the living room. The house''s atmosphere was warm, dark wood that looked like mahogany, covered the floor, walls, and ceiling. Lamps were suspended from large wooden beams, some flowering plants were installed in pots and furniture of all kinds adorned the room without the decoration being rococo. It was a house that in relation to the progress of civilization in this world was rather modern, which delighted Hector. Balam took the opportunity to explain that Krein''s mother, Helena, had developed a valuable artistic sense through her training in art and floristry. Two maids and a footman were sitting at a table and drinking coffee. They turned around after hearing Lise enter the room again and rush up the stairs. Amy, Cassandre, and Erwin? Hector''s memory had its limits and even though Balam was trying to help him, he could not remember all the names and information he had been given since the two days of his reincarnation. Everything was going so fast that his brain was having trouble keeping up. \"Krein!\" shouted the young footman. \"This scar! So you survived! I had thought I had lost my childhood friend¡­ thank God¡­\" he ended in a relieved voice as Selena smiled as she saw the reunion. \"I...I''m glad to see you back in one piece too, Erwin...\" Hector replied, being a little embarrassed. The footman smiled at him and friendly tapped him on the shoulder. The two other maids had not gotten up and had just greeted the young man; these two did not like Krein and, to be honest, Krein was not appreciated by many people, his dirty character made him most generally frowned upon by others. There were hasty footsteps on the wooden steps of the building. A woman dressed in a simple white Greek dress appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Her long, black, curly hair was grouped into a bun; her inky black eyes stared at Hector with emotion. She walked towards him as Lise and another girl, Marie, his little sister, went down the stairs. Helena did not rush, she took Hector in her arms without a word before releasing him and looking him in the eye. She fixed the scar on his neck and raised Hector''s chin before touching it. Her mother took her hand off the scar and put it on the young man''s shoulder, then, after a silence where she seemed to think, she finally decided to open her lips. \"You''re... I can sensed something...\" muttered the woman. \"Krein...?\" \"No¡­\" 8 The Consequences of Honesty 1/2 The only word Hector had said, had to give rise to a long silence of misunderstanding in the living room. The only one who detected something strange in Hector was Helena who was looking at the young man with troubled eyes. She put a strand of hair in front of her eyes behind her ear and stared at the ground. There was no more noise and actually, no one wanted to make it anymore, it was the kind of moment when Helena could because of her feelings bring back her demon instincts buried deep inside her for years. The original host had only seen her once in this state; the barely noticeable horns on the woman''s forehead had tripled in volume, the sclera of her eyes had darkened and her skin had turned purple, while an oppressive aura revolved around her, before the man in front of her eyes dies as result of the laceration on his whole body. Probably no one had seen her in such a state except her husband and her son, Krein, but everyone knew that she was a half-demon and even only half-demon, she was still very dangerous even for a squadron captain. This is what hurt her. Erwin, Lise, and the other soldiers had preferred to keep her from leaving for helping her son, so they wouldn''t have to take any risks. But it was her son''s life that was at stake, and among demons, the family is important. She wanted to try to save her son with her strength, but she had been put to sleep with an Erodon thorn, a mixture of plants causing a monstrous melatonin peak that instantly put the person to sleep. It was a product she had created herself, that we used on her was boiling her blood. She understood that they wanted to protect her, but she didn''t understand why they couldn''t just go with her to help Krein while protecting her; because of cowardice? And now, Hector had let out that word: \"No\". She had understood that she had finally lost a loved one, just after she had a slight joy and hope when she saw her son''s face again. From this point of view, even Hector, who had only had some poor information from Balam, did not dare to open his mouth. He was just waiting for someone to talk, but Helena did it first. \"Gregory, thank you for bringing him back, I''ll take care of him now.\" she said in a very calm voice that gave Hector chills. \"I sincerely hope you will find this spy you''re investigating.\" \"Thank you, Helena.\" Gregory replied with an embarrassed smile. \"To tell you the truth, when I saw him¡­ When I saw... Krein, I noticed that he didn''t have the same energy signature¡­ but I thought it was because he had grown up. I hadn''t seen him for years, after all.\" \"It''s all right, Gregory, you can go.\" she continued. The man blew and realized he shouldn''t even have answered to her. \"Of course. I say goodbye to you all.\" concludes the Lieutenant by putting on his shoes, then going outside, while Selena smiled at Hector as if to wish him good luck. A silence took place after the two soldiers left the house. The two maids sat at the table, took the opportunity to clear the table and ran as quickly as possible to the kitchens. The Footman, on the other hand, had stayed seated and watch what was going to happen. Hector decided to step up to Helena and put one hand on her shoulder in the hope that it would soothe her. \"I''m sorry.\" he sincerely said, looking her in the eye. \"Would you like us to go up to your workshop to talk about this?\" \"Yes.\" she replied before moving towards the kitchens. \"Amy, Cassandre, could you come up to my workshop and bring two mango teas, please?\" After that, Helena and Hector climbed the steps of the three floors of the house before arriving at a metal door that was locked. The woman took a bunch of keys that were placed on a piece of furniture and grumbled at herself, calling herself to stop being head in the cloud. When she opened the door of the room, a workshop similar to that of an alchemist appeared before Hector. There was an inconsiderable number of plants of all kinds, both in pots and jars, either dried or alive. Stills and other utilities were lying around the room as an exotic smell tickled Hector''s nostrils as he sneezed only seconds after entering the room. A group of plants seemed to boil in a mixture of water and another oil-like liquid; a little further away, flower pistils and petals were crushed to extract the few precious drops of sap. \"A strange place, huh?\" Helena asked, opening a drawer. \"Krein didn''t particularly like this room, he hated the smell. He would never have entered this place.\" she walked towards a chair with a dry bag of flowers and sat down pouring the contents of the bag onto the table. \"Your name.\" \"Hector.\" he replied strongly. She didn''t answer right away and started sorting the dried flowers in front of her. Hector had to wait for someone to knock on the door for Helena to decide to talk again. \"It''s me, Cassandre, I''ve come to bring you the teas.\" said the maid who was waiting for Helena''s approval before she could return. \"Come, don''t worry.\" replied the woman in a calm tone. The maid put the cups down and left immediately; Helena looked at her reflection in the cup and blew, tears in her eyes. \"It was his choice, he wanted to help a girl he had recently fallen in love with¡­ and I couldn''t stop him at the moment... and now¡­\" \"So¡­ it was for a woman that he died¡­\" \"Didn''t you know that?\" she asked, fighting her emotions. \"I didn''t inherit all of his memories, I only have a tiny part of his memories that came to me¡­ People, where I come from, sent me here, but I don''t know how it works.\" he explained, without any tact. \"My mind was ejected from my original body and searched for a very long time for a body in which it could dwell again.\" \"Where you come from¡­ a reincarnation, huh...\" she began, whispering. \"Anyway¡­ And that''s when you found my son¡­ So... it was you who gave him the final blow...\" \"No, I wasn''t in control of my spirit, I was under the influence of some kind of ''marine current'', I couldn''t do anything.\" he said, looking down. \"I still feel guilty about that, but without wanting to lie to you, your son would have died no matter what happened, he was in shock. The pain he felt knocked him out and he was bleeding out. Sorry to be so honest, but I think I have to do it.\" Helena got up and looked out of the small round window of her workshop. After a brief moment of reflection, she detached her bun, leaving her long, wavy black hair in the aromatic air of the room; she stored the flowers she had sorted in glass jars before sitting down again holding her head between her two hands. \"Did he suffer? Answer me honestly.\" \"Yes. A lot.\" Helena took her time to assimilate the information she had just received. A son who died in pain for a love that would never have come true. And today the two lovers were dead. She took a deep breath as her body was shaken before little droplets rolled down her cheeks; Hector easily guessed that she had cried a lot thinking that her son had died. But he would have thought that if she found out a second time, it wouldn''t hurt her that much. However, no one gets used to the pain of losing a loved one. Except maybe him. Hector had trouble realizing it, but his past had a huge influence on the way he was with others. He sometimes had no tact, no problem saying things crudely, even if it meant hurting people, but above all and unfortunately, he had almost become completely insensitive to the pain of any kind, to cruelty and even to death. He himself could not remember when the last time he cried was. When his parents died? No. When Chloe died? No, either. The few times his tears came to his eyes, they never fell. He had already seen time after the time of the morbid event from birth. And now, the spectacle of cruelty had created for him an armor against the worst hazards of life. When he was at camp, the pain, the stress, was not something that a man like him had to show, because too much was expected of him. And he was the one who accepted that the people of the camp expected too much from him. As a result, he accepted his pain and suffering, accelerating his insensitivity and emotional trauma. And now, today, in another world, he was envying the tears of a woman crying over the death of her son. Guilt. Honesty or lies. These are the three terms that have been in Hector''s head since he reincarnated into this world. He had chosen the path of honesty and among all the existing paths, it is the one that hurts the most, because this is the path who goes straight to our hearts. And on the other side of the table, in front of him, were the consequences of his honesty. 10 The Next Day A suitcase, a backpack, a sword, two history books, as well as food and cash resources. That''s what the Weiler gave Hector. The young man did not blame them for throwing him out and even for throwing him out with just the bare minimum to live; or rather, he could not blame them, he himself had experienced the pain of losing a loved one several times after all. And he hadn''t had such a wise reaction. Helena had the intelligence to give a history book to Hector so that he could study and learn everything about the world around him, one of the books talked about the history of Dentelia, the other was a huge encyclopedia of several kilograms called: Encyclopedia of Parar. The reincarnated had directly begun to open them on the road that brought him to his new home, but he still had difficulty getting used to the language even if he could read it. During his relocation, he was accompanied by Erwin who carried all his belongings and by Amy who signed a contract with the Weilers and Hector to make her the young man''s personal maid. Of course, she had not done this only by kindness, her pay had been increased. Erwin would stay with Hector until a personal bodyguard was found for him, but in the meantime, two members of Captain Lena''s squadron were in charge of the security of the rest of the Weiler family. The material transported had very quickly been stored in the house in which they were all about to live. The longest thing was to clean everything up; the place had not been inhabited for several years and dirt and cobwebs had invaded the place. It took two days for the three acolytes to dust the house completely; the sheets and other bedding had to be washed and cleaned to avoid suffocating in a cloud of dust after lying on a bed. Hector had found the house large for an old maid''s house, it was not nearly as big as the Weiler''s house, but still had four bedrooms and all the other rooms essential for a healthy lifestyle. They had now been moving in for three days and Hector was already getting bored despite the information he had received. The orders he had to follow was to not go outside until the investigation being conducted by the various squadrons found the reasons for the deliberate attack on Vaine and the Weiler family. Krein had been very clearly targeted, the original host had been woken up by a fireball that had passed through a window in his room, this fireball had melted part of the ceiling, which had fortunately not started a fire, but this had drawn a burn on the chest of the young man who was still present to this day. When the Weiler family tried to flee, several arrows shot from a very long distance passed within a few centimeters of Krein and his mother, fortunately, the night wind had slightly shifted the arrow path, otherwise, Krein would have had his skull split and Helena one leg missing. Then, after thinking he saw the girl he loved in danger, Krein went to try to help her but was bombarded with blows by the \"soldiers\" who attacked the village. That''s when he managed to escape in the hope of finding the trace of the person he was looking for, but after only a few seconds, a hooded figure slashed his throat with a sword. Until a few hours ago, no one knew where the young woman loved by Krein was, until this day of Biel 11 Mibi; some thought she was a prisoner and others thought she was dead. The answer was given by Gregory who was the first to discover the body. This woman, the one Krein loved, was called Leila Saranel. Gregory''s eldest daughter. She was 22 years old. Her inanimate body was discovered lying with the throat cut near the Astr¨¦e River where Captain Lena''s squadron had conducted their research on the spy a few days before the attack on Vaine. The news had been coming to Hector and Amy''s ears for several hours and apparently, Gregory had apparently been forced to be asleep to calm him down, as it had brought up old memories and trauma. Following all this flood of information, Hector decided to sit in the living room as Amy was reading a book called: The Thorns of Roses. He turned to her trying to get her attention. \"About the errands we have to do, I think I''m going to go, I''m bored to death.\" \"Well, read your history book.\" she said, looking up from her book. \"Erwin comes back tomorrow, just wait until he comes back to protect you.\" \"I wasn''t the one complaining that we were almost out of food.\" he replied with the hope of making her react. \"Olala¡­ Well, well. I was lazy to go, but well¡­\" Amy blew as she closed her book. \"I''m going to go alone if anyone ever finds out you went out without permission, I''m the one who''s going to have problems, so please stay here.\" \"Yes, yes¡­ God¡­ it looks like I''m a 9-year-old kid who needs to be supervised.\" \"Who knows, maybe it is.\" Amy replied with a smirk as she put on her shoes to go outside. \"So, I''ll leave you, the shops will soon close, but with a little hope I''ll get there in time.\" she concludes by taking some gold coins and a wooden cadi. Hector hadn''t been so bored for a long time, actually, it didn''t bother him that much, he appreciated the time he spent doing nothing, but a hoarse voice in his head told him that the situation wasn''t going to progress if he procrastinated. Balam was a valuable asset and ally, where Hector had gaps, the demon had the knowledge, and where the demon could not act, Hector could. It made Balam grumble even more at Hector to move faster than normal. Yes, to make the family eventually tolerate and even accept him would take time, but research on this world and the collection of sexual energy was perfectly possible in the situation in which he was. For the time being, Hector couldn''t do anything, so he preferred to explore the house from top to bottom hoping to find something interesting. The building was almost empty when he arrived, only dishes, and some fabrics were still lying in the cupboards. He had found some trinkets, but nothing incredible. There were just pictures of the maids who lived here in the past who had been left on a shelf in the room in which he slept. The group of maids seemed old enough as if she had lived and worked all their lives for the Weiler family. None of them seemed to be related to the people he had met before. Among these maids, there was an elf. Who, unlike the others, must have been alive because of her longevity. [It might be nice to meet her.] Balam said, cutting off Hector''s thoughts. [It could provide us with valuable information about the Weilers, it would allow us to better understand the situation.] [What do you mean by that?] replied Hector as he closed his eyes. [Simply put, it could help us understand why this attack on Vaine that killed Krein was deliberately directed at his family.] [To know if they could have attracted the evil eye, huh¡­] Hector replied as he opened his bedroom window. [From the outside it doesn''t look like a family that could attract the wrath of an enemy¡­ but well, I''m used to surprises.] he stopped talking before lying on his bed and put his arms behind his head. [You, with Krein''s memories, you don''t even have a clue?] [Helena is a very protective and intimate woman, and Davis isn''t the type of man to talk about what''s going on in his work. On top of that, as a member of the elite soldiers, Congress imposes a duty of secrecy on him.] he explained himself as a thin, dark figure seemed to sit on the bed. [That''s why I''m sure even if you use my energy, they won''t say anything.] [I see¡­ nothing is simple¡­] replied Hector, blowing heavily. His eyes rested on the ceiling, nothing unusual at first, but small streaks were apparent; his body rose from the bed immediately. \"An attic?\" he said aloud because of his surprise. [Hmm¡­ it might well be the case, but in this case, it means your room is the only access to this place.] \"Wow, that''s scary.\" laughed Hector as he looked for one of the chairs hanging around the room. \"This is a good time to look for things, there''s no Erwin to tell me he can''t let me do this and no Amy to treat me like a kid.\" [Yes, yes, go ahead.] Balam shouted in a desperate voice. [Because of you, I don''t know if curiosity is a quality or a default anymore...] The young man decided to ignore the demon and use the chair to reach the ceiling, despite this, he could barely remove the base that closed the attic. After five minutes of experimentation, he managed to remove it and after gaining momentum he managed to lean with his arms on the attic floor. The first thing he felt when he climbed up his legs with difficulty was the suffocating heat of the place mixed with dusty air; the sun had been hitting the roof tiles all day and only a few rays of sunlight crept between the tiles illuminating the place with a dim light. The room was obviously large, it covered the whole house and was filled with a whole bunch of objects. Mostly old clothes and wooden crates filled with books and trinkets. Sometimes there were paintings on the floor reminding Hector of Fauvism and the Expressionism of his world; a pack of cigars was lying on the floor, a cupboard full of old-fashioned crockery was placed in the back of the room waiting for someone to finally reopen his drawers. However, one thing, in particular, caught Hector''s attention, it was a book, or rather a large, thick and heavy grimoire that was placed on the ground between two crates, a thick layer of dust covered it. After removing all the dirt directly by hand, he could see embossed drawings directly on the front cover, inscriptions of an unknown language were engraved on it. Fortunately, the education Krein had received helped Hector to understand its meaning. After inspecting the outside of the book a little more, he decided to take it with him. It was a grimoire about the breeds of this world. 11 The Breeds and The Bread Hector looked carefully at the cover, there was a kind of lock that blocked the opening of the book, a bit like you can see with some diaries. He could have forced the lock, but he decided to look for the key, it took him more than an hour, but he ended up finding it between two slats of the floor. His research also allowed him to discover other interesting objects that he took with him. He took the opportunity to continue to search as the sun began to disappear behind the roofs of the houses, but he suddenly felt very uncomfortable, Balam remarked to him, something was wrong with this place, it was perhaps just a simple impression, but the young man decided to leave immediately to linger a second longer to pry into the attic. The two acolytes discussed their findings and after a while, Hector opened the book with the key. He hadn''t felt this childish excitement for a long time, the one you feel when you open a Christmas gift, this thought made him smile and after staring at the front cover, he opened the front page with curiosity. ¨X¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨[ ¨d?Preamble: This manuscript was written with the purpose of listing all the breeds of this world in the hope of being able to unlock the secret of our existence in the future. I have listed all the races discovered so far, but since there are new ones emerging over the years because of the biological, alchemical and magical weapon created by the Elves hundreds of years ago, so what is written in this book will only be an exhaustive list of the different peoples who live on our dear planet, not to mention that not all the emerged Lands of our world have yet been discovered. This book is therefore by no means a finished work and should not be taken as a reference to talk about breeds and peoples, it is only a big book filled with sheets of paper that an old man has tried to fill after years of travel and research. ¨^¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨a Hector sneered a little bit at seeing how the man had written his preamble, he seemed to think he was just an old bum who was good to go and die of a heatwave. Claude Grim. In his own short biography of the author, he said that he was a man born of an interracial marriage between an elf and a human, which had allowed him to live longer than average, and that he had walked the Pangea and some islands to learn more about the world around him. He probably must have been dead, though. The grimoire was written according to the author between the year 173 and another unknown year. It was not indicated, which suggested that he had died prematurely, or at least that death had prevented him from finishing his work, some pages at the end of the book were empty of ink, which validated this theory. [A book this thick, but worthless?] Balam began with a thoughtful tone. [This man seemed to have very low self-esteem.] [I guess it''s because, at this time, Dentelia had just been built, so the society was much more matriarchal. They must have put a lot of pressure on the men, which is probably what made him want to travel... I would have done the same thing.] replied Hector with an evasive expression. [I suppose...] said the demon as he reflected. [Wouldn''t you like to take a look at the contents of the book?] he grumbled with an amused tone. [You''re more admiring the cover of this book than of all the women who look at you when you walk outside, it''s almost scary.] [Sorry for not collecting your so precious sexual energy, huh.] [You could at least make an effort and try to meet some girls, the bonds are forged afterward, no need to make an excuse like that you want to love the girl you''re doing it with. If you don''t meet anyone, you can''t love anyone. Then go outside and make me work these testicles.] Balam ordered, speaking quickly. [You don''t want to let go of me with this, it''s incredible... Excuse me for not being the milking cow you want me to be. In the meantime, I''m the only one who chooses where I dip my dick, so stop talking to me about that, when the time comes, you can tell me anything you want about sexual energy and sex, but for now, I just want to understand this world and manage to progress, it gets boring just to stay there.. I''ve been here for less than a week.] [Yes, yes, like me... Weak.] [Yes, I am.] The relationship with the demon wasn''t particularly bad, but sometimes, like that, all of a sudden, they started to get into a little argument like two children. After this little altercation, Hector opened the book a little more; a very light cloud of dust spread in the air before falling to the ground in silence. The first page following the preface was titled: The Ancients. Handmade sketches showed humanoid, misty, sometimes deformed, human-sized shapes that stood upright. The young man stared a little more at the drawing and was shivered through. How many copies of this manuscript had been written? If he followed his logic, there was only one copy, after all, no scholar would post a work that he himself considered incomplete, so this grimoire had to be the only one making a serious and precise report, containing an unimaginable amount of information on the peoples and breeds of this world. How much would a book as rare as this be worth at auction? No. Hector took that idea out of his head, selling something like that would be sacrilegious, it was better to analyze everything he could learn. It was after looking more closely at the content of the book that he turned a few pages. The Ancients seemed to be extremely powerful spiritual beings, older than the Gods who organize and structure this world. Claude Grim had apparently tried to prove their existence for years, but he had apparently only found energy remanences or fragments of souls so tiny that he could never really get much out of them. But according to him, these beings were the Gods of the Gods, they would have fallen as a result of a drama in the Spiritual Realm. The scholar hesitated between several theories as to their fall from the Spiritual Realm, divine war, voluntary arrest, natural death. No evidence supporting his research was found despite these long years of research. The old man spoke briefly of the Gods of this world. His writing was trembling on that page precisely. He had researched them and had a lot of information, but he was threatened if he dared to pass it on, so he stuck to names, Tam, Mibi, Sama, Alph¨¦e, Sesnar, Zeph, etc. Too many names. Thirty to be exact, but names seemed to have been hidden through large ink spots. Hector continued to turn the pages, the men and the different races or tribes that resulted from it: Amazon, Demioze, Ryx, Felei, and others. As the pages scrolled, the number of races increased. Elf, Dark Elf, Dwarf, Demon, Giant, a very long page about the Vampires and the reason for their possible complete extinction in a few centuries, so today, there couldn''t be much left. Then after more than forty pages on these few races, the grimoire changed completely. Unknown and mutations. It was the name of the second part of the book, he explained that some races had absolutely no connection with others, as if they came from another world. As for the one that seemed to have traces of mutations were most generally concentrated near the old Kingdom of the Elves, but he explained that over the years, it would probably spread a little everywhere. The Slimes, for example, had no connection with any other species, no brains, no neural systems, no blood, which is completely opposite to everything else. Moreover, it is one of the first species to have mutated with humans and elves, creating humanoid monsters rejected by society. They are certainly in small numbers, but they are very dangerous, like all other mutants. Centaurs also seem to have been victims of mutation, as have harpies, Lamias, Nereid, Scylla, etc. The Dryads, on the other hand, presented a problem for Claude Grim, beings between elves and gods, but sharing similarities with humans at the same time. And there were still tons of breeds, but after flying over all this, Hector took a break. Too much information wasn''t going to bring anything good. He decided to close the book and looked outside through the open window of his room. \"I have a headache...\" [At least we can say it''s for a good purpose.] \"Have you ever heard of Nereid or Scylla?\" [No, it intrigues me a little, but if we follow what this scholar wrote, most of them are on the Sacred Lands, where the Kingdom of the Elves was located, so it''s not on the territory of Dentelia, it''s the complete opposite, on Jerico''s side. So I don''t really have any hope of seeing these mutants races any time soon.] \"In any case, what good would it do us?\" Hector waited for an answer, but Balam replied with a simple throat clearance. \"Still with your sexual energy? Are you out of your mind or what? Breathe, everything''s gonna be fine.\" laughed Hector with a sarcastic smile. The demon did not answer, he preferred to keep quiet than to add more oil to the fire. The young man took the grimoire and dusted it completely with Amy''s equipment before hiding it between his mattress and the slats of his bed, he had put it in a corner to avoid damaging it by lying down. Hector went down to the ground floor to start preparing food with what little food was left in the pantry. He quickly sorted out what he wanted. His cooking skills were quite sharp, in his camp, he had the reputation of making good consistent meals with the minimum of necessary ingredients, Chloe had taught him a lot about some aspects, so this one, his girlfriend''s father was a famous cook after all, however, he wasn''t a famous father. Every time he cooked, he got depressed, it reminded him too much of his past and the time he had not spent with those he loved. He put on an apron and prepared to cut beets and avocados, there was no meat or fish, so a salad was almost required. He boiled the water to bake the beet and started peeling the avocados after bringing back some cheese to cut it into small cubes. A lock sounded after a few minutes and the front door opened, allowing two distinct silhouettes into the house. The first one Hector then saw from the kitchen was Amy with a trolley filled with various types of food. And behind her was a dark elf who seemed a little embarrassed by the situation she was in. Her white hair was no longer tied in a ponytail but simply fell behind her. Seeing Hector a little confused about the situation, the maid took the lead and brought the trolley to the pantry just next to the kitchen before addressing the young man with a loaf in his hand. \"Well, all the shops were open! I was lucky!\" she began with a friendly smile. \"Sorry, I was a little longer, but Helena asked me to get your bodyguard, she was selected at the end of the afternoon... Ah! And I took the opportunity to bring back the bread you asked me.\" 12 A Star Hector had added a plate for Selena who had gone to set up her stuff with Amy. The Elf had just had time to greet Hector, the maid had taken hem upstairs to put everything in order after putting the food in the storage room. If Selena had been accepted as a bodyguard, she must have offered herself. You had to be a volunteer to be selected, Amy had explained the process to Hector, in this case, it means that Hector had had an effect on her, even if he only half believed it. But as Balam had told him, his body had a nice appearance and Hector''s character was much softer and more thoughtful than Krein''s. If Selena had only appreciated him a little, she would not have given up the stability that her profession as a horsewoman of a prestigious squadron brought her for a job as a bodyguard for a rich man son. Hector put his thoughts aside before bringing the meal, as the two young women had still not returned, he went to get them. They were both discussing their origins, Amy, a young girl who had been raised by an elf and Selena, a Dark Elf who had been born by accident. Hector did not prefer to eavesdrop the conversation behind the door any longer. He was already happy that Amy did not discriminate against Selena for the simple fact of being an Elf; he knocked at the door and told both of them that the meal was being served. The maid stood up and apologized before leaving with Selena, Hector took the opportunity to welcome her and she accepted his word with a smile. The two women were surprised that Hector knew how to cook, it was obviously not the quality of many men in the country given the thoughts they had on the subject. It was just a simple salad, but it already seemed like a lot. \"Helena wanted me to pass this to you.\" said Amy in a serious tone. \"A new identity card, fortunately, Krein''s grandfather''s name was Hector, so it was only necessary to change the first two names, but it still surprised the members of the Town Hall, apparently Helena told them that it was your choice and that after an altercation in the family, you had decided by yourself to leave the family home¡­\" she explained as she finished eating her last piece of avocado. \"It''s still a fake excuse, what do you think?\" \"She did a very good job on it, I can never thank her enough, but that probably won''t stop the authorities from coming to me to understand the reasons for such a sudden change in my behavior.\" Hector replied after a few sips of water. \"Did you tell anyone else but me about it, then?\" Selena asked with a very subtly admiring voice. \"Yes, I already told you, living a lie is not something I would have been able to do, and it would have come out pretty quickly, so I decided to say it as soon as you and Gregory took me back to the Weilers.\" \"It must have taken courage¡­\" she replied, lost in thought. \"Thanks for the meal, I think I''ll go back to my room and start settling in. I don''t plan to stay up too late, I''m a little tired.\" Selena concludes by starting to clear the table. A simple end of the day, but one that was bothering Hector. First there were problems with the Weiler family; having to find a source of income greater than the simple scholarship Helena gives, because it is not enough to support three people; finding sexual energy and learning to use it; learning to defend yourself in this world, unfortunately, even if he could fight very well with his fists, a plasma ball in his head and he could no longer stand. And finally, the last problem was at the heart of Hector himself: what did he really want? Living by trying to help Balam build an empire with him is a noble goal, but it is not really an ambition coming from his own person. The world in which he lived had vanished, he now had to find another reason to live and not just a reason to exist to continue to be. This is the complexity of this problem, to really experience life, you have to understand its different stages. Hector knew this, which is why, even after the meal, his mind was crossed with diverse thoughts just as philosophical as the others. From time to time Balam tried to talk, but he did not help the young man find the answer to his question. It was something that only Hector could do and it was after several hours of ruminating his thoughts that he asked himself the question: \"What is your dream?\" Creating a world of peace? This childhood dream made Hector''s laugh, knowing so well that peace was only a phenomenon of inter-war. For him, this wasn''t a dream but an illusion, and this was insufficient, on top of that impossible to realize for a single man. Simple and bestial dreams crossed his mind: to have fun in this New World. That was the wish of the people who sent him here after all. But for him, it was not a dream, it was a perfectly achievable goal by doing something else. Realizing that he was far too busy thinking then resting for the next day, he got up from the bed on which he was lying, arms behind his head and removed the book from the bottom of his mattress as he began to want to learn more about Selena''s origins. He opened the book in the chapter entitled: Dark Elf. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ?¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T?Dark Elf?¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T¨T? The least widespread race of Elf to date. Most of them have a mat or dark skin, this is due to their former living environments, which used to live near the equator. Others have slightly purplish skin, but this is due to demon blood flowing through their veins, I learned this after a few years of research and I will spare you the details. The average height of the male is about 1.85 meters, while the female is about 1.79 meters. This makes them the second-largest race of humanoids, outperformed by the Sylvan Elves. Unlike their close cousins, these Elves do not have a specialized ritual for everything in life and even less for reproductive processes. This is something that has almost damaged me on several occasions, in my time, race relations are still prohibited and taboo. They are very fussy about this kind of thing, certainly, there is no restriction between Dark Elves, but there are with other races. However, over time and as things progress, matriarchs will have to quickly forget traditions to ensure the survival of their breeds. Unfortunately, they are becoming more and more common over time. At the time of my grandparents, around the year 30, they represented approximately 40% of the Elven population; today, in 181, they are only about 15%. According to my observations this is due to the migrations created by the war, these people were people who lived in the heat, the fact of having to change their place of life several times, first because of the war fronts that moved, then it was followed by Dentelia''s reprisals against the Elves, which gave a terrible blow of the sledgehammer to this race already very weakened by climatic and migration hazards. If I had to label an important date, I would say the eradication of the dwarves by the Dark Elves, they had no choice but to submit themselves or Wood Elves and Neifel Elves, it was that, or their people would be genetically transformed. That''s why so many people still feel hatred towards the Dark Elves today. However, I saw the damage of the Elven biological weapons, some of his poor wives had merged with animal cells, making them half-animal half-elves, these people then listened much more to their animal impulses: violence, sex, extreme feeling, hunger, etc. Elves were the most affected by this, but other races like dwarves also experienced it, humans also managed to get corrupted by its weapons. I saw some elves merged with Slimes, these people, I never saw them again¡­ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hector closed the book with stupefaction without having finished the many pages that remained to be read about this breed. Things seemed almost worse than in his world in some ways, for the young man, the Neifel and Wood Elves had clearly used the Dark Elves as guinea pigs for their biological weapons, but they had done so with full consciousness. The most disturbing thing was the mixture of race and beings that seemed to create some kind of monsters. Hector had not realized at first, but it had nothing to do with any other kind of experience he had seen or learned in his world. It was a whole other thing. He got up from his bed and ran into the corridor without really knowing what to do when it had already been dark for several hours. Hector wanted to get some fresh air, but he was forbidden until Selena or Erwin was there and he didn''t want to betray Amy''s trust. He wanted to come down to drink a glass of water, but one thing caught his attention, a light came out from under the door of Selena''s room. He walked towards it and knocked without really having any hope. The answer was a little scream. \"Y-Yes, who is it?\" \"It''s Hector, can I come in?\" \"Um¡­ wait a little¡­\" after about twenty seconds, Selena opened the door in a half-transparent white dressing gown. \"Sorry about the outfit, usually I sleep naked¡­ but since you came¡­ I dressed in the first outfit I saw¡­\" \"Don''t worry about it.\" Hector replied, analyzing Selena. \"Aaah¡­ it''s embarrassing.\" she replied, sitting on her bed, her face slightly pink-red. \"I think it makes you even more beautiful. White suits you.\" said Hector with a little smile. \"So stop worrying about it.\" \"Thank you¡­ So¡­ Why did you come for?\" \"Nothing terrible. I just need to get out a little, I''m suffocating in there. But I need you if I go out.\" \"Anyway, I don''t really have a choice, you''re kind of my superior now¡­ But you want me to go out like that...? In this outfit?\" Hector nodded, which made the young elf blush a little more. She took her sword with her, while her white hair floated in the air with elegance. Her faces showed obvious signs of fatigue, the dark circles she had reminded him of the one he had when he was struggling for the people of his camp. They headed for the front door unlocking the door discreetly to avoid disturbing Amy, Hector took the opportunity to pick up a jacket for Selena who was not very clothed and they both left the house as the crescent moon was almost at its zenith. Selena was closely following Hector, she could see better in the dark than he could, so she was guiding him. A few minutes later, they ended up sitting on a bench near a small fountain, only the sound of the wind and water made their eardrums vibrate, strangely reminding Hector of the first night he had spent in this world with his throat cut. The wind swirled their hair; Selena''s hair seemed to merge among the stars, like a white veil of soothing softness. The young woman''s yellow eyes sparkled in the dark like two forever united stars that contrasted with her dark, matte skin. Hector admired her almost hypnotized by the purity of the woman he had in front of him. After a short moment, he smiled, then he looked up and pointed with a finger, a star. \"Selena.\" \"Huh? Uh¡­ Yes?\" \"Ahahah, sorry, I caught you off guard. The history book taught me things.\" he laughed as he lowered his hand. \"Selena is the name of this big star, the second brightest in the sky and the one mainly used to find your way around at night. She fits you well. Beautiful and bright.\" he said, turning to her, hoping to comfort her and see her blush. \"I don''t think my parents thought that for a second what you seem to think, Hector.\" she whispered, looking up to the star. \"In any case, me, I think so.\" he smiled as he put his hand on her shoulder. \"When you''re ready to tell me about your parents and your past, all you have to do is come and see me, I''ll be there to listen.\" \"Why are you talking to me about all this?\" Selena asked in a wobbly voice. \"I know you''re working your ass off for someone, the dark circles you have, I know them too well to ignore them.\" he began by looking the ground, his head full of memories. \"I don''t pretend to say that I can understand you, however, I had no one to talk to when it happened to me and I suffered a lot. I don''t want someone else to live there the same way I do, especially when it''s a kind person like you.\" Selena removed the belt that held her sword and placed it on the bench while blowing as if to expel her anxiety. She watched soldiers walking by, doing their guard duty, wiping their hands with a torch, then rubbed her arms because of the night breeze. Hector put the jacket he had picked up for her on her shoulders and made fun of her because of her many yawns and sneezes. She decided to speak out and put her hand on Hector''s thigh, who immediately stopped laughing. \"Is that why you''re trying to get so close to me so quickly? Because I remind you of what you were before?\" \"I guess you can say that even if that''s not exactly how I feel.\" he explained, scratching his head. \"So you feel pity for me?\" \"Yes.\" Selena was confused by Hector''s answer, it was too frank. Generally, the word: pity is frowned upon by many, but Hector seemed to understand the true meaning of the word, he didn''t seem to judge her or take her for a weak one, he just took her for a woman, an elf, who needed help, nothing more. Sincere words and not thoughtful and manipulated as do most nobles, clergy, and knights. A sneeze cut Selena''s thoughts. \"I have a feeling you''ve given me your cold.\" \"Let''s say it''s my first gift to you.\" she replied with a smile. \"No, your first gift was to tackle me on the ground when my throat was slit.\" he said sarcastically. \"That was a wonderful gift. At least thanks to this, I won''t forget the date we met.\" \"Stop¡­ I want to forget this moment of my life from the moment I realized who you were¡­ don''t remember things like that¡­\" \"It hurt me really hard, you know-\" Hector couldn''t finish his sentence, Selena pinched his cheek with force while pulling at it. \"I said: stop.\" she concludes with a shy voice and a blushed face. \"I chose to come to work for you for several reasons, the first one was that you told me you could get me out of trouble, but the second one is more personal.\" she explained while waiting to see Hector''s reaction. \"I feel like I can trust you, and even more so after tonight, so¡­ that''s why I volunteered¡­\" \"Well¡­ thank you, I really appreciate it.\" he replied, stroking the young woman''s head. Selena didn''t know what to answer and preferred to keep quiet rather than stutter. After half an hour outside, they both ended up inside the house and both left for their respective rooms, Hector had realized what he had done, but his purpose was not to do anything sexual, at least for that night, and this despite Balam''s repeated complaints. Hector was tired, but one thing worried him. Since he had returned to his room, he had heard footsteps from the attic. 13 Good Ghostly Nigh Heavy footsteps resounded in the attic. There was no way that it could be an animal unless a Grizzly had managed to sneak in. Moreover, the only way for the attic was in his room, if there was to be someone, he was a madman, or he had the brainpower of an oyster. Without thinking for a second more, Hector took his chair and removed the false ceiling that led to the attic, he jumped effortlessly pushed by his adrenaline. The young man opened carefully his eyes. There was no sound, no movement at all. He walked around the attic as a drop of sweat ran down his forehead. But nothing. [Balam, it''s weird, I feel uncomfortable here¡­ really¡­ I don''t really want to believe it, but it could be a ghost or something like that¡­?] he waited for an answer, but only silence was present. [Balam?] \"Is there anyone there?!\" he asked in a loud voice, hoping that his anxiety would not be felt by the presence. There was no answer yet; he went around the attic again, but nothing. There seemed to be no animals either, not even a rodent. Hector decided to go back to his room, moreover, Balam was not there, or at least he was not talking. Usually, in this kind of situation he is more talkative than normal, so not hearing him talk at that very moment was weird, as if something was blurring the communications between him and the demon. However, just before he left, a thumping noise resounded in the attic and made the floor tremble. A large book had fallen from an old dirty table, releasing a suffocating cloud of dust. Hector''s face immediately tightened as he squinted. \"Who are you?\" he continued, by squinting his eyes. A noise of slippage came to the ears of Hector. The book slipped towards him, gently. He simply decided to get it back, but a second after holding it in his hand, he felt like a kind of cold touch on his neck. He managed to control his fear and remained motionless in the hope of understanding what this spirit wanted from him. He looked at the title of the book: \"Give back\". Hector looked up at the table where the book had fallen, then stood up to put it back in its place. \"I think I understand-\" Hector was cut off by a noise one floor down, someone was knocking on his bedroom door. \"Are you all right?\" Selena''s voice asked. \"I heard some suspicious noises, I''m going in.\" \"No, wait! Wait!\" he exclaimed, rushing towards the hole that allowed him to go down to his room. When Selena entered, she just saw Hector fall from the ceiling in a heavy crash as dust fell from the attic into his room. Despite the fact that the situation was unusual, she leaned over to him to see if he had anything broken without a word, before raising an eyebrow. Her long ears moved slightly, then they stopped moving. The elf pulled out the sword from the sheath she had with her at all times and kept it in her hand for a moment before swinging it with all her might towards the ceiling, the blade crossed all the way through it, leaving only the handle of the sword still visible. Immediately afterward, she stood in front of Hector, staring at the hole in the ceiling, put her arm forward, before a rune appeared in the air in front of her hand. A fraction of a second later, a ball of electricity illuminated the room with a blue light. \"Who are you?\" Selena asked in an authoritative tone. \"I wouldn''t have done so if your energy wasn''t so obviously evil.\" she paused before continuing to speak alone. \"You have the same energy signature as those crazy old Andras¡­ don''t make me think you don''t have anything bad.\" Selena decided to throw the ball of electricity while reducing its size, it left at high speed for a space that Hector saw empty; the ball seemed to hit something before it was as if it were sucked in, then sent back in the opposite direction towards Selena. The elf had time to take out a small dagger that she had at her waist to put it in the direction of the electric ball. The ball hit the knife but did not electrify Selena thanks to the leather handle of the weapon. She raised her hand in the air and pointed her sword still stuck in the ceiling with her finger and pronounced a spell that Hector could not understand. The blade illuminated with a faint light before lighting the attic with a strong white light, so bright that the light could be seen from the outside escaping between the roof tiles. The young man thought he heard a distant cry, a female moaning coming out of the attic. The young man''s discomfort stopped immediately as if the presence that had made him uncomfortable all that time had suddenly evaporated. Selena turned to Hector, her eyes wide open. \"Is everything all right? Didn''t my magic touch you?\" she asked in an urgent tone. \"Y-Yes, everything''s fine, thank you¡­\" replied Hector, a little lost. \"I couldn''t see it, but I guess it was some kind of ghost¡­ right?\" \"A Banshee, she looked weakened by something¡­ as if another entity was trying to fight her.\" she gave up her squatting position, to get up and take a quick look in the attic. \"Couldn''t it be the spirit that accompanies you?\" \"Huh?!\" \"Come on, I''m not stupid, you two share similar energy.\" Hector tried to answer, but she wouldn''t let him. \"I can see them, ghosts, etc., it''s a faculty of my race, once this power was called: the curse of the dead. A punishment designed to torment the Dark Elves all their lives thanks to the spirits of the people their ancestors killed in the past.\" \"Pretty sadistic.\" \"Typically the kind of the Goddess Sama, she isn''t known for her great sweetness.\" she paused before helping Hector get up. \"What''s his name?\" \"Balam.\" he said, knowing that he could not lie. \"Well, I feel like I ejected him with the Banshee¡­\" When she saw that the young man was waiting for the next sentences, she cleared her throat and fixed the knob of her sword that she pulled it out of the ceiling in order to get it back. \"The light made them flee in a way¡­ they will eventually come back, but the sacred light is known for its divine effects, otherwise for its effects that affect the world of the invisible¡­ so all the entities around us that didn''t have bodies were literally sent very far from here¡­\" \"I see¡­ Don''t worry, I don''t think you hurt him or anything else, he''s got hard skin if you know what I mean.\" Hector replied, tapping the young woman''s shoulder. After this short discussion, she left to investigate the attic, but it seemed as if there was no trace of any spirit left, she had absolutely ejected everything that was lying around. At the place where the sword was planted, the wood was burned because of the strong light that came out of it. Selena had inspected some of the furniture to see if this Banshee was not linked to an object of the place, but she found nothing; Hector had quickly guessed what object this spirit was linked to, but he wanted to keep it secret, the grimoire was an invaluable object, so necessarily he was a little greedy with the knowledge it could bring him. Hector had noticed one thing, Amy was sleeping heavily, despite all the noise they had made, Selena and Hector could hear her snoring through the door of his room as he walked to the kitchen to drink a little. \"No.\" replied a harsh female voice to Hector. \"No way you''re sleeping alone right now.\" \"Well, then how do you want me to do it? I''ll give you my room and sleep in yours?\" \"You come to sleep in mine, I don''t mind.\" she said, putting away her glass of water. \"I can''t risk letting you sleep in your room, I don''t know when the Banshee will come back and these spirits have a very bad reputation. There are many cases of possession during sleep, you don''t want that to happen, do you?\" \"Yes, okay, okay, no problem. \" he replied by abandoning his protests. \"It was more for you than I was saying that, you know¡­\" \"I think I can sleep next to you, we have the advantage of trusting each other, so we might as well enjoy it.\" \"Might as well enjoy it¡­ Huh¡­ What do you mean by that...?\" Hector asked with a sarcastic smile. \"Probably not what you seem to think.\" concluded Selena with elusive eyes. \"No such thing, please¡­\" Hector smiled at Selena just to reassure her a little, as he had guessed, she was doing her job, but sleeping with a man, made her uncomfortable. Anyway, as Balam said, she probably wouldn''t agree to do that kind of thing if she didn''t feel anything for him. But even if she had a semblance of feeling that was beginning to bloom in her heart, it was only in the bud state. As for Hector, he wasn''t going to complain, he was even rather satisfied to sleep with her, the last female presence in her bed was Chloe, it was now 4 years ago. It was good for him to think that he wasn''t going to be alone like every other night, dreaming people he had killed to survive, or dreaming torture he had to endure or his parents crushed under the rubble of a building. When he was with Chloe, he could sleep, maybe it would be the same with Selena, it was with the hope that he went upstairs and went into Selena''s room. As he had observed earlier, Selena seemed more feminine than she wanted to make it look, she had installed a simple and refined decoration in warm tones which made the room very pleasant; books were lying around on her small bedside table and in a small cupboard, probably a former great reader, some of the book names made Hector smile: ''Being in society''; ''Sewing for Dummies''; ''How to please.''. He didn''t say anything to Selena who already seemed uncomfortable enough and just preferred to take off some of his clothes before lying down. The elf kept her dressing gown and went into the bed, she first turned her back on Hector before turning to her to say goodnight. Unfortunately, Hector was awakened and woke Selena after a long nightmare. The ghosts of the past, unlike those of the present, remain inked far deeper than any other scar. 14 Knife With a tired face, red eyes, Hector stared through the bathroom mirror at a face that didn''t belong to him. It made him feel strange every time. Even though he felt that his body was his own, his face was like the ghost of the person from whom he had stolen the body. This meant that he generally avoided looking at his reflection because for him it was only one more ghost that would continue to haunt him and nothing more. In any case, his lack of sleep had made his facial features tired after now 4 nights where he was just having nightmares, exactly as before, in his homeworld. He blew as he looked in the mirror one last time before drinking a little water and getting his face wet in the hope of looking a little more awake. The young man looked up at the window, the sun had just risen, its first soft rays brushed silently against the cobblestones of the city''s streets. This morning everyone was supposed to be up early because of a meeting that Hector was supposed to have with the eldest daughter of the Weiler family, Rose, Rose Dragnir. A married woman, so she didn''t have the same last name. From what Hector had understood, Rose did not get along at all with her family. Even Amy didn''t know why, it was a mystery to many people, even to the maids who had been there for several years. \"A family secret.\" Hector thought as he took his shower half an hour earlier. He had even sarcastically said to himself that not having had a \"real\" family had saved him from this kind of problem. After some time trying to look more awake, he gave up. Amy had offered to put on makeup at least to hide his dark circles, but he had refused out of pride several times before. But today he was going to have to make a sacrifice. So he had agreed for this time. The makeup was nothing incredible, he just wanted to hide his dark circles, it wasn''t going to look good if he showed up for the first time in front of Rose with a zombie''s head. If there was one thing, the young man could say with certainty, it was that he was well surrounded. Amy cared for him and the house while being a moral support, Selena was a \"young\" calm and soothing woman who knew how to defend herself perfectly, Erwin was also a support although he was not often there. The Footman even came to drop off many supplies and military training equipment so that Hector could start doing some exercise while learning the basics of fencing with Selena. He could easily understand why Krein had chosen Erwin as his friend. Besides, even Helena and Davis had a mature reaction to the news of their son''s death. For the time being, Hector considered himself rather lucky, but¡­ what was the conversation with Rose going to look like? He had been warned, she was a strict and cold woman, but a fair woman. She came from a small town in the province where she ruled with her husband, she had created it from A to Z, unlike her parents who had taken over Vaine, a town founded by the grandparents of Davis. Rose owned various farms, including flower farms that she sold directly to her mother, but also others, such as huge farms and forests. The city she had founded a few years after her marriage was not yet as big as Vaine, but it was beginning to grow and become known. In other words, she had made a success of her life from scratch. Hector had respect for this kind of person; they are rare. During all that time that Hector had been planning and thinking, the sun had risen and was starting to heat the roof tiles. Everyone dressed up, Rose remained a nobleman and, moreover, she was detached from the Weiler family, so Amy, Selena, and Hector preferred to be cautious. However, one thing remained to be known. Why did she want to come in person to the dusty old house of the former maid of the Weiler family? It was with all these questions that the day began. \"Is anyone there?\" asked a man''s voice from the other side of the front door, then after knocking, he started again. \"Is anyone there?\" \"Yes, I''m coming!\" Amy shouted a little surprised at the turn of events. Behind the door was a man in his thirties, dressed in clean and refined clothes overhung with light armor. \"Hello, you''re Xavier, right? Mrs. Dragnir''s bodyguard?\" \"Yes, I apologize for my harshness. I guess you''re Amy. I came to warn you that soon Rose will be here, she''s just¡­ a little longer than expected to arrive¡­\" \"Oh? Why?\" Amy asked intriguingly. \"She came in heel shoes¡­\" breathed the guard with an amused smile. \"And here all the floors are paved, so she twisted her ankle several times. She told me to take the lead and go and warn you.\" \"Does she need help?\" Hector asked as he stood up, as Xavier analyzed her from head to toe. \"No, don''t worry, Octave and her daughter are taking care of her and¡­ I think she''s already embarrassed enough as it is. I don''t think she needs any more.\" \"Octave?\" Hector asked with surprise. \"My big broth- Krein big brother?\" \"That''s correct.\" This was not something Hector expected, he believed that Krein''s older brother was still going out with his class to improve his survival skills. The fact that he was there proved that his little brother meant a lot to him. He must have wanted to come after hearing the news. Hector didn''t see any other explanation. Selena had understood what was bothering the young man, but she could only look, as a valet, she was not allowed to interfere in her employer''s business, except when it put his life in danger, of course. She simply slapped his back as comfort and went to meet Xavier with whom she started talking. The two got along pretty well, he both had the same job and therefore about the same vision of the world on some aspect of life. Amy had gone to get some croissants that she had prepared beforehand and placed them on the coffee table in the living room so that everyone could have some. When Hector saw this, he asked himself a new question, why had Rose come so early in the morning? \"In my opinion, young man, you think too much\"; the young man remembered that simple sentence and the first sentence that Balam had told him. Stop thinking, you''re wasting your time and energy on top of that. You''ll ask the questions in due time. However, even after 4 days, Balam had still not returned. Selena''s magic was too powerful and says that Gregory before saying to the Elf: \"Average score, average abilities, but a formidable elf capable of quickly healing serious injuries.\". If her score were average and not special, what was a person with a very good score and extraordinary abilities? This thought made Hector smile before any noises were heard at the door. \"Here we are!\" whispered a female voice. \"Wearing heels shoes was really the best idea, I''ll thank my husband for making me think about it.\" irked Rose, walking barefoot, with her two shoes in her hand. She was very slightly taller than Hector, her auburn hair was styled into a neat bun, with a few strands still falling in front of her face, while these two black eyes landed on Hector on the other side of the door. \"Big cities are good, but it has its limits, which is why I prefer the countryside.\" \"Stop it, Rose, you look like an old farmer from a filthy village.\" replied a young man taller than her; his ashen-black hair was very reminiscent of Hector''s, but unlike him, his hair was styled backward. \"Hold your tongue, Octave.\" Xavier ordered, looking down on the young man. \"Forget it, Xavier, forget it, it''s nothing serious.\" she said, shaking her hand from left to right. \"I allow myself to go come inside.\" she continued as she entered the area with Octave and a young child. \"Xavier, as planned you stay outside, we never know what might happen, especially right now.\" Rose ordered Rose as the bodyguard made a head movement to show that he had understood. The two groups settled in, then looked at each other for a few seconds before starting to talk. There was some tension, but nothing terrible. Hector didn''t feel like a cold and strict woman in Rose, she was rather calm and analytical, but nothing more. After sitting around the coffee table around the still-warm croissants, someone cleared his throat. This harmless act made everyone understand that the real discussion was now about to begin. Hector raised his head immediately, Balam was not there, he would have to rely on his own experiences and analytical skills if he wanted to get the most out of this discussion. The Weiler family''s refusal of real help and discussion had already been a defeat in itself, now he had to find some help elsewhere. And not just financial support. But contrary to what Hector thought, the first person to speak was neither him nor Rose. \"I came from far away to see if my brother was dead, I didn''t really believe it at first, but now that I look at you into your eyes¡­ I know it''s true,\" Octave explained, putting his hand on his forehead. \"My mother has already explained everything to me through a letter. However¡­\" he paused and looked up with a sharp look. \"Nothing proves to me that you''re not the one who killed him. Of course, there have already been cases of reincarnation, but these are extremely rare cases, like legends, they are neither proven nor studied. I just can''t trust you that easily. It''s easy, to be honest when people in front of you know absolutely nothing. You could perfectly lie and that in itself would be just as honest.\" he exploded with anger. \"Whether your name is Hector or Albert, I don''t care, the reality is that you currently have my little brother''s body under your control and nothing else. Nor is there any evidence that you are not a member of the Andras family, so I can''t believe a person like you.\" A silence took place, the room had gone from a warm atmosphere to a freezing one. Amy had stopped eating her croissant while it was still hanging from her mouth, while Rose looked at her brother with her eyebrows raised. \"No, the member of the Andras family doesn''t have the capacity to inhabit a body for several days, you know that, Octave. Don''t distort reality.\" sighed the woman, putting the croissant in her hands on the table. \"Moreover, you frighten my daughter and you are noisy, so if you have come for the only purpose of spitting out your anger and sadness, you''re not welcome here. I remind you that I have no interest in you and your family, I don''t have to keep you here.\" \"Yes. Yes, surely.\" he began with a brittle voice. \"It''s always easier to say that kind of thing when you don''t share anything with your brother and family, isn''t it? All those words from a woman who ran away from her family without giving any news for several years, it''s still quite ironic, don''t you think, Rose?\" \"Well.\" sighed the woman again before raising her voice so that she could even be heard from outside. \"Xavier, get this worm out of here, I don''t need bugs around me, especially when it can''t stand still while I''m doing it a favor.\" \"The bug tells you to go back eating your salad, country cow.\" he just has time to say this, before Xavier made him an arm lock as Rose looked down at her breasts. \"Octave, don''t make me have to take you to the hospital.\" intervened the bodyguard by pushing the young man out. A new silence took place, but this time it was because everyone was embarrassed. Amy dropped her crescent on the ground and went to get a broom to clean up the mess she had made. No one seemed to know what to say in this situation, but finally, after finishing eating and drinking, the discussion could resume after a long sigh of Rose. She had a quick chat with her daughter, a brown-haired little girl barely 5 or 6 years old, and then turned to Hector. \"Excuse me for that, I knew Octave''s temperament, but I thought he was going to stay still for once, but as usual, he couldn''t.\" \"It''s nothing serious, I''m the problem. I was expecting something like that, so¡­ well, at least, I was expecting one of you to be uncooperative¡­\" explained the young man scratching his head. \"But he seems to have a bad temper though.\" \"After our discussion by letter, did you think I was going to come and not listen to what you had to offer me?\" while Hector was ready to answer ironically, Rose outbid. \"I don''t know where you got that bird, by the way, but it''s damn fast and accurate, I''ve never been able to talk to anyone that fast.\" \"It''s one of Gregoire Saranel''s birds, Captain Lena''s NCO. He is a very good falconer, he has agreed to help me despite the state of his family since they learned of their daughter''s death¡­ He is a wise man.\" \"I see.\" Rose simply replied. \"A hero of the Dantelian Resistance helps you in person, you''re lucky.\" she continued, looking at her interlocutor straight in the eyes. \"So, Hector, let''s get to the point. In your letter, you told me about making a deal. Apparently, in exchange for the help, you could give me, I also had to do something for you. Explain all this to me, it retained my intention.\" During the 4 days Balam had left, he was far from having done nothing, he had tried to learn as much as he could and the more hours passed, the more he knew. He had opened many books in the great library of the Capital, mainly on the geography of the region in which the city of Rose was located, but also to learn a little about its history in the hope of making discoveries that would allow him to have a solid argument. He had also discovered something very special; to follow up on Balam''s advice, he had begun to gather sexual energy. In the evening when everyone was asleep, he had been in a brothel for the past 3 days. He seemed to be able to synthesize feelings, such as anger, love, sadness or lust. He couldn''t explain why, but he could do it. Maybe it was the power of Zepar, Gremory, and Balam, and the three of them mixed to give birth to Hector''s power? Who knows. Feelings can come from him or others, but the person must have a connection to Hector. That''s how he was sure and certain that Octave really loved his little brother. \"I know that you and your husband are doing everything possible to make your city known and acknowledged. I don''t know why, but I know that no one would put as much effort and money into getting permission to build on land as dry as the one you have settled on.\" he began with a calm but sure voice. \"However, I know that the soils are full of minerals and rare materials. You are also looking for water because in this region, it is rare and therefore expensive. You settled near Liandre''s forest because where there are trees, there is water, right? But you are still struggling to find some, which puts your crops at risk. I can know where the underground cavities and groundwater are, it will only take me a little while, but I could tell you exactly where to dig to find what you''re looking for.\" he argued before drinking some water. \"Besides, I know you''re trying to get ahead of the city of Orah, located further south. For that, you wanted to take advantage of Vaine''s messed up to become the leader of the flower and wood trade, but Orah is a little ahead of the curve and has real military power, unlike you, who struggle to find soldiers to form your ranks. I can delay them and speed up your production. Besides, following a discussion I had with the Weiler family, more Davis than anyone else that said¡­ Amy could become a trainer in the maid profession in your backyard, I know you lack qualified staff and since she''s been working in this profession for 6 years, I thought taking her into your ranks would be very useful to you, not to mention the valuable experience she''s gained over the past 6 years. As for Selena, my bodyguard, she could train your troops. She recently volunteered to be my bodyguard, but she belonged to the Lyre squadron led by Captain Lena and Gregoire Saranel himself. So she is among the best. Besides, she''s an Elf, so her magic could cure your son.\" Hector ended by looking at Rose, who was dazed by everything she had just heard. Amy and Selena herself stared at Hector with a bewildered look, not expecting such an argument. Rose had not even had a second to answer and even if she had wanted to, the young man''s idea was to continue until he had finished. It was certainly manipulation, but he preferred to put all this on his side, even if it meant playing with the feelings of others. The woman was now looking at the ground, both hands on her temples, her daughter was looking at her with an intrigued and worried look, \"How can he know so many things? Same staff! Same staff!\" was the phrase that resonated in Rose''s head. She was trying to find out if anyone could have disclosed this information, but in reality, it was not an unknown thing. At least, people knew that someone in the Dragnir family was sick when you''ve been looking for a doctor or a magician for several months, it''s because something is happening. Hector had only known when he went to see Davis at the hospital to get permission for Amy and Selena to follow him to another city. During their discussions, Davis had told her things about his eldest daughter with anger, for the sole purpose of dragging her through the mud, but ultimately knowing this was a good thing for the young man and even for Rose. However, Hector wondered what would make a father want to hurt his child in this way. To say that they were not able to bear the death of their son, but that they were perfectly capable of spitting on their own family''s eldest daughter was rather ridiculous and laughable. \"Mom, the Elf lady could save Remy?\" asked the little girl, pulling her mother''s sleeve. \"Aaah¡­ Faustine, sweetie, I don''t know¡­ maybe¡­\" replied in a low voice Rose, lost in her thought. After a moment when she closed her eyes, she raised her pupils to Hector, with a serious face. \"Well, you surprised me. You''re smarter than Krein, much smarter. I still had doubts, because he liked to lie a lot¡­ but after hearing all this, I can only see that \"spirit\" exists. With the same brain as him, you can be smarter, that''s wonderful. Anyway¡­ I can''t even hope to manipulate you just a little bit. After all, you''re the one who''s trying to manipulate me with feelings by using my son as a sledgehammer argument. From then on, there''s nothing I can do. It almost sounded like you had worked and prepared your arguments like a university speech. That''s why you didn''t even let me talk during your whole monologue, did you?\" \"No, I spoke without stopping because I didn''t want you to find an argument that contradicted me. I wanted to finish my argument first¡­ Excuse me if you that annoyed you.\" Hector humbly apologized with a little smile. \"It doesn''t matter. However, before I say whether I agree or not, I would like you to explain some things to me. First of all, how do you plan to find his underground cavities? Our dowsers themselves can''t find any. And how do we plan to increase our yields and reduce Orah''s? These are the two things that disturb me the most.\" \"Hmm¡­ I''m not the one who will find the underground cavities directly. I have someone by my side that you can''t see. He''ll help me find them, he can go through the material if you know what I mean.\" he explained calmly. \"And¡­ to increase and reduce yields, it will be a fairly long process, but¡­ can I show you how I would do it?\" \"Yeah, do it.\" With that word, Hector performed the same movements he had repeated in his room and began to synthesize the feeling of lust that had been born in him and in the women they had met in the brothel. He concentrated and placed his hands as if holding a balloon, after a short while a magenta and translucent ball appeared, floating between the young man''s two palms. He continued to concentrate before this magenta ball became almost opaque. After moving her a little, he threw the ball gently towards Rose. This magenta ball then faded at the level of her chest like a cloud of steam. She immediately understood the effect it had, she felt improbably aroused, even if the effect was weak, she felt it. However, she did not blink for a moment and showed no emotion. Hector had only given this treatment to this woman, no one but Rose knew what effect it had. \"All right, I get it. Stop it, now.\" she ordered in a neutral tone. \"No problem, but it''s going to take some time to completely dissipate.\" explained Hector, scratching his arm. \"It is possible to keep your little clouds in bottles and therefore to sell them, for example¡­\" There was still a silence during which nothing happened, they all remained to do nothing. It was a necessary time for Rose to face the pros and cons of her thoughts. She had received a higher than normal rate of information when it was only early in the morning, so she was taking her time. At the same time, Amy and the little girl, Faustine, had gone to explore the house, a child needs to take care of after all, so they had gone upstairs, while Selena had gone to join Xavier outside the house door because two individuals seemed to want problems for the Weiler family. It was not uncommon for people to blame the nobles, but it was always wise to take the threat seriously. Rose had sat there from the beginning, Hector thought she had already made her decision, but she was thinking about her husband''s opinion and the consequences of her choice. The young man took the opportunity to bring him a drink. It was then that noise was heard on the other side of the door and upstairs. Xavier and Selena were confronting one or more people outside when a scream was heard on the first floor. Hector and Rose reacted immediately, but the young man was the fastest. After climbing the stairs leading to the bedrooms, he rushed to the place where the noise seemed to come from. It was Hector''s room, the pedestal that brought to the attic was removed and Amy was on the floor trying to defend herself against a hooded figure strangling her while the little girl was watching it in the corner of the room. Hector''s first reflex was to run into the person with all his weight while using his shoulder as a ram. When he came into contact with the attacker, a cracking sound was heard and the figure flew towards the wall. Hector got up immediately, but the figure was already beside him and gave him a severe blow to the back of the head with a metal gauntlet, it didn''t make the young man shudder, he remained standing and tried in vain to catch the attacker''s arm. Hector tried to hit the hooded person in the stomach, but he ran directly into the corner of the room, which was the smartest move. And took the little girl, Faustina under his control. A knife to the child''s throat. \"Oh oh! So you''re not dead!\" said the hooded person with a female voice that surprised Hector. \"Well, I feel like I''m gonna have to slit your throat again. In the meantime, tell the two guards at the entrance to put their weapons away and let my associates in. If you scream or try anything, the kid will have the same scar on her neck as Krein. So don''t make me do something I don''t want to do¡­ So! Come on, come on! \"ordered the hooded woman by speaking directly to Rose at the door, looking horrified.