A Depressed Magician, Starting Life in Another World from Zero - MiiPhlet - Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 (2024)

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Chapter Text

"CHEERS!"

Celebrations rang in Pipin, the third largest country of one of the three Great Magic Nations, Duchy of Basherant. The shouts were from the brave adventurers that took on an S-ranked quest to kill a stray Red Wyrm, a dangerous beast capable of flattening towns and cities.

Four adventuring parties united to slay the great beast. Though, they quickly realized they were outmatched. A Red Wyrm quest typically calls for seven parties with at least 40 S and A-ranked adventurers. To make matters worse, they encountered a pack of Luster Grizzles during their pursuit, alerting the mighty beast before the group was ready. The United might of Stepped Leader, Rod Knights, Iron Cluster Corps, and The Drunken nonsense would have vanished to history had it not been for the man of the hour.

Rudeus Greyrat.

"All hands up for the star of the show, Rudeus of Quagmire. The one who single-handedly killed the Red Wyrm!"

"Rudeus! Rudeus!"

"Quagmire! Quagmire!"

"Everyone, please calm down. I wouldn't have been able to do so if it wasn't for everyone's effort!"

The fifteen-year-old Adventurer was, simply put, a child prodigy. The combination of a reincarnated mind obsessed with the concept of magic and the Laplace Factor birthed a monstrous mage. Had he been known to the nobility, or had the Fittoa displacement incident not happened, Rudeus would have found himself under the clutches of Asuran politics for his vast mana pool and voiceless incantations.

"Humble as ever, huh, Quagmire? It never hurts to take the glory here and there. Especially when you kill a Red Wyrm!"

"Thanks, Soldat. But still, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you guys."

"Sure, sure. Keep knocking yourself over every achievement you make. Besides, isn't it time you joined Stepped Leader?"

Soldat, the current Leader of the S-ranked party Stepped Leader, picked Rudeus up a few years ago. After failing to make up for his father and some traumatic heartbreaks, Rudeus was at the lowest point of his life. The result? Simply put, he was a mess. After years of searching, Rudeus has yet to find his mother, nor has he found a cure for his manhood.

"I always appreciate your offers, but you know I can't join. I've spent enough time in this city. It's time I moved on to the next."

Even under the pressure of finding his mother and the self-hate that bubbled inside him, Rudeus never stopped searching for his mother. He traveled from town to town, spreading his name in hopes his mother would find him. He would not stop to smell the flowers, to enjoy the adventuring life he was living. After all, seeing his mother was the only purpose he had.

"Right... Things never change. Well, we'll still be staying here for at least another year. Let me know when you leave so we can see you off."

"I will. Thanks for everything, Soldat."

Rudeus's rejection made slight frowns across the tavern, but no one blamed the young mage for his decision. We all live for a goal, even at the cost of one's happiness.

"It was then! The Red Wyrm appeared!"

Three troubadours performed on the pub's stage. One stood in front and told the story in a clear, bell-like tone, while the other two matched their music to his rhythm, throwing in sound effects here and there.

It had only been a day since the Red Wyrm's defeat, yet ballads were performed in the tavern where Rudeus Greyrat was enjoying his dinner.

'At least I'm alone to listen to this. Feyden would pester me with his teases had he been here,' the depressed magician thought.

Earlier that day, Rudeus had begun to prepare for his departure. He packed his belongings in his travel sack, purchased packed rations, and exchanged some of his coins for precious gems to use in different countries. He still needed to decide where to go, and his Asuran coins were not accepted everywhere. Exchanging them for gems ensured he could quickly generate money for whatever currency the country used. One would lose some money during each transaction, but it always helps to be prepared. Besides, he never felt the need for excessive wealth. Rudeus had nothing to spend his hard-earned money on besides food, shelter, and supplies.

He never realized that his entire world would flip on his head today.

"I've finally found you, Rudeus the Quagmire!"

The doors to the quiet pub swung open, revealing an elf with long hair in thick ringlets. She looked like an adventurer but was garbed in a dress with a backpack, sword, and shield on her hip. Her face was, in a word, beautiful. She had large, narrowed eyes, pointed ears, and radiant blonde hair. She was also incredibly thin, with a flat chest. She was truly the perfect picture of an elf.

"So you've finally found me, eh…" the boy nonchalantly replied.

He had no idea who the heck she was. He hadn't done anything in the past few years that might give someone a reason to hold a grudge against him. He helped people, avoided fights, and was careful not to attract the wrong kind of attention. This was the first time a beautiful woman had sought him out, but maybe he had done enough general good that people were now seeking him out to give thanks.

'Somehow, I doubt that's the case.'

"You stick out like a sore thumb, just like I was told you would. I found you immediately!"

"Wait, you said 'finally' just a second ago, didn't you?"

"I thought you would be further east," she said, her beautiful eyes staring straight at the mage. For some reason, there was drool trickling from her mouth. She licked it away.

'What's with the woman? Why is she looking at me like that? She barely even knows me, yet her eyes shout of want. Is this the unspoken rizz of the Greyrat genes?'

The Elf effortlessly walked towards the young magician and sat next to him as if it was the most obvious thing to do. Had the center of attention been a virgin, he would have mistaken her for falling in love with him. She sat close to the man. Real close.

"My name is Elinalise Dragonroad. I'm Paul's former party member-"

'Oh,' the boy replied in thought.

On his way home from the demon continent, Rudeus reunited with his father. He expected a heartfelt welcome from his after being separated for seven years. Instead, his father accused him of wasting his time chasing mistresses while ignoring the cries of his family and neighbors. In a fit of confusion and rage, the young boy lashed out at his father, questioning his fidelity to his wife.

Of course, this was all but a misunderstanding. Paul and his party rescued a kidnapped child who was displaced during the displacement incident. They were trying to help the boy reunite with his family, but in the eyes of Rudeus, this was just a typical kidnapping. He could have ignored the sight, but after traveling with Ruijerd, Rudeus couldn't look away from those in need, especially children.

Rudeus tried to rescue the kidnapped child, only to fail and fumble over some woman's undergarments in a slight panic. He hadn't realized he was intruding on a rescue mission until he met face-to-face with his father.

Things only got worse from there. When they moved to a restaurant to share stories, Rudeus boasted about his fantastic adventures like a typical fairytale. He didn't want to worry his burdened father about his dangerous trek back home. Paul, on the other hand, took his story differently.

To Paul, Rudeus was a genius child. He held great expectations for the boy and thought him greater than himself. After years of failures, he felt his wonderful son had a better chance of finding their family. So when he heard about the boy's biased trial, combined with the constant stress and self-loathing, Paul snapped.

After some verbal counters, and some fists and magic, their once wholesome bond was shattered. It was only then had Rudeus realized what had happened. Reality struck hard. While he was busy playing Adventurer, his father was on his last whims searching for his missing family and townspeople. The thought that the blast ensnared others never popped up. He blamed himself for his incompetency. The boy could have saved so many lives but chose not to.

And the worse part, his younger sister Norn had seen it all. She saw how far his father had fallen mentally during those two years. To the young girl, his so-called brother beat his tirelessly working father with magic. This was the first time they had met, and as they say, first impressions make up half of your relationships.

Rudeus silently wept as he failed to protect the one thing he had worked so hard for in his new life, his family. Without telling a soul, he left this city with Ruijerd and Eris the next day.

"I'm also Roxy's friend."

Hearing the name of his treasured teacher, Rudeus snapped out of his depressive thoughts.

"What! My teacher! Where is she?"

He leaned forward from his seat, excited to hear someone speak his teacher's name for the first time in a long time.

"More importantly!"

Instead of answering the number-one question on the mage's mind, Elinalise leaned close enough to kiss him and put her lips to his ear.

"I heard you killed a Red Wyrm alone, didn't you?"

"Y-yeah, it was basically at death's door, anyway."

"Now I understand why Roxy was so proud of you."

The fight against the Red Wyrm was a challenging task. It may be the hardest quest he has taken so far. Still, after his near-death encounter with the Dragon God Orsted, it was hard to panic and lose control. Nothing could compare to the fear of facing the seconded ranked warrior of the seven great powers. Even Hitogami claimed him to be the strongest being in existence.

"I'm tickled pink to hear my teacher boasting about me… No, that actually tickles. What are you doing?"

"Touching your chest. You're very strong."

Her fingers traveled up my chest until she touched the pendant Lilia gave me.

"My, my. Who gave you this?"

"My family's maid. She gave me this alongside an important relic I had at home."

"Oh, is she an Elf?"

"Huh? No, they're not. My, my, why are you asking about that?"

'Oops, looks like I'm now talking like her.'

The Elf raised her sheathed sword, revealing an intricately crafted pendant like his. An amateur had made the magician's pendant while a skilled craftsman made hers.

"This is a design passed down from my tribe. Whoever made it must have been an Elf like me."

'Made by an Elf, huh? Lilia is obviously not an Elf. I can't see why anyone would give Lilia an Elven pendant to pass one to me-'

"Sylphy..."

Indeed, the pendant was made by Rudeus's childhood friend, Sylphyette. She was a green-haired half-elf girl from Fittoa. They would play out daily, practicing their innate talent for voiceless-incantation. Rudeus had not seen Sylphy since he left for his teaching job all those years ago. While her name was not on the list of the dead, with both her parent's demise and Lilia's silent remark about the pendant's origin, only one conclusion could be made.

'Sylphy didn't survive after all...'

With the realization settling in the child's mind, a deep emotion rose from his chest as a lone tear fell from his right eye. Elinalise noticed the boy's anguish and didn't act. With her ridiculously long life span, she knew the pain of losing a loved one. It didn't take much for her to realize what the boy was going through. She let the young prodigy silently grieve in his way. Besides, she did not want to get wrapped up with Paul's son.

After a silent 5 minutes, Rudeus wiped his tears and proudly wore the Elven pendant above his shirt. It was the only thing he could do to remember his presumed dead friend.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. Anyways, Miss Elinalise, do you have some business with me?"

"I've brought good news."

"Good news?"

The woman only smiled in reply before bringing out the one blessing the boy could have.

That was the day Zenith's whereabouts were confirmed.

"I can't sleep."

With the sudden news of her mother, Rudeus could not sleep. Was it from happiness? Excitement? Joy? Yes... and no. Despite his last interaction with Paul, Rudeus still loved his parents. He still wanted to make amends and felt the best way to do it was to rescue his mother, Zenith. It was the only way to atone for his sins and make up for his sloth. Yet, he learned that all his efforts were in vain. His master Roxy had located Zenith with help from the Demon Empress Kishirika Kishirisu.

He failed what felt like his one chance to make it up to his father, to patch the broken family he shattered. What's worse was he could have located his mother years ago. When Rudeus met the Demon empress years ago, he could have asked her where his family was, but no. He took the entire interaction as a joke and obtained the Demon Eye of Foresight. His sloth made him a failure, and his greed took his one chance at diligence.

He, indeed, was the worst of them all.

'This entire time, Zenith was in the Begaritt continent. Of course, she had to be in the one place I had never visited.'

He sighed deeply as he realized the predicament he was in. With his complete failure to locate his mother, Rudeus would never gain the courage to face his father again.

"Well, there's nothing I can do anymore."

He fell back on his bed, forgetting to undress or unpack his bags as he no longer had a reason to leave. The quiet, calming sensation of sleep enveloped his mind as he drifted to the endless void of rest. Even after his early declaration to take life seriously, he was nothing more than a useless human scum who leached off the work of others.

"Huh?"

The distressed young boy repeatedly rubs his eyes, looking left and right, taking in the bright sunny day.

"Where am I?"

Around the confused boy was the bustling street of a typical merchant's district. Humans, Beast, and Demon folk went along with their everyday lives. Some sent some side glances at the unusually dressed boy. He seemed like an average person but was wearing winter robes in the summer. His pack was filled to the brim as if he had just started an incredible journey. On his right was an ornate staff foreign to the people of this city. Perhaps they thought it an extravagant Metia? Whichever the case, it was clear that the boy was not average.

"I went to bed last night and... I don't remember anything else..." The boy muttered.

He rubbed his temples to remember just how he ended up in the middle of the street. It looked nothing like the streets of Pippin, and the temperature was too warm to be anywhere near the Northern continent. How did he end up here, and why couldn't he remember?

"Ugh, in any case. I should figure out where I am. The first step to expert adventuring is to learn where your place is in the world."

He took off his warm under cloak and stashed it in his sack. He wore a simple white shirt and red pants with his mage cloak he got from the Demon continent all those years ago.

Walking down the street of the newly found city, he reached the main road leading to the city's center. The large roads were filled with the busy workings of Lizard-like creatures pulling carts.

"Is that... are those giant lizards?" He muttered.

"HEY!" A voice shouted from behind.

"WATCH OUT!"

Turning around, Rudeus saw a young boy fall on the ground. Tumbling towards him was a Lizard pulled cart racing at incredible speed.

Before he knew it, Rudeus had begun running towards the boy in perilous danger.

*Quagmire*

The ground stretching from the boy to the carriage melted into viscous mud. With each step the lizard took, it fell deeper and deeper into the sucking muck it stood on. The carriage wheels faired no better as the entire underside sank deep within. The simple spell had stopped the racing carriage just in time to save the young boy's life.

The gathered people stopped and cheered in awe at the magical stranger's work to save the young boy. Only the driver seemed slightly annoyed but didn't express them vocally.

"Are you okay?" The mage asked.

After stopping the cart's momentum, Rudeus ran toward the boy on the ground. He struggled to stand as the shock of what happened hadn't yet settled, and his legs lost strength from the sprained ankle on his right foot.

"You have a sprained ankle. Here, let me heal that for you."

The boy looked at the strange young man that had saved him. He heard his voice and recognized his savior, yet no words came from his mouth. Was he too shocked to reply, or was he stunned in awe?

Rudeus saw his odd reaction but didn't think much of it. To him, he was a scared young boy that needed help. He gently gripped his injured leg and began chanting a healing spell.

"Let this divine power be as satisfying nourishment, giving one who has lost their strength the strength to rise again! Healing"

The radiant green glow emanated from the palm of the savior's hand. The boy was scared at the sudden use of magic but quickly settled as the pain of his injuries slowly faded to nothing. Soon enough, the once bruised ankle was good as new. The boy stood up, gathered his dropped supplies, and bowed at the mysterious healer with a bright smile before running off to who knows where.

Feeling satisfied with his work, he continued walking through the city, ignoring the weird looks the locals were giving the young hero.

"Excuse me, sir, do you know what city I'm in?" Rudeus asked a nearby fruit salesman.

The man was a mean-looking buff. He had the body worthy of a bodybuilder; at least, his upper body was. Add his mean face and a gripping scar between his eyes. You wouldn't dare approach the man unless you had business.

"What was that boy? What language even is that? Nobody here speaks in that tongue."

'Was that... Japanese? Am I... Am I back home?' The boy thought.

After years of living in his new world, Rudeus was comfortable speaking in three of the five languages: The human tongue, Beast God, and Demon God. He had assumed he was somewhere in the Central Continent and talked in his Human tongue to the stranger.

'It's almost... comforting to hear Japanese again,' The boy thought. Hearing his old mother tongue gave a wave of comfort rather than the expected confusion, as nobody in his old world spoke in Japanese.

Rudeus scratched the back of his head and smiled slightly at the man. He didn't want to appear rude or insult the man. He replied in Japanese in an amicable tone.

"Sorry. I'm an adventurer and use a different language. I'm trying to find the Adventurer's guild in this city. Do you know where it is?"

"Adventurer's guild? Sorry bud, but I've never heard of anything like an Adventurer's guild."

This only confused Rudues further. Just glancing at the city would tell you that this place was huge. A large and active city like this would have its own Adventurer's guild.

'Wait... I can't read the sign too. It's a completely different writing I've never seen before. Just where the hell am I?'

"Hey, are you just going to stand there or buy anything?"

"Oh, sorry, I must have spaced out. How much are the apples?" Rudeus asked as he pointed to the displayed bright red fruits.

"You mean the appas? The price is on the sign, but a dozen are 37 coppers."

"Uh, I just came from a foreign country. Would these work?"

Despite not being a universal currency, Asuran coins were recognized in most places worldwide. He would still accept them, right?

"Huh? What kind of money is that? You can't use that stuff in Lugunica. That means you're flat broke, huh?"

As the bulky aggressed towards Rudeus, he grabbed him by the collar, shouting at the seemingly broke man.

"Get out of here! Don't interfere with my business!"

"Ah, I'm sorry! I'll get out of your hair!"

"So, the people here speak Japanese but write in a completely different writing system..."

The young magician muttered to himself quietly as he walked through the bustling streets. As he aimlessly wandered the unfamiliar city, he bumped into what felt like a brick wall. He was too focused on the inner monologue that he forgot to look where he was going. Looking up, he saw an elegantly dressed swordsman with flaming red hair, sharp blue eyes, and a delicately ornate sword on his side. He fell on his bottom from the sheer strength of whoever he encountered.

'Damm. I should have looked where I was going. Whoever this is, he must be an insanely powerful swordsman!'

"Are you hurt? I apologize. I wasn't looking where I was going." Said the great swordsman as he handed out his hand.

His tone signified no ill will. Rudeus felt immensely calm hearing his voice. Despite his apparent strength, something about him made Rudeus feel safe.

Rudeus took the man's hand and stood up to meet him eye to eye. He was much taller than him and seemed better built as well. His tone, mannerism, and posture showed no signs of hostility.

"No, not at all. I should be the one to apologize. I was absorbed in thought that I forgot to look where I was going." Rudeus replied.

What was supposed to be an accident from both sides quickly became much more as the red-haired swordsman felt his divine protection trigger. The moment their hands met, the Divine Protection of Analysis and the Divine Protection of Empathy unknowingly activated. The former told the swordsman that this stranger held immense mana within him. So much so that it rivaled that of the greatest mage of the kingdom, perhaps even surpassing him. The thought of a random civilian with greater magical prowess than the great Roswaal L Mathers was concerning, but his latter Divine Protection gave him a sense of relief.

The Divine Protection of Empathy told him the man had no ill intentions or malice. While it wasn't enough to confirm the man wouldn't live a life of crime, it reassured the redhead. Though, he did feel a slight ounce of worry, sadness, and confusion in the stranger. That said, those were his emotions. It would be wrong to probe others without their consent. 'What a terrible knight I am,' He thought to himself.

"It is alright. It was also my responsibility to look where I was going. Well, I have some business to attend to. I'll head off that way. Stay safe."

With that, the swordsman left for his other duties. While worried about the stranger's magical potential, he had yet to do anything wrong. Accusing an innocent man would be unjust. He would return later to talk to the man if the need arose.

It's been an hour since Rudeus woke up in an unfamiliar city. After his slight skirmish with the fruit salesman, Rudeas discovered a few critical things about this new world.

"Alright, I've looked around enough to figure out what's happening. The people here speak Japanese. They don't accept Asuran currency. Beast and demon folk are walking around, and I can't read their writing. And I can still use my magic."

Had someone walked in on the boy sitting in a dark alleyway, mumbling to himself, they would have seen him no further than a madman at the peak of intelligence.

"That means… I've been summoned to another world!" He shouted.

"But why? I've already been reincarnated into a new world. Why am I here? Who summoned me? What about my family in..."

He paused the moment his thoughts round back to his family. Perhaps they would miss him. Aisha and Lilia only saw the hard-working boy, not the slothful trash he was. They would grow to hate him as well when they reunited with Paul. Roxy found Zenith. Paul’s reformed party would be more than enough to rescue her.

'They wouldn't miss me at all, would they? Yeah, they never needed me, to begin with. Even Eris left me after all.'

"Alright! I can't let that drag me down. It's a new world, so a new me!" He shouted, rising from his depressed crouch, his hand high and proudly exclaiming his newly found determination.

"What are you babbling about!"

Unbeknownst to the madman rambling to himself, three ruffians entered the same alleyway and came face to face with the newly made man. One bulky muscular, one slim and tall, and one midget with a... mushroom head?

"If you don't want to get hurt, cough up whatever you've got!" Shouted the slim tall man.

'I guess this world follows the typical isekai troupes? A group of thugs here to reprimand the confused summoned being.' Rudeus thought.

The tall thug continued to walk towards Rudeus and grabbed him by the collar. Had Rudeus been any shorter, he would have succeeded in lifting him to threaten him. Alas, Rudeus was not an ordinary person in any sense.

These were no more than lowly thugs threatening Rudeus. He was confident he could take them out if he had to. Yet, he didn't want to kill anyone, even if they deserved it.

'Judging by their clothes, they aren't some rich assholes bullying the weak. They're just some unfortunate thugs from the slums trying to make days meet.' Rudeus judged them.

'I don't want to hurt anyone if I can help it. They may let me by if I talk it out.'

"I see. I'm new here. I don't want any trouble. Why don't you just let me go, and we can move on our separate ways?"

The tall aggressor seemed surprised by Rudeus's calm demeanor. He tracked the man down after his rejection from the fruit stand. Seeing the fruit seller chewing him out and judging him as a harmless traveler.

"The hell? You don't seem to understand. Give us everything you have, or you'll regret talking back!" He said, inching closer to Rudeus, invading his personal space.

Before any could respond, a young girl's voice echoed behind them as the quickened footsteps brought their attention.

"Move it, move it! Out of the way!"

A blond-haired girl with crimson eyes entered the alleyway. She wore tattered clothes, barely covering herself. Her hands gripped tightly in a fist as if she was holding something dear. She was running full speed towards them.

'Is she running from something? Does she need help too?' Rudeus thought.

Despite being mugged in a dark alleyway, Rudeus didn't care. He was more alarmed at what was chasing the young girl.

Ignoring the skirmish in front of her, the girl sprinted past the men, jumped off the wall like a speed-running Mario player, and disappeared as they stared at the rooftops.

"Woah," Rudeus voiced.

He was curious to know if magic existed in this world too. He figured that perhaps that was why everyone looked at him strangely, but clearly, the girl was using some kind of magic to propel herself up the wall.

'At least I can get a job as a magician now that magic is commonplace too.'

The thugs seemed impressed by the girl's parkour skill as well. They continued staring at the empty halls where the girl leapt out of their sight.

"Hey, that didn't make you decide to be less hostile toward me, did it?"

"Nope."

"It made us want to beat you even more."

'Well, at least I tried.'

'Alright, focus, Rudues. These people want to hurt you and take your prized possessions. You're more than capable of taking them on your own. But they aren't evil people, either. Mugging people is bad, but they're doing it to survive. Just bruise them, and they'll run away.'

'But you don't know the average strength of the people in this new world. For all you know, the average man could be a monster like Rudeus. I should act cautiously and rely on my demon eye.'

With that assessment, Rudeus activated his Eye of Foresight, knocked the thug's hands away from his collar, and blasted a gush of wind to knock him away from his aggressors.

"Look. I just arrived here and don’t want to hurt people senselessly. If you leave me alone, I promise not to hurt you."

"Was that-"

"Magic?"

The big thug and the midget seemed surprised by Rudeus' sudden leap, but the tall, lanky one wasn't fazed.

"Tsch, no matter. He's alone, and we're three people. Rush him, boys!"

With his declaration of war, the tall mugger pulled two knives from his back and charged toward Rudeus.

'They're... slow.' Was all Rudeus could see as the thug ran towards him.

'Did I expect too much? He's not slow compared to people on earth, but he's nothing compared to those from Stepped Leader. Ruijerd or Eris would have already cut him down if they were in my position.'

'I guess I was right. These aren't some super soldiers ready to hurt people. Just some unfortunate normal people forced into a life of crime. I'll take them physically, ensuring not to hurt them too much.'

In response to the not-so-rapidly, Rudeus conjured a stone sword, making sure to blunt the edge not to hurt the man.

The thug hadn't realized how screwed he was as he continued barreling down on the seemingly unarmed man. He raised his arms, preparing to swing down on the man.

'Yeah, that settles it. He's planning to swing his knives to scare me mindlessly. His movement is slow, and his stance is pitiful. He hasn't had any formal training with the blade.'

After confirming his early suspicions, Rudeus readied his sword in a defensive position. He lowered his stance, blade hovering over his right shoulder. When the armed maniac came close, he swung at both wrists in the Sword God style.

"AHHH!" The thug screamed in pain.

Rudeus was sure not to swing too hard, but it was clear the damage was done. Both knives were on the floor, and the lanky's wrists were broken.

'Oops, Yikes. Too hard.'

The wristless thug fell on his behind as he realized how f*cked he was. The lonely traveler wasn't a weary weakling. He was an accomplished mage with experience with the sword.

"Alright, if you leave me alone, I'll let you guys go. I'll even heal your wrists if they hurt too bad."

The three idiots look at him wide-eyed. They felt so confident when they confronted the weary traveler, but now they knew better than not to anger the man any further.

The mushroom head slowly backed off while the bulky one helped his friend. Before they could decide to fight or flee, a bell-like voice shouted at the opposite end of the alleyway.

"Halt villain!"

The tall thug had too much to handle to look back, while the muscular man stood still, afraid that the man in front of him would attack him further.

"I don't know what's happening, but I won't ignore you hurting these people. Apologize to them now!" The girl continued.

Walking down the hallway, Rudeus stared at the newly introduced excursion. She wore an elegant white dress with purple accents, signifying her rank as a noblewoman of high status. She had long silver hair groomed to perfection. Her eyes shined brightly in the dimly lit alley making the amethyst hue stand out. In short, she seemed like an embodiment of beauty, descending to help three helpless idiots tormented by a bully.

The three thugs took this as their cue to escape. They ran full speed out of the alley. Whatever happened to the man or woman wasn't their problem after all.

After their quick retreat, the girl stomped toward the man.

"You! If you return what you took, I'll let your crimes slide. It's wrong to hurt defenseless people and steal from them. So be good and give my insignia back."

Despite her efforts to sound proud and strong, her engrossing voice could calm even the most traumatized individual. Rudeus stared back at the girl, wondering why she was defending the thugs and why she demanded that he return something.

"Miss, there seems to be a misunderstanding. I wasn't hurting anyone on purpose, nor did I steal anything. Those guys tried to mug me, and I just wanted to scare them off." Rudeus replied.

"Hng... Don't you think you can lie to me! I can see your guilty conscience. You've been a bad boy, haven't you? The insignia is very important to me. If you tell me who stole it, I'll forgive you for hurting those people."

'Bad boy? I haven’t had a chance to stretch little me in a long time. Wait, wait. I’m not even from this world. What the hell is she talking about?'

As they stared at each other, one with conviction and the other with confusion, a bright foreign voice popped up out of nowhere.

"I don't think he's lying, Lia. I can't sense any malice from him."

A floating cat flew from the girl's hair as it spoke those words. The majestic being was the size of a typical phone.

'Did, did that cat just talk?' Rudeus screamed internally.

Years of adventuring, fighting beast after beast, never prepared for the odd appearance of the magical talking cat floating in front of the Elf.

"What? Wait, rea~lly? Oh no. Did I rea~lly just come around the wrong way?"

Her tone changed from her attempted, authoritative voice to that of a worried schoolgirl. She turned around to face the floating cat with worry filling her face.

"Uh... I'm unsure what you're talking about, but I saw a girl run past me. If you need help, I remember what she looks like."

The girl turned around at the boy's words. She seemed… surprised?

"Why would you help me? You don't owe me anything, and I accused you of being a bad boy." She replied.

"What's with the "bad boy" talk? Aren’t I too old to be called that? I'm new to this city and don't know where to go. We could help each other out. I can help you find whatever was stolen, and you can show me around." Rudeus replied calmly.

Despite his broken heart and health problem, Rudeus was still a growing buy interested in girls. He wouldn't miss a chance to help out such a beautiful girl. Besides, he was indeed lost in this city. He'd sleep on the streets by nightfall without knowing how to read.

The girl looked deep in thought, taking in the boy's proposal.

"Uhhh. Hmmm." She mumbled.

"I don't sense any malice. I think you can accept his offer. After all, the more shields between you and ruffians, the better!" The cat spoke out.

Something about that floating cat didn't feel right to Rudeus. Was it his demeanor or tone? Or perhaps it was its intention to use him as a meat shield.

"If you're worried about some thugs, don't worry. I can use magic to protect myself. I might be young, but I'd like to think I can defend myself."

"Well, I still can't do anything to reward you after. What I lost was rea~lly important. I don't think accompanying you is enough compensation."

"Don't worry about that. I'm not entirely hopeless that I need to beg to survive. Besides, I'd feel bad if I left someone in need for my greed."

"Hmmm. Very well. I don't know if I could repay you, but I'll accept your help anyways."

And with that, the two began their investigation to find the yellow-haired thief that stole the girl's insignia.

"We've been asking around for an hour, but we haven't come up with anything." The boy weakly said.

As much as he wanted to boast to a girl about his reliability, trying to find a girl in a city this large was challenging.

"It's the capital of Lugunica. It's the largest city in the country. You didn't even know that? Mr.. ummm." The girl replied.

"Oh, that's right, we haven't even asked for your name, have we? Should we introduce ourselves?"

Rudeus turned around at the cat's words as he realized he didn't even know who he was spending time with. He backed his left leg, held his left arm behind his back, and held his right hand facing up. With his newly found vigor, he bowed with the respect and dignity of an Asuran noble.

"My name is Rudeus Gre-, Rudeus. Just Rudeus. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The girl and the magical cat only stared at each other. Clearly, the boy's gesture was out of respect, but neither had ever seen such a bow in their lives. The cat was the first to break the awkward silence as it introduced itself as he flew into Rudues' open palm.

"Well, I'm Puck. Nice to meet you!"

"It's rea~lly unusual to see someone who can touch a spirit so casually. Where are you from?"

The girl's question was perfectly normal. After all, it wasn't every day a mysterious boy lent her a hand. Yet, it was the hardest question for the now panicking boy to answer.

"Oh, about that. If I'm being honest, I'm not entirely sure. I went to bed one moment and was in the middle of town the next. I only knew where I was once you mentioned we were in the capital of... Lagunica?"

"It's Lugunica." The girl immediately replied.

Her composure broke as she thought the boy was a helpless amnesiac.

"But that's rea~lly troubling. Are you hurt anywhere? Did you hit your head? You don't know where you are. You can't read and have no one to help you. You might be in an even more precarious position than me." The girl replied, worried for the confused boy in front of her.

"Um, Rudeus, was it?" She continued.

"Hmmh, that's me."

"Well, when I look at you now, you seem pretty well built." The cat commented.

Perhaps it noticed the slight panic in the boy at the mention of his origins. He swiftly intervened to change the subject.

"I exercised every day for the past four years. And I worked as an adventurer. I'd like to think I'm above average athletically." Rudeus proudly commented.

"I'm not sure what an adventurer is, but that means you're a capable warrior, right?"

The girl walked toward Rudeus, held his hand, and caressed gently with her smooth, soft hands.

"He- Hey-."

"Your hands. They're rea~lly rough with callouses and scars. They're evidence of a hard-working person. And your muscles don't look like what you get from working in the fields. I even saw you wield a sword in that alleyway. You must be an accomplished swordsman, right?'

Rudeus just listened to the girl's words. It's been a while since he had been close to a girl. Even if he finds others attractive, he can never act on them due to his condition. At least he could enjoy her presence right now.

"Uhm, anyways, I know your spirit's name, but I haven't heard yours yet."

"My name?"

"Yeah."

One would expect a simple answer from a simple question, yet the girl looked away and took her time. The wind began to blow through her hair as she seemingly agonized over what solution to give the boy.

"Satella." She finally answered.

"I have no family name. You can call me Satella."

Despite her simple answer, her tone changed as she answered the boy's question. Even the mystical cat, now known as Puck, seemed shocked by the girl's answer.

"I see... Satella."

'Something tells me she’s hiding something. Does she not trust me? Of course, she doesn't. As of now, I'm just a stranger. It's only natural for her to tell me a fake name.' Rudeus thought.

"Well, it is nice to meet you, Satella."

As if to confirm Rudeus' words, "Satella" seemed surprised by Rudeus' reply.

"You have terrible taste." Puck sighed before hiding in Satella's hair.

"Well then, time to go back searching for your insignia!" Rudeus shouted.

Despite the wasted time and the girl's distrustful attitude, Rudeus felt content that he was actively working to help people rather than waste time on himself.

"Rudeus, do you think that girl is lost?'

Satella pointed to a green-haired girl alone on the streets. She looked scared as she tried to call out to strangers walking by, only to give up each time.

"Yeah, you're right. You don't mind if we help her, right? I know you're busy with your insignia, but leaving her alone wouldn't feel right."

Rudeus knew that the more time they wasted, the less chance they had to find Satella's insignia. However, he also knew he couldn't leave another helpless person to themselves to prioritize his problems. He paid the price when he hesitated to help a group of adventurers for his gain. He could never forgive himself for being slothful.

Besides, he would never be able to look up to Ruijerd if he left a helpless child alone.

"Of course. I would feel rea~lly bad if I left her all alone."

With that comment, Satella approached the girl and crouched to her eye level.

"I'm sorry, I'm not the one you're looking for. So, what's the matter? Aren't your mom and dad with you?"

What was a wholesome and kind interaction went wrong as the girl began to cry in terror as she looked at Satella.

"Um, uh... don't cry... I won't do anything to you, alright?"

Despite Satella's kind words, the girl continued to cry her eyes out. Strangely, she didn't cry out for help.

'If she was afraid, wouldn't she call out for help?' Rudeus thought.

Indeed, it was an odd interaction between the kind-hearted girl and a terrified child, and Rudeus couldn't just watch from the sidelines.

“What you see here is a stone statue of the Superd warrior, Ruijerd Superdia. He was an honorable fighter of the Superd tribe from 400 years ago. He fought countless battles to protect his family and children.”

With a tone unlike a car salesman, Rudeus presented the spare Ruijerd figure he had. Even as he worked to find his mother, he didn’t forget to spread the good word of the Superd tribe. He continued to make figurines of his trusted companion in hopes that one day, the Superds could live a life free of prejudice.

The girl looked surprised at the sudden tragic story of Laplace and the Superd demons. The watered-down version Rudeus told got her undivided attention. She stopped crying and stared at the pale stone statue.

“Legends say the Superd people were betrayed by a great enemy and tricked into attacking their friends! After they realized the gravity of their actions, Ruijerd spent the rest of his life working to help people, especially children, to restore honor to the Superd tribe. He was a kind and caring father, a fearsome warrior to the innocent and children, and a good friend of mind.”

Rudeus handed the statue to the little girl. She held it gently in both hands and carefully admired the legendary figure.

“You can have this. It’s a rare oddity here and will protect you from mean people.”

With the added smile from Rudeus, the child was no longer scared of Satella. Her face brightened at the mysticism and safety she felt holding the figure.

"Thank you, mister!" The girl thanked Rudeus.

"I see. You were separated from your mom, huh? Don't worry, leave it to me and this lady here. We'll find them in no time."

Rudeus, Satella, and the little girl walked through the merchant's district. They walked side by side. One hand held the stone figurine while the other linked hands with Satella.

‘This makes us look like a married couple and a child…’

The thought of a happy family walking through town seemed like a fever dream to the brown–haired boy. He’ll never get the chance to be the child again, and he missed his chance to be the father after that day.

‘A family… with Eris…’

The image of the flaming red-haired girl made him clench his teeth. He promised he would move one from their break up. He couldn’t live like this forever, but nothing helped the young lad forget his first heartbreak.

"Oh, Mommy!" The little girl shouted.

She let go of both of their hands and ran towards her crying mother. They hugged deeply, crying tears of family reunion. Satella looked happy to see the girl reunite with her mother. Rudeus felt glad to see them, too, but a nagging feeling in his heart throbbed like a broken needle in a sewing machine. If only his reunion were just as heartfelt.

"Looks like we found her." Rudeus bittersweetly spoke.

"Yeah, I'm glad." Was all Satella replied.

"By the way..." Satella asked.

"What are you holding in your hand? I've never seen something like it."

'Is she asking about my staff? Do mages in this world not use staves?'

"This is a magic staff called "Aqua Heartia". It was a gift from a lady I used to serve when I was young. It amplifies my magic spells." Rudeus proudly replied as he presented his treasured companion to Satella.

Satella looked even more puzzled at the answer. She had never heard of a staff that helped with spell casting. Not even her sponsor had used such an item before.

"Rea~lly? I don't think I've ever seen someone use something like that. I know someone who uses a wand, but nothing this big before." She replied as she held the magic staff in her hands.

Rudeus only smirked at this. He could never give up the opportunity to make a joke.

"How's the thickness of the shaft? Is it to your liking?"

"Hmm, it's pretty thick, but I don't know much more." She replied as the joke whooshed over her head.

The instant she replied, Puck flew out of her hiding space and zoomed toward Rudeus.

*Tail Whip*

"You dare try to defile my daughter? Try that again, and you'll taste my wrath, Rudeus." Puck demanded.

The cute flying cat looked ten times scarier to Rudeus. It looks like dirty jokes won't be on the menu any time soon.

"Ye- Yes, Sir!"

Satella seemed curious about their antics as she didn't understand what they were discussing. Regardless, she handed the staff back to Rudeus.

"Well, Rudeus. Why are you helping me? You told me you needed a guide, but you seemed capable of handling yourself."

"I wouldn't be lying if I said I could manage on my own, but I would still feel bad about abandoning someone in need." Rudeus shrugged.

"Well, you see. I'm actually... a half-Elf, Rudeus." Satella confessed.

She looked away from the boy and gazed down at her feet. She didn't dare look up. She couldn't stand such a kind and caring person scorning her.

Oblivious to the half-Elf's feelings, Rudeus didn’t seem to care.

"Oh, now that you mention it, your ears look pointy. I expected them to be much longer, though."

Satella locked eyes with the ground, preparing for the boy's harsh words to lash out.

'She seems a bit... apprehensive. Hold on, is comparing ear size like asking a woman's breast size or something? Did I insult her and her entire race? Sylphy never told me anything like this. Though, I guess she might not have known growing up with humans. sh*t, I screwed up. I can't alienate the first friend I made in this new world!'

"Not that it looks bad or anything! I think your ears look cute the way they are!"

In a frenzy to resolve their misunderstanding, Rudeus might have spoken more than he wanted. His speech was fast and erratic. He threw whatever compliment he could think of on the spot. In short, he was panicking.

"Eh?"

But whatever words reached Satella's ears, she seemed surprised. She looked back at the fumbling boy, eyes, and mouth wide. She jumped down from the ledge she was sitting on and stood to face the bumbling idiot.

"What?"

"What? Well, I mean... I'm a half-elf."

"Yep, I heard you."

"Uhh."

Now her Irises expanded hearing the last words she expected to attend. She turned around, crouched down, and held her head in embarrassment.

'Huh? Did I say something wrong? I don't know what's going on! Even after 16 years, I still don't know how to talk to a woman!' Rudeus sulked.

Responding to Satella's distress, her dutiful father, Puck, flew to apprehend the culprit. He landed the deadliest attack he could muster in one swift motion, a spirit's "God Blow". Puck's fist successfully landed on the idiot's face with a soft puff.

"What'd you do that for?" Rudeus asked.

Before, he was scolded for making a perverted joke. He accepted his fault and moved on. Now, he had no clue what was going on.

"I just had to do something about this unbearable tingle I feel!"

"I can't accept being hit for a reason like that. Though, I forgive you since it was squishy." He smugly replied.

"I didn't hit you out of anger or anything. The opposite, in fact."

The crouching half-elf turned around, still clutching her head.

"Rudeus, you're such a dunderhead!"

"Dunderhead? Who says that in this day and age? And why are you suddenly insulting me?"

"Hmph! Whatever! More importantly, we need to get back to searching for my insignia."

With her last reply, Satella stood up to continue with her search. She had to find that insignia, or all would be lost. After all, she couldn't give up on the one chance to make amends. She began walking towards the merchant's district, only to be stopped by a stern hand grabbing her.

"Hold it. We've been searching for hours with no results. Running around without a plan won't get us anywhere. There are basic rules of searching."

"Rules of searching?"

"Yep, as an adventurer, I took jobs searching for missing people or animals. We should go back to where your insignia was stolen and start from there!"

"Hmm? What are you doing here again? Didn't I tell you to leave, you broke ass kid?"

'It just had to be here of all places, had it?'

Rudeus and Satella walked back to the scene of the crime. Coincidentally, it happened right in front of the fruit vendor that kicked Rudeus for being broke.

"Just so you know, I'm not some broke kid. I promise to buy as many appas as I want after I exchange my gems for coin."

Their banter back and forth kept escalating further and further, only stopped by the bell-like voice of a certain half-Elf.

"Mister. I'm sorry to bother you, but someone stole from me here. Could you please help us find the thief?"

"Yeah, You just wait, and I'll buy your entire-oh, yeah, I almost forgot. We're looking for a thief around chest height, with golden blond hair and red eyes. Have you seen her anywhere?"

"Didn't I already tell you to scram? Stop annoying my business and return when you have money to spend!"

If looks could kill, Rudeus would be six feet under. The staring glare of the enraged fruit seller was no joke. You could almost see the fire burning in his irises.

"Mister!"

Away from the mage and fruit seller's skirmish, a young childish voice called out. They both faced the origin and found the lost child Rudeus and Satella helped. She walked up to the group, hand in hand with her mother.

"Thanks for your help earlier." The mother said.

"What brings you back here?" Rudeus asked.

"It's my husband's shop, so we were just stopping by."

"Husband?"

Indeed, the dramatic reveal of the salesman's identity was the father of the lost child. The man in question looked back at the boy differently. He was curious about how his lovely wife and daughter knew these idiots.

Before the green-haired hulk could interrogate the boy, his daughter ran and hugged her father, shining the widest grin a child could muster. How could a loving father not react to such an adorable creature? His rage and anger immediately settled as he hugged his daughter back, patting her head.

"Here here, that's my girl." He responded with the broadest grin a father could muster.

"Wait, you know these broke kids?"

"She got lost, and they found her."

"Hmmm." The father grumbled,

"Here, lady."

The little green-haired child spoke up to a weary Satella and presented a flower pin in her hands. It had bright reddish petals, an orange center, and a green underlap. The stem was tied with white string, allowing it to be used as a clothing pin accessory.

"Please accept it. She wanted to thank you in her own way." The mother said.

"Thank you."

With a simple and soft thank you, Satella accepted the gift and pinned it on her left chest. With her new accessory equipped, they simply smiled at each other, filled with satisfaction.

"Ehem. Sorry about that. You helped my daughter, and I want to thank you. You were asking about a thief, right?"

The broke couple looked at each other with satisfied grins. After hours of searching, they finally had a lead.

"Divine breath is the source of nourishment, give those who are sick the strength to wake up again. Detoxification."

The two mages ended up in the slums of the city. According to the fruit vendor, now known as Kadamon, Felt was a well-known thief who visited the "Loot House" in the slums. With this new information, Rudeus and Satella excitedly ran towards the slum district, only to be met with dozens of sickly and injured people needing help.

"This should heal your cold, but I can't do anything with the eye. I only know intermediate-level healing spells, so I can't heal an eye, sorry."

"No, no. Thank you for helping my mother. She never slept well, but I can already see she's resting much better now."

As they walked through the slums, Rudeus and Satella took it upon themselves to help the poor as much as possible. They didn’t have money to share. Even if they had, Rudeus argued, the people might become violent and fight for their new possessions. While Satella wanted to do more to help them, she conceded and healed anyone needing immediate attention.

"I'm rea~lly surprised, Rudeus. I didn't think you were a mage, and your healing magic feels nothing like I've ever seen. I can't even understand what language your chants are!"

Indeed, despite being a prodigy in combat magic, Rudeus had no talent in healing and detoxification magic and couldn't use healing magic without incantation. Therefore, Rudeus had to repeat the healing chant for every single patient. What confused the half-elf and his patients was the archaic language he spoke as he healed the sick. They recognized that he spoke some unknown language because of consistent patterns, but that was all they could understand. In this world, the Human Tounge language was exclusive to Rudeus.

"Thanks, but my healing magic isn't all that great. I can cast any other spell without chanting, but not healing magic. I don't understand why, so I can't improve."

Despite the praise Satella gave, Rudeus could only focus on his faults. He cursed at his inability to perform when it mattered.

"I don't think so. Healing magic usually takes a long time for the effect to be evident. Even the best healers could take days trying to heal an injury, and you just healed her in seconds. You rea~lly are super-duper!"

"Who even says super-duper anymore."

"Hmph. We finished helping the last person. Let's get back to finding the Loot House."

They continued to walk through the broken-down streets in search of Felt. The slums were a stark contrast to the clean and pristine merchant districts. While Rudeus knew it wasn't the people's fault, seeing the difference disappointed him. Indeed, it looked no different than his home, the Fittoa region, after the disastrous teleportation incident.

With the shine of bright particles, Puck manifested from Satella's green crystal necklace and gave some select words for the duo.

"Lia, it's getting late soon. I won't have enough mana to protect you. We should wrap up our search or come back tomorrow."

"Hmm? What do you mean by that?" Rudeus asked.

"Puck is a great spirit I'm contracted with. He uses mana to manifest physically. He can’t help us after dark, or he’ll risk expending his Od."

'Okay, spirits bond with people and require mana to exist. They recharge their mana by resting. Noted. Noted.'

Ever since Rudeus arrived in this new world, he has been mentally noting every difference—especially those related to magic. The mechanics of spiritual magic was indeed one of them.

"Wait, if you're running out of mana, can you absorb some of mine?"

"Umm, I'm unsure if that's a good idea, Rudeus. You're a talented mage, so you should know you'd faint if you ran out of mana. You already used a lot from healing those people. You must be running on fumes by now." Puck replied.

"Actually, I feel fine. I have a large mana pool, so I have much left to share. It can't hurt to try, right? I'll let you know if you take too much."

Puck and Satella looked apprehensive at this. While they were not experts in healing magic, they assumed Rudeus' healing magic was complex and required much mana. Compared to their healing magic, it was indeed a fair assumption.

"Well, I did warn you." Puck said.

Puck tapped Rudeus' forehead with his final words and began siphoning his mana.

"Nyom nyom nyom nyom-"

"Whoa, that's a totally magical sound effect you're making!"

As Puck continued to absorb Rudeus' mana, he was shocked to see the ridiculous amount of mana the boy had stored within him. He held more mana than almost anyone he'd ever met before. And as a 400-year-old immortal spirit, Puck has met a lot of remarkable beings.

"Wow. Rudeus, your mana reserves are incredible. I couldn’t take much since the low absorption rate, but I now have enough to go another hour or so! There's only one other person I know that might have more mana than you!"

"That's good to hear. I'm still fine, so if you need more mana, help yourself."

"No, Rudeus, you shouldn't overwork yourself like this. I know how much mana Puck needs. I'm rea~lly worried he might take too much from you."

Despite the public mana charger's good gesture, Satella scolded the boy. While she understood Puck's insane mana intake, she didn't fully grasp the potential of a mage born with the Laplace Factor.

"Alright, alright. Let's keep moving. Kadamon said the Loot House was at the end of the main road."

It was close to 4 pm. The sky was bright orange as the sun was settling down. Had it not been for the views of the slums, this could have been a romantic location for the two duos looking for her insignia.

"Alright, I think this is the place. Do you have a plan to get your insignia back?"

"What do you mean? They stole something that isn't theirs. Why do I need a plan?"

Rudeus deadpanned at the half-Elf's naive answer.

"You're right that it wasn't theirs, but if we try to force them, we might have to fight the thief. I'd prefer to handle things peacefully.

"Well, I don't have any money, and neither do you. I rea~lly don't have anything to give to buy my insignia back."

"Oh, don't worry about that. Before I packed, I exchanged most of my money for gems. They should be enough to get an insignia back."

As Rudeus proposed using his money for a trade, he pulled out a sack filled with precious gems and metals. They were his life savings. With no outlet to spend money, Rudeus' total earnings as an adventurer netted him a hefty sum—enough for him to retire with some smart investment decisions.

"But you can't! I won't be able to repay you if you do!" Satella disagreed.

"Satella. You've been a great friend to me. You helped me get around town despite your predicament. I'm not doing this to be paid. I want to do this because I want to help a friend."

"Huh?"

Satella looked surprised by Rudeus' words. She held her hand to her mouth as her eyes widened in shock. Had he said something to offend her?

"Uhh, did I say something wrong, Satella?"

'I hope I didn't screw this up! She's my only friend, and I enjoyed hanging out with her all day.'

"Oh, it's nothing, nothing at all. I'll apologize after we get the insignia back."

Whatever was troubling the girl seemed to disappear after Rudeus' question. And what was it about apologizing?

'Oh yeah, the name. She gave me a fake name and then was surprised I used it. We'll figure it out after we get the insignia.'

"Alright, these fences can be ruthless when negotiating, so let me do the talking."

With those words, Rudeus walked up to the large wooden entrance of the Loot House.

'I know we're not expecting a fight, but I should activate my Demon Eye, just in case.'

He funneled his mana towards his right eye, activating the Eye of Foresight. This unique demon eye replaced his original eyeball and allowed him to see a few seconds into the future. He could see far into the future with enough mana, but the images would be too blurry. After years of practice and use, he found 2 seconds to be a good sweet spot.

With his Foresight activated and staff at hand, he knocked on the wooden doors of the Loot House.

"For a rat?"

Behind the great doors echoed a low grumbling voice. While Satella looked surprised by the sudden question, Rudeus half expected a code as he had done so in his old world. With years of experience in mind, he knew the perfect answer to open this code.

"I have money."

The instant the boy declared his intentions, the wooden door slammed wide open, presenting the same golden blondie who stole Satella's insignia.

"Ah, you just don't give up, do you!"

"Wait, wait, hold up. Don't close the door on use. We just want the insignia back, and we'll buy it back.!"

Satella wasn't a fan of Rudeus' idea but trusted the boy who had helped her so far. He did call her a friend, and trust is important between friends, right?

"Really, this young lady behind me just wants her insignia back but doesn't want to start anything. You're probably stealing to stay alive, so why don't we buy it back, and we can all go home happy?"

The air stilled with Rudeus' last words. Each party held neutral stances, calculating their next move. One wrong step and all-out war breaks lose.

"Hmmm, fine, but I already have a buyer waiting, so you'll have to wait until they arrive."

The Loot House was a pub decorated with presumably stolen goods. The items ranged from small jewelry to large tapestries and paintings. One even looked like the modern-day Mona Lisa (How did that get there?)! Huffing in response, an annoyed Felt opened the door wide and let the two inside.

The three kids sat down on the bar stools side by side. Neither spoke up as they were too nervous about the odd situation. Just how often does your theft victim manage to track you down and negotiate their belongings back? On the other hand, the buyers feared one mistake might lead to a free-for-all. There was no need for violence. They just wanted what was rightfully theirs.

"Are these your buyers, Felt?"

The towering giant asked the little thief. Despite his size and threatening stance, his voice was that of an old man talking to his granddaughter. Not a hint of malice was felt.

"Nah, they're eyeing the same thing. With two buyers, I'll be able to get the most out of this job!" She excitedly shouted.

"I'm glad you think that way, but best keep it quiet. You don't want to give your buyers an advantage."

"Ugh, well. Anyway, how much are you offering to get the insignia?" Felt asked.

"Before we answer that, show us that you have the insignia on you first. We don't want to waste time after all."

Felt reached into her inner pocket and took out a purple triangle with golden engravings. In the middle was a bright red gem shimmering with life.

"That's my insignia," Satella said.

"Alright, we both don't have any money on us, but I have some gems worth a good price. Tell me your other buyer's offer, and we'll match it."

"No. I showed you I have. Show me your offer, and I'll think about it."

'Clearly, this girl knows what she's doing. This isn't her first rodeo with negotiations. If I show her my gem sack, she'll try to make me spend my entire life savings. As much as I want to help Satella, I don't want to be broke afterward. I still need to live my life after all.'

'Instead of showing her the entire bag, I'll just show her a single gemstone in my pocket and let them decide its value. I don't know this country's currency, so this is the best I can do.'

"This is one of the many rare gemstones I currently own. It's mined from the depth of the Red Dragon Mountains. It's been processed by skilled craftsmen to be considered a flawless gem. This should be enough for an insignia."

The negotiator offered a 26-karat emerald. Despite having no magical effects, it shimmered with the bit of light available. The gem was carved intricately, refracting the dim torchlight of Loot House.

The giant took the gem in his hands and carefully inspected the gemstone. After a thorough investigation, he handed the jewel back to its owner and gave Felt a slight grin.

"I'm not an expert with this level of quality, but I can say this will sell for at least five holy gold coins."

Hearing the old man's words, Felt's eyes shimmered with excitement. It was then she realized she had hit the jackpot with this job. With the added implication that he owned more of these precious gems, she was confident that this deal would get her and Old man Rom out of the slums.

"Alright! My buyer offered 10 Holy gold coins, but your offer is enticing. We'll wait for her to swing by to start the negotiations!"

"Is that so? I hoped you'd jump the gun here and now, but there's no helping it. When is your other buyer coming?"

"She should be here any minute now. She said she'd arrive before nightfall. You guys can just sit around and wait."

With the first round of negotiations failing, the rich duo took two seats near the entrance while Felt and Old man Rom kept the conversation to themselves.

"Are you sure you're fine with this? That gem looked rea~lly pretty. I can't let you part with something so precious!"

"Not at all, not at all. Before I left, I exchanged some money for these gems to exchange later. I have plenty more of these, so I don't mind parting with one to help a friend."

Despite the constant reassurance, Satella seemed apprehensive about Rudeus' generosity. She was thankful to have someone help her to this extent but was still wary of the naive magician. To her, he was an enigma, totally out of this world.

"Friends? I know you're a good boy, but I don't think we ever became friends."

"Oh, umm, well. Then let's say I want to be your friend, and this is a token of our future friendship! Okay?"

"Oh-Kaay?"

"Mhhm, okay?"

"Alright, I'll be in your care then."

'Even when she seems apprehensive, she looks pretty cute! If I didn't have my condition, I'd have drooled over her instantly. It can't be helped. Friends, it is. Maybe she won't leave me if we keep our boundaries.'

The two continued the small talk as they waited for their fated encounter.

"By the way, what exactly is this insignia? I know it's really important to you, but after seeing it, I can't help but feel underwhelmed."

"You're right. It won't sell for too much, but I can't part with it. I need it if I want to fulfill my dreams."

'Dreams, huh? Is it a magical item of sorts? The gem seemed to glow when Felt had it. Or it's a sign or mark of importance. Satella does look like a noble maiden. Could it be a wedding gift?'

'Well, whatever its importance is, it shouldn't be my problem. All I need to know is that it's important, and the pretty girl needs it back.'

"After this is over, what do you plan to do?"

"I visited the capital with my sponsor's maid. We got separated before my insignia was stolen. Once I get it back, I must return to my sponsor's estate."

"Ho~, does that mean you're a noble of sorts? You do look well dressed and skilled with magic."

"I'm not rea~lly sure how my status ranks, but it's something akin to nobility."

'Ah, transported to a new world, and the first quest I get is to help a noblewoman find her stolen item. Such a typical story trope.'

'Well, it's getting dark. I'll have to learn how this world functions to live in it. Hopefully, Satella can tell me the nearest inn after all this. I've done this once before. I can do it all again.'

"Ha! That must be my buyer! Coming right up!" Felt shouted.

The blonde thief ran towards the door, vibrating in excitement. Her days in the slums were ending! This was the best job offer she took.

She opened the door with her bright smile and excited footsteps to meet the guest. An attack was the last thing she expected.

*CLANG, PSHHhhh*

"Ora, ora. No one has ever parried my blade with magic before. Alas, I'll have to leave no witnesses with the half-devil here."

Standing before Felt was a tall endowed woman wearing a revealing dress and fur cloak. Her right hand was covered in blood as a stone cannon had hit the ricasso of her Kukkuri-like dagger.

Before Felt could greet her buyer, Rudeus had foreseen the woman's betrayal. His Demon Eye saw a future where the young blonde was lying on the floor, bleeding to death. He instinctively shot a stone cannon at the precise location of her swing to save the young girl's life.

Felt fell on her butt and began scootching back before running behind the bar counter. She felt an emotion she hasn't felt in a long time, fear. Why did everything go wrong? This woman was supposed to be her ticket out of there. This was supposed to be the end and a new start. Would her client kill her? Would the girl, from whom she’d stolen from, and the boy help her?

"There's a first time for everything. I assume you're the buyer Felt talked about?" Rudeus asked.

Rudeus, Satella, and old man Rom prepared for battle the moment he parried the attack. Rudeus pointed his staff at the naked assassin, and Rom took out his club behind the counter. Satella summoned six ice crystals around her. Felt was cowering behind Rom. She didn't ask for this sh*t. She was a thief, not a fighter.

"I can't say the feeling is pleasant, but I'll make do after I dissect your wonderful bowels. Especially the Elf there. I wonder how different your entrails will be!"

"Halt villain! Don't think you can get away after attacking a young girl! Puck!" Satella shouted.

The great spirit manifested above the half-Elf's head with his own set of ice crystals.

"I see you're enchanted by my daughter, but I won't let you near her." Puck declared coldly.

The curvy attacker didn't bat an eye at the potential one versus five. Actually, she seemed even more excited as Puck entered the fight.

"Hoo~. I've never cut open a spirit before. This job is only getting better and better!"

"Hey! Don't pick on the little girl. Don't go walking around kicking little girls, you little sad*st. Felt's doing the best she could given her circ*mstances. Do you realize how terrible it feels to be bullied? Well, I do, and it's nothing good! You should value life more!"

Rudeus preached as he pointed at their opponent. He seemed genuinely incensed by the woman. Though, no one seemed to understand what he was talking about.

"What could you be talking about?" The woman asked.

"I'm in the process of denouncing the evil and hate of this world with brimming justice and chivalry I never knew I had. What I consider unjust is you in this situation, and... NOW GIVE HER HELL PUCK!"

"Despite your looks, you're pretty good with speeches, huh?"

After Rudeus' distraction, Puck conjured a hundred more ice crystals and fired toward the woman. Usually, Puck wouldn't have the mana to fight at this time, but thanks to Rudeus' mana, he had more than enough to cast a few strong spells.

"We still need to introduce ourselves, don't we? My name is Puck. Remember it after you die!"

*Wind Bind*

As Puck fired her ice crystals, Rudeus cast a binding spell to hold the woman in place. Realizing her predicament, she covered her body with her cloak as she erupted into an explosion of icy white mist.

"Did that get her!" Shouted old man Rom

"Don't raise a flag!" Rudeus shouted.

A grounded iceberg appeared as the shattered icy particles settled. What should have instantly killed their assailant glowed bright white and then crashed to pieces.

"One should always be prepared."

With her words, the woman broke out of her ice prison. She twirled her dagger and sprinted across the shop towards Satella. Her cloak vanished into thin air, revealing its purpose as a magical shield of sorts.

"Don't underestimate a spirit arts user!"

Satella conjured an ice barrier to block her strike. Puck continued to rain down heavy artillery from the ceiling.

"For a girl, you're well-versed in fighting!" The spirit taunted.

"Ara? It's been so long since someone took me for a simple girl." Elsa replied.

She cartwheeled away from the spirit mage duo, dodging and weaving through the barrage of ice crystals. As she reached the far end of the tavern, she was stuck in place as a crystal had stricken her foot, cementing her in place.

"I wasn't just randomly throwing those around."

“Could it be I’ve been defeated?!”

"Goodnight!"

With the combined force of Puck and Satella, their hands shimmered a bright bluest light. Despite having no knowledge of the magic of this world, even Rudeus understood the magnitude of their attack. He presumed it was at least Saint tier, perhaps even Imperial.

A continuous pillar of ice shot from Satella. The assassin looked straight at the icy death, showing no fear. She leaped from its trajectory at the last second and landed on the ice sculpture. Crimson life fluids dripped over the ice wall as she cut her foot off to free herself.

"That felt wonderful! I truly thought I was going to die there."

The gruesome sight of a dismembered body part penetrated everyone present. The cut was jagged with tattered flesh and bone sticking out of the limb and woman. No one had to see a sight so gruesome.

"Even for a girl, I don't find that sort of thing impressive," Puck commented.

"Puck, can you keep going?" Satella whispered.

"Sorry, I'm exhausted. My mana's gone, so I'll disappear in a bit. I underestimated her..."

"Rudeus and I will take care of things so you can rest. Thank you."

"If anything happens to you, I'll act according to our contract. Call me out, even if you must squeeze out my Od."

With those last words, Puck vanished from sight to rest after a hard day's work. It was getting dark outside.

"You're going away?" She disappointedly asked.

She tore off an icicle and attached it to her foot, making a temporary prosthetic.

"Yes, this will have to do."

After tapping her newly made foot, she dashed towards Satella and continued her barrage.

Satella conjured two different ice shields to block each attack. The woman spun around the girl attacking from all angles.

When she found an opening to strike, Rudeus shot stone cannons to cover her elven friend. His Demon eye allowed him to predict her attacks after all.

Yet, the woman was faster. Even with the combined combo of two mages, The assassin sped up, leaping, swinging, and dodging faster and faster. Soon, she was barely visible to the naked eye and landed a spinning kick on Satella, launching her towards Rudeus to catch her fall.

"Here I come!"

With a hearty shout, the giant entered the battle with his giant club, allowing Rudeus to chant a quick healing spell on Satella.

"Felt! You should run while we hold her off. You should take this chance to get out of here."

"What? No! I'm leaving old man Rom. Even you. You saved my life there, so I owe it to stay here and fight!"

"Listen to me, Felt! This isn't the time to argue. You don't look like a fighter, so I doubt you can be much help. You're our youngest, so grab your chance and get out of here!"

"But, what about you? I can't just leave you all!"

"We'll be fine. You said this deal would get you out of here, right? And here, take this. Take this and make a new life out of it."

Rudeus handed the flawless emerald to Felt. She tried to refuse it, but Rudeus wouldn’t have it.

"Life is important, Felt! You only get one shot at it, so grab at your one chance and run like hell!"

Rudeus desperately shouted to the girl to save herself. Despite his earlier claims, he knew his limits as a fighter. The assassin was fast. To Rudeus, she seemed faster than Ruijerd himself. He knew his chances to live were slim without cover or space to distance himself.

'I've already lived two lives. The best I can do is to get everyone out of here.'

"But-"

"No buts. I'll make an opening, and you run with your tail between your legs!"

With his pep talk finished and a newly healed and conscious Satella, Rudeus stood up to help the whirl of a giant, swinging wildly at the assassin.

"I'll smash you to pieces!" The giant shouted.

He swung faster and harder, each swing accompanied by a tired grunt. The assassin weaved through his attacks like butter. She was just chilling, waiting for an opening.

*Wind Blast*

The sudden blast of air knocked the woman off balance, allowing the Rom's swing to connect. The assassin twirled in the air, using the momentum of his swing to jump up and land on his still-moving club.

"I was worried for a moment, but you're too slow to catch up."

Indeed, her speed was near sonic as she swung down on the giant's head to split it in two.

While the others couldn't see the woman's movement, Felt activated her Blessing of the Wind. It propelled her speed and cognition tenfold, enough to notice the woman's downward strike.

"Not gonna happen!"

She threw her dagger at the woman, knocking the deadly strike away. However, the force wasn't enough to disarm it as her dagger still sliced the giant's shoulder open.

"Old man Rom!" Felt shouted.

Spurts of blood erupted from the wound. The damage was fatal. If left alone, Rom surely would die. With the sudden blood loss, the giant fell flat on the ground, losing consciousness.

"You little girl. You have neither the strength nor the resolve to fight. You should have hidden in a corner and hoped I forgot about you." The assassin taunted.

She dashed towards the defenseless blonde, ready to carve her in half. Rudeus grabbed Felt's arm and lept aside to dodge. The assassin continued her onslaught, only to avoid a barrage of ice crystals fired by Satella.

The two continued their skirmish, each showing no sign of giving up. With each swing, Satella conjured a shield to counter. With each ice crystal, the assassin dodged or struck it out of the air.

"Alright, we aren't looking too good with the man down. Now's your chance. I'll distract her long enough for you to escape."

"But I can't leave Rom alone!"

"Don't think we're just helpless fools. We'll stop that woman and heal the giant before you know it. Trust me."

Rudeus smiled at the distressed girl. He wanted everyone to survive, but with their main tank gone, the odds of survival were low. His words seemed to reach the girl as she wordlessly nodded while shedding a tear. After confirming his intent with the girl, Rudues lept towards the assassin and fired three explosive stone bullets. Had she paid attention, the woman would have dodged all three, but with her attention focused on the half-Elf's icicles, she could only avoid the first two, then parry the third.

With a blast of red flashes, the explosive stone bullet imploded on the woman's strike, knocking the assassin to the wall.

"Now's your chance! GO!" Rudeus shouted.

With a slight grimace and tears running in her eyes, Felt dashed towards the door at full speed, following the boy's promise that saved her life.

"You okay, Satella?"

"Mhm, I'm handy-dandy."

"Who even says that these days..."

With the two mages reunited, they faced the crumbled wall for the knocked-out assassin. As the dust settled, a large crater with splintered wood jutting from all angles revealed the killer was still alive. Her right arm was torn to shreds from the explosion. The bottom half of her hand had chunks of meat and bone. Loosely connected skin held together her two bottom fingers. Her forearm was covered with bubbling flesh and severe burns from direct contact with the explosion. Yet, her expression showed no sign of discomfort.

"Stay down, and we won't hurt you anymore." Rudeus commanded.

Despite his authoritative tone, Rudeus was quite scared. Despite his fights against majestic beasts more powerful than an assassin, he had little experience fighting people outside mock duels. Even against the vilest people, Rudeus didn't want to kill a living person.

"Ara ara. I haven't felt this much pain in so long. How exciting!"

Her wide smile held strong as she revealed her broken arm, knitting itself together. The instant regeneration shook Rudeus to his core. He knew his capabilities as an intermediate healer. The killer's healing factor was several times stronger than any healing spell he had ever cast. He guessed it was on par with the healing magic Orsted used to repair his chest after his fight with the legendary Dragon God.

Orsted still terrified the young mage. The mere thought of facing another monster with abilities even close to Orsted's strength was...

'This woman is nuts! I could run now if I cast Deep Mist...

He looked to his right to see a tired Elven girl panting with each breath from the exhaustion of her lengthy fight. Despite all the punishment she took dueling the sad*st, she still held firm to live, fighting tooth and nail for survival. That strength and resolve to fight things through that clawing grip on what little life she had triggered something inside the frightened boy.

'She's working so hard to fight her. None of this was her fault, but she's struggling to move forward. Is that what it looks like to take life seriously?'

"Would you look at that?" The assassin commented as she brandished her newly healed arm.

'All this time, I've deluded myself into living seriously. I thought I had put in my all, but it amounted to nothing. Paul, Roxy, Ruijerd, and even Eris. They put their lives on the line. They kept struggling and moved forward while I was busy playing Adventurer.'

"I'd prefer you didn't look at me so intently. Present your bowels so I can get them already!"

'If this is what it means to live seriously, then I won't run. I'll fight till the end.'

"And I will get the good ending!"

*Wind Bind, Stone Canon*

As the sad*stic woman hurled her blade toward the duo, invisible gusts wrapped around her body. Her lunge halted before the boy and was met with a speeding stone dartling at her torso.

With a swing of her daggers, she sliced the stone in half and disentangled the bind's grips. She tried to leap forward but was only stopped by three icicles stabbing her throbbing side.

Satella had repositioned to her flank, making a crossfire between him and Rudeus. The couple sent barrages of stone and ice at the manic murderer, keeping their distance at bay.

*Stone Canon, Wind Blast, Earth Lance*

Stone Canon to deal lethal damage, Wind Blast for crowd control, and Earth Lance to maintain distance between him and the killer woman. Rudeus repeatedly used the three spells in succession. Despite his rigorous training, Rudeus' physical strength and speed were nothing compared to the superhumans he faced now and before. To compensate, combining wind and earth magic allowed him to reposition and dodge incoming attacks.

The three continued their fight with no party showing signs of buckling up. While Rudeus and Satella managed to hit solid hits with their spells, the woman would smile manically as her wounds stitched together.

'*Pant, pant* How are you holding up?" Rudeus asked.

"I haven't fought like this in a while, but I think I'm still good." Satella replied.

'This woman is nuts. We'll lose if we go on like this. Eventually, Satella and I will run out of mana while our crazed killer shows no signs of wearing down. I need to make a play to stop her right in her tracks. Should I throw out a firework and hope some knight sees it? No, it’s getting late, and I doubt any knights would patrol here. Even if someone does notice, they won’t make it in time. We need to finish this on our own.'

"Hey, I'm going to try something. We can't keep up with her. Form a shield around yourself and the old man when I signal."

"Alright, I don't know what you'll do, but I trust you."

'Okay, I've only used this spell once before, and I'm sure it's strong enough to blow the entire city away if I put all my mana behind it. I'll have to be careful, or else I'll take out everyone here.'

With his new plan set, Rudeus retreated to a corner, leaving Satella as a distraction.

'First, I'll make some cover just in case.'

*Earth Fortress*

The wooden ground shattered as his earthen spell woven the underground soil to form a protective shell around his body. He clawed at his remaining mana supply, limiting his mana output toward the spell.

*Nuclear Explosion*

Within half a second, a glowing orb of raging flame raged on the palm of his hands. As he fed more mana towards the spell, its color changed from bright red to yellow, blue, white, then finally purple.

This was the spell Rudeus used years ago against the Dragon God Orsted. Without Orsted's Dragon Wyrm Gate, the explosion would have destroyed the entire cliffside, removing Orsted, Nanhoshi, and the Dead End gang. Its full capabilities used now would be suicide. Rudeus knew this, so he ensured to limit the spell significantly. Just enough to vapourize the woman and her surroundings. The Loot House would be destroyed, but that's a problem for another day.

"NOW!"

Rudeus' gut-wrenching scream permeated the Loot House interior. Knowing whatever plans he concocted, Satella jumped and formed an ice barrier in one motion, covering her and the giant bleeding out on the floor. The assassin looked confused. Just what was that brown-haired mage planning?

After confirming the safety of Satella and old man Rom, he released his grip on the weakened force of destruction. It flew through the air rapidly and detonated right at the woman's feet.

*BOOOOOOM CRAAAAAASSSHH*

"AHHHHHHHHH."

"*Cough, cough* Satella! Rom!"

Rudeus woke up from the aftermath. The dust had yet to settle. He couldn't make heads or tails of the sight before him. He rubbed his eyes and called out for his friend and patient.

'Oh god. I might have overdone that. I cut the mana by a tenth, and it still managed to knock my Stone Fortress. I hope Satella and the giant are okay. Where are they? I can't see through the dust, dammit!'

"I'm fine! *cough cough*. Rom-san is fine too."

A pool of terror within Rudeus’ stomach dissolved as he heard the angelic bell-like voice of his half-Elf friend. He ran towards her voice and found Satella healing the old man on the ground. Despite the carnage wrought by his spell, both seemed relatively fine, with only minor bruises and burns. Of course, minus Rom's deep shoulder wound.

"That was some rea~lly impressive magic. I've only seen two other mages with stronger spells like that."

"Ha, ha. Is that so? It's like a trump card, so I don't use it that often." He meekly replied.

'Indeed, considering how devastating it was, you can't use it other than as a last resort.'

"How's the giant doing?"

"The cut is deep, but he should be fine if I keep my healing going."

Rudeus only smiled in satisfaction after fighting tooth and nail at his slim chance at survival. He saved everyone he wanted to save and stopped the evil assassin from hurting anyone anymore. He got the good ending.

Speaking of assassins, nothing was left of the woman that assaulted them just ten minutes ago. Did the blast knock her away? Or did the spell instantly vaporize her on the spot? Truth be told, Rudeus didn't want to know the answer, and neither did he care that much.

'So, this is what it feels like to truly live seriously? It's... not a bad feeling. After we heal the man, we find that Felt girl and ask for her insignia back. We did save her life after all, and I did give her that flawless emerald. She'll be able to get out of this sh*t hole with that. I'll ask Satella a nearby Inn, and perhaps her address and maybe a kiss on the cheek too, then head-'

*Crack, rustle, rustle*

Before he could finish his thoughts, the rubble toppling over caught his attention. He turned to see the crazed woman still alive, sprinting towards him at supersonic speed. His Demon Eye was not enough to react in time to the crazed sprint, as she was too close for Rudeus to cast a spell. He watched in slow-motion as her daggers inched closer and closer toward his abdomen.

"That's enough!"

An authoritative voice echoed the partially destroyed Loot House. With a crash from the ceiling, an elegantly dressed man with flaming red hair appeared between Rudeus and the assassin, blocking the attack with his bare hands.

The woman backflipped several times, creating distance from the stranger that appeared out of nowhere.

"Reinhard-sama?"

"I'm sorry for being late. You did well holding her off. I'll handle things from here."

Rudeus had only met the man a few hours ago. Even then, it was more of a passing acquaintance. He couldn't possibly know Reinhard's strength or proficiency with the blade, yet for some reason, deep within his heart, he felt at ease at the redhead's introduction.

"A-alright, we'll focus on healing the man. Be careful, though. She's crazy strong and can heal!"

Rudeus scurried towards old man Rom and Satella, diligently healing the giant. If Reinhard said he could handle things, then Reinhard could take things.

"Hoh~, I'm blessed with the presence of the sword saint? This day couldn't get any better."

"Black hair, black dress, and twin daggers, you must be the infamous "Bowel Hunter"."

"Ora ora, You know me? I'm flattered to be known by the great Sword Saint."

The Bowel Hunter took a fighting stance as she faced the Sword Saint head-on. Despite her disadvantage, tired from fighting Rudeus and Satella, she looked just as manic and sounded just as excited as before.

"Your opponent will be me, Reinhard, Van Astrea. The Sword Saint."

‘Hah? He’s just a sword saint? Sure, that’s impressive, but that bitch is clearly at King or Emporer level. She’ll gut him in two before he knows it!’

‘Ah, no, wait, this isn’t the world I come from. Their ranks might be a bit different. At least Elsa seems excited to fight him. No matter, I’ll have to support him if things go bad.’

"Hmm. Say, will you not be using your sword? I've always wanted to taste its legendary sharpness."

"The Dragon Sword, Reid, is quite picky. The fact that it hasn't left its sheath means you're not worthy of an opponent."

"Instead, I'll face you with this."

Reinhard picked up an old sword belonging to the Loot House. The moment he gripped the old swords, it shined brightly as the years of degradation seemingly vanished to show his reflection on the blade.

"I can't say I'm not disappointed, but this will have to do."

Elsa dashed towards Reinhard at inhuman speeds as her words left her mouth. She was much faster than before her fight with the mage duo. Reinhard didn't seem to care as he perfectly deflected each strike without moving a single step from his position.

*Clang, Clink, Tang*

The sound of steel cashing with each parry reverberated through the roofless building.

'The way he's deflecting all her attacks, he's gotta be at least King level in Watergod Style. Could Reinhard be a powerful swordsman in this world?' Is that what Sword Saint meant in this world?’

"He's only blocking. Why isn't he fighting back?"

"It's because of me. We both draw mana from around us. As long as I need to heal him, Reinhard-sama won't be able to go all out. I'll give you a signal once he's fully healed." Satella replied.

'So even that isn't him at full strength? How strong can this guy be?'

The two continued to dance with their blades. One leaped all over the halls while the other planted on the ground. It was the fight between a fly and a truck.

"Alright, there, I'm done with my healing."

"I don't know what's happening, but do your thing, Reinhard!"

Reinhard smiled at Rudeus' words. As a knight of the kingdom, it was his duty to protect the citizens of Lugunica. How could he ignore the cries of a friend in need? With the healing magic finished, he began drawing ambient mana to finish the fight.

"Oh~Ho. Are you finally taking me seriously? I haven't ever had the chance to be struck down by the Sword Saint himself. What will you show me now?"

"The Swordplay of the Astrea family."

Reinhard sucked the ambient mana dry, channeling all the energy through his blade. Despite its typical invisible nature, you could practically see the raw power of the legendary swordsman.

Elsa smiled as brightly as ever and took her typical double-dagger attack stance.

"Elsa Granhiert." She proclaimed.

"Reinhard, Van Astrea." He replied in kind.

With their courteous declarations finished, Reinhard released the energy built up for his final blow. He released the pent-up energy with a downward strike, splitting the Loot House, the clouds, and Elsa. His blade illuminated brighter than ever before. The world lost its color as Reinhard's sword shined bright blue. The resulting explosion was just as strong, if not stronger, than Rudeus'.

As Rudeus opened his eyes, he was met with a wholly annihilated Loot House. None of its walls, furniture, or displayed items survived the attack as they all piled trash and rubble.

"I thought you were a swordsman, not a suicide bomber!" He shouted in surprise.

"Even if it's from you, that still hurts my feelings, Rudeus." Reinhard cheerfully replied.

The sword Reinhard borrowed was full of cracks and chips. Soon enough, the blade disintegrated into a pile of ash and flew out of his hands on the cold night breeze.

"I'm sorry for pushing you too hard. Rest well."

Rudeus stood up from the carnage and searched for the Bowel Hunter. Both his eyes and Demon Eye claimed she was gone for good. Though, It didn't hurt to be thorough.

"All this from a single sword strike? You're something else, huh?"

"Is it all over now?" Satella asked.

Standing up to meet Rudeus and Reinhard, she held her head, tripped over, and was caught by Rudeus. The constant battle and her healing magic drained her to exhaustion.

"Somehow, yeah. We made it in the end." Rudeus softly replied.

"Oh, thank you, Reinhard, for saving us. We couldn't have managed without your help. I'm guessing you heard my cries for help, friend!"

"I certainly would be proud if that were the case, friend. Though, a certain blonde child led me here. And an enormous explosion, of course."

Rudeus could only scratch the back of his head as his Nuclear Explosion was mentioned.

"He, he. Sorry about that. It was supposed to be my last resort to stop her, but it wasn't enough. So it was Felt who brought her here, huh? I guess we owe each other now."

Reinhard turned around to see Felt hiding behind a remaining pillar.

"She desperately ran around the streets and asked for my help."

"That's..." Satella commented.

"Now, hold on... We might not have made it if she didn't bring Reinhard-san with her. Just look at her scared face. Let's call things even and skip the ice-statue punishment." Rudeus begged.

"I... I wouldn't do anything so cruel. I just wanted to-"

*Crack*

"Rudeus!"

"Oh?"

Behind the pile of rubble, Elsa tore through the demolished building. Her smile was nowhere to be found. She looked annoyed for the first time since the fight with Rudeus and Satella. Squeezing every bit of strength, she dashed towards Satella with her last remaining dagger.

Reinhard ran towards her to intercept, but he was too far. He wouldn't make it in time to save them. All this effort, only to stumble at the end. What a horrible monster he is.

Rudeus reacted to it as well. His Demon Eye told him she aimed at Satella rather than himself.

*Stone Wall*

The rising stone successfully blocked Elsa's strike, preventing her further progression.

"He got in my way again!" She angrily spat.

Reinhard jumped between them with his hands, ready to apprehend the assassin.

"That's enough, Elsa!"

"Soon enough, I'll disembowel everyone here. Until then, keep your guts safe for me."

Elsa leapt out of the destroyed tavern and vanished under the moonlight.

Everyone else sighed in relief as the horrible terror was no longer in sight. Surely she wouldn't dare attack them again, right?

"Well, that's that, I guess. The place is destroyed, but we all made it out alive." Rudeus said.

"Ah! I have just saved you from a terrible assassin. Are we okay with that?" He continued.

"Okay?" Satella asked in confusion. She had never heard of such a word before. The boy's antics didn't help as he held both hands to the sky and waved them around.

"It means, 'Are we clear on that'. So... Okay?"

"Umm, Okay."

"I- your rescuer, am the one who saved your life. Wouldn't that mean you should pay me in kind?"

From the words of the strange boy she accompanied, Satella felt immense disappointment and betrayal. She once thought she had made a good friend, but no. People show their true colors when money is involved. He didn't follow her to be friends. He followed her to be rewarded. She would get this over with and return to the manor.

"Yes, yes, you're right. If it's within my power, I will grant it." She dejectedly spat out.

"In that case!"

With a swift twirl, he pointed his hands toward Satella, snapped his fingers, and said.

"Then please, tell me your real name."

"Ehh?"

Hearing the boy's simple request, Satella was surprised that he just wanted to know her better. Of course, he would know she used a fake name.

'What a dunderhead you are, Emilia!' she thought.

With her right hand on her mouth, covering her bright smile, the girl replied in joy that she didn't lose her good friend after all.

"Emilia. Just Emilia. Thank you for saving me, Rudeus."

Her silver hair shimmered under the moonlight. Those amethyst eyes only highlighted the accented shadows around her. She truly looked like the pinnacle of beauty to Rudeus' mind.

Rudeus could only smile at the sight. Even if he couldn't enjoy women, he could appreciate beauty when he saw it.

'All that hard work, just to learn her name... Talk about an unequal exchange.'

"You’re welcome, Emilia. I had a lot of fun tagging along today. Say... you wouldn't happen to know an inn I could staa-"

"Rudeus. Rudeus!"

Before the boy could finish his question, he fell on his back from the physical and mental exhaustion of the battle, leaving Reinhard and Emilia calling out in worry.

"Rudeus. Rudeus! Are you hurt? Did she manage to hurt you?"

'Even when she panics, she's pretty cute, huh? That's half-Elves for you.'

With those final thoughts, Rudeus let the darkness take over as he fell unconscious.

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Chapter Text

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"

"Beat him up!"

"Finish him!"

The crowd cheered as they partied in the warrior's demise on stage. They all sat, ecstatically waiting for the final blow in the duel of fates.

"Show no fear!"

"You still got this, buddy!"

"Get up! Pick up your sword and get up!"

From the lower barred cells of the arena, chained warriors were cheering their fallen comrade. They all loved each other uniquely. They'd cheer for each other's survival today and valiantly fight to the death the next.

That was the way of gladiators.

'*Ugh. Kcaahhh*"

Swimming in a pool of his blood, a black-haired man lay on the floor. Several wounds covered his body from head to toe. It was easier to note parts he wasn’t mauled than his injuries. A Guiltyloe slowly approached the living lump of flesh. It was getting hopeless with each step of the terrifying Mabeast.

"Don't give up!"

"Fight till your last breath!"

"Make us proud, you stupid bastard!"

The crowd went wild as the Mabeast approached the fallen man. One cheered for his demise, while the other for his redemption.

"Haa. Haa" was all he could reply as his reaper approached undaunted.

'It's no use. I can't beat that thing. Might as well make it easy and die without any pain.'

He couldn't stand, move or retaliate. Even with the horrible wounds covering his entire body, the man was too afraid to have a painful death. At least this way, he'd die relatively pain-free as the adrenaline rush suppressed his bodily screams for help.

"C'mon, man! Don't give up! Didn't you tell me you had to save someone? That you'd save her once you get out of this place?"

'Ah, is that why I was fighting? I... I can't remember anymore.'

With the rapid blood loss, the man began to lose consciousness. He couldn't think nor remember much of this place and where he came from. With his last breath, he sighed as death's cold embrace claimed him.

‘If only I were strong enough to never give up.’

*Crunch*

The beast's claws closed on the man, ending his thoughtless misery then and there.

"WHOOOOO!"

"GET HIM, MABEAST!"

"TEAR HIM DOWN!”

“FOR VOLLACHIA!"

'Huh?'

When the man opened his eyes, he expected the entrance to hell. Instead, his sight greeted him with the familiar view of the gladiator arena. The same crowd cheered his demise as the same Guiltyloe faced the man.

"What's going on?"

He was no longer in pain. He didn't feel confused. He could remember who he was. He padded his body in search of his wounds. If his previous demise made his head spin, he didn't know what rotation was now. His bodily flesh was restored anew as if nothing had happened. His blade held firm, sharp as ever, just like its condition before the deadly battle. Amid the confusion, his brain racked in pain as a mysterious voice slotted an idea within himself.

'Territory'

He couldn't recognize its nature, nor why it was there, but the moment those words echoed in his mind, it felt like it had been there from the start. He activated this mysterious power, hoping for whatever power to seep within.

And nothing happened.

"CruaAaAAAAHHHH"

The Guiltyloe's roar shook everyone present. Even the ecstatic crowd seemed afraid of the beast's blood-wrenching proclamation.

Yet, the man felt overwhelming bravery. He remembered how he arrived here, his parents, his gladiator comrades, and her. With the cries of his comrades, the crowd, the people he left, and the people he'll meet, he came to the only logical conclusion.

He could never give up.

"ORAHHHHHH"

The man matched the Guiltyloe's scream with his own. It was puny in comparison, but no one dared dismiss his resolve.

That was the Vollachian way.

He charged, speeding through the arena from one end to the other. He poured all his strength into this one final dash. At that instant, he was the fastest man ever to live.

*Splat!*

The man's epic charge ended as the beast whipped him with his tail, crushing him in two. The crowd went crazy at the sight and cheered harder and louder.

“WHOOOOO.”

"YEAH, BABY, THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR."

"FOR VOLLACHIA!"

With those final words registering in his mind, the man closed his eyes as his strength faltered again.

"WHOOOOO!"

"GET HIM, MABEAST!"

"TEAR HIM DOWN FOR VOLLACHIA!"

"Huh?"

The same scene repeated in the man's sight. He opened his eyes to see the same place moments before he had died.

"What's going on..." He mumbled to no one.

Perhaps his lack of intelligence, adrenaline, horrors of death, or his return didn't fully restore him? The man couldn't make heads or tails of the situation.

"Ah, who the f*ck cares. All I need to do is beat the sh*t out of this monkey lion, and that's that."

With his newfound resolve, he charged once more toward the beast.

(Line Break)

Had it been tens, hundreds, thousands, or a number so large that it couldn't be counted? Regardless, only one fact remained in the man's mind.

"Don't give up."

It was the last straw he hanged to as he continued living through this loop of endless torment. The crowd was bombastic at the lone man who killed the legendary Mabeast alone. He had won. It was the mark of a true warrior following the values of the Vollachian empire.

"Hoo, has myneself found one interesting scrub?"

A fiery woman spoke from the spectators, eyeing the victorious man in the arena. The world worked for her, and fate led to this moment.

"You will be mine. Ho, ho, ho."

Taking out a red fan from her bosom, the lady left the crowd towards the infirmary, where her prize would rightfully await her presence.

(Line Break)

"I don't recognize that ceiling."

The man woke up from the shaking vibrations of a moving dragon carriage. He felt the soft fluffy bed of a well-furnished carriage under his back. As he tried to get up, his whole body convulsed in pain. Still, he struggled through and got up, noticing the lack of strength in his left arm. He turned his head only to see a lump wrapped in white bandages. His hand was nowhere to be seen.

"Has myne scrub finally awoken? Thy should bow in the presence of myne divine self!"

On his left was a fiery red woman shouting at the man. To his eyes, she looked like an angel descending from hell. Her authoritative voice left no words for discussion. Her existence was that of the sun. She shone brightly above all, reigning on anyone who stood in her way.

"Thy should feel lucky to serve myne divine self."

The man just sighed and lay back on his bed. His head was spinning, constructing what exactly had happened to him. The scorching pain stopped him from moving as he let whatever fate had decided upon him.

"From now on, you shall be myne sword and do my bidding. I name thee Aldebaran."

"I don't recognize that ceiling."

Waking up from his slumber, Rudeus opened his eyes to a well-furnished room. He sat on a kinged sized bed with fluffy pillows and clean sheets. It’s been a while since he slept in such luxury.

"I came to this new world, then met Satel... no, it's Emilia, isn't it."

Slowly, his memories resurfaced, one by one. His fierce battle against the Bowel Hunter, his erratic city tour with Emilia, and Reinhard's timely arrival all came crashing down.

"So, it wasn't a dream. I'm really in a new world, aren't I?"

Perhaps deep within his excitement to start anew, Rudeus secretly wanted to return to his friends and family. Even with skewed relations, he still loved and valued them. Would he be stuck here for the rest of his life? Will he have to start again from zero?

"HAH! Nothing will come agonizing over that now. It's time I start the day!"

With an uncharacteristic shout, he left the bed and inspected his situation. He wore a simple bathrobe instead of his usual shirt and red pants. His staff and sack were nowhere to be seen. Did the master of the house take them?

'Well, they'll probably return them later.'

He instinctively reached into his pocket in search of a cloth that was no longer there. For the first time since his encounter with Orsted, panic swept over the boy's mind.

"THE HOLY RELIC!!!"

The sign of Rudeus' sincere faith was nowhere to be seen. Roxy's pant-The Holy Relic, was the lifeline that never left him behind. It picked him up at his lowest and strengthened him when he was afraid. It would be fair to say, Rudeus wouldn't be the man he was today had it not been for the white fabric he prayed to daily.

'Where did it go? Did the mansion's maid take them? Could they handle the divine light of the Holy Relic?'

The religious man had dozens of thoughts revolving around his great master's undergarments. A gurgling rage hit the boy as a new objective appeared on top.

'To whoever took my goddess' sacred gift will feel the wrath of a thousand suns! Not even Orsted will stop me!'

He immediately took off, leaving the room, and ran across the hallway. Putting all his thoughts to speed, he ran, and ran, and ran, and ran, and ran.

After perhaps an hour of non-stop sprinting, Rudues calmed down from exhaustion. Each breath felt like his last as he struggled to find an intersection in the infinite corridor.

'What the hell? Is this one of those infinite corridors?' He asked himself.

'Am I trapped in the mansion? Did Emilia or Reinhard view me as a threat? Please, anyone, tell me what the hell is going on!'

It took another 10 minutes for the boy to catch his breath. He stumbled back up on his feet as a loud growl reminded him that he hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. Or was it today? Time is confusing when you traverse through different worlds.

"Alright, the same doors, pottery, and furniture are repeating across the hallway. Maybe I need to open the right one?"

He mulled over his options, rubbing a non-existent beard on his hairless chin. It made little difference, though it made him feel intelligent.

"I can't open every single one of them. That would take too long... Could I use magic to counter this magical effect? It doesn't seem like anything from the four basic elements."

"Oh, maybe the Demon Eye can help?"

Rudeus activated the Eye of Foresight. The halls became two as they showed the possible near future of everything around him. With this, he walked to each door and acted as if he wanted to enter. The Demon Eye would react and show him the same empty repeating hall. He continued to examine each entry one by one until he could see their future paths just by willing to open them. This speeded the process significantly, and he finally found the outlier. The door before him led to a great library filled with thousands of books, top to bottom. In the center was a blonde-haired child intensely reading a black book. Despite her appearance, her presence felt otherworldly. The butterfly-like irises were the dead giveaway.

"Excuse me."

Rudeus politely entered the child's library. He deactivated his eye and greeted the young girl with the same Asuran bow. Emilia and Puck didn't seem to mind, so their views of etiquette should be similar.

"Hello there, young lady. My name is Rudeus. I just woke up and have no clue what's going on. Nice to meet you."

Rudeus maintained his bow, waiting for the child to respond. Even if she was of no rank, better to play it safe than sorry.

"Hmm, you are polite for someone brought by that silly girl. I shall permit you to enter Betty's forbidden library, I suppose."

He took this as a sign of acceptance and raised his head to gaze at the librarian. She wore a vibrant red dress. Her blonde hair wrapped double drills on each side. Had Rudeus still been a disgusting lolicon, she would be the subject of his undevoted adoration.

"Well, nice to meet you too, Betty. Say, you wouldn't happen to know who took my master's pa- I mean my Holy Relic? I'm religious and don't feel safe disconnected from the symbol of whom I worship."

"Hmph! Betty has no memory of allowing you to call Betty, Betty. Nor does she know what this relic is, I suppose. Now come closer so I may examine you, human."

With a slight nod, Rudeus approached the drill loli. He might as well humor the young child. With only a footstep apart, the loli librarian held her hand on his solar plexus. He gazed at her actions with curiosity but didn't stop her. What could possibly go wro-

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Every nerve in his body felt as if it were on fire. The sudden pain encompassed in a flash as he soon faced the floor, drooling snot and spit over his scrunched-up face.

"What. *pant* The hell. *pant* Was that?"

"Betty was asked to check if you were a threat and determined otherwise. Now shoo. That door will lead you to your room, I suppose."

Getting up was challenging, as he struggled to maintain his body weight on his four limbs. Terror creeping into his mind, he clawed towards the now-opened door, magically leading to his bedroom. Without looking back, he scurried to bed, scared of what the magic loli might do if he overstayed his welcome.

"For a mere human to have such a mana pool, how disgusting, I suppose."

"I recognize that ceiling."

The young boy woke up from his forced slumber. His memories with the drill loli jogged him awake as he had a new person to add to the "avoid at all cost" list alongside Orsted and Eris.

"What did she do to me, and why did it hurt so much?" He grunted.

"Sister, sister. It looks like dear guest has finally awoken."

"Rem, Rem. It looks like dear guest is confused as to where he is."

At the sudden introduction of two new voices, Rudeus sat on his bed and viewed a heavenly sight. A pair of twin maids stood side by side to greet the poor magician. They had red or blue bob cuts and wore elegant maid dresses. He was excited, to say the least.

'Huh, looks like little me won't come out, though.'

Still, even if he couldn't, he could admire the beauty of women.

With his invigorated mind from seeing two angels, Rudeus got up, faced the two maids, and made the most elegant Asuran bow he had ever made. First impressions were important in his mind.

"Greetings. My name is Rudeus. Pleased to meet you! I have no idea what's happening and have just one question!"

With a spin and a clap to emphasize his point, Rudeus pointed at the two maids to ask the question.

"Where is my Holy Relic?"

The religious zealot looked calm and reasonable. His smile was bright, and his tone could be considered amicable. Yet, the two maids shuddered in fear at the cultists standing before them. Had the concept of ambient temperature existed, would they have noted the room turned cold or hot? Either way, something changed in the room, exuding horror and desperation, and it all stemmed from the man in front of them.

"Ehh, dear gue-"

"I am quite the understanding person and prefer to handle things peacefully, but I cannot look over this transgression. My Goddess, whom I revere, has helped me to overcome herculean challenges. She helped me to overcome my fears. She guided me toward the light when I was alone and saved my life. So imagine my surprise when I woke up a few hours ago, only to see all my belongings, including the only artifact of her, gone?"

It was at this moment they knew they f*cked up. They followed the usual strict protocol to examine and clean any items their guest brought home, but clearly, it was a mistake. No, it was not a mistake. They simply performed their job. But regardless of their intent, they had unknowingly offended the guest.

Bringing all their maidenly strength, the twins nodded and apologized to the devoted religion.

"Y-yes sir, we'll fetch your belongin-"

"Cool! Glad we sorted that out!"

The cold, threatening pressure dissipated from the boy's words instantly. The sudden change in tone gave more questions than answers. Just what caused his wrath, and what soothed him?

"I apologize if I scared you. It's just that this person is very dear to me, and I treasure the one thing that connects me with her."

The two twins were confused about what brought such a reverent reaction, but they knew better than to question it. They nodded ahead, afraid of what might trigger their unruly guest.

"Well, I introduced myself. I think I caught your name as Rem?" He asked, pointing at the red-haired maid.

"No, no, dear guest. My name is Ram. Rem is my dear sister."

"No, no, dear guest. I am Rem. That is my dear sister Ram."

"Well, nice to meet you, Ram and Rem. I assume you're twins? You look the part, but the idea of twin maids has been more of a fantasy. I never thought I'd see it myself."

Rudeus boldly commented on his fantasies in front of the twin maids. Had he no shame?

"Sister, sister, it seems we are being violated in our guest's mind."

"Rem, Rem, it seems our guest is an uncontrollable pervert."

"Wait! I didn’t mean it like that! I won't deny being a perv, but I definitely caused a misunderstanding!"

The open door called to attention with soft knocks as a beautiful silver-haired half-Elf made her presence known. With a pink dress, flowered hairpin, and the pink clip she got from the lost child, Rudeus' blood rose sharply to his head.

"Can't you wake up more peacefully, Rudeus?"

The boy could only scratch his head at the magnificent sight as he eyed her head to toe. Just how beautiful could a woman be? An uncontrollable grin appeared as he continued to view the half-Elf.

"Good morning, Emilia. Looking as beautiful as ever!"

"Good morning to you too."

Between the duo glancing smiles at each other, the blue-haired maid pointed at the man, drawing her master's attention.

"Take a look at this, Emilia-sama. Dear sister and Rem were violated in the minds of that man."

"Please listen to this, Emilia-sama. Rem was held prisoner and shamed by that man."

The red-haired maid joined without missing a beat, teasing the brown-haired pervert.

"Now, now. Don't tease him too much, you two." Emilia kindly replied.

"Yes, Emilia-sama. Sister is very sorry."

"Yes, Emilia-sama. Rem is very sorry as well."

Satisfied with their playful apologies, Emilia walked past and stood before the reddened Rudeus. He had never woken up to such beauty in both lives.

"Rudeus, are you feeling alright? Does anything feel off? You exhausted yourself rea~lly hard yesterday and fainted."

"Huh, oh, not at all. I feel groggy from waking up and a bit prickly from that drill-loli, but other than that, I'm good. I'm still confused about what happened to me, but I assume you brought me with you? Thanks for not leaving me alone. It's been a while since I slept in such a fancy room."

"Not at all, Rudeus. I should be the one to thank you. You helped me with my insignia and saved my life. I can never make it up to you."

Rudeus could only smile, looking at the kind-hearted girl's sincere gratitude.

'Ugh, that smile is worth a million Asuran gold coins!'

"Well, after I get dressed, could you show me around? I'd like to get my daily exercise in. As they say, you can't skip leg day!"

"This place is huge! It's like a football field rather than a yard."

On the front fields of the Mather's estate, Emilia and Rudeus stood side by side on a well-maintained grass field. The mansion looked three times bigger than the Boreas estate he stayed in as a child. Surrounding the villa was a dense forest of shrubs and trees, with no other building in sight.

‘Heh, as magnificent as this is, I prefer the romanticism of a walled medieval city.’

Breaking the boy’s treasured memories of Roa, Puck flew out of his hiding spot to greet him.

"Good morning, Rudues. Beautiful day isn't it?"

"I couldn't agree more. I was stuck in a revolving hallway for an hour, then tortured by a certain librarian, but other than that, my day has been going pretty nicely."

Emilia held her hand in worry hearing the boy's words. Wasn’t that a bad way to start the day? Just what had happened last night for all that to take place?

"That doesn't sound too nice, Rudeus. Don't hesitate to let me know if you feel tired or bad!"

The sudden innocent declaration pinched the young boy's heart harder. It only pained him more to realize his severe condition prevented any advances from happening. Just how better could this waifu be?

"Good morning, Puck. I'm sorry for pushing you so hard yesterday."

Puck flew down to Emilia's hands, landing softly in the comfort of his daughter and contractor.

"Morning, Lia. I almost lost you yesterday. I can never thank Rudeus enough."

"Speaking of Rudeus... Thanks for saving Emilia yesterday. If there's anything I can do for you, just ask. I, the great spirit of fire, the Beast of the End, will do my best to compensate you!"

Rudeus was excited to hear the cat's words. He didn't know what great spirits were, nor did he understand the implications of his mighty title, but he did understand he got on the good side of a beautiful girl's father and got a "favor" he could cash in any time.

'God. This must be like those genies. "You helped me, so I'll grant you one wish." type of deal. Well, in that case, there is only one thing I could ask a magical cat.'

"If that's the case, allow me to pet your fur whenever I want!"

"Heh? Is that all?" Emilia asked.

"Yep. I'm a simple man with simple needs. The satisfaction of petting a magic cat can't be denied!"

The first-rate fur enthusiast tackled the flying cat and tickled every inch of its mystical body.

"Eh, he. Ha ha ha. Rudeus that tickles Ah."

"You asked for this. There's no stopping me now. I'll pet you until I'm satisfied to my liking!"

And so, the furball and the fur master continued their skirmish with a worried-looking Emilia pondering how his father fell so low in seconds.

"Oh, you're so soft and lovable. You remind me of the sacred beast!"

"I can feel what you're thinking, but I'm surprised you said it aloud. Oh, don't worry, Lia. I can't say his mind is pure, but I can't sense his malice or ill intent. He's a good boy but needs supervision."

The girl pondered her father's thoughts. Just what made him a good boy but have impure thoughts? Why did he need supervision? She swore to herself to ask her father more about the boy's inner thoughts.

"You rea~lly are a strange boy, Rudeus."

Putting her questions aside, she smiled at the two's antics, happy that her friend was adjusting well to her new home.

"Emilia-sama. Our lord, Roswaal-sama, has arrived and requested our presence. Please follow us inside."

The three followed the two maids and entered the dining hall. Rudeus was disappointed he couldn't start his daily routine, but it can’t be helped. Duty called first.

Rudeus’ face went pale as he saw the same well-dressed loli from the library. He hadn’t insulted the girl to his knowledge, yet received pain he’d never experienced before. And worse of all, he still didn’t know what the girl had done to him.

"Hey, Betty! Have you been doing well and being lady-like?"

Emilia and Puck entered the dining hall. Puck cheerfully called out to his old friend. With his duties protecting Emilia, he hasn’t seen her in a while.

"Bubby!"

The sad*stic child turned docile as soon as her butterfly eyes registered the magic cat. She held her hands tightly and smiled excitedly. The dignified, aloof person was nowhere to be seen. She hastily walked towards the magical cat with her hands opened flat.

"I've missed you so much, Bubby. Will you stay with me today, do you suppose?"

"Sure thing, Betty. Let's finally relax together."

"Yay!"

Holding the cat in her hands, she ran across the dining hall, praising Puck like two good friends going out on the weekend.

"Bewildered, aren't you? Beatrice is so taken with Puck. She doesn't talk to anyone else much." Emilia asked.

"Who even says bewildered these days."

Their banter was cut short as an eccentric tall man entered the dining hall. The tall man had dark blue hair, heterochromatic eyes, pale white and purple makeup, and a clown outfit. Only insane perverts would have that kind of fashion sense! Rudeus grimaced at the sight of the strange man.

"My, my. How rare to see you here, Beatrice! I'm so ha~ppy to see you di~ne with me."

"That boy is enough addle-brained fool for me, I suppose." Beatrice spat.

"Betty was only waiting for her Bubby!"

'With the way, he dresses and that creepy word tic, there’s no other explanation. He's koo-koo in the brain. One wrong step and he might just violate me in ways unimaginable. I should tread carefully, just like I always do.'

Rudeus hesitantly took his Asuran noble bow towards the man. He couldn't find it to respect the deranged clown, but he'd bow down for safety.

"Greetings. I am Rudeus, a guest staying here at the mansion. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Ah~. What a bright, polite boy you've brought with you, Emilia-sama. Plea~se raise your head, for I~ am the lord of this manor, Roswaal L. Mathers. Plea~sure to make your aqu~atance as we~ll, Ru~deus-kun."

Rudeus was sweating bullets. Not only was the man a creep, but he was also the lord of the manor.

'Yep, good call to go overly polite. Screw up once, and you'll be kicked without your stuff. Hopefully, we can get along.'

"Now, now. With introdu~ctions out of the way, why don't we~ sit and dine and enjoy a lo~vely feast!"

"Wow. This soup tastes divine! I don't think I've had food this good in a while!"

With the interesting first impressions out of the way, the manor residents sat down in the dining hall and enjoyed their breakfast. The food tasted outstanding, as Rudeus hadn't eaten anything since coming to the new world.

On the head of the table sat the lord of the manor, Roswaal. Behind him, the two maids, Rem and Ram, stood silently, observing the dinners. It reminded him of when he had to stand still waiting for the Boreas family as a tutor.

How time flies.

To Roswaal’s left sat Emilia, and next to her was Rudeus. His seat choice caught the eyes of all in the room, but no one called to question it, as Emilia seemed happy with the arrangement. On Roswaal's right were Beatrice and Puck, playing with their food rather than enjoying it.

‘Well, one of them isn’t a person. I guess their views of etiquette are different from ours.’

Rudeus mused over the odd but endearing duo across the table. He couldn’t believe the same merciless torturer was giggling happily with the cat. No complaints, though.

"EmHmmm. Despi~te her appearance, Rem is an e~xcellent cook."

"So, this was cooked by the one with blue hair, Rem-san, right?"

"Yes, sir. I do the cooking in this house. My sister is not very good at cooking."

"Then I have to say once more, this tastes amazing. I haven’t had home-cooked food in a while.”

He smiled brightly as he continued to devour another spoonful of Rem’s cooking. Despite his ravening hunger, he still had good table manners. His time with the Boreas family engrained proper etiquette in the man. He was technically a noble in his old world, after all. The mansion residents looked surprised at his noble-like behavior. They assumed the man was savage from his apparel and lack of information.

"You truly are a strange man, Ru~deus-kun. You arrive at the ma~nsion of Margrave Mathers, in the Kingdom of Lugu~nica, and you sa~y you don't know a thi~ng about the country."

"Well, I'm not quite sure how I ended up here. I remember going to bed, and when I woke up, I was standing in the middle of this city. Is something bad going on?"

"Well, it is not in an agreeable state."

The playful tone and word tic were gone. He eyed the boy. Though, his smiling face did not waiver. Roswaal was dead serious. He cannot allow a single mistake from now.

"After all, the country is without a king on the throne! There's no need to be alarmed. It is public knowledge, but you're timing and appearance are quite strange, to say the least."

'Oh no. Don't tell me he'll silence me under a political ploy! Lord Saurous got caught, and it didn’t end well for him. Philip tried to tangle me into his coup, and I didn’t like even a second! I never asked to be part of this!’

‘Ok, Rudeus, calm down. You haven't done anything yet, but it's clear you've contacted an important political figure in the country. One wrong move, and you'll be six feet under. But what's done is done. You can't back up now since you're acquainted with Emilia. If you decline, he might try to silence you, or his political rivals will try to catch you for insider information. Joining him and entering his protection is the best move forward.'

"The Council of Wisem*n runs the country, and they are actively working on selecting a new king to represent the country. Emilia-sama being one of them."

"What! You’re a princess, Emilia…sama?!"

'Ahhh. I just wanted to help the pretty girl, but now she's a princess! How typical can this fantasy world get? Hnnnng, I didn't want to get sucked into politics, but it can't be helped. That’s just my luck. I'll have to live with my choices.'

"It's not like I wanted to hide it from you. It’s why I was reluctant to take your help. And please, you don’t have to use honorifics… You see, the stolen insignia is proof of my candidacy for the throne."

She pulled out the same purple insignia and placed it on the table for all to see.

"The gem glows bright red if a candidate holds it. You rea~lly saved me yesterday, Rudeus. I would have lost the qualifications if it weren't for you!"

“Of course, Emilia. It was my pleasure to help a beautiful woman like you…”

‘Ah! Intrusive thoughts winning me over! Keep it calm, Rudeus!’

"Ah, so I'm starting to get the picture now. In the middle of a national crisis, I suddenly appeared out of nowhere, contacted a Princess, and entered her house as a guest… That would make me look incredibly suspicious."

"Indeed, Rudeus-kun. I'd like to thank you for saving Emilia-sama, but it would be best if you could explain your side of the story."

The young boy began panicking as he had to explain the concept of isekai and other worlds. Just how much can he tell? Would they even believe them? Would they think him a spy?

'Damm. There's no way out. I can't find a way to weasel out of this. Worst-case scenario, I use Deep Mist, find my stuff, and run like hell. Alright, calm down. You still have a chance to explain. Telling the truth would probably be the best. You aren’t the best lair. You can’t make a believable story right on the spot. Besides, it’s not like you have family or someone they can take hostage over you… '

"I see. Well, I thought about it and came to only one conclusion, but I’m unsure if anyone will believe me..."

He took a short pause to emphasize his next point. It was perfectly effective as everyone looked towards the boy with curious gazes.

"I think I was transported from another world."

"..."

"Eh?"

"..."

"Hmm, inter~esting theory, Rudeus-kun. Do~ tell me how you arri~ved at such a conclu~sion."

The eccentric clown broke the silence. The rest seemed too stunned to accept or reply. They were mulling over the implications of a man from another world. Was he a waterfall survivor?

"Well, I was just thinking about my first day here. I went to bed in the city, Pipin. It's the third largest city in one of the three Great Magic Nations in the northern region of the central continent, The Duchy of Basherant. But when I woke, I was in the middle of this city. Everyone spoke and wrote in a different language than I'm used to, and judging from your reactions, you guys don't know any country called The Duchy of Basherant, right?"

The group looked stunned as they digested the information dump Rudeus threw on top of them. Perhaps it was of doubt or amazement. His words were unbelievable. Storys of people from beyond the Great Waterfall would pop up here and there, but most were fake claims made by depressed individuals seeking attention. Yet, the boy sitting there didn't seem to be lying. His story was too specific to come up on the spot.

"Uhh, I'll take the silence as a yes. Eventually, I stumbled upon Emilia here, and the rest is history."

"Hmmm, intere~sting indeed, Rudeus-kun. Perhaps you are lying, but I have fa~ith you are telling the truth. Indeed, I have ne~ver heard of the Three Great Ma~gic Nations nor another co~ntinent. Would you be so kind as to expla~in more about this wo~rld you came from?"

The clown's smirk widened at the words the curious boy spoke. He seemed satisfied with his boy's explanations. His intent glare didn't stop as he continued to eye the boy from another world.

'Hmm, I'm surprised he trusted what I said. I'd ask the same question if I were in his position. He may be much to handle, but the clown's better than I thought. Perhaps I should indulge in his curiosity a bit.'

"Well, sure. My world is divided into five different continents: the Central continent, the Demon Continent, Millis Continent, the Begaritt continent, and the Heaven continent. I'm from a small village called Buena Village in the Fittoa region of the Central continent. The people spoke many languages, three of which I'm fluent in. I met my master Roxy and trained under her for about a year. I was then sent to teach a young noblewoman and spent another few years with her. After some trials and tribulations, A magical disaster sent me to the Demon continent. I worked as an adventurer, a mercenary of sorts, to get by. It took me three long years to return home. After that, I continued my adventuring career and ended up in this new world."

Rudeus gave a summary of his adventurers from his old world. He tried to remain as objective as possible. His skewed storytelling let to an argument with his father. He didn’t want to make that mistake again.

"Wait, Rudeus, does that mean you had to leave your family and friends behind? That sounds horrible!"

Emilia was the first to speak up as she commented about the boy's familiar situation. She didn't have many friends or family to grow up with, but she would be devastated if her father figure, Puck, suddenly disappeared to another world.

"Ah, about that..."

Even with his newly found determination to lead a new life, his friends and family were still a sensitive topic for the world-hopping boy. Even with his deranged relationship with his father, he couldn't deny his love for the man. Not to mention the other dozen friends he made as he traveled the northern territories searching for his mother, Zenith. Yet, he still believed that the people he loved either died, hated him, or would grow to hate him for his sloth.

"I haven't been the best son to my family, and most of my friends either left me or didn't make it. Even if I can never return, I don't have any attachments to my old world, so I'm good."

Emilia and Puck showed side glances at the boy. Even with his bright attitude, he seemed disingenuous. Puck didn't sense he was lying, but his expression and inner thoughts didn't match. He could never let this bother his lovely daughter. He'd have to talk about this to Lia.

Beatrice simply stared at the light-brown-haired boy. She didn't care what happened to him, so why pay attention?

Ram stayed quiet the entire interaction. She was just a maid. If her master said nothing of it, then she had no say in the matter. Her sister Rem stayed quiet as well. Though, she did seem to stare intently at the man.

"Rudeus..."

"Ah, it's all good, Emilia. It's a new world, so a new me! There's no point in thinking about the past. It's time I remake myself to the best version in this new world!"

"We~ll, in that case, allow me to we~lcome you to our world, Ru~deus-kun. I hope it has bee~n to your liking so far. Now, mo~ving on. There is the ma~tter of your heroic dee~ds yesterday. Not only have you he~lped Emilia-sama obta~in her insignia back, but yo~u've also sa~ved her life! As her spo~nsor, I feel inde~bted to you. If there is any~thing you'd like, then I sha~ll do my best to gra~nt it to you!"

With his inviting smile, Roswaal opened his arm wide in anticipation of his career's savior.

'Aha! This is my chance! This is how I'll enter his ranks and fall under his protection! Emilia’s a royal candidate. If I try to leave, her rivals might try to extort me for information. Yeah, I’ve made good friends with Emilia. Joining her grants me political protection. But If I offer myself immediately, Roswaal might become suspicious. I'll have to ease my way into his employment. Hmm, what to do, what to do... Ah! I got it! The perfect strategy to inconspicuously enter his employment.'

"Well, in that case, could I stay here and learn about this world? I can't read and write, and I don't have a place to stay. So it will be the perfect way to ease into this new world. Actually, why not just hire me? As I said, I'm well educated and have experience working as a tutor for a noble family and years of experience fighting beasts as an adventurer. If you have a position available for a magician guard or worker, I'll happily accept!"

"Hoo~. What an exci~ting proposition. Indeed, while I am the grea~test mage of this Kingdom, I cannot always aid Emilia-sama. You've already pro~ven your abilities after facing the Bo~wel Hunter yesterday. While you may not be familiar with the swo~rd, I can rank you as her pe~rsonal knight under the Mather's house. It would be mo~re akin to a mage-knight in your~ case."

All those in the room seemed surprised as the lord of the manor accepted his terms. Wasn't this too fast?

'Wow, he took that surprisingly well. Paul always told me I'd be a mage-knight when I was a kid. Perhaps this was my calling after all? Though my only experience with knights was Paul and Theresia, neither gave good representations of a proper knight…'

"Well, I'd gladly accept this position. I'll be in your care."

"Not so fast Ru~deus-kun. While I head the Ma~ther's family, you will work u~nder Emilia-sama. Emilia-sama, are you fi~ne with the boy's employment under your na~me?"

Emilia was still recovering from Rudeus' shocking origins. She was still contemplating how someone could accept leaving behind their past like that. What kind of world did the wonderous mage have to deal with?

"Eh? Oh, of course. Sorry, it was a lot to take in. I don't know much about being an employer. Shouldn't you make the call, Roswaal?"

"Indee~d, you have little expe~rience living as a noble, but your rank fa~r outranks me as a Ro~yal ca~ndidate. Therefore, it's only appro~priate for you to decide your camp members, espe~cially your per~sonal knight, Emilia-sama."

Emilia kept quiet as she pondered the meaning of Roswaal's words. Indeed, she was in a position to rule the Kingdom one day. That was much responsibility to take over. If she couldn't work on handling a single worker under her, how could she be worthy of taking the throne?

'Please, Emilia. I don't want to be the target of your political rivals! Please accept me as your knight! I will work my best to support you in your candidacy!'

With a quick sigh, Emilia looked toward Puck, then Roswaal, before finally locking eyes with the boy in question.

"Rudeus, as my knight, you will be expected to support me in any way you can. Under the oath of the Kingdom, you'll vow to protect me from threats and even sacrifice your life for my sake. Are you fine with that?"

Despite her efforts to seem authoritative and scare away the boy she called friend, there was a hint of tremble and worry within her voice. Everyone seemed to notice this but didn't dare interrupt an unofficial knighting ceremony.

'Does she feel like I'm not up to spec? Is she worried about my allegiance? Paul was the knight of my village, and he didn't seem like a person to pledge his allegiance.'

'Well, whatever the case, I need to show my resolve to Emilia that I'm fit for the job, and the best way to do this is...'

Rudeus stooped up from his chair as his thoughts stopped. He knelt towards Emilia. His right hand pointed up as he extended it towards his new liege. Emilia looked flustered. She was still studying the concept of knighthood, but she understood the basics and the severity of Rudeus' actions.

To everyone’s eyes, Rudeus was taking an oath as a knight.

"Emilia-sama. I will be honest. I do not understand the concept of knighthood or what it feels like to be loyal to someone. Despite that, you showed kindness to those in need when I met you. Even in your crisis, you refused to ignore the crying streets needing help. You extended your hand to the poor and injured. I believe these are excellent qualities of a true leader."

He paused his speech and raised his head to look at Emilia's bright red face. He could see her teary eyes on the verge of crying.

"If you allow me to become your knight, then I shall swear under the sun, the stars, the moon, and to my master. I shall protect you from any threat, aid you in your quest, and support you however I can."

'Alright, I have no clue what I've just thrown out. I just followed a vow from a fantasy anime I watched... 50 years ago? Damm, I'm old. But it isn't entirely false. Emilia was the pinnacle of a kind angel the other day. If I had to follow someone, I'd choose her over an authoritative general. If this helps me live in this world and help a kind-hearted, beautiful woman, I'll take it!'

Rudeus lowered his head once more. He waited for a response from the half-elf to whom he had just sworn his allegiance. He waited, and waited, and waited, an-

'Wait, did I screw this up! Dammit, I should have followed Skyrim's vows. This is a European-style world. Of course, the western devs would know bett-'

"Rudeus, please raise your head."

The bell-like voice of Emilia interrupted the otherworldly mage's thoughts. A hint of nosiness twined her beautiful voice.

His eyes met with the smiling face of a tearful Emilia. Streaks of tears fell down her cheeks as she struggled to compose herself. As much as her smile reassured Rudeus, he was freaking out when he saw her bawling her eyes out in front of everyone.

"Do you, do you rea~lly mean what you said?"

"Yes! Of course!" He immediately replied.

'I can't back down now. I have to feel completely genuine and show my resolve.'

Rudeus trembled as he waited for her reply. He was hopeful his words worked, but fate had a way of screwing with him, time and time again.

"But *sniff*, I'm a half-Elf with silver hair."

"I heard you, and before I heard you, I saw you, and that's what I choose to believe."

"You might be *sniff* hurt if you follow me. People might not like you."

"If that's the case, I shouldn't be close to people like that in the first place."

"You rea~lly don't mind it's me?"

"I don't. Really, I'm excited."

With both hands, she wiped off her tears falling. She stood up from her chair and faced the boy swearing his allegiance to the half-devil like her.

"If that's the case, then I happily accept. Rudeus, please stay with me, and help me become the ruler of this country."

She held out her hand, grabbed her knight's hand, and pulled him up. Rudeus took the hint and stood up to face his new liege in the eye.

"Of course, Emilia-sama. Though, I hope I can still call you Emilia when we're alone. It'd feel too stiffy since we're friends first, right?"

'AH! Why. It was going so smoothly. Why did I let that slip? Why am I so stupid!'

Despite his immediate thoughts of panic, his words had the opposite effect on the Elf. She was worried about losing her first proper friend. Walking along the city with him made her feel whole, confident, and happy. She thought she'd lose that intimacy if they had professional relations. Hearing his playful words reassured her that she didn't lose a friend from the Royal Selection.

"Rudeus, you nincompoop!" She howled.

"What even is a nincompoop?"

"Thank you, Rudeus. I'll be in your care."

Opposite the newly formed liege and knight, Roswaal smiled at the sight of his plans turning in motion. He'd be able to fulfill his long dream finally! It was going better than he thought.

"Oh~my. What a lo~vely moment we have here!"

"Rudeus-kun. You are now offi~cially recognized as Emilia-sama's prote~ctor. It will take ti~me to plan for your knighting ce~remony. So, for now, you'll wo~rk under the gu~ise of a servant. Is this fine with you?"

Rudeus could only smile as he made his decision before he kneeled before his new liege.

"With every cell of my body."

And that was how the otherworldy mage became the knight of the silver-haired half-Elf.

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Chapter Text

With the unofficial knighting and job interview over, Roswaal ordered the maids to prepare some clothing for their newest member of the Emilia camp. As a proper knighting ceremony would take weeks to prepare, for now, Rudeus would work as Emilia's assistant, a butler of sorts—a convenient position for someone of no rank to protect a royal candidate.

While an official ceremony hadn't occurred, and his current occupation was a servant, Rudeus was technically a knight, a noble in the lands of Lugunica. His existing wardrobe-consisted of an old mage cloak he purchased from the Demon Continent- was unacceptable for someone in his position. Its hems were frayed, with dozens of colored stains covering every inch and a peculiar patch fixing a fist-shaped hole on the back.

After the discussion, they agreed that Roswaal would get some well-suited clothing for Rudeus and provide an education for the man. His education would include the Lugunican tongue and proper noble etiquette. A knight, especially protecting a Royal candidate, was the pinnacle of respectability and honor. They followed their code of chivalry and represented the best of Lugunica. An illiterate knight would sully the values they uphold.

With the formalities out of the way, breakfast was concluded. Rem and Rudeus left for the dresser while the rest continued their daily duties.

"Raise your arms wide. I cannot fix your suit if you wail your noodle arms."

"Yes, yes, Rem-sama. Just be gentle with me."

Together in the employee dresser, Rudeus couldn't hide his slight excitement from his proximity with the maid. Sure, his little buddy down south was quiet, but his mind was as perverse as he was. He could still enjoy what little intimacy-taking measures gave.

“That will be all, Rudeus-sama. Rem will fix this suit and deliver it to you by tonight."

As it turned out, none of the suits from the Roswaal dresser fit the young magician. His young and lean build was too small for the male outfits. The female dresses had some sizes that fit, but he wasn't into cross-dressing. Rem decided it would be best to shorten a size or two to accommodate him. Rudeus was still relatively young. He'd grow out of his suit if they got a brand-new set his size.

"Dear sister will give you a tour of the mansion grounds. She will be waiting at the front doors. I will take my leave, Rudeus-sama."

With a court bow, the blue-haired maid left the dresser without turning back, leaving the boy to his devices.

"Her professionalism is something else. Is that how I should act too?"

With a shrug, Rudeus left the closet to meet with the sister maid.

"Hmm, Deru-us, you've finally arrived. Your sluggishness perfectly reflects your character."

Facing the large wooden double doors of the Mather's estate, Ram opened the conversation with her usual jabs and insults. Only an hour had passed since breakfast, and Ram had little time to get to know the newest hire. Yet, in her mind, it was dead set. He would be her new punching bag.

Rudeus didn't mind at all. He agreed with the senior maid's opinion of himself. He was slothful, and diligence was the cure. He decided to take her words to heart and act accordingly, as professionally as he could, just like Rem.

"My apologies. I'll try to be more diligent. Though, what's with the nickname? This feels… early."

"Hah, a Deru-us is a Deru-us. Now, follow me. You must familiarize yourself with the manor's layout."

The mansion was quite large, matching Roswaal's reputation. Its staff was expected to memorize the layout by heart.

"This hall houses the guest rooms."

...

"This wing houses additional rooms for permanent residents. Due to Emilia-sama's candidacy, the mansion was vacated by Roswaal-sama's orders."

...

"This floor houses the rooms for direct employees of the mansion. Until your knighting ceremony, you will stay in one of these rooms. Feel free to choose any you'd like."

...

"This is the master bathroom. Roswaal-sama enjoys taking long baths, but workers are also permitted to use the facilities."

...

"This is the kitchen where all the food for the mansion is cooked. I have my duties to attend, so I shall end the tour here."

With the lengthy tour over, Ram opened the grand double doors. But, instead of a medieval kitchen like the one from Roa, the same Grand library he stumbled upon was on display. In the middle were the little girl and Puck happily playing in a bed.

Rudeus had many questions. Weren't the doors connected to the kitchen? How did the library get there? Where did the bed come from?

Before he could voice those questions, he noticed the blonde girl's gaze, looking over her shoulder. It was then he realized he'd interrupted her private duties.

'Ah, it's best I don't mention this. They are my bosses now. I at least have the tact to act like I didn't see this.'

"Ehhem. I'm sorry. I'll pretend I didn't see anyth- WOAH."

"Betty did not permit you to enter the forbidden library, I suppose."

A gust of wind shot from the child's fingertips, sending Rudeus flying out of the room. His body rag-dolled on the floor and rolled several meters before stopping on the red carpeted floor.

"Ehahhh, that hurt you drill-loli!"

With a quiet disgruntle, he got up, clutching the back of his head. He'd barely been awake for a day, and the girl endlessly tormented him. He couldn't understand why the girl hated him.

Those thoughts paused as he saw the same open door leading to a typical kitchen. The library and the girl were nowhere to be seen.

"Huh? Have I finally gone crazy?"

"That was Beatrice-sama's door crossing. Once she hides her presence, she is nearly impossible to find. She is contracted to protect the forbidden library by connecting it to one of the many doors of the mansion."

"Forbidden library?"

"Yes, Roswaal-sama is the greatest magician in the country. He protects many magical tomes from evil hands."

'Huh, so magical door crossing? I've never seen anything like that before! So, nobody can find it… I'm pretty sure I can find her if I use my Demon Eye.'

Rudeus activated his Demon Eye and scanned the hallway. Coincidentally, the door beside him showed the grand sight of books and shelves. With a hesitant and quiet knock, he opened to door and met with the same librarian playing with the magic cat, Puck.

"Wow, that's impressive, Rudeus. How did you do that?"

Stumbling into the forbidden library twice in a row was unheard of. More and more questions piled up for the residents of the manor. The excited voice of the floating feline questioned the boy. Just who was he, and what was he capable of?

"Hey, Puck. I have a unique ability to see the near future. I used it to find the door leading here. Pretty neat, huh?"

Rudeus replied without a hitch. There was no reason to hide his abilities. They were his employers, after all. From his time as a freelance adventurer, Rudeus learned how essential it was to advertise your strengths to your employers. Many parties relied on their member's strengths and covered their weaknesses. Understanding each other's abilities was essential, especially if said members weren't individually well-skilled.

While the mansion residents weren't as tight as a typical party group, they were still his peers. Knowing each other now would be safer than paying the price later.

'Besides, it's not like I can lie to an empath….'

Puck, Beatrice, and Ram looked wide-eyed at the prospective knight. Just what was the world beyond the Great Waterfall capable of? An ability to see the future? Even the great Roswaal L. Mathers had no such magic.

"Enough! Betty did not permit you to disturb Betty's play, I suppose."

"Yes, yes. I was just leaving."

Rudeus remembered the excruciating pain earlier today. The last thing he needed was a sad*stic lolita chasing him down a never-ending hall. He quickly left the girl and ended the tour of the mansion.

Under the bright sunny sky of the late morning, Rudeus stood on the grassy front field. On his back was a stone rod with rounded plates attached to each side. He followed the same sitting, then standing motion, grunting each time.

"12, 13, 14, 15. Uaagh."

With his final count, the lifter dissolved the barbell to dust with his magic. He squatted on the ground with satisfaction, mumbling sweet nothings to his calve muscles.

"Tindalos, Baskerville, how was today's workout? I added extra reps to make up for the last few days. I haven't given you boys enough attention these days, have I? Yes, yes, who's a good boy? You both are!"

Was he complimenting his muscles? Good thing nobody was here to listen to his rambli-

"Deru-us, what are you doing half-naked."

"YAAAAA!"

Behind the muscle brain, Ram, the head maid of the Mather's mansion, surprised the iron-pumped boy. He shrieked out like a mama crow crying out to her babies. His morning routine was sacred, like his daily praises to his goddess. To be interrupted like this was...

"Ram-sama, please make some noise. You scared me there."

"Are you a dog, Deru-us? *Sniff sniff*. Hng. You stink, Deru-us. Take that disgusting body to the bath."

Her words were particularly harsh, but Rudeus didn't let them bother him. He was beginning to think this was her way of showing affection to her colleagues. It fits some anime stereotypes from his previous life, after all. He'd have to test that theory when hiring a new maid or butler. He was too scared to ask her directly.

"Haaaaa, I don't think I've ever had a bath like this in 16 years."

Rudeus had few opportunities to rest in a warm, comforting bath. His home in Fittoa wasn't large enough to accommodate bathing equipment, and he was barred from using the master bath at the Boreas estate. To his dismay, the one time he stumbled on one was a few days after the rainy season of the great forest. None of the natural hot springs were operational from the intense weather.

Right now, Rudeus enjoyed the blissful peace of a warm soaking bath in the Roswaal mansion. While the baths were typically only used by guests, workers were still allowed to use them during off hours of the day.

"Uaaaah, I missed this so much."

"Ohhhya~, wha~t do we have he~re? Mi~nd if I joi~ned you, Ru~deus-kun?"

The heavenly teen turned around to see the lord of the manor buck naked. He flaunted his privates as if he owned the place. Wait, he did own the place! But this was still borderline sexual assault! Rudeus wished for a demon to take away his other eye. They were rotten after viewing that sight.

"No, you may not!"

"My~ oh my, to be reje~cted so so~on. You wou~nd me, Ru~deus-kun. As lo~rd of this manor, do I not ha~ve permi~ssion to use my own faci~lities?"

"Then why even ask in the first place!"

"We~ll, you see. As pa~rt of my staff, does that not mea~n you are my property as we~ll?"

As the creepy clown ended his proclamation of ownership, Rudeus bit the hand to grip his chin. He'd tolerate his mysterious boss, but slavery was out of the question.

"No~ hesitation at all~."

The two came to terms as they relaxed in the same warm pool of delight, sitting far apart since they weren't gay. The awkward silence continued until the eccentric clown broke the ice.

"My, my. I knew~ of your adventuring occupa~tion, but your~ body is littered with sca~rs. I'm quite i~nterested in the one on your che~st. Wou~ld you mind sha~ring that story with me~?"

Even with the most advanced healing magic, it was impossible to heal every would to perfect condition. Only God-tier spells could restore a body perfectly, and those weren't available to the common man, let alone Rudeus.

"I'm unsure how to take you eyeing my body, but sure. This was about 4 years ago when I fought the Dragon God Orsted. The strongest being in my world."

Now that caught the clown's attention. He'd already guessed his strength from Emilia. To fight toe to toe with the Bowel hunter was no small feat. Rudeus was powerful, and by proxy, his world must be powerful. To learn his future knight fought the strongest fighter in his world and lived to tell the tale? This was getting better by the second!

"Ho~. Would you mind de~lving into the sto~ry?"

"Sure. You are the boss. I was traveling down the Red Dragon mountains with two other friends. We were walking down the snowy path when both of my companions suddenly froze solid. They were afraid of something approaching us. A tall man with white hair and yellow eyes walked past us. He was the Dragon God Orsted. Of course, none of us knew it at the time. We started to have a pretty peaceful conversation. But that was the wrong choice, as one answer led to him attacking us."

"Ho~, and?"

"We didn't stand a chance. Ruijerd was the strongest warrior I'd ever *hic* met. He guided us through the different continents and took down beast after beast in one hit. When the Dragon God attacked, he blocked a single attack and clashed a few swings but flew across the floor. Our swordswoman Eris fared worse. He parried her attack with fingertips and sent her *hic* crashing against the wall. He then came to face me. We had some back-and-forth with our magic. I even scratched the man, which apparently was a fantastic achievement, but it wasn't enough. He held me by the throat and *hic* punched through my chest like butter."

"My~my. E~ven with the best hea~ler the Kingdom has to offer, I ca ~n't see how you~ managed to survi~ve~!"

Rudeus took a deep breath as his memories facing Orsted continued to flash through his head. This was supposed to be a relaxing bath, not an interrogation.

"I don't know myself. When I woke, Eris told me he had cast a healing spell on me and left. I’ve never met him since."

"Ah~ to wa~lk the line of li~fe and dea~th. You've lived qu~ite the exci~ting life, Ru~deus-kun."

"Eh, I'd prefer to avoid life-or-death situations personally. You only understand the value of life when you experience it first hand."

Roswaal could only smile at his new employee. Could his life get any better?

Rudeus chose his employee room to stay in, and for the rest of the day, he stuck with Emilia, subtly helping her studies. Roswaal had prepared several study books for the young half-Elf, and she diligently reviewed their contents. With each chapter, a triumphant shake danced from her shoulders. The sight was adorable to see.

With three years of tutoring experience, Rudeus tried to offer his help. He thought his knowledge of the Japanese government and his experience with Management Iseka anime could bring a fresh perspective. Those plans were quickly shut down as he realized he couldn't read the language of Lugunica. He sulked, keeping to himself, only leaving when his master called for tea. He desperately wished for those promised language classes, even if he had to face that demonic loli.

Once the sun had set, he accompanied her to the front yard. She mentioned something about a promise. Though, Rudeus didn't fully understand what she had to do. He lay down on the front yard's grass. Next to him was the silver-haired half-Elf performing a ritual with round sparkles of light. The sight was encapsulating. The little specs of luminance shone and shined brightly around the beautiful girl. He'd engrave the image into his brain.

'Yep, I have no regrets about joining. As depressing as my current condition is, I surround myself with beautiful women. That's a start.'

She finished whatever she was doing and walked towards the man on the grass. They were friends now. And friends spent time together, right?

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Rudeus. It was boring to wait, right?

"Not at all. You looked quite majestic there. What exactly were you doing?"

"Oh, right. You don't know much about this world, do you? Those were the lesser spirits I'm contracted with. In exchange for their strength, I promised to talk to them daily. Promises are important, so I try to keep them."

'Ah, this is how this world's magic must work. Spirits and contracts! How exciting!'

"Could you tell me more about it? I'd love to learn more about this world's magic. It feels completely different from what I'm used to."

"That's rea~lly strange. I thought magic would be the same everywhere. Have you never seen a spirit before?"

"Yep. Spirits exist back where I came from but don't look like that. The one spirit I met was a man wearing a fox mask. As for my magic, my master taught me that a tribe of Elves first created wind magic by communing with the forest spirits. That slowly evolved over hundreds of years and became the magic I use today."

He looked back at their late-night studies of the primordial powers of that world and its history. A warm heat filled his chest. Those memories took a special place in his mind. They were his treasured memories of his beloved master—the one person who brought him outside.

"That's rea~lly cool. So your world's magic stems from spirits, but nobody contracts with them? That's so preternatural."

"I... don't even know what that means..."

"Hmph. I'll let you know that I know a lot of words. I've been studying rea~lly hard."

"Of course, princess. Going back to magic, how does your magic work?"

Emilia looked down. The magic outside the Great Waterfall seemed quite unusual. Spirits have been a simple concept since she woke up from her slumber. It felt too foreign to imagine a world without her lesser spirits. That also meant the basis of his magic was different from hers. It perfectly explained the usual chants he spoke in the slums.

Their magic was different. What was common for her was not for Rudeus. She churned her mind left and right. How could you explain a concept to someone who shares little similarities with you? As difficult as this was for Emilia, she continued to ponder. She just read about debate skills. This was essential to her goal of becoming Lugunica's king! She couldn't falter now.

"Well, there are two types of magic. Regular magic uses a person's gate, and spirit magic uses the gates of contracted spirits."

"A gate?"

"Mhmm, a gate is a part of your body that regulates your mana. You've never heard of a gate before?"

"Nope, not at all. I don't remember hearing anything about a gate during my studies."

The girl put a hand to her chin. She'd never heard of a mage without a gate before. The concept felt so foreign to the half-Elf.

"That's rea~lly peculiar. I've never heard of a mage using magic without a gate. Puck, I know it's late, but can you come out?"

The ever-loyal Puck answered her call with a yawn after the girl's request. He looked tired at the ring, rubbing his face like a cat would.

"Lia. What's up? I don't have much mana, so I can't stay up for long."

"I'm rea~lly sorry for bothering you, Puck, but could you check Rudeus? He says this is the first time he's heard of a gate. I want to know if he rea~lly doesn't have one."

"Hmm. I'm not in the mood to do so, but I can never refuse my cute daughter's request! Come here, Rudeus. Let me check your magic affinity too."

"Uh, Ha. Sure!"

The boy replied on instinct. She was his boss now. If she wanted to scan his body, then he'd allow it.

"Alright, just stand still and breathe while I check your gate. Nyom, nyom, nyom, nyom."

"Woah, it's the same magical sound effect from before!"

Puck focused on the vast mana swirling inside the boy. He could sense the devastating quantity bubbling inside. He searched and searched and searched. He scanned every inch of his body and soul but couldn't find anything akin to a gate. Only a pool of mana with no faucet to lead it. It was strange, but this was the norm for the otherworldly mage.

"That's strange. I can sense your mana pool but can't find anything like a gate. Since you don't have one, I can't sense your magical affinity either. You really are a strange one, aren't you, Rudeus?"

The boy could only smile awkwardly at the spirit's words. He was different from the people of this world. He just hoped this discrepancy didn't come back to bite him.

"I guess from your perspective, I'm just an alien. But the people from my world draw mana from themselves using magical chants. Most are from the Human-tongue language, but some special spells are unique to the other languages."

"Rea~lly? But I remember that you didn't say anything while fighting Elsa. You only had to chant when you used healing magic."

"Ah, about that..."

With his unofficial knighting, Rudeus was feeling high as the sky. It wasn't the best outcome, but he was still proud of his new title. It resulted from his hard work in living life seriously. So, it embarrassed him when he had to explain his disappointing talent with healing magic.

"This is pretty embarrassing to say, but I'm a unique case. I can skip the chant for most magic. Not even my great master could use voiceless incantations. That said, I can't skip the chants for healing magic. I never figured out why and I couldn't advance further. I'm at advanced or saint tier in battle magic, but I'm only intermediate with healing and beginner at detoxification magic."

The young knight weakly spoke. He scratched his head in embarrassment. Perhaps if he was a better mage, he could have helped more peo-

'No, no, no, don't think about that. That's in the past. That is that, and this is this.'

"Alright. It's getting late. Why don't I walk you to your room?"

He held his hand to Emilia. He remembered from his past life's anime that this was an act of gentlemanly behavior. Even if it was just a title, he was a knight. He would work hard to live up to his new rank.

Emilia seemed a bit worried at the sudden change her knight showed. She wanted to ask just what was bothering him. He was her knight, but he was her friend. Friends helped each other, right? She looked at his hand, then his face. She opened her mouth to ask but was stopped by a fluffy feline gently pulling her ear.

"I'll tell you later, but something is bothering Rudeus."

She didn't respond to her father's words. She still wanted to discuss it with Rudeus but let it pass. She'll surely ask about it later. She took her knight's hand and walked side by side. With a gentlemanly stance, Rudeus walked his liege to her room and left for his own.

"Ha... What a long day."

Thankfully, the two maids prepared his room and left his uniform and belongings on his desk. He was happy to reunite with his trusty staff and locked box housing the Holy Relic.

Carefully, he opened the crate, revealing the divine article patiently waiting inside. He fell to his knees, held both hands, and prayed.

"Dear master Roxy, please give me the strength to continue. This new world is harsh and unfamiliar. I can't read or write. The people here don't trust me. Guide me through my tribulations as I learn to live in this unfamiliar world. Amen."

After a long hard day, his prayers to his master made him feel secure. She might be in a different world, but the divine presence of Roxy could be felt wherever he was.

He changed into his night clothes and quietly slept away the hours of stress and fatigue of adjusting to a new world.

"Puck, why did you stop me? What did you want to talk about?"

Under the shining moonlight illuminating the tinted window, a half-Elf questioned her father figure for his previous actions. She wanted to help her friend with his troubles, but he stopped her. How could he? He must have a good answer, or she would punish him by feeding him peppirs

"It's about Rudeus, Lia. I can sense he is a good boy but seems confused."

"Confused?"

The girl trusted his father's words when it came to reading humans. What could possibly be more assuring than the words of an empath? Still, she felt that Rudeus was a bit weird at the dinner table but nothing too strange. What could her father have found?

"It's that his inside thoughts feel different than his outside manner. He acts so happy and excited. But his feelings are complex on the inside. I don't know how to explain it any better. Sorry, Lia."

'My knight is... confused? He feels sad inside?'

"What... what do you think I can do for him? I'm his friend, so I have to help him!"

Emilia's resolve to help the depressed lad confused the floating cat. If he wasn't careful, she'd lose her daughter to that perverted fiend! Since when did they get so close?

'I'll have to be careful with Rudeus. He's behaving now, but one misstep, and he'll ogle over my precious innocent daughter!'

"I don't know, Lia. Human emotions aren't my strong suit, even if I can read them."

Emilia carefully pondered her options. Growing up, she didn't have many friends, so she didn't know how to comfort a friend in distress. Her book studies gave her political and historical knowledge, but nothing taught her how to be a good friend.

"Don't worry too much, Lia. You still have time to figure it out. For now, you should head to bed."

She followed her father's advice and dove under the covers of her soft fluffy bed. She fell asleep while the cute hovering cat sighed deeply before returning to his resting crystal.

"Ha... Ha... Ha..."

The snowing fields of the Northern mountains beyond The Duchy of Basherant were usually peaceful year-long. The tall mountains isolate the area from aggressive beasts. The extreme temperatures ensure little vegetation to survive. Only the most desperate of beings would dare enter the frozen wasteland.

*Schluk Schluk Schluk*

A single streak of red accompanied dozens of small pucks and holes between the open plane of white water. They paved the way towards a fallen red angel, struggling to stand after falling from the heavens.

"Aghh. EhhAhhh!"

*Schluk Schluk Schluk*

The angel struggled to pick himself up with only a sack and staff. He only had one hand left on his body.

*Schluk Schluk Schluk*

His back rested atop the warm snow. The sky looked gorgeous today. The sun shined bright without a single cloud obstructing the view. It seemed like it would continue till the end of the world had the world been flat.

"Hnnng, haaah."

Each breath was harder and harder to draw. He felt the calming darkness swirl over him as time passed on. When would it arrive? When would it settle? When will he catch up?

*Schluk Schluk*

"Why do you not use voiceless incantations to heal yourself?"

'Ah, there he is.'

The man grabbed the angel by the neck, lifting him off the ground. He didn't feel his neck crumble from the man's grip strength.

Or was he unable to feel anything below his neck?

"No matter, just die-

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Haaa, haa, ha."

Rudeus woke up in his worker's chambers. He was sweating bullets of steam all around his face. His heart raced faster than his hour-long dash across the infinite hallway. His breathing barely kept up with the blood splurting in his veins. He clawed. He clawed at his arms, scratching through the fabric and skin. He'd had night terrors of Orsted before, but never had it been this bad.

"Rudeus? Is everything good? I was communing with the spirits when I heard screaming."

Emilia's voice from outside his room broke his thoughts back to reality. He still held his red arms in his hands, but at least he stopped the scratching.

'Eh? Ah. Oh. Oh, I'm back. It was a dream. It was... just a dream... Eh?'

"Oh, I'm ok. I just had a bad dream. Did I sleep in? I was planning to wake up early. Oh, what a bad employee I am."

He masked his distress, covering it up with his worry about sleeping in.

"Not at all. It's still early in the morning. I just woke up earlier than usual. You don't have to wake up for another hour or two."

"Oh. Ah, is that so? Now that you mention it, I don't know how to read the time. Well, anyways, I'm fine. I'll see you at breakfast. Take care."

That confirmed it. He couldn't fool the half-Efl beyond the door even with his alluring words. For her, it was the final nail in the coffin. Her knight was under distress from... something. She'll let him rest for now, but she'd undoubtedly help him later.

Satisfied with her investigation, she said goodbye to the practicing knight and left to begin her morning studies.

"So, you want me to accompany you to the nearby village?"

On the third day of Rudeus' new employment, his liege, Emilia, asked her knight to follow her to inspect the magic barrier protecting the village.

"Yes! The barrier is rea~lly important!"

The barrier consisted of multiple gemstones sparsely placed around the village's perimeter. Together, they formed a warding force that repelled any mabeast from entering the town. While the barrier was effective against the magic beasts of this world, they could still be accidentally tampered with by people. Thus necessitating periodic maintenance by the residents of the Roswaal manor.

While this was the cover story for her departure, the true goal was to help her knight relax. In one of the stories Emilia read, a great hero helped a troubled friend by sharing a drink in town. The moral of the story was the importance of taking a break, but that flew right over the half-Elf's head. To her, she saw a troubled person heal after visiting a village. That was enough to set this grand plan to help her knight. A nice visit to Arlem Village!

"Of course, Emilia. Your word is my command."

While the sudden visit was strange, Rudeus had no qualms. If those were the orders of his master, then a good knight would follow. Especially if those orders were to help and protect innocent people.

"Great! I'll see you at the front gate in an hour!"

Excitement bubbled inside her, and she skipped to her room to prepare. Leaving the teenage servant dumbfounded.

(Line Break)

Arlem village was a small farming town half an hour from the manor. The size and theme were more akin to Buena Village. In contrast, Buena wasn't surrounded by a dense forest or a day away from the capital.

A cold chill ran down Rudeus' spine. Buena village was reduced to a desolate wasteland. The Displacement incident annihilated the land while teleporting every villager across the world. The stark contrast was unsettling to the boy. With a practiced smile, he made sure not to show his turmoil.

Though, he was not alone in this venture. Rudeus came to the village at the orders of his master, Emilia. Emilia wandered off to tend to the magic crystals as soon as they entered the town. While his purpose was to protect and help Emilia, she was adamant she did this alone.

The story described an eventful day of booze and brothels, but Emilia didn't know what pubs and hookers were, and Puck refused to explain them, saying they were things she should never involve herself with. In truth, Emilia had no clue what to do after visiting the village. Without anything to do, Emilia excused herself and hoped the visit was enough to help Rudeus.

With nothing to do, Rudeus ventured into the town. As a knight under Roswaal's orders, it was technically within his duty to protect the land and its people. He'd have to know the place to attend to his duties.

"Mister, are you new? I haven't seen you before!"

As Rudeus was lost thinking about Fittoa, a group of children gathered around him. The seven kids circled the boy with curious gazes. The village rarely had visitors during this time of the month. The traveling merchants left a few weeks ago and wouldn't return for another month. There was no reason for someone to visit, yet here was a mysterious man with a weird-looking stick.

Eyeing the little ankle biters, Rudeus kneed down to their eye level on the floor. Rudeus wasn't the best with kids. He had little experience with toddlers. The most he had was his short interactions with his sisters Norn and Aisha, and they didn't go well, to say the least. His estranged relationship with Paul ruined his relationship with Norn, while Aisha correctly eyed him as a pervert even before they met. While he did manage to bridge the gap with Aisha, that was primarily thanks to Lilia's indoctrination. Aisha was an intelligent girl. Sooner or later, she'd learn how rotten her brother was.

There was no possible way his sisters would accept him.

"Hi there… My name is Rudeus. I work at the Roswaal mansion. Nice to meet you all!"

He wouldn't make the same mistake. With his occupation, he'd have to have good relations with the villagers, including the children. With a small knee-bow, he introduced himself to the children surrounding him, following his polite-to-fault policy.

Arlem village was nearby the Roswaal mansion. With Roswaal's current occupation, it was common for nobles and knights to visit the village. Yet, outside of a few rare cases, the majority ignored or looked down upon the village residents. The children didn't care, though. They'd still walk up and welcome any visitors and receive warm or cold welcomes.

They struck gold with Rudeus. Throughout their limited time, nobody has lowered their head to them.

Brimming inside the chaotic mind of toddlers, they grinned menacingly at the mage.

"Uh, that smile on you doesn't match your childlike innocence, kids…."

They would not leave him alone.

"Ah, that should do it. Rudeus! I finished fixing the barriers!"

She calls out excitedly as she turns around.

"Eh? Rudeus?'

A few hours have passed since she left Rudeus to inspect the barrier. Without thinking how much time had passed, she expected her knight to stand beside her, despite abandoning him earlier. Only then did she realize she had left him alone.

She turns in a sprint, bringing dust and dirt from the ground. Emilia wasn't one for exercise, but her Elven strength compensated for her bookworm life.

"Ahhhh! I was supposed to help Rudeus today, and I completely forgot about him!"

She hurries back to the village. She could still accomplish her original goal of this visit.

Within minutes, she's back at the village, clutching at her knees, barely panting. With a worried look, she quickly moves to search for Rudeus. She left him before the town, but he wasn't there when she returned. Of course, he would wander off alone with nothing to do for an hour!

Then, Emilia noticed a small crown on the edge of the village, only separated from the forest by a perimeter fence circling the entire town. A group of children was circling someone sitting next to the wooden wall. She could see who or what this person was doing, but the coos and chants from the children hinted something special was happening. That was enough to draw her towards the small crowd. As much as Emilia disliked groups, her magic cloak was enchanted with a recognition spell, preventing most lookers from focusing on her. It only took a few steps to see just what was ensuing.

"Woah! That's so cool, oni-chan! Can you make one for me too!"

"Me three!"

"Me forth!"

"Well, I'd love to make more for everyone here, but it's getting late. You should all get back home before your parents start to worry."

In the middle of the village children, Rudeus was sitting on the ground, chipping away at a stone sculpture in his hand. Despite answering the children's questions occasionally, Rudeus gave his full attention to the conjured figures in his hands.

The material looked like the "Ruijerd" sculpture he gave to the lost girl in the capital. The same smooth marble-like stone was chipped away in his hand. Though, the design looked quite different. Instead of the proportionally accurate method, the sculptures were now much more "simplified". Their heads were made much bigger while their body was shortened. Much of the designs' details were omitted, optioning for a much smoother and simpler look.

"Oh, ah, Emilia! Are you finished with the barrier?"

With a small smile, Rudeus broke away from the glowing stone forming in his hands and greeted Emilia. He was still wearing his new uniform, a simple black suit and tie. While one would worry about damaging the fabric, Rudeus had already solidified the ground he was sitting on, and his stone magic didn't create dirt to dirty his clothes.

"Eh, Rudeus, I'm rea~lly sorry for leaving you alone for so long. I didn't think it would take this long…."

"It's alright. The kids here didn't leave me alone to feel bored. Right guys?"

"Yes!"

He explained what had happened to him for the past hour. When they heard his unusually polite approach, the village kids "kidnapped" him. They went to work, gathering every other kid from the village. Soon, a swarm circled around Rudeus, demanding whatever entertainment he could offer. Children have an innate sense of hierarchy as they learn to socialize with the people around them. Seeing Rudeus, a well-dressed outsider, lower himself triggered their innate sense of order, and they began bullying him to play. They initially started with physical activities, tag, hide-n-seek, etc., but once they learned that the boy could use magic, they pressured him to show more and more of his spells. After a round of healing and detoxification magic to heal the local residents, the children strapped him down to make sculptures of them with his earth magic.

Emilia couldn't help but feel a bit guilty leaving Rudeus alone. This was supposed to be her plan to cheer up the seemingly sad knight. But, looking at Rudeus, who returned to work on his sculpture, she could see his eyes glint with light. She hadn't noticed this before, but his demeanor had been quite reserved since meeting him at the capital. Now, however, Rudeus seemed a bit livelier. Only a faint smile covered his mouth, and a tinge of shadows circled under his eyes, but his eyes lit up.

In short, regardless of Emilia's efforts, the trip positively impacted the boy.

Emilia joined the children with a small smile and asked Rudeus to make another figure of her own.

"Alright, kids, what exactly did you want to show me?"

"Here!"

Meili was a 12-year-old girl with purplish-blue hair and green eyes. She seemed overly shy to the young man-child who visited the village. Though, that didn't make her isolated from the other children. Some village boys seemed to knowingly or unknowingly have a crush on the purple ankle biter. They wanted to hang out with the strange-eyed boy and the girl. Hitting two birds with one stone, they practically dragged her out to play.

Now, Meili was at the forefront of their new adventure. She wanted to show something to the young mage. Petra and Lucas, two of her village friends, enjoyed playing with it, and surely the boy would also enjoy it.

She left the gang behind as she walked up to the village fence. She crouched down and picked up a small puppy. The little critter nestled comfortably in her arms.

"Ah, so that's what you wanted to show me? It seems really calm for a wild pup. Does it have a name?"

The girl just shook her head. It never dawned on her that her pets should get a name. It felt foreign but oddly comforting.

Rudeus instinctively petted the small dog. It growled at his advances at first but was docile to his touch. It reminded him of his time with the sacred beast. After a chance encounter with a local smuggler, Rudeus' Dead End party reached Zanport. Since Ruijerd was a Superd, they had to smuggle him across the sea. When they arrived, they found themselves in the middle of a Beast Children smuggling operation. They promptly defeated-no slaughtered everyone was involved. After all, they did kill a child, and Ruijerd would never tolerate child abuse, let alone murder. Amid the chaos, Rudeus was mistaken for one of the smugglers and taken prisoner by the Beast people of the Great Forest. After a week of captivity, his party members proved their innocence and stayed with the Beast folk during the dangerous rainy season.

A prophecy foretold that the Great Beast would leave to accompany a great hero to save the world. During their stay, the sacred beast, which was really just a large fluffy dog, escaped its dwelling and played with Rudeus. It was then that Rudeus discovered his abnormal enjoyment of soft animal fur.

The little pup in front of him was nothing in comparison. It had short sharp hair, and some spots were even hairless. It didn't show any discomfort, so it wasn't sick.

He reached up on the patchless spot on top of its head. The moment he touched its sacred spot, the beast chomped on his hand, leaving two distinct bite wounds.

"GHAA!"

"Rudeus!"

"Awww, you made her angry, Rudeus, Rudeus."

"You're terrible with girls, Rudeus, Rudeus."

The village kids toyed with the agonizing man for manhandling a woman. They laughed at the boy's anguish, not knowing how deeply their words pierced his heart. Only Emilia shouted in concern for the boy.

"I just got hurt, and you all just laughed at me. You kids are being mean!"

He cried himself as he left to rejoin Emilia. He muttered a beginner detoxification magic and a beginner healing magic. The wound wasn't severe, but an infection could be dangerous. Who knew what kinds of diseases that dog carried?

(Line Break)

The red sky illuminated the region when the two reached the Mather's domain. The trip was supposed to take only two hours, but they'd spent the entire afternoon.

Surprising both, Roswaal came out to greet the two. He dressed like a well-mannered man for once. You could convince someone he was an ordinary man if he scraped his makeup.

"Oya~, I did not expect Emi~lia-sama to be here, but thi~s will have to do."

"Greetings, Roswaal."

"Formal clothes?"

"Well spotted. I'm see~ing someone who is a ha~ssle to deal with in normal atti~re, so I had no choice but to wear normal clothes."

"A visitor?"

"Not exa~ctly. I'm go~ing out. Some troublesome ne~ws has rea~ched me. I'm not expected to be home tonight. So Rudeus, as the unofficial knight under the employment of Roswaal, I ask you to take care of things while I'm gone."

"Um, sure. I mean, yes, sir!"

Satisfied with the quick reply, Roswaal walked down the path and patted Rudeus on the shoulder. They locked eyes with an intense emphasis on their closeness.

"I'm counting on you too, Rudeus-kun. Take good care of Emilia-sama."

Those words came under his breath loud enough for Rudeus to hear.

Despite the missing word-tic and intensity, Rudeus thought nothing of his employer's words. It was just a typical order to the newest recruit. Without waiting for a reply, Lugunican's Greatest Magician levitated above the ground, and soared through the skies at an exhilarating speed. He disappeared in a blink of an eye.

'Woah, people can fly in this world? I gotta learn how to do that!'

He thought back to his failed attempts to fly. During his stay at the Great Forest, Rudeus used a combination of wind magic and earth magic to fly. He successfully launched himself airborne but failed to control his mid-air flight. He crashed and landed, breaking both his legs. Luckily, Ruijerd was nearby to rescue him, and his healing magic mended his bones back to shape.

He attempted his flight again while rescuing his half-sister Aisha from the Shirone Kingdom Royal guards. Using Earth Lance, he launched him and Aisha up in the air, away from the approaching guards. He still failed the landing and broke his legs once more.

Ever since that day, he had given up on flying, but seeing Roswaal effortlessly lift himself off the ground reinvigorated his need to fly.

"I gotta ask him to teach me that!"

"Haaa, finally, the day's over."

It was a tiring day for him, and he felt unusually fatigued. It was nearing midnight, perhaps an hour or two before. Too tired to care, he jumped on his bed and immediately crashed.

...

"Deru-us, come out this instant!"

He had yet to get an hour of sleep before being interrupted by the senior maid.

'Ahhh, what now.'

"Coming..."

He sluggishly got out of bed and greeted the red-haired maid. She stared at the man as if to drill holes through his skull. Even in his sleepish state, Rudeus could tell something was wrong.

"Deru-us, your slothful nature needs rest, but the situation needs your attention."

Even with the joking remark, her tone was dead serious. Something had gone wrong, and they needed the mage knight's help. Rudeus picked up her distress and slapped his cheeks to wake himself up. He felt slightly better, but the lingering lethargy kept him from his usual joyous state. This was unusual. Rudeus had taken multiple all-nighters for some quests. Why did he feel so tired all of a sudden?

"Alright, I'm awake. What's going on, Ram?"

"The village chief arrived and informed us that the children had gone missing. We need your help defending the estate from a preemptive attack."

She continued listing specific tasks and areas that needed to be watched. None of them reached the boy, though. His mind went blank when he heard the words "children" and "missing".

After years of traveling with Ruijerd, Rudeus developed his incredible sense of responsibility and justice regarding children. He would always try to talk things out and avoid conflict as much as possible. But when children were getting hurt, he wouldn't stop and watch.

He hurriedly searched for his staff and spoke out.

"Ram, I'm going back to the village to search for the children."

"No, Deru-us. Your duty is to protect the mansion and Emilia-sama. Leaving would render her defenseless if this is an assassination attempt."

He paused at the girl's words. She wasn't wrong per se. This could be a trap to get the guardian's attention away from the manor. Leaving would play directly into the enemy's hands if this was a coordinated attack. Rudeus couldn't sit still, twiddling his thumbs while children were getting hurt. He could never look at Ruijerd if he abandoned them.

"Still, I can't leave them out there to die. If they're a trap, I'll fall right in their hands and stop them."

"Deru-us, that is remarkably stupid, even for you-"

"Ram, doesn't it seem strange? If this was a trap, then who would it be luring? Roswaal had already left the premises, and my employment as a knight was a tightly held secret. The only person an assassin would be wary of would be Beatrice. It feels too weird to be a trap to me."

Ram contemplated the boy's words at heart. His reasoning was sound, surprisingly, for the idiot delinquent. But was it enough to leave the premise to help the village folk?

"Look, I'm not asking you to follow me. You can stay here and defend the premise while I investigate the village. If there were an intruder, Puck, and Beatrice would be more than able to protect the place. Worst case scenario, you all hide in the forbidden library and wait until sunrise."

"That is not your decision to make. Roswaal's orders were to-"

"Ram!"

Across the hall, a distressed half-Elf ran towards the two. She wore a thick cardigan over her night clothes. Rudeus got a bit excited looking at the thinly dressed woman. He patted his pants to realize his little me still refused to come out of his shell.

'Haaa, it really can't be helped.'

"Emilia-sama, what brings you here?"

"I heard everything from Rem. If the children are missing, we can't stay here. We need to head to the village and help them now!"

Emilia returned to her pseudo-authoritative voice—the voice she used on his first day in Lugunica. But unlike last time, Emilia didn't use any archaic vocabulary. She sounded confident for once.

"But, Emilia-sama. If the mansion were under attack, we would play right into our enemies' hands."

This didn't shake the half-Elf's resolve. It only worked to harden her choices.

"That won't do, Ram. I can't leave the village alone. What kind of king would I be if I left them to die?"

Rudeus knew very little of politics and country leadership. He was in no position to judge a Royal Candidate. Yet, if a king's resolve and righteousness were deciding factors, he mused Emilia would be an excellent choice. Her incredible beauty and large breasts were also crucial to him.

'Wait, that's not what's important right now.'

"See? If this is the orders of Emilia-sama, then as her knight, I have no choice but to follow her words."

He faced Emilia and dropped to his knees. He presented his staff like a sword in both hands. This was his first official mission as the knight of a Royal Candidate. He had to look the part.

"As your sword knight of honor, I, Rudeus, is honor bound to follow your orders. I will rescue the children and protect the village of Arlem."

He put as much emphasis on his words. This time, he followed the knightly dialogue of a Western RPG he played many years ago. The details were lost, but he remembered that the knights took orders by kneeling during a cutscene.

"Oh...um, please rise, my knight!"

Emilia fumbled her words. She studied knighthood and their honor-bound dignity to follow their lieges orders. Rudeus' performance was a bit off, but she understood its meaning. He was a foreigner, so it was expected some details didn't match up.

Rudeus rose to his two feet, satisfied with his gesture. With this, he'd permanently tie down a spot under Emilia and receive the political protection of Roswaal.

"I, Emilia, order you to protect the village or Arlem."

"Great, then I'll be on my way-"

"And I'll be coming with you."

Her last words stunned both the maid and the amateur knight. She spoke in the same determined language as before.

'I feel like this is a bad idea. Aren't princesses supposed to be protected in large castles? Is it really ok for her to charge into battle? Some kings participated in war, too, but this feels wrong.'

'Actually, maybe not. She's my boss. She can do whatever she wants. All I have to do is follow her words. That's why I'm her knight, to follow her orders to a T.'

"Emilia-sama, I cannot advise that. Roswaal's orders were to take care of the mansion. Your protection is also included. You should wai-"

"Sure thing Emilia. Let's head out! Ram, can you inform Beatrice and Rem of the situation?"

"Deru-us, what are you sayi-"

"Orders are orders, Ram. If Emilia says she'll come, then she can come."

His tone was much stronger than he intended. He wanted to let Ram know that this was their boss' plan. Ram looked at the man with confused eyes. Why did he suddenly take such an aggressive tone?

"...understood, Emilia-sama. I shall call Rem and Beatrice-sama and inform them of our plans."

She bowed deeply and ran through the hallway. The elegance of her maiden appearance was gone, but drastic times called for extreme measures.

"Alright, Rudeus, wait for me at the front gate. I'll get ready and meet you there. Let's go and save everyone at the village!"

Her resolving orders began their plan to save the Arlem village children.

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Chapter Text

"Rem-sama, you've arrived!"

Greeting the two employees was the village elder Twyla. He was an old man in his fifties with grey hair. With his old age in mind, Twyla could not search for the missing children. Thus the village elder took reign as the search party’s director. It was him that suggested requesting help from the mansion. Not only was the land Lord Mather’s responsibility, but they also heard word from the children that the manor had hired a new mage.

“Thank you for coming all this way! Please give Lord Mather my regards.”

Only recognizing Rem, Twyla gave a deep bow to the maid and her group. While she wasn’t the Lord of the land, he understood that the maid was the representative of Lord Mathers. Proper etiquette was expected of him. He didn’t recognize the young man in a suit and the woman wearing a hooded cloak but assumed they were the recent hires the children talked about.

Ram and Beatrice had stayed behind for defense. There was still a good chance the kidnappings were a trap. If the attacker’s objective was the hidden library's compiled knowledge, the mansion residents had to stop them.

"Twyla-san, what happened? Where were the children last seen?"

"We're not sure, but we've seen Petra play around the fence earlier today."

"Alright, let's head there for now!"

The fence was where Rudeus had played with the children earlier the same day. Only coming up to waist height, the fences merely marked the village’s safe area. It was insufficient to repel beasts or keep children and other villagers in. It would do nothing against a malicious third party.

Emilia noticed a peculiar gemstone missing from the tree line among the white, unharmed fence.

"There! The... the barrier is broken. A pack of Mabeasts must have taken the children!"

"Barrier?"

"This forest is a breeding ground for Wolgrams. Roswaal-sama and Emilia-sama have placed and charged the crystals to ward off any Mabeasts."

"But if the barrier is broken..."

"The Mabeasts must have taken the children."

"Then we have to go save them."

Emilia jumped over the fence as she replied. As the Royal Candidate, without Roswaal, she was responsible for the safety of Arlem. Of course, this was never officially stated by either party. Roswaal was merely a sponsor for the Emilia camp, and Emilia was still in the beginning stage of her education. Still, how could she hope to become the ruler of an entire nation if she couldn’t guarantee the village's safety right before her?

"Please wait, Emili-sama! With Roswaal-sama absent, Rem cannot advise you to leave the village."

"But-"

"Emilia's right, Rem. The people here need help, and we're the only ones who can do it."

Rudeus had no qualms about helping the children. While he had no sense of righteousness or responsibility for the people, he could never turn away when children were involved. His promise with Ruijerd still lingered in his mind, and his new commitment to live life seriously weighed on him. With his liege pushing the agenda, he figured it best to try and convince Rem this was the best course forward.

"Rudeus-sama, how can you say that as Emilia-sama's knight?"

"Rem, my job is to help Emilia any way I can. If this is what Emilia wants, then this is what I'll do, simple as that."

His declaration shot deep into both girls. When she joined the Royal Selection, Emilia never thought she'd make a friend, let alone a knight. She was alone with Puck for so long in the forest. What did she do to deserve Rudeus?

Meanwhile, the village elder listened to their conversation in surprise. He had never seen the two strangers that came with the maid, but apparently, the man was a knight, and the hooded woman was his liege. He had hoped the rumors of the newly hired mage could lend a hand, and he just heard from his two ears that his hopes were indeed true.

"...Understood Emilia-sama. Rem will help in any way she can."

'Huh, looks like Emilia's orders are absolute. Not that I'm complaining. I doubt I could have convinced Rem without Emilia here.

Rudeus' loyalty was to Emilia. It was his best path to self-preservation, and Emilia seemed like a nice person and a nicer-looking person at that. Yet, despite his thoughts, Rudeus' main objective was to save the children. If Emilia had ordered him to stay, he would have forsaken his oath to Emilia and left anyway. He could never live with himself had he left them to die alone. He vowed to be better in this world. He couldn’t be slothful.

Whatever the consequences were… Well, he’s accustomed to living in the wild for extended periods. He figured he’d manage, somehow.

With a sharp clanging of heavy metals clinging to one another, a dark purple morning star appeared in Rem's hands. The slender handle with a metal chain was on her right, while the left held a spiked ball of death. The dense metal looked too heavy for a small girl like Rem to carry, yet she summoned the spike of extreme violence without issue, hinting at the maid’s incredible strength.

Roswaal did mention both Rem and Ram were capable fighters. But it was then Rudeus realized how true those words were.

"Rem... that's..."

"It's for protection."

"Where do you even store that?"

"You don't want to know."

That only brought more questions to the boy. The more he thought, the lewder they became.

"Ok then... Twyla-san, we'll go ahead and scout out the children. Gather everyone else and follow along!"

"Thank you. I'll gather the rest of the villagers right away."

With a deep bow, Twyla turned to gather the rest of the villagers. But before he left, he looked back at the group with admiration.

"I apologize for not recognizing you. We’ve met Rem-sama from her trips, but we haven’t had the honor of knowing your names…"

He eagerly looked at the two unnamed, one a lady while the other a knight.

“Ah, my name is Emilia, just Emilia. And this is my knight, Rudeus! We’ll do our best to find the children.”

In her usual soft-bell-like voice, Emilia replied for the both of them. Her courage from the first day was missing, replaced with an unusual timidness. Was it the weight of the promises that scared her? Or the fear of being rejected for her heritage?

Regardless of her intent, Twyla gave another deep bow and left to gather the rest of the villagers.

They had been running for ten minutes through the forest. They had yet to find any signs of mabeasts or the children. With the likely threat being Wolgrams, they could only head from the village towards the forest's center, the Wolgram infestation area.

"We're close. I smell something alive." Rem declared after some pointed sniffing.

The idea that Rem could smell people's location was as unsettling as it turned Rudeus on. In the span of seconds, he imagined what her secret ability could do in certain... circ*mstances.

If only he could experiment with them for research purposes.

"The kids?" Emilia asked.

"I'm not sure, but it doesn't smell like animals."

The two followed Rem deeper into the forest. Their steps opened up to a clearing of grassy hills. A group of eight or so small children were lying on their backs in the middle.

"It's the children."

Rem was the first to find the missing children. They all rushed faster at her words, hoping they weren’t too late.

They approached the kids and inspected them one by one. Rudeus first started with Petra. He held his hand toward her nose to confirm whether she was breathing. He felt a faint breeze touch his skin. The sensation felt uncanny. He was excited that he wasn't late, but their breaths were too shallow—only the faintest heat radiated from their bodies. In short, the kids were barely holding on to their lives.

Just what had happened to them?

"She's alive. They're alive!"

Rudeus was the first to shout out after checking Petra’s pulse—the first sign of hope for the children’s survival. Yet, Rem did not join in on the celebration. She, too checked the conditions of the unconscious children. With better knowledge of the beasts roaming around the forest, she quickly stopped him in his celebratory tracks.

"They're still breathing but are very weak."

"Weak? What do you mean, Rem? Why would they be weak?"

"Wolgrams can inflict curses that drain a person's mana dry. If they're weak, that means their mana reserves are low."

Rem patted through one of the unconscious children. She inspected head to toe to find a Wolgram bite mark. Sure enough, every child had a bite mark on their arms or legs, indirectly proving the cause of their affliction.

'A curse? That's... that's an illness, right? Could detoxification magic work?'

"I'm going to try and cast a detoxification spell."

He didn't wait for Rem or Emilia to confirm. He held Petra's hand and chanted in the Human Tongue language.

"Divine breath is the source of nourishment, give those who are sick the strength to wake up again. Detoxification."

A bright green hue passed from his hand to the girl's whole body. Rudeus was only a beginner at detoxification magic. If curses in this world were similar to his old world, then a single spell would do nothing to help them. Still, he felt he had to try at least. This new world was filled with the unknown. Even with the slightest of chances, he had to try at least.

The spell finished its magic, cleansing all toxins and diseases from the girl. Yet, her condition did not improve. Her breathing was coarse, and she did not wake from her sleep. Detoxification magic is only able to cleanse diseases and basic toxins. It’s unable to undo the effects of a curse in both worlds.

Rem just looked at the boy with wide eyes. This was the first time she had heard Rudeus’ magic chant. She’d seen him use voiceless incantation and assumed his magic was the same. The human tongue language was like nothing she heard of all her life. The urge to stop the boy immediately bubbled up, but she refrained from action.

"Ah... as I thought, it's no use..."

'Could I have lifted this if I studied detoxification magic more? Was there even anything more to learn? Mother's books had nothing above beginner spells for detoxification magic. Ahhh, why am I so useless!'

He cursed to himself. He went out of his way to endanger his liege and still couldn't do anything.

How slothful.

"Emilia! Rem! Can either of you undo the curse?"

"No, only Beatrice-sama knows how to undo curses."

"Then... we need to bring them to the village and call Beatrice. Rem, can you guide the villagers here and get Beatrice from the mansion?"

“And leave you behind with Emilia-sama?”

She muttered her last words under her breath. She mulled over their options with her head down, avoiding eye contact with the mage.

Under the stoic professional mask, Rem was suspicious of their new hire. After all, their master Roswaal had given them orders to keep an eye on the man. While he hadn’t taken any suspicious action yet, Rem’s nose did not lie. The man had the faintest stench of the which lingering on him.

The scent was enough to remind her of the massacre of her village. Had she been any stronger, or the man acted out on his own, she would have taken action to protect her sister.

It was truly a miracle Rudues hadn’t evoked the fury of the blue-haired maid.

And now, with the slight haze of those horrendous fiends, this mysterious new hire suggested leaving him and her liege alone. She couldn’t help but suspect his intentions.

"Emilia-sama, what are your orders?"

Rem turned to Emilia. She was her superior in this instance. Rudeus hadn't said anything wrong. With the circ*mstances, splitting up was the best course of action. Her suspicions of the man couldn’t help it. Four days was not enough the veto a man. As hopeless as it was, she looked up at Emilia, hoping she would disagree with the boy.

Sudden shock overcame the half-Elf. She had to become King one day. She had to be a leader. She had to be in charge of the operation, but the sudden change of attention made her realize she was not in control of the situation. When did her wonderful knight take the reins? It wasn't a bad feeling. Nevertheless, it didn't feel good either. That said, she couldn't disagree with the knight. She simply lamented that she wasn't the one to say those words herself.

"O-of course. Yes, I agree with my knight. Rem, please, bring the villagers back and call for Beatrice."

"Hmm. Understood, Emilia-sama. Please, stay safe."

With a curt bow, Rem took off to get back up. She still didn't trust Rudeus, but if Emilia-sama ordered it, she'd have to follow.

Only a minute had passed since Rem left to gather the children when Rudeus spoke up, still worried about the children’s condition.

"Is there anything else we can do for them? I feel completely useless, just twiddling my thumbs."

"I can use my healing magic to stabilize them, but that's all I can do."

Blue hues illuminated Emilia's hands as if her words triggered the mystic arts. She drew mana from the nearby lesser spirits and spread their power to children. One by one, the children relaxed in their slumber. They stopped shivering, and their breathing slowed down to normal.

Her healing was more effective than she thought. Only seconds passed when the oranged-haired girl, Petra, began to wake up from her forced slumber and barely managed to open her eyes. Rudeus was quick to react and kneeled in front of her.

"Petra! Petra! Are you awake? How are you feeling?"

"There's... another one... out there..."

"Petra! Petra!"

It took every ounce of power to say those words. Even with Emilia's healing, the curse wreaked havoc on their mana. She fell back asleep after meeting Rudeus' eyes. She didn't recognize who the man was, but he did call out his name. She figured he couldn’t be a bad person if he were helping her.

Then he realized Meili, the girl who brought the mabeast to the village, was missing from the group.

"Emilia! I need to go deeper into the forest. Meili's not here, and Petra said she might still be out there!"

Rudeus got on his feet to sprint ahead toward the Wolgram breeding grounds. He'd joined rescue missions during his time in the Northern regions of the Central Continent. The most important aspect of a successful search was time. These missions brought immediate attention to any adventurer. With human life on the line, they paid extremely well and brought much gratitude. The latter was most useful to Rudeus as he only cared about spreading his name. That experience made time the most important factor in a successful rescue. And time wasn’t something he had much of right now. Add the dangers of the curse, and he couldn't afford to waste a second.

"But, Rudeus. That's too dangerous! You can't go out there all on your own! Who knows how many Mabeasts there are. They might chew you up whole!"

He knelt towards the crouching healer. His eyes had a sharp glint she'd never seen before. They shouted confidence and determination. He needed to save the children. He just had to, even at the risk of himself.

"Emilia, when Petra woke up, she didn't complain or ask for help. She reached out to help her friend. She valued her friend's life over hers. At the least, I want to respect her feelings."

Emila held an unreadable face to Rudeus. Was it safe to send Rudeus alone? What would happen to the girl Petra talked about? Wouldn't they be too late by now? She could only worry at the horrors the missing girl and Rudeus would face if he went on alone.

"I'm heading out now. I'll throw a fireball to the sky once I find Meili."

"No, Rudeus-"

He cut his liege's words short and ran deeper into the Mabeast-infested forest. Emilia wanted to follow ahead. She hated the idea of sending people into trouble. But she couldn't leave the children here unguarded. Her knight had forsaken her orders and ran forward to save Meili. She was proud that a selfless person was her friend and knight. She wanted to be happy with Rudeus' decision. But she couldn't help but worry about the boy's safety. Her glinting eyes shook as his back vanished behind the trees.

(Line Break)

A light-brown-haired magician dashed through a densely packed forest. He jumped over puddles, boulders, and fallen tree stumps. He seemed like a completely average man with no talent for combat. That is until you notice the peculiar staff he had.

The citizens of Lugunica were foreign to the concept of staves. There were wands to amplify magic power, but long stout staves like the one the man possessed were rare. Aqua Heartia was not a regular staff. Its head had an ornate blue gem with glittering sparkles floating inside. Anyone would have noticed its majestic build and could only guess what it was. The seemingly average boy appeared much more confident with the magical item. He looked ready to take over the forest and eradicate the mabeast infestation.

But inside, he was freaking out as he had little knowledge of the monsters of this world. He was an A-ranked mage in his previous world. His greatest feat was the single-handed subjugation of a Red Wyrm, the strongest monster from his last world.

While many would consider "The Adventurer Quagmire" a great mage and exemplary foe, Rudeus felt indifferent about his strength. He believed his victory was only achievable due to the terrain. Red Wyrms, while powerful, could not take off from flat land. They had to drop from high mountain tops and glide to maintain flight. He convinced himself he stood no chance against a Wyrm in its natural habitat.

As for the more common monsters, his party used his supportive spells to keep the beasts in place rather than directly attacking them. This gave him a repertoire of the local beasts and strategies to fight them. So long as he knew the threats and his surroundings, he could conjure a plan to hail victorious.

The downside was that Rudeus had little experience facing enemies head-on. Despite having the magical power to hurt the esteemed Dragon God, his overly cautious nature made him afraid of all the dangerous beasts he could encounter.

'Dammit. I have no clue what Wolgrams can do! It looked like a normal puppy, but clearly, it was much stronger! For all I know, that could have been a familiar or summon, and the real thing is a hulking beast with unstoppable strength!'

'If they're anything like Assault Dogs, I could easily dispatch a few, but if they corner me at once, I'll have to run rather than fight them head-on. Actually, now that I think about it, why wouldn't Roswaal exterminate these beasts himself? He is a strong mage with political power and money to hire mercenaries. With the right plan, I doubt anything could beat a flying man shooting nukes from the sky.'

'Does that mean these Wolgrams were that hard to kill?'

With each thought, the image of one of the most basic mabeasts grew in his mind. Only the sudden smell of animals and manure brought him back to the world.

"I smell animals. There must be Wolgrams close by."

The smell led him to a small open field. He couldn’t see any threats immediately but took the time to scout out the area. He saw a fallen tree stump and a pair of tiny feet poking out from behind a bush. He couldn't see anything other than that.

'It could be a trap... I don't see any monsters, but it seems too quiet. There's a chance they'd pounce me as soon as I get near her. They did take only one child from the rest, probably for bait. That means Wolgrams have some semblance of intelligence.'

His cautious nature rooted him in place. He might have charged in without a second thought if he had still been in his old world. He knew the local monsters and their counters. But now, he had nothing to work with. Only his wits and magic. One wrong step, and he wouldn't get a fourth chance.

He thought back to the numerous quests he had taken. How did he manage his first quest? How did Counter Arrow deal with rescue missions? How did Zoldat take care of unknown threats? How would Ruijerd deal with this?

"Ruijerd wouldn't hesitate."

Ruijerd would do anything to protect children. He wouldn't dare be slothful. He steeled himself as he imagined the will of his former protector and friend.

He jumped up and ran toward the two feet. Beyond the tree stump was Meili unconscious. There was no blood or visible wounds, so Rudeus' trap theory grew increasingly. He took a closer look at the girl and noticed something strange.

There were no bite marks on Meili.

In fact, Meili showed no symptoms like the other children. No steaming sweat or shaking breath. Had the curse not affected her? Was she even cursed, to begin with? If so, why is she unconscious?

'Now that I think about it, I was also bitten by the dog. Did I get lucky and not get cursed? I don't feel cursed. Does the curse not work on me because I'm from another world?'

With questions about his health, he had already forgotten about the biteless child.

"Grrrrr."

Behind him was a wolf the size of a large German shepherd. It had bright red eyes, black and brown fur, grey claws, spikes along its spine, blood-red gills on its torso, and a stout and stubby horn on its muzzle. Rudeus looked surprised at its appearance. He expected a Wolgram to appear, but its appearance was so different from the little puppy, nor did it resemble anything from his previous world.

'I don't know what this thing can do. I might unknowingly trap myself if I make the wrong move. I'll wait and let it come to me.'

With his Demon Eye active and mana swirling to his staff, he took a defensive stance, blocking the Wolgram's sight from the little girl behind him.

"Grrrrrrrrlll, *psssshh*"

"Huh?"

The dog beast faded into the shadows. When he foresaw it with his Eye of Foresight, he didn't understand what the beast had done.

The sound of rustling bushes invaded his mind. Whatever that beast did didn't make it incorporeal. It was still here, somewhere. He hurriedly looked around, left, right, up, down. Even with the Demon Eye, he couldn't predict things he couldn't see. He had to stay vigilant. He had to know where it was coming from.

"Kraaah"

With its silent footsteps, the Wolgram appeared from his blind spot and bit his left arm. Its white fangs pierced his clothes and skin. An acute, warm sensation covered his entire forearm. It felt like it was burning. Each prickling fang dug straight through his skin and muscles. He could even feel his fingers begin to lose strength.

"Ack."

He swallowed down the pain and prepared mana to his staff. He cast a sharp earthen spike underneath the air-borne Wolgram. It shot up near instantly, tearing through the beast, cutting it in two. Its upper torso hung on his arm as its intestines, flesh, and skin dangled.

"Aghrooooh!"

With a howl shaking the night sky, the beast lost strength and fell off the victorious mage.

Rudeus had just killed his first beast in this new world.

"Agh, damn, they're faster than I thought."

He changed to focus on his injured left arm. Four trenches of torn-off meat oozed out blood. He tightly gripped his forearm and chanted a healing spell. He'd deal with the curse later.

"Let this divine power be as satisfying nourishment, giving the one who has lost their strength the strength to rise again! Healing."

His flesh melted and mended itself as the green hue of mana encompassed the reddened meat. Soon enough, the arm was good as new.

"Time to get out of here."

He picked up the sleeping girl with his left arm. With a grunt and a swoop, he tossed her over his shoulder and carried her like a potato sack. When he turned around, dozens of growling red eyes stared back.

He was surrounded.

'That last one taught me enough. Wolgrams can vanish into shadows, but offense-wise, they aren't much different from a typical wolf beast. This time, I'll hit them first before they can vanish.'

The spells ignited the entire area before them. Quagmire melted the ground into deep, sticky muck. The trees and Wolgrams sank, trapping them in place. Frost Nova hovered above the liquid earth, preventing it from freezing. The super chilled mist spread through the trapped wolf beasts and froze them whole. The ones that struggled shattered to pieces, opening a frozen path for Rudeus to escape. He didn't remember the way back, but he couldn't stay here. He'd need to find cover to funnel the beasts.

The instant he saw a path through the densely packed sculptures, he dashed through without a second's thought.

The surviving Wolgrams charged at their escaping target. They surround the mage in three or four packs and lept at once.

Rudeus threw wide slices of air. Each spell tore apart the Mabeasts in half. Their heads rolled mid-air as their necks couldn't hold the weight.

Raising his staff to the sky, Rudeusshot up a sphere of condensed flame. The ball flew high in the sky and burst into shards of multi-colored explosions. He used the same spell to rescue Eris when they were kidnapped. Hopefully, someone would notice and come pick them up.

With his emergency signal fired, he continued to dash away from the frozen landslide with the unconscious girl still on his shoulders.

"Emilia-sama!"

The village chief and their men ran towards the valley. Twyla recognized the cloaked woman and called out to her. As the villagers got closer, they saw the children writhing in pain. They gasped at the sight, worried they were too late to help.

"Twyla-san! It's good you're here! I've stabilized them enough to be moved. Rem should be back with Beatrice soon. She can break the curses on them!"

With her practiced authoritative voice, she commanded the villagers. They had never seen the girl before, but her tone left no questions to ask. Their chief seemed ok with the circ*mstances anyway.

"Understood, Emilia-sama. But what of Rudeus-sama? Were you not with him?"

"My knight went deeper into the wood. Petra-chan said another girl was in the woods."

The villagers sounded surprised at the girl's words. Just who was this woman? The playful servant that played with the children earlier today was her knight?

"*BOOOOOM*"

A loud crash cut their thoughts short. Everyone looked toward the sound and saw a vibrant display of colored fire raining down from the sky. The dynamic mix of reds, greens, and oranges felt hypnotizing. If not for the children, they would have watched in awe, contemplating its beauty.

Emilia looked surprised. She had never seen such a spell before. That meant it could have only been him to fire such a blast. Her knight was in trouble and needed help.

"Th-that must be Rudeus! Twyla-san, please take care of the children. I have to go save my knight!"

With her Elven speed and endurance, Emilia bolted towards the explosion. Twyla and the villagers looked jaw slacked at the young woman speeding faster than a dragon carriage. Just who the hell was she?

"Ha, ha, ha, ha."

Emilia's breaths drew harder with each step. The densely packed forest separated them for at least half an hour. Who knows how far he had gotten? She just had to hope she wasn't too late. She had to find him in time.

Another ten minutes passed by, and Emilia found it. She stopped to a halt at the mystical sight in front of her. The entire forest was frozen solid. The trees were coated with a solid layer of blue ice. The frigid sculptures of Wolgrams littered the ground as they sunk deep into the muddy earth. Strangely, the ground was not frozen at all. It retained its vicious nature as if a flood had run through.

'This has to be Rudeus.'

Only he could have performed such magic, which meant she was getting closer. She ran. She ran past the frozen Mabeasts and jumped over the swampy ground. At the end of her dash, she found him. Surrounded by hundreds of growling beasts, Rudeus stood tall. Blood and guts covering him, and a little girl on his shoulder. His left held the girl steady while his right swung his staff, firing wind blades. They sliced through the leaping Wolgram pack, each falling with a scowl and slump.

Emilia called out to the lesser spirits. Borrowing their gates, she cast several ice spikes and shot down the incoming Wolgrams. The sudden fall of a dozen Wograms caused half to divert their attention to the half-Elf. Noticing the sudden drop in aggression, Rudeus turned to see Emilia fighting the rest.

'Finally! She's here. We don't need to fight. We just need to get out of here.'

Lost in the forest, Rudeus had no way to escape the drooling clutches of the Wolgrams. Once he found a suitable high ground and bottle-necked area, he camped to defend the little girl until help arrived.

"Emilia! We can't fight them at once! We need to get out of here!"

*Blizzard Storm*

Hundreds of ice shards beckoned their call and shot around the blood-soaked image. The sudden burst of dead Wolgrams opened enough space for an Earth Lance to rise from the guts and gore.

"Huh? Ahhhh!?"

In seconds, both were shot in the air, launching them away from the pack of beasts scavenging the forest floors.

Emilia was surprised at the sudden change in scenery. Half a second ago, she was on the ground shooting Huma crystals. Now, she was in the sky, plummeting toward the ground.

"Emilia! Grab me!"

Rudeus called out and reached for the falling girl. Emilia had no idea how they would survive the fall. She looked afraid. She couldn't believe she was hurling toward the ground. She clawed the boy's arm, wrapping herself tightly as if it were her last lifeline.

*Wind Blast*

As they were seconds from the ground, Rudeus shot out an instantaneous blast of air to slow their fall. He'd practice this move enough times to land a safe landing.

They plopped on the ground, landing on their feet. Rudeus checked back on the girl riding on his shoulder while Emilia fell flat, still shocked at what happened. After confirming Meili's uninjured body, he knelt beside Emilia and helped her up.

"That was a surprise, right? Sorry, I couldn't find another way to get us out. Do you think you can still run?"

She shook her head side by side. This wasn't the time to panic and collapse. This child still needed help. She'd scold her knight for his reckless behavior after this was over.

"I'm... handy-dandy, Rudeus. Are you ok? You're completely soaked!"

"...I'm good. I can still run. How do we get back to the village? I lost my way after finding Meili and had to wait for someone to find us."

"Alright. It should be... that direction. We should go away from the moon to get to the village."

That didn't make much sense to Rudeus, but it was better than nothing. She had lived here far longer than he had. Who was he to question her. With a simple nod, the two ran from the moon as if the moonlight was pushing them toward their destination.

"I-I think I can see the village! You were actually right!"

"Did you just admit you doubted me?"

"No, not at all. I had complete faith in you!"

The villagers lit a campfire in the town center to help anyone lost in the forest. Plumes of smoke floated to the sky. Rudeus and Emilia instinctively followed the smoke, though they had no clue they were following a guide. They were merely a hundred meters away from the village when the howls stopped them in their tracks.

A huge pack had followed them back to the village. Hundreds of angry mouths and blood-red eyes appeared under the meadow. Rudeus was sure they shook them off with the Earth Lance. How did they manage to follow them so fast?

"Emilia, is the barrier repaired?"

"I don't think so..."

Without the barrier, the entire pack would ravage the town, dooming everyone to the death of a hundred bites. He could almost hear the screams of desperation as the claws and teeth gnaw and saw through the villagers.

He could not let that happen.

"Emilia, take Meili and head to the village. I'll buy you some time."

"What? No, I can't let you do that! There's too many to face them alone!"

A meek smile fazed over Rudeus. Even with his massive mana pool, he'd have difficulty dealing with many beasts simultaneously. But all he could do was walk forward.

"Don't worry, Emilia. I have a plan. Set up the barrier, and I'll run back. I promise. I'll be right behind you."

He dropped the girl gently on the forest floor and ran towards the pack of Wolgram. He assumed Emilia would never agree to his plans, so he went straight ahead without looking back.

*Flame Slice, Flame Slice, Flame Slice*

He shot out blades of heat. The wolves charged straight at the boy through the burning corpses and trees. They sliced through the pack in dozens, cutting and burning the beasts and forest together.

*Wind Blast, Earth Lance, Flame Slice!*

He continued to kite the wolves with Wind Blast. The knockback flew him meters away from the charging claws. Earth Lance gave him elevation to leap above the Wolgram pack while Flame Slice burned the surrounding area.

Even the continuous barrage of spells was insufficient to stop their unrelenting raids. Slowly, Rudeus accumulated bites and slashes over his entire body. One by one, he would mistime his Blast, or his Flame Slice didn't entirely eliminate the fiends in their tracks, opening him to their sharp claws and fangs.

It had all gone to plan.

Rudeus cast another Earth Lance, but this time increased its speed. He shot up high in the sky, above the raging canines.

'Perfect! They can't leave. Thanks to the ring of fire, I've gathered them all to this spot.'

From atop the sky, a fence of blazing trees encompassed the Wolgram pack. Rudeus planned to herd as many Wolgrams as possible and fend them in a cage. With the beast trapped in a wall of flame, he needed one good explosion to wipe them out. The raging fire would be troublesome to handle, but that was that, and this was this. He'd deal with that later with Cumulonimbus.

He gathered mana for his staff. He focused on the raging flame circulating from the tips of the crystal ball. A roaring thunder of hot explosion.

*Exodus Flame*

A large wave of radiating heat launched toward the wolf pack. The cone of fire rushed to the ground and imploded with a loud bang. The ground instantaneously caught on flames as the surrounding Wolgrams burnt to a crisp. The explosion engulfed the entire enclosed area. Those outside the direct combustion caught on fire. They scurried left and right as their fur burnt away, fat and muscle bubbling like magma, leaving charred tar stains on the ground.

Using the same Wind Blast technique, Rudeus safely landed outside his blazing fence. He leaned on his staff and slowly walked back to the village before passing out from exhaustion. With the hours of running and fighting, he felt hazy in his head.

The bright-orange scenery of dancing trees was the last he saw before his eyes refused to open.

"I don't recognize that ceiling."

When he opened his eyes, the unfamiliar sight of a wooden ceiling greeted him. He wore the same shirt and pants from his excursion to the forest. Under him was a stiff mattress, and a heavy blanket covered his entire body.

The bright sun shined through the window, waking him from his morning haziness. Though, he couldn't shake the sense of dense weights pushing him down to bed. Was he exhausted? Was it from the blood loss?

He gathered strength to his core and arms. He sat up from his bed when a shock of pain tore through his peaceful smile.

"Ugh."

He grunted, informing a floating cat attending to a silver-haired girl sitting nearby. He flew towards the boy and hovered just above his eye line.

"Good morning, Rudeus."

"Hey, Puck. So, tell me, what happened after I fainted?"

"I could ask the same thing. Honestly, how are you still alive?"

'How was I alive? What kind of question is that? My body is intact, and I feel like sh*t. Just what the hell happened?'

"How I'm... alive? Puck, you're scaring me here. It's as if I wasn't expected to wake up or something."

"Well, aren't you quick to catch on? You were out for three days. Nobody expected you to wake up. I'm surprised you even have the strength to talk to me!"

His words did not match his indifferent tone. A three-day coma wasn’t a good sign. And what was this about nobody expecting his recovery?

"Alright, I need answers, Puck. We won't get anywhere if I don't know what happened."

"Well... After you were gobbled by those Wolgrams and set the entire forest on fire. Emilia found you unconscious on the ground. She dragged you here and healed you all night. We thought it was over until Betty took a look at you. I'm not sure what the others told you about Wolgrams, but they feed on the mana they siphon from the curses they inflict. You had dozens of curses, all eating away at your mana. Anyone would have died in hours from mana depletion."

"Mana... depletion?"

"Yep. Mana is like a life force for us. If it's forcefully taken, we die."

"And despite that, I somehow lived..."

"Hmhmm! You're one of a kind! Those curses sucked you all night, and you're still fine! Just how much mana do you have?"

'Yeah, how much mana do I have? Is it that I'm special? I always thought I had more mana than others, but nothing ridiculous. Yet, everything points out otherwise. Even Kishirika and I think Orsted mentioned my mana capacity rivaled the Demon God Laplace. I spent mana like water during my adventures, and I've never felt mana exhaustion these past few years.'

He held his hand to his chin, rubbing an invisible beard. It helped him think, or at least he thought it did.

'Hmm, maybe not. Sylphy didn't grind magic as young as I had, but she had a lot of mana. Maybe mana grows exponentially the more you use it? Maybe it's because I had an early start? Yeah, that's it. Damn, that book really had no clue what it was talking about.'

"I'm unsure how to answer that question, but I've never experienced mana exhaustion. Maybe I just have a lot more mana to work with?"

Puck wasn't satisfied with this answer. Emilia was his daughter. He would never allow this lustrous boy to take her away from him! If Rudeus' mana reserves were as large as he suspected, he was a threat to be reckoned with. He couldn’t wait for the boy to take away his precious daughter.

For now, he’d act aloof to the boy. He hadn’t done anything yet, but Puck made a mental note to ensure he wouldn’t get his hands on Emilia. His contingency plans started now.

"Well, if you say so. Other than that, what happened to your hair? It turned white overnight!"

The sudden claim shocked Rudeus. Was his appearance changing again? Sure, this body was multitudes better than his previous self, but getting used to more change might be another ordeal. With a swipe of his hand, he conjured an ice mirror and saw a branch of bleach-white hair stemming from his head.

"What... why is my hair changing?"

"Hmmm, so you don't know too..."

"AHHH! Is this a metamorphosis? Am I turning into a beetle?"

"Woah, woah, calm down there, Rudeus. Quiet down. I don't know what meta-more-fa-sis means, but you're not turning into a beetle. Besides, Emilia sat next to you all day when you were asleep. We wouldn't want to wake her, now would we?"

He pointed to the corner of Rudeus' field of vision. He saw her, the silver-haired half-Elf he swore his allegiance to. She sat peacefully in her sleep, blissfully unaware that her knight had just woken up.

'Emilia stood all night healing me, huh? I guess I owe her now. Maybe I'll get her to let me lick her feet.'

"Hmm? Why did I feel sexual arousal there, Ru. De. Us?"

'Hngk! I forgot, her dad's an empath!'

"I swear, Rudeus. You've made Emilia so much happier but make no mistake. You put that filthy hand on her... AND I WILL SHOW YOU THE POWER OF THE BEAST OF THE END!"

The sudden proclamation brought a chill of shock to the injured man’s spine.

Ignoring the pain wracking his entire body, Rudeus prostrated himself atop the bed, begging the scary magical cat floating above him.

"Say no more, Puck!"

After casting several healing spells on himself, Rudeus felt as good as he could. His mana levels were relatively low, and healing magic didn't restore blood loss, but he didn't feel pain when he moved. A significant improvement in his mind.

"So, let me get this straight. The curses are still active and eat at my mana reserves at midnight. I just happen to have enough mana to push through. And nobody in the mansion can fix this many curses at once."

He recounted his current condition with Puck once more. His greatest asset was now hindered. With this new condition, he had to understand his situation. He was supposed to be a knight protecting his liege, and on his first week, he contracted a fatal wound.

"Yep. You got that all right. Until we find you a sound healer, you'll have to tone down on the magic for a while."

"*sigh* I guess it can't be helped."

Ever since his rebirth, Rudeus loved magic. He loved learning and casting this mythical strength from his fingers. Having to restrain his otherworldly passion was a shame, but it had to be done if he wanted to stay alive.

"Hmmm, Ehm."

'Ho, looks like we woke up, Emilia. I'll have to thank her for everything.'

With a soft whimper and rustle, Emilia opened her eyes. She rubbed them in exhaustion, letting deep sighs echo through the room. She had barely slept in the past three days, spending all her mana to heal her reckless knight. When will he wake up? Will he even wake up at all? Her mind went through her usual thoughts until she met eyes with the brown-haired boy looking at her.

Without hesitation, she leaped toward the boy and tightly hugged him, pushing his face to her endowed bosom.

'Ah, I can't breathe, Emilia. I could die happy if my little buddy were awake, but I still need air!'

His cries for help didn't escape his throat as the half-Elf's strength easily overpowered him.

"Rudeus! Rudeus! I was so worried! You were sleeping for so long. Beatrice-chan told me you wouldn't make it. You made me worry so much, dunderhead!"

"Uhh, Lia. I don't think he can breathe..."

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't notice."

She let go of the boy suffocating in pleasure. Emilia was weirded out when he saw him smiling but didn't think much of it. She would be smiling, too, if she woke up from nearly dying.

"Thank you very much, Emilia."

"Eh, why are you thanking me, Rudeus?"

"Ah... haha. It's nothing, don't think about it."

He waved off his earlier comment as he felt the sharp eyes of the floating feline behind him. He just woke up from a near-death experience. That was enough dying in a single lifetime.

"Rudeus!"

His worry vanished as he saw and heard Emilia crying. She silently wept as streaks of tears flew down her cheeks. Now that he looked closer, her eyes were swollen and bloodshot. Had she been crying all night?

"Why?"

"Emilia?"

"Why did you run off when I told you not to? Why didn't you listen to me?"

'Ah, she's upset I disobeyed her orders? That did make sense. I swore my allegiance to her, so maybe absolute discipline is expected.'

"Emilia, I'm sorry. I didn't want to disobey you. I just-"

"You got hurt so much because of me... You ran off all alone and almost died!"

"Emilia, listen, I-"

"Promise me."

"Huh?"

"Promise me you'll listen to me. Promise me you won't run off alone and get hurt."

Emilia's cries grew louder and louder. The tears didn't stop flowing as she demanded her knight promise her. She was so happy when he made a new friend and had her knight. She nearly lost her friend due to his recklessness and will not let that happen again.

She dug her face into his chest, snuggling hopelessly as if he would vanish if she walked away.

"Please, I don't want to see you hurt or lose you. Promise me you won't be reckless anymore."

Rudeus was awe-struck at her words. It's been less than a week since he met Emilia. Had he affected her to this degree?

'Well, I can't complain about such beauty being clingy. Maybe this will help my understanding, but there’s no point in thinking it through. She just wants me to listen to her words. I can do that easily. Nothing to worry about, Emilia! I promise to stay loyal and listen to your words to a T!'

"Alright, Emilia. I won't go running off on my own and disregard your words. I'll listen to your every order down to the wire."

She looked up at the boy, and their eyes locked. She couldn't quite tell what those gems held. But promises were important. Rudeus would keep a promise. He was a good boy, after all.

"Rea~lly? You promise?"

With his free arms, Rudeus held her closer. He could feel her slender body so fragile and soft. His arms locked firmly around her back as he returned her hug.

"Mhh. I promise."

The two snuggled together as Emilia continued to cry. Soon enough, her whimpers quieted down, and she was fast asleep again. With his healed body, Rudeus gently pushed her away, hopped off the bed, and laid her back under the blankets he warmed.

"Even after that, there's no reaction." He muttered.

"What was that?"

"Ah, nothing!"

He ran from the angry cat for his life. He'd had enough near-death experiences, after all.

Chapter 5: Interlude Chapter

Chapter Text

Dear Diary.

It's been a week since the Wolgram invasion of Arlem and the first entry to my new diary!

After promising Emilia, I would follow her orders to the T, she fell asleep in my bed from exhaustion. Puck told me she spent every waking moment healing me, crying when I didn't wake up. I don't know what I did to deserve this, but I chose to become her knight. At the very least, my boss is very caring. I was worried she might send me off on dangerous missions worldwide, but she only wanted a friend to rely on (for now).

It's pitiful, though. She's stunning. A ten out of ten, for sure. Even her racks are pretty impressive. But her father is a 400-year-old magic cat spirit with telepathic abilities, strong enough to destroy an entire town (or so I've been told). Not to mention, my advances would lead to nowhere with my sagging buddy down South.

No, never mind. After Eris and Sara, I don't think I'm emotionally ready for that anytime soon, even if I could under-stand.

Though, she is kind and caring. Maybe she'll give me a tease if I ask nicely enough? Maybe she's the key to fixing my problem. No, no. You're getting ahead of yourself. The cat would never stand for that. Make a move, and you'll be frozen alive. I love women and their features, but I also like living. Well, I think I like it. I certainly don't like death.

Anyways, getting back on track to what happened. After Emilia brought me back to the village, Puck cast an intense snowstorm to calm the forest fire. After the fire was out, Puck and Beatrice went to work. They healed and broke their curses, saving every single one of them.

The children tackled me the day I woke up and wandered the village. Apparently, this was their way of showing appreciation. I would have fought back but was too tired to do so. I let them pile up on me as they shouted thanks and gratitude. Their parents went pale when they saw this. They muttered something about disrespecting a knight. I couldn't care any less about titles and nobility. I made sure to let them know I was ok with my situation. They're just children, after all.

Speaking of curses, I have a few dozen, maybe hundreds of them. They all work to siphon mana from me. Thankfully, my mana pool was large enough to handle the strain, so I wasn't in danger of dying. Later that day, Beatrice told me the curse was too complicated to break alone. So, I'm banned from using magic until we find a healer. Emilia was adamant about the "not using mana part." My mana reserves were still decent enough to launch a few spells, but she didn't seem convinced. She just looked me in the eye and said.

"That is an order, Rudeus."

I swear that was the hottest thing she's ever done.

Still, no reaction from my buddy.

After another day of mandated recovery ordered by Emilia, the villagers held a big party to celebrate the occasion. They invited everyone from the mansion to participate, but Rem and Ram were the only ones that came. It would have been nice to share a drink with my employer, but oh well—next time.

The party wasn't anything lavish like Eris' tenth birthday. They had a large campfire in the village square and set up tables with drinks and food. I was reluctant to indulge, but the village chief, Twyla, insisted. He told me the villagers wouldn't feel right if they couldn't repay their savior. I didn't save the children for a reward, so it didn't feel good, but I obliged anyway. I'll just have to spend extra care protecting the village.

The villagers welcomed Emilia with wide arms. Of course, they would! She was the one who brought Meili and me back to the village and repaired the barrier crystals. She was just as much of a hero as I was.

As Twyla bowed down at Emilia, she began crying in tears. They weren't sad tears, that's for sure. She was happy. Very happy. She was so glad she cried out in front of the village. At this point, I had no clue what was going on. I didn't try to pry. We barely know each other. Knowing my luck with relationships, I probably would have screwed up somewhere. I just lent her a handkerchief and let her emotions flow out. If my time with Zoldat taught me anything, letting your feelings out is better than bottling them up.

I mostly stayed with Twyla and Emilia during the party. I've gotten close with the villagers, but not too tight. Though, the children had different plans. At every moment they got, they tried to drag me away to play. They were particularly enchanted with my earth magic. They made me sculpt all kinds of stone figures. I would have gone for hours until my mana reserves bottomed had Emilia not stopped them. She gave me an earful after, though.

Those fiends. I'll show them who's boss the next time I visit.

Of all the children bullying me, Petra was the only one that looked weary. She'd look away when I turned to face her, and when called, she turned red and ran behind her mom.

Was I that scary to her?

Well, it made sense. I had just destroyed the entire forest and the Mabeast infestation plaguing the lands. It was only natural to be afraid of me. Hopefully, she can see me in a different light one day.

The party died down as nightfall came. Emilia and I helped with the cleaning. After everything was wrapped up, we returned to the mansion for rest.

Dear, Diary,

It's been a week since the Wolgram invasion.

Roswaal and the maids welcomed me back to the mansion. Roswaal was particularly happy with my success. He muttered something about me exceeding his expectations. Well, I say mutter, but he just gave an unexpected employee evaluation on the spot. Isn’t it considered rude to do so in public? I thought those kinds of talks were done in private. Well, it can't be helped. He decided to hire a random mage off the street, and not even a week later; he fought off a pack of Wolgrams under the orders of his liege. Anyone would be happy when their investment struck gold.

We went over the details of my employment over lunch. Ultimately, we agreed that I'd receive an education in reading and writing from Beatrice. She wasn't too enthusiastic when we broached the topic but relented when Emilia promised to let Puck spend extra time with her. In the words of Emilia, she was bewildered by that cat.

The Roswaal Inc employment benefits were quite astounding for their time! I'd be paid ten silver coins weekly. It wasn't anything lavish, but since my current position was technically a servant. I'd get a raise after my official knighting ceremony. It was 20 times more than my job as Eris' tutor, so I couldn't complain. Besides, my employer would take care of lodging, meals, and clothing.

Rem warmed up to me. She doesn't seem happy or enthusiastic about my existence but appears to be tolerating me, at the very least.

Apparently, they're from the Oni tribe, a race of demi-humans with incredible magical strength. On a complete tangent, it felt weird categorizing them as demi-humans. It almost felt like they didn't treat them like "full" humans if that made sense. Discrimination happens wherever you go. All that matters is how you overcame it. Besides, Lord Roswaal seemed like an eccentric yet open-minded person. He didn't seem to care about race, at the very least.

Speaking of bosses, let me talk about Roswaal here for a sec. At first, I thought he was an eccentric pervert like the Asuran nobles I've known. I was scared of the guy. What sane person walks around like a clown and talks like that? My pack was fully stocked in case the man was evil incarnate. Thankfully, he seemed like a decent fellow.

Sure, his mannerisms shouted perverted sex deviant. That hasn't changed, but it's not like Paul, or myself would fare any differently without my condition. I knew what kind of person I was. But the rest of my assumptions were plain out wrong. He was a surprisingly wholesome and caring guy, working to satisfy the needs of his people and staff. I've never seen the man raise his voice or scold his employees or villagers. He seemed to be a lot closer to Ram in some ways. It's nothing to gossip about, but how they looked at each other... Yeah, they f*cking. It was a pair straight from a story, and I'm in the middle of this scandal!

Did I mention we got a new occupant at the mansion?

The newest resident in the Roswaal mansion, Meili! As it turns out, my initial suspicions were correct. According to Roswaal, she has a blessing, like a blessed child, that gives her absolute control over the resident Mabeasts. After her capture and questioning, which happened while I was unconscious, she conceded her crimes and expected punishment, and by punishment, the little girl meant execution.

But clearly, we can’t just kill a little girl. Even with the medieval culture of this world, child slaughter is off the table. Since the incident was localized within Roswaal’s domain, and nobody was killed, we swept it under the rug. Meili is now imprisoned in the mansion dungeon until we can figure out how to deal with her.

As horrible as locking up a little girl may sound. I say dungeon, but Rem and Ram made arrangements. Instead of a cold, damp metal cage, the cell resembles an inn. It’s well-furnished and decorated for a child’s liking. That said, the door is locked magically. Even with her innocent looks, you must remember she almost wiped out the entire village that day.

This world is scary.

It is strange, though. Meili has cooperated the entire time, yet she refuses to give her employer. The most we’ve managed to get was muttering about “mother”. It’s nothing to go by, so we’ve stopped questioning her.

For now, the maids are on warden duty. While I’m not obligated, I’ve been visiting her every other day or so. As a former hikikomori, I can’t help but imagine how pitiful it feels to be locked up in a room all day. Under the strict supervision of the local mage knight(myself), we go on walks through the mansion or sometimes through the yard garden. Again, she’s completely docile, returning to the convenient orphaned girl. When Roswaal isn’t present, I stay in her room and make Mabeast sculptures. Though, I’ve only seen Wolgrams with my own eyes. As a result, whenever I try to make something from Meili’s descriptions, I always get something wrong. The tail is too long, the eyes are too wide apart, the ears are crooked, and so on. With that said, Meili seems to enjoy it, so I bear with the annoyance and work with it.

That's about it for today. I don't want to get zapped by that loli again. I hope my lessons tomorrow go fine.

Lessons with the Librarian

"We will begin with I-glyphs. You can already speak, so memorize the letters by today, I suppose."

With a flick of her wrist, Beatrice slammed the boy's head with a notebook and pen, letting a profound slap echo across the forbidden library.

Today was the first day of Rudeus' lessons with Beatrice. After his morning routine of exercise and prayers, he entered the library to face his teacher for the next few weeks.

"Understood, master. But that seems like an impossible task, even for me. Could I get an extension for the deadline, please?"

"Don't talk back at me, human! Betty is only doing this for Bubby. Be grateful for what you get, I suppose."

He whimpered at his words but didn't complain. She was the teacher. If this was how she taught, then that's how it was.

'Or, I can ask for more if I give her something. What would a rude bookworm spirit without regard for human empathy want?'

"Alright, but maybe I can sweeten the deal? If you help me with my studies a tad more, I'll happily do something in return."

"Hmph. What could a human possibly offer to Betty?"

"Umm, you like books, right? Maybe I can tell you stories from my world? I know a few of you might be interested, and I'm the only one who can tell you about them."

'Take the bait. I'll happily share my entire library of light novels with you! I was a shut-in with nothing to do but watch and read.'

Beatrice hung her head over the black book she was reading. She pressed her lips together in deep thought. From fairy tales to research reports of magical implements, Beatrice knew the contents of her library by heart. It's been a while since she added any stories to her collection, partly since her trove was very advanced for its time. There were few discoveries worthwhile to add. But stories from another world, exclusive tales from beyond the great waterfall? She was interested. The boy would tell her every tale he knew.

"Hnngh, you drive a hard bargain, but I'll accept, I suppose."

Rudeus smiled back. His plan worked! He always wanted to talk about his passion for manga and anime, but of course, nobody knew about the stories of his previous life.

With this deal, he got a proper tutor and someone to geek about Berserk!

"Alright! Let's finish today's lesson, and I'll tell you my favorite manga!"

He couldn't hide his excited goofy smile. For once, his destructive lifestyle proved helpful in this world.

"No, you will tell me your stories. Betty will teach you after."

With a closed-lipped smile, Beatrice countered with a condition of her own.

"Each session will begin with a story. Do your best to motivate Betty to teach you after, and if you don't..."

She gently placed her book on her tea table and extended her left arm like their first encounter.

Rudeus flinched at the problem child's actions. He knew exactly what she was talking about. He thought he had the upper hand with exclusive access to his stories, but no. He was at the mercy of his abusive employer. He gulped down audibly as he tried to force a composed smile.

"Ah, of course. Story first, story first."

He went pale as she inched closer, she didn't hold her arm up, but her presence was enough to threaten the young man. He took two deep breaths to calm down, recollecting the greatest tale he's ever read.

"All right, let me tell you the story of the Band of the Hawk."

"...And that's how Griffith betrayed Guts to ascend as a member of the God Hand."

After an hour, the Golden Age's story finished, leaving the scent of anger, despair, and sadness around the forbidden library. Beatrice didn't respond. She'd never heard of such a tragic story for as long as she had lived. How could someone come up with such a tragedy? What kind of life must they have lived to imagine such misery?

"So... how was it?"

"That was... tragic, I suppose."

As much as it was Rudeus' desire to talk about his favorite story, he also chose this story to see if Beatrice felt emotions. He didn't intend this to be an indirect psychological analysis. It was more like hitting two birds with one stone. He'd learn under her wing from now on. Best to know the limits of her temper.

"Yeah. It's pretty sad. But there is a lot to appreciate there. Gut's story isn't over. He'll continue to struggle and get back up. He's as human as anyone can be and will learn to struggle through all of it."

"..."

"..."

The drastic change from absolute hopelessness to the quiet, peaceful library made it too awkward to speak up. The two stood silently in the lonely forbidden library until Rudeus finally spoke up.

"Well, that's my end of the bargain. Let's start with the lessons!"

He held the notebook and cheerfully spoke up. It was studying time, not sulking time. They needed to move on from the sadness in the room.

Beatrice only sighed. She brought a small children's book from a nearby bookshelf and placed it on the coffee table in front of them.

"Very well. I'll read out each line from this fairy tale. Write down my words phonetically, then rewrite them into the I-glyphs shown on the chart."

With a slight smile, Rudeus nodded, pen and paper in hand.

His morning ritual.

It was a bright sunny day at the Roswaal mansion. In the middle of the massive front yard, a light-brown-haired man struggled to stand up, holding white marble objects on his back.

This was part of his daily routine. Every day he'd wake up, exercise, clean, and pray. After a year of regular exercise, he found his natural body weight wasn't enough to stress and grow his muscle. Naturally, he stepped up to using magically conjured stone weights, barbells, to aid his gains.

After his eighth rep on his final set, he dissolved the weights to dust and plopped down on the cold grassy ground.

"Ha... ha... that was incredible right boys? Oh, where would I be without you guys."

During his stay with the adventuring group Counter Arrow, Rudeus named his leg and arm muscles. Only he knew why he did, but the pride in growing his powers gave him solace when he most needed it. The added weight training helped him cultivate them to their max.

"Rudeus, what are you doing here?"

The soft bell-like voice of Emilia called out behind him. He turned around to see an extra adorable-looking Emilia. She wore a teal-colored cardigan over an embroidered white blouse. Intentional or not, the combination amplified her figure in his eyes. It was outstanding beauty.

Without realizing it, he had been staring at her for some time now.

"Ehh, Rudeus? Are you ok?"

"Ah, ah, Emilia. Sorry, I must have blacked out there. What were you asking?"

"Well... I saw you making some weird moves holding that... thing. Is it some sort of magical training from your homeland?"

The concept of weighted strength training was rare in his past world. With a similar time frame, it was natural to think this world's people weren't familiar with strength training.

"That was part of my exercise, not magic training. If you pick up a heavy thing, your muscles become stronger."

He summoned his usual barbel as he explained the concept of strength training. He boasted how his progression allowed him to use heavier weights as he deadlifted a 120kg load.

"Rea~lly? You can get stronger doing that?"

"Yeah, that was called a deadlift, which trains your back muscles. After that, I start my practice swings with my stone sword. It's much heavier than a normal sword, perfect for my daily training."

She looked in awe as Rudeus swung his sword in the sword god style, just as Ghislaine taught him. He might not be a swordsman, but that was no reason to stop training. More so now that his position was a knight.

Rudeus dropped the weight and fell to the ground. In his efforts to boast to Emilia, he'd exhausted himself too much to continue. She bore a curious gaze as she walked up and lifted the barbel with one hand, shocking the man on the ground.

"Wha...?"

Just now, his liege, the woman he was hired to protect, held what took him years of daily training to handle like nothing. He couldn't believe it. Just why did she need the protection of a knight? Was she strong enough to take down Elsa on her own?

'She might be stronger than Eris...'

Emilia looked at the awe-struck man with confusion. This didn't seem right to her. Sure, she could feel the weight on her arms, but with her Elven strength, it wasn't too tricky. She focused on his expression. She eyed him harder and harder. What was missing here?

Then she noticed.

Her knight looked utterly depressed!

"Ha... all that weight, and you lifted it like nothing..."

Emilia realized her mistake. Her knight wasn't a swordsman or a warrior. He was a mage. Mages were never strong-muscled people. They were intelligent and tactful individuals using mana to defend themselves. Of course, Rudeus wouldn't be physically strong! Yet, he worked so hard daily to achieve this, and she walked right over it!

'Oh, Emilia. You clodpoll!'

"Ah, Rudeus, this is nothing! No, it's not nothing. It's my elf blood. It makes me rea~lly strong, even if I don't mean it. I know it's unfair to you. You must have worked rea~lly hard to achieve this, right? There, there. You worked hard. You're a good boy."

She dropped the weights on the ground and began petting the jaw-slacked boy. It took him a while to register what was happening. Emilia was significantly stronger than he was, and she was now petting him like a saddened dog begging for a meal.

He dropped down the food chain to a quadruped in a short few seconds.

"Ah! It's all right, Emilia. You don't have to pet me for that. Ha ha."

"No! You worked hard to train with a handicap, and I ran over your work."

"I'm telling you. I'm fine. You don't have to ke- wait. What did you mean by handicap?"

'Handicap? What handicap? What did she mean by that? I gave my all to lifting that thing. What was she talking about?'

"I mean your mana enhancement. I read from a book that knights and fighters use mana to strengthen their bodies instead of spells. You wanted to work on your body, so you didn't use mana enhancement, right?"

The revelation came down hard on the boy. He always wondered why everyone he knew was capable of incredible physical feats. Paul slashed a boulder in half with a wooden sword, Ghislaine could run at inhuman speeds, and Ruijerd could stop a red Cobra with a single arm.

'They all used mana enhancement. That's it! That's the missing puzzle piece I've been searching for so long! This must be what Orsted meant with the Touki stuff!'

Rudeus was afraid of his fragile and weak human body for his entire life. He was confident his attack spells were adequate but was constantly reminded of his bodily limitations. He never understood why normal humans like Paul and Eris could take and deal with so much physical punishment, but now he knew.

'Mana enhancement. With this, maybe I can be as strong as Ruijerd and run as fast as Ghislaine!'

"Emilia!"

Forgetting the crushing fatigue weighing his body, he jumped on his two feet and grabbed Emilia by her shoulders. He had to learn this technique.

"How do you use mana enhancement?"

"Eh?"

"I don't know what it is, but it's what I've been missing my entire life! I need to know how it works and use it for myself!"

Emilia stared back with a bewildered look. She thought he purposely didn't use it for training but did her knight really not know how?

"Rudeus, you don't know mana enhancement?"

"Yep, not a clue. So teach me!"

He replied so desperately without skipping a beat. Where others may have hesitated, he did not. There was no need for pride in the face of improvement.

"Well, most people do it from birth. It's an automatic process, so it can't be taught... If I had to explain, I just wrap myself with mana tightly, and it works..."

'Ah! It's like voiceless incantations. It's done by feeling and can't be taught!'

The revelation broke the man to his knees. He felt like crying. He finally found the one link missing in his repertoire, only to learn it couldn't be learned.

Or could it?

'Wait, there's no reason to back off now. If it's just wrapping yourself with mana, then there's no reason I couldn't do it.'

As he lowered himself onto the soft blades of grass, the man closed his eyes. Placing his arms gently on his lap, he released his tension and began concentrating on the mana within him. He drew upon the mana meditatively, siphoning an endless stream and encasing himself in its warm embrace, just as Emilia had instructed.

Emilia was puzzled as she noticed her knight's focus. She understood he was practicing a spell and did not want to be disturbed. She was eager to see what magic he would perform, as she could sense that it was potent due to the amount of mana leaking. She patiently waited, feeling the power flowing through him.

Ten minutes had passed, and nothing had happened. Emilia was about to question Rudeus when he fell on his back, panting for air.

"Ha, ha. I can't do it. I tried so hard, but I can't do anything."

For the past ten minutes, Rudeus continued to enhance himself by wrapping his body with mana. He really wanted this to work. He didn't want to remain the same fragile human being he was. Even with the curses still active, he thought he had plenty to try this experiment. Alas, he gave up as his mana reserves were critically low.

He lay there for several more minutes as a worried elf watched him from above.

Otherworldly recipes.

"Deru-us, what are you cooking?"

Within the grand kitchen of the Roswaal Mansion, a well-tailored servant held a large carbon-steel skillet in one hand and a wooden spatula in the other. With a skillful flick of his wrist, he mixed the various ingredients over the heat stones.

"Ah, Ram-san. I apologize for using your kitchen before asking, but it couldn't be helped. I talked with Emilia a week ago about food, and she asked about the food I grew up with. One thing led to another, and I'm cooking a small meal I used to have."

Since last night, Rudeus was seen cooking a pot of white grains and drying them overnight in a chilled box. It was all for the chance event when his time with Emilia made him make egg-fried rice in this new world.

Fried rice is a simple dish to prepare. With its simplicity and malleability, fried rice was often cooked as a fridge cleaner—a way to use unused old ingredients in a tasty filling meal. Since almost every Japanese person had rice, there was always leftover chilled rice for the occasion.

Despite his subpar cooking skills, Rudeus was somewhat confident his food would be edible. The ingredients were high quality, and the cooking equipment was the best this world could offer. Despite the lack of soy sauce or seaweed extract, salt and pepper were enough, so long as a healthy variety of vegetables and meats was included.

"Hm. Is that so? Then Ram will be the one to judge your food. Your sorry cooking skills would only sour Emilia-sama's appetite."

"Ehh, I guess that's ok."

‘If you think about it, Ram works in the kitchen daily. Naturally, she’s a good cook. Even if Rem is in charge of the food, there’s no way Ram would be a bad chef. Considering I’m cooking for Emilia, it’s only natural she wants to know what I’m cooking. Yeah, that makes sense. There’s nothing wrong with indulging her curiosity. What could possibly go wrong?’

Yes, there was nothing wrong with Ram tasting his cooking. She might even give him some pointers to improve!

With his newfound motivation, he vigorously stir-fried his vegetables over the hot flame.

"Rudeus? Are you here?"

It was past four in the afternoon, around when Rudeus would join Emilia in her studies with his language studies. Today, however, Rudeus did not appear in her library. It was unusual for Rudeus to run late. He was always punctual. Curious about what her servant was up to, Emilia ventured through the mansion in search of her knight.

Eventually, her exploration led to the kitchen of all places, where she found Ram patting her stomach with a satisfied grin and Rudeus crying on the floor in the fetal position with his hands covering his face.

"No... No more! Please. I've been cooking for four hours now! I've run out of rice. I can't cook anymore. Please, just let me go!"

Ram did not answer. She just stared at the man menacingly. Had this been a cutscene of a particular video game, she'd be t-posing on the man's body, imposing her dominance.

"Eh... Ram, what's going on here?"

Her words broke the maid's death glare. Immediately, her imposing figure returned to the usual well-mannered elegant maid. She bowed at the sight of her liege.

"Greetings Emilia-sama. There's nothing to worry about. I was educating this sorry excuse of a man in his cooking. His food was so terrible that Ram had to devour it all, lest it could reach any of the resident's mouths."

And before Emilia could put a word in, Rudeus spoke up against the tyranny he endured.

"Lies! All Lies! I could see it in your eyes! At first, it seemed like you were giving me advice. You added ingredients here and removed some here. But it was all a ploy! An insult met every change, then you gobbled up the entire thing! You wouldn't even let me leave! I was stuck here for hours, repeatedly cooking the same dish!"

Meeting his cries were the cold glares of Ram. Rudeus instantly shut his mouth tight and backed up to a corner. Tears were streaming down his eyes at this point.

"Ignore the words of that fool, Emilia-sama. Please allow me to accompany you to your room."

"Eh. Is he okay?"

As Ram tried to guide Emilia away from the kitchen, Emilia pointed at the cowering knight in the kitchen corner.

"First diced carrots, scallions, peppirs, onions, minced garlic... day-old rice. Stir-fry for the wok hay. Shout, Fuiyo, for every flip you make..."

The delirious monologues were unheard by the half-elf, though. They went through one ear and out the other. She didn't understand a single word he said.

"There's no need to involve yourself with such uncultured swine, Emilia-sama. Ram will correct him to his usual state."

With her final words, Ram pushed Emilia away from the kitchen, leaving the traumatized cook on the ground, weeping in his tears of fear.

Search for a cure

A few months have passed since the Wolgram invasion.

Apart from some extreme climate change, the mansion has been peaceful without incident. With nothing to help with and nothing to work for, Rudeus searched through the main library’s medical records. He tore through each book, hoping to find salvation. He’s been at it for a week now but still no luck. No matter how much he’s researched, he can’t find the cure for his condition.

In short, he’s trying to find the cure for impotency.

The medical knowledge of this world was primitive compared to Earth. Like his old world, with the advancement of healing magic, there was little need for traditional medical technology outside of first aid. Furthermore, psychological and mental health study was barely in its infancy.

With a deep sigh, he rested the heavy tome in its place and headed to the dining area, only to be greeted by the eccentric clown blocking him in the doorway.

“My~my, Ru~deus-kun, you’ve been researching for qu~ite some time. What could you po~ssibly be searching for? Hmm?”

With a left wink and suggestive tone, the Roswaal entered the library, eyeing each medical record Rudeus had returned.

Despite his lack of healing magic, Roswaal still knew the healing mechanics. He was the greatest mage of the Kingdom of Lugunica. Even glancing, he could tell that Rudeus was searching for some cure for an ailment. But what could it be? Months after the invasion, Rudeus showed no signs of physical degradation from the Wolgram curses. Yes, it was strange when the curses lingered, even after the Wolgram’s death, but besides the constant mana drainage, Rudeus had no worrying symptoms. All he needed was a thorough examination from Blue, and he’d be back to normal.

“Ah, Roswaal…-sama. It’s… nothing. I’ve just been looking for something to read.”

“Ohya~, is that so~? But from the contents of your inventory, it seems you are searching for a highly specific genre~. More specifically, trea~tment of some kind. Yes?”

Yes, the clown had seen through Rudeus and hit him right where it hurt. While Rudeus wasn’t so secretive about his condition during his time with Step Leader, he’s only known the mansion's people for a few months. They weren’t strangers, but definitely not close enough to confide about this stuff.

‘No… maybe I’m thinking this the wrong way. As weird as the clown is, he’s clearly an intellectual individual. You can’t be an idiot and make your way up the social ladder. He is supposed to be the court wizard of the kingdom. Could he…?’

“Yep, you caught me right there. I’ve been searching for a cure… for a friend.”

His last words came out quieter than usual. Only after did he realize how stupid his excuse was. He’s been spending most of his time at the mansion. Just who else would he be referring to as “friend”?

“Oh~ho! A friend, you say! Might you indulge me in my in~terest?”

Whether he noticed or not, Roswaal didn’t question who this friend was. He instead went straight for the jugular, opting to tackle the main issue.

With bullets of sweat beading down his forehead, with reddened ears and cheeks, Rudeus spoke out about his friend’s issues.

“Ah… well, you see. My friend has a problem when standing up to the occasion. He’s been searching for a cure for a few years but hasn’t found anything that worked. Do… do you know of a way to cure impotency?”

The clown's manners froze for a split second, just the tiniest moment, then quickly returned to usual. No, it was not the usual clownish face of Roswaal. Replacing the over-joyous makeup were the eyes of pity. His lips remained curled up in a smile, but there was no mistaking it. Roswaal was wallowing in Rudeus’ pain.

The awkward silence continued for another ten seconds before Roswaal clapped his two hands. He placed one hand on Rudeus’ shoulder and looked him in the eye. Devoid of his clownish figure of speech, she spoke word for word.

“You have my condolences, Rudeus. I do have the means to cure such human cruelty. Perhaps our soon-to-be medical doctor, Blue, could help. But for now, I can do nothing for your friend.”

His hands remained firm on his shoulders. His eyes stared down into his soul. The only thing out of place was his clown makeup and costume. Otherwise, this could have been a heartfelt moment between two heartbroken men.

“I..see… well, it was worth the shot…”

Rudeus mumbled as he left the confines of the library, half embarrassed and half terrified of his employer.

It seems today will not be the day he cures his condition.

Chapter 6: Chapter 5

Chapter Text

Two months have passed since the Wolgram invasion.

Without a single casualty, the resident villagers hailed the heroic deeds of the mansion residents for the permanent eradication of the local beasts. For the next few months, or perhaps a year, the forest will be free of all mabeasts.

Life in the mansion continued the same as always. The two maids diligently maintained the manor, Roswaal worked on his paperwork managing his territories, Emilia spent her days studying in the library, and Rudeus continued his language studies, his duties as Emilia’s personal servant, and busy sculpting new stone statues for Meili.

It all stopped, however, when a Dragon cart carriage arrived at the manor. Towed by a beautiful sleek black ground dragon, two agents of a rivaling royal candidate occupied the burgundy red carriage.

The maids, already informed of the visitors weeks ago, had prepared the stables for the ground dragon and tea at Roswaal’s office. It was merely by chance that Rudeus happened to walk outside to see Ram escorting the visitors inside.

Rudeus, on the other hand, had just been told about the guests this morning. Little was spoken about who they were. All he was told was that they were very important.

“Important visitors… Maybe some nobles from the government? Is this related to Arlem village? That’s about all I can guess…” He mumbled to himself.

‘Well, in any case, they’re probably high-ranking nobles. As expected, being on my best behavior will probably be best. Eh, I’ll have to act all stiff and proper for a while…’

A tall old man was tending to the carriage while an effeminate beast person swiftly followed Ram towards the manor doors. The man wore a well-fitting suit of a butler. Showing the peak of his occupation, the man’s swift and accurate movements were sharp like a well-honed blade. He stood himself with pride and honor, showing no distress. Some would say a pinnacle of professionalism.

The young beast woman was much shorter. She was around Rudeus’ height, if not a bit taller. Wearing a white and blue dress, her fluffy hair and ears denoted her to be a cat-like beast person.

Rudeus was not unfamiliar with beast people. His old sword instructor, Ghislaine, was a Dedolida, a cat-beast person. He has also spent months in the great forest with Dedoldian tribesmen. Beast people were a normal everyday thing to young mage at this point.

Yet, with the strange sight of the young beast girl, he could not shake the feeling that something was off.

‘Why can’t I shake off this weird feeling? What’s wrong with me? There’s nothing wrong with her! Don’t tell me I somehow became raci- Woah!’

“Ohmnyan! Ohmnyan-nyan…”

Shielded by Rudeus’ perceptive inner monologue, the girl was before the young mage. She inspected him from top to bottom, making weird cat-like noises.

‘No, that’s not how you meow! I’ve heard the real thing before. That’s nothing like what they sound like! Ah, so that’s it. She’s an imposter! A fake trying to fit in as a beast person! That’s what was so off about her!’

‘No, wait, that’s not what’s important. Why are some “Important visitors” sniffing up a servant suddenly? Is this how beast people greet each other in this world? Do… do I smell bad? She’s not even a beast person, so her smell shouldn’t be any better than mine. Besides, even if she were, I highly doubt I smell of sexual arousal.’

Once again, stuck in his delusional monologue, the man did not try to stop the girl from examining him nor introduce himself to the sniffling cat. After a 360-degree analysis, the girl moved on with the red-haired maid. What took five minutes was all gone in a blink of an eye.

“What… just happened?” He breathed in confusion.

“Have you not been informed, Rudeus-sama?”

After determining the best parking spot for the carriage right where it was now, Rem called out to the mystified young boy.

“Ah, Rem. What’s going on? Who are these people?” He whispered.

“They are emissaries visiting from the capital. Roswaal-sama and Emilia-sama should be waiting in the meeting room to greet them. I assume you were not informed, Rudeus-sama?”

“No, I just… expected something different.”

The short time the cat girl spent sniffing him up was not the first impression the young boy expected. They were supposed to be prim and proper nobles. Even the Dedoldian tribes never sniffed him so casually!

‘Those sniffs were all accidental!’

“Well, is there anything I should do?” He continued.

“Not necessarily. If Roswaal-sama or Lady. Emilia-sama has not ordered you, then you do not have any responsibilities. Now, I must follow along and help my dear sister with her work.”

With a bow, Rem swiftly left the boy into the grand double doors. Even after two months of working together, Rem was just as cold as his first day. Though, the clenching glare she gave was nowhere to be seen. In other words, their relationship had not progressed past “colleagues”.

‘Yeah, not everyone has to like you. They just have to tolerate you enough not to bother you.’

With the simple thought, he walked back inside and headed toward the kitchen. He may not have any orders to do so, but he was hungry, and surely the hard-working butler could use a bite too.

Polishing the reflective mirror surface of the deep burgundy carriage, the man concentrated on his task until he noticed a young man approaching from behind.

“Excuse me! Would you like some refreshments while we wait?”

It was Rudeus who came up behind him. A tray with two plates with BLT sandwiches, two tea cups, and a kettle was in his hands.

When Rudeus had gone to the kitchen to get a snack, he made another to share with the old man taking care of the carriage alone. Why would he do such, though? He was not ordered to help the old man. He did it out of his own volition. He did not know the man or need to know the man. Yet, an instinctual need in his mind urged him to do so.

‘Well, with how that beast person acted, hopefully, this guy is just a normal old butler. Actually, scratch that. Any person would be normal compared to her.’

Laying the tray on a nearby stone, he handed the BLT sandwich and poured some of the mansion’s tea for the old butler. The old man received it with a graceful swing, unfazed by the sudden courtesy of the young man. With slices of freshly picked tomatoes just this morning, chopped lettuce, and some cured pork belly that strangely hinted at pine nuts, the BLT of the new world lay silently on the pale white plate.

“And this is?”

The old man was the first to speak. He eyed the glistening sandwich in his eyes with deep interest. The concept of sandwiches was familiar to the land of Lugunica. Yet, the fresh tomatoes and toasted buns had the appearance of a French restaurant’s menu.

Simply put, it looked too good to be just a courtesy.

“Ah, I just got some ingredients to make it. I’m Rudeus. I work as Emilia’s servant. Nice to meet you.”

As tempted as he was to introduce himself as Emilia’s knight, he refrained from doing so. Not only was he unruly, he was not a swordsman. From what Rudeus remembered of knighthood, they were a prestigious group of swordsmen that held the epitome of etiquette. To call himself a knight would insult true knighthood.

With a tray in one hand, he extends the other to the old man, a gesture of greeting. Even without an introduction, Rudeus could tell the man was of similar rank to his temporary position, a senior butler.

‘It’s almost comforting seeing him. It’s been a while since I’ve talked to a senior butler. Really, when was the last time? Was it Alphonse? I wonder how he’s doing. Has the Fittoa region restoration gone smoothly? Wow, now I really regret leaving without a word. If I wasn’t so down on myself for Eris leaving, I could have made a difference and helped out the refugees.’

“Well, then, please give my thanks to Emilia-sama. Hmm~ It tastes lovely.”

The two silently enjoy their quick snack by taking small bites of the sandwich and tiny sips of Ram’s favorite tea. The meeting must end quickly, though. If she gets word, the red-haired maid will indeed claim the wrath over the young boy.

“Thank you for the meal. It feels like I’ve indulged in great luxury.”

“Please, don’t mention it. It would be lonely for me to wait out the meeting alone.”

“Well, I can only give my thanks to Emilia-sama. Though, an old man must wonder. What do you aim to gain by buttering up an old butler?”

With the glinting blue eyes of a predator, the old man looked straight at Rudeus as if eyeing his inner soul. Though, he didn’t seem to flinch or even notice. Without hesitation, he quickly replied to the man’s question.

“Something to gain? Well, I am curious as to what the meeting is about. But, I had no intentions of anything of the sort. So please, just enjoy the moment.”

“Is that so…”

Quieting at the end of his words, he shook off his thoughts of doubts. Not a hint of a lie was in Rudeus’ voice. With the man’s honesty and generosity, it would be impolite to question further.

“Then, my apologies. I am Wilhelm Trias, the personal butler of my master, Crusch-sama.”

‘Wilhelm? Huh, I guess every world has a role model name.’

“Ah, it’s nice to meet you, Wilhelm-san. Have you been working for a long? I think I’ll be stuck in this position for a long time. It’d be great to get some advice from a senior.”

‘Yeah, there’s wisdom in old men. I should get the most help possible to survive in this world. One of the greatest tropes of all fiction, indeed.’

With a silent scrubbing of his chin and a deep hum from his neck, the butler, now known as Wilhelm Trias, was in thought. Rudeus introduced himself as the servant of Emilia, yet his eyes could not lie. Despite the relatively slim size, the man could tell. Rudeus was hiding a well-built body from years of training.

There was no way the man was just a servant. And there was a very good chance he, too, noticed as well.

“Well, it’s important to understand the master’s whims of the day. Even the same order may have different meanings depending on their circ*mstances. As their right-hand man, it is important to be in sync. Though, is that all you are asking?”

“Um, yes. I think so?”

With a confused smile, Rudeus tilted his head to the side. The hidden meaning in Wilhelm’s words flew over the boy’s head completely. Rudeus did not have the eyes of a Wilhelm. He could not tell who the man was underneath the clothes. He just asked for some advice from a life and career senior.

Seemingly unsatisfied with the boys’ answer, Wilhelm sighed. Again, no lies left the boy’s mouth, yet he could not ignore his instincts. Wilhelm was convinced. There was more to this boy and his place at the Roswaal mansion.

“Well, this is just a temporary occupation, but I’d still like to do my best. I thought you might have some advice to give a newcomer.”

“A… temporary occupation, you say?”

“Yes… It’s not a secret, so I think it’s ok to tell you. I was hired as a knight under the Roswaal name. Ah, please, it’s just a technicality. I don’t think I’m well suited for the job. Please just call me Rudeus.”

Rudeus’ hire as a knight was not a secret. While the news had not spread to the other Royal candidates, the villagers of Arlem village and the occasional trader knew of his occupation. And, unknown to Rudeus, Roswaal had mentioned him in a letter. So, there was no reason to keep its secrecy. Yet, Rudeus did not see himself as worthy of the title. Sure, he was the first to take the position on his first day at the mansion. He would never regret that decision. But that was out of a need for survival. As happy and fulfilling as such a job would be, He simply was not confident in his ability.

He was slothful. He was so, so slothful to be a knight.

“Then you must be in training, I assume?”

“Yes, I think so. I haven’t had a knighting ceremony yet. To be honest, I’m not sure what to expect.”

A silent grin was forming in Wilhelm’s mind. He was right. His instincts proved correct again. A trainee knight disguised as a servant. His position was so similar it was ironic for the old man.

“Well, being a knight is a great honor, especially for the royal knight of a candidate. If I may be so rude to say, it is best to be at arm’s length, yet close for your breath to touch.”

His advice was as genuine as the young boy’s answer. It was his aim during his time at his age and the regret he still holds to this day. Of course, this, too, flew over Rudeus.

“I… see… I don’t understand much, but I’ll take it to heart.”

“Oh. Please do not mind this old man’s ramblings. Though, it must be said, knighthood in Lugunica is considered with high regard. You may be looked down on without proper manners and etiquette. It is a useless old tradition, but many do not think like I do.”

Placing his teacup back on the tray, Wilhelm replied back, holding his emotions in place. Only the glint in his left eye could hint at what those words meant to him.

“I’ve been reading about the chivalrous duties expected of a knight, and it’s quite difficult to follow. Half of them barely apply to me.”

Stories and tales from the library’s archives were Rudeus’ favorite pastimes, doubling both as a practice for his language studies and entertainment. While a complete manuscript of knightly chivalry was not available, he could glimpse the tales of famous knights of history. In fact, one included a knight named Wilhelm van Astrea.

Though, there was little information about knighted mages. Not only were mage knights far and between, but the stories also prioritized the honor and valor of wielding a blade, while the historical depictions focused on the great battles. Most mages were given supporting roles, firing great mages from afar, manipulating the earth to create trenches or covering support, and using healing magic from the back.

“They barely apply.-”

“Old man Wil! I’m back!”

Before he could finish his question, the voice of a familiar cat girl calling out to him interrupted his thoughts. The same beast girl approaching the coach was smiling and running toward the well-kept carriage.

“Felix.”

With a nod, he acknowledges his partner’s return. With their business finished, he wordlessly began preparing the carriage for departure. Soon, everything will change, and he will undoubtedly reach his dream.

“The meeting must be over, huh.”

Without intent to start a conversation or voice his words, Rudeus thoughtlessly spoke his thoughts out loud. He least expected the cat girl to be the one to reply to his comments.

“Yep! It went perfectly without a hitch! You better get ready, Rudeus-kyun! We’ll be seeing each other in the Capital soon!”

“Huh? At the Capital… um, Maam?”

Ignoring the boy’s confusion, the girl boarded the carriage with an enthusiastic smile.

“Well then… It’s been a most enjoyable conversation, young man.”

With his final words, the ground dragon carriage departed the mansion, leaving the confused servant alone.

“You seem quite happy old man Wil!”

“Pardon?”

“I mean, I thought you’d rather cut someone in half than let them annoy you with banter and chit-chat!”

“This is a misconception on your part, Felix-dono. I was just… taken by the eyes of the young lad, is all.”

“His… eyes? What was so special about them? He’s the boy from the letter, right? Other than his condition, I felt nothing special about him.”

“Those were the eyes of someone who has seen death up close and has given up much to move forward.”

“Hmmm~… I don’t understand, but if the Sword Demon, Wilhelm van Astrea, says so, then his road must be quite the interesting one nya~!”

With the chuckle of the cat girl, the rolling cart continued down the road, heading back to their master at the Capital.

“So, we’re heading to the Royal Capital?”

Sitting on the comfortable sofa at the office, Rudeus listened carefully to every word from Emilia. Whatever happened during the meeting must have been significant. And somehow, his name got mixed in. It was imperative to understand the interaction.

“Yes… some important topics were discussed. All the Royal candidates are being summoned to the Capital.”

“Indee~d, the Council of Wise Men has summoned the other three Ro~yal Candidates. Fe~lix-kun came as an emissary and by my per~sonal request.”

Rudeus was beginning to get the big picture. The visitors were from the Capital, visiting to summon Emilia to the Capital, and the specific emissaries were chosen by Roswaal himself. The implications of Roswaal’s political power were somewhat concerning, but that wasn’t something he should worry about. If it helped with Emilia’s campaign, then so be it. He swore to be diligent, not a political activist.

“I see. Well, would I be joining as well? If so, will my position stay the same, or am I to join as Emilia’s knight?”

“Yes, and no. Part of the deal was for you to join, but you can’t be my knight at the Capital, Rudeus.”

“Indee~d. To claim yourself as a knight before being knighted would be a~sking to be executed. It takes time to schedule a kni~ghting ceremony. Ru~deus-kun.”

“W-well, it won’t be an issue. You can still join! I’ll just introduce you as… my FUTURE knight!”

Emilia replied with all her might, worried the boy would be saddened about his title and position. Shaking both fists up and down, she excitingly complimented herself for the perfect introduction.

“Well, that seems all good. To be honest, I did think about revisiting the Capital. I never got the chance to thank Reinhard, have I?”

“Now, now. Althou~gh it is fine for you to converse with other knights about the to~pic, the matter of Emilia-sama’s candidacy should remain u~nder wraps until after the meeting with the council, Ru~deus-kun.”

“Yes! I’ll keep that in mind. Is there anything else I should know?”

“There is nothing else Deru-us. Just know, I will have my eyes on you, Deru-us.” She sneered at the young mage.

“Eh?” He asked.

But ignoring him, Ram continued on with the preparations.

“Yes, dear sister. Rem will make sure all goes well.”

With her reply, Rem escorted Rudeus out of the room, leaving the masters and Ram to discuss the finer details of the Royal summons.

It seems the visit won’t be just a business trip after all.

“Roswaal-sama, Emilia-sama, Rudeus-san, we have arrived.”

After a day of carriage travel, the Emilia camp had arrived at their destination, the Karsten Manor in the Capital of Lugunica.

While typically, they would have used a hotel or one of Roswaal’s mansions at the Capital, unusual circ*mstances drew Roswaal’s attention. Instead, they would be staying at the Crusch’s Manor for now. It was partly why Felix was the emissary, after all.

“Thanks for the hard work, Rem. You can take the carriage. I’ll start unloading .”

While the trip could last a few weeks and enough cargo for four people, the load was surprisingly light, thanks to Beatrice’s magic. She cast a spell, “Murak”, on the luggage, reducing their weight by half. Magically, this only affected the travel cases, not the contents itself, yet was still able to reduce the overall weight by much.

‘Magic here really is weird.’

Though, none of the others noticed the surprised look on Roswaal’s face when Beatrice personally cast the spell.

“Thank you, Rem, and Rudeus. And thank you, too, Roswaal. Though I can’t help but fear we’ll be indebted by staying here…”

“No need to worry about such things, Emilia-sama.”

And meeting the just-arrived party was the same duo that visited the mansion a day ago, Felix and Wilhelm, joined by the estate's owner, the Dutchess Crusch Karsten herself. It was her authoritative voice that answered Emilia’s worries.

“Crusch-sama… Thank you for your hospitality.”

She bowed at the woman descending the stairs in her military men’s uniform.

“No need to bow, Emilia-sama. It would be dishonorable to claim debt for such a thing.”

She dismissed her worries with her charismatic smile that didn’t quite reach her cheeks.

“Besides, after reading the Mather’s letter, Felix was interested in seeing him.”

“Ah, so it’s as so. Thank you so much for the favor.”

The two continued their small talk, with Roswaal closely joining in. They were the nobility of the people currently present. Most of their conversation would fly over the head of a simple man like Rudeus.

The rest of the group was busy unloading and tending to the carriage. The familiar old butler and cat girl approached the young mage lifting up a giant crate of clothes for Roswaal.

“It is good to see you again, Rudeus.”

“Ah, Wilhelm-san, it’s nice to meet you too.”

“And it’s good to see you too, Rudeus-nya!”

With the brief pleasantries finished, the Dutchess Karsten commanded Wilhelm and Felix to guide them inside while the rest of the servants tended, leaving the Dutchess, Rudeus, and Rem still outside ordering or working.

“Rudeus, was it?”

The Dutchess approached the still-working mage as he continued to unload the cargo to the estate carts. While she may not have the eyes of Wilhelm, she could tell the man in front of her has been training for much time.

“Yes, my name is Rudeus, Karsten-sama. How can I help you?”

“Please, call me Crusch. I have not seen you since my last visit to the Mather’s estate. I merely wanted to see you and introduce myself.”

In Lugunican tradition, it was typical for a knight or man of similar occupation to greet a noblewoman with a bow and kiss to the back of the approached hand. Expecting something similar, Crusch, too, forwarded her hand in anticipation.

Rudeus was still unfamiliar and uncomfortable with the different greetings of Lugunican high society. While he realized his formal Asuran greeting may be out of place, he never thought to change them. Neither Roswaal nor Emilia, the two bosses, have ordered him to rectify them, so clearly, it was good enough in the eyes of the nobles.

Following the tried and true method of greeting, his left hand at his chest and his right extended, he gave a textbook Asuran bow, leaving the dutchess hanging.

“Then please allow me to introduce myself, Crusch-sama. My name is Rudeus, Emilia's personal servant and trainee knight.”

“...Heh..”

The Dutchess chuckled. She expected this exact greeting, yet it still managed to surprise her. She had read the mannerisms of Rudeus in Roswaal’s letter, but maybe some things are meant to be seen eye to eye.

“I see your manners are different but still polite. That is not a problem with me, but others may not look the same.”

“Is that so? I apologize. I’m still trying to learn.”

“Don’t be. You will be surrounded by knights and nobles of this nation. Take this as a chance to familiarize yourself with the nobility and its manners.”

“Thank you for the advice, Crusch-sama. I think Wilhelm-san said something similar. I’ll make sure to learn as much as possible.”

What the young servant just said intrigued her. She had known Wilhelm to be the stoic, strict man focused on one thing only. She had never heard him advising another trainee before.

“Has he now? You must be quite interesting to catch his attention. It is rare for Wilhelm to approach another, especially young knights… Anyways, it is late. Please leave the rest to my staff .”

And with a smile and fatigued breath, he replied back.

“In that case, I thank you for your hospitality, Crusch-sama.”

“Hmmm, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this flower before… not even the botanical guide had a flower this vibrant before.”

Roaming the Crusch estate garden was Rudeus eyeing the different flowers. The flower beds were filled with a single type of white lily decorating every inch of the flora.

It’s been an hour since the nobles discussed their arrangements, leaving the servants and maids to their duties. Rudeus had nothing to do to roam the mansion, leading him to the outside garden.

“Are you interested in flowers?”

The gentle and firm voice of Wilhelm echoed from behind Rudeus. Turning around, he saw the same well-dressed butler slowly approaching him with his hands behind his back.

“Not particularly, but I do know much about them. I don’t know what variety these are, but they were well maintained.”

“Well, I thank you for the compliment, young man. Do you have some time to spare?”

Rudeus didn’t quite catch the meaning behind his words. He wasn’t here to snoop around the garden or interrogate the man’s past. If there was work to be done, he’d instead do that than wander aimlessly like a sloth.

“Of course, were you looking for me?”

“Yes, I was wondering if you’d be interested in a friendly bout.”

Revealing the two wooden swords behind his back, Wilhelm invited the young man to a practice duel.

‘Hmm? A duel? I’m no expert with the sword, but I don’t think beating an old man with a stick is okay. Is he a casual swordsman too?’

“Are you a swordsman, Wilhelm-san?” He asked.

“I have dabbled in swordsmanship in my youth.” He affirmingly replied.

And with nothing to do, Rudeus readily accepted, not knowing what lay ahead.

Hours passed by as the two clashed swords with each other. The unfazed butler easily parried Rudeus’ blows while the young lad desperately held on for survival. It wasn’t even a close match. The roadside squirrel could tell Rudues was no match for the elderly butler. He could only rely on his Eye of Foresight to predict Wilhelm’s movements. But it wasn’t enough as no matter how much he focused, at least two images of Wilhelm’s future, each taking a different stance, appeared. The experienced fighter never fully committed to a single attack, allowing for multiple ways of entry at any given time.

“I yield. Hah, I’m no match for you, Wilhelm-san. We’ve been at it for hours, and I can’t even make you drop a single sweat!”

With both hands over his head and his sword on the ground, Rudeus collapsed in the yard, exhausted from the constant pressure. He had trained every day to last in his fights. But even with his training, Wilhelm was on a different level, likely rivaling Ghislaine and perhaps even Ruijerd.

“Not at all. Your fundamentals are strong, and your strength and speed are adequate. It would be best not to compare yourself to me, lad.”

“Hah, I’m… too tired to argue, so I’ll accept it as is.”

“Hmm? Hmm…”

With a hand to his chin and his eyes up toward the mansion, Wilhelm mumbled under his voice before turning to the boy again.

“It seems dinner is ready. We should head inside and continue on a later date.”

Still panting on the ground, Rudeus only nodded and gathered his breath, unknowing of the silhouette overlooking the courtyard from the window.

“So, what have you learned about him, Wilhelm?”

In the dead quiet of the knight inside Crusch’s private office, she and Wilhelm held a private chat while the rest of the guests were sound asleep.

“He has admirable physical strength and stamina, but simply put, he has no talent with the sword. His techniques seem well practiced but are foreign, unfamiliar to the swordplay of the Astreas. Specifically, he prefers to use single strong disarming strikes to finish a fight early, rather than fencing between the swords for an opening.”

Replying to his master was Wilhelm’s analytical and cold observations of the butler. While the earlier assumptions of his strength and training were correct, even Wilhelm felt disappointed at his abysmal talent.

“Though, if he is a mage, that would explain his position. No mage would engage in close-quarters combat. Perhaps he developed that style of swordsmanship to survive those encounters he couldn’t avoid?”

“Perhaps so, Crusch-sama. While few, whatever skills he possessed were honed well to an instictual level. A skilled swordsman would easily counter it, but an amateur would surely be overwhelmed.”

“In any case, it seems you have taken a liking to the boy. I didn’t think I could see the fabled ‘Sword Demon’ befriending a young knight like him.”

“It is nothing of the sort. I merely had an interest in his gaze.”

“Yes, his eyes, you’ve mentioned that before. I do not have the instincts to tell me, but I will trust your judgment. Perhaps the Emilia camp houses much talent that has yet to be uncovered.”

With an amused smile, the Dutchess concluded her night with the Sword Demon. The young lad has intrigued her. Surely his true nature will surface iin the coming days.

The center of Lugunica, the Capital, was as lively as always. In the central streets in the business district, a hooded woman and a young suited man walked the streets in tandem. It took little for anyone to understand the relationship between the two. Just a wealthy noble and her butler roaming the streets.

“Oi! Look who’s finally back. Here to get some appas?”

And before them was a well-built, green-haired fruit salesman, tending to his goods with a smirk. This time, there was no hostility or enmity. Because the first thing in the boy’s hand was two silver coins specifically for a bag of apples.

“I sure am! Haven’t I promised I’d come back?”

‘Wait, no, I never made such a promise. I don’t remember doing such a thing…’

“I’m happy to oblige! Here, a bag of appas, as promised.”

The salesman hands over the bag with a knowing smile. He’s just playing along. He, too, remembers that they didn’t make such a promise, but business is business. He’ll never say no to a customer wanting more. And besides, he added a few more just for the duo. They did help his daughter two months ago.

“So, what brings you here? I haven’t seen either of you in a long time.”

“Ah, we are on important business in the Capital! I’m very sorry, but that’s all I can tell you.”

The girl, Emilia, was the first to answer. With her right hand over her mouth, she mumbles her last sentence as if feeling guilty that she can’t publicize her position as a royal candidate.

Information about the Royal Selection will be kept under wraps until the official candidacy is publicized in the coming days. Thus, until then, all Emilia was doing was “business” and nothing more.

“It’s nothing to worry about. I doubt a salesman like me would understand politics anyways. Good luck with whatever business you have.”

And both parted ways with the usual man, heading towards their destination.

“Well, if it isn’t Emilia-sama.”

Walking up to Emilia and Rudeus was a purple-haired man wearing a white-cloaked uniform similar to Reinhard’s. His right hand was on his chest while his left swayed behind his back. He casually approached the duo in a prepared and friendly tone, greeting Emilia with a bow.

“It is good to see you again. Have you been well since we last met?”

“Yes, everything is basically the same. You also seem well, Julius.”

And in response, Emilia turned around, greeting the purple knight in kind. The two were already acquainted from the Royal Selection. While the candidates' information was not public, a few select knights were involved and knew the identities of most of the candidates.

“The mere fact that you remember me is an honor. You have only grown more beautiful, Emilia-sama.”

Julus continued to approach the Royal candidate and her confused right-hand man. Kneeling before her, he placed a knightly kiss on her left hand. This was but a mere knightly greeting. A showing of respect towards a noblewoman.

And that fact didn’t slip from Rudeus’ mind.

‘Oh, looking at the sword at his hip, Julius must be a knight of the kingdom. So, was that hand kiss the proper way to greet each other? Was that what Crusch-sama expected yesterday? Wow, I need to learn about knighthood, don’t I? I feel really dumb all of a sudden.’

And with his thoughts, he continued to survey the two’s interaction with a keen eye to every stroke of Julius’ body language. He had only a few days to stay in the capital. He couldn’t be slothful.

“Thank you. Forgive me for asking so abruptly, but I have business here, and I’d like you to act as my agent in the castle.”

“Does your business involve this young man?”

Julis asked, gesturing towards the boy behind Emilia.

“No, it’s regarding the Royal summoning. Oh, and this is Rudeus. My FUTURE knight! He’s with me, but he’ll stay outside.”

As entranced as he was by Julius’ gestures, he could still read the room. The moment Emilia had called his name, he saw it as the opportune moment to introduce himself to the real knight standing before him.

“Nice to meet you. Julius, was it? I’m Rudeus, a servant working for Emilia and Roswaal.”

He introduced himself to the purple-haired knight with his practiced Asuran noble’s bow.

“Your attempt of a noble’s bow. It is not bad. However, in Lugunica, it is proper to have your hand at your chest like this.”

Julius repeated his previous noble's bow with his left hand behind his back and right at his chest, highlighting the different hand placements compared to the Asuran Noble’s bow.

And following the lecture, Rudeus, too, imitated Julius’ bow, noting the purpled-haired man's exact hand placements.

“Yes, that looks good. Rudeus, was it? I am Julius Juukulius, a Royal Knight. It is a pleasure to meet you. Judging by your casual greeting with Emilia-sama, you must be close?”

“Yes, you’re right. Rudeus is a close friend. I would feel rea~lly weird if he called me sama. He did save my life after all.”

And answering his question was not Rudeus but Emilia, excitedly proclaiming their friendship as if boasting to a group of friends of the latest treasure one had acquired.

“I see. That is good to hear. Then, if I may ask, I believe Emilia-sama said you have saved her life. May I know how that happened if it were not an issue?”

But his curiosity couldn’t hold. For a foreign body to gain the favor of a Royal Candidate so quickly was interesting. And more importantly, said he had saved the life of a Royal candidate. That was not an accomplishment one could cast away so easily.

“I think you would already know, Julius. Did Reinhard-san not tell you?”

And those words immediately triggered the purple knight’s memories. The story from his most trusted friend, involving a Royal candidate, a mysterious mage, and the infamous Bowel hunter.

And the mysterious mage, the one even his master looked far and wide to learn, was right there.

“Then, you are the one Reinhard talked about? The mage that faced off against the Bowel Hunter!”

His eyes glinted, and his words came out excited. He had heard of the attempt at Emilia’s life two months ago and the mysterious mage with seemingly unlimited magical power. The man before him was a mere servant and a great mage employed under the Emilia camp.

“I’m not sure what you’ve heard, but I wouldn’t have been able to make it without Emilia and Reinhard’s help.”

“So, it is true. I did not doubt Reinhard’s words, but to see you in person…”

And in a quiet mumble, barely audible.

“So, Reinhard has finally made a friend outside the knight’s barracks…”

He whispered those words to himself, happy that his friend was searching for other people.

“Well, in any case. It is good to meet you, Rudeus. I am also a good friend of Reinhard. If I may be so bold, I’d also like to extend that friendship to you. Emilia-sama has mentioned you were her future knight? If you are ever confused with the knighthood, please freely ask me.”

And with the excitement of getting up and close to a real knight, Rudeus quickly accepted his offer.

“It would be my pleasure. Please take care of me, Julius-san!”

“I wonder what’s taking so long…”

With Emilia and Julius leaving Rudeus behind, he was ordered to stay by the castle for the meeting to conclude. Something unique, like conference mirrors, briefly popped up, but he didn’t try to squeeze himself in. If Emilia ordered him, then he would do just that. Unless something he couldn’t ignore would happen in front of him.

And as if to grant his wishes, he could see the scene of a crime in the corner of his eyes. A thug dragged a well-dressed woman into a dark alleyway.

“Hah. When will men realize sex isn’t all that’s hyped up to, even right in front of the guard’s office. You never know what might hit you staying with a woman like that.”

Imparting his well-learned wisdom to no one in particular, he followed them to the alleyway with the bag of apples still at hand.

“You little…”

“Don’t screw around with us!”

“Want us to mess up that pretty face of yours?”

In the dark alleyway, away from the passersby or the guards, stood three thugs of varied heights. One giant, one medium, and one small. With their crude and dumb tongues, they walked in unison toward the woman they had just dragged, assuming an easy chance was there for the taking.

“Don’t make such a racket, commoners.”

Dressed in fiery red attire, her revealing dress screamed money from all angles except the bottom. Crosser both arms around her chest, she seemed utterly unamused at the ramblings of the three men in front of her.

“Fools with no character pick fights for the most foolish of reasons….”

“Hey! You three!”

Cutting the woman’s tale in half, Rudeus proudly announced himself to the fray. Entering the dark hall with his apple bag still at hand, he extended his right arm, ready for a simple non-lethal stone cannon just in case. Not to mention the Eye of Foresight. One cannot be too careful when facing opposition.

“Huh? And who the heck are you supposed to be?” Asked the hulking giant.

Turning his back to the fiery monarch, now fuming in anger.

“Me? I am the Granite Stone Knight, Ruijerd!”

In his automatic response, he unknowingly gave a fake name, just as he did when he reunited with his sister Aisha. And since this was an endeavor to help others, he accidentally used Ruijerd's name, as he did during his time with Dead End.

‘This is so embarrassing! There’s no reason to give a fake name, but it was an automatic response! I even gave the superhero stance… At least Shadow Moon Knight sounded cool. Ahhh, and what the hell is Granite Stone Knight? This is just stupid! I’m literally calling myself a stone head!”

With his face red as a tomato, he continued staring at the three thugs, now all giving him their full attention.

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean? You sound as stupid as a cell brick wall.”

“Yeah, what he said! Scram if you don’t want to get hurt!”

“Pha ha! You look more like the pebble knight!”

And, of course, instead of intimidation, his entrance became a laughing stock, just as his first introduction to the city of Rikarisu. Just as the adventurer’s made fun of his chunni entrance, the three thugs followed through unfazed.

‘Hng, and this is why people say actions speak louder than words.’

He approaches the three thugs without a word. Stretching his hand, the mana swirling inside him congregates to the end, forming a slender stone sword.

“Did you not hear me! Let that woman go or face me!”

Another loud shout and another step forward. Rudeus points forward, brandishing the newly summoned sword.

Of the three thugs, only one remembered their previous encounter with the Granite Stone Knight. The pain of having both your wrists broken is not easily forgotten.

“Wait, guys, that’s… the guy from before! The weirdo. Remember? He’s the one that broke my wrists!”

‘Wait, have we met before? I don’t remember their faces at all….’

The moment those the other two heard his words, their memories surged to the day they were critically embarrassed against the man conjuring swords with his will.

And they did not need to get into that trouble again.

“What?”

“No, there’s no way that’s him!”

“But that sword! It looks the same. It has to be him!”

“Screw this! I’m out!”

“Hey! Wait for me!”

And as the cowards they were, they ran faster than ever, running from the demon hiding in human skin.

‘That was definitely something. I’m not sure what they meant, but running against an unwinnable opponent is the right thing to do. Part of my training is supposed to help precisely that.’

Rudeus dissolves his sword into thin air. Only the woman and him were left in the alley. There was no reason to hold a weapon in that case. With his arming arm, he gives a hand to the woman as a greeting. He did not hear or see what the thugs had done to her. But from her clean clothes and skin, they didn’t have much chance to lay their hands on her.

But he did not notice a scowl on the woman’s face.

“Hey, are you alright? They didn’t do something to you, did th- woah!”

Heat. A fiery image overtakes his sight. Instinctively dropping to the ground, the moment his eyes caught that, he saw the sword of red flame slashing just where his neck was.

And the man holding said the sword was none other than the woman he had just saved.

Just as the fiery monarch had summoned and slashed at Rudeus’ throat, the Eye of Foresight warned him of his demise, and his subconscious had dodged before he could understand the vibrant image.

“You peasant! Who dared ask you to join? I never recalled wanting drooling commoners following mine divine self! Nor permission to dodge my attack.”

She shouts at the dirty mongrel in front of her. He dared interfere with her entertainment, pushing away at the scrubby lambs, and now dared to hand her himself? That was unforgivable.

“Hmmp, I should have your head for that stunt, yet you live here, breathing. What were you doing? I command thyself to speak!”

A cough. All Rudeus could reply was a cough. The woman he had just saved from the three hooligans had just tried to kill him.

When he looked back up to face his would be killer, every nerve, every cell in his brain, every fiber of his existence shouted just one thing.

‘She’s trouble.’

“I… just wanted to help….”

With a mumbling whisper, he replies. Cleaning his dirtied clothes, he stood back up, leaving a dust cloud just where he was.

“I was in no trouble without you. There was no danger in the first place. This world is created to suit me. Thus, they were there for mine divine self’s convenience and entertainment!”

“I… understand… I’m sorry for intruding then.”

Was all he could reply to the proud woman. No one asked for his intervention. Thus, he had no reason to help her. But that thought didn’t sit well in his mind. Like drops of water on a hot pan, it refused to settle and danced within him.

“Hmph! You sound as stupid as you act! Next time, before you go and make a fool out of yourself, it’d be best to pause and look at the situation around you more carefully.”

“But, wouldn’t it have been worse if I didn’t?”

And carefully, he responds to the woman.

“Huh? What’s that? The bug here dares to speak?”

“No, it’s just; people should act before it’s too late. That’s just how I felt.”

He could only mumble why. But he knew it was true. He couldn’t sit there in wait, ignorant of his surroundings. He could not let himself be slothful. If he has a chance to act, then he should.

“What a fool you are! Salvation from others has no purpose. If one cannot stand alone, death is the only mercy they deserve!”

And with her reply, Rudeus was left speechless. It was not because of a sound argument but because his mind screamed for him to be elsewhere.

‘Get away from that woman!’ It echoed in his mind.

“I see. Well, I’ll be on my way…”

With his words, he parts ways with the crazed woman. Turning around, he sees the bright silhouette of the outside blocked. Standing there was a hulking giant. The Old man, Rom, from the loot house, had just arrived.

“Oi! Aren’t you the kid from then? You were alive, after all! It’s good to see you, kid.”

“Eh? Oh, Old man Rom! It’s good to see you as well. Emilia and I were about to go see you today. How have you been doing? Is your shoulder alright? Oh, and how’s Felt doing?”

“So, you haven’t seen her too? I thought you’d know where she was… And give that young woman my thanks. My shoulder feels as good as new.”

Rom looked down as he replied. He arrived at the alley when three thugs ran from the general direction. He was on different business in the noble’s district, but the rabid fleeing of the rustlers and the weird shouts drew him to the fateful encounter with the boy that saved his life.

“Wait, you haven’t been in touch with Felt? I thought Reinhard handled it all. Emilia told me Reinhard had taken her away. I haven’t met him since, but I don’t think it’s all bad. I don’t think Reinhard would ever do anything bad.”

“So… it was the Astrea that took her….”

With a deep sigh, he rubs his chin in focused contemplation. Of all the people that could have taken Felt, it had to be that family.

“Ah, thanks for telling me. I guess she’ll be fine then. I woke up in the guard’s barracks a week ago and was just released. Nobody knew where Felt was, no matter how much I asked. Those damned doctors just examined every part of me. It felt like they were trying to steal my body.”

And that worried him. Rudeus wasn’t that close to the two. But in his short time at the loot house, he could feel a special bond between the two. Through his harsh words and her inconsiderate speech, a familiar bond, not too foreign to his loss, could be found. They clearly spent much together and cared for each other.

And Rudeus knew how it felt to wake up alone.

“I’m sorry for not being much help. I’ll be staying in the Capital for a bit. I’ll definitely visit Reinhard’s place and ask him. I don’t know him well, but Emilia should, and she has the qualifications to do so too.”

“Well, thanks. I’ll be going home now. You take care of yourself, you.”

As he turns around to leave, a small pat on the shoulder stops him.

“Let me walk you home, Rom. I feel sorry if I just left. Here, why don’t you have an appa?”

Handing an apple in hand, it was Rudeus that interrupted the giant’s step home. He had nothing to do with Emilia at the meeting, and his previous words with the angry woman would not leave him.

“Hmm? Well… thanks, I guess. Hey, this is pretty good! Very juicy.”

Rom readily accepts his offer and munches on the bright red fruit happily. Leaving the dark alley, they head to the edge of the slums to the giant’s abode.

“So… why are you still here?”

It has been five minutes since Rudeus parted ways with the giant. His new place was a small hut at the edge of the slums next to the nearby pond. Parts of the wall were crumbling or had gaping holes in them. Unable to leave it at that, the mage spent extra time creating bricks and cement to patch up the walls of the broken-down building.

Despite the curses eating away at his mana, Rudeus still had enough for a few spells. He wouldn’t be facing anything frightening, or making intricate dolls anytime soon, but some small bricks for patching were nothing.

And through it all, the fiery red-haired woman stood through it, covering an amused smile behind her bound fan.

“What is it, mongrel? What reason would you dare ask of mine divine self?”

“No… I just wanted to know why you’re still following me.”

He knew from before that the woman had a troubling temper. One small misstep and his head would burn on the floor with whatever he saw. Tip-toeing around the ticking time bomb, he responds as calmly as he can.

“Hmm? This world is for my divine self. I have allowed thy to run for mineself’s entertainment. You should feel honored for mine presence.”

She replies as proudly as ever. Her words, without shame, made it clear to the dumbfounded man. She truly believed in those words and acted accordingly.

‘And I thought that Sauros was loud. This lady really is delusional! She must be some daughter of a powerful nobleman… Best not to disturb her. What in gods’ name would Roswaal do if I got stuck in a political scuffle between nobles.’

“What, sorry, lots here. Maggots waiting to be stepped on.”

Moving her eyes away, she whispered to herself, barely loud enough for Rudeus to hear.

“Umm. Pardon?”

“That was not for you, mutt. Do you not see the pitiful existence of this state? How dismal to live on the streets with dirt as your only food. Their existence is disgusting to the world of mine divine self.”

“I don’t think they’re here because they want to. Isn’t that a bit harsh to say?”

The brown-haired boy had to say back. He may be well now, but the sense of dread of unwillingness to live on was not unknown to him. He knew exactly what it was to fall into despair.

‘It’s not something you can get out of alone. I’m only here,, thanks to a miracle. I can’t let others try to trample and look down on that.’

With his previous worries of political blunders away, he talks back and awaits the berating of the entitled Karen in front of him.

“And that’s why it disgusts me so, can you not see, monkey? That man over there. He has an able body, and that woman has her hands free. Those children can run happily with their legs. They should work to get out of this garbage and claw their way up if they can. Yet, they’ve already given up, too lazy to even take their own lives.”

But the words that returned were not what he expected. Instead of the harsh and horrible reply he expected, it was that of a drill sergeant, disappointed at the sad state of affairs.

“They excuse their existence and refuse to work or cease to exist. What else could you say about that trash but disgusting?”

“I… I don’t think it’s that simple, Miss. Can… can you really fault them for falling so low?”

His voice trembled when he said that.

“Not at all. They can get out. They can work and seek salvation. Yet their minds have betrayed them. Nothing can be done. All they can do is slowly wait for their deaths as fated with their rotting minds. Those maggots have no place in mine divine world.”

‘How can she say that. I’ve seen true despair. I’ve been stuck there for far too long. It’s not as easy as this woman says. You can’t just move out and work. You just… it’s impossible!’

But no words could escape his mouth.

He knew better than anyone that true despair isn’t easy to escape alone. Rudeus should have died. He should not have been given a second chance at life when his brothers kicked him out of his home. He should have wallowed and died miserably in the cold stone corner of the city.

And yet, here he was. Hopefully a better person after his second chance, and he still managed to screw up his connection with his family. So, how can he ever fault the people of the slums, unable to stand on their own two feet?

And still, even knowing this, he could not open his lips.

“Ho~ you were entertaining, but now you reveal you’re dumb. Do you feel compassion for these maggots? Feel sorry for the garbage you step on? Your silence says enough. You act just as you look, imbecile.”

Gritting his teeth, the words from that woman were like splinters from wooden utensils. Just what was she thinking? He couldn’t understand. And what is this about how I look?

“Look that way? What do you mean? What are you trying to say?”

“It’s written all over your disgusting face, mongrel. I thought you were clean, but you’re just as dirty as they are. That ridiculous smile of yours screams just of fakeness.”

“Wha-”

From the fiery red woman’s remarks, Rudeus’ throat clamps down. Not a single word, not a single step. His mind refused to deny her words.

‘But she’s wrong! I was saved! That miracle pushed me to take life seriously, and I actually am! I’ve worked hard to help people since then! I’m better now. I’m a better person. So she has to be wrong!’

But he could only stare at her. With fury and confusion in his eyes, he couldn’t lift a finger to deny or leave her. His legs were locked, and his mind was too heavy to look for an escape.

The two stood still as people moved along. Locked in that trance, Rudeus still couldn’t understand why.

“Oh, there she is.”

“Rudeus!”

Interrupting their stance, Emilia and a mysterious, helmeted tall man called out to the two. Wearing a tan leather cloak, a green vest, and a red-tailed knight’s helmet. With the look of a mercenary, scimitars in hand, he escorted the half-elf to the slums after a chance encounter at the Guard’s Barracks.

“Oh, Emilia. Sorry, were you looking for me?”

“Yes! I told you to wait for me. Just what were you thinking, going away like that!”

She asked back, ignoring his questions. He promised he’d listen to her. But again, her would-be knight had gone ahead on his own. She wasn’t sad about the development. Perhaps she already expected it would happen. Yet, something tugged inside that this shouldn’t be how it is.

But after her words. After scolding her bad knight, she noticed who he was with the entire time. Without a word from her mouth, she lowered her hood to cover her eyes and looked down at the ground, refusing to show her face.

The Royal Candidates weren’t allowed to interact before tomorrow. So why is she with Rudeus all of a sudden?

“I’m… I’m really sorry, Emilia. But I saw something I couldn’t ignore… Oh, wait, who is that man behind you?”

Rudeus muttered his response. He couldn’t hide his regret. He did spend the entire day with Rom. Who knew how long Emilia had been looking for him? But he swallowed those emotions and pointed behind at the man standing with Emilia.

“You know, it’s quite rude to point at someone as if questioning him. I’m cool, so I’ll ignore it, but that could get your head lopped off. We met looking for people and agreed to help each other out. Good decision since we both found what we were looking for.”

The man replied jokingly. He makes the mark of a beheaded dead man with his thumb as if to emphasize his point. Despite his odd fashion sense and demeanor, Rudeus could tell this man had no ill intent.

“Ah, I’m sorry about that. Thank you for accompanying Emilia-sama in my absence. I’m Rudeus.”

“Rudeus, eh? Well, the name’s Al. Nice to meet you too, kid. Well, if you don’t mind me…”’

With their names crossed, Al waves his hands and walks past the mages, eyeing his target behind him.

“My, how diligent you are to wait where I would arrive to. I commend your dedication, Aldebaran.”

“I told you to stop calling me that Princess.”

“No one told you to speak, Aldebaran. Now, accompany me. I’ve had enough of that filth.”

“As you wish, Princess.”

And so the unassuming duo began to walk away from the slums. The red-haired woman guided from the front, and Al followed behind.

“Princess? She’s more of a Malty than a Cinderella.”

Rudeus mumbled.

‘But why couldn’t I talk back?’

But before he could answer his own question. The leaving duo stopped in their tracks. No, it was Al who stopped first after hearing Rudeus’ whisper, and then the red-haired woman simply paused to turn around and berate her servant.

“What did you just say?”

The sudden tone shift caught the attention of everyone present. The previous casual greeting was exchanged with a severe and dire voice.

“Oh, it was nothing. I didn’t mean anything by it! It was just something I said to myself.”

And worried that he had incurred the wrath of the man, Rudeus immediately responds to defend himself. With the specific words he used, the people of this world shouldn’t be able to understand what they meant. There is no “Malty” or “Cinderella” in this world. There surely are entitled people harassing storefronts and fairy tales of mystical princesses, but those words should hold no meaning in this world.

“No, what you just said there. Did you say “Malty”, and “Cinderella”?”

“Yes, I did! They don’t mean anything bad. They’re just words from my hometown, far away from he-.”

And before he could finish his sentence, his voice stopped as if a sharp sword had cut a fountain.

‘No one could understand what these words mean. No one in this world would know what Cinderella or Malty is. But if Al understands. If Al knows that. Then that means.’

“So, you too, huh? I can’t say I’m surprised, but it feels welcoming. Oh, and don’t go asking me the details. I don’t like talking about it too much.”

The tension in his voice was gone. There were no threats that awaited Al’s words. Yet, Rudeus couldn’t help but remain quiet. In both worlds, this was the first time he’s met someone from his world.

Al was from Earth, just as he was once before.

“Too shocked? Well, I can’t blame you. Well, let’s catch up later. I still have work to do right now. See ya!”

With his words leaving the young mage ajar, Al left the half-Elf and Rudeus, only to be kicked in the head by the fiery monarch for interrupting her exit.

And for the first time in his new life, Rudeus had just found another person just like him.

Chapter 7: Chapter 6

Chapter Text

“Rudeus?”

Under the vibrant red sun, glazing down at the bright orange local street of Lugunica, a white-haired half-Elf and her loyal servant walked side by side through the empty streets of the Capital of Lugunica.

The half-Elf, Emilia, questioned as they continued to stroll to their destination.

“That girl from before… Where did you meet that girl?” She asked tentatively.

The woman in question, Priscilla Barielle, was also a Royal Candidate for the throne. While the identities of each candidate weren’t publicized, most of the upper-ranked nobles and the candidates knew of each other. Direct contact was frowned upon outside of specific circ*mstances to prevent early skirmishes. Thankfully, Emilia and Crusch had a decent enough relationship with each other, so their homestay didn’t raise any brows from the Council of Wise Men.

But Priscilla Barielle was different. Of the four known candidates, she was the most reclusive, other than Emilia. As the governing lord of the Barielle Barony territory, she was responsible for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the previously ravaged land. Yet, beyond her previous husband, her past is little known. Thus, of all the candidates for her knight to interact with, Priscilla Braielle was the most unpredictable and dangerous to meet.

Oblivious to this all, Rudeus didn’t notice his liege’s downcast look. She continued to cover her face with her identity-hiding cloak and refused to look up.

“Hmm? That woman? I saw her get dragged into an alley. I chased the men off, then met Old-Man-Rom, walked him home, and she followed me along….” He replied.

Though, he decided to leave out the minor detail where the woman tried to behead him or the little argument he had about the less fortunate of the slums.

‘I’d rather avoid that woman. She’s just a spoiled princess. Yeah… that’s just it. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.’

“Is that so…” Emilia quietly replied.

It was worrying when she finished her meeting, only to realize her knight had wandered off, disregarding her orders. It bothered her when she spent hours around the capital looking for him. And when she finally found him, ‘she’ just had to be there.

Emilia didn’t understand what these feelings were. The only indication of her turmoil was the clenched fists under her white cloak. But she wondered if Rudeus meant those words two months ago.

And oblivious to his master’s emotional strife, Rudeus continued to march on to the Karsten manor.

“So, will thy not talk?”

The fiery monarch, Priscilla Barielle, questions her helmeted knight, playing with her red-feathered fan atop her vermilion throne.

“No, Princess. It’s just that man and I share a hometown.” He replied.

She clenched her fan at her servant’s words. Stepping down from the throne, Priscilla Barielle walked down the red carpet toward the kneeling knight. Each step echoed louder than before. And when she stood before him, she raised his chin with her fan, staring through the helmet’s visor into the man’s soul.

“Hmph, don’t think for a second that mine divine self would believe that idiot tale. Not even the faintest lowlifes would claim such absurdity.”

As she spoke, she pressed her fan into Al’s lower neck, slowly increasing the pressure.

“Hmph, well, regardless, princess. I think he’s cool.” Al struggled to reply.

She sneered back at the knight. Very rarely had Al ever talked against her orders. He knew better than ever to never go against her orders. And if he believed that mongrel had some value...

“Hmph, then do as you wish with that pitiful pig.”

With her sharp order, Priscilla Braielle lets go of her knight, leaving the room. But before she leaves, she turns around, eyeing Al, who is still on the floor, gasping for air.

“Bring him here, and his head will roll, Aldebaran.”

She leaves after her final order.

“Hah, I told you not to call me that.” Al muttered.

With the help of Schlutt, Al got up on his two feet and left for his quarters as well.

There was much to plan with his brother, not by blood but by a shared origin.

“Agh. I yield. I yield!”

It was early morning when a young boy’s voice echoed through the Karsten manor. In the inner courtyard of the mansion, Rudeus lay prone on the ground, chucking his wooden sword in defeat. Breakfast hadn’t yet been served; the old butler, Wilhelm, stood firm before the exhausted servant.

Rudeus ran into the old man when he woke up. As he continued his morning exercise routine, he ran into Wilhelm holding two wooden swords like before. Even though he could have simply declined the offer, Rudeus couldn’t deny how enticing it was. Despite his grueling defeat the other day, he had to admit he missed practicing the sword. Whether it was incorrect training or simply his lack of skill, even Rudeus could recognize his technique with the sword hadn’t improved an inch since his days with Ghislaine. And part of his training was specifically to aid him in his battles after all. There wasn’t any better way to train than to spar with a skilled swordsman.

Wilhelm went easy on the young mage. Even with his age, the difference in skill was night and day.

“You lasted far longer than last time. While little, even I can tell, you are learning to handle yourself better with the blade.” Wilhelm sternly replied.

The ever-elegant butler bowed, accepting his opponent’s defeat. He picked up the exhausted man’s sword off the ground and cleaned the courtyard after their bout.

The match continued for a whole hour. Most, if not all, of the rounds ended in Wilhelm’s favor. While such an uneven match may have been boring for the old veteran, Wilhelm did not voice any complaints. He kept offering advice on his sword technique every time he fell flat on his ass.

“Well, that sounds like a compliment, so thank you. But, Wilhelm, aren’t you bored sparring with me? I’d imagine a man of your skill could find much better opponents to fight.” Rudeus asked.

“Hmmm? Oh, you don’t need to worry about that. It is not your swordsmanship that intrigues me.” Wilhelm replied.

Now that made Rudeus’ ears perk up. Standing up from the ground, cleaning his dirtied uniform, he helped the man organize the messy courtyard.

“Not my swordsmanship?” Rudeus carefully asked.

After a short pause, Wilhelm turned to face him before sighing.

“No, it is nothing important. It was amusing… That is all.”

“Well, thank you for the opportunity. I’ll work on what you’ve told me.”

“If it won’t cause much trouble, I would like to ask, where have you learned the sword? While amateurish, I am certain your blade was not honed by your own. I have not seen such techniques in my time.” Wilhelm inquired.

Without realizing himself, Rudeus felt his chest fill up inside. While Roswaal never explicitly forbade him from mentioning his otherworldly origins. It was best not to delve too deep into his life with an opposing political faction, regardless of how close they got. As amicable as Wilhelm was, he was an employee of the Dutchess Crusch Karsten.

‘Besides, can I talk about this without everyone thinking I’m crazy? I’m honestly not sure if even the maid twins believe or if they just go with the flow of their master.’

And besides, he didn’t want to talk about himself too much.

“This? Well, I grew up in a small village far from here. At first, my fa- no… a local knight trained me the basics. When I grew older, I tutored a famous swordswoman in magic, arithmetic, and language while she trained me. I never got past the intermediate stage with her but continued to train independently.” Rudeus honestly replied.

Even with the fiasco with Eris, not to mention the Greyrat family politics, Rudeus could proudly say his memories with the Boreas family were happy. Sure, his face was a constant target for Eris’ justifiable payback, but his first job wasn’t painful. He still remembered the glint in their eyes when Eris and Ghislaine cast their first fireball.

Well, Eris only seemed to enjoy the magic. He was more than sure that Eris had forgotten most of his arithmetic and writing studies during their travels, but Ghislaine was a different story. It even seemed like she worked some paperwork at the refugee camp. A significant improvement, for sure!

“A famous swordswoman, you say? Well, I must say, I’ve never seen such techniques before. Is there a name for this style?” Wilhelm asked.

“Yes, they called it the Sword God style. She told me it prioritized using a solid first strike to end battles quickly. She also told me I had no talent with it, so please don’t take me as an example. I’ve seen her fight, and it's pretty terrifying! She runs incredibly fast and ends the fight with a single sword swing. I’ve even seen her go head-to-head with a Great Spirit!” Rudeus excitedly replied.

“Your master fought a great spirit and won?”

Responding to Rudeus’ exclamation, even Wilhelm had trouble keeping his voice down. Great spirits were greatly respected for their strength and spirituality. Only the best of the best the Kingdom had to offer would even consider fighting such a being.

And it was at this moment, Rudeus realized he had spoken too much.

‘Ah, I forgot. Spirits are really important and strong in this world! Ah, cultural differences strikes again!’

‘Actually, if people from my old world met Almanfi in person, they’d probably treat him with respect too. He is one of Perugius’ loyal retainers.’

“Oh, it’s nothing of the sort. It was a misunderstanding! The spirit mistook me as a person responsible for a… magic related accident and attacked. My master merely acted to protect us. We talked it out and ended amicably! Really!” He quickly replied.

‘Well, as amicable as abandoning children in the center of a nuclear explosion can be.’

“I see… Those words are quite hard to believe. I haven’t heard of a swordswoman of such skill. But I will believe you. She must be a formidable foe if it’s true.” Wilhelm muttered.

Rudeus only looked down at his feet at Wilhelm’s words. The old man couldn’t see what kind of face the young mage was making, but it was clear it wasn’t happy.

“She really was….”

Rudeus whispered, only barely audible to Wilhelm.

“Well, if time permits, would you entertain this old man in your master’s teaching?” Wilhelm asked.

Looking up at the man, Rudeus raised his brow. As far as he knew, Wilhelm was leagues above his skill. He didn’t use any techniques of the three sword styles, but Wilhelm was superior with the blade.

‘Wilhelm might just be a butler, but his skill is frankly amazing. I can’t see myself reaching half his skill in a hundred years. I’ve only felt this once when I challenged Ruijerd a week after getting my demon eye. So, just what could he learn from a person like me?’

“Are you sure? I don’t think I can be a good teacher to you…” Rudeus carefully asked.

“I thought it would be merely… fun to do so, Rudeus.” Wilhelm replied.

‘Well, if it’s just for fun. I guess it can’t be helped. And, this is excellent for my training after all.’

“Sure, why not. I’ll do my best, Wilhelm.”

“Wow, this suit fits me perfectly! Thank you so much, Rem!”

After a quick wash and food, it was almost time for the Royal summoning. The Emilia camp had assembled at one of the borrowed meeting rooms for one last review of their situation.

It was decided prior that only Roswaal, Emilia, Puck, and Rudeus would be attending, leaving Rem at the Karsten manor. Being a political event, the party was required to wear appropriate attire. While the council accepted Roswaal’s unique sense of fashion, and Emilia’s white dress was more than enough to count as a noble’s garment, Rudeus had yet to wear a proper suit for the occasion.

That was until Rem had finished her work adjusting a new robe for the mage.

The white mage’s robe was designed after Rudeus’ old grey robe from the demon continent but was modified to follow Lugunican noble society better. Since Rudeus was unofficially recognized as a Royal knight for Emilia, the robe was crafted similarly to a Lugunican knight’s uniform but with none of the Lugunican embroidery. Instead, the inner lining had black and red accents with delicate golden embroidery accentuating the collar and family crest of the Mathers family.

While it wasn’t created using rare leathers and fabrics or weaved with Roswaal’s’ spellcraft, Rem’s sewing skills perfectly recreated the outfit to her master’s orders.

“It is nothing. I merely followed Roswaal-sama’s orders, Rudeus.” She coolly replied.

“Ohya~, have you taken a liking to your new~ robe, Ru~deus-kun?” Roswaal asked.

“Yep! It’s much better than my old one. Am I even allowed to wear this? It feels too… fancy. I don’t have the social standing like you or Emilia.” Rudeus replied.

“No~t at all! You are recognized as the knight of my~ family. Trainee or no~t, it is my discretion to dress you howe~ver I wish!” The eccentric mage declared.

“That sounds really bad coming from you….” Rudeus commented.

Rudeus couldn’t look up at the clown boasting before him because only one thought continued to plague his mind at this moment.

‘You don’t deserve this.’

Roswaal closed in and inched right in front of Rudeus’ face. With a mysterious smile reaching both ears, he softly asked his employee just one question.

“Do you think you can behave yourself today?” He whispered.

‘There it goes again. It sounds more serious when he doesn’t use his weird word tick. His normal voice is a bit too creepy for me to handle. This must be his way of warning me not to mess up.’

Rudeus took a big deep breath. It had been almost four years since he worked with nobility and politics. This endeavor, whatever it took, was serious business.

“Yes, I won’t mess up.” Rudeus replied.

“Goo~d. Well, Emilia-sama should be waiting for us at the ca~rriage. We should hurry and leave soon, Ru~deus-kun.” Roswaal cheerfully proclaimed.

Rudeus didn’t quite understand what the sudden change in tone meant. All he could focus on was the political nightmare that awaited him soon.

“Woah… So, this is the Royal castle? It’s amazing!”

The grand scale of the Capital of Lugunica’s castle was beyond Rudeus’ imagination. The grand scale of a medieval castle with its great drawbridge, high walls, and orange roofs was the pride of Lugunican craftsmanship. Compared to the walled city of Roa, which was still very attractive to the young man, the castle tickled Rudeus’ romance bone. Had he not been here on official business with the nobles, he would be hugging the walls enthusiastically, just like his first outing around Roa.

After all, this is the first time he has seen such a castle up close. While he did live in the Kingdom of Asura, he never got to visit the Capital, even once during his travels. Besides, he doubted they’d let a scrappy adventurer inside the palace even if he had.

“Well, I guess I should get to work now. Is there anything else I should know about?” Rudeus asked.

This wouldn’t be his first time interacting with nobles, and his time at the Capital had brought him up to speed about Lugunican etiquette. Now, he was ready. No, he was confident he wouldn’t screw anything up. As Emilia’s knight, he had to look the part of a noble, not the typical mercenary.

“No! You’ll be good. Just be a good boy and don’t do anything unless told.” Emilia replied.

“Huh? Oh. Umm. Yes, ma'am.” Rudeus quickly replied.

Emilia’s reply was much colder than usual. Her words hit harder than expected, and a slight hitch was heard at the end as if she’d instinctively replied without much thought. He was surprised by the sudden change in tone.

‘Well, I guess anyone would be nervous. It’s not every day you present your case in front of the country’s entire noble population. Now that I think about it, this is oddly democratic for a medieval monarchy. I’d expect this would be the perfect setting for a power struggle for the throne if this world were like Asura….Yeah, this world is just weird.’

The group quickly reached the grand ballroom’s entrance following the appointed guide. Passing the two great doors revealed the main ballroom. It was large enough to hold hundreds comfortably, maybe thousands of people. With a royal red carpet splitting the center, the left filled with idle chatter from the knights of Lugunica, all dressed in white uniforms. On the right were the nobles mingling in fanciful suits and dresses.

“Rudeus, my future knight! Go and stand with the knights on the left.” Emilia ordered.

“Huh? Ah, Yes! Emilia-sama.”Rudeus followed.

This was the first time Emilia had been this direct with her words and the first time she mentioned Rudeus by his position by technicality. For the past two months, they have stayed chiefly as friends, not as a servant and master relationship. But here, in the confines of the palace, Rudeus was her knight.

As he left the group to line up with the other knights in the crowd, he didn’t notice the slight grimace on Emilia’s face from the robotic order she just gave.

“The Council of Wise Men will now enter!” The announcer shouted.

From the center of the room, the supposed people of great wisdom entered the meeting desks at the front. All the nobles, knights, and Royal candidates stood in formation, greeting the elders.

“So, those are the ones ruling the county? The old geezers don’t look like much, to be honest.” Someone mumbled behind Rudeus.

“Heh? Al? Is that you?” Rudeus asked.

As he suspected, the familiar helmeted knight greeted him as he turned around. Al wore his signature helmet and roughed leather jacket, unlike the rest of the knights surrounding them. He spoke up like a sore thumb. Just how the hell did Rudeus not notice he was here? And more importantly, is nobody going to comment on his ridiculous outfit on what is clearly a very important noble’s event?

“Huh? I should have expected you, but I didn’t even notice you with that uniform. What the hell are you even wearing?” Al asked.

“This? Oh, I guess this is my knight’s uniform. Rem made some modifications to suit my magic. Wait, never mind that. What are you doing here? And why are you dressed like some hippie barbarian on a day like this? Don’t tell me this is some obscure traditional uniform!” Rudeus asked.

“Didn’t I tell you someone might take your head off for that? Well, I’m still cool, so I’ll let it slide. To answer your question, this is my uniform. It might not be much, but it’s mine, and I like it.” Al replied.

Looking head to toe, Rudeus took an examining look at the knight behind him. Well, his outfit definitely wasn’t vulgar, per se. It was revealing, but it didn’t seem inappropriate. Al was a man. Besides, even Ghislaine’s outfit was exposing, and she worked fine at the Boreas household.

‘No, wait, I think that’s very different from this though….’

“Ok.. but why are you here? Are you also a knight of Lugunica?” Rudeus carefully asked.

“A knight? No. Something like that doesn’t suit me. All that knighthood and chivalry thing is too much. I just work for Princess and do as she tells me to.” Al nonchalantly replied.

‘Princess? Does he mean that woman? I guess she is a noble, but I didn’t expect a stuck-up nobleman’s daughter to come to such an important event- Hey, wait a second!’

His eyes widened in surprise as his ears and the skin on his back tightened. The cogs in his brain began to turn and then accepted the turn of events.

“Uh, so that Princess of yours is…” Rudeus carefully asked.

“You’ve finally figured it out? Lady Priscilla Braille, candidate for the forty-second ruler of the Kingdom of Lugunica.” Al proudly pronounced.

‘Well sh*t, isn’t that convenient. Not only did I disregard Emilia yesterday, but I also happened to come across the leader of an opposing political faction. No wonder Emilia seemed upset yesterday…’

“Damm, I really should have just stayed put.” Rudeus sighed.

“Eh, I wouldn’t worry about it. I guess your master didn’t tell you anything, either. Well, the show’s about to start. We should get in line, lest we get kicked out.”

Al replied to the worried mage, patting his shoulder in condolence. Well, if anything, his disposition made him feel better about himself. It seemed ordinary for those from another world to be out of the loop.

“So… those are the Royal Candidates?” Rudeus muttered.

Looking at the center of the room, four women stood side by side, facing the Council of Wisem*n, taking their seats at the high table. While their faces weren’t visible from the back, it was easy to tell them apart.

On the far left was Emilia wearing her usual white one-piece dress.

To her, right was the fiery sun Princess, Priscilla Barielle, proudly beating her hand fan as if bored.

Next to her was the Dutchess Crusch Karsten, standing tall and firm in her sharp militaristic attire.

And lastly, on the far right was the last candidate. The final candidate’s identity wasn’t known to Rudeus, but the purple hair with an overly large puffy white hat and cloak screamed expensive in his mind. It was the type of clothing those posh rich people would wear to seminars and social events for the rich. Well, not that Rudeus would know. He never had such chances in his previous life. But that’s the feeling such clothing gave him.

“What a… diverse set of faces?” Rudeus awkwardly whispered.

“Hm? You came, after all, Rudeus!”

Coming from the man in front of him, a small but proud voice drew Rudeus’ attention, who was definitely not checking out the candidates for the throne. When he came face to face with the man who called him, it was none other than Reinhard van Astrea, the Sword Saint himself, greeting him with a calm and wide smile.

“When I heard Emilia-sama would be here, I suspected you would be here as well.” Reinhard continued.

Hearing those words and facing him, Rudeus couldn’t help but smile back. While he wasn’t well acquainted with the man, Rudeus had grown fond of the red-haired swordsman. From the few books of knighthood available at the library, he knew about the Astrea family and their ties to the legendary sword Reid. This man, who had saved his and Emilia’s life on the first day, was also the Lugunica’s this generation Sword Saint, one of the strongest warriors ever to walk on these lands.

The instinctual reaction to such a man may be fear, but Rudeus had no such emotions toward Reinhard.

‘Not only would fearing such an amicable guy be rude, but I feel like I can trust him. I haven’t trusted someone to this extent in my previous lives, so it’s a bit creepy to feel this way to a complete stranger. But, creepy or not, I don’t mind this comforting feeling I get around him.’

“Ho! Reinhard! It’s good to see you as well! I never got to thank you, have I? Well, thank you so much again, Reinhard. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you that day.”

The instant he thought back to the first day and the heroic rescue from Reinhard spelled the anxiety and worry of yesterday’s blunders away. He was just happy to see Reinhard.

“Not at all, Rudeus. It is I who must thank you. Thanks to your help, I achieved a long-standing mission of mine. So, as Reinhard van Astrea, the Sword Saint, and your friend, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” Reinhard replied.

The presumed words of gratitude didn’t quite reach the young mage. He heard them and understood every word he said, but Rudeus didn’t know what it meant.

‘Reinhard is thanking… me? I… well, all I did that day was fumble the bunch. I didn’t accomplish much with Emilia or stop that assassin. So, why is Reinhard, the Sword Saint, thanking me? Really, he’s the one who did everything!’

And as much as he wanted to deny Reinhard’s acknowledgment vehemently, ‘Would that be the polite thing to do?’ he thought.

“Eh? Well… um, I don’t know what I did, but you're welcome? Reinhar- Sir Reinhard…” Rudeus awkwardly replied.

Reinhard’s smile wavered the second Rudeus said, “sir”. No one noticed the detail, however. Holding his emotions firm, he continued to smile back at the fumbling mage in front of him.

This was expected of him. This was the norm. There’s nothing wrong about this situation to him after all.

“Hiya, Rudeus-kun!”

Breaking the awkward moment, Felix Argyle interrupted and joined in on the group. Unlike her previous attire, she was wearing the same white-cloaked knight uniform. Though, the two ribbons on her hair stayed.

Despite the fresh appearance, the knightly Felix in front of Rudeus emitted the same suspicions, just like their first greeting at the Roswaal mansion. Even with the few moments they spent together, Rudeus could not figure out what was wrong with the beast woman.

“Oh, Felix. I guess I should have expected you to be here.” Rudeus greeted the beast woman knight.

“Oh, Rudeus, you know him?” Reinhard asked.

“Yeah, and we’ve met a few times before and at the Crusch Ma- wait, what did you just say?” Rudeus asked in return.

‘I could have sworn Reinhard just said something outrageous.’

“Hm? I asked if you knew of him. It is nice to you’ve acquainted yourself with the knights, Rudeus.” Reinhard replied.

“Oh, well, it wasn’t anything big. We just got to somewhat know each other at the Karsten manor. I wouldn’t say we’re well acquainted, but I would still like to get to know him bet-” Rudeus replied, cutting himself off.

“Wait…. HIM!!??!?!???” Rudeus shouted, drawing the eyes of a few people standing nearby.

“Ahem. Yes, he is Felix Argyle, a knight. Despite appearances, he is male.” Reinhard calmly explained.

With the final puzzle piece in mind, Rudeus could finally comprehend the monster that was Felix Argyle.

‘IT’S A TRAP!’ Rudeus shouted in his mind.

‘So that’s why it felt so odd! That’s a femboy furry! That’s why he seemed so suspicious! How could I not have realized? This is my specialty as a good-for-nothing hikikomori with 30-plus years of experience!’

Rudeus scratched the back of his head. With a small fake laugh, he could only accept the reality in front of him.

“Hmmm? I guess I got you didn’t I, Rudeus-kyun? I would love to tease you more, but we have more pressing matters-nya.”

With his final comment, he swiftly moved behind Al, following formation.

‘I miss Gyes….’

“We meet again, Rudeus. Have you been well?”

Another new voice called from behind this time. Wearing the same white knight uniform, Julius Jukulius greeted the mage as he stood beside Reinhard in the formation.

“It’s nice to see you again too, Julius. I guess all the knights are here today.” Rudeus replied.

If Reinhard’s greeting was casual, then Julius was the opposite. Following strict knight protocols, every glance, every step, and breath was exact and formulaic. He was the pinnacle of knighthood many worked to strive for. Believing in diligence and hard work, Julius took the “Knight of Knights” mantle to its perfected extreme.

“Indeed, most knights and Royal Knights have been summoned today. I presume you are here as Emilia’s Royal Knight?” Julius asked.

“Ah, no. I’m not officially a knight, so I don’t have the right to do so.” Rudeus meekly replied.

“Is that so? Even still, it should be no problem to support your candidate. You may not be an official knight, but you still represent the strength of your political faction. By the way, did yesterday’s business turn out fine? I remember Emilia-sama’s distress when she couldn’t find you outside. It is unknightly to abandon your post.” Julius asked.

“Ah, yesterday. Something drew my attention I couldn’t ignore. In hindsight, I wish I had ignored it. Things probably would have turned out better if I had. But at the time, I think I did the right thing.” Rudeus replied.

Now that he knew Priscilla Braielle, he wished he hadn’t run off to save her. If any of the other Royal Candidates had in common was their combat prowess. Rudeus couldn’t speak for the purpled-haired one, but each candidate was no pushover. Crusch was a military commander. And, if Wilhelm was any indication, he didn’t want to face Crusch, even in a spar.

He saw Emilia’s incredible ice magic alongside her ever-reliable spirit, Puck, on his first day in Lugunica. Only the most unfortunate assassins and thieves would worry her with the two working together.

And for Priscilla herself, if she could summon a sword of fire with the dexterity and strength to behead him immediately, she could handle those three thugs alone.

Of course, this is all in hindsight. Rudeus could have never known who the fiery woman was. If it were any other person, he’d do the same thing. But knowing who it was now, he earnestly regrets putting Emilia in too much trouble.

If they didn’t need his help, it was unnecessary to intrude, especially when your boss ordered you not to.

“Well, whatever the case is, do not forget why you became a knight. Your core is your guide. Do not stray far, or you will never reform.” Julius replied.

With his sharp remarks, Julius ended the conversation. He turned away to face the ahead and fixed his posture, leaving the young mage struck with his words.

“Why I became a knight…” He mumbled softly.

“Oi, you’re popular with the boys, eh? I didn’t know it was that kind of genre. I wonder, which route you’ll take?” Al commented.

“Eh?”

“Now, if I may be so forward. I, Marcos, leader of the Imperial Knights, will direct today’s proceedings.”

The knight, known as Marcos, stood away from the knights in form and directly addressed the crowd and Royal candidates in front of him. He stood out, not just from his position, but his full knight’s armor, bright green hair, and charismatic voice drew everyone’s attention.

“It all happened about half a year ago, when members of the royal family, starting with the king, passed away, one by one, causing-” He continued, only to be cut off by a soft-spoken voice.

“Listen. I get that ya wanna talk up a good show here, but I’m busy, ya know? As we say in Kararagi, time is money.” The woman continued.

The mysterious royal candidate with purple hair and extravagant clothing interrupted Marcos’ introductory speech. She continued to pester Marcos to simply “Get over with the show. Money won’t make itself, ya know?”.

“Is that… Kansai dialect? And can she just cut him off like that?” Rudeus asked no one in particular.

“That’s Anastasia Hoshin. She’s from Kararagi and is known for being a ruthless businesswoman. And no, she’s not from Japan. Or, at least, I’m pretty sure she’s not. There’s only a handful of people like you and me.” Al replied quietly from behind.

“Hm? Wait, so you know others from Japan as well?” Rudeus asked back.

In his previous world, Rudeus had never met another person from Japan. Well, he had his suspicions about Nanahoshi. The pronunciation seemed far too familiar to the young boy. Though, it could be a misheard pronunciation from the verge of death. With a hole in his chest, who knows how much of what he saw and heard distorted? And to be fair, she was the companion of the Dragon God Orsted. Who knows what kinds of people that man was acquainted with?

“Not really the best place to talk about this, but kinda? I don’t know them personally, and they’re probably long dead, but I have my suspicions. And to answer your second question, she’s not like us, man. She’s a Royal candidate. She outranks everyone in this room. Nobody would dare try to criticize her.” Al nonchalantly replied.

‘Well, that’s good to know… Better keep my mouth shut then.’ He thought to himself.

Even with the ongoing events of this new world, Rudeus had to admit he was feeling a bit lonely. There was this itch for something that was missing in his current life. If he could connect with more people from Japan, he could just find what it was.

“I agree.” Crusch Karsten spoke as Anastasia’s rant finished.

Perhaps not to the degree of the ruthless businesswoman, but Crusch, too, was getting bored of the lengthy proceedings. Time spent listening to babble she already knew could be spent rallying her troops for her first political ploy. This Royal Summoning would hold little meaning had it just been a social event to get to know the other candidates.

“Crusch-sama, should the head of the Karsten family be saying something like that?” Marcos questioned.

Crossing her arms on her chest, Crusch eyed back at Marcos, clearly not hiding her annoyance.

“Observing formality is important, but it is also a fact that our time is limited. It would be wise to inform us why we are here at once. Naturally, I do have a general idea.” She continued.

“You already know the purpose of this meeting?” The voice beside the throne asked.

Miklotov McMahon, one of the Council of Wise Men members overseeing the event and the kingdom, was the one to answer the Dutchess. He inquired honestly at the Dutchess’ words. With her connection to the previous royal family, he knew Crusch Karstens wouldn’t speak up to break formality without a good reason.

“Yes, Lord Miklotov. For a drinking party, correct?” Karsten proudly proclaimed.

“One day, we will face each other as rivals. But by sharing the same table and drinks, we will come to better know one another.” She continued.

Taking a second to pause, Miklitov looked back at the proud Dutchess. His face chance naught and showed nothing to read off. He calmly replied to correct the incorrect conclusion she had arrived at.

“No, that is not correct.”

The knights and nobles didn’t react to the Dutchess’ mistake. You would be forfeiting your trial to life to laugh at the head of the Karsten family, not to mention a Royal Candidate. Only Crusch herself and Anastasia looked disappointed at Miklitov’s reply.

“Huh? Ferris, that wasn’t what you told me.” Crusch calmly asked her knight.

“Oh, come on nya~... All I said was it might be a tea party.” Felix joyfully teased.

“Wha- is no one going to point out that childish speech at an event like this? Does she get a pass, too, for being a knight of a Royal Candidate? Talk about perks nya.” Rudeus whispered to himself.

‘Oops, I’m starting to talk like her too!

“I heard that!” Al teased.

“I see. I jumped to conclusions then. Forgive me. Allow me to retract what I just said.” Crusch gently asked.

“Hey, hey! Even if she backs down, my opinion aint gonna change. No need to explain the Royal Selection now. We already know, right?!” Anastasia asked her fellow candidate members.

Priscilla didn’t react. She just stood still with both eyes closed. She may not have said anything, but her demeanor was screaming how bored she was at the event. The white-haired half-Elf standing beside her fidgeted her cloak and earnestly replied in her soft voice.

“Um, I think we should hear the-”

“Sorry, but I ain’t asking for ya opinion.” Anastasia said, cutting Emilia’s reply.

“Eh! Well, that was needlessly rude…” Rudeus whispered once more.

But he also noticed that no one else from the crowd reacted. They all just accepted the Royal Candidate's behavior. Even the knights, the shining example of chivalry, were mute at Anastasia's provocation.

‘Is… this what I’m supposed to do? If no one else is doing it, I guess I should just watch as well….’ He thought to himself.

“You men will prattle on about it either way, yes? Continue, Marcos.” Priscilla ordered with a sigh.

“Then, we’ve gathered you, who are qualified to be the dragon priestess, because a new prophecy has been engraved in the Dragon Stone. It says, [From the five capable of becoming the nation’s new leader, choose one priestess to enter into a covenant with the dragon].” Marcos announced.

“So… the candidates are supposed to be the Dragon Priestess, but only four are present…” Rudeus whispered once more.

“Yes, there are only four candidates as of now. The Royal Selection hadn’t even begun. But today, history is set in motion.” Reinhard replied.

Reinhard confidently announced, eyes glinting with determination never seen from the swordsman. He did not turn around to face Rudeus when he spoke. He didn’t flinch nor move a muscle. But even from the back, anyone could feel the weight of the Sword Saint behind those words.

“Then that means…” Rudeus asked.

“Knight Reinhard van Astrea, come forward!” Marcos announced, cutting Rudeus off.

“Yes!” Reinhard replied.

He walked forwards, directly facing the four Royal Candidates and the Council of Wise Men. With a Lugunican bow, he maintained his lower posture as he answered his summoning.

“Honored members of the council of Wise Men, I, Reinhard van Astrea, of the Imperial Knights, would like to announce my mission’s completion.”

He then raised his head, looking head-on confidently. He had finished his mission at long last.

“The Dragon Priestess, the fifth and final candidate for the throne, has been located.” Reinhard announced.

All those present: the members of the Council of Wise Men, the four Royal Candidates, the gathered nobles, and even the Imperial knights all understood the exact purpose of today’s summonings. If the final Royal Candidate was found, and all the other candidates were collected together, the final candidate had to be somewhere around the castle.

Everyone barred a select few and began looking around, hoping to glimpse at the mysterious fifth candidate. Following a strict protocol, even the knights looked behind as the grand doors to the halls began to open.

“The one I, myself, revere as queen. Her name is Felt-sama!” Reinhard finished his announcement.

“Wait, Felt? That Felt?” Rudeus said aloud, forgetting to whisper at the shock of the news.

Walking down the red carpet from the grand double doors was a young blonde girl with red eyes wearing a well-matched frilly dress color that perfectly matched her hair. Taking elegant strides and two servants tending behind her, the once malnutritioned slum thief was nowhere to be seen, reborn as a proper noblewoman.

She proudly walkd the hall, looking weary as if looking for a specific someone. She climbed to the front of the hall, finally facing her Royal Knight, Reinhard van Astrea.

Reinhard, in turn, greeted her as well, taking another Lugunican bow to his new liege.

“Felt-sama, thank you for gracing us with your presence.” Reinhard softly spoke.

Her worried face calmed down to a small smile at the sight of her knight and his dependable voice.

“Finally, Reinhard…” She replied.

Felt took another few steps, now right in front of Reinhard. The two locked eyes as they shared bright smiles at each other. It was clear that the two pairing stemmed from great trust and respect.

Or not.

“You bastard!” Felt shouted as her feet got caught in Reinhard’s hand.

The steps she took and the look she shared were not to confirm their relationship but a careful calculus to find the perfect roundhouse kick distance.

Though, it wasn’t much effective as Reinhard simply caught it in his hands, unfazed at the sudden attack from his liege.

“You dragged me here with no explanation, and what do you call all this!?” Felt continued to shout angrily.

“You surprised me. What brought on such behavior?” Reinhard asked.

“Don’t block my kick and ask me like nothing happened! I’ve had just about all I can take.” Felt continued.

“Is the dress not to your liking?” Reinhard asked once more.

Lowering her leg still in his hands, he kneeled lower than the already short candidate and gently placed her feet on the ground. He continued to act as a proper Royal Knight.

“It looks lovely on you.” Reinhard finished, still kneeling.

That only triggered the girl more.

Her fists tightened, and her voice shouted louder. Looking at her kneeling knight directly in the eye, she continued to complain about how ridiculous her situation was. Just how many jobs could she have done during these past two months?

‘Mysterious pure maiden pulled into a political ploy, check. A low-slum rat was actually the princess of the country, check. The hot-as-hell spoiled bratty princess who thinks everything should work by her standards and is ironically charismatic, check. The ruthless capitalistic businesswoman who only thinks money, check. The stoic, strong, independent military lady who’s actually soft inside, check. The ridiculously overpowered chosen hero of the sword, check. The well-intentioned but bullied comic relief, check. The creepy but reliable magic user giving exposition here and there, check. An old butler that happens to be a badass swordsman in retirement check….’ Rudues continued to tally.

And Rudeus was utterly silent about all that was going on. Because in his mind, the puzzle pieces were falling together with over thirty years of cliched fantasy novels he’s read. At that moment, he realized he had become the side character for a management power fantasy.

‘And I’m the innocent side character that gets killed off mid-season for character development for the main character… Yeah, I can see it pan in my mind.’

It was more a matter of fact rather than a mind-shattering existential crisis. Rudeus didn’t feel sad or lost at the realization. He just accepted it as was presented in front of him.

‘Well, maybe that’s just where a person like me belongs.’ His self-deprecating thoughts told him.

He merely accepted his role in the universe and stood still, unfazed by the introduction of the fifth candidate.

As he stood behind Reinhard, the blonde girl recognized him first.

“Oh? What the heck are you doing here, big-bro?” Felt asked.

“Huh? Oh, it’s good to see you in great health, Fe-Felt-sama.” Rudeus awkwardly replied.

As he greeted the old thief, Rudeus bowed down in his newly learned Lugunican bow. He had practiced the exact motions since his last departure with Julius for moments like these. He would only take perfection as an answer.

And behind him, a purple knight smirked at the sight of an utterly beautiful and perfect bow.

“Hey, what’s with the bow and stuff? That doesn’t suit you, big-bro.”

With a lighter, but equally fast roundhouse kick, Felt kicked the air out of Rudeus as she belated his ineffective bow.

“Eek! What the…” Rudeus reflexively spoke before shutting his mouth as he remembered where he was and who he was talking to.

“Besides, I need to give this back….” Felt replied, handing a small item in her hand to Rudeus.

‘Huh? What was that for? I’m pretty well trained, but that surprise attack still hurt like hell. Eh? What’s with the sudden tone shift? Is… is she blushing? Why is she looking away? Wait, that’s…’

The flawless gem Rudeus had given her the day Bowel Hunter had attacked was in her hands. Instead of selling it or sending it to an artisan, Felt had kept it with her for the past two months to return it to its owner.

“Ta- take it. I don’t need it, and I shouldn’t have taken it in the first place. You’d already saved my life. I can’t take this. So take responsibility, and take it back, now!” Felt shouted.

Rudeus looked at Felt’s sudden expression change and the flawless gem in her hand. The small little girl, only a year or two younger than her, presented a gem with such an expression. In his mind, it all looked too cute to him.

‘Wait, that’s not what’s important here. As weird as it would be to take back a gift, Felt… Felt-sama is now a Royal Candidate and outranks me, and that tone was clearly an order. If I refuse, who knows what she might do to me…’

“Ah, thank you very much for your kindness, Felt-samachk!” Rudeus screamed as he reached to retrieve the flawless gem.

“And stop it with the -sama part!” Felt shouted as she continued to kick and pommel the young mage to the ground.

"Let this divine power be as satisfying nourishment, giving one who has lost their strength the strength to rise again! Healing!" Rudeus chanted.

‘Ughhhh, if she’s a princess now, she should at least act like one. Since when were they brutes of violence? Ha…. At least Emilia isn’t like this. No matter how much I screw up, I’ll never be abused for my actions under Emilia.’

“As you can see, the dragon gem has recognized Felt-sama as a priestess. With her participation approved, I believe it is time to begin the Royal Selection in earnest.” Reinhard proclaimed.

With the fifth Royal Candidate officially announced, starting with Marcos, the Imperial knights bowed in support, Rudeus shortly following and mimicking their short bow as well. Even with his ribs aching in pain from the royal beating, he had to follow protocol as Emilia’s future-knight.

“Even if the Dragon Stone has recognized her, isn’t her selection a bit problematic?” One of the nobles questioned.

“You believe we, the Imperial Knights, have made an error?” Marcos strongly rebuffed.

His words became a signal as all the Imperial knights turned their heads to stare down the nobles. The two groups didn’t share another word. Separated by the red carpet, the knights faced those who dared to accuse them, while the nobles refused to stand down.

In a room filled with the best knights of Lugunica fully armed, and the best mages and powerful noblemen, Rudeus could feel the tension harden like glass.

“Things are getting dicey…” He mumbled.

He had not taken offense to the noble’s question. Not only was he not part of the Imperial Knights, but it sounded like an honest question. He had to question, was it really wrong to doubt?

‘But I guess the knights are just proud of their title. Remember, Rudeus, no matter what happens, never offend a knight.’

“Al, with the Sword Saint present, you don’t think they’ll make a scene, right?” Rudeus asked.

“Well, I don’t really care. It’s not like I’ll die even if things go wrong.” He proudly answered.

“Woah, you must be really strong to be that confident!” Rudeus replied in a surprised tone.

“Eh, not really, but you learn a few tricks if you’ve been here as long as I have.” Al jokingly replied.

‘Man, it’s really nice having another Isekaied person. I’ll have to ask him for some tips and tricks later on. I don’t want to die again from some unknown world event, or greeting the wrong person.’

“Just be on alert, and you should be fine.” Al finished.

“Alert, you say…” Rudeus mumbled.

Despite Rudeus’ great magic capabilities, he doubted he could successfully rescue Emilia and escort her to safety had things gone south. Not only did he leave his staff at the Karsten Manor, but he was also still suffering from the Wolgram’s curse. While he couldn’t ascertain his exact mana capacity, he doubted he could fire more than a handful of spells.

‘Though, I should still be able to use…’

Thus, the best way to defend was to defuse the situation. He’d have to step up and risk offending tradition or the knights and nobles, but if he could prevent an all-out free-for-all, that would be worth it. With his newly found determination, Rudeus activated his Demon Eye.

‘This way, if they start to fight, I should at least be able to redirect their attention.’

“Silence.” Lord Miklitov ordered.

“Knight Reinhard, would you start by explaining to us what led you to her discovery?” He asked.

Reinhard placed his sword on the ground and kneeled at the Wise Men’s question. He faced Lord Miklitov from his position right next to Felt and began recounting his battle with the Bowel Hunter.

“It is thanks to Emilia-sama and Rudeus that I was able to locate and rescue Felt-sama.” He proclaimed, finishing his report.

The crowd divided into two as they reacted differently from each other. The Imperial Knights were simply impressed at the nameless Knight in Training’s prowess in contesting the infamous Bowel Hunter or were astonished at Reinhard’s incredible skill at defeating said assassin.

The nobles, however, clearly had different thoughts about the whole debacle.

“She’s from the slums!” One noble shouted.

“The Sword Saint brought a gutter rat here!” Another shouted.

“Oh my, what does the future of this kingdom hold?” Others questioned.

And Felt was not having any of this.

“Well, sorry for being a gutter rat! You were the ones who dragged me here against my will!” She shouted, turning around to face the disgusted nobles berating her.

“All of this long-winded blather could not be more tedious. Of course, I suppose you lived as a gutter rat because you could only manage tedious conversation.” A woman interrupted.

With a snarky smile and a red fan on her right, Priscilla was the one to insult Felt this time. Without giving two thoughts about her fellow candidate, she happily mocked Felt.

“Huh? If you’re looking for one, I’ll give you a fight.” Felt sneered back.

“How insolent. Who do you think I am?” Priscilla replied.

Hiding her mouth behind her fan, the trim of her dress began to flutter with power and mana. While the other knights and nobles didn’t react to the slight change, three people recognized the difference and what that meant.

“Princess, that isn’t….” Al tried to call out.

‘No.. she’s not going to…’ Rudeus thought as his Eye of Foresight reacted to the change.

With red mana particles swirling from her body, she slashed down the girl with a stroke of her fan. Only to be interrupted by a kneeling Reinhard, getting in between the Firey Monarch and Felt.

‘Phew. Yep, Reinhard’s got it covered. You really are helpful, huh? If I hadn’t seen Reinhard take action, I might have done something stupid and made a scene. I need to thank that Demon Empress someday.’

“Many pardons, Priscilla-sama.” Reinhard elegantly spoke.

“What are you thinking in a hallowed place like this?” Emilia shouted.

During the short provocation from Priscilla, Emilia also joined in to protect the young thief. Standing behind Reinhard but shielding Felt behind her shoulder, she angrily stared down the Priscilla, prouder than ever.

The rest of the crowd didn’t seem to flinch an eye. The two other candidates rolled their eyes at the scene while the knights and nobles quieted. Whether they were confident the Sword Saint could handle the situation or didn’t care, Rudeus could not tell.

“I was only trying to teach an untrained little bitch her place.” Priscilla mocked.

“You won’t even apologize?” Emilia angrily questioned.

“Then, will you also apologize for being born? You silver-haired half-Elf?” Priscilla sneered back.

From that question, Emilia grew smaller as her once proud and angry stance faltered. She quickly stepped back and held her hand over her chest defensively. Losing her previous admonition's emotional vigor, she could only weakly reply to the firey Monarch’s insult.

“I… I have no connections to the witch…”

“Half-Elf… witch?” Rudeus whispered.

‘Wait, does she mean that witch? The Witch of Envy? That’s just a children's story! Why is that bitch talking like that? And why is Emilia so distraught? Emilia even used her name as an alias the first time we met, so it can’t mean anything bad right?’

His fists clacked as he unknowingly clenched them so hard. Whether it was the modern perspective of life or his time with people admonished for their race, Rudeus could not hold back his anger at the conniving candidate. Had she not been of practical Royalty and he not under the guise of Emilia’s retainer, Rudeus would have already taken action. But he only cursed himself for his inability to act on those urges. He couldn’t act out of line in front of the entire country’s nobility, primarily since he represented Emilia’s political faction.

“Are you all quite finished?” Miklitov asked, drawing the attention back to today’s summoning.

“Then, royal selection candidates, please come forth.” Marcos announced.

The first to introduce themselves was Priscilla and her knight Al. Even as she climbed the stairs, she continued mockingly, hiding half her face behind her fan, as if the crowd wasn’t worthy enough to be shown such excellence.

“This selection is pointless. I am the one fit to rule this nation! All you must do is grovel at my feet and serve me!” Priscilla declared.

‘So much talk about self-work and laziness. Who in their right mind would anyone vote for such a prick of a human being.’ Rudeus thought to himself.

The next was the Dutchess Crusch Karsten and her knight Felix Argyle. The two stood proud and tall. In front of the throne, an air of elegance and order emanated through their stance. While Felix’s strides were more playful, Crusch’s followed strict military protocol, not a millimeter off.

“Should I become the new ruler, I will make the dragon forget the covenant it demanded. The Kingdom of Lugunican belongs to its people, not the dragon!” Crusch declared.

‘That’s… rather bold. Isn’t the dragon akin to a god in this Kingdom? Well, if anyone could do such a thing, I guess Dutchess Crusch would be the one to do it. It doesn’t seem like the nobles or knights are necessarily opposed to it, either. Or is that just social standing?’

After Crusch was Anastasia with her knight, Julius Juukulius.

“I’m a greedy gal, so I want anything and everything. No amount of commercial success can satisfy me! I want my very own nation!” Anastasia proudly announced.

‘Now, as much as money motivates the world, why does the year 2077 pop up when she talks about money? Is capitalism really that bad? It would be pretty progressive to implement it in this day and age.’

Succeeding the businesswoman was Emilia and her sponsor Roswaal L. Mathers. While his liege looked as determined as ever, her sponsor simply looked aloof, as if not caring for his role in the candidacy.

“I have but one wish. For all to be equal. I desire to create a nation where all citizens are equal!” Emilia proudly announced as she bowed to the crowd.

“Still, after the introdu~ction of all those knightly attendants, I feel te~rribly out of place here~!” Roswaal playfully complained.’

‘Ah, equality. I haven’t lived in a free country for 16 years now. If Emilia can somehow turn the country around, that would be pretty amazing. Considering the entire room is filled with nobility and the like, I don’t think her goals would be well accepted…And what’s with Roswaal? I know he’s a clown, but I thought he’d tone it down. Do people really accept that just because he’s the greatest mage of the kingdom?’

And contrast to the rest of the candidates, Felt alone did not climb the steps to announce her candidacy. When Marcos called the final candidate, she deflected, saying, “Who’d want to be the ruler of this stupid nation anyway?” and the like.

And the nobles didn’t take her attitude well.

“This is a mockery! I’ve overlooked this because the situation is dire, but to drag it out this long is outrageous!” One of the nobles shouted.

“He’s right. The Astrea family offers us a gutter rat to rule us, while the Margrave Mathers endorses a half-devil. Utter foolishness!” One of the council members spat.

“It isn’t nice to call a half-Elf a half-devil” Roswaal replied without his usual word tick.

“That silver haired half-devil matches the Witch of Envy’s appearance, as described for generations! Why do you not realize that even allowing her into the throne room is disastrous!” The councilmen continued.

“The elder speaks true! It’s absurd for such candidates to even exist!” Another noble cried out.

“And the rat from the sewers? That’s just as crazy! I shudder at even the thought of being ruled by adulterated swine.” Another noble voiced.

“This is unacceptable to allow those filthy women! Has the dragon forsaken us?” Another shouted.

Emilia had not even finished walking down from the altar when the entire room was filled with discourse over her race and Felt’s origins. Insults echoed in the halls as the nobles continued to berate the two candidate’s mere existence. And Emilia didn’t even look at her aggressors. Seemingly ignoring the loud shouting, she looked down at the ground, never daring to look up in fear.

“He-” Rudeus tried to shout. But before he could talk, he clenched his jaw biting his tongue.

From the outrageous comments of the nobles, Rudeus had forgotten that he was a mere commoner in a room filled with prideful knights and egotistical nobles. Without even a house name behind him, a lowly assistant under the guise of a knight-in-trainee would do more harm than good.

‘These people are not like me. I’m neither a knight nor a noble. The fact that I’m even standing here is a miracle! If I’m not executed for speaking out of turn, I’d be doing more harm than good trying to defend Emilia now… And besides, it’s not like I understand the racist undertones of this country, nor could I rectify their views in a day. I tried to help Ruijerd and the Superd for three years and barely made a single step.’

So, he locked his unpleasant thoughts deep down in his mind. Right now, Rudeus had to show restraint. In his mind, this was how politics were. It was a world of illogical and emotional fools looking to one-up each other whenever they could. Their battle wouldn’t be here but in the campaign later. He had no clue how it would work, but he didn’t worry.

Because all he had to do was follow Emilia’s orders.

Nobody batted an eye at Rudeus’ inaction. Al kept to himself, trying to keep his princess’ temper in check. Felix didn’t seem to care as well. So long as his master was okay, those noble’s insults to another demi-human didn’t matter to him. Reinhard didn’t flinch, either.

Unseen to the crowd, only two people frowned at Rudeus’ inaction.

“Silence!” A commanding voice shouted.

From the sudden voice filling the halls, the nobles and knights all looked toward the man responsible.

“I do not speak for a candidate other than my own, but as the knight of knights of Lugunica, representing the Imperial knights, I cannot let this injustice go unchecked!” He continued.

The voice in question was none other than Julius Juukulius.

“Heh… I knew you wouldn’t be still. Just don’t be a dork and end it quick.” Anastasia whispered.

With a quick nod to acknowledge his master’s permission, Julius looked straight against the nobles shouting their bickering just a minute ago.

“It greatly excites me to see so many of us value the history of our great country. We must never forget the deeds of the heroes of old defeating the greatest enemy ever recorded in Lugunican history. Yet, we mustn’t let our hatred towards the Witch cloud our sight!” Julius shouted.

“Standing before you, the five candidates have gathered by the will of the Great Dragon! They have been chosen by fate to compete for the throne. To insult the candidacy would thus be the same as insulting the Great Dragon itself! Not only will you spout hate from a history yet uncovered, you even dare to berate our country’s founding as well? Have we learned nothing from the Demi-human war all so many years ago!” Julius continued.

It was then the nobles got a clue about how out of line they were. It was clear as day, just what the Knight of Knights implied. Some began to clench their fists, others held their breath, and more started thinking of a way to escape this situation.

The other Candidates and their loyal knights looked pleased. Crusch, Anastasia, and Felix all knew the knight’s attitude all too well. The three had already predicted this would happen sooner or later. Once Julius finishes, it would be up to the candidates to resolve the issue, showing great skills in political turmoil.

Vaguely glancing towards the knights in unison, she bit her lip and stared at her two feet on the ground. People were defending her of their free will for the first time in her life. It was supposed to be an eye-opening moment, yet no joy could be felt by the silver-haired candidate.

“So, I ask my brethren, the loyal Imperial knights, who all swore an oath to Lugunica and her people, what say you?” Julius questioned the Imperial knights.

As if to answer Julius’ call, the Imperial knights glared at the nobles, each stomping their right foot in unison as they turned. Whether those were the knight’s genuine sign of support, or just a show at their question of loyalty, no one would know for sure.

The confronted crowd merely whimpered at the collective pressure of the knights. The ones who shouted the loudest shrunk the most as they all began to scurry slowly from the tense atmosphere of the room.

And the last person to frown frowned deeper than ever.

‘Wow, Julius sure is amazing! I don’t think I could ever come up with a speech on the spot. He really is the Knight of knights! I should really learn more from his example from now on.’ Rudeus thought.

But what Rudeus missed was the quick glance Julius made. As he caught a glimpse of a dumbfounded Rudeus, he closed his eyes as if disappointed and continued to eye the nobles.

And at that instant, when all the knights inside were too distracted with their chivalrous call to action, the stone tiles beneath began to smoke up.

“What’s going on!” Marcos shouted.

Immediately assuming an incoming attack, all the knights drew their swords. Most of them were already on edge after the provoking speech from the Knight of Knights. Amongst their confusion, large footsteps reverberated the floors, all directed to a specific confused candidate.

“Huh? Why is he…” Rudeus muttered.

Even with their blades drawn, the knights did not act. With so much confusion and visibility limited by the smoke, swinging swords could harm their brothers in arms or innocents instead of the assailant.

The first to make a move, and thus signaling the rest of the knights to action, was the Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea. With an overhead swing with his sheathed blade, the single stroke blew away the smoke screen like a leaf blower in mid-spring. With the smoke now gone, it was clear as day what had happened. A hulking muscular giant had attempted to kidnap one of the royal candidates right under their noses!

“Old man Rom?” Felt squealed.

With their visual sense regained, the Imperial knights instantly surrounded the giant. With their blades already drawn and a potential Royal Candidate captive, the group immediately took action to cut the giant down.

Cracking the stone tiles of the floor, a thick wall of magic earth surrounded and encapsulated the giant. With a sharp clang from one side and another from the front, the reinforced fortress was enough to deflect the knight’s slash and stab.

“What is this?” The knights shouted in confusion.

A single slash would have been sufficient if the perpetrator had just been a brute as he looked. But the earthen wall that emerged from the ground had been anything but brute strength. It had to have been magic. Yet, no one had heard a single spell or word leave the giant’s mouth. Then the knights could next assume this was the work of an unknown Divine Protection, protecting the life of the giant in question.

But had they been able to look inside, they would have noticed the man himself was just as confused.

“Please stop!” A sharp voice echoed in the halls.

Before any of the knights could see who the perpetrator was, even before Reinhard had blown away the smoke screen, the Eye of Foresight had presaged who it was. And at the very end, as Reinhard’s blow finished, he could see the body of a headless giant clutching a crying blonde girl on the floor.

With that vision in mind, he had cast the spell instantaneously. Rudeus didn’t even doubt his decision. As undesirable as the commotion was, he could not let the man trying to see his daughter again be killed.

From his conversation with the man yesterday, it was clear that Rom was unaware of Felt’s situation. As reckless as this act was, Rudeus could assume this was an act of desperation, not malice.

And if such a person were to be cut down in front of his surrogate daughter. Well, he couldn’t just stomach the thought.

“Rudeus? Wha-” Said Emilia before getting cut off.

He needed to act fast if he wanted to save Rom from this predicament. Using a small wind spell, he propelled himself toward the entrance of the Earth Fortress protecting Rom.

With his body firmly between the knights and Rom, he lowered the Earthen Fortress’ front walls but left the back side in case of an unexpected backstab.

Her hands shook at the sudden turn of events. Her eyes glistened to comprehend what was in front of him. Facing a dozen or so knights alone, her future knight raised both hands and pleaded for everyone to calm down.

“This man is an associate of Felt-sama and means no harm! He was there and protected Felt-sama when the Bowel Hunter attacked. He hadn’t been informed of Felt-sama’s situation and must have gotten desperate! He means no harm to the Royal Candidate!” Rudeus shouted.

“And just who are you? This man had snuck into the castle and attempted to kidnap a Royal Candidate. For his crimes of treason against Lugunica, he should be executed. And you are aiding in his schemes!” Marcos shouted back.

When the word ‘treason’ had left Marcos’, the knights moved to surround the lone mage. Except for the Royal Knights and Al, the rest of the room filled with Imperial knights, all pointing their weapons at the isolated mage protecting Rom and Felt.

‘sh*t, I never intended this to go this bad. I barely have enough magic to fend off a single trained knight; there’s just no way I can live through this. And now I’ve completely ruined Emilia’s political campaign… No, I can’t think like that. I can’t regret saving Rom’s life. If I’m to live life seriously, I can’t just ignore a friend in need. I’ll use Quagmire, then Deep Mist, and blow a hole out of here with Rom. I’ll be a fugitive in Lugunica, but I’ll have to consider that afterward. Saving a life comes first.’

Buying his time to execute his plan at the perfect moment, Rudeus said nothing as he faced down the Imperial knights.

“Knight Marcos, that is my knight, Rudeus! Please, order your men to stand down!” Emilia pleaded.

“Emilia…-sama, that man is your knight? Even still, the Imperial Knights cannot overlook an attempt at treason.” Marcos firmly replied.

“Then I’ll say it too! Stop this! I’m the one getting kidnapped, so if I say it’s fine, then you have to stop, right?” A voice echoed.

Shouting from within the half-opened stone cocoon, Felt called from the top of her lungs. The girl had already escaped from the old man’s arms and began to walk out of their protective shell. With his Demon eye indicating no knights charging in, Rudeus continued to eye the room warily, allowing Felt to leave the makeshift shelter.

“Unfortunately, I cannot comply. Felt-sama, you have publicly declared that you have no intentions of participating in the Royal Selection. I am not obliged to obey your orders.” Marcos coldly replied.

“Khh…” Felt hissed.

Gritting her teeth and clenching her fists, Felt glared back with both brows furrowed if that’s how he’d come back. If that’s why he wouldn’t listen to her, then…

She turned around to see the old man still inside the artificial cave. With sweat drops dripping from his forehead and eyes unable to focus, her determination strengthens.

“Fine! You want me to be the next ruler, right? Then I’ll play your stupid game! I hate this country and its nobility. So I’ll bring it down to the ground and return it to the people. You happy now?” Felt shouted back.

“Huh? Felt, what are you saying…” Rom wheezed from the ground.

“That old man is like family, so I’m ordering you to stand down!” Felt continued.

With her declaration made public, Marcos closed his eyes in satisfaction and raised his right hand to his chest. With only a slight bow, he replied.

“Yes, understood, Felt-sama.”

And the rest of the Imperial knights lowered their swords and relaxed their blades. Rudeus followed suit as he removed the Earthen Walls back. Though, the stone tiles were still a mess. He couldn’t restore those immediately.

With the tense air clearing, Emilia breathed a deep sigh of relief. Despite her conflicting emotions, she did not want to see her knight and only friend beheaded right before her.

“So, you, Rudeus, are Emilia’s knight, correct?” Marcos questioned.

“Eh? Yes, that’s right.” Rudeus immediately replied.

Eyeing the young mage replying meekly to his question, he simply growled and ordered him.

“Then, as you seem to know this man, see to it and escort this man out of the castle and make sure he stays out of trouble.”

“Yes! As you say.” Rudeus bowed and replied.

He took two deep breaths before moving away. With light footsteps, he turned around and deactivated his Demon Eye. He walked up to the old Giant and helped him up to his feet.

“C’mon old man Rom. I’ll explain once we get out.” Rudeus softly spoke.

“Hmm? Oh, sure. Thanks again, boy.” Rom replied, scratching the back of his head.

With the boy leading the man out the grand doors of the castle, everyone’s eyes continued to follow until the pair left the halls, and their steps echoed no longer. However, only three pairs of eyes continued to scowl at the back of the boy who was no longer there.

The creaking sounds of the Roswaal’s fists were missed by all.

“So… not this time.” He murmured.

Chapter 8: Chapter 7

Chapter Text

"So, that's what happened."

About half an hour had passed since the two arrived at a small conference room inside the castle. After the failed assault Rom had pulled, Rudeus was responsible for escorting the criminal, now an official camp member, out and safe. After leaving the main hall, he guided Rom to a small side room for quick conferences. The maids working there looked surprised at their entrance. They weren't informed of a meeting scheduled at this time. But as they approached to ask, they noticed the white-robed uniform Rudeus was wearing and cleared the room. The uniform, while not specifically official knightly garb, looked the part—enough for the maids not to question his authority. They returned to serve some tea and promptly left the two alone.

"That was… stupid of me, wasn't it?" Rom replied, sighing.

"It can't be helped, can it? You haven't seen her in what, two months now? Anybody would get desperate at that point. You didn't do anything wrong. If anything, it was my fault for not checking up on you sooner." Rudeus replied.

During the two months Rudeus spent at the mansion, he could have asked to visit the capital to check up on the people who helped him on his last day. It wasn't like he never thought of it before, but he never asked Emilia or Roswaal.

'Now that I think about it, why did I never bring it up for the past two months? It's not like Emilia is a slave driver working me to the ground. Sure, I was busy, but outside the first week, it was never hectic enough never to bring it up.'

Rubbing his cheek, he thought about why he had never visited.

But no matter how much he thought, he couldn't come up with anything.

"Well, even if you say so. Well, anyway, thanks again. These old bones wouldn't have stood a chance alone there." Rom muttered.

Lowing his gaze down to the floor, Rom meekly thanked the magician once more.

It seemed he could only be more indebted to the young boy.

"Excuse me." A voice called beyond the door.

With a quick gait and elegant gestures, an Imperial knight with purple hair entered the meeting room. He scanned the room without losing haste and immediately locked eyes with Rudeus.

And in turn, the boy stood from his chair and greeted the knight approaching him.

"Ah, Julius-san, is the meeting over?" He asked amiably.

It had been nearly an hour since they left the Royal summoning. Rom and Rudeus had just spent the time with small talk. About Rom's current life after his loot house was destroyed, he'd spent the past week in a small hut near a small pond. The nights had been quite chilly, but after the small renovations Rudeus did, the shed held up much better during the cold nights.

But small talk had its weak points. No matter how interesting the people were, talking about nothing for an hour straight had challenges, and Rudeus was getting bored of waiting.

So, when Julius finally interrupted, he was more than happy to return to work and join Emilia.

"No, but it is almost over now. I have excused myself early to discuss something. Would you mind joining me?" Julius politely asked.

His call was calm and tempered, and he asked out with no hidden agenda behind his voice. However, his voice didn't portray friendliness either. Though his voice was kind, his eyes were on a mission, and they never left Rudeus' sight.

"Ummm, sure," Rudeus replied in kind.

But before he followed Julius out the door, he turned back at the giant still enjoying his warm tea.

"I guess this is goodbye, Old Man Rom. I'll let Felt know you're here."

With those parting words, Rudeus quickly followed Julius out of the hall as he guided the young mage to the conference room next door.

As Rudeus entered the room, Julius quickly closed the door behind him and faced the young man in front of him. Julius could not speak and act freely with a third party to see or listen. He was the Knight of knights, after all. He was still in this room, but with just the two, he could relax a bit.

"How has our… guest behaving?" Julius inquired.

"Old man Rom has been behaving, Julius-san. Once I explained what happened, he was content with waiting for Felt… Felt-sama. By the way, will he really be exempt from any punishment? His actions can't be overlooked, but Rom must have desperately sought his surrogate daughter." Rudeus replied.

His last sentences quieted as they left the mage's mouth. Rudeus wanted to believe that a parent's dedication to their family was unbreakable. Sure, there were odd cases of dysfunctional families with abusive parents or unruly children. But from the depth of his heart, he felt the two had a much deeper bond than it seemed.

Because the latter was something he was far too familiar with.

"That is not something to worry about. So long as Felt-sama wishes it, no one will dare try to harm a Royal Candidate's Family." Julius sighed.

He stepped forward and inched closer to a Rudeus across the room.

"Besides, they would have to pass Reinhard first." Julius reaffirmed.

And that acted to calm Rudeus' words. He had worked first to defend a friend in need. But now that he could picture Reinhard in his stead, all his worries washed away like mid-day rain.

"Though, I must ask something of you. That is why I've come here." Julius continued.

"Oh, um, of course, please go ahead." Rudeus readily replied.

"It is a simple manner. But did you expect such a development? I noticed from the corner of my eye you had already prepared to act seconds before the smoke began to rise." Julius questioned.

Rudeus swallowed hard at the question. Was it really safe to admit he was from another world? As far as he knew, he and Al were the only people from Japan, and no one else seemed to know Al was from another world. Roswaal and Emilia were lenient enough to let it slide, but would the Lugunican government do so too? Actually, did any of the people he met so far even believe him? Even if they did, could he explain that a mythical loli Demon lord gave him a magical eye for lending lunch?

'That sounds way too ridiculous to take seriously… Does this world even view Demons well? They clearly don't take kindly to the Elves.'

"Well, I knew Rom was looking for Felt-sama beforehand, but I didn't know he would show up today… I think I was just on edge once the nobles started heckling." Rudeus unsteadily replied.

He didn't feel he could simply lie about the situation, so an answer of half-truths was given instead. While he "knew" an attraction would happen seconds before it did, it was also true he had no clue Rom would show up before the start of the Royal summoning.

And that answer seemed to satisfy Julius' question as he nodded and whispered, "I see." to himself.

"Yes, I recall you were quite stressed when the nobles started their blatant hate towards the candidates. You looked like you wished to act yourself, yet constantly stopped yourself like a lid over some boiling soup. Was this by design? Was your camp's introduction ruined by the sudden intrusion?" Julius questioned once more.

"Our.. design?" Rudeus quietly questioned.

Sure, he had orders to not do anything. Emilia had been upset with his tendency to act first before thinking. So, Rudeus felt that for once, at a Royal summoning in front of the entire country's nobles, he should stick to Emilia's orders and nothing more.

But nothing indicated that a "plan" was set in place.

"Well, Emilia-sama did tell me to stay put. But I don't think there was a plan. At least, I wasn't informed of such." Rudeus replied.

'Wait, am I even supposed to talk about this stuff? Julius seems like a good enough person to not leak private conversations, but he is part of an opposing faction. Could this seemingly meaningless conversation be a probe to fish out some classification from me? Well, sucks for you, bud, because I know crap about our camp!"

"Stay… put?"

With an emphasis on his words, Julius questioned Rudeus at his seemingly ordinary answer.

"Yes, that's correct," Rudeus answered, utterly unaware of the change in Julius' tone.

He just nodded happily since he had no worries about leaking classified information.

At his answer, something changed. Julius was no longer his relaxed self. With his arms crossed, eyes twitching, and his gaze slightly pointed downwards, the tension in the air sharply rose.

"It's not my business to understand the inner clockwork of opposing factions… But in other words, You chose to stay put but defended that man without a moment's thought." Julius questioned.

"Um, I think so… I guess I could have followed orders if Rom hadn't made a scene," Rudeus replied, timidly scratching his head.

This settled it. What might have initially seemed like a minor misunderstanding was now unmistakably clear, affirmed by Rudeus's recent response. The Rudeus he had come to know was an inherently honest man, one who could not abide injustice. While he displayed a momentary lapse of understanding, he swiftly acted to educate himself and rectify his mistakes. In just one day, he could observe a stark contrast between the Rudeus he initially met and the one before him now. Regardless of his prior experiences in high society, Rudeus had demonstrated a sincere and commendable effort to grasp and embody Lugunican civility. As a mentor to the young, inexperienced knight and the catalyst that had set his course towards self-improvement, he couldn't help but feel genuine pride at witnessing this transformation.

With a low growl, he squinted his eyes harder at the confused Rudeus before him, catching on that something was not right.

"I shall only say this once. I am an outsider, after all. If my words seem meaningless, then freely forget what I ask."

Taking another step forward, Julius elaborated.

"Rudeus, In just a few short days, you have learned the Lugunican etiquette and acted properly without a hitch. Just now, you had risked your own life for a criminal, fully knowing its consequences. That is the sign of good character."

Amidst the unexpected praise, which starkly contrasted with the room's prevailing ambiance, Rudeus pondered the conversation's direction. While the premature acknowledgment from the self-proclaimed Knight of knights was undoubtedly gratifying, an inexplicable hollowness lingered within him.

'If he says so, I guess it's true?' He thought to himself, lightly nodding as Julius went on.

'Though, I have no clue where this is going. Besides, is that really even praiseworthy? Acting for nobility was never an issue. Really, since the knights had their designated spot away from the nobles, and the knights around me were thankfully acquainted, I didn't feel like I had to work too hard.'

"But, do you not see the contradiction here? You would throw your life yet refuse to act in your master's stead?" Julius continued his eyes now sharper than ever.

"Huh?" Rudeus hummed.

He couldn't help but let out his confusion. When had the starting praise turned into direct criticism? But more importantly, was Julius admonishing him for defending Rom's life today?

'That doesn't sound right. If that's the case, then I can't agree with Julius' point here. Even if it were just a short while, I knew of Rom and his situation. If I had decided to live seriously, I could have never ignored the old man getting cut down in front of me. There's no way saving him was a bad decision!'

"What is that? Are you saying I shouldn't have saved him?" Rudeus swiftly replied.

Until now, Rudeus had made sure to speak politely and agreeably. It was one of the most essential parts of "noble talk." Even if the speaker was despicable, shouting nonsense and insults, the political battles were won in preparation, not by engaging in needless babble. If Rudeus disagreed with a particular individual, the goal would be to leave and avoid the man for the day, corner him outside their mingle, and not argue and escalate at the scene.

But what Julius had implied, or Rudeus' interpretation, was simply something he couldn't ignore. It scored directly opposite of his current objective of living. Rudeus had no reason to further listen to this conversation if he was here to admonish his earnest living.

"No, Rudeus, that's not the message I intended to convey. What you did today, though it may have appeared reckless, was the act of a virtuous man. The individual, a family member of Felt-sama, may have a criminal background, but there's no indication of ill intent toward the candidates. Without your quick intervention, he might have suffered severe harm in the heat of the moment." Julius quickly replied, defusing the misunderstanding.

"Huh? Then why?" Rudeus questioned back, his animosity towards the knight calming.

"It is your inaction I chastise. No matter how you look, as the Royal Knight, no… not even as an average knight in training, you would have all right to speak up and admonish the noble's derision. And trust me when I say I fully believe you could have done so promptly without directly offending anyone involved. As Emilia-sama descended the stairs, I could see how stressed and fidgety you were from the corner of my eye. It was as if you wanted to act yet kept your actions tethered like a heavy lid on a boiling pot of water." Julius replied.

After Julius's recent remarks, Rudeus started to regain his composure. It became evident that he had momentarily misconstrued the situation. His swift response to aid Rom wasn't the point of contention; Julius had praised him for his timely intervention. Emilia's subsequent, explicit orders truly grated on Rudeus's nerves.

And as Rudeus continued to think the issue through, he couldn't quite grasp why it had brought such a reaction from the Knight of Knights.

'I mean, that was just because of my occupation, right? It wouldn't make sense for a knight earnestly working for his liege to disobey her. Yeah, I don't think that necessarily makes me wrong for not talking up. Besides, Julius handled the issue himself! I don't think any input from me would have helped.'

"But, that's because Emilia…-sama said so, right? It would have been out of line for me to step up since she said so," Rudeus replied.

And without skipping a beat, Julius immediately responded with his own counter.

"That is why it is a contradiction. What your liege meant by "staying put" is something you must talk with her yourself. But I do not believe your actions followed those directives."

Taking a quick sigh to indicate a long-winded answer, Julius paused to breathe and continued his talk.

"Listen, Rudeus. If you intended to honor your master's orders and remain obedient, abandoning that path to save that man made little sense. You consciously endured the noble's derogatory insults, even when the rest of the Imperial Knights took action. Yet, in contrast, you risked your life and the reputation and standing of your camp in the selection process to rescue a criminal. In essence, you defied your liege's commands for the sake of another, jeopardizing her credibility in the Royal selection. How can this be seen as anything but contradictory? If your moral compass guided you, you would have acted promptly in both cases. By doing neither, you have chosen neither loyalty nor morality, but rather a self-serving path instead." Julius then concluded.

"With that in mind, can you truly claim to support your liege at all?"

Unbeknownst to himself, Rudeus found his teeth chattering uncontrollably. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't quell the trembling of his clenched fist. While he managed to conceal much of the distress and shock that Julius's admonishment had triggered, a flicker of vulnerability briefly crossed his face. Nevertheless, he maintained a semblance of a poker face amid it all.

Yet, the Knight of Knights' words struck a deep chord within him, like losing vital pins to a computer's CPU or a damaged charging port. It was enough to disrupt the foundation of his being, though still functional enough to eke out a few more days of use.

And at that, Rudeus just couldn't find himself to reply to what the knight had said to him.

'This is… just like that Priscilla bitch… I think she said something similar, but that can't be right… right? What's wrong with me? The answer is so simple. It's just right there. This is how living seriously is supposed to be, but why can't I say anything back?'

Rudeus continued to seeth in place, unable to speak back to the purple knight before him. He looked away, unable to look Julius in the eye, just like a student educated by a well-meaning but angry teacher.

And Julius fully understood the contents of those eyes.

"Rudeus," Julius called out.

The Knight of Knights considered the mage before him in high regard. He expected the best of everyone, pursued to be the best possible version of himself, and encouraged his colleagues to do the same. It is this quality that granted him the title. He was a knight following direct chivalrous standards and encouraging everyone around him to act and perform better. A model for all the knights to follow.

"It is fine if you cannot answer me today. But you must continue to search and understand today's actions." Julius continued, speaking much more softly than before.

After that, he swiftly turned around and opened the conference room's doors to leave. But before leaving, he turned around the eye of the mage once more.

"Think hard. Return to your core and understand why. Why have you become a knight? Why have you chosen this path?"

With those final words, Julius left the young man to his own and returned to the main hall to continue with the Royal summoning's proceedings.

"So… that's the plan. I hope you understand, Rudeus." Emilia quietly spoke.

Several more hours had elapsed, and the Emilia camp had returned to the Crusch camp. The journey in the carriage had been marked by an eerie silence, with the camp members hardly exchanging words. Emilia wore an inscrutable expression, her face a mask of stillness. Roswaal, usually brimming with joyful smiles, had been noticeably subdued. As for Rudeus, he couldn't shake the Knight of Knights' words from his mind, like an unrelenting refrain playing in the background.

After the quiet and tranquil journey, against the backdrop of a gloomy sunset, Emilia issued her new orders to Rudeus: He was to remain at the mansion under the protective care of duch*ess Crusch and a doctor. Remarkably, even before the Royal summoning, Roswaal had planned this a week following the Wolgram invasion. During that time, he had sent several letters into the world, cashing in on old favors.

"Yes… Emilia-sama….” Rudeus weakly replied.

It wasn't solely the lingering echoes of Julius's words that held him back. Despite his internal struggle to commit to living seriously, his hesitation was more profoundly rooted in Emilia's unusually subdued demeanor. While Julius's counsel to 'talk' about the situation did cross his mind, Rudeus couldn't shake the feeling that now was not the opportune moment for such a conversation. Emilia and Roswaal had pressing matters, including overseeing other settlements in Roswaal's territory. Roswaal had even planned to extend an invitation to Emilia for an outing. With solemn farewells, the two nobles departed, leaving their knight and maid behind without looking back.

"Puck. Are you sure I did the right thing?" Emilia's quiet voice echoed from inside the carriage.

As the ambient mana condensed in front of the white-haired girl, the mythical magic floating cat named Puck manifested with a ping, greeting the girl with a smile as always.

"Lia, don't worry about it. It's only natural to grow suspicious of him, after all." Puck nonchalantly replied.

Making a coy smile, the floating puffball circled his daughter three times before comfortably resting on her left shoulder. As the day had already set, Puck wasn't necessarily required to answer, but he had some fuel in the tank since he wasn't summoned once during the day.

In fact, if he was free to do so, he would have no problem tearing down the capital the moment those nobles started insulting the girl for her heritage. Emilia alone tightly held him back and gracefully saved them from his wrath.

Though, he would have no trouble remembering their faces and voices.

"But, shouldn't we have talked to him? You can't know what people think if you don't talk to them, right? I don't think Rudeus lied to me." Emilia whispered back.

"Lia, people can talk but never back it up. To trust people, you should see their actions, not listen to their words. Rudeus might have said he supported you that day, but look what he did today! He did nothing against some bad-mouthed nobles. How could you say he truly supported you?" The cat smugly replied back.

Emilia couldn't find the courage to talk back at her father's words. Though what he said might not have been wrong, her studies taught her never to take scenarios at face value. She read that a leader or great king must always learn to understand the circ*mstances and edge cases. Good people could perform momentarily evil acts, and bad people could do great deeds.

Of course, the naive girl didn't fully comprehend the message, but still at least understood she should listen to the accused before trial.

"Ma- maybe Rudeus didn't feel too well? Or maybe he was scared, too! It would only be normal to be really scared in front of so many knights and nobles. And I told him to stay put before, so maybe he was hesitant and only acted later! Right up-," Emilia desperately replied before getting cut off.

The idea that that wonderful boy's words on that beautiful day were all lies just wasn't something she could comprehend. No, it was more something that couldn't be true! It was the first time someone had truly believed and supported her, and he was her first friend as far as she could remember.

She couldn't accept that it was all just a fake.

But, the flying cat shot down all and any thoughts she could continue.

"Lia." Puck adamantly called out, quieting his daughter's words with her tail to her mouth.

He took a deep sigh before facing the girl once more.

"Emilia, think about it. If Rudeus was truly afraid of the knights, he wouldn't have risked himself to protect that old man. It's not that he feared them; he just didn't have complete faith in your ability to defend yourself because he knows the truth. Rudeus, he's a deceitful, promise-breaking individual. Remember his promise to protect you no matter what? Yet, when the moment came, he chose to protect his friend, right?" Puck turned to Emilia, his voice carrying a hint of persuasion.

Puck took painstaking care to emphasize the word' friend.' Emilia, who had yearned for friendship like a desert craved rain, instantly grasped the dreadful implication behind her father's words.

The realization struck her like a sledgehammer wielded with the force of a crashing car. Her throat constricted as anxiety surged within her, her knuckles turning white from the intensity of her clenched fists. The rhythmic roll of the carriage, the Earth Dragon's thunderous steps, and the whooshing air outside all began to blur into an indistinct hum as her gaze lost focus.

Only the harsh rasp of her breathing reached her ears in this disorienting silence. She tried to form words to express the turmoil inside her, but her voice seemed trapped in her throat, leaving her in an anguished, isolated silence.

"So… I'm not Rudeus'... friend?" She meekly asked.

With a satisfied grin, the magic cat nodded at her words.

"Mh-hmm!" The cat mumbled.

"So, you shouldn't worry about him now, Lia. You must have been tired after everything today. Why don't you take a nap? I'll wake you up when we arrive." Puck replied.

As if in perfect synchrony, Emilia let out a weary sigh. She had remained composed and continued her dealings with the nobles even after Rudeus had escorted Old Man Rom out of the lobby. Though Julius and the Imperial Knight's vigilant gazes had dissuaded any direct confrontations, Emilia couldn't shake off the sensation of their piercing glares, intensifying her already heightened sensitivity to her appearance. Her constant judgmental scrutiny fueled a deep-seated unease, causing her to perceive her distinctive white hair and elegantly pointed ears as glaring markers of her otherness. These things set her apart and made her feel less than.

Add the hours of rigorous preparation leading up to the meeting and the ceaseless anxiety that had plagued her for days. It was only natural that fatigue had taken its toll.

"All right, Puck." Emilia quietly and sadly replied back.

"Yep! And don't worry, Lia, I'll never betray you. I'll always be by your side." Puck happily replied.

Her eyes drooped, and her father's familiar, comforting words washed over her like a soothing lullaby. In Emilia's eyes, there was no one else to trust in this daunting world but her father figure. From the moment she awoke, disoriented and vulnerable in the cursed forest, she had always had her unwavering trust in her steadfast, father-like spirit, Puck. Through thick and thin, in the face of all challenges, Emilia clung to the steadfast belief that as long as her contracted spirit, Puck, remained by her side, she could conquer any obstacle this world presented.

Within seconds, the tired Royal candidate fell peacefully, devoid of all dreams and nightmares.

And from the corner of the carriage, the spirit in question continued.

"...For this world is unworthy of one such as you."

The words sounded uncharacteristically eerie coming from the half-elf's father. His last words echoed through the night, with nobody but Puck to hear them.

"No, stop! I can't take it anymore!" Rudeus yelled.

Covered in sweat and tangled in blankets, the half-naked mage was besieged by an intense, bizarre sensation from within. With each new development, he squirmed and wriggled, struggling to deal with the surreal situation.

"Aw, where did your bravado go, buddy? It's just a friendly massage!" Felix exclaimed with glee.

And there, the mystery was unveiled. Atop the flustered mage was none other than Felix, the now confirmed cat boy, skillfully massaging every inch of his body. The sensation felt strange, following Felix's rhythmic movements and Rudeus's exaggerated reactions.

"Oh, goodness, I can't keep this up much longer! I'm at my wit's end!" Rudeus moaned.

Felix chuckled, "Well, we're just getting started! Hold on tight because we're in for quite the massage, buddy!"

At that moment, an even stranger sensation entered the mix, causing Rudeus to flail and lose all composure.

“AALlLIliiIIiIEEeEEEeeE–”

And his cries echoed throughout the night.

"Really? That's what happened?"

"Yes! Can you believe it? How was I supposed to know his treatment methods would be so sad*stic!"

Rudeus finished as he took another large gulp of Lugunican mead. With a loud slam, he completed his drink and called for another, clearly too drunk to realize what was happening.

It had been approximately 14 hours since the ordeal late last night. Part of the agreement between Roswaal and Crusch was to house and treat Rudeus for his numerous Wolgram curses hindering his magic capabilities. The doctor chosen for this task was Felix Argyle, also known as Blue, for his exceptional talent with water magic and healing.

A detailed seven-day treatment plan was decided after a careful examination from head to toe. While the recommended path would have been much longer, hovering around eight to ten months of weekly checkups, with the start of the Royal Candidacy, they decided to rush the treatment as quickly as possible.

And that decision led to this predicament.

"Rudeus-kyun's really weird~nya. There's no way those curses could remain this long. Neither could you even stand, let alone live. You really are a weirdo~" Felix's cheerful voice echoed in Rudeus' mind.

After his so-called "treatment," the man was left sweating from every orifice, just inches away from passing out. Despite his body being physically okay, the treatment had improved his mental health. He slept through breakfast and lunch, waking up an hour ago when a visitor came looking for the man.

"Apparently, without a gate to latch onto, the curses bound my entire body's natural metabolism, hindering my mana supply. The ties are too strong to undo, so he used brute force to tear the bonds together." Rudeus slurred, taking another shot down his burning throat.

"And that must be…"

"Yep, Painful," Rueus replied.

"You must be going through a lot, eh? Well, that's all good. Drinks on me, bud." Al replied as he patted Rudeus' sullen back softly.

It wasn't common for Al to find himself in the role of comforter, nor was it his preference to spend his day in such a manner. Nevertheless, as he observed his newly isekai'd brother, he couldn't help but empathize with the challenges of starting anew in a different world. Opportunities for a fresh start were scarce, and embarking on a journey in a foreign realm carried its own trials.

Despite his reservations, Al genuinely desired to assist and guide his brother through the complexities of Lugunica. If he could make this transition smoother, even in the smallest of ways, he was determined to do so.

"Uh, you're such a good friend… Al…” Rudeus drunkenly replied.

"Yeah… cheer up, bud. You gotta be strong, ya know? This world ain't easy to live in. You still got what, another week of this to go?" Al asked.

With an exaggerated, theatrical sigh, the mage sitting across from him gazed at his newly filled mug of mead. He stared down at the golden swirl as if he were having an intense conversation with it, nodding and frowning as if it held all the secrets of the universe. As his friend remained utterly unresponsive to his words, Al shook his shoulders and theatrically pointed at Rudeus, telling him to cast another spell to sober himself up. Rudeus, oblivious to the fact that this was the third time he'd cast the same spell on himself, complied with a mischievous grin as if he were participating in a magical drinking game.

"Damm. I get you're in a bit of a pickle, but you really can't handle alcohol, can you? I know I'm the one who brought you here, but you should pace yourself, really." Al commented as he sighed at Rudeus' impromptu behavior.

"Ehhh, just cut me some slack today, okay? This is my usual way of coping with these things..." Rudeus slurred, not quite fully awake from alcohol poisoning.

With his last words out, he took another glug from his mead, Al following suit, accepting the way Rudeus was. No amount of sighing is going to get their conversation going.

So, Al, what's the big idea here? We've gotten pretty cozy, but I don't remember signing up for a drinking buddy so quickly. What's your game?" Rudeus slurred, giving Al a comically exaggerated glare as he accused him.

While his open hostility was clear to notice, his completely intoxicated speech and manner made it impossible to take it seriously. Al just softly chuckled as he scratched his cheek. Well, what would have been his cheek had his helmet been off.

"Not so bright, huh? I guess that explains how lightweight you are. No angle here, bud. Just wanted to get to know you. As I said, few people survive coming from beyond the Great Waterfall." Al replied.

"Great Waterfall? Like Viagra? What the heck are you talking about?" Rudeus slurred his words, slinking into a drunken jumble.

"Ha! From Japan? You're in luck! I'm what they call... an isekai protagonist! Well, not exactly. I mean, I'm not really from Japan... Or, well, that's not entirely true either," Rudeus replied with a tipsy, befuddled expression, his voice trailing off as he continued.

If his previous cheek scratch resulted from his meek response to Rudeus' hilarious drunk behavior, it had now transformed into utter bewilderment. As one finger grew to two, the pair couldn't help but scratch the side of the metal helmet, though their efforts were far from strong enough to leave a permanent mark.

He did treasure the thing, after all.

“Um Earth- no Lugunica to Rudeus. You might want to speak human?" Al called out.

"Eh? Manushya Bhasha? Aise? (Eh? Human Language? Like this?)" Rudeus replied in the Human tongue language.

"Ha, you really have a sense of humor, don't you? You know, I'm something of a linguist myself. But instead of using my mouth, I prefer to let my hands do the talking," Al calmly replied, his expression concealed by his helmet.

Even with his drunken stupor, Rudeus could tell his poor joke was as bad as it seemed. Straightening his back, he continued talking about how he was reincarnated and later transported to another world.

It took about an hour for Rudeus to recount his life so far. He'd skipped over a few embarrassing events, carefully selecting stories that cast him in a favorable light. He almost slipped up when he had to explain why he explored the Northern regions alone. Al seemed to accept his explanation for Eris' injury without pressing further.

"So, let me get this straight. You died in Japan, reincarnated in a new world with your memories and will intact, used that to your advantage to farm your magic attribute, explored the world facing great and small foes alike, then one day ended up here in Lugunica?" Al suspiciously questioned, recounting the brief tale Rudeus had given him.

And with a satisfied grin that his listener had closely picked up every detail, Rudeus gleamed back proud as ever.

"Man, that's just cheating! I had to work tooth and nail for the past…. however, many years just to be a decent fighter. And look at you getting all the cool stuff since birth. Man, you're making me jelly…" Al complained.

And with an uncharacteristic smile, Rudeus teased the poor one-handed knight, saying, "Sucks to be you!". This was very out of character for Rudeus, who usually kept to himself and preferred to be aggressively polite. But knowing that his conversation partner was another otaku that got transported to another world, he felt at home. The alcohol probably helped, but the thought of other worlds and reincarnation was too ridiculous to have a severe conversation about, at least to these two Japanese ex-hikkimori's heads deep into the world of light novels and anime.

"Well, that does bring up the question… You said you died in 20xx and lived in the other world for 15 years, and now here… right?" Al questioned, recounting the minor detail that struck him.

"Hmm? I remember reading some visual novel that just came out that year. It's been a while, but I'm sure that's the year I died." Rudeus replied, now sobering up from the mountain of mead he'd consumed.

Under his masked helmet, Al could only frown at the news. Though Rudeus could not see behind the mask, Al couldn't help but let out a stare.

"Here's the thing. I'm also from 20xx, but I've been here for more than 20 years now." Al monotonously spoke.

"Eh? If that's the case, where did my five years go?" Rudeus asked, just confused as to where this conversation was going.

"Five years missing…" Al quietly muttered, just barely audible to Rudeus.

"Yep! A Whopping five years! But who cares! Time travel? Broken causality? Is the future becoming the past? We've been transported to another world, and I was reincarnated! Who cares what this reality is actually capable of! Nothing surprises me at this point!" Rudeus shouted, his drunkenness somehow returning.

As he finished his final mug of mead, slamming it onto the table, he suddenly became aware of Al's reaction to the information.

"Uh, Al? You okay there?" Rudeus asked, his voice tinged with confusion as he returned to a slightly more sober state of mind.

The air around him seemed to vibrate with a potent energy that everyone in the room could feel. The previously loud and boisterous patrons fell silent, their eyes transfixed on the helmeted figure. His scowl of annoyance from earlier was nothing compared to the intense aggression he now radiated. Despite his face being hidden by a helmet, it was clear that he was prepared to lash out at any moment.

With his drinking buddy suddenly on alert, Rudes had to react.

Activating his Eye of Foresight, his stare fixated on the exit. Ten meters stood in between them and the exit. Quagmire was out of the equation with the wooden floors. If they had to run, they'd have to ignore any pursuers until they reached solid stone ground.

As the sluggish, booze-soaked cogs in his mind continued their lethargic rotation, an astonishingly mundane comment from Al effortlessly deflated any lingering tension in the room.

"Eh, neat!" Was all he said, completely dispelling the ice-cold tension.

"That's it? I thought you were gearing up for a showdown, Al," Rudeus asked, his tone tinged with disappointment and a mix of half-assured relief that he didn't need to resort to magic.

Today, it appeared that his bouts of drunkenness had taken control more frequently than usual.

"I don't know what came over me. It felt oddly significant, to the point where I was ready to take a life, but you're right. We've encountered all sorts of bizarre stuff that the world has thrown at us. A bit of time nonsense isn't worth getting too worked up about," Al replied nonchalantly.

'Well, that's all fine. But with how things are…'

"Hey, what's with that face? C'mon, let's have another drink." Al continued.

"That's all fine with me, but we might want to switch bars," Rudeus whispered.

He subtly pointed toward the other patrons, who were visibly bothered and on high alert in the wake of Al's earlier provocation. And worse, they were all staring at the two, wordlessly telling them to leave.

"Oh. Huh, I know a bar. Let's get out of here." Al admitted.

"So... anyone you fancy?" Al asked.

Within the new bar specifically made for mercenaries and the like, the two "Japanese" duo continued their drinks. With the change in environment, one that better suits cruder and raw conversations of the local ruffians.

When the two entered the bar, a triplet of hoodlums swiftly left. The three had clearly lost their cool, as droplets of sweat beaded down their face, and their skin went cold white when the biggest lanky locked eyes with Rudeus.

"Huh," Rudeus mumbled, not taking notice of the triplets running out of the bar.

"Hmm? What's up with that question? That came out of nowhere," Rudeus replied.

"Not much to talk about, ya know. Besides, isn't this kind of what every Otaku wishes happened to them? You're living the life many others would die for," Al replied, ordering two jugs of cheap beer to enjoy.

"Well, other than that... Eris girl..." Al carefully added.

Despite his efforts to not notice the sudden change in her story, even he could tell something wasn't right with him and the girl. No reason to pry further for unfulfilled love. He had enough experience himself to understand.

"Ehhh. You already know Emilia. She’s quite the beauty, you can’t deny that, but with how social standings are… Besides her, the maids are pretty cute, especially the blue on- err, Rem. She's pretty... Uh, substantial." Rudeus replied, taking a swig from his jug.

"So, you like blue heads? Or are you just hungering for some bust?" Al jokingly asked.

"You... you make it sound scandalous, Al. I'll let you know, I'm a stout bachelor, following the teachings of my master."

"Hey, now. Don't be like that. What's wrong with admiring beautiful things people worked hard on? It would help if you were honest with what you like. You'll never be happy if you keep lying for appearances, ya know," Al calmly replied.

"Besides, you already got your wizard powers," Al added.

"Well, if you put it that way, I do like some nice knockers..."

'But I don't think that's all to it though... Master Roxy wasn't too endowed, and she was the first person that came to mind after my treatment with Elise.'

Tapping Rudeus' back with a slap, Al shouted happily as ever. "See? Isn't it so much better to be honest with yourself?" He asked as he drained another glug of booze down his throat.

"You know, that's what's wrong with your generation. You should be honest with your preference and love who you like, not all that "true love" sh*t. That ain't real. It's all fake," he cracked on without care to Rudeus' annoyed stare.

"But hey, living with beautiful maids every day. That sounds nice. For me, it's just the random servants and a little brother with us," Al commented as he put down the near-empty jug of beer.

"Eh, not really. I get along well enough with one of them, but Rem doesn't like me. I don't know why, but she seems on edge and gives me the cold shoulder. And I'm pretty sure I'm inconspicuous when I cop a look from time to time," Rudeus readily confessed his sins.

"Hey, hey. Don't be like that. You should be happy you get to be close enough for a peek. Princess would kill me if I even tried," Al replied, as he cried out how unfair his master was.

"Hoh? Am I hearing that you don't have experience at all? With all that time in an Otaku's dream, I thought you'd be doing one over me. I mean, what have you been doing these past twenty years?" Rudeus deflected, not too comfortable being interrogated by the helmeted man.

"Hey, now. What's this? Do you think I'm some super virgin or something? I'd be embarrassed if that was the case. I mean, I've been here before you were even born!"

"And no, it's not the Princess. She's got looks, I give her that, especially those melons of hers, but I don't see her that way, nor would she see me that way," Al finished, sipping his beer.

"Well, you've been interrogating me so far. You mind spilling the beans then?" Rudeus asked.

Even with his two lives, Rudeus never had much chance to talk about love with a friend. The closest conversations he'd had on the topic were with Soldat, and they usually followed the same pattern. Soldat would get hooked up with some prostitute or adventurer, brag about his findings to Rudeus, experiment with some weird medicine he somehow found, and drink the night away when they see no results.

'With the change of talking partner, this is actually pretty fun to talk about. I can see why everyone else gossiped around now.'

"It's probably best to see her in person. I don't want to spread her around like some trophy without her permission," Al chuckled.

"Ehh? Chickening out already? You sure this person exists? Does she really go to another school?" Rudeus jokingly inquired.

Al let go of his mug on the table and mockingly banged his helmet's side. "I brought this on myself, didn't I?" He mumbled before turning back to Rudeus.

"Fine, fine, I'll tell. We met a while back, about.... two years or so ago? I was on a mission with Princess, and we randomly stumbled on each other. She needed some help getting to a nearby village, and I just happened to be going in the same direction."

'Ho! What a classical start to a romance story! The boy meets girl encounter!'

"This is getting exciting!" Rudeus mumbled as he vigorously drank more and more to Al's story.

"Well, turns out she was actually the cause of the issue, so it was pretty awkward having to fight her. Thankfully, I could wrap it up pretty nicely, so no harm done."

"That was quite the reveal, and I'm guessing the events there are camp classified info?"

"Yep, you do have a brain, after all!" Al joked, his beer mug now empty.

"So, what happened next! You can't stop there! What happened after? How did the enemies turned lovers story begin?"

"Well, after wrapping up the issue, she seemed to have nowhere else to go. And it wasn't really her fault either. So I asked her if she wanted to join me on a whim to join our camp, and she agreed. Surprisingly, the Princess took it well. It only took one try to convince her!" Al boasted, adding a strange accent to the "one try" phrase.

"We got to talking, working on missions here and there, and got together shortly after. I'd love to divulge more, but the rest is classified, so that's much I can tell you," Al finished, calling the bartender to refill his drink again.

At the somewhat disappointing ending, Rudeus grumbled a bit. He could understand camp secrets being kept, but concealing your personal life this much seemed suspicious. There was a lot of empty space in the story where the actual meat was. And having skipped all that content to end at the finish line wasn't great storytelling.

'It's as if the actual details of the story don't exist. What's up with that?'

"Ya know, that story was surprisingly disappointing for how long it took to tell," Rudeus replied with a sigh.

He took a swig of his cheap beer, all while Al shook both hands as if to gesture "The f*ck did I do?" to the mage.

"Is she a looker though?" Rudeus asked, entirely seriously.

"Oh, most definitely. She's quite the cutie. She wore some kind of knee-length pants with stockings. I don't know why, but that kind of adventuring clothes tickled me pink. Those pointy elf ears, too, are just too cute when they wiggle!" Al bosted, completely in the conversation about his partner.

"Elf ears? Is she an elf? Like Emilia?"

"Oh yeah, she is. Huh, that's right. That lady of yours might even know h-" Al replied but suddenly cut himself off.

"Ah, right," he mumbled, in a depressing tone contrasting his voice just seconds ago.

"Uhh, everything good there? You dropped your mug suddenly," Rudeus asked, not entirely understanding why Al's demeanor had suddenly changed.

"Oh, yeah, thanks. As I said, she's a half-elf, just like your lady. I don't think she'd know her, though. She's from a secluded village quite a ways from here. It's a bit complicated, but she's why I'm working with the Princess. I hope to finish this work and find a nice, quiet place to cozy up with her," Al continued.

"Well, that's pretty neat. Like you said, we are living the dream so many people wish they could have..." Rudeus simply replied.

'Well, I don't think anyone would wish to have erectile dysfunction, though.'

"A dream, huh," Al mumbled in response.

With an incoherent sigh, he downed the remaining booze from the dropped mug and asked for another. He ordered a set of fish sticks, too. He'd done enough talking. He'd be too sad to continue if he had to.

"Well, I'm not going to leave it at that. You're gonna have to spill the juice sooner or later," Al replied, with a hidden mischievous tone behind the metal helm.

"Eh," Rudeus mumbled before getting heckled by Al and booze to spill his beans.

"Then, she slapped me and threw away her dagger before me!"

The young mage Rudeus was crying his eyes out. Covering his sobbing eyes with his already-drenched cloak, he continued his story, freely telling Al about his issues with Eris, Sara and the reveal about his unfettering shogun of the night.

He had made a conscious effort to keep his condition under wraps. Still, in this unfamiliar setting, with the potent liquor coursing through him, he divulged secrets as freely as a gushing public fountain. The only solace he could find in sobriety was the knowledge that he hadn't disclosed any genuinely confidential information. Not that he was aware of any such secrets to begin with.

"Man... You must have h-h-had it rough, huh? What a cruel girl that Eris was, taking the bone of your sword like that,” Al replied, his lips quivering as he bit down on his tongue, desperately trying to stifle any laughter at the man's severe medical condition.

In his mind, he continued to express his gratitude to the one thing keeping the conversation possible. His helmet for blocking any and all discussions and muffled laughter daring to escape his throat. Without it, he doubted he could keep a straight face, and the sheer entertainment was so worth the trouble of dealing with the Sum Monarch.

“NO! It was… hic, it was mE~, not her!” He suddenly shouted, slamming his drink on the desk.

"Why... hiccup... why does everyone seem to have an express ticket out of my life? Am I the human version of a 'Welcome, Leave' doormat?" Rudeus continued, his wailing taking an oddly comedic and slurred twist.

With quilled breaths beneath the veiled steel wall, he patted the patient's back as if to comfort him and tried to have the conversation move on.

"Hey, hey. Don't be too down on yourself, bud. Sometimes, men just can't understand, ya know? It's like trying to decipher words in invisible ink, eh?" Al continued.

But as he continued, he couldn't resist letting out a few muffled snorts of laughter here and there. Thank goodness for alcohol, though! It all seemed to go right over the head of one particularly dense magician.

"You-you think so?" Rudeus' drunken stupor cried.

"Yeah, of course. Hey, try to look at the bright side! Maybe this is the universe's way of nudging you toward trying new flavors in life? Variety can be the spice of life, after all. You know, something fruity!" Al playfully hinted.

"Eh? Fruity? You mean I should f*ck plants? Is... is that even a thing?" Rudeus innocently asked.

And at that, Al just face-palmed his helmet. He forgot the critical detail that Rudeus was sh*tfaced drunk. He's so drunk that he's refusing to cast detoxification magic on himself now. With a quick sigh, he continued.

"No... I mean... You have a lot of cool guy friends, right? Maybe take them out? You never know, eh?"

'Huh? Wha' is he on 'bout now? Cool friends? He means the knights, right? The maids are beaut'ful girls, but my willy doesn't work, so they can't be it, and Roswaal... no, he ain't cool. He is the consonant of cool, in fact. So that leaves Reinhard, Julius, Felix, and Al?' Rudeus pondered, sloppily scratching his invisible beard.

'Take 'em out? Whaddya mean by that, Al? Take 'em out... Take 'em out... Take 'em out... Take 'em out? OHHHHHHH. You mean, 'Take 'em out!'' His thoughts continued, slurring even in his head, with the strength of the booze freezing his frontal lobe.

"Yo-you're jenius! Al!" He quickly replied.

"Huh? I don't know about the 'jenius' part, but yeah, you get it, right?" Al excitedly replied, foolishly thinking Rudeus had figured out what he really meant.

"Yeah! I sh-should go beat 'em up! Tha' should make me feel better! Though Reinhard would prob'ly win, an' Julius wouldn't like me if I did. But Felix! Yeah, I can beat tha' femboy to a pulp, even with my hindered mana! Yeah, my blood's pumpin' even jus' thinkin' 'bout it! His fake meows were startin' to piss me off anyways. Time for some sweet revenge! Ah!" Rudeus drunkenly slurred.

With a tipsy swagger, he staggered out of the tavern, his new battle cry echoing through the night: "DESTROY FELIX ARGYLE!" It was a mission fueled by booze, bravado, and a burning desire for feline vengeance.

After talking to the bartender to leave it on Prscilla's tab, Al swiftly followed Rudeus out of the tavern. Thank god they changed bars. With the place more suited to the roughens and mercenaries of Lugunica, the patrons were quite used to the sudden outbursts of the drunk. Some may have given some weird looks, but nobody acted to stop them.

After catching up to the soldier marching to his destination, Al wordlessly hooks his arm around his shoulder, helping Rudeus' unsteady legs.

"Eh? Al. Ah, You'join'in he- Achk!"

But instead of the friendly shoulder-to-shoulder walk, Al playfully tightened his arm around Rudeus's neck, giving him a noogie.

"That's not what I mean, you idiot!" Al exclaimed, his grip still firm around the drunkard's head.

With all his drunken might, Rudeus attempted to wriggle free from the hold but ended up flopping around like a fish out of water. Without mana infusion to bolster his strength, there was no way Rudeus could overpower the experienced fighter. After all, Al had spent the last 20 or so years mastering the art of combat.

His words became incoherent without a sufficient blood supply to his brain due to the chokehold. Under the calming evening sky, his vision blurred and faded to black as he finally felt relief from the playful pressure on his neck.

"Thanks for everything today, Al." Rudeus genuinely thanked Al, free of all his previous drunkenness.

Only a few minutes had passed since Rudeus woke up from his impromptu bedtime. Al had taken him to a nearby park, and the two sat side by side. Well, Al was the one sitting with Rudeus flung over on the grassy ground.

When he woke up, he could only make vague memories of what had happened, but Al helped to fill in the blanks after a quick detoxification spell.

He wasn't completely sober, mind you. The slight hindrance still lingered. The amount of booze he drank would have killed an average person without access to detoxification magic. But with the spell, he was more than enough to manage his bearings.

"What are friends for, huh? I'm not going to lie. This was pretty fun. You rarely get to talk about home here. How about we meet up again later. You mentioned a Visual novel you finished?" Al cheerfully questioned.

"Oh! Yeah! I almost forgot, you never got to finish <Witches on the Profane day>! Dude, that was an awesome read! I'll happily recount it for you next time." Rudeus excitedly replied.

Rudeus gleamed a bright smile, unaware of the hours of drunken crying. Women were one thing, but Otaku talks about their favorite franchises. It was clear which took priority.

And behind his helmet, Al himself couldn't hide his blush. Well, his helmet did hide it, just not himself.

"Well, see you around, Rudeus," Al said as he raised his fist toward Rudeus.

"Hoh!" Rudeus let out.

There was only one correct answer to Al's provocation.

Taking in the clear signs, Rudeus, too, readied his fist and immediately slammed his own right back at Al's. With a satisfying smack, the fist bump reached its conclusion. The two were now best friends.

"Ack-" Rudeus yelped.

An inexplicable and deeply unsettling sensation coursed through Rudeus's knuckles as their fists connected. It felt as though a sinister, obscure entity had made a fleeting connection with the core of his being, sending shivers from his hand to his heart and finally to his mind. In the blink of an eye, the discomfort disappeared, leaving behind a chilling residue of unease. Rudeus stared at his hand, haunted by the eerie encounter, and a foreboding uncertainty lingered in the depths of his thoughts.

"Did I hit a nerve?" Rudeus mumbled to himself, too confused about what happened to his body.

"YOOOO A FIST BUMP. HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE I DID THAT!" Al screamed, spinning around on one heel with unbridled excitement.

Al was so engrossed in the thrill of the fist bump that he might as well have been dancing with a lamp post for all he cared about, anything else.

With another spin, Al promptly left the mage alone, shouting, "Cya, mate," in an overly exaggerated tone, leaving Rudeus to question what the hell just happened to him?

"Oooh." Rudeus moaned.

As soon as he returned to Karsten's manner, Rudeus bathed to get rid of the stench of giggle water. After that, a quick supper was prepared, and he promptly returned to his room, ready for another round of torturous treatment.

"You lasted far longer tonight, nya~. Just a few more days, and you should be good as mew!" Felix happily spoke, ignoring the painful grunts from the mage on the bed.

The pain coursing through Rudeus's body was unlike anything he had ever experienced, and that was saying a lot for someone who had arguably died twice. These curses, bound to his very essence, felt like thin yet unyielding threads coiled around every inch of his being. To break them, one had to painstakingly unravel each knot.

The process would have been less excruciating if he possessed a gate like every other Lugunican. However, Rudeus's unique anatomy perplexed even Felix, a skilled healer. To Felix, each treatment session was akin to dissecting an alien, a curious and somewhat barbaric exploration of a remarkable specimen. He never let his personal curiosity interfere with his treatment. Still, if something piqued his interest and didn't compromise Rudeus's care, Felix had been known to indulge in some of his own fascination.

"You know, you're truly one of a kind! Even Ferris, normally skeptical about anything beyond the Great Waterfall, didn't believe someone like you existed. If the unthinkable ever happened and you passed away, would you mind if Ferris used your body for scientific study?" Felix asked, his curiosity shining through his innocent inquiry.

And upon hearing this, Rudeus reacted out of spite.

"NO! I am not your guinea pig!" He shouted, desperate from the invading hands of his future forensic pathologist.

"Tee, hee. I was only teasing, nya. But do consider it! Ferris will do his best to keep your dignity." Felix teased back, gesturing his hands as if to ward back accusations.

'I know Al didn't mean that, but I swear I will get back at this furry,' Rudeus thought.

But he could only sigh. Regardless of his feelings towards the man, Felix was helping him with his curses. With only his magic backing him up, he couldn't help but feel useless without his vast mana supply.

"But damn does it hurt. Are you sure this is the only way forward? Is there anything else you can do to help me out here?" Rudeus asked.

Taking his fingers to his lips and tilting his head as if pondering the possible solutions, Felix just shook his head at Rudeus' question.

"Not really. Without a gate to focus on, Ferris has to dig in and fix them one by one. If you had more time, Ferris could guarantee less pain, but Roswaal-sama explicitly requested to get this fixed as soon as possible! But, there could be one way to help~," He explained, his lips curled up and one hand rubbing his chin mischievously.

Without losing his mischievous grin, Felix delved into his uniform pocket. Although the pocket was small, his extravagant hand movements made it seem far deeper than it actually was. After tossing out random items like stones, nuts, candies, and coins, each producing a peculiar cat-like sound in the distance, he eventually retrieved something from within.

As the skies stretched above them, Felix's arms rose higher and higher, revealing the mysterious remedy for Rudeus' condition.

"Behold! Ferris' Boko Fruit, Nya!" Felix excitedly exclaimed.

In his hand was what looked like a dried Jujube. But the fruit was utterly black and much thinner than a typical Jujube.

"A Chinese date? What's that supposed to do?" Rudeus questioningly asked.

"Huh? Do you call these dates? Well, this is a dried Boko fruit! It forces your gate to open for instant mana relief for people like me! You don't have a gate, but the effects should be similar." Felix confidently exclaimed.

Taking the black and hard Boko fruit in hand, Rudeus realized how heavy the tiny thing was. Despite its diminutive size, it was much denser than the dates he was used to from Earth, and he had never seen such a plant during his travels or from the botanical guide from his childhood.

"So... is this supposed to help me?" Rudeus questioned, inspecting the so-called Boko fruit more closely as he spun the fruit in his hands.

"Yep! Just bite into it, and you should feel your mana surging in your body! Well, your curses will eat away at it like a pack of Wolgrams, but you'll feel better for a short while. At least that's what Ferris thinks, nya."

"What you think..." Rudeus questioned back.

His voice was filled with just indignation. Just moments ago, Felix remarked just how different his body was. "Was it really safe to take this?" Rudeus thought.

'Well, he is the doctor, after all. What's the worst that can happen.'

With that, Rudeus bit down on the Boko fruit, swallowing quickly as soon as it was manageable. Despite its familiarity with dates, it tasted completely different. The texture was like an old stale mochi. The sticky slime-like texture was unpleasant, to say the least. The taste itself was pretty decent. It was somewhat sweet at first. But after swallowing, the bits of dried skin clung to the insides of his throat, causing an extremely bitter aftertaste.

Suppressing the instinctive urge to throw up, he forced down the fruit in one gulp, compelling every inch of his insides to accept it. "Khhhak!" He coughed. Yet, as the fruit descended into his stomach, he choked violently on what felt like nothing. His chest constricted as if it were filling with water, and his limbs lost their strength instantly. His eyes rolled back, and he tumbled heavily onto the soft white bed he'd been seated on.

"Wha- Rudeus-kyun!" A feminine voice shrieked. But Rudeus was too far gone, his consciousness slipping away as darkness claimed him.

AN:

TLDR: Tell me what other platforms to upload this to. Should I write lemons? Should I write an Al prequel? Should I start a Patreon and open up my writing process? I'm also taking a bit of break to cook this arc to perfection!

Hey everyone! I hope you like chapter 7 of A Depressed Magician, Starting Life in Another World from zero!

This chapter is a doozy and is the official starting point of Arc 3! No more setup. We're now getting into the main story I wanted to tell with Rudeus in the Re Zero world.

That said, I'll take a short break to recoup and plan the rest of the story. When I started writing the first chapter of this fic, I never expected it to become this large so quickly. You may have noticed this from the sharp increase in quality. Chapter 1 was a retelling of Rezero arc 1 with Rudeus without the changes necessary to support the sudden change in the main characters. But now that I've gotten the time to flesh out and diverge from canon, you all will enjoy what is to come. I have nothing but my thanks to you all for helping me this way.

On a side note on thanking all, we hit 10k hits a few weeks ago. WHOOOOOOOO!
Thank you everyone for the support! I never imagined it would get this big! This is now the seventh most viewed fic in the Mushoku Tensei genre and the highest-rated one(kudos)! I only made it this far with y'all's support. So, once again.
Thank you!

As I said, there will be a longer wait between today and the next chapter. School is starting again, so I'd like to take some time to focus on the basics before stepping back on the Fan fiction scene. In addition, I'll also be working to get this fic published on other websites such as FF.net and maybe even Patreon(with extra goodies). I'll add a link.tree website to all the sites. You can view this if that ever happens. Please let me know if other FF sites could also take this fic.

As a side note, I have something to ask you all. Three things.

1. What are your thoughts on the fic going explicit? I'm not too intimate with lemons, but it's an area I can work on, no NTR or anything. If I do write lemons, it will strictly be comfy and wholesome, as most sex scenes should be.
2. How many of you guys played Re: Zero Lost in Memories game? A lot of the story and plots from the game had excellent potential but have yet to make it to the main timeline canon. I want to bring in some characters from the competition. If you are an expert on the characters and stories present in the game, please let me know. I'd love to have someone on board to talk to about this for future character arcs.
3. With the mysterious introduction of Al's partner and his shared adventurers, would anyone be interested in a side story about what happened? Think of them as the EX chapters of Re Zero.

As for the fic itself, I have a general outline around Arc 9 or 10 and a detailed plot line of 2/3 of Arc 3(current arc). The story will follow the general outline of Re Zero up until Arc 6. At Arc 7, a world-changing event will happen, and we will not be seeing Vollachia characters(at least not now) but instead something else. I'm planning the most ambitious Mushoku Tensei Fic ever written, or that's what my beta reader Quidopher tells me.

Only the general outline is available, so I hope it works out. I'm still not sure how it will work, haha.

Chapter 9: Chapter 8

Chapter Text

"Please, do not say that, Rudeus. As the master of the house and Felix's master, I must apologize for Felix's mistreatment of you," a strong and feminine voice resonated.

"No, no. It's alright, Crusch-sama. I don't think anyone could have expected that would happen," Rudeus readily replied, unable to accept her apology.

'How did things end up like this,' he thought.

When the mage awoke the next day, he found a tired and weary Felix desperately casting his healing magic on his sleeping body. Felix sighed in relief only after speaking, his head dropping onto the bed.

"Ferris is really sorry, Rudeus-kyun. I never knew the Boko fruit would do that, nya," Felix's muffled cries continued to echo in his mind.

The Boko fruit had successfully activated his natural body's mana supply. Had he had a gate to manage and lock down the overflowing energy inside, it would have been an excellent temporary boost to his magic.

However, Rudeus did not have a gate, and to make matters worse, those curses hindered his body’s natural ability to store mana. Without the top to regulate the pressure inside, it overflowed like a ruptured water balloon, expelling nearly every mana drop from his body.

As it turned out, Rudeus had been in a coma for the past 11 hours, showing no signs of waking up. And Felix, being the healer he was, had spent every minute of it by his bedside casting every healing spell. His sudden fainting was enough to make the doctor panic, but with parts of his hair also changing, Felix was thrown head over toe as he frantically tried to revive the still barely alive mage. By the time he woke, Felix had exhausted his mana supply, and a clump of Rudeus’ hair changed brilliant white. As puzzling as the change was, the other residents kept their questions to themselves out of consideration.

“Crusch-sama, please. I don't blame you or Felix for this. I know he can be a bit mischievous, but Felix didn't have any ill intentions and only thought to help me with my condition. It would help me if you could waive any punishments and continue to help me with my curses," he politely requested.

'I don't want to put him out of his job. Besides, I don't think this is much of a deal…'

Yet, despite the absolute panic from his doctor, Rudeus didn’t seem to take too much heed to his condition. Sure, he’d rather not die for a silly reason, but he managed to pull through. There wasn’t a point in dwelling on the past. It was better to work towards the future.

Or so he mused.

Felix was a dear friend to the Dutchess. She would personally vouch for the man's integrity. Despite his playful nature, Crusch never believed Felix would use his gift with malicious purposes in the guise of treatment. But that didn't change the fact that Rudeus nearly died from the treatment while under the protection of the Karsten family. If he had died, she would have nothing but apologies for the Mathers and Emilia, the two who personally asked for Rudeus' safety.

But moreover, how could the man be so calm? Was this really the words of a man who nearly died from medical malpractice? Was the man not afraid of death? Was this what Wilhelm meant by his eyes? The mystery only grew, and Crusch's sigh coincided with one of her servants reminding her of an earlier appointment. Whether she wanted to or not, this conversation would have to continue another day.

"You seem quite different today,' Wilhelm commented.

Rudeus stood up from his words only moments after being knocked down by the butler. He was panting heavily after another sparring session but still had the strength to move when his mind depended on it.

"Different? Does that mean I'm finally improving?" Rudeus excitedly asked in between heavy breaths.

Wilhelm sighed in reply, mumbling that wasn't what he meant.

Rudeus' excited expression frowned the instant, but he didn't let it bother him too much. He had yet to improve an inch after reaching intermediate rank with Ghislaine all those years ago. There was no reason to believe he’d suddenly improve now with Wilhelm. For now, all he could do was keep trying. At worst, his sparring with Wilhelm would at least sharpen his resolve and athleticism. You couldn’t live life seriously if you gave up.

‘Well, he isn’t talking about my hair. Everyone seems to pretend it's not there out of politeness.’

"What I mean are your eyes. They look calmer–as if a heavy weight has been dropped. Has the break from your treatment helped with your demeanor?" He asked.

After discussing with the Dutchess, Felix declared he'd take a break from the treatment and swiftly locked himself in his studies. He didn't leave until the next day. Nobody knew what happened in the study, but a few servants heard the frantic flipping of pages inside and some mild murmurs of confusion. He looked like he aged ten years when he finally came out but proudly proclaimed he'd start again with Rudeus' treatment. So whatever it was, it must have been worth it.

But that couldn't be why.

"I… don't quite get what you're saying. I guess I slept better yesterday, but I don't feel physically better," Rudeus pondered.

"Hmmm, is that so," Wilhelm murmured.

“Well, actually….” Rudeus said.

It seemed Wilhelm’s sharp sense had detected something. The eyes he saw were not the ones he saw when they first met. No, today, those eyes were the exact opposite. Free of malice or stress, his eyes were weightless and calm. Wilhelm didn’t realize something good had happened to the man recently. All he heard was the accident with Felix, but perhaps there was some good news in the boy’s life.

Taking a step closer, Wilhelm drew in as he anxiously awaited Rudeus.

“It’s not much, but whenever I talk to Crush-sama… my left kinda… twitches? I don’t know why, but whenever I’m with her…” Rudeus trailed until he stopped mentioning it altogether.

‘A certain Empress pops into my mind, but I can’t tell that to Crusch and Wilhelm!’

Picking up the wooden sword from the ground, Wilhelm stopped quietly, leaving the courtyard, showing no emotions to indicate his disappointment.

"Then perhaps we should postpone our sessions for some time," he murmured, indicating it was not a suggestion.

"Hmm? Well, if you say so," Rudeus replied, not noticing the hint of venom in Wilhelm's words.

He tried to follow Wilhelm as he dusted off the grass and dirt on his training outfit. Only to be interrupted by a sudden shout bursting with anxiety.

“Rudeus-sama!” The voice cried out.

It was the voice of Rem. No, it should have been her voice. It should have been instantly recognized by Rudeus when his colleague spoke out. But the thought of the cold and distant, perfect maid sounding so distraught was too foreign.

"Please come quick, Rudeus-sama! My sister…" Rem cried, and she burst inwards from the main gate. She was helping with groceries with the mansion maids, but as soon as she felt "it," she ran full speed back towards the mansion.

And when Wilhelm turned around, his eyes locked with the mage. Not on his distressed face or body dashing towards the wailing Rem. No, those were just the normal reactions to such an imminent development. It was his eyes he drew to. Those eyes were not those he saw at the Roswaal mansion, nor the eyes he had just seen just a few moments ago.

Free of any calmness or stout determination, just as he worried, only dread filled those two dead eyes.

Sighing, he left the courtyard to alert his master of the sudden development.

“Has Rem told you the situation?”

A strong voice asked out within the dimly lit meeting room of the Karsten manner. As her words left her mouth, they all turned towards the blue-haired maid, Rem, who caused the initial panic.

“It was only a second, but I sensed a troubling sensation from my connection with my sister. My sister could have used her clairvoyance to get a better picture, but…”

‘I couldn’t,’ those last words left unsaid.

“So, some nyasty synesthesia was at play here? It must have been quite extreme for you to feel it all the way here.”

Felix's words were devoid of his playful/whimsical mannerisms and meows now, even though his customary accent remained. He just couldn't help himself with it. But still, this was no place or time to joke around.

“But it came from the Mather’s domain, correct? I’ve been detecting some troubling movements around the vicinity of the mansion. But to think they’d unfold so quickly…” Crusch spoke.

“Crusch-sama, what do you mean by troubling movements? What did you foresee? Do you… do you think my sister is in danger?” Rem asked impatiently.

“It was only rumored then. We didn’t believe things would escalate so quickly. But with their advances' timing and starting location, only one resolution comes to mind. Namely, it must mean the Witch Cult has shown their hand,” Crusch said.

‘Witch Cult? I… where have I heard of that before? I vaguely remember the name from one of the books in the library, but I can’t pull up anything concrete. Was it… was it from one of the history books? Yeah, I think one of their members attacked a Vollachian army base… What was his name… Konrad?’

The gears in his head slowly turned with each second passing through the meeting room. With the small tidbits of information floating through his mind, he could make an educated guess about the militant group, but nothing solid surfaced.

However, perhaps his memory wasn’t helping since his readings were to help with his language lessons rather than his genuine desire to preview the history of this world.

‘No… I’m sure this body’s memories were better than this, though…’

But breaking his thoughts on his inability to find an answer, the small, quiet voice beside him spoke up.

“Witch cult…” Rem whispered.

It was only a whisper. A voice only audible to the speaker and rarely loud enough for anyone else to hear. It was a voice so small you wouldn’t have heard it had it been any other topic.

“Haa…”

But the words that came out from the maid. The voice, Rudeus, had become familiar. The voice, while cold, had never escalated beyond that, was different this time.

“Re… Rem?” Rudeus carefully called out the girl’s name as he turned to look at her.

Her fists balled, shaking as every muscle in her arms drew strength. The tips of her fingers had gone pale white under the strain. Her lips trembled, streaks of blood trickling down as she bit down unknowingly from the scowl. Her breaths staggered, unsteady, and shaken as her thoughts tumbled in her mind. And her eyes…

Her eyes were filled with pure loathing as if just the thought of this cult was abhorrent to her.

‘I’ve never seen Rem react like that ever. I thought she was a bit cold and mean the first time we met, but this is just… That’s not a normal reaction, is it?’

“Crusch-sama, what can you tell us about the Witch Cult?” Rudeus asked, turning away from the seething girl.

“They’ve gone quiet ever since for some time now, but I believe the Margrave’s announcement to support a silver-haired half-Elf may have caused them to stir. We’ve been expecting something like this to happen and already shared our intelligence with Lord Roswaal, but we never anticipated such quick action from the Cultists.”

Her words trailed off as she quieted her own words of her volition. The Margrave was no fool. He was the heir to the Mather family, who served the kingdom of Lugunica as its Royal magician for centuries. It wasn’t a bluff to call him the greatest magician of his generation. A man of his caliber was indeed capable of preparing against an attack.

But somehow.

The reaction the two servants gave her was shouting the opposite of her conclusions. One was seething in rage, while the other was just clueless. As much as the Dutchess wanted to respect her adversaries, the incompetence of the two, or rather, the sovereign’s inability to inform them of such, made it hard to do so.

“Rudeus-sama.” Rem spoke.

“If.. if what Crusch-sama says is true, then we have to return immediately!”

Between Rudeus’ confused gaze, piecing together what little information he had, and the Dutches’ meaningful gaze cracking down on her opponent’s seeming weakness, Rem had gotten a hold of herself from the initial shock. Just mentioning the Witch Cult had sent her into a catatonic rage for a second. But somehow, here she was, breaking out of that shell, demanding to return to the Roswaal mansion this instant.

“Rem… I don’t quite get what’s going on, is this “Witch Cult” such a big deal?” Rudeus carefully asked.

“A big deal? A BIG DEAL? Is that supposed to be a joke? How could you not even know what they a-” Rem shouted, only to cut herself off mid-sentence.

As if surprised by her own words, her left hand flew in to block her screaming mouth as her eyes realized and relaxed. The man standing before her, Rudeus, couldn’t have possibly known about the Witch Cult. How could he? He was not of this world after all. Perhaps she didn’t truly understand what those words meant when they first met, or she didn’t believe the fairy tale of a man from beyond the Great Waterfall.

But with this, the final covers were revealed, as she realized how much of an alien Rudeus was.

And at last, how that information was supposedly a camp secret.

Her hand stopped any more words coming from her mouth, desperately realizing the strict orders Roswaal had given her: “Do not reveal Rudeus’ identity to anyone except…” As furious as she was, she could not go against her master’s orders.

As clueless as Rudeus was, he could take the hint. With only faint memories of his readings about the Witch Cult, he didn’t understand their deal. But with Rem’s immediate reaction, it was clear that the general public didn’t take them too well, whatever organization the Witch Cult was.

“I’m sorry… Rem, I wasn’t thinking properly, was I.” Rudeus apologized, unable to look back at the maid.

Rem only scowled at his apology. As much as she wanted to lash out, she understood it wasn’t his fault.

“Rudeus. Simply put, the Witch Cult is a vile organization following the teachings of the Witch of Envy. For decades, they have pillaged villages, murdered countless civilians, and raided military outposts in the name of the Envious witch.” Crusch spoke, confirming Rudeus’ suspicions of the matter.

“And those people are attacking the estate?” Rudeus carefully asked.

“Yep! That’s right. It wouldn’t be untrue even to say their main objective is Emilia-sama this time.” Felix cut in.

“Their objective is Emilia-sama! As in, they intend to kidnap her?” Rudeus asked, bolting up from his sofa in shock.

“No one can say for sure. The council has tried to track down these terrorists for years, but their actions are as elusive as the Witch herself. Their movements show no clear patterns, and by the time credible sources report, it’s too late.” Crusch scowled.

As the words of the wise Dutchess, the Witch Cult’s activities were too widespread to track down. With only the wealthiest nobles having access to communication mirrors, most information traveled by letter or word of mouth. When any reports reached the Capital, the rumor had changed so much from its original message or the letter had been damaged during travel. Even if, by some miracle, a legible piece of information landed at the hands of the Royal Knights, it was already too late.

And at that, Rudeus could only gulp audibly.

From his travels from the Demon Continent to the cold tundras of the Northern Region, Rudeus had met his fair share of human and nonhuman obstacles. It was only natural to survive those harsh environments. He’d encountered many adventurers, both newbies and veterans, who never returned from a quest. Death was just part of the adventuring profession, and he had worked hard to avoid it as much as possible.

But this was different. He was no longer an adventurer. He wouldn’t be facing a horde of monsters or a pack of Wolgrams. This time, he’d have to go face-to-face with a crazed extremist looking to kill his liege, and the only way to defend her would be to kill them first.

An old memory surfaced as he thought that possibility over in his head.

He fell back on the couch with a weak thud, his eyes downtrodden as he remembered his first day working as Eris’ tutor. To show her the usefulness of arithmetic, language, and magic, he staged a fake kidnapping, which turned into an actual abduction, where he had to defend the young lady with his magic.

When he came face to face with the North Saint Swordsman, Rudeus didn’t hesitate. He fought back, using every idea to rescue Eris from the swordsmen. But even when a young, innocent girl was on the verge of kidnapping, even when facing thugs four times his size, even faced against the cold, unrelenting blade to the face, he hesitated. He intended his magic attacks to disable and maim, but not kill. He used Quagmire to root their footwork, a Stone Canon that exploded to a makeshift smoke screen, and a Stone Lance for a disabling blow. His final Fireballs were the only remotely lethal attack, but that wouldn’t have killed a skilled swordsman enforcing his body with Touki.

Even in the face of death, even against his opponents, even against people who wouldn’t hesitate to kill him, even when his murder would have been perfectly justified as self-defense, Rudeus was too afraid to take that step. He wasn’t strong enough to execute something that he could never take back.

And now, his duties as Emilia’s knight demanded that out of him.

And that was something he fully understood then and now.

“So.. we have to-”

“Yes, we must leave now! We have no time to waste against the wretches, Cultists!” Rem spat out, just barely holding her anger in.

‘But I… I’d be barrelling into a small army of people…’

“Would we even be able to do anything anyway…” He depressingly mumbled, just barely audible to the others.

“Do anything? How, how could you say that Rudeus-sama! You are Emilia-sama’s knight! Then do your damn job!”

Rem stepped towards Rudeus with another howl, eyes gleaming with hate as her soul seemed to burn with each mention of the Witch Cult.

“That… might not be completely false, nya know. In your condition, you’d be throwing your life away for nothing. I’d be surprised if you could cast more than a handful of spells,” Felix interrupted.

“But that’s… hng.” Rem scowled.

“I did almost… kill him the other day… The point is, you’re not in any position to fight, Rudeus, ” Felix continued, an awkward smile cutting in on his face.

“Not to mention, this is the Margrave we are talking about. I’m sure Lord Roswaal has his own countermeasures in place,” Crusch cut in.

“Ah! Yep, Crusch-sama is right about that. And to add, Emilia-sama has a contract with the Great Spirit of Fire, right? Oddly, Mr. Spirit had trouble dealing with the bowel hunter, but a Spirit of that caliber shouldn’t have any problems dealing with some Cultists! Their full power should be enough to destroy the world, after all. Only Reinhard could stop such a Beast of the-” Felix added, but cutting off at the end before he could finish.

‘Destroy the whole world, like Orsted? Is he really that strong? It never felt that way…’

“Felix!” Crusch shouted.

With a strong rebuff, the Dutchess reprimanded her servant from speaking further. As much as his words were from a sense of fear and respect, you’d be crazy to be rude to a great spirit.

“Though, what he says is true. With Lord Roswaal and the Great Spirit, your efforts may be futile, if not detrimental in your state.” Crusch coldly stated.

‘Yeah, best stay put, right? I’m in no condition to fight an army…’

“Rudeus-sama!”

But cutting his thoughts short was the sudden outburst of the maid in blue beside him. Her eyes glistened in desperation, her hands gripping the ends of her skirt, whitening her knuckles. The water in her eyes almost escaped the dam, barely holding it in.

“Rudeus-sama, will you not be returning.” She asked, this time much quieter.

“I… I don’t think I should. I’d just bring them down in my condition. Roswaal and Puck are there, so everything will be fine, right?” He replied.

“But-” Rem said as she gritted her teeth at his response.

But as soon as her words the girl was on, the girl fell to the ground. Kneeling on all fours, she refused to look up, dropping her head on the floor.

“Please, Rudeus-sama. I beg you. Please return and help my sister!” She groveled.

Rudeus immediately jumped up from the couch and kneeled in front of her. Crusch and Felix merely looked away, not wanting to hear anymore of the girl’s desperate calls.

“Rem, what are you doing? Stop it and get up. Ram will be fine either way, so please get up.”

“Rudeus-sama, Rem is useless alone, so going alone would only be suicidal. But Rem has to work for dear sister, so please save my sister,” Rem continued, begging the boy to leave.

“But, you know I’d be just useless too. Even if I went, I doubt I could make a difference-”

“Then what if something happens to dear sister? If my one reason to live dies, will you take responsibility?” Rem replied, looking straight at the mage.

Contrasting her early sudden composure, clear streaks of tears were freely flowing from her cheeks. Her eyes were bloodshot red, and her lips shuttered, unable to keep calm. But more than the sudden change in demeanor and her uncharacteristic groveling Rudeus had never expected, it was her last words that he couldn’t take his mind off.

‘Will you take responsibility?’

It was a ridiculous question. It wasn’t his fault the Witch Cultists had started their attack, and it would never be his fault if Ram died in the coming onslaught. It was an unfair proposition to the newly hired knight. But yet the sheer desperate voice that spoke those words could not escape.

‘Ram… dead?’

Could he even imagine the thought of his new colleagues dying? Moreso, even if their deaths would result from some vicious terrorist organization so hated by the world? Even if he wasn’t at fault, could he imagine how devastated Rem would be? Would he regret this later if he never acted at all?

‘No… that possibility didn’t even come to mind.’

And more importantly, could he have stayed put had his sisters Norn and Aisha been there instead?

“Alright.” Rudeus spat.

“Huh? Rudeus-sama?” Rem weakly asked.

He took a deep breath, pushing aside the swelling anxiety from his heart. Those fears of facing and killing someone else had not gone anywhere. But after the thoughts of his sisters surfaced in his mind, the thought of regretting not acting sooner lingered, and he found the strength to conclude.

‘Living life seriously means not having regret, right?’

“I’ll return, Rem. Let’s go back and help as much as we can.

“Two and a half days? But didn’t it only take us a day to reach the capital?” Rudeus asked.

“Yes, distance-wise, but I must advise you against taking that route. The fog from the White Whale is blocking the main path.” Wilhelm advised.

“Two days… Rem, do you think we’d even make it in time?” Rudeus asked.

Rem scowled at the boy’s question. She wouldn’t have sensed her sister’s despair by their shared synesthesia. If the Cultists had already attacked the mansion, it wouldn’t matter if they managed to make it. They’d just be running into their graves.

“We… still have to try…” She spoke.

“I guess you’re right,” Rudeus replied as he stockpiled the supplies Wilhelm had prepared for their departure.

After he decided to return to the mansion, the Dutchess offered a dragon carriage and supplies for the return trip. “It’s the least we could do,” she said, offering Felix’s healing services to continue again.

‘Actually, it looked like Felix seemed relieved to hear this. Is he still not too comfortable working on the body?’

“Good luck young man. Do not let your resolve falter,” Wilhelm said as he guided the carriage outside the Karsten manor.

“Thank you, Wilhelm. Let’s continue our spars if I ever get back,” Rudeus replied.

“Yes, I thank you in place of my master, Roswaal L. Mathers,” Rem joined too, bowing courteously, even with her distressed face.

With a whip from her arm, the Land Dragon hustled away from the manor, leaving the stoic butler alone. He only left his spot once the pair left beyond sight, hoping his judgment had been wrong.

“Did you not want to join them?” A woman’s voice asked from behind him.

“Crusch-sama, my apologies. Allow me to presume my usual duties.” Wilhelm bowed in response.

“There is no need to apologize Wilhelm. I worry about those two, too… but do you truly think it right to let them be? I have not seen you so close to another as you were with the boy.” Crusch asked back.

“You misjudge me, Crusch-sama. My loyalty stands with you and our shared goal, but you are right about one thing…” Wilhelm said, quieting down to brush his beard.

“Hmm? And what would that be?” Crusch asked.

“It is as you say. I just hope I am wrong about his eyes for once.”

“Are we stopping?” Rudeus asked.

“Yes. Our land dragon does need to rest.” Rem replied.

Almost ten hours had passed since the two left the capital. Deciding to return as quickly as possible, the two had foregone any rest and pushed their land dragon to its limits. But their steed was reaching its limits. Even with the Divine blessing of Wind Evasion aiding its run, it was a miracle it lasted so long without complaints.

However, even if that knowledge was so familiar to the residents of Lugunica, even if Rem had trained herself with land dragon care, she couldn’t hide her disappointment in stopping at a nearby rest stop. Had it been up to her, she’d drain the very life of that creature to reach the mansion just a second sooner.

“Then we might as well get some rooms here too. Or maybe we could exchange land dragons and keep going?” Rudeus suggested, pointing to the nearby stables.

“Most of the stables are closed at this hour. We’d have to wait until early morning to find another land dragon,” Rem calmly said, biting her lip in annoyance.

The small stop they arrived at was a small trading community called Fleur, designed as a rest stop for travelers from and to the capital. Only a few took foot in long-term households. Most others were traders and mercenaries passing by. As a result, most establishments catered to these travelers, and the town developed more lodging, stables, and entertainment businesses. You’d find a nice bed and warm meal, stables to rest your land dragon, and even some fun at the bars or more sensual experiences.

But exchanging or purchasing land dragons was another story. With the unknown dangers at night, travel naturally stopped after the sun went down. Naturally, the stables followed suit and stopped their lending services after sundown. For the two currently stranded in town, they’d have to wait until early next morning to exchange their dragon.

“Well, then, let me get some lodging. You’re the expert with dragons anyways.”

He got off from the back of the carriage, leaving Rem to book a spot to rest their fatigued steed. When he turned around to enter the inn around the corner, he met eyes with the land dragon panting heavily. Its loud and unsteady breaths, wide open mouth, and drool leaking out made it clear that this dragon could not ride.

‘Just how much did we push this little guy? I really should have asked Ruijerd to teach me horseback riding.’

With a quiet thank you to their loyal land dragon, he walked away into the night and entered the closest inn he could find.

‘It’s still weird not having an adventurer’s guild. I have no idea what kind of quality this place will be.’

“Hi, how can I help you?” The innkeeper greeted Rudeus.

“I’d like two rooms for the night and maybe some dinner too, please,” Rudeus replied, handing him a few coins from his pockets.

“You can take the two rooms at the end of the hall on the second floor. Head out back for food. My auntie runs a diner. Great place for grub and mead.”

“I’ll take your recommendation then. Thank you.” He tanked the innkeeper, hauling a pair's luggage to the second floor.

The rooms were small, with only a bed and table. While it did include a small wash area, it didn’t provide any plumbing. You were expected to haul your own from the well outside. It was the subtle host’s way of encouraging short and quick visits rather than long ones. With its low room cost, it was the inn’s way to increase their income for the typical busy trader only staying a night or two.

‘Well, the room’s pretty clean, but it’s more of a C-class inn if I had to guess… Or would we get a better room if we stayed longer?’

Using his water to freshen up, Rudeus walked down and exited through the back, following the innkeeper’s advice. He arrived at a small, cozy diner, operating until late.

Inside was a long bar table and a few separate tables, all occupied by travelers, traders, and mercenaries. Without waiting for a hostess to seat him–not that one would exist in the first place–he sat down by the bar. On his next were two beast kin, one dog-like, and one bear-like chatting about with a tray of dried meats. Across the room were a group of merchants playing cards with a pile of coins set aside. And in the corner was a gray-haired patron drowning himself in booze. His green Ushanka dangled helplessly on his head as his left arm held up his strengthless head while his right gripped a large beer.

“Why… why oil…” He seemed to mumble as he downed the contents of his mug.

Ignoring the tearful cries of his chance encounter, Rudeus ordered a quick soup meal, pointing to the mercenaries behind him, “I’ll have what he’s having,” he muttered.

After a while, a simple bean soup–similar to his typical meals from the Northern continent-was served. However, the taste had been much better. With the warmer climate and access to traveling merchants, the inn had access to higher-quality crops and seasonings. While it may have been meatless, it was such a delicacy compared to his own soups in the past made by drowning monster meat with spices.

‘Well, these are beans, so it should be enough for my daily protein, right? I don’t want to lose gains over poor food.’

And he took the time to finish his food. The blue maid entered the bar, sitting next to him.

“I’ve stabled the land dragon for now, but they won’t lend their dragon until sunrise tomorrow, Rudeus-sama.” She spoke calmly.

“Then, we don’t have a choice, right? We’ll stay the night and leave early tomorrow. Let’s just hope we make it in time. Or…”

‘We could find some people to drive us there. This place is for merchants and mercenaries. Surely a bag full of gold is enough to entice them.’

“Hi, the name’s Rudeus. Mind if I joined you, gentlemen?” He asked, immediately taking action.

"Eh? Whit dae ye want?" The bear-like beastman asked.

‘Eh? Kansai-dialect? They must be from Kararagi.’

The two beastfolk wore white cloaks with yellow linings. Their hoods had yellow ears and two cotton balls dangling from the edges of their collars to tighten their fit. And finally, a small square emblem on their sleeves indicated they were part of an organization. Perhaps they were part of a mercenary or bodyguard company? Rudeus doubted a criminal organization would flash its sign so proudly and publicly.

"If it ain't biz with gold, ye can piss off, city boy." The dog-like beastman added.

“Of course. We’re actually looking for transportation. Our ground dragon is too tired, so we’re stuck here for now, but we really need to return as fast as possible.” Rudeus replied as kindly as possible, careful to not offend or anger the two mercenaries.

“You’ll be rewarded handsomely.” He added, emphasizing the large coin bag he was given from Roswaal as “pocket change”.

With his time spent adventuring the Northern territories, Rudeus understood how simple some muscle-headed adventurers worked. Booze was the answer to friendship, and coin was the answer to compensation. Clear your offer and demands, and you’d rarely get into a scuff. That was something he tried so hard to avoid.

And that seemed to get their attention. When Rudeus swung his coin purse, the two mercenaries’ eyes shone brightly as their ears perked up at the shinglings with each swing. The two looked relaxed and focused on the job, releasing their initial skepticism. The two were still chewing on their jerky with half-opened mouths, but that seemed normal for beast folk standards.

‘Yep, money is the answer. If it doesn’t solve your problems, you just didn’t have enough of it.’

"Transport, eh? Must be in a hurry tae leave noo. Just you wi' some cargo, or are we convoyin' stuff, 'cause that'll cost extra." The dog-like beastman asked.

“Oh, not at all. Just some personal items and two people, including myself.” Rudeus replied.

"Heh? Weel, ain't that simple enough. Then where tae? Dinnae tell me ye want us tae smuggle ye across the border. Kararagi's fine, but Gusteko and Vollachia are off, ya hear?" The bear-like beastman said.

The negotiations flowed perfectly. The two mercenaries seemed eager, and the job wasn’t too dangerous. If anything, having two other fighters with them might help them arrive safely in case the Cultists lay traps ahead. Neither party had yet brought up payment, but it wouldn’t cost too much. And even if it did, Roswaal was rich. He’d chip in if he had to, or so Rudeus assumed.

“Oh, not at all. Our destination is just a day away, the Mather’s estate. We’d be happy to be dropped off at the Arlem village.”

But at the mention of the Mather’s estates, the two smiling beastmen dropped their smiling faces.

"Ye mean Roswaal's? The court magician's land?"

“Uh.. yes. Would that be a problem?” Rudeus asked, unsure why the eager beast folk seemed apprehensive.

"Hng... Isnae that the place? I dinnae wanna get tangled up in that mess." The bear-like beastman scowled.

"Ye're richt. Our lady told us no' tae go there... It winna be worth it." His partner responded to him before looking back at Rudeus.

The two returned to their initial skeptical looks. Gone were the relaxed, happy faces excited to make some easy coin off an idiot. Replaced with the sharp eyes of a mercenary hell-bent on their mind, the dog-beast person growled under his breath.

"Aye, we ain't takin' the job. The deal's aff. Guid luck elsewhere." He aggressively spat back.

“Huh?” Rudues mumbled.

"Aye. Piss off, man. We'd be better leavin' noo." His companion agreed, leaving the diner entirely.

Leaving Rudeus confused by the sudden change in demeanor. Arlem village was only half a day's travel on a carriage. It was a ludicrous offer to take passage for such a short time for much money. You’d be half insane to not take the deal, or so Rudeus assumed.

‘Or are we too late after all?’

“Are you done messing around? You should sleep early if we wish to leave the earliest tomorrow.” Rem spoke from behind, clearly unimpressed with the performance.

“Well, it was worth the shot. We should head in early. When’s the earliest ride we can take?”

“Sunrise, around 4 in the morning. Do not sleep in.” Rem scolded and left the diner.

‘No matter what, we’ll be jumping in the fire tomorrow…’ Rudeus thought as he walked out to get some early sleep.

“Hmm? Is that…. smoke?” Rudeus asked.

After the early morning of the following day, the two traded their land dragon when the stables opened business. Since then, they’d been riding for hours, never stopping for food or rest. The land dragon was getting tired now, but Rem had rented out a dragon specified for long-distance traveling. She’d be good for another few hours or so.

About an hour after entering the Mather’s domain, the two could barely see the village outskirts and clouds of smoke smoldering above.

The Dutchess’ predictions had been correct. The shadows of smoke from the village were too large and intense to be from any sort of campfire. The black fumes piled on each other as if the clouds folded on top like layers of snow.

“Rem, that’s–!” Rudeus shouted.

Without a response, Rem shouted, whipping the reins. She ordered the dragon to run full speed. Her eyes didn’t blink nor look away from the destination they were quickly approaching. The screams crescendoed with each gait. The smoke intensified, steadily blocking out the bright midday sun. And the fire, the bright orange fire in the middle, grew brighter and brighter.

“Ugh…” Rudeus gagged.

With the village entrance in sight, the stench of burning flesh invaded his nose. Of course, it was no different from the smell of burning rotten monsters, something Rudeus had grown accustomed to in his travels as an adventurer. The same scent he’d lived fine for so many years was now twisting his insides.

Because there was only one reason why he’d smell that foul stench of death.

As Rudeus held his stomach for dear life not to vomit, Rem seemed fine and calm from the back. Without as much of a muscle’s twitch, as seen from the passenger, she seemed almost tranquil as she whipped the dragon to run faster and faster. But from the front, she was deadly pale. Her breathing remained controlled and steady, unfazed at the screams of the villagers and the putrid smell of burning flesh. But her knuckles tightened until blood oozed from her fingernails, digging into her palm. Yet she did not seem to heed as if the pain was fazed out. And her eyes were deadly dry as if the very life had been sucked out of them. She was not seeing the burning village of today, but the day her reason to live was taken from her oh so many years ago.

She did not look away from the flames burning the village, for she’d see them anyway had she looked away.

“Witch… cultists…” She barely managed to breathe.

As the carriage finally passed what was left of the charred front gate, they saw what had happened to the villagers.

“Uwahh agh Ag Ahagh!”

“YIAaaaAAhg!”

“Help! Agh, please, he- Kchaaackh.”

The screams echoed throughout the village. It seemed not a single person had been left alone. Chasing the running villagers, burning and pillaging the buildings, were the figures of men with tiny daggers and hooded black robes. Their daggers had crimson blood trickling from the blade to their guards, soaking their hems in sanguine ichor. They looked like pairs of bright red lanterns dangling at the arms of the hooded cultists. Their faces were shaded in black, yet their eyes seemed to gleam a vermillion hue.

It was the scene of a nightmare, one too horrific to be true.

“Ughh.. Wah.” Rudeus mumbled.

His usual eloquent tone or crude language had vanished. The incoherent babbling spilling from his mouth was all his mind could attach to. It seemed as if the horrid screams of their victims fell on deaf ears, and the sight of the vermillion grass soaked in blood was just a leak from who knows where.

As she stood still from the open canopy carriage, he locked eyes with one of the cultists who had just pulled out his dagger from a now fresh corpse. Even without the demon eye, Rudeus was more than fast to react. Yet, his legs moved not. He planted himself on the wooden carriage like a tree in the dirt. And in the blink of an eye, the cultist had dashed towards the carriage, dagger pointing right between his eyes.

“Huh?” He mumbled.

Perhaps barely realizing his predicament, he stumbled with a single leg, falling on his back as his knees buckled unintentionally. The dagger dashing towards him whisted above where his head used to be, and the cultists jumped inside and faced the staggered man in question.

What did he look like from above? With the black-robed cultists towering over him, he couldn’t move a muscle. It was as if he forgot how to proceed. No, it was more he didn’t want to move at all. When the cultists’ remaining dagger gleamed under the sun, he barely caught a glimpse of his reflection on the polished grind of the blade.

He saw his eyes, how the pupils constricted to tiny dots, almost vanishing into the white cornea. How his skin grew pale as the blood drained from his head. He saw streaks of yellow fluid, the gastric juices that managed to push out despite his efforts to remain calm. And the two bars of dried tears coming down on each cheek.

That was all he realized, though. He didn’t see the knife rise above the cultist’s head, even if his eyes followed its movements to see his reflection. He hadn’t realized that attached to the blade was the man’s arm readying to strike down his throat at any moment.

How could he recognize when the quiet screams bounced off the walls?

He closed his eyes as if it were the only thing to do. Even with his grip tightened on his staff, there was nothing to do if you couldn’t see.

As the next seconds passed, he felt the warm leak of life flowing down his neck, a loud crash as if a car had struck a wild animal on the highway.

…

‘Wait, why would it sound like a crash if I was stabbed?’

With his thoughts finally continuing, he bravely fluttered open his eyes to see the mad cultist now nowhere in sight. In its place was a familiar-looking round object. Made of blackened metal with pink spiked, the ball was embedded in the wooden flooring of the carriage.

“Get a hold of yourself!” A girl’s voice screamed.

‘Wait… I know that voice… don’t I?’

The chains tightened as her words echoed in his mind. Collecting the blood-splattered flail from the ground, Rem pulled out the knife, barely stabbing his right thigh, and began healing the wound.

“Oh, thanks. I didn’t even realize.” Rudeus mumbled.

“Don’t.”

“Huh?”

“You’re here to protect Emilia-sama and Lord Roswaal-sama’s domain. So fight. Fight until every last one of those damn cultists are dead on the ground.” She growled, finishing the healing spell.

To that, Rudeus merely nodded. That was why they were here, after all.

After a second to collect himself and his staff, Rudeus stood up, checking the rest of his body for any injuries. Looking down at the floor, he realized what had happened to the cultist. The flooring was dripping blubber and muscle. Strands of the cultist's organs ripped open, intensifying the stench further. Their upper torso had flown off to the side of the road, its blood-soaked cloak covering whatever meat strewn from its body.

When Rem shot its flail, the rest was pulverized to the mess before him.

His stomach threatened to overflow, just as before. But somehow, gathering all his strength to move forward, he looked past it and glared at the burning village.

And so, he channeled magic to his demon eye, activating the Eye of Foresight.

His companion, Rem, had already left the carriage. With the sounds of chains and the occasional “Huma,” the girl was in a swirl of frenzy, tearing down every cultist that stood in her way. She hadn’t paid any attention to the villagers burning alive but to sprinting as quickly as possible to the mansion.

Following the suit, Rudeus began running as well. Trusting the ferocity of his colleague but more so unable to leave the villager behind, he ran to the center of the village.

Coalescing what little mana he had, he began condensing it to the tip of his staff, only using the bare minimum to cover the surrounding village and no more.

Cumulonimbus!

As he released his spell on the heavens, making sure to be as efficient as possible, the dark, heavy storm clouds gathered above the village ablaze. A heavy rain began pouring down on the town in seconds, slowly quelling the flames.

The surviving villagers, hiding in what little remained in their burning homes, noticed, and the cultists, too, noticed immediately.

In response, two cultists began dashing toward the mage, ignoring their previous prey and running the hills for their lives. Their eyes glinted the same glare as the one at the carriage.

But this time, Rudeus didn’t falter.

‘They run towards me, then split off in the middle to surround me.’

*Quagmire*

He stopped the two cultists in their tracks by creating a deep mosh all around him. As soon as they split up and tried to engage closer, both legs were stuck in the muck of earth, halting any further progression. Confused about why their legs couldn’t escape the dampened ground, the two struggled to stay footed, even falling over trying to escape the gripping force of Rudeus’ key spell.

‘Then fire stone canons to ki- no, I should save mana. Yeah, I can’t fire strong canons to kill them. I should save as much mana..’

Taking another half a second, he fired his non-lethal stone cannon, a rounded rubber bullet-type cannon that aimed to incapacitate but not kill most humans. He nailed each shot directly at their forehead with two precise shots, knocking them out cold.

‘Is that it? Shouldn’t there be more?’

But as those thoughts rose to the top of his mind, he glimpsed at the center mound from the corner of his eyes. There, the paths were covered in the corpses of the cultists. Their limbs were torn from their bodies, and some hearts were shredded. Some even looked like an explosive had discharged from inside, splattering unrecognizable flesh and meat all over the town center.

And in the very center of the chaos was the blue-haired maid with her flain in one hand and a brightly shining horn on her head. Streaks of blood stained her lips, and what seemed like innards covered her body. She didn’t seem to mind, though, as she was smiling. She was laughing a blood-curdling scream at the day sky. Even with the heavy downpour extinguishing the flames and cleaning the bloodied paths, the maid's clothes remained soaked red, unable to wash out the disgusting stench.

‘What the f*ck…’

The girl's laughter halted as if alerted by an invisible scream from the mansion. Two deep breaths later, she began leaping over the trees, sprinting full speed towards the mansion.

“Rem! You’re-”

‘Not human…’

Rudeus could only watch as the girl vanished behind the trees.

“Thank you, Rudeus-dono. We surely would have died had it not been for your timely arrival.”

An hour had passed since Rudeus arrived at the village. After Rem left for the mansion, Rudeus tried to follow suit before getting stopped by the injured villagers. As much as he wanted to catch up to the maid, he couldn’t leave behind the villagers here.

“We can thank each other later. Are you sure we’ve got everyone?” Rudeus asked, ignoring the hurried thanks from the surviving villagers.

“Yes, I’m sure. I counted twice. We lost at least half of our villagers. Our village chief is gone, and the children took shelter at the mansion. But we managed to get everyone who survived here.”

As the injured villagers came out individually, Rudeus immediately began healing them with his magic. But after the fourth healing spell, he realized he’d run out of mana before finishing to heal the rest of the villagers. To save up as much mana as possible, he took a page out of Nightingale. He prioritized the villagers with severe injuries, letting the minor ones be patched up with traditional medicine.

He also ordered the non-injured men to gather supplies and carriages to escape the village. As much as leaving their homes saddened the villagers, they understood they couldn’t stay here long.

“Take this money with you. You’re about a day away from Fleur. Use that as a rest stop and reach the Capital quickly. If nothing else, that much should keep you afloat for a few months at least.” Rudeus said, emptying every penny he had with him.

“This… is all because of that girl, isn’t it?” A villager from the carriage said.

“Yeah, that half… elf girl. She’s the one who drew them here.”

“No, that can’t be true. She looks like the Witch, but she can’t be one… right?” an unsure villager spoke up.

The village evacuation prep was completed. The carriages were filled with supplies, and the surviving members all already gossiping about the invasion, their lost ones, and their impending future, or lack thereof.

‘That’s just… is that what she has to deal with all this time?’

He wondered if this was what Julius meant those days ago. Could he let people walk over others for how they looked? If anyone understood how painful that was, it was Rudeus. For his time on earth was nothing but pleasant. He knew firsthand how atrocious it was to deal with insults and rumors, regardless of their factuality.

“Everyone. I know this is an unprecedented situation for you all. I know too well what losing families, friends, and home feels like. But we managed to survive, so we should keep it that way. I’ll have to leave you for now. I still have my duties to land. Once you reach the Capital, alert the local guards and contact the Dutchess Crusch Karsten-sama. She may be hesitant, but she’s not the kind to abandon civilians.” Rudeus announced, quieting the villagers.

“The Cultists seem to have eyes on the mansion. If you escape the Roswaal domain, you should be safe from any subsequent attacks. Good luck, and don’t look back.” He finished.

And so, he ordered the rest of the villagers to flee, as he opted to stay here to help the rest of the mansion residents. He stood there, eyeing the villagers until they left his peripheral view. Only after he confirmed the villagers left the vicinity safe and sound did he turn around and run towards the Roswaal estate, hoping he hadn’t taken too long.

The sounds of chains did not stop.

Running without rest, the maid in crimson bolted through the forest. With only one goal in mind, she did not care for her body's condition. Each creak in her joints reverberated pain in her legs. The blatantly open wounds on her arms had yellow fat dropping out. A crossed-shaped red dagger was stuck on her back, wedged between her rib bone and spine. And her stomach was gashed, opened only recently, stitched up by her healing abilities.

“I… have to…”

The demonic single horn atop her head shines brightly like a beacon. Absorbing the surrounding mana, it worked to repair- no, it merely worked to fuel her ascent up the hills. That accursed horn that ruined her sister and tribe was the one thing keeping her alive. She might have been thankful for it had the situation not been her fault.

The crimson trail she left behind meandered across the ground, vibrancy slowly waning with each step. The once vivid and glistening streak now dulled into a fading memory, as if nature sought to erase the macabre testament to what had transpired.

The wounds had not healed. They merely stopped bleeding.

“Horn… my fault…”

Was she even running at all? She may be forcing her limbs to continue, but the damage remained. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't run well with your tendons ripped and muscles shredded. The silver lining was her bones were largely intact. Had her femur shattered, she'd be on the ground, whimpering.

"That's why… sister…"

Her one reason to live was just around the corner. She couldn't be late. She had to do her duty. If this was all because of her, she only needed to solve it alone, or at least that was what she felt.

And with her last step, the gates to the mansion were in sight. She had finally reached the place she destined so desperately for the past few days. And with it, two witch cultists leaped over the fences to greet in kind. With blood trailing from their daggers, it was clear they had just finished their ritual.

"El-Huma!" The girl in red shouted.

Coalescing the force of nature, half a dozen icicles responded to her call. Barreling towards the two cultists in front of her. The one furthest away had sided-stepped the barrages, only knicking their thigh. The one in front, though, could not move fast enough. They were too close to do so as the crystals formed right before them.

Like a vicious hailstorm of frozen death, the icy javelins mercilessly impaled the cultist from crown to heel. A gruesome silence engulfed the scene as the frigid projectiles eviscerated their upper body, splintering flesh and viscera and scattering a grotesque tableau of entrails and crimson torrents across the desecrated forest floor.

And using that blood as a smoke screen, the cultists charged forward, undaunted by their comrade's spectacular demise. In an act of pure bravery or stupidity, he appeared before the girl, twin daggers aiming for her throat.

Time had seemingly stopped for the cultist as the two daggers inched closer and closer to her throat. Looking for blood and guts, the vermillion present wrapped in black and white clothes was waiting to be torn open. The cultist's watered at the thought. Scarlet viscera was just waiting. It was the sole reason they became infatuated with the witch. The chance to freely vivisect live flesh was too enticing.

So, what came next was just too confusing. The maroon treasure was not what he saw, but an empty void filled their vision. As the condensing force of gravity suddenly weighed heavier than ever, they felt the base of their neck touch the warm, wet ground. As the thoughts drained cold like the surface of the damp ground, the last thing he heard was the sound of chains echoing through the dense forest.

"Witch cultists!" The girl screamed.

Kicking the still head with her newly found vigor, she did not stop to clean the blood dripping down her body. At this point, it did not matter whose blood it was. Approaching the pristine gates of the mansion, the center of the courtyard lay encircled by a dozen more cultists. And at the heart of this eerie congregation was...

All that penetrated her ears was a man's unhinged, maniacal laughter as if he were making an unholy pact with the heavens. Rem swung her chain as if compelled to partake in this grotesque symphony, forcing her agony to fester in the abyss of her personal torment.

Through the quiet forest, with no one to listen, the sounds of chains echoed for the last time.

"Ha.. ha.."

Panting through the forest, Rudeus was speeding up the hill at full speed towards the mansion. He had already wasted less than an hour helping the villagers escape. No, it wasn't time wasted per se. He couldn't have left the villagers alone, even with his liege's safety unknown. That was the one promise he couldn't shake off.

'Promise? Wait, what promise?'

He questioned what made him stay and help the villagers for a split second. Why did he feel obligated to stay, even at the sight of disaster? For a moment, he was sure he had made a promise to someone, but to, he could not remember. Something was amiss, but he could not figure out why.

'I'm... just too tired. Yeah, that's why.'

He deflected, pushing those thoughts away. He was running headfirst into a potential army. He hadn't the time to waste pondering maybes at this moment. And still couldn't shake off the creeping denial boiling from his heart. Because physically, he wasn't exhausted in the slightest. His daily routine ensured he'd come on top of cardioactive challenges. He was merely tired from the strenuous mana he'd used to heal the villagers.

'When was the last I've ever felt this tired? Is that what most mages have to deal with daily?'

The hypothesis was promising at the moment, but in his travels with Stepped Leader, he had never seen a fellow mage have trouble with recollection from mana exhaustion. He knew more than anyone because he had never experienced it before. That mana exhaustion merely made one tired. After days of rest, they were back on their feet, ready to take on whatever adventure their party had prepared.

So why was he having trouble remembering something so important?

'At least there aren't any cultists along the way. That would have slowed me down a lo-'

"Huh?" He breathed before the scene in front of him

The grassy land, the green trees, and even the dirt patches of road were soaked in red. The gore trickled down from each tree branch, coalescing into a pool of life. Just for a moment, the unmoveable nature had been soaked in the dense affection of mankind.

"Did Rem..." He mumbled before puking his lunch out on the floor.

With a narrow escape, he managed to avert a fall by bracing himself with his staff. He pressed on through the puddle, transforming it into an improvised walking aid. Every step sent ripples through the crimson-tinted water as if unveiling the remnants of a nightmarish hellscape in the village. Strangely, it all felt eerily familiar.

With the sudden vertigo and deja vu shaking his balance, Rudeus steeled himself to walk. He didn't have the strength to continue the gruesome terror before him. He wanted every fiber of his being to turn back and join the villagers. But still. the words of the blue girl reminded him why he had to continue.

'Will you take responsibility?'

Those words did not leave his mind. Even if he was a coward. Even if he was weak and frail. Even if he was powerless to what lay ahead. How could he proudly say he lived seriously if he stopped here.

And so, he steeled his heart further and began to run. The drench of blood began to wane anyway. Only a few more minutes until he was back at the mansion, away from this macabre scene.

Soon, he reached the mansion's front gate, and the splatter of blood covered the gates as if someone had exploded outwards in front of it.

"Is that? No, it's just clay. It's not... It's just not that." He mumbled as he passed the remains of the previous girl's onslaught.

And as he did so, the sounds of a madman's cackle could be heard.

"Oh! How delightful! Another believer of love, familiar love, so diligently presents themselves! How we are blessed, YES! We are blessed today for our diligence." The madman shouted.

"Love, love, love Love Love, love LOvE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!! IT IS THE WITCHES' REWARD OF LOVE! Oh~ho HOW WE ARE BLESSED!"

"What the f*ck." He merely muttered, unable to believe his eyes.

In the center of the courtyard, surrounded by blood and cloth, was a singular man with green hair. His black robes were untouched with a single blemish, signifying he had not needed to fight. Or so Rudeus presumed. His face was too far to get a good look, but at a glimpse, he thought as his eyes had popped out of their sockets, bulging out of their crevices.

And in the skies above, just three meters above ground were the hanging pair of red and blue-haired dolls dangling motionlessly. As if something had hoisted their arms in the air, they stood still, t-posed, as the wind brushed their soiled hair caked in blood.

"I was too late..." Rudeus merely whispered.

It wasn't a conscious muttering from the boy's mind but a subconscious reaction he had. He couldn't help but mutter out something at the sight.

The familiar red doll's body held limply. Her half-closed eyes drooped down, looking at the ground. Her right hand still clenched her magic wand, but her left arm had been torn off at the elbow. The strands of tendons and vessels dangled like ribbons swaying in the chilling breeze. It was a testament to her last stand, fighting tooth and nail until her last.

The blue one's body was no better. Blood was gushing out of her open slits, showing her most recent demise. Her flail echoed no more as it lay motionlessly on the ground beneath her. Her limbs were intact, but a clean hole punched through her chest like a blunt pole had torn straight through her heart. The glowing red horn on the top of her head was broken off, leaving only a dull stump in place.

"Ho~? And who might you be?" The madman asked, locking eyes with Rudeus.

It was as if his blood had drained from his head. With the sudden vertigo at the sight of the man's eyes, he tried to look away but couldn't. He knew his best chance at survival was to react with his demon eye before whatever attack the madman could do. Yet, the dizziness from just looking at the monster did not sway. His legs trembled at the sight, and his mind drew blank, not truly understanding that the two familiar dolls were no longer, not to mention he had no idea where Emilia was.

"Hmm, I don't remember you from the gospel, the truth of love." The madman mumbled.

"Oh! Then you must be the same as the girl! A believer in love! Familial Love! Romantic Love! Platonic Love! Unconditional Love! Self Love! Agape Love! Erotic Love! Obsessive Love! Compassionate Love! Puppy Love! Spiritual Love! Love! Love! Love! Love! Love! Love! Love! Love! Love! Love! Love!" The man screamed, waving the heavens in gratitude.

With each word he spoke, his voice grew louder and louder. As if to convince himself of his love, he shouted repeatedly.

Rudeus clenched his staff harder and harder. His knuckles turned white as his blood was forced back to his head. It was clear that the man before him was not someone he could reason with, that was for sure. He was insane. That person was too far gone to have any meaningful conversation. He was a disgusting inconsistency the world had to get rid of. So, it would be best to not heed his words at all.

"And yet, you were late. Your slothfulness has killed her! Your love for the girl was met with failure because of your slothfulness!" He shouted.

"Oh, how slothfull... hmm?" He continued normally, without the crazed force his usual tone had.

What had intrigued him enough to stop his manic monologue was the glowing blue orb floating in front of the boy. No, it wasn't floating. It was attached to a staff not visible behind the bright blue orb. As if draining the surroundings of its very mana, the boy condensed his own to the very tip of his staff, channeling every focus he could muster.

Stone Cannon

With the whistling twirl in the air, a high-speed Stone Cannon specifically designed to kill giant beasts sped through the air like a vacuum. Its target: smack in the middle of that disgusting man's forehead. In reaction, he simply looked wide as the bullet reached its max velocity, whistling through the air towards him. He did not look away nor blink. He stared back, eyes wide as if welcoming the barrelling earthen bullet designed to end him.

A deafening crash of destruction reverberated on the motionless cultists, exactly as he had planned. As soon as it connected, the bullet disintegrated into a swirling cloud of dust. It wasn't the same caliber as the one he had used against Orsted; he lacked the resources to reinforce it to such an extent. However, given the immense mass he had packed into the oversized Stone Cannon, it was unquestionably sufficient to bring down a ferocious B-ranked creature.

But yet.

"How diligent! To attack before your opponent had stopped speaking!"

As the dust settled, Rudeus could discern the stark ineffectiveness of his Stone Cannon. Not a single blemish or smudge marred the man's attire. It was like an imperceptible barrier separated them, rendering all attempts to harm the man futile. It was a disconcerting sight, for Rudeus had never encountered a target so impervious to his Stone Cannons. Others might have dodged, deflected, or absorbed the impact, but never before had he witnessed complete immunity.

Gritting his teeth at the absurdity, he realized he had lost his sole advantage. The initial strike had proven useless, and now the enemy had his guard up. Lacking knowledge of the man's capabilities, Rudeus had no choice but to adopt a defensive stance while he searched for a way to circumvent the mysterious defense.

The notion of bombarding the man with an unrelenting barrage of Stone Cannons crossed his mind, but Rudeus was not running low on mana. For the first time, he openly cursed at the vexation every other mage feared.

"Oh! But I must be diligent! The ritual must commence! We must summon the Witch through that fiend, or else we be punished for our slothfulness!" The madman shouted.

Ignoring those words, Rudeus ran towards the mound of raised earth to his left. The unnatural mini hill was probably a result of magic raising the flowerbed. Whatever its intentions were, it was the perfect position to take cover, cover for whatever that man could fire at Rudeus.

"Authority of Sloth, Unseen Hand." The madman calmly muttered before Rudeus could reach his cover.

Those terrifying words, devoid of meaning, reached the boy's ears. It was clear he had done something, but what it was was unknown. To the naked eye, nothing had happened. The madman did not fire a projectile and certainly didn't charge at him. Looking towards him, he clearly didn't move an inch, opting to cement himself to the ground like a statue.

'Huh?'

Blast

In a desperate response, Rudeus summoned a blast of wind behind him, knocking him forward to the ground, slamming head first to the damp soil. It was a reflexive measure to dodge something. Something so odd but dangerous that he didn't have time to accommodate a graceful landing. Looking behind his path, it was clear that nothing visible had passed the trail he took.

But the Demon Eye of Foresight had shown otherwise. The green eye consuming his mana had demonstrated in great detail that something would have torn through his body had he kept going forward.

"You... you saw the Unseen Hand just now, didn't you?" The madman calmly asked.

Raising his chest from his hunched posture, the madman slowly looked up.

"This is wrong, Wrong, WRONG." He shouted, raising both hands to the skies.

"It's a mistake! A mistake!" He wailed.

He viciously raked both of his hands through his disheveled hair. His fingers clawed at his scalp, tearing through matted locks in a frenzied frenzy. Nails scraped against the skin, leaving angry red streaks in their wake, and his face contorted with a twisted mixture of anguish and madness as he attacked his head with unrelenting aggression.

"My AuthoriTEE!" He screamed, chomping on his index finger.

"The Authority of SLOOTH!" He continued, biting down his middle finger.

"My Unseen Hand, which love granted to MEE!" He wailed, mauling his ring finger.

"No other can be allowed to see IT!" He finished, gouging his pinky.

His right hand now resembled a dog's chew toy. With only the right thumb untouched, his essence of red blood trickled from each finger, drenching his pristine sleeves the same color.

"Die!" He screamed shrilly, not hiding his pure intentions to kill and destroy.

At his scream, the two corpses fell to the earth like fallen angels, splattering what little blood was left from their orifices. This time, his Demon Eye screamed for him to move, or else this invisible force would tear him piece by piece.

He struggled to get to his feet, though. He had to use another blast just to dodge another volley of whatever magic the madman was using. Perhaps his words were correct, as it was a literal invisible hand. But whatever it was, Rudeus was not keen on finding out.

Clawing back to his feet, Rudeus sprinted straight through the rubble to reach the raised hill. He finally got his destination using another two blasts, nearly depleting his mana reserve.

Earth Fortress

Raising his own earth, he made a fortress around the mound, reinforcing it from further attacks. He thought, whatever those projectiles were, this double-walled protection would defend against it.

'Now, what the hell now though? I have about... two spells left? I have to make those count if I want to live. I could squeeze one more if I deactivate my demon eye.

He cut his mana towards his eye in a split-second judgment and focused solely on his offensive magic reserves. He mused that he'd be safe from any immediate attacks with the two barricades. Thus, he should retaliate and destroy the cultist as quickly as possible.

But that would be the greatest mistake he ever made.

"Kcagh!" He coughed.

Somehow, the invisible projectile had hit him from behind the barricade. It had knocked the wind out of the mage, making him wheeze on the ground, clawing for air. The blow had shattered his rib cage. He was lucky his lungs weren't ruptured.

As he tried desperately to move his chest, he realized he could no longer feel the cold ground. When he opened his eyes, bracing for whatever gruesome injury he might see, he was surprised to see his outer body seemed considerably fine.

What surprised him was that his feet were no longer touching the ground! He was flying, not floating in the air, as some invisible force had lifted him up four meters above the ground.

'No, something is grabbing me around the chest and lifting me up. That's why I can't breathe.'

As if to confirm his suspicions, Rudeus tapped his chest or tried to. Instead of touching his usual grey magician's robe, something cold and round wrapped his body. His eyes could not see it, but his hands could feel the presence of an arm gripping his torso.

"Why do you look confused as to what's happening? Can you not see the Unseen Hand after all?" The madman asked, dragging Rudeus through the air towards him.

Desperately, Rudeus fought to break free. He punched, clawed, and scratched at the unseen restraints, resorting to even a few spells in a frantic bid for freedom. However, with no breath and no mana left, his fervent struggles amounted to naught, leaving him suspended helplessly in mid-air.

"Yes, it's faint, but you are blessed with the Witch's love! How wonderful it is to receive her love! Now tell me, are you perhaps Pride?" The madman asked, suspending Rudeus right in front of his contorted face.

"Sloth, sloth! Yes, it is slothful of me to not welcome you here! Forgive me! You have given me so much love, but I have been slothful!" He raged, bashing his head on the ground repeatedly.

In his self-punishment, he dropped the boy head-first to the ground. Crashing down on the ground, he couldn't make heads or toes of the situation. He could still barely breathe, his entire body ached in pain, and his head was smashed into the ground, tearing open a gnashing on his head with blood pouring out like a fountain.

He groaned like a zombie. The cold ground seemed unusually frigid this time. The air dropped in temperature, or so he thought. He couldn't tell if his failing brain was playing tricks or not.

'No... is it... snowing?'

But visually, the snowflakes of winter trickled down. Even with the shrieks of the madman before him, the scene was so quiet that he could barely hear each flake hit the ground.

'Oh, my ears are failing, too.'

Whatever the cause was, he merely accepted that too. It was becoming unbearably cold now. But he didn't have the strength to close his eyes, so he kept watching. And in front of him, no, from within the mansion, the silhouette of a beast destroyed the mansion. From the clouds blocking the sun and the frigid cold freezing his eyes, it was impossible to tell what it was.

The two yellow glass eyes stared back at his feeble vision as if admonishing his existence.

"You're too late." A voice called, neither his nor madman's.

It sounded so familiar, but Rudeus simply couldn't remember who it belonged to.

"Sleep for eternity, like my daughter." An eerie presence persisted, vanishing into the deluge of blinding, swirling snow, its intensity steadily mounting.

Rudeus' vision froze from the cold. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't speak. He couldn't feel. As if the sudden freeze stopped him, every thought became mush, refusing to solidify in the cold. The ironic calmness did escape him, though. How could he when the world had turned so ridiculously cold?

This was the direct result of his slothful actions. He wanted to live life seriously but didn't, so it was natural to be punished as such. He was given a second chance twice yet still managed to fail both times. Such a disgusting existence shouldn't be allowed to exist. It was only natural.

With his vision fading to dark, his mind could only focus on the one remaining sense he had. The cackling of that madman's laughter continued to echo as his brain could no longer comprehend what laughter was.

And so, Rudeus died.

AN:

Greetings, everyone! How's everyone holding up?

I've been keeping busy myself, juggling the demands of my engineering work. Finding free time has become quite a challenge, which means my original plan of releasing one chapter per month may need some adjustment.

But fear not; I'm fully committed to this story, and I've already sketched out how I want it to conclude. Rest assured, I'm seeing this through!

This chapter marks the official beginning of Arc 3, or as I like to call it, where the real challenges kick in. I should warn you, it's going to get explicit and intense, so viewer discretion is advised.

Below, you'll find links to my other social media profiles and writing platforms. Consider following me there to show your support and have a direct influence on the creative process. Your feedback is invaluable!

https://linktr.ee/MiiPhlet

Well, that's a wrap for now, folks! I'll catch you on my socials for updates on the upcoming chapter or in approximately a month for the next installment. Take care!

Chapter 10: Chapter 9

Chapter Text

The midday sun streamed brilliantly through the crystal-clear windows, casting a warm glow across the room. Though it was just a few hours past noon, the two young men had strategically chosen seats by the window in the bustling mercenary bar. The vibrant golden rays of sunlight dissuaded others from occupying those spots, making it the perfect setting for the two soon-to-be inebriated friends to while away the day with their drinks.

“Da-.... bone-..... Sword….-”

So the man, with his mug half full of mead still in his right hand, aimlessly stared towards the sky. As if stargazing the unseen celestials, his eyes had lost focus, seemingly from the amount of booze he had been handling.

“I-.... laugh-.... dude-...”

His partner couldn't contain his amusem*nt and struggled to suppress his laughter. Moments ago, they were conversing. The intoxicated man had been babbling on with his story while his partner discreetly listened, trying not to make a sound. However, as they continued, the listener couldn't help but burst into laughter, causing the drunk man to fumble and drop his bear cublet, spilling its contents across the table and onto the floor. The robust tankard clattered against the wooden surface, rebounding off the nearby metal support with a sharp clang.

“Rude-?.... On-... right?”

His partner inched closer. He knew how drunk his friend was, but it didn’t seem normal. As his slurs began to blur his past details, his friend remained fully aware of his surroundings. He’d seen him much more drunker than now; he had never made such a mistake. His hand coordination just didn’t deteriorate with the presence of spirits.

“He-... -otten.. -ou?”

But the drunken man didn’t answer. As if the bright sun had moved his heart, he couldn’t stare away for even a second lest the epiphany escape his mind.

It was then he realized his friend was not just drunk.

Taking a closer look, he then saw his eyes were bloodshot red. His face looked pale but not too severe, yet his lips were dark purple as if the blood had drained from them, leaving only the deoxidized blood. His breathing was rhythmic yet sounded so fragile, as if the slightest breeze would choke him to death. His arms were trembling. His thick mage robes covered every inch of his body, yet his body shivered as though it was thrown into the middle of a frigid winter.

And most notably, his hair, the vibrant strands of light brown hair, had strands shifting to light silver.

“Ru-”

He shooked his companion on the shoulder.

“Rude-!”

He shook him once more.

“RUDEUS!”

“Uh, huh?” The drunken man, Rudeus, replied.

The helmeted man had resorted to shouting right in his ear, only to get a reaction now. It broke Rudeus away from whatever daze he was experiencing. His eyes regained focus as he turned to look at the helmeted man, undisturbed that his ears were violated. No, it was as if the man’s shouting seemed silent to Rudeus.

“Al? Why…. How are you… How am I…”

‘Alive?’

He knitted his brows. The scene in front of him was too confusing. Wasn’t he somewhere days away from the capital? How was he drinking in a pub in what seemed like the capital? Why was he drinking merrily when he was sure he had been on a critical mission?

‘No… what was I even doing before?’

It was just too strange for the young adult to understand.

Al looked down at his chest, perplexed. He clenched his only hand to his chest, examining whatever was inside him. Or rather, the lack of something should have been with him.

“What? How did that…” He mumbled under his breath.

It was too quiet for anyone else to hear, but within the confines of his metal helm, his words echoed louder and louder, as if taunting him more than the phantom pain of his missing limb. But when he looked up and saw Rudeus just as befuddled as he was, he suddenly realized what had happened.

“Damn, so you too, huh?” He mumbled under his breath once more.

With a deep sigh, he held his arm over Rudeus and inched closer.

"Do you need my help?" Al asked.

The usually playful tone Al used was wholly gone. Devoid of joy, his words were punctuated with strength Rudeus never expected from his brother of origin. As if a switch had flipped in Al's head, he was now the cunning warrior gladiator that served his master, not the festive drinking friend Rudeus appreciated.

"Help? Uh, no...?" Rudeus replied.

'What did he mean by help? Why do I need his help? I think I was getting drinks with him. Did he ask if I needed help to get to the toilet?'

Al just chuckled inwardly. It seemed as if Rudeus’ reply was just as he expected. “It can’t be helped,” he seemed to mumble.

“So, first time, eh?” Al asked.

It seemed as if he returned to his usual self. His last question was as much of a joke as it was a warning. But his tone returned to Al’s usual banter. At least that was clear enough.

“I’m sorry, Al… I don’t know what’s going on,” Rudeus honestly answered.

He looked a lot better than before. His complexion returned to his tanned skin color. His lips returned to vibrant pink as the blood flow resumed. His body stopped trembling, realizing the pub was a warm 27 degrees with the indoor fireplace. And his eyes were still a bit lost, though only slightly. Outside of his sudden hair change, he looked fairly normal, all things considered.

“Rudeus, just remember,” Al spoke.

He placed his only remaining hand on his shoulders once more. Al continued looking directly into his eyes as if staring straight through his soul.

“Never give up. It’s not worth it.”

“Ha….”

A few hours had passed since Al parted with Rudeus. After his sudden spout of delirium, he offered to walk Rudeus home. Rudeus was in no condition to continue drinking. His skin was pale, and he repeatedly asked about the date and time. Al kept his silence. He didn’t try to correct his thoughts or add to them. He knew more than anyone how confusing time was, after all.

Inside one of the empty bedrooms at the Priscilla mansion, Al sat on the bed on the office chair. He visited this room often whenever he found the time to do so. No one occupied it, per se, but it held a significant meaning to him. So much so that it was the only time Priscilla didn’t dare disturb him.

After all, this was one of the few places he took off his helmet.

Not that he took too much time staying there. He knew why he was working with Priscilla and what his contract with her meant. He was at her mercy for now. As much as he grew to tolerate the woman, even admire her sometimes, he knew their relationship was strictly formal. Well, as business-like as you can get working under the sun.

“I never expected to meet another like me,” he mumbled, not speaking to anyone.

“Do you think I should have helped him? I can’t imagine what he’s going through right now. No, I can. Yet…” he continued.

No one responded to his ramblings. Alone in the confines of the small resident bedroom, Al closed his eyes, relaxing his entire body over the wooden desk chair. The pale green ceiling was the same as usual, but he couldn’t take his eyes off it for some reason. It was as if he didn’t have the right to do so.

“Yeah, you're right. I really should be more confident in myself. You always rambled on about that whenever we were alone…” Al chuckled.

The sound of his chair dragging along the floor as he got up broke the empty silence of the room. But just before he reached the door, he peered backward and spoke one last time to an empty listener in the room.

“Salvation from others is no blessing but a curse. That’s what you told me, right?”

With his final words, he left the room to its quietness, leaving the unheard voice he had desperately wanted to listen to for years.

“You look so off today. Did something happen to nya?”

Rudeus had returned to the Karsten manner and mostly stayed in his room. He looked even worse than his morning self. Somehow, his hair had changed color, a phenomenon unheard of to both the helmeted knight and healer. While Felix had examined his body and interrogated the helmeted mercenary, he could not find anything wrong with the man physically. That only left his mind as the cause, but mental fortitude wasn’t Felix’s specialty.

“Uh… yeah. I’m just a bit out of it. Everything just seems so surreal right now.” Rudeus replied.

The moment he returned to the mansion, he stripped down to his bare skin and examined every inch of his body for bruises, cuts, or injuries. If his delirious visions were true, there must be some sign of battle on his body somewhere. One just doesn’t shrug off a hit to the chest that hard, not to mention the lasting effect of hypothermia.

But no matter how much he touched, squeezed, and punched his body, he couldn’t see a single new blemish. The only notable scare was the circular lump of scar tissue on his chest, but that was from his encounter with the dragon god. His rib bones seemed fine and straight, his arms moved freely without issue, and his legs were straight with no muscle loss. That much ruled out the possibility of an amnesiac coma.

It was only after confirming the time and seeing a well and alive Rem working with the house staff that he finally calmed down. With the evidence in hand, it seemed natural to conclude that whatever he saw was just a messed up subconscious image he fabricated. Just like the imaginary scenarios he often dreamt before his death.

‘But does that mean I really want to kill myself that badly? Am I suicidal? That can’t be what living seriously means…’

“Hey, Felix. Do people get visions of the future often?” He suddenly asked.

“Hmm? What brought this up, nya?”

“It’s nothing. Just popped up in my mind.”

“Well, I’ve seen people with visions from Od Lagna before, but nyathing of true future sight. I haven’t heard of a Divine Protection of the sort, at least,” he replied, rubbing his finger to his forehead as if mesmerized.

‘Then, did I just imagine something so horrible? This has to be some mental illness…’

If Rudeus had been a medical student, he’d be self-diagnosing himself with Lewy Body Dementia and frantically begin testing his cerebrospinal fluid and SPECT scans of his brain. For better or worse, he did not have the faintest clue of such illnesses, so the only conclusion he could make was.

‘Am I a sad*st?’

“Well, well, Rudeus-kyun, I have nyo clue why you feel so down, but I have just the thing to help your spirits!” Felix proclaimed.

He thrashed inside his cloak pocket. He pulled out contraption after instrument, flinging it across the room, even hitting a stray cat if the shriek was any evidence. The odd frantic behavior seemed undoubtedly familiar. As if a blue-headed machine from the future had lost some screws. It didn’t take long to find what he was looking for. He proudly presented the contents of this magical item that would lift the delirious Rudeus back to his feet. In his palm was a dried Boko fruit glistening under the indoor light.

“Hmm..!” Rudeus gulped.

His eyes widened as his lips slimmed to a line. A wave of deja vu hit him like the truck starting this journey. He was taken aback at the distinctly familiar date-like fruit in the cat boy’s hands. The color, the size, even the succinct valleys looked too identical to the one he had in his so-called visions.

Taking the outstretched hand to his own, he picked up the magical dried date. He couldn’t shake off the ominous feeling welling in his stomach. There were no future sight abilities in this world. There were no such Divine Protections that would allow him to see the accurate future. It wasn’t possible for Rudeus to dream of a real future scenario and predict the future. But yet, he couldn’t stop thinking about his near-death experience.

And subconsciously, he was suppressing his actual-death experience to the corners of his mind.

“Boko-fruit?” Rudeus asked, holding the dried sweet in his hand.

“Yep! It helps with nyar recovery! One bite and you’ll feel the strength of a thousand kittens!”’

Slowly, as if pealing the wrap of a lollipop, he unfurled this tightly gripped hand and moved it towards his shut mouth. Closer and closer, the Boko fruit approached and finally reached the top of his lips.

But before he could bite the succulent fruit, the supposed cure to all but poison in mind, he stopped and snatched it in his inner pocket.

“Thanks… I’ll have it later when I feel even worse,” Rudeus said, barely containing his clattering teeth.

“Hmmm? That’s nyo fun. Nyo’re the type of player to hold all your consumables to the end, right?” Felix teased.

‘Well, that isn’t too far off. I did tend to hold the consumables for most of the Gacha games I had. But that was only to level up my characters to SSR!’

“That makes it sixteen to one.”

It was early morning the next day.

What would have been his typical morning routine had been replaced with the devil. As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, Wilhelm chided the young man to another bout. The past few spars the two had were a bit later in the day, but today, the two began much earlier than usual. Yet today, Rueus could not shake off the chronic heaviness he had felt ever since his abrupt departure with Al yesterday.

He lay down on the ground defeated, all four limbs sprayed like a snow angel–or a grass angel, in this instance. He was, by all means, dead. Too tired to stand up and face the retired Sword Devil. But his mind had also spun in circles the moment he woke up. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t remember a thing about today.

‘I didn’t take the Boko fruit yesterday… so is this some new cut scene I’m experiencing? Was that the route selection?’

It was a strange conclusion to arrive at. When vague memories of a near future haunted your every move and in your pocket as proof of the future coming true, what was that vision? Had he seen the future? He could not know. No, it was more so he did not want to know. But what was more fearful? To know your next move would be certain death, or to run unthinkingly with no end in sight? Because right now, he realized, was a day he had no vision to fill in.

He’d thought about his visions in his sleep. He’d scoured the local library in search of such an ability. But no matter how much he looked, they all came to the same conclusion. The future sight was a concept for stories, not reality. As hard as it was to come to terms with it, he had to admit that a ridiculous future was inconceivable.

“You are much slower than before. Has your treatment been weighing on you?” The butler asked.

“No, I just have a lot on my mind, but I don’t think I did that poorly,” he replied, still on his back.

His pearl-green eyes seemed empty as they looked back at the moist morning sky. Wilhelm studied them carefully as he cleaned up the fallen wooden swords. He could see the man had already exhausted himself and wouldn’t continue.

“Whatever it is, I’m sure I’ll be incorrect, but if I may…” Wilhelm quietly asked.

Whatever he wanted to say must have been difficult. He tried to continue but found himself eating his words over and over. He traced back on what exactly it was he wanted to say. No, it was more so what he wanted to say to his younger self. Rudeus, of course, had no clue of knowing but lay still waiting. For better or for worse, he was very patient and tolerant, especially for an adventurer.

“Don’t grow to regret what could have been. If something must be done, do it now,” his firm words lamented.

His tone had not changed, nor had his facial expressions shown anything but the epitome of a stalwart poker face. Yet it seemed as if those words came from the heart and experience.

“Do it now… you say,” Rudeus mouthed back.

The memories from yesterday. The future that could become the missing memories of today was all too suspicious to leave at the hands of fate. Would it be right to wave it off if he were to live life seriously and know of even the slightest possibility of catastrophe, even as ridiculous as it seemed? Could he ignore it and live on?

‘Could I even face Ruijerd if I did that?’

“Yeah, you’re right,” he called out.

He stood up, dusting his dirted works shirt behind him. Collecting his bearings, he walked towards the butler, who hadn’t broken a sweat.

“Then Wilhelm, I request an audience with the Dutchess, Karsten-sama. The Emilia camp requires your aid.”

His eyes glistened under the morning sun, yet their hue seemed muted to the butler, nodding at his guest’s request.

“And that’s why I’m formally asking for assistance to evacuate Arlem village and eradicate the invading Witch cult.”

The hour was right before noon. Lunch preparations were busy on the lower levels, while the master of the mansion and its guests were busy in the main conference room. Its contents: a temporary alliance between the Emilia and Crusch camps.

“And you are certain they will invade in three days?” Crusch asked.

The duch*ess was understanding when she first heard word from Wilhelm. “Finally,” she mumbled at the time as if she had expected something similar. That did not prepare for the sudden shift in their negotiation. The man had spent his time locked within the confines of the mansion. Yet, out of the blue, he brings detailed information of a hostile takeover by the Witch Cult. And as far as she knew, it was all the truth.

“There may have- no. There may be smaller skirmishes before that, but the main invasion should start around that time,” Rudeus confirmed.

It sounded ridiculous to the duch*ess. How could a man gather intel about the Witch Cult in a mere few hours of drinking at a mercenary pub? His time with Al was the only possible explanation for the time frame of this information. But if it were that simple, she was sure her information network would have picked up on the matter. She had heard of reports from her sources about Witch Cult activity around the Mather’s domain and warned the Margrave of a future attack, yet this was too soon. She anticipated another two to three months before they made their move, at the minimum.

Or, was it as simple as Priscilla’s knight, Al, tricking him with false information? But if so, why would he need to hide such information?

“That is… hard to believe. I’ve had reports of their activities behind the scenes, but an attack this early is unheard of,” Crusch spoke, still skeptical of Rudeus’ claims.

As the two continued with the details of the supposed invasion, one person in particular had been silent the entire time.

While Felix and Wilhelm spoke up as the duch*ess’s advisors, Rem, the blue-haired maid of the Roswaal estate, had remained silent the entire time. She wasn’t exactly calm, however. While Rudeus was too busy relaying the details to take a glance, Crusch, Felix, and Wilhelm had been facing the girl. The three took notice of every minute detail in her behavior, from her initial reserved nature to the starting shock at Rudeus’ reveal, the absolute look of horror at the detail of Rudeus's recollections, and finally, doubt at how ridiculously convenient the whole story was.

She had played the role of a lie detector, not that it would be helpful in the negotiation. Though, one thing was sure. This was not some coordinated attempt from the Emilia camp. This proposition was an impromptu unilateral decision made solely by Rudeus himself.

Then, the decision was clear.

“But, if that is the case, the house of Karsten will not aid in your quest,” she announced, not to the shock of both Felix and Wilhelm.

But to Rudeus, who saw the duch*ess as a woman of character who couldn’t look away from unjust civilian casualties, her words hit harder than the truck that started it all.

“What… what is that supposed to mean?” he prodded, biting his lips to contain his sudden shock.

“There’s nothing to be mistaken. I will not be lending aid to the Emilia faction. The Mather’s domain is beyond my jurisdiction. I do not need to extend my hand that far,” she rebuked.

“But…” he whispered.

His fists clenched at her cold words, not a hint of compassion within them. The queen of war shook not as she shot down any attempt to gain favor. When he looked up to Wilhelm and Felix for support, they merely averted their gaze. His brows furrowed as he realized the two could not help him.

“I understand what I’m saying sounds ridiculous. I wouldn’t be in this position if I weren’t sure, but the Witch Cult will attack and kill everyone in the village. If we don’t act now, their blood will be on our hands for not act-”

“That’s enough,” Cursch spoke, cutting him off.

It was the voice of a stern leader that came from her lips. She did not look away or seem bothered at the mention of civilian casualties. No, she wasn't just staring back. She was glaring. Her eyes shot daggers, a visual embodiment of the intense force within her. Her target, the man shivering in his fear before her.

“You seem to mistake me, Rudeus. I am the Dutchess Crusch Karsten. You are negotiating with the Karsten family on behalf of your master. Yet, you have nothing to give. This entire time, you have only demanded my services and have nothing to show for yourself. If you planned to guilt me with the burden of civilians not under my rule, you failed when you entered this room. I have no gallantry to protect them in their master’s stead,” Crusch stated, her voice composed and resolute, underscoring her status and authority.

“No gallantry? But you can’t just ignore them! They really will die. If you know disaster will strike, and you can stop it, it should be natural to try and help!” Rudeus passionately argued.

As if annoyed at his rebuke, her dagger-like eyes tightened further. The rest of her face had no change. She did not make it apparent but was becoming annoyed at the magician’s protest.

“Then you are mistaken once more. I may have greeted you as a guest and patient for the Mather family, but that is as far as our alliance will go. The moment you step out of these bounds, you will be my enemy, an obstacle I must surpass to claim the throne. I do not need to care for another’s subjects in place of their incompetent leaders. And besides…” she continued before pausing.

Crusch brought both hands beneath her chin. Crossing her fingers with each other, she leaned towards the boy as if to rest her chin on her crossed hands. Covering the tip of her lips with her index fingers, she didn’t dare break eye contact with the boy before finishing her words.

“You may speak the truth but have yet to tell me your sources. Even if you were to persuade me to help you, I cannot blindly follow your word without proof of the cult’s involvement,” the duch*ess said.

Those inquiring words struck deeper than he expected. Beads of sweat dribbled as he scrambled to find a believable explanation. But how could he explain how he knew if he didn’t understand to begin with?

“That’s…” he merely mumbled.

His memories, or visions, started at what would be the next day. Rem would receive a clairvoyant message, marking the start of the invasion force. After a day of travel, they’d reach a burning village and the crazed madman behind it all. But he had died in those memories. Death was about the only constant memory he could remember. The sense of his very soul fading into the void of nothingness. The feeling of his breath deafening. The horror of his very limbs losing sense. The sounds of the world drowning, as if the whole weight of the world was pushing him down the ground.

As little as he could remember the exact circ*mstances of his death, he could remember vividly just how disgusting that feeling was. After all, it was something he had been accustomed to. This would only be his third time so far.

“I… I saw it for myself,” he managed to mutter.

“You… saw this invasion?” Crusch seriously questioned.

As if fully believing the man’s words but still doubting their validity, she questioned further at Rudeus’ ridiculous response. Rudeus, too, understood how ridiculous it would be to claim to see future events, but that was all he could think of. After all, it wasn’t necessarily a lie.

“Yes. I saw it. I saw the burning village. The corpses on the ground. The Cultists with their daggers. The mansion covered in blood. I saw it!” He shouted hysterically.

As if just mentioning the horrors had returned him to the forest of nightmares, Rudeus couldn’t control his sudden outburst and spoke out of turn. His teeth clattered as he remembered the sight of Rem and Ram’s corpses suspended mid-air. He threw those memories to the corner of his mind, but even the slightest reminder shook him.

“I saw it all, and then I die-” he continued.

Or so he thought. As if the world had responded to his presence the moment he spoke, he found it impossible to continue. His mouth wouldn’t move. No, it wasn’t that he couldn’t move. He couldn’t even feel that his mouth was moving.

“....?”

Every thought, every sight, every smell, every touch, every sound, every movement, all had vanished into the void—his vision filled with only the concept of nothingness. He couldn’t hear. No, he couldn’t even feel anyone around him. Even the very couch he was sitting on or the floor he was on had magically vanished. He struggled even to feel anything, something. He then realized he couldn’t even breathe.

“....!”

There was nothing he could do as there was nothing at all. Only his very existence seemed constant as the universe around him faded away. Despite his thoughts seemingly vanishing under the cold vacuum of existence, he could only be in an undefined world.

“!!....!?!!”

No. He was familiar with this as well. It was the dreading consequence of life. The very feeling he felt when the soul left the body. Only, it would be an instant when one died, but now, he’d had to endure an instant of eternity.

And then, after the eternal second had fated, the world reconstructed anew as his senses returned, uncaring to the sensational input backlash he had to endure.

“HAAaa-” he shouted.

He clenched his chest, and he fell to the ground. He was on his knees, gasping for air. As one had gripped his chest, feeling the rapidly beating heart, the other hand patted his face as if to confirm the validity of his existence.

“Rudeus-kyun, what happened!” Felix shouted.

He instantly dropped down to his side and began his healing magic. He sensed no magical tampering between the instant he spoke to the next. The sudden shift was not typical. As a medical professional, he could tell this was no ordinary disease. As his instincts told him, he began his scans, starting with his brain. But no matter how finely he combed his body, Felix could not find anything that could have caused this mess.

“Rudeus-kyun, just breathe. I don’t know what that reminded you, but you’re completely fine. You’re with Crusch-sama. You’re safe here,” Felix said, helping Rudeus to stand back on his feet.

His magic, while impromptu, had shown no signs of physical tampering. As hard as it was to believe, he could only determine the cause was mental. A branch of medicine he wasn’t too accustomed to. So, all he could do to help his patient was to help him calm down. He was under the protection of the War Valkieire Crusch Karsten herself. Nobody would dare hurt him under her roof. That was all the doctor could think of to comfort the man.

As Felix helped him get back on his feet, Crusch ordered the other servants to prepare a room for Rudeus. He was in no condition to continue. Wilhelm acted first as he immediately left the conference room. However, Rem, the one person on the same side of the negotiations, stood utterly still. No, she was facing the duch*ess behind Rudeus during the negotiation. No matter Rudeus' ridiculous words, she dared not move an inch from her position.

That had changed the moment he fell to the ground. But instead of helping Rudeus to his feet, she just looked down at the man. As if looking down at an abhorrent insect, she sneered down at the man without a blink. She breathed heavily, her right hand instinctively reaching under her skirt pocket. She only stopped when Felix reminded Rudeus that he was under the roof of the Karstens. The scent of that night raged within the room, but she’d never be able to protect her sister had she lashed out at this moment.

With controlled breaths, she continued to eye the young man, collecting his bearing, not even hiding the disgust she now felt towards him.

"Are you doing fine, Rudeus-sama?"

A chilling voice greeted him as he woke up. He presumed he was on a dragon carriage from the rattles and constant bumps. But to where and with whom, he could not remember.

"Ah, I'm fine. Is that you, Rem?" he asked incredulously.

He looked around the carriage. It was different from the one he rode on his way to the capital, nor was it the one from his vision. The canvas coverings were cut, revealing the bright moon shining above. From the glimpse he saw, he presumed it was around midnight. The carriage itself was in no better condition. Dust and straw covered the floors. Someone had clearly neglected its care for some time. The rattling wheels sounded like the mechanical grindings of gears. It was not smooth but bumpy, perhaps from the partially rotten wheels.

"Yes, that is good. We are headed to the Roswaal mansion. You may rest for now," she continued.

As he sat down on the dirty flooring, he could guess why they were returning. His memory was a bit hazy, but he was sure he talked with the duch*ess to gain aid. Then, was this their march towards the Mather's estate?

"Rem, where's Crusch-sama? Is it just us returning home?" he asked.

"Yes, Crusch-sama asked us to scout ahead and offered the carriage. She will be joining once her army has gathered," she replied.

"Didn’t the duch*ess deny our request? What made her change her mind?" he asked back.

After a few seconds of silence, the girl replied, not looking back at the young mage.

“Crusch-sama requested to talk to our camp’s representative. Roswaal-sama had asked I create a union between the camps. I used that authority to speak in Roswaal-sama’s stead.”

“Huh, I didn’t know he asked you to do that…”

However, his eyes couldn't leave the sorry state of the so-called "borrowed Karsten carriage.". It was too shabby to be a noble's coach. Honestly, with how it sounded, it was a miracle it managed to stay in one piece.

'And what's with Rem all of a sudden? We weren't close, but she never talked this distantly before. No... she must be just worried about her sister.'

And so, leaving the reigns to his colleague, he lay down on the dusty wagon to conserve his strength. They were marching to enemy territory. Staying awake would only fatigue him more. The dust never bothered him anyway as an adventurer.

Another hour had passed as he flipped between his sleep. He couldn't fall utterly asleep from the constant rattling but didn't want to anyway. If his traveling as an adventurer ever taught him anything, he was to be prepared for anything, especially during long commutes. You never knew what you might meet on the road, and it was considerably more challenging to fight with pounds of gear on your back.

'Hmm? Are we stopping?'

The carriage slowed down to a stop. He didn't realize it initially, but Rem seemed to have taken special care to slow down as slowly as possible.

'I guess she didn't want to wake me.'

Even with her cold demeanor, it seemed that she still cared for her colleague. That fact made Rudeus just a bit happier. Perhaps his efforts to live life seriously were starting to bore fruit.

'Woah, that's one huge tree. It's wild how that thing is just chilling out in the middle of nowhere. What did they call it? The Flugel tree? Sounds cool too!'

He was enthralled as he looked up at the great Flugel tree through the ripped canvas ceiling. Grand mythical trees were a staple in most fantasy stories. While his old world was one such world, he had never seen such mythics in his travels. The great forest was a trove of grand trees and bushes but nothing of this scale. It was particularly fascinating when considering its bizarre location. It really seemed like it appeared out of nowhere.

'Or artificially planted by "Flugel" whoever that is. How could someone plant something so long ago yet have absolutely nothing about himself recorded?'

He sat there, pondering the tree through the ripped grey sky. As he did, he could have sworn he heard something. The sound of a familiar jingle and chains clanging from behind the canvas walls. The echoing sound quieted down, only leaving the crickets of the bugs along the field. And with the fleeting sounds of nature, a chilling sense of the pure desire to kill tingled his spine.

"Heh!"

As if to answer his six senses, the jingling sound of death hurled towards him. Trusting his instincts as an adventurer, he rolled out of the carriage, landing on his back. The soft grass did nothing to dampen his fall, but he quickly got on his feet. When I turned around to see what had happened...

"Re... Rem?" he breathed.

The wooden carriage he was just sleeping in had been crushed in two. An enormous crater replaced the exact location he was lying inside. In the middle was the purple chain of death his visions vividly showed. And to confirm them further, the one at the end of said chain was Rem herself.

And just like the vision, her pink horn shined bright under the cold night.

Like a wild dog chasing its prey, she breathed haggard breaths and growled at the man who conveniently dodged her sneak attack.

"You..." she spat.

As if his mentioning him was the most abhorrent thing in the world, she grimaced and turned to face the boy. The mace flew back to her left hand, echoing the same chains of death through the plains. With the eyes of a crazed killer, she stepped towards the boy, not hiding the pure disgust and desire to kill Rudeus.

"What.. what the f*ck Rem!" Rudeus shouted.

Pulling his staff towards him, he began scanning for whatever cover he could use to escape. Though, in the middle of the open plane, his only cover had been destroyed by the mace that would certainly hurl towards him. He couldn't move an inch away, either. Whether it was his instincts as an adventurer or the lingering memories from his vision, he knew the moment he took a step away, the chains of death would crush his body. No matter how much he worked to train his body, his speed was only that of an amateur athlete. He knew he was too slow compared to the dozens of swordsmen he met and the enraged Rem in his visions.

Thus, he mused his only way to life was to predict the trajectory of the chains with his Demon Eye and move the second she threw him to death's door.

"I tolerated you," she gritted her teeth.

"Sister trusted you," she spat.

"But you were just a filthy Witch Cultist!" she shouted, a blood-curdling scream.

She swung her flail with all her might. Dropping to the ground to accelerate its swing, the death spike flew towards Rudeus.

Blast Quagmire

His Eye of Foresight did not miss it. Blasting himself away from the trajectory, he divided the ground between him and Rem with a line of mud swamp. The mace whizzed right past him, just barely grazing his hair.

'I'm... I'm too slow.'

"Rem! What the hell are you doing? What about Crusch and Emilia? Why are you attacking me?" he shouted back.

"Don't f*ck with me! You couldn't leave us at hunting us down. You came back to finish us off!" she screamed.

As soon as she finished her screams, she flung her left arm. Hundreds of icicles formed in the shape of spears. The sparkling glimmers of water glistened under the moonlit plane.

"El-Huma!" she shouted, swinging the arm wide.

'Magic?'

This was the first time he had seen Rem use combat magic and certainly the first he'd ever heard of the spell "El-Huma." Without a reference to go by and predict its effects, he solely relied on his Demon Eye.

'It's ice. Bunch of ice spears, wide-range-AOE'

His thoughts stumbled to form. The magic daggers Rem produced barreled them at sonic speeds. If he took the time to think, he'd be skewered before he knew it.

The spread of the icicles told him one thing: even if he dodged, he'd never escape the entire range intact. The icicled formed and flew like the birdshot of a sawed-off shotgun. The only difference was that each shot was slug size, not the tiny pellets you'd expect.

Earth-Wall

A meter-thick wall of earth rose in front of him. As he raised the earth for his protection, Rudeus fell on his back. As a defensive measure, he reduced his vital area as much as possible. He needed to figure out how strong his wall and Rem's spells were. This was his one life, and he had no reason to risk it.

The shards shattered as they hit the Stone Wall. Each crystal crashed, splitting with the sound of a canon fire hitting the side of a fortress. Some more enormous icicles lodged themselves deep into the barricade, cracking Rudeus' one-and-only protection. When a barrage of shatterings stopped, Rudeus heard a thud across the barrier, which managed to stand firm from the barrage.

'What the.'

But as he registered the sound of someone leaping into the air, he merely saw a bloodied chest caved in by some forceful punch. No, it was his chest that caved open. He immediately looked up to see the crazed horn made in the sky, readying her mace once more. He managed to glimpse at her crazed face. She must be crazy, he thought. Just why would she suddenly attack him out of the blue? But her face said otherwise. Instead of the crazed smile he saw in his vision, the Rem of now was frowning in annoyance. She was not insane or misguided but a woman of focus, commitment, and sheer f*cking will.

Blast

He immediately hurled himself backward with his wind spell. His vision had shown exposed ribs and guts protruding from his chest, not shards of icicles sticking out of his body. Whatever Rem was about to do had to be her flail.

But instead of seeing the mace lodged on the ground where he lay, the mace quickly flew right where he landed. Rem had yet to throw her flail early. She expected him to dodge and waited half a second to faint an attack.

Stone Canon

In an act of panic, Rudeus projected a blunt stone bullet with his left outstretched arm. In the fraction of a second he had, he managed to clump up a half-made bullet and fired at the spiked ball. Only to realize too late of his mistake.

The bullet fired and landed on the side of the falling flail and crushed to dust. The bullet was too weak to meaningfully block the blow. No, even if it had been harder, the bullet was flying up while the flail was falling to the ground. Rudeus was at a disadvantage the moment Rem lept into the air. However, it was able to push its trajectory slightly. Instead of landing right in his chest as Rem aimed for, the head crashed into his outstretched arm.

"AGGAGAGGHHHHH MY ARM!" he screamed.

Dropping his staff on the ground, he staggered back and gripped the torn-off limb with his right hand. The mace had struck right on his left hand at an angle, shattering his forearm and elbow. His left arm looked nothing like the sort. It resembled the ground sausages he saw at the butcher store. Just barely dangling with a flap of skin, the bone, muscle, tendons, and blood all mixed together to form what one would mistake for a blood porridge.

'I need to. I need to heal. No, chanting takes too long....'

Burning Place

"GAAAAAAAAHGH"

With his remaining right hand, he conjured a still flame on the stump of his arm. He burned to cauterize the wound, assuming a whole healing chant wouldn't be fast enough. He was only an intermediate healer, anyway. He'd never be able to reattach the limb on his own.

The smell of burning flesh would almost make him puke if not for the burning pain searing his entire left body.

What was left was a charred stump above the shoulder with the end of his bones sticking out of meat.

As his breathing matched the pace of sweat dribbling on his entire body, he looked back at the sky to find the leaping girl.

'Huh? Where, where'd she go.'

But she was nowhere to be seen. He didn't hear the girl land while he cared for his wounds, so where could she have gone? No, she must have masked her landing with the screams of agony. That meant she was lurking here, somewhere.

As he looked around to find the blue-haired assailant, his Demon Eye barely captured his torn open chest. As if ruptured from the inside, the chest exploded out with his ribs and innards.

Earth Fortress

That meant the blow was from behind. He reactively constructed the stone walls around him. He'd never block the shot with a Stone Wall. He'd get hit by the time he turned around. So, the only correct answer he could think of was the one spell that protected its user from all angles. If only he had noticed it sooner.

Rudeus felt the crashing mace before hearing it smash through the partially constructed fortress. The flail crashed through the wall, into his back, and threw him through the opposite wall, throwing him on the ground.

He landed face-first on the ground. He wanted to scream so severely from the pain. His back ached as the spiked thorns stabbed through his mage cloak and clothes. But the blow had knocked the wind out of him. He couldn't draw breath to even breathe.

"Haaaaa," he managed to let out.

He took in slow, heavy breaths as he rolled onto his back. As soon as he did, he was pinned to the ground by a weight so heavy he could have mistaken it for a car.

Rudeus raised his remaining right arm. He aimed at the girl he couldn't recognize on top of him, pinning him down to the ground. His stone canon had been too slow to form, so he envisioned a faster, near-instantaneous sonic boom instead.

"Huma!" the girl shouted first.

Before the spell could form from his hand, a single icicle shard fired from the girl's hand instead. It hit Rudeus' palm and pinned it to the ground like nailing to a cross.

This time, Rudeus did not shout. He was in too much pain already to register more. His legs began to stop moving after the blow to his back. His left arm was missing, and his right was pinned to the ground. He always channeled his magic through his arms. Without either, there was simply no way he could fight back.

He merely looked up at the girl standing above him. With his empty mind, he engraved the image of the girl growling at his presence. It was the only thing his pain-riddled, empty mind could do.

"Why?" he managed to mumbled.

He understood what was happening to him. The blow had paralyzed him from the waist down. His back was flayed open from the impact. He was losing blood fast from his wounds. In short, he was dying. Dying at the hands of his colleague he worked with every day for the past few months.

"The faster you cooperate, the sooner this will end," the cold voice told him.

With his still-working eyes, he looked toward the blue-haired girl and noticed the pink horn had receded. He doubted that fact would help him now, but at least he was sure she was entirely sane.

"Why did you become affiliated with Emilia-sama and Roswaal-sama?" she asked in a voice devoid of emotion.

"f*ck, Rem... I just happened to bump into he-GAAAAhhhGH," he replied before his left stump was stomped by Rem's foot.

"How did you know of the Witch Cult's invasion?" she continued, unperturbed by the boy's screams.

"I... I saw it. I saw it, and I di-" he tried to continue before cutting himself off.

That angered the girl more. She let go of her foot and fired a single icicle through his stomach. The blood splattered outwards on her face, though she couldn't care less as the boy wriggled in pain.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to let out all the burning pain in his body. But even screaming seemed too tiring.

"Don't lie to me! I know your kind! You bear the scent of the Witch, the very deity you despicable fiends worship. You couldn't stop at my village and family. Have you come to finish sister off, too!" She screamed in reply.

She gritted her teeth in vexation. She could still remember the burning scene engraved in her mind and the biggest mistake she had to atone for the rest of her life. How much had they already taken from her, and how much more will they take. The girl couldn't take it anymore.

She had planned this ever since Rudeus collapsed in the meeting room. The things he was saying, the sudden well of information he had brought her suspicions, but nothing to the level she would resort to violence. At the most, Al, Rudeus' drinking buddy, was on the list she'd give to Roswaal. But it all fell together when Rudeus collapsed. As he fell to the floor in pain, the vibrant scent of the Witch Cult assaulted the girl. It wasn't the slight fragrance she scents with the likes of Clind. She had suspicions, but Roswaal convinced Rem that Clind was not a cultist. She even doubted if her ability to smell the Witch had been correct since that event. But Rudeus' scent was the same as the air on the day her village was destroyed. Rudeus had to have been a full-blown Witch Cultist in intensity and scent.

"Very well then," her cold voice spoke.

She calmed herself from the rage boiling within her horn. As much as she wanted to keep him for all that Cultists had done, she knew they were too dangerous to be kept alive. Those deranged fanatics worshipped the literal devil. There was no way Rem could understand the inner workings of one through-one interrogation.

"As the head maid under Roswaal L Mathers, Rem sentences the Cultist to death," she calmly continued.

Devoid of rage or hate, she hardened herself to a heart of glass. She felt no emotion. Without malice or pity, she raised her flail above her head, aiming for Rudeus' head.

Rudeus saw it all as it happened. The enraged shouts from the maid, the tantrums she went through, the purposeful torture she continued. He'd had enough at this point. He had already lost strength in his limbs and couldn't even speak. With only his sight and hearing still working, he couldn't even look away as the flail jumped high into the sky.

But before she killed him, he noticed something high in the sky. Color had faded from his vision, so it appeared as a dark spot on the moon's surface. But the spot was moving and growing. As if rapidly approaching, the two. It grew bigger and bigger until it swallowed the shining moon whole.

"Re.... behi..." Rudeus tried to say.

Even with his batter body and mind, he tried to call out to the thing flying towards them. He wasn't sure why he wanted to warn the very person trying to kill him. Perhaps at death's door, his mind was too scrambled to properly think.

"What is this? Save your final words for your Witch." Rem spat as she ignored him.

The raised flail spun over her head. She accelerated it to the max she could produce with her usual strength. She would not taint her first time at revenge with the transformation of her horn. She was determined to see it through till the end.

"Hah!" she screamed as she threw the flail, dropping it on Rudeus' head. But as the seconds passed, the flail did not land. It had vanished in the air, the chain still suspended. By the time she looked up, it was too late. The flail had hit the thing that was approaching them.

The White Whale, appearing through the ethereal night, had appeared above them.

"Ah...." she muttered.

And in one fell swoop, the Whale clamped its mouth, swallowing the two whole.

Rudeus could not understand what had happened. All he could feel was how warm the Whale's stomach was. It was the greatest gift he could ask for before perishing in the void without sense.

Chapter 11: Chapter 10: Turning Point One

Chapter Text

Breaking into a coughing fit, Rudeus spat out the mead he had just sipped. Spilling the rest as he fell forward to the wet table, gripping the sturdy board. As if the table was the only consistent feeling he could sense, he gripped it tighter than before and refused to let go.

“Yo, dude. What’s going on? You feeling alright?”

“I… I’m… I’m fine.”

Barely managing to speak, he finally let go of the table. Taking large, heavy breaths, he patted his left arm with his right, confirming it was still attached. He sighed in relief.

“Wait… how did you…”

Al began patting his chest, following suit. However, he wasn't checking his physical state.

“Huh, first time?” He jokingly asked.

“?”

Rudeus looked back at Al with a questioning look. He opened his mouth to speak but said nothing.

“Just what the hell are you talking about?”

“What? That mouth of yours just for show?” Al continued. “I can’t say I’m surprised you have it, too, but it’s not really a blessing, right?”

“I… I have what? What do you mean? I just… I di-” he tried to reply

Before he could finish, his words were cut short by an unexplainable void expanding before him. He fell to the pub floor, clutching his chest. The spilled beer poured over his head as he gasped for air. The other patrons looked at the commotion, only relaxing when Al assured them he wasn’t having a heart attack.

“Woah, woah. No need to delve further. Just chill, bro, chill.”

Taking large gulps of air, he began to stand up, forcing his weight back on his feet. He reached eye level with the Al, but his heart was still racing, his breathing had yet to calm down, and his head was spinning with the sudden shock of his surroundings.

“What the hell... was that?” he stammered.

“A dream? A vision? Well, whatever helps you sleep at night. Doesn’t really matter to me in the end,” Al replied.

“All... real. You mean... everyone will...?”

“Yep, at least you seem to pick up fast. That’s good. You’ll figure out what to do sooner or later,” Al muttered.

“And if you fail, all that blood’s on you, bro. Just keep that in mind,” he added casually as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

A shiver ran down Rudeus's spine as Al's haunting voice flicked behind him. His ears tingled, absorbing every whispered word. As the speech was ingrained into his mind, Rudeus subconsciously imagined dozens of faces flashing before him.

“Welp, I’m done here. Cya!”

As quickly as he came, Al left, leaving Rudeus stunned and mentally labeling each villager with their names.

“You seem more startled than usual. Has Felix’s treatment fatigued you?”

Under the night sky, basking in the starlight, Crusch Karsten approached Rudeus, standing alone on a balcony. She carried two glasses and a bottle of liquor, the kind served in ornate shot glasses for Cognac. The duch*ess swiftly walked past him, setting the drinks on the outdoor table, inviting him to join her.

‘Wow, I’ve never seen her wear that before. That uniform really doesn’t do her figure justice. Is she... amplifying her bosom with that dress strap? Damn, she can be feminine if she wants to. And not a bad size, too...’

“Ah, it’s nothing to worry about, Crusch-sama,” he replied, forcing a calm smile.

With a light bow, he accepted her invitation. Inwardly, he cursed his old mage robes. ‘I really should have worn something else,’ he muttered. But wearing the clothes Rem had made for him didn’t feel right. He had been avoiding her this entire time.

The mystery still dazed Rudeus. Why had the girl attacked him? What made her think he was a member of the Witch Cult? Why react so violently to a false revelation? The last question especially tugged at his mind. Before taking drastic measures, wouldn’t you ensure your opponent was who you thought he was? If you grew suspicious of a coworker, why question them after destroying half their body?

‘Something’s not right with that girl...’ He sipped the amber liquid in his glass to clear his mind.

“It would make for terrible sides for the drink. The worst thing a guest could do is sour the mood,” he sighed.

“Such words would only intrigue a matriarch, especially if she eyes the throne,” Crusch remarked.

“Am I under interrogation, searching for skeletons against a rival faction?” Rudeus replied, scratching his head in embarrassment.

Crusch thudded her hand on the table. “I would not be so crude as to take advantage of our agreement. Such methods would be... uncouth. As long as Ferris treats you, you will be treated as a guest of Karsten and nothing more.” She sipped her drink before continuing.

“Besides, I do not need to stoop so low to obtain such things. Consider this my vow to speak freely,” she assured him.

“Then... would you mind if I used this opportunity to learn about the kingdom? First-hand experience from a local would be far more valuable than the textbooks I’ve been drowning in,” Rudeus replied.

“History? Ah, Lord Roswaal mentioned you were from beyond the Great Waterfall. If you’re worried that your lack of history makes you unfit, that’s a needless concern. Almost half of the candidates are not Lugunicans,” Crusch said. “But if it would ease your mind, then go ahead. The Karsten family has had intimate relations with the Royal family.”

‘That's a yes... right? That’s how consent works, right?’

He took another sip from his glass. The cold drink slithered down his throat, burning as it went. The smell of hickory and ethanol felt like gasoline. He wanted to flinch each time but tried to savor the flavor out of politeness. There was no way the duch*ess drank cheap liquor. ‘Isn’t expensive whiskey supposed to taste better? What’s wrong with this bottle?’

“Crusch-sama, what can you tell me about the Witch Cult?”

“The Witch Cult... that is an exceptional question. You wish to know more about your candidate’s adversaries?”

“I have a basic understanding of the organization, but most is based on rumors. I’d like to get a more professional opinion. And who better than the Valkyrie herself?”

“I’m afraid I might disappoint you. My only confrontation has been with the Great Rabbit, and I doubt you’d be interested in that. Very few survive encounters with the Witch Cult. They are elusive and unpredictable, involved in everything from small-scale highway robbery to large-scale raids or invasions.”

“And I assume we don’t know much more about them?”

“We know they follow a Gospel, but no one has successfully retrieved one. Any captives we manage are mentally incapable of interrogation.”

‘Well, that’s disappointing. If they just follow the Gospel and die before they can be interrogated, then there’s practically no way to figure out why Rem tried to kill me...’

The faintest frown flashed across his face, one the duch*ess did not miss.

“Then, I assume there isn’t much of a way to determine if someone is a cultist.”

“Indeed. Other than their psychotic episodes or the presence of a Gospel, it’s nearly impossible to discern one from another. Although...” With a finger to her chin, the duch*ess ran through her memory, recalling the few reports she had managed about the Witch Cult.

“There are mixed reports that miasma often lingers in the aftermath of a typical Witch Cult raid.”

“Miasma? I’m unfamiliar with the term,” Rudeus replied, tilting his head quizzically. “

Yes, it is a vague term, more a feeling than anything. Those who survived a Witch Cult invasion report a sense of dread. Whether this is merely psychological or if this so-called ‘miasma’ truly exists is unknown.”

The duch*ess’s stern words jogged his memory. The memory of a painful future that felt inevitable. The one where the blue-haired girl raged from above him, sentencing him to death. ‘Scent… she said something about scent… That seems significantly more specific than just a feeling.’

As he contemplated the new information and thanked the duch*ess for the opportunity, the sudden sound of chains behind him jolted him back in his seat. The noise drained the blood from his face, leaving him paler than a sheet of canvas. Frozen, as if every fiber of his muscles were locked up, he slowly turned around to see the cause of the echoing chains. “

What are nyou doing here, Rudeus-kyun!?”

He was swiftly disappointed at the sight of his healer, Felix Argyle.

“And Crusch-sama, why are you dressed so vulnerably!?” Felix exclaimed, pointing accusingly at the duch*ess. He huffed and puffed, marching towards the two as if uncovering the kingdom’s greatest scandal.

“Is it strange? It’s no different from what I wear to dine with you.”

“That’s exactly the problem! Men are nyothing but wolves!”

‘Hey now, that might hurt someone’s feelings. Specifically, one clueless fool suffering from severe mental illness.’

“That’s enough joking, Ferris. I don’t believe myself to be anyone’s type, as one would say.”

‘No, you are definitely wrong. Plenty of people out there would pay to be stepped on by you, myself included.’

“Don’t say that, Crusch-sama. Ferris will always be Ferris, and stay by your side!”

Rolling his eyes, Rudeus took another sip of his liquor. This time, the aromas and ages scents seemed to amplify, lingering in his mouth even after he downed his shot. As if to distract himself from his worries, he entertained himself with the antics of the demi-human knight.

‘Scent, scent… If that’s why she accused me of being a cultist, then that probably means she’ll accuse me again. Or is that only part of the story, and my sudden request with Crusch caused her to act accordingly? If that’s the case.’

Then, Rudeus couldn’t bring up the idea of leaving early.

“You seem troubled. Is the drink not to your liking?”

Dutchess inquired about the man. Since Felix joined, he had kept to himself, eyeing his empty glass intently, never speaking or listening to their conversation. It was clear something was on the boy’s mind.

Another peculiarity she added to her list.

“No… no, it’s nothing,” he immediately replied.

Crusch sighed at his reply. The wind fluttered through her green hair as she turned to look at the stars. With one on her drink and the other catching her hair, his calm demeanor showed nothing of her thoughts.

“The wind’s howling,” she quietly muttered as she finished the rest of her drink.

“Ok, let’s do this.”

Under the guise of night, quiet footsteps muffled through the Karsten manor. A certain robed man shuffled from the top guest floor to the main back entrance while the rest of the residents slept peacefully.

With all his remaining money and enough dried rations to feed him for the next few days, Rudeus quietly sneaked out of the mansion a little after 2 a.m.

After finishing his drink with the lady of the mansion, he decided to sneak out and leave the capital. After waiting for everyone to fall asleep, using the moon as a general indicator of the time, he packed his travel bags and left for one of the traveling stables. Of course, none were open then, but he quickly broke in with his magic. A quick application of some earth magic to bore a hole through one of the bricked walls was all he needed to access the ground dragons.

‘I’ll leave a gem or two for the owner. As bad as stealing is, I’m sure these gems are worth much more than a single dragon, so I can’t say my consciousness feels heavier.’

It went without mention that he left his colleague at the mansion, unaware of his early departure. He couldn't justify the maid's actions, no matter how much he considered her position. It was ludicrous to attack and maim him permanently before ensuring his status as a cultist. Considering she had to interrogate him to confirm his alliance, he could only assume whatever sliver of evidence she had was not substantial.

After all, had it been convincing, he doubted he’d wake up at her carriage. The capital jail cells seemed a far-fitting place for such an event.

‘Ah, I barely know how to ride these things. It can’t be too different from riding those lizards on the demon continent, right? What was its name… Gerhara? Gerara? It’s been so long since then.’

He set two flawless emeralds on one of the stable tables and led the brown bipedal ground dragon outside the barn. As soon as he left the vicinity, he bolted towards the mansion.

‘This is my job. I have to be there. That’s my purpose right now.’

“Agh… I really should have learned how to ride these things.”

A day and a quarter has passed since Rudeus left the Karsten manor. Now, riding under the rising sun at approximately 9 am, or so he thought, he finally managed to enter the Roswaal domain—only a half day or so of trekking left.

However, despite his early departure, he was late on schedule by a long shot. Instead of reaching the Flugel tree by the first twelve hours, he had to make camp halfway. His poor riding skills had tired out the ground dragon, preventing him from reaching his destination in time.

However, he hadn’t realized that his mistake had inadvertently prevented an early reunion with the White Whale. When he reached the tree, the White Whale was seemingly inactive, and it was noon.

He’d fallen dragons, wyverns, giant cobras, and more, but a beast that size seemed too much even for the young adventurer, or so he thought.

‘Whatever the f*ck that was, I am not interested in fighting.’

The quiet forest scenery swayed under the chilling morning breeze. As Rudeus rode down the ambient road, he couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander.

‘I’ve been putting off thinking about this, but it’s time I accepted what I am. There’s no way these are just memories or some precognitive ability I’ve been given. Either the world is rejecting my soul, or some other shenanigans are going on, but I have to come to terms with this strange phenomenon I have.’

‘No matter how you put it, I’m stuck in some time loop, like some Steins;Gate, or something. Whenever I die, the world resets, and I’m sent to a specific point from the past. The point in time, or a checkpoint, is specifically the day Al and I have been drinking.’

‘So far, I’ve died twice… First to the cold, and then to Rem… It seems I’m the only one to remember these time loops. My body resets to its previous form, and I can’t carry back anything but my memories.’

‘So the question is, why was I given this ability? Who gave me this ability? Why is the checkpoint with Al? Does this ability have a name? Am I the only one who has this ability? Is there a limit to this ability? Do I have a finite number of lives? Why does it stop me from explaining my ability? Is the penalty even related to this ability?’

He slammed the reigns to go faster. The more he thought, the more questions arose. He couldn’t find a single answer to all the burning questions plaguing his mind. It was just another mystery over another mystery. Without a clear answer, he let out his anger at the sprinting Dragon, ordering him to ride at full speed.

The fast wind didn’t help at all.

‘Well, Al seemed to know something about it, and he’s from Japan too. Do all people from Japan get special abilities when they get reincarnated? Are the anime and light novels true? Am I secretly an isekai Uncle?’

The dragon carriage rumbled through the quiet forest. Surrounded by nothing but trees as dirt, he didn’t care to think that the empty road would threaten him even a bit. He merely took the road devoid of wildlife as a blessing. So he didn’t even realize the thin fishing wire stretching before him as he barreled through the road at full speed.

“Wa-Wah!” he shouted.

The wire sliced cleanly through the dragon’s neck. The now-dead animal crumbled to the ground. The still-running carriage trampled over its corpse, a resounding thud sounding from beneath. Accompanied by the beheading was a small explosive charge igniting beneath the surface. The force caused by the combustion launched the half-destroyed carriage into the air, the driver soaring to the ground.

Blast

A quick application of his wind magic barely broke his fall. He landed on his two feet but still tumbled twice before stopping. As a sharp, steel-hot pain ran up his ankle, Rudeus gritted his teeth and winced. But ignoring the immediate pain, he activated his Demon Eye to meet his attackers.

Surrounding him were a dozen men covered head to toe in dark purple robes with red cross accents.

“Witch Cultists?” Rudeus whispered under his breath.

He didn’t have time to consider why they were attacking him on a random street. The first two cultists dashed forth in the blink of an eye. Their arms flowed behind like the paper tails of a kite, and the glimmering blades of their daggers shimmered behind them.

Quagmire

His signature spell spread from the base of his staff. But unlike its usual size, it only covered the immediate ground to stagger to the first two cultists. With the lingering curses, he couldn’t afford to abuse his mana pool.

‘So this is what it feels like to be an “average” mage. Thank god I have Aqua Heartia. I can’t imagine the mana drain without the staff.’

The mud sank to their knees, instantly stopping any momentum from the two cultists. They fell face flat to the mud, further sinking, if not suffocating. Considering them harmless, he left the two to struggle and shifted his focus to the rest of the group. Two more cultists were charging him while the rest had their arms pointing at the boy.

‘The two throw their knives, and a massive fireball forms.’

Earth Wall

The approaching cultist’s eyes glinted as the daggers they threw impaled the stone-raised earth. Drawing more daggers from their cloak, the two flanked to each side on his left and right.

Stone Pillar – Water Ball – Wind Blast

In response, he hurled his body into the air with the rising force of his Stone Pillar. The thrown daggers from each side merely impaled where the boy was. Following afterward was the small bullet of water barreling towards the coalescing fireball. With a high-pitched hiss, the bullet evaporated at contact, leaving a small hole in the forming ball of flame. There was enough space for a blast of strong wind to enter, fanning the fire faster than the mage anticipated.

The fireball grew in size in the split second of impact, imploding on the cultists. The blast launched them three feet in the air, seemingly knocking them out hot.

Stone Cannon

From his slowly falling vantage point, Rudeus launched his stone bullets, six in total, toward the two cultists circling under his pillar. As if mirroring each other, they both sliced through the first bullet, only for them to explode at the moment of impact. As if predicting they’d deflect his attacks rather than dodge, the bullets were filled with molten rock meant to explode on impact.

‘They take the bait with the slower cannons every time! I can’t believe those work so well.’

As Rudeus finished dispelling his Stone Pillar, he landed softly on the ground as the two cultists fell. One was launched towards the trees, never to be seen. While the other fell, gripping the stump of its arm. A second later, a sense of vertigo and nausea kicked him to his knees as a lump of red meat fell directly at his feet.

As soon as the boy saw what it was, he gripped his mouth as his stomach dared to empty its contents. Combined with the sudden hit of dizziness as if he’d lost a lot of blood, his hand fell, and his mouth puked over the lump.

‘That… that was an arm. God dammit.’

It wasn’t easy to stomach the first time he saw a beheaded human. And even after all these years, he could never get used to the scent of human blood.

His staggering legs slowly moved to stand up. His frown fully showed his appalling attitude to the soon-to-be-dead cultists. Though he couldn’t spare the thought of saving them, too, could he? They were terrorists. Rudeus had no reason to save them.

‘But still…’

He took a few steps forward toward the seemingly dead cultists. He couldn’t spare a moment’s thought about why he’d come closer as an explosion carried him away before he could respond. In what felt like a second, he was hurled to the end of the road, his back scorching hot from the flame he took from behind.

He quickly got on his feet to turn around, but his vision blurred, and his legs faltered.

‘I... I can’t see…’

His eyes turned black as he fell to the floor. The sudden shock launched him into the air, and a subsequent crash landed on his head. If he could see, he’d realize his vision turned red from the stream of vermillion blood flowing from his forehead.

His hearing was the last to vanish as he heard the rustling of cloth and another handful of footsteps on the grassy forestland.

‘Ah, so there were more…’ he thought before finally losing consciousness.

His face was planted firmly into the ground when he woke up. His stiff neck cracked as he managed to look up from his predicament. The dark atmosphere caught his senses first. He could barely make the ceiling with his open right eye; his left was sealed shut with what seemed like thick epoxy. Whatever blood he spilled from the explosion must have dried up and caked above his eyelids.

“Ehh,” he grunted.

His growling voice surprised even him. It was much more profound and rasper than his usual tone. As if to answer, his throat felt parched like sandpaper. He had been out for quite some time. But even his thirst subsided when he slowly remembered why he was thirsty. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, Rudeus replayed his fragmented memories. And from the end of the damp cave, water drops echoed. Within them, the thuds of footsteps grew louder and louder.

“Yes… I see…” a voice echoed. “This is certainly interesting.”

The voice echoed quaintly, along with a manic cackle from the same voice. To Rudeus, it sounded too sane for the voice's owner, who swore he had heard once before.

‘That voice… he’s..’ he thought.

But when he raised his head to search for the man who spoke, only the dark walls of the caves replied.

The sounds of footsteps continued louder and louder, the cackle growing and growing. And when Rudeus turned his head back to stare at the long corridor, his eyes met another pair faintly dangling right before him.

The man, eyes wide with his manic gaze, smiled at Rudeus. His pearl-white teeth were barely visible by the black shadow his hair cast on his face, which was splitting in two.

“You wouldn’t happen to be pride, would you?” The man asked.

Stone Canon

Reflexively reacting, Rudeus fired a stone canon from his right arm. Stretching forward as he could, he aimed it as if throwing a fastball. He didn’t have the time to direct a lethal hit nor propel it for a devastating blow. He wanted to get this hideous creature out of his face now. But the shot missed. The man folded his body back to dodge the incoming bullet. From the back, it seemed like his whole body was floating. The shot continued and hit the ceiling. It cracked with a resounding thud, accompanied by the sounds of chains clamping Rudeus’ arms to the walls.

“Ooh, was that your answer?” the man asked. “Was that your authority? You throw rocks at people?”

Rudeus ignored the quiet interrogations and focused on his bound arms. With each limb bound to the walls with chains, he could barely move them to aim forward. He had to twist his wrists to aim his palms forward. The man merely bit into his index finger. His blood dripped. It trickled down his teeth, to his chin, down his throat, and staining his purple robes. He looked as he enjoyed the scene of his apparent “coworker” squirming at the mere binds of chains.

‘I can’t… I can’t aim… If that’s the case…’

With his palms just barely pointing forward, Rudeus coiled whatever mana he had left of his body. The magical energy swarmed up, heating the very air above.

Exodus Flame

Or he tried to. When the faintest embers of a flame formed in his palm, an invisible force clamped his hand, forcing a fist around the very flame it formed. As if covered with a thick oven mitten, the flame contained the raging flame as it crushed Rudeus’ hands. It looked like the air contained the flame, leaving it to burn the hand that created it instead.

“Aghhhack!” Rudeus screamed from the pain.

He cut his mana flow to the tips of his fingers, and the fire forming mid-air vanished along with the pain.

“Ho~?” he hummed. “Your authority hurts yourself? Are you stupid? To misuse her love to such degree of self-harm!”

“How slothful of you.”

The man’s eyes opened wide. He inched close enough that Rudeus could feel his breath on his neck. His blood, still flowing from biting his fingers, trickled down the side of his cheeks as he tilted his whole upper body to the side to see the man at “eye level.”

From the manic gaze of the man accentuated with his blood, Rudeus could feel his breath harden. Slowly, he could only focus on the “thing” before him and nothing more. His lips quivered as even the pain of burning both hands began to fade.

‘This man. This is the guy. The very same person that shouted that insane ritual the first time I died…’

“Staying quiet, are we? Oh, how very disappointing,” the man mumbled. “Ah, right! That’s why! I haven’t introduced myself yet. I sometimes forget the social trivialities when I’m excited.”

With both hands behind his back, he swiftly turned around to join a dozen or so men in similar cultist clothes, all kneeling before the green-haired cultists. With a quick spin to face Rudeus, he eyed his still prisoner before falling to a deep ninety-degree bow. Rudeus swore that for a split second, his manic eyes had turned red.

“I am a Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult, Representing Sloth, Betelgeuse Romanee-conti, oh yes!”

As his crazed introductions continued, Rudeus never felt his hands freed from the invisible grasp. Even as his manic performance continued, he never once slipped up.

“Still struggling? Is your Authority truly so mundane that you cannot escape my grasp? My Authority, the one blessed by the beloved witch, bestowed upon me for my diligence. The proof of her love is truly intoxicating!” he crazedly shouted.

“Ah, how utterly comical,” he continued, gripping his head with both hands. “What an entertaining sight, very, very, VERY, VERY! TRULY TRULY ENTERTAINING INDEED! Has your power diminished as punishment? Has your love for her diminished to be so slothful? oh how my brain trembles…”

“You…” he managed to spit out.

Through the pain of his crushed hands, Rudeus could finally recognize why the man’s voice was so familiar.

“You’re… the one.”

“Oh, finally, a reaction? Are you here to bless us with your wishes? Is that your purpose? Oh, how diligent of you to come so far for the seat of pride,” Betegeuse replied.

The name he spoke of earlier didn’t surface in his mind. His eyes could not see the dark, damp cave that confined him right now. His sight was locked to the future that has yet to be—the sight of that crazed man on that snowy night, the blood that littered the village's ground, and the cluttered forest raised with vermillion meat. This man was responsible for all that happened.

“YOU! Agkh!”

He charged at the man- or tried to, but the restraints on his limbs, as well as the crushing force flattening his hands, bolted him in place. A mere squeal escaped his tongue as he fell to the ground again.

“Why?” he growled. “Why are you doing this? You’re going to kill everyone again…”

Warm streams flowed down his cheeks. Flashes of his first death ran through his mind. Fire and brimstone filled the buildings, and blood and corpses littered the grounds. Despite its scale, the attack on Arlem felt visceral even to his hometown, Buena.

“Again? Hoo, do you have any idea how little that narrows it down? I must be diligent in repaying her love!” The man cackled.

He ignored every opportunity to flee to help the villagers, and when he came face to face with the man to be responsible, all he could do was weep and beg. His hand was bound, sealing his magic, crushed by the invisible force that man wielded. Rudeus felt powerless and tiny, as if he had reverted to earth for the first time. The man's laughter echoed through the cavern, his cuffs shuffled against the binds. He swore that if he could hear the shutters of cameras and the shouting of “pencil-dick” in the background.

“Are you… clattering your teeth?” The man stopped abruptly to ask. “You’re afraid… Oh, you’re afraid, afraid AFRAID AFRAID AFRAID! I AM ABOUT TO COMPLETE THE ORDEAL, AND YOU ARE AFRAID!” He stepped closer as he shouted.

“Oh, this will not do, this will not do, this will NOT do! The seat of Pride is finally filled, and he is AFRAID of her love!”

He removed a black book from his left sleeve and began tearing through the pages. After a second, he stopped at a blank page devoid of drawings or writings. His eyes bulged as his fingers scratched the blank page as if to uncover a hidden message within.

“Such heavy love lingers in your very being, and you’ve arrived just in time for the ceremony, and yet, the Gospel has no mention of you…” he frantically claimed. “ So tell me, why are you even here, Pride?” He calmly asked.

Had he given up at this point? He averted his gaze from the man. The psychotic cries grew louder, now mixed in with clicks of camera shutters. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t fight. He came back only to be captured so easily.

‘Really. Is this all I can do?’

Two deep breaths came out of Rudeus’ mouth. He forcefully stopped his panicking mind. He stared at the empty ground between the two, just a few inches of clean stone. As if whispering, he barely mouthed the words “closer” in response.

“Have you finally bared your voice? Is this a secret, a message from Her Excellency? Have you come here to deliver her command?” Betelgeuse excitedly replied.

He readily accepted the invitation and inched forward. He got his left ear in front of Rudeus’ mouth like a giddy schoolgirl sharing the local gossip. His grin widened in anticipation. The strikingly white teeth showed no blemishes. And at that moment.

“Allieeiieii!”

He screamed in pain as both hands gripped his left ear, or what was left of it. His blood rushed down the side of his face. He took five paces back and stomped the ground like a child tantrum. The rest of his missing earlobe was between Rudeus’ mouth, dripping with Betelgeuse’s blood. It trickled down from his teeth to his lips, from his lips to his chin, staining the white cloak he had been wearing this entire time.

As if disgusted by its presence, he spat the chunk meet to the side. “f*ck off,” he said.

“You… you, you, you, you, you, you, you!!! This body was made from her love. You soaked in her grace and dared harm the collection of her affection!” Betelgeuse shouted as he hammered Rudeus’ face to the wall.

Over twenty blows connected in twenty seconds; each swing cracked his head once, then another when the momentum slammed his head to the wall. By the time he was finished, Rudeus was just barely breathing. His whole body slumped over lifelessly. He dangled just centimeters above the ground as his hands were still tied to the walls. The back of the wall where his head was slammed was caked in blood. The front of his face was no better. Three shards of white teeth fell out of his mouth as his saliva, mixed with thick blood, trickled down. Parts of his shattered cheekbones protruded out through the skin. In short, it was a miracle his skull hadn’t fractured.

“To grovel alone in wait for a Gospel, oh how slothful are you.”

Still covering his year, he left Rudeus at the end of the cave. Each kneeling cultist dissolved into the floor one by one as Betelgeuse walked past them. Soon, only the faint breaths remained.

How long has it been since he left? His breath grew quieter and quieter. His eyes began to lose focus. He could swear he felt something flow from his ears. Had he been bleeding from his canal, or had his sense dulled too much to make any sense of the matter? What difference did it make? He couldn’t even think appropriately with his injuries, not enough to formulate a spell anyway. It was like his consciousness was a piece of jello. His mind sloshed up and down as he tried to move his body. But each thought just slipped out of his mind mid-way.

The light began to fade. His eyes darkened with each breath. Unable to understand or do anything, he just let it happen. Death wasn’t unique to him now, was it?

“I don’t recognize that ceiling…”

The soft, warm bed beneath was the first thing he noticed when he came. The warm sun peaking through the window blinded his opened eyes. The ceiling was covered with intricate red carvings that did not belong at the Mansion or the Karsten manor.

“I’m… healed?”

He raised both hands to his face. Instead of the broken mush he expected from the burned, crushed hands, they were rejuvenated with perfectly smooth skin. Not even a single scar remained. His raised hands reached further up. He began tapping his face. He winced at first, expecting pain, but only the warm sensation of perfectly healthy skin met his fingers.

“Did I… die?” He asked himself.

But no matter how hard he tried, he could not remember staying at such a place. The room was utterly foreign. The king-sized bed he woke from was spotless and smooth as if it had just been changed. The room was spacious, bigger than his private quarters at the Roswaal Mansion. His traveling clothes and gear were neatly folded and washed next to the ornate nightstand with gold decor. His staff leaned tall against the wall right next to his clothes. Getting out of bed, he realized he’d been wearing a white shower gown, similar to the one he wore when he woke up at the Roswaal Mansion for the first time.

“But… this never happened…”

Had something changed? He always woke up at the bar next to Alderberan. Why had his starting point changed?

Then, the sound of a door opening played. With two footsteps, someone entered the room to see Rudeus walking in circles, mumbling something to him in confusion.

“Oh, you’re finally awake, Rudeus,” the man spoke.

His flaming red hair sparkled under the sun. It sheened in perfect harmony, matching the red decor. Wearing his white knight uniform, the man walked confidently towards Rudeus. His mouth smiled widely to see Rudeus awake and healthy.

“Reinhard?”