《White Void - Volume 1》


 Chapter 1

    ¡°Cheater.¡±


    My foe typed into the chat log. I let out a soft sigh, not bothering to reply.


    ¡°Reported. I hope you get banned, noob.¡±


    After typing that threat, they disappeared from the duel room. I couldn''t say I didn''t expect something like this to happen, though, as I had received similar messages many times before.


    What were they expecting?


    I stood on the top of the leaderboards. Surely they expected me to be no regular player? I wasn''t using some new account, nor was I trying to hide my skills. I guess people were that dumb.


    I moved my controller stick and left the duel location. The previous player had disappeared to who knows where. They at least had the courtesy to leave me alone. A different player once tried to attack me the second I left the duel state.


    I won, of course.


    I moved my character back into town. On the way back home, bandits struck. They posed little challenge, though. I clicked my tongue and looked toward the clock. Two minutes wasted, just like that.


    I managed to arrive back in town without a scratch. I went to the house I bought and logged out. In the game, green areas existed. You can log out without the risk of being attacked in these places. That said, returning to the room where I started the day gave me a cozy feeling. As I logged out, I looked at my own room in real life.


    It was pale in comparison. The room had whatever the apartment came with. Nothing less, nothing more. I didn¡¯t have the money to do renovations and decorating would be a complete waste of time. No one ever came to my place anyway.


    I set the controller down on the coffee table in front of me. I noticed the light gray color on top of it. I swiped my hand across the smooth glass surface, picking up some dust on my fingers.


    Time for cleaning, huh?


    When you live a life like mine, you eventually lose track of time. What was hours felt like minutes, days felt like hours, and months felt like days.


    A notification made its sudden appearance on my phone. It came from the Mimosa Online mobile companion app. A message from another player, a name I didn¡¯t recognize. I opened it up, expecting a duel request, only to find something completely different.


    Level up request? Easy enough.


    In Mimosa, you could level up by killing monsters, standard RPG stuff. The thing that made Mimosa different from other games was how the game rewarded team play. Even low-level players could craft a ring called the Ring of Experience. You could transfer experience points, called magic energy in the game, through these rings.


    I typed in a reply.


    ¡°What time?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow night.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Players who didn¡¯t have much time could use level-up services like the ones I provided. Craft multiple rings, then give one to me. We would then go to a dangerous area and let me fight monsters. The other person would leave their character standing there while I did all the work. The ''parent'' Ring of Experience would then absorb all the magic energy I collected and transfer all of it to the ''child'' ring, which my client wore, allowing quick level-up.


    That was how I got to live purely by playing this game. That said,


    Are they dumb?


    I couldn¡¯t help but think that. No, not to the players that used such a method. Rather, to the developers. Having an item as overpowered as the Ring of Experience craftable early game meant that players could abuse it to get overpowered. The in-game shop became meaningless, and the publishers lost money. Many players made money through offering services like mine. Considering its popularity, I doubt the developers didn¡¯t know about it.


    After replying, I headed to the kitchen. As I opened my fridge, looking for whatever thing I could eat, my mind thought about the topic.


    Many of the in-game purchases were cosmetics, but that was it. The game itself was free and was available on many platforms.


    Could they really make money with just that?


    The cosmetics were pure cosmetics as well, with no special abilities.


    Don''t get me wrong, I didn¡¯t want it to be changed. That meant cutting my source of income. But every time I received a request, that question returned to my head.


    ... Maybe because the game''s insanely popular?


    This game was produced, directed, and managed by the child prodigy, Al1cea. Despite being just a few years older than me, she had managed to make a game that wowed everyone. Since the game was popular, maybe she didn''t need to introduce unnecessary stuff like micro transactions.


    Still... People would usually look for a way to milk a game dry. I had played a lot of games before. When developers spotted a troublesome issue that threatened their income, they were quick to act. Not to say every developer was like that. Some took all the bugs seriously, regardless of whether they affected their income or not.


    Mimosa Project, the people behind Mimosa Online, seemed to be the opposite. They only care about the bugs that broke the game, giving little care to bugs and issues that might affect their income. This weirdness made me worry. What if, deep inside, there was some kind of a mysterious plan that I didn''t know of? Maybe they were planning on introducing micro transactions?


    Those thoughts continued circling in the back of my mind as I closed the refrigerator, not finding anything to eat. I went out and descended to the first floor of my apartment. After leaving the lobby, I noticed a group of drunk office workers hanging around.


    Have I ever seen them around here?


    It wasn¡¯t that late, around eight in the evening. I hated how loud they were, and they smelled terrible. I didn¡¯t want anything to do with them, though. So, while their groaning hurt my ears, I left them alone. I headed into the convenience store across the apartment building to look for snacks.


    Only the cashier was there, and she didn''t seem pleased with the three dudes out front, either. Our eyes met, and she did a little nod. I nodded in return, then went to look around the aisle. I chose the items I wanted and then brought them to the cashier. She was staring out at the three laughing drunkards, visibly anxious.


    "... Umm... excuse me."


    "Ah, I''m sorry." She brought her attention back to me. "Is this all?"


    "Yes."


    She began scanning my items.


    ¡°Are they new around here?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Those people?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­ They weren¡¯t there the last time you¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you even remember me.¡± I gave her my card.


    ¡°There aren¡¯t many people that came out this late.¡± She swiped the card and I entered my pin to pay. The machine then printed out a small receipt. "Thank you for your patronage,¡± she said as she returned my card.


    "No problem, have a good night." I took the snacks and left the convenience store. The drunkards were no longer there, or so I thought.


    One of them reappeared behind a light pole to block my way.


    ¡°Hey there, young boy. Surely you can spare some money for us,¡± said one of the drunk men, laughing. His smell made me feel sick. The other two surrounded me, keeping me from escaping.


    ¡°Ck.¡± I clicked my tongue.


    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be a buzzkill. Life¡¯s more fun when you spend it with other people.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need other people. Especially not ones like you.¡±


    ¡°What did you say, you brat?¡±


    I was indeed far younger than the three of them. I hadn¡¯t even reached twenty-five yet, and these people looked like they were in their forties.


    ¡°Get out of my way.¡±


    I pushed through, not giving them the time of day, or night, considering the hour. I needed to get back to my grinding. I didn¡¯t even want to waste a second on them.


    "Hold on!" The drunkard blocked me. "You brat, do your parents not teach you respect?"


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "I have no parents. Besides, why should I respect trash?"


    "H- How dare you!"


    "Now get out of my way!"


    The drunkard reached out and grabbed my hand. My snacks fell to the floor.


    "You!" He glared at me, his friends approaching from behind.


    "Um... Hey! Wh- What''s going on, here?" the cashier came rushing out. She gasped when she saw me being held. One of the other drunkards turned around and grabbed her shoulders.


    "Kyaa!" She screamed. I managed to release myself and rushed to her side. I smacked the man''s hands off her shoulders.


    "Ouch!" That man yelped as he staggered back.


    "Are you alright? Call the police!"


    "Ye- Yes!" She reached out for her phone, but,


    "Watch out!" I yelled, but it was too late. The third drunkard swung a wine bottle, slamming it to the back of her head. The bottle shattered, and she fell to the floor.


    "Miss!" I tried to rush to her, but I didn''t notice the first man coming at me. I felt something heavy smack my head, sharp pieces piercing my skull. I fell unconscious right after.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°Boy¡­ can you hear me?¡±


    Am I dead?


    I wasn¡¯t sure of where I was. It didn¡¯t look like a place you would see on Earth. Black, completely void of all things. No light, no sound, no room, no air. Nothing.


    ¡°Boy¡­ Boy¡­ Answer me if you can hear me, please,¡± a voice begged. I didn¡¯t know where the voice came from, though. I was sure the voice spoke to me in a completely different language as well. But, for some unknown reason, I could understand it perfectly.


    ¡°... Yes? Who are you? What¡¯s going on? Am I dead?¡±


    ¡°Slow down, boy. I don¡¯t have much time, but I need to explain something to you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all ears.¡±


    Not that I have any ears. I wasn¡¯t even sure if I had a body. This voice must be connecting directly into my soul or something.


    ¡°You have died, but you are also the highest ranked player of Mimosa Online.¡±


    ¡°... So am I going to get some kind of consolation prize?¡±


    ¡°No, not that. I have determined that you¡¯re the hope for our world. Please, come and save us.¡±


    ¡°Hold on just a moment. Who even are you?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, sorry. My name is Asytelar, or you might know me by my other name, Al1cea.¡±


    Asytelar was a great elf mage that lived in the game¡¯s world. She brought many advancements to the world. She found many magic spells, and created many magic items.


    But, most importantly, she was a part of the party that sealed the demon king.


    Al1cea, meanwhile, was the director of Mimosa Online and owner of the game¡¯s publisher.


    ¡°Al1cea? As in the Al1cea?¡±


    ¡°Correct. Mimosa Online is not a regular game. It¡¯s a game based on my homeworld, Mimosa, and that home world needs help. Many years ago, me and my party went to defeat the demon king, yet all we could do was seal it. The demon king would soon return. Boy, you¡¯re the person that mastered the game. You¡¯re our only hope.¡±


    I took a bit of time to process that statement.


    ¡°... But actual fighting is different from a video game? How are you sure I would be able to fight?¡±


    ¡°Boy, we trust you. Please help us.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to deny your request, but¡­¡±


    ¡°My time is up. I shall come visit you every once in a while. But please, boy, please save my world.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Wait!¡±


    I called out, but my voice never reached any ears.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    When I woke up, I realized I was under a wooden ceiling, light coming through a large window on the right side of the room.


    ¡°Is he alright, Doctor?¡± came the voice of a worried woman. I immediately realized that I had fallen unconscious at some point, only waking up now. I looked around, looking for a clock, worried that I might have missed my level-up appointment. My vision was blurry, but I could still tell a large circle object, probably. As I looked around more, my vision became a bit clearer. I still found no clock, though. My shock began turning into confusion.


    Then I remembered the experience I had.


    Am I¡­ actually in Mimosa?


    ¡°Calm down, calm down.¡± A different voice entered my ears. This was the voice of a young woman, smoother and calmer compared to the other woman. ¡°He¡¯s going to be alright.¡±


    Who are you talking about?


    I knew instantly that it wasn¡¯t my family. My family never cared about me. My mother left me when I was just a child. My father gave me money and just money. Once I grew up, he stopped supporting me. There was no way they would be worried about me. If those drunkards really did hit me, they would look at the news and go ¡®That¡¯s unfortunate, I guess.¡¯ and return to whatever they were doing. They probably wouldn''t recognize me in the first place.


    But... who are they? ... maybe they were the family of the girl?


    I quickly realized that hypothesis didn¡¯t make any sense, either. It began to dawn upon me that the voice was probably not lying.


    What is going on? Where am I? How about the girl? Is she alright?


    The questions swirled in my head. I took a deep breath, then looked around some more. My vision had cleared, and now I could look into their faces clearly. The one in front of me, standing at the end of the bed, was a young, healthy man in his twenties with a long orange beard that would make even bears envious.


    Lying behind me was a young girl with round glasses and short, light green hair, her green eyes looking restless. Standing next to the man was an older girl, wearing white clothes. She noticed my eyes looking at her and smiled, waving her hand.


    ¡°Hello. How are you doing today?¡±


    ¡°Waa waa waa¡­¡±


    In my mind, I tried saying the words ¡®Who are you?¡¯ but I could only afford to let out incoherent cries.


    So I am now a baby, presumably in the hands of my mother.


    "Waa waa waa!" No matter what words I said, nothing coherent could come out of my mouth. My mother''s restless frown turned into a relieved smile.


    ¡°Thank goodness¡­¡± Tears appeared from the corner of her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I would do if something happened to you.¡±


    ¡­ Really? Are you being serious?


    My previous mother abandoned me, my father left me behind. Would you do the same for me? Would I need to fend for myself again in this unfamiliar world?


    I probably shouldn¡¯t be thinking such thoughts when I was just born, but it felt hopeless. It would end the same way as it ended in my previous life. I heaved a silent sigh. In their eyes, they probably saw their child doing cute, random things.


    I didn¡¯t know why, but I felt tired already. Maybe it was because I was a baby, maybe because I had not much hope for my future. Heck, maybe because of the huge task in front of me. How was I supposed to save the world when I wasn¡¯t even sure I could have a family to live in?


    Feeling tired, I closed my eyes, wishing to go back to sleep.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    It took me a while to come to terms with my new life. Once I got the hang of this baby body, though, it was smooth sailing from there, kind of. Within fifteen months old, this world¡¯s time, roughly a year on Earth, I could already communicate. Not like a baby, but like an adult. Everyone in my village was surprised at my quick development. I couldn''t say that I came from another world, though. At twenty months, I could walk like normal.


    Unlike my previous life, this time, my parents stick with me. They guided me and cared for me just like regular parents would. It puts my mind at ease. For now, at least, I could focus on dealing with the demon king¡¯s threat.


    My brain had already regained its capabilities from my previous life from the moment I was born. I may have the knowledge from the past, but my body was still that of a frail baby. Hence why I put all my younger years into studying as much as I could. Once I grew older, I would be studying combat.


    One thing surprised me, though. The more I researched, the more I realized just how similar this world was to Mimosa. As I flipped the pages, not only I found similar information regarding the magic system, the rules, and even the calendar, I saw an exact copy of the historical events. The wars, the demon¡¯s invasion, the triumphant victories. Everything, everything was the same. I must admit. The level of detail contained in Mimosa Online was impressive.


    Am I dreaming?


    It was so impressive that I found myself questioning my past life several times ever since I came here. Was the game I played really a game? Maybe I was grown in a simulation and then extracted here.


    I looked and looked, and read every single book I could find in my home. Books filled every corner of my bedroom. My mom and dad supported my endeavors. Dad worked hard to get me more books, while Mom took on various tasks like sewing and knitting also to get more books.


    ¡°Forstibel, are you hungry, Honey?¡± asked my mom. My new name was Forstibel, by the way. Forstibel Baskator. My mom is Lucens Baskator, and my dad is Fidus Baskator. During the day, Dad would be out in the fields, while Mom would stay at home to watch over me, occasionally doing various side jobs. I felt terrible for them, considering how hard they were working, but I was grateful all the same.


    I swore I would one day repay their kindness.


    I lifted my head from the thick book in front of me. This book was larger than my body. Being able to hold it in place was a miracle in itself.


    ¡°No, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Okay. What are you reading?¡± Mom got closer and looked at the pages I was reading. I heard from Dad that Mom used to be a teacher before they got married. After that, she continued teaching until she carried me. Even now, she still teaches the local kids every once in a while.


    ¡°The principles of magic application in sword fighting¡­ You want to be a knight?¡±


    I shook my head. Being a knight is a pain. ¡°I want to be an adventurer.¡±


    In fiction, adventurers were depicted as drunkards who would work during the day, and party by the night. I hated drunkards, but going around slashing monsters didn¡¯t sound too bad. I could only hope that my party wasn¡¯t the type to sit around and waste money on drinks.


    ¡°Are you even old enough to carry a sword?¡± asked Dad, who had just appeared next to the doorsill.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I think not.¡±


    The village may call me a child prodigy, but there was no denying that this weak baby body hindered my progress. I could only go through day-by-day, studying as much as I could, before hopping to combat training the second I got strong enough.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    The years passed by in a blink of the eye, and I was already a seven-year-old. The years in this world lasted slightly longer at three hundred eighty-four days, divided by sixteen months, each month twenty-four days. That meant I was older than a seven-year-old on Earth.


    And what was I doing when I was seven years old?


    I befriended a dragon.


    Okay, maybe that was going too fast. Here''s a quick recap of my younger years.


    When I was five, I began combat training. From the books, I learned how to sense my own mana levels. I could tell just how much mana I had left. My parents were concerned with just how fast I was speed-running this game... I mean life, so they banned me from going too far. Dad would give me sword training in the morning and evening. During the day while he worked, Mom would teach me either basic subjects or magic.


    But that wasn¡¯t enough. At the end of each day, I could sense that I still had a lot of mana left over. So I decided to do what any gamer would do. I went to the nearby forest and grinded. I ¡®borrowed¡¯ my mother¡¯s magic wand, a tool you need if you want to cast magic, and then ran off. I headed to the nearby forests. There, I hunted as many animals and monsters as I could, before sneaking back to bed by dawn. Supposedly, a child''s body needs a lot of sleep, and I struggled to fight against the natural order of my body.


    I carefully planned my day. I would have sword training with Dad, then magic and studies with Mom. At night, I would sneak out to grind, and return home before I was too tired. Any time I had nothing to do, I slept. That repeated over and over for a while, until that day...


    The day when I befriended a dragon.

 Chapter 2

    It was a peaceful morning in our small village. After practicing in the comfort of our home for so long, Dad thought it was finally time for me to go out into the world. He didn''t know about my little trips outside into the forest at night, and I intend to keep it that way.


    Key word, intend.


    ¡°You look excited,¡± Dad said as he held my hand.


    "Of course."


    For me, it was just another trip to the forest. For Dad, though, it was my first time facing real danger and challenges. I either need to act scared, happy, or excited. Any expression that showed this as being my first time out. That way, he wouldn''t feel suspicious of me.


    We made our way to the local Adventurers'' Guild. I lived in a small village, so our Adventurers'' Guild doubled as the village hall. Even then, it only had a small, old building. A receptionist served as both the guild¡¯s receptionist and the public servant. Dad talked about it several times, but I never been inside.


    "Welcome." The guild receptionist greeted us. I took a look around. Despite its age, the building was well maintained. It was clean, warm, and comfortable. One wall had a map of the world, featuring the continent, Mimosa. The game itself took place on the southern part of the continent, in the Kingdom of Syla. We lived near the kingdom¡¯s southern border and weren¡¯t part of the game map.


    "Does that map interest you, Forti?"


    I nodded. The top part of the map looked nearly the same. The game did show the world north and south of Syla, despite it being inaccessible. I wonder if they ever had the plans to expand down here. Still, everything that was covered looked almost identical. There were differences here and there, but nothing major. The town names, their locations, the highways. I could navigate through this world without needing a map.


    My dream for now was to go up north, to the Syla Royal Capital, where adventurers start in the game. I wanted to see just how accurate the capital in the game was compared to the capital in this world.


    It might be different, though. For one, many of the in-game events were treated as history. Like, for example, one of the events described the rise of the new faction, the Eastern Wolves. In the game, their rise happened five years before the main story. In this world, more than a hundred years have passed. Quite an awful lot of time.


    ¡°So, which one do you want to take, Forti?¡± my dad asked. I moved my attention down. There were many gathering, delivery, and even escort quests, common things in this world. I wanted something to fight, though.


    ¡°How about that one?¡± I pointed toward one of the quests attached to the board. It was a monster subjugation quest. The monster in question was Kamior Birds. As its name suggested, these airborne enemies spent most of their time in the sky.


    ¡°Eh¡­¡± Dad stared at it. ¡°I think we should pick something else.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    These birds didn¡¯t bother anyone as long as you didn¡¯t pass a certain height. There were probably more urgent quests around. I scanned the board, but I could see no such quests.


    ¡°Why not that?¡±


    ¡°That? Oh you mean those Kamior Birds? Sorry to disappoint you, but your father isn¡¯t good at using magic.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    No wonder he never taught me anything remotely magic.


    I thought he did that because my mother was better at it. I never questioned it until now.


    ¡°But I can use magic, remember?¡± I proudly held up my wand. My mother¡¯s wand, to be exact. In this world, you could only deploy spells that were the same as the element your wand had. My mom lent me her fire magic wand, which meant I could only use fire magic. I could shoot magic projectiles with this, though, and I was sure Dad saw me doing that before.


    He shook his head disapprovingly. ¡°If we trigger the birds, then something happens to you, I can¡¯t help, remember?¡±


    ¡°... I guess?¡±


    In the game, the birds would do hit-and-run attacks. This meant players without range attacks only have a short time window to take them down. They were agile flyers as well, making ranged magical attacks tough.


    ¡°But there are no other monster quests?¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should stick to home training for today¡­¡±


    ¡°Aww¡­¡±


    That said, I could easily take out those birds. I had been grinding, after all, but I did it all in secret. I would definitely receive a stern lecture if I admitted to going out during the night to train.


    All of a sudden, the building went dark. The sun rays from outside disappeared and reappeared within a split of a second.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Dad asked, pulling me closer. The receptionist looked out the window.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± She stared out the window, frowning.


    ¡°Cecilia, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°A dragon¡­¡±


    ¡°A dragon? Impossible.¡±


    Interesting.


    Dad and Miss Cecilia probably never saw a dragon before, let alone fought them. Me? I ate them for breakfast.


    Just kidding. I did defeat one, but I never killed one. Unlike in other worlds, the dragons in this world are intelligent species comparable to humans. They lived in the mountainous regions of the west. They were quick flyers, so them being here wasn¡¯t impossible.


    But why?


    Dragons were impossible to tame, and only few had one as a friend. Our village was far too small and insignificant for a visit of someone like that. Most dragons preferred the cold climate of the mountain, so one of them flying here for no reason was unlikely.


    Yells and screams rang outside. I instantly knew what was happening. I shot straight for the door.


    ¡°Forti!¡± Dad yelled.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be alright!¡±


    I ran out of the building, turning north toward where the red dragon was flying. Some fields at the north end were burning. Local knights prepared for battle, while civilians evacuated the area. I painted a black circle in my vision, right on the dragon, then painted the symbol for Zoom above the circle. The part of my vision inside that circle grew larger, zooming in on the target. A fire dragon, proven by their red color.


    Feeling the adrenaline rushing through me, I sprinted past the crowd, heading straight for the flying dragon.


    ¡°Kid! What are you doing!¡± one of them screamed toward me, but I ignored them.


    I had been making rough calculations ever since I killed my first monster. I had a rough estimate of my level, and I knew I had a high enough level to fight this dragon.


    I hope it won¡¯t lead to that, though.


    The dragon flew in circles above the northern road of the village. They had a few spines on their back. The older a dragon gets, the more spines they¡¯ll have.


    Another feature that made me sure this was a youngling was the fact that they didn¡¯t try to communicate. Older dragons had the ability to communicate in human language. This young dragon was probably lost. Unable to talk with humans, they circled the world aimlessly, looking for home. Someone probably triggered them by doing something to them. Most of the people here I assumed never even saw a dragon in the first place.


    I stopped and pointed the wand forward. I stared at the dragon. Within my vision, I painted a red circle above the dragon¡¯s wing. Inside the circle, I painted a symbol for a spell called Total Sun Ray. It was a complex symbol with many horizontal and vertical lines mashing together. I needed to be able to envision that symbol accurately to be able to use the spell, as the slightest mistake could cancel the spell.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Once I completed the symbol, A heat ray appeared above the dragon¡¯s top. The dragon¡¯s flapping weakened, and they soon lost control of themselves. They tumbled down, crashing down to the road.


    Everyone stared in shock. I ran forward, coming next to the dragon. All dragons, even fire dragons, were weak to extreme temperatures. Their undersides, normally, had thicker armor-like skin than their tops. That''s why they could use their flame breath to burn the land, but not be affected.


    Even then, they still needed to keep a distance from the flames. My spell not only appeared right above them, but also near the wings, the weakest point of a dragon.


    The dragon tried moving.


    ¡°Fortisbel!¡± one of the local knights called. They tried to move forward, but I waved my hand.


    ¡°Stay away! Seriously!¡±


    I inched closer and patted their snout. The young dragon hadn¡¯t grown large yet, not in dragon standards at least, their body only around fifteen meters in length.


    They opened their eyes, then growled, but did nothing. I imagined the dragon¡¯s face, then I painted the symbol for the elementless spell, Connect. It was used to connect the minds of two individuals. I managed to connect, but the words I heard in my mind were unclear.


    The spell isn¡¯t stable.


    A stable spell could even help me understand if someone didn''t speak my language or couldn''t speak in the first place, as it conveyed the sender¡¯s thoughts. The instability of this spell meant that the dragon was in great pain.


    ¡°Anyone carry an ice wand?¡±


    One of the knights warily approached, carrying an ice wand with him. I took it. I painted a light blue circle above the dragon, then a symbol for an ice spell.


    Cool Air.


    I painted the symbol in my vision. Instantly, the surrounding temperature dropped. The dragon began moving, but unlike before, no aggressiveness was visible from their eyes. I patted their snout again. They let out a little growl.


    ¡°Hey, that tickles!¡±


    The dragon licked my face, a sign of affection. I began patting their head, and they looked comfortable.


    Then, two massive shadows appeared from the west, followed by a fierce roar. The dragon looked up at the sky and growled in return. The knights then pointed their weapons toward the dragon. The dragon, in return, stared sharply at them.


    ¡°Everyone, stand down! You¡¯re scaring them!¡±


    The sound of flapping wings entered my ears, and from the sky, two larger dragons came and landed on the road behind the little dragon. One was blue, a water dragon, and the other red, a fire dragon. The little dragon turned around and cheerfully ran toward their parents.


    ¡°Little one. Are you the one that helped her?¡± came the blue dragon¡¯s heavy voice.


    So the dragon is a girl. Well, I couldn¡¯t deny that she¡¯s quite cute.


    Unlike humans, what trait got passed down from their parents depends on the dragon¡¯s gender. Since this one is a girl, the fire dragon would be the mother.


    ¡°Is she lost?¡±


    The young dragon growled, and the mother replied. ¡°We were so worried about her. She got lost in a blizzard two days ago. We spent ages looking for her.¡±


    ¡°The dragons can speak?¡± Dad murmured, standing beside me. As I predicted, he had never seen a dragon before.


    ¡°Are you hungry?¡± I asked.


    The mother looked down at her daughter and growled, and the little dragon whimpered.


    ¡°Is there a chance you have any food?¡±


    ¡°Please wait a moment.¡±


    I ran as fast as I could back home.


    ¡°Forti? What¡¯s going on?¡± Mom asked in a panic.


    ¡°A dragon. Do you mind if I bring them some fish?¡±


    ¡°A what?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mom.¡±


    I picked up the basket full of fish and ran back to where the dragons waited. Luckily, my training paid off, as I could do the loop without losing my breath.


    ¡°Will this be enough?¡± I presented the basket. Only then I realize that the basket only contained two pieces of fish, along with five loaves of bread. Some dragons were omnivores and could eat bread, but not all. ¡°Umm¡­ it looks like I didn¡¯t bring many.¡±


    The little dragon stepped forward, sniffed at the fish, and ate it first. As they chewed, their eyes lit up, and they scoured everything else. Once they finished, they licked me and growled.


    ¡°Thank you, little one.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I could help.¡±


    ¡°We will be going home now. Do not worry, we have gathered some treasures from the mountains. We will be bringing some back to repay the damages our daughter had done.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, little boy. We appreciate your kindness,¡± said the mother.


    The little dragon chirped, and the three took flight, heading west.


    ¡°Have a safe trip.¡± I waved as they disappeared to the horizon.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    I became the talk of the town for quite some while after that.


    ¡®The child prodigy that defeated a dragon.¡¯ turned into the hot local news. Everyone was talking about it. People crowned me a hero, even offering me gifts and whatnot. Even my parents'' standing in town rose, and the local knight and lord tried recruiting me several times.


    I rejected them every time. As a gamer, and as an adventurer, I value my freedom. No matter what they say, I didn¡¯t want to be tied to formalities and the like.


    In the days after the event, my parents drilled me for information. How did I know spells that Mom didn¡¯t teach me, spells that Mom herself didn''t know? How did I get that powerful? How could I stay calm when I faced the dragon? How did I know the weaknesses of the dragon? I couldn¡¯t tell them about my past though. Not yet at least.


    Even after my performance, Dad banned me from going into the forest alone. Despite that, I continued sneaking out like usual.


    Sorry Mom and Dad, but you couldn''t stop the grind.


    A week later, six days in this world¡¯s calendar, the family of dragons returned.


    ¡°We sincerely hope that this is enough.¡±


    ¡°Woah¡­¡±


    The three of them dropped a mountain of gold in the village¡¯s plaza. Dragons liked gold, and they could mine them on their own. They view gold like how we view beautiful potted plants. That was why many adventurers tried to fight dragons, although many attempts failed. They weren¡¯t hostile unless provoked, so even back then, I didn¡¯t see a reason to fight them.


    ¡°Baron Kustorv, can you handle this please?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, Fortisbel?¡±


    ¡°I still have my parents to support me.¡± I turned back toward the dragons and bowed my head. ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°No, thank you for what you did.¡±


    ¡°Are you planning to stay in this village, little one?¡± the father asked all of a sudden.


    ¡°Huh? I haven¡¯t planned when I¡¯ll be going, but no.¡±


    No gamer stays in one place. My parents were really nice to me, so I would definitely come and visit them. The townsfolk were friendly as well. I had many reasons to come back. It wasn¡¯t like my previous life, I had a family now.


    I would still go on an adventure, however. Not now, but dragons could live much longer than humans. What for me is a ''sometime in the future'' may sound like next week to them.


    ¡°Is that so? Come on, speak for yourself.¡± Using his wing, the father pushed the daughter forward. The little dragon turned her head to her parents, before turning to me.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    The little dragon shook her body, and then a cloud of magic appeared around her.


    Ah, yeah. I completely forgot about this.


    The next moment, a naked girl appeared before me. I immediately turned away. Panicked screams rang all around me. Mom and Dad both covered my eyes, with Mom trying to cover Dad¡¯s eyes as well. A few seconds passed, and a piece of cloth now covered the girl¡¯s body.


    ¡°I would never understand why humans treat nakedness as something weird¡­¡± The father shook his head.


    The girl standing before me had long straight red hair, with dragon horns appearing above her hair. Her clear, ruby red eyes looked down at herself. ¡°Is this a human custom?¡±


    ¡°I guess you can say that.¡± I sighed. Based on her father¡¯s question, and how she transformed in front of everyone, I could tell where this was going.


    This part, too, matched the game. In this world, some kinds of beings could use magic to take on human forms. These human forms were exactly the same as normal humans, with some features carried over from their original bodies. In a dragon¡¯s case, their horns.


    Dragons didn¡¯t normally use human forms, though. They rarely interact with humans. If a dragon decided to use their human form, that would only mean,


    ¡°I would like to travel with you. I want to know more of this world with you,¡± she admitted, bringing in the surprise gasps from everyone around me. Had this been another world or another game, this moment would definitely be sweet, but¡­


    In this world, no matter what, dragons couldn¡¯t see someone outside their species as romantic partners.


    So, unfortunately, no romance tag here.


    ¡°I have no plans on leaving now, though.¡±


    The world outside was dangerous. I may be at a high level, but I still have a lot of grinding to do.


    ¡°I can wait.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ dragons did have a long lifespan.¡±


    Even now, this girl is older than me. Dragons typically gain their ability to speak at fifteen years old.


    ¡°Well¡­ if you don¡¯t mind waiting. Mom, do we have an extra room?¡±


    ¡°Ah, huh, oh¡­ AH! I mean, yes, we have some space for you!¡± Mom panicked.


    ¡°I can sleep outside.¡±


    ¡°Well, that won¡¯t do!¡± Mom was half-yelling for some reason. Murmurs began sounding around us.


    ¡°Please, take care of our child.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The father and mother bowed their heads. Despite being dragons, they understood human ethics quite well. Maybe they lived with humans at some point in their lives?


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry! We¡¯ll make sure she¡¯s well fed and grow healthy and big and smart and-¡±


    ¡°Honey, calm down,¡± Dad whispered. Mom took a deep breath.


    ¡°Yes, we will definitely take good care of her.¡±


    After some more back-and-forth, the two dragons bid farewell to their daughter and flew home. We took the dragon home, along with some gold reward.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    We sat around the dining table.


    ¡°So, who should we call you?¡±


    ¡°My dragon name is Mayadokeuasnfeniskeos.¡±


    All three of us paused at her name. Yeah, I should have remembered. Dragons always had these long, complicated names.


    ¡°... Can I call you Maya?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Feel free to.¡±


    ¡°Well, welcome to the family, Maya.¡±


    We celebrated the night with some grilled fish.

 Chapter 3

    I sat in my bed that night, looking up at the ceiling. My room didn''t have a clock, so I had no idea what time it was. Dad had already tucked me into bed earlier, and he usually wouldn''t return after he did that.


    I waited for a familiar sound. Not so far from my room, the door to my parents'' bedroom opened and closed with a click. I knew it was time.


    Sorry, the demon king wouldn''t wait.


    I got out of my room and sneaked to the living room. In the living room was a small cupboard. Mom¡¯s wands, a nature wand and a fire wand, were inside. I used the fire wand for my adventure the previous night, so I decided to use the nature wand this time.


    As I picked up my wand, I heard faint footsteps coming toward the living room. I hadn''t heard my parents'' bedroom door opening, so this might be¡­


    ¡°... Fortis? What are you doing?¡± Maya asked, looking a bit sleepy. I brought my index finger to my mouth.


    ¡°Shh! They might wake up.¡±


    Maya tilted her head. ¡°Your parents?¡±


    I nodded. She inched closer.


    ¡°Why are you keeping this a secret?¡±


    ¡°My parents never allowed me to go out during the night.¡±


    It was a complete one-eighty from my previous life. Back then, I could disappear one night and my parents would never go looking for me. Back then, I longed for the warmth of my parents. Now, I miss that freedom.


    I still loved my parents though, but yeah, sorry Mom and Dad.


    Maya''s eyes went down to the nature wand I held.


    ¡°You''re going out to fight monsters?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I want to come.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Maya nodded resolutely. ¡°I don''t need a wand to use magic.¡±


    Maya, being a fire dragon, could use a variety of fire attacks without needing a wand. That said¡­


    ¡°You can do that in your human form?¡±


    ¡°I''ll change into a dragon.¡±


    ¡°Don''t do that.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    What do you mean, why? I''m still a young man! And you''re a cute girl!


    The process of the transformation itself aside, Maya being in her dragon form would catch a lot of attention. I couldn''t risk her being caught.


    ¡°Is there anything you can do in your human form?¡±


    ¡°... I can punch, strongly.¡± She did some shadow boxing in the air.


    Being a dragon, her human form was stronger than us regular humans. Still¡­


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I''ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡±


    We sneaked out of the house. I breathed the outside air in relief after we left the building. The cold air tickled my skin, so I decided to move as fast as possible to counter it. Maya followed behind me.


    We sneaked past the village guards and headed straight for the forest.


    ¡°So this is what a night in a human village feels like.¡±


    ¡°Do your parents not let you go out at nights?¡±


    ¡°They''re not as strict, but other than getting drunk, there''s nothing we can do in our village.¡±


    ¡°... You''re allowed to drink?¡±


    She tilted her head. ¡°Is that bad?¡±


    It had been several years, but the memory of my death was still fresh in my mind.


    ¡°Please don''t get drunk.¡±


    ¡°... Why?¡±


    ¡°Just¡­ just don''t.¡±


    I really don''t want to deal with drunkards.


    Maya didn''t pursue it any further. Well, luckily for me, her human form looked a lot like a regular child, so I doubt people would let her drink. I could only hope that she wouldn''t throw a tantrum over it.


    We headed deeper into the thick trees that covered the land. We ran into a monster in the shape of a deer not long after we entered. Unfortunately for that deer, I need my magic energy.


    I painted a symbol Thorns in my vision. Sharp thorns stabbed right through the unsuspecting deer¡¯s body, killing it.


    ¡°... You''re ruthless.¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to hear that from the dragon that almost burned our village.¡±


    ¡°That was an accident.¡±


    ¡°Why did you come here with me in the first place?¡±


    ¡°I want to fight monsters. Fight, not murder in cold blood.¡±


    I couldn''t believe a dragon was saying that to me.


    ¡°They end up dead, anyway.¡±


    ¡°At least they had a chance to fight.¡±


    ¡°Well, how about you show me what you''re capable of, then?¡±


    I pointed toward a black tiger roaming in between the trees. The tiger had already noticed us. I could sense its gaze at me.


    Gaze sensing is a high-level ability, though. I wonder how high I am now.


    In this world, magic irregularities formed copies of living animals. These monsters are more aggressive and stronger when compared to their regular counterparts. The magic irregularities could also make some differences in size and shape.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    From the pitch black aura emanating from the tiger, I could tell this wasn''t a regular enemy.


    Maya didn''t seem the slightest bit fazed, though. She stepped forward with confidence. I sensed the weight of the tiger¡¯s gaze shifted toward her. The tiger readied its fang, while Maya prepared her fists.


    The tiger rushed forward, sprinting above the foliage. The sudden attack would take a regular person off guard, but neither of us was regular. A single punch from Maya sent it flying toward a tree, its back smacking the trunk. Maya rushed forward in a follow-up attack, pummeling it with punches.


    The speed and weight of her attacks pinned the tiger down, and the tiger couldn''t react. It died not long after, its body dissipating into the air, leaving nothing but a magic stone.


    Maya returned to me. Even with her flat expression, I could she felt proud of her triumphant victory. ¡°Now it''s your turn. Show me a proper fight.¡±


    Unlike other games, Mimosa Online has a cooldown for regions. After a player defeats all the monsters in a region or dungeon, it takes time before the monsters gather again.


    This applied to this world as well. I had to keep changing locations to find new enemies.


    ¡°Well, today''s our lucky day.¡±


    I pushed up a tree branch, revealing an empty patch in the center of the forest. Sitting on it was a single bull, but no ordinary bull. Lion Cape Bull, a bull with thick hair around its neck, pretty much like a lion.


    I stepped into the empty patch, and the bull stood up. We had a little stare down. The bull prepared to attack me, but before it could step forward,


    Vines appeared from the ground, capturing its feet. It kicked around in an attempt to escape, but before it could, I stabbed it with the vines. It died right after. I turned to Maya with a confident smirk.


    ¡°So, how was it-¡±


    Maya stared at me with a flat expression on her face, which turned into a frown.


    ¡°Boring. Boo¡­¡±


    ¡°Wh- What? What do you mean, boring?¡±


    Had this been my past life, people would be calling me a cheater by now.


    ¡°Fighting is about the flair, not about winning.¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ no? Fighting is about winning.¡±


    Maya shook her head in disapproval.


    ¡°If you kill your enemy as soon as you see them, the fight ends too quickly.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the goal in the first place?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s boring.¡±


    I honestly had no idea how dragons saw things.


    After that, Maya led us deeper into the forest. Despite all the things she said about flair and whatnot, she ended up killing all the monsters with several quick punches. We trained until early in the morning, before coming back home.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere farther,¡± Maya suggested. We were out in our house¡¯s front yard. I and Maya were helping Mom with hanging our clothes.


    ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±


    ¡°The neighboring town?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I think we need to ask my parents for that.¡±


    It had been six months since she entered our household. She was probably bored from being in this village for so long.


    If we were going to a neighboring town, that meant by flight, as there was no town close enough for us to reach and return within a day on a carriage. I didn¡¯t know just how familiar people of other towns were with dragons. It may spell some trouble.


    ¡°Fidus! Lucens!" came a voice from outside the fence. I put down the basket and went to open it.


    "Ah, Fortisbel and Maya. Good day.¡± Baron Kurstov greeted.


    ¡°Good day,¡± I replied. ¡°Is there something you need with my parents?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This got something to do with you two, actually.¡±


    ¡°Baron Kurstov. Good day.¡± Mom came out and invited him inside. Dad was still in the fields, so the meeting began with just the three of us.


    ¡°I decided to write a letter of recommendation for Fortisbel and Maya.¡± The baron set down a piece of letter on the table. ¡°I asked the King¡¯s Academy if there¡¯s any chance of getting the two of you in.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I too young for the King¡¯s Academy?¡±


    The King¡¯s Academy was a school set in the capital of this country, Syla. It served as a sort of high school for the country. In this world, people only began attending school around the age of thirteen, and sixteen for ¡®high school¡¯. The high school¡¯s curriculum felt more like middle school, though.


    I knew because in the game, we would occasionally take on the quests of training the students, and they would sometimes tell us about their school life.


    ¡°You can join the local school in the capital, then leap a year into the King¡¯s Academy.¡±


    That¡¯s a pain. The stuff I learn from school would be no different from the things I learn by reading books. Studying would suck the hours I could spend grinding.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested,¡± I stated honestly.


    ¡°But why? This is a golden opportunity.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t say I have the knowledge from my past life, so I looked for a different excuse. ¡°I can study using normal books.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t deny that you are certainly smart for someone of your age.¡±


    ¡°Why do you not want to attend school?¡± Maya asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I feel like I can do other stuff with the time.¡±


    ¡°But I want to attend school.¡±


    Well¡­ now you pushed me to a corner.


    ¡°I guess I don¡¯t mind spending three years of my life on education¡­¡±


    The baron¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Yes. How about that? We just have you enter the King¡¯s Academy when you¡¯re sixteen. I¡¯m confident you can learn everything the local school can offer by then.¡±


    I think I already learned everything they can offer.


    ¡°How about that, Maya?¡±


    Maya nodded in agreement. ¡°That is fine.¡±


    ¡°I shall write a letter to the King¡¯s Academy immediately, to ensure that you have your place by the time you grow up!¡± the baron said with excitement. We weren¡¯t even his children. Mom also looked happy, so all good, I guess.


    The happiest was Dad, who couldn¡¯t stop crying when he heard about the offer later in the day. It seemed that I had made his dream come through, one way or another.


    Guess I have no choice. I have to give it my best.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    The day after the meeting with the baron, Maya brought me to see her parents. The mountain where her family lived was a two-hour flight away. For comparison, a carriage ride to the foot of the mountain would take twenty hours or more.


    I flew on Maya before, so this wasn''t something new for me. Despite that, It was still a bit weird to think that she was naked (in dragon form) while I wore a thick, multi-layered jacket.


    The dragon village soon came into view.


    It had many differences from a human village. Most of the homes in the village were constructed with stone, and gold was used as decoration here and there. We made our way down the roads. The village was massive. Its road sizes resembled the large highways found in Earth''s cities.


    I began hearing various whispers from the dragons looking at us. I had come here several times before, and the dragons had gradually warmed up to my presence. Some greeted us when we arrived.


    Maya led the way. A dragon appeared from one of the buildings.


    ¡°Mayadokeuasnfeniskeos, welcome home. You brought Fortisbel again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Noaismejisexukanfe.¡±


    I called him Noa, by the way. Just Noa. Now usually spoke in dragon language with the other dragons. He probably spoke in Syilaian, the native language of Syla, out of consideration for me.


    "Enjoy your visit, you two."


    "Thank you."


    We made our way to Maya¡¯s home. Her parents greeted us with delight. After handing me a cup, or rather, a barrel of wine (Not that I drank it, I gave it to Maya instead), I began telling them about the offer the two of us received.


    ¡°Is that so? I never heard of such a school,¡± Father said.


    ¡°We dragons do not have school systems, but I often hear humans look back fondly on their experiences in them,¡± Mother said. Until now, I still didn¡¯t know their names and opted to call them Father and Mother instead.


    ¡°Have you lived in human cities before?¡± I asked. The two nodded.


    ¡°Actually, we met in a human city,¡± Mother said.


    ¡°I still remember how beautiful her human form was. When I saw her dragon form, my heart was captured.¡±


    ¡°And he was so handsome, and so kind.¡±


    Great, these two started flirting.


    ¡°I see. Is there anything you dislike about human cities?¡±


    I wanted to make sure Maya¡¯s time in school was as great as it could be. Her parents looked like they could give us some pointers.


    ¡°Human cities are cramped and hot. Other than that¡­¡± Mother mused.


    ¡°And humans think it''s inappropriate to walk around naked,¡± Father said.


    ¡°Even after living with Fortis for so long, I still fail to understand why humans think it¡¯s inappropriate to do so.¡±


    Yeah, I wonder why...


    ¡°Is that so? I guess there¡¯s nothing to be worried about.¡±


    ¡°Are you worried about her?¡±


    ¡°A bit.¡±


    ¡°What a kind young boy. Please take care of our daughter from now on.¡±


    ¡°I- I will.¡± I nodded. We had some more talk for the afternoon. After that, we returned to the village, carrying a massive basket full of fruits and veggies, as usual. They always gave me a lot of stuff when I came to visit.

 Chapter 4

    Despite our future enrollment ¡®secured¡¯, I still went out to grind. I still didn¡¯t know why the school was willing to go so far. One possibility might be because a baron asked them, but the school didn¡¯t have any lack of nobles. Someone of his standing shouldn¡¯t have such a high effect.


    As to why the baron was willing to go so far for us, he probably thought of us as kids with great potential. If we did something great, his name and this village would go up a step or two. He would have a badge describing how he found this ¡®hidden¡¯ talent, despite me not really trying to hide anything. Having a dragon willing to see you as an equal is rare as well.


    I had at least three. Maya, her father, and her mother.


    Most of the time, the people saw them as monsters. They were scary, fearsome beasts that destroyed everything in their wake. I¡¯ve seen the other side of them, even visited their village. They were never as scary as people describe them to be.


    Rather, they¡¯re the opposite of scary.


    ¡°Fortis. Let¡¯s go catch fish.¡± Maya pushed my shoulder left and right. Yeah, scary beasts¡­


    I guess the future and all that complicated stuff could wait for just a tiny bit. Not like I bothered thinking about my future back on Earth.


    But the demon king didn¡¯t threaten Earth, though¡­


    Half of me felt that I should be taking this issue more seriously. If I failed, everyone would die. At the same time, the information was too vague. Al1cea had yet to visit me again. I didn¡¯t know when he would return, or how strong he would be. The game did have a part where players battled the demon king, but I didn''t know how realistic it was.


    ¡°Come on, Fortis.¡± Maya shook me. Mom had managed to secure a new magic book from one of her friends in a neighboring village, so I was in the middle of reading it.


    ¡°Just go and study or something,¡± I said, flipping through the pages.


    She pouted. ¡°Come on.¡±


    She began shaking me again. Nothing could get into my mind if this continued.


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± I relented.


    I set the book down on the table, using a pencil as a bookmark. She reached for my hand and dragged me out. We headed for the river not too far southeast of our village.


    She skipped cheerfully above the dirt road. She normally had this flat expression on her face. Despite that, I could still tell when she was excited or happy.


    ¡°You need to study soon, you know. That¡¯s what schools are for.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­?¡±


    ¡°Now you know why I don¡¯t want to go.¡±


    ¡°But making friends is fun.¡±


    She had made a couple of friends in the village. At first, the villagers were scared. They kept their distance away from her. After a while, they began to grow closer to her. They realized just how human she is, and now, she had a few friends of her own.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°You can¡¯t choose one and discard the other.¡±


    ¡°How about you, Fortis? Why do you go to school?¡±


    ¡°Me¡­? Didn''t I say I don''t want to go?¡±


    ¡°But you still agreed in the end.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    I looked for a reason, but only one reason popped up. I was worried about her.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about you, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ Why? I can just burn everyone that opposes me.¡±


    ¡°That''s precisely why I¡¯m worried about you! Don''t burn someone just because of a petty argument!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t humans do that to each other all the time?¡±


    The accuracy of her words stung. ¡°Just don¡¯t go starting fights.¡±


    We would probably be involved in one or two, though. That was simply the nature of school life.


    Petty arguments, I mean, not fights to the death.


    She stopped, looking at the lake in front of us.


    ¡°If someone hits me, you will be there for me, right?¡±


    ¡°Maybe?¡±


    She turned her head. ¡°Why maybe?¡±


    ¡°Knowing you¡­ let¡¯s just say I have some other concerns.¡±


    Maya turned back toward the water. She didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Maya?¡±


    I tried walking past her, before turning to her face. Her eyes were glaring at a point in the distance.


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    She sprinted past me, running straight toward the water. She descended the small hill that overlooked the lake, running toward a small pier. Not far from that pier was a group of fish.


    ¡°Maya, wait for me!¡± I called, but was ignored. She jumped off the pier and dived into the water.


    ¡°Maya?¡± I stopped and waited on the pier. I could see her shadow swimming straight to the group, grabbing two and swimming back toward me. She shot up from the water and landed back on the pier, her hands holding two silver fish.


    ¡°I got them.¡± She puffed her chest. I put the basket I brought down. She threw both of the fishes into the basket.


    ¡°Prepare a fire.¡± She turned around and dived back into the water. I returned to the shore and looked for some branches, then set up my cooking equipment. Using fire magic, I lit up the stack of wood, creating a campfire. She returned with more fish, threw them into the basket, then headed back to the waters.


    After a few minutes, the basket was filled to the brim with fishes. She wasn¡¯t done, though. She went back to the water, grabbed some more fish, then gave it to me. I prepared them for grilling before cooking them over the campfire. In total, she caught like twenty different fish within the span of five minutes. Despite her human body looking similar to mine, her physical abilities were on a whole other level.


    This was why I needed to accompany her. If I got into a fight, it would be an equal fight. If she got into a fight, well, I don''t even want to know about the aftermath.


    Or maybe it wouldn¡¯t be equal, as I had been grinding since I was a child. I was also older in mental age, thanks to my past life experiences.


    At the very least, fighting me wouldn¡¯t be as dangerous as fighting her. Probably.


    ¡°Say, Fortis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have many more experiences like this, aren¡¯t we?¡± she said before chomping down on her fish. The way she ate was reminiscent of her dragon form, when she chomped everything down. That said, her stomach capacity matched a human¡¯s.


    She still got hungry quicker compared to the average person, though. Probably because she moved around so much.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m excited.¡±


    ¡°So am I¡­ Even though there¡¯s still like, how many years until we went there?¡±


    ¡°Many, many years.¡± She picked up another piece and began eating.


    ¡°Haha, yeah. Many, many years.¡±

 Chapter 5

    Those many years passed in an instant. The cold from the winter months had faded away, with the warmth of spring peeking on the horizon. It was finally time for us to set off toward the capital.


    "Someone''s excited," Maya commented. "You''re grinning."


    "Well, yeah."


    It was finally time for me to get a look at the capital, the place I lived for a good portion of my previous life.


    Well, not literally. While I spent a lot of time on Mimosa Online, it wasn''t the game I spent most of my time in, I think?


    Besides, it had been years. What does the capital look like now? Would I meet any of the characters from the game? Did the laws remain unchanged? Had they discovered new magic and stuff?


    So many questions circled my head.


    ¡°Do you have everything ready?¡± Mom asked. I did one final check on my belongings, although I didn¡¯t actually need to. If I left something behind, I could just return home.


    It was a trick I hid from Maya and my family because I thought it would be funny. I had already tested it before in secret, and it worked exactly the way it did in the game. The elementless spell, Teleport. It was a complicated spell. In the game, you just need to select a location you visited often enough. In this world, you needed to be able to picture a near-perfect image of where you wanted to go, and then paint the symbol for teleportation above it. I struggled a bit, but after some practice, I got the hang of it.


    There were times when my parents were awake at night. In theory, it should prevent me from going out, but no. All I needed to do was teleport to the forest, then come back before dawn.


    It''s an incredible ability, definitely worth the trouble.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± Maya said. We hugged my parents. After some more words of advice, we exited the home.


    Villagers gathered in front of our house, about to bid us farewell. Even Father and Mother came to see us goodbye. They stand among the crowd, in their human forms. They had visited us several times at this point, occasionally treating this village as their vacation home.


    The two of us stepped forward and exchanged hugs. I occasionally spent time in the dragon village, so I was practically their adopted son by now.


    ¡°Stay safe, okay?¡±


    ¡°We will. We¡¯ll be off, then.¡±


    We did one last wave. I then extended my hand, taking Maya¡¯s. I made sure Maya held her suitcase. She looked confused. I gave her a reassuring smile, then closed my eyes. I imagined the interior of Syla¡¯s Adventurers¡¯ Guild. I had visited the place so many times in my previous world that I memorized the place exactly. I then painted the Teleport symbol on top of my imagination.


    Here I go.


    Nothing happened.


    ¡°Fortis, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Mom asked in worry.


    ¡°Huh, that¡¯s weird.¡±


    I kept my eyes closed. I changed my destination, imagining my room instead. I painted the teleportation spell above the picture.


    I opened my eyes, finding myself inside my room. Teleportation definitely worked. I tried again, this time painting the sight of the street in front of our house.


    ¡°AH!¡±


    ¡°Teleportation!¡±


    ¡°Our son can use teleportation!¡±


    ¡°That spell existed?¡±


    "My goodness! I can''t believe my eyes!"


    Came the shocked words from the people.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    So the guild changed¡­


    That''s too bad¡­


    I was hoping I could skip the tedious journey.


    ¡°You can use teleportation? That is surprising.¡±


    ¡°Haha¡­¡± I laughed wryly. ¡°... Guess we¡¯re flying there.¡±


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    It was a bit embarrassing, but I could do nothing as Maya got changed. I was planning on showing off, hence why I told Maya to just wear her regular clothes.


    After a short while, she reappeared wearing a piece of large cloth over her body. She took a deep breath and deployed her magic. Within a few seconds, she transformed back into her dragon form. I climbed onto her back, putting our suitcases in front of me.


    ¡°Are you ready, Fortis?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    I waved toward the crowd as we took to the skies. The village shrunk as we flew further away, heading straight for Syla.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    Some hours passed. The beautiful view was mesmerizing for the first few hours. After that, I was bored.


    ¡°Is that it?¡± Maya asked all of a sudden.


    I was half-asleep when Maya made sudden movements, waking me up. She flapped her wings, slowing her speed and stabilizing her flight. I held onto her back and looked in front of us. A massive city spanned in front of me.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    From this high up, the city looked similar to how I remembered it. Or, at least, the center part of it. The city had expanded quite a lot. There was even a new layer of wall being built. Maya descended, looking for a place to land.


    ¡°Let¡¯s land there.¡± I pointed toward an empty road southwest of the capital. Maya turned around and slowed down, making a smooth landing like how an airplane would land. I told her to hide behind the nearby trees before changing into her regular clothes.


    Once she finished, we headed into the city.


    "So this is what a human city looks like."


    "Yeah."


    Unlike our little village, the capital was filled with people. Crowd occupied the streets while sellers promote their wares on the sides. People conversed with each other, enjoying a snack or two as they wind down. We headed deeper into the city, going past the middle walls. It once had been the outer walls, the walls that greeted an adventurer returning from their journey. The familiar gates had been repainted, and guards no longer stood next to its large doors.


    It¡¯s different.


    Brand new shops, buildings with different colors, roads with different surfaces. No wonder I failed to teleport to the capital.


    The Adventurers'' Guild must have changed as well.


    I guess the huge time gap had its effects. It was dumb of me to think that the capital remained the same. To be fair, I did expect it to change, just not this much.


    ¡°Where should we go, Fortis?¡± Maya asked.


    The school was open all year round, because unlike me, not everyone had a dragon friend they could ride home on. That said, the school¡¯s curfew was at eight in the evening. The sun had already set, and I doubt we could reach the school by eight. School didn¡¯t start until the first day of next week anyway, so we have time.


    ¡°Let¡¯s look for an inn.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    We began traveling down the crowded capital streets. Unlike our small village, the capital¡¯s roads were both crowded and bright at this hour.


    ¡°And you see, she said this after that!¡± Loud drunkards laughed as they enjoyed their beer. I moved away from any tavern I could see.


    ¡°Ah, you are not comfortable with that.¡±


    Maya and her family brought me into a dragon¡¯s equivalent of a tavern before. She noticed how uncomfortable I was. I did die from them, after all. I also hated the smell of alcohol. Her family was understanding enough to never bring me to a similar establishment after that.


    Besides, what kind of human could finish a barrel of wine? A freaking barrel.


    ¡°We should hurry. I¡¯m pretty tired.¡±


    ¡°I did nothing and I agreed with that statement.¡±


    "You slept the way here."


    "Sorry."


    We moved away from the taverns and looked for the closest inn we could find. After a few minutes of searching, we arrived in front of one.


    ¡°Good evening-¡± The receptionist¡¯s eyes widened when she saw Maya. ¡°A dragon? This is the first time I saw one¡­ Ah, I¡¯m really sorry for that!¡± She bowed her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright," Maya responded.


    "Two, please.¡±


    ¡°One room would be alright.¡±


    I jerked my head upon hearing Maya¡¯s response. ¡°But- but¡­¡±


    ¡°Dragons cannot feel romantic affection toward humans. I thought you know about this?¡± Maya looked at me. ¡°Besides, we will only be staying for a while. Won¡¯t two rooms be a waste of money?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Fine¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ one room it is¡­ then.¡±


    We paid the fee, and the receptionist gave us our key. We went to the building¡¯s second floor. The room contained double beds, much to my relief.


    ¡°I will be taking this one.¡± Maya sat down on the one near the window.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    She yawned and stretched her hands. ¡°Good night.¡± She turned around and went to sleep right after.


    She looked pretty adorable when she was asleep.


    I set my luggage down, then went to bed myself.

 Chapter 6

    ¡°... It looked different.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever visited this place?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, forget about that.¡±


    I somewhat expected it, but the King¡¯s Academy looked different from the building I remembered. I didn¡¯t visit the place often back in my previous life, but I could tell that there were changes. For one, there was an entirely new building in the complex. Many of the older buildings had undergone renovations as well.


    ¡°Should we go in?¡±


    I nodded, and we stepped into the King¡¯s Academy. I expected something ¡®wonderful¡¯ to happen when I stepped inside, but there were no flashy effects or game events. I simply walked past the gate.


    ¡°... Too bad¡­¡± I murmured.


    Maya eyed me from the side. ¡°Sometimes I wonder if you¡¯re a normal person.¡±


    ¡°I guess I¡¯m not normal?¡± I never actually told her about my reincarnation. I never told anyone for that matter. People simply assumed me as some child prodigy, not aware that my total lifetime was older than some of them.


    Not that it mattered, honestly. I got to twenty-five, then was reset.


    ¡°We should head into our rooms. Do you remember where yours are?¡±


    ¡°Rendezvous in the cafeteria in thirty minutes.¡± Maya walked away. The sight of her caught the attention of nearby students, probably because of the horns on her head. Dragon horns in the form of cute accessories were pretty common, but none of them looked as real as her horns.


    ¡°I hope she doesn¡¯t get into trouble,¡± I murmured, before making my way toward the boys¡¯ dormitories.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± I stretched my hands, my body sinking into the large white bed. A few years before the start of the main story, the academy was a noble only school. Despite all the years that have passed, they still hadn¡¯t renovated the rooms. So, despite being a regular commoner, I got access to a luxurious bed and a large room, way too large for what I know to do with. Even the bed I slept on was larger than the ones my parents used at home.


    I closed my eyes, about to float to dreamscape, when my mind imagined the school cafeteria. Maya sitting there alone, eating a huge piece of fish, under the gaze of our schoolmates¡­


    Urgh¡­


    Maya¡¯s horns stood out from the crowd, and it was impossible to mistake it for an accessory. Someone might get curious and bother her


    I hope she can make friends.


    I couldn¡¯t be around her twenty-four seven. I had no doubts about her being able to fight off anyone that got close, but that was the problem. Even after living in our village for so long, she was still not used to the way humans do things. Dragons value physical strength, and if someone messed with her¡­


    I got off the bed and got changed. Students were allowed to use whatever they wanted in the dormitories and the cafeteria, as long as it still followed the moral conduct. I grabbed some long pants and a dress shirt, rushing down the dorms¡¯ hallways straight for the cafeteria.


    It hadn¡¯t been thirty minutes yet, but Maya was already there¡­


    Surrounded by a lot of kids.


    She munched on a piece of grilled fish without the slightest care in the world.


    ¡°Who is your handler?¡±


    ¡°How did you get here?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t deserve to be enrolled in here.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Came the sneers from some of our peers. I expected this somewhat. People of this world didn¡¯t go along well with other intelligent species, mainly because of a lack of interaction. The dragons actually treated me in the same way when I first went to their village. They warmed up to me as more time passed.


    ¡°Sigh¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have left her.¡±


    ¡°Are you her master?¡± asked someone on my right. The girl yelped in surprise when I turned to her. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    She had a petite body, only as tall as my chest. Her long silver hair was tied in a ponytail, traveling down to her back, her bright blue eyes shyly looking away.


    ¡°She¡¯s my friend.¡±


    ¡°... Friend?¡± She seemed curious, albeit slightly frightened.


    Do I look that scary?


    ¡°Yeah. We¡¯ve been together since we were children.¡±


    A childhood friend, if you will.


    And the childhood friend always lost. Just my luck, I guess.


    ¡°I see¡­ That is nice.¡±


    ¡°Nice?¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t apologize. You did nothing wrong. Actually, It¡¯s more accurate to say you didn¡¯t even do anything.¡±


    ¡°Should I be doing something?¡±


    ¡°... Why are you asking me?¡±


    ¡°... Umm¡­¡± She averted her eyes.


    I looked back toward Maya. The people surrounding her were visibly growing intense. She had a flat expression as she munched, but the grip of her fist grew tighter.


    ¡°We really shouldn''t disturb her¡­¡± one of my schoolmates tried to stop the others, but the rest didn''t listen.


    ¡°A dragon shouldn¡¯t be away from its master.¡±


    ¡°Get out of here.¡±


    A boy with silver hair and blue eyes reached out and grabbed the collar of her shirt.


    You¡¯re going too far!


    Maya stopped eating, staring into his eyes. ¡°Let. Me. Go.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? What are you going to do about it?¡±


    One moment, I thought that this kid was an idiot. Next moment, he flew into the other side of the cafeteria, crashing into the wall.


    ¡°ARGH!¡± he screamed in pain, a crater left on the brick wall. Surprised gasp rose from around us. Maya gave one sharp stare at him then sat back down, finishing his meal. The other kids stepped away, looking at her in fear.


    Do you all really don''t know the strength of a dragon?


    I mean, I figured something like this would happen, but it was still surprising nonetheless.


    Maya lifted her head and saw me. I let out a faint sigh and approached her.


    ¡°First day and already making trouble?¡± I sat down across from her.


    ¡°Not my fault.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    It reminded me of when she first lived in this village. The villagers, too, were wary of her. But they didn''t go this far.


    Guess this should be expected, considering the status of these people.


    She took a drink from her jug and stood up. After finishing her meal, she placed her utensils among the stack of dirty plates in the designated area of the cafeteria.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Where¡­ do you¡­ think you¡¯re going?¡± The kid from before writhed in pain. Maya turned to me.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Buying supplies, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know who¡­ you¡¯re speaking with?¡±


    The rest of the students there began talking among themselves. I exchanged glances with Maya.


    ¡°Someone unimportant?¡± Maya asked.


    ¡°No, if he¡¯s here, he¡¯s probably someone important.¡±


    ¡°How important?¡±


    ¡°You expect me to know?¡±


    Since he was here, that meant he was around our age. He wouldn''t have existed during the game¡¯s time.


    ¡°How¡­ dare you. You will¡­ see¡­¡± A group of students helped him get up and escorted him away.


    ¡°Guess we should be prepared for a fight,¡± Maya said nonchalantly, heading toward the southern gate.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try minimizing fights from now. I only have so much mana.¡±


    We continued conversing as we headed into the city to buy supplies.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    Until the end of the day, we didn¡¯t see that kid again. Rumors had begun spreading. By the time we returned, all the students looked at us warily, keeping their distance. All except for one.


    ¡°Something you need from us?¡±


    ¡°Eh, ah, umm¡­ I¡¯m sorry!¡± She was the silver hair girl from before. It seemed that we had caught her attention. She was too frightened to say anything, though.


    ¡°Look, you don¡¯t need to apologize for every single thing, okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°That kid that messed with me still hasn¡¯t apologized.¡± Maya folded her hands, letting out a sigh. ¡°You¡¯re the opposite of him.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±


    ¡°So, anything you need?¡±


    The girl shook her head. ¡°Umm, please excuse me!¡± She ran off.


    ¡°Who is she?¡± Maya asked. ¡°Your friend?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you standing with her?¡±


    ¡°That and nothing more.¡± I hadn¡¯t even known her name, yet.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    We bid each other goodnight and headed to our respective rooms.

 Chapter 7

    The day of the entrance ceremony finally came. During our time here, we occasionally ran into the kid that messed with Maya. While he glared at us, he didn''t do anything. That should be a good thing, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel we messed with the wrong person. We were in a school full of nobles, after all. Commoners probably didn¡¯t have the power, or even the want in the first place to mess with others.


    ¡°What do you think, Fortis?¡± Maya asked, tugging the ends of her skirt.


    Our uniforms were certainly unique, black and purple being its primary color scheme. Black is used to symbolize elementless, meaning neutrality and fairness, while purple was the color the original founder of Syla, Amoriaz Keroz Syla, used to wear.


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    ¡°This is weird¡­¡± The girl walking next to Maya murmured as we made our way to the central building. I had seen her hanging around with Maya a few times before, but had yet to get her name.


    ¡°What¡¯s weird?¡± I asked.


    The girl walking next to Maya tilted her head forward and looked toward me. She had dark blue hair reminiscent of the deep sea, with yellow eyes rivaling the brightness of the sun. ¡°You see, normally, they do the level tests in private, so people that don¡¯t have high levels won¡¯t be embarrassed. But this year, they held it publicly, for some reason.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s weird¡­ By the way, who are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Solicea Misyosnoer, Maya¡¯s dorm friend and neighbor. You¡¯re Fortisbel, right? Maya¡¯s childhood friend?¡±


    You don¡¯t have to rub that in!


    Of course, I had no plans on dating Maya, but she was still a cute girl. Knowing I had no chance, even if I wasn¡¯t romantically interested, still hurts!


    ¡°Yeah. Did Maya say something about me?¡±


    ¡°She talked about how weird you are, like how you know things others don¡¯t know.¡± Solicea eyed me curiously. I guess it would be pretty noticeable. I did, technically, defeat a dragon, despite never even seeing one.


    ¡°She certainly had a unique impression of me.¡± I decided against talking about it. We arrived at the central hall, where the ceremony took place and picked our seats. I hadn¡¯t talked to anyone other than Maya so far, so I decided to just sit next to her. Then,


    ¡°Can I sit here?¡± I looked to my right, seeing the girl with silver hair from before.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much.¡± She bowed her head and sat down.


    The ceremony began not long after. It went like how you would expect. The principal gave us a long winded speech, then some more speeches, some introduction, bla bla bla.


    No mention of the demon king¡­


    It was easy to forget. No one ever mentioned the demon king¡¯s return. If they even remotely mentioned him, it would always be about how we won.


    ¡°Now, we will begin the level testing. Due to¡­ circumstances, the level testing would be done here.¡±


    Instantly, surprised murmurs filled the large hall. From what I could hear around me, most were expecting testing to be done in private. To add to the confusion, the school set up a screen on the side, slightly behind the box.


    ¡°Are they trying to tell the entire schools our levels?¡±


    ¡°That might be the case.¡±


    The students whispered to each other. The principal began calling out names, and one by one, students stepped onto the podium, inserting their hand to a magic box.


    The human body, in this world, absorbs magical energy from its surroundings. When you defeat a monster, you take all the magical energy from that monster¡¯s dead body. The magic item calculated your level based on how much magical energy was found in your body.


    A student inserted their hands into the box. The number seventeen appeared on a screen behind him, showing his level to the rest of us.


    The principal confirmed by announcing his level, ¡°level seventeen.¡±


    ¡°Typical for our age,¡± Solicea commented. If one didn¡¯t grind their levels, their body would normally absorb enough magic energy to match their age.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± I pretended to not know. It was explained in the game, and was one of the reasons that in game, you started at level twenty.


    ¡°Level twenty.¡±


    ¡°Level twenty one.¡±


    ¡°Level eighteen.¡±


    The principal continued giving level callouts. Some of the levels were quite expensive. Being a level twenty one, five to six years older than you are, meant that they put in quite the effort to level up. So far, there hadn''t been anyone whose level matched their age exactly, assuming they really are my age.


    ¡°Next, please come to the stage, Solicea Atara Zeria Misyosnoer.¡±


    Solicea stood up. She glanced at Maya before walking toward the stage. Unlike the others, she didn¡¯t immediately thrust her hand in. She looked around first, took a deep breath, before slowly inserting her hand. The device lit up, and a number appeared.


    ¡°Level fifteen. Don''t worry, Solicea. You still have a long future ahead of you.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­¡± Solicea looked disappointed.


    She returned to her seat, her eyes downcast. Maya patted her back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll help you level up.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Maya.¡±


    The principal cleared his throat.


    ¡°Now, Your Royal Highness, Prince Prilus Korore Jastira Syla, please step forward.¡± A silver-haired kid stood up and walked onto the podium.


    ¡°It¡¯s him,¡± Maya murmured.


    ¡°Oh dear.¡±


    The kid that messed with Maya was this kingdom¡¯s prince. As if sensing our stares, the prince turned to us, a smug grin on his face. He pushed his hand into the box, then,


    ¡°Level thirty five! As expected of the Royal Prince!¡± The principal exclaimed in wonder.


    ¡°Huh¡­ that¡¯s not too unexpected.¡±


    It was high, sure, but most people that trained had levels twice their age.


    ¡°My brother always puts in as much effort as possible,¡± the silver-haired girl murmured.


    ¡°Well, he is a prince, after all.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t surprising at all, to be honest. When you¡¯re a noble, people expect more out of you¡­


    Hold on.


    ¡°Brother¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°Wait, why are you apologizing?¡±


    ¡°Next, Your Royal Highness Princess Emori Kirro Ozare Syla.¡±


    ¡°Please excuse me.¡± She bowed her hand and stood up.


    ¡°So she¡¯s the princess¡­¡± Maya murmured.


    ¡°Maya, how can you be so nonchalant with these things?¡±


    I get that Maya was strong, but it was our first day of school, and we were already messing with two of the most powerful people in the kingdom.


    ¡°Level thirty.¡±


    Unlike with the prince, despite their five level differences, there was not much fanfare with Emori¡¯s score. There was clapping, sure, but not much more. Emori silently returned to her seat.


    ¡°Umm¡­ that¡¯s pretty good, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no. I don¡¯t deserve to be called that. Please just call me Emori.¡± She waved her hand. She looked pretty cute when flustered.


    ¡°Okay, Emori.¡±


    ¡°Emori, huh?¡± Maya leaned forward from my left, staring at Emori. The princess seemed spooked.


    ¡°You¡¯re interesting,¡± she said, before looking back toward the podium.


    ¡°Ah, thank you.¡±


    ¡°By the way, when will it be our turn?¡± Maya asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    The student numbering system was randomized, so I couldn¡¯t guess from the name.


    ¡°Ma¡­ Ya¡­ Hmm¡­¡± The principal struggled to read the name.


    Maya stood up. ¡°Mayadokeuasnfeniskeos?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes that. Please step forward.¡±


    Whispers spread, everyone¡¯s eyes turbed to the podium. Maya inserted her hand and,


    ¡°Level eighty seven!¡±


    ¡°What-¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°That¡¯s insane!¡±


    The whispers turned to loud shouts. Maya turned her eyes to a point in the crowd. Despite her flat expression, I could tell she was feeling victorious over a certain someone.


    ¡°Everyone, calm down!¡± The principal shouted, silencing the hall. Maya returned to her seat.


    ¡°Next, Fortisbel Baskator.¡±


    Huh, what a coincidence.


    I stood up, noticing some sharp stares on my back.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he that dragon¡¯s master?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s always around that dragon.¡±


    I decided to ignore their words and instead focus on my level. I had been training a lot, so I was curious about how high my level would be. I wonder if I could be higher than the prince.


    Well, that¡¯s preferable.


    ¡°Please, Fortisbel.¡±


    At the principal''s command, I inserted my hand into the device. All of a sudden, the entire hall fell silent.


    ¡°Impossible,¡± the principal murmured. One of the teachers closed up on him.


    ¡°Is it broken?¡±


    ¡°But if it is, then the entire test up until this point is fake!¡±


    The other teachers began whispering among themselves.


    ¡°Fortisbel, please step back.¡±


    I pulled my hand out, and the principal inserted his.


    ¡°...It¡¯s working.¡±


    The principal pulled away, motioning me to once again try.


    Just how high is my level?


    The box was linked to two screens. One in front of the principal, facing away from me, the other one was the one facing the students. I could see neither of those.


    ¡°... It remained the same.¡±


    ¡°Impossible, there must be some tinkering going on!¡± Prilus yelled from his seat.


    For the prince to yell at me¡­ just how high am I?


    ¡°How high is my level?¡± I asked the principal, who took a step away from me.


    ¡°... One hundred.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m maxed out, huh¡­¡±


    In the game, one hundred is the highest level. You could still absorb magical energy, and you could still get stronger, but the number itself didn¡¯t increase. I thought it was a system oversight, but it must be based on this world.


    Besides, me and Maya had a thirteen level difference. Not that much, to be honest. Did they assume she was high level just because she was a dragon?


    ¡°I challenge you to a duel!¡± The prince declared.


    This is getting quite troublesome. Also, why me?


    I wasn''t the one that punched him.


    But, considering how wowed they were from hearing his level, if I could defeat him, it would prove my strength.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Ummm¡­¡± The principal looked panicked. I noticed that and repeated my response.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you on, Prilus,¡± I declared, much to the surprise of everyone there. In this kingdom, duels were considered sacred. In duels, all the status and differences between people were discarded. The second I accepted it, Prilus must treat me as an equal, despite my status as a commoner.


    He knitted his eyebrows, not saying anything.


    ¡°How does after the ceremony sound?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°You¡¯re bluffing, aren¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I am, maybe I¡¯m not.¡±


    For the first time in sixteen years, I would be fighting a human. I couldn¡¯t say that I wasn¡¯t excited.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°You¡¯re using that?¡±


    After the ceremony finished, we were standing at one of the school¡¯s many training fields under a shield created with Duel Shield.


    Duel Shield itself is an elementless spell that allows duels to occur safely by nullifying all damage. It didn''t nullify the sensation of pain itself, though.


    Teachers and fellow students surrounded us. In front of me stood Prince Prilus. He stared at me, trying to look intimidating.


    With no little annoyance in between.


    I looked down at the weapon in my hand, the thing he pointed at.


    ¡°It¡¯s a wand?¡±


    ¡°A nature wand? You¡¯re seriously underestimating me, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    He seemed pissed for some reason. I had no idea why. I mean, he should know that a nature wand is dangerous, right?


    Regardless, I have no time to be thinking about him. I took my stance.


    Prilus may have looked intimidating, but he lost to Maya a few days prior, and Maya was under my level. To be fair, a person¡¯s strength didn¡¯t only rely on their level. It was another weird thing that I first saw in the game back then. You could create two same accounts, fight two same monsters, and level up at the same time, but you would still end with a different strength.


    Every character had predetermined strengths and weaknesses, regardless of what job you pick. It was unfair, and weird. People complained about it many times, but it never changed.


    Those differences typically weren¡¯t game changing, but Mimosa had PvP features. The slightest advantage meant an advantage no less.


    The level of detail that game potrayed¡­


    I couldn¡¯t help but feel impressed with Al1cea.


    ¡­ It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve dueled. I wonder if I still had it in me.


    All of a sudden, my stomach growled.


    Oh, yeah. I haven¡¯t eaten. I wonder what I should grab. Do they sell burgers here?


    The principal lifted his hand. ¡°Begin!¡±


    Shoot!


    I was too occupied in thinking about lunch to realize that the match had begun.


    Or rather, I was too busy thinking about Mimosa the online game, to realize that the actual match had begun. Maybe a combination of both.


    Prilus swung his wooden sword down on me, but


    Bind!


    In my vision, I painted a dark green circle above his figure, and then stacked the symbol for Bind on top of it. The next second, green vines shot from the ground.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Prilus jumped back. The vines shot toward him, forming a thick bush behind his feet. He stumbled down and fell on his back.


    That was unintentional.


    Bind followed its target for a specific time after it was cast, able to chase after it. Prilus was by no means a regular fighter, though. Bind wasn¡¯t supposed to be able to chase after him due to his speed, but it seemed that my own spell was stronger than I thought.


    After his fall, the vines didn¡¯t stop. It continued enveloping him, until his stomach to the bottom was covered by green vines. I strolled next to him, then pointed the wand to his head.


    He gritted his teeth, trying to get up, but the strength of Bind prevented him from moving. As long as I kept the symbol in my sights, the spell remained active.


    ¡°You!¡±


    I ignored whatever he said, keeping my concentration. He tried to move his hands, but the vines captured that as well. He struggled for a few more seconds. He probably thought Bind was a low level spell. Well, it was a spell that could be utilized easily, so he wasn¡¯t wrong. Maybe I should show him something more fancy.


    I didn¡¯t have to look at the target after casting the spell, as long as the symbol remained painted in my sights. I walked all the way to the end of the duel field, where the magic shield ended. I turned around, finally removing Bind from my vision, turning off the spell. He stood up, dusted his clothes, and rushed toward me.


    As expected.


    I extended my wand. The type of magic someone could cast depended on the wand they held. In my case, I held a nature-type wand.


    What spell, what spell.


    Most nature-type spells weren¡¯t flashy.


    How about this, then?


    I looked down, then painted the symbol for Flower Field. Being an Area of Effect, or AoE for short, I painted the dark green circle on the ground. This meant it was slightly harder to deploy because of the circle needing to stick to the floor.


    Little flowers of various colors grew all around me. Their sudden existence tripped Prilus, who fell head first to the ground.


    That isn¡¯t my plan!


    I waited for him to get up, while I strengthened the effects of Flower Field. The spectators murmured in shock.


    Unlike fire spells, though, nature spells tend to be easy to use, so for the crowd to be excited from such a simple spell¡­


    This makes me excited.


    Nature-based spells were rarely used for attack. For my spells to be this strong, I really had grown. No wonder the monsters around our forest were so easy to defeat. I always thought they were just weak. I tried remembering when I got these levels. I most likely was already high level before I met Maya. I did bring her down no problem.


    Did I just not realize?


    At first, I needed to use hit-and-run tactics against monsters. Back then, I needed a while to get used to painting directly on my vision. Now, it happened to me naturally.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    As I was thinking to myself, Prilus was already close to an attack.


    He had no intention of giving up, huh?


    But, unfortunately for him, I was prepared.


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    The flowers right below him rose, and between them, trees appeared. It picked him up and brought him high to the sky. Once they reached the max of their high, I erased the symbol from my vision, causing everything to disappear. I let him drop. He crashed into the field. He wasn¡¯t high enough to be hurt even without Duel Shield, so instead of helping him, I once again pointed my wand at him.


    He glared daggers at me, seemingly still not satisfied. We hadn¡¯t even begun studying, and I didn¡¯t want to just lay bare all my arsenal in front of him. Having him constantly nabbing on us would be troublesome, though. And he¡¯s the prince, who knows what kind of evil scheme he could cook up.


    As I tried thinking about one special spell, he stood up and swung his sword at me. I dodged easily, stepping side-to-side as he attacked like a maniac. He still stood, so the teachers couldn¡¯t do anything about it.


    His moves were quick when compared to a normal person, but slow compared to me. I had no trouble dodging. An idea appeared in my head.


    I guess I can try testing my defense.


    I waited for another swing. I dodged yet again. But this time, I casted Bind right after. Green vines shot up and grabbed a hold of his sword, before yanking it right off him. He stumbled backward. Not letting him recover, I redirected the vines, punching him straight in the stomach. He flew into the air. I then cast Flower Field and used it to slow his fall. He tumbled above the flower beds, coming to a stop facing upward with flowers all over him.


    He looked like he¡¯s dead.


    I knew he wasn¡¯t actually dead. The Duel Shield that covered us prevented anyone from actually being harmed. Feeling pain, sure, but no wounds or the like. It worked regardless of the strength of magic or the strength of a particular physical attack, making it one of the strongest spells in this world.


    Besides, if he did die, it would force me to flee the country, not something I wanted to do.


    Then it occured to me. In the sixteen years I have been alive in this world, I have changed a lot. Had this been the me from my previous life, with such powers, I would have no issue in abandoning my country and fleeing. I probably had the strength to make a new country. But now¡­


    I walked over to him and extended my hand. He stared at me and frowned. He slapped my hand away then stood back up by himself.


    ¡°You may have won, but this isn''t the end of it.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    He turned around with a huff and walked away. The crowd cheered at me.


    ¡°Fortis, that was so cool!¡± Solicea exclaimed with excitement.


    ¡°That is wonderful,¡± said Emori.


    ¡°You never used such moves when you¡¯re with me,¡± Maya said with a slight pout.


    ¡°Well, you killed everything before I could have a chance!¡±


    ¡°What? No! You''re the one that said fighting isn''t about flair!¡±


    Well I did say that, didn''t I? In my defense, I had no intention of killing him, and he was far under my level. It''s not about winning, but about sending a message.


    As I continued talking, I noticed a small bird in the distance. It looked like your usual bird, a crow to be exact, but,


    That¡¯s a familiar.


    Some mages could create familiars. These familiars were mana condensed to take the form of an animal or a monster. They had many purposes, one of them was spying. Someone must have been spying on me.


    I have a bad feeling about this.

 Chapter 8

    At the end of the first week, as the custom of this school, there would be a ball.


    I was dressed in a fancy red tuxedo, standing in the corner of the ballroom. I wasn¡¯t used to such formal gatherings, so I stayed there, taking a sip of my grape juice. We were already allowed to drink wine, but I didn''t want to risk getting drunk. At least most of the students here seemed to have some level of self-control when it comes to alcohol.


    Maya, meanwhile, was off with Solicea and their other friends, leaving me all alone. I had gotten quite the number of secret admirers myself. Not everyday you saw someone level one hundred casually destroying the prince. But that was the same reason no one, other than Maya, Solicea, and Emori approached me in the days after that.


    They were too scared to mess with royalty. Maya never cared in the first place, Solicea followed Maya around, while Emori was the princess. They couldn¡¯t do anything to her.


    Probably not, as least.


    On the other side of the ballroom, Prilus- I mean His Highness Prilus, was chatting with some of his peers. I need to remember to call him his highness now that the duel had ended. What a pain.


    Despite the embarrassment he made of himself, Prilus had no problem chatting with others. If anything, he was surrounded by people, acting all high and mighty. His sister, on the other hand¡­


    Emori simply stood in the other corner, looking overwhelmed. Only a couple of girls tried talking with her, and the conversation ended quickly.


    Is she not good in these kinds of situations?


    After a few more seconds of watching her just standing there, I felt bad and made my way across the room. I passed the prince. He glanced my way, but said nothing. I figured he didn¡¯t want to shame himself even further.


    ¡°Emori.¡±


    ¡°Eep!¡± Emori shrieked, taking a step back, looking up toward me.


    ¡°Ah, sorry! I don¡¯t know it was you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Can I ask for a dance?¡± I extended my hand. To be honest, my dancing was terrible. I never could see its charm, either. But this was a social event. It would help her social standing if people saw her dancing.


    ¡°... Sure.¡± She hesitated for a moment but took my hand. We entered the center and began our dance, moving along to the music. People turned their eyes toward us as we spun around in the large hallway. They were probably judging how terrible I was at it.


    Sorry, baron!


    The baron tasked himself in teaching me and Maya proper etique before attending school. That was how I learned dancing in the first place. But I soon realized that my performance was pretty poor.


    Emori, on the other hand, performed outstandingly. She matched my movements and supported me. After a while, the music stopped. I let go of her hand.


    ¡°Thank you, Princess.¡± I bowed and took my leave. After I left, proper aristocrats approached and began asking her for a dance. With my mission in the clear, I made my way out of the hall.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    It was a cold night. I stood on the railings of the balcony. I wasn¡¯t sure what this part was used for, but it was next to the main hall, at the rear of the school building. Below us were classrooms, and the balcony was high enough to look past the walls surrounding the school complex, far into the city beyond.


    There was no one else there, making it a great place to cool down for a bit.


    ¡°Hey.¡± A voice came from right beside me. I turned to my right, thinking it was Emori or Maya, but there was no one there. I thought I was hearing things, so I gaze back out at the city, but another call happened.


    ¡°Can you hear me, Fortisbel?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    This voice sounded familiar, and then I realized that it was Asytelar¡¯s voice. The voice seemed to appear directly inside my mind. It had a weird feeling to it, as if a hallucination. It was similar to the use of the spell Connect. I replied by speaking through my mind.


    ¡°You¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in your mind. I¡¯m using magic to connect directly to your brain. But, apparently, it¡¯s a bad time. Let us meet again later.¡±


    ¡°Huh, what do you-¡± Before I could ask my question, the voice disappeared. The door to the balcony moved open, and from it, came Emori. Her lips curled into a smile as she began running toward me.


    ¡°Fortisbel, you''re here.¡±


    ¡°Feel free to call me just Fortis.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°So, how was the dance?¡±


    She beamed at my question. ¡°It was so fun! Thank you for helping me.¡±


    ¡°It was nothing. If anything, you''re the one helping me.¡±


    ¡°How come?¡±


    ¡°I can''t dance.¡± I scratched my cheeks. ¡°The baron where I lived tried teaching me, but I''m still terrible at it.¡±


    Emori shook her head. ¡°I think you did wonderful.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Please be more confident of yourself!¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°You''re the last person I want to hear that from.¡± I stifled a laugh. ¡°You need to be confident yourself.¡±


    ¡°You think I''m not confident enough?¡±


    ¡°For one, you kept apologizing even when it''s not your fault.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± She averted her gaze. She wasn''t apologizing as often as when we first met, but she still did it occasionally.


    ¡°... Please forget about it.¡±


    ¡°Is something going on?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°No, there is nothing.¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡±


    We stood side by side for a moment.


    ¡°... Sorry for what my brother did to you.¡±


    ¡°It''s been four days. There''s no need to worry.¡±


    After being utterly defeated, Prilus only looked at me from a distance. He refused to say a single word to me, and would go out of his way to avoid me. The crow that I saw that day was still lurking around, though. I could feel its glare on me.


    Nothing happened, not yet at least. I had caught the eyes of someone powerful, and it wouldn''t be long until that person made their move.


    ¡­ it''s here.


    I had noticed it before, but its presence had only become clearer. Seemed like it had approached me when Emori came out. I looked toward a nearby building, and sure enough, there it stood.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Emori asked.


    ¡°Above that building.¡±


    The lone crow stood at the rooftops. The building was outside the school grounds.


    ¡°Ah¡­ it''s Arnold¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Arnold?¡±


    ¡°Arnold is our castle mage. He has a pet crow that helps him with various tasks.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ am I supposed to know this, though?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ are you uncomfortable with it?¡±


    ¡°So I''m the target?¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry¡­¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°It''s not your fault. You don''t have to apologize for every little thing. Actually, let me say something.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Emori tilted her head.


    ¡°If you apologize too much, people will look down on you. They''ll start pushing mistakes onto you. Not just that, they''ll start using you.¡±


    ¡°Is¡­ is that so?¡±


    ¡°And your apology weigh less when you apologize all the time.¡±


    ¡°... You''re not the first one to say that, actually.¡±


    I tilted my head. ¡°Your brother said something like that?¡±


    Emori shook her head. ¡°No, it''s a friend from Nanawak.¡±


    ¡°Nanawak¡­ I think I''ve heard about it in my past life¡­¡±


    If I wasn''t mistaken, the Eastern Wolves originated from the Nanawak Empire. The nation itself was located east from Syla, across the ocean. The game¡¯s map didn''t reach that far, though.


    ¡°Past life?¡±


    Oh, shoot. I missed that.


    ¡°I mean, like in my village and that.¡± I hastily explained.


    ¡°I see¡­ anyway, thank you for reminding me.¡± Emori bowed her head. She was an one eighty from her brother. I couldn''t imagine her brother doing this.


    ¡°No problem. Keep at it!¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    We coversed some more on the balcony. The next time I looked toward the building, the crow was no longer there.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    After the ball, I returned to my room. I took a bath then went to bed. I closed my eyes, but then I heard a voice.


    ¡°Are you going to sleep, Fortisbel?¡±


    ¡°Asytelar?¡±


    I got out of bed and looked out the window. To my surprise, I could see the crow resting on a tree.


    ¡°There is no need to worry, Fortisbel. That crow is me, or rather, a part of my consciousness.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so you''re not Arnold¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°Arnold is my apprentice. He helped me when my old body was still alive.¡±


    Considering how long it had been since the demon king''s defeat, it made sense that the old party would all be dead by now.


    ¡°But, if your body is no longer alive¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha, it''s quite a complicated process. Don''t worry, I''m not going to hang around forever. I''m here simply to help guide you until you defeat the demon king. Once that happens, I shall go to the afterlife.¡±


    The way she talked about it so casually was a bit creepy.


    ¡°What would happen to Al1cea, though?¡±


    ¡°Not long after your death, I handed the company off to my subordinates and used magic to return my soul here. That body is in a coma right now. If you succeed, she would never wake up again.¡±


    ¡°I feel bad for your colleagues¡­¡±


    ¡°Such is simply the truth of life. Now, Fortisbel, I shall not bore you with these philosophical questions. I am here to ask for your help. Do you know about the prophecy?¡±


    ¡°Prophecy¡­¡±


    I never heard such a thing in this world.


    Or wait¡­ actually¡­


    In the game, the character was given a prophecy, stating that in a few years, the seal on the demon king will break, and that a band of heroes must gather to protect this world.


    But no such prophecy existed here.


    ¡°You mean the one in the game?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This world doesn¡¯t know about that prophecy.¡±


    ¡°Why? I thought that game is based on this world?¡±


    ¡°I made some adjustments to help me find the correct player.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ so what do you need my help with?¡±


    ¡°Back then, we weren''t strong enough to kill the demon king, so we sealed him in the depths of his lair. It is only a matter of time before that seal will be destroyed.¡±


    ¡°So you went to Earth and made the game, to call for help?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ Why me?¡±


    ¡°You were the number one player in Mimosa, are you not? You have a wide knowledge of the game, and you are the only person that can cast four elements at the same time.¡±


    In the game, casting multiple elements was extremely difficult. The time window for activating multiple spells was incredibly tight, and you need to make precise movements. I only mastered it after playing for so long, and after that, people always called me a cheater. But that was using a controller, not directly with my body. Using magic was much harder here.


    ¡°There''s also the thing about how you died. I could say that I¡¯m lucky. You turn away from that world with no regrets, and you have no problem with fitting into this world. You even get yourself a dragon friend, although it¡¯s unfortunate dragons can¡¯t feel romantic love to humans.¡±


    ¡°Can you not tease me?¡±


    ¡°I apologize.¡± I could hear her voice giggling.


    ¡°So my mission is to defeat the demon king?¡± I reiterated. I kept it in the back of my mind all these years, but I still found it hard to believe. As to why I kept grinding despite that¡­


    As a gamer, the grind never stops.


    ¡°Yes. It is not something you will be able to do alone. You have many friends. Please prepare them all for the battle.¡±


    I could do that, I think? I tried leading a clan in my past life, and it didn¡¯t go well, but that was with strangers. It did blessed me with some experience with leading a group, and now I have Maya, Solicea, and Emori.


    ¡­ Did I have no male friends? I should start getting close to the prince, huh?


    Being close to the princess did give me some advantages. With her power, forming an army shouldn¡¯t be a hard task.


    ¡°I shall do my best.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I am sorry I cannot do much for you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Leave this world to me.¡±


    ¡°We shall part ways here. I shall come check on you some other time.¡±


    Her voice disappeared. I checked the tree outside the window, the crow was no longer there.


    The hero, huh? I guess my journey starts here.

 Chapter 9

    In this world, the first to fourth day of the week is the weekday, while the fifth and sixth are the weekend. Depending on your job, you may be free during the weekend. The same could be said for the King¡¯s Academy. The fifth and sixth day were reserved for clubs and free time.


    The clubs had begun advertising ever since the second day of school. I hadn¡¯t joined any.


    I wonder what Maya is doing¡­


    I rolled around on the bed, knocking my sleepiness away. It was seven in the morning. My past self would never have dreamed of getting up this early. Heck, maybe I hadn¡¯t even gone to bed by that point. I would play games till morning then sleep all the way till past noon. This world didn¡¯t have games, and what you could do during the dark was limited.


    I could study, I guess, but I didn¡¯t really have a reason to do that during the night. I didn''t really have a reason to do that at all.


    Bored and with nothing else to do, I got dressed and went out. I decided to wait around in the school garden until the school¡¯s library opened at nine.


    It''s peaceful¡­


    I watched the birds, then looked around, searching for the crow. It didn¡¯t seem to be around.


    I wonder if Asytelar had something else to do¡­


    The school¡¯s clock rang. I turned toward the tower, confirming the time, then stood up. I hadn¡¯t walked far from the bench when someone called out to me.


    ¡°Hey, Fortisbel.¡±


    I turned toward the origin of the voice. It was the prince.


    ¡°Prilus? Something the matter?¡±


    Prilus¡¯ eyes twitched.


    Oh shoot.


    ¡°Prilus? Mind your manners, you commoner. We are not in a duel right now.¡±


    ¡°I am terribly sorry, Your Highness.¡±


    Calling him with such formality made me sick, like an ant asking you to call her Your Majesty just because she¡¯s the queen ant.


    ¡°Follow me.¡±


    I did as told. While walking, I kept a distance between the two of us. He glanced back at me but said nothing, leading me into the school building. We went up to the second floor, entering an empty classroom. He sat down on one of the seats.


    ¡°Is there something you need me for?¡±


    ¡°Sit down.¡±


    I sat down next to him. I remained on guard, in case he wanted to do something to me. There didn¡¯t seem to be anything or anyone else in the room, and he didn¡¯t seem to be carrying anything particularly dangerous.


    ¡°Be at ease. I have something different to discuss. You''re among the top ten from the entrance exam. You must be smart.¡±


    That was quite the jump in topic.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    We did take an entrance exam before we entered the school. It was so uneventful that I forgot about it. I had been studying since I was little, due to a lack of better things to do. I got third place, while Maya got twenty fourth. If I wasn''t mistaken, the prince got first, and Emori got second.


    ¡°You have a lot of knowledge about monsters, right?¡±


    ¡°I often grind- I mean kill them to level up.¡± I decided to add that little remark to help explain why I was so high level. Maybe that way, the prince wouldn''t be as disgruntled with me.


    ¡°The adventurers discovered a new dungeon not far from the capital. They set up an adventuring party to conquer it, but retreated due to a dangerous monster. They wrote a letter requesting help from the kingdom.¡±


    In the game, dungeons were old structures created by ancient civilizations that were buried by time. Monsters often resided in them. After a dungeon was raided, there would be no monsters in it for a certain period of time.


    Unlike in other games, in Mimosa, dungeons rarely have treasure. When they did, the items were often related to the ancient civilization. Weapons and enchanted material were a rarity. Players used them solely for level grinding. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°So you want my help?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The adventurers claimed that they never saw this monster before, and had they not retreat, they would be dead. I thought, since you''re smart, and weird, you may be able to help.¡±


    ¡°Weird? What do you mean weird?¡±


    ¡°No person fights using nature magic.¡±


    I guess he had a point. I didn¡¯t have a different wand, though. I left mom¡¯s fire wand at home, and my nature wand could only be used to create nature-based magic.


    Although, to be fair, I could get a replacement if I wanted to. I used nature a lot in the past to help with my parents¡¯ work, so I got used to it.


    If we¡¯re talking pure offense¡­ maybe fire would do?


    ¡°I thought, since you have a different way of seeing things, maybe you¡¯ll spot something we don¡¯t see. If you agree, you''ll be rewarded handsomely.¡±


    I wanted to correct the prince, as the reason I was using nature based magic was because I¡¯m used to it. At the same time, I was quite curious about this dungeon. I visited dungeons back near my village, but they tend to be small and unexciting. Just some roads covered up by land or the forest, nothing unique, and nothing big enough to house dangerous monsters.


    Other than that, my knowledge, both the ones I learnt from playing the game and the ones I learnt from reading books, had been quite useful so far. If I could impress the prince, we may get closer. Not sure why I needed to get closer, but increasing our friendship levels, even if just a bit, should help.


    Oh well, I have maxed out my level anyway. Increasing my reputation wouldn¡¯t hurt.


    ¡°Sure. Can I bring Maya and Emori?¡±


    ¡°Em- Emori?¡±


    ¡°I mean Her Highness Princess Emori. She told me to call her that.¡±


    ¡°Sigh¡­ so you really have gotten close to her.¡±


    How did he know? Oh wait.


    ¡°So your castle mage must be observing me.¡±


    Asytelar probably shared some information with him.


    ¡°Let me guess, my sister told you about it as well?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Prilus hid his face behind his hands. ¡°That girl¡­ Well, there¡¯s no need to worry. For the first time in her life, she scolded someone. The mage won¡¯t be bothering you anymore.¡±


    I felt a little bad for Arnold, since he probably didn¡¯t intend on spy on me anyway. Something else Prilus said caught my attention.


    ¡°Emori never scolded anyone?¡±


    ¡°Not until last night. Anyway, meet me at the gate after lunch,¡± he said, before walking out of the classroom.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    I made my way toward the girls¡¯ dormitories. In this school, there were no rules against boys entering the girls'' dorms or vice versa, although the rule stated that no of the opposite gender could stay past curfew. I have no plans of staying that long. My appearance caught eyes, with several of the girls whispering as I walked past them  heading straight for Maya¡¯s room. The students that were around all stopped to look at me.


    ¡°Is that the level one hundred kid?¡±


    ¡°What''s he doing here?¡±


    It looks like my reputation precedes me.


    I ignored them all and continued walking. It didn¡¯t take long for me to arrive in front of Maya¡¯s room. I knocked on the door, hoping that she was already awake. The door opened not long after.


    ¡°Fortis?¡± Solicea appeared from behind the door.


    ¡°Solicea? What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my question.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Maya.¡±


    Solicea then disappeared, calling out to Maya. She returned not long after. ¡°Come in.¡±


    ¡°Are- are you sure?¡±


    ¡°What are you? A kid?¡±


    I followed Solicea. Maya was sitting in the living room, sipping a cup of tea. Some snacks were on the table. She turned to face me.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± she greeted, sounding rather sleepy.


    ¡°Did you just wake up?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no school today, so no reason to take things seriously. So, why are you here?¡±


    I sat down on an empty chair and explained what Prilus told me.


    ¡°That sounds dangerous,¡± Solicea commented after I finished explaining.


    ¡°No worries. I and Fortis can handle it,¡± Maya said with confidence, setting the cup down on the table.


    ¡°You''ll punch it to death.¡±


    ¡°You know me.¡± Maya took a cookie and ate it. ¡°So, when are we going?¡±


    ¡°After lunch.¡±


    Maya stood up and headed to the door. ¡°Come on, I''m hungry.¡±


    ¡°You just ate a cookie?¡± Solicea asked, exasperated.


    ¡°Killing monsters makes me hungry.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t even killed anything, yet.¡± I stood up. ¡°You''re coming with us, Solicea?¡±


    She averted her gaze. ¡°Well¡­ it''s scary¡­ and I''m underleveled.¡±


    Right, she was among the lowest of the levels in our year. She probably hadn¡¯t killed any monsters before.


    ¡°We''ll protect you.¡± Maya reassured her. ¡°Worst case scenario, we''ll die together.¡±


    ¡°Eep!¡± She jumped back.


    ¡°It''s a joke.¡±


    ¡°Maya, put more emotion to your jokes,¡± I quipped.


    Maya cocked her head. ¡°I am expressing emotions,¡± she said with a flat tone.


    Do dragons have a different definition for emotions?


    ¡°But don''t worry. We''ll protect you,¡± I repeated to Solicea.


    ¡°Okay, I''ll trust you two then.¡±


    We made our way to the cafeteria, where Maya bought two portions of steak for lunch.

 Chapter 10

    ¡°Men, we shall now set forth to defeat the evil that had fallen on our land. Steal your hearts-¡±


    ¡°You mean steel.¡± Prilus cut through Maya¡¯s impromptu speech.


    ¡°Yes, that, for we shall face one of the hardest encounters we have faced before. We shall come victorious!¡±


    The adventurers and knights accompanying us all looked at each other, clearly confused. Prilus facepalmed, Solicea smiled wryly, and Emori gave Maya a serious nod.


    ¡°She defeated you,¡± I whispered to Prilus.


    ¡°Don¡¯t need to rub that in.¡± Prilus glared at me. I shrugged, then went ahead and dragged Maya off to the side. Prilus sighed and took the center stage.


    ¡°Sorry about that. We shall now depart.¡±


    ¡°There''s no flair!¡± Maya booed from the sides.


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    Leading the group, we set off toward the dungeon on the knights¡¯ carriages. Many other students watched us as we departed. Maya did a little wave, and the girls staying at school all cheered for her.


    It hasn''t been a week and she already has fans.


    I guess no one could resist her charm. I, the prince, Emori, Maya, and Solicea sat in the lead carriage, while everyone else followed us. There were four other carriages behind us, each filled with four to six people.


    ¡°How many people are with us?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Twenty five, including us,¡± Prilus answered. ¡°Five students, fifteen knights, and ten adventurers.¡±


    ¡°Their levels?¡±


    Prilus frowned. ¡°The knights are around fifty, the adventurers sixty. One of them is seventy two.¡±


    The knights were trained to fight human enemies, in case of an invasion from other kingdoms. They didn¡¯t kill monsters all that much, but their fighting techniques tend to be more refined. The adventurers¡¯, on the other hand, kill monsters. Most monsters had predictable attack patterns, so they tend to rely more on pure strength.


    ¡°What is the strength of the party that took on the monster originally?¡±


    ¡°A party of ten, around fifty to sixty.¡±


    ¡°So no pushover, either.¡±


    We have twice their strength, with me and Maya being far more powerful. It shouldn¡¯t be an issue.


    ¡°Pril- I mean, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°You really have no respect for me, do you?¡± Prilus grunted.


    Yeah, no. I honestly wish I could say that to his face.


    ¡°Do we really need those formalities?¡± Emori said.


    Prilus turned to Emori, causing her to shrink.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine, just call me whatever you want,¡± Prilus huffed, turning away to look at the sights.


    ¡°So, Prilus.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely no hesitation, huh?¡±


    ¡°We should talk strategy.¡±


    Prilus turned back toward me.


    ¡°Is there anything more you can tell us about the monster?¡±


    ¡°It''s a tiger. Most magic didn¡¯t work on it, and its body was too sturdy to be damaged by regular sword.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I see¡­¡±


    Back on Earth, you could go online to see if anyone had tips on how to defeat the monster. In this world, no such system exists. This meant I needed to go in and properly study the attack pattern first. I wouldn¡¯t want to risk the others getting harmed in the fight.


    ¡°I think it''s best if I and Maya went in first for reconnaissance, the rest of you wait for our report.¡±


    ¡°Will you two be alright?¡± Solicea asked in worry.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Worst case scenario, we¡¯ll die together.¡±


    ¡°Di- Di- Die?¡± Emori shrunk from fear.


    ¡°She¡¯s joking. You¡¯re a princess, act like one,¡± Prilus scolded.


    ¡°Sor- I mean, thank you for reminding me.¡±


    Prilus raised his eyebrow but said nothing else.


    ¡°... Who says I''m joking?¡± Maya said with a serious expression. Her lips were still flat, but her eyes were filled with determination. Determination for what? That I didn''t know.


    Her words caused Emori to shiver while Prilus heaved a heavy sigh.


    The dungeon itself wasn''t located far from the city, maybe one of the reasons why people were worried about this monster.


    We arrived in front of the dungeon. To my surprise, this ¡®new¡¯ dungeon is actually a familiar one. I did several missions there in my past life. Dense foliage grew near the entrance, with a small path cut through. Maybe the trees covered it from the road, thus why they only rediscovered it now. I hid the knowledge from my group. The entrance was around two people tall, with a width enough for three people to walk side by side. It was common for dungeons to have that kind of size. There were many rumors regarding these dungeons. One said that dungeons were built by giants, the people that ruled these lands before humans. Whether that was true or not was uncertain. It did explain the size, but that¡¯s it.


    We stepped inside, remaining on guard, but found no monsters. The party that came before us had cleared the way, and new monsters hadn¡¯t settled in yet.


    The walk to the boss room didn¡¯t take long, as it was located at the same level as the entrance, meaning all we needed to do was walk straight ahead.


    ¡°Stop.¡± I signaled to the rest of the party. At the end of the hallway, a monster slept. It was a massive green tiger. The tiger had sharp fangs appearing out from its mouth, with two long tails. Its paws had five sharp claws.


    ¡°Stand farther away. The doors are opened. It can chase us out.¡±


    The two massive doors were damaged. One lay on the ground, while the other looked like it could collapse at any moment. Prilus communicated with the leader of the knights, who in turn explained the situation to the rest. As they stayed behind, I and Maya sneaked toward the tiger, stepping carefully. The room seemed to be an auditorium of some kind, with the tiger sleeping in the center.


    We minimized our noise. I painted a dark green circle above the tiger¡¯s figure, my wand in my hand.


    Once we got close enough, I sent the signal to Maya. She ran straight for the tiger and punched it. Shockwaves traveled through the room, shaking the structure.


    Wait, is she that strong?


    I didn¡¯t have time to ponder the question as the tiger opened its eyes. It got up to its feet and swung its tail to its side. Maya dodged out of the way.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± I asked while activating Bind. Green vines stretched from the ground, swinging over the tiger and tying it down to the floor. It moved in anger, using its paws to attack and its tail to slice. I concentrated, trying to hold it down.


    It''s so high level!


    ¡°It¡¯s hard, but not impenetrable. I¡¯ll need to get some more punches in.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The tiger roared. It turned its head my way, its dark red eyes staring at me with anger. It continued twisting, its fangs biting through the vines. Eventually, it broke free. It leaped up toward the top row of the auditorium, crushing stones with its weight. It stared at us, ready to attack.


    It turned its eyes toward the door, then leaped toward it, blocking our escape route.


    ¡°Dammit, looks like it learned something from the previous encounter.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Can you buy me time?¡± Maya asked.


    ¡°How many do you need?¡±


    ¡°Twenty seconds.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you fifteen.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    I unleashed Bind, intertwining the spell with Vine. Vine had a similar symbol to Bind, but used sharper vines that are more dangerous for the enemy. The tiger leaped upward, dodging it. Using the wall above the door as a stepping stone, it shot itself toward me. I used Flower Field to create a field of trees and plants, forming a wall. The tiger powered through.


    I leaped away, my eyes searching for Maya. She ran to the side, then scaled the auditorium¡¯s seats, running in circles while heading higher upward.


    The tiger jumped, chasing after me. I dodged its attacks, wary of its paws and its tail. Its double tail acted like swords, chasing after me. Using Flower Field, I created obstacles. Its tail was strong enough to slice the thick trees into two, before disappearing into nothingness.


    How long has it been?


    I lost count of the time. I focused on keeping it occupied. It began understanding my pattern, deciding to ignore my Flower Field and chase after me.


    I dodged, then used a different spell.


    Rose Towers!


    Massive roses three people tall sprouted around the auditorium, their sharp thorns stabbing into the tiger¡¯s skin. The tiger howled in pain, but the thorns weren¡¯t sharp enough to do any significant damage.


    Magic energy dripped from its skin, painting lines of red. The little streams weren¡¯t enough, so I doubled the amount of roses, making it tough for it to escape. It pushed onward, ripping the roses apart.


    I dodged again, then used the spell Vine to strike it with sharp vines. I switched from spell to spell, doing my best to slow down the tiger. Disturb its steps with Flower Field, then block its way with Rose Towers, before striking it with Vine, occasionally attempting to tie it down with Bind.


    Surely it''s been fifteen seconds!


    I looked upward. Maya leaped from the top of the auditorium, flipping her body midair. She used the ceiling to kick herself downward, before flying straight to the tiger with an arm outstretched. She slammed the tiger down to the ground. She leaped off, then punched the tiger¡¯s head. She continued punching and kicking. Smoke filled the room, and after it all settled, the tiger remained on the ground, unmoving.


    The group of adventurers rushed into the auditorium, looking in awe.


    ¡°What happened to the scouting?¡± Prilus yelled in exasperation.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need it,¡± Maya replied, before giving one final kick to the monster. The tiger¡¯s body gradually disappeared, the magic energy floating into the sky. Maya leaped away, and I stepped back. The rest of the adventurers absorbed all the magic energy, helping them level up.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit anticlimactic,¡± Solicea murmured.


    ¡°Would you rather have someone be eaten first?¡± Maya asked nonchalantly. Solicea shook her head vigorously.


    ¡°No no no, nothing like that.¡±


    Once the group finished absorbing all the magic energy, we returned to them. Monsters, unlike normal animals, didn¡¯t leave a body after they died. They leave a magic stone instead. A magic stone looked somewhat similar to a regular gem, coming in various different colors.


    The tiger''s was green, matching its skin. The inside of the stone had a part that was brighter compared to its surrounding. Being a high level enemy, the tiger left behind quite a large stone. I picked it up, observing it. It looked like a normal stone, except¡­


    There¡¯s a demon symbol.


    Normal monsters were beings created by irregularities in magic that formed them based on a ¡®template¡¯. These monsters didn¡¯t have a reason nor a mind, and followed their template¡¯s instinct to survive. I never saw a tiger like that before, and magic irregularities couldn¡¯t form monsters without a template. While it¡¯s true that monsters often don¡¯t match their templates to the T, this tiger was like an entirely different being.


    Could this be a product of the demons?


    It would explain why the monster could be that strong and why it looked different from any existing tiger.


    I need to talk to the Asytelar.


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    Prilus returned to Syla with the knights and adventurers. I thought they would be mad from missing their chance to shine, but it seemed they were happy with the free levels.


    Assuming they got any. The magic energy was divided by twenty three, after all.


    Me, Maya, Emori, and Solicea remained. I decided to help Emori and Solicea level up.


    While the two girls fought a monster, I stood by the wall, observing them in case something went wrong. Maya stood closer, but didn''t help directly as she wanted to let the other two gain experience.


    Just then, I noticed a familiar crow standing not far from me. I looked up, finding a small gap in the dungeon¡¯s wall. It wasn¡¯t too big, but certainly enough for a bird of that size. The crow, noticing my eyes, spoke through my mind.


    ¡°I''m surprised you noticed me.¡±


    ¡°You''re not exactly the best at hiding¡­ Plus, you''re a crow. You stand out like a sore thumb.¡±


    ¡°That is indeed true¡­ on a side note, it seems that you have something you want to ask?¡±


    ¡°Can I tell the others about the demon king?¡±


    ¡°You could, but try to keep it under the wraps. We don¡¯t want to create panic and confusion.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s all. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    I made my way to the girls, who had just finished killing a smaller tiger monster.


    ¡°You could be a little more brave, Solicea. You have a spear. You can afford to do more stabby-stabby. Plus your weapon is a water spear. Learn to integrate magic into your attacks.¡±


    ¡°Said the one not using magic at all.¡±


    ¡°I don''t need it.¡± Maya folded her hands. I looked toward Solicea, noticing the spear in her hand.


    ¡°Still, that is quite the fancy weapon,¡± I commented.


    ¡°As expected as a noble family weapon,¡± Maya said.


    ¡°... Noble?¡±


    Solicea smiled wryly. ¡°Yeah, I''m from a noble family. You don''t have to treat me differently, though.¡±


    ¡°Well, okay then.¡± I wasn''t the type to care about these kinds of things, so I took the offer.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, I have an announcement to make.¡±


    At my words, the three turned toward me. I took a breath, then began explaining the Asytelar¡¯s words and the return of the demon king. The three paid great attention to my words.


    ¡°And that¡¯s it.¡±


    Silence fell over the dungeon.


    ¡°De- de- de- demon king?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s scary¡­¡±


    The color was drained from Solicea and Emori¡¯s faces. Maya, meanwhile, simply looked at me and shrugged.


    ¡°He was sealed around a hundred years ago, right? If they can seal him back then, we won¡¯t have a problem.¡±


    ¡°The party that sealed him is a party of five, each around level ninety.¡±


    We were greatly outgunned. The only one above their levels was me, at level one hundred. Level one hundred people were extremely rare, and many that existed were no longer in their prime. It was that tough to reach that high of a level. Made me wonder just how I could get this far.


    There was one thing that the original party didn¡¯t have, though. If what the Asytelar said about me was true, and I could reach such heights, I would be the only person capable of wielding four elements at the same time. That meant holding four different wands, while keeping four different symbols painted in my vision. I never did that in this world, though, so I kept silent about it.


    ¡°If we want to defeat him for sure, we¡¯ll need a larger party with everyone at level one hundred,¡± Maya pondered.


    ¡°Is- is that even possible? The castle mage is at level eighty,¡± Emori murmured.


    Is that something you should spill to outsiders?


    ¡°If we can form a team from now, and start training, we should make it in time.¡±


    Asytelar didn¡¯t tell me when the demon king would return, though. Safe to say it wouldn¡¯t be long from now.


    ¡°That¡¯s why, we need to start leveling up. We¡¯ll start from us four, then raise our levels while looking for more allies.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? I¡¯m the lowest of the entire school year.¡± Solicea twiddled her fingers.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As long as you stay close to me, you¡¯ll absorb the magic energy you need quickly enough. You won¡¯t have to touch a monster,¡± Maya said, luckily not adding any needless joke to her words.


    ¡°I still recommend learning to battle, though. It¡¯s not like you can rely just on your magic level,¡± I added.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to do that, then I won¡¯t back down! I cannot let my subjects handle such a threat alone!¡± Emori said with all her will. She stomped on the ground, as if planting her commitment. Solicea looked around and sighed.


    ¡°I can¡¯t back out now, can I?¡±


    ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll level until dinner, then return after that.¡±


    With newfound commitment, we continue our level grinding.

 Chapter 11

    The next day, I went to the capital¡¯s shopping district, accompanied by Emori. I couldn¡¯t keep relying on my nature wand forever, and I need different wands if I want to wield different elements. Maya and Solicea had some club business, so they didn¡¯t come with us.


    ¡°Is it alright for you to be out and about like this?¡± I asked to make sure. Normally, a princess going into town meant legions of knights surrounding her. Well, maybe not legions, but she should have at least a couple of guards. It was just the two of us, though. I tried looking around, and Asytelar wasn''t following us.


    Maybe she''s trying to look for other adventurers as well?


    I wouldn''t be surprised if that was the case. Nothing good could come from placing the entire world''s fate on the shoulders of four students.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Emori reassured me. She seemed very casual for a princess. Granted, this world has magic, so she probably had some kind of defense on her.


    Still, I was surprised she even wanted to accompany me. I was originally planning on going alone. I ran into her near the gate, and she said she wanted to accompany me.


    ¡°Why not come to the castle?¡± she suggested.


    ¡°No thanks. I¡¯m just looking for a wand.¡±


    Luckily for me, the shop I headed to hadn¡¯t changed. It was still the same weapons¡¯ shop in the center of the shopping district. I pushed the doors, a bell ringing announcing my arrival.


    ¡°Welcome.¡±


    The person behind the counter was different from the blacksmith in the game, but that was expected. Admittedly, it¡¯s a bit sad that I couldn¡¯t find any familiar faces from the game, but a long while had passed ever since the time the game was set in. Even if there was someone I know, not like they would recognize me.


    ¡°How can I help you?¡±


    ¡°I would like some magic wands.¡±


    ¡°Which element?¡±


    ¡°Which one do you have?¡±


    The blacksmith went behind the counter and picked up a crate full of magic wands. Unlike swords that had unique decorations and fancy hilts, the wands consisted of a simple metal handle with a magic stone on its tip.


    The blacksmith had all of the major elements in his store. I chose fire, steel, and rock as my three wands. I would use my nature wand for nonlethal attacks and healing, while the rest I would use for attack.


    I could use other elements as well, but I commonly used those three elements in the game, so I decided to go with what I was used to. Plus I knew some quad-casting spells using those four elements.


    I reached into my pocket and paid using the money Prilus gave me for my help yesterday.


    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    After the purchase, we left the shop.


    ¡°Where should we go now?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Emori pondered my question. ¡°How about we test your wand?¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡± It was a weekend. I''m surprised she has free time in the first place. I thought, as a princess, many would be flocking around her, inviting her to tea parties and such.


    Emori nodded.


    ¡°Well, if you''re fine with it.¡±


    I extended my hand.


    ¡°Wh- wh- what? You want to hold my hand?¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry! I wanted to use Teleport, that''s all.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± she looked a bit relieved as she took my hand. I closed my eyes, bringing the picture of the dungeon into my mind. I then cast Teleport, then the next second, we were already standing at the dungeon¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°Impressive¡­¡± she murmured.


    I let go of her hand. ¡°Let''s head in.¡±


    We both went inside, walking toward the auditorium where we fought the tiger yesterday. The monsters hadn''t reoccupied the place yet. After we arrived, I began blasting various spells while Emori watched me from the sides. Most of the spells I knew worked. I then attempted quick switching, a move I often used back in the game. It allowed me to quickly switch between elements.


    Out of five attempts, I managed to do it twice.


    ¡°Woah.¡± Emori did little claps as she watched me. ¡°I don''t know you can do quick switch.¡±


    ¡°Quick switch?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I mean switching spells so easily.¡±


    So the term exists in this world as well.


    ¡°I can''t do it consistently yet.¡±


    ¡°You can do it, though, and that''s a start.¡±


    She had a point. Quick switching was easier compared to double casting, as only one spell is active at one time. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Mastering quick switching would allow me to go to the second phase, double casting, which was a bit more complicated.


    ¡°I want to be like you¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you a mage as well?¡±


    Emori shook her head. ¡°I don''t have anything I''m good at.¡±


    I was talking about her role in the party, though.


    Still, I couldn''t say I agree with her. ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°Unlike you, I''m not good at magic. Unlike Maya, I''m not strong. Unlike my brother, I''m not high level. There isn''t a thing I''m particularly good at.¡±


    It reminded me of my past life. Unlike her, I didn''t excel at anything other than Mimosa. At the time, I didn''t know that my skills would be the reason I was chosen for this task.


    I had given up on life back then. Unlike me, she hadn''t reached that stage yet. She also had her responsibilities as a princess to keep her going.


    ¡°I think it''s not that you didn''t have anything you''re good at. Rather, you haven''t found that thing yet.¡± I returned to her side.


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. What do you want to do? What is your dream?¡±


    Emori pondered the question. ¡°I don''t know.¡±


    ¡°You don''t?¡±


    ¡°My brother¡­ he has a purpose. He will soon be king.¡±


    That Prilus? King? I guess he did have a bit of charm.


    ¡°I¡­ I don''t think I have one. I''m shy, I get scared easily, I don''t act like a princess.¡±


    ¡°You don''t look shy to me.¡±


    ¡°That''s because you''re kind to me, Fortis.¡± She put her hand on her chest, taking a light breather. ¡°You don''t see me as a princess, do you?¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    In the nation where I came from, monarchy no longer exists. We didn''t respect politicians the way we respected kings. Heck, we didn''t respect them in general. All throughout my previous life, I lived as I pleased, not bowing down to some higher authority.


    In this world, no one tied me down, either. My parents were kind, the local baron respected me. I wasn''t used to respecting authority.


    Probably why Mister Prince was pissed off from the way I acted. But I was stronger than him, so he couldn''t say much.


    ¡­ If I challenge him to a duel everytime we meet, can I get away with messing with him forever?


    ¡°Fortis?¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry. I got distracted.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine.¡±


    She looked at her fingers. There was a bright ring in her right index finger. The Ring of Protection. It''s a ring that is capable of protecting you from attacks. High level ones can go as far as neutralizing poison and healing wounds.


    ¡°That''s a pretty ring.¡±


    ¡°Tha- thank you. My father gave it to me.¡±


    ¡°Are you close to your family?¡±


    She paused, turned to me, then shook her head. ¡°I don''t know. They''re kind to me, but¡­ we don''t talk much. They talk with my brother more often.¡±


    Was it because she wasn''t in line for the throne, that they didn''t put much attention to her? Maybe it was because of that that she didn''t have much confidence in herself.


    I was blessed with kind parents after reincarnating to this world, but my parents in my previous life were worse. I could understand her pain somewhat. She probably didn''t have anyone that loved her just for her.


    Or maybe that person didn''t tell her that they love her, leading her to mistakenly believe that she wasn''t good enough.


    ¡°I¡­ I see¡­ it must be lonely in that castle by yourself.¡±


    ¡°A bit¡­ But I still have that friend from Nanawak, so I''m grateful.¡±


    It was good to know that she had contacts outside of our group. But more allies wouldn''t hurt.


    I held her hand and closed my eyes.


    ¡°Fortis?¡±


    I painted the picture of my room back home in my mind, then cast Teleport. We were instantly whisked away back home.


    ¡°Whe- where are we?¡± Emori looked around in panic.


    ¡°Don''t worry, we''re in my home.¡±


    ¡°Yo- your home?¡± she looked at me in disbelief.


    ¡°Yeah? Why so¡­¡±


    ¡­


    I just took a girl home, didn''t I? The princess no less.


    I looked away from her and walked to the door.


    ¡°Mom, Dad?¡±


    ¡°Fortis? Is that you?¡± Mom peeked through the door. Her eyes traveled to Emori, who stood by my bed. My Mom¡¯s eyes widened, then she turned around and ran back to the living room.


    ¡°Honey, Fortis brought home a girl!¡± She screamed as she ran.


    Oh dear.


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    My plan was to have Emori enjoy dinner with my family. Now, you may think it as some ¡®romantic move¡¯ or something, but let me reassure you, that did not cross my mind, okay?


    I didn''t know what her family was like, but if I could show her that some people were willing to treat her well, just for her, I may be able to boost her confidence. If I could boost her confidence, she would take grinding more seriously. She would become more powerful, and we would fare better against the demon king.


    It''s purely for the sake of this world, okay?


    On a side note, I probably should be careful with using Teleport. People would misunderstand me as a kidnapper.


    ¡°Don''t be shy, Emori. There''s more where that came from.¡± Mom pushed a large bowl of soup her way.


    ¡°These deers have been freshly hunted by the neighbors. They''ve given it to us as a gift. Come on, eat more.¡± Dad gave her a large piece of meat.


    ¡°Umm¡­ are you sure it''s okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± my parents answered at the same time.


    ¡°Thank you very much!¡±


    Surprisingly, neither Dad nor Mom realized that she¡¯s the princess Emori when we arrived. After they first saw her, they thought she was a random girl that I brought home. The baron, who happened to be visiting them for some field related matters, shouted in shock when he saw her.


    After a little explanation, the baron agreed to keep silent, while we decided on having dinner before teleporting back to the capital. Like what happened with me, Emori asked my parents to just call her by her name. Even after they knew her status, they treated her with the same kindness.


    ¡°What do you think? Do you like it?¡± Mom asked in regards to the food.


    ¡°It tastes¡­ different. But not in a bad way.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear.¡± Mom clapped her hand and smiled. They continued spoiling her, and what was supposed to be a quick, half hour dinner, ended up going for a whole hour. Even after we finished eating, my parents kept Emori around, asking various things like how school was going and what life in the castle was like. Emori herself lived in a special room in the dorm, so she talked about that as well.


    It went on until nine in the evening.


    ¡°We really need to get going.¡±


    ¡°My. Come visit often, okay?¡± Mom said, Dad nodding in approval.


    ¡°Thank you very much for accepting me today.¡± Emori bowed her head.


    ¡°It''s great having you. Feel free to come again.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    I held Emori¡¯s hand and cast Teleport. By the time I opened my eyes, I was inside the school¡¯s walls, behind the gate. Soldiers surrounded us, with Prilus in the center.


    Oh¡­ yeah¡­


    The Ring of Protection tracks where you are.


    I probably should have thought about it more before I teleported her.


    ¡°... Sorry.¡±


    Emori turned to me and whispered, ¡°I thought you said to not apologize if you''re not wrong.¡±


    ¡°I''m pretty sure I made a mistake.¡±


    Prilus stepped forward. ¡°Fortisbel Baskator, you are invited to meet the king.¡±

 Chapter 12

    It was around ten at night when I stood in the audience chamber.


    Before me was the king of Syla, King Torez, the queen, Queen Ezabeth, along with Prilus and the kingdom¡¯s advisor. Emori, meanwhile, chose to stand next to me.


    ¡°Emori, come here.¡±


    Emori clenched his fist. ¡°Fortis didn''t do anything wrong!¡± She declared, her voice a bit shaky.


    King Torez and Queen Ezabeth looked surprised at her sudden outburst.


    ¡°...¡± King Torez turned toward Prilus and gave him a nod.


    ¡°Emori, follow me,¡± Prilus said, walking past us. Emori panicked.


    ¡°N- no! I can''t leave him.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, Mother and Father won''t do anything to him.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Emori, I''ll be alright,¡± I said with a reassuring smile. Yes, I may have messed around with authority, but I am still a level 100 mage. I could escape if needed.


    Emori looked back and forth between me and her parents.


    ¡°Don''t worry about me. I''ll get through this, somehow.¡±


    Emori opened her mouth, but no words came out. She then turned toward the rear of the room, walking away behind her brother. The door closed with a heavy clack, leaving just the four of us here.


    After the two left, King Torez got off his throne and walked over to me. He put his hands on my shoulders while staring at me. I gulped.


    ¡°Fortisbel.¡±


    ¡°Ye- yes, Your Majesty?¡±


    ¡°What did you do to her?¡±


    ¡°I took her to my home, and we had dinner together.¡±


    ¡°No, that''s not what I meant.¡± King Torez shook his head. ¡°She never spoke her mind before! Everytime we say something, she''ll go along with it without comment! But now¡­ but now she can defend the person she''s close to! It''s wonderful! Very wonderful!¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t expecting to see her grow so much in such a short time.¡±  Queen Ezabeth  sobbed. ¡°Please tell us your secrets! We''ll reward you!¡±


    Secrets?


    ¡°I think it''s because I treated her like a normal person? Ah, please excuse my rudeness.¡±


    ¡°Normal person...¡±


    The two fell into thought, while the kingdom¡¯s advisor jotted down some notes.


    ¡°I see. I get it now.¡± King Torez nodded, albeit I doubt he actually understood.


    Thinking about it, I guess that''s why she got attached to me? I didn''t treat her like a princess, I treated her like a regular high school girl. Maybe she felt more comfortable that way.


    I didn''t actually know. We never talked about it. All I knew was that she felt comfortable around me, occasionally following me around.


    ¡­ Now that I think about it, she really did like following me around.


    ¡°Please, continue being her friend.¡±King Torez patted my shoulders with a serious look on his face. I nodded in response.


    ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll stay with her.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for inviting you out here so late. Don''t worry, the knights will escort you back home. If you want to, we can write a letter to the school to excuse you from tomorrow¡¯s lessons.¡±


    ¡°There is no need for that. However, can I talk about something?¡±


    Since I was already standing in front of the king, this would be the perfect time to talk about it.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Do you know about the demon king?¡±


    The king took a step back.  Queen Ezabeth stood up, and the advisor stopped writing.


    ¡­


    Did he really jotted down all my words?


    ¡°You mean the demon king? The demon king that was sealed nearly a century ago by the party of heroes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that demon king. I received a prophecy stating that the seal will soon be broken.¡±


    The three gasped.


    ¡°Who gave you the prophecy?¡± Asked Queen Ezabeth .


    ¡°I¡­ I''m not sure if I can say. But, if I may, I suggest preparing the military for war, just in case.¡±


    I wasn''t sure just who knew about Asytelar''s identity. If she wanted this to be known, she should have a way to tell King Torez directly.


    ¡°Very well. I shall investigate the matter further. If you have any more information, feel free to talk with my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    After a bit more pleasantries, King Torez sent me along with Emori and Prilus back to the school.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°Are you alright? Did they do anything to you?¡± Emori asked as she examined my body. I wasn¡¯t sure why she thought her own parents would be violent against me, but I let her check anyway. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Your parents are nice.¡±


    ¡°Good to know.¡± She let out a breath of relief. After I finished talking with King Torez and  Queen Ezabeth, they sent us back on a knight¡¯s carriage. Prilus decided to head ahead of us for some reason, riding his own horse, leaving the two of us alone in the carriage.


    ¡°What did you talk about?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ mainly about the demon king.¡± I couldn¡¯t tell her about how they were happy to see her change, though. She might become self-conscious because of that.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about how we should raise our strength before the fight with the demon king, that we should prepare an army to take him on.¡±


    What made it tough was the fact that I heard everything from Asytelar and didn¡¯t have any proof. I had my in-game knowledge, but I had yet to see a recurring character other than her.


    Well, that game was based on this world, not the other way around. This meant I couldn¡¯t walk up to someone powerful and start babbling about their darkest secret to convince them to listen to me. Asytelar probably wouldn¡¯t know such stuff, thus the secrets nonexistent in the game.


    For now, the royal family went along with my words, but it''s hard to know whether they actually believed me or not. Asytelar didn¡¯t say when the seal would break, either. It might break tomorrow, it might never break. I might look like the hero that rescued the kingdom, or I might look like an idiot.


    ¡°It seemed you began doubting me, Fortisbel.¡±


    ¡°Uhh- ahh¡­¡±


    I looked around for the crow.


    ¡°I¡¯m above you, riding on the carriage. Act normally. Emori is watching.¡±


    ¡°Is everything alright?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°I apologize for not being able to guide you directly, but I will try to help you to the best of my abilities. Get some rest tonight. We shall talk again tomorrow.¡±


    And with that, Asytelar¡¯s voice disappeared. Did she really come all this way just to say that?


    ¡°You look like you¡¯re thinking about something. Is everything really alright?¡±


    ¡°Sorry to make you worry, but I¡¯m fine.¡± I reassured her. I looked out the window. My days so far had been peaceful, but that didn¡¯t seem like it would last.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    The next day, I went to school like usual, while anticipating my meeting with Asytelar. She didn¡¯t mention when we would be meeting, but I had a hunch based on the way she approached me before.


    When the day ended, and I prepared to go to bed, her voice appeared.


    ¡°Hello there, Fortisbel. Have you been waiting?¡±


    ¡°I couldn''t say I didn''t.¡±


    ¡°Then let us get to business, shall we? We have some things to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Is something going to happen?¡± I asked, seating down.


    ¡°Demon troops had begun moving. The tiger you fought was proof of their work.¡±


    Seeing the demons¡¯ symbol, I had predicted as much. Normal monsters didn¡¯t look like the tiger, either. There had to be some tempering.


    ¡°The fact that they could temper with magic irregularities is already a big threat in itself,¡± I thought. In the tiger¡¯s case, I ended up taking it on with just Maya, but it wasn¡¯t a walk in the park. It held its own against the two of us with our high levels. And that includes the fact that Maya was a dragon.


    That said, I could argue that we were at a disadvantage. She didn¡¯t carry a weapon, and my nature-based magic wand wasn¡¯t ideal in a fight.


    ¡°There will be more of those kinds of monsters. That¡¯s why you need to raise everyone¡¯s levels as much as possible, especially your main group.¡±


    ¡°Main group?¡±


    ¡°You, Maya, Emori, Solicea, and Prilus.¡±


    So she counted the prince as well?


    ¡°You five will form the backbone of the new party that will tackle the demon king.¡±


    ¡°A new party¡­ huh?¡±


    The original party was a party of five, with each around level ninety.


    ¡°We definitely need more than five people.¡±


    Solicea, Prilus, and Emori were terribly underleveled. But, if Asytelar mentioned them specifically¡­


    ¡°Do they have some secret ability or something? Why not just get more high-level fighters?¡±


    Fighters at level one hundred were ridiculously rare, but that didn¡¯t mean they didn¡¯t exist. Maya could, probably, reach level ninety in time. We just need three other level ninety party members to reach the same level as the original team.


    Then we would have my ten level advantage. We should be able to seal him a second time.


    ¡°... If it¡¯s just anyone, then I don¡¯t doubt you can seal him again, but you won¡¯t be able to kill him.¡±


    ¡°You have a point¡­¡±


    The original battle sucked too much of the party member¡¯s strength. They never reached the same levels of strength they displayed in the demon king battle.


    ¡°Your party, while not perfect, has more unity compared to ours. That is a huge factor. The second factor lies in Emori.¡±


    ¡°Emori? What about her?¡±


    ¡°About that, I can''t tell.¡±


    ¡°So you''re tasking me with uncovering her strengths on my own?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for asking something like that from you.¡±


    Half of me was a bit frustrated with the lack of information. That said, reading guides wasn''t really the kind of gamer I am. I prefer to discover things on my own.


    ¡°For now, I suggest focusing on those four. You can pick up more party members later. Also, invite them on a dungeon raid this weekend. I could use my magic to detect where the next dangerous monsters would come up. It could help.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Fortisbel.¡± With those parting words, Asyelar disappeared. I lay down on my bed, letting out a sigh.


    Who would have known, huh? Me, out of all people.


    Not sure if this is supposed to be fun.


    I wasn¡¯t great at leading a group. When it¡¯s purely regarding strategy, I could hold myself somewhat. When it was with Maya, who I had fought countless times before, we could understand each other. We trusted each other. With people I¡¯m not close with?


    With the prince, no less?


    I could only wish for the best.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    Me, Emori, Maya, and Solicea were all in the same class. I told them about my plans, leaving out the part where Asytelar visited for now.


    ¡°This weekend¡­ eh¡­¡±


    ¡°The fifth day, right? I don¡¯t have anything.¡±


    ¡°I can come.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thank you. By the way, Emori, can you invite your brother?¡±


    ¡°My brother is coming?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Do you¡­ not like it?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure about their relationship inside their home. They weren¡¯t close outside, but not enemies either. I¡¯m just an outsider, though. I couldn¡¯t judge.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m just surprised. I¡¯ll speak to him.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s great. Thank you.¡±


    With our party secured, I prepared myself for the fight, training more and more with my magic.

 Chapter 13

    A few days later, I received our destination from Asytelar. The dungeon she sent me to was much farther compared to the one we went to a week ago. I couldn¡¯t use teleportation, having never visited the place, so Maya transformed into her dragon form and flew us there.


    ¡°So this is what it feels like flying a dragon¡­ It¡¯s so scary.¡± Solicea looked down on the landscape below us. Forests, rivers, villages, all look tiny from this high up.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t as comfortable as a carriage, but it¡¯s much faster,¡± Emori murmured, holding on to Maya¡¯s back. I looked behind, to find our prince, the one that I thought would be the bravest, closing his eyes and shivering.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die I don¡¯t want to die,¡± he murmured ominous words. Shouldn¡¯t he be more worried about the monsters we would be facing? Besides, we were high enough that if he fell, Maya would be able to catch him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Your Highness. From this height, your death will be painless.¡±


    ¡°EEP!¡±


    ¡°Maya, don¡¯t tease him.¡± I scolded. I wonder if it was because of their long age, but dragons didn¡¯t seem to be scared of death.


    Maya reacted by flapping her wings harder, increasing her speed.


    ¡°Slow down! Slow down please!¡±


    She ignored the prince¡¯s screams as she zoomed through the sky.


    <ul>


    <li> ??</li>


    </ul>


    We arrived in front of the dungeon before noon. The prince, despite how high and mighty he usually acted, held onto my arm like he was holding a walking stick, all while panting heavily.


    ¡°I¡­ am I alive?¡±


    ¡°You very much are.¡±


    Have you never flown on a dragon before?


    The amount of time Maya carried me on her adventures made flying no longer something scary to me.


    ¡°Please¡­ I don¡¯t want to do that again¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re teleporting back. We should go in.¡±


    We formed up our formation. Maya would lead the charge, with Emori, Solicea, and Prilus following her. I would act as the rear guard.


    All of us wore the Ring of Experience. Me and Maya wore the parent, the ring that would ¡°donate¡± the magical energy, while the rest wore the children. Our goal for today was to raise Solicea and Emori¡¯s levels as much as possible. Prilus had raised his own level a bit ever since we first met, so he didn¡¯t need it as much as the other two.


    The dungeon we visited was filled to the brim with monsters. It must have been a while since someone last cleared it.


    Using a fire wand, Maya lit up the dungeon for us. I had given her my fire wand on purpose, and told her to just stand there lighting things up, leaving all the killing to Emori and Solicea. Prilus acted as a backup. Me and Maya would only help when a monster came too uncomfortably close.


    Emori had pretty decent light-element magic skills, able to strike the monsters with precision. Her casting was a bit slow, but it would grow faster as she trained more. Solicea, meanwhile,


    ¡°HIYAAAH! I missed!¡±


    ¡°You''re disappointing, Solicea.¡± Maya shook her head.


    ¡°Don''t say that!¡± Solicea complained.


    While I agree that Maya could put it more nicely, Solicea was terrible. She wielded a water spear. With such a spear, she should have a large range and water spells at her disposal, but she kept missing the targets.


    Had she not wear the Ring of Experience, she wouldn''t get a single drop of magic energy from the monsters.


    Maya let out a tired sigh. She approached me and handed over the wand. The second the wand switched hands, the entire dungeon went dark. I activated Fire, putting it on the wand¡¯s tip, bringing light back into the area.


    Maya then made her way to Solicea and asked for her spear. Solicea looked a bit confused, but she handed the weapon over anyway.


    While keeping her distance, she calmly stabbed and sliced right through a group of monsters. She moved forward a step at a time, keeping her distance while not being actively on defense. The monsters tried pounding on her, but her strong blows killed them in one strike. After killing a couple more, she stepped back next to Solicea.


    ¡°That''s awesome, Maya. I could never be like you.¡±


    ¡­ All she did was stab the monsters, though.


    Despite that, I now noticed what was wrong with Solicea.


    ¡°Just do what I did.¡±


    ¡°Urr¡­ like this?¡±


    Solicea tried stabbing the monsters, but like before, she missed.


    Maya shook her head. ¡°No, not like that.¡±


    ¡°You''re not helping,¡± Prilus complained.


    ¡°Why don''t you try explaining, then?¡±


    Prilus turned to Solicea. ¡°Stay calm and focus. No need to be scared.¡±Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°Scared, I''m not-¡±


    ¡°You were shivering.¡± Prilus pointed out. ¡°Your shaking hands weakened your strikes. Your movements are slow, and that gives the monsters time to dodge.¡±


    ¡°I agree with Emori¡¯s brother. Just stay calm. You have the basics in you.¡±


    I could tell based on the way she gripped the spear that this wasn''t the first time she held the weapon. I wouldn''t be surprised if all her practice before this was against practice dummies, though.


    ¡°Emori''s brother?¡± Prilus glared at me, a vein popped on his head. I honestly couldn''t tell what was wrong with this guy.


    ¡°Okay. I''ll try.¡±


    Solicea stepped forward. This time, she struck with a bit more confidence. She didn''t turn into a second Maya, but she was improving a bit. She looked like someone that had never touched a competitive game in several months. The basics were there, she understood what to do, but she still needed a bit of practice to regain her skill.


    ¡°Take deep breaths, Solicea. Breathe in, breathe out.¡±


    She did as Prilus instructed.


    ¡°So the prince has some use¡­¡± Maya murmured. Her words visibly annoyed Prilus.


    ¡°Oh, behind you, Prilus.¡± I pointed out.


    Prilus took the sword on her hip and slashed the incoming wolf into two.


    ¡°I don''t need your help, but thanks¡­¡±


    Such a tsundere¡­


    ¡°No, you will definitely die if he hadn''t told you,¡± Maya retorted.


    ¡°I can tell when a monster is coming. I don''t need warnings.¡±


    ¡°Liar.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°Pl- Please don''t fight¡­¡±


    While Maya and Prilus glared at each other with Emori in the middle, I couldn''t help but notice Prilus¡¯ sword. The silver blade had a familiar light blue handle, with engravings on its side.


    I had seen it before, back in Mimosa Online.


    Sacred Sword of Syla.


    Some weapons, spells, or items were classified as sacred. Some of these things had a difficult requirement for it to be activated.


    For example, there''s a spell that could only be utilized by the first born of a noble family. In Prilus¡¯ case, only a select few could wield the Sacred Sword unique power.


    One of those powers involves detection of enemies. The details of the power itself and the requirements were unclear, but I wouldn''t be surprised if Prilus wasn''t lying.


    If I wasn''t mistaken, the original founder of Syla was the one that made that sword. He made a few more things, some kept in the royal bloodline, others given to his retainers. The in-game lore stated that they would be used in case a massive threat appeared.


    Was it used in the war against the demon king? I don''t think it was¡­


    Then again, information regarding such things were often unclear.


    My line of thoughts were broken by two certain people yelling at each other. I clapped my hand, bringing their attention to me.


    ¡°Don''t fight. We still have some monsters to deal with.¡± I gazed toward the other end of the room, where more monsters prepared to pound on us.


    ¡°Leave it to me!¡± Solicea said, sounding somewhat confident. Her hands were still shaking a bit, but she plunged straight at the monsters.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll prove it.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure if they were still arguing about the sword, but whatever it was, it sparked a flame in Prilus¡¯ eyes. Prilus went after Solicea. While Solicea still missed a lot, her attacks often hitting empty air, she had improved compared to before. Prilus, meanwhile, was slicing through the monsters like cutting through clay.


    More and more monsters fell on their hands. After a while, we managed to clear the first floor of the dungeon.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue.¡±


    The deeper we go, the stronger monsters get. It was video game logic, but I remind myself that the game Mimosa was based on this world, and not the other way around. There were also some irregularities when compared to other games. For one, dungeons didn¡¯t have treasure chests. Sometimes you would run into what looked to be remains of ancient furniture, but you wouldn''t be able to tell what they were from the damage. Two, dungeons often came in the form of ancient buildings built by a past civilization. As such, there was more than one way someone might go down to the other floors.


    Three, the boss, the strongest monster in the dungeon, didn¡¯t always reside in the deepest floor. It forced us to remain on alert. Fourth, in correlation to the third point, the boss and other monsters didn¡¯t stay in one room. We might clear a room going down, only to find a monster there when we returned. In general, this made dungeons in this world much scarier compared to dungeons in other games. You could easily be backstabed by monsters.


    ¡°What is that¡­¡±


    We ended up facing the boss on the third floor. I didn¡¯t know how deep this dungeon went, but I have a feeling we shouldn¡¯t be facing a white eagle with three heads and four claws so early.


    The eagle screeched and ran toward us, its stretched wing crashing into the walls, creating scratches on the surface. The room we were in was too small for it to fully utilize its wings, but that didn''t mean it posed less of a danger.


    Maya rushed forward, leaped into the sky, and punched the eagle¡¯s neck, knocking it back.


    ¡°It''s hard¡­¡± she muttered, retreating after her punch. I wielded my fire wand, painting a red ring over the bird''s head. I painted the symbol for ¡®Fire Ball¡¯ above it, sending balls of flames straight toward its head. It used its wings to cover itself, staggering back and keeping distance.


    Its wings turned black as fire consumed them, spreading wildly. I flapped its wings, trying to get the fire out.


    ¡°Emori, Solicea!¡± I called.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°We''re on it!¡±


    Solicea rushed forward with Maya, using her spear to stab into the enemy. She did what she could, continuously stabbing at the eagle. The eagle¡¯s large size made it easier for her to land her hits. As the eagle tried to defend, Emori stood further behind. Circles with symbols for light spells appeared from her right eye, and spears of light flew through the air. The spears struck its wings, piercing through. The eagle tried flapping it to get the spears off, but it didn¡¯t work.


    Brandishing his sword, Prilus rushed toward the eagle. Maya noticed him coming and dodged out of the way. The writing on the sword¡¯s side lit up, and it slashed right through the eagle¡¯s middle.


    The eagle separated into two then disappeared into thin air. A magic stone left in its wake.


    ¡°That¡¯s impressive.¡± I clapped my hands. Those three, despite their levels, weren¡¯t as bad as I expected. Maybe we have some hope after all.


    Prilus noticed the magic stone lying on the ground and approached. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the same symbol as the one on the tiger¡¯s stone?¡±


    ¡°It''s the demons. The demons tempered with this monster as well.¡±


    I had a bad feeling that we would only run into more tempered monsters from here on out. The fight ended relatively quickly, because unlike before, the room size greatly limited what the eagle could do. I also used a fire spell, an element regularly used for offense. All in all, it wasn¡¯t a difficult fight, but I should be expecting harder battles going forward.


    We continued onward, going deeper and deeper into the dungeon. Dungeons in this world could house more than two bosses, but the eagle was all this dungeon had on offer. We mamaged to reach the lowest floor. For some reason, all the lowest floors od dungeons in this world was marked with a flower symbol. It had ten-petals. Maybe it holds some kind of meaning in the past, the meaning lost to us. After some more training, we collected our loot and headed back home.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    Once we arrived back in school, we went to the principal¡¯s office and borrowed a magic level testing device. Levels couldn¡¯t go down, but I and Maya decided to check anyway. Our levels hadn¡¯t changed in the two weeks since we entered the school. Next was Solicea.


    ¡°Incredible,¡± she whispered. She had raised from fifteen all the way to twenty-seven in the span of just two weeks. Emori had risen from thirty to thirty-five, while the prince went up two levels to thirty-seven.


    ¡°Congratulations. I look forward to your feats.¡± The principal smiled. We thanked him and left the office.


    ¡°Should we go out and level again tomorrow?¡± Emori asked.


    ¡°I and Maya couldn¡¯t, we have club meets.¡±


    ¡°I have official business.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± Emori looked down, dejected.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll accompany you,¡± I said.


    ¡°Okay!¡± she lit up. We parted ways for the night, heading to our own rooms.

 Chapter 14

    A month had passed. We had done a lot more training ever since that day. I decided to take the group to check their levels, hoping to see a significant raise.


    ¡°Forty five¡­¡± the principal said.


    ¡°I- I am glad,¡± Emori said with a sheepish smile. She pulled her hand out of the machine. Her brother went in next.


    ¡°Forty four.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re falling behind, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because I have many things to deal with!¡± He glared at me. He then glanced at his sister. ¡°Keep up the good work.¡± He walked away, leaving the room. Solicea was the last to check.


    ¡°Thirty eight.¡±


    ¡°Nice one.¡± Maya did little claps. ¡°You¡¯re almost to level forty.¡±


    ¡°Keep up the good work, Solicea!¡±


    ¡°You too, Emori.¡±


    I smiled as I looked at them. They were all happy with the raise of levels. We had been grinding this last month, going to whichever dungeon we could find. But, I couldn¡¯t help but feel incredibly worried.


    We weren¡¯t even half of the levels we needed to fight the demon king. It would only get harder from here, as your body requires more magic energy to level up. I tried to smile, though, hiding my worries from the girls.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    That night, I sat on bed, the windows to my room opened. Sitting beside me was a small, black crow.


    ¡°Things aren¡¯t looking great,¡± Asytelar said. I had told her about the results. Both me and Maya also got checked. I was still one hundred, obviously. Maya managed to raise her level to eighty nine, just one level short of the original party, leaving me the only person above their original levels.


    The two of us couldn¡¯t carry the entire team, though. I had tried recruiting others, and many were willing after knowing that both the prince and the princess were in our party. But, as I expected, I couldn¡¯t lead such a large group. Things would break into chaos the second we entered any dungeon. The magic energy would be spread around way too much, and no one ended up with significant progress.


    To make matters worse, most of the candidates ended up being too focused on Prilus and Emori. Not only were they lower in level compared to five of us, they performed even worse than Solicea.


    If we were to build a large party, we needed it from people outside the school.


    Frankly, even now with their levels, there was just no way they would stand a chance against the demon king. They were making progress, yes. The prince¡¯s slashes had gotten stronger and quicker, and he began learning to integrate magic with his strikes. The sword also helped him quite a lot. He could face high level, large enemies no problem.


    Emori¡¯s casting speed increased along with her accuracy, and her damage was no joke, either. If anything, she seemed a lot more powerful compared to someone her level. Solicea had gotten braver. She willingly chased after the enemy and struck them down with great efficiency, albeit she struggled with enemies that moved quickly.


    As adventurers, they were impressive. As party members that would defeat the demon king? Honestly, it was hopeless.


    ¡°Really made me curious about the secret Emori¡¯s hiding.¡±


    ¡°Secret?¡±


    ¡°The thing you mentioned about her?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that. I did mention something like that, didn¡¯t I? Unfortunately, I could not speak of it.¡±


    ¡°I understand, you have your own circumstances.¡±


    There were times in life where you would be better of not knowing about something. I wasn¡¯t sure if this was one of those times, as we did have the demon king right around the corner.


    But, considering all the things she had told me, she probably had a good reason for not doing so.


    ¡°Oh yeah, Prilus¡¯ sword, what about that? That¡¯s a sacred sword, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. It is a weapon handed down from generation to generation in Syla. It had been centuries since it was first forged by him.¡±


    ¡°Him?¡±


    ¡°The founder of Syla, Amoriaz Keroz Syla himself.¡±


    Amoriaz was often discussed in history lessons. It was said that during his era, giants ruled the land, and the people were subjected to mistreatment. Amoriaz gained great power, then freed his people. After he set up the kingdom of Syla, he disappeared.


    ¡°Imagine if he¡¯s still around. We probably wouldn¡¯t struggle against the demon king.¡±


    ¡°If the him from that era still existed, then I have no doubt that he alone would be enough to fight against the demon king. It is quite unfortunate that man no longer existed. Regarding the sword, you have deduced it correctly. That weapon, while not the most powerful element, is essential in your upcoming fight against the demon king. It certainly helped ours.¡±


    Her words piqued my interest. ¡°Did Prilus¡¯ grandparents fought him with it?¡±


    ¡°It was his grandfather. He was quite the brave fellow. Prilus¡¯ great grandfather opposed him fighting the demon king, yet he endured. Things wouldn¡¯t have ended as well had he not come with us, but enough reminiscing about the past. Do you have a plan, PinkCa-¡±


    ¡°Please stop. I don¡¯t even want to hear that username.¡±


    She flapped her wings. ¡°I thought it was quite cute.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°It seems you have changed. Not that it matters. Everyone changes, even the sturdiest of people. So, do you have any plans, Fortisbel? As the party leader, I trust you have cooked up something in your mind.¡±


    I tried thinking about it but shook my head. I didn¡¯t have that much experience in fighting outside a game. In a game, you could just go in, study enemy attack patterns that wouldn¡¯t change, and come again the second time already prepared. I didn¡¯t know if revival spells existed in this world, but even if it did, I didn¡¯t want to risk the lives of my teammate.


    All we could do now was try our hardest, as unexciting as that sounds.


    ¡°Do you have any info about the demon king?¡±


    ¡°You have fought the demon king in the game, have you not?¡±


    The demon king did appear early in the game. After that, players could relive the moment by going into a special training arena in the game that mimicked the demon king. The guard at the arena said that the moves were exactly as they were when the heroes faced him, but the strength had been reduced.


    ¡°Yeah. A couple times, actually.¡±


    ¡°I had put everything I know in that game.¡±


    ¡°Will the move set change?¡±


    ¡°That I could guarantee.¡±


    So practically everything from that side of the game was useless. As I thought about some other ways to defeat the demon king, I remembered the massive raids I used to conduct in a different game.


    ¡°How about looking for outside help? Like from adventurers and knights?¡±


    Asytelar shook her bird head. ¡°Are you forgetting something, Fortisbel?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The world you play on Earth and this world here, while the same, is also entirely different.¡±


    ¡°Different?¡±


    It looked the same so far. Well, there are many differences. Many of the cities grew in size, with more shops selling more advanced tools and¡­ hold on¡­


    In the game, the demon king was still fresh in everyone¡¯s mind. In this world¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re saying, the people of this world are growing lax because they don''t know the demon king will return?¡±


    ¡°Precisely.¡±


    ¡°It all made sense now.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    The game was set in the year 513, one year after the party sealed the demon king. The story revolved around how the demon king would return, so strong warriors were needed to finish him once and for all. Being an MMO, such a game would continue until they didn¡¯t have enough money to support themselves and shut down. There was no definite end to the main story.


    Back then, the news of the demon king¡¯s return was everywhere, so while the people celebrated, they still prepared themselves for his return. Today, hardly anyone even remembered what the effects were like, as the kingdom had rebuilt most of the areas that were destroyed.


    ¡°Today, no one remembered the fact that the demon king was sealed, not killed.¡± Asytelar lowered her head. ¡°Me and my apprentice had tried warning the people, but without any proof, our words were ignored.¡±


    ¡°Must be hard.¡± She looked so worn out that I couldn¡¯t help but feel bad.


    ¡°Maybe I should try again? We have the magic stones as proof.¡±


    ¡°It should be fine, although I doubt they¡¯ll believe you.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    The people no longer believed that the demon king would return after waiting for so long. There was no reason for them to believe my words. King Torez claimed that they would investigate it, but after more than a month, there was still no news.


    Also, a friendly reminder that the months in this world consisted of twenty-four days. A week shorter than on Earth, but still long nonetheless.


    ¡°It¡¯s been almost a hundred years, though. They¡¯ll probably celebrate his ¡®death¡¯ in a few months. You¡¯re sure the demon king¡¯s returning?¡±


    ¡°I wish I was mistaken, but I am sure.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ I wish there were hints.¡±


    One option would be to check the South Sea, where his castle was located. The problem was, it required specialized equipment to access, not something readily available. If I told King Torez I wanted it, I may be able to get it, but who knows how long I would need to wait. By the time the equipment was done, the seal might have already been broken.


    ¡°Maybe it is hopeless¡­¡±


    The crow flapped her wings and jumped onto my lap.


    ¡°While I agree that things are looking quite grim, your companions already have things that we did not have one hundred years ago. It is too early to give up, Fortisbel. Besides, even your existence is something we did not have.¡±


    ¡°I still couldn¡¯t wield four elements, though.¡±


    ¡°But you are making progress, are you not?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah¡­ You¡¯re right. I¡¯ll try to find an opportunity as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I shall look forward to your good news. It seemed the day had gotten quite late. It is time for me to take my leave. Have a good night, Fortisbel.¡±


    ¡°Good night.¡±


    Asytelar flapped her wings and flew out the window. I watched as she disappeared into the night sky before pulling the windows shut. It was already eleven by the time the discussion ended. I didn¡¯t have school tomorrow, but I promised to continue grinding with Emori.


    ¡°I better go to bed.¡±


    I cuddled up underneath my warm blanket, drifting off to sleep not long after.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    Something about her that only I can see¡­


    We were in a dungeon north of the capital. With Maya busy in her club, we couldn¡¯t get far on our own. Emori, while not as obvious as his brother, was still a princess. Using her power, she asked for a carriage that took us here. Her parents were weirdly happy to see her taking action and asking for something, so they provided her with everything she wanted.


    She only asked for a carriage to help her grind levels, though, and only one way. We would use Teleport to return because of it being quicker.


    The girl herself was currently fighting off hordes of monsters. The monsters we faced varied depending on locations. In this dungeon, they took the form of human-like magical zombies.


    They were quite disgusting, if I''m being completely honest. In a way, Emori blasting right through them was impressive.


    Using light magic, she struck through them, obliterating them. Her high level made it relatively easy to take on many of them. I stood next to her, wearing a Ring of Experience to prevent my body from absorbing any magical energy.


    ¡°Emori, left.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± She turned to her left. A white circle appeared in her right eye, the symbol of Light Spear in front of it. She aimed her wand forward, and a light in the shape of spears stabbed right through the monsters, killing them in one blow. She continued attacking, mastering her Light Spear while trying out other spells. After a short while, the dungeon fell silent, with tons of magical stone scattered on the ground.


    The two of us began gathering our loot, stuffing them down the sacks we brought with us. After we cleared the floor, we headed deeper.


    ¡°Oh, a treasure chest.¡± I walked toward the inconspicuous looking chest. While mimics exist in this world, they aren''t common. My gamer sense told me that this chest is safe, so I kneeled down beside it, and,


    A spear of light stabbed through the chest just as it was about to open its top, shattering it and turning it into a magic stone.


    ¡°Fortis, are you alright?¡± Emori asked in a panic, coming next to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright, thanks.¡± I smiled wryly. I guess my gamer sense could be wrong sometimes. I could probably handle that mimic on my own, though.


    ¡°You did well. Come on, let¡¯s continue,¡± I said, deciding to praise her anyway. I heard that people like to be praised, and that it would help them grow quicker. Maya mocked me when I did that to her, though.


    ¡°Do you think a dragon would care about such measley praise?¡± She said back then, smiling nonetheless. I wonder if she would react the same now.


    Emori¡¯s face lit up and she nodded vigorously ¡°Okay. I''ll follow you.¡±


    We continued our descent down the dungeon, taking on more and more monsters. Emori must be rising rapidly in levels, as I could see the slight change she gained as she absorbed more magical energy.


    After a while, we managed to arrive in the boss chamber. This room was probably a lobby of some kind a few thousand years ago, but now it was no more than ruins surrounding a single monster eating inside.


    A dinosaur-like beast, eating a stack of magic stones. These monsters didn''t actually need to it, but I guess this one had that side of its source copied.


    Once we entered its vicinity, it lifted its head and turned to us. It stomped its feet, likely trying to send us away. Once it realized we weren¡¯t leaving, it charged our way.


    I wielded my magic wand, casting Bind and holding it down in place. Like the tiger, this monster was powerful. Within a few kicks, it freed itself, but I held it long enough for Emori to strike. A ray of light stabbed through the dinosaur¡¯s head, but it dissipated right after.


    ¡°It¡¯s not strong enough?¡± Emori exclaimed.


    ¡°Its skin must be resistant to magic. Alright, let me handle this.¡±


    Emori stepped backward. I switched wand, choosing a fire wand, when a black shadow flew through the sky. I noticed it coming, but couldn''t jump in time.


    Something heavy struck my chest, sending me flying into the walls.


    ¡°Fortis!¡± Emori yelled. My body ached all over. My level one hundred body took the blow quite well, but had I been a low level, I would have been dead.


    ¡°Urgh¡­¡± I tried to move, but the blow embedded me into the walls.


    What just happened?


    The dinosaur readied its tail for a strike, its eyes square on Emori that stood underneath it.


    Dinosaur¡¯s tail¡­ no way¡­


    Strasversaus, a demon spell that allowed a single body part to move so fast that it blurred, turning it into a shadow. I failed to notice the dinosaur¡¯s tail coming toward me. A dinosaur shouldn¡¯t be able to utilize such a spell, hence why I didn¡¯t expect it. That meant,


    This dinosaur is affected by the demons.


    ¡°Emori watch out!¡± I yelled as loud as I could. Emori leaped up to the air, barely dodging the dinosaur¡¯s tail coming toward her. A Light Spear symbol appeared in her eye, striking the dinosaur.


    I tried forming a spell, then I realized I didn¡¯t have my wand with me. It had been knocked out when the dinosaur¡¯s tail struck me. Without my wand, I could only use elementless spells, and there weren¡¯t many that could be used to attack an enemy.


    Below me on the ground, Emori dodged the dinosaur, evading strike after strike. It struck using its claws, its tail, even its jaws, with Emori getting dangerously close. Emori continued blasting her spells, doing her best. One of the strikes managed to wound the dinosaur.


    I squirmed, trying to use my strength to damage more of the walls.


    ¡°Emori!¡±


    The dinosaur¡¯s tail swung, and she wasn¡¯t fast enough. She brought her two hands diagonally over her chest, using it to shield herself. The tail slammed into her, sending her tumbling into the side. A wall of dust covered the air. When it dissipated, it revealed Emori lying near the walls. The dinosaur approached her and roared.


    I thought about using Connect to contact help, but unless they could teleport to this dungeon, it would be useless. I decided to try using Boost next. It''s a spell that boosted my physical ability. It was a risky spell, with a massive drawback. I ignored that drawback, focusing on freeing myself.


    Emori managed to get up, but then the dinosaur roared. Surprised from the sudden roar, Emori fell to her back.


    ¡°Emori, run!¡± I yelled.


    As if understanding my words, the dinosaur leaped high into the air and landed near the entrance, blocking the only escape route.


    This is bad this is bad this is bad.


    I tried my hardest to move my limbs. The walls cracked, giving me enough of an opening. I pushed myself out of its embrace, falling down to the floor. I hit the floor with my head, breaking my concentration, losing control of the spell.


    Shit!


    Boost¡¯s drawback kicked in. The energy left my body, preventing me from moving. I forced my body to move, managing to lift only my head. Emori dragged herself backward, closer to the wall. The dinosaur pushed forward, using its tail to encircle her. Emori jerked her head left and right, looking for an escape route. The dinosaur opened its mouth, inching closer and closer.


    ¡°Ah- ah-¡± Emori shivered, looking up at the wide open mouth.


    ¡°Emori!¡±


    Emori¡¯s eyes flickered. In her right eye, appeared a magic symbol.


    I gasped.


    A massive beam of white light appeared in front of her eye and pierced right through the dinosaur¡¯s jaw, taking out the entire head. The dinosaur¡¯s body fell limp and disappeared into the air, leaving nothing but a single magic stone.


    ¡°What¡­ the?¡± My mind went blank.


    Emori took a breather, then turned around looking for me.


    ¡°Fortis! Are you alright?¡± She ran to my side. ¡°Fortis?¡± She got close and held my head, bringing my attention back to her. I forced a nod. ¡°I¡¯m fine, but I¡¯m stuck here for a few more seconds.¡±


    The drawback of Boost was that it sucked all the energy from your body, making it unable to move. How long you couldn¡¯t move depended on how long you used the spell. Once I fell and broke the spell, the freeze period began.


    ¡°Should I carry you?¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t worry. I should be fine within a few- Oh, I¡¯m fine now.¡± I stood up and moved my hands. I took my nature wand and healed both of us, then searched for the fire wand that I dropped.


    ¡°Ah, here it is.¡± I took it and returned it to my belt.


    ¡°That was scary¡­¡± Emori mumbled as she picked up the magic stone. She handed it over to me. As expected, the magic stone had the demon''s symbol carved on it.


    ¡°Sorry, that was my fault. I didn¡¯t notice the tail strike.¡±


    Emori held my hand and shook her head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not just your fault. I should have watched your back.¡±


    ¡°The strike came from the front, though?¡±


    ¡°I guess. But still, it¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, let¡¯s return.¡±


    I stuffed the magic stone into the sack and held Emori¡¯s hand, using Teleport to bring us back to school.

 Chapter 15

    I took a deep breath, relaxing my body in the warm tub. The warm water washed away all my fatigue. It had been a while since I pushed myself this hard. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t do much when going into dungeons, letting Emori do all the work. Demon-tempered monsters didn¡¯t appear all that often, especially not ones with weird abilities like Strasversaus, while our fights against normal bosses were easy and unremarkable.


    We could fight most monsters by spamming spells. Demon-tempered monsters, on the other hand, were truly frightening threats. What made it worse, the only ones fighting them were our group of five, so most people still didn¡¯t know about them.


    Maybe I should ask Asytelar to provide them with that intel?


    If we could bait more people into clashing with them, then more people would be aware¡­ but they might go into battle thinking it''s a normal monster. I certainly didn''t want anyone to die from those monsters.


    ¡­ What now?


    Then I remembered something.


    The spell Emori used. We were both too tired to talk about the battle. After we returned to the school, we parted ways, heading into our own separate rooms.


    But, I didn¡¯t know if she realized it or not, but the spell she used¡­


    It wasn¡¯t light magic. It was an entirely different type of magic.


    A magic that existence, if known, could rock this entire country. A spell that questioned the prince¡¯s legitimacy to rule.


    The sacred spell, White Void.


    Sacred spells are elementless. To use them, one must fulfill very specific requirements. Sometimes, that requirement was as specific as being the firstborn of the royal family.


    In this kingdom, the firstborn of the royal family would be the future leader, regardless of gender. Prince Prilus was the future leader, but only the firstborn could use White Void. There were even generations when not a single person in the royal family could wield White Void. If a child could use White Void, that would automatically mean said child being the future leader.


    Sacred spells are, in nature, weird and unexplainable. There was very little information in the game regarding them. White Void was no exception.


    But¡­ why?


    Was there a reason Emori wasn''t the crown princess?


    Was this what Asytelar meant when she mentioned her role?


    White Void was ridiculously powerful. Considering how powerful it was at level forty-five, it would be unstoppable at level ninety. That dinosaur must have given her a whole lot of magical energy as well.


    What now¡­


    Emori''s White Void possessed immense power, capable of turning the tide in our favor, but unleashing it would plunge the kingdom into chaos. I could imagine the lengths the royal family would go to in an attempt to hide her legitimacy to the throne, assuming they did it on purpose.


    I must get more information from her. She may not even know about the fact that she was the first child. I need to know why they decided to give the throne to the prince.


    After that, I would need to confront them directly. I need Emori to win this battle. She may as well be our last hope.


    I sunk into the tub, letting out a heavy sigh. Who knew fighting the demon king¡¯s minions would be this tiring?


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    The next day, after school, I went to meet Emori outside the school grounds. I invited her to a restaurant with a private room. Thanks to the magic stones we sold, I had more than enough money to afford such a fancy establishment.


    ¡°Is something going on?¡± Emori asked in worry. I thought the heavy stuff could wait, so I picked up the menu.


    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Are you sure it¡¯s alright?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I could afford it, thanks to the magic stones.¡±


    We both chose some desserts, as we already ate in the school cafeteria during lunch. Emori chose ice cream, while I chose pudding.


    ¡°Delicious!¡± Emori looked delighted with the food, which made me happy. She then looked toward me. ¡°Umm¡­ want to try it?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    She scooped up some ice cream and then handed it my way.


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re going to feed me?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ yeah¡­¡± She averted her face, her eyes glancing at me. I steeled myself and took a bite.


    ¡°... Delicious.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, yeah¡­¡±


    The way she excitedly ate looked adorable.


    ¡°Do you not have ice cream in the palace?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no. It¡¯s just¡­ this tastes quite different. Like fluffy and soft, if you get what I mean.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I understand.¡±


    We continued eating our food. While Emori enjoyed her ice cream, I couldn''t help but think about the implications of the words I was about to say. Half of me was worried that something bad would happen. In games, these kinds of developments tend to end with major changes.


    How wouldn''t it? My friend is supposed to be the crown princess.


    But, at the same time, I need to talk about it. She''s our trump card, our key to winning. If she couldn''t use her powers, we would be done for. We wouldn''t be ready for the demon king.


    After I finished eating, I took a deep breath. ¡°By the way, Emori, I have something I need to talk to you about.¡±


    Her spoon paused. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you the future queen?¡±


    She caught her breath. The room fell silent. Her eyes darted all over the place. ¡°Well¡­ The king, or queen, is the one born first, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the first child.¡±


    She shook when she heard my words. ¡°Umm¡­¡±


    ¡°Look, I don¡¯t want to intervene in your family matters, but the spell you used yesterday is a spell only the firstborn of the royal family can use. There''s no way you''re not the first born.¡±


    ¡°But- But you must be mistaken. I mean, it''s a normal spell¡­¡±


    She knew. She definitely knew what that spell was.


    ¡°You¡¯re not using your wand and it has a different symbol to any light spell.¡± These were things only I, someone who played the game, would know. In the game, the player character could get access to a secret library underneath the castle for helping the king. Had I not visited that library, I wouldn¡¯t know about it. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°But, some spell symbols are similar. Like, they''re just a bunch of lines and what not.¡±


    ¡°If that is a normal spell, what is its name, then?¡±


    The symbol for a spell correlates with the name of it. Not knowing the symbol means not being able to use a regular spell. Knowing the symbol guaranteed knowing the name, though.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± Emori lost her words.


    ¡°If the demon king returns and we fail to kill him, this country would be done for. There¡¯s no point in hiding your power.¡±


    If we failed to kill the demon king, it wouldn¡¯t matter who¡¯s the king or queen. Everyone would die.


    ¡°Please, Emori, tell me what¡¯s going on.¡±


    I needed to know, I wanted to know. If I knew, we could find a solution together.


    Emori clenched her fist and slammed it into the table. The glasses clinked, and she breathed heavily. I fell silent.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to be the queen!¡±


    ¡°I-¡±


    ¡°Please¡­ stop.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I mean, we can talk this out with your parents and your brother.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get it, Fortis.¡± She shook her head vigorously. ¡°Please, don¡¯t mention this ever again.¡± She looked uncomfortable, but I couldn¡¯t back down. Not now.


    ¡°Just train the spell, then. I mean, no one else needs to know.¡±


    If she was against ruling, we could still use it in secret. The symbol only appeared in the eye. As long as she aimed correctly, she could hide the symbol¡¯s spell. While the shape of the attack was unique, it doesn''t immediately point to White Void.


    ¡°All you need to do is train the spell. That spell is supposed to be a secret, right? Others won¡¯t know about it. They won¡¯t understand its meaning.¡±


    ¡°Then, how are you able to know?¡± She shot straight at me.


    ¡°I- I¡­¡± I looked for excuses. I hadn¡¯t revealed the fact that I came from another world yet. ¡°Well- Well¡­ I just heard some... rumors.¡±


    ¡°Is that really the truth?¡± She glared at me. She used to act so meek and soft, but she was particularly sharp today. Did she hate the idea so much?


    I never saw this side of her, so I didn¡¯t know how to react. If I didn¡¯t do anything, though, if I didn¡¯t push her, she might never use it. She wouldn¡¯t learn to control it, and we wouldn¡¯t have our trump card. Not only that, but her parents did mention that I managed to change something in her.


    If anyone could convince her, it would be me. I thought about revealing my past, but I was unsure. Would it help? Would she even believe me? Was that the thing I should be concerned about?


    Emori¡¯s eyes continued pressing me for information. It was a tightly guarded secret. In fact, many things inside that underground library were tightly guarded secrets, or were supposed to be guarded. Considering Asytelar¡¯s reason for creating Mimosa Online, she might have made it easily accessible on purpose.


    ¡°Look, I can¡¯t tell you how I know, okay? Just trust me.¡±


    ¡°I- I¡¯m¡­ sorry. But I couldn¡¯t trust you right now.¡±


    ¡°Emori, please? What if the demon king returned? You can¡¯t rule a nation burned to the ground-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about my right to rule!¡± she shouted. I looked around, worried about the people in the building. There didn¡¯t seem to be anyone near us, and we were in a private room. It should be safe-


    ¡°Fortisbel, listen to me!¡± She smacked the table with her fist, the force so strong that it knocked a glass down.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Do not bring up this topic ever again.¡± With that declaration, she left the room. I heaved a heavy sigh. Things were only going to get harder.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°Umm¡­¡±


    The next day, I tried to call out to Emori as she entered the class.


    ¡°Emori¡­¡±


    For a moment, I thought she didn¡¯t hear me, but I soon realized that wasn¡¯t the case. She turned her head away, pretending not to notice me, in a pretty obvious manner. I figured she still didn¡¯t want to talk about what happened yesterday, so I decided to leave her alone.


    The day went as usual, though. While Emori clearly wasn¡¯t interested in speaking with me, nothing else changed.


    ¡°Something happened between you and my sister.¡± Prilus was the first to mention it. After class, we were having lunch in the cafeteria, the same place where we first met. Usually, I would be sitting next to Emori, and her brother next to her. Without her there, I was forced to sit next to him with Maya and Solicea across from me. Emori said she had something to do to Solicea, and left.


    ¡°It¡¯s that obvious, huh?¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re not even denying it?¡± Solicea looked curiously, taking a bite from her sandwich.


    ¡°Did you have a lovers¡¯ quarrel?¡±


    Upon hearing Maya¡¯s words, Prilus grabbed my shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re dating her?¡±


    I brushed his hands off. ¡°No, I¡¯m not dating her, and why did you look so disgusted when you mentioned me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a commoner, remember your place!¡±


    Friendly reminder that I could kill you if I want to.


    I decided against saying that, though.


    ¡°So, if Emori said she wants to marry me, you¡¯ll do everything in your power to deny her wishes?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not!¡±


    He isn¡¯t secretly a siscon, is he?


    Just the mere thought made me frown in disgust. Although, then again, these types are often the weird ones.


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten quite bold, haven¡¯t you? Remember that the only reason I let you treat me like you now is because my parents and my sister like you! Had that not been the case, I would¡¯ve killed you a long time ago!¡± He turned his head with a puff, somewhat similar to his sister, just far less cute.


    Had this been my previous life, I would definitely kill the prince and escape the nation. I could take on most of their soldiers easily. I would struggle against a select few, but taking them on isn¡¯t impossible. That said, doing anything extreme would affect my family and my village, even Maya and her parents.


    I¡¯m not alone in this world.


    Hold on.


    I¡¯m not alone here. It¡¯s not like back then when I didn¡¯t have anyone to turn to. Maybe¡­ if I talked to the prince about it.


    ¡°You know, seeing you two stick so close to each other makes me think you will never fight,¡± Solicea commented.


    ¡°I¡¯m not too worried. They¡¯ll get back together before long.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so sure, Maya?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m his childhood friend.¡± Maya glanced at me with a slight smile. Maya approached me and patted my back. ¡°If Emori hates you, then you can come to me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for your species to fall in love with a human.¡±


    ¡°But I still can tease you.¡±


    ¡°Great, just break my heart. Besides, nothing you just said has anything to do with why you think I¡¯ll get back together with Emori.¡±


    Solicea giggled. ¡°Still, you looked quite childish today, Fortis.¡±


    ¡°Childish?¡±


    Had I been acting like an adult all this time? Pretty sure I acted like any teenager my age.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t really describe it, but all this while, I¡¯m getting a ¡®wise old man¡¯ feeling for you,¡± Solicea said. ¡°Like you know a lot of things we don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Not just that, he seemed cool and calm regardless of the situation, even daring to insult a member of the royal family,¡± Prilus quipped. ¡°Had it been anyone else, they would put out the most polite face they could. You didn¡¯t seem to care whether your head stayed on your neck or not.¡±


    I could get your neck first, though.


    ¡°Who would put a polite face in front of you? Especially after what I did? I can report a complaint to the kingdom, you know. Actually, maybe I should do that. They¡¯ll hear me because I¡¯m a dragon," Maya mused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡±


    If Maya¡¯s serious, she can cause quite a lot of trouble. The dragons and the humans weren¡¯t exactly the best of friends, and a little lie here and there could turn them against us. If she was the one that filed a complaint, there¡¯s a genuine chance they¡¯ll hear her out. I mean, there¡¯s a reason she didn¡¯t get into serious trouble after punching Prilus in the face.


    Hold on. Now that I thought about it, they weren¡¯t at each other¡¯s throats as much as when they first met. The prince probably realized the sheer level difference between the two of them and grew to respect her¡­


    Wait, why didn¡¯t he respect me then?


    Maya turned to me. ¡°Even now you were acting calm, right? You didn¡¯t look scared at him at all.¡±


    ¡°As much as it pained me to admit, Solicea¡¯s right. You sometimes act like a wise old man who looks down on everyone younger than him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that old yet. If anything, Maya¡¯s older than me.¡± I pointed to Maya. I counted just the years in this world, of course.


    ¡°Considering I only learned to speak long after you, I think it''s fair to call me your younger sister.¡±


    ¡°Out of all the times you can play that card, you decided to play it now?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s the card that¡¯s relevant.¡±


    I probably shouldn¡¯t have taught her so many card games.


    But¡­ a wise old man?


    Had I really been looking down on the others? Well, I did act quite calmly when faced with anything, but that was because of my strength. They should¡¯ve known. They couldn¡¯t touch me, so I wasn¡¯t afraid. Actually, depending on how you see it¡­


    Still, this has nothing to do with Emori¡¯s problem. Even if I underestimated her, I clearly tried to convince her to use her full potential. She should have known that.


    But¡­


    Had I really been underestimating her?

 Chapter 16

    ¡°... Arghhh.¡±


    That night, I tried to get my mind off Emori by studying, but I failed. If anything, thinking about Emori hindered my progress. I couldn¡¯t get anything done, my brain solely focusing on her.


    You screw up, Fortis. You screw up, bad.


    Half of me regretted what I said, really, but the other half wondered what I should have done. I let out a heavy breath and stood up from the chair, throwing myself into bed. I heard a knock coming from the window, noticing Asytelar there. I got up and opened the window for her.


    ¡°Good evening, Fortisbel. You didn¡¯t seem well.¡± She hopped onto the bed.


    ¡°Yeah, I messed things up.¡±


    ¡°Care to tell?¡± Asytelar relaxed her bird body next to me.


    I began telling her about what happened with Emori. She remained silent as I told her everything.


    ¡°That¡¯s basically it.¡±


    She nodded her crow head. ¡°You screwed up. You shouldn¡¯t have pushed her.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for that vital piece of information.¡±


    ¡°You know, Prilus has a point. You really don¡¯t know how to show respect, do you?¡±


    ¡°... Sorry.¡±


    I guess, even in bird form, she¡¯s still a lot older compared to me.


    I would blame it on the lack of communication in the later years of my life. During that time, I only interacted with fellow players, most of whom had no respect for their rivals. Then again, it might just be an excuse.


    In my new life, all of the people I met were loving and caring, and they didn¡¯t see me as someone beneath them. Looking at me, Asytelar brought her wings over her head.


    ¡°Well¡­ it hasn¡¯t been too bad¡­ but forcing things like that wouldn¡¯t get you many friends.¡±


    ¡°Do¡­ Do you think I was underestimating her?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you definitely are.¡±


    ¡°But you said that she has hidden powers. Is that not what you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing, Mister Fortisbel.¡±


    She stood up and waltzed toward the window, looking up at the night sky. ¡°Those stars are beautiful, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°How did we get there?¡±


    ¡°Do you believe that those stars are bright?¡±


    ¡°... Yeah?¡± I decided to play along for now by answering her question.


    ¡°Then, would it affect you if one of those stars flickers and disappears? Would the night sky be any less bright?¡±


    ¡°No¡­?¡±


    The night sky was filled with countless stars. While I enjoyed looking up at them, I didn¡¯t love them enough to study them in depth. Even in the game, the stars functioned as no more than objects to make the world beautiful.


    ¡°You know, every one of those stars have names. This world isn¡¯t as advanced in astrology as Earth, but the people named the stars. Those names are also in Mimosa Online.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re never relevant, though.¡±


    There was a time when I visited the observatory in game, but that mission didn¡¯t have a major role in the main story.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think they''d be sad if you said that, Fortisbel?¡±


    ¡°Sad?¡±


    ¡°The stars may not be the main characters, but they¡¯re trying their best. Every single one of them.¡± Asytelar turned toward me. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s the same for Emori? She¡¯s trying her best, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know that.¡± I saw just how hard she worked, how much she pushed herself. How she gained levels and overtook her own brother.


    ¡°And now, all of a sudden, you said that the only way she can be useful is by deploying a spell that she didn¡¯t want to deploy.¡±


    ¡°While I understand that deploying White Void has many implications, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s worth the risk. I mean, think about it. There would be no royal family if the demon king isn¡¯t defeated. What¡¯s the point of keeping your secret ability under the wraps if you¡¯re not going to use it?¡±


    ¡°... And you think you¡¯re not underestimating her?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Asytelar nodded her head. ¡°You¡¯re underestimating her. Just like those stars, you think they¡¯re not important because they¡¯re not relevant to your story. You think the rest of Emori¡¯s abilities aren¡¯t relevant, thus you told her to ignore them.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I opened my mouth, but words didn¡¯t come out. Maybe I did underestimate her. But, what about the demon king? Do we have enough time to train everyone? Could we take him on?


    ¡°Remember, Fortisbel. You¡¯re leading a party of five, not three.¡± She returned from the window and sat back next to me. ¡°You aren¡¯t fighting the demon king with Emori and Maya alone.¡±


    ¡°But I hadn¡¯t discovered Solicea and Prilus¡¯ hidden power?¡±


    ¡°Despite them already showing you hints?¡±


    Hints?This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I tried remembering all of the fights we had so far. I mean, they weren¡¯t bad. Solicea¡¯s accuracy had increased tremendously. She could now hold her own against monsters, occasionally throwing water spells into the mix. Prilus had also grown. His attacks became cleaner, faster, and more devastating.


    Despite that, I couldn¡¯t see how their strengths would be enough. This is the demon king, after all. Would such an entity, that couldn¡¯t even be killed by a party of heroes, be killed by us nobodies?


    ¡°... Are you not going to tell me?¡±


    ¡°Imagine how you would have reacted if I told you about Emori¡¯s power earlier?¡±


    ¡°... I would probably fight her over it.¡±


    I saw her use it, I saw how powerful it was, and how unstable. Had I known her strength before that, we would probably have gotten into a fight much earlier.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t spoken with her for a while now, have you? You¡¯ve gotten quite close, yet your actions created a rift between you two. Imagine what would have happened had you not been close.¡±


    ¡°We would stop speaking.¡±


    ¡°Correct. Remember your origins, Fortisbel. You¡¯re a gamer. Would you like it if I spoil the entire story for you?¡±


    ¡°No. Even if I get to hear about the story earlier, I won¡¯t enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°Will you play as seriously as if you¡¯re going blind?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ It won¡¯t be as fun.¡±


    ¡°This life may not be a game.¡± She rose from the bed and turned around. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t have fun.¡±


    ¡°... Even when we have a threat as big as the demon king on the horizon?¡±


    ¡°I trust that you will somehow be able to deal with it.¡±


    With those words, she flew out the window and disappeared from my sight. I let out a sigh and threw myself to bed.


    ¡­ She¡¯s right. I¡¯m at fault.


    I need to go and apologize.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    The following days, I tried apologizing to Emori, but she dodged me on purpose. Figuring that she needed some time, I decided to left her alone. On the next sixth day, I woke up early and went to the cafeteria. We had made an unwritten agreement to meet each other in the cafeteria at eight to grab breakfast together. We did this almost every sixth day, even though we didn¡¯t actually promise each other.


    That morning, though, Emori wasn¡¯t there. Realizing that I couldn¡¯t put this off any longer, I finally tried using the spell Connect to call her, but she blocked it with her own magic.


    Guess she really didn¡¯t want to meet me¡­


    I thought as I ate my morning sandwich. I could probably contact her through her brother, but her brother was busy on sixth days, meaning I could contact him tomorrow at the earliest.


    What should I do¡­


    I returned the wooden plate to the side of the cafeteria and began walking aimlessly around the school building, hoping I would run into her. I ran into two of our classmates instead.


    ¡°Ah, Fortis, morning.¡±


    ¡°Morning. Have you seen Emori?¡±


    ¡°Emori¡­?¡± Their eyes twitched.


    Ah, right.


    ¡°Sorry. I mean, have you seen Her Highness?¡±


    Emori wasn¡¯t close to them, so she probably hadn¡¯t told them to just call her Emori.


    They both shook their heads. ¡°Sorry we can¡¯t help.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s alright.¡±


    I continued walking, and my foot brought me to the library. I opened the library¡¯s large doors, peeking inside. Emori wasn¡¯t there, either. I got in and looked for any new books. We had been busy with grinding so I hadn¡¯t visited the library as much compared to when I first came here.


    The library had a couple of new books, but what caught my attention was the newest editions of the local newspaper. Not a single mention of monsters or the demon king. I guess that should be expected. The adventurers probably hadn¡¯t met any dangerous monsters. If they did, they would call us, like what they did with the tiger.


    I took a book down and brought it to a table and began reading. I looked for any new spells that might have been found in the years after the demon king¡¯s defeat. The demon king¡¯s defeat caused the world to grow lax. Many of the new spells were convenient for day-to-day life with no useful function in battles. One such example was Light All, a fire-based magic spell that could turn on or off all torches and light sources in one specific area.


    It was certainly convenient, don¡¯t get me wrong, but it couldn¡¯t help in the fight against the demon king. I decided to study it anyway, as I was incredibly bored. I studied all the spells I could find in that book. From the scary sounding ones like Soul Locker, which attached the soul of someone momentarily to an object, allowing that person to communicate his thoughts despite being far away. Despite its scary sounding name, it wasn¡¯t harmful, and the person in question must be willing to attach a part of their soul to the object. It wasn¡¯t something that could be forced onto someone.


    How would this spell be useful? Don¡¯t ask me. I¡¯m bored, though, so I thought why not.


    The book also contained less scary-sounding spells. An example of these kinds of spell is Change Taste and Mirror.


    Maybe it was because of my level one hundred brain, but I didn¡¯t struggle all that much to remember the symbols. After a few tries, I could use Light On, turning off then on all the lights in the library. The other students and library staff, not aware of what I did, panicked. I immediately turned the lights back on. They were looking around, searching for the perpetrator, so I planted my face into the book. Things died down after a while, though.


    I continued studying, basically consuming the entire book. I ended my session by lunch, then made my way back to the cafeteria to get some food. I tried using Change Taste, changing the taste of my rice into a pizza. It worked, and I enjoyed plain rice in the middle of the cafeteria. Some of my classmates were there to find some food.


    ¡°Has Fortis gone insane?¡± one of them whispered.


    ¡°... Being left behind by Emori must have taken a toll on him.¡±


    These rumors!


    To be fair, from their eyes, I was eating plain old rice, with nothing on it. Not an ideal lunch. But still¡­


    After I was done, I went back to my room to do my homework.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    This was a terrible day¡­


    By the end of the day, I found myself feeling exhausted, as if something had drained all my energy throughout the day. It was supposed to be less tiring than when I went out to grind with Emori, but for whatever reason, I felt worse today.


    How long since I''ve been alone?


    I reminisce about the times in the past. I had loving parents who would always accompany me, then Maya came and lit up my day. I never spent a boring day with her around, so much so that sometimes I wanted an empty day for the sake of it. After I entered school, I spent my days with Emori and the rest. The only times we were separated was when we needed to sleep.


    I¡­ might have forgotten how to be alone. It was something that came naturally to the me in my previous life, but here, I had been surrounded by many, many great people.


    My dad, my mom, Maya, Maya¡¯s parents, the baron, Emori, Solicea, even King Torez and Queen Ezabeth treated me far better than the parents of my previous life. Even Prilus treated me better than the people from back there, even if not by much.


    This is bad¡­


    I tried using Connect again, calling for Emori, but she didn¡¯t reply. I must have angered her that badly if she tried that hard to avoid me. I wonder what I should say when I see her again¡­


    I should definitely apologize, that¡¯s for sure.


    Still¡­ just how sensitive is that information?


    Why didn¡¯t she want to lead the country? Wasn¡¯t that the dreams of practically every royalty? People fight their own family just for the throne, so why was Emori so opposed to it? Did her parents tell her to act like that? But her parents must know that she was the first born, and many queens lead this country as its head in the past. It didn¡¯t make sense.


    Trying to understand it will only piss her off more, though.


    All of a sudden, my head rang. It was like someone putting a phone to my ears, and me hearing the ringtone. Except, that ringtone was directly into my brain, and I could reject it with my thoughts. I could also mute it if I wanted to. I could tell that the spell was sent by the prince. The conveniences of magic, I guess.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    Like with Asytelar, I could communicate directly to him through my mind.


    ¡°Have you seen Emori?¡±


    ¡°No, why?¡±


    ¡°No reason.¡±


    He cut the call¡­ the Connect spell, I mean. Using the Connect spell required a lot of concentration, especially from the side casting it, so I didn¡¯t use it often.


    Still¡­ What''s with Emori?


    I tried casting Connect, but Prilus rejected my call. I decided to ask him about it tomorrow and went to sleep.

 Chapter 17

    ¡°Emori¡¯s missing?¡± I couldn¡¯t hold my voice. My sudden shout pulled the attention of our classmates, who all turned to me in shock. Murmurs began to spread, but neither me nor Prilus paid any attention to it. He nodded his head, his expression darkened.


    ¡°She said she went out to grind yesterday, but I saw you in school, so I thought something must have happened.¡±


    ¡°What about her ring?¡±


    Emori usually wore a Ring of Protection, which allowed the kingdom to track her location.


    ¡°It was left in her bedroom.¡±


    ¡°Can you contact her through Connect? She¡¯s rejecting my calls.¡±


    ¡°What do you think I¡¯ve been trying?¡± He quipped. Despite that, a symbol for Connect appeared in Prilus¡¯ right eye, but nothing happened. ¡°No, she rejected it.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure she rejected it?¡± asked the worried Solicea. Connect being rejected implied that the target was alive and conscious. If the target chose to block the spell, then it would get rejected every time, but that block status would be reset once the target fell unconscious, whether by intention, by sleeping or by harm, just like a regular spell.


    ¡°It is getting through. Besides, a friend in Nanawak could contact her no problem.¡±


    ¡°Then why doesn¡¯t she ask her about it?¡±


    ¡°She told me that it¡¯s Emori¡¯s wish. She needed to cool down thanks to a certain someone.¡± Prilus glared sharply at me.


    Does he really want to fight me here and now?


    ¡°It has been a while since we asked her, though.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re not going to ask her again?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. Besides, she told me that she has important matters to attend to in Nanawak, not something I hear from her often.¡± He sighed.


    ¡°Does your parents know about this?¡±


    ¡°My parents- You really need to be taught manners, Fortisbel!¡±


    ¡°Pardon me, Your Freaking Highness. It seems your sister matters so little to you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, children.¡± Maya shook her head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you!¡± Prilus yelled. He turned back to me, still angry at the way I addressed him. He took a deep breath. ¡°They know. They¡¯re talking with the knights and the adventurers as we speak.¡±


    ¡°When was the last time you contacted her?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday afternoon, that friend from Nanawak said last night.¡±


    So quite some time had passed. We must move.


    ¡°Maya, can you turn into dragon form and look from above?¡±


    ¡°Solicea, come with me.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The two rushed out of the class. Prilus turned to me. ¡°What are your plans?¡±


    In this world, you could find monsters everywhere, from the deepest dungeons to the tallest mountains. That said, dungeons were like centers for monster activity. Like regular animals, the monsters based on them longed for a place to safely rest, so most monsters preferred to live in dungeons.


    If Emori went out grinding, this meant she would be inside a dungeon somewhere. Maya and Solicea could handle the scouting from above, looking at any area outside dungeons, but inside dungeons posed a greater challenge.


    We couldn''t check each and every dungeon in this world, so,


    ¡°I need a list of all dungeons within a five hour walking distance from the capital.¡±


    The farthest we went was five hours with a carriage, but that was with me teleporting us back. Emori had tried using Teleport before, with me teaching her. She couldn''t use it consistently, so I doubt she would risk it.


    If she asked the royal family to lend her a carriage, they would''ve known where she went, and they wouldn''t need to involve us. Thus, I could only assume that she went there walking.


    ¡°I¡¯ll fetch it for you. Meet me in the Adventurers'' Guild after school.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t concentrate on the rest of school. Prilus, Maya, and Solicea all didn¡¯t attend the afternoon class in search of Emori. I, unable to do anything at the moment, tried my best to jot down whatever thing the teacher was saying, intending to share my notes with the others. Concentrating was really tough, though. I couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Emori.


    Just what is she doing?


    I knew it was my fault, but did she really need to go out and disappear like that? She made everyone worry about her.


    ¡°That is it for today,¡± the teacher said, much to my relief. We ended classes earlier than usual today.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to do your homework.¡± She walked out of the classroom. Before she left, she glanced my way.


    She must have known about Emori¡¯s disappearance.


    I thanked her inside and rushed straight out of the classroom, running down the hallways. I sprinted all the way to the Adventurers'' Guild. I visited the building a couple of times before. It was an entirely different building to the one I visited back in Mimosa Online. The old building had been demolished and replaced by a tavern, not exactly a place I enjoy visiting.


    I hadn¡¯t visited this new one often, however, so I got lost on my way to one of the meeting rooms. I eventually found the right place, the prince already waiting for me inside. Thanks to the teacher ending the class early, I didn¡¯t arrive late.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the map you requested.¡±


    I opened the roll of paper, then using a pencil, crossed out several dungeons. I honestly doubt Emori would go to the nearer dungeons, as she risked running into adventurers and hunters that way, so I crossed out every single dungeon within an hour of walking.


    Then, I circled every dungeon that the two of us had visited. Those were familiar dungeons, but since we already cleared them out, she may not go there, on account of not finding monsters.


    Then I crossed all the dungeons with five floors or less. There weren¡¯t many monsters to fight in these smaller dungeons, so assuming she went out to grind, she would most likely look for deeper ones first. The deeper ones also took a while to grind through, so the likelihood of us running into her when she was still grinding inside increased.


    ¡°Do you have any leads?¡± I asked the prince who was observing me work.


    ¡°She went out through the southern gate, but that was yesterday.¡±


    I marked all the dungeons south of the capital. I then cast Connect, using it to connect with Solicea and Maya.


    ¡°Maya, Solicea, where are you?¡±


    Normally, group calls weren''t something you could do with Connect. Dual wielding ¡®phones¡¯ in this world required you to imagine both the faces of your targets, then used two separate Connect symbols to contact them. Keeping such a spell active was draining.


    ¡°Fortis? Wait, how?¡±


    ¡°He has his ways.¡± Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Since I connected to them both, they could hear each other through me.


    ¡°That''s not important. Where are you?¡±


    ¡°We swept the area south of the capital, now heading west,¡± Solicea reported.


    ¡°No signs of her,¡± Maya added.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    I returned my attention back to the map. I marked some of the dungeons there.


    ¡°I suggest checking these places.¡±


    I showed the locations to Prilus. He rolled up the map, taking it with him.


    ¡°What are you going to do now, Fortisbel?¡±


    ¡°I''ll investigate some of these dungeons myself. I''ll send the one I''ve checked through Connect.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    I stood up and was about to leave, when I realized I could use Teleport to maybe impress the prince. I painted a picture of one of the dungeons we visited, making sure I got the details right. I then painted the symbol for Teleport, and when I opened my eyes, I stood inside the dungeon.


    I began searching, defeating any enemies that stood in my way. There weren''t many of them, and the ones that appeared were weak. I explored the entire area, not finding anything.


    I then teleported through different dungeons, going through the ones I visited before first. I know that it was counter-intuitive, considering most of these places were empty, but since I could use Teleport, it cut down the travel time. Within half an hour, I finished checking three different dungeons, all from the place we visited.


    Where is she¡­


    I left the last dungeon. I checked in with Prilus.


    ¡°Noted. There''s one unchecked dungeon not far southeast from where you are.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''m moving.¡±


    Unfortunately, I didn''t have a wind-element wand. If I had one, I could use Fly. I couldn''t use Boost, either. If I got frozen in the middle of nowhere, even pesky low level monsters could get me.


    I wish I could call a taxi!


    Connect could only be used to connect people that you''re close to, as you must imagine their face. Even if taxis exist, it''s not like I could use Connect to call them.


    Imagine their faces¡­


    Wait, can Teleportation be used if I thought about just her face?


    It wasn''t a feature that existed in the game, but if¡­ if I imagined Emori¡¯s face, could I teleport to her location?


    There''s no harm in trying, so I decided to try that. I imagined her face, creating a very clear image of the girl, then I cast Teleport.


    It didn''t work.


    I let out a sigh, thinking about where she might be as my foot took me toward the dungeon.


    So much for being a gamer¡­


    And they say I''m the leader.


    It was precisely like back then. My life may have changed, but I was still a terrible leader. No good leader would force their members to do something they couldn¡¯t. They would encourage them to improve what they already had.


    Emori¡­ I¡¯m sorry.


    I let out a sigh as I walked.


    Are you sure I''m the right person?


    I may have a high level and decent combat knowledge, but I was better suited as a soldier, not a commander.


    I wish my in-game knowledge would be useful in times like this, but it had been years since the world I knew. Not much stayed the same¡­


    ¡­ hold on.


    The ones that change the most are the humans¡¯ areas¡­ but what about the dungeons?


    In fact, the dungeons that we visited, I chose because I was familiar with them. And they changed very little in the years.


    Does that mean?


    I closed my eyes again, remembering the dungeons of my past life. I cast Teleportation.


    It failed, meaning the dungeon had changed, even if just slightly. But I didn¡¯t give up. I tried remembering the layout, looking for places far from the reaches of humans and nature. The deeper areas tend to be left untouched. I switched picture with picture, casting spell after spell. After a few more tries, I finally found a spot that looked exactly the same as the location I remembered in the game.


    I arrived in a large empty room. Above me was a large opening, sunlight pouring through that hall, creating a kind of arena in the center of the room. In front of me stood a dark purple minotaur, its back facing me. Standing in front of it, a small girl carried a light magic wand, her focus solely on the minotaur. I moved backward, away from the minotaur, sticking to the wall.


    The girl took her stance. I remained silent, watching from behind the minotaur. She didn¡¯t notice me, her attention solely on the monster. A white circle appeared in front of her right eye, followed by a symbol.


    But not the symbol of White Void. A different symbol, one I didn¡¯t recognize. A massive white beam spewed forth from her eyes, and within a single instance, the minotaur¡¯s head disappeared. The body fell and dissipated, leaving nothing but a single gleaming red magic stone.


    I gasped.


    ¡°What spell is that¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± She only noticed my existence now. ¡°Show yourself!¡± She pointed her wand to my general direction. I lifted my hands and stepped forward into the light.


    ¡°For- Fortis? What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here? You don¡¯t know how worried everyone is?¡±


    ¡°I-... I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± She averted her gaze. ¡°I-¡±


    I stepped closer and pulled her into a tight hug. She looked at me, startled. ¡°Fortis?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that ever again! I won¡¯t mention that spell ever again, so don¡¯t disappear on me! Do you know how worried I am?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I kept her in my embrace. She didn¡¯t resist. The incredible loneliness that I felt had all floated away. After experiencing her ignoring me, only then I realized just how important she is to me. After her disappearance, I realized I didn¡¯t want to let her go.


    ¡°I promise I won¡¯t touch on that spell ever again¡­ but¡­¡± I pulled myself away, wanting to look at her face.


    ¡°That spell¡­ That¡¯s your own spell, isn¡¯t it? Something you made yourself.¡±


    Emori nodded. ¡°Yes. It is. How do you know?¡±


    ¡°I never saw the symbol in my life.¡±


    ¡°...¡± She stared at me. ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to know about White Void, either.¡±


    I scratched my head. ¡°Yeah¡­ I guess I just have good instincts¡­¡±


    It was a poor excuse, I knew, but Emori didn¡¯t pursue it further.


    ¡°Still, creating your own spell? You¡¯re impressive.¡± Creating a spell from scratch was no little feat. I never did it, despite my wide knowledge of magic spells.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not impressive.¡± Emori shook her head. ¡°What I did simply weakened White Void.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve disguised it as your own spell, a spell that requires light magic to be used, right?¡±


    Unlike White Void, this spell had a white circle surrounding it, a proof that it wasn¡¯t elementless nor sacred.


    ¡°Yes, so for me, it¡¯s like adding an extra requirement.¡±


    Despite being a light-element spell, it was still a spell only she could use, because the body of the spell itself was attached to her. Similar to vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup on it. Inside, it was still vanilla, but the chocolate syrup covered a part of it.


    Or that¡¯s my guess, at least. I didn¡¯t actually know the details of how it works.


    Explaining that only she could use the spell she created was much easier compared to explaining White Void to someone that knew about the spell, though.


    ¡°But now you can use White Void without worrying about the country.¡±


    And White Void, as a spell on its own, was already powerful. Emori¡¯s modifications to it didn¡¯t tone it down all that much. With this spell, she would essentially be our main DPS. With her strengths, she wouldn¡¯t have trouble dealing with monsters. The grinding would only get easier from now on.


    But then I remembered something. The reason for her new spell existance in the first place.


    I took a deep breath and kneeled in front of her, my head down on the dirt. It was the only way to apologize that I could think of.


    ¡°For- Fortis?¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry. I only now realized just how capable you are. I¡¯m sorry for underestimating you, and I''m really sorry for hurting you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­ I- I think it hurts because you have a point.¡±


    ¡°... I do?¡± I lifted my head.


    ¡°Please stand up.¡±


    I did as told.


    ¡°What you did in the past is in the past. I won''t hold that against you. And¡­ you''re right. I''m sorry for the way I acted.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°I''m a princess. I have the responsibility for the safety of my people. The way I acted was foolish and egotistical.¡±


    ¡°I know this doesn''t sound right coming from me, but you''re allowed to do what you want, Emori. This is your life. If you decide that you don''t want to use it, that''s your choice. No one should force you to do otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Even you?¡±


    ¡°Even me¡­ If anything, I''m the last person that should be forcing you. As your partner, I should have been the one encouraging you, the one trusting you.¡±


    ¡°Pa- partner?¡± Emori¡¯s face turned red. ¡°If- if- that''s the case¡­ I''m not ready, but¡­¡± she began twiddling her fingers, looking restless.


    Did I say something wrong?


    ¡°I mean, we grind together all the time. Wouldn''t that make us grinding partners?¡±


    Was she thinking about something else? Surely not? Especially after what I did to her?


    ¡°Ah, right. Grinding¡­ partners¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, I promise to support you whatever happens, regardless of which spell you want to or don''t want to use.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­ I''ll do my best.¡±


    ¡°By the way, that new spell, what is it called?¡±


    Emori looked up at me. She was about to say something when she averted her gaze. ¡°Umm¡­ This might sound dumb¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll sound nice.¡±


    ¡°... White Spring.¡±


    ¡°White¡­ Spring? I think that sounds cool, even if I don¡¯t get the meaning.¡±


    ¡°Haha, thanks¡­¡±


    ¡°So, shall we continue?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°If we return, you¡¯ll probably get punished for disappearing.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Emori looked depressed again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be by your side. Now that I¡¯ve seen your strength, I know I don¡¯t need to worry. If anything, I want to see more of it.¡±


    ¡°Ok- Okay then!¡±


    I extended my hand and she gripped it. I looked through my memories, searching for a dungeon farther away from the capital, then cast Teleport.

 Chapter 18

    Many of the dungeons I knew had lost their shape, evident by the fact that I couldn¡¯t teleport to them, but that didn¡¯t mean all of them were gone. I managed to find a dungeon I used to visit in the west side of the country, a pretty massive one with many monsters.


    ¡°Show me what you¡¯re capable of, Emori!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Emori used White Spring to obliterate all the incoming monsters, even damaging the walls. But as long as she didn¡¯t cause a cave-in, we would be fine. I kept close to her, just in case we needed to Teleport out. I didn¡¯t do anything to help, though. She didn¡¯t need me meddling.


    Really impressive¡­


    As she attacked, I observed her spell, trying to get a grasp of her strength. Even from what little I saw, I could tell that this spell was not one to mess with. During the fight, I received a Connect spell from Prilus.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t find her.¡± He proceeded to list all the dungeons that didn¡¯t get checked, sounding very worried. If he knew I had found her, he would force me to bring Emori back, so I pretended like I didn¡¯t know for a while.


    ¡°Keep on looking.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    The Connect spell stopped.


    Sorry Prilus¡­ Maybe if you¡¯re a bit nicer to me¡­


    I returned to observing Emori. By the time the Connect ended, she had already taken out all the monsters. ¡°Let¡¯s go deeper.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Emori unlocking White Spring had increased our grinding efficiency by maybe five to ten times. I couldn¡¯t point out the exact number that would best describe the increase, but we moved fast. We tackled groups of monsters within seconds, floors within minutes. Her unbelievable strength was game-breaking. Had I seen someone use this kind of spell in Mimosa, I would definitely report them.


    Was this what those people were feeling when I defeated them?


    Maybe the me in their eyes looked exactly like Emori in mine. An undefeatable player in this unfair game of life.


    It wasn¡¯t the time to be melancholic, though. The others would realize that I went silent, and eventually point out that I must have found Emori. I need to drill as much information regarding Emori¡¯s spell into my mind as possible.


    ¡°Emori, are you getting tired?¡± I asked after she finished clearing out a group of monsters. Emori wiped a sweat off her forehead.


    ¡°A bit.¡±


    Now that she mentioned it, I remembered that she never looked tired from our usual grinding. This spell must have a high mana cost, but since Emori had higher than average mana, the effect wasn¡¯t too visible.


    ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too much, okay?¡± I warned.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°We now know its damage output and its effects, that means what we need to know now is its cost.¡±


    ¡°Cost?¡± Emori tilted her head. ¡°Oh, you mean the mana cost, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Since White Spring is a custom spell, some parts of it may be unstable.¡±


    A custom-made spell based on a sacred one, no less.


    ¡°We don¡¯t want to risk you fainting at the wrong moment.¡±


    ¡°So I should continue using it?¡±


    ¡°But watch after your own body. If you feel drained, tell me.¡±


    I had been counting how many times she used the spell up till this point. Thanks to the spell¡¯s wide beam, maybe the only positive change from the original, she could wipe out more monsters each strike.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    She shot her spell a few more times. Her beam was enough to turn regular monsters to ash the second they were hit. We managed to reach the floor¡¯s bottom not long after.


    ¡°Here you go.¡± I gave her a bottle of water. The water in this bottle had been infused with mana. I originally packed this bottle for me in case I ran out during the search, but I didn¡¯t end up using it. I didn¡¯t even use that much for my spells.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± She took it and drank the water. ¡°That¡¯s refreshing. How many strikes was that?¡±


    ¡°... Twenty four. Not bad. Can you keep going, though? Just normal spells are fine.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it late?¡± She asked. I had no way to tell, I hadn¡¯t learnt of a spell to tell the time.


    ¡°If you¡¯re tired, we can stop here. If you still can continue, we should continue grinding, just in case something happens to you. And we should have someone take a look at you when we return to the capital.¡±


    ¡°Something happens to me¡­?¡±


    ¡°You might be grounded for a couple of days.¡± She did go out and disappeared on us.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ But don¡¯t worry, I can continue.¡±


    We continued blasting monsters until the prince¡¯s next Connect.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    The prince had managed to realize the fact quicker than I expected. The second he caught me, I brought Emori straight back to the capital. We received a stern scolding from him. Emori because she disappeared, me because I didn''t tell him despite already finding her.


    We were brought back to the castle. King Torez and Queen Ezabeth themselves came to greet us. They were as worried as me, hugging Emori the second they saw her. A bit of scolding happened after that, then they brought us to a private room.


    ¡°Fortisbel, thank you very much for finding Emori.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for finding our daughter.¡±


    The king and Queen Ezabeth bowed their heads, which was a bit surprising.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m glad I helped.¡± I hid the fact that Emori ran away because of me, of course. If I said anything about that, who knew what my fate would be. I could only hope that Emori didn¡¯t say anything about it, either.


    ¡°We would like to grant you a reward.¡±


    Is that really necessary?


    Emori would return sooner or later, even without my intervention. I feel bad for accepting a reward for the troubles I myself created. That said, there is something that I wanted.


    ¡°... What can I ask?¡±


    ¡°Anything that we can provide. If you want, we can give you a land of your own.¡±


    ¡°That is not necessary.¡±


    They surely could provide access to the secret library, right? But then I need to explain how I knew about the secret library. Would this be the right time to reveal the fact that I came from another world? What would be the consequence of revealing such information? Would they feel threatened? Would they consider me dangerous?


    ¡°Fortis? Are you alright?¡± Emori asked out of concern. She knew about my knowledge, but she couldn¡¯t explain where I got it from. She didn¡¯t try to dig deeper herself. If she spoke for me, they would think that she was the one that leaked the information. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. There is something I want¡­¡±


    ¡°Feel free to say it. We¡¯ll see if we can fulfill your request.¡±


    Then, an idea struck my head. ¡°I challenge you to a duel!¡±


    ¡°... Is that your request?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no. Umm¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s an idiot,¡± the prince said. I was unfortunately not in a position to deny.


    ¡°Pl- Please don¡¯t call him an idiot,¡± Emori said, much to everyone¡¯s surprise.


    The king turned to me. ¡°Why do you want a duel?¡±


    ¡°We- well¡­ I thought I could speak my mind better if we stood as equals¡­¡± Dumb reasoning, I know, but I really felt pressured about it.


    ¡°Well, if that¡¯s your wish.¡± King Torez stood up and was about to unsheathe his blade when Prilus stopped him.


    ¡°Let me handle this.¡±


    His hand traveled down to the hilt of the sword. I realized that he had full intent on attacking me.


    ¡°Why? Got cold feet all of a sudden?¡±


    You¡¯re wielding a sacred sword, you dumbass!


    Of course I would struggle against one. I wouldn¡¯t be able to stand against Emori, either, despite the many level differences between us. That was simply the nature of the sacred things.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to fear asking from us,¡±  Queen Ezabeth  said. ¡°Worst case scenario, we¡¯ll deny it, but nothing more.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re asking my daughter¡¯s hand in marriage, then you should try dating first.¡±


    ¡°Fa- Father!¡±


    Is this really a joke he should be making after what I did?


    Oh, he didn¡¯t know I¡¯m the cause of all this.


    ¡°But she¡¯s right. If we can¡¯t fulfill your request, then we¡¯ll just deny it. You don¡¯t need to worry about anything else happening to you.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I want access to the secret library,¡± I said. The room fell dead silent.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡±


    Everyone was staring at me, including Emori. She probably didn¡¯t expect me to actually make that request.


    ¡°That is¡­ certainly, a surprise¡­ but, if you want that, then I won¡¯t deny you.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you not going to ask how he knows about it?¡±


    Oh shut up, Prilus. Don¡¯t sweat the details.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Luckily, neither King Torez or Queen Ezabeth took note of Prilus¡¯ question. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°If- If that¡¯s the case¡­¡±


    ¡°Come here whenever you need to. We¡¯ll unlock the library for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much!¡± I bowed deeply, letting out a breath of relief.


    Thank Goodness.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    We talked with each other for a bit more. As the night grew darker, King Torez sent the other two back to the academy. I was about to leave with them when he called out to me.


    ¡°Can you stay a bit longer, Fortisbel?¡±


    Unlike them, I could use Teleport to get back.


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    I do prefer the kingdom¡¯s carriage, though.


    Nothing like arriving at school in one of the nation¡¯s most luxurious vehicles.


    ¡°Please follow me.¡±


    ¡°Shall I come along, Sir?¡± the king¡¯s advisor asked.


    ¡°There is no need. You''re free to return.¡±


    He bowed his head and left. These two must really trust me to be willing to speak in private. Not like it never happened before.


    The three of us, the queen included, left the room, walking down the hallways. The knights saluted when we passed, I nodded back. The hallways were relatively empty, not surprising considering the time.


    ¡°By the way, Fortisbel, I would like to thank you for all the things you''ve done.¡±


    ¡°I really don''t deserve any of this, Your Majesty.¡±


    I hurt Emori¡¯s heart and caused her to flee.


    ¡°Even so, I must thank you. You have really changed Emori¡¯s life.¡±


    Oh, is that what he wants to talk about?


    I did change her, in more ways than one.


    ¡°She used to have no friends her age, but now she has you, your dragon friend, and Misyonoer.¡±


    Maya technically isn''t our age, though.


    ¡°I did not do much, Your Majesty. It''s her own efforts that landed her in the place she is currently in.¡±


    Even back then, she was the one that made an effort to speak with me. Back during our early days in school, she was the one that started conversation, even though she was scared.


    I didn''t deserve any credit for her change.


    We then made our way up some grand stairs. They took me past some rooms, before eventually arriving on a balcony. The two leaned on the railings, gazing out at the city.


    ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful night, isn¡¯t it?¡± King Torez murmured.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s spring, the best season of the year,¡± Queen Ezabeth replied.


    ¡°I- I agree. I enjoy spring, I think¡­¡±


    Every season had its own charm, except summer. Summer is just hot, with absolutely no other trait.


    King Torez and Queen Ezabeth turned around.


    ¡°You know, Fortisbel?¡± King Torez asked.


    ¡°I know¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°You know of the secret library. What knowledge are you seeking there?¡± Queen Ezabeth added.


    Is that why they invited me here?


    ¡°About that¡­¡±


    ¡°You can be honest.¡±


    Sorry, Emori!


    ¡°Emori¡­ is your firstborn child, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    They both kept their composure as if they weren''t only expecting me to bring it up, but also waiting for it.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re twins, but she¡¯s the one with the original right to rule,¡± Queen Ezabeth elaborated.


    ¡°So then¡­ why?¡±


    The king took a deep breath. ¡°Emori doesn¡¯t feel she¡¯s fit to rule, so at her young age, she abdicated her right to the throne.¡±


    ¡°And that is under her own will?¡±


    ¡°The entire family, Prilus included, wishes for her to take the throne, but she has always refused.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t desire power,¡± her mom answered. ¡°Emori doesn¡¯t like ruling over people, she doesn¡¯t like ordering people around.¡±


    ¡°Ever since she was young, she always followed orders. She refused to give them.¡±


    Maybe that was why she got so angry when I brought it up. For now, she could cover it up because they were twins, but if someone outside the royal family knew about this, it may force her to take the throne.


    But wait¡­ didn¡¯t they say she abdicated the throne? The people should have known that she is no longer the rightful heir. Using White Void wouldn¡¯t change that.


    ¡°... Can I challenge you to another duel?¡±


    ¡°There is no need, Fortisbel. You¡¯re level 100, you can overpower us easily.¡±


    My concern didn¡¯t lie on them killing me right at this moment¡­ but whatever.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Emori already abdicate the throne. Shouldn¡¯t that mean the people know about her abdication?¡±


    ¡°Most know.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ then why is she against using White Void?¡±


    Both King Torez¡¯s and Queen Ezabeth¡¯s eyes widened when they heard my words.


    ¡°White- White Void?¡±


    ¡°No way¡­¡±


    They stared at each other, at a complete loss for words.


    ¡°... Are there some implications about the spell?¡±


    I shouldn¡¯t have known anything about the spell in the first place, but that¡¯s besides the point.


    ¡°... White Void, in legends, is the last sacred spell created by Master Amoriaz himself. It was said that Master Amoriaz poured his entire being into creating that spell, thus why it is so powerful.¡±


    So the founder of Syla created that spell?


    A lot of other things created by him were made in cooperation with others. For example, the sacred sword Prilus wielded was created by a blacksmith with instructions for him. For a spell to be purely made by the man himself¡­


    ¡°Even if she abdicated the throne, that would be reset if she could use White Void¡­¡±


    It wasn''t a written law, but if White Void was a spell created directly by him, being able to use it might imply Amoriaz¡¯s support of the user, thus resetting everything.


    ¡°Please keep this a secret.¡± I could imagine Emori¡¯s anger if she found out that I spoiled this to her parents. No wonder she was so opposed to it.


    ¡°There''s no need to worry. We''ll do as you say.¡±


    I''m not sure a king should say something like that in the first place.


    ¡°Is that what you invited me to discuss?¡±


    ¡°No. We have a request for you. If you don¡¯t mind, we want to keep you by her side. She has gotten a bit more willful since she met you, and I think that is a necessary growth for her. Now that you know, can you find a way to change her mind?¡± King Torez requested. I couldn¡¯t, however.


    ¡°Please forgive me, but I made a promise to Emori. If it¡¯s not in her wishes to take this responsibility, I will not push her.¡±


    With great power comes great responsibility. Emori must understand this well. I didn''t doubt that Emori has the power to handle these responsibilities, but she shouldn''t be forced to take it up if she didn''t want to.


    ¡°That said, I have no intention of abandoning her. I will do my best to help her in whatever situation she finds herself in.¡±


    It was my genuine wish. The little time we were apart made me realize just how important she is to me.


    ¡°If she tells me that she is willing to take the throne, then I shall do my best to support her.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Fortisbel. It¡¯s great knowing that she had such a reliable friend in school,¡± Emori¡¯s father said with a warm smile. Her mother, though,


    ¡°Friend?¡±


    ¡°... Yes, friend?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see¡­ Understood.¡± She nodded. The way she looked at me, though¡­


    ¡°A knight shall escort you back to the academy. Stay safe.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much, but there is no need to worry. I can Teleport back.¡±


    ¡°Well, stay safe regardless.¡±


    As I turned around, walking down the hallway, I heard little whispers from Queen Ezabeth. ¡°Friends? I thought they were more than that.¡±


    I ignored the whispers and went back to school

 Chapter 19

    ¡°It¡¯s so sweet!¡± Emori exclaimed in delight as she scooped up a piece of cake into her mouth.


    It was a fifth day. Normally, we would be preparing for our fight against the demon king, grinding away in some dungeon somewhere, but Maya and Solicea had some club business to attend to. Upon hearing that, the prince decided that he wanted to grind solo. He was falling behind, so maybe he wanted to go and catch up. I didn¡¯t ask for the exact reasons, though.


    It was just me and Emori, like usual. Instead of going out and grinding, I decided to take a break today. The demon king¡¯s return still circled in my mind, so I couldn¡¯t fully relax, but I didn¡¯t want to keep pushing Emori. I invited her to a beautiful cafe on the northern side of the capital. Next to our cafe were many other shops, all offering a view toward a lake. It was a peaceful day, with clear skies and calm winds.


    This area hadn¡¯t changed much.


    Back in the game, the stores around here offer some food for sale, often with stats boosting properties. The store two buildings away from us sold just that, some kinds of pills that could boost your mana levels.


    The store we sat in offered regular cake, though.


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s alright? It¡¯s your money, after all,¡± she asked with concern.


    ¡°Of course. Besides, how many monsters have we killed? It¡¯s not like we struggled for money.¡± I had collected more money than what I knew to do with. Although, to be fair, that statement was correct because I didn¡¯t know what to use my money on. Had this been Earth, I would constantly be in the red thanks to the absurd amount of anime merch that I bought, but those things didn¡¯t exist in this world.


    Out of the five of us, the only one spending was Maya. She loves buying small trinkets and accessories out of gold, despite never using them. Just dragons being dragons, I guess.


    Emori, Solicea, and Prilus had no need for the money. Being nobles, they already receive a hefty allowance each month, the earning from the stones pales in comparison. Maybe that was the cause of Emori¡¯s concern. She did visit our place before, seeing just how normal we were. A small amount in her eyes might mean a lot to me.


    But since I didn¡¯t have anything I wanted in particular, I decided to send most of it to my parents.


    ¡°But, still¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just see it as my thank you for accompanying me.¡±


    ¡°Bu- But you¡¯re the one that helped me grind?¡±


    ¡°Grinding is always more fun with others. Besides, we always worked so hard during our off-days, I thought taking it slow once in a while wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡± For Emori and the rest, it was training. A tiring one, at that. Since Asytelar only spoke to me, in their eyes, they were raising their strength for a threat that may or may not exist. I appreciate the fact that they were willing to go with my shenanigans.


    I appreciate their company as well, and what better way to show that than to treat them out for a meal.


    Especially Emori, who worked twice as hard as the others. She could find an excuse to not go grinding with me on the sixth day, when the others took some time off, but she stuck with me.


    ¡°Emori, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Huh- What? Where did this come from?¡± Emori blushed.


    ¡°I appreciate you sticking with me. Even now, when we¡¯re not grinding, you¡¯re still willing to come with me.¡±


    She averted her eyes. ¡°I want to say I¡¯m doing it because of the demon king¡­ but¡­¡± She trailed off.


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°Never mind, please forget about it.¡±


    The last time I pushed her, we ended up having a huge fight. I didn¡¯t want her to dislike me, so this time, I decided to let it slide.


    I was still curious, though. Did she have another reason she stuck with me? I wonder what¡­ Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°Okay. Feel free to tell me if there¡¯s something on your mind.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Emori chirped, returning to her food. We ate our cake together, enjoying the sweetness of it.


    ¡°That was great¡­¡± I leaned my back to the seat, having finished my cake. ¡°It had been a while since I last relaxed like this.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t go out often?¡±


    ¡°Going out means grinding for me.¡±


    ¡°Haha. You¡¯re such a hard worker, Fortis.¡± Emori let out a little giggle. ¡°By the way, there¡¯s something I¡¯m curious about.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Emori gazed at me. ¡°Have you known about the demon king since you were little?¡±


    ¡°Kind of?¡± I mean, I did know, but that was after I died, when I was floating in that¡­ place? Regardless, back then, I didn¡¯t understand the details of what she meant. I only knew that the demon king would return.


    ¡°Is that why you worked so hard for your level?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± It was an important factor, yeah, but I couldn¡¯t say that it was my only reason. As a gamer, I love exploring. I love getting stronger. I love being on the top. That was simply the person I am. Since I came here with my memories intact, I could fit in easily.


    I grinded until my level hit the ceiling. Even after that, I continued grinding. That led me here, sitting in front of the princess herself.


    ¡°I don''t have a particular reason for it, I guess. It''s just what I like to do.¡±


    ¡°You like fighting monsters?¡±


    ¡°I guess? I like getting stronger.¡±


    It was everything I did in my past life. Back then, I got stronger by grinding. I then helped others get stronger, and received payment for it. That was the only way I knew to live. To get stronger, to keep being at the top. The person everyone looked up upon, the person everyone hated. A cheater.


    When I arrived here, that was the only thing I could do. I expected to live alone, no different than my previous life, so I got stronger.


    But here, things changed. My parents loved me for who I am. They valued me even without my strength. Even when I was just a useless baby that couldn¡¯t do anything but read. They did their best to support me, buying expensive books and training me after knowing that was what I wanted to do.


    Then I fought Maya in her dragon form, back then too young to speak. My in-game knowledge taught me of her weakness, and about how dragons were intelligent species. My choices earned me a close friend that supported me throughout my years.


    I came to this school and met Emori and Solicea, and the prince as well. We formed a party to take on the demon king. It had only been the beginning. Haze filled our road to the future. When would we fight the demon king? Would our strength be enough? Would anyone be hurt? So many questions that I couldn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°Fortis? Is something on your mind?¡±


    My expression softened.


    ¡°Truly, thank you Emori.¡±


    Emori¡¯s cheeks reddened once more. ¡°Thank you as well¡­¡±


    I would be the same had it not been for my parents, my friends, and everyone that supported me throughout my journey. I would be level one hundred, I didn¡¯t doubt my desire to grind, but I would be alone. No different from my past self.


    But here I stood. The leader of a party of five.


    So much had happened since that fateful day, when I got into a fight with a bunch of drunkards and died. Looking back on it, I couldn¡¯t help but feel grateful.


    ¡°I need to thank you as well, Fortis. Properly, I mean.¡± Emori straightened herself.


    ¡°You mean?¡±


    ¡°Seeing your level two months ago¡­ I felt ashamed to know I wasn¡¯t even close. I was so far behind back then, even lower than my own brother.¡±


    ¡°But now, you¡¯re almost at sixty.¡±


    ¡°All thanks to you. Fortis¡­ thank you for everything you did.¡±


    Had this been a game, I would have been worried, as this entire conversation sounded like a setup for a major event. Nothing happened, though. I returned the smile.


    ¡°What do you mean? I didn¡¯t do much.¡± I laughed. At the end of the day, if Emori didn¡¯t put the effort in, she wouldn¡¯t grow.


    ¡°In truth, there¡¯s something else I wanted to show you.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s finish this, then.¡±


    We enjoyed the rest of the desserts and I paid for it, before leaving the cafe. Emori asked me to teleport us into a dungeon. I didn¡¯t know why she would want that, but I did that anyway. I chose the first dungeon that we visited, for nostalgia¡¯s sake. Monsters had reoccupied the place, and they didn¡¯t look happy seeing us.


    We cut through them without problem, though, ending in the boss room. This time, the monster that occupied it looked like a giant lizard.


    Emori stepped forward with confidence. ¡°Fortis, watch me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± I nodded and walked to the side, away from her. She aimed her hand forward.


    ¡°The last time I used White Void, I used it in a moment of stress, without proper technique.¡± A white circle appeared in front of her right eye. The lizard took its stance.


    ¡°You have helped me grow so much in the last two months, yet I got angry at you for your genuine concern.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s my fault for trying to interfere with your choices, but please continue.¡±


    Emori chuckled. ¡°But I want to reward you.¡±


    The lizard leaped toward Emori. A symbol appeared inside the circle, at the center of her right eye, glowing a bright white.


    The symbol to White Void, a secret that can rock the country.


    ¡°Please watch me, I shall show you the true power of my spell.¡±


    That day, I saw the most powerful spell I have ever seen.

 Extra Chapter 1

    ¡°I¡¯m so bored¡­¡± Maya murmured, rolling on her bed. Like on Earth, the schools in this world had breaks as well. It was way too early for the summer break and its subsequent beach episode, but we did get spring break. There were four major breaks in each year, one at the end of each season. Each break lasted two weeks. For break, I decided to return home to my village, while Maya went to her parents west in the mountains.


    I thought we wouldn¡¯t see each other for the entire vacation, but three days later, I found my dragon friend lazing around in my home.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go and do something¡­¡± Maya tugged on my sleeves.


    ¡°Go and help Emori if you¡¯re so bored,¡± I answered. Emori, the princess herself, came to our village for vacation with me. She already knew about my parents from the time we came here together, and now she worked in the fields helping my dad.


    ¡°Besides, what are you doing here? Why aren¡¯t you with your parents?¡±


    ¡°That village is so boring. There¡¯s nothing to do there.¡±


    I visited Maya¡¯s village a couple of times, and as a human, it was a hard place to be in. Most of the things there were huge, dragon size. I struggled to do anything. Even the drinks I ordered at the bar (non-alcohol, to be clear) were massive. It would take two regular adult human beings to drink a small size drink.


    Maya shouldn¡¯t have a problem with that, though. She could change into her dragon form at any moment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t your parents miss you?¡±


    Maya sat up straight. ¡°We dragons have long lives, remember? Me leaving the village is like yesterday to them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. You have a point.¡±


    I heard a knock from the door and walked toward it. ¡°Coming.¡±


    Opening it, I found Emori standing behind it, her clothes and hands dirty. ¡°I¡¯m back,¡± she said with a smile. I let her in.


    ¡°Want to take a bath?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll prepare it.¡± I headed toward the back of the house, where our bath was. I filled it with water, then used my fire magic to heat it up. Once it was hot enough, I returned to the living room. ¡°Bath¡¯s ready.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Emori walked toward the bath, with Maya bringing a change of clothes behind her.


    ¡°Do humans really need this?¡± she asked. I turned my head away.


    ¡°For the thousandth time, yes.¡±


    Maya¡¯s steps disappeared into the distance, and I plopped myself back on the chair. Our house had undergone quite a renovation after I went to the capital. With the ridiculous amount of money I got, all thanks to the grinding we did, we could afford to fix out our home. It wasn¡¯t the size of a mansion yet, but at least my parents didn¡¯t have to worry about leaks every time it rained.


    ¡°Fortis, can you get the laundry?¡± Mom called all of a sudden. I stood up and looked out the window. Despite summer on the horizon, the clouds for the day looked dark.


    ¡°Okay!¡± I rushed outside, taking all the laundry before it rained.


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    ¡°So¡­ this is your room¡­?¡± Emori¡¯s eyes wandered around as I brought her into my room.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you already come here before?¡± When I brought her here, I teleported us right into this room. Granted, after that, my parents discovered her and she didn¡¯t get to return to it.


    ¡°Fortis¡¯ room is boring,¡± Maya commented.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even have anything inside your room.¡±


    Back then, we didn¡¯t have much money. Even after Maya moved in, our economy didn¡¯t change by much. I was still grateful for us having our own rooms, but that meant our room didn¡¯t have much space in it. I still decorate my room with some things. I couldn¡¯t get a poster of my favorite anime character in this world, but I could hang a wooden training sword.


    I wonder if they¡¯ve made No Life No Game season two yet.


    The thought of me never being able to experience my favorite anime filled me with sadness, but there was nothing I could do about it. I didn¡¯t want to return, either.


    ¡°I have stuff in the village.¡±


    ¡°But you don¡¯t live in the village.¡±


    ¡°My room there is much larger compared to here. I could throw more stuff in there.¡±


    ¡°Again, you don¡¯t live in that village.¡±You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°A dragon village¡­¡± the word seemed to have caught Emori¡¯s attention. ¡°I often forgot that you came from a different village, Maya.


    ¡°Want to visit? It¡¯s a two-hour flight away.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t teleport?¡± Emori looked toward me. I covered my head in shame.


    ¡°I struggle to memorize it. It¡¯s way too big.¡±


    The Teleportation spell required me to memorize a certain part of the location to be able to teleport. I didn¡¯t have to remember everything, but at the same time, I couldn¡¯t just choose a random rock and memorize that. I struggled to fathom the sheer size of the village. Everything was much, much bigger there. As a result, I had problems with using Teleportation.


    It would probably take a couple more visits before I could use Teleportation there. I could use it for the trip home, though.


    ¡°You want to visit? We can teleport back by nightfall.¡±


    ¡°That sounds exciting.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Maya headed into her room, changing into a simple cape that covered her body. We went out, and she transformed into a dragon. I told Mom about our trip, and we headed off for the dragon village.


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    ¡°Woah¡­¡± Emori exclaimed in wonder as we approached the mountains. The dragon village was massive, occupying the entire mountainside, even going all the way to its peaks. Emori slowed down and made a soft landing on the streets. We got off after.


    The dragons turned toward us, murmurs began, all in dragon language, so we didn¡¯t understand any of it. Maya guided us to her parents¡¯ home, which was located a bit higher from where we landed.


    ¡°This is so different¡­¡± Emori murmured as she walked by my side. I could understand her surprise. Not only were the buildings larger, they were simpler as well. Most of the buildings were made out of rocks and stone, without much color or decorations on them. Stacks of gold became the only color in the town¡¯s shade of gray. They reflected the light of the sun, sparkling in their glory.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why humans like decorating their places,¡± Maya said as we walked. ¡°Solicea said that my room is boring.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just complain about my room being boring?¡±


    ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Maya¡¯s room in the dormitories was like this as well. It remained in its original state, with no new decorations or the like.


    Well, I wasn¡¯t one to talk. My room didn¡¯t have much, either. But I would blame it on the fact that I hadn¡¯t found anything I liked in this world. If anime and games exist here, then my room would be filled to the brim with posters, figures, and stuff. A whole lot of stuff.


    ¡°What do you want to do here? There aren''t a lot of things to do here.¡± Maya asked.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll enjoy just looking around.¡± Emori turned left and right.


    We stood on the mountains. The village had magnificent views, I¡¯ll give it that.


    ¡°Maybe we should have brought things for a picnic.¡± When we visited this village, we always came to talk with Maya¡¯s parents, so I didn¡¯t have the chance to enjoy the views all that much.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea, actually.¡± Emori agreed with me.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s get to my parents¡¯ house, they should have some stuff we could grab. The two of us nodded and followed after her.


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    ¡°Picnic? I know a good spot,¡± Father said. I had settled with calling Emori¡¯s parents Father and Mother. It sounded like I was calling my father-in-law and mother-in-law, but dragons couldn¡¯t have romantic interests in humans.


    Truly unfortunate.


    ¡°We have some meat from our hunt as well,¡± Mother added.


    ¡°How about we accompany you there?¡± Father suggested. Maya looked toward me and Emori.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I answered. They did a lot to help me in the past, I wouldn¡¯t reject them for no reason.


    ¡°Alright, then. Let me grab the food.¡±


    After they were done, we departed higher into the mountain. I and Emori rode on Maya like before.


    ¡°It¡¯s cold¡­¡± Emori rubbed her hands. As we rose in altitude, the temperature dropped as well.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be there in a moment.¡± Father reassured us.


    ¡°Ah, there it is!¡±


    We made a landing on one of the peaks. It was a rather small flat surface, too small for three dragons and two humans. We got off Maya. I turned around, facing away from the dragons.


    ¡°Turn around, Emori.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Okay.¡± Despite looking confused, Emori did as I said.


    ¡°We have the same bodies anyway, why are you so worried?¡± I heard Maya¡¯s voice.


    ¡°You won¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s weird, you know?¡± Maya said in exasperation.


    I was the one troubled by this, you know?


    Emori seemed to understand what was going on behind us as well.


    ¡°We¡¯re done.¡±


    I and Emori turned around. Maya and her family were all in their human forms, wearing a piece of cloth over their bodies.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get to lighting up the fire.¡± Father took the wood he brought with him and set them down on the floor. Using magic, Mother lit them up, creating a little campfire.


    I took the meat we brought with us and began grilling over the open flame.


    ¡°Fish!¡± Maya¡¯s eyes sparkled as she saw a salmon among the lines of beef.


    ¡°Do you all like fish?¡± Emori asked.


    ¡°I like beef, but my husband here likes chicken.¡±


    ¡°Or pork, I also like pork.¡±


    There were chicken and pork among the lines of meat as well.


    ¡°But the problem with chicken is they¡¯re too small to eat in your dragon form. You¡¯ll get hungrier quicker.¡± Father looked disturbed by this fact. ¡°I only eat chicken when I¡¯m in my human form. Well, I can¡¯t deny that the way humans cook chicken is quite delicious.¡±


    ¡°He would occasionally go to a human village just to find chicken.¡± Mother giggled.


    ¡°I like all kinds of meat.¡± I added. ¡°Although I like fish the least.¡±


    My problem with fish lies with its bones. Those damn tiny bones are so annoying to get rid of. The dragons and Maya¡¯s human bodies both have stronger digestive systems. They could eat bones without trouble.


    Other than that little annoyment, I have no problem with fish. Fish is delicious.


    ¡°How about you, Emori? What do you like?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡±


    We waited for her answer.


    ¡°I think¡­ I like goat meat.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Father looked down on all the meat he brought. ¡°Unfortunately, we didn''t bring any goats with us.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it''s alright!¡± Emori shook her hands. ¡°I don''t mind eating other kinds of meat. I''m happy you''re willing to invite me here.¡±


    ¡°A friend of our children is a friend of ours,¡± Mother reassured her. ¡°So don''t worry, we''re happy to have you here.¡±


    ¡°Aren''t there goats around here?¡± Maya stood up and peeked out the mountainside.


    ¡°The mountainside is too steep for them,¡± Father said. ¡°They couldn''t climb up here.¡±


    I thought all the jokes about goats came from the fact that they can climb anything. I guess that isn''t true. Not like I know a lot about them, either.


    ¡°Anyway, food is ready.¡± Mother took the grilled meat and began handing them around. ¡°Enjoy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    We began eating together, conversing as we watched the sun go down.

 Extra Chapter 2

    A day after we visited Maya¡¯s parents, the three of us were in the fields. Emori received detailed lessons from my dad on how to plant paddies.


    Looking at the princess herself getting down and dirty was an interesting sight. She herself went up to her parents to ask for a leave right before the vacation started. Her parents, rarely hearing such requests, immediately granted her wishes. They contacted the baron to ask for help.


    Emori herself said that she didn¡¯t need guards, and considering my level and skills, I was more than enough. Still surprised me how willing they were to send their daughter off, though.


    ¡°That''s it for today. Thank you very much!¡± Dad said with a wide grin. Emori cleaned herself with some water and we made our way back home.


    ¡°How do you like the country life, princess?¡± Maya asked on our walk home.


    ¡°It''s¡­ different from the capital.¡±


    The calm winds, quiet streets, and beautiful scenery. Emori seemed to be enjoying her time out here. I was glad she could enjoy her time out here. I just hope she didn¡¯t get too attached and refused to return. That would mean quite some trouble.


    Maya stopped all of a sudden. ¡°Hold on.¡±


    I and Emori waited for her. Once she finished, she returned to us. ¡°Solicea invited us to visit her domain.¡±


    Solicea¡¯s family managed a land to the southeast, far away from the capital, on the country¡¯s eastern border.


    ¡°Is something up?¡± I asked. The only one maintaining communication  with Solicea throughout the vacation was Maya. Neither I nor Emori had contacted her.


    ¡°She was asking if we wanted to visit, maybe have a bit of fun. I think she lives near the beach.¡±


    Is it¡­ is it finally time for the beach episode?


    I shook my head, shooing the thoughts off my head.


    ¡°I¡¯m going. How about you two?¡±


    ¡°Are we invited?¡±


    Maya nodded. ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going. You¡¯re coming with us, Emori?¡±


    ¡°Sure. That sounds fun.¡±


    We headed home and began prepping our bags.


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    The flight east took about eight hours, a bit longer than the journey to the capital. Flying on dragons was faster compared to riding on a carriage, and I could only imagine how painfully long the journey would have taken had we not had Maya with us.


    We departed from our village in the afternoon, taking a night rest at a village around the halfway point. After that, we continued on east, toward Solicea¡¯s home.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


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    ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful¡­¡± We approached the lovely city. The city of Lasiona was located in the Misyonoer province. It acted as the capital of the province, where Solicea¡¯s family governed. We landed not far from the city, hiding in the nearby forest as Maya got changed into her human form.


    Once she finished, we made our way into the city. The city wasn¡¯t as big as the capital, but its size was incomparable to the small village we lived in. Many people wearing lighter clothes made their way through the streets, the weather a bit hotter compared to back in the capital.


    ¡°We need some summer clothes,¡± Emori commented.


    ¡°I prefer no clothes.¡±


    ¡°Maya, shut up.¡±


    She still had her horns, so people knew that she was a dragon, but I would prefer her to not spout nonsense in the middle of the city. Even if it was dragon logic, people would still see us as weirdos.


    ¡°Can you Connect with Solicea?¡±


    Maya nodded, a symbol appearing in her right eye. Unlike phone calls, the spell Connect connected you directly into the person¡¯s mind, so you didn¡¯t need to speak when using it. Maya nodded a couple of times, then the symbol disappeared.


    ¡°She asked us to wait in that cafe.¡± Maya pointed toward a nearby building. We headed there and bought ourselves some snacks as we waited.


    ¡°Are these¡­ coconuts?¡± Emori examined the food in front of her. The coconuts in front of us have been cut open, with a straw and a little beach umbrella on the openings. I took a sip out of its water.


    ¡°It''s delicious.¡±


    ¡°I think they have a lot of coconut farms around this region. Solicea mentioned it before,¡± Maya said. One thing I found interesting was the fact that this cafe, in particular, survived all the years. From what I heard, the restaurant business is tough. The interior had changed a bit, but for the most part, the cafe remained just like it was in the game.


    Well, the price didn''t, I guess. It was cheaper in the game. Guess even a fantasy world had inflation.


    Not long after, a familiar blue-haired girl entered the cafe, a wide grin on her face.


    ¡°Hello everyone, it''s been a while.¡± She waved and approached us.


    ¡°Lady Misyonoer, welcome. Would you like to have a drink?¡± one of the staff offered.


    ¡°Sorry, but not today. I''m here to pick them up.¡± She pointed toward us.


    ¡°Let me finish this.¡±


    The three of us finished our coconuts, paid for it, then headed out. We walked underneath the warm sun toward Solicea¡¯s home, a mansion located at the east end of the city, near the beach.


    ¡°It''s huge.¡± I exclaimed once l saw the building.


    ¡°Didn''t you visit the Royal Castle before?¡± Solicea asked. I did, but they''re the royal family, the most important family in this country. Solicea''s family weren''t as powerful as other noble families, but she certainly held her own.


    Although, to be fair, from my eyes as a commoner, everyone is powerful.


    A number of maids and servants assisted us as we settled into our rooms. Solicea lent me a room with a nice view out to the sea. It was the first time in this life that I saw an ocean. I headed out to the balcony, leaning on the railing and enjoying the view. Who would have expected that me playing games for most of my life would lead to this moment.


    Thank Goodness I could be here.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile a little. Luckily, there was no one else in the garden beneath me. It would be embarrassing if someone saw me smiling like this from up close.


    A sudden knock came from the door. I walked back back from the balcony to open it.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Solicea greeted from behind the door. ¡°How are you settling in? Anything you need?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Thank you for inviting us.¡±


    ¡°Good to know. Just tell me if you need anything,¡± Solicea said before disappearing down the hallway. I assumed she went to check on the others, so I closed the door and lay on the bed, wanting to get some rest.

 Extra Chapter 3

    ¡°Good morning!¡± Solicea greeted me as I entered the dining room.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± I replied with a smile. We didn¡¯t do much after arriving yesterday, getting a rest from the tiring journey.


    A maid came and pulled a chair for me.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    She bowed her head and went to the side. I could pull a chair on my own, though. Oh well, not everyday you¡¯re treated like royalty.


    On the table were many luxurious looking food items.


    ¡°Would you like some tea, Sir?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes please.¡±


    The maid then poured me some sweet-smelling brown tea.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I took a sip. It had a honey-like taste to it. ¡°It¡¯s different from what we usually had.¡±


    ¡°That? We got it from our trade partners in Nanawak.¡±


    ¡°Nanawak? As in the Nanawak Empire?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    The game mentioned it. The nation¡¯s mercenary organization, Eastern Wolves, had some minor operations in Syla. Players must be level 50 or above to be able to take a quest.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the country with a lot of deserts?¡±


    ¡°Its western side does have a lot of them.¡± Solicea took a sip from the tea. ¡°But this comes from Zurowa, near the eastern borders of the nation.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Maya entered the dining room accompanied by Emori. They must have woken up at the same time. Maya¡¯s eyes sparkled the second she saw smoked salmon on the table.


    ¡°Fish!¡± Without waiting for the maid, she took a seat. The maid looked taken aback by the dragon¡¯s antics. Solicea let out a little giggle.


    Not long after them, Solicea¡¯s parents came into the room. We didn¡¯t run into them the day before, so we greeted them today and introduced ourselves. We then enjoyed breakfast together, then had some chat with Solicea¡¯s family. Solicea¡¯s parents had some morning business, leaving not long after we finished breakfast, leaving us along with the servants in the mansion.


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    ¡°So, what are our plans for today?¡± Maya asked. We were in the living room. Unlike back on Earth, the living room lacked a television, which meant we did nothing as we lazed around. Since I was in a noble¡¯s home, I still acted with manners. Maya, meanwhile, sat upside down on the sofa for whatever reason, her legs on the sofa¡¯s back.


    Just what is she doing?


    ¡°Do you already have plans for today?¡± Emori asked, sitting appropriately like a princess.


    ¡°... Today is¡­¡± Solicea murmured. Unlike her dragon friend, Solicea sat normally, leaning on the sofa¡¯s back.


    We all looked toward her, curious about her next words.


    ¡°Golden Weekend.¡±


    Emori glanced at me, and I glanced at Maya. Maya caught my eyes and turned toward Solicea.


    ¡°... Golden what?¡±


    ¡°None of you know what it is?¡±


    All three of us shook our heads.


    ¡°I can understand Maya and Fortis, but you don¡¯t know either, Emori?¡±


    Hey, what does that mean?


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the end of spring, so many shops around town are doing a spring stock clearing sale.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± It was similar to Black Friday back on Earth. ¡°So, in other words, the town¡¯s really crowded?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Everyone¡¯s trying to get things before the others.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean we¡¯re staying home for today?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Solicea vigorously shook her head. ¡°My father said that if we want to understand the people, we must be with the people! We shall go to war!¡±


    With Solicea¡¯s declaration, the three of us were drafted into a battlefield we never wished to go.


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    What¡¯s the point of this, really?


    We all had a lot of money. Solicea¡¯s the daughter of a noble. Emori¡¯s part of the royal family. Both me and Maya had more money than what we know to do with. Well, I guess Maya does know what she wants to do with hers, but that¡¯s besides the point. Joining the golden weekend seemed pointless. Besides, what could we understand from joining this kind of war?


    ¡°Are you sure this is a battlefield you want to fight in?¡± I whispered to no one in particular, looking at the massive crowd that had gathered around the shopping district. It was suffocating. I really want to go back and laze around the bed. I had a great room, I could enjoy the view from there.


    Well¡­ I guess it was an experience, in a way. I did buy all my stuff online back on Earth.


    ¡°Come on, Fortis. It¡¯ll be alright.¡± Solicea grabbed Maya¡¯s hand and the two sailed into the sea of humans. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s frightening,¡± Emori said, the only one left by my side.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Should we head somewhere else?¡±


    Emori brought her hand to her chest. ¡°But¡­ as a princess, I wouldn¡¯t understand my people if I¡¯m not with my people.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t take what she said seriously.¡±


    Besides, she already acted like someone among the people. She rarely ate fancy meals, never walked around with a guard, and wore clothes like a normal girl. I still remember thinking of her as just a random schoolgirl when I first met her. Now, four months after that, I still see her as a random schoolgirl.


    Nothing about her spoke about her family lineage. She probably preferred that, considering how much she opposed the idea of being queen.


    ¡°This is different.¡± She steeled her resolve. ¡°I shall step into this battlefield. Fortis, you may wait here if you wish.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ no way I¡¯m leaving you in there.¡±


    I did promise her parents that I would protect her, no matter what happened. Guess this case was no different.


    With a heavy heart, I followed her into the tremendous battlefield.


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    Despite all of her fancy words, we got it easy when compared to the rest of the crowd. Many of the people recognized Solicea, and without being asked to, cleared the way for her. They didn''t disperse, but we could pass through them like an ambulance.


    Way too tight for my liking, but much better than what I had originally anticipated. Still¡­


    ¡°You look cute in whatever you wear, Maya!¡± Solicea squirmed in delight upon seeing the beautiful dresses that don Maya¡¯s body. Maya tilted her head quizzically.


    ¡°Humans are weird¡­¡± she murmured. Solicea wasn¡¯t the only one excited with the chance of dressing up a dragon.


    ¡°Lady Maya, please try this on as well. I believe it will fit you.¡± The store staff seemed to be enjoying this as well.


    ¡°Lady Solicea, these clothes may fit her.¡± One of the visitors recommended. Maya had turned into the center of this show, despite doing nothing.


    ¡°Adding some accessories will definitely make you prettier!¡± One of the employees came with several gold accessories.


    ¡°Gold!¡± Maya¡¯s eyes sparkled upon seeing it. Unlike with the clothes, she tried every gold accessory with great interest.


    ¡°Fortis.¡± Someone tugged on my sleeves.


    ¡°What is it- Woah, you¡¯re beautiful.¡±


    ¡°You- You think so?¡± Emori averted her eyes, her cheeks blushed. She wore a dazzling light blue dress, with silver accessories on her neck. ¡°How about you, Fortis, aren¡¯t you going to try anything out?¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­ we¡¯re in a women¡¯s clothing store.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right! My apologies!¡± she turned around and ran away, heading back straight for the changing rooms.


    Did she forget about it? She didn¡¯t want to see me cross dress, did she?


    While I would argue my face in this world looked prettier compared to old me, it wasn''t pretty enough that I would look good in a dress.


    ¡°Are you bored, Fortis?¡± Solicea asked, approaching me. Maya was surrounded by a whole lot of people.


    ¡°So you finally got kicked out, huh?¡±


    ¡°More like I retreated. Tactical retreat. I shall reclaim her when the time comes.¡±


    Maya glanced at us.


    ¡°Here are some more gold accessories, lady Maya!¡±


    She immediately looked back at the employee.


    ¡°Maya really likes gold, huh.¡±


    ¡°All dragons do. They like shiny stuff, especially gold. Maya prefers stuff on the bigger side, though.¡±


    Golden swords, golden shields. Humans didn''t have the same attachment to gold like dragons, and no human in their right mind would make a sword from gold, so Maya¡¯s options when it came to these things were limited.


    ¡°I wonder if she''ll buy those accessories...¡± I murmured.


    ¡°Now that you mention it, I didn¡¯t see her wearing a necklace or earring when she first came to school. Does she have nothing?¡±


    ¡°No, we have nothing. We didn''t have much money during our childhood.¡±


    Even now, Maya didn¡¯t wear those things. Dragons didn¡¯t wear gold accessories to make themselves prettier. They just like the material.


    ¡°I see¡­ Alright then.¡± Solicea smirked and went back into the crowd.


    ¡°... Alright? I wonder what she meant.¡±


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    I soon found out that Solicea bought many golden accessories, all for Maya. She had one of her servants carry it home, while the four of us went to our next destination.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Said destination was a tuxedo shop. An entire shop filled with just tuxedos. Unlike the previous store, which had been filled with entirely women, this one was filled with men.


    Well, fill wasn''t the right word. There was hardly anyone inside.


    ¡°Why are we here again?¡± I asked, standing next to a fine looking tuxedo. Even with the discounts, it was still quite expensive, probably why there weren''t many people inside.


    Well, tuxedos were expensive even back on Earth, I guess.


    ¡°Are you looking for a suit, Solicea?¡± Emori asked. The store had many tuxedos for both genders, so Solicea looking to buy one shouldn''t be too surprising.


    ¡°What? No, silly. We''re getting one for him.¡± Solicea pointed toward me.


    ¡°Eh¡­ what? Why?¡±


    ¡°Emori, you want to see Fortis in a suit too, don''t you?¡±


    ¡°Ah, eh ehhh¡­¡± Her eyes went all over the place, her cheeks reddening all of a sudden. ¡°Ehh¡­. Akh.¡±


    I could, somehow, sense the smoke coming out from her head. Does me in a suit look that bad?


    ¡°How about you, Maya?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll look awesome.¡± Maya gave me a smug looking thumbs up. Why smug, you ask? I have no idea.


    ¡°Now, with two maidens looking on with great expectations, do you still dare deny their wishes?¡±


    ¡°Heh¡­ fine.¡±


    We went into the store and began picking out clothes.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    This felt like I''m standing on a stage or something.


    I checked the tuxedo one more time, making sure I was as tidy as I could be. The me in the mirror looked proper, as if I was about to attend a wedding.


    If I''m going to marry someone, I wonder who it will be¡­


    Maya was out of the question. Other than her, the only girls that I''m quite close with were Emori and Solicea. I did talk with a couple others, but not as often as those two.


    I put those thoughts on the back of my mind as I began spinning, checking the various angles. I couldn''t say that I looked bad, although I probably thought that due to personal bias.


    Still¡­ This is surprisingly comfortable.


    A suit may not suit the hot weather of this city, but it felt nice in the cool store.


    I took a breather and turned around, then unlocked the door to the changing room. I stepped out. The girls¡¯ eyes locked onto my suit.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    ¡°You look cool.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ manly.¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­ I guess?¡±


    ¡°For- Fortis!¡± Emori straightened up.


    ¡°Y- Yes?¡± I answered, startled.


    ¡°I''ll buy you that suit!¡± She declared in full seriousness.


    ¡°No, you don''t hav-¡±


    ¡°I insist!¡±


    Seeing the determination in her eyes, I couldn''t resist.


    ¡°Fine¡­ I''ll buy it, but I can use my own money.¡±


    ¡°Are- are you sure?¡± Emori fidgeted.


    ¡°It''s fine.¡±


    Maya and Solicea snickered, whispering among themselves. I decided against asking what they were talking about.


    After that, we headed back to Solicea¡¯s home.

 Extra Chapter 4

    This is it. The time has finally come. A couple of weeks early, but whatever.


    It''s time for the beach episode!


    ¡°Fortis, wake up.¡±


    I was lying in bed when Maya barged in and began shaking me.


    ¡°Just a few more minutes, please.¡±


    ¡°The beach will be crowded in an instant, so wake up now,¡± she said, sounding a bit upset. I was admittedly a bit surprised to know how excited she was. We did live far from the ocean, but not like she never visited any kind of shoreline before. We went to lakes often. Was this really something worth getting excited over?


    ¡°Just three more minutes.¡±


    I myself never went out with my friends in my previous life, nor have I ever been to a beach with others. I was supposed to be excited for today. Actually, I am. But, something happened last night. During dinner, I accidentally let out the fact that I was level 100. Solicea¡¯s parent already know of a child that is level 100, Solicea told them that. What they didn¡¯t know was who. Once they realized that, the family and the servants began lining up for a chance to spar with me.


    All the way from the family head to the butler and the maids, many wanted to try fighting me. I won against them all, that shouldn¡¯t be surprising. But it went on until near midnight, and I was exhausted from the fight.


    Maya should have known that, as she watched half of the matches.


    ¡°Sigh¡­ How about no?¡± With those words, she pulled the blanket from underneath me, causing me to tumble down to the floor.


    ¡°Ouch. What¡¯s that for.¡±


    ¡°Go get change.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡±


    I headed to the bathroom to wash myself.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    ¡°So this is the beach, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. What do you think? Beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡± Solicea said with great pride.


    I had seen the beach from the mansion, but looking at it from up close felt different. The sound of the waves, the sensation of sand underneath my feet, the heat from the sun high up in the sky. It wasn¡¯t summer, but it sure felt like one.


    If¡­ if my past life was any different¡­ could I have experienced things like this?


    Would I have experienced the bittersweet summer vacation often seen in anime, when the couple would play on the beach together, then watch as the sun went down¡­


    Urgh¡­ what am I even thinking.


    Not like I had anyone back then.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to get changed. No peeking.¡± Solicea winked at me.


    ¡°I won¡¯t do anything like that, I swear!¡±


    ¡°Can''t I do it here?¡±


    ¡°Maya, no!¡± Solicea scolded. Maya let out a snicker. Honestly, at this point, she''s just messing with us.


    The three girls turned around and went to the changing booth. I already wore my swim trunks underneath my clothes, so all I did was take them off. While I waited for the girls, I began setting up the beach umbrella and the beach towel. We brought a couple of snacks as well, tucked away in our picnic basket.


    ¡°That should do it¡­¡± I wiped a sweat off my forehead and lay down on the towel. It felt so relaxing. It made me regret not going to a beach back in my previous life, although I did feel grateful for having the chance now. I closed my eyes, the soft wind caressing my skin.


    ¡°We¡¯re back.¡± Maya chirped.


    ¡°Oh, I set everything up-¡± I opened my eyes and turned toward the girls. They were all wearing swimsuits. Both Maya and Solicea wore bikinis. Maya¡¯s had a dazzling red bikini that matched her dragon colors, while Solicea had a simple but elegant black bikini. Emori wore a cute light blue one piece that matched the color of her eyes.


    ¡°You all looked great.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ You think so?¡±


    ¡°Thank¡­ you¡­¡±


    The two humans blushed. The dragon, meanwhile. ¡°Thanks. Let¡¯s get to playing.¡±


    Yeah¡­ I never had my chance.


    Maya went to the basket and took out an inflatable ball. None of us had wind-element wands, so to inflate it, Maya blew into the thing manually. After a little wait, the ball was ready.


    ¡°So, what first?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Beach volleyball!¡± Solicea declared, excitement brimming in her eyes. We were divided into two teams, me pairing up with Emori going against Maya and Solicea. There wasn¡¯t a net around us, so we drew a line on the sand.


    ¡°Okay, everyone ready?¡± Solicea asked.


    ¡°Ready,¡± Maya said.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready. How about you, Emori?¡±


    ¡°I am ready.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Dodge this!¡±


    ¡°Akh!¡± I narrowly missed the ball coming toward me. Using my nature wand, I managed to use Bind to prevent the ball from going too far off.


    ¡°I thought you said volleyball! Not dodgeball.¡±


    ¡°You really are a level 100 caster,¡± Solicea commented.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point.¡± I used the vine to throw the ball back to me. I did a quick check on the ball, making sure it wasn¡¯t damaged.


    ¡°The point is, don¡¯t change the game on your own!¡± I threw the ball as hard as I could as I spoke. I managed to catch Solicea off guard, the ball hitting her stomach and bouncing off. ¡°And you¡¯re out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair!¡± she pouted.


    ¡°You¡¯re one to talk.¡±


    Solicea went to Maya and held her shoulder.


    ¡°Maya, avenge me please!¡± she cried before heading to the side.


    ¡°My turn now.¡± Maya picked up the ball and stared sharply at me. I paid attention to her, ready to accept her throw when-


    ¡°Akh!¡±


    While still staring at me, Maya threw the ball straight toward Emori. Emori wasn¡¯t able to react in time.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± I took the ball as Emori left the field, standing next to Solicea. ¡°I¡¯ll avenge you.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what you got.¡± With a confident grin, Maya began our war. We fought for the ball, throwing as fast as we could. We tried to hit each other, but the other side kept catching the ball. At one point, Maya even threw the ball straight at Solicea. The surprised girl wasn''t ready and was knocked back onto the sand.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°That''s disappointing¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn''t even tell me what to do!¡± Solicea tried throwing the ball at me, but I caught it.


    After more than a few more failed attempts to knock each other out, we finally called a truce.


    With that, we moved on to the volleyball game.


    ¡°Alright, here I go.¡±


    I smacked the ball from below, sending it on an arc through the sky.


    ¡°Hiyaah!¡± Maya leaped to the air and smashed the ball.


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    Emori managed to get in place in time, preventing the ball from falling to the sand. The ball bounced up high into the air. I ran near the line and jumped up, smacking the ball, sending it straight into enemy territory.


    ¡°Hyaah!¡± with a loud road, Solicea smacked the ball. The ball slammed to the sand right before me. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°Yippee, one for us!¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± I used Bind to catch the ball, preventing it from rolling away.


    ¡°Impressive¡­¡± Emori said, looking at my spell.


    ¡°This isn''t a magic contest!¡± Solicea yelled from the other side.


    ¡°It''s just a warm-up,¡± I said, throwing the ball toward them. We continued the match. The score ended with a twenty five to twenty two with Maya and Solicea as the victor.


    ¡°Congrats.¡±


    ¡°Phew, that¡¯s a good one.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I expect my crown.¡±


    I kneeled beneath Maya, picked up some sand, and dropped it all over her head.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°You did say you want a crown.¡±


    We all giggled, except for Maya who''s busy getting the sand out of her hair. We continued enjoying the day, doing various things like eating watermelon, drinking some more coconut, building sand castles, and stuff. It may be the obligatory beach scene, but it was a lot of fun. After a fun and rather exhausting day, we returned home.


    But it wasn¡¯t over.


    ¡°Welcome, to the test of courage,¡± one of Solicea¡¯s maids said.


    ¡°Solicea, you planned this?¡± I asked, but she shook her head.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t even have an idea about this.¡±


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen. A demon lord had descended over the house,¡± The maid said with an exaggerated tone and a grim expression.


    ¡°So, should we fight our way through?¡± Maya asked, showing her fist. The maid panicked. ¡°Ah, no, please-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just joking.¡±


    ¡°Maya, put more expression to your jokes,¡± Solicea scolded.


    ¡°Ehem. Please let me continue. Oh young heroes, please save us! Enter his domain, and defeat the demon lord.¡± As she spoke, Solicea¡¯s butler came to us, picked up our stuff, and waltzed right back through the main door.


    The maid stared at the butler, letting out a heavy sigh. ¡°Well¡­ It seemed the demon lord¡¯s lackeys could get in and out through the main entrance. Unfortunately, you can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Maya asked.


    ¡°You just can¡¯t! You must go through the winding woods and find the rear exit. Only then, can you enter the mansion and defeat the demon lord.¡±


    ¡°O- Okay.¡± Emori nodded. She seemed to be the only one taking all of this seriously.


    ¡°Now come, heroes. Please enter.¡±


    ¡°So who¡¯s team leader?¡± Solicea asked. The girls looked toward me.


    ¡°No thanks. One of you should do it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I''m the party leader.¡± Maya took on the role and stepped forward, the three of us following after her.


    ¡°They really went all out in decorating this¡­¡± Emori murmured. When we left, the mansion¡¯s garden looked like any normal garden. A large open space, with trees and paths and the obligatory fountain. Now, the decoration made it look like an actual forest. The leaves covered the sky, preventing any light from coming. It got so dark that Maya needed to use fire magic to see.


    ¡°That won¡¯t burn anything, right?¡± Solicea asked to make sure.


    ¡°If I burn down your house, how much am I expected to pay?¡± Maya asked in return.


    ¡°A lot.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do anything dumb, please.¡± I pleaded from the rear. All of a sudden, a weird, white fog filled the passage.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Emori asked, startled.


    ¡°Is this part of the set?¡±


    A white cloth appeared from the side, with a haunting scream. It surprised the girls. Well, it surprised me as well, but I managed to hold my voice.


    I see¡­


    They created the fog with magic, I assumed. The white cloth looked like a normal cloth as well.


    Quite cheap, if you ask me.


    Then again, it did get me a bit. So it worked, I guess?


    ¡°It¡¯s really dark¡­¡± Solicea murmured.


    ¡°I wonder if they¡¯re using magic¡­¡±


    Emori looked up at me. ¡°You mean the fog?¡±


    ¡°Fog? Oh, yeah. That as well. I mean, to block out the sky.¡± The foliage above us was dense, yes, but the it was a clear night. It shouldn¡¯t be enough to block out the entire light from the moon and stars. A bit of the light should have passed through.


    ¡°If we can find the person that is controlling the magic¡­ hehehe¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with that freaky laugh?¡± Maya stared at me.


    As a mage, magic wands are extensions of my body. Meaning¡­


    I held my magic wand.


    ¡°Eh, Fortis?¡± Solicea exclaimed. I looked through what seemed to be a small hole in between the weavened plants. I pointed the wand upward, a magic symbol in my vision.


    Fireworks!


    A trail of light flew right up to the sky, before bursting into a cloud of sparks, its beautiful light shone on the world below.


    ¡°Wha-¡±


    ¡°Fortis-¡±


    The darkness dissipated. We could now see the path clearly.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s proceed.¡±


    ¡°I often forgot that you¡¯re a level one hundred mage¡­¡± Solicea murmured. Well, to be fair, this was more thanks to my knowledge in my past life, rather than my level.


    ¡°Fortis¡­ Can¡­ Can you show that spell to me sometime?¡± Emori asked shyly.


    ¡°Sure, why not.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± Her eyes sparkled. She must have loved the fireworks. We navigated through the little tunnel, arriving by the rear door. The maids that were there was surprised by how quick we passed their little test. Well, it was partly my fault.


    They swiftly reapplied the magic, the sights darkening once more. Then, the door opened with a loud creak, revealing the dark interior of a room. A sweet smell wafted through the air.


    ¡°Is this the kitchen?¡± Maya sniffed. ¡°Smells like fish.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very sensitive to fish, huh?¡± I glanced around the area. Maya¡¯s light began lighting up more of the room. There were the regular cooking utensils, with some dried fish to the side.


    Is this bait?


    Considering Maya¡¯s fondness of fish, it might be. I didn¡¯t detect the presence of any magical-related spells in this room, though.


    Or maybe this is just leftovers from a meal? Tomorrow¡¯s breakfast?


    ¡°What¡¯s this¡­¡±


    Emori kneeled in front of one side of the wall. On it written some words in red.


    ¡°¡®Help¡­ us¡¯?¡±


    ¡°They definitely went above and beyond for this.¡± Solicea extended her finger and swiped it across the wall. ¡°... Tomato sauce.¡±


    ¡°Could those be cleaned easily?¡± Maya asked curiously. Are we supposed to be talking about this in the middle of a haunted house?


    ¡°There¡¯s an elementless spell for that.¡±


    The three girls looked toward me.


    ¡°It¡¯s called Cleansing.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit ominous for a cleaning spell?¡± Solicea lifted her eyebrow.


    ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t used just for cleaning stuff.¡± I painted a black circle above the tomato sau- I mean blood, then paint the symbol Cleansing above that circle. Slowly but surely, the blood dissipated.


    ¡°... Are we supposed to do that?¡± Emori asked.


    ¡°Pretty sure not.¡± This is certainly different from my experiences back on Earth. ¡°I probably should stop using magic.¡±


    ¡°You are definitely ruining the experience,¡± Maya said, motioning us to follow her. We proceeded deeper into the house, investigating the various clues set before us. I stayed back, no longer using any magic to mess up the game. This must what people feel when they saw something unrealistic in a game or anime. It took them out of the experience, much like what I was experiencing now.


    Ignorance is truly a bliss sometimes.


    After we solved clues, puzzle room style, we ended up in the main living room. There, sat the demon lord.


    Asleep.


    ¡°Dad?¡± Solicea approached him. The person jumped up and looked toward us.


    ¡°Ehem. Who is there? Wh- What? Heroes? Impossible! Why are you here? How come you penetrated my impenetrable defenses?¡±


    You mean that tomato sauce? Oh, wait, that shouldn¡¯t be the defense¡­


    ¡°Regardless, this is where your journey end. You all shall bow before me!¡± Solicea¡¯s dad unsheathed a wooden sword. Thunder roared outside, his silhouette standing tall in the room.


    Thunder¡­ I wonder which spell they use.


    There were a couple of ways one could create thunder for visual effects, but I digress.


    ¡°Da- I mean, demon lord! Your reign ends here! We shall be taking your head.¡±


    That¡¯s pretty good acting¡­ hold on.


    ¡°Solicea, Maya, you don¡¯t happen to be a part of the drama club, are you?¡±


    ¡°Eh, you only noticed that now?¡± Solicea looked at me with exasperation.


    ¡°You hurt my heart.¡± Maya put her hands in front of her chest.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act like you bothered saying anything to me!¡±


    ¡°Silence.¡± Solicea¡¯s dad voice roared through the room. Maya moved forward, a fireball in her hand.


    ¡°Maya! Don¡¯t burn the house down!¡± Solicea rushed forward and held Maya back.


    ¡°Th- Think about the innocent lives!¡± Emori got scooped up by the mood as well.


    Maya clicked her tongue. ¡°The foe we face before us is the demon lord! Do you think the innocent lives will care if they die for such a cause!¡±


    ¡°They definitely will!¡± Solicea and I shouted at the same time.


    ¡°I¡¯ll- I¡¯ll sacrifice myself for the cause!¡± Emori declared.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just say that, Emori!¡± Solicea turned to her. Well, I guess if it turned to this¡­


    I swept my hair to the side. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my dear ladies. I, the knight of the¡­ of the¡­¡±


    ¡°Tuxedo ring.¡± Maya cut in.


    ¡°The what?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll definitely look cooler in a tuxedo,¡± Solicea commented.


    ¡°Who the heck fights in a tuxedo?¡±


    I turned to Emori, who simply nodded meekly. ¡°I¡­ I think you¡¯ll look good in a tuxedo too.¡±


    Again, who the heck fights in a tuxedo?


    Solicea¡¯s dad stared at me. ¡°So you¡¯re the knight. You shall be facing your death.¡±


    ¡°You will be the one going to the grave.¡±


    ¡°Sir knight!¡± I heared the yells of someone behind us. I turned around, finding Solicea¡¯s mom holding a sword.


    Are all the adults in this world chill or what? How come they¡¯re so friendly?


    ¡°Sir Knight, please, take this sword.¡± She handed a wooden sword to me. I took it and bowed my head. ¡°I shall rescue everyone.¡±


    I turned back toward Solicea¡¯s dad, pointing my sword at his face. ¡°I shall show you the wrath of the¡­¡±


    ¡°Tuxedo ring!¡±


    ¡°The tuxedo whatever!¡±


    I checked the center of the room, finding it cleared out. I then leaped forward, heading straight for Solicea¡¯s dad. We traded blades for a while. It was intense.


    ¡­ Nah, I¡¯m just joking.


    My forte was in magic attacks. What made everyone think I could handle a blade? A quick swipe knocked me straight out.


    ¡°Our knight¡¯s weak¡­¡± Maya stared at me, disappointment clear on her face.


    ¡°Well how about you have a go?¡±


    Maya stepped forward. Solicea¡¯s dad struck, but¡­


    Maya grabbed the sword, and with her strength, pulled the sword straight out of Solicea¡¯s dad¡¯s hands.


    ¡°I win.¡± She lifted the sword up, Solicea¡¯s dad letting out a faint sigh.


    ¡°Ouch! You may win now, heroes, but I shall one day return!¡± And with that declaration, he ran out of the room. The lights went back on, and the servants and Solicea¡¯s mom came out clapping.

 Extra Chapter 5

    ¡°Are you sure this is alright?¡±


    The night after our victory against the demon lord, I was invited to the little sleepover the girls were holding.


    ¡°I mean, I¡¯m still a boy, you know.¡±


    ¡°Are you having questionable thoughts about me?¡± Maya gazed at me.


    ¡°You¡¯re the last person I want to hear that kind of teasing from.¡±


    Honestly. Sometimes I wish that rule didn¡¯t exist.


    At the end of the day, despite having a human form that is ninety-nine percent like humans, the dragons are still a different species.


    ¡°I- I trust you won¡¯t do anything weird,¡± Emori said.


    Well, since the princess trusted me, I guess I wouldn¡¯t do anything.


    Not like I plan on doing anything weird in the first place.


    ¡°Besides, what are we doing? Sleeping?¡± We were all wearing our sleepwear. They looked like pajamas. Maya¡¯s had a luxurious yellow color, while Solicea wore a light blue pajama. Emori¡¯s was silver, with little brown bears on it. Mine was regular room wear, as I prefered the one without long sleeves.


    ¡°Besides, not like you¡¯ll be sleeping here anyway,¡± Solicea said.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say this is a sleepover?¡±


    ¡°Sleepover for us girls. Once you got sleepy, it¡¯s back to your room, mister.¡±


    I just hope I still have the energy by the time whatever thing she planned ended.


    ¡°So, what are we doing?¡±


    Usually, sleepover scenes would be filled with girls talk. Who they like, that kind of stuff. The problem is, I only knew one other boy in the school.


    Not literally. I knew some people from our class, but the only one I really spoke to was Prilus. Maybe the others was scared of me? I did hang around the princess and a dragon. I wonder if they thought of me as some big shot.


    Well, regardless, if they started talking about boys, then that would be my signal to get out.


    ¡°By the way, Fortis, is there anyone you like?¡± Solicea teased. Getting straight to the point, I see.


    ¡°I like all of you.¡±


    ¡°Yo- You want to make a harem?¡± Emori squeaked. How did she get that idea?


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean. Solicea isn¡¯t talking about romance, is she?¡±


    ¡°Taking the safe way out, how boring,¡± Maya pouted.


    ¡°Well, you have a problem with that?¡±


    Maya nodded. ¡°This is a sleepover, time for heart thumping, heart-to-heart conversations.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of hearts¡­¡±


    ¡°There are four hearts here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Then, Fortis¡­¡± Emori looked toward me. ¡°Is there anyone you like, romantically?¡±


    She seemed very shy for some reason.


    ¡°Oh, just look at him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Maya and Solicea stared at him. Is something going on? Call me dense and whatnot, but I didn¡¯t get whatever thing I¡¯m supposed to notice. Is there something I¡¯m supposed to notice in the first place?


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°So, no one?¡± Solicea asked to confirm. I shook my head. ¡°For now, none.¡±


    ¡°Then, different question. Out of us three here, who do you like the most?¡± Maya approached.


    ¡°Maya, you¡¯re the last in any list involving romance.¡±


    ¡°Aww¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t aww me. Stop teasing me.¡±


    ¡°Fortis is a boy, after all.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean I¡¯m a boy?¡±


    I sighed. She could be a real headache sometimes. Had I not play the game, I would probably fall for her at this point. Knowing it was impossible kept my feelings from going anywhere.


    ¡°Between me and Emori, who do you like more?¡± Solicea asked, glancing at Emori. Emori¡¯s cheeks reddened all of a sudden.


    Solicea asked that question, but I was sure she knew the answer.


    ¡°Emori.¡±


    ¡°As expected.¡± She grabbed the princess¡¯ shoulders and began shaking her around. ¡°You hear that, Emori? He prefers you.¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ Eh¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t supposed to be that surprising. I interacted quite a lot with Solicea, but in no way comparable to Emori.


    ¡°Ye- Yeah¡­¡± Emori tried muttering the words out, her cheeks flushed.


    There¡¯s no way¡­ is there?


    Nah, impossible. Emori probably considered me as a friend, no more¡­


    But¡­ what if¡­ just a what if¡­


    What if she actually liked me?


    It seemed to be too big of a what if for me to consider seriously. I need to remember that she¡¯s still the country¡¯s princess. I shouldn¡¯t be thinking weird stuff like this.


    ¡°Enough with the teasing. Don¡¯t girls talk about boys during a sleepover?¡±


    For some reason, after I mentioned that, they turned to Emori instead.


    ¡°So, how about you, Emori. Surely you have someone you like, right?¡± Solicea asked. She¡¯s quite casual with the princess. I wonder if they had a relationship before they met in school. She is a noble, after all.


    ¡°Me¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on, no need to shy. I¡¯ll get you any boy or girl you want.¡± Maya puffed her chest.


    ¡°Kidnapping isn¡¯t something you¡¯re supposed to be proud of.¡± I karate chopped her on the head, between her horns.


    ¡°Hey. I didn¡¯t say I¡¯ll kidnap them.¡± She glared at me.


    ¡°Then, what will you do?¡±


    She averted her eyes. ¡°Kidnap them.¡±


    ¡°Now you said it.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that!¡± Emori panicked. ¡°Maya, please don¡¯t kidnap anyone.¡±


    Emori¡¯s so pure, she¡¯s adorable.


    ¡°By the way, Emori, do you have any marriage plans?¡± Maya asked.


    ¡°Marriage¡­ plans?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t humans have arranged marriages and stuff?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that like, last century?¡± Even if this world was a bit behind in terms of technology, that didn¡¯t mean everything matched our medieval era. One example is arranged marriages. Well, they still exist, but are very rare. Even King Torez and Queen Ezabeth weren¡¯t arranged, from what I know. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t the norm, you know.¡± Solicea elbowed Maya. ¡°Not anymore, at least.¡±


    ¡°Does your brother have someone?¡± Maya asked. Solicea shook her head.


    ¡°Did you not hear what I just said?¡±


    ¡°My brother has someone, actually.¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡± The three of us were shocked to hear that.


    ¡°Just making sure¡­ You¡¯re allowed to talk about this, right?¡± Solicea asked. If this secret info was leaked, we all can get into trouble.


    Although, Emori did leaked several classified things before, so they shouldn¡¯t be too surprised.


    ¡°...¡± Emori fell silent. This definitely is a secret.


    A symbol for Connect appeared on her right eye. It was on for a while. She suddenly closer her ears, the symbol disappeared.


    ¡°... Someone got yelled at¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± Emori laughed awkwardly. ¡°He says it isn¡¯t supposed to go out yet, though.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to tell us who it is, right?¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ehh us!¡± The three of us yelled at the same time.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    Someone really need to keep Emori in check. Who knew just how many state secrets she would leak if she was left on her own.


    ¡°Still¡­ that prince¡­ I wonder what¡¯s his betrothed is like¡­¡± I wonder if his engagement had anything to do with the fact that he is crown prince. If yes, then it would be even more of a trouble when it comes to the demon king. I already promised Emori that I wouldn¡¯t discuss it, and Emori¡¯s new spell was powerful enough on its own. But, there¡¯s always the risk of us being forced to utilize White Void. If that happened¡­ then¡­


    Yeah, thinking about it wouldn¡¯t get me anywhere. I decided to just change the topic, before weirder questions got out. ¡°What are you three planning to go after school?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still first years, Fortis.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it too early for that?¡±


    ¡°I think I want to be a¡­¡± Emori trailed off. ¡°Never mind.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright if you¡¯re unsure.¡± Solicea said to Emori. She then turned her eyes toward me. ¡°Since you asked that question, I assume you have some plans?¡±


    ¡°Oh, how about you become a knight?¡± Emori asked. I shook my head. She looked disappointed by my response.


    ¡°I value my freedom.¡±


    Maya nodded. ¡°He wants to see the world burn.¡±


    ¡°Says the dragon that tried to burn our village.¡±


    Emori and Solicea seemed surprised by this revelation.


    ¡°Maya tried¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite violent, Maya.¡±


    ¡°Well, the people attacked me first. I¡¯m but a cute little baby back then.¡±


    ¡°Fire breathing baby.¡±


    ¡°Besides.¡± Maya glared at me. ¡°You attacked me as well. Do you know how painful that fire attack is?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the only way to get you down.¡±


    The other two girls looked back and forth between us.


    ¡°Did we never tell you two about this?¡±


    The two shook their heads. I then began telling them of the story of how I and Maya met.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought Maya happened to be living next to you.¡±


    ¡°Well, after that event, she did come in and move with us.¡±


    ¡°No wonder your parents are so familiar with her¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m their second child.¡±


    ¡°Despite being older than me?¡±


    ¡°You can speak first.¡±


    So the family hierarchy is decided by who can speak first now?


    ¡°Must be nice having each other. I¡¯m all alone in this house.¡± Solicea sighed. Unlike us, she didn¡¯t have any brothers or sisters. ¡°How about you, Emori? How¡¯s Prilus like when he¡¯s little?¡±


    ¡°He¡­ My brother, despite his young age, always excels at everything he did.¡± Emori looked a bit sad when she said this. ¡°He used to be so cheerful and happy. He¡¯s a lot more serious now.¡±


    I wonder if that had something to do with the weight he carried as the crown prince. Once Emori abdicated the throne, the future of this country fell on his hands. Did she feel guilty about leaving such a heavy weight on her brother?


    At the same time, she must have good reason to do so. Not everyday you meet a royal that didn¡¯t want to be Queen. Not only that, she was so actively against it that we got into a fight a while back.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe that idiot tries to fight me in the first day.¡± Maya folded her hands and huffed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that. He can be like that sometimes, but he¡¯s a nice person inside.¡±


    He did act differently after knowing our strength. Still¡­ I always thought that the way he interacted with us specifically was weird. I mean, he gets along with the other kids. Maybe he was in a bad mood that day?


    Well, not like I could ask about it anyway. Emori¡¯ll get in trouble if she spoiled even more of the kingdom¡¯s secrets.


    ¡°A nice person, eh¡­¡± Maya didn¡¯t seem convinced, but she didn¡¯t pursue the topic any farther. A knock came from the door, a maid appearing from behind it. She carried a tray with four cups, its sweet smell wafting to the air.


    ¡°Is that hot chocolate?¡± Solicea asked. She peeked into the cups, then handed them over to the three of us.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± I thanked both Solicea and the maid.


    ¡°Enjoy your drinks.¡± The maid bowed her head and went back out. The rest of us sat back down, enjoying our warm chocolate as we talked about various different topics.


    <ul>


    <li>??</li>


    </ul>


    I sat on the bench right next to the fountain in the garden. The setup from yesterday had all been removed, not a single trace of it visible. I looked up at the sky, a cup of hot chocolate in my hand. This cup was different from the one I drank earlier. A maid saw me sitting alone outside and kindly offered a cup. I took a sip from the warm cup, the heat of the chocolate spreading through my body.


    A chilly breeze past through, causing the smell to float up to my nostrils.


    So this is how the night feels outside¡­


    After I arrived in this world, I didn¡¯t hang out at night often. I spent most of my time sleeping, as I had nothing to do. I couldn¡¯t boot up a console and play games, after all. Late-night anime didn¡¯t exist, either.


    While magic did exist, most people preffered the bright warm days to work, so night activity in this world was minimal. It wouldn¡¯t be long before someone invented an automatic light system, then everything would change, industrial revolution style.


    I couldn¡¯t say I¡¯m looking forward to that. This world, with how it is, had its own charm.


    The sound of footsteps appeared from the other side of the fountain. I straightened my body, expecting it to be someone from Solicea¡¯s house. The figure appeared from behind the fountain.


    ¡°Maya?¡±


    It was my dragon friend. She was the last person I expected to come here.


    ¡°... Why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    ¡°I thought you¡¯re asleep.¡±


    She shook her head and sat down next to me.


    ¡°... Want some hot chocolate?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    I handed over the cup. Had this been anyone else, my heart would probably thump as I watched her lips touched the edge of the cup, but I felt nothing.


    ¡°Solicea¡¯s maids made great hot chocolate.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±


    Maya returned the cup to me. ¡°What are you doing out here?¡±


    ¡°You kicked me out of the room, remember?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act like I told you to do so.¡±


    Emori was the first to get sleepy. Taking that as my signal, I made my escape. When I arrived in front of my room, I had a weird sense that I didn¡¯t want the day to end. You know, the kind of feelings when you feel you still have a bit of time. Not enough for one last match, but a bit of time to do something.


    After I felt that itch, I decided to wander around a bit. Wandering around the house without supervision would be rude, and I didn¡¯t want to accidentaly break anything, so I went out to the garden.


    ¡°You really trusted me¡­¡±


    I could see someone else forcing me out, or not letting me into the girls¡¯ room in the first place. Maybe the way gender works in dragon society is different?


    ¡°We¡¯ve been together for what? Nine years now?¡±


    ¡°What if, even after nine years, you still don¡¯t know who I truly am?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a weird question, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Maya tilted her head. ¡°Does that thing about Prilus being a kind person stuck on you?¡±


    ¡°Maybe a bit.¡±


    While Emori abdicating the throne should be widespread information, we lived in an age where internet didn¡¯t exist. It¡¯s easy to miss even important matters like that. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Maya didn¡¯t know.


    I decided against saying anything that might point that way, just in case she really didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Like, everyone has more than one side to them...¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re quite simple, Fortis.¡±


    ¡°Said the gold-loving dragon.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t count that as an insult. All dragons like gold.¡±


    ¡°... You have a point.¡±


    Simple, huh?


    ¡°You really think so?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a grinding maniac that always thinks about grinding and increasing levels.¡±


    ¡°And who kept nagging me to go out back in the village?¡±


    Maya averted her gaze. ¡°Well, for one, you didn¡¯t have any club.¡±


    ¡°The demon king is coming. I didn¡¯t have time for those stuff.¡±


    ¡°Even when you¡¯re already level one hundred?¡±


    ¡°Emori is still under-leveled.¡±


    ¡°... Say, what will you do after we defeat the demon king?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying? You¡¯re setting up a flag?¡±


    Emori turned to me and tilted her head. ¡°A flag? What flag?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no, forget about it.¡±


    ¡°Humans do have a weird affinity for flags¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing important. No need to think about it.¡±


    Maya inched closer. ¡°You¡¯re only making me curious about it.¡±


    I wonder if flags weren¡¯t used in this world¡¯s drama. Maybe it had a different term?


    ¡°Sigh¡­ Fine. Flags is a term used to describe someone saying something, likes their hopes and dreams, before something bad happen. It¡¯s like setting up a sign, telling you that something will happen.¡±


    ¡°I never heard about it before¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s from some ancient texts,¡± I lied. It seemed to work, though.


    ¡°Besides, how come you¡¯re so confident we¡¯ll defeat the demon king?¡±


    I, meanwhile, am filled with nothing but worry at the incoming battle.


    ¡°There¡¯s no dragon in the original hero¡¯s party, right?¡± Maya smiled.


    ¡°Well, no¡­ But that isn¡¯t the only reason you¡¯re relaxed, right?¡±


    Maya hopped off the chair, walking back toward the house. ¡°If we¡¯re going to die anyway, why not enjoy the ride?¡± She turned back to me. The moon¡¯s glow reflected off the sweet smile on her face.


    ¡°Good night.¡± She waved and walked away.


    ¡°... You took me for one hell of a ride, Maya.¡± I chuckled, standing up and heading back to the building.


    <h2>END</h2>

 Afterword

    Hello everyone, Alita Kayali here. I would like to thank you all for reading his novel. I hope you enjoy it. I would also like to thank Our Lord Jesus Christ for the strength He gave me to write this novel.


    If you enjoy this story, and want to see more, then please consider subscribing to my patreon, link below. I¡¯m currently thinking of what things I could do on patreon, so if you have any ideas, please let me know!This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Again, thank you very much for reading, and I hope to see you on the next one!


    Note: Volume 2 coming soon.